Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 3
I had been accustomed, during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own consumption, but when I found that in doing this I inflicted pain on the cottagers, I abstained and satisfied myself with berries, nuts, and roots which I gathered from a neighbouring wood.
Había tenido la costumbre, durante la noche, de robar una parte de sus provisiones para mi propio consumo, pero cuando descubrí que al hacer esto causaba dolor a los aldeanos, me abstuve y me contenté con bayas, nueces y raíces que recogía de un bosque cercano.
"I discovered also another means through which I was enabled to assist their labours. I found that the youth spent a great part of each day in collecting wood for the family fire, and during the night I often took his tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days.
«Descubrí también otro medio por el cual me era posible ayudar en sus labores. Comprobé que el joven pasaba gran parte de cada día recogiendo leña para el fuego familiar, y durante la noche tomaba con frecuencia sus herramientas, cuyo uso descubrí rápidamente, y traía a casa combustible suficiente para el consumo de varios días.
"I remember, the first time that I did this, the young woman, when she opened the door in the morning, appeared greatly astonished on seeing a great pile of wood on the outside. She uttered some words in a loud voice, and the youth joined her, who also expressed surprise. I observed, with pleasure, that he did not go to the forest that day, but spent it in repairing the cottage and cultivating the garden.
«Recuerdo que la primera vez que hice esto, la joven, al abrir la puerta por la mañana, pareció quedarse muy asombrada al ver un gran montón de leña en el exterior. Pronunció algunas palabras en voz alta, y el joven se reunió con ella, quien también expresó sorpresa. Observé, con placer, que ese día no fue al bosque, sino que lo pasó reparando la cabaña y cultivando el jardín.
"By degrees I made a discovery of still greater moment. I found that these people possessed a method of communicating their experience and feelings to one another by articulate sounds. I perceived that the words they spoke sometimes produced pleasure or pain, smiles or sadness, in the minds and countenances of the hearers.
«Poco a poco hice un descubrimiento de aún mayor importancia. Comprobé que estas personas poseían un método para comunicarse sus experiencias y sentimientos mutuamente mediante sonidos articulados. Percibí que las palabras que pronunciaban producían a veces placer o dolor, sonrisas o tristeza, en las mentes y en los rostros de quienes las escuchaban.
Vocabulary
- Había
- Past imperfect of 'haber'; there was/had
- tenido
- Past participle of 'tener'; had or possessed
- costumbre
- Habit or custom regularly practiced by someone
- durante
- Preposition meaning during or throughout a period
- noche
- Night; the dark hours after sunset
- robar
- To steal or take something without permission
- parte
- A portion or section of a larger whole
- provisiones
- Supplies or provisions stored for future use
- propio
- Own; belonging to oneself exclusively
- consumo
- Consumption; use or intake of something
- descubrí
- I discovered or found out something new
- hacer
- To do or to make something
- causaba
- Was causing pain or harm to someone
- dolor
- Pain or suffering felt physically or emotionally
- aldeanos
- Villagers; people who live in a village
- abstuve
- I abstained or refrained from doing something
- contenté
- I contented or satisfied myself with something
- bayas
- Berries; small edible fruits found in nature
- nueces
- Nuts; hard-shelled edible seeds or fruits
- raíces
- Roots; underground plant parts sometimes eaten
- recogía
- Was gathering or picking up natural items
- bosque
- Forest or woods; area densely covered with trees
- cercano
- Nearby or close in distance or proximity
- Descubrí
- I discovered or uncovered something previously unknown
- también
- Adverb meaning also or too
- medio
- A means or method to achieve something
- cual
- Relative pronoun meaning which or who
- posible
- Possible; capable of happening or being done
- ayudar
- To help or assist someone with something
- labores
- Tasks or labors; work or chores performed
- Comprobé
- I verified or confirmed something through observation
- joven
- Young person; a youth or adolescent
- pasaba
- Was spending time or passing through somewhere
- cada
- Each or every; referring to all individually
- día
- Day; a 24-hour period of time
- recogiendo
- Gathering or collecting items from the environment
- leña
- Firewood; wood cut and gathered for burning
- fuego
- Fire; combustion producing heat and light
- familiar
- Relating to family; belonging to the household
- tomaba
- Was taking or using tools or objects
- frecuencia
- Frequency; how often something occurs regularly
- herramientas
- Tools; instruments used to perform work tasks
- cuyo
- Relative possessive pronoun meaning whose
- uso
- Use; the act of employing something practically
- rápidamente
- Quickly; in a fast or swift manner
- traía
- Was bringing something to a place
- casa
- House; a building used as a home
- combustible
- Fuel; material burned to produce energy or heat
- suficiente
- Sufficient or enough to meet a need
- varios
- Several or various; more than two things
- días
- Days; plural of day, units of time
- Recuerdo
- I remember or recall a past event
- primera
- First; coming before all others in order
- vez
- Time or occasion; an instance of something
- hice
- I did or made something in the past
- abrir
- To open something such as a door
- puerta
- Door; an entrance to a room or building
- mañana
- Morning or tomorrow; early part of the day
- pareció
- Seemed or appeared to be a certain way
- quedarse
- To remain or stay in a state or place
- asombrada
- Astonished or amazed; filled with great surprise
- ver
- To see or look at something visually
- montón
- A pile or heap of gathered items
- exterior
- Outside or exterior; the outer area of something
- Pronunció
- Uttered or pronounced words aloud to others
- palabras
- Words; units of language with meaning
- voz
- Voice; sound produced by speaking or singing
- alta
- High or loud; referring to volume or pitch
- reunió
- Gathered or joined together with another person
- quien
- Relative pronoun meaning who or whom
- expresó
- Expressed or showed a feeling or reaction
- sorpresa
- Surprise; an unexpected or astonishing event or feeling
- Observé
- I observed or noticed something with attention
- placer
- Pleasure; a feeling of happiness or enjoyment
- sino
- Conjunction meaning but rather or instead
- pasó
- Spent time or happened in the past
- reparando
- Repairing or fixing something that was broken
- cabaña
- Cabin or hut; a small simple dwelling
- cultivando
- Cultivating or tending a garden or crops
- jardín
- Garden; an outdoor area where plants grow
- Poco
- Little; a small amount or degree
- poco
- Little by little; gradually over time
- descubrimiento
- Discovery; finding something new or previously unknown
- aún
- Still or even; used for emphasis or continuation
- mayor
- Greater or larger; of higher importance or size
- importancia
- Importance; the quality of being significant or valuable
- personas
- People or persons; human beings in general
- poseían
- Possessed or had something as their own
- método
- Method; a systematic way of doing something
- comunicarse
- To communicate or exchange information with others
- experiencias
- Experiences; events lived through and felt personally
- sentimientos
- Feelings or emotions experienced internally
- mutuamente
- Mutually; in a way shared between two parties
- mediante
- By means of; through the use of something
- sonidos
- Sounds; auditory sensations perceived by the ear
- articulados
- Articulated; clearly pronounced and formed into speech
- Percibí
- I perceived or noticed something through senses
- pronunciaban
- Were pronouncing or uttering words aloud
- producían
- Were producing or causing effects in others
- veces
- Times; occasions or instances of something occurring
- sonrisas
- Smiles; facial expressions showing happiness or pleasure
- tristeza
- Sadness; a feeling of sorrow or unhappiness
- mentes
- Minds; the centers of thought and consciousness
- rostros
- Faces; the front part of a person's head
- quienes
- Relative pronoun plural meaning who or those who
- escuchaban
- Were listening or paying attention to sounds
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