The King in Yellow — Page 6
If I had not caught a glimpse of the opening words in the second act I should never have finished it, but as I stooped to pick it up, my eyes became riveted to the open page, and with a cry of terror, or perhaps it was of joy so poignant that I suffered in every nerve, I snatched the thing out of the coals and crept shaking to my bedroom, where I read it and reread it, and wept and laughed and trembled with a horror which at times assails me yet.
Si no hubiera alcanzado a ver las palabras iniciales del segundo acto, jamás lo habría terminado, pero al agacharme para recogerlo, mis ojos quedaron clavados en la página abierta, y con un grito de terror, o quizás de una alegría tan intensa que sufrí en cada nervio, arrebaté la cosa de entre las brasas y me arrastré temblando hasta mi dormitorio, donde lo leí y lo releí, y lloré y reí y me estremecí con un horror que aún a veces me acomete.
This is the thing that troubles me, for I cannot forget Carcosa where black stars hang in the heavens; where the shadows of men's thoughts lengthen in the afternoon, when the twin suns sink into the lake of Hali; and my mind will bear for ever the memory of the Pallid Mask.
Esto es lo que me perturba, pues no puedo olvidar Carcosa, donde estrellas negras cuelgan en los cielos; donde las sombras de los pensamientos de los hombres se alargan por la tarde, cuando los soles gemelos se hunden en el lago de Hali; y mi mente guardará para siempre el recuerdo de la Máscara Pálida.
I pray God will curse the writer, as the writer has cursed the world with this beautiful, stupendous creation, terrible in its simplicity, irresistible in its truth—a world which now trembles before the King in Yellow.
Rezo para que Dios maldiga al autor, así como el autor ha maldecido al mundo con esta hermosa y estupenda creación, terrible en su simplicidad, irresistible en su verdad: un mundo que ahora tiembla ante el Rey de Amarillo.
When the French Government seized the translated copies which had just arrived in Paris, London, of course, became eager to read it.
Cuando el Gobierno francés confiscó las copias traducidas que acababan de llegar a París, Londres, por supuesto, se mostró ansioso por leerlo.
It is well known how the book spread like an infectious disease, from city to city, from continent to continent, barred out here, confiscated there, denounced by Press and pulpit, censured even by the most advanced of literary anarchists.
Es bien sabido cómo el libro se propagó como una enfermedad infecciosa, de ciudad en ciudad, de continente en continente, prohibido aquí, confiscado allá, denunciado por la prensa y el púlpito, censurado incluso por los más avanzados de los anarquistas literarios.
Vocabulary
- Si
- If; conditional conjunction used in hypothetical statements.
- no
- No; negation or refusal.
- hubiera
- Had; past subjunctive of haber.
- alcanzado
- Reached; past participle of alcanzar.
- ver
- To see; fundamental verb of perception.
- las
- The; feminine plural definite article.
- palabras
- Words; units of language or speech.
- iniciales
- Initial; first or beginning in sequence.
- del
- Of the; contraction of de and el.
- segundo
- Second; ordinal number following first.
- acto
- Act; division of a play or drama.
- jamás
- Never; at no time whatsoever.
- lo
- It; masculine singular direct object pronoun.
- habría
- Would have; conditional perfect of haber.
- terminado
- Finished; completed or concluded action.
- pero
- But; conjunction expressing contrast or exception.
- al
- To the; contraction of a el.
- agacharme
- To bend down; to crouch or stoop.
- para
- For; preposition indicating purpose or destination.
- recogerlo
- To pick it up; to gather or collect.
- mis
- My; possessive adjective first person plural.
- ojos
- Eyes; organs of sight and vision.
- quedaron
- Remained; stayed or were left in place.
- clavados
- Fixed; nailed or riveted in place.
- en
- In; preposition indicating location or position.
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- página
- Page; one side of a leaf.
- abierta
- Open; not closed or shut.
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means.
- un
- A; masculine singular indefinite article.
- grito
- Cry; loud shout or scream.
- de
- Of; preposition indicating possession or origin.
- terror
- Terror; extreme fear or dread.
- quizás
- Perhaps; possibly or maybe.
- una
- A; feminine singular indefinite article.
- alegría
- Joy; happiness or cheerfulness.
- tan
- So; adverb of degree or intensity.
- intensa
- Intense; extreme in degree or strength.
- que
- That; conjunction linking clauses.
- sufrí
- Suffered; past tense of sufrir.
- cada
- Each; every one individually or separately.
- nervio
- Nerve; fiber transmitting sensations or impulses.
- arrebaté
- Snatched; grabbed or seized forcefully.
- cosa
- Thing; object or matter of concern.
- entre
- Between; in the space separating two.
- brasas
- Embers; glowing or smoldering coals.
- me
- Me; first person singular object pronoun.
- arrastré
- Dragged; pulled or drew along.
- temblando
- Trembling; shaking or quivering.
- hasta
- Until; up to a point in time.
- mi
- My; possessive adjective first person.
- dormitorio
- Bedroom; room for sleeping.
- donde
- Where; at or in what place.
- leí
- Read; past tense of leer.
- releí
- Reread; read again or repeatedly.
- lloré
- Cried; wept or shed tears.
- reí
- Laughed; expressed mirth or amusement.
- estremecí
- Shuddered; trembled or shook with fear.
- horror
- Horror; intense fear or dread.
- aún
- Still; yet or continuing to.
- veces
- Times; occasions or instances.
- acomete
- Attacks; assaults or undertakes action.
- Esto
- This; that which is mentioned.
- es
- Is; present tense of ser.
- perturba
- Disturbs; troubles or unsettles.
- pues
- Then; therefore or for that reason.
- puedo
- Can; am able to do.
- olvidar
- To forget; to fail to remember.
- estrellas
- Stars; celestial bodies shining in darkness.
- negras
- Black; dark color without light.
- cuelgan
- Hang; suspend or dangle from above.
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article.
- cielos
- Skies; heavens or expanse above earth.
- sombras
- Shadows; dark areas or silhouettes.
- pensamientos
- Thoughts; ideas or mental processes.
- hombres
- Men; male human beings collectively.
- se
- Himself/herself; reflexive pronoun.
- alargan
- Lengthen; extend or become longer.
- por
- By; preposition indicating agent or cause.
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