Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 5
"I know," continued the unhappy victim, "how heavily and fatally this one circumstance weighs against me, but I have no power of explaining it; and when I have expressed my utter ignorance, I am only left to conjecture concerning the probabilities by which it might have been placed in my pocket.
"Lo sé", continuó la infeliz víctima, "cuán pesada y fatalmente pesa esta circunstancia en mi contra, pero no tengo poder para explicarla; y cuando he expresado mi absoluta ignorancia, solo me queda conjeturar sobre las probabilidades por las cuales pudo haber sido colocada en mi bolsillo.
But here also I am checked.
Pero aquí también me encuentro detenida.
I believe that I have no enemy on earth, and none surely would have been so wicked as to destroy me wantonly.
Creo que no tengo ningún enemigo en la tierra, y ninguno habría sido tan malvado como para destruirme sin motivo.
Did the murderer place it there?
¿Acaso lo colocó allí el asesino?
I know of no opportunity afforded him for so doing; or, if I had, why should he have stolen the jewel, to part with it again so soon?
No conozco ninguna oportunidad que se le haya presentado para hacerlo; o, si la hubiera tenido, ¿por qué habría robado la joya para deshacerse de ella tan pronto?
"I commit my cause to the justice of my judges, yet I see no room for hope.
"Encomiendo mi causa a la justicia de mis jueces, aunque no veo ningún margen para la esperanza.
I beg permission to have a few witnesses examined concerning my character, and if their testimony shall not overweigh my supposed guilt, I must be condemned, although I would pledge my salvation on my innocence."
Solicito permiso para que se examine a algunos testigos sobre mi carácter, y si su testimonio no supera el peso de mi supuesta culpa, debo ser condenada, aunque pondría mi salvación como prenda de mi inocencia."
Several witnesses were called who had known her for many years, and they spoke well of her; but fear and hatred of the crime of which they supposed her guilty rendered them timorous and unwilling to come forward.
Se llamó a varios testigos que la habían conocido durante muchos años, y hablaron bien de ella; pero el miedo y el odio hacia el crimen del que la suponían culpable los volvió tímidos y reacios a presentarse.
Elizabeth saw even this last resource, her excellent dispositions and irreproachable conduct, about to fail the accused, when, although violently agitated, she desired permission to address the court.
Isabel vio que incluso este último recurso, sus excelentes disposiciones y su conducta irreprochable, estaba a punto de fallarle a la acusada, cuando, aunque profundamente agitada, solicitó permiso para dirigirse al tribunal.
Vocabulary
- Lo
- It, him; direct object pronoun
- sé
- I know; first person singular of saber
- continuó
- Continued; past tense of continuar
- infeliz
- Unhappy, unfortunate; describing a miserable person
- víctima
- Victim; person harmed by crime or misfortune
- cuán
- How; used to intensify adjectives or adverbs
- pesada
- Heavy, burdensome; feminine adjective from pesar
- fatalmente
- Fatally, inevitably; in a destined or deadly manner
- pesa
- Weighs; third person singular of pesar
- circunstancia
- Circumstance; a condition or fact surrounding an event
- contra
- Against; preposition indicating opposition
- tengo
- I have; first person singular of tener
- poder
- Power, ability; to be able to do something
- explicarla
- To explain it; infinitive with feminine pronoun attached
- cuando
- When; conjunction introducing time clauses
- expresado
- Expressed; past participle of expresar
- absoluta
- Absolute, complete; feminine form of absoluto
- ignorancia
- Ignorance; lack of knowledge or information
- solo
- Only, alone; indicating exclusivity or solitude
- queda
- Remains; third person singular of quedar
- conjeturar
- To conjecture; to form opinions without full evidence
- probabilidades
- Probabilities; likelihoods of something occurring
- pudo
- Could; past tense third person singular of poder
- colocada
- Placed, positioned; past participle of colocar
- bolsillo
- Pocket; small pouch in clothing for carrying items
- encuentro
- I find, encounter; first person singular of encontrar
- detenida
- Stopped, detained; past participle of detener
- Creo
- I believe; first person singular of creer
- ningún
- No, none; masculine adjective indicating absence
- enemigo
- Enemy; a person who is hostile or opposed
- tierra
- Earth, land; the ground or the planet
- ninguno
- None, no one; pronoun indicating zero quantity
- habría
- There would be; conditional of haber
- malvado
- Evil, wicked; describing a deeply immoral person
- destruirme
- To destroy me; infinitive with reflexive pronoun
- motivo
- Motive, reason; cause behind an action
- Acaso
- Perhaps, maybe; expressing doubt or possibility
- colocó
- Placed; past tense third person singular of colocar
- asesino
- Assassin, murderer; person who commits murder
- conozco
- I know; first person singular of conocer
- oportunidad
- Opportunity; a favorable moment or occasion
- haya
- Has; present subjunctive of haber
- presentado
- Presented; past participle of presentar
- hacerlo
- To do it; infinitive with direct object pronoun
- hubiera
- Had; past subjunctive of haber
- robado
- Stolen; past participle of robar
- joya
- Jewel, gem; a precious ornament or piece of jewelry
- deshacerse
- To get rid of; reflexive verb meaning to dispose of
- pronto
- Soon, quickly; indicating prompt timing
- Encomiendo
- I entrust; first person singular of encomendar
- causa
- Cause, case; a matter brought before a court
- justicia
- Justice; fairness and legal right
- jueces
- Judges; officials who preside over legal proceedings
- margen
- Margin; a small amount of space or possibility
- esperanza
- Hope; a feeling of expectation for something positive
- Solicito
- I request; first person singular of solicitar
- permiso
- Permission; authorization to do something
- examine
- Examine; present subjunctive of examinar
- testigos
- Witnesses; people who observe and testify to events
- carácter
- Character; a person's moral and personal qualities
- testimonio
- Testimony; a formal statement given in court
- supera
- Surpasses, exceeds; third person singular of superar
- peso
- Weight; heaviness or importance of something
- supuesta
- Alleged, supposed; feminine form of supuesto
- culpa
- Guilt, fault; responsibility for wrongdoing
- condenada
- Condemned; past participle of condenar
- pondría
- Would put, would place; conditional of poner
- salvación
- Salvation; rescue or deliverance from danger
- prenda
- Pledge, token; a guarantee or piece of clothing
- inocencia
- Innocence; the state of not being guilty
- llamó
- Called; past tense third person singular of llamar
- varios
- Several, various; referring to more than two things
- habían
- Had; third person plural past perfect of haber
- conocido
- Known; past participle of conocer
- durante
- During; throughout a period of time
- hablaron
- Spoke; past tense third person plural of hablar
- miedo
- Fear; a feeling of anxiety or dread
- odio
- Hatred; strong dislike or hostility toward someone
- crimen
- Crime; an illegal act punishable by law
- suponían
- Supposed; past imperfect of suponer
- culpable
- Guilty; responsible for a crime or wrongdoing
- volvió
- Made, turned; past tense third person of volver
- tímidos
- Timid, shy; lacking confidence or boldness
- reacios
- Reluctant, unwilling; resistant to doing something
- presentarse
- To present oneself; to appear or come forward
- último
- Last, final; the most recent or concluding one
- recurso
- Resource, recourse; a means of help or appeal
- excelentes
- Excellent; of outstanding quality or character
- disposiciones
- Dispositions; natural tendencies or arrangements
- conducta
- Conduct, behavior; the way a person acts
- irreprochable
- Irreproachable; beyond criticism or fault
- estaba
- Was; past imperfect of estar
- punto
- Point, moment; a specific place or instant
- fallarle
- To fail her; infinitive with indirect object pronoun
- acusada
- Accused; a person charged with a crime
- profundamente
- Deeply, profoundly; to a great or intense degree
- agitada
- Agitated, distressed; in a state of anxiety
- solicitó
- Requested; past tense third person of solicitar
- dirigirse
- To address, to speak to; reflexive form of dirigir
- tribunal
- Court, tribunal; a legal body that administers justice
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