Kitabı oku: «Legends, Tales and Poems», sayfa 18
XLIII[1]
Dejé la luz á un lado, y en el borde
De la revuelta cama me senté,
Mudo, sombrío, la pupila inmóvil
Clavada en la pared.
¿Qué tiempo estuve así? No sé: al dejarme
La embriaguez horrible del dolor,
Expiraba la luz, y en mis balcones
Reia el sol.
Ni sé tampoco en tan terribles horas
En qué pensaba ó qué pasó por mí;
Sólo recuerdo que lloré y maldije,
Y que en aquella noche envejecí.[2]
[Footnote 1: This poem is composed of hendecasyllabic verses of both classes, with a heptasyllabic verse closing the first stanza, and a pentasyllable verse closing the second stanza. The even verses of each Stanza are agudos and assonanced.]
[Footnote 2: This poem may have been inspired by the following lines of Alfred de Musset, describing his experience in Venice. See p. 181, note 1.
Elle ne venait pas. Seul, la tête baissée,
Je regardai longtemps les murs et le chemin,—
Et je ne t'ai pas dit quelle ardeur insensée
Cette inconstante femme allumait dans mon sein;
Je n'aimais qu'elle au monde, et vivre un jour sans elle
Me semblait un destin plus affreux que la mort.
Je me souviens pourtant qu'en cette nuit cruelle
Pour briser mon lien je fis un long effort.
* * * * * *
Le jour parut enfin. Las d'une vaine attente,
Sur le bord du balcon je m'etais assoupi;
Je rouvris la paupière à l'aurore naissante,
Et je laissai flotter mon regard ébloui.
La Nuit d'Octobre.]
XLIX[1]
Alguna vez la encuentro por el mundo
Y pasa junto á mí:
Y pasa sonriéndose, y yo digo:
¿Cómo puede reír?
Luego asomo á mi labio otra sonrisa,
Máscara del dolor,
Y entonces pienso:—¡Acaso ella se ríe
Como me río yo!
[Footnote 1: This poem is composed of hendecasyllabic verses of the first class, alternating with assonanced heptasyllabic versos agudos.]
LII[1]
Olas gigantes que os rompéis bramando
En las playas desiertas y remotas,
Envuelto entre la sábana de espumas,
¡Llevadme con vosotras!
Ráfagas de huracán, que arrebatáis
Del alto bosque las marchitas hojas,
Arrastrado en el ciego torbellino,
¡Llevadme con vosotras!
Nubes de tempestad, que[2] rompe el rayo
Y en fuego ornáis las desprendidas orlas,
Arrebatado entre la niebla obscura,
¡Llevadme con vosotras!
Llevadme, por piedad, adonde el vértigo
Con[3] la razón me arranque la memoria…
¡Por piedad!… ¡Tengo miedo de quedarme
Con mi dolor á solas!
[Footnote 1: This poem is composed of hendecasyllabic verses of both classes, with a heptasyllabic verse closing each stanza. Notice the esdrújulo terminating the 13th verse. All even verses have the same assonance.]
[Footnote 2: que rompe el rayo y … ornáis. Comparep. 10, note 1, and p. 29, note 3.]
[Footnote 3: Con = 'along with.']
LIII[1]
Volverán las obscuras golondrinas
En tu balcón sus nidos á colgar,Y, otra vez, con el ala á sus cristales
Jugando llamarán.
Pero aquellas que el vuelo refrenaban
Tu hermosura y mi dicha á contemplar,
Aquellas que aprendieron nuestros nombres…
Esas… ¡no volverán!
Volverán las tupidas madreselvas
De tu jardín las tapias á escalar,
Y otra vez á la tarde, aun más hermosas,
Sus flores se abrirán;
Pero aquellas, cuajadas de rocío,
Cuyas gotas mirábamos temblar
Y caer, como lágrimas del día…
Esas… ¡no volverán!
