The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 11
Myself have seen and known even a baby envious; it could not speak, yet it turned pale and looked bitterly on its foster-brother.
Yo mismo he visto y conocido a un bebé envidioso; no podía hablar, sin embargo palideció y miró con amargura a su hermano de leche.
Who knows not this?
¿Quién no conoce esto?
Mothers and nurses tell you that they allay these things by I know not what remedies.
Las madres y las nodrizas os dicen que aplacan estas cosas con no sé qué remedios.
Is that too innocence, when the fountain of milk is flowing in rich abundance, not to endure one to share it, though in extremest need, and whose very life as yet depends thereon?
¿Es eso también inocencia, cuando la fuente de leche fluye en rica abundancia, no tolerar que alguien la comparta, aunque esté en extrema necesidad y cuya misma vida dependa aún de ella?
We bear gently with all this, not as being no or slight evils, but because they will disappear as years increase; for, though tolerated now, the very same tempers are utterly intolerable when found in riper years.
Soportamos todo esto con indulgencia, no porque sean males nulos o leves, sino porque desaparecerán con el paso de los años; pues, aunque tolerados ahora, esos mismos temperamentos son absolutamente intolerables cuando se encuentran en años más maduros.
Thou, then, O Lord my God, who gavest life to this my infancy, furnishing thus with senses (as we see) the frame Thou gavest, compacting its limbs, ornamenting its proportions, and, for its general good and safety, implanting in it all vital functions, Thou commandest me to praise Thee in these things, to confess unto Thee, and sing unto Thy name, Thou most Highest.
Tú, pues, oh Señor mi Dios, que diste vida a esta mi infancia, dotando así de sentidos (como vemos) el cuerpo que Tú diste, consolidando sus miembros, adornando sus proporciones y, para su bien general y seguridad, implantando en él todas las funciones vitales, Tú me ordenas alabarte en estas cosas, confesarme ante Ti y cantar a Tu nombre, Tú el Altísimo.
For Thou art God, Almighty and Good, even hadst Thou done nought but only this, which none could do but Thou: whose Unity is the mould of all things; who out of Thy own fairness makest all things fair; and orderest all things by Thy law.
Porque Tú eres Dios, Todopoderoso y Bueno, aunque no hubieras hecho nada más que esto solo, que ninguno podía hacer sino Tú: cuya Unidad es el molde de todas las cosas; que de Tu propia hermosura haces hermosas todas las cosas; y ordenas todas las cosas según Tu ley.
Vocabulary
- Yo
- First person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- mismo
- Myself, same, very; used for emphasis or identity
- he
- First person singular present of 'haber', auxiliary verb
- visto
- Past participle of 'ver'; seen or observed something
- conocido
- Past participle of 'conocer'; known or met someone
- bebé
- A very young infant or baby
- envidioso
- Envious, jealous; feeling or showing envy toward others
- podía
- Imperfect tense of 'poder'; was able to, could
- hablar
- To speak or talk; infinitive form of speech verb
- sin
- Preposition meaning 'without'; lacking something
- embargo
- Used in 'sin embargo' meaning 'however' or 'nevertheless'
- palideció
- Turned pale; past tense of 'palidecer'
- miró
- Looked at; preterite of 'mirar', to look
- amargura
- Bitterness; deep sadness or resentment
- hermano
- Brother; a male sibling
- leche
- Milk; the white liquid from mammals
- Quién
- Interrogative pronoun meaning 'who'
- conoce
- Third person singular present of 'conocer'; knows someone
- esto
- Neutral demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this thing'
- madres
- Mothers; plural of 'madre', female parents
- nodrizas
- Wet nurses; women who breastfeed another's child
- os
- Second person plural object pronoun meaning 'you all'
- dicen
- They say; third person plural present of 'decir'
- aplacan
- They appease or calm; third person plural of 'aplacar'
- estas
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'these' (feminine plural)
- cosas
- Things; plural of 'cosa', general objects or matters
- sé
- First person singular of 'saber'; I know something
- qué
- Interrogative or exclamatory word meaning 'what'
- remedios
- Remedies or cures; solutions to problems or ailments
- eso
- Neutral demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that thing'
- también
- Also or too; indicating addition or agreement
- inocencia
- Innocence; state of being pure or free from guilt
- cuando
- When; temporal conjunction linking time and action
- fuente
- Source, fountain, or spring; origin of something
- fluye
- Flows; third person singular present of 'fluir'
- rica
- Rich, abundant, or plentiful (feminine form)
- abundancia
- Abundance; a large plentiful quantity of something
- tolerar
- To tolerate; to endure or accept something difficult
- alguien
- Someone or somebody; an unspecified person
- comparta
