A Tale of Two Cities — Page 6
At first, he slept heavily, but, by degrees, began to roll and surge in bed, until he rose above the surface, with his spiky hair looking as if it must tear the sheets to ribbons.
Al principio, dormía profundamente, pero, poco a poco, comenzó a revolverse y agitarse en la cama, hasta que emergió sobre la superficie, con su cabello erizado que parecía a punto de hacer jirones las sábanas.
At which juncture, he exclaimed, in a voice of dire exasperation:
En ese momento, exclamó, con una voz de terrible exasperación:
"Bust me, if she ain't at it agin!"
«¡Que me parta un rayo, si no está otra vez con lo mismo!»
A woman of orderly and industrious appearance rose from her knees in a corner, with sufficient haste and trepidation to show that she was the person referred to.
Una mujer de aspecto ordenado y laborioso se levantó de rodillas desde un rincón, con suficiente prisa y turbación como para demostrar que era la persona aludida.
"What!" said Mr. Cruncher, looking out of bed for a boot.
«¿Qué?», dijo el señor Cruncher, buscando una bota desde la cama.
"You're at it agin, are you?"
«¿Otra vez con lo mismo, eh?»
After hailing the morn with this second salutation, he threw a boot at the woman as a third.
Tras saludar la mañana con este segundo saludo, le arrojó una bota a la mujer a modo de tercer saludo.
It was a very muddy boot, and may introduce the odd circumstance connected with Mr. Cruncher's domestic economy, that, whereas he often came home after banking hours with clean boots, he often got up next morning to find the same boots covered with clay.
Era una bota muy embarrada, y puede servir para presentar la extraña circunstancia relacionada con la economía doméstica del señor Cruncher: que, si bien a menudo llegaba a casa después del horario bancario con las botas limpias, con frecuencia se levantaba a la mañana siguiente para encontrar las mismas botas cubiertas de barro.
"What," said Mr. Cruncher, varying his apostrophe after missing his mark--"what are you up to, Aggerawayter?"
«¿Qué», dijo el señor Cruncher, variando su apóstrofe tras fallar el blanco, «qué estás tramando, Exasperadora?»
"I was only saying my prayers."
«Solo estaba rezando mis oraciones.»
"Saying your prayers! You're a nice woman! What do you mean by flopping yourself down and praying agin me?"
«¡Rezando tus oraciones! ¡Valiente mujer estás hecha! ¿Qué significa eso de arrodillarte y rezar en mi contra?»
"I was not praying against you; I was praying for you."
«No estaba rezando en tu contra; estaba rezando por ti.»
"You weren't. And if you were, I won't be took the liberty with. Here! your mother's a nice woman, young Jerry, going a praying agin your father's prosperity.
«No es verdad. Y si así fuera, no voy a consentir que se tomen tales libertades conmigo. ¡Oye! Valiente madre la tuya, joven Jerry, poniéndose a rezar en contra de la prosperidad de tu padre.
Vocabulary
- principio
- Beginning or start of something
- dormía
- Past imperfect of 'dormir'; was sleeping
- profundamente
- Deeply or soundly, in a profound manner
- pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but', indicating contrast
- poco
- A little; small amount of something
- comenzó
- Past tense of 'comenzar'; began or started
- revolverse
- To toss and turn or writhe restlessly
- agitarse
- To shake, stir, or become agitated
- cama
- Bed, the furniture used for sleeping
- hasta
- Until or up to a point in time
- emergió
- Past tense of 'emerger'; emerged or surfaced
- sobre
- Preposition meaning 'on', 'over', or 'above'
- superficie
- Surface or outer layer of something
- cabello
- Hair, especially on a person's head
- erizado
- Standing on end; bristled or disheveled hair
- parecía
- Past imperfect of 'parecer'; seemed or appeared
- punto
- Point or moment; 'a punto de' means 'about to'
- hacer
- To do or to make something
- jirones
- Shreds or tatters of torn material
- sábanas
- Bed sheets used as bedding covers
- ese
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that'
- momento
- Moment, a brief point in time
- exclamó
- Past tense of 'exclamar'; exclaimed or cried out
- voz
- Voice; the sound produced when speaking
- terrible
- Terrible or dreadful; causing fear or distress
- exasperación
- Extreme irritation or frustration with something
- parta
- Subjunctive of 'partir'; to split or strike
- rayo
- Lightning bolt or ray of light
- si
- Conditional conjunction meaning 'if'
- otra
- Another or other; a different one
- vez
- Time or instance; 'otra vez' means again
- mismo
- Same; the very same thing as before
- mujer
- Woman; an adult female person
- aspecto
- Appearance or aspect of a person or thing
- ordenado
- Orderly, tidy, or neatly arranged
