The strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — Page 98
But time began at last to obliterate the freshness of my alarm; the praises of conscience began to grow into a thing of course; I began to be tortured with throes and longings, as of Hyde struggling after freedom; and at last, in an hour of moral weakness, I once again compounded and swallowed the transforming draught.
Pero el tiempo comenzó al fin a borrar la frescura de mi alarma; las alabanzas de la conciencia comenzaron a convertirse en algo habitual; comencé a ser torturado con angustias y anhelos, como si Hyde luchara por la libertad; y al fin, en una hora de debilidad moral, una vez más preparé y tragué la pócima transformadora.
I do not suppose that, when a drunkard reasons with himself upon his vice, he is once out of five hundred times affected by the dangers that he runs through his brutish, physical insensibility; neither had I, long as I had considered my position, made enough allowance for the complete moral insensibility and insensate readiness to evil, which were the leading characters of Edward Hyde.
No supongo que, cuando un borracho razona consigo mismo sobre su vicio, sea afectado una vez de cada quinientas por los peligros que corre a través de su brutal insensibilidad física; tampoco yo, por mucho que había considerado mi posición, había hecho suficiente concesión a la completa insensibilidad moral y la insensata predisposición al mal, que eran las características principales de Edward Hyde.
Yet it was by these that I was punished.
Sin embargo, fue por estas que fui castigado.
My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring.
Mi demonio había estado enjaulado mucho tiempo, salió rugiendo.
I was conscious, even when I took the draught, of a more unbridled, a more furious propensity to ill.
Fui consciente, incluso cuando tomé la pócima, de una propensión más desenfrenada, más furiosa hacia el mal.
It must have been this, I suppose, that stirred in my soul that tempest of impatience with which I listened to the civilities of my unhappy victim; I declare, at least, before God, no man morally sane could have been guilty of that crime upon so pitiful a provocation; and that I struck in no more reasonable spirit than that in which a sick child may break a plaything.
Debe haber sido esto, supongo, lo que agitó en mi alma esa tempestad de impaciencia con la que escuché las cortesías de mi desdichada víctima; declaro, al menos, ante Dios, que ningún hombre moralmente cuerdo podría haber sido culpable de ese crimen ante una provocación tan lastimosa; y que golpeé sin un espíritu más razonable que aquel con el que un niño enfermo puede romper un juguete.
Vocabulary
- Pero
- But, however; conjunction showing contrast or exception
- el
- The; masculine singular definite article
- tiempo
- Time, weather; duration or atmospheric conditions
- comenzó
- Began, started; third person singular past tense
- al
- To the; contraction of a + el
- fin
- End, purpose; conclusion or objective
- a
- To, at; preposition indicating direction or location
- borrar
- To erase, delete; remove or eliminate something
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- frescura
- Freshness, coolness; quality of being fresh
- de
- Of, from; preposition indicating possession or origin
- mi
- My; first person singular possessive adjective
- alarma
- Alarm, alert; warning signal or concern
- las
- The; feminine plural definite article
- alabanzas
- Praises, compliments; expressions of approval or admiration
- conciencia
- Conscience, consciousness; moral sense or awareness
- comenzaron
- Began, started; third person plural past tense
- convertirse
- To become, turn into; transform into something
- en
- In, on; preposition indicating location or state
- algo
- Something, somewhat; indefinite pronoun or adverb
- habitual
- Habitual, usual; customary or routine
- comencé
- I began, started; first person singular past
- ser
- To be; verb indicating essence or identity
- torturado
- Tortured, tormented; subjected to severe pain
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- angustias
- Anguishes, distresses; intense feelings of anxiety
- y
- And; conjunction connecting words or phrases
- anhelos
- Longings, yearnings; intense desires or cravings
- como
- Like, as; conjunction or adverb of comparison
- si
- If, whether; conjunction introducing conditional clauses
- luchara
- Fought, struggled; imperfect subjunctive third person singular
- por
- For, by; preposition indicating purpose or agency
- libertad
- Liberty, freedom; state of being free
- una
- A, an; feminine singular indefinite article
- hora
- Hour; unit of time, sixty minutes
- debilidad
- Weakness, feebleness; lack of strength or power
- moral
- Moral; relating to ethics or principles
- vez
- Time, occasion; instance or occurrence
- más
- More, most; comparative or superlative adverb
- preparé
- I prepared; first person singular past tense
- tragué
- I swallowed; first person singular past tense
- pócima
- Potion, brew; medicinal or magical liquid mixture
- transformadora
- Transforming, transformative; that which transforms or changes
- No
- No, not; negative adverb or particle
- supongo
- I suppose, assume; first person singular present
- que
- That, which; relative pronoun or conjunction
