Dracula — Page 13
One of my companions touched my arm as we swept round the base of a hill and opened up the lofty, snow-covered peak of a mountain, which seemed, as we wound on our serpentine way, to be right before us:--
Uno de mis compañeros me tocó el brazo mientras rodeábamos la base de una colina y se nos reveló la elevada cima nevada de una montaña, que parecía, mientras avanzábamos por nuestro serpenteante camino, estar justo frente a nosotros:--
"Look! Isten szek!"--"God's seat!"--and he crossed himself reverently.
"¡Mira! ¡Isten szek!"--"¡El trono de Dios!"--y se santiguó con reverencia.
As we wound on our endless way, and the sun sank lower and lower behind us, the shadows of the evening began to creep round us.
Mientras avanzábamos por nuestro interminable camino y el sol se hundía cada vez más bajo a nuestras espaldas, las sombras de la tarde comenzaron a envolvernos.
This was emphasised by the fact that the snowy mountain-top still held the sunset, and seemed to glow out with a delicate cool pink.
Esto se acentuaba por el hecho de que la cima nevada de la montaña aún conservaba el resplandor del ocaso, y parecía irradiar un delicado y frío tono rosado.
Here and there we passed Cszeks and Slovaks, all in picturesque attire, but I noticed that goitre was painfully prevalent.
De trecho en trecho pasamos junto a cszecos y eslovacos, todos con pintorescos atuendos, pero noté que el bocio era dolorosamente frecuente.
By the roadside were many crosses, and as we swept by, my companions all crossed themselves.
A orillas del camino había muchas cruces, y al pasar junto a ellas, todos mis compañeros se santiguaron.
Here and there was a peasant man or woman kneeling before a shrine, who did not even turn round as we approached, but seemed in the self-surrender of devotion to have neither eyes nor ears for the outer world.
De vez en cuando había un campesino o una campesina arrodillado ante un santuario, que ni siquiera se volvía al acercarnos, sino que parecía, en el abandono de su devoción, no tener ojos ni oídos para el mundo exterior.
There were many things new to me: for instance, hay-ricks in the trees, and here and there very beautiful masses of weeping birch, their white stems shining like silver through the delicate green of the leaves.
Había muchas cosas nuevas para mí: por ejemplo, almiares en los árboles, y de trecho en trecho hermosas agrupaciones de abedules llorones, cuyos blancos troncos brillaban como plata entre el delicado verdor de las hojas.
Now and again we passed a leiter-wagon--the ordinary peasant's cart--with its long, snake-like vertebra, calculated to suit the inequalities of the road.
De vez en cuando pasábamos junto a un leiter-wagon --el carro campesino ordinario-- con su larga estructura similar a una vértebra de serpiente, diseñada para adaptarse a las irregularidades del camino.
Vocabulary
- compañeros
- Companions, colleagues, or fellow travelers.
- tocó
- Touched or tapped; past tense of 'tocar'.
- brazo
- The arm, a part of the human body.
- mientras
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'as'.
- rodeábamos
- We were going around or encircling something.
- base
- The base or bottom of something, like a hill.
- colina
- A hill; a small elevated landform.
- reveló
- Revealed or disclosed something previously hidden.
- elevada
- High, elevated, or lofty in position.
- cima
- The summit or top of a mountain or hill.
- nevada
- Snow-covered; having snow on its surface.
- montaña
- A mountain; a large natural elevation of earth.
- parecía
- Seemed or appeared; imperfect tense of 'parecer'.
- avanzábamos
- We were advancing or moving forward along a path.
- serpenteante
- Winding or serpentine; twisting like a snake.
- camino
- A road, path, or way to travel along.
- justo
- Exactly, just, or right in front of something.
- frente
- Front; in front of or facing something.
- Mira
- Look! Imperative form of 'mirar', to look.
- trono
- A throne; a ceremonial chair for a monarch or deity.
- Dios
- God; the supreme deity in monotheistic religion.
- santiguó
- Made the sign of the cross; blessed oneself reverently.
- reverencia
- Reverence; deep respect or veneration toward something.
- Mientras
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'as' something happens.
- interminable
- Endless or interminable; seeming to have no end.
- sol
- The sun; the star at the center of our solar system.
- hundía
- Was sinking or setting; imperfect tense of 'hundir'.
- cada
- Each or every; used before singular nouns.
- vez
- Time or instance; used in phrases like 'cada vez más'.
