The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 12
This age then, Lord, whereof I have no remembrance, which I take on others' word, and guess from other infants that I have passed, true though the guess be, I am yet loth to count in this life of mine which I live in this world.
Esta época, pues, Señor, de la que no tengo ningún recuerdo, que acepto por testimonio ajeno, y que deduzco por otros infantes que he visto pasar, aunque verdadera sea mi deducción, no estoy dispuesto a contarla en esta mi vida que vivo en este mundo.
For no less than that which I spent in my mother's womb, is it hid from me in the shadows of forgetfulness.
Pues no menos que lo que pasé en el vientre de mi madre, está oculta para mí en las sombras del olvido.
But if I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me, where, I beseech Thee, O my God, where, Lord, or when, was I Thy servant guiltless?
Pero si fui formado en la iniquidad, y en pecado me concibió mi madre, ¿dónde, te lo suplico, oh Dios mío, dónde, Señor, o cuándo, fui yo tu siervo inocente?
But, lo! that period I pass by; and what have I now to do with that, of which I can recall no vestige?
Pero, ¡he aquí! que ese período lo dejo atrás; ¿y qué tengo yo ahora que ver con aquello de lo que no puedo recordar vestigio alguno?
Passing hence from infancy, I came to boyhood, or rather it came to me, displacing infancy.
Alejándome así de la infancia, llegué a la niñez, o más bien ella llegó a mí, desplazando a la infancia.
Nor did that depart,--(for whither went it?)--and yet it was no more.
Ni partió aquella,--(¿pues adónde fue?)--y sin embargo ya no existía.
For I was no longer a speechless infant, but a speaking boy.
Pues yo ya no era un infante sin habla, sino un niño que hablaba.
This I remember; and have since observed how I learned to speak.
Esto lo recuerdo; y desde entonces he observado cómo aprendí a hablar.
It was not that my elders taught me words (as, soon after, other learning) in any set method; but I, longing by cries and broken accents and various motions of my limbs to express my thoughts, that so I might have my will, and yet unable to express all I willed, or to whom I willed, did myself, by the understanding which Thou, my God, gavest me, practise the sounds in my memory.
No fue que mis mayores me enseñaran las palabras (como, poco después, otros conocimientos) mediante ningún método establecido; sino que yo, deseando expresar mis pensamientos mediante llantos y acentos entrecortados y diversos movimientos de mis miembros, para así poder lograr mi voluntad, y sin embargo incapaz de expresar todo lo que quería, ni a quién lo quería, practiqué yo mismo los sonidos en mi memoria, por medio del entendimiento que Tú, Dios mío, me concediste.
Vocabulary
- época
- A period or era in time
- pues
- Conjunction meaning 'well,' 'since,' or 'then'
- Señor
- Title of respect meaning 'Lord' or 'Sir'
- ningún
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'no' or 'not any'
- recuerdo
- A memory or recollection of past events
- acepto
- First person singular of 'aceptar,' meaning 'I accept'
- testimonio
- A testimony or witness account of something
- ajeno
- Belonging to another; external or foreign
- deduzco
- First person singular of 'deducir,' meaning 'I deduce'
- infantes
- Young children or infants in early childhood
- pasar
- To pass, go by, or happen
- aunque
- Conjunction meaning 'although,' 'even though,' or 'even if'
- verdadera
- Feminine adjective meaning 'true' or 'genuine'
- deducción
- A logical conclusion drawn from reasoning or evidence
- dispuesto
- Willing or prepared to do something
- vida
- Life, existence, or way of living
- mundo
- The world or earth we inhabit
- Pues
- Conjunction or filler meaning 'well,' 'since,' or 'then'
- menos
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'less' or 'fewer'
- vientre
- The womb or belly of a person
- madre
- A female parent; mother
- oculta
- Hidden, concealed, or not visible
- sombras
- Shadows or darkness obscuring light or memory
- olvido
- Forgetfulness or the state of being forgotten
- formado
- Past participle of 'formar,' meaning 'formed' or 'shaped'
- iniquidad
- Gross injustice, wickedness, or moral wrongdoing
- pecado
- A sin or moral transgression against divine law
