Neugroschel
David
The Metamorphosis
by
Franz Kafka
tr. by Joachim Neugroschel
Simon & Schuster, N.Y., 1995
I [19] I
One morning, upon
awakening from agitated
dreams, Gregor Samsa found
himself, in his bed, transformed
into a monstrous vermin. He lay
on his hard, armorlike back, and
when lifting his head slightly, he
could view his brown, vaulted belly
partitioned by arching ridges,
while on top of it, the
b l an ket, about to slide o ff
a l t o g e t h e r, c o u l d b a r e l y
hold. His many legs,
wretchedly thin compared
with his overall
g i r t h , danced helplessly
before his eyes.
“ W h a t ’s h a p p e n e d t o
me?” he wondered. It
was no dream. His room,
a normal if somewhat
tiny human room, lay
quietly between the four
familiar walls. Above the
table, on which a line of
f a bric samples had been
unpacked and spread out
(Samsa was a traveling
salesman), hung the picture
that he had recently clipped
from an illustrated magazine
and inserted in a pretty gilt
frame. The picture showed a
lady sitting there upright,
bedizened in a fur hat and fur boa,
with her entire forearm vanishing
inside a heavy fur muf f t h a t
she held out toward the
v i e w e r. [ 1 1 7 ]
G r e g o r ’s e y e s t h e n
focused on the window, and
the dismal weather-raindrops
could be heard splattering on
the metal ledge-made him
feel quite melancholy.
“What if I slept a little
more and forgot all about this
nonsense,” he thought. But his
idea was impossible to carry
out, for while he was
accustomed to sleeping on his
del Solar
Freed
La transformación
de
Franz Kafka
tr. de Juan José del Solar
Debolsillo, Barcelona, 2005
Cuando, una mañana,
Gregor Samsa se despertó de
unos sueños agitados, se encon-
tró en su cama transformado en
un bicho monstruoso. Yacía so-
bre su espalda, dura como un ca-
parazón, y al levantar un poco
la cabeza vio su vientre abombado,
pardo, segmentado por induraciones
en forma de arco, sobre cuya pro-
minencia el cubrecama, a punto
ya de deslizarse del todo, ape-
nas si podía sostenerse. Sus nu-
merosas patas, de una deplorable
delgadez en comparación con las
dimensiones habituales de Gregor, tem-
blaban indefensas ante sus ojos.
«¿Qué me ha ocurrido?»,
pensó. No era un sueño. Su ha-
bitación, en verdad la habita-
ción de un ser humano, solo que
un tanto pequeña, seguía ahí
entre las cuatro paredes de
siempre. Por encima de la
mesa, sobre la que había un
muestrario de telas desple-
gado -Samsa era viajante
de comercio-, colgaba un
retrato que él había recortado
hacía poco de una revista ilus-
trada y puesto en un precioso
marco dorado. Representaba a
una dama con un sombrero y
una boa de piel que, bien er-
guida en su asiento, alzaba
hacia el espectador un pe-
s a d o manguito, también de
piel, en el que había desapare-
cido todo su antebrazo.
[20] La mirada de Gregor se
dirigió luego a la ventana, y el tiem-
po nublado -se oía el tamborileo de
las gotas de lluvia contra la plan-
cha metálica del alféizar - l o
puso muy melancólico. «¿Y
si durmiera un rato más y
me olvidara de todas estas
tonterías?», pensó, pero era
algo totalmente impractica-
ble, pues estaba acostum-
brado a dormir sobre el
Stokes
Alianza
Metamorphosis
de
Franz Kafka
tr. de Richard Stokes
Hesperus Classics, London, 2004
I [7] I
When Gregor Samsa woke
one morning from uneasy
dreams he found himself
transformed in his bed into a
monstrous insect. He was
lying on his hard shell-like
back, and when he lifted his
head a little he could see his
dome-shaped brown body,
banded with reinforcing arches,
on top of which the blanket,
ready to slip right off,
maintained its precarious hold.
His numerous legs, pitifully
thin in relation to the rest of
his bulk, danced ineffectually
before his eyes.
‘What has happened to
me?’ he thought. It was not
a dream. His room, a
normal though rather too
small human room, lay
peacefully between the
fou r familiar walls. Above
the table, on which a
collection of cloth samples
had been unpacked and laid
out - Samsa was a travelling
salesman - hung the picture
that he had recently cut out
of a magazine and mounted
in a pr e t t y g i l t f r a m e . I t
showed a lady in a fur hat
and boa sitting up
straight and holding out
to the vi e w e r a h e a v y
fur muff into which
her entire forearms
had vanished.
G r e g o r ’s e y e s t h e n
focused on the window, and
the gloomy weather -you
could hear raindrops beating
on the metal window-sill -
made him f e e l q u i t e
m e l a n c h o l y. ‘ S u p p o s e I
went back to sleep for a
while and for got all this
nonsense,’ he thought, but
that was quite, impossible,
for he was used to
2 3
Vialatte
Willie
LA MÉTAMORPHOSE
de
Frank Kafka
tr. de Alexandre Vialatte
Gallimard, Paris, 1955
UN matin, au sortir d’un rêve
agité, Grégoire Sains, s’éveilla
transformé dans son lit en une
véritable vermine. Il était couché
sur le dos, un dos dur comme une
cuirasse, et, en levant un peu la
tête il s’aperçut qu’il avait un
ventre brun en forme de voûte
divisé par des nervures
arquées. La couverture, à peine
retenue par le sommet de cet
édifice était près de tomber
co m p l è t e m e n t , e t l e s
pattes de Grégoire,
pitoyablement minces pour son
gros corps , papillotaient
devant ses yeux.
«Que m’est-il arrivé?»
pensa-t-il. Ce n’était pourtant pas
un rêve : sa chambre, une vraie
chambre d’homme, quoique un
peu petite à vrai dire, se tenait
bien sage entre ses quatre murs
habituels. Au-dessus de la table
où s’étalait sa collection
d’échantillons de tissus -
Grégoire était voyageur [8] de
commerce - on pouvait toujours
voir la gravure qu’il avait
découpée récemment dans un
magazine et entourée d’un joli
cadre doré. Cette image
représentait une dame assise bien
droit, avec une toque et un tour
de cou en fourrure : elle offrait
aux regards des amateurs un lourd
manchon dans lequel son
bras s’engouffrait jusqu’au
coude.
Grégoire regarda
par la fe n ê t r e ; o n
entendait des
gouttes de pluie sur
l e _________ z i n c ; c e
temps brouillé le rendit
t o u t m é l a n c o l i q u e : «Si je
me rendormais encore un peu
pour oublier toutes ces bêtises
», pensa-t-il, mais c’était
absolument impossible : il
avait l’habitude de dormir sur
Cl.
LA MÉTAMORPHOSE
de
Frank Kafka
tr. Claude David
Gallimard, Paris, 1990
I [7] I
Lorsque Gregor Samsa s’éveilla
un matin au sortir de rêves agités,
il se retrouva dans son lit changé
en un énorme cancrelat. Il était
couché sur son dos, dur comme
une carapace et, lorsqu’il levait
un peu la tête, il découvrait un
ventre brun, bombé, partagé par
des indurations en forme d’arc,
sur lequel la couverture avait de
la peine à tenir et semblait à tout
moment près de glisser. Ses
nombreuses pattes
pitoyablement minces quand on
les comparait à l’ensemble de sa
taille, papillotaient maladroitement
devant ses yeux.
« Que m’est-il arrivé ?»
pensa-t-il. Ce n’était pas un
rêve. Sa chambre, une chambre
humaine ordinaire, tout au plus
un peu exiguë, était toujours là
entre les quatre cloisons qu’il
connaissait bien. Audessus de la
table, sur laquelle était déballée
une collection d’échantillons de
lainages - Samsa était voyageur
de commerce -, était accrochée
la gravure qu’il avait
récemment découpée dans une
revue illustrée et qu’il avait
installée dans un joli cadre doré.
Elle représentait une dame,
assise tout droit sur une chaise,
avec une toque de fourrure et
un boa, qui tendait vers les
gens un lourd manchon, dans
lequel son av a n t - b r a s
d i s p a r a i s s a i t t o u t e n t i e r.
Le regard de Gregor se
dirigea alors vers la fenêtre et
le temps maussade - on
entendait les gouttes de pluie
f r a p p e r l ’encadr ement d e
métal - le rendit tout
mélancolique. « Et si je
continuais un peu à dormir et
oubliais toutes ces bêtises »,
pensa-t-il, mais cela était tout
à fait irréalisable, car il avait
coutume de dormir sur le côté
THE METAMORPHOSIS
by
Franz Kafka
tr. by Donna Freed
Barnes & Noble, New York, 2003
As Gregor Samsa awoke
from unsettling dreams one
morning, he found himself
transformed in his bed into a
monstrous vermin. (1) He lay
on his hard armorlike back and
when he raised his head a little
he saw his vaulted brown belly
divided into sections by stiff
arches from whose height the
coverlet had already slipped
and was about to slide off
completely. His many legs,
which were pathetically thin
compared to the rest of his
bulk, flickered helplessly
before his eyes.
“What has happened to
me?” he thought. It was no
dream. His room, a
regular human bedroom, if
a little small, lay quiet
between the four familiar
walls. Above the desk, on
which a collection of
fabric samples was
unpacked and spread
out-Samsa was a traveling
salesman-hung the picture
that he had recently cut
out of an illustrated
magazine and put in a
pretty gi lt frame. It showed
a l a d y, s i t t i n g u p r i g h t ,
dressed in a fu r hat and fur
boa; he r entire forearm had
v a n i s h e d into a thi c k f u r
muff wh i c h s h e h e l d o u t
t o t h e v i e w e r. (2 )
G r e g o r ’s g a z e t h e n
shifted to the window, and
the dreary weather -raindrops
could be heard be a t i n g
against the metal ledge of
the window-made him
q u i t e m e l a n c h o l y. “ W h a t
if I went back to sleep
f o r a while and forgot all
this foolishness,” he
thought. However, this was
totally impracticable, as he
La metamorfosis
de
Franz Kafka
tr. ¿?
Alianza, Madrid, 1986
I I
Al despertar Gregorio Samsa
una mañana, tras un sueño intranqui-
lo, encontróse en su cama converti-
do en un monstruoso insecto.
Hallábase echado sobre el duro ca-
parazón de su espalda, y, al alzar un
poco la cabeza, vio la figura convexa
de su vientre oscuro, surcado por
curvadas callosidades, cuya promi-
nencia apenas si - podía aguantar la
colcha, que estaba visiblemente a
punto de escurrirse hasta el suelo.
Innumerables patas, lamentablemen-
te escuálidas en comparación con el
grosor ordinario de sus piernas, ofre-
cían a sus ojos el espectáculo de una
agitación sin consistencia.
—¿Qué me ha sucedido?
No soñaba, no. Su habita-
ción, una habitación de verdad,
aunque excesivamente reduci-
da, [8] aparecía como de or-
dinario entre sus cuatro harto
conocidas paredes. Presidien-
do la mesa, sobre la cual es-
taba esparcido un muestrario
de paños -Samsa era viajante
de comercio-, colgaba u na
estampa ha poco recortada de
una revista ilustrada y puesta en
un lindo marco dorado. Repre-
sentaba esta estampa una seño-
ra tocada con un gorro de pie-
les, envuelta en un boa también
de pieles, y que, muy erguida,
esgrimía contra el espectador
un amplio manguito, asimismo
de piel, dentro del cual desapa-
recía todo su antebrazo.
Gregorio dirigió luego
la vista hacia la ventana; el
tiempo nublado (sentíanse
repiquetear en el cinc del
alféizar las gotas de lluvia) infundióle
una gran melancolía.
—Bueno -pensó--; ¿qué pa-
saría si yo siguiese durmiendo
un rato y me olvidase de todas
las fantasías?-Mas era esto algo
de todo punto irrealizable, por-
que Gregorio tenía la costumbre
Metamorphosis
by
Franz Kafka
Translated by David Wyllie
Project Gutenberg
One morning, when Gregor
Samsa woke from troubled
dreams, he found himself
transformed in his bed into a
horrible vermin. He lay on his
armour-like back, and if he lifted
his head a little he could see his
brown belly, slightly domed and
divided by arches into stiff sections.
The beddin g w a s h a r d l y
able to cover it and
seemed ready to slide
off any moment. His
many legs, pitifully
thin compared with the
s i ze of the rest of him, waved
about helplessly as he looked.
“What’s happened to me?”
he thought. It wasn’t a dream.
His room, a proper human
room although a little too
small, lay peacefully
between its four familiar
walls. A collection of
textile samples lay spread
out on the table - Samsa
was a travelling salesman
- and above it there hung
a picture that he had
recently cut out of an
illustrated magazine and
housed in a nice, gilded
frame. I t s h o w e d a l a d y
fitted out with a fur hat
and fur boa who sat
upright, raising a heavy
f u r m u f f that covered the
whole of her lower arm
t o w a r d s t h e v i e w e r.
Gregor then turned to
look out the window at
t h e d u l l w e a t h e r. D r o p s
of rain could be heard
hitting the pane, which
made him feel quite sad.
“How about if I sleep a
little bit longer and forget
all this nonsense”, he
thought, but that was
something he was unable to
do because he was used to
 Neugroschel
right side, his current state
prevented him from getting
into that position. No matter
how forcefully he attempted
to wrench himself over on his
right side, he kept rocking
back into his supine state. He
must have tried it a hundred
times, closing his eyes to
avoid having to look at those
wriggling l e g s , a n d h e
gave up only when he
started feeling a mild,
dull ache in his side such as
he had never felt before.
“Oh, God,” he thought,
“what a strenuous profession
I’ve picked! Day in, day out
on the road. It’s a lot more
stressful than the work in the
home office, and along with
everything else I also have to
put up with these agonies of
traveling-worrying about
making trains, having bad,
irregular meals, meeting
new people all the time,
but never forming any
lasting friendships that
mellow into anything
intimate. To hell with it all!”
Feeling a slight itch on
his belly, he slowly squirmed
along on his back toward
the bedpost in order to
raise his head more easily.
Upon locating the itchy
place, which was dotted with
lots of tiny white specks that he
could not fathom, he tried to
touch the area with one of his
legs, but promptly withdrew it,
for the contact sent icy shudders
through his body.
He slipped back into his
former position.
“Getting up so early all
the time,” he thought, [118]
“makes you totally stupid. A
man has to have his sleep.
Other traveling salesmen
live like harem women. For
instance, whenever I return
to the hotel during the
morning to write up my
orders, those men are still
having breakfast. Just let me
try that with my boss; I’d be
kicked out on the spot. And
anyway, who knows, that
might be very good for me.
If I weren’t holding back
because of my parents, I
del Solar
lado derecho y su estado
actual le impedía adoptar
esa postura. Por mucho que
se esforzara en girarse del
lado derecho, volvía a ba-
lancearse hasta quedar otra
ve z d e e s p a l d a s . L o i n -
tentó un centenar de ve-
ces, cerrando los ojos
para no ver las patas
que se agitaban, y solo
d e s i s t i ó c u a n do empezó a
sentir en el costado un dolor
levé y s o r d o q u e n u n c a
h a b í a s e n t i d o antes.
«¡Dios mío!», pensó.
«¡ Q u é profesión tan
agotadora he elegido! De via-
je un día sí y otro también.
Las tensiones que producen
los negocios son mucho más
grandes fuera que cuando se
trabaja en casa, y para colmo
me ha caído encima esta plaga
de los viajes; la preocupación
por los enlaces de los trenes,
la comida mala e irregular, un
trato con la gente siempre
cambiante y nunca duradero,
que jamás llega a ser cordial.
¡Al diablo con todo esto!» Sin-
tió un ligero picor en el vien-
tre; lentamente, se deslizó
sobre la espalda hacia la ca-
becera de la cama para poder
levantar mejor la cabeza y
vio que la zona que le picaba
estaba cubierta de numerosos
puntitos blancos cuya pre-
sencia no lograba explicarse;
quiso palpársela con una
pata, pero [21] la retiró al
instante, pues el roce le pro-
dujo escalofríos.
Volvió a deslizarse a su
p o s i c i ó n a n t e r i o r. « E s t e
continuo madrugar», pensó,
«lo idiotiza a uno por
completo. La gente tiene que
dormir sus horas. Hay
viajantes que viven como
concubinas de harén. Por
ejemplo, cuando en el curso
de la mañana vuelvo a la casa
de huéspedes para copiar los
pedidos que me han hecho,
los muy señores aún están
desayunando. Si yo lo
intentara, con el jefe que
tengo, me despedirían en el
acto. Quién sabe, por lo
demás, si no sería mejor para
mí. De no ser por mis padres,
4 5
Stokes
sleeping on his right side
and was unable in his
present state to assume
that position. No matter
how vigorously he swung
himself to the right, he
kept rocking onto his back
again. He must have tried
it a hundred times, he shut
hi s e y e s t o a v o i d l o o k i n g
at his flailing legs, and
only gave u p w h e n h e
began to feel a faint
dull ache in his side that he
had never felt before.
‘God,’ he thought, ‘what
a strenuous profession I’ve
chosen! On the road, day in,
day out. Such business
anxieties are [3] much worse
than those back home in the
office, and in addition I’m
lumbered with all this
wretched travelling, the
worry about train
connections, the bad,
irregular meals, the
constantly changing, never
lasting and never warm
human relationships. To hell
with it all!’ He felt a slight
itch up on his belly; pushed
himself on his back slowly
nearer to the bedpost in
order to be able to lift his
head better; located the
itching spot, which was
covered with a mass of tiny
white dots he was unable to
comprehend; and then tried to
touch the spot with a leg, which
he withdrew at once, however,
since the contact sent an icy
shiver through his body.
