Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 9
Here I paused, not exactly knowing what path to pursue, when I heard the sound of voices, that induced me to conceal myself under the shade of a cypress.
Aquí me detuve, sin saber exactamente qué camino seguir, cuando escuché el sonido de unas voces que me indujeron a ocultarme bajo la sombra de un ciprés.
I was scarcely hid when a young girl came running towards the spot where I was concealed, laughing, as if she ran from someone in sport.
Apenas me había ocultado cuando una joven vino corriendo hacia el lugar donde yo estaba escondido, riendo, como si huyera de alguien en son de juego.
She continued her course along the precipitous sides of the river, when suddenly her foot slipped, and she fell into the rapid stream.
Continuó su carrera a lo largo de las escarpadas orillas del río, cuando de repente su pie resbaló y cayó en la rápida corriente.
I rushed from my hiding-place and with extreme labour, from the force of the current, saved her and dragged her to shore.
Me lancé desde mi escondite y con enorme esfuerzo, venciendo la fuerza de la corriente, la salvé y la arrastré hasta la orilla.
She was senseless, and I endeavoured by every means in my power to restore animation, when I was suddenly interrupted by the approach of a rustic, who was probably the person from whom she had playfully fled.
Estaba inconsciente, y procuré por todos los medios a mi alcance reanimarla, cuando fui interrumpido de repente por la llegada de un aldeano, que era probablemente la persona de quien ella había huido juguetonamente.
On seeing me, he darted towards me, and tearing the girl from my arms, hastened towards the deeper parts of the wood.
Al verme, se abalanzó hacia mí y, arrebatándome la joven de los brazos, se apresuró hacia las partes más profundas del bosque.
I followed speedily, I hardly knew why; but when the man saw me draw near, he aimed a gun, which he carried, at my body and fired.
Le seguí rápidamente, sin saber bien por qué; pero cuando el hombre me vio acercarme, apuntó con una escopeta que llevaba hacia mi cuerpo y disparó.
I sank to the ground, and my injurer, with increased swiftness, escaped into the wood.
Caí al suelo, y mi agresor, con mayor rapidez, escapó hacia el bosque.
"This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone.
«¡Esta era, pues, la recompensa de mi benevolencia! Había salvado a un ser humano de la destrucción, y como recompensa me retorcía ahora bajo el miserable dolor de una herida que había destrozado la carne y el hueso.
Vocabulary
- Aquí
- Here; indicates a specific nearby location
- me
- Me; first-person singular object pronoun
- detuve
- I stopped; past tense of detener
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence of something
- saber
- To know; to have knowledge or information
- exactamente
- Exactly; precisely, with complete accuracy
- qué
- What; interrogative or exclamatory pronoun
- camino
- Road, path; route or way to travel
- seguir
- To follow or continue; to keep going forward
- cuando
- When; conjunction linking two time-related events
- escuché
- I listened or heard; past tense of escuchar
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article
- sonido
- Sound; audible noise or acoustic vibration
- de
- Of, from; common preposition showing relation
- unas
- Some; feminine plural indefinite article
- voces
- Voices; sounds produced by speaking people
- que
- That, which; conjunction or relative pronoun
- indujeron
- They induced or prompted; past tense of inducir
- a
- To, at; basic preposition indicating direction
- ocultarme
- To hide myself; reflexive form of ocultar
- bajo
- Under, below; preposition indicating lower position
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- sombra
- Shadow, shade; dark area sheltered from light
- un
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article
- ciprés
- Cypress; tall evergreen tree common in cemeteries
- Apenas
- Barely, hardly; scarcely had something occurred
- había
- Had; imperfect form of haber used as auxiliary
- ocultado
- Hidden; past participle of ocultar, to conceal
- una
- A, an; feminine singular indefinite article
- joven
- Young person; youth, typically teenager or young adult
- vino
- Came; third-person past tense of venir
- corriendo
- Running; present participle of correr
- hacia
- Toward; preposition indicating direction or movement
- lugar
- Place, location; a specific spot or area
- donde
- Where; relative adverb indicating location
- yo
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- estaba
- Was; imperfect tense of estar, to be
- escondido
- Hidden; past participle of esconder, to hide
- riendo
- Laughing; present participle of reír
- como
- As, like; conjunction or adverb of comparison
- si
- If; conditional conjunction introducing hypothetical clause
- huyera
- Were fleeing; imperfect subjunctive of huir
- alguien
- Someone, somebody; indefinite pronoun for a person
- en
- In, on; preposition indicating location or state
- son
- Sound, tone; also third-person plural of ser
- juego
- Game, play; playful or competitive activity
- Continuó
- Continued; third-person past tense of continuar
- su
- His, her, its, your; possessive adjective
- carrera
- Race, run, career; act of running or racing
- lo
- The, it; masculine singular neuter pronoun or article
- largo
