Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 8
I was unable to remain for a single instant in the same place; I jumped over the chairs, clapped my hands, and laughed aloud.
Era incapaz de permanecer ni un solo instante en el mismo lugar; saltaba sobre las sillas, aplaudía y reía a carcajadas.
Clerval at first attributed my unusual spirits to joy on his arrival, but when he observed me more attentively, he saw a wildness in my eyes for which he could not account, and my loud, unrestrained, heartless laughter frightened and astonished him.
Al principio, Clerval atribuyó mi inusual estado de ánimo a la alegría por su llegada, pero cuando me observó con más atención, vio una expresión salvaje en mis ojos que no supo explicar, y mi risa estruendosa, desenfrenada e insensible lo asustó y asombró.
"My dear Victor," cried he, "what, for God's sake, is the matter? Do not laugh in that manner. How ill you are! What is the cause of all this?"
«Mi querido Víctor», exclamó él, «¿qué ocurre, por el amor de Dios? No rías de ese modo. ¡Qué enfermo estás! ¿Cuál es la causa de todo esto?»
"Do not ask me," cried I, putting my hands before my eyes, for I thought I saw the dreaded spectre glide into the room; "_he_ can tell. Oh, save me! Save me!" I imagined that the monster seized me; I struggled furiously and fell down in a fit.
«No me preguntes», grité yo, cubriéndome los ojos con las manos, pues creí ver al temido espectro deslizarse hacia la habitación; «_él_ puede decirlo. ¡Oh, sálvame! ¡Sálvame!» Imaginé que el monstruo me agarraba; luché furiosamente y caí al suelo en un ataque.
Poor Clerval! What must have been his feelings? A meeting, which he anticipated with such joy, so strangely turned to bitterness.
¡Pobre Clerval! ¿Qué habrá sentido? Un encuentro que había esperado con tanta alegría se tornó de manera tan extraña en amargura.
But I was not the witness of his grief, for I was lifeless and did not recover my senses for a long, long time.
Pero yo no fui testigo de su dolor, pues estaba sin vida y no recuperé el conocimiento durante un largo, larguísimo tiempo.
This was the commencement of a nervous fever which confined me for several months.
Este fue el comienzo de una fiebre nerviosa que me tuvo postrado durante varios meses.
During all that time Henry was my only nurse.
Durante todo ese tiempo, Henry fue mi único enfermero.
I afterwards learned that, knowing my father's advanced age and unfitness for so long a journey, and how wretched my sickness would make Elizabeth, he spared them this grief by concealing the extent of my disorder.
Después supe que, conociendo la avanzada edad de mi padre y su incapacidad para emprender un viaje tan largo, y lo desgraciada que mi enfermedad haría a Elizabeth, les ahorró ese dolor ocultando la gravedad de mi dolencia.
Vocabulary
- incapaz
- Unable or lacking the ability to do something
- permanecer
- To remain or stay in a place or state
- ni
- Neither, nor; used to negate two elements
- solo
- Alone, single, or only one
- instante
- A very brief moment or instant in time
- mismo
- Same; used for emphasis or identity
- lugar
- A place, location, or spot
- saltaba
- Was jumping or leaping repeatedly
- sobre
- On top of, over, or about
- sillas
- Chairs used for sitting
- aplaudía
- Was clapping hands to show approval or excitement
- reía
- Was laughing; imperfect tense of reír
- carcajadas
- Loud bursts of laughter; guffaws
- principio
- The beginning or start of something
- atribuyó
- Attributed or assigned a cause to something
- inusual
- Unusual or not common; out of the ordinary
- estado
- State or condition of a person or thing
- ánimo
- Mood, spirit, or state of mind
- alegría
- Joy, happiness, or cheerfulness
- llegada
- The arrival of a person or thing
- observó
- Observed or watched carefully and attentively
- atención
- Attention or careful notice given to something
- expresión
- An expression or look on someone's face
- salvaje
- Wild, savage, or fierce in appearance or behavior
- ojos
- Eyes; organs of sight
- supo
- Knew or found out; preterite of saber
- explicar
- To explain or make something clear to someone
- risa
- Laughter or the act of laughing
- estruendosa
- Thunderous, very loud, and boisterous in sound
- desenfrenada
- Uncontrolled, unbridled, or wildly uninhibited
- insensible
- Unfeeling, callous, or lacking emotional sensitivity
- asustó
- Frightened or scared someone
- asombró
- Astonished or amazed someone greatly
- querido
- Dear or beloved; used as a term of affection
- exclamó
- Exclaimed; said something with sudden strong emotion
- ocurre
- Happens or is occurring; present tense of ocurrir
- amor
- Love; strong affection or deep fondness
- Dios
- God; the supreme divine being
- rías
- Laugh; second person subjunctive of reír
- ese
- Demonstrative adjective meaning that (near the listener)
- modo
- Way, manner, or method of doing something
- enfermo
- Sick or ill; a person suffering from illness
- Cuál
- Interrogative pronoun meaning which or what
- causa
- Cause or reason behind an event or condition
- todo
- All, everything, or the whole of something
- preguntes
- Ask; second person singular present subjunctive of preguntar
- grité
- I screamed or shouted; preterite of gritar
- cubriéndome
- Covering myself; reflexive gerund of cubrir
- manos
- Hands; the body parts at the end of the arms
- pues
- Well, since, or because; explanatory conjunction
- creí
- I believed or thought; preterite of creer
- temido
- Feared; dreaded by someone
- espectro
- A specter, ghost, or terrifying apparition
- deslizarse
- To slide or glide smoothly toward somewhere
- hacia
- Preposition meaning toward or in the direction of
- habitación
- A room, especially a bedroom in a dwelling
- decirlo
- To say it or tell it; infinitive with pronoun
- sálvame
- Save me; imperative of salvar with pronoun
- Sálvame
- Save me; urgent plea for rescue or help
- Imaginé
- I imagined; preterite first person of imaginar
- monstruo
- A monster or frightening creature
- agarraba
- Was grabbing or seizing; imperfect of agarrar
- luché
- I struggled or fought; preterite of luchar
- furiosamente
- Furiously, with great anger and violent energy
- caí
- I fell; preterite first person singular of caer
- suelo
- The floor or ground beneath one's feet
- ataque
- An attack or sudden episode, such as a fit
- Pobre
- Poor; expressing sympathy or pity for someone
- habrá
- Will have; future indicative of haber
- sentido
- Felt or experienced; past participle of sentir
- encuentro
- An encounter or meeting between people
- esperado
- Expected or awaited; past participle of esperar
- tanta
- So much; feminine form of tanto
- tornó
- Turned or became; preterite of tornar
- manera
- Way, manner, or style of doing something
- extraña
- Strange, odd, or unfamiliar in an unsettling way
- amargura
- Bitterness or deep sorrow felt emotionally
- testigo
- A witness to an event or situation
- dolor
- Pain, anguish, or suffering, physical or emotional
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence of something
- vida
- Life; existence of a living person or organism
- recuperé
- I recovered; preterite first person of recuperar
- conocimiento
- Consciousness or knowledge; awareness of one's surroundings
- durante
- During; preposition indicating a span of time
- largo
- Long in duration or extent
- larguísimo
- Extremely long; superlative form of largo
- tiempo
- Time or weather; a general span of duration
- comienzo
- The beginning or start of something
- fiebre
- Fever; elevated body temperature due to illness
- nerviosa
- Nervous; relating to the nerves or anxiety
- postrado
- Bedridden or prostrated due to illness or weakness
- varios
- Several or various; more than two but not many
- meses
- Months; plural of mes
- Durante
- During; throughout a period of time
- único
- Only, sole, or unique; the one and only
- enfermero
- A nurse or male caregiver tending to the sick
- Después
- Afterward or later; referring to a subsequent time
- supe
- I found out or learned; preterite of saber
- conociendo
- Knowing or becoming aware of; gerund of conocer
- avanzada
- Advanced; of advanced age or stage
- edad
- Age; how old a person is
- padre
- Father; a male parent
- incapacidad
- Inability or incapacity to perform an action
- emprender
- To undertake or begin a journey or project
- viaje
- A trip or journey to another place
- desgraciada
- Unfortunate or wretched; marked by misfortune
- enfermedad
- Illness or disease affecting a person's health
- haría
- Would do or make; conditional of hacer
- ahorró
- Spared or saved someone from something difficult
- ocultando
- Hiding or concealing something from someone
- gravedad
- Seriousness or gravity of a situation or illness
- dolencia
- Ailment or illness; a chronic or persistent condition
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