Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 2
Two years passed in this manner, during which I paid no visit to Geneva, but was engaged, heart and soul, in the pursuit of some discoveries which I hoped to make.
Dos años pasaron de esta manera, durante los cuales no hice ninguna visita a Ginebra, sino que estuve entregado, en cuerpo y alma, a la búsqueda de algunos descubrimientos que esperaba realizar.
None but those who have experienced them can conceive of the enticements of science.
Solo quienes los han experimentado pueden concebir los atractivos de la ciencia.
In other studies you go as far as others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder.
En otros estudios llegas tan lejos como otros han llegado antes que tú, y no hay nada más que saber; pero en una búsqueda científica hay un alimento continuo para el descubrimiento y la admiración.
A mind of moderate capacity which closely pursues one study must infallibly arrive at great proficiency in that study; and I, who continually sought the attainment of one object of pursuit and was solely wrapped up in this, improved so rapidly that at the end of two years I made some discoveries in the improvement of some chemical instruments, which procured me great esteem and admiration at the university.
Una mente de capacidad moderada que sigue de cerca un estudio debe llegar infaliblemente a una gran destreza en ese estudio; y yo, que buscaba continuamente la consecución de un único objeto de estudio y estaba completamente absorto en ello, progresé tan rápidamente que al cabo de dos años realicé algunos descubrimientos en el perfeccionamiento de algunos instrumentos químicos, lo que me granjeó gran estima y admiración en la universidad.
When I had arrived at this point and had become as well acquainted with the theory and practice of natural philosophy as depended on the lessons of any of the professors at Ingolstadt, my residence there being no longer conducive to my improvements, I thought of returning to my friends and my native town, when an incident happened that protracted my stay.
Cuando había llegado a este punto y me había familiarizado tan bien con la teoría y la práctica de la filosofía natural como lo permitían las lecciones de cualquiera de los profesores de Ingolstadt, siendo mi residencia allí ya no propicia para mi progreso, pensé en regresar a mis amigos y a mi ciudad natal, cuando ocurrió un incidente que prolongó mi estancia.
One of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention was the structure of the human frame, and, indeed, any animal endued with life.
Uno de los fenómenos que había atraído particularmente mi atención era la estructura del cuerpo humano y, en efecto, la de cualquier animal dotado de vida.
Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed?
¿De dónde, me preguntaba a menudo, procedía el principio de la vida?
Vocabulary
- años
- Years; units of time equal to twelve months
- pasaron
- They passed; went by (past tense of pasar)
- manera
- Manner, way; the method or fashion of doing something
- durante
- During; throughout a period of time
- cuales
- Which; relative pronoun referring to previously mentioned things
- hice
- I did, I made; first-person past tense of hacer
- ninguna
- None, not any; feminine negative adjective or pronoun
- visita
- Visit; a trip to see a person or place
- sino
- But rather; conjunction used to contrast negation
- estuve
- I was; first-person past tense of estar
- entregado
- Devoted, dedicated; fully given over to something
- cuerpo
- Body; the physical structure of a living being
- alma
- Soul; the spiritual or innermost part of a person
- búsqueda
- Search, quest; the act of looking for something
- algunos
- Some; masculine plural indefinite adjective or pronoun
- descubrimientos
- Discoveries; findings of something previously unknown
- esperaba
- I hoped, I expected; imperfect tense of esperar
- realizar
- To carry out, to accomplish; to bring something into reality
- Solo
- Only, alone; indicating exclusivity or solitude
- quienes
- Those who, whoever; relative pronoun referring to people
- experimentado
- Experienced; having personally undergone something
- pueden
- They can; third-person plural present of poder
- concebir
- To conceive, to imagine; to form an idea mentally
- atractivos
- Attractions, charms; appealing qualities of something
- ciencia
- Science; systematic study of the natural world
- estudios
- Studies; academic or intellectual pursuits
- llegas
- You arrive, you reach; second-person singular of llegar
- tan
- So, as; adverb used in comparisons
- lejos
- Far; at a great distance
- llegado
- Reached, arrived; past participle of llegar
- antes
- Before, previously; indicating earlier time
- hay
- There is, there are; impersonal form of haber
- nada
- Nothing; the absence of anything
- saber