He slid back into his
original position. ‘These
early mornings,’ he
thought, ‘are very bad
for the brain. A man
needs his sleep. Other
salesmen live like harem
women. I mean, when I
go back to the hotel
during the morning to
enter up the orders I’ve
taken, those fellows are
just sitting down to
breakfast. If I tried that
with my boss, I’d be
sacked on the spot.
Might not be a bad thing
for me, after all. If it
hadn’t been for my
Vialatte
le côté droit et ne pouvait
parvenir dans sa situation
présente à adopter la position
voulue. Il avait beau essayer de
se jeter violemment sur le
flanc, il revenait toujours sur
le d o s a v e c u n p e t i t
mouvement de balançoire. Il
essaya bien cent fois, en fermant
les yeux pour ne pas voir les
vibrations de ses jambes, et
n’abandonna la partie qu’en
ressentant au côté une sorte de
douleur sourde qu’il n ’ a v a i t
j a m a i s éprouvée.
«Quel métier, pensa-t-il,
quel métier suis-je allé choisir!
Tous les jours en voyage! Des
ennuis pires que dans le
commerce de mes parents! et
par-dessus le marché cette plaie
des voyages : les changements
de train, les correspondances
qu’on rate, les mauvais repas
qu’il faut prendre n’importe
quand! à chaque instant des têtes
nouvelles, des gens qu’on ne
reverra jamais, avec lesquels il
n’y a pas moyen d’être
camarade! Que le diable [9]
emporte la boîte!» Il sentit une
petite démangeaison en haut du
ventre, s’approcha un peu plus du
bois de lit - en se traînant
lentement sur le dos -pour pouvoir
mieux lever la tête, et aperçut à
l’endroit qui le démangeait
to u t e u n e s é r i e d e p e t i t s
points blancs auxquels il ne
comprit rien : il essaya de tâter
l’endroit avec une de ses
pattes, mais il dut la retirer bien
vite, car ce contact lui donnait
des frissons glacés.
Il reprit sa position
première. «Il n’y a rien d’aussi
abrutissant, pensa-t-il, que de
se lever toujours si tôt.
L’homme a besoin de son
sommeil. Et dire qu’il y a des
voyageurs qui vivent comme
des femmes de harem! Quand
je retourne à l’hôtel,
l’après-midi, pour noter les
commandes, je trouve ces
messieurs qui n’en sont
encore qu’à leur petit
déjeuner. Je voudrais voir ce
que dirait mon chef si
j’essayais chose pareille! je
serais congédié immé-
diatement! Qui sait d’ailleurs
si ce ne serait pas une bonne
Cl. David
droit et il lui était impossible,
dans son état actuel, de se
mettre dans cette position. Il
avait beau se jeter de toutes
ses forces sur le côté droit, il
rebondissait sans cesse sur le
dos. Il essaya bien une
centaine de fois, en fermant
les yeux pour ne pas être
obligé de voir s’agiter ses
petites pattes et n’arrêta que
q u a n d i l c o m m e n ça à
éprouver sur le côté une vague
douleur sourde, qu’il ne
connaissait pas encore.
« Ah, mon Dieu », pensa-t-il,
« quel métier exténuant j’ai
donc choisi! Jour après jour en
voyage. Les ennuis
professionnels sont bien plus
grands que ceux qu’on aurait en
restant au magasin et j’ai
par-dessus le marché la corvée
des voyages, le souci des
changements de trains, la
nourriture irrégulière et
médiocre, des têtes toujours
nouvelles, jamais de relations
durables ni cordiales avec
personne. Le diable emporte
ce métier!» Il sentit une légère
démangeaison sur le haut du
ventre, se glissa lentement sur le
dos pour se rapprocher du montant
du lit, afin de pouvoir lever la tête
plus commodément; il trouva
l’endroit de la démangeaison
recouvert d’une masse de petits
points blancs, dont il ignorait
la nature; il voulut tâter
l’emplacement avec une de ses
pattes, mais il la retira
aussitôt, car le contact lui
donnait des frissons.
Il se laissa glisser dans
sa position antérieure. « On
devient complètement stupide
», pensa-t-il, « à se lever
d’aussi bonne heure. L’homme
a besoin de sommeil. Il y a
d’autres voyageurs qui vivent
comme les femmes de harem.
Quand je retourne par exemple
à l’auberge au cours de la
matinée pour recopier les
commandes que j’ai reçues, ces
messieurs n’en sont qu’à leur
petit déjeuner. Il ferait beau que
j’en fisse de même avec mon
patron; je sauterais
immédiatement. Qui sait
d’ailleurs si ce n’est pas ce qui
pourrait m’arriver de mieux? Si
Freed
habitually slept on his right
side, a position he could
not get into in his present
state; no matter how
forcefully he heaved
himself to the right, he
rocked onto his back again.
He must have tried it a
hundred times, closing his
eyes so as not to see his
twitchi n g legs, and
stopped only when he felt
a f a i n t , d u l l ache start in
his side, a pain which he had
never experienced before.
“Oh God,” he thought,
“what a grueling profession
I picked! Traveling day in,
day out. It is much more
aggravating work than the
actual business done at the
home office, and then with
the strain of constant
travel as well: the worry
over train connections, the
bad and irregular meals,
the steady stream of faces
who never become [8]
anything closer than
acquaintances. The Devil
take it all!” He felt a
slight itching up on his
belly and inched on his
back closer to the
bedpost to better lift his
head. He located the
itching spot, which was
surrounded by many tiny white
dots that were incomprehensible to
him, and tried to probe the
area with one of his legs but
immediately drew it back, for
the touch sent an icy shiver
through him.
He slid back into his
former position. “This
g e t t i n g u p s o e a r l y, ” h e
thought, “makes you
totally stupid. A man needs
sleep. Other traveling
salesmen live like harem
women. For example, when
I come back to the hotel
late in the morning to write
up the new orders, these
men are still sitting at
breakfast. I should try that
with my boss. I would be
thrown out on the spot.
W h o k n o w s , h o w e v e r, i f
that wouldn’t be for the
best. If I were not holding
back because of my
Alianza
de dormir sobre el lado derecho,
y su actual estado no le permi-
tía adoptar esta postura. Aun-
que se empeñaba en permane-
cer sobre el lado derecho,
forzosamente volvía a caer de
espaldas. Mil veces intentó
en vano esta operación; cerró
los ojos para no tener que ver
aquel rebullicio de las piernas,
que no cesó hasta que [9] un
dolor leve y punzante al mismo
tiempo, un dolor jamás sentido has-
ta aquel momento, comenzó a
aquejarle en el costado.
— ¡Ay, Dios! -díjose entonces-.
¡Qué cansada es la profesión que he
elegido! Un día sí y otro también
de viaje. La preocupación de los ne-
gocios es mucho mayor cuando se
trabaja fuera que cuando se trabaja
en el mismo almacén, y no hable-
mos de esta plaga de los viajes: cui-
darse de los enlaces de los trenes;
la comida mala, irregular; relacio-
nes que cambian de continuo, que
no duran nunca, que no llegan nun-
ca a ser verdaderamente cordiales,
y en que el corazón nunca puede
tener parte. ¡Al diablo con todo!
Sintió en el vientre una li-
gera picazón. Lentamente, se
estiró sobre la espalda, alar-
gándose en dirección a la ca-
becera, a fin de poder alzar
mejor la cabeza. Vio que el si-
tio que le escocía estaba cu-
bierto de unos puntitos blan-
cos, que no supo explicarse.
Quiso aliviarse tocando el lu-
gar del escozor con una pier-
na; pero hubo de retirar ésta in-
mediatamente, pues el roce le
producía escalofríos.
—Estos madrugones
-díjose- le entontecen a
uno por completo. El hom-
bre necesita dormir lo jus-
to. Hay viajantes que se
[10] dan una vida dé
odaliscas. Cuando a media
mañana regreso a la fonda
para anotar los pedidos,
me los encuentro muy sen-
tados, tomándose el desa-
yuno. Si yo, con el jefe que
tengo, quisiese hacer lo
mismo, me vería en el acto
de patitas en la calle. Y
¿quién sabe si esto no se-
ría para mí lo más conve-
niente? Si no fuese por mis
padres, ya hace tiempo que
Willie
sleeping on his right, and in
h i s p r e s e n t s t a t e c o u l d n ’t
get into that position.
However hard he threw
himself onto his ri g h t ,
he always rolled
back to where he was. He must
have tried it a hundred times,
shut h i s e y e s s o t h a t h e
wouldn’t have to look at the
floundering legs, a n d o n l y
stopped when he b e g a n
to feel a mild, dull
pain there that he had
never felt before.
“Oh, God”, he thought,
“what a strenuous career it is
that I’ve chosen! Travelling
day in and day out. Doing
business like this takes much
more effort than doing your
own business at home, and on
top of that there’s the curse
of travelling, worries about
making train connections, bad
and i r r e g u l a r f o o d , c o n t a c t
with different people all the
time so that you can never get
to know anyone or become
friendly with them. It can all
go to Hell!” He felt a slight
itch up on his belly; pushed
himself slowly up on his back
towards the headboard so that he
could lift his head better; found
where the itch was, and saw that
it was covered with lots of little
w h i t e s p o t s w h i c h h e d i d n ’t
know what to make of; and when
he tried to feel the place with
one of his legs he drew it quickly
back because as soon as he
touched it he was overcome by
a cold shudder.
He slid back into his former
position. “Getting up early all
the time”, he thought, “it makes
you stupid. You’ve got to get
enough sleep. Other travelling
salesmen live a life of luxury.
For instance, whenever I go
back to the guest house during
the morning to copy out the
contract, these gentlemen are
always still sitting there eating
their breakfasts. I ought to just
try that with my boss; I’d get
kicked out on the spot. But who
knows, maybe that would be the
best thing for me. If I didn’t
have my parents to think about
I’d have given in my notice a
l o ng t i m e a g o , I ’ d h a v e
 Neugroschel
would have given notice
long ago, I would have
marched straight up to the
boss and told him off from
the bottom of my heart. He
would have toppled from
his desk! Besides, it’s so
peculiar the way he seats
himself on it and talks down
to the employees from his
great height, and we also
have to get right up close
b e c a u s e h e ’s s o h a r d o f
h e a r i n g . We l l , I h a v e n ’ t
abandoned all hope; once
I’ve saved enough to pay off
my parents’ debt to himthat
should take another five or
six years-I’ll go through
with it no matter what. I’ll
make a big, clean break! But
for now, I’ve got to get up,
my train is leaving at five A.
M.”
And he glanced at the
alarm clock ticking on the
wardrobe. “God
Almighty!” he thought. It
w a s s i x - t h i r t y, a n d t h e
hands of the clock were
calmly inching forward, it
was even past the half
h o u r, i t w a s a l m o s t a
quarter to. Could the alarm
have failed to go off? From
the bed, you could see that
it was correctly set at four
o’clock; it must have gone
o f f . Ye s , b u t w a s i t
possible to sleep
peacefully through that
furniture-quakin g jangle ?
We l l , f i n e , h e h a d n o t
s l e p t p e a c e f u l l y, t h o u g h
probably all the more
s o u n d l y. B u t w h a t s h o u l d
he do now? The next train
would be leaving at
seven; and to catch it, he
would have to rush like
[ 11 9 ] m a d , a n d t h e
s a m p l e s w e r e n ’t p a c k e d
up yet, and he felt
anything but fresh or
sprightly. And even if he
did catch the train, there
would be no avoiding the
b o s s ’s f u l m i n a t i o n s , f o r
the errand boy must have
waited at the five A.M.
train and long since
reported Gregor ’s failure
to show up. The boy was
t h e d i r e c t o r ’s c r e a t u r e ,
del Solar
hace ya tiempo que habría
renunciado; me habría
presentado ante el jefe y le
habría dicho sin tapujos lo
que pienso. ¡A que se hubiera
caído del pupitre! No deja de
ser extraño, por otro lado, eso
de sentarse en el pupitre y
hablar desde lo alto con el
empleado que, dada la dureza
de oído del jefe, tiene que
acercársele mucho. El caso es
que aún no se ha perdido del
todo la esperanza. En cuanto
haya reunido el dinero para
saldar la deuda que mis
padres tienen con él -y eso
aún puede tardar unos cinco
o seis años-, seguro que lo
haré. Y esa será la gran
ruptura. Pero de momento lo
que tengo que hacer es
levantarme, porque mi tren
sale a las cinco».
Y miró en dirección al
despertador, cuyo tictac le
llegaba desde el armario.
«¡Válgame Dios!», pensó.
Eran las seis y media y las
manecillas seguían
avanzando imperturbables,
ya era incluso la media
pasada, y menos cuarto
estaba cerca. ¿No [22] había
sonado el despertador? Desde
la cama se veía que estaba
debidamente puesto a las
cuatro; seguro que había
sonado. Sí, pero ¿era
posible seguir durmiendo
tranquilamente con un
ruido que estremecía hasta
los muebles? Muy tranquilo
no había sido su sueño, por
cierto, aunque sí
probablemente muy
profundo. ¿Qué hacer ahora?
El próximo tren salía a las
siete; para alcanzarlo habría
tenido que correr como un
loco, el muestrario aún no
estaba empaquetado, y él
mismo no se sentía
particularmente ágil ni
espabilado. Incluso si
llegaba a coger el tren, una
reprimenda del jefe sería
inevitable, pues el recadero
lo habría esperado en el tren
de las cinco y habría
informado hacía rato de su
tardanza. Era una hechura del
jefe, sin agallas ni sustancia
gris. ¿Y si mandaba decir que
6 7
Stokes
parents, I’d have handed
in my notice long ago,
I’d have gone straight to
my boss and given him a
piece of my mind. He’d
h a v e f a l l e n of f h i s d e s k !
Funny the way he sits on
his desk and talks down
to his staff from on high,
especially as you have to
come right up close
because he’s hard of
h e a r i n g . A l i w e l l , t h e r e ’s
still a gleam of hope;
once I’ve got the money
together to pay back
what my parents owe him
- it might take another
five or six years - I’ll
definitely do it. I’ll
make a fresh start.
Meanwhile, though, I’d
better get up, my train
leaves at five.’
And he looked across to
the alarm clock that was
ticking on the chest of
drawers. ‘God almighty!’
he thought. It was half past
six and the hands were
moving steadily forwards,
in fact it was after half
past, it was nearly a
quarter to seven. Might the
alarm not have rung? He
could see from the bed that
it had [4] been set
correctly to go off at four;
it must have rung. Yes, but
was it possible to sleep
calmly through that
furniture-shaking racket?
We l l , h e h a d n ’ t e x a c t l y
s l e p t c a l m l y, b u t t h a t
probably meant he had
slept all the more soundly.
But what should he do
now? The next train left at
seven; to catch that would
mean a frantic rush, and
the samples had not yet
been packed, and he
w a s n ’t e x a c t l y f e e l i n g
especially fresh and
mobile . And even if he did
catch the train, he could
expect a thundering tirade
from his boss, because the
office boy would have met
the five o’clock train and
reported his absence long
ago. The boy was his boss’
l a c k e y, a spineless,
mindless creature. What if
Vialatte
affaire? Si je ne me retenais à
cause de mes parents, il y a
longtemps que j’aurais donné
ma démission, je serais allé
trouver le patron et je ne lui
aurais pas mâché les choses.
Il en serait tombé de son
bureau. Voilà encore de drôles
de manières : s’asseoir sur le
bureau pour parler aux
employés du haut d’un trône,
surtout quand on est dur
d’oreille et qu’il faut que les
gens s’approchent tout près!
Enfin, tout espoir n’est pas
perdu; une fois que j’aurai
réuni la somme que mes pa-
rents lui doivent - cela
demandera bien cinq ou [10]
six ans - je ferai certainement
le coup. Et alors, un point, on
tourne la page. En attendant,
je dois me lever pour le train
de cinq heures.
Il regarda le réveil qui
tictaquait sur le coffre.
«Dieu du ciel!» pensa-t-il;
il était six heures et demie et
les aiguilles continuaient
d’avancer tranquillement, la
demie était même passée :
six heures trois quarts
n’étaient pas loin. Le
réveil n’avait-il donc pas
sonné? Du lit, on pouvait
pourtant voir que la petite
aiguille était bien placée
sur quatre heures; le réveil
avait bien sonné. Mais
alors (Grégoire avait pu
dormir tranquille malgré ce
c a r i l l o n à fracasser les
meubles? Tranquille, non, son
sommeil n’avait pas été
tranquille, mais il n’en avait
dormi que plus fort. Oui, mais
maintenant? Le premier train
partait à sept heures; pour
l’avoir encore il eût fallu se
presser comme un fou, et puis
la collection d’échantillons
n’était pas empaquetée; enfin en
ce qui le concernait lui-même,
Grégoire ne se sentait pas
remarquablement dispos. Et
puis, même s’il avait attrapé
le train, la colère du patron
était inévitable, puisque le
garçon de courses avait
attendu Grégoire au train de
cinq heures et prévenu déjà
la maison de son oubli.
C’était une créature du
patron, un individu servile et
Cl. David
je ne me retenais pas à cause de
mes parents, j’aurais donné ma
démission depuis longtemps, je
serais allé voir le patron et je lui
aurais vidé mon sac. Il en serait
tombé du haut de son bureau!
Quelle habitude aussi de se
percher sur le bord du comptoir
et de haranguer de là-haut ses
employés! Surtout quand on est
dur d’oreille comme le patron et
qu’on oblige les gens à
s’approcher tout près ! Enfin,
tout espoir n’est pas perdu;
quand j’aurai réuni l’argent
nécessaire pour rembourser la
somme que mes parents lui
doivent - cela demandera bien
cinq ou six ans -, c’est
certainement ce que je ferai. Et
alors, point final et on tourne la
page. Mais, en attendant, il faut
que je me lève, car mon train
part à 5 heures.»
