The Adventures of Roderick Random — Page 5
I have attempted to represent modest merit struggling with every difficulty to which a friendless orphan is exposed, from his own want of experience, as well as from the selfishness, envy, malice, and base indifference of mankind.
He intentado representar el mérito modesto luchando con cada dificultad a la que está expuesto un huérfano sin amigos, por su propia falta de experiencia, así como por el egoísmo, la envidia, la malicia y la indiferencia vil de la humanidad.
To secure a favourable prepossession, I have allowed him the advantages of birth and education, which in the series of his misfortunes will, I hope, engage the ingenuous more warmly in his behalf; and though I foresee, that some people will be offended at the mean scenes in which he is involved, I persuade myself that the judicious will not only perceive the necessity of describing those situations to which he must of course be confined, in his low estate, but also find entertainment in viewing those parts of life, where the humours and passions are undisguised by affectation, ceremony, or education; and the whimsical peculiarities of disposition appear as nature has implanted them.
Para asegurar una predisposición favorable, le he concedido las ventajas del nacimiento y la educación, las cuales, en la serie de sus desgracias, espero que comprometan más calurosamente a los ingenuos en su favor; y aunque preveo que algunas personas se ofenderán por las escenas vulgares en las que se ve envuelto, me persuado de que los juiciosos no solo percibirán la necesidad de describir aquellas situaciones a las que inevitablemente ha de estar confinado, en su humilde condición, sino que también encontrarán entretenimiento al contemplar aquellas facetas de la vida donde los humores y las pasiones no están disimulados por la afectación, la ceremonia o la educación, y las extravagantes peculiaridades del carácter aparecen tal como la naturaleza las ha implantado.
But I believe I need not trouble myself in vindicating a practice authorized by the best writers in this way, some of whom I have already named.
Pero creo que no necesito molestarme en defender una práctica autorizada por los mejores escritores en este género, algunos de los cuales ya he mencionado.
Every intelligent reader will, at first sight, perceive I have not deviated from nature in the facts, which are all true in the main, although the circumstances are altered and disguised, to avoid personal satire.
Todo lector inteligente percibirá, a primera vista, que no me he apartado de la naturaleza en los hechos, que son todos verdaderos en lo esencial, aunque las circunstancias han sido alteradas y disfrazadas para evitar la sátira personal.
Vocabulary
- He
- First person singular present of 'haber'; I have
- intentado
- Past participle of 'intentar'; tried or attempted
- representar
- To represent, portray, or depict something
- mérito
- Merit, worth, or deserving quality of someone
- modesto
- Modest, humble, or unassuming in nature
- luchando
- Gerund of 'luchar'; struggling or fighting against something
- cada
- Each or every individual item or person
- dificultad
- Difficulty, hardship, or challenging obstacle faced
- expuesto
- Exposed or subjected to risk or difficulty
- huérfano
- Orphan; a child without living parents
- propia
- Own; belonging to oneself, feminine form
- falta
- Lack, absence, or shortage of something needed
- experiencia
- Experience; knowledge gained through practice or events
- así
- Thus, so, or in this way
- egoísmo
- Selfishness or egotism; excessive concern for oneself
- envidia
- Envy or jealousy toward another person's qualities
- malicia
- Malice; the desire to harm or deceive others
- indiferencia
- Indifference; lack of interest or concern for others
- vil
- Vile, base, or despicably low in character
- humanidad
- Humanity; humankind or the quality of being human
- asegurar
- To ensure, secure, or guarantee something desired
- predisposición
- Predisposition; tendency or inclination toward something beforehand
- favorable
- Favorable; positive, advantageous, or supporting a cause
- concedido
- Past participle of 'conceder'; granted or bestowed upon
- ventajas
- Advantages or benefits that favor a particular person
- nacimiento
- Birth; the moment or circumstances of being born
- educación
- Education; the process of teaching and learning knowledge
- cuales
- Which; relative pronoun referring to previously mentioned things
- serie
- Series; a sequence or succession of related events
- desgracias
- Misfortunes, mishaps, or unfortunate events that occur
- espero
- First person singular present of 'esperar'; I hope
- comprometan
- Subjunctive of 'comprometer'; engage or involve warmly
- calurosamente
- Warmly; with enthusiasm, affection, or heartfelt feeling
- ingenuos
- Naive, ingenuous, or open-hearted people without guile
- favor
- Favor; goodwill, support, or a kind act
- aunque
- Although, even though, or even if
- preveo
- First person singular of 'prever'; I foresee
- ofenderán
- Future tense of 'ofender'; will be offended or hurt
- escenas
- Scenes; specific situations or settings in a narrative
- vulgares
- Vulgar, coarse, or common in an unrefined way
- envuelto
- Involved or wrapped up in a situation
- persuado
- First person singular of 'persuadir'; I am persuaded
- juiciosos
- Judicious, wise, or showing sound judgment and reasoning
- percibirán
- Future tense of 'percibir'; will perceive or notice
- necesidad
- Necessity or need; something required or indispensable
- describir
- To describe; to give a detailed account of something
- aquellas
- Those; demonstrative adjective referring to distant feminine things
- situaciones
- Situations; particular sets of circumstances or conditions
- inevitablemente
- Inevitably; in a way that cannot be avoided
- estar
- To be; indicates state, condition, or temporary situation
- confinado
- Confined; restricted or limited to a particular place
- humilde
- Humble; low in social status or modest in rank
- condición
- Condition; state of being or social circumstance
- sino
- But rather; used to contrast or correct a statement
- encontrarán
- Future tense of 'encontrar'; they will find or encounter
- entretenimiento
- Entertainment; amusement or enjoyment provided to an audience
- contemplar
- To contemplate or observe thoughtfully and attentively
- facetas
- Facets or aspects; different sides of a subject
- humores
- Humors or moods; temperamental states affecting behavior
- pasiones
- Passions; strong emotions or intense feelings driving behavior
- disimulados
- Concealed or disguised; hidden behind a false appearance
- afectación
- Affectation; artificial behavior intended to impress others
- ceremonia
- Ceremony; formal behavior or overly rigid social conduct
- extravagantes
- Extravagant or outlandish; exceeding normal bounds of behavior
- peculiaridades
- Peculiarities; unusual or distinctive characteristics of someone
- carácter
- Character; the moral and mental qualities of a person
- aparecen
- Third person plural present of 'aparecer'; they appear
- tal
- Such or as; used to indicate a manner or degree
- naturaleza
- Nature; the inherent qualities or the natural world
- implantado
- Implanted or instilled; firmly established within something
- molestarme
- To bother myself; to take the trouble to do
- defender
- To defend or justify something against criticism
- práctica
- Practice; a customary habit or established procedure
- autorizada
- Authorized or sanctioned; officially approved or validated
- mejores
- Best or better; superior in quality or ability
- escritores
- Writers or authors who produce literary works
- género
- Genre; a category or type of literary work
- ya
- Already or now; indicating something has occurred
- mencionado
- Past participle of 'mencionar'; mentioned or referred to
- lector
- Reader; a person who reads books or texts
- inteligente
- Intelligent or clever; having strong mental capacity
- percibirá
- Future tense of 'percibir'; will perceive or notice
- vista
- Sight or glance; the act of seeing something
- apartado
- Section or passage; a separated portion of a text
- hechos
- Facts or events; things that have actually occurred
- verdaderos
- True or genuine; corresponding to actual facts or reality
- esencial
- Essential; fundamentally important or absolutely necessary
- circunstancias
- Circumstances; conditions or facts surrounding an event
- alteradas
- Altered or changed; modified from the original form
- disfrazadas
- Disguised or masked; concealed under a false appearance
- evitar
- To avoid or prevent something undesirable from happening
- sátira
- Satire; use of humor or irony to criticize people
- personal
- Personal; relating to or directed at a specific individual
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