- Long; along the length of something
- las
- The; feminine plural definite article
- escarpadas
- Steep, rugged; describing sharply inclined terrain
- orillas
- Banks, shores; edges of a river or body of water
- del
- Of the; contraction of de and el
- río
- River; large natural flowing body of water
- repente
- Sudden; used in de repente meaning suddenly
- pie
- Foot; lower extremity of the leg
- resbaló
- Slipped; third-person past tense of resbalar
- y
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- cayó
- Fell; third-person past tense of caer
- rápida
- Fast, swift; adjective describing rapid movement
- corriente
- Current; flowing movement of water in a river
- Me
- Me; first-person singular reflexive or object pronoun
- lancé
- I launched, I threw myself; past tense of lanzar
- desde
- From, since; preposition indicating origin or start
- mi
- My; first-person singular possessive adjective
- escondite
- Hiding place; concealed spot used for hiding
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- enorme
- Enormous, huge; very large in size or degree
- esfuerzo
- Effort, exertion; energy applied to accomplish something
- venciendo
- Overcoming, defeating; present participle of vencer
- fuerza
- Force, strength; physical power or energy
- salvé
- I saved; first-person past tense of salvar
- arrastré
- I dragged; first-person past tense of arrastrar
- hasta
- Until, up to; preposition indicating a limit
- orilla
- Shore, bank; edge of a river or water body
- Estaba
- Was; imperfect tense of estar indicating a state
- inconsciente
- Unconscious; lacking awareness, not conscious
- procuré
- I tried, I endeavored; past tense of procurar
- por
- For, by, through; versatile preposition of cause or means
- todos
- All, every; masculine plural of todo
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article
- medios
- Means, methods; resources or ways of doing something
- alcance
- Reach, scope; extent of ability or availability
- reanimarla
- To revive her; infinitive plus pronoun of reanimar
- fui
- I was, I went; past tense of ser or ir
- interrumpido
- Interrupted; past participle of interrumpir
- llegada
- Arrival; the act of arriving at a place
- aldeano
- Villager; person who lives in a small village
- era
- Was; imperfect tense of ser indicating identity
- probablemente
- Probably; indicates something is likely true
- persona
- Person; individual human being
- quien
- Who, whom; relative pronoun referring to a person
- ella
- She; third-person singular feminine subject pronoun
- huido
- Fled; past participle of huir, to flee
- juguetonamente
- Playfully; in a playful, lighthearted manner
- Al
- Upon, at the; contraction of a and el
- verme
- Seeing me; infinitive ver combined with me
- se
- Himself, herself, itself; reflexive pronoun
- abalanzó
- Lunged, pounced; past tense of abalanzarse
- mí
- Me; stressed first-person singular pronoun after preposition
- arrebatándome
- Snatching from me; gerund of arrebatar with pronoun
- brazos
- Arms; upper limbs of the human body
- apresuró
- Hurried; third-person past tense of apresurarse
- partes
- Parts, areas; sections or portions of a place
- más
- More; comparative adverb indicating greater degree
- profundas
- Deep; adjective describing great depth
- bosque
- Forest, woods; large area covered with trees
- Le
- Him, her; third-person singular indirect object pronoun
- seguí
- I followed; first-person past tense of seguir
- rápidamente
- Quickly, rapidly; in a fast manner
- bien
- Well; adverb indicating good manner or condition
- pero
- But; conjunction indicating contrast or exception
- hombre
- Man; adult male human being
- vio
- Saw; third-person past tense of ver
- acercarme
- To approach me; infinitive of acercarse with pronoun
- apuntó
- Aimed; third-person past tense of apuntar
- escopeta
- Shotgun; firearm with a long barrel
- llevaba
- Was carrying; imperfect tense of llevar
- cuerpo
- Body; physical structure of a living being
- disparó
- Fired, shot; past tense of disparar
- Caí
- I fell; first-person past tense of caer
- al
- To the; contraction of a and el
- suelo
- Ground, floor; surface of the earth or floor
- agresor
- Aggressor, attacker; person who commits an attack
- mayor
- Greater, older; comparative of grande
- rapidez
- Speed, swiftness; quality of being rapid
- escapó
- Escaped; third-person past tense of escapar
- ¡Esta
- This; feminine demonstrative pronoun with exclamation
- pues
- Then, well; discourse connector or filler word
- recompensa
- Reward; something given in return for good deeds
- benevolencia
- Benevolence; disposition to do good to others
- Había
- Had; pluperfect auxiliary from haber
- salvado
- Saved; past participle of salvar
- ser
- Being, to be; infinitive of ser or noun form
- humano
- Human; relating to or being a human being
- destrucción
- Destruction; act of destroying or ruining something
- retorcía
- Was writhing, twisting; imperfect of retorcerse
- ahora
- Now; at the present moment
- miserable
- Miserable; causing or feeling great suffering
- dolor
- Pain, ache; physical or emotional suffering
- herida
- Wound, injury; damage to body tissue
- destrozado
- Destroyed, shattered; torn apart completely
- carne
- Flesh, meat; soft tissue of the body
- hueso
- Bone; hard skeletal structure in the body
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