Great Expectations — Page 7
"I wish I was a frog. Or a eel!"
«¡Ojalá fuera una rana. O una anguila!»
At the same time, he hugged his shuddering body in both his arms,—clasping himself, as if to hold himself together,—and limped towards the low church wall.
Al mismo tiempo, estrechó su tembloroso cuerpo con ambos brazos, —aferrándose a sí mismo, como si quisiera mantenerse unido,— y cojeó hacia el bajo muro de la iglesia.
As I saw him go, picking his way among the nettles, and among the brambles that bound the green mounds, he looked in my young eyes as if he were eluding the hands of the dead people, stretching up cautiously out of their graves, to get a twist upon his ankle and pull him in.
Al verlo alejarse, abriéndose paso entre las ortigas y entre las zarzas que rodeaban los montículos verdes, me pareció a mis jóvenes ojos como si estuviera esquivando las manos de los muertos, que se extendían cautelosamente desde sus tumbas para enroscarse en su tobillo y arrastrarlo hacia dentro.
When he came to the low church wall, he got over it, like a man whose legs were numbed and stiff, and then turned round to look for me.
Cuando llegó al bajo muro de la iglesia, lo cruzó como un hombre con las piernas entumecidas y rígidas, y luego se volvió para buscarme.
When I saw him turning, I set my face towards home, and made the best use of my legs.
Cuando lo vi girarse, dirigí mi rostro hacia casa y eché a correr cuanto pude.
But presently I looked over my shoulder, and saw him going on again towards the river, still hugging himself in both arms, and picking his way with his sore feet among the great stones dropped into the marshes here and there, for stepping-places when the rains were heavy or the tide was in.
Pero poco después miré por encima de mi hombro y lo vi avanzar de nuevo hacia el río, todavía estrechándose con ambos brazos, y abriéndose paso con sus doloridos pies entre las grandes piedras depositadas aquí y allá en los pantanos, a modo de pisaderas cuando las lluvias eran fuertes o subía la marea.
The marshes were just a long black horizontal line then, as I stopped to look after him; and the river was just another horizontal line, not nearly so broad nor yet so black; and the sky was just a row of long angry red lines and dense black lines intermixed.
Los pantanos eran entonces tan solo una larga línea negra horizontal, mientras me detuve a observarlo; y el río era tan solo otra línea horizontal, no tan ancha ni tan negra; y el cielo era tan solo una hilera de largas líneas rojas furiosas y densas líneas negras entremezcladas.
Vocabulary
- Ojalá
- Expresses a wish or hope; means hopefully or I wish.
- fuera
- Past subjunctive of ser/ir; were or would be.
- rana
- A small amphibian that lives near water; frog.
- anguila
- A long snake-like fish living in water; eel.
- mismo
- Adjective meaning same or very, identical.
- tiempo
- Noun meaning time or weather.
- estrechó
- Past tense of estrechar; hugged tightly or squeezed.
- tembloroso
- Adjective describing something shaking or trembling.
- cuerpo
- Noun referring to the physical body of a person.
- ambos
- Adjective or pronoun meaning both of two things.
- brazos
- Plural noun referring to the arms of a body.
- aferrándose
- Gerund of aferrarse; clinging tightly to something.
- sí
- Reflexive pronoun meaning himself, herself, or itself.
- quisiera
- Past subjunctive of querer; would want or wished to.
- mantenerse
- Reflexive verb meaning to keep oneself or stay together.
- unido
- Past participle of unir; united, joined, or together.
- cojeó
- Past tense of cojear; limped or walked with a limp.
- hacia
- Preposition meaning toward or in the direction of.
- bajo
- Adjective meaning low; also preposition meaning under.
- muro
- Noun meaning a wall, especially an exterior stone wall.
- iglesia
- Noun meaning church, a place of Christian worship.
- verlo
- Infinitive ver plus pronoun lo; to see him or it.
- alejarse
- Reflexive verb meaning to move away or distance oneself.
- abriéndose
- Gerund of abrirse; opening or making one's way through.
- paso
- Noun meaning step or passage; also third person of pasar.
- entre
- Preposition meaning between or among.
- ortigas
- Plural noun for stinging nettles, prickly wild plants.
- zarzas
- Plural noun meaning brambles or thorny bushes.
- rodeaban
- Imperfect of rodear; surrounded or encircled something.
- montículos
- Plural noun meaning small mounds or hillocks of earth.
- verdes
- Plural adjective meaning green in color.
- pareció
- Past tense of parecer; seemed or appeared to someone.
- jóvenes
- Plural adjective or noun meaning young or young people.
- ojos
- Plural noun meaning eyes, the organs of sight.
- estuviera
- Past subjunctive of estar; were or might be.
- esquivando
- Gerund of esquivar; dodging or avoiding something.
- manos
- Plural noun meaning hands, the ends of the arms.
