La letra escarlata ingls y espaol 5u5c1c

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CAPTULO VIII - Pag 27
English version				*Versin en espaol*
THE ELF-CHILD AND THE MINISTER Governor Bellingham, in a loose gown and easy cap—such as elderly gentlemen loved to endue themselves with, in their domestic privacy—walked foremost, and appeared to be showing off his estate, and expatiating on his projected improvements. The wide circumference of an elaborate ruff, beneath his grey beard, in the antiquated fashion of King James's reign, caused his head to look not a little like that of John the Baptist in a charger. The impression made by his aspect, so rigid and severe, and frost-bitten with more than autumnal age, was hardly in keeping with the appliances of worldly enjoyment wherewith he had evidently done his utmost to surround himself. But it is an error to suppose that our great forefathers—though accustomed to speak and think of human existence as a state merely of trial and warfare, and though unfeignedly prepared to sacrifice goods and life at the behest of duty—made it a matter of conscience to reject such means of comfort, or even luxury, as lay fairly within their grasp. This creed was never taught, for instance, by the venerable pastor, John Wilson, whose beard, white as a snow-drift, was seen over Governor Bellingham's shoulders, while its wearer suggested that pears and peaches might yet be naturalised in the New England climate, and that purple grapes might possibly be compelled to flourish against the sunny garden-wall. The old clergyman, nurtured at the rich bosom of the English Church, had a long established and legitimate taste for all good and comfortable things, and however stern he might show himself in the pulpit, or in his public reproof of such transgressions as that of Hester Prynne, still, the genial benevolence of his private life had won him warmer affection than was accorded to any of his professional contemporaries. Behind the Governor and Mr. Wilson came two other guests—one, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, whom the reader may as having taken a brief and reluctant part in the scene of Hester Prynne's disgrace; and, in close companionship with him, old Roger Chillingworth, a person of great skill in physic, who for two or three years past had been settled in the town. It was understood that this learned man was the physician as well as friend of the young minister, whose health had severely suffered of late by his too unreserved self-sacrifice to the labours and duties of the pastoral relation. The Governor, in advance of his visitors, ascended one or two steps, and, throwing open the leaves of the great hall window, found himself close to little Pearl. The shadow of the curtain fell on Hester Prynne, and partially concealed her. "What have we here?" said Governor Bellingham, looking with surprise at the scarlet little figure before him. "I profess, I have never seen the like since my days of vanity, in old King James's time, when I was wont to esteem it a high favour to be itted to a court mask! There used to be a swarm of these small apparitions in holiday time, and we called them children of the Lord of Misrule. But how gat such a guest into my hall?" "Ay, indeed!" cried good old Mr. Wilson. "What little bird of scarlet plumage may this be? Methinks I have seen just such figures when the sun has been shining through a richly painted window, and tracing out the golden and crimson images across the floor. But that was in the old land. Prithee, young one, who art thou, and what has ailed thy mother to bedizen thee in this strange fashion? Art thou a Christian child—ha? Dost know thy catechism? Or art thou one of those naughty elfs or fairies whom we thought to have left behind us, with other relics of Papistry, in merry old England?" "I am mother's child," answered the scarlet vision, "and my name is Pearl!" "Pearl"				*LA NIA DUENDE Y EL MINISTRO* EL Gobernador Bellingham, vestido en traje de casa, que consista en una bata no muy ajustada, y gorra, abra la comitiva y pareca ir mostrando su propiedad a los que le acompaaban, explicndoles las mejoras que proyectaba introducir. La vasta circunferencia de un cuello alechugado, hecho con mucho esmero, que proyectaba por debajo de su barba gris, segn la moda del tiempo antiguo, contribua a darle a su cabeza un parecido a la de San Juan Bautista en la fuente. La impresin producida por su rgido y severo semblante, por el que haban pasado algunos otoos, no estaba en armona con todo lo que all le rodeaba y pareca destinado al goce de las cosas terrenales. Pero es un error suponer que nuestros graves abuelos,—aunque acostumbrados a hablar de la existencia humana y pensar en ella como si fuese una mera prueba y una lucha constante, y aunque se hallaban preparados a sacrificar bienes y vida cuando el deber lo requera,—hicieran caso de conciencia rechazar todas aquellas comodidades, y aun regalo, que estaban a su alcance. Semejante doctrina no fue nunca enseada, por ejemplo, por el venerable pastor de almas Juan Wilson, cuya barba, blanca como la nieve, se vea por sobre el hombro del Gobernador Bellingham, mientras le deca que las peras y los melocotones podran aclimatarse en la Nueva Inglaterra, y que las uvas de color de prpura podran florecer si estuvieran protegidas por los muros del jardn expuestos ms directamente al sol. El anciano ministro tena un gusto legtimo y de larga fecha por todas las cosas buenas y todas las comodidades de la vida; y por severo que se mostrase en el plpito en su reprobacin pblica de transgresiones como las de Ester Prynne, sin embargo, la benevolencia que desplegaba en la vida privada le haba granjeado mayor cantidad de afecto que la concedida a ningn otro de sus colegas. Detrs del Gobernador y del Sr. Wilson venan otros dos huspedes: uno el Reverendo Arturo Dimmesdale, a quien el lector recordar tal vez por haber desempeado, no voluntariamente, un corto papel en la escena del castigo pblico de Ester; y a su lado, como si fuera su compaero ntimo, el viejo Rogerio Chillingworth, persona de gran habilidad en la medicina, y que haca dos o tres aos haba fijado su residencia en la colonia. Se deca que este sabio anciano era al mismo tiempo el mdico y el amigo del joven eclesistico, cuya salud se haba deteriorado mucho ltimamente a causa de su abnegacin sin lmites y su consagracin completa a los trabajos y deberes de su sagrado ministerio. El Gobernador, adelantndose a sus huspedes, subi dos o tres escalones, y abriendo una de las hojas de la gran ventana del vestbulo, se encontr cerca de Perla. La sombra de la cortina ocultaba parcialmente a la madre. —Qu tenemos aqu?—dijo el Gobernador mirando a la figurita color de escarlata que estaba delante de l. Confieso que no he visto nada parecido desde los das de mis vanidades, all en mis tiempos juveniles, cuando consideraba inestimable favor ser itido en los bailes de disfraces de la Corte. Haba entonces un enjambre de estas pequeas apariciones en los das de fiesta. Pero cmo ha entrado este husped en mi antecmara? —S, en efecto, exclam el buen anciano Sr. Wilson, qu pajarito color de escarlata podr ser ste? Me parece haber visto algo semejante cuando el sol brilla al travs de los cristales de una ventana de variedad de colores, y dibuja imgenes doradas y carmeses en el suelo. Pero eso era all en nuestra vieja patria. Dime, nia, quin eres, y qu ha movido a tu madre a aderezarte de un modo tan extrao? Eres una nia cristiana? Sabes el catecismo? eres acaso uno de esos petulantes duendes o trasgos que creamos haber dejado para siempre en la alegre Inglaterra? —Yo soy la hija de mi madre, respondi la visin escarlata, y mi nombre es Perla. —Perla?—ms bien Rub, o Coral, o Rosa encendida por lo menos, a juzgar por tu color, respondi el anciano ministro extendiendo la mano, intilmente, para acariciar la mejilla de Perla.—Pero dnde est tu madre? Ah! Ya comprendo, agreg; y dirigindose al Gobernador le dijo en voz baja:—Esta es precisamente la nia de que hemos hablado; y ved ah a esa infeliz mujer, a Ester Prynne, su madre.

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