Et il regarda du côté du
réveil, dont on entendait le
tic-tac sur la commode. « Dieu
du ciel » , pensa-t-il. Il était six
heures et demie et les aiguilles
continuaient tranquillement à
tourner, il était même la demie
passée et on n’était pas loin de
sept heures moins le quart. Le
réveil par hasard n’aurait-il pas
sonné? On pouvait voir du lit
qu’il était bien réglé sur
q u a t r e h e u r e s , c o m m e il
convenait; il avait certainement
sonné. Mai s a l o r s , c o m m e n t
Gregor avait-il pu dormir
tranquille avec cette
sonnerie à faire trembler les
meubles? Non, son sommeil
n’avait certes pas été paisible,
mais sans doute n’avait-il
dormi que plus profondément.
Que faire maintenant? Le
prochain train partait à 7
heures; pour l’attraper encore,
il aurait fallu se précipiter
comme un fou, la collection
n’était même pas empaquetée et
enfin, il ne se sentait pas
particulièrement frais et
dispos. Et d’ailleurs, même s’il
parvenait encore à attraper ce
train-là, une algarade du patron
était inévitable, car le garçon de
courses avait attendu Gregor au
train de 5 heures et avait
certainement déjà depuis
longtemps prévenu tout le
monde de son retard. C’était
une créature du patron, un
Freed
parents, I would have quit
long ago. I would go up to
the boss and tell him my
heartfelt opinion. He
would be knocked off the
desk. This too is a strange
way to do things: He sits
on top of the desk and from
this height addresses the
employees, who must step
up very close because of
the boss’s deafness. Well,
I have not entirely given
up hope, and as soon as I
have saved the money to
pay off the debt my parents
owe him-it might still be
another five or six
years-I’ll definitely do it.
Then I’ll cut myself free.
For the time being,
however, I must get up
because my train leaves at
five.”
And he looked at the
alarm clock ticking on
the bureau. “God
Almighty!” he thought. It
was half past six and the
hands were steadily
advancing, actually past
the half hour and already
closer to three quarters
past. Did the alarm not
ring? One could see from
the bed that it was
correctly set for four
o’clock and so it must
h a v e g o n e o f f . Ye s , b u t
was it possible to sleep
through that furniture-
r a t t l i n g r i n g i n g ? We l l ,
he hadn’t slept
peacefully but probably
all the sounder for it. But
what should he do now?
The next train left at
seven o’clock, and in
order to catch it he would
have to rush around like
mad, and the sample
collection was still
unpacked and he was not
feeling particularly fresh
and energetic . And even
if he caught the train, a
bawling out from the
boss was inescapable,
because the office
messenger had arrived by
the five o’clock train and
reported his absence long ago;
he was the boss’s creature,
mindless and spineless. What
Alianza
me hubiese despedido. Me
hubiera presentado ante el
jefe y, con toda mi alma, le
habría manifestado mi
modo de pensar. ¡Se cae
del pupitre! Que también
tiene lo suyo eso de sentar-
se encima del pupitre para,
desde aquella altura, ha-
blar a los empleados, que,
como él es sordo, han de
acercársele mucho. Pero,
lo que es la esperanza, to-
davía no la he perdido del
todo. En cuanto tenga reuni-
da la cantidad necesaria
para pagarle la deuda de mis
padres -unos cinco o seis
años todavía-, ¡vaya si lo
hago! Y entonces, sí que me
redondeo. Bueno; pero, por
ahora, lo que tengo que ha-
cer es levantarme, que el
tren sale a las cinco.
Volvió los ojos hacia el des-
pertador, que hacía su tictac en-
cima del baúl.
— ¡Santo Dios! --exclamó
para sus adentros.
Eran las seis y media, y las
manecillas seguían avanzando
tranquilamente. Es decir, [11]
ya era más. Las manecillas es-
taban casi en menos cuarto.
¿Es que no había sonado el
despertador? Desde la cama
podía verse que estaba pues-
to efectivamente en las cuatro;
por tanto, tenía que haber so-
nado. Mas ¿era posible seguir
durmiendo impertérrito, a pe-
sar de aquel sonido q u e
conmovía hasta a los mis-
mos muebles? Su sueño no
había sido tranquilo. Pero,
por lo mismo, probablemen-
te tanto más profundo. Y
¿qué se hacía él ahora? El
tren siguiente salía a las sie-
te; para cogerlo era preciso
darse una prisa loca. El
muestrario no estaba aún
empaquetado, y, por último,
él mismo no se sentía nada
dispuesto. Además, aunque
alcanzase el tren, no por ello
evitaría la filípica del amo,
pues el mozo del almacén, que
habría bajado al tren de las
cinco, debía de haber dado ya
cuenta de su falta. Era el tal
mozo una hechura del amo,
sin dignidad ni consideración.
Y si dijese que estaba enfer-
Willie
gone up to the boss and
told him just what I think,
tell him everything I
would, let him know just
what I feel. He’d fall right
o f f h i s d e s k ! A n d i t ’s a
funny sort of business to be
sitting up there at your
desk, talking down at your
subordinates from up there,
especially when you have
to go right up close
because the boss is hard of
h e a r i n g . We l l , t h e r e ’s s t i l l
some hope; once I’ve got
the money together to pay
o ff m y p a r e n t s ’ d e b t t o h i m
- another five or six years
I s u p p o s e - t h a t ’s d e f i n i t e l y
w h a t I ’ l l d o . T h a t ’s w h e n
I’ll make the big change.
First of all though, I’ve got
to get up, my train leaves
at five.”
And he looked over at the
alarm clock, ticking on the
chest of drawers. “God in
Heaven!” he thought. It was
half past six and the hands
were quietly moving
forwards, it was even later
than half past, more like
quarter to seven. Had the
alarm clock not rung? He
could see from the bed that
it had been set for four
o’clock as it should have
been; it certainly must have
r u n g . Ye s , b u t w a s i t
possible to quietly sleep
through that furniture-
r a t t l i n g n o i s e ? Tr u e , h e h a d
n o t s l e p t p e a c e f u l l y, b u t
probably all the more
deeply because of that.
What should he do now?
The next train went at
seven; if he were to catch
that he would have to
rush like mad and the
collection of samples was
still not packed, and he
did not at all feel
particularly fresh and
l i v e l y . And even if he did
catch the train he would not
a v o i d h i s b o s s ’s a n g e r a s
the office assistant would
have been there to see the
five o’clock train go, he
would have put in his report
a b o u t G r e g o r ’s n o t b e i n g
there a long time ago. The
office assistant was the
 Neugroschel
spineless and mindless. Now
what if Gregor reported
sick? But that would be
extremely embarrassing and
suspect, for throughout his
five years with the firm he
had never been sick even
once. The boss was bound to
come over with the
medical-plan doctor, upbraid
the parents about their l a z y
son, and cut off all
objections by referring
t o t h e d o c t o r, f o r w h o m
e v e r y b ody in the world
was in the best of health
but work-shy. And
besides, would the doctor
be all that wrong in this
case? Aside f r o m h i s
drowsiness, which
was really superfluo u s
after his long sleep ,
Gregor actually
felt fine and was
e v en r a venous.
As he speedily turned all
these things over in his mind;
but could not resolve to get
out of bed—the alarm clock
was just striking a quarter to
s e v e n —t h e r e was
cautious rap on the door
near the top end of his bed.
“Gregor,” a voice called-it
was his m o t h e r - ” i t ’s a
quarter to seven. Didn’t
you have a train to catch?”
The gentle voice!
Gregor was shocked to
hear his own response; it
was unmistakably his
earlier voice, but with a
painful and insuppressible
squeal blending in as if from
be l o w, v i r t u a l l y l e a v i n g
words in their full clarity for
just a moment, only to garble
them in their resonance, so
that you could not tell whether
you had heard right. Gregor had
meant to reply in detail [120] and
explain everything , b u t ,
under the circumstances, he
limited himself to saying,
“ Ye s , y e s , t h a n k y o u ,
Mother, I’m getting up.”
Because of the wooden
door, the change in Gregor’s
voice was probably not
audible on the other side, for
the mother was put at ease by
his reassurance and she
shuffled away. However, their
del Solar
estaba enfermo? Habría sido
e x t r e m a d a m e n t e
desagradable y sospechoso,
pues Gregor no había
enfermado ni una sola vez
durante los cinco años que
llevaba trabajando. Seguro
que el jefe se presentaría con
el médico del seguro,
reprocharía a los padres tener
un hijo tan holgazán y
rechazaría todas las
objeciones remitiéndose al
médico del s e g u r o , p a r a
quien solo había gente
c o n m u y b u e n a salud y
gran aversión al trabajo. Y lo
cierto es que, en este caso, no
habría ido muy des c a m i n a d o .
De hecho, aparte de cierta
somnolencia, realmente
superflua después de tan
prolongado s u e ñ o , G r e g o r
s e s e n t í a m u y b i e n y hasta
tenía un hambre
particularmente intensa.
[23] Mientras pensaba todo
esto con gran prisa, sin poder
decidirse a abandonar la cama
-el despertador acababa de dar
las siete menos cuarto-,
a alguien llamó suavemente a la
puerta que estaba junto a la
cabecera de la cama.
«Gregor», dijo una voz -era la
madre-, «son las siete menos
cuarto. ¿No pensabas salir de
viaje?» ¡Qué voz tan dulce!
Gregor se asustó al oír su
propia voz que respondía, pues
aunque era, inconfundiblemente,
la de siempre, salía como desde
muy abajo y mezclada con un
d o l o r o s o e i r re p r i m i b l e
pitido que solo en un primer
momento permitía oír con
claridad las palabras, para
luego, cuando resonaban,
deformarlas de tal modo
que uno no sabía si había
oído bien. Gregor había
querido responder
d e t a l l a d amente y aclararlo
todo, pero dadas las
circunstancias se limitó a decir:
«Sí, sí, gracias, madre, ahora
mismo me levanto». El
cambio en la voz de Gregor no
debió de notarse fuera debido
a la puerta de madera, pues la
madre se tranquilizó con esta
explicación y se alejó
arrastrando los pies. Pero este
breve diálogo sirvió para
8 9
Stokes
he were to report sick? But
that would be highly
embarrassing and
suspicious, for during his
five years with the firm
Gregor had never once
been sick. The boss would
be bound to bring the
health-insurance doctor
round, reproach his parents
for having an idle son, and
cut short all their protests
b y q u o t i n g t h e d o c t o r ’s
view that the world
consisted exclusively of
perfectly healthy but
work-shy people. And
a n y w a y, w o u l d h e h a v e
been so wholly wrong in
this instance? Apart from a
certain drowsiness that
was really quite
superfluous after his long
sleep, Gregor did feel well
and even had an unusually
hearty appetite.
While he was considering
all this in the greatest haste,
without being able to make up
his mind to get out of bed -
the alarm clock was just
striking a quarter to seven -
there was a cautious tap at the
door near the top of his bed.
‘Gregor,’ called a voice - it
was his mother - ‘it’s a quarter
to seven. Didn’t you have a
train to catch?’ That gentle
voice! Gregor gave a start
when he heard his own voice
answer; it was unmistakably
his own, but mingling with it,
as if from below, was a
painful, notto-be-suppressed
squeak that uttered the words
clearly only for a second,
before distorting them to
such an extent that you [5]
wondered whether you had
heard them properly. It had
been Gregor ’s intention to
answer at length and
explain everything, but in
the circumstances he
confined himself to saying,
‘Yes, yes, thank you mother,
I’m just getting up.’ Due to the
wooden door the change in
Gregor ’s voice was
presumably not noticeable
from outside, for his mother,
reassured by this explanation,
went shuffling off. But this
brief exchange had alerted the
Vialatte
bête. Alors... Et s’il se faisait
porter malade? Mais c’était
fort ennuyeux et cela
semblerait bien suspect, car,
depuis cinq ans qu’il était
dans la maison, Grégoire
n’avait jamais eu la moindre
indisposition. Le patron
viendrait avec le médecin [11]
des assurances, il reprocherait
aux parents la fainéantise de
leur fils et couperait court à
toute objection en arguant
des affirmations du médecin
p o u r le q u e l i l n ’ y a v a i t
jamais de m a l a des, mais
seulement des paresseux. Se
tromperait-i l d’ailleurs
telle m e n t e n l ’ o c c u r r e n c e ?
Grégoire se sentait
parfaitement en forme,
n’eût été ce besoin de
dormir, vraiment superflu
après une si longue nuit; il
avait même un appétit
singulier.
Comme il venait de
retou r n e r r a p i d e m e n t c e s
pensées dans sa tête sans
pouvoir se décider à
quitter le lit, il entendit
frapper à la porte, à côté
de son chevet, tandis que le
réveil sonnait les trois quarts
d’heure. «Grégoire! appelait-on
- c’était sa mère. Il est sept
heures moins le quart. Est-ce
que tu ne voulais pas prendre le
train?» La douce voix! Grégoire
frémit en s’entendant répondre.
On reconnaissait bien son
organe, il n’y avait pas à s’y
méprendre, c’était bien lui qui parlait,
mais il se mêlait à sa voix un
piaulement douloureux,
impossible à réprimer,’ qui
semblait sortir du tréfonds de son
être, et qui ne laissait aux mots
leur vraie figure que dans le
premier instant pour brouiller
ensuite leur résonance au point
qu’on se demandait si l’on avait
bien entendu. Grégoire aurait
voulu détailler sa réponse, mais
dans ces conditions il se contenta
de dire : «Si, si, merci, maman.
Je me lève.» Sans doute la
porte empêchait-elle de juger
du changement survenu dans la
voix de Grégoire, car
l’explication rassura la [12]
mère qui s’éloigna en traînant
ses pantoufles. Mais cette
petite conversation avait fait
Cl. David
individu sans épine dorsale et sans
le moindre soupçon d’intelligence.
S’il se faisait porter malade?
Mais ç’eût été désagréable et cela
eût paru suspect, car, depuis cinq
ans qu’il était en service, il n’avait
pas été malade une seule fois. Le
patron arriverait certainement,
accompagné du médecin des
assurances, il ferait des reproches
aux parents à cause de la paresse
de leur fils et couperait court à
toutes les objections en se référant
au médecin des assurances, pour
lequel il n’y avait pas de malades,
mais seulement des gens qui
n’avaient pas envie de travailler.
D’ailleurs, aurait-il eu
tellement tort en
l’occurrence? En dépit d’une
somnolence, dont on se
serait bien passé après toutes
ces heures de sommeil,
Gregor se sentait en
excellent état; il avait même
une faim de loup.
Comme il retournait en
toute hâte ces pensées dans
sa tête sans pouvoir se
décider à quitter son lit, on
frappa prudemment à la
porte située à côté de son
chevet, au moment où le réveil
sonnait les trois quarts. « Gregor
!» disait-on - c’était sa mère - «
il est sept heures moins le quart.
N’avais-tu pas (intention de
prendre le train?» Oh! la douce
voix! Gregor prit peur en
s’entendant répondre. C’était bien
sa voix, incontestablement, mais il
s’y mêlait, comme venant d’en
dessous, u n e s o r t e d e
piaulement douloureux,
irrépressible; au premier
moment, on reconnaissait
correctement les mots, mais
tout se brouillait ensuite, au
point qu’on se demandait si
l’on avait bien entendu. Gregor
voulait répondre en détail
et tout expliquer; m a i s ,
dans ces conditions, il se
contenta de répondre :
« Si, si, merci, mère. Je me
lève tout de suite.» Il était
apparemment impossible à
travers le bois de la porte de
remarquer son changement de
voix, car la mère de Gregor fut
rassurée par cette explication
et s’éloigna en traînant la
savate. Mais cette brève
conversation avait alerté les
Freed
if Gregor rep o r t e d i n
sick? This would be
extremely painful and
suspicious, as he had
not once been ill
during his five-year
e m p l o y m e n t . T he boss
would certainly come over
with the health insurance
doctor, reproach the parents
for their [ 9 ] l a z y s o n ,
and cut off all
excuses by referring
t o t h e h e a l t h i n s u rance
doctor, for whom there
were only health y b u t
work-shy people. A n d
would he be so wrong
in this case? Actually
Gregor felt perfectly
well, apart from a
drowsiness that was
superfluous after so
long a sleep; in fact he
even had a great
appetite.
As he urgently
considered all this,
without being able to
decide to get out of
bed-the alarm clock struck
a quarter to seven—there
was a timid knock at the
door by his head. “Gregor,”
a voice called-it was the
mother—”it’s a quarter to
seven. Didn’t you want to
get going?” That sweet
voice! Gregor was shocked
when he heard his voice
answering, unmistakably his
own, true, but a voice in
which, as if from below, a
persistent chirping
intruded, so that the words
remained clearly shaped only
for a moment and then were
destroyed to such an extent
that one could not be sure one
had heard them right. Gregor
wanted to answer thoroughly
and explain everything, but
restricted himself, given the
ci rcumstances, to saying :
“Ye s , y e s , t h a n k y o u ,
Mother, I’m just getting up.”
Due to the wooden door, the
c h a n g e i n G r e g o r ’s v o i c e
was probably
apparent on the other
side, for the mother
contented herself with
this explanation and
shuf fled away. However,
Alianza
mo, ¿qué pasaría? Pero esto,
además de ser muy penoso, in-
fundiría sospechas, pues
Gregorio, en los cinco años
que llevaba empleado, no ha-
bía estado malo ni una sola
vez. Vendría de seguro el prin-
cipal con el médico del Mon-
tepío. Se desataría en reproches,
delante de los padres, respecto
a la holgazanería del hijo, y
cortaría [12] todas las obje-
ciones alegando el dictamen
del galeno, para quien todos
los hombres están siempre
sanos y s o l o p a d e c e n d e
ho rror al trabajo. Y la ver-
dad es que, en este caso, su
opinión no habría carecido
completamente de fundamen-
to. Salvo cierta somnolencia,
desde luego superflua después
de tan prolongado sueño,
Gregorio sentíase admirable-
mente, con un hambre parti-
cularmente fuerte.
Mientras pensaba y medi-
taba atropelladamente, sin po-
derse decidir a abandonar el
lecho, y justo en el momento
en que el despertador daba las
siete menos cuarto, llamaron
quedo a la puerta que estaba
junto a la cabecera de la cama.
—Gregorio -dijo una voz,
la de la madre-, son las siete
menos cuarto. ¿No ibas a mar-
charte de viaje?
¡Qué voz más dulce!
Gregorio se horrorizó al oír
en cambio la suya propia, que
era la de siempre, sí, pero que
salía mezclada con un doloro-
so e irreprimible pitido, en
el cual las palabras, al
p r i n cipio claras, confun-
dían se l u e g o , r e s o n a n d o
de modo que no estaba
uno seguro de haberlas
o í d o . Gr e g o r i o h u b i e r a
querido contestar dilata-
damente, explicarlo todo;
p e r o , e n v i s t a de ello,
limitóse a decir: [13]
—Sí, sí. Gracias, madre.
Ya me levanto. A través de
la puerta de madera, la mu-
tación de la voz de
not Gregorio no debió de
notarse, pues la madre se
tranquilizó con esta res-
puesta y se retiró. Pero este
corto diálogo hizo saber a
los demás miembros de la
Willie
b o s s ’s m a n , s p i n e l e s s , a n d
with no understanding. What
about if he reported sick? But
that would be extremely strained
and suspicious as in fifteen years
of service Gregor had never
once yet been ill. His boss would
certainly come round with the
doctor from the medical
insurance company, accuse his
parents of having a lazy son,
a n d a c c e p t t h e d o c t o r ’s
recommendation not to make
any claim as the doctor
believed that no-one was ever
ill but that many were
w o r k -s h y . A n d w h a t ’ s
more, would he have
been entirely wrong in
this case? Gregor did in
fact, apart from
excessive sleepiness
after sleeping for so
long, feel completely
well and even felt much
hungrier than usual.
He w a s s t i l l h u r r i e d l y
thinking all this through,
unable to decide to get out of
the bed, when the clock
struck quarter to seven.
There was a cautious k n o c k
at the door near his
h e a d . “ Gregor”, somebody
called - it was his mother - “it’s
quarter to seven. Didn’t you
want to go somewhere?” That
gentle voice! Gregor was
shocked when he heard his own
voice answering, it could hardly
be recognised as the voice he
had had before. As if from deep
inside him, there was a painful
and uncontrollable squeaking
mixed in with it, the words could
be made out at first but then
there was a sort of echo which
made them unclear, leaving the
hearer unsure whether he had
heard properly or not. Gregor
had wanted to give a full answer
and explain everything, but in
the circumstances conte n t e d
himself with saying:
“Yes, mother, yes, thank-you,
I ’ m g e t t i n g u p n o w. ” T h e
c h a n g e i n G r e g o r ’s v o i c e
probably could not be noticed
outside through the wooden
d o o r, a s h i s m o t h e r w a s
satisfied with this explanation
and shuffled away. But this
short conversation made the
other members of the family
 Neugroschel
brief exchange had made the
rest of the family realize that
Gregor, unexpectedly, was
still at home, and the father
was already at one side door,
knocking weakly though with
his fist: “Gregor, Gregor,” he
called, “what ’ s w r o n g ? ”
A n d a f t e r a short pause, he
admonished him again ,
though in a deeper voice,
“Gregor! Gregor!”
At the other side door,
however, the sister plaintively
murmured, “Gregor? Aren’t
you well? Do you need
anything?”
Gregor replied to both
sides, “I’m ready now,” and
by enunciating fastidiously
with drawn-out pauses between
words, he tried to eliminate
anything abnormal from his
voice. Indeed, the father
returned to his breakfast; but the
sister whispered, “Gregor, open
up, I beg you.” However, Gregor
had absolutely no intention
of opening up; instead, he
praised the cautious habit
he had developed during
his travels of locking all
doors at night, even in his
home.
For now, he wanted to
get up calmly and without
being nagged, put on his
clothes, above all have
breakfast, and only then
think about what to do next;
for he realized he would
come to no sensible conclu-
sion by pondering in bed.
He remembered that often,
perhaps from lying
awkwardly, he had felt a
slight ache, which, upon his
getting up, had turned out to
[121] be purely imaginary,
and he looked forward to
s e e i n g t o d a y ’s f a n c i e s
gradually fading away. He
had no doubt whatsoever
that the change in his voice
was nothing but the
harbinger of a severe cold,
an occupational hazard of
traveling salesmen.
harbinger heraldo, precursor, heraldo, lucero, presagio,
Throwing off the blanket
was quite simple; all he had
to do was puff himself up a
little, and it dropped away
by itself. Doing anything
del Solar
advertir a los demás miembros
de la familia de que, en contra
de lo que esperaban, Gregor
aún seguía en casa, y ya estaba
el padre llamando a una de las
puertas laterales, suavemente,
pero con el puño. «Gregor,
Gregor», exclamó, «¿qué
p a s a ?». Y al cabo de un
momento volvió a apremiar,
con voz aún más grave:
«¡Gregor! ¡Gregor!». Por la
otra puerta lateral, la hermana
se lamentó en voz baja:
«¿Gregor? ¿No te encuentras
[24] bien? ¿Necesitas algo?».
«Ya estoy listo», respon dió
Gregor hacia ambos lados,
procurando p ronunciar con
el máximo cuidado e
intercalar largas pausas entre
las distintas palabras para
que en su voz no se notase
nada extraño. El padre siguió
desayunando, pero la
h e r m a n a susurró: «Gregor,
abre, te lo suplico». Pero Gregor
no tenía la menor intención
d e a b r i r, y m á s b i e n s e
felicitó por su precaución
-adoptada a raíz de los viajes-
de cerrar todas las puertas con
llave por la noche, incluso en
su propia casa.
Primero quería levantarse
tranquilamente y, sin ser
molestado, vestirse y, sobre
todo, desayunar, y solo
después pensar en lo demás,
pues ya había notado que,
quedándose en la cama, sus
elucubraciones no lo llevarían
a ninguna conclusión
razonable. Recordó haber
sentido muchas veces en la
cama un ligero dolor -debido
quizá a alguna mala postura-
que luego, al levantarse,
resultaba ser puramente
imaginario, y tenía curiosidad
por ver cómo sus fantasías se
irían desvaneciendo poco a poco
esa mañana. No le cabía la
menor duda de que el cam-
bio en la voz era solo el
anuncio de un fuerte resfriado,
enfermedad profesional de los
viajantes de comercio.
Liberarse del
cubrecama fue muy
sencillo; le bastó con
inflarse un poco y dejar
que cayera por sí solo. Pero luego
10
Stokes
other members of the family to
the fact that Gregor, contrary
to expectation, was still at
home, and already his father
was knocking at one of the
side-doors, not hard, but with
his fist. ‘Gregor, Gregor,’ he
called, ‘what is it?’ And after
a little while he repeated the
reprimand in a deeper voice:
‘Gregor! Gregor!’ At the door
on the other side, however,
came the soft plaintive voice
of his sister: ‘Gregory
Aren’t you well? Do you
need anything?’ ‘Just
coming,’ Gregor replied in
both directions and tried,
through enunciating as
clearly as possible and
leaving long pauses between
the words, to make his voice
sound as inconspicuous as
possible. His father went
back to his breakfast, but his
sister whispered, ‘Gregor,
open up, please: But Gregor
had no intention of opening
the door, and congratulated
himself instead on his
prudent habit, adopted from
his travels, of locking all the
doors at night even when he
was at home.
First of all he wanted to
get up in peace and quiet,
dress and above all have
breakfast, and only then
think about what to do next,
for he knew that he would
not reach any sensible
conclusion as long as he was
lying in bed. He recalled
having fairly often felt some
slight pain in bed, possibly
as a result of lying
a w k w a r d l y, w h i c h h a d
turned out to be purely
illusory once he was up, and
he was curious to see how
this morning’s imaginings
would gradually dissolve.
There was not the slightest doubt
in his mind that the change in his
voice was [6] simply the first
symptom of a streaming cold,
that occupational affliction of
travelling salesmen.
Discarding the blanket
was simple enough; he only
needed to inflate himself a
little, and it fell to the floor
of its own accord. But after
Vialatte
remarquer aux autres membres de
la famille que Grégoire, contre
toute attente, se trouvait encore
au lit, et le père s’était mis à
frapper à la porte latérale,
doucement, mais avec le
poing.«Grégoire, Grégoire,
criait-il, qu’y a-t-il donc?» Et au bout
d’unmoment,surunton d’avertissement,
et d’une voix plus grave
«Grégoire, Grégoire!» A
l’autre porte latérale la soeur
du jeune homme gémissait
doucement
«Grégoire! Es-tu
malade? As-tu besoin de
quelque chose? - Je suis
prêt», répondit des deux
côtés Grégoire en
s ’ e ff o r ç a n t d ’ a r t i c u l e r
distinctement et de séparer
l a rg e m e n t l e s m o t s p o u r
rendre sa voix naturelle.
Le père retourna déjeuner;
m a i s l a s o e u r c huchota
encore : «Grégoire, ouvre-
moi, je t’en supplie.»
Grégoire n’eut garde de se
re n d r e à c e t t e i n v i t a t i o n ;
il se félicitait au contraire
d’avoir conservé chez lui
l’habitude de fermer
toujours les portes comme
à l’hôtel.
Il allait d’abord se lever
tranquillement sans être
gêné par personne,
s’habiller et surtout
déjeuner; ensuite il serait
temps de réfléchir; ce
n’était pas au lit, il le
sentait bien, qu’il pourrait
trouver une solution
raisonnable du problème.
Il n’est pas rare
d’éprouver à la suite
d’une fausse position de
ces petits malaises qui
disparaissent dès qu’on
se lève, et Grégoir e
é t a i t c u r i e u x d e v oir se
dissiper petit à petit son
hallucination présente: Quant au
changement de sa voix, c’était,
selon sa conviction intime, [13]
le prélude de quelque chaud et
froid, la maladie professionnelle
des voyageurs.
Il n’eut aucun mal
à rejeter la
couverture; il se
gonfla un peu et elle
tomba d’elle-même.
Cl. David
autres membres de la famille
sur le fait que Gregor, contre
toute attente, était encore là et
son père s’était mis à frapper à
l’une des portes latérales,
doucement, mais avec le poing :
« Gregor, Gregor », criait-il, « que
se passet-il donc?» Et au bout
d’un moment, il le rappelait de
nouveau à l’ordre d’une voix plus
grave : « Gregor ! Gregor !» A une
autre porte latérale, la soeur du
jeune homme disait doucement,
d’une voix plaintive
« Gregor ! Es-tu malade?
As-tu besoin de quelque
chose?» Gregor répondit des
deux côtés à la fois
« Je suis prêt dans une
minute », en s’efforçant
d’articuler distinctement et en
laissant de grands intervalles
entre les mots pour dissimuler
la singularité de sa voix. Le
père retourna d’ailleurs à son
petit déjeuner, mais la soeur
murmurait : « Ouvre, Gregor,
je t’en conjure . » M a i s
Gregor ne songeait pas à
ouvrir, il se félicita de la
précaution qu’il avait prise,
à f o r c e d e v o y a g e r, d e
fermer toujours les portes à
clef, même chez lui.
Il voulait d’abord se lever
tranquillement, sans être
gêné par personne, s’habiller et
surtout prendre son petit
déjeuner; il serait temps ensuite
de réfléchir, car il comprenait
bien qu’en restant couché, il ne
parviendrait pas à trouver une
solution raisonnable. Il se
rappela avoir souvent éprouvé
au lit, peut-être à la suite d’une
mauvaise position, une légère
douleur, qui s’était ensuite
révélée imaginaire au moment
du réveil; et il était curieux de
voir si ses impressions
d’aujourd’hui allaient, elles
aussi, peu à peu se dissiper.
Quant à la transformation de sa
voi x , i l n e d o u t a i t p a s u n
instant que ce fût seulement le
signe prémonitoire d’un bon
rhume, la maladie professionnelle
des voyageurs de commerce.
II n’eut aucun mal à
rejeter la couverture; il
lui suffit de se gonfler un
peu et elle tomba
d’elle-même. Mais
Freed
this short conversation
brought to the attention
of the other family
members that Gregor,
q u i t e u n e x p e c t e d l y, w a s
still at home, and the
father was already
k n o c k i n g , g e n t l y, b u t
with his fist, on one of the
side doors. “Gregor,
Gregor,” he called, “what
is the ma tter?” And after a
little while he called again,
in a louder, warning voice:
“Gregor, Gregor!” At the
other side door the sister
softly pleaded: “Gregor? Aren’t
you feeling well? Do you need
anything?” To both doors Gregor
answered: “I’m all ready,” and
strove, through enunciating most
carefully and inserting long pauses
between each word, to keep
anything conspicuous out of his
voice. The father went back to
his breakfast, but the sister
whispered: “Gregor, open up, I
beg you.” Gregor, however, had
no intention whatsoever of
opening the door and instead
congratulated himself on the
precaution he picked up while
traveling of locking the doors
at night, even at home.
All he wanted to do now
was to get up quietly and
undisturbed , get dressed,
and, most important, eat
breakfast, and only then
consider what to do next,
because, as he was well
aware, in bed he could never
think anything through to a
reasonable conclusion. He
recalled how he had often
felt slight pains in bed, [10]
perhaps due to lying in an
awkward position, pains that
proved imaginary when he
got up, and he was eager to
s e e h o w t o d a y ’s i l l u s i o n
would gradually dissolve.
He had no doubt that the
change in his voice was
nothing more than the
presentiment of a severe
cold, an ailment common
among traveling salesmen.
The coverlet was easy
to throw off he needed
only to puff himself up
and it fell off by itself.
But then things became
11
Alianza
familia que Gregorio, con-
trariamente a lo que se
creía, estaba todavía en
casa. Llegó el padre a su
v e z y, g o l p e a n d o l i g e r a -
mente la puerta, llamó:
«Gregorio, ¡ Gregorio!,
¿Qué pasa?» Esperó un
momento y volvió a insis-
t i r, a l z a n d o a l g o l a v o z :
«Gregorio, ¡Gregorio!»
Mientras tanto, detrás de
la otra hoja, la hermana
lamentábase dulcemente:
«Gregorio, ¿no estás bien?
¿Necesitas algo?» «Ya estoy
listo», respondió Gregorio a
ambos a un tiempo, aplicán-
dose a pronunciar, y hablan-
do con gran lentitud, para
disimular el sonido inaudi-
to de su voz. Tornó el padre
a su desayuno, pero la her-
mana siguió musitando:
«-Abre, Gregorio; te lo su-
plico». En lo cual no pen-
saba Gregorio, ni mucho
menos, felicitándose, por
el contrario, de aquella
precaución suya -hábito
contraído en los viajes- de
encerrarse en su cuarto
por la noche, aun en su
propia casa.
Lo primero era levantarse
tranquilamente, arreglarse sin
ser importunado y, sobre [14]
todo, desayunar. Solo des-
pués de efectuado todo esto
pensaría en lo demás, pues
de sobra comprendía que en
la cama no podía pensar
nada a derechas. Recordaba
haber sentido ya con frecuen-
cia en la cama cierto
dolorcillo, producido, sin
duda, por alguna postura incó-
moda, y que, una vez levanta-
do, resultaba ser obra de su
imaginación; y tenía curiosi-
dad por ver cómo habrían de
desvanecerse paulatinamente
sus imaginaciones de hoy. No
dudaba tampoco lo más mínimo
de que el cambio de su voz era sim-
plemente el preludio de un resfria-
do mayúsculo, enfermedad profesio-
nal del viajante de comercio.
Arrojar la colcha lejos
de sí era cosa harto sen-
cilla. Bastaríale para ello
con abombarse un poco:
la colcha caería por sí
Willie
aware that Gregor, against their
expectations was still at
home, and soon his father
came knocking at one of the
side doors, gently, but with
his fist. “Gregor, Gregor”, he
called, “what’s wrong?” And
after a short while he called
again with a warning deepness
in his voice: “Gregor! Gregor!”
At the o t h e r s i d e d o o r h i s
sister came plaintively:
“ G r e g o r ? A r e n ’t y o u w e l l ?
Do you need anything?”
Gregor answered to both
s i d e s : “ I ’ m r e a d y, n o w ” ,
m a k i n g a n e ff o r t t o r e m o v e
all the strangeness from
his voice by enunciating
very carefully and putting
long pauses between each,
i n d i v i d u a l w o rd. His father
went back to his breakfast,
but his sister whispered:
“ G r e g o r, o p e n t h e d o o r, I
beg of you.” Gr e g o r,
however, had no thought
o f o p e n i n g t h e d o o r, a n d
instead congratulated
himself for his cautious
habit, acquired from his
travelling, of locking all
doors at night even when
he was at home.
The first thing he wanted to
do was to get up in peace
without being disturbed , to
get dressed, and most of all to
have his breakfast. Only then
would he consider what to do
next, as he was well aware that
he would not bring his
thoughts to any sensible
conclusions by lying in bed.
He remembered that he had
often felt a slight pain in bed,
perhaps caused by lying
awkwardly, but that had always
turned out to be pure
imagination and he wondered
how his imaginings would
s l o w l y re s o l v e t h e m s e l v e s
today. He did not have the
slightest doubt that the change in
his voice was nothing more than
the first sign of a serious cold,
which was an occupational hazard
for travelling salesmen.
