Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 8
Sometimes, indeed, I dreamt that I wandered in flowery meadows and pleasant vales with the friends of my youth, but I awoke and found myself in a dungeon.
A veces, en efecto, soñaba que vagaba por prados floridos y valles agradables con los amigos de mi juventud, pero despertaba y me encontraba en un calabozo.
Melancholy followed, but by degrees I gained a clear conception of my miseries and situation and was then released from my prison.
La melancolía me sobrevino, pero poco a poco fui adquiriendo una concepción clara de mis miserias y de mi situación, y fui entonces liberado de mi prisión.
For they had called me mad, and during many months, as I understood, a solitary cell had been my habitation.
Pues me habían tachado de loco, y durante muchos meses, según entendí, una celda solitaria había sido mi morada.
Liberty, however, had been a useless gift to me, had I not, as I awakened to reason, at the same time awakened to revenge.
La libertad, sin embargo, habría sido un regalo inútil para mí, si no hubiera despertado a la razón al mismo tiempo que despertaba a la venganza.
As the memory of past misfortunes pressed upon me, I began to reflect on their cause—the monster whom I had created, the miserable dæmon whom I had sent abroad into the world for my destruction.
A medida que el recuerdo de las desgracias pasadas se apoderaba de mí, comencé a reflexionar sobre su causa: el monstruo que había creado, el miserable demonio que había enviado al mundo para mi destrucción.
I was possessed by a maddening rage when I thought of him, and desired and ardently prayed that I might have him within my grasp to wreak a great and signal revenge on his cursed head.
Una rabia enloquecedora se apoderaba de mí cuando pensaba en él, y deseaba y rogaba ardientemente poder tenerlo entre mis manos para descargar una gran y ejemplar venganza sobre su maldita cabeza.
Nor did my hate long confine itself to useless wishes; I began to reflect on the best means of securing him; and for this purpose, about a month after my release, I repaired to a criminal judge in the town and told him that I had an accusation to make, that I knew the destroyer of my family, and that I required him to exert his whole authority for the apprehension of the murderer.
Ni tardó mucho mi odio en limitarse a deseos inútiles; comencé a reflexionar sobre los mejores medios de apresarlo; y con este fin, aproximadamente un mes después de mi liberación, acudí a un juez penal de la ciudad y le dije que tenía una acusación que formular, que conocía al destructor de mi familia, y que le exigía que ejerciera toda su autoridad para la captura del asesino.
The magistrate listened to me with attention and kindness.
El magistrado me escuchó con atención y amabilidad.
Vocabulary
- veces
- Times, as in 'a veces' meaning sometimes
- efecto
- Effect; 'en efecto' means indeed or in fact
- soñaba
- Was dreaming; imperfect tense of soñar
- vagaba
- Was wandering or roaming aimlessly
- prados
- Meadows, grassy fields or pastures
- floridos
- Flowery, blooming, covered with flowers
- valles
- Valleys, low areas between hills or mountains
- agradables
- Pleasant, agreeable, or enjoyable places or things
- juventud
- Youth, the period of being young
- despertaba
- Was waking up; imperfect tense of despertar
- encontraba
- Was finding or discovering oneself somewhere
- calabozo
- Dungeon or prison cell, a place of confinement
- melancolía
- Melancholy, deep sadness or pensive gloom
- sobrevino
- Came over suddenly, befell; preterite of sobrevenir
- adquiriendo
- Acquiring or gaining gradually over time
- concepción
- Conception, understanding, or mental grasp of something
- miserias
- Miseries, states of great suffering or hardship
- situación
- Situation, set of circumstances one finds oneself in
- liberado
- Freed or released from confinement or restriction
- prisión
- Prison, place where people are confined as punishment
- Pues
- Well, then; conjunction or filler word
- tachado
- Labeled or branded as something negative
- loco
- Crazy, mad, or mentally unstable person
- durante
- During, throughout a period of time
- según
- According to, as stated or indicated by someone
- entendí
- I understood; preterite of entender
- celda
- Cell, small room in a prison or monastery
- solitaria
- Solitary, lonely, isolated from others
- morada
- Dwelling, residence, or place where one lives
- libertad
- Freedom, state of being free from confinement
- embargo
- 'Sin embargo' means however or nevertheless
- regalo
- Gift, something given voluntarily to another person
- inútil
- Useless, serving no practical purpose or function
- hubiera
- Had; past subjunctive of haber for conditionals
- despertado
- Awakened; past participle of despertar
- razón
- Reason, rational thinking or sanity
- venganza
- Vengeance, revenge for a wrong suffered
- medida
- Measure or degree; 'a medida que' as something progresses
- recuerdo
- Memory, recollection of a past event or experience
- desgracias
- Misfortunes, unfortunate events causing suffering
- apoderaba
- Was taking hold, seizing control of something
- comencé
- I began; preterite of comenzar
- reflexionar
- To reflect or think deeply about something
- causa
- Cause, the reason something happens
- monstruo
- Monster, a frightening or cruel creature or person
- creado
- Created; past participle of crear
- miserable
- Miserable, wretched, causing or suffering great unhappiness
- demonio
- Demon, an evil supernatural being or devil
- enviado
- Sent; past participle of enviar
- destrucción
- Destruction, act of causing severe damage or ruin
- rabia
- Rage, intense anger; also rabies disease
- enloquecedora
- Maddening, causing one to go crazy with intensity
- deseaba
- Was wishing or desiring strongly
- rogaba
- Was begging or pleading earnestly for something
- ardientemente
- Ardently, passionately, with intense emotion
- descargar
- To unleash or discharge force or anger on something
- ejemplar
- Exemplary; here used as copy or specimen of something
- maldita
- Damned, cursed, wretched; expressing strong contempt
- Ni
- Nor, neither; negative conjunction
- tardó
- Took long, delayed; preterite of tardar
- odio
- Hatred, intense dislike or hostility toward someone
- limitarse
- To limit oneself, to be restricted to something
- deseos
- Desires, wishes or longings for something
- inútiles
- Useless, serving no practical purpose
- medios
- Means, methods or resources to achieve something
- apresarlo
- To capture or arrest him
- fin
- End or purpose; 'a este fin' means to this end
- aproximadamente
- Approximately, roughly, around a certain amount
- liberación
- Liberation, act of being set free from confinement
- acudí
- I went to, I turned to; preterite of acudir
- juez
- Judge, a person who presides over legal cases
- penal
- Criminal, relating to crime and its punishment
- acusación
- Accusation, a formal charge against someone
- formular
- To formulate or make a formal statement or charge
- destructor
- Destroyer, one who causes destruction or ruin
- exigía
- Demanded or required; imperfect of exigir
- ejerciera
- Would exercise or use; past subjunctive of ejercer
- autoridad
- Authority, official power to enforce laws or rules
- captura
- Capture, the act of catching or seizing someone
- asesino
- Murderer or assassin, one who kills another person
- magistrado
- Magistrate, a civil or judicial officer of authority
- atención
- Attention, the act of carefully listening or watching
- amabilidad
- Kindness, friendliness, or amiability toward others
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