The Scarlet Letter — Page 8
Such occasions might remind the elderly citizen of that period before the last war with England, when Salem was a port by itself; not scorned, as she is now, by her own merchants and ship-owners, who permit her wharves to crumble to ruin, while their ventures go to swell, needlessly and imperceptibly, the mighty flood of commerce at New York or Boston.
Tales ocasiones podrían recordarle al ciudadano anciano aquel período anterior a la última guerra con Inglaterra, cuando Salem era un puerto por sí mismo; no despreciada, como lo es ahora, por sus propios comerciantes y armadores, que permiten que sus muelles se desmoronen en ruinas, mientras sus empresas van a engrosar, innecesaria e imperceptiblemente, el poderoso torrente del comercio en Nueva York o Boston.
On some such morning, when three or four vessels happen to have arrived at once,—usually from Africa or South America,—or to be on the verge of their departure thitherward, there is a sound of frequent feet, passing briskly up and down the granite steps.
En alguna de esas mañanas, cuando tres o cuatro embarcaciones han llegado a la vez —generalmente desde África o América del Sur— o están a punto de partir hacia allá, se escucha el sonido de pasos frecuentes que suben y bajan con brío los escalones de granito.
Here, before his own wife has greeted him, you may greet the sea-flushed shipmaster, just in port, with his vessel's papers under his arm, in a tarnished tin box.
Aquí, antes de que su propia esposa lo haya saludado, puede usted saludar al capitán de barco encendido por el mar, recién llegado a puerto, con los documentos de su embarcación bajo el brazo, en una caja de hojalata deslucida.
Here, too, comes his owner, cheerful or sombre, gracious or in the sulks, accordingly as his scheme of the now accomplished voyage has been realized in merchandise that will readily be turned to gold, or has buried him under a bulk of incommodities, such as nobody will care to rid him of.
Aquí también llega su armador, alegre o sombrío, afable o de mal humor, según si su plan para el viaje ya concluido se ha materializado en mercancías que fácilmente se convertirán en oro, o lo ha sepultado bajo un cúmulo de incomodidades de las que nadie querrá liberarle.
Here, likewise,—the germ of the wrinkle-browed, grizzly-bearded, care-worn merchant,—we have the smart young clerk, who gets the taste of traffic as a wolf-cub does of blood, and already sends adventures in his master's ships, when he had better be sailing mimic-boats upon a mill-pond.
Aquí también —germen del comerciante de frente arrugada, barba entrecana y semblante agobiado— tenemos al avispado joven dependiente, que adquiere el gusto por el comercio como un lobezno lo hace por la sangre, y ya envía aventuras en los barcos de su amo, cuando más le valdría navegar en barquitos de juguete sobre el estanque de un molino.
Vocabulary
- Tales
- Such, of that kind (demonstrative adjective)
- ocasiones
- Occasions, opportunities, or instances
- podrían
- They/you could, conditional form of poder
- recordarle
- To remind or recall something to someone
- ciudadano
- Citizen, a member of a city or state
- anciano
- Elderly person, old man or woman
- aquel
- That (distant), demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- período
- Period, a span or era of time
- anterior
- Previous, prior, or earlier in time
- última
- Last, final, most recent (feminine form)
- guerra
- War, armed conflict between nations or groups
- Inglaterra
- England, a country in the United Kingdom
- cuando
- When; conjunction or adverb of time
- era
- Was; imperfect past tense of ser
- puerto
- Port, harbor where ships dock and trade
- sí
- Itself, oneself; reflexive pronoun or yes
- mismo
- Same, itself; used for emphasis or identity
- despreciada
- Scorned, looked down upon, or disdained
- ahora
- Now, at this current moment in time
- propios
- Own, one's own; belonging to oneself
- comerciantes
- Merchants, traders who buy and sell goods
- armadores
- Shipowners, people who own or operate ships
- permiten
- They allow or permit something to happen
- muelles
- Docks, wharves where ships are moored
- desmoronen
- Crumble, fall apart or decay gradually
- ruinas
- Ruins, remains of a collapsed or decayed structure
- mientras
- While, whereas; conjunction indicating simultaneity
- empresas
- Companies, businesses or commercial enterprises
- van
- They go; third person plural of ir
- engrosar
- To swell, enlarge, or add volume to something
- innecesaria
- Unnecessary, not needed (feminine adjective)
- imperceptiblemente
- Imperceptibly, in a way not easily noticed
- poderoso
- Powerful, mighty, having great strength or influence
- torrente
- Torrent, a powerful, fast-moving stream or flow
- comercio
- Commerce, trade or business activity
- alguna
- Some, any; feminine indefinite adjective or pronoun
- esas
- Those; feminine plural demonstrative adjective
- mañanas
- Mornings, the early part of the day