Volverán del amor en tus oídos
Las palabras ardientes á sonar;[2]
Tu corazón de su profundo sueño
Tal vez despertará;
Pero mudo y absorto y de rodillas,
Como se adora á Dios ante su altar,
Como yo te he querido… desengáñate,
Asi no te querrán![3]
[Footnote 1: This is the most beautiful and the best known of Becquer's poems, and has often been set to music. It is composed of hendecasyllabic verses, mostly of the first class, with a heptasyllabic verse closing each stanza. Notice the esdrújulo terminating the next to the last verse. The even verses are agudos and of the same assonance throughout, with the alternate ones rhyming.]
[Footnote 2: Volverán … á sonar. Prose order—Las ardientes palabras del amor volverán á sonar en tus oidos.]
[Footnote 3: "With this passionate and melancholy poem, full in the Spanish of cadences which cling to the memory, the love-story proper seems to come to an end. The remaining poems are all so many cries of melancholy and despair, without, however, any special reference to the treacherous mistress of the earlier series." Mrs. Ward, A Spanish Romanticist, Macmillan's Magazine, February, 1883, p. 319.]
LXVI[1]
¿De donde vengo?… El más horrible y áspero
De los senderos busca;
Las huellas de unos pies ensangrentados
Sobre la roca dura;
Los despojos de un alma hecha jirones
En las zarzas agudas;
Te dirán el camino
Que conduce á mi cuna.[2]
¿Adónde voy? El más sombrio y triste
De los páramos cruza;
Valle de eternas nieves y de eternas
Melancólicas brumas.
En donde esté una piedra solitaria
Sin inscripción alguna,
Donde habite el olvido,
Allí estará mi tumba?[3]
[Footnote 1: This poem is composed of hendecasyllabic verses, mostly of the first class, and of heptasyllabic verses. Notice the esdrújulo ending the 1st verse. The even verses have the same assonance throughout.]
[Footnote 2: "Read in the light of what we know of his long struggle, his frail physical health, his sensitive temper, his crushing double defeat at the hands of death, these somber verses have an individual, personal note, hardly present, perhaps, in the love-poems, with all their passionate beauty." Mrs. Ward, A Spanish Romanticist, Macmillan Magazine, February, 1883, p, 319.]
[Footnote 3: "He used to dream, he tells us, in his boyish visions, of a marble tomb by the Guadalquivir, of which his fellow-townsmen should probably say as they pointed it out to strangers, 'Here sleeps the poet!' In his later days, oppressed with drudgery and ill-health, as he looked towards the future he bitterly saw himself forgotten, and oblivion settling down on all his half-finished activities of heart and brain." (Mrs. Ward, ib, p. 320.) It was in such a mood that he wrote this the most painful of all his poems.]
LXVIII[1]
No sé lo que he soñado
En la noche pasada;
Triste, muy triste debió ser el sueño,
Pues despierto la angustia me duraba.
Noté, al incorporarme,
Húmeda la almohada,
Y por primera vez sentí, al notarlo,
De un amargo placer henchirse el alma.
Triste cosa es el sueño
Que llanto nos arranca;
Mas tengo en mi tristeza una alegría…
¡Sé que aún me quedan lágrimas!
[Footnote 1: Each stanza of this poem is composed of two heptasyllabic verses followed (except in the case of the third stanza which ends in a heptasyllabic verse) by two hendecasyllabic verses. The even verses have the same assonance throughout. Notice the esdrújulo ending the poem.
The thought in the poem recalls that of Heine's Ich hab' im Traum geweinet. Becquer's verses are less musical, but the sentiment expressed by them is less artificial, and gives evidence of more real bitterness of heart.
I wept while I was dreaming
That thou didst buried lie;
I woke, and with my weeping
My cheeks were not yet dry.
I wept while I was dreaming
That thou hadst gone from me;
I woke, and still kept weeping
Full long and bitterly.
I wept while I was dreaming
That thou didst love me well;
I woke, and—woe is me, love—
My tears are flowing still.
Lyrical Intermezzo, no. 59, translated by Chas. G. Leland.]
LXIX[1]
Al brillar un relámpago[2] nacemos,
Y aún dura su fulgor, cuando morimos:
¡Tan corto es el vivir![3]
La gloria y el amor tras que corremos,
Sombras de un sueño son que perseguimos:
¡Despertar es morir!
[Footnote 1: Each stanza of this poem is composed of two hendecasyllabic verses of the first class, followed by a heptasyllabic verso agudo. The rhyme scheme of the poem is a, b, c, a, b, c.]
[Footnote 2: Al brillar un relampago = 'At a lightning's flash'; that is to say, at the first gleam from a flash of lightning.
[Footnote 3: Tan corto es el vivir. The brevity of human life is naturally enough a favorite theme with poets. Compare—
A Moment's Halt—a momentary taste
Of BEING from the Well amid the Waste—
And Lo!—the phantom Caravan has reached
The NOTHING it set out from—
Oh, make haste!
The Rubáiyát of Omay Khayyám, 48th quatrain, Edward Fitzgerald's translation.]
LXXIII[1]
Cerraron sus ojos
Que aún tenía abiertos;
Taparon su cara
Con un blanco lienzo:
Y unos sollozando,
Otros en silencio,
De la triste alcoba
Todos se salieron.
La luz, que en un vaso,
Ardía en el suelo,
Al muro arrojaba
La sombra del lecho;
Y entre aquella sombra
Veíase á intervalos,
Dibujarse rígida
La forma del cuerpo.
Despertaba el día,
Y á su albor primero
Con sus mil ruidos
Despertaba el pueblo.
Ante aquel contraste
De vida y misterios,
De luz y tinieblas,
Medité un momento:
«¡Dios mio, qué solos
se quedan los muertos!!»
De la casa en hombros
Lleváronla al templo,
Y en una capilla
Dejaron el féretro.
Allí rodearon
Sus pálidos restos
De amarillas velas
Y de paños negros.[2]
Al dar de las ánimas[3]
El toque postrero,
Acabó una vieja
Sus últimos rezos;
Cruzó la ancha nave,
Las puertas gimieron,
Y el santo recinto
Quedóse desierto;
De un reloj se oía
Compasado el péndulo,
Y de algunos cirios
El chisporroteo.
Tan medroso y triste,
Tan obscuro y yerto,
Todo se encontraba…
Que pensé un momento:
«¡Dios mio, qué solos
se quedan los muertos!!»
De la alta campana
La lengua de hierro,
Le dió, volteando,
Su adiós lastimero.
El luto en las ropas,
Amigos y deudos
Cruzaron en fila,
Formando el cortejo.
Del último asilo,
Obscuro y estrecho,
Abrió la piqueta
El nicho á un extremo.[4]
Allí la acostaron,
Tapiáronle luego,
Y con un saludo
Despidióse el duelo.
La piqueta al hombro,
El sepulturero
Cantando entre dientes
Se perdió á lo lejos.
La noche se entraba,
Reinaba el silencio;
Perdido en las sombras,
Medité un momento:
«¡Dios mío, qué solos
se quedan los muertos?!»
En las largas noches
Del helado invierno,
Cuando las maderas
Crujir hace el viento
Y azota los vidrios
El fuerte aguacero,
De la pobre niña
Á solas me acuerdo.
Allí cae la lluvia
Con un son eterno;
Allí la combate
El soplo del cierzo.
Del húmedo muro
Tendida en el hueco,
Acaso de frío
Se hielan sus huesos!…
* * *
¿Vuelve el polvo al polvo?
¿Vuela el alma al cielo?
¿Todo es vil materia,
Podredumbre y cieno?
¡No sé;[5] pero hay algo
Que explicar no puedo
Que al par nos infunde
Repugnancia y duelo,
Al dejar tan tristes,
Tan solos los muertos!
[Footnote 1: This poem is composed of hexasyllabic verses. Notice the esdrújulos terminating lines 14, 15, 30, 35, and 44. The even verses have the same assonance throughout.]
[Footnote 2: De la casa … panes negros. "The following are the chief points in the funeral rite as prescribed in the Roman Ritual. The corpse is borne in procession with lights to the church. The parish priest assists in surplice and black stole; the clerks carry the holy water and cross; the coffin is first sprinkled with holy water and the psalm De Profundis recited; then the corpse is carried to the church while the Miserere is said.... Candles are lighted round the coffin, and the office and Mass of the dead, followed by absolution, accompanied by aspersion and incensation over the corpse, are said. Then another procession, and the corpse is carried to the tomb." Addis and Arnold, Catholic Dict., p. 361.