- cuando
- When; adverb or conjunction indicating time
- un
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article
- borracho
- Drunk, drunkard; intoxicated person or state
- razona
- Reasons, thinks logically; third person singular present
- consigo
- With himself/herself; reflexive prepositional pronoun
- mismo
- Same, self; emphasizes identity or sameness
- sobre
- About, on; preposition indicating topic or position
- su
- His, her, your; third person possessive adjective
- vicio
- Vice, bad habit; immoral or degrading behavior
- sea
- Be, is; third person singular present subjunctive
- afectado
- Affected; influenced or impacted by something
- cada
- Each, every; distributive adjective
- quinientas
- Five hundred; feminine plural numeral
- los
- The; masculine plural definite article
- peligros
- Dangers, perils; sources of harm or risk
- corre
- Runs, flows; third person singular present tense
- través
- Through; used in phrase "a través de"
- brutal
- Brutal, cruel; extremely harsh or violent
- insensibilidad
- Insensitivity, numbness; lack of feeling or awareness
- física
- Physical; relating to the body or matter
- tampoco
- Neither, not either; negative adverb
- yo
- I; first person singular subject pronoun
- mucho
- Much, a lot; adverb or adjective of quantity
- había
- Had, there was; imperfect tense of haber
- considerado
- Considered, regarded; past participle of considerar
- posición
- Position, stance; location or point of view
- hecho
- Fact, deed; something done or true
- suficiente
- Enough, sufficient; adequate in quantity or quality
- concesión
- Concession; act of yielding or granting
- completa
- Complete, total; entirely finished or whole
- insensata
- Senseless, foolish; lacking good sense or judgment
- predisposición
- Predisposition, tendency; inclination toward something
- mal
- Evil, bad; morally wrong or harmful
- eran
- Were, they were; imperfect third person plural
- características
- Characteristics, features; distinguishing traits or qualities
- principales
- Main, principal; most important or primary
- Sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- embargo
- However; used in phrase "sin embargo"
- fue
- Was, went; preterite third person singular
- estas
- These; feminine plural demonstrative adjective
- fui
- I was, went; first person singular preterite
- castigado
- Punished, penalized; past participle of castigar
- Mi
- My; first person singular possessive adjective
- demonio
- Demon, devil; evil spirit or person
- estado
- State, been; condition or past participle
- enjaulado
- Caged, imprisoned; confined in a cage
- salió
- Left, came out; third person singular preterite
- rugiendo
- Roaring; present participle of rugir
- Fui
- I was, went; first person singular preterite
- consciente
- Conscious, aware; having knowledge or perception
- incluso
- Even, including; adverb emphasizing inclusion
- tomé
- I took; first person singular preterite
- propensión
- Propensity, tendency; natural inclination or bent
- desenfrenada
- Unbridled, unrestrained; lacking control or moderation
- furiosa
- Furious, enraged; extremely angry
- hacia
- Toward, to; preposition indicating direction
- Debe
- Must, should; third person singular present obligation
- haber
- To have; auxiliary verb for compound tenses
- sido
- Been; past participle of ser
- esto
- This; neuter demonstrative pronoun
- lo
- It, him; masculine singular direct object pronoun
- agitó
- Stirred, agitated; third person singular preterite
- alma
- Soul, spirit; immaterial essence of person
- esa
- That; feminine singular demonstrative adjective
- tempestad
- Storm, tempest; violent atmospheric disturbance
- impaciencia
- Impatience; lack of patience or restlessness
- escuché
- I listened, heard; first person singular preterite
- cortesías
- Courtesies, polite gestures; acts of politeness
- desdichada
- Unfortunate, wretched; unhappy or miserable
- víctima
- Victim; person harmed or suffering
- declaro
- I declare, state; first person singular present
- menos
- Less, fewer; comparative of quantity
- ante
- Before, in front of; preposition of position
- Dios
- God; supreme deity
- ningún
- No, none; negative adjective before masculine noun
- hombre
- Man, human; adult male person
- moralmente
- Morally; in a moral or ethical manner
- cuerdo
- Sane, sensible; mentally sound or rational
- podría
- Could, might; conditional third person singular
- culpable
- Guilty, culpable; responsible for wrongdoing
- ese
- That; masculine singular demonstrative adjective
- crimen
- Crime; illegal or immoral act
- provocación
- Provocation; action causing anger or response
- tan
- So, as; adverb expressing degree
- lastimosa
- Pitiful, pathetic; deserving of pity
- golpeé
- I hit, struck; first person singular preterite
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence
- espíritu
- Spirit, soul; non-physical essence or attitude
- razonable
- Reasonable, rational; sensible or fair
- aquel
- That; masculine singular distant demonstrative adjective
- niño
- Boy, child; young male person
- enfermo
- Sick, ill; suffering from disease
- puede
- Can, may; third person singular present
- romper
- To break; destroy or separate into pieces
- juguete
- Toy; object for children to play with
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