Crime and Punishment — Page 1
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
CRIMEN Y CASTIGO
By Fyodor Dostoevsky
Por Fyodor Dostoevsky
Translated By Constance Garnett
Traducido por Constance Garnett
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE
PREFACIO DEL TRADUCTOR
A few words about Dostoevsky himself may help the English reader to understand his work.
Unas pocas palabras sobre el propio Dostoevsky pueden ayudar al lector anglófono a comprender su obra.
Dostoevsky was the son of a doctor.
Dostoevsky era hijo de un médico.
His parents were very hard-working and deeply religious people, but so poor that they lived with their five children in only two rooms.
Sus padres eran personas muy trabajadoras y profundamente religiosas, pero tan pobres que vivían con sus cinco hijos en tan solo dos habitaciones.
The father and mother spent their evenings in reading aloud to their children, generally from books of a serious character.
El padre y la madre pasaban las veladas leyendo en voz alta a sus hijos, generalmente libros de carácter serio.
Though always sickly and delicate Dostoevsky came out third in the final examination of the Petersburg school of Engineering.
Aunque siempre enfermizo y delicado, Dostoevsky quedó en tercer lugar en el examen final de la escuela de Ingeniería de Petersburgo.
There he had already begun his first work, "Poor Folk."
Allí había comenzado ya su primera obra, «Pobres gentes».
This story was published by the poet Nekrassov in his review and was received with acclamations.
Esta historia fue publicada por el poeta Nekrásov en su revista y fue recibida con aclamaciones.
The shy, unknown youth found himself instantly something of a celebrity.
El tímido y desconocido joven se encontró de inmediato convertido en una pequeña celebridad.
A brilliant and successful career seemed to open before him, but those hopes were soon dashed.
Una carrera brillante y exitosa parecía abrirse ante él, pero esas esperanzas pronto se desvanecieron.
In 1849 he was arrested.
En 1849 fue arrestado.
Though neither by temperament nor conviction a revolutionist, Dostoevsky was one of a little group of young men who met together to read Fourier and Proudhon.
Aunque no era revolucionario ni por temperamento ni por convicción, Dostoevsky formaba parte de un pequeño grupo de jóvenes que se reunían para leer a Fourier y a Proudhon.
He was accused of "taking part in conversations against the censorship, of reading a letter from Byelinsky to Gogol, and of knowing of the intention to set up a printing press."
Fue acusado de «tomar parte en conversaciones contra la censura, de leer una carta de Bielinski a Gógol y de conocer la intención de instalar una imprenta».
Under Nicholas I. (that "stern and just man," as Maurice Baring calls him) this was enough, and he was condemned to death.
Bajo Nicolás I (ese «hombre severo y justo», como lo llama Maurice Baring) esto fue suficiente, y fue condenado a muerte.
Vocabulary
- CRIMEN
- A serious illegal act; a crime.
- Y
- Conjunction meaning 'and' connecting words or clauses.
- CASTIGO
- Punishment given as a consequence of wrongdoing.
- Por
- Preposition meaning 'by' or 'for' indicating authorship.
- Traducido
- Past participle of traducir; translated into another language.
- por
- Preposition indicating agency; translated 'by' in this context.
- PREFACIO
- Introductory section of a book; a preface or foreword.
- DEL
- Contraction of 'de' and 'el'; meaning 'of the'.
- TRADUCTOR
- A person who translates text from one language to another.
- Unas
- Indefinite feminine plural article meaning 'some' or 'a few'.
- pocas
- Adjective meaning few in quantity; not many.
- palabras
- Plural of palabra; words used in speech or writing.
- sobre
- Preposition meaning 'about' or 'on' a topic.
- el
- Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
- propio
- Adjective meaning own, proper, or belonging to oneself.
- pueden
- Third person plural present tense of poder; they can.
- ayudar
- To help or assist someone with a task or problem.
- al
- Contraction of 'a' and 'el'; meaning 'to the'.
