Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 4
I saw how the fine form of man was degraded and wasted; I beheld the corruption of death succeed to the blooming cheek of life; I saw how the worm inherited the wonders of the eye and brain.
Vi cómo la bella forma del hombre era degradada y consumida; contemplé cómo la corrupción de la muerte sucedía a la floreciente mejilla de la vida; vi cómo el gusano heredaba las maravillas del ojo y del cerebro.
I paused, examining and analysing all the minutiae of causation, as exemplified in the change from life to death, and death to life, until from the midst of this darkness a sudden light broke in upon me—a light so brilliant and wondrous, yet so simple, that while I became dizzy with the immensity of the prospect which it illustrated, I was surprised that among so many men of genius who had directed their inquiries towards the same science, that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a secret.
Me detuve, examinando y analizando todos los pormenores de la causalidad, tal como se manifestaban en el tránsito de la vida a la muerte y de la muerte a la vida, hasta que de en medio de esta oscuridad irrumpió en mí una luz repentina —una luz tan brillante y maravillosa, y sin embargo tan simple, que mientras me mareaba ante la inmensidad de la perspectiva que iluminaba, me sorprendió que entre tantos hombres de genio que habían dirigido sus investigaciones hacia la misma ciencia, fuera yo solo quien estuviese reservado para descubrir un secreto tan asombroso.
Remember, I am not recording the vision of a madman.
Recuérdese que no estoy narrando la visión de un demente.
The sun does not more certainly shine in the heavens than that which I now affirm is true.
El sol no brilla en los cielos con más certeza que la verdad de lo que ahora afirmo.
Some miracle might have produced it, yet the stages of the discovery were distinct and probable.
Algún milagro podría haberlo producido, pero las etapas del descubrimiento fueron claras y verosímiles.
After days and nights of incredible labour and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter.
Tras días y noches de un trabajo y una fatiga increíbles, logré descubrir la causa de la generación y de la vida; es más, yo mismo me volví capaz de infundir animación a la materia inerte.
The astonishment which I had at first experienced on this discovery soon gave place to delight and rapture.
El asombro que al principio me había producido este descubrimiento pronto dejó paso al deleite y al éxtasis.
After so much time spent in painful labour, to arrive at once at the summit of my desires was the most gratifying consummation of my toils.
Tras tanto tiempo invertido en un penoso trabajo, llegar de golpe a la cima de mis deseos fue la culminación más gratificante de mis afanes.
Vocabulary
- Vi
- Past tense of 'ver'; I saw something
- cómo
- How; used to ask or describe manner
- bella
- Beautiful, lovely, attractive in appearance
- forma
- Form, shape, or manner of something
- hombre
- Man; adult male human being
- era
- Was; imperfect past tense of 'ser'
- degradada
- Degraded, deteriorated, reduced to lower state
- consumida
- Consumed, wasted away, depleted entirely
- contemplé
- I contemplated, observed or studied carefully
- corrupción
- Corruption, decay, decomposition of matter
- muerte
- Death; the end of life
- sucedía
- Was happening, occurring; imperfect of 'suceder'
- floreciente
- Flourishing, blooming, thriving with life
- mejilla
- Cheek; fleshy part of the face
- vida
- Life; the state of being alive
- vi
- I saw; first person past of 'ver'
- gusano
- Worm; small crawling invertebrate animal
- heredaba
- Was inheriting; imperfect tense of 'heredar'
- maravillas
- Wonders, marvels, extraordinarily impressive things
- ojo
- Eye; organ of sight in humans
- cerebro
- Brain; organ responsible for thought and function
- detuve
- I stopped, halted; preterite of 'detenerse'
- examinando
- Examining, inspecting closely and carefully
- analizando
- Analyzing, breaking down for detailed study
- todos
- All, every; referring to entire group
- pormenores
- Details, particulars, minor specific aspects
- causalidad
- Causality; relationship between cause and effect
- tal
- Such, such as; indicating similarity or degree
- como
- As, like; used for comparison or manner
- manifestaban
- Were manifesting, showing, appearing clearly
- tránsito
- Transit, passage, transition from one state
- hasta
- Until, up to; preposition of limit
- medio
- Middle, midst, medium; center of something
- oscuridad
- Darkness, obscurity; absence of light
- irrumpió
- Burst in, broke in suddenly and forcefully
- luz
- Light; visible illumination or radiance
- repentina
- Sudden, abrupt, happening without warning
- brillante
- Brilliant, bright, shining intensely with light
