Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 3
He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me.
Levantó la cortina de la cama; y sus ojos, si es que ojos pueden llamarse, estaban fijos en mí.
His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks.
Sus mandíbulas se abrieron, y masculló algunos sonidos inarticulados, mientras una mueca arrugaba sus mejillas.
He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs.
Puede que hubiera hablado, pero yo no lo oí; una mano estaba extendida, aparentemente para detenerme, pero escapé y corrí escaleras abajo.
I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life.
Me refugié en el patio perteneciente a la casa que habitaba, donde permanecí durante el resto de la noche, caminando de un lado a otro con la mayor agitación, escuchando atentamente, captando y temiendo cada sonido como si fuera a anunciar la aproximación del cadáver demoníaco al que tan miserablemente había dado vida.
Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance.
¡Oh! Ningún mortal podría soportar el horror de aquel semblante.
A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch.
Una momia nuevamente dotada de animación no podría ser tan horrible como aquella criatura.
I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived.
Lo había contemplado cuando estaba inacabado; era feo entonces, pero cuando aquellos músculos y articulaciones quedaron capacitados para el movimiento, se convirtió en algo que ni el propio Dante habría podido concebir.
I passed the night wretchedly.
Pasé la noche miserablemente.
Sometimes my pulse beat so quickly and hardly that I felt the palpitation of every artery; at others, I nearly sank to the ground through languor and extreme weakness.
A veces mi pulso latía tan rápido y con tanta fuerza que sentía la palpitación de cada arteria; otras veces, casi me desplomaba al suelo por el languidez y la extrema debilidad.
Mingled with this horror, I felt the bitterness of disappointment; dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now become a hell to me; and the change was so rapid, the overthrow so complete!
Mezclada con este horror, sentí la amargura del desengaño; los sueños que habían sido mi alimento y mi descanso placentero durante tanto tiempo se habían convertido ahora en un infierno para mí; ¡y el cambio fue tan repentino, la caída tan completa!
Vocabulary
- Levantó
- He/she lifted or raised something up
- cortina
- A curtain or drape hung over a window
- cama
- A bed used for sleeping or resting
- ojos
- Eyes, the organs used for seeing
- llamarse
- Reflexive verb meaning 'to be called' or named
- fijos
- Fixed, motionless, or steadily focused on something
- mandíbulas
- Jaws or mandibles of a person or creature
- abrieron
- Past tense of 'abrir,' meaning 'they opened'
- masculló
- He/she mumbled or muttered something under breath
- sonidos
- Sounds or noises perceived by the ears
- inarticulados
- Inarticulate, unclear sounds not forming proper words
- mientras
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'meanwhile'
- mueca
- A grimace or distorted facial expression
- arrugaba
- Was wrinkling or creasing something like skin
- mejillas
- Cheeks, the fleshy sides of the face
- hubiera
- Past subjunctive of 'haber,' meaning 'had' (hypothetical)
- oí
- First-person past tense of 'oír,' meaning 'I heard'
- mano
- Hand, the body part at the end of the arm
- extendida
- Extended or outstretched, spread out toward something
- aparentemente
- Adverb meaning 'apparently' or 'seemingly'
- detenerme
- Reflexive verb meaning 'to stop me' or halt
- escapé
- First-person past tense of 'escapar,' meaning 'I escaped'
- corrí
- First-person past tense of 'correr,' meaning 'I ran'
- escaleras
- Stairs or a staircase in a building
- abajo
- Adverb meaning 'down' or 'below'
- refugié
- I took refuge or sought shelter somewhere safe
- patio
- A courtyard or open area within a building
- perteneciente
- Belonging to or associated with something
- casa
- A house or home where someone lives
- habitaba
- Past tense of 'habitar,' meaning 'he/she inhabited'
- permanecí
- I remained or stayed in a certain place
- durante
- Preposition meaning 'during' a period of time
- resto
- The rest or remainder of something
- noche
- Night, the dark period after sunset
- caminando
- Present participle of 'caminar,' meaning 'walking'
- lado
- Side, one of two opposite directions or surfaces
- mayor
- Greater or larger in degree or intensity
- agitación
- Agitation, a state of nervous excitement or anxiety
- escuchando
- Present participle of 'escuchar,' meaning 'listening'
- atentamente
- Adverb meaning 'attentively' or 'carefully'
- captando
