Middlemarch — Page 2
Many Theresas have been born who found for themselves no epic life wherein there was a constant unfolding of far-resonant action; perhaps only a life of mistakes, the offspring of a certain spiritual grandeur ill-matched with the meanness of opportunity; perhaps a tragic failure which found no sacred poet and sank unwept into oblivion.
Muchas Teresas han nacido que no encontraron para sí mismas una vida épica en la que hubiera un constante despliegue de acción de amplia resonancia; quizás solo una vida de errores, fruto de una cierta grandeza espiritual mal emparejada con la mezquindad de las oportunidades; quizás un fracaso trágico que no encontró ningún poeta sagrado y se hundió sin ser llorado en el olvido.
With dim lights and tangled circumstance they tried to shape their thought and deed in noble agreement; but after all, to common eyes their struggles seemed mere inconsistency and formlessness; for these later-born Theresas were helped by no coherent social faith and order which could perform the function of knowledge for the ardently willing soul.
Con luces tenues y circunstancias enredadas intentaron moldear su pensamiento y sus actos en noble concordancia; pero al fin y al cabo, a los ojos del común sus luchas parecían mera inconsistencia e informalidad; pues estas Teresas nacidas más tarde no fueron ayudadas por ninguna fe y orden social coherentes que pudieran cumplir la función del conocimiento para el alma ardientemente dispuesta.
Their ardor alternated between a vague ideal and the common yearning of womanhood; so that the one was disapproved as extravagance, and the other condemned as a lapse.
Su ardor alternaba entre un ideal vago y el anhelo común de la feminidad; de modo que el uno era desaprobado como extravagancia, y el otro condenado como un desliz.
Some have felt that these blundering lives are due to the inconvenient indefiniteness with which the Supreme Power has fashioned the natures of women: if there were one level of feminine incompetence as strict as the ability to count three and no more, the social lot of women might be treated with scientific certitude.
Algunos han considerado que estas vidas torpes se deben a la inconveniente indefinición con la que el Poder Supremo ha modelado la naturaleza de las mujeres: si hubiera un nivel de incompetencia femenina tan estricto como la capacidad de contar hasta tres y no más, la suerte social de las mujeres podría tratarse con certeza científica.
Meanwhile the indefiniteness remains, and the limits of variation are really much wider than any one would imagine from the sameness of women's coiffure and the favorite love-stories in prose and verse.
Mientras tanto, la indefinición persiste, y los límites de la variación son en realidad mucho más amplios de lo que nadie imaginaría a partir de la uniformidad del peinado de las mujeres y las historias de amor favoritas en prosa y verso.
Vocabulary
- Muchas
- Many (feminine plural); numerous women or things
- han
- Have (auxiliary verb, third person plural present)
- nacido
- Born; past participle of nacer
- que
- That; which; used as relative pronoun or conjunction
- no
- No; not; negation word
- encontraron
- Found; discovered (third person plural preterite)
- para
- For; toward; indicating purpose or direction
- sí
- Themselves; reflexive pronoun for emphasis or clarity
- mismas
- Same; identical (feminine plural form)
- una
- A; one (feminine indefinite article)
- vida
- Life; existence; period of living
- épica
- Epic; heroic narrative or grand in scale
- en
- In; on; at; preposition indicating location
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- hubiera
- Would have; past subjunctive of haber
- un
- A; one (masculine singular indefinite article)
- constante
- Constant; continuous; persistently occurring
- despliegue
- Display; deployment; unfolding or spreading out
- de
- Of; from; preposition showing possession or origin
- acción
- Action; deed; something done or performed
- amplia
- Wide; broad; extensive or spacious
- resonancia
- Resonance; echo; quality of sound vibration
- quizás
- Perhaps; maybe; possibly uncertain event
- solo
- Only; sole; alone or single
- errores
- Errors; mistakes; acts or beliefs incorrect
- fruto
- Fruit; result; product of labor or effort
- cierta
- Certain; sure; definite or particular
- grandeza
- Greatness; grandeur; nobility or high rank
- espiritual
- Spiritual; relating to spirit or soul
- mal
- Bad; evil; poorly (adverb or adjective)
- con
- With; accompanied by; in company of
- las
- The (feminine plural definite article)
- oportunidades
- Opportunities; favorable times for action
- fracaso
- Failure; lack of success in endeavor
- trágico
- Tragic; relating to tragedy or sorrow
- encontró
- Found; discovered (third person singular preterite)
- ningún
- No; not any; absence of something
- poeta
- Poet; person who writes poems or verses
- sagrado
- Sacred; holy; worthy of religious reverence
- se
- Himself; herself; reflexive pronoun third person
- hundió
- Sank; collapsed; went down or under
- sin
- Without; lacking; in absence of something
- ser
- To be; exist; fundamental state verb
- llorado
- Cried; mourned; wept in sorrow
- el
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- olvido
- Forgetfulness; oblivion; state of being forgotten
- Con
- With; accompanied by; in company of
- luces
- Lights; illumination; intellectual abilities or insights
- circunstancias
- Circumstances; situations; conditions surrounding event
- intentaron
- Attempted; tried; made effort to do
- moldear
- To mold; shape; form into desired shape
- su
- Their; his; her; possessive adjective
- pensamiento
- Thought; thinking; process of mental reasoning
- sus
- Their; his; her; possessive adjective plural
- actos
- Acts; deeds; actions or performances
- noble
- Noble; distinguished; of high moral character
- pero
- But; however; used for contrast
- al
- To the; at the; contraction
- fin
- End; finally; conclusion or termination
- cabo
- Cape; end; leader or chief
- los
- The (masculine plural definite article)
- ojos
- Eyes; organs of sight and vision
- del
- Of the; from the; contraction
- común
- Common; ordinary; shared by many people
- luchas
- Struggles; fights; conflicts or contests
- parecían
- Seemed; appeared; looked like to others
- mera
- Mere; only; nothing more than
- pues
- Well; then; therefore or since
- estas
- These; those (feminine plural demonstrative)
- nacidas
- Born; came into being (feminine plural)
- más
- More; greater in quantity or extent
- tarde
- Late; afternoon; later in time
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