Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 5
When night came again I found, with pleasure, that the fire gave light as well as heat and that the discovery of this element was useful to me in my food, for I found some of the offals that the travellers had left had been roasted, and tasted much more savoury than the berries I gathered from the trees.
Cuando llegó la noche de nuevo descubrí, con placer, que el fuego daba luz además de calor y que el descubrimiento de este elemento me era útil para mi alimentación, pues encontré que algunas de las sobras que los viajeros habían dejado habían sido asadas, y tenían un sabor mucho más agradable que las bayas que recogía de los árboles.
I tried, therefore, to dress my food in the same manner, placing it on the live embers.
Intenté, por tanto, preparar mi comida de la misma manera, colocándola sobre las brasas vivas.
I found that the berries were spoiled by this operation, and the nuts and roots much improved.
Descubrí que las bayas se arruinaban con esta operación, pero que los frutos secos y las raíces mejoraban mucho.
"Food, however, became scarce, and I often spent the whole day searching in vain for a few acorns to assuage the pangs of hunger.
«Sin embargo, la comida empezó a escasear, y a menudo pasaba el día entero buscando en vano unas pocas bellotas para aplacar los retortijones de hambre.
When I found this, I resolved to quit the place that I had hitherto inhabited, to seek for one where the few wants I experienced would be more easily satisfied.
Al darme cuenta de esto, resolví abandonar el lugar que hasta entonces había habitado, para buscar uno donde las pocas necesidades que experimentaba pudieran satisfacerse con mayor facilidad.
In this emigration I exceedingly lamented the loss of the fire which I had obtained through accident and knew not how to reproduce it.
En esta emigración lamenté profundamente la pérdida del fuego que había obtenido por casualidad y no sabía cómo reproducir.
I gave several hours to the serious consideration of this difficulty, but I was obliged to relinquish all attempt to supply it, and wrapping myself up in my cloak, I struck across the wood towards the setting sun.
Dediqué varias horas a la seria consideración de esta dificultad, pero me vi obligado a renunciar a todo intento de resolverla, y envolviéndome en mi capa, me adentré en el bosque en dirección al sol poniente.
I passed three days in these rambles and at length discovered the open country.
Pasé tres días en estas andanzas y finalmente descubrí el campo abierto.
Vocabulary
- Cuando
- Conjunction meaning 'when', introducing time clauses
- llegó
- Third person singular preterite of 'llegar', meaning arrived
- noche
- Feminine noun meaning night or nighttime
- nuevo
- Adjective meaning new; 'de nuevo' means again
- descubrí
- First person singular preterite of 'descubrir', meaning discovered
- placer
- Masculine noun meaning pleasure or delight
- fuego
- Masculine noun meaning fire
- daba
- Third person singular imperfect of 'dar', meaning gave or provided
- luz
- Feminine noun meaning light
- además
- Adverb meaning furthermore, besides, or in addition
- calor
- Masculine noun meaning heat or warmth
- descubrimiento
- Masculine noun meaning discovery or finding
- elemento
- Masculine noun meaning element or basic component
- útil
- Adjective meaning useful or helpful
- alimentación
- Feminine noun meaning food, nutrition, or feeding
- pues
- Conjunction or adverb meaning since, well, or therefore
- encontré
- First person singular preterite of 'encontrar', meaning found
- algunas
- Feminine plural indefinite adjective meaning some or a few
- sobras
- Feminine plural noun meaning leftovers or scraps
- viajeros
- Masculine plural noun meaning travelers or wayfarers
- dejado
- Past participle of 'dejar', meaning left behind or abandoned
- asadas
- Feminine plural past participle of 'asar', meaning roasted or grilled
- sabor
- Masculine noun meaning taste or flavor
- agradable
- Adjective meaning pleasant, agreeable, or enjoyable
- bayas
- Feminine plural noun meaning berries
- recogía
- First person singular imperfect of 'recoger', meaning gathered or picked
- árboles
- Masculine plural noun meaning trees
- Intenté
- First person singular preterite of 'intentar', meaning tried or attempted
- tanto
- Adverb meaning so much; 'por tanto' means therefore
- preparar
- Infinitive verb meaning to prepare or to make ready
- comida
- Feminine noun meaning food or meal
- misma
- Feminine adjective meaning same or herself, itself
- manera
- Feminine noun meaning manner, way, or method
- colocándola
- Gerund of 'colocar' with pronoun, meaning placing it
- sobre
- Preposition meaning on, over, about, or on top of
- brasas
- Feminine plural noun meaning embers or hot coals
- vivas
- Feminine plural adjective meaning live, alive, or glowing
