Heart of Darkness — Page 1
Heart of Darkness
El corazón de las tinieblas
by Joseph Conrad
por Joseph Conrad
Contents
Contenido
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II
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III
III
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I
The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest.
El Nellie, un yawl de crucero, giró hacia su ancla sin un aleteo de las velas, y quedó en reposo.
The flood had made, the wind was nearly calm, and being bound down the river, the only thing for it was to come to and wait for the turn of the tide.
La marea había crecido, el viento estaba casi en calma, y estando rumbo río abajo, lo único que cabía hacer era detenerse y esperar el cambio de marea.
The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us like the beginning of an interminable waterway.
El tramo marino del Támesis se extendía ante nosotros como el comienzo de una vía fluvial interminable.
In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint, and in the luminous space the tanned sails of the barges drifting up with the tide seemed to stand still in red clusters of canvas sharply peaked, with gleams of varnished sprits.
En la lejanía el mar y el cielo se fundían sin costura alguna, y en el espacio luminoso las velas bronceadas de las barcazas que derivaban con la marea parecían detenerse en racimos rojos de lona con picos pronunciados, con destellos de botalones barnizados.
A haze rested on the low shores that ran out to sea in vanishing flatness.
Una neblina reposaba sobre las orillas bajas que se adentraban en el mar en una llanura que se desvanecía.
The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth.
El aire era oscuro sobre Gravesend, y más atrás aún parecía condensarse en una penumbra lúgubre, cernida inmóvil sobre la ciudad más grande y más importante de la tierra.
The Director of Companies was our captain and our host.
El Director de Empresas era nuestro capitán y nuestro anfitrión.
We four affectionately watched his back as he stood in the bows looking to seaward.
Los cuatro lo observábamos con afecto de espaldas mientras estaba de pie en la proa mirando hacia el mar.
On the whole river there was nothing that looked half so nautical.
En todo el río no había nada que tuviera ni la mitad de ese aspecto náutico.
He resembled a pilot, which to a seaman is trustworthiness personified.
Se parecía a un práctico, que para un marinero es la confianza personificada.
It was difficult to realize his work was not out there in the luminous estuary, but behind him, within the brooding gloom.
Era difícil comprender que su trabajo no estaba allá afuera en el luminoso estuario, sino detrás de él, dentro de la sombría penumbra.
Between us there was, as I have already said somewhere, the bond of the sea.
Entre nosotros existía, como ya he dicho en algún lugar, el vínculo del mar.
Vocabulary
- corazón
- Heart; also used metaphorically for courage or center
- tinieblas
- Darkness, shadows, or obscurity; often used figuratively
- Contenido
- Content or contents; what is contained within something
- crucero
- Cruise ship; also refers to a cruising voyage
- giró
- Turned or rotated; past tense of girar
- hacia
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'
- ancla
- Anchor; heavy device used to moor a vessel
- aleteo
- Flapping or fluttering, as of wings or sails
- velas
- Sails on a ship; also means candles
- quedó
- Remained or stayed; past tense of quedar
- reposo
- Rest or repose; state of stillness or inactivity
- marea
- Tide; regular rise and fall of sea level
- crecido
- Grown or risen; past participle of crecer
- viento
- Wind; movement of air in the atmosphere
- casi
- Almost or nearly; adverb of approximation
- calma
- Calm; state of tranquility or absence of wind
- rumbo
- Course or heading; direction of travel especially nautical
- río
- River; large natural stream of flowing water
- abajo
- Down or below; adverb indicating lower position or direction
- único
- Only or unique; the sole thing or person
- cabía
- Fit or was possible; imperfect past tense of caber
- detenerse
- To stop or halt oneself; reflexive infinitive verb
- esperar
- To wait or to hope; common infinitive verb
- cambio
- Change or shift; alteration from one state to another
- tramo
- Stretch or section; segment of a road, river, or path
- marino
- Marine or nautical; relating to the sea
- extendía
- Extended or stretched out; imperfect past tense of extender
- ante
- Before or in front of; preposition of position
- comienzo
- Beginning or start; the initial point of something
- vía
- Way, route, or waterway; path of travel
- fluvial
- Fluvial; relating to or found in rivers
- interminable
- Endless or interminable; seeming to have no end
- lejanía
- Distance or far-off place; a remote or faraway area
- mar
- Sea; large body of saltwater
- cielo
- Sky or heaven; the expanse above the earth
- fundían
- Merged or blended; imperfect past tense of fundir
- costura
- Seam or stitching; line joining two pieces of fabric
- espacio
- Space; open area or expanse
- luminoso
- Luminous or bright; emitting or reflecting much light
- bronceadas
- Bronzed or tanned; having a bronze-like color
- barcazas
- Barges; large flat-bottomed boats for carrying cargo
- derivaban
- Drifted; imperfect past tense of derivar
- racimos
- Clusters or bunches; groups of items hanging together
- rojos
- Red; masculine plural adjective describing color
- lona
- Canvas or tarpaulin; heavy durable fabric material
- picos
- Peaks or tips; pointed tops or ends of objects
- pronunciados
- Pronounced or sharp; strongly marked or accentuated features
- destellos
- Glints or flashes; brief bright bursts of light
- botalones
- Booms or spars; poles extending from a ship's mast
- barnizados
- Varnished; coated with a shiny protective lacquer
- neblina
- Mist or haze; light fog obscuring visibility
- reposaba
- Rested or lay; imperfect past tense of reposar
- orillas
- Banks or shores; edges of a river, lake, or sea
- bajas
- Low; feminine plural adjective describing height
- adentraban
- Penetrated or went deep into; imperfect past of adentrarse
- llanura
- Plain; large flat stretch of open land
- desvanecía
- Faded or vanished; imperfect past tense of desvanecer
- aire
- Air; the invisible gaseous mixture surrounding the earth
- oscuro
- Dark or obscure; lacking light or clarity
- atrás
- Behind or back; adverb indicating position to the rear
- aún
- Still or yet; adverb indicating continuation or emphasis
- condensarse
- To condense; to gather or thicken into denser form
- penumbra
- Penumbra or semi-darkness; partial shadow or dim light
- lúgubre
- Gloomy or dismal; having a mournful somber atmosphere
- cernida
- Hovering or looming; suspended overhead in a threatening way
- inmóvil
- Motionless or still; not moving at all
- ciudad
- City; large urban settlement or municipality
- tierra
- Land or earth; solid ground as opposed to sea
- Director
- Director or manager; person in charge of an organization
- Empresas
- Companies or enterprises; business organizations
- capitán
- Captain; commander of a ship or leader of a group
- anfitrión
- Host; person who receives and entertains guests
- observábamos
- We observed; imperfect past tense of observar
- afecto
- Affection; warm feeling of fondness toward someone
- espaldas
- Backs; the rear part of the human torso
- mientras
- While or whereas; conjunction indicating simultaneous actions
- pie
- Foot; lower extremity of the leg; also base of something
- proa
- Bow; the front part of a ship or boat
- mirando
- Looking or watching; gerund of mirar
- mitad
- Half; one of two equal parts of something
- aspecto
- Aspect or appearance; the way something looks or seems
- náutico
- Nautical; relating to ships, sailing, or navigation
- práctico
- Practical; useful in practice; also a harbor pilot
- marinero
- Sailor or seaman; person who works on a ship
- confianza
- Trust or confidence; firm belief in reliability of someone
- personificada
- Personified; embodied in a person as its perfect example
- difícil
- Difficult or hard; not easy to do or understand
- comprender
- To understand or comprehend; to grasp the meaning of
- trabajo
- Work or job; activity done to earn a living
- allá
- Over there; adverb indicating a distant place
- afuera
- Outside or outdoors; adverb indicating exterior location
- estuario
- Estuary; tidal mouth where river meets the sea
- sino
- But rather; conjunction used after a negative statement
- detrás
- Behind or in back of; adverb or preposition of position
- dentro
- Inside or within; adverb indicating interior position
- sombría
- Gloomy or somber; dark and depressing in tone
- existía
- Existed; imperfect past tense of existir
- lugar
- Place or location; a specific spot or area
- vínculo
- Bond or link; connection tying people or things together
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