Frankenstein; or, the modern prometheus — Page 1
My present situation was one in which all voluntary thought was swallowed up and lost.
Mi situación actual era tal que todo pensamiento voluntario quedaba absorbido y perdido.
I was hurried away by fury; revenge alone endowed me with strength and composure; it moulded my feelings and allowed me to be calculating and calm at periods when otherwise delirium or death would have been my portion.
Me arrastraba la furia; solo la venganza me dotaba de fuerza y compostura; moldeaba mis sentimientos y me permitía ser calculador y sereno en momentos en que de otro modo el delirio o la muerte habrían sido mi destino.
My first resolution was to quit Geneva for ever; my country, which, when I was happy and beloved, was dear to me, now, in my adversity, became hateful.
Mi primera resolución fue abandonar Ginebra para siempre; mi país, que cuando era feliz y querido me era entrañable, ahora, en mi adversidad, se había vuelto odioso.
I provided myself with a sum of money, together with a few jewels which had belonged to my mother, and departed.
Me procuré una suma de dinero, junto con algunas joyas que habían pertenecido a mi madre, y partí.
And now my wanderings began which are to cease but with life.
Y así comenzaron mis andanzas, que no han de cesar sino con la vida.
I have traversed a vast portion of the earth and have endured all the hardships which travellers in deserts and barbarous countries are wont to meet.
He recorrido una vasta porción de la tierra y he soportado todas las penalidades que suelen encontrar los viajeros en desiertos y países bárbaros.
How I have lived I hardly know; many times have I stretched my failing limbs upon the sandy plain and prayed for death.
Cómo he sobrevivido apenas lo sé; muchas veces he tendido mis exhaustos miembros sobre la llanura arenosa y he rogado por la muerte.
But revenge kept me alive; I dared not die and leave my adversary in being.
Pero la venganza me mantuvo con vida; no me atrevía a morir y dejar a mi adversario en el mundo.
When I quitted Geneva my first labour was to gain some clue by which I might trace the steps of my fiendish enemy.
Cuando abandoné Ginebra, mi primera tarea fue obtener alguna pista que me permitiera rastrear los pasos de mi diabólico enemigo.
But my plan was unsettled, and I wandered many hours round the confines of the town, uncertain what path I should pursue.
Pero mi plan no estaba definido, y deambulé durante muchas horas por los alrededores de la ciudad, sin saber qué camino debía seguir.
As night approached I found myself at the entrance of the cemetery where William, Elizabeth, and my father reposed.
Al caer la noche me encontré a la entrada del cementerio donde reposaban William, Elizabeth y mi padre.
Vocabulary
- situación
- A set of circumstances or conditions someone is in
- actual
- Current or present, referring to the existing state
- era
- Past tense of 'to be'; was or existed at that time
- tal
- Such, so, or of that kind; used for emphasis
- todo
- Every, all, or everything without exception
- pensamiento
- A thought or idea formed in the mind
- voluntario
- Done willingly or freely, without being forced
- quedaba
- Remained or stayed in a particular state or place
- absorbido
- Fully consumed or engrossed by something completely
- perdido
- Lost, gone astray, or unable to be found
- arrastraba
- Was dragging or pulling someone along forcefully
- furia
- Intense, violent anger or rage
- solo
- Only, alone, or by oneself without others
- venganza
- The act of seeking revenge against someone
- dotaba
- Endowed or provided someone with a quality or ability
- fuerza
- Physical or mental strength and power
- compostura
- Calmness and self-control in difficult situations
- moldeaba
- Was shaping or forming something into a specific form
- sentimientos
- Emotions or feelings experienced by a person
- permitía
- Allowed or permitted something to happen or exist
- ser
- Infinitive verb meaning to be permanently or essentially
- calculador
- Deliberately scheming or coldly strategic in behavior
- sereno
- Calm, peaceful, and undisturbed in manner
- momentos
- Short periods or instances of time
- otro
- Another or other, referring to a different thing
- modo
- A way, manner, or method of doing something
- delirio
- A state of wild, frenzied confusion or madness
- muerte
- The end of life; the state of being dead
- habrían
- Conditional perfect auxiliary: would have been or occurred
- sido
- Past participle of ser, meaning been
- destino
- One's fate, destiny, or intended destination
- primera
- First in order, rank, or sequence; feminine form
- resolución
- A firm decision or determination to do something
- fue
- Third person singular preterite of ser or ir; was or went
- abandonar
- To leave behind or desert a place or person
- siempre
- Always or forever, at all times
- país
- A nation or country with its own government
- cuando
- Conjunction or adverb meaning when in time
- feliz
- Happy, content, or pleased with one's circumstances
- querido
- Beloved, dear, or cherished by someone
