Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 2
My father observed with pain the alteration perceptible in my disposition and habits and endeavoured by arguments deduced from the feelings of his serene conscience and guiltless life to inspire me with fortitude and awaken in me the courage to dispel the dark cloud which brooded over me.
Mi padre observó con dolor la alteración perceptible en mi carácter y mis hábitos, y se esforzó, mediante argumentos deducidos de los sentimientos de su serena conciencia y su vida sin culpa, por inspirarme fortaleza y despertar en mí el valor para disipar la oscura nube que se cernía sobre mí.
"Do you think, Victor," said he, "that I do not suffer also?
«¿Crees tú, Víctor», dijo él, «que yo no sufro también?
No one could love a child more than I loved your brother"—tears came into his eyes as he spoke—"but is it not a duty to the survivors that we should refrain from augmenting their unhappiness by an appearance of immoderate grief?
Nadie podría amar a un hijo más de lo que yo amé a tu hermano»—las lágrimas acudieron a sus ojos mientras hablaba—«pero ¿acaso no es un deber para con los sobrevivientes que nos abstengamos de aumentar su infelicidad con una muestra de dolor desmedido?
It is also a duty owed to yourself, for excessive sorrow prevents improvement or enjoyment, or even the discharge of daily usefulness, without which no man is fit for society."
Es también un deber que te debes a ti mismo, pues el dolor excesivo impide el progreso o el goce, o incluso el cumplimiento de la utilidad cotidiana, sin la cual ningún hombre es apto para la sociedad.»
This advice, although good, was totally inapplicable to my case; I should have been the first to hide my grief and console my friends if remorse had not mingled its bitterness, and terror its alarm, with my other sensations.
Este consejo, aunque bueno, era totalmente inaplicable a mi caso; yo habría sido el primero en ocultar mi dolor y consolar a mis amigos si el remordimiento no hubiera mezclado su amargura, y el terror su alarma, con mis otras sensaciones.
Now I could only answer my father with a look of despair and endeavour to hide myself from his view.
Ahora solo podía responder a mi padre con una mirada de desesperación y esforzarme por ocultarme de su vista.
About this time we retired to our house at Belrive.
Por aquella época nos retiramos a nuestra casa en Belrive.
This change was particularly agreeable to me.
Este cambio me resultó especialmente grato.
The shutting of the gates regularly at ten o'clock and the impossibility of remaining on the lake after that hour had rendered our residence within the walls of Geneva very irksome to me.
El cierre de las puertas puntualmente a las diez en punto y la imposibilidad de permanecer en el lago después de esa hora habían hecho muy tedioso para mí nuestra residencia dentro de los muros de Ginebra.
I was now free.
Ahora era libre.
Vocabulary
- padre
- Male parent; father
- observó
- He/she observed or noticed something carefully
- dolor
- Physical or emotional pain; grief
- alteración
- A change or disturbance in something's normal state
- perceptible
- Noticeable or detectable by the senses
- carácter
- A person's nature, personality, or moral qualities
- hábitos
- Regular practices or routines; habits
- esforzó
- He/she made an effort or tried hard
- mediante
- Preposition meaning 'by means of' or 'through'
- argumentos
- Reasons or points used to support a position
- deducidos
- Derived or inferred from reasoning or evidence
- sentimientos
- Emotions or feelings experienced internally
- serena
- Calm, peaceful, and untroubled in manner
- conciencia
- Moral awareness; conscience or consciousness
- vida
- The condition of being alive; life
- culpa
- Responsibility for a fault or wrongdoing; guilt
- inspirarme
- To inspire or instill a feeling or quality in me
- fortaleza
- Inner strength, resilience, or fortitude
- despertar
- To awaken or arouse something in someone
- valor
- Bravery or courage in facing difficulty
- disipar
- To dispel or scatter something, making it disappear
- oscura
- Dark, gloomy, or lacking light
- nube
- A visible mass of water vapor; cloud
- cernía
- Hovered or loomed threateningly over something
- Crees
- Second person singular present of 'creer'; to believe
- dijo
- He/she said; past tense of 'decir'
- sufro
- First person singular present of 'sufrir'; I suffer
- Nadie
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'nobody' or 'no one'
- podría
- Conditional form of 'poder'; could or would be able
- amar
