White nights, and other stories — Page 7

English → Spanish Full Text Level 7/10

If I chanced to meet a long procession of waggoners walking lazily with the reins in their hands beside waggons loaded with regular mountains of furniture, tables, chairs, ottomans and sofas and domestic utensils of all sorts, frequently with a decrepit cook sitting on the top of it all, guarding her master's property as though it were the apple of her eye; or if I saw boats heavily loaded with household goods crawling along the Neva or Fontanka to the Black River or the Islands--the waggons and the boats were multiplied tenfold, a hundredfold, in my eyes.

Si me ocurría encontrar una larga procesión de carreteros que caminaban perezosamente con las riendas en las manos junto a carros cargados con auténticas montañas de muebles, mesas, sillas, otomanas y sofás y utensilios domésticos de toda clase, frecuentemente con una decrépita cocinera sentada en lo alto de todo, guardando la propiedad de su amo como si fuera la niña de sus ojos; o si veía botes muy cargados de enseres domésticos que avanzaban pesadamente por el Neva o el Fontanka hacia el Río Negro o las Islas, los carros y los botes se multiplicaban por diez, por cien, ante mis ojos.

I fancied that everything was astir and moving, everything was going in regular caravans to the summer villas.

Me parecía que todo estaba en movimiento y en marcha, que todo se dirigía en verdaderas caravanas hacia las casas de verano.

It seemed as though Petersburg threatened to become a wilderness, so that at last I felt ashamed, mortified and sad that I had nowhere to go for the holidays and no reason to go away.

Parecía como si Petersburgo amenazara con convertirse en un desierto, de modo que al fin me sentía avergonzado, mortificado y triste por no tener ningún lugar adonde ir durante las vacaciones ni motivo alguno para marcharme.

I was ready to go away with every waggon, to drive off with every gentleman of respectable appearance who took a cab; but no one--absolutely no one--invited me; it seemed they had forgotten me, as though really I were a stranger to them!

Estaba dispuesto a marcharme con cada carro, a alejarme con cada caballero de aspecto respetable que tomaba un coche de alquiler; pero nadie, absolutamente nadie, me invitaba; parecía que me habían olvidado, como si en realidad yo fuera un extraño para ellos.

I took long walks, succeeding, as I usually did, in quite forgetting where I was, when I suddenly found myself at the city gates.

Daba largos paseos, logrando, como de costumbre, olvidar por completo dónde me encontraba, cuando de repente me hallé ante las puertas de la ciudad.

Instantly I felt lighthearted, and I passed the barrier and walked between cultivated fields and meadows, unconscious of fatigue, and feeling only all over as though a burden were falling off my soul.

De inmediato me sentí alegre y despreocupado, y crucé la barrera y caminé entre campos cultivados y praderas, sin sentir el cansancio, experimentando tan solo en todo mi ser la sensación de que un peso caía de mi alma.