- muertos
- Plural noun or adjective meaning dead people or dead.
- extendían
- Imperfect of extender; stretched out or extended.
- cautelosamente
- Adverb meaning cautiously or carefully.
- desde
- Preposition meaning from or since a point in time.
- tumbas
- Plural noun meaning graves or tombs in a cemetery.
- enroscarse
- Reflexive verb meaning to coil or wrap around something.
- tobillo
- Noun meaning ankle, the joint connecting foot and leg.
- arrastrarlo
- Infinitive arrastar plus pronoun; to drag him or it.
- dentro
- Adverb meaning inside or within.
- Cuando
- Conjunction meaning when, introducing a time clause.
- llegó
- Past tense of llegar; arrived or reached a place.
- cruzó
- Past tense of cruzar; crossed or went across something.
- hombre
- Noun meaning man, an adult male person.
- piernas
- Plural noun meaning legs, limbs used for walking.
- entumecidas
- Plural adjective meaning numb or stiff from cold or pain.
- rígidas
- Plural adjective meaning rigid, stiff, or inflexible.
- luego
- Adverb meaning then, afterward, or later.
- volvió
- Past tense of volver; returned or came back.
- buscarme
- Infinitive buscar plus pronoun; to look for me.
- vi
- First person past tense of ver; I saw.
- girarse
- Reflexive verb meaning to turn around or rotate.
- dirigí
- First person past tense of dirigir; I directed or turned.
- rostro
- Noun meaning face, especially with an expressive connotation.
- casa
- Noun meaning house or home.
- eché
- First person past tense of echar; I started or threw.
- correr
- Infinitive meaning to run or to flow.
- cuanto
- Pronoun or adjective meaning as much as or how much.
- pude
- First person past tense of poder; I could or was able.
- Pero
- Coordinating conjunction meaning but.
- poco
- Adjective or adverb meaning little or a small amount.
- después
- Adverb meaning afterward, later, or after.
- miré
- First person past tense of mirar; I looked or watched.
- encima
- Adverb meaning above, on top, or overhead.
- hombro
- Noun meaning shoulder, part of the upper body.
- avanzar
- Infinitive meaning to advance or move forward.
- nuevo
- Adjective meaning new or again when used in de nuevo.
- río
- Noun meaning river, a large natural waterway.
- todavía
- Adverb meaning still or yet, indicating continuation.
- estrechándose
- Gerund of estrecharse; hugging or pressing oneself tightly.
- doloridos
- Plural adjective meaning sore, aching, or painful.
- pies
- Plural noun meaning feet, the lower extremities.
- grandes
- Plural adjective meaning large, big, or great.
- piedras
- Plural noun meaning stones or rocks.
- depositadas
- Plural past participle of depositar; placed or deposited.
- aquí
- Adverb meaning here, in this place.
- allá
- Adverb meaning there, over there, at a distance.
- pantanos
- Plural noun meaning swamps, marshes, or boggy areas.
- modo
- Noun meaning way, manner, or mode of doing something.
- pisaderas
- Plural noun meaning stepping stones used to cross water.
- cuando
- Conjunction meaning when, introducing a time clause.
- lluvias
- Plural noun meaning rains or rainfalls.
- eran
- Third person plural imperfect of ser; they were.
- fuertes
- Plural adjective meaning strong, heavy, or intense.
- subía
- Imperfect of subir; rose, went up, or was rising.
- marea
- Noun meaning tide, the rise and fall of seawater.
- entonces
- Adverb meaning then, at that time, or therefore.
- tan
- Adverb meaning so or as, used in comparisons.
- solo
- Adjective or adverb meaning alone, only, or just.
- larga
- Feminine adjective meaning long in length or duration.
- línea
- Noun meaning line, a long narrow mark or stripe.
- negra
- Feminine adjective meaning black in color.
- horizontal
- Adjective meaning horizontal, flat and parallel to ground.
- mientras
- Conjunction meaning while or as long as.
- detuve
- First person past tense of detener; I stopped or halted.
- observarlo
- Infinitive observar plus pronoun; to observe or watch him.
- era
- Third person singular imperfect of ser; was or used to be.
- otra
- Feminine adjective or pronoun meaning another or other.
- ancha
- Feminine adjective meaning wide or broad.
- ni
- Conjunction meaning nor or neither, used in negation.
- cielo
- Noun meaning sky or heaven.
- hilera
- Noun meaning row or line of people or objects.
- largas
- Plural feminine adjective meaning long in length.
- líneas
- Plural noun meaning lines or stripes.
- rojas
- Plural feminine adjective meaning red in color.
- furiosas
- Plural feminine adjective meaning furious, fierce, or wild.
- densas
- Plural feminine adjective meaning dense, thick, or heavy.
- negras
- Plural feminine adjective meaning black in color.
- entremezcladas
- Plural past participle meaning intermixed or interspersed together.
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