Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 7
"Every conversation of the cottagers now opened new wonders to me.
"Cada conversación de los aldeanos me abría ahora nuevas maravillas.
While I listened to the instructions which Felix bestowed upon the Arabian, the strange system of human society was explained to me.
Mientras escuchaba las instrucciones que Félix impartía a la árabe, el extraño sistema de la sociedad humana me fue revelado.
I heard of the division of property, of immense wealth and squalid poverty, of rank, descent, and noble blood.
Oí hablar de la división de la propiedad, de la inmensa riqueza y la miseria sórdida, del rango, el linaje y la sangre noble.
"The words induced me to turn towards myself.
"Las palabras me indujeron a volver la mirada hacia mí mismo.
I learned that the possessions most esteemed by your fellow creatures were high and unsullied descent united with riches.
Aprendí que las posesiones más estimadas por vuestros semejantes eran el alto e impoluto linaje unido a la riqueza.
A man might be respected with only one of these advantages, but without either he was considered, except in very rare instances, as a vagabond and a slave, doomed to waste his powers for the profits of the chosen few!
Un hombre podía ser respetado con solo una de estas ventajas, pero sin ninguna de ellas era considerado, salvo en contadísimas ocasiones, como un vagabundo y un esclavo, condenado a desperdiciar sus fuerzas en beneficio de unos pocos elegidos.
And what was I?
¿Y qué era yo?
Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property.
De mi creación y de mi creador era absolutamente ignorante, pero sabía que no poseía dinero, ni amigos, ni ningún tipo de propiedad.
I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man.
Estaba además dotado de una figura horriblemente deforme y repugnante; ni siquiera era de la misma naturaleza que el hombre.
I was more agile than they and could subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs.
Era más ágil que ellos y podía subsistir con una alimentación más tosca; soportaba los extremos del calor y el frío con menor daño para mi cuerpo; mi estatura los superaba con creces.
When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me.
Cuando miraba a mi alrededor no veía ni oía hablar de nadie semejante a mí.
Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?
¿Era yo, entonces, un monstruo, una mancha sobre la tierra, de quien todos los hombres huían y a quien todos los hombres repudiaban?
Vocabulary
- Cada
- Each or every item in a group
- conversación
- A spoken exchange of words between people
- de
- Preposition meaning of, from, or about
- los
- Masculine plural definite article meaning the
- aldeanos
- Villagers; people who live in a small village
- me
- Reflexive or object pronoun meaning me or myself
- abría
- Past tense of abrir; was opening something up
- ahora
- Adverb meaning at the present moment now
- nuevas
- Feminine plural adjective meaning new or fresh
- maravillas
- Wonders or marvels that cause amazement
- Mientras
- Conjunction meaning while or as something happens
- escuchaba
- Was listening attentively to someone or something
- las
- Feminine plural definite article meaning the
- instrucciones
- Directions or instructions telling someone what to do
- que
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning that or which
- impartía
- Was imparting or giving out instructions or knowledge
- a
- Preposition meaning to or at in Spanish
- la
- Feminine singular definite article meaning the
- árabe
- Referring to an Arabic person language or culture
- el
- Masculine singular definite article meaning the
- extraño
- Strange or unusual; something unfamiliar or odd
- sistema
- A system or organized set of rules or structures
- sociedad
- Society; the community of people living together
- humana
- Feminine adjective meaning human or relating to humanity
- fue
- Past tense of ser or ir; was or went
- revelado
- Revealed or disclosed something previously hidden
- Oí
- First person past tense of oír; I heard
- hablar
- Infinitive meaning to speak or to talk
- división
- The act of dividing or separating into parts
- propiedad
- Property or ownership of land or possessions
- inmensa
- Immense or very large in size or degree
- riqueza
- Wealth or riches; abundance of valuable possessions
- y
- Conjunction meaning and connecting words or clauses
- miseria
- Misery or extreme poverty and suffering
- sórdida
- Sordid or wretchedly dirty and morally degraded
- del
- Contraction of de and el meaning of the
- rango
- Rank or social standing within a hierarchy
- linaje
- Lineage or ancestral family descent and heritage
- sangre
- Blood; also used to refer to family lineage
- noble
- Noble; of high social rank or admirable character
- Las
- Feminine plural definite article meaning the
- palabras
- Words; units of language used in speech or writing
- indujeron
- Induced or caused someone to do or think something
- volver
- To return or to turn back to a place or state
- mirada
- A look or gaze directed toward something
- hacia
- Preposition meaning toward or in the direction of
- mí
- Stressed pronoun meaning me used after prepositions
- mismo
- Myself or same; used for emphasis or reflexivity
- Aprendí
- First person past tense of aprender; I learned
- posesiones
- Possessions; things owned or held by someone
- más
- More or most; comparative adverb or adjective
- estimadas
- Esteemed or highly valued by others
- por
- Preposition meaning by for or because of
- vuestros
- Your plural possessive adjective referring to a group
- semejantes
- Fellows or fellow human beings similar to oneself
- eran
- Third person plural imperfect of ser; they were
- alto
- High or tall in physical or figurative stature
- e
- Variant of y meaning and used before i sounds
- impoluto
- Spotless or pure without any blemish or fault
- unido
- United or joined together as one entity
- Un
- Masculine indefinite article meaning a or an
- hombre
- Man; an adult male human being
- podía
- Could or was able to; imperfect of poder
- ser
- To be; fundamental Spanish verb of existence
- respetado
- Respected or regarded with esteem by others
- con
- Preposition meaning with or accompanied by
- solo
- Only or alone; just one without others
- una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning a or an
- estas
- Feminine plural demonstrative adjective meaning these
- ventajas
- Advantages or benefits that help someone succeed
- pero
- Conjunction meaning but introducing a contrast
- sin
- Preposition meaning without lacking something
- ninguna
- None or not any; negative feminine adjective
- ellas
- Third person feminine plural pronoun meaning they
- era
- Was; third person singular imperfect of ser
- considerado
- Considered or regarded as something by others
- salvo
- Except or save for; excluding from a statement
- en
- Preposition meaning in on or at a place
- contadísimas
- Very few; superlative of counted implying rare occasions
- ocasiones
- Occasions or specific times when something happens
- como
- As or like; used for comparison or manner
- vagabundo
- Vagrant or wanderer with no fixed home
- esclavo
- Slave; a person owned and forced to work
- condenado
- Condemned or doomed to a fate or punishment
- desperdiciar
- To waste or squander resources time or effort
- sus
- His her their or your possessive adjective
- fuerzas
- Strengths or forces; physical energy and power
- beneficio
- Benefit or advantage gained from something
- unos
- Some or a few; masculine plural indefinite article
- pocos
- Few; a small number of people or things
- elegidos
- The chosen ones; selected or privileged few
- Y
- Conjunction meaning and connecting two elements
- qué
- Interrogative pronoun meaning what in questions
- yo
- First person singular subject pronoun meaning I
- De
- Preposition meaning of from or about something
- mi
- First person singular possessive adjective meaning my
- creación
- Creation; the act of bringing something into existence
- creador
- Creator; one who creates or brings something into being
- absolutamente
- Absolutely or completely without any exception
- ignorante
- Ignorant or lacking knowledge about something
- sabía
- Knew; imperfect past tense of saber
- no
- No or not; basic negation word in Spanish
- poseía
- Possessed or owned something in the past
- dinero
- Money; currency used to buy goods or services
- ni
- Nor or neither; used in negative constructions
- amigos
- Friends; people with whom one has a bond
- ningún
- No or none; masculine singular negative adjective
- tipo
- Type or kind; a category or sort of thing
- Estaba
- Was; first or third person imperfect of estar
- además
- Furthermore or in addition to what was said
- dotado
- Endowed or gifted with a particular quality
- figura
- Figure or physical form and appearance of body
- horriblemente
- Horribly or in a dreadful frightening manner
- deforme
- Deformed or misshapen in physical appearance
- repugnante
- Repugnant or deeply disgusting and offensive to others
- siquiera
- Even; used in negative sentences for emphasis
- misma
- Same or herself herself; feminine form of mismo
- naturaleza
- Nature; the natural world or innate character of things
- Era
- Was; third person singular imperfect of ser
- ágil
- Agile or nimble; able to move quickly and easily
- ellos
- Third person masculine plural pronoun meaning they
- subsistir
- To subsist or survive on minimal resources
- alimentación
- Feeding or nutrition; the process of obtaining food
- tosca
- Coarse or rough; crude and unrefined in quality
- soportaba
- Endured or tolerated something difficult or extreme
- extremos
- Extremes; the most intense degrees of something
- calor
- Heat or warmth; high temperature felt physically
- frío
- Cold; low temperature or the sensation of coldness
- menor
- Lesser or minor; smaller in degree or importance
- daño
- Harm or damage caused to something or someone
- para
- Preposition meaning for in order to or toward
- cuerpo
- Body; the physical form of a living being
- estatura
- Stature or height of a person's body
- superaba
- Surpassed or exceeded others in some quality
- creces
- By far or abundantly used in con creces
- Cuando
- When; conjunction introducing a time clause
- miraba
- Was looking or gazing at something around
- alrededor
- Around or surrounding in all directions nearby
- veía
- Was seeing or could see; imperfect of ver
- oía
- Was hearing; imperfect past tense of oír
- nadie
- Nobody or no one; negative indefinite pronoun
- semejante
- Similar or like oneself; a fellow being
- entonces
- Then or at that time; indicating a consequence
- monstruo
- Monster; a frightening or hideous creature
- mancha
- Stain or blemish; a mark of shame or impurity
- sobre
- On over or about; preposition of position or topic
- tierra
- Earth or land; the ground or the planet
- quien
- Who; relative pronoun referring to a person
- todos
- All or everyone; referring to a complete group
- hombres
- Men or human beings in general
- huían
- Were fleeing or running away from something
- repudiaban
- Repudiated or rejected someone with strong disapproval
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