Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 5
With this deep consciousness of what they owed towards the being to which they had given life, added to the active spirit of tenderness that animated both, it may be imagined that while during every hour of my infant life I received a lesson of patience, of charity, and of self-control, I was so guided by a silken cord that all seemed but one train of enjoyment to me.
Con esta profunda conciencia de lo que le debían al ser al que habían dado vida, sumada al espíritu activo de ternura que animaba a ambos, puede imaginarse que mientras durante cada hora de mi vida infantil recibía una lección de paciencia, de caridad y de autodominio, era guiado por un hilo de seda de tal manera que todo me parecía una sucesión de deleites.
For a long time I was their only care.
Durante mucho tiempo fui su único objeto de atención.
My mother had much desired to have a daughter, but I continued their single offspring.
Mi madre había deseado con ansias tener una hija, pero yo seguí siendo su único descendiente.
When I was about five years old, while making an excursion beyond the frontiers of Italy, they passed a week on the shores of the Lake of Como.
Cuando yo tenía unos cinco años, mientras realizaban una excursión más allá de las fronteras de Italia, pasaron una semana a orillas del lago de Como.
Their benevolent disposition often made them enter the cottages of the poor.
Su disposición benévola los llevaba con frecuencia a entrar en las cabañas de los pobres.
This, to my mother, was more than a duty; it was a necessity, a passion—remembering what she had suffered, and how she had been relieved—for her to act in her turn the guardian angel to the afflicted.
Esto, para mi madre, era más que un deber; era una necesidad, una pasión —recordando lo que ella había sufrido y cómo había sido socorrida— actuar a su vez como ángel guardián de los afligidos.
During one of their walks a poor cot in the foldings of a vale attracted their notice as being singularly disconsolate, while the number of half-clothed children gathered about it spoke of penury in its worst shape.
Durante uno de sus paseos, una pobre choza en los pliegues de un valle atrajo su atención por ser singularmente desolada, mientras que el número de niños medio vestidos reunidos a su alrededor hablaba de la miseria en su peor forma.
One day, when my father had gone by himself to Milan, my mother, accompanied by me, visited this abode.
Un día, cuando mi padre había ido solo a Milán, mi madre, acompañada por mí, visitó esta morada.
She found a peasant and his wife, hard working, bent down by care and labour, distributing a scanty meal to five hungry babes.
Encontró a un campesino y a su esposa, trabajadores, agobiados por las preocupaciones y el trabajo, repartiendo una escasa comida a cinco hambrientos niños.
Vocabulary
- profunda
- Deep or profound, describing intensity of feeling or thought.
- conciencia
- Conscience or awareness, moral or mental sense of right.
- debían
- They owed; past imperfect of 'deber', indicating obligation or debt.
- vida
- Life; the state of being alive or existence.
- sumada
- Added or combined, feminine past participle of 'sumar'.
- espíritu
- Spirit or soul; inner vital essence of a person.
- activo
- Active; energetic, lively, or engaged in action.
- ternura
- Tenderness or affection; gentle, warm emotional feeling.
- animaba
- Animated or encouraged; past imperfect of 'animar'.
- ambos
- Both; referring to two people or things together.
- imaginarse
- To imagine oneself; reflexive form of 'imaginar'.
- mientras
- While or whereas; conjunction indicating simultaneous actions.
- durante
- During; preposition indicating a period of time.
- cada
- Each or every; adjective indicating all members individually.
- hora
- Hour; a unit of time equal to sixty minutes.
- infantil
- Infantile or childlike; relating to childhood or children.
- recibía
- Was receiving; past imperfect of 'recibir', to receive.
- lección
- Lesson; a unit of instruction or something learned.
- paciencia
- Patience; calm endurance of difficulty or delay.
- caridad
- Charity; benevolent goodwill and generosity toward others.
- autodominio
- Self-control; mastery over one's own impulses and behavior.
- guiado
- Guided; past participle of 'guiar', to lead or direct.
- hilo
- Thread or wire; a thin strand used for sewing or connecting.
- seda
- Silk; a soft, lustrous fabric made from silkworm cocoons.
- tal
- Such or so; indicating a degree or manner of something.
- manera
- Way or manner; the method or style of doing something.
- parecía
- Seemed or appeared; past imperfect of 'parecer'.
- sucesión
- Succession or series; a sequence of things following each other.
- deleites
- Delights or pleasures; great joy or enjoyment experienced.
- Durante
- During; preposition indicating an event within a time period.
- tiempo
- Time or weather; duration or a period of existence.
- único
- Only or unique; the sole one, without others of its kind.