- Capturing or picking up sounds or signals
- temiendo
- Present participle of 'temer,' meaning 'fearing'
- sonido
- A sound or noise heard by the ears
- fuera
- Subjunctive form of 'ser/estar,' meaning 'were'
- anunciar
- To announce or signal the arrival of something
- aproximación
- Approach or the act of drawing near
- cadáver
- A corpse or dead body
- demoníaco
- Demonic, relating to or resembling a demon
- miserablemente
- Adverb meaning 'miserably' or 'wretchedly'
- dado
- Past participle of 'dar,' meaning 'given'
- vida
- Life, the state of being alive
- Ningún
- Adjective meaning 'no' or 'not any' (masculine)
- mortal
- A mortal being, subject to death; a human
- podría
- Conditional of 'poder,' meaning 'could' or 'would be able'
- soportar
- To bear, endure, or tolerate something difficult
- horror
- Horror, intense fear or shock at something terrible
- aquel
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (distant)
- semblante
- Countenance or facial appearance of a person
- momia
- A mummy, a preserved corpse wrapped in bandages
- nuevamente
- Adverb meaning 'again' or 'anew'
- dotada
- Endowed or gifted with a particular quality
- animación
- Animation, the state of being alive and active
- ser
- To be; also a noun meaning 'being' or 'creature'
- horrible
- Horrible, causing terror or extreme disgust
- aquella
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' (feminine, distant)
- criatura
- A creature or living being, often strange or otherworldly
- contemplado
- Past participle of 'contemplar,' meaning 'observed' or 'viewed'
- inacabado
- Unfinished or incomplete, not yet fully done
- feo
- Ugly or unattractive in appearance
- entonces
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'at that time'
- aquellos
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'those' (masculine plural)
- músculos
- Muscles, fibrous tissues that enable bodily movement
- articulaciones
- Joints connecting bones, enabling movement in the body
- quedaron
- Past tense of 'quedar,' meaning 'they became' or remained
- capacitados
- Enabled or qualified to do something
- movimiento
- Movement, the act of moving from place to place
- convirtió
- Past tense of 'convertir,' meaning 'it became' or turned into
- ni
- Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'not even'
- propio
- Adjective meaning 'own' or belonging to oneself
- habría
- Conditional of 'haber,' meaning 'would have'
- podido
- Past participle of 'poder,' meaning 'been able to'
- concebir
- To conceive or imagine something in the mind
- Pasé
- First-person past tense of 'pasar,' meaning 'I spent' (time)
- veces
- Times or occasions; used in 'a veces' meaning 'sometimes'
- pulso
- Pulse, the rhythmic beating of the heart
- latía
- Past tense of 'latir,' meaning 'it was beating' (heart)
- rápido
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'fast' or 'rapid'
- tanta
- Adjective meaning 'so much' or 'such great' (feminine)
- fuerza
- Strength or force exerted physically or emotionally
- sentía
- Past tense of 'sentir,' meaning 'I felt' or 'sensed'
- palpitación
- Palpitation, a rapid or irregular heartbeat sensation
- arteria
- An artery, a blood vessel carrying blood from the heart
- casi
- Adverb meaning 'almost' or 'nearly'
- desplomaba
- Past tense of 'desplomarse,' meaning 'was collapsing' down
- suelo
- Floor or ground underfoot
- languidez
- Languor or weakness, a feeling of faintness or fatigue
- extrema
- Adjective meaning 'extreme' or 'very great' (feminine)
- debilidad
- Weakness or feebleness of body or will
- Mezclada
- Mixed or blended together with something else
- sentí
- First-person past tense of 'sentir,' meaning 'I felt'
- amargura
- Bitterness, a feeling of deep sadness or resentment
- desengaño
- Disillusionment or disappointment after false hope
- sueños
- Dreams, images or hopes experienced while sleeping or wishing
- alimento
- Nourishment or food sustaining life and strength
- descanso
- Rest or relaxation from work or activity
- placentero
- Pleasant or agreeable, causing pleasure or enjoyment
- tanto
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'so much' or 'so long'
- tiempo
- Time, the ongoing sequence of events and duration
- convertido
- Past participle of 'convertir,' meaning 'converted' or transformed
- ahora
- Adverb meaning 'now' or 'at this moment'
- infierno
- Hell, a place of suffering and torment
- cambio
- A change or transformation from one state to another
- repentino
- Sudden or abrupt, happening without warning
- caída
- A fall or collapse from a higher position
- completa
- Adjective meaning 'complete' or 'total' (feminine)
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