Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 7
I had gazed upon the fortifications and impediments that seemed to keep human beings from entering the citadel of nature, and rashly and ignorantly I had repined.
Había contemplado las fortificaciones y los obstáculos que parecían impedir a los seres humanos entrar en la ciudadela de la naturaleza, y de manera imprudente e ignorante me había lamentado.
But here were books, and here were men who had penetrated deeper and knew more.
Pero aquí había libros, y aquí había hombres que habían penetrado más profundamente y sabían más.
I took their word for all that they averred, and I became their disciple.
Tomé su palabra por todo lo que afirmaban, y me convertí en su discípulo.
It may appear strange that such should arise in the eighteenth century; but while I followed the routine of education in the schools of Geneva, I was, to a great degree, self-taught with regard to my favourite studies.
Puede parecer extraño que algo así surgiera en el siglo XVIII; pero mientras seguía la rutina educativa en las escuelas de Ginebra, era, en gran medida, autodidacta en lo que respecta a mis estudios favoritos.
My father was not scientific, and I was left to struggle with a child's blindness, added to a student's thirst for knowledge.
Mi padre no era científico, y me vi obligado a luchar con la ceguera propia de un niño, sumada a la sed de conocimiento propia de un estudiante.
Under the guidance of my new preceptors I entered with the greatest diligence into the search of the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life; but the latter soon obtained my undivided attention.
Bajo la guía de mis nuevos preceptores me adentré con la mayor diligencia en la búsqueda de la piedra filosofal y el elixir de la vida; pero este último pronto obtuvo toda mi atención.
Wealth was an inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery if I could banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death!
La riqueza era un objetivo inferior, ¡pero qué gloria acompañaría al descubrimiento si pudiera desterrar la enfermedad del cuerpo humano y hacer al hombre invulnerable a todo salvo a una muerte violenta!
Nor were these my only visions.
Ni eran estas mis únicas visiones.
The raising of ghosts or devils was a promise liberally accorded by my favourite authors, the fulfilment of which I most eagerly sought; and if my incantations were always unsuccessful, I attributed the failure rather to my own inexperience and mistake than to a want of skill or fidelity in my instructors.
La evocación de fantasmas o demonios era una promesa generosamente otorgada por mis autores favoritos, cuyo cumplimiento yo buscaba con el mayor ardor; y si mis encantamientos siempre resultaban infructuosos, atribuía el fracaso más a mi propia inexperiencia y error que a una falta de habilidad o fidelidad en mis instructores.
Vocabulary
- Había
- Past imperfect of 'haber'; there was/had
- contemplado
- Observed or considered something carefully and thoughtfully
- fortificaciones
- Defensive structures built to protect a place
- obstáculos
- Things that block or hinder progress or movement
- parecían
- They seemed or appeared to be something
- impedir
- To prevent or stop something from happening
- seres
- Beings or living entities of any kind
- humanos
- Relating to or consisting of human beings
- entrar
- To enter or go into a place
- ciudadela
- A fortress or stronghold protecting or dominating a city
- naturaleza
- The natural world; the essence of something
- manera
- A way, manner, or method of doing something
- imprudente
- Lacking caution; reckless or unwise in behavior
- ignorante
- Lacking knowledge or awareness about something
- había
- Past imperfect auxiliary: had (done something)
- lamentado
- Expressed regret or sorrow about something
- aquí
- Adverb meaning here, in this place
- libros
- Printed or written books containing information
- hombres
- Men; adult male human beings
- penetrado
- Entered deeply into something; pierced through
- profundamente
- Deeply; to a great depth or degree
- sabían
- They knew facts or information about something
- Tomé
- First person past: I took or accepted something
- palabra
- A word; one's spoken promise or statement
- todo
- Everything; all of something
- afirmaban
- They asserted or stated something as true
- convertí
- I converted or transformed into something else
- discípulo
- A student or follower learning from a teacher
- Puede
- Third person singular of poder: can or may
- parecer
- To seem or appear to be a certain way
- extraño
- Strange, unusual, or foreign in some way
- algo