- Subjunctive of 'compartir'; that one share something
- aunque
- Although or even though; concessive conjunction
- esté
- Subjunctive of 'estar'; that one be in a state
- extrema
- Extreme; very great or severe (feminine form)
- necesidad
- Necessity or need; something required or essential
- cuya
- Relative possessive pronoun meaning 'whose' (feminine)
- misma
- Same, herself; used for emphasis (feminine form)
- vida
- Life; the state of being alive
- dependa
- Subjunctive of 'depender'; that it depend on something
- aún
- Still or even; indicating continuation or emphasis
- ella
- Third person singular feminine pronoun meaning 'she'
- Soportamos
- We bear or endure; first person plural of 'soportar'
- todo
- All, everything, every; totality of something
- indulgencia
- Indulgence; excessive leniency or tolerance
- porque
- Because; causal conjunction explaining a reason
- sean
- Subjunctive plural of 'ser'; that they be something
- males
- Evils or harms; plural of 'mal', bad things
- nulos
- Null, void, or nonexistent; of no effect
- leves
- Slight or mild; not serious (plural adjective)
- sino
- But rather; used to contrast after a negation
- desaparecerán
- They will disappear; future tense of 'desaparecer'
- paso
- Passage or step; movement through time or space
- años
- Years; plural of 'año', units of time
- pues
- Since, well, then; causal or conversational connector
- tolerados
- Tolerated; past participle of 'tolerar' (masculine plural)
- ahora
- Now; at the present moment in time
- esos
- Those; masculine plural demonstrative adjective
- mismos
- Same ones; masculine plural of 'mismo' for emphasis
- temperamentos
- Temperaments; natural dispositions or personality traits
- absolutamente
- Absolutely; completely or without any doubt
- intolerables
- Intolerable; impossible to endure or accept
- encuentran
- They find themselves; third plural of 'encontrar'
- más
- More or most; comparative or superlative marker
- maduros
- Mature or ripe; fully developed (masculine plural)
- Tú
- Second person singular pronoun meaning 'you'
- Señor
- Lord or sir; respectful title for God or a man
- Dios
- God; the supreme divine being
- diste
- You gave; preterite second singular of 'dar'
- esta
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (feminine singular)
- infancia
- Infancy or childhood; early period of life
- dotando
- Endowing; present participle of 'dotar', to provide with
- así
- Thus, so, in this way; indicating manner
- sentidos
- Senses; the five faculties of perception
- como
- Like, as, how; comparison or manner conjunction
- vemos
- We see; first person plural present of 'ver'
- cuerpo
- Body; the physical structure of a living being
- consolidando
- Consolidating; strengthening or making more solid
- miembros
- Members or limbs; parts of a body or group
- adornando
- Adorning; decorating or embellishing something
- proporciones
- Proportions; relative sizes or harmonious dimensions
- para
- For, in order to; indicating purpose or destination
- bien
- Good, well; benefit or something morally positive
- general
- General; broad, widespread, or universal
- seguridad
- Safety or security; state of being protected
- implantando
- Implanting; establishing or inserting firmly
- él
- Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'
- todas
- All; feminine plural of 'todo', entirety
- funciones
- Functions; roles or operations performed by something
- vitales
- Vital; essential to life or very important
- ordenas
- You order or command; second singular of 'ordenar'
- alabarte
- To praise you; infinitive 'alabar' with pronoun 'te'
- confesarme
- To confess to you; reflexive infinitive of 'confesar'
- ante
- Before or in front of; spatial or figurative preposition
- Ti
- Prepositional form of 'tú'; used after prepositions
- cantar
- To sing; infinitive of the verb for singing
- nombre
- Name; the word by which something is identified
- Altísimo
- The Most High; superlative title for God
- Porque
- Because; causal conjunction providing a reason
- eres
- You are; second person singular present of 'ser'
- Todopoderoso
- Almighty or all-powerful; title for omnipotent God
- Bueno
- Good; morally positive or of high quality
- hubieras
- Past subjunctive of 'haber'; you would have (conditional)
- hecho
- Done or made; past participle of 'hacer'
- nada
- Nothing; absence of anything
- solo
- Alone, only; without others or exclusively
- ninguno
- None or no one; negating any existence
- hacer
- To do or make; fundamental action infinitive
- Unidad
- Unity; the state of being one or unified
- molde
- Mold or template; a form shaping something
- propia
- Own or proper; belonging to oneself (feminine)
- hermosura
- Beauty; quality of being beautiful or attractive
- haces
- You make or do; second singular present of 'hacer'
- hermosas
- Beautiful; attractive or lovely (feminine plural)
- según
- According to; in conformity with a standard
- ley
- Law; a rule or system of rules enforced officially
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