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Notes from the Underground | Gradually Hardening Spanish A1 Translation Books

Notes from the Underground | Gradually Hardening Spanish A1 Translation Books

Unlock the potential of this modern translation approach, designed to enhance your language learning experience. By allowing you to choose your difficulty level, it guarantees a personalized challenge that's suited to your progress. This method promotes comprehension by encouraging you to infer the meaning of new words from context, rather than relying heavily on direct translations. Though some translations are obscured to stimulate guessing, it's perfectly fine to consult a dictionary when needed. This technique combines challenge and support, making language learning fun and effective. Explore these translated classics to enjoy literature while advancing your language skills.

I
Iama
enfermo
sickman....
Iamaspiteful
hombre
man.
Iamanunattractive
hombre
man.
Ibelievemyliverisdiseased.
However,I
sé
knownothingatallaboutmydisease,
y
anddonotknowforcertainwhatailsme.
Idon’tconsult
un
adoctorforit,and
nunca
neverhave,thoughIhave
un
arespectformedicineanddoctors.
Besides,Iamextremelysuperstitious,sufficientlysotorespectmedicine,
de todos modos
anyway(Iamwell-educatedenoughnottobesuperstitious,
pero
butIamsuperstitious).
No,Irefusetoconsult
un
adoctorfromspite.
Thatyou
probablemente
probablywillnotunderstand.
Well,I
entiendo
understandit,though.
Ofcourse,Ican’texplain
quién
whoitispreciselythatIammortifyingin
este
thiscasebymyspite:
IamperfectlywellawarethatIcannot“payout”
los
thedoctorsbynotconsultingthem;
I
sé
knowbetterthananyonethatby
todo
allthisIamonlyinjuringmyself
y
andnooneelse.
Butstill,
si
ifIdon’tconsulta
médico
doctoritisfromspite.
Myliveris
mal
bad,well—letitgetworse!
I
he
havebeengoingonlike
eso
thatforalongtime—twentyyears.
Ahora
NowIamforty.
Iusedtobein
el
thegovernmentservice,butam
no
nolonger.
Iwasaspitefulofficial.
Iwasrude
y
andtookpleasureinbeingso.
Ididnottakebribes,yousee,soIwasboundto
encontrar
findarecompenseinthat,at
menos
least.
(Apoorjest,butI
voy
willnotscratchitout.
I
escribí
wroteitthinkingitwould
sonaría
soundverywitty;
butnowthatI
he
haveseenmyselfthatI
sólo
onlywantedtoshowoffin
una
adespicableway,Iwillnotscratchitoutonpurpose!)
Cuando
WhenpetitionersusedtocomeforinformationtothetableatwhichI
sentaba
sat,Iusedtogrindmyteethatthem,
y
andfeltintenseenjoymentwhenIsucceededin
hacer
makinganybodyunhappy.
Ialmost
hice
didsucceed.
Forthemost
parte
parttheywerealltimidpeople—of
supuesto
course,theywerepetitioners.
Butof
los
theuppishonestherewas
un
oneofficerinparticularI
podía
couldnotendure.
Hesimplywouldnotbehumble,
y
andclankedhisswordin
una
adisgustingway.
Icarriedon
una
afeudwithhimforeighteenmonthsover
esa
thatsword.
AtlastIgotthebetterof
lo
him.
Heleftoffclankingit.
Eso
Thathappenedinmyyouth,though.
Pero
Butdoyouknow,gentlemen,whatwas
el
thechiefpointaboutmyspite?
Why,the
todo
wholepoint,therealstingofitlayinthe
hecho
factthatcontinually,eveninthemomentoftheacutestspleen,Iwasinwardlyconscious
con
withshamethatIwasnot
sólo
onlynotaspitefulbutnotevenanembittered
hombre
man,thatIwassimplyscaringsparrowsatrandom
y
andamusingmyselfbyit.
I
puede
mightfoamatthemouth,
pero
butbringmeadollto
jugar
playwith,givemeacupoftea
con
withsugarinit,and
tal vez
maybeIshouldbeappeased.
I
podría
mightevenbegenuinelytouched,
aunque
thoughprobablyIshouldgrindmyteethatmyselfafterwards
y
andlieawakeatnight
con
withshameformonthsafter.
