The Scarlet Letter — Page 6
In my native town of Salem, at the head of what, half a century ago, in the days of old King Derby, was a bustling wharf,—but which is now burdened with decayed wooden warehouses, and exhibits few or no symptoms of commercial life; except, perhaps, a bark or brig, half-way down its melancholy length, discharging hides; or, nearer at hand, a Nova Scotia schooner, pitching out her cargo of firewood,—at the head, I say, of this dilapidated wharf, which the tide often overflows, and along which, at the base and in the rear of the row of buildings, the track of many languid years is seen in a border of unthrifty grass,—here, with a view from its front windows adown this not very enlivening prospect, and thence across the harbor, stands a spacious edifice of brick.
En mi ciudad natal de Salem, a la cabecera de lo que, hace medio siglo, en los tiempos del viejo rey Derby, era un animado muelle,—pero que ahora está cargado de almacenes de madera en ruinas, y exhibe pocos o ningún síntoma de vida comercial; excepto, quizás, una barca o bergantín, a medio camino de su melancólica extensión, descargando pieles; o, más cerca, una goleta de Nueva Escocia, arrojando su cargamento de leña,—a la cabecera, digo, de este destartalado muelle, que la marea frecuentemente desborda, y a lo largo del cual, en la base y en la parte trasera de la hilera de edificios, la huella de muchos años lánguidos se ve en un borde de hierba raquítica,—aquí, con una vista desde sus ventanas delanteras sobre este panorama no muy animador, y de allí a través del puerto, se levanta un espacioso edificio de ladrillo.
From the loftiest point of its roof, during precisely three and a half hours of each forenoon, floats or droops, in breeze or calm, the banner of the republic; but with the thirteen stripes turned vertically, instead of horizontally, and thus indicating that a civil, and not a military post of Uncle Sam's government is here established.
Desde el punto más alto de su tejado, durante precisamente tres horas y media de cada mañana, ondea o cae lánguida, con brisa o en calma, la bandera de la república; pero con las trece franjas colocadas verticalmente, en lugar de horizontalmente, indicando así que un puesto civil, y no militar, del gobierno del Tío Sam está aquí establecido.
Its front is ornamented with a portico of half a dozen wooden pillars, supporting a balcony, beneath which a flight of wide granite steps descends towards the street.
Su fachada está adornada con un pórtico de media docena de pilares de madera, que sostienen un balcón, bajo el cual una escalinata de amplios peldaños de granito desciende hacia la calle.
Vocabulary
- ciudad
- A populated urban area; a city
- natal
- Relating to the place of one's birth
- cabecera
- Head or top of something; also a headboard or chief town
- medio
- Half or middle; used to express a midpoint or half unit
- siglo
- A period of one hundred years; a century
- tiempos
- Plural of 'tiempo'; periods of time or eras
- viejo
- Old or aged; describing something or someone elderly
- rey
- A male monarch who rules a kingdom; a king
- animado
- Lively, bustling, or full of activity and energy
- muelle
- A structure extending into water for docking ships; a wharf
- ahora
- Adverb indicating the present moment; means 'now'
- cargado
- Loaded, burdened, or filled with something heavy
- almacenes
- Large buildings for storing goods; warehouses or stores
- madera
- The hard material from trees used in construction; wood
- ruinas
- Remains of collapsed or destroyed structures; ruins
- exhibe
- Third-person singular of 'exhibir'; displays or shows
- pocos
- Masculine plural meaning 'few' or 'not many'
- ningún
- Adjective meaning 'no' or 'not any' before a noun
- síntoma
- A sign or indication of a condition; a symptom
- vida
- The state of being alive; existence or life
- comercial
- Relating to trade, business, or commerce
- excepto
- Preposition meaning 'except' or 'excluding something'
- quizás
- Adverb expressing uncertainty or possibility; means 'perhaps'
- barca
- A small flat-bottomed boat used for transport
- bergantín
- A two-masted sailing ship; a brig
- camino
- A path, road, or route leading somewhere
- melancólica
- Characterized by sadness or pensive sorrow; melancholic
- extensión
- The degree to which something stretches; an expanse
- descargando
- Present participle of 'descargar'; unloading cargo from a vessel
- pieles
- Animal skins or hides used for trade or clothing; furs
- cerca
- Nearby or close in proximity; not far away
- goleta
- A light sailing vessel with two or more masts; a schooner
- arrojando
- Present participle of 'arrojar'; throwing or casting something
- cargamento
- Goods loaded onto a vehicle or ship; cargo or freight
- leña
- Wood cut for use as fuel; firewood
- destartalado
- Ramshackle, dilapidated, or in a state of disrepair
- marea
- The periodic rise and fall of sea levels; a tide
- frecuentemente
- Adverb meaning happening many times; frequently or often
- desborda
- Third-person singular of 'desbordar'; overflows or spills over
