Dracula — Page 12
The road was rugged, but still we seemed to fly over it with a feverish haste.
A estrada era acidentada, mas ainda assim parecíamos sobrevoá-la com uma pressa febril.
I could not understand then what the haste meant, but the driver was evidently bent on losing no time in reaching Borgo Prund.
Eu não conseguia entender então o que significava aquela pressa, mas o cocheiro estava evidentemente decidido a não perder tempo para chegar a Borgo Prund.
I was told that this road is in summertime excellent, but that it had not yet been put in order after the winter snows.
Disseram-me que esta estrada é excelente no verão, mas que ainda não havia sido colocada em ordem após as nevadas do inverno.
In this respect it is different from the general run of roads in the Carpathians, for it is an old tradition that they are not to be kept in too good order.
Nesse aspecto, ela difere das estradas em geral nos Cárpatos, pois é uma antiga tradição que elas não devem ser mantidas em boas condições.
Of old the Hospadars would not repair them, lest the Turk should think that they were preparing to bring in foreign troops, and so hasten the war which was always really at loading point.
Antigamente, os Hóspodares não as reparavam, com receio de que os turcos pensassem que estavam se preparando para trazer tropas estrangeiras, e assim apressar a guerra que sempre esteve realmente a ponto de eclodir.
Beyond the green swelling hills of the Mittel Land rose mighty slopes of forest up to the lofty steeps of the Carpathians themselves.
Além das colinas verdejantes e onduladas do Mittel Land, erguiam-se poderosas encostas de floresta até os elevados declives dos próprios Cárpatos.
Right and left of us they towered, with the afternoon sun falling full upon them and bringing out all the glorious colours of this beautiful range, deep blue and purple in the shadows of the peaks, green and brown where grass and rock mingled, and an endless perspective of jagged rock and pointed crags, till these were themselves lost in the distance, where the snowy peaks rose grandly.
À nossa direita e esquerda elas se erguiam majestosas, com o sol da tarde incidindo plenamente sobre elas e revelando todas as gloriosas cores desta bela cordilheira, azul profundo e púrpura nas sombras dos picos, verde e castanho onde a relva e a rocha se misturavam, e uma perspetiva interminável de rochas recortadas e penhascos pontiagudos, até que estes se perdiam ao longe, onde os picos nevados se erguiam grandiosamente.
Here and there seemed mighty rifts in the mountains, through which, as the sun began to sink, we saw now and again the white gleam of falling water.
Aqui e ali pareciam existir grandes fendas nas montanhas, através das quais, à medida que o sol começava a se pôr, víamos de vez em quando o branco brilho de quedas d'água.
Vocabulary
- estrada
- A road or highway for travel
- era
- Past tense of 'to be': was, were
- acidentada
- Rough, uneven, or bumpy terrain
- mas
- Conjunction meaning but or however
- ainda
- Still, yet, or even so
- assim
- In this way, so, or thus
- parecíamos
- We seemed or appeared to be something
- sobrevoá-la
- To fly over it at speed
- com
- Preposition meaning with or along with
- pressa
- Hurry, haste, or urgency
- febril
- Feverish, frantic, or intensely excited
- não
- Negation word meaning no or not
- conseguia
- Was able to, could manage to do
- entender
- To understand or comprehend something
- então
- Then, at that time, or therefore
- significava
- Meant or signified something in context
- aquela
- Demonstrative pronoun: that one over there
- cocheiro
- A coachman or driver of a horse-drawn carriage
- estava
- Was, third-person singular past continuous
- evidentemente
- Evidently, obviously, or clearly so
- decidido
- Determined or resolved to do something
- perder
- To lose or waste time or something
- tempo
- Time or weather depending on context
- chegar
- To arrive or reach a destination
- Disseram-me
- They told me or said to me
- esta
- Demonstrative pronoun: this one here
- excelente
- Excellent, of very high quality
- verão
- The season of summer
- havia
- There was or had, past tense of haver
- sido
- Past participle of ser: been
- colocada
- Placed, put, or set in position
- ordem
- Order, organization, or good condition
- após
- After or following a certain event
- nevadas
- Snowfalls or heavy snowstorms
- inverno
- The season of winter
- Nesse
- Contraction of em+esse: in that
- aspecto
- Aspect, regard, or point of view
- difere
- Differs or is different from something
- estradas
- Plural of estrada: roads or highways
