Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 3
What I ask of you is reasonable and moderate; I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as myself; the gratification is small, but it is all that I can receive, and it shall content me.
Lo que te pido es razonable y moderado; exijo una criatura de otro sexo, pero tan horrible como yo; la satisfacción es pequeña, pero es todo lo que puedo recibir, y me contentará.
It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.
Es cierto, seremos monstruos, apartados de todo el mundo; pero por esa razón estaremos más unidos el uno al otro.
Our lives will not be happy, but they will be harmless and free from the misery I now feel.
Nuestras vidas no serán felices, pero serán inofensivas y libres de la miseria que ahora siento.
Oh! My creator, make me happy; let me feel gratitude towards you for one benefit!
¡Oh! Mi creador, hazme feliz; ¡déjame sentir gratitud hacia ti por un solo beneficio!
Let me see that I excite the sympathy of some existing thing; do not deny me my request!"
¡Déjame ver que despierto la simpatía de algún ser existente; no me niegues mi petición!"
I was moved.
Me conmoví.
I shuddered when I thought of the possible consequences of my consent, but I felt that there was some justice in his argument.
Me estremecí cuando pensé en las posibles consecuencias de mi consentimiento, pero sentí que había cierta justicia en su argumento.
His tale and the feelings he now expressed proved him to be a creature of fine sensations, and did I not as his maker owe him all the portion of happiness that it was in my power to bestow?
Su historia y los sentimientos que ahora expresaba demostraban que era una criatura de sensaciones refinadas, ¿y acaso no le debía yo, como su creador, toda la porción de felicidad que estaba en mi poder otorgarle?
He saw my change of feeling and continued,
Él vio mi cambio de sentimiento y continuó,
"If you consent, neither you nor any other human being shall ever see us again; I will go to the vast wilds of South America.
"Si consientes, ni tú ni ningún otro ser humano volverá a vernos jamás; me iré a los vastos territorios salvajes de América del Sur.
My food is not that of man; I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment.
Mi alimento no es el del hombre; no destruyo al cordero ni al cabrito para saciar mi apetito; las bellotas y las bayas me proporcionan suficiente sustento.
Vocabulary
- Lo
- Neuter pronoun used to refer to something abstract
- que
- Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning 'that' or 'which'
- te
- Second person singular indirect or direct object pronoun
- pido
- I ask for or request something from someone
- es
- Third person singular present tense of 'ser', meaning 'is'
- razonable
- Reasonable; fair and sensible in nature or degree
- y
- Conjunction meaning 'and', connecting words or clauses
- moderado
- Moderate; not extreme, kept within reasonable limits
- exijo
- I demand or require something as a necessity
- una
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an', feminine form
- criatura
- Creature; a living being or created entity
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or indicating possession
- otro
- Another or other; referring to a different one
- sexo
- Sex; biological category distinguishing male from female
- pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing a contrast or exception
- tan
- Adverb meaning 'so' or 'as', used in comparisons
- horrible
- Horrible; causing fear or disgust, extremely unpleasant
- como
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'as' or 'like'
- yo
- First person singular subject pronoun meaning 'I'
- la
- Definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'her'
- satisfacción
- Satisfaction; fulfillment of a need or desire
- pequeña
- Small or little; of limited size or importance
- todo
- All or everything; the totality of something
- puedo
- I can; first person singular of poder, to be able
- recibir
- To receive; to get or accept something given
- me
- First person singular reflexive or object pronoun, 'me'
- contentará
- Will satisfy or please; future tense of contentar
- Es
- Third person singular of 'ser'; means 'it is'
- cierto
- Certain or true; something known to be factual
- seremos
- We will be; first person plural future of ser
- monstruos
- Monsters; frightening or grotesque creatures or beings
- apartados
- Separated or isolated; set apart from the rest
- el
- Definite article meaning 'the', masculine singular form
- mundo
- World; the earth and all the people on it
- por
- Preposition meaning 'because of', 'for', or 'through'
- esa
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that', feminine singular form
- razón
- Reason; a cause, justification, or logical explanation
- estaremos
- We will be; future tense of estar, indicating state
- más
- More; used in comparisons or to indicate greater degree
- unidos
- United or joined together; closely connected to one another
- uno
- One; the number one or an indefinite person
- al
- Contraction of 'a' and 'el', meaning 'to the'
- Nuestras
- Our; first person plural possessive adjective, feminine form
- vidas
- Lives; plural of vida, referring to people's existence
- no
- No or not; used to express negation or refusal
- serán
- They or you all will be; third person plural future
- felices
- Happy; plural form of feliz, experiencing joy or contentment
- inofensivas
- Harmless; causing no harm or danger to others
- libres
- Free; not constrained, at liberty, independent from restriction
- miseria
- Misery; extreme unhappiness, suffering, or poverty