- entrañable
- Deeply cherished, heartfelt, or warmly affectionate
- ahora
- At the present moment; now
- adversidad
- Difficult or unfavorable circumstances; hardship
- había
- Auxiliary verb had; third person imperfect of haber
- vuelto
- Past participle of volver; become or returned
- odioso
- Causing hatred or extreme dislike; hateful
- procuré
- Obtained or secured something with effort and intent
- suma
- A total amount of money or numbers combined
- dinero
- Money used for buying goods and services
- junto
- Together with or alongside something else
- algunas
- Some, a few; feminine plural of algún
- joyas
- Pieces of jewelry or precious ornamental items
- habían
- Third person plural pluperfect of haber; had
- pertenecido
- Past participle of pertenecer; belonged to someone
- madre
- A female parent; one's mother
- partí
- First person preterite of partir; I departed or left
- así
- In this way or manner; thus or so
- comenzaron
- Third person plural preterite; they began or started
- andanzas
- Adventures, wanderings, or roaming experiences
- han
- Third person plural present of haber; have
- cesar
- To stop or cease doing something completely
- sino
- Conjunction meaning but rather, used after negation
- vida
- The existence of a living being; life
- He
- First person singular present of haber; I have
- recorrido
- Traveled through or covered a distance or area
- vasta
- Extremely large or extensive in size or range
- porción
- A part or section of a larger whole
- tierra
- Land, earth, or ground; also meaning the world
- soportado
- Endured or tolerated something difficult or painful
- todas
- All or every, feminine plural form
- penalidades
- Hardships, sufferings, or difficult trials endured
- suelen
- Usually or commonly do something; third person plural
- encontrar
- To find or come across someone or something
- viajeros
- Travelers or people journeying from place to place
- desiertos
- Arid, barren lands with little water or vegetation
- países
- Nations or countries; plural of país
- bárbaros
- Uncivilized, savage, or culturally primitive peoples
- Cómo
- Interrogative adverb meaning how
- sobrevivido
- Past participle of sobrevivir; survived something dangerous
- apenas
- Hardly, scarcely, or barely; just barely enough
- sé
- First person singular of saber; I know
- muchas
- Many or a lot of; feminine plural form
- veces
- Times or occasions; plural of vez
- tendido
- Stretched out or laid down flat on a surface
- exhaustos
- Completely worn out or drained of energy
- miembros
- Limbs of the body or members of a group
- sobre
- Preposition meaning on top of or above
- llanura
- A flat, open stretch of land; a plain
- arenosa
- Sandy, consisting of or covered with sand
- rogado
- Past participle of rogar; begged or pleaded with
- mantuvo
- Third person preterite of mantener; maintained or kept
- atrevía
- Dared or ventured to do something bold
- morir
- To die; to cease living
- dejar
- To leave, let, or allow something or someone
- adversario
- An opponent, rival, or enemy one struggles against
- mundo
- The world or earth as a whole
- Cuando
- Conjunction meaning when, at the time that
- abandoné
- First person preterite of abandonar; I abandoned or left
- tarea
- A task, assignment, or job to be completed
- obtener
- To obtain or get something desired or needed
- alguna
- Some or any; feminine singular of alguno
- pista
- A clue, lead, or trace helping find something
- permitiera
- Imperfect subjunctive of permitir; would allow or permit
- rastrear
- To track, trace, or follow a trail or path
- pasos
- Steps, footsteps, or paces taken while moving
- diabólico
- Diabolical, extremely evil, or devilish in nature
- enemigo
- An enemy or foe who opposes or harms you
- plan
- A scheme or strategy devised to achieve a goal
- estaba
- Imperfect of estar; was in a state or place
- definido
- Clearly defined, decided, or firmly established
- deambulé
- I wandered or roamed aimlessly without direction
- durante
- Preposition meaning during or for a period of time
- horas
- Hours; units of time equal to sixty minutes
- alrededores
- Surroundings or outskirts of a place or city
- ciudad
- A large town or urban settlement; a city
- sin
- Preposition meaning without or lacking something
- saber
- To know facts or information; to be aware
- qué
- Interrogative pronoun meaning what
- camino
- A road, path, or way to travel somewhere
- debía
- Should, ought to, or was supposed to do
- seguir
- To follow, continue, or keep going in a direction
- Al
- Contraction of a + el, meaning at the or upon
- caer
- To fall or drop; to descend downward
- noche
- The period of darkness between sunset and sunrise
- encontré
- First person preterite of encontrar; I found or encountered
- entrada
- An entrance or entry point to a place
- cementerio
- A graveyard or burial ground for the deceased
- donde
- Relative adverb meaning where or in which place
- reposaban
- Were resting or lying at rest; imperfect of reposar
- padre
- A male parent; one's father
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