Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 8
If the monster executed his threat, death was inevitable; yet, again, I considered whether my marriage would hasten my fate.
Si el monstruo ejecutaba su amenaza, la muerte era inevitable; sin embargo, de nuevo consideré si mi matrimonio aceleraría mi destino.
My destruction might indeed arrive a few months sooner, but if my torturer should suspect that I postponed it, influenced by his menaces, he would surely find other and perhaps more dreadful means of revenge.
Mi destrucción podría llegar ciertamente unos meses antes, pero si mi torturador sospechara que la aplazaba, influenciado por sus amenazas, sin duda encontraría otros medios de venganza, quizás más terribles.
He had vowed _to be with me on my wedding-night_, yet he did not consider that threat as binding him to peace in the meantime, for as if to show me that he was not yet satiated with blood, he had murdered Clerval immediately after the enunciation of his threats.
Había jurado _estar conmigo en mi noche de bodas_, pero no consideraba que esa amenaza lo obligara a mantener la paz en el ínterin, pues como si quisiera demostrarme que aún no estaba saciado de sangre, había asesinado a Clerval inmediatamente después de pronunciar sus amenazas.
I resolved, therefore, that if my immediate union with my cousin would conduce either to hers or my father's happiness, my adversary's designs against my life should not retard it a single hour.
Resolví, por lo tanto, que si mi unión inmediata con mi prima contribuía a la felicidad de ella o a la de mi padre, los designios de mi adversario contra mi vida no deberían retrasarla ni una sola hora.
In this state of mind I wrote to Elizabeth.
En este estado de ánimo le escribí a Elizabeth.
My letter was calm and affectionate.
Mi carta fue serena y afectuosa.
"I fear, my beloved girl," I said, "little happiness remains for us on earth; yet all that I may one day enjoy is centred in you.
"Temo, mi amada niña", dije, "que poca felicidad nos queda en la tierra; sin embargo, todo lo que algún día pueda disfrutar está centrado en ti.
Chase away your idle fears; to you alone do I consecrate my life and my endeavours for contentment.
Ahuyenta tus vanos temores; solo a ti consagro mi vida y mis esfuerzos por alcanzar la felicidad.
I have one secret, Elizabeth, a dreadful one; when revealed to you, it will chill your frame with horror, and then, far from being surprised at my misery, you will only wonder that I survive what I have endured.
Tengo un secreto, Elizabeth, uno espantoso; cuando te sea revelado, helará tu cuerpo de horror, y entonces, lejos de sorprenderte por mi desdicha, solo te maravillarás de que haya sobrevivido a lo que he soportado.
Vocabulary
- Si
- If; introduces a conditional clause
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article
- monstruo
- Monster; a frightening or horrifying creature
- ejecutaba
- Was carrying out or executing a plan or threat
- su
- His, her, its, or their; possessive pronoun
- amenaza
- Threat; a declaration of intent to harm
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- muerte
- Death; the end of life
- era
- Was; past imperfect of ser, to be
- inevitable
- Inevitable; impossible to avoid or prevent
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- embargo
- Used in sin embargo, meaning nevertheless or however
- de
- Of, from; common Spanish preposition
- nuevo
- New or again; de nuevo means once again
- consideré
- I considered; reflected upon a matter carefully
- si
- If; conjunction introducing a conditional clause
- mi
- My; first-person singular possessive adjective
- matrimonio
- Marriage; the legal union of two people
- aceleraría
- Would accelerate; would speed up a process
- destino
- Destiny or fate; one's predetermined outcome
- Mi
- My; first-person singular possessive adjective
- destrucción
- Destruction; the act of ruining or demolishing something
- podría
- Could or might; conditional form of poder
- llegar
- To arrive or come; to reach a destination
- ciertamente
- Certainly; without doubt, assuredly
- unos
- Some or a few; indefinite masculine plural article
- meses
- Months; plural of mes, a calendar month
- antes
- Before; earlier in time or order
- pero
- But; conjunction indicating contrast or exception
- torturador
- Torturer; one who inflicts severe pain on others
- sospechara
- Would suspect; past subjunctive of sospechar
- que
- That, which, who; common conjunction or pronoun
- aplazaba
- Was postponing; delaying something to a later time
- influenciado
- Influenced; affected or swayed by an external force
- por
- By, for, through; versatile Spanish preposition
- sus
- His, her, their; plural possessive adjective
- amenazas
- Threats; plural declarations of intent to harm
- duda
- Doubt; uncertainty about something; sin duda means undoubtedly
- encontraría
- Would find; conditional form of encontrar
- otros
- Other; masculine plural adjective meaning different or additional
- medios
- Means or methods; ways of achieving something
- venganza
- Vengeance; retaliation or revenge for a wrong
- quizás
- Perhaps or maybe; expresses uncertainty or possibility
- más
- More; comparative adverb indicating greater degree
- terribles
- Terrible; dreadful or causing great fear
- Había
- There had been; past perfect auxiliary of haber
- jurado
- Sworn; past participle of jurar, to swear
- _estar
- To be; indicates state or condition temporarily
- conmigo
- With me; first-person prepositional pronoun
- en
- In, on, at; common Spanish preposition of location
- noche
- Night; the dark hours after sunset
- bodas_
- Wedding; celebration of a marriage ceremony
- no
- No, not; negation word in Spanish
- consideraba
- Was considering; past imperfect of considerar
