The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — Page 97
To cast it in with Hyde, was to die to a thousand interests and aspirations, and to become, at a blow and forever, despised and friendless.
Unirme a Hyde era morir a mil intereses y aspiraciones, y convertirme, de un golpe y para siempre, en despreciado y sin amigos.
The bargain might appear unequal; but there was still another consideration in the scales; for while Jekyll would suffer smartingly in the fires of abstinence, Hyde would be not even conscious of all that he had lost.
El trato podría parecer desigual; pero había todavía otra consideración en la balanza; pues mientras Jekyll sufriría agudamente en los fuegos de la abstinencia, Hyde ni siquiera sería consciente de todo lo que había perdido.
Strange as my circumstances were, the terms of this debate are as old and commonplace as man; much the same inducements and alarms cast the die for any tempted and trembling sinner; and it fell out with me, as it falls with so vast a majority of my fellows, that I chose the better part and was found wanting in the strength to keep to it.
Por extrañas que fueran mis circunstancias, los términos de este debate son tan antiguos y comunes como el hombre; las mismas tentaciones y temores echan los dados para cualquier pecador tentado y tembloroso; y me sucedió a mí, como le sucede a una vasta mayoría de mis semejantes, que elegí la mejor parte y me encontré falto de la fuerza para mantenerla.
Yes, I preferred the elderly and discontented doctor, surrounded by friends and cherishing honest hopes; and bade a resolute farewell to the liberty, the comparative youth, the light step, leaping impulses and secret pleasures, that I had enjoyed in the disguise of Hyde.
Sí, preferí al doctor anciano y descontento, rodeado de amigos y acariciando honestas esperanzas; y dije un resuelto adiós a la libertad, la juventud comparativa, el paso ligero, los impulsos impetuosos y los placeres secretos que había disfrutado bajo el disfraz de Hyde.
I made this choice perhaps with some unconscious reservation, for I neither gave up the house in Soho, nor destroyed the clothes of Edward Hyde, which still lay ready in my cabinet.
Hice esta elección quizás con alguna reserva inconsciente, pues ni abandoné la casa en Soho, ni destruí la ropa de Edward Hyde, que aún permanecía lista en mi gabinete.
For two months, however, I was true to my determination; for two months, I led a life of such severity as I had never before attained to, and enjoyed the compensations of an approving conscience.
Durante dos meses, sin embargo, fui fiel a mi determinación; durante dos meses, llevé una vida de tal severidad como nunca antes había alcanzado, y disfruté de las compensaciones de una conciencia aprobatoria.
Vocabulary
- Unirme
- To join myself, to unite myself
- a
- To, at
- era
- Was, it was (past tense of ser)
- morir
- To die
- mil
- Thousand, one thousand
- intereses
- Interests
- y
- And
- aspiraciones
- Aspirations, ambitions
- convertirme
- To convert myself, to become
- de
- Of, from
- un
- A, an (masculine singular indefinite article)
- golpe
- Blow, hit, stroke
- para
- For, in order to
- siempre
- Always, forever
- en
- In, on
- despreciado
- Despised, scorned
- sin
- Without
- amigos
- Friends
- El
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- trato
- Deal, agreement, treatment
- podría
- Could, might (conditional of poder)
- parecer
- To seem, to appear
- desigual
- Unequal, uneven
- pero
- But
- había
- There was, there were (imperfect of haber)
- todavía
- Still, yet, still
- otra
- Other, another (feminine)
- consideración
- Consideration
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- balanza
- Scale, balance
- pues
- Since, because, well
- mientras
- While, whereas
- sufriría
- Would suffer (conditional of sufrir)
- agudamente
- Acutely, sharply
- los
- The (masculine plural definite article)
- fuegos
- Fires
- abstinencia
- Abstinence
- ni
- Nor, not even
- siquiera
- Even, not even
- sería
- Would be (conditional of ser)
- consciente
- Conscious, aware
- todo
- All, everything
- lo
- It, him (direct object pronoun)
- que
- That, which, what
- perdido
- Lost, wasted
- Por
- By, for, through
- extrañas
- Strange, odd (feminine plural)
- fueran
- Were, would be (imperfect subjunctive of ser)
- mis
- My (plural)
- circunstancias
- Circumstances
- términos
- Terms, conditions
- este
- This (masculine)
- debate
- Debate, discussion
- son
- Are (third person plural of ser)
- tan
- So, as, such
- antiguos
- Ancient, old
- comunes
- Common
- como
- As, like, how
- el
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- hombre
- Man, mankind
- las
- The (feminine plural definite article)
- mismas
- Same (feminine plural)
- tentaciones
- Temptations
- temores
- Fears
- echan
- Throw, cast (third person plural of echar)
- dados
- Dice, given
- cualquier
- Any, whatever
- pecador
- Sinner
- tentado
- Tempted
- tembloroso
- Trembling, shaky
- me
- Me, myself (reflexive pronoun)
- sucedió
- Happened (preterite of suceder)
- mí
- Me (prepositional pronoun)
- le
- To him, to her, to you
- sucede
- Happens, occurs
- una
- A, an (feminine singular indefinite article)
- vasta
- Vast, huge
- mayoría
- Majority
- semejantes
- Similar, fellow beings
- elegí
- I chose (preterite of elegir)
- mejor
- Better, best
- parte
- Part, portion
- encontré
- I found (preterite of encontrar)
- falto
- Lacking, short of
- fuerza
- Strength, force
- mantenerla
- To maintain it, to keep it
- Sí
- Yes
- preferí
- I preferred (preterite of preferir)
- al
- To the (contraction of a + el)
- doctor
- Doctor
- anciano
- Elderly, old man
- descontento
- Discontent, unhappy
- rodeado
- Surrounded
- acariciando
- Caressing, cherishing
- honestas
- Honest, honorable (feminine plural)
- esperanzas
- Hopes
- dije
- I said (preterite of decir)
- resuelto
- Resolved, determined
- adiós
- Goodbye, farewell
- libertad
- Freedom, liberty
- juventud
- Youth
- comparativa
- Comparative, relative
- paso
- Step, pace
- ligero
- Light, swift
- impulsos
- Impulses
- impetuosos
- Impetuous, impulsive
- placeres
- Pleasures
- secretos
- Secrets, secret
- disfrutado
- Enjoyed
- bajo
- Under, low
- disfraz
- Disguise
- Hice
- I made, I did (preterite of hacer)
- esta
- This (feminine)
- elección
- Choice, election
- quizás
- Perhaps, maybe
- con
- With
- alguna
- Some (feminine)
- reserva
- Reserve, reservation
- inconsciente
- Unconscious, unaware
- abandoné
- I abandoned (preterite of abandonar)
- casa
- House, home
- destruí
- I destroyed (preterite of destruir)
- ropa
- Clothes, clothing
- aún
- Still, yet, even
- permanecía
- Remained, stayed (imperfect of permanecer)
- lista
- Ready, list
- mi
- My (singular)
- gabinete
- Cabinet, office
- Durante
- During
- dos
- Two
- meses
- Months
- embargo
- However, embargo, seizure
- fui
- I was, I went (preterite of ser/ir)
- fiel
- Faithful, loyal
- determinación
- Determination, resolution
- durante
- During
- llevé
- I carried, I led (preterite of llevar)
- vida
- Life
- tal
- Such, so
- severidad
- Severity, strictness
- nunca
- Never
- antes
- Before, earlier
- alcanzado
- Reached, achieved
- disfruté
- I enjoyed (preterite of disfrutar)
- compensaciones
- Compensations, rewards
- conciencia
- Conscience, awareness
- aprobatoria
- Approving, approbatory
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