Ese
Thatwasmyway.
Iwas
mintiendo
lyingwhenIsaidjustnowthatIwas
un
aspitefulofficial.
Iwas
mintiendo
lyingfromspite.
Iwassimplyamusingmyself
con
withthepetitionersandwiththeofficer,
y
andinrealityInever
podría
couldbecomespiteful.
Iwasconscious
cada
everymomentinmyselfof
muchos
many,verymanyelementsabsolutelyoppositeto
eso
that.
Ifeltthempositivelyswarmingin
mí
me,theseoppositeelements.
I
sabía
knewthattheyhadbeenswarminginme
toda
allmylifeandcravingsomeoutletfrom
mí
me,butIwouldnot
dejaba
letthem,wouldnotletthem,purposelywouldnot
dejaba
letthemcomeout.
TheytormentedmetillIwasashamed:
theydrovemetoconvulsionsand—sickened
me
me,atlast,howtheysickened
me
me!
Now,arenotyoufancying,gentlemen,thatIamexpressingremorsefor
algo
somethingnow,thatIam
pidiendo
askingyourforgivenessforsomething?
Iam
seguro
sureyouarefancyingthat...
However,IassureyouIdonot
importa
careifyouare....
Itwasnot
sólo
onlythatIcouldnotbecomespiteful,Ididnot
sabía
knowhowtobecomeanything;
neitherspitefulnor
amable
kind,neitherarascalnoranhonest
hombre
man,neitheraheronoraninsect.
Ahora
Now,Iamlivingoutmylifeinmycorner,tauntingmyself
con
withthespitefulanduselessconsolationthat
un
anintelligentmancannotbecomeanythingseriously,
y
anditisonlythefoolwho
convierte
becomesanything.
Yes,amanin
el
thenineteenthcenturymustandmorallyoughttobepre-eminentlyacharacterlesscreature;
a
hombre
manofcharacter,anactive
hombre
manispre-eminentlyalimitedcreature.
Esa
Thatismyconvictionoffortyyears.
Iamfortyyearsold
ahora
now,andyouknowfortyyearsis
una
awholelifetime;
youknowitisextremeoldage.
To
vivir
livelongerthanfortyyearsisbadmanners,isvulgar,immoral.
Quién
Whodoeslivebeyondforty?
Responda
Answerthat,sincerelyandhonestlyIwill
diré
tellyouwhodo:
fools
y
andworthlessfellows.
Itell
todos
alloldmenthattotheir
cara
face,allthesevenerableoldmen,
todos
allthesesilver-hairedandreverendseniors!
I
digo
tellthewholeworldthattoits
cara
face!
Ihavearighttosayso,forIshallgoon
viviendo
livingtosixtymyself.
Toseventy!
Toeighty!
Quédate
Stay,letmetakebreath...
Youimagine
no
nodoubt,gentlemen,thatI
quiero
wanttoamuseyou.
Youaremistakenin
eso
that,too.
Iamby
no
nomeanssuchamirthful
persona
personasyouimagine,orasyou
puede
mayimagine;
however,irritatedby
toda
allthisbabble(andI
siento
feelthatyouareirritated)you
crees
thinkfittoaskme
quién
whoIam—thenmyanswer
es
is,Iamacollegiateassessor.
Iwasin
el
theservicethatImight
tener
havesomethingtoeat(andsolelyfor
esa
thatreason),andwhenlast
año
yearadistantrelationleftme
seis
sixthousandroublesinhiswillIimmediatelyretiredfrom
el
theserviceandsettleddowninmycorner.
Iusedto
vivir
liveinthiscornerbefore,
pero
butnowIhavesettleddowninit.
My
habitación
roomisawretched,horridoneintheoutskirtsofthe
ciudad
town.
Myservantisanoldcountry-woman,ill-naturedfromstupidity,
y
and,moreover,thereisalwaysanastysmell
sobre
abouther.
Iamtoldthat
el
thePetersburgclimateisbadforme,
y
andthatwithmysmallmeansitis
muy
veryexpensivetoliveinPetersburg.
I
sé
knowallthatbetterthanall
estos
thesesageandexperiencedcounsellors
y
andmonitors....
ButIamremaininginPetersburg;
Iamnot
voy
goingawayfromPetersburg!
Iamnot
voy
goingawaybecause...
ech!
Por qué
Why,itisabsolutelyno
importa
matterwhetherIamgoingaway
o
ornotgoingaway.
Butwhat
puede
canadecentmanspeakof
con
withmostpleasure?
Answer:
Ofhimself.
II
I
quiero
wantnowtotellyou,gentlemen,whetheryou
importe
caretohearitornot,
por qué
whyIcouldnotevenbecome
un
aninsect.
Itellyousolemnly,thatI
he
havemanytimestriedtobecome
un
aninsect.
ButIwasnotequal
siquiera
eventothat.
Iswear,gentlemen,thattobe
demasiado
tooconsciousisanillness—arealthorough-goingillness.
Forman’severydayneeds,itwould
tener
havebeenquiteenoughto
tener
havetheordinaryhumanconsciousness,that
es
is,halforaquarteroftheamountwhich
cae
fallstothelotofacultivated
hombre
manofourunhappynineteenthcentury,especiallyonewhohasthefatalill-lucktoinhabitPetersburg,the
más
mosttheoreticalandintentionaltownonthe
todo
wholeterrestrialglobe.
(Thereareintentionalandunintentionaltowns.)
It
sido
wouldhavebeenquiteenough,forinstance,to
tener
havetheconsciousnessbywhich
todas
allso-calleddirectpersonsandmenofaction
viven
live.
IbetyouthinkIam
escribiendo
writingallthisfromaffectation,tobewittyat
los
theexpenseofmenofaction;
y
andwhatismore,thatfromill-bredaffectation,Iamclanking
una
aswordlikemyofficer.
Pero
But,gentlemen,whoevercanpridehimselfonhisdiseasesand
incluso
evenswaggeroverthem?
Though,after
todo
all,everyonedoesdothat;
gente
peopledopridethemselvesontheirdiseases,
y
andIdo,maybe,
más
morethananyone.
Wewillnotdisputeit;
mycontentionwasabsurd.
Pero
ButyetIamfirmlypersuadedthat
una
agreatdealofconsciousness,every
tipo
sortofconsciousness,infact,is
una
adisease.
Istickto
eso
that.
Letusleavethat,
también
too,foraminute.
Tellme
esto
this:
whydoesithappenthatat
los
thevery,yes,attheverymomentswhenIam
más
mostcapableoffeelingeveryrefinementof
todo
allthatis“sublimeandbeautiful,”astheyusedto
decir
sayatonetime,itwould,asthoughofdesign,happentomenot
sólo
onlytofeelbutto
hacer
dosuchuglythings,suchthat...
Well,inshort,actionsthat
todos
all,perhaps,commit;
butwhich,asthoughpurposely,occurredtomeat
el
theverytimewhenIwas
más
mostconsciousthattheyoughtnottobecommitted.
La
ThemoreconsciousIwasofgoodness
y
andofallthatwas“sublime
y
andbeautiful,”themoredeeplyIsankintomymire
y
andthemorereadyIwastosinkinitaltogether.
But
el
thechiefpointwasthat
todo
allthiswas,asitwere,notaccidentalin
mí
me,butasthoughitwereboundtobeso.
Itwasasthoughitweremy
más
mostnormalcondition,andnotintheleastdisease
o
ordepravity,sothatat
fin
lastalldesireinmetostruggle
contra
againstthisdepravitypassed.
Itendedbymy
casi
almostbelieving(perhapsactuallybelieving)that
esta
thiswasperhapsmynormalcondition.
Pero
Butatfirst,inthebeginning,whatagoniesIenduredin
esa
thatstruggle!
Ididnot
creía
believeitwasthesame
con
withotherpeople,andallmy
vida
lifeIhidthisfact
sobre
aboutmyselfasasecret.
Iwasashamed(even
ahora
now,perhaps,Iamashamed):
Igotto
la
thepointoffeelinga
especie
sortofsecretabnormal,despicableenjoymentin
regresar
returninghometomycorneronsomedisgustingPetersburg
noche
night,acutelyconsciousthatthat
día
dayIhadcommittedaloathsomeaction
de nuevo
again,thatwhatwasdone
podría
couldneverbeundone,andsecretly,inwardlygnawing,gnawingatmyselfforit,tearing
y
andconsumingmyselftillat
fin
lastthebitternessturnedintoa
especie
sortofshamefulaccursedsweetness,
y
andatlast—intopositiverealenjoyment!
