← The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments

The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments — Page 14

English → Spanish Preface Level 7/10

These pieces of poetry are not in general to be regarded as the compositions of the author or authors of the work: they appear to be mostly borrowed from others, and many of them are taken from the works of celebrated poets.

Estos fragmentos de poesía no deben considerarse en general como composiciones del autor o autores de la obra: parecen estar tomados en su mayor parte de otros, y muchos de ellos están extraídos de las obras de poetas célebres.

--To avoid the tedious interruptions which occur in the original at the close of each Night, I have divided the translation into chapters, each of which consists of one tale, or of two or more tales connected one with another, and have merely mentioned the Night with which each chapter commences, and that with which it terminates.

--Para evitar las tediosas interrupciones que aparecen en el original al final de cada Noche, he dividido la traducción en capítulos, cada uno de los cuales consta de un cuento, o de dos o más cuentos enlazados entre sí, y me he limitado a mencionar la Noche con la que comienza cada capítulo y aquella con la que termina.

"The original work being designed solely for the entertainment of Arabs, I add copious notes to the translation, to render it more intelligible and agreeable to the English reader.

"Siendo la obra original concebida únicamente para el entretenimiento de los árabes, añado abundantes notas a la traducción para hacerla más inteligible y agradable al lector inglés.

These are entirely my own, except in those cases when I have stated otherwise;[4] and my general object in them has been to give such illustrations as may satisfy the general reader, without obliging him to consult other works.

Estas son enteramente mías, excepto en aquellos casos en que he indicado lo contrario;[4] y mi objetivo general en ellas ha sido ofrecer aquellas ilustraciones que puedan satisfacer al lector general, sin obligarle a consultar otras obras.

In many of them I endeavour to shew, by extracts from esteemed Arabic histories and scientific and other writings, chiefly drawn from MSS. in my possession, as well as by assertions and anecdotes that I have heard, and conduct that I have witnessed, during my intercourse with Arabs, that the most extravagant relations in this work are not in general regarded, even by the educated classes of that people, as of an incredible nature.

En muchas de ellas me esfuerzo por mostrar, mediante extractos de estimadas historias árabes y escritos científicos y de otra índole, extraídos principalmente de manuscritos en mi poder, así como por afirmaciones y anécdotas que he escuchado, y conductas que he presenciado durante mi trato con los árabes, que los relatos más extravagantes de esta obra no son considerados en general, ni siquiera por las clases instruidas de ese pueblo, como de naturaleza increíble.

