The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 7
For then I knew but to suck; to repose in what pleased, and cry at what offended my flesh; nothing more.
Pues entonces no sabía sino mamar; reposar en lo que me agradaba, y llorar cuando algo ofendía mi carne; nada más.
Afterwards I began to smile; first in sleep, then waking: for so it was told me of myself, and I believed it; for we see the like in other infants, though of myself I remember it not.
Después comencé a sonreír; primero dormido, luego despierto: pues así me lo contaron de mí mismo, y lo creí; porque vemos lo mismo en otros niños, aunque de mí mismo no lo recuerdo.
Thus, little by little, I became conscious where I was; and to have a wish to express my wishes to those who could content them, and I could not; for the wishes were within me, and they without; nor could they by any sense of theirs enter within my spirit.
Así, poco a poco, fui tomando conciencia de dónde me encontraba; y tuve el deseo de expresar mis deseos a quienes podían satisfacerlos, y no podía; pues los deseos estaban dentro de mí, y ellos fuera; ni podían ellos, por ningún sentido suyo, penetrar dentro de mi espíritu.
So I flung about at random limbs and voice, making the few signs I could, and such as I could, like, though in truth very little like, what I wished.
Así que agitaba al azar mis miembros y mi voz, haciendo los pocos gestos que podía, y tales como podía, semejantes, aunque en verdad muy poco semejantes, a lo que deseaba.
And when I was not presently obeyed (my wishes being hurtful or unintelligible), then I was indignant with my elders for not submitting to me, with those owing me no service, for not serving me; and avenged myself on them by tears.
Y cuando no era obedecido de inmediato (siendo mis deseos dañinos o ininteligibles), me indignaba con mis mayores por no someterse a mí, con aquellos que no me debían ningún servicio, por no servirme; y me vengaba de ellos con lágrimas.
Such have I learnt infants to be from observing them; and that I was myself such, they, all unconscious, have shown me better than my nurses who knew it.
Tal he aprendido que son los niños al observarlos; y que yo mismo lo fui, ellos, sin saberlo, me lo han mostrado mejor que mis nodrizas que lo sabían.
And, lo! my infancy died long since, and I live.
Y, he aquí que mi infancia murió hace mucho, y yo vivo.
Vocabulary
- Pues
- Well; used as a filler or causal connector
- entonces
- Then; at that time or as a consequence
- sabía
- Knew; past imperfect of saber, to know
- sino
- But rather; used to contrast a negation
- mamar
- To nurse; to suckle milk from a breast
- reposar
- To rest; to lie still and recover energy
- agradaba
- Pleased; past imperfect of agradar, to please
- llorar
- To cry; to shed tears from emotion or pain
- ofendía
- Offended; past imperfect of ofender, to offend
- carne
- Flesh, meat; the physical body or animal tissue
- comencé
- I began; first person preterite of comenzar
- sonreír
- To smile; to form a smile with one's face
- dormido
- Asleep; in a state of sleep
- luego
- Then, later; indicating subsequent time or sequence
- despierto
- Awake; in a conscious, alert state
- pues
- Well, since; causal or continuative connector word
- contaron
- They told; third person plural preterite of contar
- mismo
- Same, myself; reflexive intensifier or adjective
- creí
- I believed; first person preterite of creer
- aunque
- Although, even though; concessive conjunction
- recuerdo
- I remember; memory or act of remembering something
- tomando
- Taking; present participle of tomar, to take
- conciencia
- Consciousness, awareness; mental awareness of oneself
- encontraba
- Found, was; past imperfect of encontrar, to find
- tuve
- I had; first person preterite of tener, to have
- deseo
- Desire, wish; a strong longing or wanting
- expresar
- To express; to communicate feelings or ideas outwardly
- deseos
- Desires, wishes; plural of deseo
- quienes
- Who; plural relative pronoun referring to people
- podían
- Could; past imperfect third person plural of poder
- satisfacerlos
- To satisfy them; infinitive of satisfacer with pronoun
- podía
- Could; past imperfect first or third person of poder
- dentro
- Inside, within; preposition indicating interior location
- fuera
- Outside; also subjunctive of ser or estar
- ni
- Nor, not even; negative conjunction joining elements
- ningún
- No, none; negative adjective before masculine noun
- sentido
- Sense, meaning; one of the five bodily senses
- suyo
- His, hers, its; third person possessive pronoun
- penetrar
- To penetrate; to enter or pass through something
- espíritu
- Spirit, soul; the non-physical essence of a being
- agitaba
- Agitated; past imperfect of agitar, to shake or stir
- azar
- Chance, random; unpredictable luck or randomness
- miembros
- Limbs, members; body parts or group members
- voz
- Voice; the sound produced when speaking or singing
- gestos
- Gestures; movements of body or face to communicate
- tales
- Such; referring to things of that kind or type
- semejantes
- Similar, such; alike or of the same type
- verdad
- Truth; something that is accurate or factually correct
- deseaba
- Desired; past imperfect of desear, to wish or want
- obedecido
- Obeyed; past participle of obedecer, to obey
- inmediato
- Immediate; happening without delay or intervening time
- siendo
- Being; present participle of ser, to be
- dañinos
- Harmful, damaging; causing injury or negative effects
- ininteligibles
- Unintelligible; impossible to understand or comprehend
- indignaba
- Angered, indignant; past imperfect of indignar
- mayores
- Elders, older ones; adults or those of higher age
- someterse
- To submit; to yield or subject oneself to authority
- aquellos
- Those; demonstrative pronoun referring to distant things
- debían
- Should, owed; past imperfect of deber, to owe or must
- servicio
- Service; the act of helping or serving someone
- servirme
- To serve me; infinitive of servir with object pronoun
- vengaba
- Avenged; past imperfect of vengar, to take revenge
- lágrimas
- Tears; drops of fluid shed when crying
- Tal
- Such, so; demonstrative adjective or adverb of manner
- aprendido
- Learned; past participle of aprender, to learn
- observarlos
- To observe them; watching or studying them carefully
- saberlo
- To know it; infinitive of saber with object pronoun
- mostrado
- Shown; past participle of mostrar, to show
- nodrizas
- Wet nurses; women who breastfeed another's child
- sabían
- Knew; past imperfect third person plural of saber
- infancia
- Infancy, childhood; the early period of one's life
- murió
- Died; third person singular preterite of morir
- vivo
- I live, alive; first person present of vivir or adjective
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