Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 2
But the fresh air and bright sun seldom failed to restore me to some degree of composure, and on my return I met the salutations of my friends with a readier smile and a more cheerful heart.
Pero el aire fresco y el sol brillante rara vez dejaban de devolverme cierto grado de serenidad, y a mi regreso respondía a los saludos de mis amigos con una sonrisa más pronta y un corazón más alegre.
It was after my return from one of these rambles that my father, calling me aside, thus addressed me,
Fue tras mi regreso de uno de estos paseos cuando mi padre, llamándome aparte, me dirigió las siguientes palabras:
"I am happy to remark, my dear son, that you have resumed your former pleasures and seem to be returning to yourself. And yet you are still unhappy and still avoid our society. For some time I was lost in conjecture as to the cause of this, but yesterday an idea struck me, and if it is well founded, I conjure you to avow it. Reserve on such a point would be not only useless, but draw down treble misery on us all."
«Me alegra observar, querido hijo, que has retomado tus antiguos placeres y que pareces estar volviendo a ser tú mismo. Y sin embargo, sigues siendo infeliz y sigues evitando nuestra compañía. Durante algún tiempo estuve perdido en conjeturas sobre la causa de esto, pero ayer se me ocurrió una idea, y si está bien fundada, te conjuro a que la confieses. La reserva en tal punto no solo sería inútil, sino que nos acarrearía una miseria triple a todos nosotros.»
I trembled violently at his exordium, and my father continued—
Temblé violentamente ante su exordio, y mi padre continuó:
"I confess, my son, that I have always looked forward to your marriage with our dear Elizabeth as the tie of our domestic comfort and the stay of my declining years. You were attached to each other from your earliest infancy; you studied together, and appeared, in dispositions and tastes, entirely suited to one another. But so blind is the experience of man that what I conceived to be the best assistants to my plan may have entirely destroyed it. You, perhaps, regard her as your sister, without any wish that she might become your wife.
«Confieso, hijo mío, que siempre he esperado con ilusión tu matrimonio con nuestra querida Elizabeth como el vínculo de nuestro bienestar doméstico y el sostén de mis años de declive. Os habéis querido desde vuestra más temprana infancia; estudiasteis juntos y parecíais, en disposiciones y gustos, enteramente hechos el uno para el otro. Pero tan ciega es la experiencia del hombre que lo que yo concebí como los mejores auxiliares de mi plan puede haberlo destruido por completo. Quizás la consideras como tu hermana, sin ningún deseo de que llegue a ser tu esposa.
Vocabulary
- Pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' used to contrast ideas.
- el
- Definite article 'the' for masculine singular nouns.
- aire
- Air; the invisible mixture of gases we breathe.
- fresco
- Fresh or cool; pleasant and invigorating in temperature.
- sol
- Sun; the star that provides light and warmth.
- brillante
- Bright or brilliant; shining with intense light.
- rara
- Rare or unusual; not occurring very often.
- vez
- Time or instance; used in expressions of frequency.
- dejaban
- They left or allowed; imperfect tense of 'dejar.'
- devolverme
- To return or restore something to me.
- cierto
- Certain or a certain; indicating a degree of something.
- grado
- Degree or grade; a level or measure of something.
- serenidad
- Serenity; a state of calm and peacefulness.
- regreso
- Return; the act of coming back to a place.
- respondía
- I responded or used to respond; imperfect of 'responder.'
- saludos
- Greetings; expressions of welcome or acknowledgment.
- amigos
- Friends; people with whom one has a close bond.
- sonrisa
- Smile; a facial expression showing happiness or friendliness.
- más
- More; a comparative word indicating greater degree.
- pronta
- Quick or prompt; responding without delay.
- corazón
- Heart; the organ or symbol of emotion and feeling.
- alegre
- Happy or cheerful; in a joyful or lively mood.
- Fue
- It was; third-person singular preterite of 'ser.'
- tras
- After or behind; a preposition indicating sequence or position.
- estos
- These; demonstrative adjective for nearby masculine plural nouns.
- paseos
- Walks or strolls; leisurely trips taken on foot.
- cuando
- When; a conjunction indicating time or condition.
- padre
- Father; a male parent or paternal figure.
- llamándome
- Calling me; present participle of 'llamar' with pronoun.
- aparte
- Aside or apart; separately from the main group.
- dirigió
- Directed or addressed; preterite of 'dirigir.'
- siguientes
- Following or next; referring to what comes afterward.
- palabras
- Words; units of language used to convey meaning.
- alegra
- Pleases or makes happy; third-person singular of 'alegrar.'
- observar
- To observe or notice; to watch something carefully.
- querido
- Dear or beloved; an affectionate term of address.
- hijo
- Son; a male child in relation to his parents.
- retomado
- Taken up again; past participle of 'retomar.'
- antiguos
- Old or former; referring to things from the past.
- placeres
- Pleasures; activities or experiences that bring enjoyment.
- pareces
- You seem or appear; second-person singular of 'parecer.'
- estar
- To be; indicates state or condition rather than identity.
- volviendo
- Returning or becoming; present participle of 'volver.'
- ser
- To be; indicates identity, origin, or permanent characteristics.
- mismo
- Same or oneself; used for emphasis or reflexive meaning.
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack of something.
- embargo
- Used in 'sin embargo,' meaning 'however' or 'nevertheless.'
- sigues
- You continue or keep; second-person singular of 'seguir.'
- siendo
- Being; present participle of 'ser,' indicating ongoing state.