- lector
- A person who reads; a reader of books or texts.
- anglófono
- Describing someone who speaks English as their language.
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at' in Spanish.
- comprender
- To understand or comprehend something fully and clearly.
- su
- Possessive pronoun meaning his, her, their, or your.
- obra
- A literary or artistic work created by an author.
- era
- Imperfect past tense of ser; he/she/it was.
- hijo
- A male child; son in relation to his parents.
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from' indicating origin or possession.
- un
- Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
- médico
- A trained doctor who practices medicine professionally.
- Sus
- Plural possessive pronoun meaning his, her, their, or your.
- padres
- Plural of padre; parents or fathers in Spanish.
- eran
- Imperfect past tense of ser; they were, describing a state.
- personas
- Plural of persona; people or individuals in society.
- muy
- Adverb meaning very; used to intensify adjectives or adverbs.
- trabajadoras
- Feminine plural adjective describing people who work hard diligently.
- y
- Conjunction meaning 'and' used to connect elements.
- profundamente
- Adverb meaning deeply or profoundly in a sincere manner.
- religiosas
- Feminine plural adjective meaning deeply devout or religious.
- pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but' introducing a contrast or exception.
- tan
- Adverb meaning so or as, used in comparisons.
- pobres
- Adjective meaning poor; lacking sufficient money or resources.
- que
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'.
- vivían
- Imperfect past tense of vivir; they used to live.
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with' indicating accompaniment or inclusion.
- sus
- Plural possessive meaning their or his indicating possession.
- cinco
- The number five in Spanish.
- hijos
- Plural of hijo; children or sons of parents.
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'on' indicating location or time.
- solo
- Adjective or adverb meaning alone, only, or just.
- dos
- The number two in Spanish.
- habitaciones
- Plural of habitación; rooms in a house or apartment.
- El
- Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
- padre
- The male parent; father in a family.
- la
- Feminine singular definite article meaning 'the'.
- madre
- The female parent; mother in a family.
- pasaban
- Imperfect past of pasar; they used to spend time.
- las
- Feminine plural definite article meaning 'the'.
- veladas
- Plural of velada; evenings spent in social or quiet activities.
- leyendo
- Present participle of leer; reading aloud or to oneself.
- voz
- Voice; the sound produced when speaking or singing.
- alta
- Feminine adjective meaning high or loud in reference to voice.
- generalmente
- Adverb meaning generally or usually in most cases.
- libros
- Plural of libro; books used for reading or study.
- carácter
- Character or nature; the distinctive quality of something.
- serio
- Adjective meaning serious, earnest, or grave in tone.
- Aunque
- Conjunction meaning although or even though introducing contrast.
- siempre
- Adverb meaning always or at all times.
- enfermizo
- Adjective meaning sickly or prone to frequent illness.
- delicado
- Adjective meaning delicate, frail, or requiring careful handling.
- quedó
- Preterite of quedar; he/she remained or ended up in a position.
- tercer
- Ordinal number meaning third in a sequence or ranking.
- lugar
- A place, location, or position in a ranking.
- examen
- A formal test or examination to assess knowledge.
- final
- Adjective meaning final or last; occurring at the end.
- escuela
- A school or educational institution for learning.
- Ingeniería
- Engineering; the field of study involving technical design and construction.
- Allí
- Adverb meaning there; referring to a previously mentioned place.
- había
- Imperfect of haber; there was, or had as auxiliary verb.
- comenzado
- Past participle of comenzar; having started or begun something.
- ya
- Adverb meaning already or now indicating completion.
- primera
- Feminine ordinal adjective meaning first in order or rank.
- Pobres
- Adjective used as noun; poor people lacking financial resources.
- gentes
- Plural of gente; people or folk in a general sense.
- Esta
- Feminine demonstrative pronoun meaning this, referring to something nearby.
- historia
- A story, history, or narrative account of events.
- fue
- Preterite of ser or ir; was or went in past tense.
- publicada
- Feminine past participle of publicar; having been published officially.
