Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 11
Sometimes I could not prevail on myself to enter my laboratory for several days, and at other times I toiled day and night in order to complete my work.
A veces no podía obligarme a entrar en mi laboratorio durante varios días, y otras veces trabajaba día y noche para completar mi obra.
It was, indeed, a filthy process in which I was engaged.
Era, en verdad, un proceso repugnante en el que estaba involucrado.
During my first experiment, a kind of enthusiastic frenzy had blinded me to the horror of my employment; my mind was intently fixed on the consummation of my labour, and my eyes were shut to the horror of my proceedings.
Durante mi primer experimento, una especie de frenesí entusiasta me había cegado ante el horror de mi ocupación; mi mente estaba intensamente fija en la culminación de mi trabajo, y mis ojos estaban cerrados ante el horror de mis procedimientos.
But now I went to it in cold blood, and my heart often sickened at the work of my hands.
Pero ahora lo hacía a sangre fría, y mi corazón se revolvía con frecuencia ante la obra de mis manos.
Thus situated, employed in the most detestable occupation, immersed in a solitude where nothing could for an instant call my attention from the actual scene in which I was engaged, my spirits became unequal; I grew restless and nervous.
En tal situación, dedicado a la ocupación más detestable, sumergido en una soledad donde nada podía por un instante apartar mi atención de la escena real en que estaba inmerso, mi ánimo se volvió inestable; me volví inquieto y nervioso.
Every moment I feared to meet my persecutor.
A cada momento temía encontrarme con mi perseguidor.
Sometimes I sat with my eyes fixed on the ground, fearing to raise them lest they should encounter the object which I so much dreaded to behold.
A veces me sentaba con los ojos fijos en el suelo, temiendo alzarlos no fuera que se encontrasen con el objeto que tanto me aterraba contemplar.
I feared to wander from the sight of my fellow creatures lest when alone he should come to claim his companion.
Temía alejarme de la vista de mis semejantes por miedo a que, cuando estuviese solo, él viniera a reclamar a su compañera.
In the mean time I worked on, and my labour was already considerably advanced.
Mientras tanto seguí trabajando, y mi labor estaba ya considerablemente avanzada.
I looked towards its completion with a tremulous and eager hope, which I dared not trust myself to question but which was intermixed with obscure forebodings of evil that made my heart sicken in my bosom.
Contemplaba su conclusión con una esperanza temblorosa y ansiosa, que no me atrevía a cuestionar, pero que estaba entremezclada con oscuros presagios de mal que hacían que mi corazón se encogiera en mi pecho.
Vocabulary
- veces
- Times; used in 'a veces' meaning sometimes
- podía
- Could; past imperfect of poder, to be able
- obligarme
- To force myself; compel oneself to do something
- entrar
- To enter; to go or come into a place
- laboratorio
- Laboratory; room for scientific experiments and research
- durante
- During; throughout a period of time
- varios
- Several; more than two but not many
- trabajaba
- Worked; past imperfect of trabajar, to work
- completar
- To complete; to finish or bring to an end
- obra
- Work; a creative or constructed piece of effort
- Era
- Was; past imperfect of ser, to be
- verdad
- Truth; reality or fact; also used as indeed
- proceso
- Process; a series of steps toward a result
- repugnante
- Repugnant; causing disgust or strong aversion
- estaba
- Was; past imperfect of estar, to be
- involucrado
- Involved; engaged or implicated in an activity
- Durante
- During; throughout a span of time
- primer
- First; ordinal number indicating the earliest one
- experimento
- Experiment; a scientific test to discover something
- especie
- Kind, sort; a type or category of something
- frenesí
- Frenzy; a state of wild excitement or agitation
- entusiasta
- Enthusiastic; showing intense eagerness or excitement
- había
- Had; past auxiliary form of haber
- cegado
- Blinded; made unable to see or perceive clearly
- ante
- Before, in the face of; preposition of confrontation
- horror
- Horror; intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust
- ocupación
- Occupation; an activity or task one is engaged in
- mente
- Mind; the thinking and conscious part of a person
- intensamente
- Intensely; with great focus or strong concentration
- fija
- Fixed; firmly set or directed at one point
- culminación
- Culmination; the highest or final point of something
- estaban
- Were; past imperfect third-person plural of estar
- cerrados
- Closed; shut, not open
- procedimientos
- Procedures; established methods or steps of action
- hacía
- Did, made; past imperfect of hacer, to do
- sangre
- Blood; the red fluid circulating in the body
- fría
- Cold; low temperature; in 'sangre fría' means coldly
- corazón
- Heart; the organ or seat of emotion
- revolvía
- Churned, turned; felt nausea or agitation inside
- frecuencia
- Frequency; how often something happens repeatedly
- tal
- Such; of that kind or degree
- situación
- Situation; a set of circumstances or conditions
- dedicado
- Dedicated; devoted or committed to an activity
- detestable
- Detestable; deserving strong hatred or disgust
- sumergido
- Submerged, immersed; deeply absorbed in something
- soledad
- Solitude, loneliness; state of being alone
- instante
- Instant, moment; a very brief period of time
- apartar
- To divert, to remove; to turn away from something
- atención
- Attention; the act of focusing one's mind on something
- escena
- Scene; a view or setting of events unfolding
- real
- Real; actually existing or true, not imagined
- inmerso
- Immersed; deeply involved or absorbed in something
- ánimo
- Mood, spirit; one's emotional state or disposition
- volvió
- Became, returned; past tense of volver
- inestable
- Unstable; not steady or consistent in state
- volví
- I became, I returned; first-person past of volver
- inquieto
- Restless, uneasy; unable to remain calm or still
- nervioso
- Nervous; feeling anxiety or agitation
- cada
- Each, every; referring to all members individually
- momento
- Moment; a very short period of time
- temía
- Feared; past imperfect of temer, to fear
- encontrarme
- To find myself; to encounter or meet unexpectedly
- perseguidor
- Pursuer; one who chases or hunts another
- sentaba
- Sat; past imperfect of sentar, to sit down
- fijos
- Fixed; steadily directed without moving
- suelo
- Floor, ground; the surface one walks or sits on
- temiendo
- Fearing; present participle of temer, to fear
- alzarlos
- To raise them; to lift one's eyes upward
- fuera
- Outside; also subjunctive of ser/ir, might be
- encontrasen
- Would find; past subjunctive of encontrar, to find
- objeto
- Object; a thing that can be seen or touched
- tanto
- So much; to such a great degree or extent
- aterraba
- Terrified; past imperfect of aterrar, to terrify
- contemplar
- To contemplate; to look at or think about carefully
- Temía
- Feared; past imperfect of temer, to fear
- alejarme
- To move away from; to distance oneself from something
- vista
- Sight, view; the sense of seeing or a scene
- semejantes
- Such, similar; of a like or comparable nature
- miedo
- Fear; a feeling of dread or anxiety
- estuviese
- Were; past subjunctive of estar, to be
- solo
- Alone; without others present; only
- viniera
- Would come; past subjunctive of venir, to come
- reclamar
- To claim, demand; to ask for something as one's own
- compañera
- Companion, partner; a female associate or mate
- Mientras
- While, meanwhile; during the same time as something
- seguí
- I continued; first-person past tense of seguir
- trabajando
- Working; present participle of trabajar, to work
- labor
- Labor, work; a task or effort undertaken
- ya
- Already, now; indicating something has occurred
- considerablemente
- Considerably; to a notably significant degree
- avanzada
- Advanced; progressed far along toward completion
- Contemplaba
- Contemplated; past imperfect of contemplar, to consider
- conclusión
- Conclusion; the end or final outcome of something
- esperanza
- Hope; a feeling of desire and expectation
- temblorosa
- Trembling; shaking with fear, nervousness, or weakness
- ansiosa
- Anxious; feeling worry or eager anticipation
- atrevía
- Dared; past imperfect of atreverse, to dare
- cuestionar
- To question; to doubt or challenge something
- entremezclada
- Intermingled; mixed together with something else
- oscuros
- Dark; lacking light; also gloomy or sinister
- presagios
- Omens, forebodings; signs of future misfortune
- mal
- Evil, bad; something harmful or morally wrong
- hacían
- Made, caused; past imperfect of hacer, to make
- encogiera
- Would shrink; past subjunctive of encoger, to contract
- pecho
- Chest; the front part of the torso, seat of emotion
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