- ahora
- Now; at the present moment in time
- siento
- I feel or I sense; first person of sentir
- Mi
- My; first person singular possessive adjective
- creador
- Creator; one who makes or brings something into existence
- hazme
- Make me; imperative of hacer combined with me
- feliz
- Happy; experiencing or expressing joy and contentment
- déjame
- Let me or allow me; imperative of dejar plus me
- sentir
- To feel or to sense an emotion or sensation
- gratitud
- Gratitude; the feeling of being thankful toward someone
- hacia
- Toward; indicating direction or orientation in relation to
- ti
- You; second person singular pronoun used after prepositions
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an', masculine form
- solo
- Only or alone; just one, without others present
- beneficio
- Benefit; an advantage or positive result received
- Déjame
- Let me; imperative form asking permission to do something
- ver
- To see; to perceive visually or to witness
- despierto
- Awake; not sleeping, alert and conscious
- simpatía
- Sympathy or affection; warm feeling toward another being
- algún
- Some or any; indefinite adjective indicating an unspecified one
- ser
- To be; infinitive expressing existence, or a being
- existente
- Existing; currently present or alive in the world
- niegues
- You deny or refuse; subjunctive of negar
- mi
- My; first person singular possessive adjective
- petición
- Petition or request; a formal plea made to someone
- Me
- Me; first person singular object or reflexive pronoun
- conmoví
- I was moved emotionally; past tense of conmover
- estremecí
- I shuddered or trembled; past tense of estremecerse
- cuando
- When; a conjunction indicating a time relationship
- pensé
- I thought; first person preterite of pensar
- en
- In or on; preposition indicating location or topic
- las
- Definite article 'the', feminine plural form
- posibles
- Possible; that which can happen or be done
- consecuencias
- Consequences; results or outcomes following an action
- consentimiento
- Consent; agreement or permission given to something
- sentí
- I felt; first person singular preterite of sentir
- había
- There was or there were; imperfect of haber
- cierta
- Certain or some; feminine form indicating something specific
- justicia
- Justice; fairness and moral rightness in treatment
- su
- His, her, its, or your; third person possessive adjective
- argumento
- Argument; a reasoning or set of points made
- Su
- His, her, its, or your; possessive adjective, singular
- historia
- Story or history; an account of events narrated
- los
- Definite article 'the', masculine plural, or them
- sentimientos
- Feelings or sentiments; emotional states experienced internally
- expresaba
- Was expressing; imperfect tense of expresar
- demostraban
- They demonstrated or showed; imperfect of demostrar
- era
- Was; third person singular imperfect tense of ser
- sensaciones
- Sensations; physical or emotional feelings experienced by someone
- refinadas
- Refined; cultured, sophisticated, or delicately developed
- acaso
- Perhaps or by chance; used in rhetorical questions
- le
- Indirect object pronoun meaning 'to him', 'her', or 'you'
- debía
- I or he owed; imperfect tense of deber
- toda
- All or every; feminine singular form of todo
- porción
- Portion or share; a part of something larger
- felicidad
- Happiness; the state of being joyful and content
- estaba
- Was or were; imperfect tense of estar
- poder
- To be able to; also means power or ability
- otorgarle
- To grant or give to him or her
- Él
- He; third person masculine singular subject pronoun
- vio
- He or she saw; preterite third person of ver
- cambio
- Change; an alteration or shift in something
- sentimiento
- Feeling or sentiment; an emotional state or attitude
- continuó
- He or she continued; preterite of continuar
- Si
- If; conjunction introducing a conditional clause
- consientes
- You consent or agree; second person of consentir
- ni
- Nor or neither; used to express negative alternatives
- tú
- You; second person singular subject pronoun
- ningún
- No or none; negative indefinite adjective before masculine nouns
- humano
- Human; a person or relating to human beings
- volverá
- Will return or will do again; future of volver
- a
- To or at; preposition indicating direction or indirect object
- vernos
- To see us; infinitive ver combined with nos
- jamás
- Never or ever; a strong negative adverb of time
- iré
- I will go; first person singular future of ir
- vastos
- Vast; immense or very large in extent or area
- territorios
- Territories; large areas of land under a domain
- salvajes
- Wild or savage; untamed, primitive, or uncivilized
- del
- Contraction of 'de' and 'el', meaning 'of the'
- Sur
- South; the cardinal direction or southern region
- alimento
- Food or nourishment; sustenance that supports life
- hombre
- Man; an adult male human being
- destruyo
- I destroy; first person singular present of destruir
- cordero
- Lamb; a young sheep, often used as food
- cabrito
- Kid; a young goat used as a food source
- para
- For or in order to; indicates purpose or destination
- saciar
- To satisfy or satiate; to fully meet a need
- apetito
- Appetite; the desire or craving for food
- bellotas
- Acorns; the nuts produced by oak trees
- bayas
- Berries; small edible fruits found on plants
- proporcionan
- They provide or supply; third person plural of proporcionar
- suficiente
- Sufficient or enough; meeting the required amount
- sustento
- Sustenance; food and support necessary for survival
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