- esa
- That; feminine singular demonstrative adjective or pronoun
- lo
- It, him; masculine singular direct object pronoun
- obligara
- Would oblige or force; past subjunctive of obligar
- a
- To, at; preposition indicating direction or purpose
- mantener
- To maintain or keep; to preserve a state
- paz
- Peace; absence of conflict or disturbance
- ínterin
- In the meantime; during an intervening period
- pues
- Well, since, then; causal or transitional conjunction
- como
- As, like, how; conjunction or comparative particle
- quisiera
- Would want; past subjunctive of querer, to want
- demostrarme
- To show me; to demonstrate something to me
- aún
- Still, yet; indicates something continues or remains
- estaba
- Was; past imperfect of estar, to be
- saciado
- Satisfied or satiated; having had enough of something
- sangre
- Blood; the red fluid circulating in the body
- había
- Had; past perfect auxiliary verb from haber
- asesinado
- Murdered; past participle of asesinar, to kill
- inmediatamente
- Immediately; without any delay whatsoever
- después
- After, afterwards; indicating something follows in time
- pronunciar
- To pronounce or utter; to speak words aloud
- Resolví
- I resolved or decided; past tense of resolver
- tanto
- So much, as much; indicates degree or quantity
- unión
- Union; the joining of two people or things
- inmediata
- Immediate; happening without delay or hesitation
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or association
- prima
- Female cousin; a relative through a parent's sibling
- contribuía
- Was contributing; past imperfect of contribuir
- felicidad
- Happiness; the state of feeling joy or contentment
- ella
- She, her; third-person feminine singular pronoun
- o
- Or; conjunction presenting an alternative option
- padre
- Father; a male parent
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article
- designios
- Plans or designs; intentions or schemes of someone
- adversario
- Adversary; an opponent or enemy
- contra
- Against; preposition indicating opposition
- vida
- Life; the existence of a living being
- deberían
- Should; conditional form of deber, expressing obligation
- retrasarla
- To delay it; to postpone a specific thing
- ni
- Nor, not even; negative conjunction linking elements
- una
- One, a; feminine singular indefinite article
- sola
- Alone, single; indicating solitude or singularity
- hora
- Hour; a unit of time equal to sixty minutes
- En
- In, at; preposition indicating location or state
- este
- This; masculine singular demonstrative adjective
- estado
- State or condition; the situation one finds oneself in
- ánimo
- Spirit or mood; one's current emotional state
- le
- To him, to her; indirect object pronoun
- escribí
- I wrote; past tense of escribir, to write
- carta
- Letter; a written message sent to someone
- fue
- Was or went; past tense of ser or ir
- serena
- Serene; calm and peaceful in tone or manner
- y
- And; conjunction joining words or clauses
- afectuosa
- Affectionate; showing warmth and tender feeling
- Temo
- I fear; first-person present of temer, to fear
- amada
- Beloved; a dearly loved person
- niña
- Girl or child; a young female person
- dije
- I said; past tense of decir, to say
- poca
- Little; a small amount of something feminine
- nos
- Us; first-person plural direct or indirect object pronoun
- queda
- Remains; present tense of quedar, to remain
- tierra
- Earth or land; the ground or world we inhabit
- todo
- Everything, all; refers to the totality of something
- algún
- Some, any; masculine singular indefinite adjective
- día
- Day; a twenty-four-hour period of time
- pueda
- Can, may; present subjunctive of poder
- disfrutar
- To enjoy; to take pleasure in something
- está
- Is; third-person present of estar, to be
- centrado
- Centered or focused; directed toward something specific
- ti
- You; second-person singular prepositional pronoun
- Ahuyenta
- Drive away or chase off; imperative of ahuyentar
- tus
- Your; second-person singular plural possessive adjective
- vanos
- Vain or futile; having no real substance or value
- temores
- Fears; plural of temor, a feeling of dread
- solo
- Only, alone; exclusively or by oneself
- consagro
- I dedicate or devote; present tense of consagrar
- mis
- My; first-person plural possessive adjective
- esfuerzos
- Efforts; plural of esfuerzo, exertion toward a goal
- alcanzar
- To reach or achieve; to attain a goal or place
- Tengo
- I have; first-person present of tener, to have
- un
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article
- secreto
- Secret; something kept hidden from others
- uno
- One; the numeral or indefinite pronoun
- espantoso
- Frightful or horrifying; causing great fear or dread
- cuando
- When; temporal conjunction or adverb
- te
- You; second-person singular direct or indirect object pronoun
- sea
- Be; present subjunctive of ser, to be
- revelado
- Revealed; past participle of revelar, to disclose
- helará
- Will freeze; future tense of helar, to freeze
- tu
- Your; second-person singular possessive adjective
- cuerpo
- Body; the physical structure of a living person
- horror
- Horror; intense fear or revulsion
- entonces
- Then; at that time or as a consequence
- lejos
- Far; at a great distance in space or degree
- sorprenderte
- To surprise you; to cause astonishment in you
- desdicha
- Misfortune or misery; a state of unhappiness
- maravillarás
- You will marvel; future tense of maravillar
- haya
- Have; present subjunctive of haber, auxiliary verb
- sobrevivido
- Survived; past participle of sobrevivir, to survive
- he
- I have; first-person present of haber, auxiliary
- soportado
- Endured or tolerated; past participle of soportar
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