- poeta
- A person who writes poetry; a poet.
- revista
- A magazine or journal published periodically with articles.
- recibida
- Feminine past participle of recibir; having been received or welcomed.
- aclamaciones
- Plural of aclamación; enthusiastic applause or public praise.
- tímido
- Adjective meaning shy, timid, or lacking social confidence.
- desconocido
- Adjective meaning unknown or unfamiliar; not yet recognized publicly.
- joven
- Adjective or noun meaning young; a young person.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with verbs to indicate self-directed action.
- encontró
- Preterite of encontrar; found or encountered something or someone.
- inmediato
- Adjective meaning immediate; happening without delay or interval.
- convertido
- Past participle of convertir; having been transformed or changed into.
- una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
- pequeña
- Feminine adjective meaning small or little in size or degree.
- celebridad
- A famous person; the state of being widely known.
- Una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'.
- carrera
- A professional career or course of study and work.
- brillante
- Adjective meaning brilliant, shining, or outstandingly impressive.
- exitosa
- Feminine adjective meaning successful; achieving desired goals or outcomes.
- parecía
- Imperfect of parecer; it seemed or appeared to be.
- abrirse
- Reflexive infinitive of abrir; to open up before someone.
- ante
- Preposition meaning before or in front of someone.
- él
- Personal pronoun meaning he or him in Spanish.
- esas
- Feminine plural demonstrative pronoun meaning those nearby things.
- esperanzas
- Plural of esperanza; hopes or aspirations for the future.
- pronto
- Adverb meaning soon or quickly; in a short time.
- desvanecieron
- Preterite of desvanecer; they faded away or disappeared completely.
- En
- Preposition meaning in or at, indicating time or place.
- arrestado
- Past participle of arrestar; having been arrested by authorities.
- no
- Negation word meaning no or not in Spanish.
- revolucionario
- Adjective or noun describing someone involved in revolutionary activity.
- ni
- Conjunction meaning nor or neither used in negative constructions.
- temperamento
- Temperament; a person's natural disposition or emotional character.
- convicción
- A firmly held belief or personal conviction about something.
- formaba
- Imperfect of formar; used to form or be part of.
- parte
- A part, portion, or member of a larger group.
- pequeño
- Masculine adjective meaning small or little in size.
- grupo
- A group of people gathered together for a common purpose.
- jóvenes
- Plural of joven; young people or youths as a group.
- reunían
- Imperfect of reunir; they used to meet or gather together.
- para
- Preposition meaning for, in order to, or toward a goal.
- leer
- Infinitive meaning to read text or written material.
- Fue
- Preterite of ser or ir; was or went in past tense.
- acusado
- Past participle of acusar; having been accused of a crime.
- tomar
- To take, drink, or participate in something actively.
- conversaciones
- Plural of conversación; conversations or spoken exchanges between people.
- contra
- Preposition meaning against; in opposition to something or someone.
- censura
- Censorship; official suppression of speech or published material.
- carta
- A letter written and sent to another person.
- conocer
- To know or be acquainted with a person or place.
- intención
- An intention or plan to do something in the future.
- instalar
- To install or set up equipment or a device.
- imprenta
- A printing press or printing establishment producing publications.
- Bajo
- Preposition meaning under or during a reign or rule.
- ese
- Masculine demonstrative adjective meaning that nearby person or thing.
- hombre
- A man; an adult male human being.
- severo
- Adjective meaning severe, strict, or harsh in manner.
- justo
- Adjective meaning just, fair, or righteous in judgment.
- como
- Conjunction or adverb meaning as or like in comparisons.
- lo
- Neuter or masculine direct object pronoun meaning him or it.
- llama
- Third person singular of llamar; he/she calls or names someone.
- esto
- Neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning this thing or situation.
- suficiente
- Adjective meaning sufficient or enough to meet a requirement.
- condenado
- Past participle of condenar; condemned or sentenced by a court.
- muerte
- Death; the end of life for a living being.
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