[Footnote 3: las ánimas. The ringing of bells to remind the faithful to pray for the souls of the dead.]
[Footnote 4: El nicho á un extremo. To understand this passage one must bear in mind that in Spanish graveyards corpses are generally interred in niches superimposed one above the other in high walls, like the pigeon-holes of a cabinet, and that these niches are sealed with stone tablets bearing the names etc. of the deceased.]
[Footnote 5: No sé. See p. 166, note 1.]
LXXV[1]
¿Será verdad que cuando toca el sueño
Con sus dedos de rosa nuestros ojos
De la cárcel que habita huye el espíritu
En vuelo presuroso?[2]
¿Será verdad que, huésped de las nieblas,
De la brisa nocturna al tenue soplo,[3]
Alado sube à la región vacía[4]
Á encontrarse con otros?
¿Y allí, desnudo de la humana forma,
Allí, los lazos terrenales rotos,
Breves horas habita de la idea
El mundo silencioso?
¿Y ríe y llora y aborrece y ama,
Y guarda un rastro del dolor y el gozo,
Semejante al que deja cuando cruza
El cielo un meteoro?
¡Yo no sé si ese mundo de visiones
Vive fuera, ó va dentro de nosotros;[5]
Pero sé que conozco à muchas gentes
Á quienes no conozco![6]
[Footnote 1: Each Stanza of this poem is composed of three hendecasyllabic verses followed by a heptasyllabic. Notice the esdrújulo ending the 3d verse and the hiatus in the 5th verse. The even verses are of the same assonance throughout.
[Footnote 2: cuando toca … presaroso. Cicero says, in De Divinatione, I. 30. 63: Jacet enim corpus dormientis ui mortui; viget autem et vivil animus, The body of the sleeper lies as though dead; but his mind lives and flourishes.
[Footnote 3: Delabrisa … soplo. Prose order—Al tenue soplo de la brisa nocturna.]
[Footnote 4: sube á la región vacia = 'rises into space.']
[Footnote 5: Vive fuera, ó va dentro de nosotros = 'is an independent fact, or the product of our imagination.']
[Footnote 6: conozco … no conozco = 'I am acquainted with many people (because I have met them in thought or in dreams) whom I do not know (have never met in the flesh, nor heard of).' Having met other souls while wandering in dreams (line 8) or in some way equally difficult of rational explanation, I have a circle of acquaintances that transcends the list of those of whom I have knowledge in any recognized way. The thought is thus identical with that of Kipling's story "The Brushwood Boy."]
VOCABULARY
á, to, at, on, by, with, from, in, within, according to; sign of the object after transitive verbs before a personal object, and often before any animate object; – impulsos de, moved by, overcome by; – lo largo de, along; – mas de, besides; – más y mejor, the best they could; the most possible; vying with one another; a – la media hora, within half an hour; – medias, half; – medio abrir, half open; al parecer, seemingly; – poco, in a little while; – poco de, shortly after; —los pocos minutos, within a few minutes; estar al ponerse, to be about to set; – propósito, suited, suitable, desirable; by the way; apropos; – lo que, as far as; from what; as; ¿– que? why? wherefore? al revés, backwards; – no saber, had I not known; – no ser, unless it be; – no ser por, were it not for; – solas, alone; – tientas, groping; stealthily; – través de, across, through; – vida, alive; al vuelo, flying; on the wing.
abad, m., abbot.
abadesa, f., abbess.
abajo, under, below; de arriba —, from top to bottom, from end to end.
abalanzarse, to rush upon.
abandonar, to abandon, desert, leave, let go, give up.
abandono, m., abandonment, abandon.
abanico, m., fan.
abarcar, to embrace, take in.
abatido, -a, adj. pp. of abatir, blown down, dimmed, dim.
abatir, to lower, take off, strike down; – el vuelo, to alight.
abeja, f., bee.
abierto, -a, adj. pp. of abrir, opened, open.
abigarrado, -a, adj. pp. of abigarrar, flecked, variegated, motley.
abismo, m., abyss, deep, depth.
abofetear, to buffet, slap, strike.
abogado, m., intercessor.
aborrecer, to abhor, hate.
abortar, to eject, abort, give untimely birth to.
abrasador, burning, ardent.
abrasar, to burn.
abrazar, to embrace.
abrazo, m., embrace.
abrevar, to water.
abrigo, m., shelter, protection.
abril, m., April.
abrillantar, to light up, make sparkle, cause to shine.
abrir, to open, open up; – paso, to clear the way, make room;
á medio —, half open; subst., opening; en un – y cerrar de ojos, in the twinkling of an eye; in an instant; refl., to open (up), be disclosed; to burst, swell.
absolución, f., absolution.
absolutamente, absolutely.
absorto, -a, adj. pp. (irr.) of absorber, absorbed, amazed; engrossed, spellbound.
abstracción, f., abstraction, separation.
absurdo, -a, absurd; subst. m., absurdity, nonsense.
abuela, f., grandmother.
abuelo, m., grandfather.
abultar, to enlarge, increase.
abundancia, f., abundance.
abundante, abundant, luxuriant profuse.
aburrido, adj. pp. of aburrir, tired, impatient.
aburrirse, to be bored, be perplexed grow impatient.
abusar, to impose (de, upon).
acá, here; de – … de acullá, here … there; de – para allá, from point to point; hither and thither por —, in this direction.
acabar, to finish, end, close, succeed in; – de, to have just; lo que acababa de suceder, what had just happened; lo que acabamos de escuchar, what we have just listened to; ¡Acabáramos de una vez! well and good! quien (en) mal anda, (en) mal acaba, a bad beginning makes a bad ending.
acaecer, to happen, befall.
acalorado, -a, adj. pp. of acalorar, heated, hot.
acariciar, to caress, fondle, delight.
acaso, m., chance; por —, perchance; adv., perhaps, perchance.
accidentado, -a, broken, rugged.
accidente, m., accident, property, peculiarity, roughness, irregularity.
acción, f., act, action.
acecho, m., ambush.
aceite, m., oil.
acento, m., tone, accent, voice, word, expression; decía aún su —, his accents kept repeating.
acerca: – de, about.
acercar, to approach, bring near; refl., to approach.
acero, m., steel; sword.
acertado, -a, adj. pp. of acertar, ascertained, accurate.
acertar, to succeed, be able; -con, to hit upon, find, be certain of.
acicate, m., spur, rowel.
aclimación, f., acclamation.
aclamar, to acclaim.
acoger, to receive; refl., to resort, take refuge.
acometedor, m., undertaker, one who undertakes.
acometer, to attack, seize.
acomodar, to accommodate, lodge, quarter, furnish with lodging.
acompañamiento, m., accompaniment.
acompaiiante, m., companion.
acompañar, to accompany.
acompasado, -a, adj. pp. of acompasar measured, regular.
aconsejar, to counsel, advise.
acontecer, to happen.
acordarse, to recollect, remember; – de, to remember.
acorde, m., accord, harmony.
acortarse, to slacken, abate, diminish.
acosar, to molest, harass.
acostar, to lay, place; refl., to lie down, go to bed.
acostumbrar, to accustom; to be accustomed.
actitud, f., attitude, posture; colocarse en – de defensa, to fall on guard.
acto, m., act, occasion, incident; – continuo, straightway, immediately, immediately afterward.
actor, m., actor.
actual, present.
acuático, -a, aquatic.
acudir, to go, come, repair to, run up, hasten, gather, flock, rush.
acuerdo, m., agreement; ponerse de —, to come to an agreement; to agree.
acullá, there; … de acá … de —, … here … there.
acurrucarse, to conceal oneself; to crouch down.
acusar, to accuse; – de, to accuse as (or of) being.
adarme, m., half a drachm (or dram); minute quantity; mite; dos —s de imaginación, the least bit of imagination.
adelantar, to advance, proceed; refl., to advance, proceed, approach, go, hasten.
adelante, forward, further; desde allí en —, from that time on; hacia —; forward; más —, further on, later; ¡—! forward!
ademán, m., attitude, gesture, manner, action, motion.
adentro, within.
aderezar, to get ready, prepare, clean.