- Descubrí
- First person singular preterite of 'descubrir', meaning I discovered
- arruinaban
- Third person plural imperfect of 'arruinar', meaning were ruined or spoiled
- operación
- Feminine noun meaning operation or process
- frutos
- Masculine plural noun meaning fruits or produce
- secos
- Masculine plural adjective meaning dry; 'frutos secos' means nuts
- raíces
- Feminine plural noun meaning roots
- mejoraban
- Third person plural imperfect of 'mejorar', meaning improved or got better
- Sin
- Preposition meaning without; 'sin embargo' means however
- embargo
- Masculine noun; 'sin embargo' means nevertheless or however
- empezó
- Third person singular preterite of 'empezar', meaning began or started
- escasear
- Infinitive verb meaning to become scarce or run short
- menudo
- Adjective meaning small; 'a menudo' means often or frequently
- pasaba
- First person singular imperfect of 'pasar', meaning spent or passed
- día
- Masculine noun meaning day
- entero
- Adjective meaning entire, whole, or complete
- buscando
- Gerund of 'buscar', meaning searching for or looking for
- vano
- Adjective meaning vain or futile; 'en vano' means in vain
- pocas
- Feminine plural adjective meaning few or little
- bellotas
- Feminine plural noun meaning acorns
- aplacar
- Infinitive verb meaning to appease, calm, or satisfy
- retortijones
- Masculine plural noun meaning stomach cramps or pangs
- hambre
- Feminine noun meaning hunger
- darme
- Infinitive 'dar' with reflexive pronoun; 'darse cuenta' means to realize
- cuenta
- Feminine noun meaning account; 'darse cuenta' means to realize
- esto
- Neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning this or this thing
- resolví
- First person singular preterite of 'resolver', meaning decided or resolved
- abandonar
- Infinitive verb meaning to abandon, leave, or give up
- lugar
- Masculine noun meaning place or location
- hasta
- Preposition meaning until, up to, or even
- entonces
- Adverb meaning then or at that time
- habitado
- Past participle of 'habitar', meaning inhabited or lived in
- buscar
- Infinitive verb meaning to search for or look for
- donde
- Relative adverb meaning where or in which
- necesidades
- Feminine plural noun meaning needs or necessities
- experimentaba
- First person singular imperfect of 'experimentar', meaning experienced
- pudieran
- Third person plural imperfect subjunctive of 'poder', meaning could
- satisfacerse
- Reflexive infinitive of 'satisfacer', meaning to be satisfied or met
- mayor
- Adjective meaning greater, larger, or older
- facilidad
- Feminine noun meaning ease, facility, or convenience
- emigración
- Feminine noun meaning emigration or journey away from a place
- lamenté
- First person singular preterite of 'lamentar', meaning lamented or regretted
- profundamente
- Adverb meaning deeply or profoundly
- pérdida
- Feminine noun meaning loss
- obtenido
- Past participle of 'obtener', meaning obtained or acquired
- casualidad
- Feminine noun meaning chance, coincidence, or accident
- sabía
- First person singular imperfect of 'saber', meaning knew or knew how
- cómo
- Interrogative or relative adverb meaning how
- reproducir
- Infinitive verb meaning to reproduce or recreate
- Dediqué
- First person singular preterite of 'dedicar', meaning dedicated or devoted
- varias
- Feminine plural adjective meaning several or various
- horas
- Feminine plural noun meaning hours
- seria
- Feminine adjective meaning serious or earnest
- consideración
- Feminine noun meaning consideration or deliberation
- dificultad
- Feminine noun meaning difficulty or obstacle
- vi
- First person singular preterite of 'ver', meaning saw or found myself
- obligado
- Past participle of 'obligar', meaning obliged or forced
- renunciar
- Infinitive verb meaning to give up, renounce, or abandon
- todo
- Adjective or pronoun meaning all, every, or everything
- intento
- Masculine noun meaning attempt or try
- resolverla
- Infinitive 'resolver' with pronoun, meaning to solve it
- envolviéndome
- Gerund of 'envolver' with pronoun, meaning wrapping myself
- capa
- Feminine noun meaning cloak, cape, or layer
- adentré
- First person singular preterite of 'adentrarse', meaning ventured into
- bosque
- Masculine noun meaning forest or woods
- dirección
- Feminine noun meaning direction or address
- sol
- Masculine noun meaning sun or sunlight
- poniente
- Masculine noun or adjective meaning west or setting sun
- Pasé
- First person singular preterite of 'pasar', meaning spent or passed
- días
- Masculine plural noun meaning days
- andanzas
- Feminine plural noun meaning wanderings or adventures
- finalmente
- Adverb meaning finally or at last
- campo
- Masculine noun meaning field, countryside, or open land
- abierto
- Adjective meaning open or unobstructed
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