- infeliz
- Unhappy or miserable; lacking happiness or contentment.
- evitando
- Avoiding; present participle of 'evitar,' keeping away from.
- nuestra
- Our; first-person plural possessive adjective for feminine nouns.
- compañía
- Company; the presence of others or a business organization.
- Durante
- During; preposition indicating a period of time.
- algún
- Some or any; indefinite adjective before masculine singular nouns.
- tiempo
- Time or weather; a measure of duration or atmospheric conditions.
- estuve
- I was; first-person singular preterite of 'estar.'
- perdido
- Lost; unable to find direction or past participle of 'perder.'
- conjeturas
- Conjectures or guesses; conclusions drawn without full evidence.
- sobre
- About or over; preposition indicating topic or position.
- causa
- Cause or reason; what produces or explains an effect.
- esto
- This; neuter demonstrative pronoun referring to something nearby.
- pero
- But; conjunction used to introduce a contrasting idea.
- ayer
- Yesterday; the day immediately before today.
- ocurrió
- Occurred or happened; preterite of 'ocurrir.'
- idea
- Idea or thought; a mental concept or plan.
- si
- If; conjunction introducing a conditional clause.
- bien
- Well or good; indicating correctness or positive quality.
- fundada
- Founded or well-grounded; having a solid basis or reason.
- conjuro
- I implore or beseech; urging earnestly to do something.
- confieses
- That you confess; present subjunctive of 'confesar.'
- reserva
- Reserve or secrecy; holding back information or showing restraint.
- tal
- Such or so; indicating a particular degree or kind.
- punto
- Point or degree; a specific place, moment, or extent.
- solo
- Only or alone; without others or exclusively.
- sería
- Would be; conditional tense of 'ser.'
- inútil
- Useless; serving no practical purpose or effect.
- sino
- But rather; used to contrast after a negative statement.
- acarrearía
- Would bring about; conditional of 'acarrear,' meaning to cause.
- miseria
- Misery or wretchedness; extreme unhappiness or suffering.
- triple
- Triple; three times as much or threefold.
- todos
- All or everyone; referring to the whole group.
- nosotros
- We or us; first-person plural subject pronoun.
- Temblé
- I trembled; preterite of 'temblar,' to shake with fear.
- violentamente
- Violently; with great force or intense emotion.
- ante
- Before or in front of; a preposition indicating position.
- continuó
- Continued; third-person singular preterite of 'continuar.'
- Confieso
- I confess; first-person singular present of 'confesar.'
- mío
- Mine; first-person singular possessive pronoun.
- siempre
- Always; at all times without exception.
- esperado
- Expected or hoped; past participle of 'esperar.'
- ilusión
- Illusion or hope; a dream or false belief about reality.
- matrimonio
- Marriage; the legal or formal union of two people.
- querida
- Dear or beloved; feminine affectionate term of address.
- como
- As or like; used for comparisons or to mean 'how.'
- vínculo
- Bond or link; a connection between people or things.
- bienestar
- Wellbeing; a state of health, happiness, and prosperity.
- doméstico
- Domestic; relating to the home or household life.
- sostén
- Support or sustenance; something that holds up or maintains.
- años
- Years; units of time equal to twelve months.
- declive
- Decline; a gradual decrease or deterioration over time.
- Os
- You all; second-person plural object pronoun in Spain.
- habéis
- You all have; second-person plural of 'haber' in Spain.
- desde
- Since or from; preposition indicating starting point in time.
- vuestra
- Your; second-person plural possessive adjective used in Spain.
- temprana
- Early; happening at the beginning of a period or life.
- infancia
- Childhood or infancy; the early years of a person's life.
- estudiasteis
- You all studied; second-person plural preterite of 'estudiar.'
- juntos
- Together; in each other's company or at the same time.
- parecíais
- You all seemed; second-person plural imperfect of 'parecer.'
- disposiciones
- Dispositions; natural tendencies or arrangements of character.
- gustos
- Tastes or preferences; individual likes and dislikes.
- enteramente
- Entirely or completely; in a total or whole manner.
- hechos
- Made or suited; past participle of 'hacer,' also means 'facts.'
- para
- For or in order to; preposition indicating purpose or destination.
- otro
- Other or another; referring to a different person or thing.
- tan
- So or such; used to intensify adjectives or adverbs.
- ciega
- Blind; unable to see or lacking perception.
- experiencia
- Experience; knowledge or skill gained through practice.
- hombre
- Man or human; an adult male person.
- concebí
- I conceived or imagined; preterite of 'concebir.'
- mejores
- Better or best; comparative and superlative of 'bueno.'
- auxiliares
- Auxiliaries or aids; helpers or supporting elements.
- plan
- Plan; a detailed scheme or method for achieving a goal.
- puede
- Can or may; third-person singular present of 'poder.'
- haberlo
- To have it; infinitive 'haber' combined with object pronoun.
- destruido
- Destroyed; past participle of 'destruir,' to ruin completely.
- por
- For, by, or through; versatile Spanish preposition.
- completo
- Complete or full; having all necessary parts or elements.
- Quizás
- Perhaps or maybe; expressing uncertainty or possibility.
- consideras
- You consider or think; second-person singular of 'considerar.'
- hermana
- Sister; a female sibling in a family.
- ningún
- No or none; negative adjective before masculine singular nouns.
- deseo
- Desire or wish; a strong feeling of wanting something.
- llegue
- Arrives or reaches; present subjunctive of 'llegar.'
- esposa
- Wife or spouse; a woman in a marital relationship.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →