The Scarlet Letter — Page 11

English → Spanish Full Text Level 8/10

And here, some six months ago,—pacing from corner to corner, or lounging on the long-legged stool, with his elbow on the desk, and his eyes wandering up and down the columns of the morning newspaper,—you might have recognized, honored reader, the same individual who welcomed you into his cheery little study, where the sunshine glimmered so pleasantly through the willow branches, on the western side of the Old Manse.

Y aquí, hace unos seis meses,—caminando de esquina en esquina, o recostado en el taburete de patas largas, con el codo sobre el escritorio y los ojos vagando arriba y abajo por las columnas del periódico matutino,—habría usted podido reconocer, honorable lector, al mismo individuo que lo recibió en su alegre y pequeño estudio, donde el sol brillaba tan agradablemente a través de las ramas del sauce, en el lado occidental del Viejo Manse.

But now, should you go thither to seek him, you would inquire in vain for the Locofoco Surveyor.

Pero ahora, si usted fuera allí a buscarlo, preguntaría en vano por el Inspector Locofoco.

The besom of reform has swept him out of office; and a worthier successor wears his dignity, and pockets his emoluments.

La escoba de la reforma lo ha barrido del cargo; y un sucesor más digno lleva su dignidad y se embolsa sus emolumentos.

This old town of Salem—my native place, though I have dwelt much away from it, both in boyhood and maturer years—possesses, or did possess, a hold on my affections, the force of which I have never realized during my seasons of actual residence here.

Esta vieja ciudad de Salem—mi lugar natal, aunque he vivido mucho tiempo lejos de ella, tanto en la niñez como en los años de mayor madurez—posee, o poseyó, un dominio sobre mis afectos, cuya fuerza nunca he llegado a comprender plenamente durante mis temporadas de residencia efectiva aquí.

Indeed, so far as its physical aspect is concerned, with its flat, unvaried surface, covered chiefly with wooden houses, few or none of which pretend to architectural beauty,—its irregularity, which is neither picturesque nor quaint, but only tame,—its long and lazy street, lounging wearisomely through the whole extent of the peninsula, with Gallows Hill and New Guinea at one end, and a view of the almshouse at the other,—such being the features of my native town, it would be quite as reasonable to form a sentimental attachment to a disarranged checker-board.

En verdad, en lo que respecta a su aspecto físico, con su superficie plana y monótona, cubierta principalmente de casas de madera, pocas o ninguna de las cuales pretende tener belleza arquitectónica,—su irregularidad, que no es pintoresca ni curiosa, sino simplemente sosa,—su larga y perezosa calle, que se extiende fatigosamente a lo largo de toda la península, con Gallows Hill y New Guinea en un extremo, y una vista del asilo de pobres en el otro,—siendo tales las características de mi ciudad natal, sería igual de razonable encariñarse sentimentalmente con un tablero de damas desordenado.

