The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 10
Hear, O God. Alas, for man's sin! So saith man, and Thou pitiest him;
Escucha, oh Dios. ¡Ay, por el pecado del hombre! Así habla el hombre, y Tú te compadeces de él;
for Thou madest him, but sin in him Thou madest not.
porque Tú lo hiciste, pero el pecado en él no lo hiciste Tú.
Who remindeth me of the sins of my infancy?
¿Quién me recuerda los pecados de mi infancia?
for in Thy sight none is pure from sin, not even the infant whose life is but a day upon the earth.
porque ante Tu mirada nadie está libre de pecado, ni siquiera el infante cuya vida no es más que un día sobre la tierra.
Who remindeth me?
¿Quién me lo recuerda?
doth not each little infant, in whom I see what of myself I remember not?
¿no lo hace cada pequeño infante, en quien veo aquello de mí mismo que no recuerdo?
What then was my sin?
¿Cuál fue entonces mi pecado?
was it that I hung upon the breast and cried?
¿acaso que me colgaba del pecho y lloraba?
for should I now so do for food suitable to my age, justly should I be laughed at and reproved.
porque si ahora hiciera lo mismo para obtener alimento propio de mi edad, con razón sería motivo de risa y de reprensión.
What I then did was worthy reproof; but since I could not understand reproof, custom and reason forbade me to be reproved.
Lo que hacía entonces merecía reprensión; pero como no podía entender la reprensión, la costumbre y la razón impedían que se me reprendiese.
For those habits, when grown, we root out and cast away.
Porque esos hábitos, cuando crecemos, los arrancamos y desechamos.
Now no man, though he prunes, wittingly casts away what is good.
Pues ningún hombre, aunque pode, desecha a sabiendas lo que es bueno.
Or was it then good, even for a while, to cry for what, if given, would hurt?
¿O era entonces bueno, aunque fuera por un tiempo, llorar por aquello que, de darse, haría daño?
bitterly to resent, that persons free, and its own elders, yea, the very authors of its birth, served it not?
¿resentirse amargamente de que personas libres, y sus propios mayores, es más, los mismos autores de su nacimiento, no le sirviesen?
that many besides, wiser than it, obeyed not the nod of its good pleasure?
¿de que muchos otros, más sabios que él, no obedecieran el más mínimo gesto de su capricho?
to do its best to strike and hurt, because commands were not obeyed, which had been obeyed to its hurt?
¿esforzarse en golpear y hacer daño, porque no se obedecían órdenes que, de haberse obedecido, le habrían perjudicado?
The weakness then of infant limbs, not its will, is its innocence.
La inocencia del infante reside, pues, en la debilidad de sus miembros, no en su voluntad.
Vocabulary
- Escucha
- Listen; imperative form of escuchar, to hear
- oh
- Oh; exclamation of surprise or emotion
- Dios
- God; the supreme divine being
- Ay
- Oh; exclamation expressing pain or surprise
- por
- For, by, through; common Spanish preposition
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article
- pecado
- Sin; a moral transgression or wrongdoing
- del
- Of the; contraction of de and el
- hombre
- Man; adult male human being
- Así
- Thus, so, in this way; manner adverb
- habla
- Speaks; third person singular of hablar
- y
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- Tú
- You; second person singular subject pronoun
- te
- You; second person singular reflexive pronoun
- compadeces
- You have compassion; feel pity for someone
- de
- Of, from; very common Spanish preposition
- él
- He, him; third person masculine pronoun
- porque
- Because; conjunction giving reason or cause
- lo
- Him, it; masculine singular direct object pronoun
- hiciste
- You made or did; past tense of hacer
- pero
- But; conjunction introducing a contrast
- en
- In, on, at; common Spanish preposition
- no
- No, not; basic negation word
- Quién
- Who; interrogative pronoun asking about a person
- me
- Me; first person singular object pronoun
- recuerda
- Reminds, remembers; third singular of recordar
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article
- pecados
- Sins; plural moral transgressions or wrongdoings
- mi
- My; first person singular possessive adjective
- infancia
- Infancy, childhood; early stage of life
- ante
- Before, in front of; preposition indicating presence
- Tu
- Your; second person singular possessive adjective
- mirada
- Gaze, look; the act of looking at something
- nadie
- Nobody, no one; negative indefinite pronoun
- está
- Is; third person singular of estar
- libre
- Free; not bound or constrained by something
- ni
- Nor, not even; negative coordinating conjunction
- siquiera
- Even; used for emphasis in negative sentences
- infante
- Infant; very young child, baby
- cuya
- Whose; feminine singular relative possessive pronoun
- vida
- Life; the state of being alive
- es
- Is; third person singular of ser
- más
- More; comparative adverb indicating greater degree
- que
- That, than, which; versatile subordinating conjunction
- un
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article
- día
- Day; a 24-hour period of time
- sobre
- On, over, about; common Spanish preposition
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- tierra
- Earth, land, soil; ground or the planet
- hace
- Does, makes; third singular present of hacer
- cada
- Each, every; distributive adjective or determiner
- pequeño
