The Adventures of Roderick Random — Page 4
However, he did not long hesitate; for, being perfectly well acquainted with his father's disposition, he did not doubt that he was glad of this pretence to get rid of him; and his resolves being as invariable as the laws of the Medes and Persians, he knew it would be to no purpose to attempt him by prayers and entreaties; so without any farther application, he betook himself, with his disconsolate bedfellow to a farm-house, where an old servant of his mother dwelt: there they remained some time in a situation but ill adapted to the elegance of their desires and tenderness of their love; which nevertheless my father chose to endure, rather than supplicate an unnatural and inflexible parent but my mother, foreseeing the inconveniences to which she must have been exposed, had she been delivered in this place (and her pregnancy was very far advanced), without communicating her design to her husband, went in disguise to the house of my grandfather, hoping that her tears and condition would move him to compassion, and reconcile him to an event which was now irrecoverably past.
Sin embargo, no vaciló por mucho tiempo; pues, conociendo a la perfección el carácter de su padre, no dudaba de que este se alegraba de tener ese pretexto para deshacerse de él; y siendo sus resoluciones tan invariables como las leyes de los medos y los persas, sabía que no serviría de nada intentar ablandarlo con ruegos y súplicas; así que, sin más gestión alguna, se retiró con su desconsolada compañera de lecho a una granja donde vivía un antiguo criado de su madre: allí permanecieron algún tiempo en una situación poco adaptada a la elegancia de sus deseos y a la ternura de su amor; situación que, no obstante, mi padre prefirió soportar antes que suplicar a un padre desnaturalizado e inflexible; pero mi madre, previendo los inconvenientes a los que habría de verse expuesta si daba a luz en aquel lugar (y su embarazo estaba muy avanzado), sin comunicar su plan a su marido, fue disfrazada a casa de mi abuelo, con la esperanza de que sus lágrimas y su estado lo movieran a compasión y lo reconciliaran con un hecho que ya era irremediablemente irreversible.
She found means to deceive the servants, and get introduced as an unfortunate lady, who wanted to complain of some matrimonial grievances, it being my grandfather's particular province to decide in all cases of scandal.
Encontró la manera de engañar a los criados y de hacerse presentar como una desdichada dama que deseaba quejarse de ciertos agravios conyugales, siendo competencia particular de mi abuelo resolver todos los asuntos de escándalo.
Vocabulary
- Sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- embargo
- However; used in phrase 'sin embargo' meaning nevertheless
- vaciló
- He/she hesitated or wavered in decision
- por
- For; by; through; common preposition
- mucho
- Much; a lot; great quantity
- tiempo
- Time; period; weather
- pues
- Well; since; then; connective word
- conociendo
- Knowing; being acquainted with someone or something
- perfección
- Perfection; state of being flawless or complete
- carácter
- Character; personality; nature of a person
- padre
- Father; male parent
- dudaba
- He/she doubted; was uncertain about something
- alegraba
- He/she was glad or rejoiced about something
- tener
- To have; to hold; common irregular verb
- pretexto
- Pretext; excuse used to justify an action
- deshacerse
- To get rid of; to undo or dispose of something
- siendo
- Being; present participle of the verb ser
- resoluciones
- Resolutions; firm decisions or determinations made
- tan
- So; as; such; adverb of degree
- invariables
- Unchanging; constant; not subject to variation
- leyes
- Laws; rules established by authority
- sabía
- He/she knew; was aware of a fact
- serviría
- It would serve; conditional form of servir
- nada
- Nothing; not anything; zero
- intentar
- To try; to attempt something
- ablandarlo
- To soften him; to make him less harsh or rigid
- ruegos
- Pleas; earnest requests or entreaties made
- súplicas
- Supplications; humble and urgent requests or begging
- así
- Thus; so; in this way
- más
- More; plus; additional quantity or degree
- gestión
- Action; step taken; management or arrangement attempt
- alguna
- Some; any; feminine singular indefinite adjective
- retiró