Vocabulary

aquí: Adverb meaning 'here', indicating a nearby location.
hace: Third-person singular of 'hacer'; means 'ago' in time expressions.
unos: Indefinite article meaning 'some' or 'about' (masculine plural).
seis: The number six in Spanish.
meses: Plural of 'mes'; means 'months' in Spanish.
caminando: Gerund of 'caminar'; meaning 'walking' as an ongoing action.
esquina: Noun meaning 'corner', typically of a street or room.
recostado: Past participle of 'recostar'; meaning 'leaning' or 'reclining'.
taburete: Noun meaning 'stool', a seat without a back or arms.
patas: Noun meaning 'legs' of furniture or limbs of animals.
largas: Adjective meaning 'long' in feminine plural form.
codo: Noun meaning 'elbow', the joint in the middle of the arm.
sobre: Preposition meaning 'on', 'over', or 'about' in Spanish.
escritorio: Noun meaning 'desk', a piece of furniture for writing.
ojos: Noun meaning 'eyes', the organs of sight on the face.
vagando: Gerund of 'vagar'; meaning 'wandering' or 'roaming' aimlessly.
arriba: Adverb meaning 'up' or 'above', indicating upward direction.
abajo: Adverb meaning 'down' or 'below', indicating downward direction.
columnas: Noun meaning 'columns', vertical sections of text or pillars.
periódico: Noun meaning 'newspaper', a daily printed news publication.
matutino: Adjective meaning 'morning', relating to the early part of day.
habría: Conditional form of 'haber'; meaning 'would have' in Spanish.
usted: Formal second-person pronoun meaning 'you' in Spanish.
podido: Past participle of 'poder'; meaning 'been able to'.
reconocer: Verb meaning 'to recognize' or 'to identify' someone or something.
honorable: Adjective meaning 'honorable', deserving respect and esteem.
lector: Noun meaning 'reader', a person who reads texts.
mismo: Adjective meaning 'same' or 'himself/itself' for emphasis.
individuo: Noun meaning 'individual', a single distinct person.
recibió: Third-person past of 'recibir'; meaning 'received' someone.
alegre: Adjective meaning 'cheerful', 'happy', or 'bright' in mood.
pequeño: Adjective meaning 'small' or 'little' in size.
estudio: Noun meaning 'study', a room used for reading or working.
donde: Relative adverb meaning 'where', indicating a place.
sol: Noun meaning 'sun', the star at the center of our solar system.
brillaba: Imperfect of 'brillar'; meaning 'was shining' with light.
tan: Adverb meaning 'so' or 'as', used in comparisons or emphasis.
agradablemente: Adverb meaning 'pleasantly' or 'agreeably', in a pleasing manner.
través: Noun used in 'a través de' meaning 'through' or 'across'.
ramas: Noun meaning 'branches', the limbs extending from a tree.
sauce: Noun meaning 'willow', a type of tree with drooping branches.
lado: Noun meaning 'side', one of the two or more surfaces of something.
occidental: Adjective meaning 'western', relating to the west direction.
Viejo: Adjective meaning 'old', referring to age of a person or thing.
Pero: Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing a contrasting statement.
ahora: Adverb meaning 'now', referring to the present moment.
si: Conjunction meaning 'if', introducing a conditional clause.
fuera: Imperfect subjunctive of 'ir' or 'ser'; meaning 'were' or 'went'.
allí: Adverb meaning 'there', indicating a place away from the speaker.
buscarlo: Infinitive 'buscar' plus 'lo'; meaning 'to look for him/it'.
preguntaría: Conditional of 'preguntar'; meaning 'would ask' a question.
vano: Adjective meaning 'vain' or 'in vain', without success.
Inspector: Noun meaning 'inspector', an official who examines or oversees.
escoba: Noun meaning 'broom', a tool used for sweeping floors.
reforma: Noun meaning 'reform', a change made to improve a system.
barrido: Past participle of 'barrer'; meaning 'swept' clean or away.
cargo: Noun meaning 'post' or 'office', an official position or charge.
sucesor: Noun meaning 'successor', someone who follows another in a role.
más: Adverb meaning 'more', used in comparisons or to intensify.
digno: Adjective meaning 'worthy' or 'dignified', deserving respect.
lleva: Third-person singular of 'llevar'; meaning 'carries' or 'wears'.
dignidad: Noun meaning 'dignity', the quality of being worthy of respect.
embolsa: Third-person singular of 'embolsar'; meaning 'pockets' money.
emolumentos: Noun meaning 'emoluments', fees or salary from employment.
Esta: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' for feminine singular nouns.
vieja: Adjective meaning 'old', feminine form describing age.
ciudad: Noun meaning 'city', a large urban settlement.
lugar: Noun meaning 'place' or 'location', a specific spot.
natal: Adjective meaning 'native' or 'birthplace', relating to birth.
aunque: Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though', introducing contrast.
vivido: Past participle of 'vivir'; meaning 'lived', having resided somewhere.
mucho: Adjective or adverb meaning 'much' or 'a lot', indicating quantity.
tiempo: Noun meaning 'time' or 'weather', a general temporal concept.
lejos: Adverb meaning 'far' or 'far away', indicating distance.
tanto: Adjective or adverb meaning 'so much' or 'as much'.