Sí
Yes,intoenjoyment,intoenjoyment!
Iinsistupon
eso
that.
Ihavespokenof
esto
thisbecauseIkeepwantingto
saber
knowforafactwhetherother
personas
peoplefeelsuchenjoyment?
Iwillexplain;
theenjoymentwas
sólo
justfromthetoointenseconsciousnessofone’sowndegradation;
itwasfrom
sentirse
feelingoneselfthatonehadreached
la
thelastbarrier,thatitwashorrible,
pero
butthatitcouldnotbeotherwise;
thattherewas
no
noescapeforyou;
thatyou
nunca
nevercouldbecomeadifferent
hombre
man;
thateveniftime
y
andfaithwerestillleftyouto
cambiar
changeintosomethingdifferentyouwould
más
mostlikelynotwishto
cambiar
change;
orifyoudidwishto,
incluso
eventhenyouwoulddo
nada
nothing;
becauseperhapsinrealitytherewas
nada
nothingforyoutochangeinto.
Y
Andtheworstofitwas,
y
andtherootofit
todo
all,thatitwasallinaccord
con
withthenormalfundamentallawsofover-acuteconsciousness,
y
andwiththeinertiathatwasthedirectresultofthoselaws,
y
andthatconsequentlyonewasnot
sólo
onlyunabletochangebut
podía
coulddoabsolutelynothing.
Thusitwould
seguiría
follow,astheresultofacuteconsciousness,thatoneisnottoblameinbeingascoundrel;
asthough
eso
thatwereanyconsolationto
el
thescoundreloncehehascometorealise
eso
thatheactuallyisascoundrel.
Pero
Butenough....
Ech,Ihave
hablado
talkedalotofnonsense,
pero
butwhathaveIexplained?
Cómo
Howisenjoymentinthistobeexplained?
Pero
ButIwillexplainit.
Iwill
llegaré
gettothebottomofit!
Eso
ThatiswhyIhave
tomado
takenupmypen....
I,forinstance,
tengo
haveagreatdealofamourpropre.
Iamassuspicious
y
andpronetotakeoffenceasahumpback
o
oradwarf.
Butuponmy
palabra
wordIsometimeshavehadmomentswhen
si
ifIhadhappenedtobeslappedinthe
cara
faceIshould,perhaps,havebeenpositivelygladofit.
I
digo
say,inearnest,thatIshould
probablemente
probablyhavebeenabletodiscover
incluso
eveninthatapeculiar
tipo
sortofenjoyment—theenjoyment,of
supuesto
course,ofdespair;
butindespair
hay
therearethemostintenseenjoyments,especially
cuando
whenoneisveryacutelyconsciousofthehopelessnessofone’sposition.
Y
Andwhenoneisslappedin
la
theface—whythentheconsciousnessofbeingrubbedintoapulpwouldpositivelyoverwhelmone.
El
Theworstofitis,lookatitwhich
manera
wayonewill,itstillturnsoutthatIwas
siempre
alwaysthemosttoblamein
todo
everything.
Andwhatismosthumiliatingof
todo
all,toblamefornofaultofmyown
sino
but,sotosay,throughthelawsofnature.
In
las
thefirstplace,toblame
porque
becauseIamclevererthananyof
las
thepeoplesurroundingme.
(I
he
havealwaysconsideredmyselfclevererthananyof
las
thepeoplesurroundingme,andsometimes,wouldyou
creerías
believeit,havebeenpositivelyashamedofit.
At
cualquier
anyrate,Ihaveallmy
vida
life,asitwere,turnedmyeyesaway
y
andnevercouldlookpeoplestraightinthe
cara
face.)
Toblame,finally,because
incluso
evenifIhadhadmagnanimity,Ishould
sólo
onlyhavehadmoresufferingfrom
la
thesenseofitsuselessness.
Ishouldcertainly
habría
haveneverbeenableto
hacer
doanythingfrombeingmagnanimous—neithertoforgive,formyassailantwould
tal vez
perhapshaveslappedmefromthelawsofnature,
y
andonecannotforgivethelawsofnature;
norto
olvidar
forget,forevenifitwereowingtothelawsofnature,itisinsulting
todos
allthesame.
Finally,evenifIhadwantedtobeanythingbutmagnanimous,haddesiredon
el
thecontrarytorevengemyselfonmyassailant,Icouldnothaverevengedmyselfon
cualquier
anyoneforanythingbecauseIshouldcertainly
nunca
neverhavemadeupmymindto
hacer
doanything,evenifIhadbeenableto.
Por qué
WhyshouldInothavemadeupmymind?
III
Con
Withpeoplewhoknowhowtorevengethemselves
y
andtostandupforthemselvesingeneral,
cómo
howisitdone?
Why,
cuando
whentheyarepossessed,letussuppose,by
el
thefeelingofrevenge,thenfor
el
thetimethereisnothingelsebut
ese
thatfeelingleftintheir
todo
wholebeing.
Suchagentlemansimplydashesstraightforhisobject
como
likeaninfuriatedbullwithitshornsdown,
y
andnothingbutawallwill
detendrá
stophim.
(Bytheway:
facingthewall,suchgentlemen—that
es
is,the“direct”personsandmenofaction—aregenuinelynonplussed.
Forthemawallisnotanevasion,asforuspeoplewho
pensamos
thinkandconsequentlydonothing;
itisnotan
excusa
excuseforturningaside,an
excusa
excuseforwhichweare
siempre
alwaysveryglad,thoughwescarcely
creemos
believeinitourselves,asarule.
No
No,theyarenonplussedin
toda
allsincerity.
Thewallhasforthem
algo
somethingtranquillising,morallysoothing,final—maybe
incluso
evensomethingmysterious...
butof
la
thewalllater.)
Well,such
una
adirectpersonIregardasthe
verdadero
realnormalman,ashistender
madre
mothernaturewishedtoseehim
cuando
whenshegraciouslybroughthimintobeingonthe
tierra
earth.
Ienvysucha
hombre
mantillIamgreenin
la
theface.
Heisstupid.
Iamnotdisputing
eso
that,butperhapsthenormal
hombre
manshouldbestupid,howdoyou
sabes
know?
Perhapsitisvery
hermoso
beautiful,infact.
AndIamthe
más
morepersuadedofthatsuspicion,
si
ifonecancallitso,bythe
hecho
factthatifyoutake,forinstance,theantithesisofthenormal
hombre
man,thatis,themanofacuteconsciousness,who
ha
hascome,ofcourse,notoutofthelapofnaturebutoutofaretort(thisis
casi
almostmysticism,gentlemen,butIsuspectthis,too),thisretort-made
hombre
manissometimessononplussedinthepresenceofhisantithesis
esa
thatwithallhisexaggeratedconsciousnesshegenuinely
piensa
thinksofhimselfasamouse
y
andnotaman.
It
puede
maybeanacutelyconsciousmouse,yetitisamouse,while
el
theotherisaman,
y
andtherefore,etcaetera,etcaetera.
Y
Andtheworstofit
es
is,hehimself,hisvery
propio
ownself,looksonhimselfas
un
amouse;
nooneaskshimto
haga
doso;
andthatis
un
animportantpoint.
Nowletuslookat
este
thismouseinaction.
Letussuppose,forinstance,thatit
siente
feelsinsulted,too(andit
casi
almostalwaysdoesfeelinsulted),
y
andwantstorevengeitself,
también
too.
Theremayevenbe
una
agreateraccumulationofspiteinitthaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
Thebase
y
andnastydesiretovent
ese
thatspiteonitsassailantrankles
tal vez
perhapsevenmorenastilyinit
de
thaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
For
a través de
throughhisinnatestupiditythelatterlooksuponhisrevengeasjusticepure
y
andsimple;
whileinconsequenceofhisacuteconsciousnessthemousedoesnot
cree
believeinthejusticeofit.
To
llegar
comeatlasttothedeeditself,tothe
mismo
veryactofrevenge.
Apartfromtheonefundamentalnastinessthelucklessmousesucceedsincreating
alrededor
arounditsomanyothernastinessesintheformofdoubts
y
andquestions,addstotheone
pregunta
questionsomanyunsettledquestionsthatthereinevitablyworksup
alrededor
arounditasortoffatalbrew,astinkingmess,madeupofitsdoubts,emotions,
y
andofthecontemptspatuponitbythedirectmenofactionwho
paran
standsolemnlyaboutitasjudges
y
andarbitrators,laughingatittilltheirhealthysidesache.
Of
supuesto
coursetheonlythingleftforitistodismiss
todo
allthatwithawaveofitspaw,
y
and,withasmileofassumedcontemptinwhichitdoesnot
siquiera
evenitselfbelieve,creepignominiouslyintoitsmouse-hole.
Allí
Thereinitsnasty,stinking,underground
hogar
homeourinsulted,crushedandridiculedmousepromptlybecomesabsorbedin
frío
cold,malignantand,aboveall,everlastingspite.
Forfortyyears
juntos
togetheritwillrememberitsinjurydownto
los
thesmallest,mostignominiousdetails,
y
andeverytimewilladd,ofitself,detailsstillmoreignominious,spitefullyteasing
y
andtormentingitselfwithitsownimagination.
Itwillitselfbeashamedofitsimaginings,
pero
butyetitwillrecallit
todo
all,itwillgoover
y
andovereverydetail,itwillinventunheardofthings
contra
againstitself,pretendingthatthosethings
podrían
mighthappen,andwillforgive
nada
nothing.
Maybeitwillbegintorevengeitself,
también
too,but,asitwere,piecemeal,intrivialways,frombehindthestove,incognito,
sin
withoutbelievingeitherinits
propio
ownrighttovengeance,orinthesuccessofitsrevenge,
sabiendo
knowingthatfromallitseffortsatrevengeitwillsufferahundredtimes
más
morethanheonwhomitrevengesitself,while
él
he,Idaresay,willnot
siquiera
evenscratchhimself.
Onitsdeathbeditwillrecallitallover
de nuevo
again,withinterestaccumulatedoverall
los
theyearsand...
Butitis
justo
justinthatcold,abominable
mitad
halfdespair,halfbelief,inthatconsciousburyingoneself
vivo
aliveforgriefintheunderworldforfortyyears,inthatacutelyrecognised
y
andyetpartlydoubtfulhopelessnessofone’sposition,inthat
infierno
hellofunsatisfieddesiresturnedinward,inthatfeverofoscillations,ofresolutionsdeterminedforever
y
andrepentedofagaina
minuto
minutelater—thatthesavourofthatstrangeenjoymentofwhichI
he
havespokenlies.
Itissosubtle,sodifficultofanalysis,that
personas
personswhoarealittlelimited,
o
orevensimplypersonsofstrongnerves,willnot
entenderán
understandasingleatomofit.
“Possibly,”youwilladdonyour
tenido
ownaccountwithagrin,“peoplewillnot
entenderá
understanditeitherwhohave
nunca
neverreceivedaslapin
la
theface,”andinthat
manera
wayyouwillpolitelyhinttome
esa
thatI,too,perhaps,havehad
la
theexperienceofaslapin
la
thefaceinmylife,
y
andsoIspeakasonewho
sabe
knows.
Ibetthatyouare
pensando
thinkingthat.
Butsetyourmindsatrest,gentlemen,I
he
havenotreceivedaslapin
la
theface,thoughitisabsolutely
una
amatterofindifferencetomewhatyou
puede
maythinkaboutit.
Possibly,I
incluso
evenregret,myself,thatI
haber
havegivensofewslapsin
la
thefaceduringmylife.
Pero
Butenough...
notanother
palabra
wordonthatsubjectof
tan
suchextremeinteresttoyou.
Iwillcontinuecalmlyconcerning
personas
personswithstrongnerveswhodonot
entienden
understandacertainrefinementofenjoyment.
Aunque
Thoughincertaincircumstancesthesegentlemenbellowtheirloudestlikebulls,
aunque
thoughthis,letussuppose,
hace
doesthemthegreatestcredit,yet,asI
he
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Theimpossiblemeansthestonewall!
Whatstonewall?
Why,of
supuesto
course,thelawsofnature,thedeductionsofnaturalscience,mathematics.