Light O' the Morning: The Story of an Irish Girl — Page 2
Hannah was making for the cabin with rapid, waddling strides.
Hannah se dirigía a la cabaña con pasos rápidos y bamboleantes.
Nora stood in the middle of the broad sweep which led up to the front door of the old house.
Nora estaba de pie en el centro del amplio camino que conducía hasta la puerta principal de la vieja casa.
Castle O'Shanaghgan was a typical Irish home of the ancient régime.
El castillo O'Shanaghgan era un hogar irlandés típico del antiguo régimen.
The house, a great square pile, was roomy and spacious; it had innumerable staircases, and long passages through which the wind shrieked on stormy nights, and a great castellated tower at its north end.
La casa, una gran mole cuadrada, era amplia y espaciosa; tenía innumerables escaleras y largos pasillos por los que el viento aullaba en las noches tormentosas, y una gran torre almenada en su extremo norte.
This tower was in ruins, and had been given up a long time ago to the exclusive tenancy of the bats, the owls, and rats so large and fierce that the very dogs were afraid of them.
Esta torre estaba en ruinas y hacía mucho tiempo había sido cedida al uso exclusivo de los murciélagos, los búhos y las ratas, tan grandes y feroces que hasta los propios perros les tenían miedo.
In the tower at night the neighbors affirmed that they heard shrieks and ghostly noises; and Nora, whose bedroom was nearest to it, rejoiced much in the distinction of having twice heard the O'Shanaghgan Banshee keening outside her window.
Por las noches, los vecinos afirmaban escuchar en la torre gritos y ruidos fantasmales; y Nora, cuyo dormitorio era el más cercano a ella, se enorgullecía enormemente de haber escuchado dos veces el lamento de la Banshee de O'Shanaghgan fuera de su ventana.
Nora was a slender, tall, and very graceful girl of about seventeen, and her face was as typical of the true, somewhat wild, Irish beauty as Hannah Croneen's was the reverse.
Nora era una chica esbelta, alta y muy elegante de unos diecisiete años, y su rostro era tan típico de la auténtica belleza irlandesa, algo salvaje, como el de Hannah Croneen era todo lo contrario.
In the southwest of Ireland there are traces of Spanish as well as Celtic blood in many of its women; and Nora's quantities of thick, soft, intensely black hair must have come to her from a Spanish ancestor.
En el suroeste de Irlanda se aprecian rasgos de sangre española además de celta en muchas de sus mujeres; y la abundante cabellera de Nora, gruesa, suave e intensamente negra, debía de haberle venido de algún antepasado español.
Vocabulary
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive or reciprocal verbs
- dirigía
- Was heading or moving toward a specific place
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at'
- la
- Definite article, feminine singular, meaning 'the'
- cabaña
- A small rustic shelter or cabin in the countryside
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with,' indicating accompaniment or manner
- pasos
- Steps or strides taken while walking
- rápidos
- Fast or quick in speed or movement
- y
- Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses
- bamboleantes
- Swaying or rocking from side to side while moving
- estaba
- Past tense of 'estar,' meaning 'was' in a state
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of,' 'from,' or 'about'
- pie
- Foot, the lower extremity of the leg
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at'
- el
- Definite article, masculine singular, meaning 'the'
- centro
- The middle or central point of a space or area
- del
- Contraction of 'de' and 'el,' meaning 'of the'
- amplio
- Wide, broad, or spacious in extent or size
- camino
- A road, path, or way leading somewhere
- que
- Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning 'that' or 'which'
- conducía
- Led or guided toward a particular destination
- hasta
- Preposition meaning 'until,' 'up to,' or 'as far as'
- puerta
- A door or gate providing entry to a building
- principal
- Main or primary, most important among others
- vieja
- Old or aged, describing something of great age
- casa
- A house or home where people live
- El
- Definite article, masculine singular, meaning 'the'
- castillo
- A castle, a large fortified medieval stone building
- era
- Past tense of 'ser,' meaning 'was' describing essence
- un
- Indefinite article, masculine singular, meaning 'a' or 'an'
- hogar
- A home or hearth, a place of family dwelling
- irlandés
- Irish, relating to Ireland or its culture and people
- típico
- Typical or characteristic of a particular place or culture
- antiguo
- Ancient or old, existing from a long time ago
- régimen
- A regime or system of rule, order, or government
- La
- Definite article, feminine singular, meaning 'the'
- una
- Indefinite article, feminine singular, meaning 'a' or 'an'
- gran
- Great or large in size, importance, or magnitude
- mole
- A massive, imposing bulk or solid structure
- cuadrada
- Square-shaped, having four equal sides and right angles
- espaciosa
- Spacious, having plenty of room or open space inside
- tenía
- Past tense of 'tener,' meaning 'had' or 'possessed'
- innumerables
- Countless or innumerable, too many to be counted
- escaleras
- Staircases or stairs used to move between floors
- largos
- Long in length or duration, extending a great distance
- pasillos
- Hallways or corridors connecting rooms in a building
- por
- Preposition meaning 'through,' 'by,' or 'along'
- los
- Definite article, masculine plural, meaning 'the'
- viento
- Wind, the natural movement of air outdoors
- aullaba
- Was howling, making a long loud wailing sound
- las
- Definite article, feminine plural, meaning 'the'
- noches
- Nights, the dark periods between sunset and sunrise
- tormentosas
- Stormy or turbulent, characterized by violent weather
- torre
- A tower, a tall narrow structure rising above a building
- almenada
- Battlemented, having parapets with alternating gaps for defense
- su
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'his,' 'her,' 'its,' or 'their'
- extremo
- The end or extreme point of something in space
- norte
- North, one of the four cardinal compass directions
- Esta
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this,' feminine singular form
- ruinas
- Ruins, the remains of a destroyed or decayed building
- hacía
- Past tense of 'hacer,' meaning 'had' in time expressions
- mucho
- Much or a lot, indicating a large amount or degree
- tiempo
- Time or weather, a general measure of duration
- había
- Past perfect auxiliary 'had,' used before past participles
- sido
- Past participle of 'ser,' meaning 'been'
- cedida
- Yielded or handed over to another's use or ownership
- al
- Contraction of 'a' and 'el,' meaning 'to the'
- uso
- Use or usage, the act of employing something purposefully
- exclusivo
- Exclusive, reserved for or limited to particular users
- murciélagos
- Bats, nocturnal flying mammals that navigate by echolocation
- búhos
- Owls, nocturnal birds of prey with large eyes
- ratas
- Rats, large rodents associated with dirty or old places
- tan
- So or as, used to indicate degree or comparison
- grandes
- Large or big in size or importance
- feroces
- Fierce or ferocious, extremely aggressive and dangerous
- propios
- Own, belonging to oneself or the subject mentioned
- perros
- Dogs, common domesticated animals kept as pets or guards
- les
- Indirect object pronoun meaning 'to them' or 'for them'
- tenían
- Past tense plural of 'tener,' meaning 'they had'
- miedo
- Fear or fright, an unpleasant emotion caused by danger
- Por
- Preposition meaning 'because of,' 'through,' or 'by'
- vecinos
- Neighbors, people living nearby in the same community
- afirmaban
- Were affirming or claiming something to be true
- escuchar
- To listen to or hear something attentively
- gritos
- Screams or shouts, loud cries expressing fear or excitement
- ruidos
- Noises or sounds, especially unpleasant or unexplained ones
- fantasmales
- Ghostly or phantomlike, resembling or relating to ghosts
- cuyo
- Relative possessive pronoun meaning 'whose' or 'of which'
- dormitorio
- A bedroom, the room used for sleeping in a house
- más
- More or most, indicating greater degree or quantity
- cercano
- Nearby or close, situated a short distance away
- ella
- She or her, third-person feminine singular pronoun
- enorgullecía
- Was proud of, feeling pride about a personal achievement
- enormemente
- Enormously or greatly, to a very large degree
- haber
- Auxiliary verb 'to have,' used in compound tenses
- escuchado
- Past participle of 'escuchar,' meaning 'listened' or 'heard'
- dos
- Two, the cardinal number between one and three
- veces
- Times or occasions, instances when something occurs
- lamento
- A lament or mournful cry expressing grief or sorrow
- fuera
- Outside of or beyond, indicating external position
- ventana
- A window, an opening in a wall admitting light
- chica
- A girl or young woman, informal term for female
- esbelta
- Slender or willowy, having a slim and graceful figure
- alta
- Tall or high, greater than average in height
- muy
- Very, an adverb intensifying an adjective or adverb
- elegante
- Elegant or graceful, stylish and refined in appearance
- unos
- About or approximately, used before numbers to estimate
- diecisiete
- Seventeen, the cardinal number between sixteen and eighteen
- años
- Years, units of time equal to twelve months each
- rostro
- A face or countenance, the front part of the head
- auténtica
- Authentic or genuine, truly representing its origin or nature
- belleza
- Beauty, the quality of being visually or aesthetically pleasing
- irlandesa
- Irish, of or belonging to Ireland or its people
- algo
- Something or somewhat, indicating an unspecified thing or degree
- salvaje
- Wild or untamed, having a fierce and natural quality
- como
- Like or as, used to make comparisons between things
- todo
- Everything or all, referring to the complete amount
- lo
- Neuter pronoun or article meaning 'it' or 'the thing'
- contrario
- Opposite or contrary, the reverse or opposing side
- En
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at' a place
- suroeste
- Southwest, the compass direction between south and west
- aprecian
- They appreciate or value, recognizing the worth of something
- rasgos
- Features or traits, distinguishing characteristics of a face
- sangre
- Blood, the red fluid circulating through the body
- española
- Spanish, of or relating to Spain or its culture
- además
- Furthermore or in addition to, adding extra information
- celta
- Celtic, relating to the ancient Celtic peoples of Europe
- muchas
- Many, a large number of, feminine plural form
- mujeres
- Women, adult female human beings
- abundante
- Abundant or plentiful, existing in very large quantities
- cabellera
- A full head of hair, especially long and thick hair
- gruesa
- Thick or dense, having great depth or mass
- suave
- Soft or smooth, gentle to the touch or sensation
- e
- Variant of 'y' meaning 'and,' used before 'i' sounds
- intensamente
- Intensely or deeply, to a very strong or extreme degree
- negra
- Black, the darkest color, absorbing all visible light
- debía
- Must have or should have, expressing obligation or deduction
- haberle
- To have come to her, auxiliary plus indirect pronoun
- venido
- Past participle of 'venir,' meaning 'come' or 'arrived'
- algún
- Some or any, referring to an unspecified person or thing
- antepasado
- An ancestor or forebearer from a previous generation
- español
- Spanish, relating to Spain or the Spanish language
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →