White nights, and other stories — Page 10
She did not seem to hear my footsteps, and did not even stir when I passed by with bated breath and loudly throbbing heart.
Ella no pareció oír mis pasos, y ni siquiera se movió cuando pasé junto a ella conteniendo el aliento y con el corazón latiéndome con fuerza.
"Strange," I thought; "she must be deeply absorbed in something," and all at once I stopped as though petrified.
«Qué extraño», pensé; «debe de estar profundamente absorta en algo», y de repente me detuve como si me hubiera petrificado.
I heard a muffled sob.
Oí un sollozo sofocado.
Yes! I was not mistaken, the girl was crying, and a minute later I heard sob after sob.
¡Sí! No me había equivocado, la chica estaba llorando, y un momento después oí sollozo tras sollozo.
Good Heavens! My heart sank.
¡Dios mío! Se me encogió el corazón.
And timid as I was with women, yet this was such a moment!...
Y aunque yo era tan tímido con las mujeres, ¡este era un momento tan especial!...
I turned, took a step towards her, and should certainly have pronounced the word "Madam!" if I had not known that that exclamation has been uttered a thousand times in every Russian society novel.
Me volví, di un paso hacia ella, y sin duda habría pronunciado la palabra «¡Señorita!» si no hubiera sabido que esa exclamación había sido empleada mil veces en todas las novelas de la sociedad rusa.
It was only that reflection stopped me.
Solo esa reflexión me detuvo.
But while I was seeking for a word, the girl came to herself, looked round, started, cast down her eyes and slipped by me along the embankment.
Pero mientras yo buscaba una palabra, la chica volvió en sí, miró a su alrededor, se sobresaltó, bajó los ojos y se deslizó junto a mí a lo largo del malecón.
I at once followed her; but she, divining this, left the embankment, crossed the road and walked along the pavement.
Inmediatamente la seguí; pero ella, adivinando esto, dejó el malecón, cruzó la calle y caminó por la acera.
I dared not cross the street after her.
No me atreví a cruzar la calle tras ella.
My heart was fluttering like a captured bird.
Mi corazón aleteaba como un pájaro capturado.
All at once a chance came to my aid.
De repente, una oportunidad vino en mi ayuda.
Along the same side of the pavement there suddenly came into sight, not far from the girl, a gentleman in evening dress, of dignified years, though by no means of dignified carriage; he was staggering and cautiously leaning against the wall.
Por el mismo lado de la acera apareció de repente, no lejos de la chica, un caballero vestido de etiqueta, de edad respetable, aunque de porte en modo alguno respetable; iba tambaleándose y apoyándose con cautela contra la pared.
Vocabulary
- pareció
- Past tense of parecer; 'seemed' or 'appeared'.
- oír
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to hear'.
- pasos
- Plural noun meaning 'steps' or 'footsteps'.
- ni
- Negative conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'not even'.
- siquiera
- Adverb meaning 'even'; used in negative constructions.
- movió
- Past tense of mover; 'moved' or 'stirred'.
- junto
- Preposition meaning 'next to' or 'beside'.
- conteniendo
- Gerund of contener; 'holding' or 'containing'.
- aliento
- Noun meaning 'breath'; contener el aliento means 'hold breath'.
- corazón
- Noun meaning 'heart', both physical and emotional.
- latiéndome
- Gerund of latir with pronoun; 'beating' (said of heart).
- fuerza
- Noun meaning 'force', 'strength', or 'power'.
- extraño
- Adjective meaning 'strange', 'odd', or 'foreign'.
- debe
- Third person of deber; 'must' or 'should'.
- estar
- Infinitive meaning 'to be' (state or condition).
- profundamente
- Adverb meaning 'deeply' or 'profoundly'.
- absorta
- Adjective meaning 'absorbed', 'engrossed', or 'lost in thought'.
- repente
- Used in 'de repente' meaning 'suddenly'.
- detuve
- First person past of detener; 'I stopped' or 'I halted'.
- hubiera
- Imperfect subjunctive of haber; used in hypothetical clauses.
- petrificado
- Adjective meaning 'petrified', 'frozen with shock'.
- Oí
- First person past of oír; 'I heard'.
- sollozo
- Noun meaning 'sob', a sound made while crying.
- sofocado
- Adjective meaning 'muffled', 'stifled', or 'suppressed'.
- había
- Imperfect of haber; auxiliary verb forming past perfect.
- equivocado
- Past participle of equivocarse; 'mistaken' or 'wrong'.
- chica
- Noun meaning 'girl' or 'young woman'.
- llorando
- Gerund of llorar; 'crying' or 'weeping'.
- oí
- First person past tense of oír; 'I heard'.
- tras
- Preposition meaning 'behind', 'after', or 'beyond'.
- Dios
- Noun meaning 'God'; used in exclamations like '¡Dios mío!'.
- mío
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'mine' or 'my'.
- encogió
- Past tense of encoger; 'shrank', 'shrugged', or 'flinched'.