It was a simple matter to
throw off the covers; he only
had to blow himself up a
little and they fell off by
themselves. But it became
 Neugroschel
else, however, was difficult,
especially since he was so
uncommonly broad . He
would have needed arms
and hands to prop himself
up, and all he had was the
numerous tiny legs that kept
perpetually moving every
which way but without his
managing to control them.
If he tried to bend a leg, it
first straightened out; and
if he finally succeeded in
taking charge of it, the
other legs meanwhile all
kept carrying on, as if
emancipated, in extreme
and painful agitation. “Just
don’t dawdle in bed,”
Gregor told himself.
To start with, he wanted to
get out of bed with the lower
part of his body; but this
portion, which, incidentally, he
had not yet seen and could not
properly visualize, proved too
cumbersome to move-it went so
slowly. And when eventually,
having grown almost frantic, he
gathered all his strength and
recklessly thrust forward, he
chose the wrong direction
and slam m e d v i o l e n t l y
into the lower
bedpost, whereupon
t h e b urning pain he then
felt made him realize that the
lower part of his body might
be precisely the most sensitive,
at least for now.
He therefore first tried to get his
upper portion out of the bed, and to
do so he cautiously turned his head
toward the side of the mattress. This
actually proved [122] easy; and
eventually, despite its breadth and
weight, his body bulk slowly
followed the twisting of his
head. But when his head was
finally looming over the edge
of the bed, in the free air, he was
scared of advancing any further
in this manner; for if he
ultimately let himself plunge
down like this, only an outright
miracle would prevent injury
to his head. And no matter
what, he must not lose
consciousness now of all
times; he would be better off
remaining in bed.
But when, sighing after
del Solar
empezaron las dificultades,
debido sobre todo a su
descomunal anchura. Habría
necesitado brazos y manos
para incorporarse, pero en su
[25] lugar solo tenía esas
numerosas patitas- que no pa-
raban de agitarse en todos los
sentidos y que él, además, era
i n c a p a z d e c ontrolar. Si
intentaba doblar alguna, esta
era la primera que volvía a
estirarse, y cuando por fin
lograba hacer lo que quería con
ella, las restantes proseguían,
como abandonadas a sí
mismas, con su extrema y
dolorosa agitación. «Nada de
quedarse inútilmente en la
cama», se dijo Gregor.
Primero quiso bajar de la
cama con la parte inferior de
su cuerpo, que por cierto él
no había visto todavía y de la
que tampoco podía hacerse
una idea precisa, pero resultó
muy difícil de mover. ¡Era un
proceso lentísimo! Y cuando
al final, casi furioso, reunió
todas sus fuerzas y se
i m p u l s ó h a c ia delante sin
contemplaciones, calculó mal la
dirección y se dio un v i o l e n t o
golpe c o n t r a l a s p a t a s
de la cama; el
l a n c i n a n t e dolor que
sintió le hizo ver que
precisamente la parte inferior de
su cuerpo era quizá, de momento,
la más sensible.
Entonces intentó sacar
primero la parte superior y
giró con cuidado la cabe-
za hacia el borde de la
c a m a . N o l e f u e d i f í c i l y,
a p e s a r d e s u anchura y
peso, el cuerpo entero acabó
siguiendo lentamente el mo-
vimiento de la cabeza. Pero
cuando ya tenía la cabeza en
el aire, fuera de la cama, le
dio miedo seguir avanzando
de ese modo, pues si al final
se dejaba caer así, tendría
que ocurrir un verdadero
milagro para que la cabeza
no se lesionase. Y lo que
ahora no podía perder bajo
ningún concepto [26] era el
conocimiento; antes preferi-
ría quedarse en la cama.
Sin embargo, cuando des-
12
Stokes
that things became more
d i ff i c u l t b e c a u s e o f h i s
extraordinary girth . He
would have needed arms and
hands to lift himself up;
instead he only had his
numerous legs that were in
constant and multifarious
motion and over which he
had no control. Whenever he
t r i e d t o bend one, it
straightened itself out, and by
the time he finally managed to
make this leg do his bidding,
all the others were flailing
around, as if liberated, in a
state of most acute and
painful excitement. ‘Better
not waste time in bed,’ said
Gregor to himself.
He tried at first to get the
lower part of his body out of
bed, but this lower part which
he had incidentally not yet seen
and of which he could form no
really clear picture, proved too
cumbersome; progress was so
slow; and when at last, having
become almost wild, he
mustered all his strength and
thrust himself recklessly
forward, it turned out that he
had chosen the wrong
direction, he bumped violently
against the bottom end of the
bed, and the searing pain he felt
informed him that it was
precisely this lower part of his
body that might for the time
being be the most sensitive.
So he tried to get the
upper part of his body out
of bed first, twisting his
head round to the edge of
th e bed. That was easy
enough, and despite its girth
and great weight, his body
slowly followed the
movement of his head. But
when at long last he had got
his head out over the side of
the bed, in mid-air, he became
afraid of continuing in this
manner, for if he were to fall
like that it would take a miracle
for him not to sustain a head
injury. And consciousness
was the last thing he
wanted to lose at the
present time; he would
rather stay in bed. [7]
But when after a similar
Vialatte
Mais ensuite Grégoire
fut gêné par sa
c a r r u r e formidable. P o u r
se lever, il lui aurait fallu
des bras et des jambes et
il ne possédait que de
petites pattes en
vibration continuelle sur
lesquelles il n’avait
aucun moyen d’action.
Av a n t d ’ e n p o u v o i r p l i e r
une il lui fallait d’abord
s’étirer, et, quand il
arrivait à exécuter le
mouvement voulu, toutes
les autres se déchaînaient
sans contrôle, le faisant
souffrir atrocement. «Ne
restons pas inutilement
au lit», se dit-il.
Pour en sortir, il essaya
d’abord de commencer par
l ’ a r r i è r e - t r a i n ;
malheureusement cet
arrièretrain, qu’il n’avait pas
encore vu et dont il ne se
faisait pas une idée précise, se
révéla à l’expérience très
difficile à mouvoir; la lenteur
du procédé l’exaspéra; il réunit
toutes ses forces pour se jeter
en avant, mais, ayant mal
calculé sa trajectoire, il se
heurta violemment contre l’un
des montants du lit, et la
cuisante douleur qu’il en
ressentit lui apprit que la
partie inférieure de son corps
était sans doute la plus
sensible.
Il voulut donc, changeant
de tactique, commencer par
le haut du corps et tourna
prudemment la tête vers le
haut du lit. Il y réussit sans
peine, et le reste de sa masse,
m a l g r é s o n p o i d s e t son
volume, finit par suivre et
s’orienter du même côté. Mais
[14] q u a n d l a t ê t e f u t
sortie et qu’elle pendit
dans le vide, Grégoire
eut peur de continuer;
s’il tombait dans cette
position, il se
briserait le crâne à
moins d’un miracle, et
ce n’était pas le
moment de perd r e s e s
moyens; mieux valait
rester au lit.
Pourtant, lorsque,
Cl. David
ensuite les choses se
gâtèrent, surtout à cause
d e s a l a r g e u r insolite. I1
aurait fallu s’aider des bras et
des mains pour se redresser;
mais il n’avait que de petites
pattes qui n’arrêtaient pas de
remuer dans tous les sens et
sur lesquelles il n’avait aucun
moyen d’action. S’il voulait
plier l’une d’entre elles, elle
commençait par s’allonger; et
s’il parvenait enfin à faire faire
à cette patte ce qu’il voulait,
toutes les autres, abandonnées
à elles-mêmes, se livraient
aussitôt à une vive agitation
des plus pénibles. « Surtout,
ne pas rester inutilement au lit
», se dit-il.
Il voulut d’abord sortir du
lit par le bas du corps, mais
cette partie inférieure de son
corps, que d’ailleurs il n’avait
encore jamais vue et dont il ne
parvenait pas à se faire une
idée précise, s’avéra trop
difficile à mouvoir; tout cela
bougeait si lentement; et
quand enfin, exaspéré, il se
poussa brutalement de toutes
ses forces en avant, il calcula
mal sa trajectoire et vint se
heurter violemment à l’un des
montants du lit et la douleur
cuisante qu’il éprouva lui fit
comprendre que la partie
inférieure de son corps était
peut-être pour l’instant la plus
sensible.
Il essaya donc de sortir
d’abord par le haut et
tourna la tête avec
précaution vers le bord du
lit. II y parvint sans peine
et la masse de son corps,
malgré sa largeur et son
poids, finit par suivre
lentement les mouvements
de sa tête. Mais lorsque la
tête fut entièrement sortie à
l’air libre, il eut peur de
continuer à progresser de
c e t t e m a n i è r e ; c a r, s ’ i l s e
laissait tomber de la sorte,
ç’eût été un miracle qu’il
ne se fracassât pas le crâne.
Et ce n’était certes pas le
moment de perdre ses
moyens. Mieux valait
encore rester au lit.
Mais quand, après s’être
Freed
much more difficult,
especially since he was
excessively wide. He would
have needed arms and hands
to prop himself up, instead of
which he had only the many
little legs that continually
waved every which way and
which he could not control at
all. If he wanted to bend one,
it was the first to stretch itself
out, and if he finally
succeeded in getting this leg
to do what he wanted, the
others in the meantime, as if
set free, waved all the more
wildly in painful and frenzied
agitation. “There’s no use
staying in bed,” Gregor said
to himself.
First he attempted to get
the lower part of his body
out of bed, but this lower
part, which he had not yet
seen and about which he
could form no clear picture,
proved too onerous to move.
It shifted so slowly, and
when he had finally become
nearly frantic, he gathered
his energy and lunged
forward, without restraint,
in the wrong direction
and so slammed against
the lower bedpost; the
s e a r i n g p a in that shot
through his body informed
him that the lower part of his
body was perhaps the most
sensitive at present.
He then tried to get the
top part of his body out first,
and cautiously moved his
head toward the edge of the
bed. This went smoothly
enough, and despite its girth
and mass the bulk of his
body slowly followed
the direction of his
head. But when he
finally got his head free
over the bedside, he
became leery of
continuing in this vein,
because if he fell it
would be a miracle if he
did not hurt his head.
And he must not,
e s pe cially n o w, lose
consciousness at any price;
better to stay in bed.
But when he had
13
Alianza
sola. Pero la dificultad
estaba en la extraordina-
r i a anchura de Gregorio.
Para incorporarse, podía
haberse ayudado de los
brazos y las manos; mas,
en su lugar, tenía ahora in-
numerables patas en cons-
tante agitación y le era im-
posible hacerse dueño de
ellas. Y el caso es que él
quería incorporarse. Se
estiraba; lograba por fin
dominar una de sus patas;
pero, mientras t a n t o , l a s
demás proseguían su li-
bre y dolorosa agita-
ci ón. « No [15] conviene
hacer el zángano en la
cama», pensó Gregorio.
Primero intentó sacar del lecho
la parte inferior del cuerpo. Pero esta
parte inferior -que por cierto no ha-
bía visto todavía, y que, por tanto, le
era imposible representarse en su
exacta conformación- resultó ser de-
masiado difícil dé mover. La opera-
ción se inició muy despacio.
Gregorio, frenético ya, concentró
toda su energía y, sin pararse en
barras, se arrastró hacia ade-
lante. Mas calculó mal la di-
rección, se dio un golpe tremen-
do contra los pies de la cama, y
el dolor que esto le produjo
demostróle, con su agudez, que
aquella parte inferior de su
cuerpo era quizá, precisa-
mente, en su nuevo estado,
la más sensible.
Intentó, pues, sacar primero
la parte superior, y volvió
cuidadosamente la cabeza
hacia el borde del lecho.
Esto no ofreció ninguna di-
ficultad, y, no obstante su
anchura y su peso, el cuerpo
todo siguió por fin, aunque
lentamente, el movimiento
iniciado por la cabeza. Mas,
al verse con ésta colgando
en el aire, le entró miedo de
continuar avanzando en
igual forma, porque, deján-
dose caer así, era preciso un
verdadero milagro para sa -
car intacta la cabeza; y
ahora menos [16] que nunca
quería Gregorio perder el
sentido. Antes prefería que-
darse en la cama.
Mas cuando, después de
Willie
difficult after that, especially
as he was so exceptionally
broad . He would have used his
arms and his hands to push
himself up; but instead of them
he only had all those little legs
continuously moving in different
directions, and which he was
moreover unable to control. If he
wanted to bend one of them,
then that was the first one that
would stretch itself out; and if
he finally managed to do what
he wanted with that leg, all th e
others seemed to be set
free and would move
a b o u t p a i n f u l l y. “ T h i s i s
s o m e t h i n g t h a t c a n ’ t be
done in bed”, Gregor said to himself,
“so don’t keep trying to do it”.
The first thing he wanted
to do was get the lower part
of his body out of the bed,
but he had never seen this
lower part, and could not
imagine what it looked like;
it turned out to be too hard
to move; it went so slowly;
a n d f i n a l l y, a l m o s t i n a
f r e n z y, w h e n h e c a r e l e s s l y
shoved himself forwards
with all the force he could
gather, he chose the wrong
direction, hit hard against
the lower bedpost, and
learned from the burning
pa i n h e f e l t t h a t t h e l o w e r
part of his body might well,
at present, be the most
sensitive.
So then he tried to get the top
part of his body out of the bed
first, carefully turning his head
to the side. This he managed
quite easily, and despite its
breadth and its weight, the bulk
of his body eventually
followed slowly in the
direction of the head. But
when he had at last got his
head out of the bed and into
the fresh air it occurred to him
that if he let himself fall it
would be a miracle if his head
were not injured, so he
became afraid to carry on
pushing himself forward the
same way. And he could not
knock himself out now at any
price; better to stay in bed
than lose consciousness.
It took just as much effort to
 Neugroschel
repeating this exertion, he
still lay there as before,
watching his tiny legs battle
each other perhaps even more
fiercely and finding no way
to bring peace and order to
this idiosyncratic condition,
he again mused that he could
not possibly stay there. The
most logical recourse would
be to make any sacrifice
whatsoever if there was even
the slightest hope of his
freeing himself from the bed.
Yet at the same time, he did
not neglect to keep reminding
himself that a calm, indeed
the calmest reflection was far
superior to desperate
resolves. In such moments,
he fixed his eyes as sharply
as he could on the window;
b u t u n f o r t u n a t e l y, l i t t l e
comfort or encouragement
could be drawn from the sight
of the morning fog, which
shrouded even the other side
of the narrow street. “Already
seven o’clock,” he said to
himself when the alarm clock
struck again, “already seven
o’clock and still such a thick
fog.” And for a short while,
he lay quietly, breathing
f a i n t l y, a s i f p e r h a p s
expecting the silence to
restore real and normal cir-
cumstances.
But then he told himself,
“I absolutely must be out of
bed completely before the
clock strikes seven-fifteen.
[123] Besides, by then
someone from work will come
to inquire about me, since the
office opens before seven.”
And he now began seesawing
the full length of his body at
an altogether even rhythm in
order to rock it from the bed.
If he could get himself to
tumble from the bed in this
way, then he would no doubt
prevent injury to his head by
lifting it sharply while falling.
His back seemed hard;
nothing was likely to happen
to it during the landing on the
carpet. His greatest misgiving
was about the loud crash that
was sure to ensue, probably
causing anxiety if not terror
behind all the doors. Still, this
risk had to be run.
del Solar
pués de realizar los mismos
esfuerzos volvió, suspirando,
a su posición anterior y vio
nuevamente sus patitas lu-
chando entre sí incluso con
más violencia, no encontró
ninguna posibilidad de poner
orden ni sosiego en aquel caos
arbitrario, y volvió a decirse
que no podía seguir ahí tum-
bado y que lo más sensato se-
ría sacrificarlo todo, aunque
solo hubiera una esperanza
mínima de liberarse así de la
cama. Pero, al mismo tiempo,
no se le olvidaba que de vez
en cuando debía recordar que
la reflexión serena -y más que
serena- es mucho mejor que
las decisiones desesperadas.
En esos momentos dirigía ha-
cia la ventana una mirada lo
más aguda posible, aunque,
por desgracia, la visión de la
niebla matinal, que ocultaba
incluso el otro lado de la es-
trecha callejuela, dejaba esca-
so margen a la confianza y al
buen humor. «¡Las siete ya!»,
se dijo cuando el despertador
volvió a sonar. «¡Las siete ya
y tanta niebla todavía!» Y se
quedó un momento quieto,
respirando apenas, como si
de aquel silencio total espe-
rase que las cosas volvieran
a su estado natural y verda-
dero.
Pero luego se dijo: «An-
tes de que den las siete y
cuarto tengo que haber
abandonado del todo la
cama. Además, para enton-
ces seguro que vendrá al-
guien de la oficina a pre-
guntar por mí, pues abren
antes de las siete». Y trató
de sacar el cuerpo de la
cama balanceándose unifor-
memente en toda [27] su
longitud. Si se dejaba caer
de esa manera, la cabeza,
que él pensaba mantener
bien erguida al caer, saldría
probablemente ilesa. La es-
palda parecía ser dura, y se-
guro que no le pasaría nada
al caer sobre la alfombra.
Lo que más le preocupaba
era el estrépito que causaría
y que posiblemente provoca-
ría inquietud, si no temor, de-
trás de cada puerta. Pero ha-
bía que correr el riesgo.
14
Stokes
struggle he lay back panting
in his original position, and
saw again his little legs
locked in what seemed to be
even fiercer combat than
before, and found no way of
restoring any calm or order
to such chaos, he told
himself once more that there
was no way he could stay in
bed, and that the wisest
thing would be to risk all for
even the faintest hope of
freeing himself from his
bed. At the same time he did
not forget to remind himself
at intervals that the coolest
of cool reflection was better
by far than desperate
decisions. At such moments
he focused his eyes as
sharply as possible on the
window, but unfortunately
the sight of the morning
mist, which veiled even the
other side of the narrow
street, had little good cheer
or encouragement to offer.
‘Seven o’clock already,’ he
said to himself as the alarm
clock rang once more,
‘seven o’clock and still such
a thick mist: And for a short
while he lay still, breathing
quietly, hoping perhaps that
such total silence might
bring about a return to
normal, everyday reality.
But then he said to
himself. ‘Before it strikes
seven fifteen, I must at all
costs be right out of bed.
Anyway, someone by then
will have come from the
office to enquire about me,
as the office opens before
seven: And he now set about
rocking the whole length of
his body evenly out of bed.
If he let himself fall from
t h e b e d i n t h i s w a y, h i s
head, which he intended to
lift sharply as he fell, would
presumably be unharmed.
His back seemed to be hard;
hitting the carpet would
probably cause it no
damage. His greatest concern
was t h e t h o u g h t o f t h e
l oud noise he would inevitably
make, and which would probably
cause, if not alarm, then at least
concern behind the various doors.
But such a risk had to be taken.
Vialatte
poussant un soupir après
tant de peine, il se retrouva
étendu comme auparavant,
lorsqu’il vit ses petites
pattes se livrer bataille
avec plus d’acharnement
que jamais, désespérant de
trouver aucun moyen
de restaurer la paix et
l’ordre dans cette
société despotique, il
recommença à croire
qu’il ne pouvait
absolument pas rester au
lit et qu’il fallait
raisonnablement tout
sacrifier à la plus petite
chance de sortir de là. Il
ne se rappelait pas moins
que les réflexions
désespérées ne valent pas la
réflexion froide et sage.
D’ordinaire, dans ces
moments-là, il concentrait ses
regards sur la fenêtre pour en
tirer des encouragements et
des motifs d’espoir, mais ce
jour-là, la rue n’avait rien à lui
dire; le brouillard n’annonçait
rien de bon. «Sept heures,
pensa-t-il, déjà sept heures et
le brouillard n’a pas
diminué!» Il se recoucha un
moment, pour ménager sa
respiration et ses forces,
comme s’il attendait du calme
complet le retour de la vie
normale.
Pu i s i l s e d i t : « Av a n t
le quart il faut absolu-
ment que je sois debout.
D’ici là, d’ailleurs, on
aura envoyé quelqu’un
de la maison pour me
demander, car le
magasin ouvre avant
sept heures.» Et il se
mit à se balancer sur le
dos pour sortir du lit
dans [15] toute sa
longueur et d’une seule
pièce. De cette façon, il
pourrait toujours
préserver sa tête en la
tenant levée pendant le
saut. Son dos, qui lui
s e m b l a i t a s s e z d u r, n e
risquait rien sur le
t a p i s . I l ne craignait que
le vacarme de sa chute qui
allait retentir dans toute la
maison, y propageant
l’effroi ou tout au moins
l’inquiétude.
Cl. David
donné à nouveau le même mal,
il se retrouva en soupirant dans
la même position et qu’il vit à
nouveau ses petites pattes se
livrer bataille avec plus de
violence encore qu’auparavant,
sans trouver aucun moyen de
rétablir un peu d’ordre et de
calme dans toute cette
confusion, il se dit derechef
qu’il lui était absolument
impossible de rester au lit et que
le plus raisonnable était encore
de tout risquer, s’il subsistait un
espoir, si léger soit-il, de sortir
ainsi du lit. Ce qui ne
l’empêchait pas de se rappeler,
de temps à autre, que la réflexion
et le sangfroid valent mieux que
les résolutions désespérées. A ces
moments-là, il fixait ses regards
aussi fermement qu’il le pouvait
sur la fenêtre; mais
malheureusement le brouillard du
matin noyait tout, jusqu’au bord
opposé de l’étroite ruelle et il y
avait peu d’encouragement et
d’espoir à attendre de ce
c ô t é - l à . « Sept heures!»,
pensa-t-il en e n t e n d a n t à
nouveau la sonnerie du réveil,
« et le brouillard n’a pas
diminué », et il resta couché un
moment immobile en retenant
s o n s o u ff l e , c o m m e s ’ i l
espérait que le calme total allât
rendre à toute chose son
évidence coutumière.
Mais il se dit ensuite : «
Avant que ne sonne 8 heures
un quart, il faut absolument
que j’aie quitté le lit.
Quelqu’un du magasin sera
d’ailleurs venu demander de
mes nouvelles, car ils
ouvrent avant 7 heures! Et il
se mit à balancer son corps
de tout son long d’un
mouvement régulier pour le
sortir du lit. S’il se laissait
tomber de cette façon, il
pourrait sans doute éviter de
se blesser la tête, pourvu
qu’il la tînt bien droite au
moment de la chute. Son dos
semblait dur et il ne se
passerait p robablement rien
lorsqu’il toucherait le tapis. Sa
principale inquiétude venait du
grand bruit qu’il ferait sans doute
et qui, même à travers les portes
closes, pouvait provoquer sinon de
l’effroi, du moins de l’inquiétude.
Mais il fallait risquer.
Freed
repeated his former
ef f o r t s a n d o n c e m o r e l a y
sighing and watching his
puny legs struggle against
e a c h o t h e r, p o s s i b l y e v e n
m o r e v i c i o u s l y, a n d h a d
found no way to bring
peace and order to this
random motion, he again
told himself that he could
not possibly stay in bed
and that the logical
recourse was to risk
everything in the mere
hope of freeing himself
from the bed. But at the
same time he did not
fo rget to remind himself
periodically that better
t h a n r a s h decisions was
cool, indeed the very coolest,
deliberation. In these moments,
he fixed his gaze as firmly as
[11] possible on the window, but
unfortunately the sight of the
morning fog, which had even
obscured the other side of the
narrow street, offered little in the
way of cheer or encouragement.
“Seven o’clock already,” he said
to himself at the new chiming of
the alarm clock, “seven o’clock
already and still such thick fog.”
And for a little while he lay still,
breathing lightly as if he
expected total repose would
restore everything to its normal
and unquestionable state.
But then he said to
himself: “Before a quarter
past seven I absolutely
must be out of bed.
Besides, by that time
s o m e o n e f r o m t h e o ff i c e
will have come to ask about
me, because the office
opens before seven
o’clock.” And now he
began rocking the whole
length of his body in a
steady rhythm in order to
pitch it out of the bed. If he
dropped from the bed in this
w a y, h e c o u l d p r o b a b l y
protect his head by lifting it
sharply as he fell. His back
seemed to be hard, so it would
not be harmed by the fall to the
carpet. His greatest concern
was for the loud crash he was
likely to make, provoking
fear if not terror behind
all the doors. S till, it must
be risked.
15
Alianza
realizar a la inversa los
mismos esfuerzos, subra-
yándolos con hondísünos
suspiros, hallóse de nue-
vo en la misma posición
y tornó a ver sus patas
presas de una excitación
mayor que antes, si cabe,
comprendió que no dis-
ponía de medio alguno
para remediar tamaño ab-
surdo, y volvió a pensar
que no debía seguir en la
cama y que lo más cuer-
do era arriesgarlo todo,
aunque solo le quedase
una ínfima esperanza.
Pero al punto recordó
que harto mejor que to-
m a r d e c i s i o n e s extremas
era meditar serenamente.
Sus ojos se clavaron con
fuerza en la ventana; mas,
por desgracia, la vista de la
niebla que aquella mañana
ocultaba por completo el
lado opuesto de la calle,
poca esperanza y escasos
ánimos debía de infundirle.
«Las siete ya -díjose al oír
de nuevo el despertador-.
¡Las siete ya, y todavía si-
gue la niebla!» Durante
unos momentos permaneció
echado, inmóvil y respiran-
do quedo, cual si esperase
volver en el silencio a su
estado normal.
Pero, a poco, pensó: « An-
tes de-que den las siete y cuarto
es indispensable que me haya
levantado. Sin contar que, entre-
tanto, vendrá seguramente al-
guien del almacén a [17] pre-
guntar por mí, pues allí abren
antes de las siete». Y se dispuso
a salir de la cama, balanceándo-
se cuan largo era. Dejándose
caer en esta forma, la cabeza,
que tenía el firme propósito de
mantener enérgicamente ergui-
da, saldría probablemente sin
daño ninguno. La espalda pare-
cía tener resistencia bastante:
nada le pasaría al dar con ella
en la alfombra. Únicamente
hacíale vacilar el temor al es-
truendo que esto habría de pro-
ducir, y que sin duda daría ori-
gen, detrás de cada puerta, cuan-
do no a un susto, por lo menos a
una inquietud. Mas no quedaba
otro remedio que afrontar esta
perspectiva.
Willie
get back to where he had been
earlier, but when he lay there
sighing, and was once more
watching his legs as they
struggled against each other
even harder than before, if that
was possible, he could think of
no way of bringing peace and
order to this chaos. He told
himself once more that it was
not possible for him to stay in
bed and that the most sensible
thing to do would be to get free
of it in whatever way he could
at whatever sacrifice. At the
same time, though, he did not
forget to remind himself that
calm consideration was much
better than rushing to desperate
conclusions. At times like this
he would direct his eyes to the
window and look out as clearly
as he could, but unfortunately,
even the other side of the
narrow street was enveloped
in morning fog and the view
had little confidence or cheer
to offer him. “Seven o’clock,
already”, he said to himself
when the clock struck again,
“seven o’clock, and there’s
still a fog like this.” And he
lay there quietly a while
longer, breathing lightly as if
h e p e r h a p s e xp e c t e d t h e
total stillness to bring
things back to their real
and natural state.
But then he said to himself:
“Before it strikes quarter past
seven I’ll definitely have to
have got properly out of bed.
And by then somebody will
have come round from work to
ask what’s happened to me as
well, as they open up at work
before seven o’clock.” And so
he set himself to the task of
swinging the entire length of his
body out of the bed all at the
same time. If he succeeded in
falling out of bed in this way
and kept his head raised as he
did so he could probably avoid
injuring it. His back seemed to
be quite hard, and probably
nothing would happen to it
falling onto the carpet. H i s
main concern was for the
loud noise he was bound to make,
and which even through all the
doors would probably raise concern
if not alarm. But it was something
that had to be risked.
 Neugroschel
By the time Gregor was
already sticking halfway out
of the bed (this new method
was more of a game than a
struggle, all he had to do was
keep seesawing and
wrenching himself along), it
occurred to him how easy
everything would be if
someone lent him a hand. It
would take only two strong
people (he thought of his
father and the maid); they
would only have to slip their
arms under his vaulted back,
slide him out of the bed,
crouch down with their
burden, and then just wait
patiently and cautiously as he
flipped over to the floor,
where he hoped his tiny legs
would have some purpose.
Now quite aside from the fact
that the doors were locked,
should he really call for
assistance? Despite his
misery, he could not help
smiling at the very idea.
By now he was already
seesawing so intensely that
he barely managed to keep
his balance, and so he
would have to make up his
mind very soon, for it was
already ten after
seven-when the doorbell
rang. “It’s someone from the
o f f i c e, ” h e t o l d h i m s e l f ,
almost petrified, [124]
while his tiny legs only
danced all the more hastily.
For an instant, there was
total hush. “They’re not
answering,” Gregor said to
himself, prey to some
absurd hope. But then of
course, the maid, as usual,
strode firmly to the door
and opened it. Gregor only
had to hear the visitor’s first
word of greeting and he
knew who it was-the office
manager himself. Why oh
why was Gregor condemned
to working for a company
where the slightest
tardiness aroused the
murkiest suspicions? Was
every last employee a
scoundrel, wasn’t there a
single loyal and dedicated
person among them, a man
who, if he failed to devote
del Solar
Cuando Gregor ya
sobresalía a medias de
la cama -el nuevo mé-
todo era más un juego
que un esfuerzo, solo
tenía que balancearse
a s a c u d i d a s - , pensó en lo
fácil que sería todo si alguien
viniera en su ayuda. Dos per-
sonas fuertes -pensó en su pa-
dre y la criada- habrían sido
más que suficientes; solo ten-
drían que deslizar los brazos
por debajo de su espalda
abombada, sacarlo así de la
cama con cuidado, agacharse
con la carga y, cautelosamen-
te, aguardar a que él comple-
tara entonces la maniobra en
el suelo, donde era de esperar
que las patitas demostrasen su
razón de ser. Ahora bien, de-
jando aparte el que las puertas
estuvieran cerradas con llave,
¿debería realmente pedir ayu-
da? Pese a lo desesperado de
su situación, no pudo reprimir
una sonrisa ante esta idea.
Ya h a b í a l l e g a d o a
un punto en que, si
seguía aumentando el
balanceo, apenas podría
mantener el equilibrio; y ade-
más, muy pronto tendría que to-
mar una decisión definitiva,
pues faltaban cinco minutos
para las siete y cuarto... cuan-
do de pronto sonó el timbre de
la puerta de la casa. « Seguro que
[28] es alguien de la oficina»,
pensó Gregor, y se quedó pe-
trificado, mientras sus patitas
bailaban más deprisa todavía.
Hubo un instante de silencio
total. «No abren», se dijo
Gregor, aferrado a alguna ab-
surda esperanza. Pero la cria-
da se dirigió luego a la puer-
ta con paso firme, como
siempre, y abrió. A Gregor le
bastó con oír el primer salu-
do del visitante para saber
quién era: el gerente en per-
sona. ¿Por qué estaría Gregor
condenado a trabajar en una
empresa donde el menor
d escuido despertaba ense-
guida el mayor recelo?
¿Acaso los empleados eran
todos, sin excepción, unos
pícaros?; ¿no había entre
ello s ni un solo hombre leal y
entregado que, por el simple
16
Stokes
When Gregor was already
protruding halfway out of
bed the new method was not
so much work as play, since
he only needed to keep
rocking in fits and starts - it
occurred to him [8] how
simple everything would be
if someone came to his aid.
Two strong people - he had
in mind his father and the
maid would be quite enough;
they would only have to slide
their arms under his arched
back, slip him out of bed,
bend their knees beneath the
burden and then simply
exercise patience till he
somersaulted onto the floor,
where the little legs would,
he hoped, acquire a purpose.
Well, quite apart from the
fact that the doors were
locked, ought he really to call
for help? Despite his great
predicament, he was unable
to suppress a smile at the
thought.
He had already reached the
stage where, if he rocked
fairly vigorously, he could
scarcely keep his balance, and
he would very soon have to
make up his mind once and
for all, because in five
minutes it would be a
quarter past seven - when
there was a ring at the
apartment door. ‘Someone
from the office ,’ he said to
himself, and almost froze,
while his little legs danced
even faster. For a moment
all was silent. ‘They’re
not answering,’ Gregor said
to himself, seized by some
insane hope. But then of
course, as always, the maid
strode purposefully to the
door and opened it. Gregor
only needed to hear the
visitor’s first word of greeting
to know at once who it was - the
chief clerk himself. Why was
Gregor of all people condemned
to work for a firm where the
slightest lapse promptly
aroused the greatest suspicion?
Wer e a l l t h e e m p l o y e e s
scoundrels, then, every
single one of them? Was
there not a single loyal and
devoted worker among them
Vialatte
Quand il eut une moitié
du corps hors du lit - avec
la nouvelle méthode
c’était plutôt un jeu
qu’une corvée, il n’y avait
qu’à se balancer par
secousses - il se mit à
penser à la facilité avec
laquelle il aurait pu se lever
s’il avait eu un peu d’aide.
Deux personnes fortes comme
son père et la bonne auraient
amplement suffi. Ils n’auraient
eu qu’à passer les bras sous
son dos rond, le dégager du lit,
s’incliner ensuite avec leur
fardeau et puis attendre
prudemment qu’il eût fini
d’opérer son rétablissement
sur le sol où il fallait espérer
que ses pattes trouveraient
enfin leur raison d’être. Mais,
même si les portes n’avaient
pas encore été fermées, aurait-il
vraiment bien fait d’appeler à
l’aide? A cette idée, malgré tout
son malheur, il ne put réprimer
un sourire.
L’ o p é r a t i o n é t a i t d é j à
si avancée qu’en accen-
tuant son mouvement
d’escarpolette il se sentait
presque perdre l’équilibre; il lui
fallait prendre une décision
définitive, car il ne disposait
plus que de cinq minutes avant
l’écoulement du quart d’heure
fatidique; mais soudain il
entendit sonner. «Quelqu’un est
venu du magasin», se dit-il, et
il [16] sentit son sang se figer
tandis que ses petites pattes
accéléraient leur sarabande. Il
n’entendit rien d’un instant et
pensa dans une lueur d’espoir
absurde que personne n’allait
ouvrir. Mais la borine, comme
toujours, se dirigea d’un pas
ferme vers la porte. Le premier
mot du visiteur suffit à Grégoire
pour l’identifier, c’était le
gérant lui-même. Pourquoi
fallait-il que. Gérard fût
condamné à servir dans une,
maison où l’on soupçonnait
toujours le pire à la
moindre inadvertance du
personnel? Ces employés
étaient-ils donc tous des
fripouilles, sans exception?
Ne se trouvait-il dans leur
nombre aucun de ces
serviteurs dévoués et fidèles
Cl. David
Lorsque Gregor eut à
moitié émergé du lit - la
nouvelle méthode était plus
un jeu qu’un effort, il
suffisait de se balancer -, il
se mit à penser que tout
aurait été facile si on était
venu l’aider. Deux personnes
vigoureuses - il pensait à son
père et à la bonne - auraient
amplement suffi : elles
auraient passé les bras sous
son dos bombé, l’auraient
extrait du lit, se seraient
penchées avec leur fardeau
et auraient simplement
attendu patiemment qu’il
rebondisse de lui-même sur
le sol, où l’on pouvait
espérer que les petites pattes
eussent rempli leur office.