niñez: Noun meaning 'childhood', the early period of a person's life.
como: Conjunction meaning 'as', 'like', or 'both...and' in Spanish.
años: Noun meaning 'years', plural of 'año'.
mayor: Adjective meaning 'older', 'greater', or 'major' in Spanish.
madurez: Noun meaning 'maturity', the state of being fully developed.
posee: Third-person singular of 'poseer'; meaning 'possesses' or 'owns'.
poseyó: Preterite of 'poseer'; meaning 'possessed' or 'owned' in the past.
dominio: Noun meaning 'dominion' or 'hold', control or power over something.
afectos: Noun meaning 'affections', feelings of fondness or emotional attachment.
cuya: Relative possessive pronoun meaning 'whose', feminine singular form.
fuerza: Noun meaning 'strength' or 'force', physical or emotional power.
nunca: Adverb meaning 'never', at no time in the past or future.
llegado: Past participle of 'llegar'; meaning 'arrived' or 'managed to'.
comprender: Verb meaning 'to understand' or 'to comprehend' something fully.
plenamente: Adverb meaning 'fully' or 'completely', in an entire manner.
durante: Preposition meaning 'during', throughout the duration of a period.
temporadas: Noun meaning 'seasons' or 'periods', specific spans of time.
residencia: Noun meaning 'residence', the place where someone lives.
efectiva: Adjective meaning 'effective' or 'actual', real and in practice.
verdad: Noun meaning 'truth', a fact that is accurate and real.
respecta: Third-person singular of 'respectar'; meaning 'concerns' or 'regards'.
aspecto: Noun meaning 'aspect' or 'appearance', a particular feature or look.
físico: Adjective meaning 'physical', relating to the body or material world.
superficie: Noun meaning 'surface', the outermost layer or face of something.
plana: Adjective meaning 'flat' or 'level', having no curves or hills.
monótona: Adjective meaning 'monotonous', lacking variety and tediously uniform.
cubierta: Adjective meaning 'covered', having a surface covered by something.
principalmente: Adverb meaning 'mainly' or 'primarily', above all other things.
casas: Noun meaning 'houses', residential buildings where people live.
madera: Noun meaning 'wood', the hard material from trees used in construction.
pocas: Adjective meaning 'few', a small number of feminine plural nouns.
ninguna: Pronoun meaning 'none' or 'not any', feminine singular form.
cuales: Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'who' in plural form.
pretende: Third-person singular of 'pretender'; meaning 'claims' or 'aspires to'.
tener: Verb meaning 'to have', indicating possession or obligation.
belleza: Noun meaning 'beauty', the quality of being pleasing to the senses.
arquitectónica: Adjective meaning 'architectural', relating to the design of buildings.
irregularidad: Noun meaning 'irregularity', lack of pattern or uniformity.
pintoresca: Adjective meaning 'picturesque', visually attractive and charming.
ni: Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither', used in negative constructions.
curiosa: Adjective meaning 'curious' or 'interesting', arousing attention.
sino: Conjunction meaning 'but rather', introducing a contrasting alternative.
simplemente: Adverb meaning 'simply' or 'merely', in an uncomplicated manner.
sosa: Adjective meaning 'dull' or 'bland', lacking interest or flavor.
larga: Adjective meaning 'long', of great extent in distance or time.
perezosa: Adjective meaning 'lazy', disinclined to activity or effort.
calle: Noun meaning 'street', a public road in a city or town.
extiende: Third-person singular of 'extender'; meaning 'extends' or 'stretches'.
fatigosamente: Adverb meaning 'wearily' or 'tiredly', in an exhausted manner.
largo: Adjective meaning 'long', extended in length or duration.
toda: Adjective meaning 'all' or 'the whole of', feminine singular form.
península: Noun meaning 'peninsula', land almost entirely surrounded by water.
extremo: Noun or adjective meaning 'end', 'extreme', or 'tip' of something.
vista: Noun meaning 'view' or 'sight', what can be seen from a place.
asilo: Noun meaning 'asylum' or 'shelter', a place of refuge or care.
pobres: Adjective or noun meaning 'poor', lacking sufficient money or resources.
otro: Adjective meaning 'other' or 'another', referring to a different one.
siendo: Gerund of 'ser'; meaning 'being', the present participle of 'to be'.
tales: Adjective meaning 'such', referring to things of the kind mentioned.
características: Noun meaning 'characteristics', distinguishing features or qualities.
sería: Conditional of 'ser'; meaning 'would be' in a hypothetical situation.
igual: Adjective meaning 'equal' or 'same', identical in quantity or quality.
razonable: Adjective meaning 'reasonable', based on good sense or judgment.
encariñarse: Reflexive verb meaning 'to become fond of' someone or something.
sentimentalmente: Adverb meaning 'sentimentally', in an emotional or nostalgic manner.
tablero: Noun meaning 'board', a flat surface used for games or notices.
damas: Noun meaning 'checkers' (the game) or 'ladies' in Spanish.
desordenado: Adjective meaning 'messy' or 'disordered', lacking organization.

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