adiós, m., farewell; ¡—! good-by!
adivinar, to divine, guess, observe, note.
administrar, to administer.
admirable, admirable.
admiración, f., admiration, wonder.
admirar, to admire, esteem; refl., to be seized with admiration; to marvel.
admitir, to admit, receive.
adolescencia, f., adolescence.
adónde (and adonde), int. (and rel.) adv. and conj., whither, where; – quiera, wheresoever, wheresoe'er.
adoración, f., worship, adoration, devotion; pl., same meanings.
adorador, m., adorer.
adormido, -a, adj. pp. of adormir, drowsy, heavy with sleep.
adornar, to adorn.
adosado, -a, adj. pp. of adosar, placed (resting, standing, or leaning) against.
adulador, fawning.
advertencia, f., advice, information.
advertir, to notice, advise, inform, warn; pues es de —, and you must remember (know or bear in mind).
aéreo, -a, aërial, of (or pertaining to) the air.
afable, courteous, gracious.
afán, m., eagerness, eager desire.
afectado, -a, adj. pp. of afectar, feigned, affected.
afectar, to affect.
afilado, -a, adj. pp. of afilar, sharpened, sharp.
afilar, to grind, whet, sharpen.
afirmar, to affirm, assert.
afligido, -a, adj. pp. of afligir, afflicted, wretched, miserable.
afligir, to afflict, make wretched (or miserable).
afortunadamente, fortunately.
agarrarse, to grasp, clasp, seize, hold tightly.
agasaparse, to conceal oneself.
ágil, agile, fleet.
agilidad, f., agility, celerity.
agitación, f., excitement, agitation.
agitar, to agitate, move, shake; refl., to move restlessly, be agitated; to wave, flutter.
agolparse, to crowd, rush.
agonía, f., agony, act of expiring.
agotar, to exhaust.
agradable, agreeable, pleasant.
agrupar, to group, collect; refl. to come together; to assemble, collect.
agua, f., water; – bendita, holy water.
aguacero, m., shower, torrent of rain.
aguardar, to expect, await, wait for; hacerse —, to delay in appearing.
agudo, -a, sharp, acute, biting, piercing.
aguijonear, to thrust, impel, drive (or spur) on.
aguja, f., needle, spire.
agujero, m., hole.
¡ah! ah! oh!
ahí, here, there; por —, hereabouts.
ahogar, to suffocate, smother, drown; to be repressed (or confined).
ahora, now; desde —, from now on.
ahorcar, to hang.
aire, m, air, look, appearance, manner, tune, melody.
airoso, -a, airy, graceful; más airosa, with better grace; adv., gracefully.
aislado, -a, adj. pp. of aislar, isolated.
ajimez, m., ajimez, pointed (or arched) double window divided in the middle by a column.
ajorca, f. bracelet.
al = á + el; – salir, as I was going out.
ala, f., wing, pinion.
alabastro, m., alabaster.
alado, -a, winged, soaring.
alali, m., alali, a hunting cry.
alameda, f., grove of poplar-trees.
álamo, m. poplar, white poplar.
alargar, to extend, raise.
alarido, m., outcry, shout, howl, yell.
alarma, m. or f., alarm; poner en —, to alarm.
alazán, m., sorrel horse.
alba, f.: dawn.
albedrío, m., free will; con libre —, of (her) own free will.
albergarse, to take up lodgings.
albino, m., albino.
albor, m., (poet.) dawn.
alborotar, to disturb; refl., to be disturbed, be turbulent.
alboroto, m., disturbance, noise.
alborozado, -a, adj. pp. of alborozar, exhilarated, rejoicing, gleeful, joyous.
alborozo, m., joy, rejoicing, rapture.
alcaide, m., jailer, warden, governor (of a castle).
alcance, m., reach, range.
alcanzar, to succeed, be able; to overtake, reach, attain, come to; to comprehend; á la (gente) que sele alcanza, those (persons) who are good judges of.
alcázar, m., castle.
aldaba, f., bar, cross-bar, knocker.
aldea, f., village, hamlet.
aldeano, m., peasant, villager.
alegar, to allege, adduce.
alegrarse, to rejoice, exult, be glad.
alegre, pleasant, joyful, bright, joyous, merry.
alegremente, joyfully, merrily.
alegría, f., joy, gladness.
alejar, to remove, take away; refl., to go away, disappear.
alerce, m., larch, genus of coniferous trees.
alfombra, f., carpet, rug.