- Small, little; adjective describing small size
- quien
- Who, whoever; relative pronoun referring to people
- veo
- I see; first person singular of ver
- aquello
- That; neuter demonstrative pronoun for distant things
- mí
- Me, myself; first person stressed object pronoun
- mismo
- Same, myself; pronoun emphasizing identity or sameness
- recuerdo
- I remember; also memory as a noun
- Cuál
- Which, what; interrogative pronoun selecting among options
- fue
- Was, went; past tense of ser or ir
- entonces
- Then, at that time; temporal adverb
- acaso
- Perhaps, maybe; adverb expressing uncertainty or doubt
- colgaba
- Hung, was hanging; imperfect tense of colgar
- pecho
- Chest, breast; front part of the torso
- lloraba
- Was crying; imperfect tense of llorar
- si
- If; conditional conjunction used in hypotheticals
- ahora
- Now; adverb referring to the present moment
- hiciera
- Would do; imperfect subjunctive of hacer
- para
- For, in order to; purpose-indicating preposition
- obtener
- To obtain, get; acquire something desired
- alimento
- Food, nourishment; substance consumed for sustenance
- propio
- Own, proper; belonging to oneself
- edad
- Age; number of years a person has lived
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- razón
- Reason; rational thought or justification
- sería
- Would be; conditional tense of ser
- motivo
- Reason, motive; cause or grounds for something
- risa
- Laughter; the act of laughing or amusement
- reprensión
- Reprimand, rebuke; stern expression of disapproval
- Lo
- It, him; neuter or masculine direct object pronoun
- hacía
- Was doing; imperfect tense of hacer
- merecía
- Deserved; imperfect tense of merecer
- como
- As, like, how; comparison or manner conjunction
- podía
- Could; imperfect tense of poder
- entender
- To understand; to comprehend or grasp meaning
- costumbre
- Custom, habit; a regularly practiced behavior
- impedían
- Prevented, hindered; imperfect tense of impedir
- se
- Himself, herself, itself; reflexive third person pronoun
- reprendiese
- Would reprimand; imperfect subjunctive of reprender
- Porque
- Because; conjunction introducing reason or explanation
- esos
- Those; masculine plural demonstrative adjective
- hábitos
- Habits; regularly repeated behaviors or practices
- cuando
- When; temporal conjunction or adverb
- crecemos
- We grow up; first plural of crecer
- arrancamos
- We uproot, tear away; first plural of arrancar
- desechamos
- We discard, reject; first plural of desechar
- Pues
- Well, since, then; discourse or causal particle
- ningún
- No, none, not any; masculine singular indefinite adjective
- aunque
- Although, even though; concessive conjunction
- desecha
- Discards, rejects; third singular of desechar
- a
- To, at; basic Spanish preposition
- sabiendas
- Knowingly; used in phrase a sabiendas
- bueno
- Good; adjective describing positive quality
- O
- Or; disjunctive coordinating conjunction
- era
- Was; imperfect tense of ser
- fuera
- Were, outside; imperfect subjunctive of ser or ir
- tiempo
- Time, weather; duration or atmospheric conditions
- llorar
- To cry, weep; express emotion through tears
- darse
- To give oneself; reflexive infinitive of dar
- haría
- Would do or make; conditional tense of hacer
- daño
- Harm, damage; injury or hurt to someone
- resentirse
- To resent, feel hurt; suffer from something
- amargamente
- Bitterly; in a bitter or resentful manner
- personas
- People, persons; individual human beings
- libres
- Free; plural adjective for unrestrained individuals
- sus
- Their, his, her; third person possessive adjective
- propios
- Own; plural masculine possessive adjective
- mayores
- Elders, superiors; those older or higher in rank
- mismos
- Same, themselves; plural emphatic or reflexive adjective
- autores
- Authors, creators; those who originate something
- su
- His, her, their; third person possessive adjective
- nacimiento
- Birth; the event of being born
- le
- Him, her, you; indirect object pronoun
- sirviesen
- Would serve; imperfect subjunctive of servir
- muchos
- Many; plural adjective indicating large quantity
- otros
- Others; plural pronoun or adjective meaning different
- sabios
- Wise men, sages; plural of sabio
- obedecieran
- Would obey; imperfect subjunctive of obedecer
- mínimo
- Minimum, slightest; the least possible amount
- gesto
- Gesture; a movement expressing meaning or feeling
- capricho
- Whim, caprice; a sudden impulsive desire
- esforzarse
- To strive, make an effort; work hard toward goal
- golpear
- To hit, strike; deliver a blow to something
- hacer
- To do, make; fundamental action verb
- obedecían
- Obeyed; imperfect tense of obedecer
- órdenes
- Orders, commands; directives given to be followed
- haberse
- To have been; reflexive perfect auxiliary infinitive
- obedecido
- Obeyed; past participle of obedecer
- habrían
- Would have; third plural conditional of haber
- perjudicado
- Harmed, damaged; past participle of perjudicar
- La
- The; feminine singular definite article
- inocencia
- Innocence; state of being free from guilt
- reside
- Resides, lies; third singular of residir
- pues
- Well, then, since; causal or discourse particle
- debilidad
- Weakness; lack of physical or moral strength
- miembros
- Members, limbs; body parts or group members
- voluntad
- Will, willpower; the faculty of making choices
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →