Bleak House — Page 2
The Close of Esther's Narrative
El Final de la Narración de Esther
PREFACE
PREFACIO
A Chancery judge once had the kindness to inform me, as one of a company of some hundred and fifty men and women not labouring under any suspicions of lunacy, that the Court of Chancery, though the shining subject of much popular prejudice (at which point I thought the judge's eye had a cast in my direction), was almost immaculate.
Un juez de la Cancillería tuvo en cierta ocasión la amabilidad de informarme, siendo yo uno de un grupo de unos ciento cincuenta hombres y mujeres que no padecían sospecha alguna de demencia, que el Tribunal de la Cancillería, aunque brillante objeto de muchos prejuicios populares (momento en el que creí que el ojo del juez se dirigía hacia mí), era casi inmaculado.
There had been, he admitted, a trivial blemish or so in its rate of progress, but this was exaggerated and had been entirely owing to the "parsimony of the public," which guilty public, it appeared, had been until lately bent in the most determined manner on by no means enlarging the number of Chancery judges appointed—I believe by Richard the Second, but any other king will do as well.
Había habido, admitió, una imperfección trivial o algo así en su ritmo de progreso, pero esto estaba exagerado y se había debido enteramente a la «parsimonia del público», el cual público culpable, al parecer, había estado hasta hace poco empeñado de la manera más decidida en no ampliar en modo alguno el número de jueces de la Cancillería nombrados —creo que por Ricardo II, aunque cualquier otro rey servirá igualmente.
This seemed to me too profound a joke to be inserted in the body of this book or I should have restored it to Conversation Kenge or to Mr. Vholes, with one or other of whom I think it must have originated.
Esto me pareció una broma demasiado profunda para insertarla en el cuerpo de este libro, pues de lo contrario debería habérsela devuelto a Kenge el Conversador o al señor Vholes, con uno u otro de los cuales creo que debió de originarse.
In such mouths I might have coupled it with an apt quotation from one of Shakespeare's sonnets:
En tales bocas podría haberla combinado con una cita apropiada de uno de los sonetos de Shakespeare:
"My nature is subdued To what it works in, like the dyer's hand: Pity me, then, and wish I were renewed!
«Mi naturaleza está subyugada a aquello en que trabaja, como la mano del tintorero: ¡Compadécete de mí, pues, y desea que fuera renovado!
Vocabulary
- Final
- End or conclusion of something.
- Narración
- A narrative or account of events told in sequence.
- PREFACIO
- Preface or introductory section of a book.
- juez
- A judge who presides over legal proceedings.
- Cancillería
- Chancery; a court of equity or legal office.
- tuvo
- Past tense of 'tener'; he/she had or held.
- cierta
- A certain or particular (feminine adjective).
- ocasión
- An occasion or specific moment in time.
- amabilidad
- Kindness or friendliness shown toward others.
- informarme
- To inform me; reflexive infinitive of 'informar.'
- siendo
- Present participle of 'ser'; being.
- grupo
- A group or collection of people or things.
- ciento
- The number one hundred.
- cincuenta
- The number fifty.
- hombres
- Men; plural of 'hombre.'
- mujeres
- Women; plural of 'mujer.'
- padecían
- They suffered from; imperfect tense of 'padecer.'
- sospecha
- Suspicion or doubt about something or someone.
- alguna
- Some or any (feminine form of 'alguno').
- demencia
- Dementia; severe mental disorder affecting cognitive function.
- Tribunal
- A court or tribunal that administers justice.
- aunque
- Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though.'
- brillante
- Brilliant or shining; outstandingly clever or impressive.
- objeto
- Object or subject; here means 'subject to.'
- muchos
- Many; a large number of people or things.
- prejuicios
- Prejudices or biases held without sufficient justification.
- populares
- Popular; relating to or common among general people.
- momento
- A moment or brief period of time.
- creí
- I believed; first-person preterite of 'creer.'
- ojo
- Eye; the organ of sight.