- maravillosa
- Wonderful, marvelous, astonishingly impressive
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- embargo
- Used in 'sin embargo' meaning nevertheless, however
- simple
- Simple, plain, uncomplicated in nature
- mientras
- While, whereas; conjunction of simultaneity
- mareaba
- Was making dizzy; imperfect of 'marear'
- ante
- Before, in front of, faced with
- inmensidad
- Immensity, vastness, enormous scale or extent
- perspectiva
- Perspective, outlook, point of view
- iluminaba
- Was illuminating, lighting up; imperfect tense
- sorprendió
- Surprised, astonished; preterite of 'sorprender'
- entre
- Among, between; preposition of position
- tantos
- So many; indicating large number of things
- hombres
- Men; plural of hombre, adult males
- genio
- Genius; person of extraordinary intellectual ability
- habían
- Had; third person plural past perfect auxiliary
- dirigido
- Directed, aimed, guided toward a goal
- investigaciones
- Investigations, research studies, inquiries
- hacia
- Toward, in the direction of something
- misma
- Same; feminine form of 'mismo'
- ciencia
- Science; systematic study of natural phenomena
- fuera
- Were; subjunctive of 'ser'; outside or beyond
- solo
- Alone, only, by oneself without others
- quien
- Who, whom; relative or interrogative pronoun
- estuviese
- Were; imperfect subjunctive of 'estar'
- reservado
- Reserved, set aside, destined for someone
- descubrir
- To discover, uncover, find something unknown
- secreto
- Secret; hidden or unknown information or fact
- asombroso
- Astonishing, amazing, causing great wonder
- Recuérdese
- Let it be remembered; reflexive imperative form
- narrando
- Narrating, telling, recounting a story
- visión
- Vision, sight, apparition or imagined image
- demente
- Insane, demented, mentally disturbed person
- sol
- Sun; the star at center of solar system
- brilla
- Shines, gleams; third person of 'brillar'
- cielos
- Skies, heavens; plural of 'cielo'
- más
- More; comparative adverb of quantity
- certeza
- Certainty, sureness, absence of doubt
- verdad
- Truth; that which is true or real
- ahora
- Now; at the present moment in time
- afirmo
- I affirm, assert, state as true
- Algún
- Some, any; indefinite adjective before noun
- milagro
- Miracle; extraordinary event beyond natural explanation
- podría
- Could, would be able to; conditional of 'poder'
- producido
- Produced, caused, generated; past participle of 'producir'
- pero
- But; coordinating conjunction showing contrast
- etapas
- Stages, phases, steps in a process
- descubrimiento
- Discovery; act of finding something previously unknown
- fueron
- Were; third person plural preterite of 'ser'
- claras
- Clear, evident, easy to understand
- verosímiles
- Plausible, credible, likely to be true
- Tras
- After, behind, following in time or space
- días
- Days; plural of día, units of time
- noches
- Nights; plural of noche, dark periods
- trabajo
- Work, labor, effort expended on a task
- fatiga
- Fatigue, exhaustion, extreme tiredness from effort
- increíbles
- Incredible, unbelievable, beyond normal expectation
- logré
- I achieved, managed, succeeded; preterite of 'lograr'
- causa
- Cause; reason or origin of an effect
- generación
- Generation; process of creating or producing life
- mismo
- Same, himself; emphatic or identity adjective
- volví
- I became, returned; preterite of 'volver'
- capaz
- Capable, able, competent to do something
- infundir
- To infuse, instill, inspire something into something
- animación
- Animation, liveliness, the quality of being alive
- materia
- Matter, material, physical substance
- inerte
- Inert, lifeless, lacking movement or activity
- asombro
- Astonishment, amazement, great surprise
- principio
- Beginning, start, principle; initial phase
- había
- There was, had; imperfect of 'haber'
- pronto
- Soon, quickly, promptly in time
- dejó
- Left, allowed, gave way; preterite of 'dejar'
- paso
- Step, passage, gave way to something else
- deleite
- Delight, pleasure, great enjoyment or satisfaction
- éxtasis
- Ecstasy, intense joy, overwhelming happiness
- tanto
- So much, as much; indicating great quantity
- tiempo
- Time; duration or period of existence
- invertido
- Invested, spent, devoted time or resources
- penoso
- Painful, laborious, causing suffering or difficulty
- llegar
- To arrive, reach, get to a place
- golpe
- Blow, strike; sudden impact or moment
- cima
- Summit, peak, top of a goal
- deseos
- Desires, wishes, strong wants or longings
- fue
- Was, went; third person singular preterite of 'ser/ir'
- culminación
- Culmination, peak, highest point of achievement
- gratificante
- Gratifying, rewarding, giving satisfaction or pleasure
- afanes
- Efforts, strivings, eager labors toward a goal
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