A Study in Scarlet — Page 2
Worn with pain, and weak from the prolonged hardships which I had undergone, I was removed, with a great train of wounded sufferers, to the base hospital at Peshawar.
Agotado por el dolor y debilitado por las prolongadas penalidades que había sufrido, fui trasladado, junto con una gran cantidad de heridos, al hospital de base en Peshawar.
Here I rallied, and had already improved so far as to be able to walk about the wards, and even to bask a little upon the verandah, when I was struck down by enteric fever, that curse of our Indian possessions.
Allí me recuperé y había mejorado ya hasta el punto de poder caminar por las salas, e incluso tomar el sol un poco en la veranda, cuando fui abatido por la fiebre entérica, esa maldición de nuestras posesiones en la India.
For months my life was despaired of, and when at last I came to myself and became convalescent, I was so weak and emaciated that a medical board determined that not a day should be lost in sending me back to England.
Durante meses se perdió toda esperanza por mi vida, y cuando al fin recobré el conocimiento y entré en convalecencia, estaba tan débil y demacrado que una junta médica determinó que no debía perderse ni un día en enviarme de vuelta a Inglaterra.
I was dispatched, accordingly, in the troopship "Orontes," and landed a month later on Portsmouth jetty, with my health irretrievably ruined, but with permission from a paternal government to spend the next nine months in attempting to improve it.
Fui enviado, en consecuencia, en el buque de transporte de tropas «Orontes», y desembarqué un mes después en el muelle de Portsmouth, con la salud irremediablemente arruinada, pero con el permiso de un gobierno paternal para pasar los nueve meses siguientes intentando mejorarla.
I had neither kith nor kin in England, and was therefore as free as air—or as free as an income of eleven shillings and sixpence a day will permit a man to be.
No tenía ni amigos ni parientes en Inglaterra, y era por tanto tan libre como el aire, o tan libre como unos ingresos de once chelines y seis peniques al día le permiten ser a un hombre.
Under such circumstances, I naturally gravitated to London, that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained.
En tales circunstancias, gravitté naturalmente hacia Londres, esa gran cloaca hacia la que todos los vagabundos y holgazanes del Imperio son irresistiblemente atraídos.
There I stayed for some time at a private hotel in the Strand, leading a comfortless, meaningless existence, and spending such money as I had, considerably more freely than I ought.
Allí me alojé durante algún tiempo en un hotel privado en el Strand, llevando una existencia sin comodidades ni sentido, y gastando el dinero que tenía con mucha más libertad de la que debería.
Vocabulary
- Agotado
- Exhausted, completely drained of energy or strength
- por
- By, for, through; common preposition with multiple uses
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article
- dolor
- Pain, ache, or emotional suffering
- y
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- debilitado
- Weakened, made physically feeble or frail
- las
- The; feminine plural definite article
- prolongadas
- Prolonged, extended over a long period of time
- penalidades
- Hardships, sufferings, or difficult ordeals endured
- que
- That, which, who; very common relative pronoun
- había
- Had; past perfect auxiliary form of haber
- sufrido
- Suffered; past participle of sufrir, to suffer
- fui
- I was / I went; preterite of ser or ir
- trasladado
- Transferred, moved from one place to another
- junto
- Together with, alongside another person or group
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- una
- A, an; feminine singular indefinite article
- gran
- Great, large; adjective indicating size or importance
- cantidad
- Quantity, amount, or number of something
- de
- Of, from; very common Spanish preposition
- heridos
- Wounded people, those injured in battle or accident
- al
- To the; contraction of a and el
- hospital
- Hospital, medical facility for treating patients
- base
- Base, foundation; here a military or medical base
- en
- In, at, on; common preposition of location
- Allí
- There, in that place previously mentioned
- me
- Me, myself; first-person singular reflexive pronoun
- recuperé
- I recovered, regained health or strength
- mejorado
- Improved, having gotten better in health or condition
- ya
- Already, now, soon; versatile adverb of time
- hasta
- Until, up to, as far as; preposition of limit
- punto
- Point, dot; here used in 'to the point of'
- poder
- To be able to, can; common modal verb
- caminar
- To walk, to move on foot
- salas
- Rooms, halls; wards in a hospital building
- e
- And; variant of y used before i or hi
- incluso
- Even, including; adverb adding emphasis or surprise
- tomar
- To take, to drink; also to get or receive something
- sol
- Sun, sunlight; to take the sun means to sunbathe
- un
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article
- poco
- A little, a small amount of something
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- veranda
- Veranda, covered porch or terrace outside a building
- cuando
- When; conjunction or adverb of time
- abatido
- Struck down, overcome, here felled by illness
- fiebre
- Fever, abnormally high body temperature from illness
- esa
- That; feminine singular demonstrative adjective
- maldición
- Curse, a plague or terrible affliction upon someone
- nuestras
- Our; feminine plural possessive adjective
- posesiones
- Possessions, territories or colonies belonging to a country
- Durante
- During, throughout a period of time
- meses
- Months; plural of mes
- se
- Reflexive pronoun; himself, herself, itself, themselves