- dirigía
- Was directing or pointing toward; imperfect of 'dirigir.'
- hacia
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of.'
- casi
- Adverb meaning 'almost' or 'nearly.'
- inmaculado
- Immaculate; perfectly clean or free from flaws.
- admitió
- He/she admitted; preterite tense of 'admitir.'
- imperfección
- An imperfection or flaw in something.
- trivial
- Trivial; of little importance or significance.
- así
- Adverb meaning 'thus,' 'so,' or 'like this.'
- ritmo
- Rhythm or pace at which something progresses.
- progreso
- Progress; forward movement toward a goal.
- exagerado
- Exaggerated; overstated beyond what is accurate.
- debido
- Due to; past participle of 'deber,' meaning owed or owing.
- enteramente
- Entirely or completely, without exception.
- parsimonia
- Parsimony; extreme reluctance to spend money or resources.
- público
- The public; people in general or an audience.
- cual
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'who.'
- culpable
- Guilty; responsible for a fault or wrongdoing.
- parecer
- To seem or appear; also used to express opinion.
- hasta
- Preposition meaning 'until,' 'up to,' or 'even.'
- poco
- Little or a small amount of something.
- empeñado
- Determined or committed to doing something stubbornly.
- manera
- Manner or way of doing something.
- decidida
- Decisive or determined; resolved to take action.
- ampliar
- To expand or enlarge something in scope or size.
- modo
- Mode or way; manner in which something is done.
- alguno
- Some or any; indefinite adjective or pronoun.
- número
- Number; a quantity or numerical figure.
- jueces
- Judges; plural of 'juez,' legal officials.
- nombrados
- Appointed or named; past participle of 'nombrar.'
- creo
- I believe or think; first-person of 'creer.'
- cualquier
- Any; used before a noun to mean 'whichever.'
- otro
- Other or another; referring to a different one.
- rey
- King; the male monarch of a kingdom.
- servirá
- Will serve; future tense of 'servir' (third person).
- igualmente
- Equally; in the same manner or degree.
- broma
- A joke or jest; something said for amusement.
- demasiado
- Too much; exceeding what is appropriate or needed.
- profunda
- Deep or profound; having great depth or significance.
- insertarla
- To insert it; infinitive with feminine object pronoun.
- cuerpo
- Body; main section of a text or physical body.
- libro
- A book; a written or printed literary work.
- pues
- Conjunction meaning 'since,' 'well,' or 'then.'
- contrario
- Contrary or opposite; the opposing side or view.
- debería
- Should or ought to; conditional of 'deber.'
- devuelto
- Returned; past participle of 'devolver,' to give back.
- Conversador
- Conversationalist; one who talks a great deal.
- señor
- Mister or sir; formal title of address for men.
- cuales
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'who' (plural).
- debió
- Must have; preterite of 'deber' indicating probability.
- originarse
- To originate or arise; reflexive form of 'originar.'
- tales
- Such; plural of 'tal,' meaning such or like those.
- bocas
- Mouths; plural of 'boca,' the mouth.
- podría
- Could; conditional form of 'poder.'
- combinado
- Combined; past participle of 'combinar.'
- cita
- A quotation or citation from a text or author.
- apropiada
- Appropriate or suitable; fitting for the context.
- sonetos
- Sonnets; fourteen-line poems in a specific rhyme scheme.
- naturaleza
- Nature; the inherent character or essence of something.
- subyugada
- Subjugated or subdued; brought under control or domination.
- aquello
- That (thing); neuter demonstrative pronoun for distant objects.
- trabaja
- Works; third-person singular present of 'trabajar.'
- mano
- Hand; the part of the body at the end of the arm.
- tintorero
- A dyer; one who dyes cloth or fabrics professionally.
- Compadécete
- Have pity; imperative reflexive form of 'compadecer.'
- desea
- Desires or wishes; third-person singular of 'desear.'
- fuera
- Were or would be; imperfect subjunctive of 'ser/estar.'
- renovado
- Renewed or restored; past participle of 'renovar.'
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