- largo
- Adjective meaning long in length or extended in space
- base
- The lowest supporting part of a structure; a foundation
- parte
- A portion or section of a larger whole; a part
- trasera
- Relating to the back or rear side of something
- hilera
- A line or row of objects arranged in sequence
- edificios
- Plural of 'edificio'; structures built for human use; buildings
- huella
- A mark or trace left behind; a footprint or imprint
- muchos
- Masculine plural meaning 'many' or 'a large number of'
- años
- Plural of 'año'; units of time equal to twelve months; years
- lánguidos
- Lacking energy or vitality; sluggish or listless
- borde
- The edge or rim of something; a border or margin
- hierba
- Low-growing green plants covering ground; grass or herb
- raquítica
- Stunted, weak, or poorly developed; feeble or scrawny
- aquí
- Adverb indicating this location or place; means 'here'
- vista
- The act of seeing or a scenic outlook; a view
- desde
- Preposition meaning 'from' or 'since' a point in space or time
- ventanas
- Plural of 'ventana'; openings in walls fitted with glass; windows
- delanteras
- Located at the front; frontal or forward-facing
- sobre
- Preposition meaning 'on,' 'over,' or 'about'
- panorama
- A wide, unobstructed view of an extensive area; a panorama
- animador
- Encouraging or uplifting; one who animates or cheers
- allí
- Adverb indicating a place at some distance; means 'there'
- través
- Used in 'a través de' meaning 'across' or 'through'
- puerto
- A sheltered area of water where ships dock; a harbor or port
- levanta
- Third-person singular of 'levantar'; rises or stands up
- espacioso
- Having ample space inside; large and roomy; spacious
- edificio
- A structure constructed for human use or habitation; a building
- ladrillo
- A rectangular block of baked clay used in construction; a brick
- Desde
- Preposition meaning 'from' indicating a starting point
- punto
- A specific location or spot; a point or dot
- alto
- At a great elevation; tall or high in position
- tejado
- The outer covering on top of a building; a roof
- durante
- Preposition indicating a span of time; means 'during' or 'for'
- precisamente
- Adverb meaning exactly or specifically; precisely
- horas
- Plural of 'hora'; units of sixty minutes each; hours
- media
- Feminine form of 'medio'; half or mid-point of something
- cada
- Distributive adjective meaning 'each' or 'every'
- mañana
- The early part of the day; morning; also 'tomorrow'
- ondea
- Third-person singular of 'ondear'; waves or flutters in the wind
- cae
- Third-person singular of 'caer'; falls or drops down
- lánguida
- Feminine form of 'lánguido'; weak, slow, or lacking energy
- brisa
- A gentle, light wind; a breeze
- calma
- A state of tranquility, stillness, or absence of wind; calm
- bandera
- A piece of cloth representing a nation or group; a flag
- república
- A form of government where power rests with elected representatives
- trece
- The cardinal number between twelve and fourteen; thirteen
- franjas
- Plural of 'franja'; parallel bands or strips of color; stripes
- colocadas
- Past participle of 'colocar'; placed or positioned in a location
- verticalmente
- Adverb meaning in an upright or perpendicular direction; vertically
- lugar
- A particular position or location; a place or spot
- horizontalmente
- Adverb meaning parallel to the horizon; in a flat direction
- indicando
- Present participle of 'indicar'; pointing out or showing something
- así
- Adverb meaning 'thus,' 'so,' or 'in this way'
- puesto
- A position, post, or station held by someone; a job
- civil
- Relating to citizens or civilian life, not military or religious
- militar
- Relating to armed forces or soldiers; military
- gobierno
- The group of people who rule or administer a country; government
- Tío
- A term for an uncle; used colloquially in 'Tío Sam' (Uncle Sam)
- establecido
- Past participle of 'establecer'; set up or founded in a place
- fachada
- The front exterior face or surface of a building; a facade
- adornada
- Past participle of 'adornar'; decorated or embellished with ornaments
- pórtico
- A covered entrance or porch supported by columns; a portico
- docena
- A group of twelve items or people; a dozen
- pilares
- Plural of 'pilar'; vertical supports or columns in a structure
- sostienen
- Third-person plural of 'sostener'; support or hold up something
- balcón
- A platform projecting from a building's wall with a railing; a balcony
- bajo
- Low in height or position; beneath or under something
- escalinata
- A wide, grand staircase leading to a building's entrance
- amplios
- Masculine plural meaning broad, wide, or spacious
- peldaños
- Plural of 'peldaño'; individual steps of a staircase
- granito
- A hard igneous rock commonly used in construction; granite
- desciende
- Third-person singular of 'descender'; goes down or leads downward
- hacia
- Preposition indicating direction; means 'toward' or 'towards'
- calle
- A public road in a town or city; a street
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