Alfonso, m., Alphonso.
alga, f., seaweed, alga.
algarabía, f., jargon, babble, clatter, hubbub.
algazara, f., rejoicing, shout(s), shouting.
algo, something, anything, some what; – es —, something is better than nothing; that is something.
algodón, m., cotton.
alguacil, m., constable, alguazil.
algún. See alguno.
alguno, -a, some, any; – que otro, here and there one; a very few; some.
aliaga, f., furze, a thorny evergreen shrub with beautiful yellow flowers.
aliento, m., breath.
aligerar, to lighten, ease.
alimaña, f., (obs.) animal.
aliviar, to alleviate, mitigate, relieve.
alma, f., soul, spirit.
almena, f., turret.
almohada, f., pillow.
alojamiento, m., lodging, quarters.
alojarse, to lodge, find lodgings (or quarters).
alondra, f., lark.
Alonso, m., Alonzo, Alphonso.
alquería, f., farmhouse.
alrededor, around; – de, about, round; á su —, around him; subst. m. pl., environs, neighborhood.
altanero, -a, haughty, proud.
altar, m., altar; – mayor, high altar, chief altar.
alterarse, to be disturbed.
alternado, -a, adj. pp. of alternar, alternating, intermittent, recurrent.
alteza, f., highness.
altisimo, -a, abs. super. of alto, very high, lofty.
altivo, -a, haughty.
alto, -a, tall, high, deep, lofty; important, late, loud; en la alta noche, in the dead of night; late at night; subst. m., height, summit, top.
alto, m., halt; mandar hacer —, to give orders to halt; ¡—! halt!
altura, f., height, summit.
alucinación, f., hallucination.
alumbrar, to give light to; to enable to see; to light up.
alzar, to raise, lift up; refl., to rise, heave.
allá, there; más —, farther; beyond; on past; – al filo de la media noche, just about midnight; – por …, back there in…; port —, in that direction, thither, there; de acá para —, from point to point; hither and thither.
allegados, m. pl., friends, allies.
allegar, to collect, get together.
allí, there; desde en adelante, from that time on; ya —, (when they had) arrived there.
amado, -a, adj. pp. of amar, beloved, loved.
amaestrar, to break in; to train, teach
amalgama, f., amalgamation, mixture
amanecer, to dawn; all —, at dawn; at break of day; hasta el —, till break of day; until dawn; nos amanecía llorando, doawn found us weeping.
amante, subst. m. or f., lover, beloved, loved one.
amar, to love.
amargo, -a, bitter, painful.
amarillo, -a, yallow
ambición, f., ambition.
ámbito, m. confines, inclosure, body, compass.
ambos, -as, both.
amenaza, f., threat, menace.
amenazador, menacing, threatening.
amenazar, to threaten.
amigablemente, amicably, pleasantly.
amigo, m., friend.
amigote, m. great friend, intimate friend.
amistad, f., friendship.
amonestación, f., advice, admonition, warning.
amontonar, to pile up, heap up, crowd together.
amor, m., love; sweetheart; – propio, self-love, conceit, vanity.
amoroso, -a, amorous, loving, dear.
amortiguar, to temper, soften.
amparar, to protect, aid, assist, help.
amparo, m., succor, protection, refuge.
amplio, -a, full.
analizar, to analyze.
anciano, -a, old, aged, ancient; subst. m. or f., old man, old woman; m. pl., old people, elders.
ancho, -a, large, broad.
anchuroso, -a, spacious.
andar, to go, walk, act, be; á más —, at full speed; como se las entrase á más – el día, as the day went on; as the day passed (for them); – penando, to suffer torment; – por, to go about, be current in; – más de sobra, to be more in excess; á los talones, to follow closely; de algún tiempo á esta parte anda, (who) for some time now has been; quien (en) mal anda, (en) mal acaba, a bad beginning makes a bad ending.
andas, f. pl., bier (with shafts), stretcher, litter.
andurriales, m. pl., by-roads, retired spots, out-of-the-way places.
anegarse, to be inundated (or submerged).
anfiteatro, m., amphitheater.
anfitrión, m., amphitr-yon, host.
angel, m., angel.
angosto, -a, narrow, close.
