Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 1
We were brought up together; there was not quite a year difference in our ages.
Nos criamos juntos; no había casi un año de diferencia entre nuestras edades.
I need not say that we were strangers to any species of disunion or dispute.
No hace falta decir que éramos ajenos a cualquier tipo de desunión o disputa.
Harmony was the soul of our companionship, and the diversity and contrast that subsisted in our characters drew us nearer together.
La armonía era el alma de nuestra compañía, y la diversidad y el contraste que existían en nuestros caracteres nos unían más.
Elizabeth was of a calmer and more concentrated disposition; but, with all my ardour, I was capable of a more intense application and was more deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge.
Elizabeth tenía un carácter más tranquilo y concentrado; pero, con todo mi ardor, yo era capaz de una aplicación más intensa y estaba más profundamente aquejado por la sed de conocimiento.
She busied herself with following the aerial creations of the poets; and in the majestic and wondrous scenes which surrounded our Swiss home —the sublime shapes of the mountains, the changes of the seasons, tempest and calm, the silence of winter, and the life and turbulence of our Alpine summers—she found ample scope for admiration and delight.
Ella se ocupaba de seguir las creaciones aéreas de los poetas; y en los majestuosos y maravillosos paisajes que rodeaban nuestro hogar suizo —las sublimes formas de las montañas, los cambios de las estaciones, la tempestad y la calma, el silencio del invierno y la vida y la turbulencia de nuestros veranos alpinos— encontraba amplio espacio para la admiración y el deleite.
While my companion contemplated with a serious and satisfied spirit the magnificent appearances of things, I delighted in investigating their causes.
Mientras mi compañera contemplaba con espíritu serio y satisfecho las magníficas apariencias de las cosas, yo me deleitaba investigando sus causas.
The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine.
El mundo era para mí un secreto que deseaba descifrar.
Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature, gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the earliest sensations I can remember.
La curiosidad, la búsqueda sincera de las leyes ocultas de la naturaleza, la alegría cercana al éxtasis al irme siendo reveladas, se encuentran entre las primeras sensaciones que puedo recordar.
On the birth of a second son, my junior by seven years, my parents gave up entirely their wandering life and fixed themselves in their native country.
Al nacer un segundo hijo, siete años menor que yo, mis padres abandonaron por completo su vida errante y se establecieron en su país natal.
Vocabulary
- Nos
- Reflexive/object pronoun meaning 'us' or 'ourselves'
- criamos
- We raised or grew up together
- juntos
- Together, in each other's company
- había
- There was; past form of 'haber'
- casi
- Almost, nearly, not quite
- año
- A period of twelve months; year
- diferencia
- A distinction or gap between two things
- entre
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- nuestras
- Possessive adjective meaning 'our' (feminine plural)
- edades
- Ages; the number of years someone has lived
- hace
- Makes or does; used in time expressions
- falta
- Need, lack; 'hace falta' means 'it is necessary'
- decir
- To say or tell something to someone
- éramos
- We were; imperfect past of 'ser'
- ajenos
- Foreign, unacquainted, or indifferent to something
- cualquier
- Any, whichever; used before singular nouns
- tipo
- Type, kind, or sort of something
- desunión
- Disunion, separation, or lack of unity
- disputa
- A quarrel, argument, or conflict between people
- armonía
- Harmony, peaceful agreement or pleasing combination
- era
- Was; imperfect past tense form of 'ser'
- alma
- Soul, spirit, or essential essence of something
- nuestra
- Possessive adjective meaning 'our' (feminine singular)
- compañía
- Company, companionship, or being with others
- diversidad
- Diversity, variety, or range of differences
- contraste
- Contrast, a notable difference between things
- existían
- They existed; imperfect past of 'existir'
- nuestros
- Possessive adjective meaning 'our' (masculine plural)
- caracteres
- Characters, personalities, or distinguishing traits
- nos
- Object pronoun meaning 'us' or 'ourselves'
- unían
- They united or brought together; imperfect of 'unir'
- más
- More; comparative adverb indicating greater degree
- tenía
- Had or possessed; imperfect past of 'tener'
- carácter
- Character, personality, or distinctive personal nature
- tranquilo
- Calm, quiet, peaceful, or serene in manner
- concentrado
- Focused, concentrated, or deeply attentive
- pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrast
- todo
- All, everything, or every; totality
- ardor
- Ardor, passion, intense enthusiasm or eagerness
- capaz