- laborioso
- Hardworking, industrious, or diligent person
- levantó
- Past tense of 'levantarse'; got up or rose
- rodillas
- Knees; the joints in the middle of legs
- desde
- Preposition meaning 'from' or 'since'
- rincón
- Corner of a room or enclosed space
- suficiente
- Sufficient or enough of something
- prisa
- Haste or hurry; urgency in movement
- turbación
- Disturbance, confusion, or emotional agitation
- como
- Like, as, or how; used for comparison
- demostrar
- To demonstrate or prove something clearly
- persona
- Person; an individual human being
- aludida
- Alluded to; the person being referred to
- dijo
- Past tense of 'decir'; said or told
- señor
- Mister or sir; title for an adult man
- buscando
- Present participle of 'buscar'; searching or looking
- bota
- Boot; a type of sturdy footwear
- Otra
- Another or other; a different instance
- eh
- Interjection expressing surprise or seeking confirmation
- Tras
- Preposition meaning 'after' or 'behind'
- saludar
- To greet or salute someone
- mañana
- Morning; also means 'tomorrow'
- este
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this'
- segundo
- Second; the ordinal number following first
- saludo
- Greeting or salutation to another person
- arrojó
- Past tense of 'arrojar'; threw or hurled something
- modo
- Manner, way, or mode of doing something
- tercer
- Third; the ordinal number following second
- embarrada
- Muddy or covered with mud or dirt
- puede
- Third person singular of 'poder'; can or may
- servir
- To serve or be useful for a purpose
- presentar
- To present or introduce something to someone
- extraña
- Strange, odd, or unusual circumstance or thing
- circunstancia
- Circumstance; a condition or fact affecting a situation
- relacionada
- Related or connected to something else
- economía
- Economy or domestic management of resources
- doméstica
- Domestic; relating to the home or household
- bien
- Well; adverb meaning in a good manner
- menudo
- 'A menudo' means often or frequently
- llegaba
- Past imperfect of 'llegar'; used to arrive
- casa
- House or home where one lives
- después
- After or afterwards; following in time
- horario
- Schedule or timetable for activities or work
- bancario
- Relating to a bank or banking activities
- botas
- Boots; plural of 'bota', sturdy footwear
- limpias
- Clean; free from dirt or stains
- frecuencia
- Frequency; how often something occurs
- levantaba
- Past imperfect of 'levantarse'; used to get up
- siguiente
- Following or next in sequence or order
- encontrar
- To find or encounter something or someone
- mismas
- Same; the identical ones previously mentioned
- cubiertas
- Covered; coated or layered with something
- barro
- Mud or clay; wet earthen substance
- variando
- Varying or changing from one thing to another
- apóstrofe
- Apostrophe; rhetorical address to an absent person
- tras
- Preposition meaning 'after' or 'behind'
- fallar
- To fail, miss, or malfunction
- blanco
- Target or white; missing the intended target
- tramando
- Scheming or plotting; planning something secretly
- Exasperadora
- Maddening or exasperating; causing great irritation
- Solo
- Only or just; alone without others
- rezando
- Present participle of 'rezar'; praying to God
- oraciones
- Prayers or sentences; acts of religious prayer
- Rezando
- Present participle of 'rezar'; praying devotionally
- Valiente
- Brave or fine; used sarcastically here
- hecha
- Past participle of 'hacer'; done or made
- significa
- Means or signifies; third person of 'significar'
- eso
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that thing'
- arrodillarte
- To kneel down; reflexive infinitive form
- rezar
- To pray; to speak to God or deity
- contra
- Against; in opposition to someone or something
- por
- Preposition meaning 'for', 'by', or 'through'
- verdad
- Truth; the actual state of affairs
- así
- So or thus; in this or that way
- fuera
- Subjunctive of 'ser/ir'; were or even if so
- voy
- First person singular present of 'ir'; I go
- consentir
- To consent, allow, or permit something to happen
- tomen
- Subjunctive of 'tomar'; that they take
- tales
- Such; of that kind or nature
- libertades
- Liberties; freedoms or overly familiar actions
- conmigo
- With me; first person prepositional pronoun form
- Oye
- Hey or listen; imperative of 'oír'
- madre
- Mother; a female parent
- tuya
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'yours' (feminine singular)
- joven
- Young; a young person or youth
- poniéndose
- Present participle of 'ponerse'; putting on or becoming
- prosperidad
- Prosperity; the state of being financially successful
- padre
- Father; a male parent
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