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.
No entanto, ele não hesitou por muito tempo; pois, conhecendo perfeitamente bem o temperamento de seu pai, não duvidava de que este estava contente com esse pretexto para se livrar dele; e sendo suas resoluções tão imutáveis quanto as leis dos medos e persas, sabia que de nada adiantaria tentar persuadi-lo com preces e súplicas; assim, sem mais nenhuma tentativa, retirou-se, com sua desconsolada companheira de leito, para uma casa de fazenda, onde morava uma antiga criada de sua mãe: lá permaneceram algum tempo em uma situação pouco adaptada à elegância de seus desejos e à ternura de seu amor; a qual, no entanto, meu pai preferiu suportar a suplicar a um pai desnaturado e inflexível; mas minha mãe, prevendo os inconvenientes a que estaria exposta caso desse à luz naquele lugar (e sua gravidez estava muito avançada), sem comunicar seus planos ao marido, foi disfarçada à casa de meu avô, esperando que suas lágrimas e sua condição o comovessem à compaixão e o reconciliassem com um acontecimento que era agora irrevogavelmente passado.
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.
Ela encontrou meios de enganar os criados e se fazer introduzir como uma infeliz senhora que desejava queixar-se de algumas desavenças matrimoniais, sendo da alçada particular de meu avô decidir em todos os casos de escândalo.
Vocabulary
- No
- In the, at the (contraction of em + o)
- entanto
- However, nevertheless, yet
- ele
- He, him (third person singular pronoun)
- não
- No, not (negation word)
- hesitou
- Hesitated, paused before acting or deciding
- por
- For, by, through (preposition of cause or duration)
- muito
- Much, very, a lot
- tempo
- Time, weather, period or duration
- pois
- Because, since, for (causal conjunction)
- conhecendo
- Knowing, being acquainted with someone or something
- perfeitamente
- Perfectly, completely, very well
- bem
- Well, good (adverb of manner)
- o
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- temperamento
- Temperament, natural disposition or character
- de
- Of, from (preposition indicating possession or origin)
- seu
- His, her, your, their (possessive pronoun)
- pai
- Father, dad
- duvidava
- Doubted, was uncertain about something
- que
- That, which, what (conjunction or pronoun)
- este
- This, this one (masculine demonstrative pronoun)
- estava
- Was, were (imperfect tense of estar)
- contente
- Content, pleased, happy
- com
- With (preposition indicating accompaniment)
- esse
- That, that one (masculine demonstrative pronoun)
- pretexto
- Pretext, excuse, false reason given
- para
- For, to, in order to (preposition of purpose)
- se
- Himself, herself, oneself (reflexive pronoun)
- livrar
- To free, to rid oneself of something
- dele
- Of him, from him (contraction of de + ele)
- e
- And (coordinating conjunction)
- sendo
- Being (gerund of ser)
- suas
- His, her, their (feminine plural possessive)
- resoluções
- Resolutions, decisions, determined choices
- tão
- So, as, such (adverb of degree)
- imutáveis
- Immutable, unchangeable, fixed forever
- quanto
- As, how much, as much as
- as
- The (feminine plural definite article)
- leis
- Laws, rules, legal statutes
- dos
- Of the (contraction of de + os)
- sabia
- Knew, was aware of (imperfect of saber)
- nada
- Nothing, not anything
- adiantaria
- Would help, would advance or be of use
- tentar
- To try, to attempt something
- persuadi-lo
- To persuade him, convince him of something
- preces
- Prayers, pleas, earnest entreaties
- súplicas
- Supplications, begging, humble requests
- assim
- Thus, so, in this way
- sem
- Without (preposition indicating absence)
- mais
- More, anymore, additionally
- nenhuma
- No, none, not any (feminine)
- tentativa
- Attempt, try, endeavor
- retirou-se
- Withdrew, retreated, went away
- sua
- His, her, your (feminine singular possessive)
- desconsolada
- Disconsolate, inconsolable, deeply saddened
- companheira
- Companion, female partner or companion
- leito
- Bed, resting place, especially a formal bed
- uma
- A, an (feminine singular indefinite article)
- casa
