White nights, and other stories — Page 14
I make up regular romances in my dreams.
Eu invento verdadeiros romances nos meus sonhos.
Ah, you don't know me!
Ah, você não me conhece!
It's true, of course, I have met two or three women, but what sort of women were they?
É verdade, claro, já encontrei duas ou três mulheres, mas que tipo de mulheres eram elas?
They were all landladies, that....
Eram todas senhorias, isso....
But I shall make you laugh if I tell you that I have several times thought of speaking, just simply speaking, to some aristocratic lady in the street, when she is alone, I need hardly say; speaking to her, of course, timidly, respectfully, passionately; telling her that I am perishing in solitude, begging her not to send me away; saying that I have no chance of making the acquaintance of any woman; impressing upon her that it is a positive duty for a woman not to repulse so timid a prayer from such a luckless man as me.
Mas vou fazê-lo rir se lhe contar que já pensei várias vezes em falar, apenas simplesmente falar, com alguma dama aristocrática na rua, quando ela está sozinha, nem precisaria dizer; falar com ela, claro, timidamente, respeitosamente, apaixonadamente; dizer-lhe que estou perecendo na solidão, suplicar-lhe que não me mande embora; dizer que não tenho nenhuma chance de travar conhecimento com nenhuma mulher; impressioná-la com o facto de ser um dever positivo para uma mulher não repelir uma súplica tão tímida de um homem tão infeliz como eu.
That, in fact, all I ask is, that she should say two or three sisterly words with sympathy, should not repulse me at first sight; should take me on trust and listen to what I say; should laugh at me if she likes, encourage me, say two words to me, only two words, even though we never meet again afterwards!...
Que, na verdade, tudo o que peço é que ela diga duas ou três palavras fraternais com simpatia, que não me repila à primeira vista; que confie em mim e ouça o que eu digo; que ria de mim se quiser, que me encoraje, que me diga duas palavras, apenas duas palavras, mesmo que nunca mais nos encontremos depois!...
But you are laughing; however, that is why I am telling you...."
Mas você está a rir; no entanto, é por isso que lhe estou a contar...."
"Don't be vexed; I am only laughing at your being your own enemy, and if you had tried you would have succeeded, perhaps, even though it had been in the street; the simpler the better....
"Não fique aborrecido; estou apenas a rir por você ser o seu próprio inimigo, e se tivesse tentado teria conseguido, talvez, mesmo que fosse na rua; quanto mais simples, melhor....
Vocabulary
- invento
- I invent; to create or fabricate something imaginatively
- verdadeiros
- True, genuine, real (masculine plural adjective)
- romances
- Romantic stories or love affairs, novels
- nos
- In the, at the (contraction of em + os)
- sonhos
- Dreams; visions experienced during sleep or daydreaming
- conhece
- Knows, is acquainted with someone or something
- verdade
- Truth; something that is real or factual
- claro
- Clear, obvious; of course (used as affirmation)
- já
- Already, now; indicates something has occurred
- encontrei
- I found, I met; past tense of encontrar
- mulheres
- Women; plural of mulher (woman)
- tipo
- Type, kind, sort of person or thing
- eram
- Were; third person plural imperfect of ser
- Eram
- Were; third person plural imperfect tense of ser
- todas
- All, every (feminine plural); referring to a whole group
- senhorias
- Landladies, mistresses; women of authority or property
- fazê-lo
- To make him/it; infinitive with clitic pronoun attached
- rir
- To laugh; infinitive expressing the act of laughing
- lhe
- To him/her/you; indirect object clitic pronoun
- contar
- To tell, to count; sharing a story or information
- pensei
- I thought; first person singular past of pensar
- várias
- Various, several (feminine plural); more than a few
- vezes
- Times, occasions; plural of vez (time/instance)
- apenas
- Only, just, merely; limiting or restricting an action
- simplesmente
- Simply, just; in a simple or uncomplicated manner
- alguma
- Some, any (feminine singular); an unspecified person or thing
- dama
- Lady, dame; a refined or aristocratic woman
- aristocrática
- Aristocratic; relating to the noble or upper class
- rua
- Street, road; a public thoroughfare in a town
- sozinha
- Alone, by herself; without company (feminine form)
- nem
- Not even, neither, nor; negative conjunction
- precisaria
- Would need; conditional tense of precisar (to need)
- dizer
- To say, to tell; basic verb of verbal communication
- timidamente
- Timidly, shyly; in a hesitant or bashful manner
- respeitosamente
- Respectfully; in a polite and deferential manner
- apaixonadamente
- Passionately; with intense love or strong emotion
- dizer-lhe
- To tell her/him; infinitive with indirect object pronoun
- perecendo
- Perishing, dying; present participle of perecer
- solidão
- Loneliness, solitude; state of being alone and isolated
- suplicar-lhe
- To beg her/him; to implore with an attached pronoun
- mande
- Send away, command; imperative subjunctive of mandar
- embora
- Away, although; used in 'mandar embora' meaning dismiss
- nenhuma
- None, no (feminine); indicates complete absence of something
- chance
- Chance, opportunity; possibility of achieving something
- travar
- To strike up, to engage; to begin or establish contact
- conhecimento
- Acquaintance, knowledge; familiarity or awareness of something
- impressioná-la
- To impress her; infinitive with feminine clitic pronoun
- facto
- Fact; something known to be true or real
- dever
- Duty, obligation; something one must or ought to do
- positivo
- Positive; certain, definite, or affirmative in nature
- repelir
- To repel, to reject; to push away or refuse someone
- súplica
- Plea, supplication; an earnest or humble request
- tão
- So, such; intensifier used before adjectives or adverbs
- tímida
- Timid, shy (feminine); lacking confidence or boldness
- infeliz
- Unhappy, unfortunate; experiencing sadness or misfortune
- tudo
- Everything, all; refers to the totality of things
- peço
- I ask, I request; first person singular of pedir
- diga
- Say, tell (subjunctive/imperative); form of dizer
- palavras
- Words; units of language used in speaking or writing
- fraternais
- Fraternal, brotherly; relating to kinship or fellowship
- simpatia
- Sympathy, warmth; friendly and compassionate feeling toward another
- repila
- Repel, reject (subjunctive); third person subjunctive of repelir
- vista
- Sight, view; the act of seeing or a glance
- confie
- Trust, confide (imperative/subjunctive); form of confiar
- ouça
- Listen, hear (imperative/subjunctive); form of ouvir
- ria
- Laugh (subjunctive/imperative); form of rir (to laugh)
- quiser
- Wants, wishes (future subjunctive); form of querer
- encoraje
- Encourage (subjunctive/imperative); form of encorajar
- mesmo
- Even, same, itself; used for emphasis or comparison
- nunca
- Never; indicates something does not or will not occur
- encontremos
- We meet (subjunctive); first person plural of encontrar
- depois
- After, afterwards, later; indicates subsequent time
- entanto
- However; used in 'no entanto' meaning nevertheless
- fique
- Stay, become (subjunctive/imperative); form of ficar
- aborrecido
- Annoyed, bored; feeling irritated or troubled by something
- próprio
- Own, proper; belonging to oneself or characteristic
- inimigo
- Enemy; a person who is hostile or opposed to another
- tivesse
- Had (past subjunctive); form of ter used in hypotheticals
- tentado
- Tried, attempted; past participle of tentar (to try)
- teria
- Would have; conditional tense of ter (to have)
- conseguido
- Achieved, managed; past participle of conseguir
- talvez
- Perhaps, maybe; expresses uncertainty or possibility
- fosse
- Were (past subjunctive); hypothetical form of ser/ir
- quanto
- How much, how; used in comparisons or quantities
- simples
- Simple, plain; not complicated or elaborate
- melhor
- Better, best; comparative or superlative of bom (good)
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →