Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 6
But the cursory glance my father had taken of my volume by no means assured me that he was acquainted with its contents, and I continued to read with the greatest avidity.
Pero la mirada superficial que mi padre había echado a mi volumen de ninguna manera me aseguró que estuviera familiarizado con su contenido, y continué leyendo con la mayor avidez.
When I returned home my first care was to procure the whole works of this author, and afterwards of Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus.
Cuando regresé a casa, mi primer cuidado fue procurarme las obras completas de este autor, y después las de Paracelso y Alberto Magno.
I read and studied the wild fancies of these writers with delight; they appeared to me treasures known to few besides myself.
Leí y estudié con deleite las extravagantes fantasías de estos escritores; me parecían tesoros conocidos por pocos además de mí mismo.
I have described myself as always having been imbued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature.
Me he descrito a mí mismo como alguien que siempre estuvo imbuido de un ferviente anhelo por penetrar los secretos de la naturaleza.
In spite of the intense labour and wonderful discoveries of modern philosophers, I always came from my studies discontented and unsatisfied.
A pesar del intenso trabajo y los maravillosos descubrimientos de los filósofos modernos, siempre regresaba de mis estudios descontento e insatisfecho.
Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed that he felt like a child picking up shells beside the great and unexplored ocean of truth.
Se dice que Sir Isaac Newton declaró que se sentía como un niño recogiendo conchas a orillas del gran e inexplorado océano de la verdad.
Those of his successors in each branch of natural philosophy with whom I was acquainted appeared even to my boy's apprehensions as tyros engaged in the same pursuit.
Aquellos de sus sucesores en cada rama de la filosofía natural con quienes yo estaba familiarizado me parecían, incluso a mi entendimiento de muchacho, como principiantes empeñados en la misma búsqueda.
The untaught peasant beheld the elements around him and was acquainted with their practical uses.
El campesino ignorante contemplaba los elementos a su alrededor y conocía sus usos prácticos.
The most learned philosopher knew little more.
El filósofo más erudito sabía poco más.
He had partially unveiled the face of Nature, but her immortal lineaments were still a wonder and a mystery.
Había desvelado parcialmente el rostro de la Naturaleza, pero sus rasgos inmortales seguían siendo un prodigio y un misterio.
He might dissect, anatomise, and give names; but, not to speak of a final cause, causes in their secondary and tertiary grades were utterly unknown to him.
Podía disecar, anatomizar y dar nombres; pero, sin hablar de una causa final, las causas en sus grados secundarios y terciarios le eran completamente desconocidas.
Vocabulary
- Pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing a contrast.
- la
- Definite article 'the' for feminine singular nouns.
- mirada
- A look or glance directed at something or someone.
- superficial
- Shallow, lacking depth or thoroughness.
- que
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'.
- mi
- Possessive adjective meaning 'my'.
- padre
- Father, male parent.
- había
- Past perfect auxiliary verb 'had', from haber.
- echado
- Past participle of echar; thrown, cast, or glanced.
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at'.
- volumen
- A volume or book in a series.
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'.
- ninguna
- No, none, not any (feminine form).
- manera
- Manner, way, or method of doing something.
- me
- First-person singular object pronoun meaning 'me'.
- aseguró
- Assured or guaranteed something to someone.
- estuviera
- Imperfect subjunctive of estar; 'were' or 'was'.
- familiarizado
- Familiar with or acquainted with something.
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with'.
- su
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', 'its', or 'their'.
- contenido
- Content or contents of a book or document.
- y
- Conjunction meaning 'and'.
- continué
- I continued doing something without stopping.
- leyendo
- Gerund of leer; reading a text or book.
- mayor
- Greater, larger, or older in comparison.
- avidez
- Eagerness or avidity, intense desire for something.
- Cuando
- Conjunction meaning 'when', indicating time.
- regresé
- I returned or came back to a place.
- casa
- House or home, a place of residence.
- primer
- First, the ordinal number one (masculine short form).
- cuidado
- Care, concern, or careful attention to something.
- fue
- Preterite of ser/ir; 'was' or 'went'.
- procurarme
- To obtain or procure something for myself.
- las
- Definite article 'the' for feminine plural nouns.
- obras
- Works, especially literary or artistic productions.
- completas
- Complete, entire, full set of works.
- este
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (masculine).
- autor
- Author, the writer of a literary work.
- después
- Afterward, later, or after in time or order.
- Leí
- I read a text or book (preterite tense).
- estudié
- I studied a subject attentively (preterite tense).
- deleite
- Delight, great pleasure or enjoyment.
- extravagantes
- Extravagant, bizarre, or wildly unconventional.
- fantasías
- Fantasies, imaginative or fanciful ideas and theories.
- estos
- Demonstrative adjective 'these' (masculine plural).
- escritores
- Writers or authors of books or texts.
- parecían
- They seemed or appeared to be something.
- tesoros
- Treasures, valuable or prized things or knowledge.
- conocidos
- Known, recognized, or familiar to people.
- por
- Preposition meaning 'by', 'for', or 'through'.
- pocos
- Few, a small number of people or things.
- además
- Besides, in addition to, furthermore.
- mí
- Stressed first-person singular pronoun meaning 'me'.
- mismo
- Myself, same, or very (intensifier pronoun).
- Me
- First-person singular reflexive or object pronoun.
- he
- First-person present of haber; 'I have' (auxiliary).
- descrito
- Past participle of describir; described someone or something.
- como
- As or like, used for comparison or description.
- alguien
- Someone, an unspecified person.
- siempre
- Always, at all times without exception.
- estuvo
- Preterite of estar; 'was' in a state or place.
- imbuido
- Imbued, deeply filled or inspired with something.
- un
- Indefinite article 'a' or 'an' (masculine).
- ferviente
- Fervent, passionate, intensely enthusiastic or eager.
- anhelo
- Longing, deep yearning or desire for something.
- penetrar
- To penetrate, enter deeply, or uncover something hidden.
- los
- Definite article 'the' for masculine plural nouns.
- secretos
- Secrets, hidden or unknown facts or knowledge.
- naturaleza
- Nature, the natural world or essence of things.
- A pesar del
- Despite or in spite of something.
- intenso
- Intense, extreme, or deeply concentrated effort.
- trabajo
- Work or labor, effort applied to a task.
- maravillosos
- Marvelous, wonderful, extraordinary or amazing.
- descubrimientos
- Discoveries, new findings or revelations in knowledge.
- filósofos
- Philosophers, thinkers who study fundamental questions.
- modernos
- Modern, contemporary, belonging to the recent era.
- regresaba
- I used to return or was returning somewhere.
- mis
- Possessive adjective 'my' for plural nouns.
- estudios
- Studies, academic or scholarly investigations.
- descontento
- Discontent, dissatisfied or unhappy with something.
- e
- Conjunction 'and' used before words starting with i.
- insatisfecho
- Unsatisfied, not fulfilled or content.
- Se dice
- It is said; used to report general statements.
- declaró
- Declared or stated something formally or publicly.
- se sentía
- Felt or perceived oneself to be a certain way.
- niño
- Child or boy, a young male person.
- recogiendo
- Gathering or picking up objects from a surface.
- conchas
- Shells, hard outer coverings of mollusks.
- orillas
- Shores or banks, edges of a body of water.
- gran
- Great, large, or grand (short form before noun).
- inexplorado
- Unexplored, not yet investigated or discovered.
- océano
- Ocean, a vast body of salt water.
- verdad
- Truth, that which is accurate or factual.
- Aquellos
- Those (distant), referring to people or things far away.
- sucesores
- Successors, those who follow in someone's footsteps.
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in', 'on', or 'at'.
- cada
- Each or every, referring to individual members.
- rama
- Branch, a division of a field or subject.
- filosofía natural
- Natural philosophy, early term for the study of nature.
- quienes
- Relative pronoun 'who' referring to people.
- yo
- First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I'.
- estaba
- I was (imperfect tense of estar).
- incluso
- Even, including, or also.
- entendimiento
- Understanding, comprehension, or intellectual grasp.
- muchacho
- Boy or young man.
- principiantes
- Beginners, those new to a subject or skill.
- empeñados
- Engaged or determined in pursuing something earnestly.
- misma
- Same (feminine), identical or the very one.
- búsqueda
- Search or quest for something desired or unknown.
- El campesino
- The peasant or farmer, a rural agricultural worker.
- ignorante
- Ignorant, lacking knowledge or education.
- contemplaba
- Contemplated or observed something thoughtfully.
- elementos
- Elements, basic components or forces of nature.
- alrededor
- Around, surrounding in all directions.
- conocía
- Knew or was familiar with something or someone.
- usos
- Uses or applications of something.
- prácticos
- Practical, useful in real-world application.
- filósofo
- Philosopher, a thinker who studies fundamental questions.
- más
- More, a comparative adverb or adjective.
- erudito
- Erudite, having deep scholarly knowledge.
- sabía
- Knew (imperfect), had knowledge of something.
- poco
- Little, a small amount or degree.
- Había desvelado
- Had unveiled or revealed something previously hidden.
- parcialmente
- Partially, not completely or fully.
- el
- Definite article 'the' for masculine singular nouns.
- rostro
- Face, the front part of a person's head.
- Naturaleza
- Nature, the natural world personified.
- rasgos
- Features or traits, distinguishing characteristics.
- inmortales
- Immortal, everlasting, not subject to death.
- seguían siendo
- Continued to be or remained in a state.
- prodigio
- Prodigy or wonder, something extraordinary and amazing.
- misterio
- Mystery, something unknown or inexplicable.
- Podía
- Could, was able to do something (imperfect).
- disecar
- To dissect, cut apart for scientific examination.
- anatomizar
- To anatomize, analyze in minute detail.
- dar nombres
- To give names or labels to things.
- sin
- Without, lacking or in the absence of.
- hablar
- To speak or talk about something.
- una
- Indefinite article 'a' or 'an' (feminine).
- causa final
- Final cause, ultimate purpose or end goal.
- causas
- Causes, reasons or origins of phenomena.
- grados
- Degrees or levels within a classification.
- secundarios
- Secondary, of second rank or importance.
- terciarios
- Tertiary, of third rank or importance.
- le
- Third-person indirect object pronoun 'to him/her/it'.
- eran
- Were (imperfect of ser), describing a past state.
- completamente
- Completely, entirely, without exception.
- desconocidas
- Unknown, unfamiliar, not recognized or understood.
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