The Adventures of Roderick Random — Page 6
My father, being informed of what had happened, flew to the embraces of his darling spouse, and while he loaded his offspring with paternal embraces, could not forbear shedding a flood of tears on beholding the dear partner of his heart (for whose ease he would have sacrificed the treasures of the east) stretched upon a flock bed, in a miserable apartment, unable to protect her from the inclemencies of the weather.
Mi padre, al ser informado de lo que había ocurrido, voló a los brazos de su querida esposa, y mientras colmaba a su descendencia de abrazos paternales, no pudo evitar derramar un torrente de lágrimas al contemplar a la amada compañera de su corazón (por cuya comodidad habría sacrificado los tesoros de oriente) tendida sobre un jergón de lana, en un miserable aposento, incapaz de protegerla de las inclemencias del tiempo.
It is not to be supposed that the old gentleman was ignorant of what passed, though he affected to know nothing of the matter, and pretended to be very much surprised, when one of his grandchildren, by his eldest son deceased, who lived with him as his heir apparent, acquainted him with the affair; he determined therefore to observe no medium, but immediately (on the third day after her delivery) sent her a peremptory order to be gone, and turned off the servant who had preserved her life.
No cabe suponer que el anciano caballero ignorara lo que había sucedido, aunque fingía no saber nada del asunto y aparentaba estar muy sorprendido cuando uno de sus nietos, hijo de su primogénito fallecido, que vivía con él como heredero aparente, le puso al corriente del asunto; determinó por tanto no guardar término medio, sino que de inmediato (al tercer día tras el parto) le envió una orden perentoria de marcharse, y despidió al criado que le había salvado la vida.
This behaviour so exasperated my father that he had recourse to the most dreadful imprecations; and on his bare knees implored that Heaven would renounce him if ever he should forget or forgive the barbarity of his sire.
Esta conducta exasperó tanto a mi padre que recurrió a las más terribles imprecaciones; y de rodillas sobre el suelo desnudo imploró que el Cielo lo abandonara si alguna vez llegaba a olvidar o perdonar la barbarie de su progenitor.
The injuries which this unhappy mother received from her removal in such circumstances, and the want of necessaries where she lodged, together with her grief and anxiety of mind, soon threw her into a languishing disorder, which put an end to her life.
Los daños que esta desdichada madre sufrió a causa de su traslado en tales circunstancias, y la falta de lo más necesario en el lugar donde se alojó, unidos a su pena y angustia de espíritu, la sumieron pronto en un lánguido padecimiento que acabó con su vida.
Vocabulary
- padre
- Male parent; father
- al
- Contraction of 'a' and 'el' meaning 'to the'
- ser
- To be; fundamental Spanish verb of existence
- informado
- Having been told or notified about something
- lo
- Neuter article or pronoun meaning 'it' or 'the'
- había
- Third person singular imperfect of 'haber'; had
- ocurrido
- Past participle of 'ocurrir'; having occurred or happened
- voló
- He/she flew or rushed quickly somewhere
- brazos
- Arms; the upper limbs of the body
- querida
- Beloved or dear; term of endearment for someone loved
- esposa
- Wife; a married female partner
- mientras
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'as long as'
- colmaba
- Was filling or showering someone with something abundantly
- descendencia
- Offspring or descendants; one's progeny or lineage
- abrazos
- Hugs or embraces given as affection
- paternales
- Paternal; relating to a father's love or behavior
- pudo
- He/she was able to; past tense of 'poder'
- evitar
- To avoid or prevent something from happening
- derramar
- To shed or spill liquid, especially tears
- torrente
- A torrent; a rushing, overwhelming flow of something
- lágrimas
- Tears; drops of fluid shed when crying
- contemplar
- To contemplate or gaze at something attentively
- amada
- Beloved; a deeply loved woman or partner
- compañera
- Female companion, partner, or mate in life
- corazón
- Heart; the organ or symbol of love and emotion
- cuya
- Relative possessive pronoun meaning 'whose'
- comodidad
- Comfort or convenience; ease of living
- habría
- Conditional form of 'haber'; would have
- sacrificado
- Sacrificed; given up something valuable for another
- tesoros
- Treasures; highly valued riches or precious things
- oriente
- The East; oriental lands or regions
- tendida
- Lying stretched out on a surface
- sobre
- Preposition meaning 'on', 'over', or 'about'
- jergón
- A straw mattress or rough, humble sleeping pad
- lana
- Wool; fiber from sheep used in textiles
- miserable
- Wretched or pitiful; in a very poor condition
- aposento
- A room or lodging, often humble or modest
- incapaz
- Incapable or unable to do something
- protegerla
- To protect her; infinitive with feminine pronoun attached
- inclemencias
- Harsh weather conditions; inclemencies of nature
- tiempo
- Time or weather, depending on context
- cabe
- It is possible or fitting; from 'caber'
- suponer
- To suppose or assume something to be true
- anciano
- An elderly man; an old gentleman
- caballero
- Gentleman or knight; a man of nobility or manners
- ignorara
- That he might be unaware or ignore something
- sucedido
- What had happened or occurred; past participle of 'suceder'
- aunque
- Although or even though; concessive conjunction
- fingía
- He/she pretended or feigned something false
- saber
- To know facts or information
- nada
- Nothing; not anything at all
- asunto
- A matter, affair, or subject under discussion
- aparentaba
- He/she appeared or seemed to be something falsely
- estar
- To be; used for states, conditions, or locations
- sorprendido
- Surprised or astonished by something unexpected
- cuando
- When; temporal conjunction or adverb
- nietos
- Grandchildren; the children of one's sons or daughters
- hijo
- Son; a male child
- primogénito
- Firstborn child; the eldest son or daughter
- fallecido
- Deceased; a person who has died
- vivía
- He/she was living or resided somewhere
- como
- As or like; comparative or manner conjunction
- heredero
- Heir; one who inherits property or title
- aparente
- Apparent or presumptive; seeming but not confirmed
- puso
- He/she put or placed; past tense of 'poner'
- corriente
- Informed or up to date; current flow or stream
- determinó
- He/she decided or determined a course of action
- tanto
- So much or as much; adverb of degree
- guardar
- To keep, guard, or save something
- término
- Term, end, or middle ground in a situation
- medio
- Middle or half; moderate between two extremes
- sino
- But rather; conjunction contrasting a negation
- inmediato
- Immediate; happening without delay
- tercer
- Third; ordinal number before a masculine noun
- día
- Day; a 24-hour period
- tras
- After or behind; preposition indicating sequence
- parto
- Childbirth; the act of giving birth
- envió
- He/she sent a message or order to someone
- orden
- An order or command given to someone
- perentoria
- Peremptory; urgent and allowing no refusal or delay
- marcharse
- To leave or go away from a place
- despidió
- He/she dismissed or fired someone from service
- criado
- A male servant or domestic worker
- salvado
- Having saved or rescued someone from danger
- vida
- Life; the state of being alive
- conducta
- Conduct or behavior; the way one acts
- exasperó
- Exasperated or infuriated someone greatly
- recurrió
- He/she resorted to or turned to something
- terribles
- Terrible or dreadful; causing great fear or distress
- imprecaciones
- Imprecations; curses or calls for evil upon someone
- rodillas
- Knees; the joints between upper and lower leg
- suelo
- Floor or ground; the surface one stands on
- desnudo
- Naked or bare; without clothing or covering
- imploró
- He/she implored or begged earnestly for something
- Cielo
- Heaven or sky; divine realm above the earth
- abandonara
- That he/she would abandon or forsake someone
- si
- If; conditional conjunction introducing a hypothesis
- alguna
- Some or any; feminine indefinite adjective
- vez
- Time or occasion; an instance of something happening
- llegaba
- He/she was arriving or coming to a point
- olvidar
- To forget; to fail to remember something
- perdonar
- To forgive or pardon someone for wrongdoing
- barbarie
- Barbarity; cruel or savage behavior toward others
- progenitor
- Progenitor; a biological parent or ancestor
- daños
- Damages or harms; injuries or losses suffered
- desdichada
- Unfortunate or wretched; an unhappy suffering woman
- madre
- Mother; a female parent
- sufrió
- He/she suffered or endured pain or hardship
- causa
- Cause or reason; what produces an effect
- traslado
- Transfer or move; relocation from one place to another
- tales
- Such or those; plural demonstrative adjective
- circunstancias
- Circumstances; conditions surrounding an event or situation
- falta
- Lack or absence of something needed
- necesario
- Necessary; required or essential for something
- lugar
- Place or location; a specific spot or area
- donde
- Where; relative adverb indicating location
- alojó
- He/she lodged or stayed temporarily somewhere
- unidos
- United or joined together; combined as one
- pena
- Sorrow or grief; a feeling of sadness
- angustia
- Anguish or distress; intense emotional pain or anxiety
- espíritu
- Spirit or soul; the non-physical essence of a person
- sumieron
- Plunged or sank into a state of suffering
- pronto
- Soon or quickly; in a short period of time
- lánguido
- Languid; weak, faint, and lacking energy or vitality
- padecimiento
- Suffering or ailment; a prolonged physical or emotional pain
- acabó
- He/she finished or ended; something came to a close
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