- He/she withdrew; retired or pulled away from somewhere
- desconsolada
- Disconsolate; deeply sorrowful and without comfort
- compañera
- Companion; female partner or associate
- lecho
- Bed; resting place; also a riverbed
- granja
- Farm; rural property for agricultural activity
- donde
- Where; relative adverb of place
- vivía
- He/she lived; was living in a place
- antiguo
- Old; ancient; former; longtime
- criado
- Servant; domestic employee; also raised or brought up
- madre
- Mother; female parent
- allí
- There; in that place
- permanecieron
- They remained; they stayed in a place
- algún
- Some; any; masculine singular indefinite adjective
- situación
- Situation; condition or set of circumstances
- poco
- Little; few; small amount
- adaptada
- Adapted; suited; adjusted to a situation
- elegancia
- Elegance; refined grace in manner or style
- deseos
- Desires; wishes; wants
- ternura
- Tenderness; gentleness; warm affection
- amor
- Love; deep affection for someone
- obstante
- Notwithstanding; used in 'no obstante' meaning nevertheless
- prefirió
- He/she preferred; chose one thing over another
- soportar
- To endure; to bear or tolerate something difficult
- antes
- Before; previously; rather than
- suplicar
- To beg; to implore someone humbly and urgently
- desnaturalizado
- Unnatural; cruel and devoid of natural affection
- inflexible
- Inflexible; rigid; unwilling to change or compromise
- pero
- But; however; coordinating adversative conjunction
- previendo
- Foreseeing; anticipating future problems or events
- inconvenientes
- Inconveniences; problems; drawbacks or difficulties
- habría
- There would be; conditional of haber
- verse
- To find oneself; to see oneself in a situation
- expuesta
- Exposed; vulnerable; subjected to risk or danger
- si
- If; conditional conjunction
- daba
- She gave; was giving; imperfect of dar
- luz
- Light; also childbirth in 'dar a luz'
- aquel
- That; masculine demonstrative pronoun for distant things
- lugar
- Place; location; spot
- embarazo
- Pregnancy; state of carrying a child
- estaba
- Was; past imperfect of estar indicating state
- muy
- Very; extremely; adverb intensifying adjectives
- avanzado
- Advanced; far along; progressed significantly
- comunicar
- To communicate; to share information with someone
- plan
- Plan; scheme or intended course of action
- marido
- Husband; male spouse
- fue
- Went; was; past tense of ir or ser
- disfrazada
- Disguised; wearing a costume to conceal identity
- casa
- House; home; dwelling
- abuelo
- Grandfather; male grandparent
- esperanza
- Hope; feeling that something desired may happen
- lágrimas
- Tears; drops of liquid from weeping
- estado
- State; condition; situation; also estate or status
- movieran
- Would move; might stir emotionally; subjunctive of mover
- compasión
- Compassion; sympathy for others' suffering
- reconciliaran
- Would reconcile; bring back together after conflict
- hecho
- Done; made; fact; past participle of hacer
- ya
- Already; now; soon; temporal adverb
- era
- Was; past imperfect of ser indicating identity or state
- irremediablemente
- Irremediably; in a way that cannot be fixed
- irreversible
- Irreversible; impossible to undo or change back
- Encontró
- He/she found; discovered or encountered something
- manera
- Manner; way; method of doing something
- engañar
- To deceive; to trick or fool someone
- criados
- Servants; domestic employees; plural of criado
- hacerse
- To get oneself; to become; reflexive hacer
- presentar
- To present; to introduce or show someone
- desdichada
- Wretched; unhappy; unfortunate woman
- dama
- Lady; refined woman; dame
- deseaba
- He/she desired; wanted something earnestly
- quejarse
- To complain; to express grievances or discontent
- ciertos
- Certain; some; particular; masculine plural adjective
- agravios
- Grievances; offenses; wrongs suffered by someone
- conyugales
- Conjugal; relating to marriage or spouses
- competencia
- Competence; jurisdiction; authority to resolve matters
- particular
- Particular; private; specific; special
- resolver
- To resolve; to solve or settle a problem
- todos
- All; everyone; every one of them
- asuntos
- Matters; affairs; issues or topics to address
- escándalo
- Scandal; disgraceful event causing public outrage
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