A Tale of Two Cities — Page 5
In the midst of them, the hangman, ever busy and ever worse than useless, was in constant requisition; now, stringing up long rows of miscellaneous criminals; now, hanging a housebreaker on Saturday who had been taken on Tuesday; now, burning people in the hand at Newgate by the dozen, and now burning pamphlets at the door of Westminster Hall; to-day, taking the life of an atrocious murderer, and to-morrow of a wretched pilferer who had robbed a farmer's boy of sixpence.
En medio de todo ello, el verdugo, siempre ocupado y siempre más inútil que otra cosa, era requerido constantemente; ahora, colgando largas hileras de criminales de toda índole; ahora, ahorcando el sábado a un ladrón de casas que había sido capturado el martes; ahora, marcando a fuego la mano de personas en Newgate por docenas, y ahora quemando panfletos a la puerta del Westminster Hall; hoy, quitándole la vida a un atroz asesino, y mañana a un miserable ratero que había robado a un mozo de labranza seis peniques.
All these things, and a thousand like them, came to pass in and close upon the dear old year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five.
Todas estas cosas, y otras mil semejantes, acontecieron en torno al querido y viejo año de mil setecientos setenta y cinco.
Environed by them, while the Woodman and the Farmer worked unheeded, those two of the large jaws, and those other two of the plain and the fair faces, trod with stir enough, and carried their divine rights with a high hand.
Rodeados por ellos, mientras el Leñador y el Labrador trabajaban sin que nadie les prestara atención, aquellos dos de las grandes mandíbulas, y aquellos otros dos de los rostros llano y hermoso, anduvieron con suficiente agitación, y ejercieron sus derechos divinos con mano firme.
Thus did the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five conduct their Greatnesses, and myriads of small creatures--the creatures of this chronicle among the rest--along the roads that lay before them.
Así condujo el año mil setecientos setenta y cinco a Sus Grandezas, y a miríadas de pequeñas criaturas —entre ellas las criaturas de esta crónica— por los caminos que se extendían ante ellos.
Vocabulary
- medio
- Middle or midst of something
- todo
- All or everything; entire amount
- ello
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it' or 'this'
- verdugo
- Executioner who carries out death sentences
- siempre
- Always; at all times without exception
- ocupado
- Busy or occupied with tasks or work
- más
- More; greater in quantity or degree
- inútil
- Useless; serving no practical purpose whatsoever
- otra
- Another or other feminine noun modifier
- cosa
- Thing; an object or matter of concern
- era
- Past tense of 'ser'; was or existed
- requerido
- Required or summoned for a duty
- constantemente
- Constantly; happening without stop or interruption
- ahora
- Now; at the present moment in time
- colgando
- Hanging; suspending something from above
- largas
- Long; extended in length or duration
- hileras
- Rows or lines of people or objects
- criminales
- Criminals; people who have committed crimes
- toda
- All or every; feminine form of todo
- índole
- Nature, kind, or type of something
- ahorcando
- Hanging someone by the neck until dead
- sábado
- Saturday; the seventh day of the week
- ladrón
- Thief; someone who steals others' property
- casas
- Houses; residential buildings where people live
- había
- There was or had; past auxiliary verb
- sido
- Been; past participle of the verb ser
- capturado
- Captured; caught and taken into custody
- martes
- Tuesday; the third day of the week
- marcando
- Marking or branding with a symbol
- fuego
- Fire; combustion producing heat and light
- mano
- Hand; the body part at the wrist
- personas
- People or persons; individual human beings
- por
- Preposition meaning 'for,' 'by,' or 'through'
- docenas
- Dozens; groups of twelve people or things
- quemando
- Burning; setting something on fire deliberately
- panfletos
- Pamphlets; small printed informational or political booklets
- puerta
- Door or gate; an entrance to a place
- hoy
- Today; on this present day
- quitándole
- Taking away from someone; removing by force
- vida
- Life; the existence of a living being
- atroz
- Atrocious; extremely wicked, cruel, or horrifying
- asesino
- Murderer or assassin; one who kills others
- mañana
- Tomorrow or morning; the next day
- miserable
- Wretched or miserable; in a pitiable state
- ratero
- Petty thief; someone who steals small things
- robado
- Stolen; taken unlawfully from its rightful owner
- mozo
- Young lad or farmhand; an unskilled laborer
- labranza
- Farming or tillage; agricultural field labor work
- seis
- Six; the number between five and seven
- peniques
- Pennies; small-denomination British copper coins
- Todas
- All; every one of a group of things
- estas
- These; demonstrative adjective for nearby feminine nouns
- cosas
- Things; objects or matters being discussed
- otras
- Other; additional feminine plural nouns or things
- mil
- Thousand; the number one thousand
- semejantes
- Similar or alike; resembling each other closely
- acontecieron
- Happened or occurred; events that took place
- torno
- Around; used in 'en torno a' meaning surrounding
- querido
- Dear or beloved; cherished or affectionately regarded
- viejo
- Old; having existed for a long time
- año
- Year; a period of twelve calendar months
- setecientos
- Seven hundred; the number 700
- setenta
- Seventy; the number between sixty and eighty
- cinco
- Five; the number between four and six
- Rodeados
- Surrounded; encircled on all sides by something
- ellos
- They; third-person plural masculine pronoun
- mientras
- While; during the time that something happens
- Leñador
- Woodcutter; a person who chops or fells trees
- Labrador
- Farmer or laborer who works agricultural land
- trabajaban
- Were working; past imperfect tense of trabajar
- sin
- Without; lacking something or in the absence of
- nadie
- Nobody; no person at all
- les
- Indirect object pronoun meaning 'to them'
- prestara
- Would pay or lend; subjunctive of prestar
- atención
- Attention; notice or consideration given to something
- aquellos
- Those; demonstrative pronoun referring to distant things
- dos
- Two; the number between one and three
- grandes
- Great or large; of considerable size or importance
- mandíbulas
- Jaws; the bones forming the mouth's framework
- otros
- Others; different masculine plural people or things
- rostros
- Faces; the front parts of human heads
- llano
- Plain or flat; smooth and level surface
- hermoso
- Beautiful or handsome; pleasing to the senses
- anduvieron
- Walked or went; past tense of andar
- suficiente
- Sufficient or enough; adequate for the purpose
- agitación
- Agitation; a state of anxiety or unrest
- ejercieron
- Exercised or exerted; made use of powers
- sus
- Their or his/her; possessive adjective for nouns
- derechos
- Rights or privileges; entitlements belonging to someone
- divinos
- Divine; relating to God or godly authority
- firme
- Firm or steady; resolute and unwavering in purpose
- Así
- Thus or so; in this manner or way
- condujo
- Led or drove; past tense of conducir
- Sus
- Their or Your; possessive adjective (formal or plural)
- Grandezas
- Greatnesses or Graces; titles for noble persons
- miríadas
- Myriads; countless or extremely large numbers of things
- pequeñas
- Small or little; of limited size or importance
- criaturas
- Creatures; living beings or created entities
- entre
- Among or between; in the middle of things
- ellas
- They (feminine); third-person plural feminine pronoun
- esta
- This; feminine singular demonstrative adjective
- crónica
- Chronicle; a detailed record of historical events
- caminos
- Roads or paths; routes for traveling from place
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive verbs
- extendían
- Extended or stretched out; spread over an area
- ante
- Before or in front of; facing something
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