- To know; to have knowledge or information about something
- científica
- Scientific; relating to science or a female scientist
- alimento
- Food, nourishment; sustenance for body or mind
- continuo
- Continuous, ongoing; without interruption or stopping
- descubrimiento
- Discovery; the act of finding something previously unknown
- admiración
- Admiration, wonder; feeling of deep respect or awe
- mente
- Mind; the seat of thought, feeling, and intellect
- capacidad
- Capacity, ability; the power to do or understand something
- moderada
- Moderate; of average or restrained degree or ability
- sigue
- Follows, continues; third-person singular of seguir
- cerca
- Near, close; at a short distance
- estudio
- Study; dedicated intellectual or academic effort
- debe
- Must, should; expresses obligation or expectation
- llegar
- To arrive, to reach; to get to a place or level
- infaliblemente
- Infallibly, certainly; without the possibility of error
- destreza
- Skill, dexterity; proficiency in a particular activity
- buscaba
- I was looking for; imperfect tense of buscar
- continuamente
- Continuously; without stopping, in an unbroken manner
- consecución
- Achievement, attainment; the act of achieving a goal
- único
- Unique, sole, only; one of a kind
- objeto
- Object, goal; a thing or aim being pursued
- estaba
- Was; first/third-person imperfect tense of estar
- completamente
- Completely, totally; in a full or entire manner
- absorto
- Absorbed, engrossed; deeply focused on something
- ello
- It; neuter third-person pronoun referring to an idea
- progresé
- I progressed; first-person past tense of progresar
- rápidamente
- Rapidly, quickly; at a fast pace
- cabo
- End; used in 'al cabo de' meaning after a period
- realicé
- I carried out, I achieved; past tense of realizar
- perfeccionamiento
- Improvement, perfecting; the process of refining something
- instrumentos
- Instruments, tools; devices used for a specific purpose
- químicos
- Chemical; relating to chemistry or chemical substances
- granjeó
- Earned, won; past tense of granjear, to gain favor
- estima
- Esteem, regard; high respect or favorable opinion
- universidad
- University; institution of higher education and research
- Cuando
- When; conjunction or adverb indicating time
- punto
- Point; a specific moment, place, or degree
- familiarizado
- Familiarized, acquainted; made familiar with something
- teoría
- Theory; a system of ideas explaining something
- práctica
- Practice; the actual application of knowledge or skills
- filosofía
- Philosophy; the study of fundamental questions of existence
- natural
- Natural; existing in or derived from nature
- permitían
- Allowed, permitted; imperfect tense of permitir
- lecciones
- Lessons; units of teaching or instruction
- cualquiera
- Any, anyone; referring to an unspecified person or thing
- profesores
- Professors, teachers; educators at a school or university
- siendo
- Being; present participle of ser
- residencia
- Residence; the place where one lives
- allí
- There; in or at that place
- ya
- Already, now; indicates something has occurred or changed
- propicia
- Favorable, propitious; offering good conditions for success
- progreso
- Progress; forward movement toward a goal
- pensé
- I thought; first-person past tense of pensar
- regresar
- To return; to go back to a previous place
- amigos
- Friends; people with whom one has a close bond
- ciudad
- City; a large urban settlement
- natal
- Native, natal; relating to the place of one's birth
- cuando
- When; at the time that something happened
- ocurrió
- Occurred, happened; past tense of ocurrir
- incidente
- Incident; an event, especially an unexpected occurrence
- prolongó
- Prolonged, extended; past tense of prolongar
- estancia
- Stay; a period of time spent in a place
- fenómenos
- Phenomena; observable events or natural occurrences
- atraído
- Attracted; past participle of atraer, to draw attention
- particularmente
- Particularly, especially; to a notable or specific degree
- atención
- Attention; the act of focusing the mind on something
- estructura
- Structure; the arrangement of parts forming a whole
- humano
- Human; relating to people or the human body
- efecto
- Effect; a result or consequence of an action
- cualquier
- Any; referring to any unspecified person or thing
- animal
- Animal; a living creature other than a plant
- dotado
- Endowed, gifted; provided with a natural quality
- vida
- Life; the condition distinguishing living from nonliving things
- dónde
- Where; interrogative adverb asking about a place
- preguntaba
- I asked, I wondered; imperfect tense of preguntar
- menudo
- Often; used in 'a menudo' meaning frequently
- procedía
- Came from, originated; imperfect tense of proceder
- principio
- Principle, beginning; a fundamental truth or starting point
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