The Odyssey: Rendered into English prose for the use of those who cannot read the original — Page 2
Now Neptune had gone off to the Ethiopians, who are at the world's end, and lie in two halves, the one looking West and the other East.1 He had gone there to accept a hecatomb of sheep and oxen, and was enjoying himself at his festival; but the other gods met in the house of Olympian Jove, and the sire of gods and men spoke first.
Ahora bien, Neptuno se había marchado a visitar a los etíopes, que se encuentran en los confines del mundo y se dividen en dos mitades, una que mira al Oeste y la otra al Este. Había ido allí para recibir una hecatombe de ovejas y bueyes, y se estaba deleitando en su festival; pero los demás dioses se reunieron en la morada de Júpiter el Olímpico, y el padre de dioses y hombres tomó la palabra primero.
At that moment he was thinking of Aegisthus, who had been killed by Agamemnon's son Orestes; so he said to the other gods:
En ese momento estaba pensando en Egisto, quien había sido asesinado por Orestes, el hijo de Agamenón; y así dijo a los demás dioses:
"See now, how men lay blame upon us gods for what is after all nothing but their own folly.
«Mirad ahora cómo los hombres nos culpan a nosotros los dioses por lo que, en definitiva, no es más que su propia insensatez.
Look at Aegisthus; he must needs make love to Agamemnon's wife unrighteously and then kill Agamemnon, though he knew it would be the death of him;
Mirad a Egisto; tuvo que seducir injustamente a la esposa de Agamenón y luego matar a Agamenón, aunque sabía que ello le costaría la vida;
for I sent Mercury to warn him not to do either of these things, inasmuch as Orestes would be sure to take his revenge when he grew up and wanted to return home.
pues yo envié a Mercurio para advertirle que no hiciera ninguna de estas cosas, ya que Orestes, con toda seguridad, tomaría venganza cuando creciera y quisiera regresar a su hogar.
Mercury told him this in all good will but he would not listen, and now he has paid for everything in full.
Mercurio le dijo esto con toda buena voluntad, pero él no quiso escuchar, y ahora ha pagado por todo en su totalidad.
Vocabulary
- Ahora
- At this moment; currently happening right now
- bien
- Well; good; in a satisfactory or correct manner
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive or passive verbs
- había
- Had; past perfect auxiliary form of haber
- marchado
- Gone away; departed from a place
- a
- To; preposition indicating direction or destination
- visitar
- To visit; to go see someone or somewhere
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article
- que
- That; who; relative pronoun or conjunction
- encuentran
- Find themselves; are located somewhere
- en
- In; at; preposition indicating location or time
- confines
- Borders; farthest edges or boundaries of a region
- del
- Of the; contraction of de and el
- mundo
- World; the earth and all its inhabitants
- y
- And; conjunction joining words or phrases
- dividen
- Divide; split into separate parts or groups
- dos
- Two; the number 2
- mitades
- Halves; two equal parts of a whole
- una
- One; a; feminine indefinite article or number
- mira
- Looks toward; faces a particular direction
- al
- To the; contraction of a and el
- Oeste
- West; the cardinal direction where the sun sets
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- otra
- Other; another; the remaining one of two
- Este
- East; the cardinal direction where the sun rises
- Había
- Had; there had been; past perfect of haber
- ido
- Gone; past participle of ir meaning to go
- allí
- There; in or at that place over there
- para
- For; in order to; preposition indicating purpose
- recibir
- To receive; to accept something given or offered
- de
- Of; from; preposition indicating origin or possession
- ovejas
- Sheep; domesticated woolly animals raised for meat
- estaba
- Was; past continuous form of estar
- deleitando
- Delighting; enjoying or taking great pleasure in something
- su
- His; her; its; their; possessive adjective
- festival
- Festival; a celebration or feast held ceremonially
- pero
- But; however; conjunction expressing contrast or exception
- demás
- Other; rest of; the remaining others in a group
- dioses
- Gods; divine beings worshipped in polytheistic religion
- reunieron
- Gathered; came together in one place or meeting
- morada
- Dwelling; home; place where someone lives or resides
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article
- padre
- Father; male parent or paternal authority figure
- hombres
- Men; humans; adult male persons or mankind
- tomó
- Took; grabbed; took the floor to speak
- palabra
- Word; speech; the floor in a conversation
- primero
- First; occurring before all others in order
- En
- In; at; preposition indicating location or time
- ese
- That; demonstrative adjective pointing to nearby thing
- momento
- Moment; a very brief period of time
- pensando
- Thinking; having thoughts about someone or something
- quien
- Who; relative pronoun referring to a person
- sido
- Been; past participle of ser meaning to be
- asesinado
- Murdered; killed intentionally by another person
- por
- By; for; through; preposition indicating agent or cause
- hijo
- Son; male offspring of a parent
- así
- Thus; so; in this or that manner
- dijo
- Said; spoke; past tense of decir
- Mirad
- Look; see; imperative plural form of mirar
- ahora
- Now; at this present moment in time
- cómo
- How; in what manner or way something occurs
- nos
- Us; first person plural object pronoun
- culpan
- Blame; hold responsible for a fault or wrongdoing
- nosotros
- We; us; first person plural subject pronoun
- lo
- It; him; neuter masculine direct object pronoun
- definitiva
- Definitive; final; used in phrase 'en definitiva' meaning ultimately
- no
- No; not; negation word in Spanish
- es
- Is; third person singular present tense of ser
- más
- More; most; comparative adverb of quantity or degree
- propia
- Own; very; one's own personal action or quality
- insensatez
- Foolishness; lack of sense or good judgment
- tuvo
- Had; past tense third person singular of tener
- seducir
- To seduce; to tempt or lure someone wrongfully
- injustamente
- Unjustly; unfairly; in a manner lacking justice
- esposa
- Wife; married female partner or spouse
- luego
- Then; later; afterward in time or sequence
- matar
- To kill; to cause the death of someone
- aunque
- Although; even though; conjunction expressing contrast
- sabía
- Knew; was aware of a fact or information
- ello
- It; neuter pronoun referring to a concept or thing
- le
- Him; her; indirect object pronoun third person singular
- costaría
- Would cost; conditional tense meaning would result in
- vida
- Life; the state of being alive
- pues
- For; since; well; conjunction or filler word
- yo
- I; first person singular subject pronoun
- envié
- Sent; dispatched someone on an errand or mission
- advertirle
- To warn him; to caution someone about danger
- hiciera
- Did; subjunctive past form of hacer meaning to do
- ninguna
- None; not any; negative adjective for feminine nouns
- estas
- These; feminine plural demonstrative adjective
- cosas
- Things; objects or matters of any kind
- ya
- Already; now; used to indicate something has occurred
- con
- With; together with; preposition indicating accompaniment
- toda
- All; every; entire; feminine form of todo
- seguridad
- Certainty; safety; security or sureness about something
- tomaría
- Would take; conditional tense of tomar
- venganza
- Revenge; vengeance; retaliation for a wrong done
- cuando
- When; at the time that something happens
- creciera
- Grew up; subjunctive past of crecer meaning to grow
- quisiera
- Wanted; wished; past subjunctive of querer
- regresar
- To return; to go back to a previous place
- hogar
- Home; household; the place where one lives
- esto
- This; neuter demonstrative pronoun referring to something nearby
- buena
- Good; kind; feminine form of bueno
- voluntad
- Will; willingness; desire or intention to act
- él
- He; him; third person masculine singular subject pronoun
- quiso
- Wanted; refused; past tense of querer
- escuchar
- To listen; to pay attention to sounds or speech
- ha
- Has; third person singular present perfect auxiliary
- pagado
- Paid; past participle of pagar meaning to pay
- todo
- Everything; all; the whole of something
- totalidad
- Totality; the whole; the complete entirety of something
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