- geral
- General or common in most cases
- pois
- Because, since, or for that reason
- antiga
- Old, ancient, or long-established tradition
- tradição
- Tradition or long-established custom
- devem
- Must, should, or ought to do
- ser
- Infinitive of to be: to be
- mantidas
- Maintained or kept in good condition
- boas
- Good, feminine plural form of bom
- condições
- Conditions or states of something
- Antigamente
- In former times, long ago, previously
- reparavam
- They repaired or fixed roads and structures
- receio
- Fear, apprehension, or worry about something
- pensassem
- That they might think or suppose something
- estavam
- They were, third-person plural past continuous
- preparando
- Preparing or getting ready to do something
- trazer
- To bring or carry something along
- tropas
- Troops or military soldiers
- estrangeiras
- Foreign, coming from another country
- apressar
- To hasten or speed up a process
- guerra
- War or armed conflict between groups
- sempre
- Always or at all times
- esteve
- Was, third-person singular preterite of estar
- realmente
- Really, truly, or in reality
- ponto
- Point, spot, or verge of something
- eclodir
- To break out or erupt suddenly
- Além
- Beyond or farther than a certain point
- colinas
- Hills or gentle elevated landforms
- verdejantes
- Lush green or verdant with vegetation
- onduladas
- Rolling, wavy, or gently undulating landscape
- erguiam-se
- They rose up or stood tall above
- poderosas
- Powerful or mighty, feminine plural adjective
- encostas
- Slopes or hillsides of a mountain
- floresta
- Forest or large wooded area
- até
- Until, up to, or even
- elevados
- High, elevated, or lofty in position
- declives
- Slopes or inclines of terrain
- próprios
- Own, themselves, or the very mountains
- nossa
- Our, first-person plural possessive adjective
- direita
- Right side or right-hand direction
- esquerda
- Left side or left-hand direction
- erguiam
- They rose or lifted up majestically
- majestosas
- Majestic, grand, or impressively stately
- sol
- Sun or sunlight
- tarde
- Afternoon or late part of the day
- incidindo
- Falling upon or shining directly on something
- plenamente
- Fully, completely, or entirely upon something
- sobre
- On, over, or about something
- revelando
- Revealing or showing something clearly
- todas
- All, every one of them (feminine plural)
- gloriosas
- Glorious, magnificent, or splendid in appearance
- cores
- Colors or hues visible to the eye
- desta
- Contraction of de+esta: of this (feminine)
- bela
- Beautiful or lovely, feminine singular adjective
- cordilheira
- Mountain range or chain of mountains
- azul
- The color blue
- profundo
- Deep, profound, or intense in degree
- púrpura
- Purple or deep reddish-violet color
- sombras
- Shadows or shaded areas with little light
- picos
- Peaks or pointed summits of mountains
- verde
- The color green
- castanho
- Brown or chestnut color
- onde
- Where or in which place
- relva
- Grass or turf covering the ground
- rocha
- Rock or stone in a landscape
- misturavam
- They mixed or blended together visually
- perspetiva
- Perspective or view stretching into the distance
- interminável
- Endless, unending, or seemingly without limits
- rochas
- Rocks or large stones in landscape
- recortadas
- Jagged, cut out, or sharply shaped
- penhascos
- Cliffs or rocky crags rising steeply
- pontiagudos
- Pointed or sharp-tipped in shape
- estes
- Demonstrative pronoun: these ones here (masculine)
- perdiam
- They were lost or faded into distance
- longe
- Far away or distant in space
- nevados
- Snow-capped or covered with snow
- grandiosamente
- Grandiosely or in a magnificent impressive manner
- Aqui
- Here, in this place or location
- ali
- There, in that nearby place
- pareciam
- They seemed or appeared to be something
- existir
- To exist or be present somewhere
- grandes
- Large or big in size
- fendas
- Cracks, crevices, or gaps in rock
- montanhas
- Mountains or large elevated landforms
- através
- Through or across something
- quais
- Which, relative pronoun used in clauses
- medida
- Measure or as in à medida que: as
- começava
- Was beginning or starting to do something
- pôr
- To set as in the sun setting
- víamos
- We saw or could see something
- vez
- Time or instance, as in sometimes
- quando
- When, at the time that something occurs
- branco
- White or light-colored
- brilho
- Brightness, shine, or glimmer of light
- quedas
- Falls or cascades of water
- d'água
- Of water, referring to waterfalls or streams
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