Great Expectations — Page 7
"I wish I was a frog. Or a eel!"
"Tôi ước gì mình là con ếch. Hoặc là con lươn!"
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.
Cùng lúc đó, ông ta ôm chặt cái thân xác đang run rẩy của mình bằng cả hai tay,—siết chặt bản thân, như thể để giữ mình khỏi tan rã,—rồi khập khiễng tiến về phía bức tường thấp của nhà thờ.
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.
Khi tôi nhìn ông ta đi, dò từng bước giữa những cây tầm ma và những bụi gai bao quanh các gò đất xanh, ông ta hiện ra trong đôi mắt non nớt của tôi như thể đang né tránh những bàn tay của người chết, đang thận trọng vươn lên từ những ngôi mộ, để nắm lấy mắt cá chân ông ta và kéo ông ta xuống.
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.
Khi ông ta đến bức tường thấp của nhà thờ, ông ta trèo qua nó, như một người có đôi chân tê liệt và cứng đờ, rồi quay lại nhìn tìm tôi.
When I saw him turning, I set my face towards home, and made the best use of my legs.
Khi tôi thấy ông ta quay lại, tôi hướng mặt về phía nhà và cố sức chạy thật nhanh.
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.
Nhưng chốc lát sau tôi nhìn qua vai, và thấy ông ta lại tiếp tục đi về phía con sông, vẫn còn ôm chặt bản thân bằng cả hai tay, và dò từng bước với đôi chân đau nhức giữa những tảng đá lớn rải rác trong đầm lầy, dùng làm chỗ đặt chân khi mưa to hay khi thủy triều dâng lên.
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.
Lúc đó đầm lầy chỉ là một đường ngang dài màu đen, khi tôi dừng lại nhìn theo ông ta; và con sông cũng chỉ là một đường ngang khác, không rộng bằng mà cũng không đen bằng; và bầu trời chỉ là một dãy những đường đỏ dài giận dữ và những đường đen dày đặc xen lẫn nhau.
Vocabulary
- Tôi
- First person singular pronoun meaning I or me
- ước
- To wish or desire something strongly
- gì
- Interrogative or indefinite pronoun meaning what or anything
- mình
- Reflexive pronoun meaning oneself or informal I
- là
- Linking verb meaning to be
- con
- Classifier for animals or children
- ếch
- A small amphibian animal, a frog
- Hoặc
- Conjunction meaning or indicating an alternative
- lươn
- A long snake-like freshwater fish, an eel
- Cùng
- Together with or at the same time
- lúc
- A moment or point in time
- đó
- Demonstrative meaning that or there
- ông
- Respectful term for an older man or grandfather
- ta
- Third person pronoun or emphatic we or he
- ôm
- To hug or embrace someone or something
- chặt
- Tightly or firmly gripping something
- cái
- General classifier for objects or things
- thân
- Body or trunk of a person or thing
- xác
- A corpse or physical body of a dead being
- đang
- Progressive aspect marker indicating ongoing action
- run
- To tremble or shake from fear or cold
- rẩy
- To shiver or quiver uncontrollably
- của
- Possessive preposition meaning of or belonging to
- bằng
- Using or made of a material; by means of
- cả
- All or both indicating entirety
- hai
- The number two
- tay
- Hand or arm of a person
- siết
- To squeeze or tighten grip on something
- bản
- Version, copy, or original form of something
- như
- As or like making a comparison
- thể
- Form or manner; used in như thể meaning as if
- để
- In order to; indicating purpose or placement
- giữ
- To hold, keep, or maintain something
- khỏi
- Away from or to prevent something from happening
- tan
- To dissolve, disperse, or fall apart
- rã
- To disintegrate or crumble into pieces
- rồi
- Already or then indicating completion or sequence
- khập
- Part of khập khiễng meaning to limp unevenly
- khiễng
- Part of khập khiễng describing a limping gait
- tiến
- To advance or move forward toward something
- về
- Toward or about returning to a place
- phía
- Direction or side indicating orientation
- bức
- Classifier for walls, paintings, or letters
- tường
- A wall of a building or structure
- thấp
- Low in height or short in stature
- nhà
- House or home; also used for buildings
- thờ
- To worship; nhà thờ means church or temple
- Khi
- When indicating a point or period in time
- tôi
- First person singular pronoun meaning I or me
- nhìn
- To look at or observe something visually
- đi
- To go or walk; directional complement
- dò
- To probe or feel one's way cautiously
- từng
- Each or every one at a time; formerly
- bước
- A step or footstep taken while walking
- giữa
- In the middle of or between two things
- những
- Plural marker for nouns indicating several things
- cây
- Tree or plant; classifier for long thin objects
- tầm
- Range or level; part of tầm ma meaning nettle plant
- ma
- Ghost or spirit; tầm ma refers to nettle plant
- và
- Conjunction meaning and connecting two elements
- bụi
- Dust or a bush or shrub
- gai
- Thorn or spine on a plant
- bao
- To surround or cover; how many or much
- quanh
- Around or surrounding an area or object
- các
- Plural marker for definite or specific nouns
- gò
- A mound or small hill of earth
- đất
- Earth, soil, or land
