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BARTLEBY, EL ESCRIBIENTE - Herman Melville. Otro
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BARTLEBY, THE SCRIVENER - Herman Melville |
AUDIO |
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I am an old lawyer, and I have three men
working for me. My business continued to grow and so I decided to get one more
man to help write legal papers. |
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continued to grow: siguió creciendo; to help write: ayudar a redactar; |
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I have met a great many people in my days, but the man who
answered my advertisement was the strangest person I have ever heard of or met. He stood outside my office and waited for me to speak. He
was a small man, quiet and dressed in a clean but old suit of clothes. I asked
him his name. It was Bartleby. |
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great many people: gran cantidad de personas; I have ever heard of: acerca de quien haya oído; suit: conjunto; |
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At first Bartleby almost worked himself too hard writing
the legal papers I gave him. He worked through the day by sunlight, and into the
night by candlelight. I was happy with his work, but not happy with the way he
worked. He was too quiet. But, he worked well… like a machine, never looking or
speaking. One day, I asked Bartleby to come to my office to study a
legal paper with me. Without moving from his chair, Bartleby said: “I do not
want to.” I sat for a short time, too surprised to move. Then I
became excited. |
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almost: prácticamente; too hard: sumamente entusiasmado; by sunlight: a la luz del sol; by candlelight: a la luz de las velas; with the way: con la forma; |
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“You do not want to. What do you mean, are you sick? I
want you to help me with this paper.” “I do not want to.” His face was calm. His eyes showed no emotion. He was not
angry. This is strange, I thought. What should I do? But, the telephone rang,
and I forgot the problem for the time being. |
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sick: enfermo; calm: tranquila; angry: enfadado; what should I do?: ¿qué debería hacer?; rang: sonó; for the time being: por el momento; |
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A few days later, four long documents came into the
office. They needed careful study, and I decided to give one document to each of
my men. I called and all came to my office. But not Bartleby. “Bartleby, quick, I am waiting.” He came, and stood in front of me for a moment. “I don’t
want to,” he said then turned and went back to his desk. I was so surprised, I could not move. There was something
about Bartleby that froze me, yet, at the same time, made me feel sorry for him. |
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to each of: a cada uno de; all came: todos vinieron; went back: regresó; so surprised: tan sorprendido; that froze me: que me petrificaba; yet: aún así; |
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As time passed, I saw that Bartleby never went out to eat
dinner. Indeed, he never went anywhere. At eleven o’clock each morning, one of
the men would bring Bartleby some ginger cakes. |
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as time passed: a medida que pasaba el tiempo; went out to dinner: salía a comer; ginger cakes: galletitas de jengibre; |
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“Umm. He lives on them,” I thought. “Poor fellow!” He is
a little foolish at times, but he is useful to me. “Bartleby,” I said one afternoon. “Please go to the post
office and bring my mail.” “I do not want to.” I walked back to my office too shocked to think. Let’s
see, the problem here is… one of my workers named Bartleby will not do some of
the things I ask him to do. One important thing about him though, he is always
in his office. |
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he lives on them: vive de ellas (de galletitas); poor fellow: pobre tipo; a little foolish: algo tonto; at times: a veces; useful: útil; too shocked to think: demasiado sorprendido para pensar; though: sin embargo, no obstante; |
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One Sunday I walked to my office to do some work. When I
placed the key in the door, I couldn’t open it. I stood a little surprised, then
called, thinking someone might be inside. There was. Bartleby. He came from his
office and told me he did not want to let me in. The idea of Bartleby living in my law office had a strange
effect on me. I slunk away much like a dog does when it has been shouted at… with
its tail between its legs. |
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placed the key: inserté la llave; I stood: me quedé de pie; might be: podría estar; he did not want to let me in: no quería que yo entrara; I slunk away: me escabullí; with its tail: con la cola; between its legs: entre las patas; |
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Was anything wrong? I did not for a moment believe
Bartleby would keep a woman in my office. But for some time he must have eaten,
dressed and slept there. How lonely and friendless Bartleby must be. I decided to help him. The next morning I called him to my
office. “Bartleby, will you tell me anything about yourself?” “I do not want to.” I sat down with him and said, “You do not have to tell me
about your personal history, but when you finish writing that document…" “I have decided not to write anymore,” he said. And left
my office. |
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would keep: tendría a; lonely: solitario; friendless: sin amigos; must be: debe estar; not to write anymore: no escribir más; |
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What was I to do? Bartleby would not work at all. Then why
should he stay on his job? I decided to tell him to go. I gave him six days to
leave the office and told him I would give him some extra money. If he would not
work, he must leave. On the sixth day, somewhat hopefully, I looked into the
office Bartleby used. He was still there. |
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what was I to do?: ¿qué debía hacer yo?; at all: para nada; on his job: en su puesto de trabajo; some extra money: una indemnización; he must leave: él debía irse; on the sixth day: al sexto dia; used: que usaba; still: todavía; |
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The next morning, I went to the office early. All was
still. I tried to open the door, but it was locked. Bartleby’s voice came from
inside. I stood as if hit by lightening. I walked the streets thinking. “Well,
Bartleby, if you will not leave me, I shall leave you.” I paid some men to move all the office furniture to
another place. Bartleby just stood there as the men took his chair away. “Goodbye Bartleby, I am going. Goodbye and God be with
you. Here take this money.” I placed it in his hands. It dropped to the floor;
and then, strange to say, I had difficulty leaving the person I wanted to leave
me. |
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still: pacífico; locked: cerrada con llave; as if hit by lightening: como si me atravesado un rayo; dropped: se cayó; strange to say: debo reconcerlo; |
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A few days later, a stranger visited me in my new office.
