The Yellow Wallpaper — Page 5
We have been here two weeks, and I haven't felt like writing before, since that first day.
Llevamos aquí dos semanas, y no me había sentido con ganas de escribir antes, desde aquel primer día.
I am sitting by the window now, up in this atrocious nursery, and there is nothing to hinder my writing as much as I please, save lack of strength.
Ahora estoy sentada junto a la ventana, aquí arriba en este atroz cuarto de los niños, y no hay nada que impida que escriba todo lo que quiera, salvo la falta de fuerzas.
John is away all day, and even some nights when his cases are serious.
John está fuera todo el día, e incluso algunas noches cuando sus casos son graves.
I am glad my case is not serious!
¡Me alegra que mi caso no sea grave!
But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing.
Pero estos trastornos nerviosos son terriblemente deprimentes.
John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.
John no sabe cuánto sufro realmente. Él sabe que no hay razón para sufrir, y eso le basta.
Of course it is only nervousness. It does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any way!
Por supuesto que es solo nerviosismo. ¡Me pesa tanto no poder cumplir con mi deber de ninguna manera!
I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already!
Tenía intención de ser de tanta ayuda para John, un verdadero descanso y consuelo, ¡y ya soy una carga en comparación!
Nobody would believe what an effort it is to do what little I am able—to dress and entertain, and order things.
Nadie creería el esfuerzo que supone hacer lo poco que puedo: vestirme, atender a los invitados y organizar las cosas.
It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby!
Es una suerte que Mary sea tan buena con el bebé. ¡Un bebé tan querido!
And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous.
Y sin embargo no puedo estar con él, me pone muy nerviosa.
I suppose John never was nervous in his life. He laughs at me so about this wallpaper!
Supongo que John no ha estado nervioso en su vida. ¡Se ríe tanto de mí por este papel pintado!
At first he meant to repaper the room, but afterwards he said that I was letting it get the better of me, and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient than to give way to such fancies.
Al principio tenía intención de volver a empapelar la habitación, pero después dijo que yo estaba dejando que me dominara, y que nada era peor para un paciente nervioso que ceder ante semejantes fantasías.
Vocabulary
- Llevamos
- We have been (somewhere) for a duration of time
- aquí
- Here; in this place
- dos
- Two; the number 2
- semanas
- Weeks; plural of week
- y
- And; conjunction connecting words or clauses
- no
- No; negation word used before verbs
- me
- Me; first-person singular reflexive or object pronoun
- había
- Had; past perfect auxiliary form of haber
- sentido
- Felt; past participle of sentir, to feel
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or manner
- ganas
- Desire or eagerness to do something
- de
- Of or from; common preposition with many uses
- escribir
- To write; to put words on paper
- antes
- Before; previously; earlier in time
- desde
- Since or from; indicating a starting point in time
- aquel
- That; demonstrative adjective referring to something distant
- primer
- First; ordinal adjective indicating the initial one
- día
- Day; a 24-hour period
- Ahora
- Now; at the present moment
- estoy
- I am; first-person present form of estar
- sentada
- Seated; sitting down, feminine past participle
- junto
- Next to or beside; close to something
- a
- To or at; common Spanish preposition
- la
- The; definite feminine singular article
- ventana
- Window; an opening in a wall for light
- arriba
- Upstairs or above; in a higher position
- en
- In or on; preposition indicating location
- este
- This; masculine singular demonstrative adjective
- atroz
- Atrocious or dreadful; extremely bad or unpleasant
- cuarto
- Room; a space within a building
- los
- The; definite masculine plural article
- niños
- Children; young boys or kids
- hay
- There is or there are; impersonal form of haber
- nada
- Nothing; not anything at all
- que
- That or which; relative pronoun or conjunction
- impida
- Prevents or stops; subjunctive form of impedir
- escriba
- Write; subjunctive form of escribir
- todo
- Everything or all; referring to the whole
- lo
- It or him; neuter or masculine object pronoun
- quiera
- Want; subjunctive form of querer
- salvo
- Except or save for; excluding something
- falta
- Lack; shortage or absence of something needed
- fuerzas
- Strength or energy; physical or mental forces
- está
- Is; third-person present form of estar
- fuera
- Outside or away; not present in a place
- el
- The; definite masculine singular article
- e
- And; variant of y used before i- sounds
- incluso
- Even or including; emphasizing something unexpected
- algunas
- Some; feminine plural indefinite adjective
- noches
- Nights; plural of night, dark hours
- cuando
- When; at the time that something happens
- sus
- His, her, or their; possessive adjective plural
- casos
- Cases; instances or situations, often medical
- son
- Are; third-person plural present form of ser
- graves
- Serious or severe; describing grave conditions
- Me
- Me; first-person reflexive or indirect object pronoun
- alegra
- Pleases or makes happy; present form of alegrar
- mi
- My; first-person singular possessive adjective
- caso
- Case; a specific situation or instance
- sea
- Be; subjunctive form of ser, to be
- grave
- Serious or severe; describing a critical condition
- Pero
- But; conjunction indicating contrast or exception
- estos
- These; masculine plural demonstrative adjective
- trastornos
- Disorders or disturbances; mental or physical conditions
- nerviosos
- Nervous; relating to nerves or anxiety
- terriblemente
- Terribly; in an extremely bad or distressing way
- deprimentes
- Depressing; causing sadness or low spirits
- sabe
- Knows; third-person present form of saber
- cuánto
- How much; asking or stating an amount or degree
- sufro
- I suffer; first-person present form of sufrir
- realmente
- Really or truly; in an actual or genuine way
- Él
- He; third-person masculine singular subject pronoun
- razón
- Reason; justification or motive for something
- para
- For or in order to; preposition of purpose
- sufrir
- To suffer; to experience pain or hardship
- eso
- That; neuter demonstrative pronoun for something nearby
- le
- Him, her, or you; indirect object pronoun
- basta
- It is enough; suffices, present form of bastar
- Por
- For or by; preposition with various uses
- supuesto
- Of course; assumed or taken for granted
- es
- Is; third-person singular present form of ser
- solo
- Only or just; nothing more than stated
- nerviosismo
- Nervousness; a state of anxiety or tension
- pesa
- Weighs or burdens; present form of pesar
- tanto
- So much; to such a great degree
- poder
- To be able to; expressing ability or possibility
- cumplir
- To fulfill or carry out; to meet an obligation
- deber
- Duty or obligation; what one must do
- ninguna
- None or no; feminine singular negative adjective
- manera
- Way or manner; a method or style of doing
- Tenía
- Had; first or third-person imperfect form of tener
- intención
- Intention; a plan or purpose to do something
- ser
- To be; infinitive expressing identity or permanent state
- tanta
- So much; feminine singular form of tanto
- ayuda
- Help or assistance; support given to someone
- un
- A or an; masculine singular indefinite article
- verdadero
- True or genuine; real and not false
- descanso
- Rest; a break or period of relaxation
- consuelo
- Comfort or consolation; relief from distress
- ya
- Already or now; indicating something has occurred
- soy
- I am; first-person present form of ser
- una
- A or an; feminine singular indefinite article
- carga
- Burden or load; something heavy or oppressive
- comparación
- Comparison; the act of comparing two things
- Nadie
- Nobody; not any person at all
- creería
- Would believe; conditional form of creer
- esfuerzo
- Effort; energy or exertion applied to a task
- supone
- Supposes or involves; present form of suponer
- hacer
- To do or make; common infinitive verb
- poco
- A little; a small amount or degree
- puedo
- I can; first-person present form of poder
- vestirme
- To dress myself; reflexive infinitive of vestir
- atender
- To attend to or serve; to take care of
- invitados
- Guests; people invited to visit or attend
- organizar
- To organize; to arrange or put things in order
- las
- The; definite feminine plural article
- cosas
- Things; objects or matters in general
- Es
- It is; third-person singular present form of ser
- suerte
- Luck; fortune or chance affecting outcomes
- tan
- So or such; intensifier modifying adjectives or adverbs
- buena
- Good; feminine form of bueno, positive quality
- bebé
- Baby; a very young infant or child
- Un
- A or an; masculine singular indefinite article
- querido
- Dear or beloved; affectionate term for someone loved
- Y
- And; conjunction linking words or clauses
- sin
- Without; preposition indicating absence of something
- embargo
- Embargo; used in sin embargo meaning nevertheless
- estar
- To be; infinitive expressing state or condition
- él
- He or him; third-person masculine singular pronoun
- pone
- Makes or puts; third-person present form of poner
- muy
- Very; intensifier used before adjectives or adverbs
- nerviosa
- Nervous; feminine form describing an anxious state
- Supongo
- I suppose; first-person present form of suponer
- ha
- Has; third-person singular present perfect auxiliary
- estado
- Been; past participle of estar, to be
- nervioso
- Nervous; feeling anxious or agitated
- su
- His, her, or your; possessive adjective singular
- vida
- Life; the existence of a living being
- Se
- Reflexive pronoun used with third-person verbs
- ríe
- Laughs; third-person present form of reírse
- mí
- Me; stressed first-person pronoun used after prepositions
- papel
- Paper or wallpaper; a sheet or wall covering
- pintado
- Painted; past participle of pintar, to paint
- Al
- At the or to the; contraction of a and el
- principio
- Beginning or principle; the start of something
- tenía
- Had; imperfect form of tener, to have
- volver
- To return or to do again; to go back
- empapelar
- To wallpaper; to cover walls with wallpaper
- habitación
- Room; a space or bedroom within a building
- pero
- But; conjunction indicating contrast or exception
- después
- After or later; following in time or order
- dijo
- Said; third-person simple past form of decir
- yo
- I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- estaba
- Was; first or third-person imperfect form of estar
- dejando
- Letting or allowing; gerund form of dejar
- dominara
- Dominated or controlled; imperfect subjunctive of dominar
- era
- Was; imperfect form of ser, to be
- peor
- Worse; comparative adjective indicating inferior quality
- paciente
- Patient; calm and accepting; also a medical patient
- ceder
- To yield or give in; to surrender to pressure
- ante
- Before or in the face of; preposition of confrontation
- semejantes
- Such or similar; referring to things of that kind
- fantasías
- Fantasies; imaginary or fanciful ideas or thoughts
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