- To love someone deeply and affectionately
- hijo
- A male child in relation to his parents; son
- amé
- First person preterite of 'amar'; I loved
- hermano
- A male sibling; brother
- lágrimas
- Drops of fluid shed from the eyes; tears
- acudieron
- They came or rushed to a place or person
- ojos
- The organs of sight; eyes
- mientras
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'as long as'
- hablaba
- He/she was speaking; imperfect of 'hablar'
- acaso
- Perhaps, possibly, or by chance
- deber
- A moral obligation or duty one must fulfill
- sobrevivientes
- Those who remain alive after a tragedy; survivors
- abstengamos
- That we refrain or abstain from doing something
- aumentar
- To increase or make something larger in amount
- infelicidad
- The state of being unhappy; unhappiness or misery
- muestra
- A display or demonstration of a quality or feeling
- desmedido
- Excessive, disproportionate, or beyond normal limits
- debes
- You owe or are obligated; second person of 'deber'
- mismo
- Emphasizing word meaning 'yourself' or 'itself'
- pues
- Conjunction or filler meaning 'well,' 'since,' or 'then'
- excesivo
- More than what is normal or necessary; excessive
- impide
- Third person singular of 'impedir'; prevents or hinders
- progreso
- Forward movement or development toward a goal
- goce
- Enjoyment, pleasure, or delight in something
- incluso
- Adverb meaning 'even' or 'including'
- cumplimiento
- Fulfillment or completion of a duty or obligation
- utilidad
- Usefulness or the quality of being practical
- cotidiana
- Relating to everyday or daily routine matters
- cual
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'who'
- ningún
- Adjective meaning 'no' or 'not any' before nouns
- hombre
- An adult male human being; man
- apto
- Suitable, capable, or fit for a purpose
- sociedad
- A community of people living together; society
- consejo
- A piece of advice or guidance given to someone
- aunque
- Conjunction meaning 'although,' 'even though,' or 'even if'
- totalmente
- Completely or entirely; in a total manner
- inaplicable
- Not able to be applied or used in a situation
- caso
- A particular situation, instance, or circumstance
- habría
- Conditional of 'haber'; there would be or would have
- ocultar
- To hide or conceal something from others
- consolar
- To comfort or provide solace to someone grieving
- amigos
- People with whom one has a bond of friendship
- remordimiento
- Deep regret or guilt over a past wrongdoing; remorse
- hubiera
- Past subjunctive of 'haber'; had (in conditional clauses)
- mezclado
- Mixed or blended together with something else
- amargura
- A feeling of deep bitterness or resentment
- terror
- Extreme fear or dread of something threatening
- alarma
- A feeling of anxiety or warning of danger
- sensaciones
- Physical or emotional feelings perceived by the senses
- solo
- Alone or only; without others
- podía
- Imperfect of 'poder'; was able to or could
- responder
- To reply or give an answer to something
- mirada
- A look or gaze directed at someone or something
- desesperación
- A state of complete hopelessness or despair
- esforzarme
- To make an effort or strive hard at something
- ocultarme
- To hide or conceal myself from others
- vista
- The sense of sight; also a view or gaze
- aquella
- Feminine demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (distant)
- época
- A particular period of time or era in history
- retiramos
- We withdrew or retreated to another place
- casa
- A building used as a home; house
- cambio
- An act of substituting one thing for another; change
- resultó
- It turned out or resulted in a particular way
- especialmente
- To a special degree; particularly or especially
- grato
- Pleasant, agreeable, or pleasing to the senses
- cierre
- The act of closing or shutting something
- puertas
- Movable barriers used to open or close an entrance; doors
- puntualmente
- Exactly on time or precisely at a stated moment
- punto
- A precise moment in time; also a point or dot
- imposibilidad
- The state of being impossible or unable to occur
- permanecer
- To stay or remain in a place or condition
- lago
- A large body of still water; lake
- hora
- A period of sixty minutes; hour
- hecho
- Past participle of 'hacer'; done or made
- tedioso
- Tiresome and boring due to excessive length
- residencia
- A place where someone lives; residence
- dentro
- Adverb or preposition meaning 'inside' or 'within'
- muros
- Thick walls of a building or city; walls
- libre
- Not restricted or confined; free
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