- bajo
- Low or below; indicating a lower position or level.
- espaldas
- Backs; the rear part of the human body.
- sombras
- Shadows or shades; areas of darkness from blocked light.
- tarde
- Afternoon or evening; the later part of the day.
- comenzaron
- They began or started; preterite of 'comenzar'.
- envolvernos
- To envelop or wrap around us; surround completely.
- acentuaba
- Was accentuating or emphasizing; imperfect of 'acentuar'.
- hecho
- Fact or deed; a thing that has occurred or is true.
- aún
- Still or yet; indicating continuation of a state.
- conservaba
- Was preserving or retaining; imperfect of 'conservar'.
- resplandor
- Radiance or glow; bright shining light.
- ocaso
- Sunset; the setting of the sun in the west.
- irradiar
- To radiate or emit light, heat, or energy outward.
- delicado
- Delicate or subtle; fine and soft in quality.
- frío
- Cold; low in temperature or having a chilly quality.
- tono
- Tone or shade; a particular quality of color or sound.
- rosado
- Pink or rosy; a light red color.
- trecho
- A stretch or interval of distance or time.
- junto
- Together with or next to; close beside something.
- pintorescos
- Picturesque or colorful; visually charming and quaint.
- atuendos
- Outfits or attire; clothing and accessories worn together.
- noté
- I noticed or noted; preterite of 'notar'.
- bocio
- Goiter; an enlargement of the thyroid gland in the neck.
- dolorosamente
- Painfully or distressingly; in a painful manner.
- frecuente
- Frequent or common; occurring often or repeatedly.
- orillas
- Banks, shores, or edges of a road or waterway.
- cruces
- Crosses; religious or decorative cross-shaped symbols.
- pasar
- To pass by or go past something.
- santiguaron
- They crossed themselves; made the sign of the cross.
- campesino
- A male peasant or rural farmer; country dweller.
- campesina
- A female peasant or rural farmer; country dweller.
- arrodillado
- Kneeling; in a position with knees on the ground.
- ante
- Before or in front of; facing something or someone.
- santuario
- A sanctuary or shrine; a sacred or holy place.
- ni
- Neither, nor; used to connect negative alternatives.
- siquiera
- Even; used in negative sentences for emphasis.
- volvía
- Was turning or returning; imperfect of 'volver'.
- acercarnos
- To approach or come close to us.
- sino
- But rather; used to correct or contrast a negation.
- abandono
- Abandonment; the act of giving up or leaving behind.
- devoción
- Devotion; deep religious dedication or piety.
- ojos
- Eyes; the organs used for seeing.
- oídos
- Ears; the organs used for hearing.
- mundo
- World; the earth or the realm of human existence.
- exterior
- Exterior or outer; the outside world beyond oneself.
- ejemplo
- Example; an instance that illustrates a general rule.
- almiares
- Haystacks; large piles of hay stored in the open.
- árboles
- Trees; large woody plants with trunks and branches.
- hermosas
- Beautiful or lovely (feminine plural adjective).
- agrupaciones
- Groupings or clusters; things gathered together in groups.
- abedules
- Birch trees; slender trees with white bark.
- llorones
- Weeping (as in weeping birches); drooping branches.
- cuyos
- Whose; relative possessive pronoun (masculine plural).
- blancos
- White; the color white (masculine plural adjective).
- troncos
- Trunks; the main woody stems of trees.
- brillaban
- Were shining or gleaming; imperfect of 'brillar'.
- plata
- Silver; the precious white metallic element.
- entre
- Between or among; in the middle of things.
- verdor
- Greenness or verdure; the fresh green of vegetation.
- hojas
- Leaves; the flat green parts of a plant or tree.
- pasábamos
- We were passing by; imperfect of 'pasar'.
- carro
- A cart or wagon; a wheeled vehicle for carrying loads.
- ordinario
- Ordinary or common; not special or unusual.
- larga
- Long; having great length (feminine singular adjective).
- estructura
- Structure; the arrangement or organization of something.
- similar
- Similar; resembling something else in appearance or nature.
- vértebra
- Vertebra; one of the bones forming the spinal column.
- serpiente
- Snake or serpent; a legless reptile.
- diseñada
- Designed or crafted; made with a specific purpose in mind.
- adaptarse
- To adapt or adjust; to conform to different conditions.
- irregularidades
- Irregularities; uneven or inconsistent features of terrain.
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