ángulo, m., angle, corner.
anguloso, -a, angular.
angustia, f., anguish.
angustioso, -a, full of anguish, heartrending, desperate, terrible, agonizing.
anilla, f., ring.
anillo, m., ring, coil.
ánima,f., soul; en Dios y en mi —, in very truth; God knows (that it is true).
animación, f., animation.
animado, -a, adj. pp. of animar, animated, enlivened, heated, moved, encouraged, heightened.
animadversión, f., censure, reproof, hostility.
animal, m., animal.
animar, to animate, encourage, urge on.
ánimo, m., mind, thought, intention, spirit; recobrar el —, to recover one's senses; to come to oneself.
anoche, last night.
ansia, f., anxiety, agony; eager desire, love, longing.
ansiedad, f., anxiety; con —, anxiously.
ansioso, -a, anxious, eager, desirous.
ante, before, in the presence of.
antemano: de —, beforehand, previously.
antepasados, m. pl., ancestors.
antepecho, m., breastwork, balcony, balustrade.
anterior, former; la noche —, the night before.
anteriormente, previously, before.
antes, formerly, before, first, rather, once; – de, before; – de tiempo, prematurely; before it was ripe; – que, before; rather than, sooner than; far from; las – losas sepulcrales, the once sepulchral slabs.
antiguo, -a, old, ancient, former.
antojarse, to have a fancy (or desire) (used only in the 3rd person sing., with me, te, le, etc.); antojábaseme, it seemed to me; I fancied.
antojo, m., whim, fancy, caprice.
anublar, to cloud, darken.
anudarse, to become choked; to die away.
anunciar, to announce, foretell.
anuncio, m., announcement.
añadidura, f.; addition; por —, besides, in addition.
añadir, to add.
año, m., year; el – que viene, next year; allá por los —s de mil trescientos y pico, back there in the year thirteen hundred and something.
añoso, -a, old, ancient.
apacible, placid, quiet, pleasant, peaceful, serene.
apaciguarse, to be (or become) calm; to be appeased.
apagar, to put out, extinguish, quench; refl., to go out, die out, be extinguished; to become calm (or silent).
apalear, to beat, cudgel.
aparecer, to appear.
aparición, f., appearance, apparition.
apariencia, f., appearance.
apartar, to take away, remove, put aside, separate; – la vista, to look away; refl., to depart, swerve.
aparte de, aside from.
apasionado, -a, adj. pp. of apasionar, passionate.
apearse, to alight, dismount.
apedrear, to stone.
apelar, to appeal.
apellidar, to call.
apenas, hardly, barely; – sí, hardly, barely; – sí pudiera, I could scarcely.
apercibir, to prepare, get ready; to warn.
apilar, to pile (or heap) up.
apiñado, -a, adj. pp. of apiñar, pyramidal, heaped up, crowded, closely pressed, dense; —os grupos, dense crowds, closely packed groups; -as matas, tangled (or dense) shrubbery (or under-brush); -as olas, tossing waves.
apiñar, to heap up, press (or crowd) together; to mass; refl., to a crowd.
aplastar, to flatten, crush, weigh down, smash, destroy.
aplauso, m., applause; pl., applause.
aplicar, to apply.
aplomo, m., assurance, self-possession.
apoderarse, to take possession (de, of).
aposentador, m., quartermaster; sargento —, quartermaster-sergeant.
apostarse, to post oneself, take up a position.
apoyado, -a, adj. pp. of apoyar, supported, leaning.
apoyarse, to rest, be supported, support oneself, bear upon, lean (en, on, upon).
apreciar, to value, appreciate.
aprecio, m., esteem, regard.
aprehender, to take; to capture.
aprender, to learn; – de memoria, to memorize, learn by heart.
aprensión, f., apprehension, imagination, groundless fear (de, on the part of).
