Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 8
At that age I became acquainted with the celebrated poets of our own country; but it was only when it had ceased to be in my power to derive its most important benefits from such a conviction that I perceived the necessity of becoming acquainted with more languages than that of my native country.
A esa edad me familiaricé con los célebres poetas de nuestro propio país; pero fue solo cuando había dejado de estar en mi poder obtener sus beneficios más importantes de tal convicción que percibí la necesidad de familiarizarme con más idiomas que el de mi país natal.
Now I am twenty-eight and am in reality more illiterate than many schoolboys of fifteen.
Ahora tengo veintiocho años y soy en realidad más ignorante que muchos escolares de quince.
It is true that I have thought more and that my daydreams are more extended and magnificent, but they want (as the painters call it) _keeping;_ and I greatly need a friend who would have sense enough not to despise me as romantic, and affection enough for me to endeavour to regulate my mind.
Es cierto que he reflexionado más y que mis ensoñaciones son más amplias y magníficas, pero les falta (como lo llaman los pintores) _coherencia;_ y necesito enormemente un amigo que tenga suficiente sensatez para no despreciarme por romántico, y suficiente afecto por mí para esforzarse en ordenar mi mente.
Well, these are useless complaints; I shall certainly find no friend on the wide ocean, nor even here in Archangel, among merchants and seamen.
Bueno, estas son quejas inútiles; ciertamente no encontraré ningún amigo en el vasto océano, ni siquiera aquí en Arcángel, entre mercaderes y marineros.
Yet some feelings, unallied to the dross of human nature, beat even in these rugged bosoms.
Sin embargo, algunos sentimientos, ajenos a la escoria de la naturaleza humana, laten incluso en estos rudos pechos.
My lieutenant, for instance, is a man of wonderful courage and enterprise; he is madly desirous of glory, or rather, to word my phrase more characteristically, of advancement in his profession.
Mi teniente, por ejemplo, es un hombre de admirable valor y determinación; está locamente ansioso de gloria, o más bien, para expresarlo de manera más precisa, de ascender en su profesión.
He is an Englishman, and in the midst of national and professional prejudices, unsoftened by cultivation, retains some of the noblest endowments of humanity.
Es inglés, y en medio de prejuicios nacionales y profesionales, no suavizados por la cultura, conserva algunos de los dones más nobles de la humanidad.
I first became acquainted with him on board a whale vessel; finding that he was unemployed in this city, I easily engaged him to assist in my enterprise.
Lo conocí por primera vez a bordo de un barco ballenero; al descubrir que estaba desempleado en esta ciudad, fácilmente lo contraté para que me ayudara en mi empresa.
Vocabulary
- esa
- That (feminine demonstrative adjective)
- edad
- Age; period of life
- familiaricé
- I familiarized myself; became acquainted with
- célebres
- Famous, celebrated, renowned individuals
- poetas
- Poets; writers of poetry
- propio
- Own; belonging to oneself
- país
- Country; nation
- solo
- Only; alone; just
- dejado
- Left; stopped; past participle of dejar
- poder
- Power; ability; to be able to
- obtener
- To obtain, get, acquire something
- beneficios
- Benefits, advantages, gains
- importantes
- Important; significant; of great value
- tal
- Such; such a; that kind of
- convicción
- Conviction; firm belief or persuasion
- percibí
- I perceived, noticed, became aware of
- necesidad
- Necessity; need; something required
- familiarizarme
- To familiarize myself; become acquainted with
- idiomas
- Languages; tongues spoken in different countries
- natal
- Native; of one's birth or origin
- veintiocho
- Twenty-eight; the number 28
- realidad
- Reality; truth; actual state of things
- ignorante
- Ignorant; lacking knowledge or education
- escolares
- Schoolchildren; students; relating to school
- quince
- Fifteen; the number 15
- cierto
- Certain; true; definitely so
- reflexionado
- Reflected, thought deeply about something
- ensoñaciones
- Daydreams; fantasies; reveries
- amplias
- Broad, wide, extensive, spacious
- magníficas
- Magnificent, splendid, wonderful, grand
- falta
- Lack; absence; something missing
- pintores
- Painters; artists who work with paint
- _coherencia
- Coherence; logical consistency and connection
- enormemente
- Enormously; greatly; to a huge degree
- suficiente
- Sufficient; enough; adequate amount
- sensatez
- Good sense; wisdom; sound judgment
- despreciarme
- To despise me; look down on me
- romántico
- Romantic; idealistic; relating to romance
- afecto
- Affection; fondness; warm feeling toward someone
- esforzarse
- To strive, make effort, try hard
- ordenar
- To order, arrange, organize something
- mente
- Mind; the thinking faculty
- quejas
- Complaints; grievances; expressions of dissatisfaction
- inútiles
- Useless; pointless; serving no purpose
- ciertamente
- Certainly; surely; without doubt
- encontraré
- I will find; future tense of encontrar
- ningún
- No, none, not any; negative adjective
- vasto
- Vast; immense; extremely large
- océano
- Ocean; vast body of salt water
- ni
- Nor, neither; negative conjunction
- siquiera
- Even; at least; used in negative constructions
- Arcángel
- Archangel; a proper name or high angel
- mercaderes
- Merchants; traders; people who buy and sell
- marineros
- Sailors; seamen; those who work on ships
- embargo
- Embargo; however; used in 'sin embargo' (nevertheless)
- sentimientos
- Feelings; emotions; sentiments
- ajenos
- Foreign, alien, belonging to others
- escoria
- Scum; dross; the worst part of something
- naturaleza
- Nature; the natural world or character
- laten
- Beat; throb; hearts or pulses beat
- incluso
- Even; including; as well
- rudos
- Rough, rude, coarse, unrefined
- pechos
- Chests; breasts; the front of the torso
- teniente
- Lieutenant; military officer rank
- ejemplo
- Example; model; instance illustrating something
- admirable
- Admirable; worthy of admiration and respect
- valor
- Valor; courage; bravery in difficult situations
- determinación
- Determination; firm resolve to achieve something
- locamente
- Madly; crazily; to an extreme degree
- ansioso
- Anxious; eager; desperately wanting something
- gloria
- Glory; fame; great honor and praise
- expresarlo
- To express it; state or communicate something
- manera
- Manner; way; method of doing something
- precisa
- Precise; exact; accurate; specific
- ascender
- To ascend; rise; advance in rank or position
- profesión
- Profession; career; one's occupation or vocation
- inglés
- English; relating to England or its language
- medio
- Half; middle; means; medium
- prejuicios
- Prejudices; biases; preconceived unfair opinions
- nacionales
- National; relating to a nation or country
- profesionales
- Professional; relating to one's profession
- suavizados
- Softened; smoothed; made milder or gentler
- cultura
- Culture; arts, customs, and knowledge of a society
- conserva
- Preserves; keeps; maintains something intact
- dones
- Gifts; talents; natural abilities bestowed upon someone
- nobles
- Noble; honorable; of high moral character
- humanidad
- Humanity; humankind; the human race
- conocí
- I met; I got to know someone
- vez
- Time; occasion; instance of something occurring
- bordo
- Board; on board a ship or vessel
- barco
- Ship; boat; vessel that travels on water
- ballenero
- Whaling ship; vessel used for hunting whales
- descubrir
- To discover; find out; uncover something unknown
- desempleado
- Unemployed; without a job
- ciudad
- City; large urban settlement
- fácilmente
- Easily; without difficulty
- contraté
- I hired; contracted someone for a job
- ayudara
- Help; past subjunctive of ayudar
- empresa
- Enterprise; company; business undertaking
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