- aunque
- Conjunction meaning 'although', 'even though', or 'even if'.
- tan
- Adverb meaning 'so' or 'such' (used in comparisons).
- tímido
- Adjective meaning 'shy', 'timid', or 'bashful'.
- mujeres
- Plural noun meaning 'women'.
- especial
- Adjective meaning 'special' or 'particular'.
- volví
- First person past of volver; 'I turned' or 'I went back'.
- di
- First person past of dar; 'I gave' or 'I took (a step)'.
- paso
- Noun meaning 'step'; also first person of pasar.
- hacia
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'towards'.
- duda
- Noun meaning 'doubt'; sin duda means 'without a doubt'.
- habría
- Conditional of haber; 'would have' in hypothetical contexts.
- pronunciado
- Past participle of pronunciar; 'pronounced' or 'uttered'.
- palabra
- Noun meaning 'word' or 'speech'.
- Señorita
- Honorific noun meaning 'Miss' or 'young lady'.
- sabido
- Past participle of saber; 'known' or 'been aware'.
- exclamación
- Noun meaning 'exclamation' or 'outcry'.
- empleada
- Past participle of emplear; 'used', 'employed', or 'applied'.
- veces
- Plural of vez meaning 'times' (instances or occasions).
- novelas
- Plural noun meaning 'novels' or 'fiction books'.
- sociedad
- Noun meaning 'society' or 'social class'.
- rusa
- Adjective meaning 'Russian' (feminine form).
- Solo
- Adverb meaning 'only' or 'just'; adjective meaning 'alone'.
- reflexión
- Noun meaning 'reflection', 'thought', or 'consideration'.
- detuvo
- Third person past of detener; 'stopped' or 'halted'.
- mientras
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'as long as'.
- buscaba
- Imperfect of buscar; 'was looking for' or 'sought'.
- volvió
- Third person past of volver; 'returned' or 'turned back'.
- sí
- Reflexive pronoun or affirmative adverb meaning 'yes'/'herself'.
- miró
- Third person past of mirar; 'looked' or 'glanced'.
- alrededor
- Adverb or noun meaning 'around' or 'surroundings'.
- sobresaltó
- Past tense of sobresaltar; 'startled' or 'was startled'.
- bajó
- Third person past of bajar; 'lowered' or 'went down'.
- ojos
- Plural noun meaning 'eyes'.
- deslizó
- Past tense of deslizar; 'slid', 'glided', or 'slipped away'.
- largo
- Adjective meaning 'long'; a lo largo means 'along'.
- malecón
- Noun meaning 'seafront promenade', 'pier', or 'embankment'.
- Inmediatamente
- Adverb meaning 'immediately' or 'right away'.
- seguí
- First person past of seguir; 'I followed' or 'I continued'.
- adivinando
- Gerund of adivinar; 'guessing' or 'sensing'.
- dejó
- Third person past of dejar; 'left', 'stopped', or 'let'.
- cruzó
- Third person past of cruzar; 'crossed'.
- calle
- Noun meaning 'street' or 'road'.
- caminó
- Third person past of caminar; 'walked' or 'strolled'.
- acera
- Noun meaning 'sidewalk' or 'pavement'.
- atreví
- First person past of atreverse; 'I dared'.
- cruzar
- Infinitive meaning 'to cross'.
- aleteaba
- Imperfect of aletear; 'was fluttering' (like wings).
- pájaro
- Noun meaning 'bird'.
- capturado
- Past participle of capturar; 'captured' or 'caught'.
- oportunidad
- Noun meaning 'opportunity' or 'chance'.
- vino
- Third person past of venir; 'came'; also noun 'wine'.
- ayuda
- Noun meaning 'help' or 'aid'.
- mismo
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'same' or 'himself/itself'.
- lado
- Noun meaning 'side'; por el mismo lado means 'on the same side'.
- apareció
- Third person past of aparecer; 'appeared' or 'showed up'.
- lejos
- Adverb meaning 'far' or 'far away'.
- caballero
- Noun meaning 'gentleman' or 'knight'.
- vestido
- Past participle of vestir; 'dressed'; also noun 'dress'.
- etiqueta
- Noun meaning 'formal dress' or 'etiquette'.
- edad
- Noun meaning 'age'.
- respetable
- Adjective meaning 'respectable' or 'considerable'.
- porte
- Noun meaning 'bearing', 'demeanor', or 'appearance'.
- modo
- Noun meaning 'manner', 'way', or 'mode'.
- alguno
- Indefinite adjective or pronoun meaning 'some' or 'any'.
- tambaleándose
- Gerund of tambalearse; 'staggering' or 'swaying'.
- apoyándose
- Gerund of apoyarse; 'leaning' or 'supporting oneself'.
- cautela
- Noun meaning 'caution', 'care', or 'wariness'.
- contra
- Preposition meaning 'against'.
- pared
- Noun meaning 'wall' (interior wall of a building).
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