- objeto
- Object or subject; a thing or focus of attention or action.
- atención
- Attention; the act of focusing one's mind on something.
- madre
- Mother; a female parent or maternal figure.
- deseado
- Desired or wished for; past participle of 'desear'.
- ansias
- Longings or yearnings; intense eager desire for something.
- hija
- Daughter; a female child in relation to her parents.
- seguí
- I continued or followed; preterite of 'seguir'.
- descendiente
- Descendant; a person related by descent from an ancestor.
- realizaban
- Were carrying out or making; past imperfect of 'realizar'.
- excursión
- Excursion or trip; a short journey made for pleasure.
- allá
- Over there or beyond; adverb indicating a distant place.
- fronteras
- Borders or frontiers; boundaries between countries or regions.
- pasaron
- They spent or passed; preterite of 'pasar', to pass or spend.
- semana
- Week; a period of seven consecutive days.
- orillas
- Shores or banks; edges of a body of water.
- lago
- Lake; a large body of water surrounded by land.
- disposición
- Disposition or arrangement; natural tendency or attitude.
- benévola
- Benevolent; kind, generous, and well-meaning toward others.
- llevaba
- Led or carried; past imperfect of 'llevar', to take or carry.
- frecuencia
- Frequency; the rate at which something occurs repeatedly.
- entrar
- To enter; infinitive meaning to go inside a place.
- cabañas
- Cabins or huts; small simple dwellings, often rural.
- pobres
- Poor; lacking money or resources, or humble in condition.
- deber
- Duty or to owe; obligation or moral responsibility.
- necesidad
- Necessity or need; something required or urgently wanted.
- pasión
- Passion; intense emotion or strong enthusiasm for something.
- recordando
- Remembering; present participle of 'recordar', to recall.
- sufrido
- Suffered; past participle of 'sufrir', to endure pain.
- socorrida
- Helped or aided; feminine past participle of 'socorrer'.
- actuar
- To act or perform; to take action in a situation.
- vez
- Time or turn; an instance or occasion of something occurring.
- ángel
- Angel; a spiritual being or person of great kindness.
- guardián
- Guardian; a protector or keeper watching over someone.
- afligidos
- Afflicted or distressed; those suffering grief or hardship.
- paseos
- Walks or strolls; leisurely trips on foot or by vehicle.
- pobre
- Poor; lacking wealth or evoking pity and sympathy.
- choza
- Hut or shack; a small, simple, often poor dwelling.
- pliegues
- Folds or creases; bends in fabric or terrain formations.
- valle
- Valley; a low area between hills or mountains.
- atrajo
- Attracted or drew; preterite of 'atraer', to attract.
- singularmente
- Singularly or particularly; in a notably unusual or special way.
- desolada
- Desolate or forlorn; bleak, empty, or showing deep sadness.
- número
- Number; a quantity or figure representing a count.
- niños
- Children; plural of 'niño', young boys or children generally.
- medio
- Half or middle; indicating the center or a partial amount.
- vestidos
- Dressed or clothed; past participle of 'vestir', to dress.
- reunidos
- Gathered or assembled; past participle of 'reunir'.
- alrededor
- Around or surrounding; indicating encirclement or vicinity.
- miseria
- Misery or poverty; extreme suffering or destitution.
- peor
- Worse or worst; comparative of 'malo', indicating greater badness.
- forma
- Form or shape; the way something appears or is structured.
- día
- Day; a twenty-four-hour period or daytime hours.
- padre
- Father; a male parent or paternal figure.
- solo
- Alone or only; without others, or solely.
- acompañada
- Accompanied; feminine past participle of 'acompañar'.
- visitó
- Visited; preterite of 'visitar', to go see someone or somewhere.
- morada
- Dwelling or abode; a place where someone lives.
- Encontró
- Found or encountered; preterite of 'encontrar'.
- campesino
- Peasant or farmer; a rural worker or agricultural laborer.
- esposa
- Wife or spouse; a married woman in relation to her husband.
- trabajadores
- Workers or laborers; people who perform physical or manual work.
- agobiados
- Overwhelmed or burdened; weighed down by worry or toil.
- preocupaciones
- Worries or concerns; things causing anxiety or troubled thoughts.
- trabajo
- Work or job; labor or employment one performs.
- repartiendo
- Distributing or sharing out; present participle of 'repartir'.
- escasa
- Scarce or meager; insufficient in quantity or amount.
- comida
- Food or meal; nourishment or a specific eating occasion.
- hambrientos
- Hungry or starving; those suffering from lack of food.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →