The Scarlet Letter — Page 5

English → Spanish Full Text Level 8/10

But, as thoughts are frozen and utterance benumbed, unless the speaker stand in some true relation with his audience, it may be pardonable to imagine that a friend, a kind and apprehensive, though not the closest friend, is listening to our talk;

Pero, como los pensamientos se hielan y la expresión se entumece, a menos que el hablante se encuentre en alguna relación verdadera con su audiencia, puede ser perdonable imaginar que un amigo, un amigo bondadoso y comprensivo, aunque no el más íntimo, está escuchando nuestra conversación;

and then, a native reserve being thawed by this genial consciousness, we may prate of the circumstances that lie around us, and even of ourself, but still keep the inmost Me behind its veil.

y entonces, una reserva innata siendo descongelada por esta conciencia afable, podemos parlotear de las circunstancias que nos rodean, e incluso de nosotros mismos, pero aun así mantener el Yo más íntimo detrás de su velo.

To this extent, and within these limits, an author, methinks, may be autobiographical, without violating either the reader's rights or his own.

Hasta este punto, y dentro de estos límites, un autor, me parece, puede ser autobiográfico, sin violar ni los derechos del lector ni los suyos propios.

It will be seen, likewise, that this Custom-House sketch has a certain propriety, of a kind always recognized in literature, as explaining how a large portion of the following pages came into my possession, and as offering proofs of the authenticity of a narrative therein contained.

Se verá, asimismo, que este bosquejo de la Casa de Aduanas tiene cierta conveniencia, del tipo siempre reconocido en la literatura, al explicar cómo una gran parte de las páginas siguientes llegaron a mi poder, y al ofrecer pruebas de la autenticidad de una narrativa allí contenida.

This, in fact,—a desire to put myself in my true position as editor, or very little more, of the most prolix among the tales that make up my volume,—this, and no other, is my true reason for assuming a personal relation with the public.

Esto, en efecto,—un deseo de situarme en mi verdadera posición como editor, o muy poco más, del más prolijo entre los relatos que conforman mi volumen,—esto, y no otro, es mi verdadero motivo para asumir una relación personal con el público.

In accomplishing the main purpose, it has appeared allowable, by a few extra touches, to give a faint representation of a mode of life not heretofore described, together with some of the characters that move in it, among whom the author happened to make one.

Al cumplir el propósito principal, ha parecido permisible, con algunos toques adicionales, ofrecer una tenue representación de un modo de vida no descrito hasta ahora, junto con algunos de los personajes que se mueven en él, entre los cuales el autor resultó ser uno.

Vocabulary

Pero: But; however; yet.
como: How; as; like; since.
los: The (masculine plural definite article).
pensamientos: Thoughts; ideas; mental processes or reflections.
se: Reflexive pronoun; oneself; himself; herself; themselves.
la: The (feminine singular definite article).
expresión: Expression; the conveying of ideas or feelings.
menos: Less; fewer; minus; except; unless.
que: That; which; who; than (comparison).
el: The (masculine singular definite article).
hablante: Speaker; one who speaks or talks.
encuentre: Finds; discovers; comes across; encounters.
en: In; on; at; into (preposition).
alguna: Some; any; a certain (feminine).
relación: Relationship; connection; association; account; report.
verdadera: True; genuine; real; authentic (feminine).
con: With; accompanied by; in company of.
su: His; her; its; your (formal); their.
audiencia: Audience; listeners; spectators; hearing or interview.
puede: Can; is able to; may; might.
ser: To be; existence; being; essence.
imaginar: To imagine; to picture; to suppose mentally.
un: A; an; one (masculine singular article).
amigo: Friend; a person with whom one shares affection.
comprensivo: Understanding; sympathetic; comprehending; perceptive; considerate.
aunque: Although; though; even if; even though.
no: No; not; negation word (adverb).
más: More; most; greater; additional; further.
íntimo: Intimate; close; innermost; deepest; personal.
está: Is; third person singular present of estar.
escuchando: Listening; hearing; paying attention to sounds.
nuestra: Our; ours (feminine singular or plural).
conversación: Conversation; dialogue; discussion between two persons.
entonces: Then; at that time; in that case.
una: A; an; one (feminine singular article).
reserva: Reserve; restraint; reservation; caution; hesitation.
siendo: Being; while being; present participle of ser.
por: By; for; through; per; during (preposition).
esta: This; this one (feminine singular demonstrative).
conciencia: Conscience; awareness; consciousness; moral sense.
podemos: We can; we are able; first person plural poder.
de: Of; from; about; by; made of.
las: The (feminine plural definite article).
circunstancias: Circumstances; situations; conditions; facts; events around.
nos: Us; ourselves; reflexive pronoun; indirect object.
rodean: Surround; encircle; go around; encompass.
incluso: Even; including; furthermore; moreover; as well.
nosotros: We; us; ourselves (masculine plural pronoun).
mismos: Selves; same; ourselves (masculine plural reflexive).
aun: Even; still; yet; even when (conjunction).
así: Thus; so; like this; in this way.
mantener: To maintain; to keep; to support; to hold.
Yo: I; first person singular pronoun (subject).
detrás: Behind; in back of; after (preposition).
velo: Veil; curtain; cover; cloth or membrane.
Hasta: Until; up to; till; as far as.
este: This; this one (masculine singular demonstrative).
punto: Point; dot; period; degree; place or spot.
dentro: Inside; within; in; interior (preposition/adverb).
estos: These; these ones (masculine plural demonstrative).
límites: Limits; boundaries; borders; restrictions; confines.
autor: Author; writer; creator of literary or artistic work.
me: Me; myself; to me; indirect object pronoun.
parece: Seems; appears; looks like; third person singular parecer.
sin: Without; lacking; deprived of (preposition).
violar: To violate; to break; to infringe upon.
ni: Nor; neither; not even (conjunction).
derechos: Rights; entitlements; privileges; claims or prerogatives.
del: Of the; from the (contraction de+el).
lector: Reader; one who reads; person reading text.

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