Vocabulary

Estos
Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'these' (masculine plural)
fragmentos
Pieces or excerpts of a larger text or work
de
Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
poesía
The literary art form of poetry
no
Negation word meaning 'no' or 'not'
deben
Third person plural of 'deber,' meaning 'must' or 'should'
considerarse
Reflexive verb meaning 'to be considered'
en
Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at'
general
Referring to something broad or not specific
como
Conjunction or preposition meaning 'as' or 'like'
composiciones
Works or pieces created by an author or composer
del
Contraction of 'de' and 'el,' meaning 'of the'
autor
Person who writes or creates a literary work
o
Conjunction meaning 'or'
autores
Plural of 'autor'; multiple writers or creators
la
Feminine singular definite article meaning 'the'
obra
A literary, artistic, or creative work
parecen
Third person plural of 'parecer,' meaning 'they seem'
estar
Verb meaning 'to be' (state or condition)
tomados
Past participle of 'tomar'; taken or borrowed from somewhere
su
Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' 'its,' or 'their'
mayor
Adjective meaning 'greater,' 'larger,' or 'older'
parte
A portion or section of a whole
otros
Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'others'
y
Conjunction meaning 'and'
muchos
Adjective or pronoun meaning 'many' or 'a lot'
ellos
Third person plural pronoun meaning 'they'
están
Third person plural of 'estar'; meaning 'they are'
extraídos
Past participle of 'extraer'; extracted or taken out
las
Feminine plural definite article meaning 'the'
obras
Plural of 'obra'; literary or artistic works
poetas
Plural of 'poeta'; people who write poetry
célebres
Adjective meaning 'famous' or 'celebrated'
Para
Preposition meaning 'for,' 'in order to,' or 'to'
evitar
Verb meaning 'to avoid' or 'to prevent'
tediosas
Adjective meaning 'tedious,' 'boring,' or 'tiresome'
interrupciones
Plural noun meaning 'interruptions' or 'breaks in flow'
que
Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'
aparecen
Third person plural of 'aparecer'; meaning 'they appear'
el
Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'
original
The first or source version of a text
al
Contraction of 'a' and 'el,' meaning 'to the'
final
The end or conclusion of something
cada
Adjective meaning 'each' or 'every'
Noche
Noun meaning 'night'; a period of darkness
he
First person singular of 'haber'; used to form perfect tenses
dividido
Past participle of 'dividir'; divided or split into parts
traducción
The rendering of a text into another language
capítulos
Plural of 'capítulo'; chapters of a book or text
uno
Number or pronoun meaning 'one'
los
Masculine plural definite article meaning 'the'
cuales
Relative pronoun meaning 'which' (plural form)
consta
Third person singular of 'constar'; to consist of something
un
Masculine singular indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'
cuento
A short story or tale
dos
The number two
más
Adverb or adjective meaning 'more' or 'plus'
cuentos
Plural of 'cuento'; short stories or tales
enlazados
Past participle of 'enlazar'; linked or connected together
entre
Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
Reflexive pronoun meaning 'themselves' or 'each other'
me
First person singular reflexive/object pronoun meaning 'me'
limitado
Past participle of 'limitar'; restricted or confined to something
a
Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'by'
mencionar
Verb meaning 'to mention' or 'to refer to'
con
Preposition meaning 'with'
comienza
Third person singular of 'comenzar'; meaning 'it begins'
capítulo
A chapter or section of a book
aquella
Feminine demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that one' (distant)
termina
Third person singular of 'terminar'; meaning 'it ends'
Siendo
Gerund of 'ser'; meaning 'being'
concebida
Past participle of 'concebir'; conceived or intended for something
únicamente
Adverb meaning 'only,' 'solely,' or 'exclusively'
para
Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'
entretenimiento
Noun meaning 'entertainment' or 'amusement'
árabes
Plural noun or adjective referring to Arab people or things
añado
First person singular of 'añadir'; meaning 'I add'
abundantes
Adjective meaning 'abundant,' 'plentiful,' or 'numerous'
notas
Plural of 'nota'; notes or annotations in a text
hacerla
Infinitive 'hacer' with pronoun; meaning 'to make it'
inteligible
Adjective meaning 'intelligible' or 'understandable'
agradable
Adjective meaning 'pleasant,' 'enjoyable,' or 'agreeable'
lector
Noun meaning 'reader,' someone who reads a text
inglés
Adjective or noun meaning 'English' (language or person)
Estas
Feminine plural demonstrative pronoun meaning 'these'
son
Third person plural of 'ser'; meaning 'they are'
enteramente
Adverb meaning 'entirely,' 'completely,' or 'wholly'
mías
Feminine plural possessive pronoun meaning 'mine'
excepto
Preposition meaning 'except' or 'excluding'
aquellos
Masculine plural demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those'
casos
Plural of 'caso'; cases, instances, or situations
indicado
Past participle of 'indicar'; indicated or noted otherwise
lo
Neuter or masculine object pronoun meaning 'it' or 'the'
contrario
Adjective or noun meaning 'contrary' or 'opposite'
mi
Possessive adjective meaning 'my'
objetivo
Noun meaning 'objective,' 'goal,' or 'aim'
ellas
Third person feminine plural pronoun meaning 'they'
ha
Third person singular of 'haber'; used in perfect tenses
sido
Past participle of 'ser'; meaning 'been'
ofrecer
Verb meaning 'to offer' or 'to provide'
ilustraciones
Plural of 'ilustración'; illustrations, examples, or clarifications
puedan
Subjunctive of 'poder'; meaning 'they may be able to'
satisfacer
Verb meaning 'to satisfy' or 'to fulfill'
sin
Preposition meaning 'without'
obligarle
Infinitive 'obligar' with pronoun; to oblige or force someone
consultar
Verb meaning 'to consult' or 'to look up'
otras
Feminine plural adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'others'
En
Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at'
muchas
Feminine plural adjective meaning 'many' or 'a lot'
esfuerzo
Noun meaning 'effort,' 'endeavor,' or 'exertion'
por
Preposition meaning 'for,' 'by,' or 'through'
mostrar
Verb meaning 'to show' or 'to demonstrate'
mediante
Preposition meaning 'by means of' or 'through'
extractos
Plural of 'extracto'; extracts or excerpts from texts
estimadas
Past participle of 'estimar'; respected or highly regarded
historias
Plural of 'historia'; stories, histories, or accounts
escritos
Plural noun meaning 'writings' or 'written works'
científicos
Adjective or noun meaning 'scientific' or 'scientists'
otra
Feminine adjective meaning 'another' or 'other'
índole
Noun meaning 'nature,' 'kind,' or 'type' of something
principalmente
Adverb meaning 'mainly,' 'primarily,' or 'chiefly'
manuscritos
Plural of 'manuscrito'; handwritten or unpublished documents
poder
Verb meaning 'to be able to' or 'can'
así
Adverb meaning 'thus,' 'so,' or 'in this way'
afirmaciones
Plural of 'afirmación'; statements, claims, or affirmations
anécdotas
Plural of 'anécdota'; short amusing or interesting stories
escuchado
Past participle of 'escuchar'; having heard or listened to
conductas
Plural of 'conducta'; behaviors or conduct observed
presenciado
Past participle of 'presenciar'; having witnessed or observed
durante
Preposition meaning 'during' or 'throughout'
trato
Noun meaning 'dealings,' 'interaction,' or 'treatment'
relatos
Plural of 'relato'; accounts, narratives, or short stories
extravagantes
Adjective meaning 'extravagant,' 'eccentric,' or 'bizarre'
esta
Feminine demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'this'
considerados
Past participle of 'considerar'; considered or regarded as something
ni
Conjunction meaning 'neither' or 'nor'
siquiera
Adverb used with 'ni' meaning 'not even'
clases
Plural of 'clase'; classes, groups, or social categories
instruidas
Past participle of 'instruir'; educated or well-informed people
ese
Masculine demonstrative adjective meaning 'that'
pueblo
Noun meaning 'people,' 'village,' or 'town'
naturaleza
Noun meaning 'nature' or 'the natural world'
increíble
Adjective meaning 'incredible,' 'unbelievable,' or 'amazing'
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