- xanh
- Green or blue color depending on context
- hiện
- To appear or be present; current or now
- ra
- Out or outward directional complement
- trong
- Inside or in; also means clear or transparent
- đôi
- A pair or couple of things
- mắt
- Eye or eyes of a person or animal
- non
- Young, tender, or inexperienced
- nớt
- Immature or very young; used with non meaning naive
- né
- To dodge or avoid something quickly
- tránh
- To avoid or evade a person or situation
- bàn
- Table or to discuss; classifier for hands
- người
- Person or human being; people in general
- chết
- Dead or to die; deceased
- thận
- Careful or cautious; also kidney organ
- trọng
- Important or careful; thận trọng means cautious
- vươn
- To stretch out or reach upward toward something
- lên
- Upward directional complement meaning up or rise
- từ
- From indicating origin or starting point
- ngôi
- Classifier for tombs, houses, or stars
- mộ
- A grave or tomb for a deceased person
- nắm
- To grasp or hold tightly in the hand
- lấy
- To take or grab something; get hold of
- cá
- Fish or a fish as food or animal
- chân
- Foot or leg of a person or animal
- kéo
- To pull or drag something toward oneself
- xuống
- Downward directional complement meaning down or descend
- đến
- To arrive at or reach; until or up to
- trèo
- To climb up a tree, wall, or structure
- qua
- Through or past; across something
- nó
- Third person pronoun meaning it, he, or she
- một
- The number one; a or an indefinite article
- có
- To have or exist; there is or are
- tê
- Numb or paralyzed without feeling or sensation
- liệt
- Paralyzed or immobilized; tê liệt means paralysis
- cứng
- Hard, stiff, or rigid to the touch
- đờ
- Stupefied or dazed; cứng đờ means completely stiff
- quay
- To turn around or rotate in a direction
- lại
- Again or back; returning to previous state
- tìm
- To search for or look for something
- thấy
- To see or find something; to perceive
- hướng
- Direction or orientation toward a place
- mặt
- Face or surface of a person or object
- cố
- To try hard or make an effort to do
- sức
- Strength or energy; cố sức means with all effort
- chạy
- To run or move quickly on foot
- thật
- Really or truly; genuine or actual
- nhanh
- Fast or quick in movement or action
- Nhưng
- Conjunction meaning but indicating contrast
- chốc
- A short moment or brief period of time
- lát
- A little while; chốc lát means a short moment
- sau
- After or behind in time or position
- vai
- Shoulder of a person; also a role or part
- tiếp
- To continue or receive; next in sequence
- tục
- To continue; tiếp tục means to keep going
- sông
- A river or large flowing body of water
- vẫn
- Still or yet indicating continuation of state
- còn
- Still remaining or yet; also and moreover
- với
- With or together with someone or something
- đau
- Pain or ache; to hurt or feel sore
- nhức
- Aching or throbbing pain; đau nhức means aching pain
- tảng
- A large chunk or slab, often of stone
- đá
- Stone or rock; also to kick something
- lớn
- Large or big in size or age
- rải
- To scatter or spread out over a surface
- rác
- Garbage or trash; rải rác means scattered about
- đầm
- A pond or marshy wetland area
- lầy
- Muddy or boggy; đầm lầy means swamp or marsh
- dùng
- To use or employ something for a purpose
- làm
- To do or make; to work or act as
- chỗ
- A place, spot, or location
- đặt
- To place or set something down somewhere
- khi
- When indicating a time or occasion
- mưa
- Rain or to rain as weather
- to
- Large or loud; big in size or volume
- hay
- Or; also means interesting or often
- thủy
- Water related; thủy triều means tidal water
- triều
- Tide or dynasty; thủy triều means ocean tide
- dâng
- To rise up or offer as a tribute
- Lúc
- At the time of; a moment or point in time
- chỉ
- Only or just; also to point at something
- đường
- Road, path, or way; also means sugar
- ngang
- Horizontal or across; level or sideways
- dài
- Long in length or duration
- màu
- Color or shade of something
- đen
- Black in color
- dừng
- To stop or halt movement or action
- theo
- To follow or according to something
- cũng
- Also or too; likewise indicating addition
- khác
- Different or other; another thing or person
- không
- No or not; negation in Vietnamese
- rộng
- Wide or spacious; broad in extent
- mà
- But or yet; connective showing contrast or emphasis
- bầu
- Round or spherical; bầu trời means sky
- trời
- Sky or heaven; also refers to weather
- dãy
- A row, range, or series of things
- đỏ
- Red in color
- giận
- Angry or furious with someone or something
- dữ
- Fierce or ferocious; giận dữ means furiously angry
- dày
- Thick in width or density
- đặc
- Dense or thick; dày đặc means very dense
- xen
- To intersperse or mix in among other things
- lẫn
- Mixed together with or confused among things
- nhau
- Each other or one another; mutually
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