- Something; an unspecified thing or amount
- así
- Adverb meaning like this, so, or in this way
- surgiera
- Past subjunctive of surgir: that it arose or emerged
- siglo
- A century; a period of one hundred years
- mientras
- Conjunction meaning while or as long as
- seguía
- I/he/she was following or continuing something
- rutina
- A regular routine or habitual course of action
- educativa
- Relating to education or the process of learning
- escuelas
- Schools; institutions for teaching and learning
- medida
- A measure or degree; extent of something
- autodidacta
- Self-taught; having learned without formal instruction
- respecta
- Concerns or relates to; with respect to
- estudios
- Studies; academic subjects or fields of learning
- favoritos
- Favorite; most preferred or liked things
- padre
- Father; one's male parent
- científico
- A scientist; relating to science or scientists
- vi
- First person preterite of ver: I saw
- obligado
- Forced or compelled to do something
- luchar
- To struggle, fight, or strive against something
- ceguera
- Blindness; inability to see or understand
- propia
- One's own; belonging to oneself
- niño
- A young child or boy
- sumada
- Added or combined with something else
- sed
- Thirst; an intense desire or craving
- conocimiento
- Knowledge; understanding or awareness of something
- estudiante
- A student; person engaged in studying
- Bajo
- Under or beneath; also short in height
- guía
- A guide; something or someone that directs
- nuevos
- New; recently created or encountered things
- preceptores
- Tutors or teachers who give private instruction
- adentré
- I ventured or delved deeper into something
- mayor
- Greater, larger, or older; major in degree
- diligencia
- Careful and persistent effort or hard work
- búsqueda
- A search or quest for something desired
- piedra
- A stone or rock; a hard mineral substance
- filosofal
- Relating to the philosopher's stone of alchemy
- elixir
- A magical or medicinal potion granting life
- vida
- Life; the state of being alive
- último
- The last or most recent of a series
- pronto
- Soon; quickly or in a short time
- obtuvo
- He/she obtained or acquired something desired
- atención
- Attention; the act of focusing one's mind
- riqueza
- Wealth or richness; abundance of valuable resources
- objetivo
- An objective or goal to be achieved
- inferior
- Lower in rank, quality, or importance
- gloria
- Glory; great honor, fame, or admiration
- acompañaría
- Would accompany or go along with something
- descubrimiento
- A discovery; finding something previously unknown
- pudiera
- Past subjunctive of poder: could or might be able
- desterrar
- To banish or drive away something completely
- enfermedad
- An illness or disease affecting health
- cuerpo
- The body; the physical structure of a person
- humano
- Human; relating to human beings
- hacer
- To make or do something
- hombre
- A man; an adult male human being
- invulnerable
- Impossible to harm, wound, or defeat
- salvo
- Except for; safe from harm or danger
- muerte
- Death; the end of life
- violenta
- Violent; involving force or causing injury
- Ni
- Nor; not even; negative conjunction
- únicas
- Unique or only; the sole ones of their kind
- visiones
- Visions; mental images or imagined scenes
- evocación
- An evocation; the act of calling forth something
- fantasmas
- Ghosts; spirits of the dead appearing to living
- demonios
- Demons; evil supernatural beings or spirits
- promesa
- A promise; a commitment to do something
- generosamente
- Generously; in a giving or liberal manner
- otorgada
- Granted or bestowed upon someone officially
- autores
- Authors; writers who create literary works
- cuyo
- Relative possessive pronoun: whose or of which
- cumplimiento
- Fulfillment; the act of completing a promise
- buscaba
- I/he/she was searching or looking for something
- ardor
- Ardor; intense passion or enthusiasm
- encantamientos
- Enchantments or spells cast using magic
- siempre
- Always; at all times or on every occasion
- resultaban
- They turned out or resulted in something
- infructuosos
- Fruitless; producing no results or success
- atribuía
- I/he/she attributed or assigned cause to something
- fracaso
- Failure; lack of success in an attempt
- inexperiencia
- Inexperience; lack of knowledge from practice
- error
- A mistake or incorrect action or judgment
- falta
- A lack or absence of something needed
- habilidad
- Skill or ability to do something well
- fidelidad
- Faithfulness or loyalty; accuracy to an original
- instructores
- Instructors or teachers who provide guidance
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