“You are responsible for the man you left in your last office,” he said. The
owner of the building has given me a court order which says you must take him
away. We tried to make him leave, but he returned and troubles the others there. I went back to my old office and found Bartleby sitting on
the empty floor. |
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a few days later: unos días después; stranger: desconocido; owner: dueño; court order: orden judicial; take him away: sacarlo de aquí; to make him leave: de hacerlo salir; troubles: molesta a; empty floor: piso vacío; |
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“Bartleby, one of two things must happen. I will get you a
different job, or you can go to work for some other lawyer.” He said he did not like either choice. “Bartleby, will you come home with me and stay there until
we decide what you will do?” He answered softly, “No, I do not want to make any
changes.” I answered nothing more. I fled. I rode around the city
and visited places of historic interest, anything to get Bartleby off my mind. When I entered my office later, I found a message for me.
Bartleby had been taken to prison. |
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either choice: ninguna de las opciones; softly: suavemente; I fled: huí de allí; I rode around: me la pasé dando vueltas por; to get B. off my mind: para sacarme a B. de mi mente; taken to prison: llevado a la cárcel; |
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I found him there, and when he saw me he said: “I know
you, and I have nothing to say to you.” “But I didn’t put you here, Bartleby.” I was deeply hurt.
I told him I gave the prison guard money to buy him a good dinner. “I do not want to eat today, he said. I never eat dinner.” |
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deeply hurt: profundamente conmovido; prison guard: carcelero; |
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Days passed, and I went to see Bartleby again. I was told
he was sleeping in the prison yard outside. Sleeping? The thin Bartleby was lying on the cold stones.
I stooped to look at the small man lying on his side with his knees against his
chest. I walked closer and looked down at him. His eyes were open. He seemed to
be in a deep sleep. |
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days passed: pasaron los días; I was told: me dijeron que; prison yard: patio de la cárcel; thin: delgado; stones: piedras del piso; I stooped: me agaché; his knees against his chest: sus rodillas pegadas al pecho; |
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“Won’t he eat today, either, or does he live without
eating?” the guard asked. “Lives without eating,” I answered… and closed his eyes. “Uh…he is asleep isn’t he?” the guard said. “With kings and lawyers,” I answered. |
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won't he eat: se niega a comer; without eating: sin comer; |
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One little story came to me some days after Bartleby died.
I learned he had worked for many years in the post office. He was in a special
office that opened all the nation’s letters that never reach the person they
were written to. It is called the dead letter office. The letters are not
written clearly, so the mailmen cannot read the addresses. |
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after B. died: después que B. murió; I learned: me enteré de que; nation's letters: las cartas domésticas (del país); never reach: nunca llegan a; dead letter office: oficina de las cartas muertas; mailmen: carteros; the addresses: las direcciones; |
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Well, poor Bartleby had to read the letters, to see if
anyone’s name was written clearly so they could be sent. Think of it. From one
letter a wedding ring fell, the finger it was bought for perhaps lies rotting in
the grave. Another letter has money to help someone long since dead. Letters
filled with hope for those who died without hope. Poor Bartleby! He himself had lost all hope. His job had
killed something inside him. Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity! |
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written clearly: escrito con claridad; a wedding ring fell: se cayó un anillo de boda; lies rotting: yace pudriéndose; grave: tumba; long since dead: fallecida hace tiempo; filled with hope: llenas de esperanza; who died without hope: aquellos que murieron sin esperanza; he himself had lost all hope: él mismo había perdido toda esperanza; had killed: había matado; something inside him: algo dentro de él. |
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