The Great Gatsby — Page 9
Not even the effeminate swank of his riding clothes could hide the enormous power of that body—he seemed to fill those glistening boots until he strained the top lacing, and you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat.
Ni siquiera la afeminada elegancia de su ropa de montar podía ocultar el enorme poder de aquel cuerpo —parecía llenar esas botas relucientes hasta tensar los cordones superiores, y se podía ver un gran bulto de músculo desplazarse cuando su hombro se movía bajo su delgada chaqueta.
It was a body capable of enormous leverage—a cruel body.
Era un cuerpo capaz de una enorme fuerza —un cuerpo cruel.
His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed.
Su voz al hablar, un tenor áspero y ronco, añadía a la impresión de irritabilidad que transmitía.
There was a touch of paternal contempt in it, even toward people he liked—and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts.
Había un toque de desprecio paternal en ella, incluso hacia las personas que le caían bien —y había hombres en New Haven que lo habían odiado con toda su alma.
"Now, don't think my opinion on these matters is final," he seemed to say, "just because I'm stronger and more of a man than you are."
«Ahora bien, no piensen que mi opinión sobre estos asuntos es definitiva», parecía decir, «solo porque soy más fuerte y más hombre que ustedes».
We were in the same senior society, and while we were never intimate I always had the impression that he approved of me and wanted me to like him with some harsh, defiant wistfulness of his own.
Éramos miembros de la misma sociedad de último año, y aunque nunca fuimos íntimos, siempre tuve la impresión de que me aprobaba y quería que me cayera bien, con una especie de melancolía áspera y desafiante que le era propia.
We talked for a few minutes on the sunny porch.
Charlamos unos minutos en el soleado porche.
"I've got a nice place here," he said, his eyes flashing about restlessly.
«Tengo un buen lugar aquí», dijo, con los ojos moviéndose inquietos a su alrededor.
Turning me around by one arm, he moved a broad flat hand along the front vista, including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half acre of deep, pungent roses, and a snub-nosed motorboat that bumped the tide offshore.
Girándome por un brazo, movió una mano ancha y plana a lo largo de la vista frontal, abarcando en su recorrido un jardín italiano hundido, media hectárea de rosas densas y fragantes, y una lancha motora de proa chata que golpeaba la marea frente a la orilla.
"It belonged to Demaine, the oil man." He turned me around again, politely and abruptly. "We'll go inside.
«Le pertenecía a Demaine, el hombre del petróleo». Me volvió a girar, con cortesía y brusquedad a la vez. «Entremos.
Vocabulary
- ni
- Neither; not even (used in negations)
- siquiera
- Even; at least (used to emphasize negation)
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- afeminada
- Effeminate; having feminine characteristics or qualities
- elegancia
- Elegance; grace and refined beauty in appearance
- de
- Of; from; indicating possession or relationship
- su
- His, her, its, their (possessive adjective)
- ropa
- Clothing; garments or clothes worn on body
- montar
- To mount; to ride; to assemble or construct
- podía
- Could; was able to (imperfect tense of poder)
- ocultar
- To hide; to conceal or keep something secret
- el
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- enorme
- Enormous; very large or huge in size
- poder
- Power; strength; ability or capacity to do something
- aquel
- That; that one (distant demonstrative adjective)
- cuerpo
- Body; physical form or structure of person
- parecía
- Seemed; appeared to be (imperfect of parecer)
- llenar
- To fill; to make full or complete
- esas
- Those; those ones (feminine plural demonstrative)
- botas
- Boots; heavy footwear covering ankle and lower leg
- relucientes
- Shining; gleaming or glittering brightly with light
- hasta
- Until; up to a certain point or time
- tensar
- To tense; to make tight or taut
- los
- The (masculine plural definite article)
- cordones
- Laces; strings used to fasten or tie boots
- superiores
- Upper; higher in position or rank
- se
- Reflexive pronoun; oneself, himself, herself, themselves
- ver
- To see; to perceive with eyes or understand
- un
- A; an (masculine singular indefinite article)
- gran
- Great; large in size or importance
- bulto
- Bulge; lump or mass visible under surface
- músculo
- Muscle; tissue that enables body movement
- desplazarse
- To move; to shift position or travel
- cuando
- When; at the time that something happens
- hombro
- Shoulder; joint between arm and torso
- movía
- Moved; caused to change position (imperfect)
- bajo
- Under; below or beneath something
- delgada
- Thin; slender or having little thickness
- chaqueta
- Jacket; short coat worn as outer garment
- Era
- Was; past tense of ser (to be)
- capaz
- Capable; able to do something competently
- una
- A; an (feminine singular indefinite article)
- fuerza
- Force; strength or physical power exerted
- cruel
- Cruel; causing pain or suffering deliberately
- voz
- Voice; sound produced when speaking or singing
- al
- To the; contraction of a and el
- hablar
- To speak; to communicate using words
- tenor
- Tenor; male voice or general character
- áspero
- Rough; coarse or harsh to touch
- ronco
- Hoarse; rough or harsh in sound
- añadía
- Added; contributed something extra (imperfect)
- impresión
- Impression; effect or influence produced on mind
- irritabilidad
- Irritability; tendency to become easily annoyed
- que
- That; which; relative pronoun in Spanish
- transmitía
- Transmitted; communicated or passed information
- Había
- There was; there were (imperfect of haber)
- toque
- Touch; act of touching or slight trace
- desprecio
- Contempt; feeling that someone is worthless
- paternal
- Paternal; relating to a father or fatherhood
- ella
- She; her (feminine personal pronoun)
- incluso
- Even; including or enclosed in something
- hacia
- Towards; in the direction of something
- personas
- People; individual human beings collectively
- le
- Him, her, you (indirect object pronoun)
- caían
- Fell; dropped or descended (imperfect)
- bien
- Well; in good manner or satisfactory way
- hombres
- Men; adult male human beings collectively
- lo
- It; him (masculine singular direct object pronoun)
- habían
- Had; auxiliary verb in pluperfect tense
- odiado
- Hated; felt intense dislike towards someone
- con
- With; accompanied by or in association
- toda
- All; complete or entire amount of something
- alma
- Soul; spiritual or emotional essence of person
- Ahora
- Now; at the present time or moment
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