Crime and Punishment — Page 2
After eight months' imprisonment he was with twenty-one others taken out to the Semyonovsky Square to be shot.
Después de ocho meses de prisión, fue llevado junto con otros veintiún presos a la plaza Semyonovsky para ser fusilado.
Writing to his brother Mihail, Dostoevsky says: "They snapped words over our heads, and they made us put on the white shirts worn by persons condemned to death.
Escribiendo a su hermano Mijail, Dostoievski dice: «Nos leyeron sentencia sobre nuestras cabezas y nos hicieron ponernos las camisas blancas que visten las personas condenadas a muerte.
Thereupon we were bound in threes to stakes, to suffer execution.
Acto seguido nos ataron de tres en tres a unos postes para ser ejecutados.
Being the third in the row, I concluded I had only a few minutes of life before me.
Al ser el tercero de la fila, concluí que solo me quedaban unos pocos minutos de vida.
I thought of you and your dear ones and I contrived to kiss Plestcheiev and Dourov, who were next to me, and to bid them farewell.
Pensé en ti y en tus seres queridos, y logré besar a Plestcheiev y a Dúrov, quienes estaban junto a mí, y despedirme de ellos.
Suddenly the troops beat a tattoo, we were unbound, brought back upon the scaffold, and informed that his Majesty had spared us our lives."
De repente los soldados tocaron a retreta, nos desataron, nos condujeron de vuelta al cadalso y se nos informó de que Su Majestad nos había perdonado la vida.»
The sentence was commuted to hard labour.
La sentencia fue conmutada por trabajos forzados.
One of the prisoners, Grigoryev, went mad as soon as he was untied, and never regained his sanity.
Uno de los presos, Grigóriev, enloqueció en cuanto lo desataron y nunca recuperó la razón.
The intense suffering of this experience left a lasting stamp on Dostoevsky's mind.
El intenso sufrimiento de esta experiencia dejó una huella duradera en la mente de Dostoievski.
Though his religious temper led him in the end to accept every suffering with resignation and to regard it as a blessing in his own case, he constantly recurs to the subject in his writings.
Aunque su temperamento religioso le llevó a aceptar con resignación todo sufrimiento y a considerarlo una bendición en su propio caso, vuelve constantemente al tema en sus escritos.
He describes the awful agony of the condemned man and insists on the cruelty of inflicting such torture.
Describe la terrible agonía del condenado e insiste en la crueldad de infligir semejante tormento.
Then followed four years of penal servitude, spent in the company of common criminals in Siberia, where he began the "Dead House," and some years of service in a disciplinary battalion.
A continuación vinieron cuatro años de trabajos forzados, transcurridos en compañía de delincuentes comunes en Siberia, donde comenzó la «Casa de los muertos», y algunos años de servicio en un batallón disciplinario.
Vocabulary
- Después
- Indicates something occurring at a later time
- de
- Preposition indicating origin, possession, or relationship
- ocho
- The number eight
- meses
- Plural of month; units of time in a year
- prisión
- A place where people are held as punishment
- fue
- Third person singular past tense of 'ser' or 'ir'
- llevado
- Past participle of llevar; taken or brought somewhere
- junto
- Together or alongside someone or something
- con
- Preposition meaning with or accompanied by
- otros
- Refers to additional or different people or things
- veintiún
- The number twenty-one, used before masculine nouns
- presos
- Plural noun referring to imprisoned or arrested persons
- a
- Preposition indicating direction, destination, or indirect object
- la
- Definite article feminine singular meaning 'the'
- plaza
- An open public square or town gathering space
- para
- Preposition indicating purpose, destination, or recipient
- ser
- Infinitive meaning to be in a permanent sense
- fusilado
- Executed by firing squad; shot to death officially
- Escribiendo
- Present participle of escribir; in the act of writing
- hermano
- A male sibling; brother
- dice
- Third person singular present of decir; he or she says
- Nos
- First person plural object pronoun meaning us or to us
- leyeron
- Third person plural preterite of leer; they read aloud
- sentencia
- A judicial ruling or verdict declaring punishment
- sobre
- Preposition meaning over, above, or concerning something
- nuestras
- First person plural feminine possessive adjective meaning our
- cabezas
- Plural of cabeza; the heads of human bodies
- y
- Coordinating conjunction meaning and
- hicieron
- Third person plural preterite of hacer; they made or caused
- ponernos
- Reflexive infinitive meaning to put on ourselves
- las
- Definite article feminine plural meaning the
- camisas
- Plural of camisa; shirts worn on the upper body
- blancas
- Feminine plural adjective meaning white in color
- que
- Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning that or which
- visten
- Third person plural present of vestir; they wear or dress
- personas
- Plural noun referring to individual human beings
- condenadas
- Feminine plural adjective meaning condemned or sentenced
- muerte
- Noun meaning death; the end of life
- Acto
- Noun meaning act or action; used in phrase acto seguido
- seguido
- Past participle of seguir; immediately following, right after
- ataron
- Third person plural preterite of atar; they tied or bound
- tres
- The number three
- en
- Preposition meaning in, on, or at a location
- unos
- Indefinite plural article meaning some or a few
- postes
- Plural of poste; upright poles or posts in ground
- ejecutados
- Past participle plural meaning put to death; executed
- Al
- Contraction of a and el meaning at the or to the
- el
- Definite article masculine singular meaning the
- tercero
- Ordinal adjective meaning third in a sequence
- fila
- A row or line of people or objects arranged sequentially
- concluí
- First person singular preterite of concluir; I concluded
- solo
- Adjective or adverb meaning alone, only, or just
- me
- First person singular reflexive or object pronoun meaning me
- quedaban
- Third person plural imperfect of quedar; there remained
- pocos
- Masculine plural adjective meaning few or not many
- minutos
- Plural of minuto; sixty-second units of time
- vida
