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.
Se eu não tivesse vislumbrado as palavras iniciais do segundo ato, jamais o teria terminado, mas ao me abaixar para apanhá-lo, meus olhos ficaram pregados à página aberta, e com um grito de terror, ou talvez de alegria tão pungente que sofri em cada nervo, arranquei a coisa das brasas e me arrastei tremendo até meu quarto, onde o li e reli, e chorei e ri e tremi com um horror que por vezes ainda me assalta.
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.
Isso é o que me perturba, pois não consigo esquecer Carcosa, onde estrelas negras penduram-se nos céus; onde as sombras dos pensamentos dos homens se alongam à tarde, quando os sóis gêmeos se afundam no lago de Hali; e minha mente carregará para sempre a memória da 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 Deus amaldiçoe o escritor, assim como o escritor amaldiçoou o mundo com esta criação bela e estupenda, terrível em sua simplicidade, irresistível em sua verdade — um mundo que agora treme diante do Rei de Amarelo.
When the French Government seized the translated copies which had just arrived in Paris, London, of course, became eager to read it.
Quando o Governo francês confiscou as cópias traduzidas que acabavam de chegar a Paris, Londres, é claro, ficou ansiosa para lê-lo.
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.
É bem sabido como o livro se espalhou como uma doença infecciosa, de cidade em cidade, de continente em continente, proibido aqui, confiscado ali, denunciado pela imprensa e pelo púlpito, censurado até mesmo pelos mais avançados dos anarquistas literários.
Vocabulary
- Se
- if; conditional conjunction introducing hypothetical situation
- eu
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- não
- not; negation adverb used in sentences
- tivesse
- had; past subjunctive of ter indicating unfulfilled condition
- vislumbrado
- glimpsed; caught a quick or partial view of
- as
- the; definite feminine plural article
- palavras
- words; units of language with meaning
- iniciais
- initial; occurring at the beginning or start
- do
- of the; contraction of de and o
- segundo
- second; ordinal number following first
- ato
- act; division of a theatrical performance
- jamais
- never; not ever under any circumstances
- teria
- would have; conditional perfect of ter
- terminado
- ended; brought to a finish or conclusion
- mas
- but; conjunction expressing contrast or exception
- ao
- at the; contraction of a and o
- me
- me; first-person singular object pronoun
- abaixar
- to lower; to bend down or stoop
- para
- to; preposition indicating direction or purpose
- apanhá-lo
- to pick it up; to grasp or retrieve
- meus
- my; first-person possessive plural adjective
- olhos
- eyes; organs of sight
- ficaram
- stayed; remained in a state or place
- página
- page; one side of a sheet of paper
- aberta
- open; not closed or shut
- com
- with; preposition indicating accompaniment
- um
- a; indefinite singular masculine article
- grito
- cry; loud shout or exclamation
- de
- of; preposition indicating possession or relation
- terror
- terror; extreme fear or dread
- ou
- or; conjunction offering alternatives
- talvez
- perhaps; possibly or maybe
- alegria
- joy; feeling of happiness or delight
- tão
- so; to such a degree or extent
- que
- that; relative or subordinate conjunction
- sofri
- suffered; experienced pain or distress
- em
- in; preposition indicating location or time
- cada
- each; every one individually
- nervo
- nerve; bundle of fibers transmitting sensation
- arranquei
- pulled; removed forcefully or suddenly
- coisa
- thing; object or matter
- das
- of the; contraction of de and as
- arrastei
- dragged; pulled along a surface
- tremendo
- trembling; shaking from cold or fear
- até
- until; up to a point or time
- meu
- my; first-person singular possessive adjective
- quarto
- room; enclosed space in a house
- onde
- where; in or at which place
- li
- read; looked at and comprehended text
- reli
- reread; read again or over
- chorei
- cried; shed tears from emotion
- ri
- laughed; expressed amusement or joy
- tremi
- trembled; shook from fear or emotion
- horror
- horror; intense fear or shock
- por
- by; preposition of agent or means
- vezes
- times; instances or occasions
- ainda
- still; yet or continuing to be
- assalta
- assaults; attacks or comes upon suddenly
- Isso
- that; this fact or matter
- perturba
- disturbs; troubles or makes uneasy
- pois
- for; reason or cause conjunction
- consigo
- can; manage to accomplish
- esquecer
- forget; fail to remember
- estrelas
- stars; celestial bodies shining at night
- negras
- black; of dark color
- penduram-se
- hang; suspend from above
- nos
- in the; contraction of em and os
- céus
- skies; expanse above the earth
- sombras
- shadows; areas of darkness
- dos
- of the; contraction of de and os
- pensamentos
- thoughts; ideas or mental processes
- homens
- men; adult male persons
- se
- themselves; reflexive pronoun
- alongam
- extend; make longer or stretch
- tarde
- late; after the expected or usual time
- quando
- when; at what time
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