- concibió
- Third person preterite of 'concebir,' meaning 'conceived'
- suplico
- First person of 'suplicar,' meaning 'I beg' or 'I implore'
- Dios
- The supreme deity; God in the Christian tradition
- siervo
- A servant or slave devoted to a master
- inocente
- Free from guilt or sin; innocent
- aquí
- Adverb meaning 'here,' indicating a location nearby
- período
- A span or period of time; an era
- dejo
- First person of 'dejar,' meaning 'I leave' or 'I set aside'
- atrás
- Adverb meaning 'behind' or 'back'
- ahora
- Adverb meaning 'now,' referring to the present moment
- aquello
- Neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that thing' (remote)
- recordar
- To remember or recall something from the past
- vestigio
- A trace, remnant, or vestige of something past
- alguno
- Indefinite adjective or pronoun meaning 'some' or 'any'
- Alejándome
- Reflexive gerund of 'alejarse,' meaning 'moving away from'
- así
- Adverb meaning 'thus,' 'so,' or 'in this way'
- infancia
- The early stage of life; childhood or infancy
- niñez
- Childhood, the period between infancy and adolescence
- desplazando
- Gerund of 'desplazar,' meaning 'displacing' or 'replacing'
- Ni
- Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither,' used negatively
- partió
- Third person preterite of 'partir,' meaning 'departed' or 'left'
- aquella
- Feminine demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that one' (remote)
- adónde
- Interrogative adverb meaning 'to where' or 'where to'
- sin
- Preposition meaning 'without,' indicating absence
- embargo
- Used in 'sin embargo,' meaning 'nevertheless' or 'however'
- ya
- Adverb meaning 'already,' 'now,' or 'anymore'
- existía
- Imperfect of 'existir,' meaning 'existed' or 'was existing'
- infante
- A young child or infant; a very young person
- habla
- Speech or language; third person of 'hablar,' 'speaks'
- sino
- Conjunction meaning 'but rather,' contrasting a negation
- niño
- A young boy or child of either sex
- desde
- Preposition meaning 'since' or 'from' a point in time
- entonces
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'at that time'
- observado
- Past participle of 'observar,' meaning 'observed' or 'noticed'
- aprendí
- First person preterite of 'aprender,' meaning 'I learned'
- hablar
- Infinitive meaning 'to speak' or 'to talk'
- mayores
- Elders or older people; those of greater age
- enseñaran
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'enseñar,' meaning 'would teach'
- palabras
- Words or terms used in spoken or written language
- poco
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'little' or 'a bit'
- después
- Adverb meaning 'after' or 'later' in time
- conocimientos
- Knowledge or information acquired through learning
- mediante
- Preposition meaning 'by means of' or 'through'
- método
- A systematic method or procedure for doing something
- establecido
- Past participle of 'establecer,' meaning 'established' or 'set'
- deseando
- Gerund of 'desear,' meaning 'desiring' or 'wishing'
- expresar
- To express or communicate thoughts and feelings
- pensamientos
- Thoughts or ideas formed in the mind
- llantos
- Cries or weeping; acts of crying out loud
- acentos
- Accents, tones, or stress patterns in speech
- entrecortados
- Broken, halting, or interrupted in speech or breathing
- diversos
- Various or diverse; of different kinds or types
- movimientos
- Movements or motions of the body or limbs
- miembros
- Limbs or members of the body
- poder
- To be able to; ability or power to do something
- lograr
- To achieve, accomplish, or manage to do something
- voluntad
- Will, willpower, or desire to act
- incapaz
- Incapable or unable to do something
- ni
- Negative conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'not even'
- practiqué
- First person preterite of 'practicar,' meaning 'I practiced'
- mismo
- Adjective meaning 'same' or intensifier meaning 'myself'
- sonidos
- Sounds or audio signals perceived by hearing
- memoria
- Memory; the ability to retain and recall information
- medio
- Means, medium, or method; also 'half' or 'middle'
- entendimiento
- Understanding or comprehension of something
- concediste
- Second person preterite of 'conceder,' meaning 'you granted'
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