- Noun meaning life; the state of being alive
- Pensé
- First person singular preterite of pensar; I thought about
- ti
- Second person singular prepositional pronoun meaning you
- tus
- Second person singular possessive adjective meaning your plural
- seres
- Plural of ser used as noun; beings or living creatures
- queridos
- Plural adjective meaning beloved or dear; loved ones
- logré
- First person singular preterite of lograr; I managed to
- besar
- Infinitive meaning to kiss someone as a greeting
- quienes
- Relative pronoun referring to people meaning who or whom
- estaban
- Third person plural imperfect of estar; they were located
- mí
- First person singular prepositional pronoun meaning me
- despedirme
- Reflexive infinitive meaning to say goodbye to someone
- ellos
- Third person plural subject pronoun meaning they masculine
- De
- Preposition indicating origin, cause, or relationship
- repente
- Used in phrase de repente meaning suddenly or unexpectedly
- los
- Definite article masculine plural or direct object pronoun
- soldados
- Plural noun referring to members of an armed military force
- tocaron
- Third person plural preterite of tocar; they played or sounded
- desataron
- Third person plural preterite of desatar; they untied them
- condujeron
- Third person plural preterite of conducir; they led or drove
- vuelta
- Noun or past participle meaning return or turn back
- al
- Contraction of a and el meaning to the or at the
- se
- Reflexive or impersonal pronoun used with various verbs
- informó
- Third person singular preterite of informar; informed or reported
- Su
- Third person singular possessive adjective meaning his, her, or your formal
- había
- Third person singular imperfect of haber; there was or had
- perdonado
- Past participle of perdonar; forgiven or granted pardon
- La
- Definite article feminine singular meaning the
- por
- Preposition meaning by, for, through, or because of
- trabajos
- Plural of trabajo; works, jobs, or labor tasks
- forzados
- Plural adjective meaning forced; compulsory hard labor
- Uno
- The number one; also an indefinite pronoun meaning one person
- enloqueció
- Third person singular preterite of enloquecer; went insane
- cuanto
- Used in en cuanto meaning as soon as something happened
- lo
- Masculine direct object pronoun meaning him or it
- nunca
- Adverb meaning never or not ever at any time
- recuperó
- Third person singular preterite of recuperar; recovered or regained
- razón
- Noun meaning reason, sanity, or rational faculty
- El
- Definite article masculine singular meaning the
- intenso
- Adjective meaning intense, extreme, or very strong
- sufrimiento
- Noun meaning suffering or enduring pain and hardship
- esta
- Feminine singular demonstrative adjective meaning this
- experiencia
- Noun meaning experience; a lived event or personal knowledge
- dejó
- Third person singular preterite of dejar; left or caused
- una
- Indefinite article feminine singular meaning a or an
- huella
- A mark, trace, or lasting impression left behind
- duradera
- Feminine adjective meaning lasting or enduring over time
- mente
- Noun meaning mind; the seat of thought and consciousness
- Aunque
- Conjunction meaning although, even though, or even if
- temperamento
- Noun meaning temperament or natural disposition of a person
- religioso
- Adjective meaning religious or relating to faith and belief
- le
- Third person singular indirect object pronoun meaning to him
- llevó
- Third person singular preterite of llevar; led or caused someone
- aceptar
- Infinitive meaning to accept or to receive willingly
- resignación
- Noun meaning resignation; calm acceptance of difficult circumstances
- todo
- Pronoun or adjective meaning everything, all, or every
- considerarlo
- Infinitive plus pronoun meaning to consider it or regard it
- bendición
- Noun meaning blessing; a divine or favorable gift
- propio
- Adjective meaning own or one's own; characteristic or proper
- caso
- Noun meaning case, situation, or specific instance of something
- vuelve
- Third person singular present of volver; returns or comes back
- constantemente
- Adverb meaning constantly or repeatedly without interruption
- tema
- Noun meaning theme, topic, or subject matter of discussion
- sus
- Third person possessive adjective meaning his, her, their, or your formal
- escritos
- Plural noun meaning writings or written works produced
- Describe
- Third person singular present of describir; describes or portrays
- terrible
- Adjective meaning terrible, dreadful, or extremely unpleasant
- agonía
- Noun meaning agony; extreme physical or mental suffering
- del
- Contraction of de and el meaning of the or from the
- condenado
- Noun or past participle meaning condemned person or convict
- e
- Conjunction meaning and used before words beginning with i
- insiste
- Third person singular present of insistir; insists or emphasizes repeatedly
- crueldad
- Noun meaning cruelty; deliberately causing pain or suffering
- infligir
- Infinitive meaning to inflict pain or suffering on someone
- semejante
- Adjective meaning such, similar, or of that same kind
- tormento
- Noun meaning torment; severe physical or mental suffering inflicted
- A
- Preposition indicating direction, time, or manner
- continuación
- Used in a continuación meaning next or following that
- vinieron
- Third person plural preterite of venir; they came or followed
- cuatro
- The number four
- años
- Plural of año; years as units of time measurement
- transcurridos
- Past participle plural meaning elapsed or passed referring to time
- compañía
- Noun meaning company; the presence of others or a group
- delincuentes
- Plural noun referring to criminals or habitual lawbreakers
- comunes
- Plural adjective meaning common, ordinary, or not politically motivated
- donde
- Relative adverb meaning where indicating a place or location
- comenzó
- Third person singular preterite of comenzar; began or started
- Casa
- Noun meaning house or home; here part of a book title
- muertos
- Plural of muerto; dead people or those who have died
- algunos
- Indefinite pronoun or adjective meaning some or a few
- servicio
- Noun meaning service, duty, or period of serving obligations
- un
- Indefinite article masculine singular meaning a or an
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