- perdió
- Was lost; third-person preterite of perder
- toda
- All, every, entire; feminine singular form of todo
- esperanza
- Hope, expectation that something good will happen
- mi
- My; first-person singular possessive adjective
- vida
- Life, existence; the state of being alive
- fin
- End, finish; al fin means finally or at last
- recobré
- I recovered, regained something previously lost
- conocimiento
- Consciousness, knowledge; here regaining consciousness
- entré
- I entered, I began; preterite of entrar
- convalecencia
- Convalescence, gradual recovery of health after illness
- estaba
- I was, was; imperfect tense of estar
- tan
- So, such, as; adverb intensifying adjectives or adverbs
- débil
- Weak, feeble, lacking physical or moral strength
- demacrado
- Emaciated, gaunt, visibly wasted from illness
- junta
- Board, committee; here a medical review board
- médica
- Medical, relating to medicine or doctors
- determinó
- Determined, decided; preterite of determinar
- no
- No, not; basic negation word in Spanish
- debía
- Should, ought to; imperfect of deber indicating obligation
- perderse
- To be lost, missed; reflexive infinitive of perder
- ni
- Nor, not even; negative conjunction for emphasis
- día
- Day; a 24-hour period of time
- enviarme
- To send me; infinitive with first-person object pronoun
- vuelta
- Return; dar la vuelta or back, returning somewhere
- a
- To, at; very common Spanish preposition
- Fui
- I was / I went; preterite of ser or ir
- enviado
- Sent; past participle of enviar, to send
- consecuencia
- Consequence, result; como consecuencia means as a result
- buque
- Ship, large vessel for sea travel
- transporte
- Transport, transportation; movement of people or goods
- tropas
- Troops, soldiers, military forces
- desembarqué
- I disembarked, I got off a ship at port
- mes
- Month; one of twelve divisions of the year
- después
- After, later, afterwards; adverb of time
- muelle
- Dock, pier, wharf where ships load and unload
- salud
- Health, wellness; also used as a toast or greeting
- irremediablemente
- Irreparably, hopelessly, beyond any possibility of fixing
- arruinada
- Ruined, destroyed, completely damaged beyond repair
- pero
- But; coordinating conjunction showing contrast
- permiso
- Permission, leave; authorization to do something
- gobierno
- Government, the ruling authority of a country
- paternal
- Paternal, fatherly; here relating to the government's authority
- para
- For, in order to; preposition of purpose or destination
- pasar
- To spend time, to pass, to happen
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article
- nueve
- Nine; the cardinal number 9
- siguientes
- Following, next; referring to subsequent items or periods
- intentando
- Trying, attempting; gerund of intentar
- mejorarla
- To improve it; infinitive with third-person object pronoun
- No
- No, not; basic negation word in Spanish
- tenía
- I had, had; imperfect tense of tener
- amigos
- Friends, close acquaintances or companions
- parientes
- Relatives, family members, relations
- era
- Was, were; imperfect tense of ser
- tanto
- As much, so much; adverb or pronoun of quantity
- libre
- Free, unrestrained, at liberty to act
- como
- As, like, how; used for comparisons and manner
- aire
- Air; the atmosphere, also used in expressions of freedom
- o
- Or; coordinating conjunction offering alternatives
- unos
- Some, about; masculine plural indefinite article
- ingresos
- Income, earnings, money received regularly
- once
- Eleven; the cardinal number 11
- seis
- Six; the cardinal number 6
- le
- Him, her, you; indirect object pronoun third person
- permiten
- Allow, permit; third-person plural present of permitir
- ser
- To be; fundamental Spanish verb of identity or essence
- hombre
- Man, human male; also used generally for person
- En
- In, at, on; common preposition of location or time
- tales
- Such, like those; plural demonstrative adjective
- circunstancias
- Circumstances, conditions or situations surrounding events
- naturalmente
- Naturally, of course, in a natural or expected way
- hacia
- Toward, in the direction of something
- cloaca
- Sewer, drain; here metaphor for a place attracting undesirables
- todos
- All, every; masculine plural form of todo
- vagabundos
- Vagabonds, wanderers, drifters without fixed home
- holgazanes
- Idlers, lazy people who avoid work
- del
- Of the; contraction of de and el
- Imperio
- Empire; a large territory ruled by one authority
- son
- Are; third-person plural present of ser
- irresistiblemente
- Irresistibly, in a way that cannot be resisted
- atraídos
- Attracted, drawn toward something or someone
- alojé
- I lodged, I stayed; preterite of alojar
- durante
- During, throughout; preposition indicating time span
- algún
- Some, a certain; masculine singular indefinite adjective
- tiempo
- Time, weather; duration or a period of time
- hotel
- Hotel; establishment providing lodging for travelers
- privado
- Private, not public; a private hotel is a boarding house
- llevando
- Leading, carrying, living; gerund of llevar
- existencia
- Existence, life, the way one lives day to day
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- comodidades
- Comforts, conveniences, amenities making life pleasant
- sentido
- Sense, meaning, direction; sin sentido means meaninglessly
- gastando
- Spending, using up money or resources; gerund of gastar
- dinero
- Money, currency used for buying goods or services
- mucha
- Much, a lot of; feminine singular form of mucho
- más
- More, most; comparative adverb of quantity or degree
- libertad
- Freedom, liberty, the state of being free
- debería
- Should, ought to; conditional of deber indicating obligation
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