Vocabulary

Si: Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'whether' in Spanish
me: First-person singular reflexive or object pronoun 'me'
ocurría: It happened or occurred to someone
encontrar: To find or encounter something or someone
una: Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'
larga: Feminine adjective meaning long in size or duration
procesión: A procession or long moving line of people
de: Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
carreteros: Cart drivers or wagoners who transport goods
que: Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning 'that' or 'who'
caminaban: They walked slowly along a path or road
perezosamente: Lazily or sluggishly, without energy or haste
con: Preposition meaning 'with'
las: Feminine plural definite article 'the'
riendas: Reins used to control a horse or carriage
en: Preposition meaning 'in', 'on', or 'at'
manos: Hands, the body part at the end of arms
junto: Next to or beside something or someone
a: Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at'
carros: Carts or wagons used to carry goods
cargados: Loaded or filled with heavy goods or items
auténticas: Genuine or real, emphasizing something is truly so
montañas: Mountains or large towering piles of something
muebles: Furniture, movable objects used to furnish a home
mesas: Tables used for eating, working, or placing items
sillas: Chairs used for sitting
otomanas: Ottomans or cushioned footstools used for resting
sofás: Sofas or couches for sitting and reclining
utensilios: Utensils or tools used for domestic purposes
domésticos: Domestic or household, relating to the home
toda: All or every, referring to an entire group or thing
clase: Class or kind, referring to a type or category
frecuentemente: Frequently or often, happening many times
decrépita: Decrepit or worn out from age and poor condition
cocinera: A female cook who prepares food in a household
sentada: Seated or sitting in a position of rest
lo: Neuter pronoun or masculine object pronoun 'it' or 'him'
alto: High or tall, referring to elevation or height
todo: Everything or all, referring to the whole of something
guardando: Guarding or watching over something to protect it
propiedad: Property or belongings owned by someone
su: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'their'
amo: Master or owner, one who has authority over others
como: Like or as, used for comparison or similarity
fuera: Past subjunctive of 'ser/ir' meaning 'were' or 'went'
niña: A young girl or female child
sus: Possessive adjective plural meaning 'his', 'her', or 'their'
ojos: Eyes, the organs used for seeing
o: Conjunction meaning 'or', offering an alternative
veía: Past tense of 'ver'; was seeing or could see
botes: Small boats used for travel on water
muy: Very, an adverb intensifying adjectives or other adverbs
enseres: Household goods, belongings, or personal effects
avanzaban: They advanced or moved forward slowly
pesadamente: Heavily or ponderously, moving with great weight
por: Preposition meaning 'through', 'by', or 'along'
el: Masculine singular definite article 'the'
hacia: Toward or in the direction of a place
Río: River, a large natural stream of flowing water
Negro: Black or dark; also a proper name for certain places
Islas: Islands, landmasses surrounded by water
los: Masculine plural definite article 'the'
se: Reflexive pronoun used with verbs for 'himself' or 'itself'
multiplicaban: They multiplied or increased greatly in number
diez: The number ten
cien: The number one hundred
ante: Before or in front of, in the presence of
mis: Possessive adjective plural meaning 'my'
Me: First-person singular object or reflexive pronoun 'me'
parecía: It seemed or appeared to be a certain way
estaba: Past tense of 'estar'; was in a state or place
movimiento: Movement or motion, the act of moving
marcha: March or departure, moving forward purposefully
dirigía: Was directing or heading toward a destination
verdaderas: True or real, feminine plural form of 'verdadero'
caravanas: Caravans, groups traveling together with belongings
casas: Houses or homes where people live
verano: Summer, the warmest season of the year
Parecía: It seemed or appeared to be the case
amenazara: Past subjunctive of 'amenazar'; threatened to become something
convertirse: To become or turn into something different
un: Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'
desierto: A desert or deserted empty place with no people
modo: Way or manner in which something is done
al: Contraction of 'a' and 'el' meaning 'to the'
fin: End or conclusion of something; also 'finally'
sentía: Past tense; was feeling or sensing an emotion
avergonzado: Ashamed or embarrassed about something done or felt
mortificado: Mortified or deeply humiliated and distressed
triste: Sad or unhappy, feeling sorrow or melancholy
no: No or not, used to express negation
tener: To have or possess something
ningún: No or not any, used before a masculine noun
lugar: Place or location where something exists or happens
adonde: Where or to which place, indicating destination
ir: To go somewhere or move toward a destination
durante: During or throughout a period of time
vacaciones: Vacation or holidays, time away from work
ni: Nor or neither, used in negative constructions
motivo: Reason or motive for doing something
alguno: Some or any, referring to an unspecified one
para: Preposition meaning 'for', 'in order to'
marcharme: To leave or go away from a place
Estaba: Past tense of 'estar'; was in a condition or place
dispuesto: Ready or willing to do something
cada: Each or every, referring to individual items in a group
carro: A cart or wagon used to carry things
alejarme: To move away or distance oneself from a place
caballero: A gentleman or knight, a man of respectable status
aspecto: Appearance or aspect, the way something or someone looks
respetable: Respectable, worthy of respect and admiration
tomaba: Was taking or boarding a vehicle or object
coche: A car or carriage used for transportation
alquiler: Rental, something hired or rented for temporary use
pero: But, a conjunction used to introduce a contrast
nadie: Nobody or no one, referring to the absence of any person
absolutamente: Absolutely or completely, with total certainty
invitaba: Was inviting someone to come or participate
habían: Third-person plural past perfect auxiliary 'had'
olvidado: Forgotten, past participle of 'olvidar' to forget
realidad: Reality, the true state of things as they exist
yo: First-person singular subject pronoun 'I'
extraño: Strange or foreign, feeling out of place or unfamiliar
ellos: Third-person plural pronoun 'they'
Daba: Past tense of 'dar'; was giving or taking walks
largos: Long, masculine plural adjective referring to length
paseos: Walks or strolls taken for leisure or exercise
logrando: Managing to achieve or accomplish something
costumbre: Custom or habit, a regularly practiced behavior
olvidar: To forget something or someone entirely
completo: Complete or total, fully accomplished or entire
dónde: Where, used in questions asking about location
encontraba: Was finding or locating oneself somewhere
cuando: When, referring to the time something happens
repente: Sudden; 'de repente' means suddenly without warning
hallé: Past tense of 'hallar'; found myself at a location
puertas: Doors or gates providing entry or exit
ciudad: City, a large populated urban settlement
De: Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'
inmediato: Immediate; 'de inmediato' means immediately or right away
sentí: Past tense of 'sentir'; I felt an emotion or sensation
alegre: Happy or cheerful, feeling joy and light-heartedness
despreocupado: Carefree or unconcerned, free from worry or anxiety
crucé: Past tense of 'cruzar'; I crossed over a boundary
barrera: Barrier or boundary marking a limit or border
caminé: Past tense of 'caminar'; I walked through an area
entre: Between or among, indicating position amid things
campos: Fields or countryside areas of open land
cultivados: Cultivated or farmed, land prepared for growing crops
praderas: Meadows or grassy prairies, open areas of land
sin: Without, indicating the absence of something
sentir: To feel or sense an emotion or physical sensation
cansancio: Tiredness or fatigue from physical or mental effort
experimentando: Experiencing or feeling something directly firsthand
tan: So or as, used in comparisons or to intensify adjectives
solo: Only or alone, without others or just one thing
mi: Possessive adjective meaning 'my'
ser: Being, the essential nature of a person or thing
sensación: Sensation or feeling experienced physically or emotionally
peso: Weight or burden, heaviness felt physically or emotionally
caía: Past tense of 'caer'; was falling or lifting from something
alma: Soul or spirit, the inner essence of a person

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