The King in Yellow — Page 4
In the following winter began that agitation for the repeal of the laws prohibiting suicide which bore its final fruit in the month of April, 1920, when the first Government Lethal Chamber was opened on Washington Square.
En el invierno siguiente comenzó aquella agitación por la derogación de las leyes que prohibían el suicidio, que dio su fruto final en el mes de abril de 1920, cuando la primera Cámara Letal del Gobierno fue inaugurada en Washington Square.
I had walked down that day from Dr. Archer's house on Madison Avenue, where I had been as a mere formality.
Aquel día había caminado desde la casa del Dr. Archer en la Avenida Madison, adonde había ido como mera formalidad.
Ever since that fall from my horse, four years before, I had been troubled at times with pains in the back of my head and neck, but now for months they had been absent, and the doctor sent me away that day saying there was nothing more to be cured in me.
Desde aquella caída del caballo, cuatro años antes, me habían molestado a veces dolores en la parte posterior de la cabeza y el cuello, pero llevaba meses sin padecerlos, y el médico me despidió aquel día diciéndome que ya no había nada que curarme.
It was hardly worth his fee to be told that; I knew it myself.
Apenas valía la pena pagar sus honorarios para que me dijeran eso; yo mismo lo sabía.
Still I did not grudge him the money.
Aun así, no le escatimé el dinero.
What I minded was the mistake which he made at first.
Lo que me molestaba era el error que había cometido al principio.
When they picked me up from the pavement where I lay unconscious, and somebody had mercifully sent a bullet through my horse's head, I was carried to Dr. Archer, and he, pronouncing my brain affected, placed me in his private asylum where I was obliged to endure treatment for insanity.
Cuando me recogieron del pavimento donde yacía inconsciente, y alguien había tenido la misericordia de pegarle un tiro en la cabeza a mi caballo, me llevaron al Dr. Archer, quien, declarando que mi cerebro estaba afectado, me internó en su asilo privado donde me vi obligado a soportar un tratamiento por demencia.
At last he decided that I was well, and I, knowing that my mind had always been as sound as his, if not sounder, "paid my tuition" as he jokingly called it, and left.
Por fin decidió que estaba bien, y yo, sabiendo que mi mente siempre había estado tan sana como la suya, si no más, «pagué mi matrícula», como él lo llamaba en broma, y me fui.
Vocabulary
- En
- In, on, at (preposition indicating location or time)
- el
- The (definite article, masculine singular)
- invierno
- Winter season of the year
- siguiente
- Following, next in sequence or order
- comenzó
- Began, started (third person singular past tense)
- aquella
- That (feminine demonstrative adjective or pronoun)
- agitación
- Agitation, unrest, excitement or disturbance
- por
- By, for, through (preposition indicating cause or reason)
- la
- The (definite article, feminine singular)
- derogación
- Repeal or abolition of a law or regulation
- de
- Of, from (preposition indicating possession or origin)
- las
- The (definite article, feminine plural)
- leyes
- Laws, legal rules or regulations
- que
- That, which (relative pronoun)
- prohibían
- Prohibited, forbade (third person plural imperfect tense)
- suicidio
- Suicide, act of taking one's own life
- dio
- Gave, yielded (third person singular preterite)
- su
- His, her, its, their (possessive adjective)
- fruto
- Fruit, result or consequence of something
- final
- Final, last or concluding element
- mes
- Month, period of time in calendar
- abril
- April, fourth month of the year
- cuando
- When, at the time that something occurs
- primera
- First, before all others in order
- Cámara
- Chamber, room or legislative assembly
- Letal
- Lethal, capable of causing death
- Gobierno
- Government, system of ruling a state
- fue
- Was (third person singular preterite of ser)
- inaugurada
- Inaugurated, officially opened or established
- Aquel
- That (masculine demonstrative adjective or pronoun)
- día
- Day, twenty-four hour period
- había
- Had (third person singular imperfect of haber)
- caminado
- Walked, traveled on foot (past participle)
- desde
- From, since (preposition indicating origin or starting point)
- casa
- House, home or residence
- Doctor
- Doctor, medical professional or academic title
- Avenida
- Avenue, wide street in a city
- adonde
- To where, to which place
- ido
- Gone, traveled to (past participle of ir)
- como
- As, like, in the capacity of
- mera
- Mere, only or simple
- formalidad
- Formality, official procedure or requirement
- caída
- Fall, act of falling or dropping
- caballo
- Horse, large four-legged animal
- cuatro
- Four, number between three and five
- años
- Years, periods of twelve months
- antes
- Before, previously in time or sequence
- me
- Me, myself (first person singular object pronoun)
- molestado
- Bothered, troubled or annoyed (past participle)
- veces
- Times, occasions or instances
- dolores
- Pains, aches or sorrows
- parte
- Part, portion or section of something
- posterior
- Posterior, rear or back part
- cuello
- Neck, part of body between head and shoulders
- pero
- But, yet (conjunction showing contrast)
- llevaba
- Had been carrying (imperfect tense of llevar)
- meses
- Months, periods of time in calendar
- sin
- Without, in the absence of something
- padecerlos
- Suffer them, endure them (infinitive with pronoun)
- médico
- Doctor, medical professional or physician
- despidió
- Dismissed, said goodbye (third person singular preterite)
- diciéndome
- Telling me, saying to me (present participle)
- ya
- Already, by now or at this point
- no
- No, not (negation)
- nada
- Nothing, not anything at all
- curarme
- Cure me, heal me (infinitive with pronoun)
- Apenas
- Barely, scarcely or hardly at all
- valía
- Was worth, had value (imperfect of valer)
- pena
- Penalty, sorrow or worthwhile effort
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