Crime and Punishment — Page 7
The bell gave a faint tinkle as though it were made of tin and not of copper.
La campana emitió un débil tintineo, como si estuviera hecha de estaño y no de cobre.
The little flats in such houses always have bells that ring like that.
Los pequeños apartamentos en tales casas siempre tienen campanas que suenan así.
He had forgotten the note of that bell, and now its peculiar tinkle seemed to remind him of something and to bring it clearly before him....
Había olvidado el sonido de aquella campana, y ahora su peculiar tintineo parecía recordarle algo y traerlo claramente ante él...
He started, his nerves were terribly overstrained by now.
Se sobresaltó; sus nervios estaban terriblemente crispados para entonces.
In a little while, the door was opened a tiny crack: the old woman eyed her visitor with evident distrust through the crack, and nothing could be seen but her little eyes, glittering in the darkness.
Al poco rato, la puerta se abrió una pequeña rendija: la anciana observó a su visitante con evidente desconfianza a través de la rendija, y no podía verse nada más que sus pequeños ojos, brillando en la oscuridad.
But, seeing a number of people on the landing, she grew bolder, and opened the door wide.
Pero, al ver a varias personas en el rellano, se animó y abrió la puerta de par en par.
The young man stepped into the dark entry, which was partitioned off from the tiny kitchen.
El joven entró en el oscuro recibidor, que estaba separado de la pequeña cocina.
The old woman stood facing him in silence and looking inquiringly at him.
La anciana estaba frente a él en silencio y lo miraba con curiosidad.
She was a diminutive, withered up old woman of sixty, with sharp malignant eyes and a sharp little nose.
Era una anciana diminuta y marchita de sesenta años, con ojos pequeños y maliciosos y una naricilla afilada.
Her colourless, somewhat grizzled hair was thickly smeared with oil, and she wore no kerchief over it.
Su cabello descolorido, algo canoso, estaba abundantemente untado de aceite, y no llevaba pañuelo sobre él.
Round her thin long neck, which looked like a hen's leg, was knotted some sort of flannel rag, and, in spite of the heat, there hung flapping on her shoulders, a mangy fur cape, yellow with age.
Alrededor de su cuello delgado y largo, que parecía una pata de gallina, había anudado una especie de trapo de franela, y, a pesar del calor, colgaba ondeando sobre sus hombros una raída capa de piel, amarillenta por los años.
The old woman coughed and groaned at every instant.
La anciana tosía y gemía a cada instante.
Vocabulary
- campana
- A bell, typically hung and rung for signaling
- emitió
- Emitted or gave off a sound or signal
- débil
- Weak, faint, or lacking strength or intensity
- tintineo
- A tinkling or jingling sound, like a small bell
- como
- As or like, used for comparisons
- si
- If, used to introduce a conditional clause
- estuviera
- Subjunctive past form of 'estar,' meaning 'were'
- hecha
- Made or crafted from a material, feminine form
- estaño
- Tin, a soft metallic element used in alloys
- cobre
- Copper, a reddish metallic element commonly used
- pequeños
- Small or little, masculine plural adjective
- apartamentos
- Apartments, residential units within a larger building
- tales
- Such, of that kind, referring to mentioned things
- casas
- Houses or homes, residential buildings
- siempre
- Always, at all times without exception
- tienen
- They have, third person plural of 'tener'
- campanas
- Bells, plural of campana, used for signaling
- suenan
- They sound or ring, describing bells making noise
- así
- Like this, in this way, thus
- Había
- There was or had, imperfect form of 'haber'
- olvidado
- Forgotten, past participle of 'olvidar'
- sonido
- Sound, an audible noise or tone
- aquella
- That, demonstrative adjective referring to distant thing
- ahora
- Now, at the present moment in time
- peculiar
- Peculiar, strange, or distinctively characteristic quality
- parecía
- Seemed or appeared, imperfect form of 'parecer'
- recordarle
- To remind him or her of something specific
- algo
- Something, an unspecified thing or matter
- traerlo
- To bring it, infinitive with object pronoun attached
- claramente
- Clearly, in a clear and evident manner
- ante
- Before or in front of, preposition of position
- sobresaltó
- Was startled or jumped, sudden fright reaction
- nervios
- Nerves, referring to anxious or tense feelings
- estaban
- Were, imperfect third person plural of 'estar'
- terriblemente
- Terribly, in an extreme or dreadful degree
- crispados
- Frayed, on edge, tensely irritated or overwrought
- entonces
- Then, at that time or in that case
- poco
- Little, a small amount of time or quantity
- rato
- A short while, a brief period of time
- puerta
- Door, an entrance or exit of a building
- abrió
- Opened, past tense of 'abrir' meaning to open
- pequeña
- Small or little, feminine singular adjective form
- rendija
- A crack, slit, or narrow opening in a surface
- anciana
- An elderly woman, an old woman
- observó
- Observed or watched carefully, past tense form
- visitante
- Visitor, a person coming to see someone
- evidente
- Evident, obvious, clearly apparent to observers
- desconfianza
- Distrust or suspicion toward someone or something
- través
- Through, across, via, used with 'a través de'
- podía
- Could, imperfect form of 'poder' meaning to be able
- verse
- To be seen, reflexive infinitive of 'ver'
- nada
- Nothing, not anything at all
- más
- More, additionally, comparative adverb
- ojos
- Eyes, the organs used for seeing
- brillando
- Shining or gleaming, present participle of 'brillar'
- oscuridad
- Darkness, the absence of light in a space
- Pero
- But, conjunction indicating contrast or opposition
- ver
- To see, the infinitive of the verb see
- varias
- Several, various, more than two feminine plural
- personas
- People or persons, individuals in a group
- rellano
- Landing, a flat area between flights of stairs
- animó
- Cheered up, became encouraged or took heart
- par
- Pair, a set of two matching things
- joven
- Young person, youth, or a young man or woman
- entró
- Entered, past tense of 'entrar' meaning to enter
- oscuro
- Dark, dim, lacking light in a space
- recibidor
- Entryway or foyer, a small reception hall
- estaba
- Was, imperfect singular form of 'estar'
- separado
- Separated, divided or set apart from something else
- cocina
- Kitchen, a room used for cooking food
- frente
- In front, facing, or opposite something
- silencio
- Silence, the absence of sound or noise
- miraba
- Was looking at, imperfect form of 'mirar'
- curiosidad
- Curiosity, eager desire to know or learn something
- Era
- Was, imperfect form of 'ser' describing character
- diminuta
- Tiny or very small, feminine adjective form
- marchita
- Withered, shriveled, or faded, describing aged appearance
- sesenta
- Sixty, the number 60
- años
- Years, units of time used to express age
- maliciosos
- Malicious, spiteful, or having ill intent
- naricilla
- Small nose, diminutive of 'nariz'
- afilada
- Sharp or pointed, describing a narrow or fine edge
- cabello
- Hair, referring to the hair on one's head
- descolorido
- Discolored, faded, or having lost its original color
- canoso
- Gray-haired, having white or gray hair from age
- abundantemente
- Abundantly, in large quantities or copiously
- untado
- Smeared or coated with a greasy substance
- aceite
- Oil, a greasy liquid used for cooking or grooming
- llevaba
- Was wearing or carrying, imperfect of 'llevar'
- pañuelo
- Handkerchief or scarf, a small cloth accessory
- sobre
- On, over, or about, used as a preposition
- Alrededor
- Around, surrounding something on all sides
- cuello
- Neck, the part connecting the head to the body
- delgado
- Thin or slim, describing a slender physical form
- largo
- Long, describing something of great length or duration
- pata
- Leg or paw of an animal, or a leg shape
- gallina
- Hen, a female chicken, also means coward informally
- había
- There was or had been, imperfect of 'haber'
- anudado
- Knotted or tied in a knot around something
- especie
- A kind, sort, or type of something
- trapo
- A rag or piece of old cloth
- franela
- Flannel, a soft woven fabric used for clothing
- pesar
- Despite, used in 'a pesar de' meaning in spite of
- calor
- Heat, warmth, or hot temperature
- colgaba
- Was hanging, imperfect form of 'colgar'
- ondeando
- Waving or fluttering, present participle of 'ondear'
- hombros
- Shoulders, the upper part of the torso sides
- raída
- Threadbare or worn out, describing tattered fabric
- capa
- Cape or cloak, an outer garment worn over clothes
- piel
- Skin or fur, the outer covering of a body
- amarillenta
- Yellowish, having a faded or yellowed appearance
- tosía
- Was coughing, imperfect form of 'toser'
- gemía
- Was groaning or moaning, imperfect of 'gemir'
- cada
- Each or every, used before singular nouns
- instante
- Instant or moment, a very brief period of time
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