- Capable, able, or competent to do something
- aplicación
- Application, diligent effort, or devoted attention
- intensa
- Intense, extreme, or deeply felt (feminine form)
- estaba
- Was; imperfect past tense form of 'estar'
- profundamente
- Deeply, profoundly, to a great degree
- aquejado
- Afflicted, troubled, or tormented by something
- sed
- Thirst; intense desire or craving for something
- conocimiento
- Knowledge, understanding, or awareness of something
- ocupaba
- Occupied herself; was busy doing something (imperfect)
- seguir
- To follow, continue, or pursue something
- creaciones
- Creations, works produced by imagination or skill
- aéreas
- Airy, ethereal, or of the air (feminine plural)
- poetas
- Poets; people who write poetry
- majestuosos
- Majestic, grand, or impressively dignified
- maravillosos
- Marvelous, wonderful, or astonishing in quality
- paisajes
- Landscapes, scenic views of natural surroundings
- rodeaban
- Surrounded or encircled; imperfect past of 'rodear'
- nuestro
- Possessive adjective meaning 'our' (masculine singular)
- hogar
- Home, household, or the place where one lives
- suizo
- Swiss; relating to Switzerland
- sublimes
- Sublime, awe-inspiring, or of great moral beauty
- formas
- Forms, shapes, or outlines of physical things
- montañas
- Mountains, large natural elevations of the earth
- cambios
- Changes, shifts, or alterations in state
- estaciones
- Seasons; the four divisions of the year
- tempestad
- Tempest, violent storm with strong winds
- calma
- Calm, tranquility, or absence of disturbance
- silencio
- Silence, complete absence or near-absence of sound
- invierno
- Winter; the coldest season of the year
- vida
- Life, the state of being alive
- turbulencia
- Turbulence, disorder, or irregular and agitated movement
- veranos
- Summers; the warmest seasons of the year
- alpinos
- Alpine; relating to high mountain regions
- encontraba
- Found or encountered; imperfect past of 'encontrar'
- amplio
- Ample, wide, broad, or spacious
- espacio
- Space, room, or an open area
- admiración
- Admiration, a feeling of wonder and approval
- deleite
- Delight, great pleasure or enjoyment
- Mientras
- While, meanwhile; conjunction indicating simultaneous actions
- compañera
- Female companion, partner, or friend
- contemplaba
- Contemplated, observed thoughtfully; imperfect of 'contemplar'
- espíritu
- Spirit, soul, or inner immaterial nature of a person
- serio
- Serious, earnest, or grave in manner
- satisfecho
- Satisfied, content, or pleased with something
- magníficas
- Magnificent, splendid, or impressively beautiful (feminine plural)
- apariencias
- Appearances, outward looks or visible aspects of things
- cosas
- Things, objects, or matters of any kind
- deleitaba
- Delighted in or took pleasure; imperfect of 'deleitar'
- investigando
- Investigating, researching, or examining closely
- causas
- Causes, reasons, or origins of phenomena
- mundo
- World, the earth and all that exists on it
- mí
- Prepositional pronoun meaning 'me' (after prepositions)
- secreto
- Secret, something hidden or unknown to others
- deseaba
- Desired or wished; imperfect past of 'desear'
- descifrar
- To decipher, decode, or unravel hidden meaning
- curiosidad
- Curiosity, desire to know or learn about things
- búsqueda
- Search, quest, or pursuit of something sought
- sincera
- Sincere, genuine, honest, or without pretense
- leyes
- Laws, rules, or principles governing phenomena
- ocultas
- Hidden, concealed, or not easily perceived (feminine plural)
- naturaleza
- Nature, the physical world and its phenomena
- alegría
- Joy, happiness, or feeling of great pleasure
- cercana
- Near, close, or in proximity (feminine singular)
- éxtasis
- Ecstasy, overwhelming feeling of joy or rapture
- irme
- To go away, leave; reflexive infinitive of 'irse'
- siendo
- Being; present participle of 'ser'
- reveladas
- Revealed, disclosed, or made known (feminine plural)
- encuentran
- They find or are found; present of 'encontrar'
- primeras
- First, earliest (feminine plural adjective)
- sensaciones
- Sensations, feelings produced by stimulation of the senses
- puedo
- I can or am able to; present of 'poder'
- recordar
- To remember or recall something from the past
- nacer
- To be born; to come into existence
- segundo
- Second; the ordinal number following first
- hijo
- Son; a male child in relation to parents
- siete
- Seven; the cardinal number between six and eight
- años
- Years; plural of 'año'
- menor
- Younger, lesser, or smaller in comparison
- padres
- Parents; father and mother together
- abandonaron
- They abandoned or gave up; preterite of 'abandonar'
- completo
- Complete, total, or entire without exception
- errante
- Wandering, roaming, or moving without fixed destination
- establecieron
- They established or settled; preterite of 'establecer'
- país
- Country, nation, or homeland
- natal
- Native, of one's birth or place of origin
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