- House, home, dwelling place
- fazenda
- Farm, ranch, country estate
- onde
- Where, in which (relative adverb of place)
- morava
- Lived, resided, dwelled (imperfect of morar)
- antiga
- Old, former, ancient (feminine adjective)
- criada
- Maid, female servant, housekeeper
- mãe
- Mother, mom
- lá
- There, over there (adverb of place)
- permaneceram
- Remained, stayed, continued to be somewhere
- algum
- Some, any (masculine singular indefinite)
- em
- In, at, on (preposition of location or state)
- situação
- Situation, circumstance, condition one is in
- pouco
- Little, few, not much
- adaptada
- Adapted, suited, adjusted to a situation
- à
- To the (contraction of a + a)
- elegância
- Elegance, refinement, graceful style
- seus
- His, her, their (masculine plural possessive)
- desejos
- Desires, wishes, longings
- ternura
- Tenderness, affection, gentleness
- amor
- Love, deep affection for someone
- a
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- qual
- Which, who (relative pronoun)
- no
- In the (contraction of em + o)
- meu
- My (masculine singular possessive pronoun)
- preferiu
- Preferred, chose one thing over another
- suportar
- To bear, endure, tolerate hardship
- suplicar
- To supplicate, beg, plead humbly
- um
- A, an (masculine singular indefinite article)
- desnaturado
- Unnatural, cruel, without parental affection
- inflexível
- Inflexible, unyielding, rigid in attitude
- mas
- But, however (adversative conjunction)
- minha
- My (feminine singular possessive pronoun)
- prevendo
- Foreseeing, anticipating future events or consequences
- os
- The (masculine plural definite article)
- inconvenientes
- Inconveniences, disadvantages, drawbacks
- estaria
- Would be (conditional of estar)
- exposta
- Exposed, vulnerable, open to danger
- caso
- Case, situation, event or circumstance
- desse
- Gave (imperfect subjunctive of dar)
- luz
- Light; dar à luz means to give birth
- naquele
- In that, at that (contraction of em + aquele)
- lugar
- Place, location, spot
- gravidez
- Pregnancy, state of being pregnant
- avançada
- Advanced, far along, at a late stage
- comunicar
- To communicate, inform, share information with someone
- planos
- Plans, intentions, organized strategies
- ao
- To the (contraction of a + o)
- marido
- Husband, male spouse
- foi
- Went, was (preterite of ir or ser)
- disfarçada
- Disguised, in disguise, concealing identity
- avô
- Grandfather, paternal or maternal grandfather
- esperando
- Hoping, waiting, expecting something
- lágrimas
- Tears, drops from crying
- condição
- Condition, state, circumstance or requirement
- comovessem
- Would move emotionally, touch someone's heart
- compaixão
- Compassion, sympathy, pity for another's suffering
- reconciliassem
- Would reconcile, bring back together in harmony
- acontecimento
- Event, occurrence, happening
- era
- Was, were (imperfect tense of ser)
- agora
- Now, at this moment
- irrevogavelmente
- Irrevocably, in a way that cannot be undone
- passado
- Past, gone by, already occurred
- Ela
- She, her (third person singular feminine pronoun)
- encontrou
- Found, met, encountered
- meios
- Means, ways, methods to achieve something
- enganar
- To deceive, trick, fool someone
- criados
- Servants, male household staff
- fazer
- To do, to make
- introduzir
- To introduce, bring in, insert
- como
- As, like, how (conjunction or adverb)
- infeliz
- Unhappy, unfortunate, miserable
- senhora
- Lady, woman, madam (polite form of address)
- desejava
- Desired, wanted, wished for
- queixar-se
- To complain, to express grievances about something
- algumas
- Some, a few (feminine plural)
- desavenças
- Disagreements, quarrels, disputes between people
- matrimoniais
- Matrimonial, relating to marriage
- da
- Of the (contraction of de + a)
- alçada
- Jurisdiction, authority, scope of competence
- particular
- Private, particular, personal matter
- decidir
- To decide, to make a decision
- todos
- All, every, everyone (masculine plural)
- casos
- Cases, instances, situations
- escândalo
- Scandal, disgrace, public outrage
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