- embarcaciones
- Vessels, boats or ships used for transport
- llegado
- Arrived; past participle of llegar
- vez
- Time, instance, occasion (una vez = once)
- generalmente
- Generally, usually, in most cases
- desde
- From, since; Spanish preposition of origin
- Sur
- South; cardinal direction or geographic reference
- punto
- Point, dot; a punto de means about to
- partir
- To depart, leave, or set out on journey
- hacia
- Toward, in the direction of; preposition
- allá
- Over there, that distant place or direction
- escucha
- Listens, hears; or listen! (imperative form)
- sonido
- Sound, an audible noise or acoustic sensation
- pasos
- Steps, footsteps or paces while walking
- frecuentes
- Frequent, occurring often or repeatedly
- suben
- They go up, climb or rise (from subir)
- bajan
- They go down, descend (from bajar)
- brío
- Vigor, spirit, liveliness or energetic force
- escalones
- Steps, stairs or individual stair treads
- granito
- Granite, a hard igneous rock material
- Aquí
- Here, in this place or location
- antes
- Before, previously, earlier in time
- propia
- Own (feminine); belonging to oneself
- esposa
- Wife, a married woman in relation to husband
- haya
- Has (subjunctive); present subjunctive of haber
- saludado
- Greeted; past participle of saludar
- puede
- Can, is able to; third person singular poder
- usted
- You (formal); polite second person pronoun
- saludar
- To greet, salute or wave hello to someone
- capitán
- Captain, the commander of a ship or vessel
- barco
- Ship, boat or large seafaring vessel
- encendido
- Flushed, lit up, glowing or aroused
- mar
- Sea, ocean; large body of salt water
- recién
- Recently, newly, just arrived or completed
- documentos
- Documents, official papers or written records
- embarcación
- Vessel, boat or watercraft of any size
- bajo
- Under, beneath; or short/low (adjective)
- brazo
- Arm, the upper limb of the human body
- caja
- Box, case or container for holding things
- hojalata
- Tin, tinplate; thin steel coated with tin
- deslucida
- Tarnished, dull, faded or lacking brightness
- también
- Also, too, as well; additive adverb
- llega
- Arrives, reaches; third person singular llegar
- armador
- Shipowner, person who owns or operates ships
- alegre
- Happy, cheerful, merry or in good spirits
- sombrío
- Gloomy, dark, somber or melancholy in mood
- afable
- Affable, friendly, easy to talk or approach
- mal
- Bad, poorly; adjective or adverb of negativity
- humor
- Mood, humor; state of mind or disposition
- según
- According to, depending on; Spanish preposition
- si
- If; conditional conjunction in Spanish
- plan
- Plan, a scheme or arrangement for future action
- viaje
- Trip, voyage or journey to another place
- ya
- Already, now, soon; versatile Spanish adverb
- concluido
- Concluded, finished; past participle of concluir
- materializado
- Materialized, come to fruition or reality
- mercancías
- Merchandise, goods or commodities for trade
- fácilmente
- Easily, without difficulty or effort
- convertirán
- Will convert, transform into something else
- oro
- Gold, a precious yellow metal of great value
- sepultado
- Buried, entombed or covered completely under something
- cúmulo
- Heap, accumulation or large pile of things
- incomodidades
- Inconveniences, discomforts or troublesome situations
- nadie
- Nobody, no one; negative indefinite pronoun
- querrá
- Will want; future tense of querer
- liberarle
- To free or liberate him from something
- germen
- Germ, seed, embryo or origin of something
- comerciante
- Merchant, trader or businessperson dealing in goods
- frente
- Forehead, or front; brow of the face
- arrugada
- Wrinkled, creased or furrowed (feminine adjective)
- barba
- Beard, the hair growing on a man's chin
- entrecana
- Graying, mixed with gray or white hair
- semblante
- Countenance, facial expression or appearance
- agobiado
- Overwhelmed, burdened, weighed down by troubles
- avispado
- Sharp, clever, cunning or quick-witted person
- joven
- Young person, youth; adjective meaning young
- dependiente
- Shop assistant, clerk or dependent employee
- adquiere
- Acquires, gains or obtains something (adquirir)
- gusto
- Taste, pleasure, liking or enjoyment of something
- lobezno
- Wolf cub, young wolf or figurative eager youth
- sangre
- Blood; the red fluid circulating in the body
- envía
- Sends, dispatches; third person singular enviar
- aventuras
- Adventures, exciting or risky undertakings
- barcos
- Ships, boats; plural of barco
- amo
- Master, owner or employer of someone
- valdría
- Would be worth; conditional tense of valer
- navegar
- To sail, navigate or travel by water
- barquitos
- Little boats, small toy or miniature vessels
- juguete
- Toy, a plaything for children or amusement
- sobre
- On, over, about; Spanish preposition of position
- estanque
- Pond, pool or small body of still water
- molino
- Mill, a building with machinery for grinding
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