Mais, outre que les portes
étaient fermées, aurait-il dû
vraiment appeler à l’aide?
En dépit de tout son
malheur, il avait de la peine,
à cette idée, à réprimer un
sourire.
II en était déjà si loin dans
l’opération que, même en
accentuant le mouvement de
b a l a n c e m e n t , i l p a r v enait
difficilement à garder
l’équilibre; il lui fallait prendre
une décision définitive, car
dans cinq minutes il serait 8
heures un quart; mais soudain
il entendit sonner à la porte de
l’appartement. « C’est
quelqu’un du magasin », se
dit-il, et il resta figé sur
place, tandis que ses petites
pattes s’agitaient plus
frénétiquement encore. Tout
resta un moment silencieux.
« Ils n’ouvrent pas », se dit
G r e g o r, p r i s d ’ u n e s p o i r
insensé. Mais aussitôt, la
b o n ne se dirigea comme
toujours de son pas ferme vers
la porte et l’ouvrit. Il suffit à
Gregor d’entendre les premiers
mots du visiteur pour
comprendre de qui il s’agissait
c’était le fondé de pouvoir en
personne. Pourquoi fallait-il que
Gregor fût condamné à travailler dans
une affaire où, au moindre
manquement, on concevait aussitôt les
pires soupçons ? Les employés
étaient-ils donc tous sans exception des
fripons? N’y avait-il parmi eux aucun
de ces serviteurs fidèles et dévoués
Freed
When Gregor was sticking
halfway out of the bed-the new
method was less a struggle
than a game, he had only to
inch along by rocking back
and forth-it struck him how
much easier it would be if
someone came to help. Two
strong people-he thought of
his father and the
maid-would surely suffice:
They would only have to
slip their arms under his
curved back to lift him from
the bed, bend down with
their burden, and be patient
and watchful while he
engineered his swing over
to t h e f l o o r, w h e r e h e
hoped his tiny legs would
f i n d s o m e p u r p o s e . N o w,
putting aside the fact that
all the doors were locked,
should he really call for
help? Despite his
predicament, he could not
suppress a smile at these
thoughts.
He was already out so
far that he could barely
keep his balance while
vigorou s l y ro c k i n g , a n d
very soon he would have
to decide one way or the
other, because in five
minutes it would be a
quarter past seven-then
the doorbell rang.
“That’s someone from
t h e o f f i c e ,” he said to
himself, and slightly
stiffened although his legs
only danced more wildly.
Everything was still for a
moment. “They’re not going
to answer,” Gregor said to
himself, clinging to some
absurd hope. But then of
course the maid marched
sharply to the door as usual
and opened it. Gregor
needed only to hear the
v i s i t o r ’s f i r s t w o r d s o f
greeting to know who it
was-the head clerk himself.
Why was Gregor condemned
to serve at a firm where the
smallest infraction was
seized upon [12] with the
gravest suspicion; was each
and every employee a
scoundrel; was there no
loyal and dedicated man
17
Alianza
Ya estaba Gregorio a me-
dias fuera de la cama (el nue-
vo método antes parecía un
juego que un trabajo, pues
solo implicaba el balancear-
se siempre hacia atrás), cuan-
do cayó en la cuenta de que
todo sería muy sencillo si al-
guien viniese en su ayuda.
Con dos personas robustas (y
pensaba en su padre y en la
criada) bastaría. Solo ten-
drían que pasar los brazos
por debajo de su abombada
espalda, desenfundarle del
lecho y, agachándose luego
con la carga, permitirle solí-
citamente estirarse por com-
pleto en el suelo, en donde
era de presumir que las patas
demostrarían su razón de ser.
Ahora [18] bien, y prescin-
diendo de que las puertas es-
taban cerradas, ¿conveníale
realmente pedir ayuda? Pese
a lo apurado de su situación,
no pudo por menos de son-
reírse.
Había adelantado ya tanto,
que un solo balanceo, más pro-
nunciado que los anteriores,
bastaría para hacerle perder casi
por completo el equilibrio. Ade-
más, muy pronto no le quedaría
otro remedio que’ tomar una
determinación, pues solo falta-
ban ya cinco minutos para las
siete y cuarto. En esto, llama-
ron a la puerta del piso. «De se-
guro es alguien del almacén»
pensó Gregorio, quedando de
pronto suspenso, mientras sus
patas seguían danzando cada
vez más rápidamente. Un pun-
to, permaneció todo en silencio.
«No abren» -pensó entonces,
asiéndose a tan descabellada
esperanza. Pero, como no podía
por menos de suceder,
sintiéronse aproximarse a la
puerta las fuertes pisadas de la
criada. -Y la puerta se abrió.
Bastóle a Gregorio oír la prime-
ra palabra pronunciada por el
visitante, para percatarse de
quién era. Era el principal en
persona. ¿Por qué estaría
Gregorio condenado a trabajar
en una casa en la cual la más
mínima ausencia despertaba
inmediatamente las más trágicas
sospechas? ¿Es que los emplea-
dos, todos en general y cada [19]
Willie
When Gregor was already
sticking half way out of the
bed - the new method was
more of a game than an
effort, all he had to do was
ro c k b a c k a n d f o r t h - i t
occurred to him how simple
everything would be if
somebody came to help him.
Two strong people - he had
his father and the maid in
mind - would have been more
than enough; they would
only have to push their arms
under the dome of his back,
peel him away from the bed,
bend down with the load and
then be patient and careful as
he swang over onto the floor,
w h e r e , h o p e f u l l y, t h e l i t t l e
legs would find a use. Should
he really call for help
though, even apart from the
fact that all the doors were
locked? Despite all the
difficulty he was in, he could
not suppress a smile at this
thought.
After a while he had
already moved so far
across that it would have
been hard for him to keep
his balance if he rocked
too hard. The time was now
ten past seven and he
would have to make a final
d e c i s i o n v e r y s o o n . T hen
there was a ring at the door of
the flat. “That’ll be someone
from work”, he said to
himself, and froze very still,
although his little legs only
became all the more lively as
they danced around. For a
moment everything remained
quiet. “They’re not opening
the door”, Gregor said to
himself, caught in some
nonsensical hope. But then of
course, the maid’s firm steps
went to the door as ever and
opened it. Gregor only needed
to hear the visitor’s first words of
greeting and he knew who it was
- the chief clerk himself. Why did
Gregor have to be the only one
condemned to work for a company
where they immediately became
highly suspicious at the slightest
shortcoming? Were all employees,
every one of them, louts, was
there not one of them who was
faithful and devoted who
 Neugroschel
even a few morning hours to
the firm, would go crazy
with remorse, becoming
absolutely incapable of
leaving his bed? Wouldn’t it
suffice to send an office boy
to inquire-if indeed this
snooping were at all neces-
s a r y ? D i d t h e o ff i c e
manager himself have to
come, did the entire
innocent family have to be
shown that this was the only
person who had enough
brains to be entrusted with
investigating this suspicious
affair? And more because of
these agitating reflections
than because of any
concrete decision, Gregor
swung himself out of bed
with all his might. There
was a loud thud, but not
really a crash. His fall was
slightly cushioned by the
carpet; and also, his back
was more pliable than he
had thought. Hence the
dull thud was not so
blatant. However, by not
holding his head carefully
enough, he had banged it;
now he twisted it, rubbing
it on the carpet in
annoyance and pain.
“Something fell in there,”
said the office manager in the
left-hand room. Gregor tried to
imagine whether something
similar to what had happened to
him today [125] might not
someday happen to the office
manager. After all, the possibility
had to be granted. However, as
if in brusque response to this
question, the office manager now
took a few resolute steps in the
next room, causing his
patent-leather boots to creak.
From the right-hand room,
the sister informed Gregor in
a whisper, “Gregor, the office
manager is here.”
“ I k n o w, ” s a i d G r e g o r
to himself, not daring to
speak loudly enough for
t h e s i s t e r t o h e a r.
“Gregor,” the father now
said from the left-hand room,
“the office manager has come
to inquire why you didn’t
catch the early train. We have
no idea what to tell him.
del Solar
hecho de no aprovechar unas
horas de trabajo por la maña-
na, enloqueciera bajo la presión
de sus remordimientos y no es-
tuviera, por eso mismo, en con-
diciones de abandonar la cama?
¿Acaso no bastaba con enviar a
un aprendiz a preguntar qué ocu-
rría, suponiendo que semejante
indagación fuera necesaria?
¿Realmente tenía que presentar-
se el gerente en persona y de-
mostrarle a toda una familia
inocente que la investigación
de aquel sospechoso asunto
solo podía encomendarse a la
perspicacia de un gerente? El
caso es que, debido más a la
irritación que estas reflexiones
produjeron en Gregor que a una
verdadera decisión, se lanzó con
todas sus fuerzas fuera de la cama.
Se oyó un golpe seco, que no lle-
gó a ser lo que se dice un estrépi-
to. La alfombra amortiguó un poco
la caída, aparte de que la espalda
resultó ser más elástica [29] de lo
que Gregor había pensado; de ahí
el ruido sordo y no demasiado lla-
mativo que se produjo. No tuvo,
eso sí, cuidado de mantener sufi-
cientemente erguida la cabeza,
que sufrió un golpe; él la giró y la
restregó contra la alfombra de
pura rabia y dolor.
«Algo se ha caído ahí den-
tro», dijo el gerente en la ha-
bitación contigua de la iz-
quierda. Gregor intentó ima-
ginarse al gerente en una si-
tuación parecida a la suya ese
día, eventualidad ciertamente
admisible. Pero como cruda
respuesta a este supuesto, el
gerente dio unos cuantos pa-
sos con firmeza en la habita-
ción de al lado, haciendo cru-
jir sus botas de charol. Desde
la habitación contigua de la
derecha, la hermana susurró
para informar a Gregor:
«Gregor, ha venido el geren-
te». «Ya lo sé», dijo este para
sus adentros, pero no se atre-
vió a decirlo en voz tan alta
como para que su hermana
pudiera oírlo.
«Gregor», dijo entonces el
padre desde la habitación con-
tigua de la izquierda, «el se-
ñor gerente ha venido y pre-
gunta por qué no has viajado
en el primer tren. No sabemos
18
Stokes
who, having failed to turn a
mere two hours one morning to
the firm’s advantage, was driven
so crazy with remorse that he
was actually no longer capable
of getting out of bed? Would it
not have been sufficient to send
an apprentice round to enquire
- assuming that all these
investigations were essential in
the first place? Was it necessary
for the chief clerk to come in
person, necessary for the whole
[9] innocent family to be shown
that the investigation of this
suspicious affair could be
entrusted to his wisdom alone?
And more as a consequence of
the agitation caused by these
thoughts than as a result of true
resolve, Gregor swung himself
out of bed with all his might.
There was a loud thump, but it
was not a true bang. His fall had
been muffled a little by the
carpet, and his back was also
more elastic than Gregor had
supposed, hence the ensuing
dull thud that was really not very
conspicuous. He had not however
been sufficiently careful with
his head which he had banged,
and which he twisted round and
rubbed on the carpet in
irritation and pain.
‘Something’s fallen in
there,’ said the chief clerk in
the room on the left. Gregor
tried to imagine whether
something similar to what
had just happened to him
might one day happen to the
chief clerk; he had to admit
the possibility. But as if in
b r u s q u e re p l y t o t h i s
question, the chief clerk now
took a few determined steps
in the next room, causing his
patent-leather boots to
creak. From the room on the
right G r e g o r ’s sister
informed him in a whisper:
‘Gregor, the chief clerk’s
here.’ ‘I know,’ said Gregor
to himself, but did not dare
speak loud enough for his
sister to hear.
‘Gregor,’ his father now
said from the room on the
left, ‘the chief clerk has
come to enquire why you
didn’t catch the early train.
We don’t know what to say
Vialatte Cl. David
qui, s’il leur arrive par hasard de qui, s’il leur arrivait un matin de
s’oublier une ou deux heures le laisser passer une ou deux heures
matin, se trouvent si malades de sans les consacrer au magasin,
remords qu’ils n’en peuvent plus fussent aussitôt saisis de remords
quitter le lit? N’aurait-il vraiment insensés au point de ne pas
pas suffi d’envoyer aux pouvoir se lever de leur lit?
renseignements un apprenti N’aurait-il pas suffi d’envoyer un
quelconque - si toutefois un apprenti aux renseignements - à
pareil interrogatoire était supposer qu’un interrogatoire
nécessaire - au lieu de déranger parût même nécessaire -;fallait-il
immédiatement le gérant comme que le fondé de pouvoir vint
pour montrer à toute la famille - lui-même, afin de montrer à toute
qui n’en pouvait mais - que la famille innocente que
l’éclaircissement d’une affaire l’éclaircissement de cette
aussi suspect, ne pouvait être scabreuse affaire ne pouvait être
confié qu’à l’intelligence du confié qu’à la perspicacité d’un
grand manitou? Ces réflexions fondé de pouvoir? Et à cause de
irritèrent tellement Grégoire qu’il l’agacement que produisaient en
se jeta de toute sa force hors du lui toutes ces réflexions plutôt que
lit : ce fut moins le résultat d’une par l’effet d’une véritable
détermination véritable que son décision, il se jeta de toutes ses
irritation. Il en résulta un choc forces hors du lit. Il y eut un choc,
bruyant, mais non le vacarme mais non à proprement parler un
redouté. Le tapis ayant amorti fracas. La chute avait été un peu
la chute, et le dos du jeune amortie par le tapis et le dos était
homme étant plus élastique sans doute plus élastique que
qu’il ne l’avait d’abord pensé, Gregor ne l’avait tout d’abord
le bruit sourd [17] ne s’était pensé; toujours est-il que le bruit
accompagné d’aucun grabuge. resta assez sourd pour ne pas trop
La tête seule avait souffert; appeler l’attention. Il n’avait
Grégoire, ne l’ayant pas relevée simplement pas assez pris garde
suffisamment, se l’était cognée à sa tête, qui alla se cogner
dans sa chute; il dut la tourner quelque part; il la tourna de côté
un peu pour la frotter sur le et, de dépit et de souffrance, la
tapis de douleur et de colère. frotta contre le tapis.
«Il y a quelque chose qui « Il y a quelque chose qui vient
vient de tomber», dit le de tomber », dit le fondé de
gérant dans la pièce de pouvoir dans la pièce de gauche.
gauche. Grégoire se Gregor chercha à imaginer s’il ne
demanda - si un jour il ne pourrait pas un jour advenir au
pourrait pas arriver quelque fondé de pouvoir une aventure
malheur du même genre à cet semblable à la sienne; c’était au
homme; après tout, rien ne moins une éventualité qu’on ne
s’y opposait. Mais, comme pouvait pas écarter. Mais, en guise
u n e r é p o n s e b r u t a l e, o n de réponse brutale à cette
entendit des pas, des question, on entendit dans la
souliers qui pièce d’à côté le fondé de pouvoir
craquaient. Et dans la avancer de quelques pas d’un air
pièce de droite la soeur décidé en faisant craquer ses
avertissait : souliers vernis. Et dans la pièce
« G r é g o i r e » , de droite, la soeur disait à voix
chuchotait-el le, «lé basse pour avertir Gregor : « Le
gérant est venu». «Je fondé de pouvoir est là.» « Je sais
sais», dit Grégoire, mais » , dit Gregor à part lui, mais il
il n’osa parler si fort n’osa pas élever suffisamment la
que sa scieur parvînt à voix pour que sa soeur puisse
l’entendre. l’entendre.
«Grégoire», disait maintenant « Gregor », disait
le père dans la pièce de gauche, maintenant le père dans la
«M. le Gérant vient demander pièce de gauche, « M. le fondé
pourquoi tu n’es pas parti au de pouvoir est arrivé et veut
premier train. Nous ne savons que savoir pourquoi tu n’es pas
lui répondre. D’ailleurs, il veut te parti par le premier train. Nous
Freed
s erving them who, having
spent several hours of the
morning not devoted to the
firm, might become so
overcome by pangs of
remorse as to be actually
unable to get out of bed?
Would it not have been
enough to send an apprentice
to inquire-if any inquiry were
actually necessary; did the
head clerk himself have to
come, and did the whole
innocent family have to be
shown that only the head clerk
could be entrusted to
investigate this suspicious
matter? And owing more to
the anxiety these thoughts
caused Gregor than to any real
decision, he swung himself
with all his might out of the
bed. There was a loud thud but
not really a crash. The fall was
broken s o m e w h a t b y t h e
carpet, and his back was
more flexible than Gregor
had thought, so there resulted
only a relatively unobtrusive
thump. However, he had not
been careful enough about
raising his head and had
banged it; he twisted it and
rubbed it against the carpet
in pain and aggravation.
“Something fell in there,”
said the head clerk in the
adjoining room to the left.
Gregor tried to imagine
whether something similar to
what had happened to him
today might one day befall
the head clerk; the possibility
really had to be granted. But
as if in rude reply to the
question, the head clerk now
took a few decisive steps in
the next room, which caused
his patent leather boots to
creak. From the room to the
r ight the sis ter info rmed
Gregor in a whisper: “The
head clerk is here.” “I
k n o w, ” G r e g o r s a i d t o
himself, not daring to raise
his voice loud enough for his
sister to hear.
“ G r e g o r, ” t h e f a t h e r
said, now from the room on
the left, “the head clerk has
come and wants to know
why you did not catch the
early train. We don’t know
19
Alianza
uno en particular, no eran sino
unos pillos? ¿Es que no podía
haber entre ellos algún hombre
de bien que, después de perder
aunque solo fuese un par de ho-
ras de la mañana, se volviese
loco de remordimiento y no se
hallase en condiciones de aban-
donar la cama? ¿Es que no bas-
taba acaso con mandar a pregun-
tar, por un chico, suponiendo que
tuviese fundamento esta manía
de averiguar, sino que era preci-
so que viniese el mismísimo prin-
cipal a enterar a toda una inocen-
te familia de que solo él tenía
calidad para intervenir en la in-
vestigación de tan tenebroso
asunto? Y Gregorio, más bien
sobrexcitado por estos pensa-
mientos que ya decidido a ello,
arrojóse enérgicamente del le-
cho. Se oyó un golpe sordo, pero
que no podría propiamente ca-
lificarse de estruendo. La alfom-
bra amortiguó la caída; la espal-
da tenía también mayor elasti-
cidad de lo que Gregorio había
supuesto, y esto evitó que el rui-
do fuese tan espantoso como se
temía. Pero no tuvo cuidado de
mantener la cabeza suficiente-
mente erguida; se hirió y el do-
lor le hizo restregarla rabiosa-
mente contra la alfombra.
gruff [ronco (in voice) / brusco (in manner)]
—Algo ha ocurrido ahí
dentro -dijo el principal en la
habitación de la izquierda.
Gregorio intentó imaginar que
al principal [20] pudiera suce-
derle algún día lo mismo que
hoy a él, posibilidad cierta-
mente muy admisible. Pero el
principal, como contestando
brutalmente a esta suposición,
dio con energía unos cuantos
pasos por el cuarto vecino,
haciendo crujir sus botas de
charol. Desde la habitación
contigua de la derecha, susu-
rró la hermana esta noticia: «
Gregorio, que ahí está el prin-
cipal». « Ya lo sé», contestó
Gregorio para sus adentros.
Pero no osó levantar la voz
hasta el punto de hacerse oír
de su hermana.
—Gregorio -dijo por fin el pa-
dre desde la habitación contigua de
la izquierda-, Gregorio, ha venido
el señor principal y pregunta por qué
no te marchaste en el primer tren.
No sabemos lo que debemos con-
Willie
would go so mad with pangs
of conscience that he couldn’t
g e t o u t o f b e d i f h e d i d n ’t
spend at least a couple of
hours in the morning on
c o m p a n y b u s i n e s s ? Wa s i t
really not enough to let one
of the trainees make enquiries
- assuming enquiries were
even necessary - did the chief
clerk have to come himself,
and did they have to show the
whole, innocent family that
t h i s w a s s o suspicious that
only the chief clerk could be
trusted to have the wisdom to
investigate it? And more
because these thoughts had
made him upset than through
any proper decision, he swang
himself with all his force out
of the bed. There was a loud
thump, but it wasn’t really a
loud noise. His fall was
softened a little by the carpet,
and Gregor ’s back was also
more elastic than he had
thought, which made the
s o u n d m u ff l e d a n d n o t t o o
noticeable. He had not held
his head carefully enough,
though, and hit it as he fell;
annoyed and in pain, he
turned it and rubbed it against
the carpet.
“Something’s fallen down in
there”, said the chief clerk in
the room on the left. Gregor
tried to imagine whether
something of the sort that had
happened to him today could
ever happen to the chief clerk
too; you had to concede that
it was possible. But as if in
gruff reply to this question, the
chief clerk’s firm footsteps in
his highly polished boots could
now be heard in the adjoining
room. From the room on his
right, Gregor’s sister whispered
to him to let him know:
“G r e g o r, t h e c h i e f c l e r k i s
here. “ “Yes, I know”, said
Gregor to himself; but
without daring to raise his
voice loud enough for his
sister to hear him.
“Gregor”, said his father now
from the room to his left, “the
chief clerk has come round and
wants to know why you didn’t
leave on the early train. We
don’t know what to say to him.
 Neugroschel
Besides, he would like to speak
to you personally. So please
open the door. I’m sure he will
be kind enough to overlook the
disorder in the room.”
“Good morning, Mr.
Samsa,” the office manager
was calling amiably.
“He’s not well,” the
mother said to the office man-
ager while the father kept
talking through the door, “he’s
not well, believe me, sir. Why
else would Gregor miss a
train! I mean, the boy thinks
of nothing but his job. I’m
almost annoyed that he never
goes out in the evening;
goodness, he’s been back in
town for a whole week now,
but he’s stayed in every single
night. He just sits here at the
table, quietly reading the
newspaper or poring over
timetables. The only fun he
has is when he does some
fretsawing. For instance, he
spent two or three evenings
carving out a small picture
frame; you’d be amazed how
pretty it is. It’s hanging inside,
in his room; you’ll see it in a
moment when Gregor opens
the door. By the way, sir, I’m
delighted that you’re here; we
could never have gotten
Gregor [126] to unlock the
door by ourselves-he’s so
stubborn; and he must be under
the weather, even though he
denied it this morning.”
“I’ll be right there,” said
Gregor slowly and deliberately,
but not stirring so as
not to miss one word of
the conversation.
“I can think of no other
e x p l a n a t i o n e i t h e r, M r s .
Samsa,” said the manager, “I
do hope it is nothing serious.
Though still and all, I must
sa y t h a t f o r b u s i n e s s
r e a s o n s w e businessmen-
unfortunately or fortunately,
as you will-very often must
simply overcome a minor
indisposition.”
“Well, can the manager
come into your room now?”
asked the impatient father,
knocking on the door again.
“No,” said Gregor. In the
left-hand room there was an
embarrassed silence, in the
del Solar
qué decirle. Además, desea
hablar personalmente contigo,
así que haz el favor de abrir
la puerta. Ya tendrá la amabi-
lidad de disculpar el desorden
de la habitación». «Buenos
días, señor Samsa», terció
cordialmente el gerente. «No
se encuentra bien», le dijo la
madre a este mientras el pa-
dre seguía hablando junto a la
puerta, «no se encuentra bien,
créame, señor gerente.
¿Cómo, si no, habría perdido
Gregor el tren? El muchacho
no [30] piensa más que en su
trabajo. Si casi me molesta
que nunca salga de noche;
ahora mismo acaba de pasar
ocho días en la ciudad, pero
no ha salido de casa una sola
noche. Se sienta a la mesa con
nosotros y lee tranquilamente
el periódico o estudia los ho-
rarios de trenes. Para él hacer
t r a b a j o s d e m a rq u e t e r í a
constituye una distracción. En
el curso de dos o tres tardes,
por ejemplo, talló un peque-
ño marco; se asombrará usted
de lo precioso que es, lo tiene
colgado en su habitación, aho-
ra mismo lo verá, cuando
Gregor abra. Además, me ale-
gra mucho que esté usted aquí,
señor gerente, nosotros solos
no hubiéramos podido animar
a Gregor a abrir la puerta, ¡con
lo tozudo que es! Y seguro que
no se encuentra bien, aunque lo
haya negado esta mañana».
«Enseguida voy», dijo Gregor
con lentitud circunspecta, y no
se movió para no perderse una
palabra de la conversación.
«De otro modo yo tampoco
podría explicármelo, señora»,
dijo el gerente; «ojalá no sea
nada serio. Aunque por otra
parte he de decir que nosotros,
los hombres de negocios, tene-
mos muchas veces que sobre-
ponernos -por suerte o por
desgracia, según se mire- a
cualquier ligera indisposición
en aras de nuestra respon-
sabilidad profesional».
«¿Qué? ¿Ya puede entrar a
verte el señor gerente?», pre-
guntó el padre, impaciente y
volviendo a llamar a la puer-
ta. «No», dijo Gregor. En la
habitación contigua de la izquier-
da se hizo un penoso silencio, y
20
Stokes
to him. Besides, he’d like a
word with you in person. So
please open up. He’ll be
kind enough, I’m sure, to
excuse the mess in your
room: ‘Good morning, Herr
Samsa,’ came meanwhile
the friendly voice of the
chief clerk. ‘He’s not well,’
Gregor ’s mother told the
chief clerk, while his father
was still talking outside the
door, ‘he’s not well, sir,
believe you me. Why else
would Gregor miss a train!
That boy thinks of nothing
but his work. It almost
makes me angry that he
never goes out in the
evening; he’s been in [10]
town all week but stayed at
home every evening. He sits
with us at table and quietly
reads the newspaper or
pores over timetables.
Fretwork provides his only
amusement. He made a little
picture-frame, for example,
which took him two or three
evenings; you’ll be amazed
how pretty it is; it’s hanging
in his room; you’ll see it in
a moment when Gregor
opens the door. I’m glad, by
t h e w a y, t h a t y o u h a v e
come, sir; we’d never have
persuaded Gregor to unlock
the door by ourselves; he’s
s o s t u b b o r n , a n d h e ’s
certainly unwell, although
he denied it this morning.’
‘Just coming,’ Gregor said
slowly and deliberately, and
kept quite still so as not to
miss a word of the
conversation. ‘I too, madam,
can think of no other
explanation,’ said the chief
clerk. ‘I hope it’s nothing
serious. Although I have to
say that we businessmen are
-unfortunately or
fortunately, as you will -
very often obliged for
business reasons simply to
shrug o ff minor
indispositions.”
Ca n the chief clerk come
in now?’ his father asked
i m p a t i e n t l y, k n o c k i n g o n
the door again. ‘No,’
s a i d G r e g o r. I n t h e r o o m
on the left an
embarras sed silence
Vialatte
parler personnellement. Allons,
fais-nous le plaisir d’ouvrir la
porte. Il aura la bonté d’excuser
le désordre de ta chambre.» On
entendit le gérant l’interrompre en
criant : «Bonjour, monsieur
Samsa! - II est malade», lui dit
la mère tandis que le père
poursuivait. son discours, «il
est malade, croyez-moi,
monsieur le Gérant.
Comment aurait-il manqué le
train sans cela? Ce garçon n’a
que son commerce dans la
tête. Je me fais même du
mauvais sang à voir qu’il ne
sort jamais après [18] souper;
croiriez-vous qu’il vient de
passer huit jours ici, et qu’il
est resté tous les soirs à la
maison? Il s’installe devant
la table et il reste là, sans rien
dire, à lire le journal ou à
étudier ses indicateurs. Sa
plus grande débauche, c’est de
fabriquer des babioles avec sa
scie à découper. Dernièrement,
il a travaillé à un petit cadre; en
deux, trois séances, c’était fini.
Et joli comme tout! Vous verrez
ça dans sa chambre, vous en
serez étonné. Dès que Grégoire
ouvrira, vous pourrez regarder.
D’ailleurs, je suis bien contente
que vous ayez eue l’idée de
venir. Sans vous, nous n’aurions
jamais pu décider Grégoire à
ouvrir sa chambre, tant ce
garçon est têtu; il est sûrement
malade, bien qu’il n’ait pas
voulu en convenir ce matin.
- J’arrive», articula Grégoire
avec une lenteur circonspecte;
mais il continua de faire le
mort pour ne pas perdre un
mot de la conversation. «Je ne
puis en effet, madame,
m’expliquer la chose
autrement, déclarait le gérant,
espérons que ce ne sera rien
de grave. Cependant, il me
faut dire que nous autres
commerçants devont souvent
- par bonheur, ou par malheur,
comme vous voudrez -faire
passer les affaires avant nos
petits malaises.
Eh bien, monsieur le
gérant peut-il entrer
maintenant?» demanda le
père impatienté en frappant
de nouveau à la porte. «Non»,
dit Grégoire. A gauche, il y
eut un silence pénible; à
Cl. David
ne savons que lui dire. Il veut
d’ailleurs te parler
personnellement. Ouvre donc
la porte, s’il te plaît. Il aura
la bonté d’excuser le désordre
d e t a c h a m b r e . » « Bonjour,
monsieu r S a m s a » , d i s a i t
aimablement le fondé de pouvoir
dans le même temps. « Il est
malade », disait la mère au fondé
de pouvoir, tandis que le père
continuait à parler à la porte, « il
es t m a l a d e , c r o y e z - m o i ,
monsieur le fondé de pouvoir.
Autrement, comment Gregor
aurait-il fait pour manquer un
train? C’est un garçon qui n’a
rien d’autre en tête que son
métier. Je suis même contrariée
qu’il ne sorte jamais le soir; il
vient de passer huit jours à la ville,
eh bien, aucun soir il n’a quitté la
maison. Il reste à table avec nous
à lire tranquillement le journal ou
à étudier les indicateurs. Sa plus
grande distraction, c’est un peu de
menuiserie. Dernièrement, il a
fabriqué un petit cadre en deux ou
trois soirées; vous auriez peine à
croire comme c’est joli; il l’a
accroché dans sa chambre. Vous
allez le voir dès qu’il aura ouvert
sa porte. Je suis d’ailleurs
heureuse que vous soyez là,
monsieur le fondé de pouvoir; à
nous seuls, nous n’aurions pas
pu décider Gregor à ouvrir sa
porte; il est si têtu; et il est
certainement malade, bien qu’il
ait prétendu le contraire ce
matin.» «J’arrive tout de suite
», dit Gregor avec une lenteur
circonspecte; mais il restait
immobile pour ne pas perdre un
mot de la conversation. « Je ne
puis en effet m’expliquer la
chose autrement, madame », dit
le fondé de pouvoir, « j’espère
que ce n’est rien de grave.
Encore que je doive ajouter que
nous autres gens d’affaires,
nous sommes souvent
malheureusement obligés - ou
heureusement, si vous voulez -
de négliger par conscience
professionnelle une petite
indisposition.»
« Alors, vas-tu maintenant
laisser entrer M. le fondé de
pouvoir?», demanda le père
avec impatience, en frappant à
nouveau à la porte. « Non », dit
Gregor. Dans la pièce de gauche,
il se fit un pénibl e silence,
Freed
what to tell him. Besides,
he wants to speak to you
personally, so please open
the door. He would surely
be so kind as to excuse the
untidiness of the room.”
“Good morning,
Samsa,” the head clerk was
calling out amiably. “He is
not well,” said the mother to
the head clerk while the
father was still speaking
through the door, “he’s not
well, sir, believe me. Why
else would Gregor miss a
train! All that the boy thinks
about is work. It almost
makes me mad the way he
never goes out in the
evening; he’s been in the
city eight days now, but he’s
been at home every night.
He sits with us at the table
quietly reading the paper or
studying train schedules.
His only amusement [13 ] is
busying himself with his
fretsaw.* For example, he
spent two or three evenings
carving a small frame,
you’d be amazed how pretty
it is, he hung it in his room,
you’ll see it as soon as
Gregor opens up. I’m glad,
sir, that you are here; we
would never have gotten
Gregor to open the door
ourselves, he’s so stubborn
and he’s certainly not well
even though he denied it
this morning.” “I’m just
coming,” said Gregor
slowly and carefully , not
moving so as not to miss one
word of the conversation.
“I can’t think of any
other explanation,
madam,” said the head
clerk; “I hope it’s
nothing serious. On the
other hand I must say we
businessmen-fortunately
o r u n f o r t u n a t e l y, a s y o u
will-are often obliged to
simply overcome a slight
indisposition to tend to
business.”
“So can the head clerk
come in now?” asked the
impatient father, knocking
on the door again. “No,”
said Gregor. The room on
the left fell into an
uncomfortable silence,
Alianza
testarle. Además, desea hablar per-
sonalmente contigo. Conque haz el
favor de abrir la puerta. El señor
principal tendrá la bondad de dis-
culpar el desorden del cuarto.
— ¡Buenos días, señor
M r. Samsa! -terció entonces amable-
mente el principal.
—No se encuentra bien
-dijo la madre a este último
mientras el padre continuaba
hablando junto a la puerta-. No
está bueno, créame usted, señor
principal. ¿Cómo, si no, iba
Gregorio a perder el tren? Si el
chico no tiene otra cosa en la
cabeza más [21] que el alma-
cén. ¡Si casi me molesta que no
salga ninguna noche! Ahora,
por ejemplo, ha estado aquí
ocho días; pues bien, ¡ni una
sola noche ha salido de casa!
Se sienta con nosotros, hacien-
do corro alrededor de la mesa,
lee el periódico sin decir pala-
bra o estudia itinerarios. Su
única distracción consiste en
trabajos de carpintería. En dos
o tres veladas ha tallado un
marquito. Cuando lo vea usted,
se va a asombrar; es precioso.
Ahí está colgado, en su cuarto;
ya lo verá usted en seguida, en
cuanto abra Gregorio. Por otra
parte, celebro verle a usted, se-
ñor principal, pues nosotros
solos nunca hubiéramos podi-
do decidir a Gregorio a abrir la
puerta. ¡Es más tozudo! Segu-
ramente no se encuentra bien,
aunque antes dijo lo contrario.
-Voy en seguida -exclamó lenta-
mente Gregorio, circunspecto y
sin moverse para no perder pa-
labra de la conversación. -De
otro modo, no sabría explicár-
melo, señora -repuso el princi-
pal-. Es de esperar que no será
nada serio. Aunque, por otra
parte, no tengo más remedio
que decir que nosotros, los co-
merciantes, desgraciada o afor-
tunadamente como se quiera,
tenemos a la fuerza que saber
sufrir a menudo ligeras indis-
posiciones, anteponiendo a
todo los negocios.
—Bueno [22]—preguntó el
padre, impacientándose y tor-
nando a llamar a la puerta-: ¿pue-
de entrar ya el señor principal?
—No —respondió Gregorio.
En la habitación contigua de la izquierda
reinó un silencio lleno de tristeza, y en la
21
Willie
And anyway, he wants to speak
to you personally. So please
open up this door. I’m sure he’ll
be good enough to forgive the
untidiness of your room.”
Then the chief clerk called
“Go o d m o r n i n g , M r .
Samsa”.
“He isn’ t well”, said his
mother to the chief clerk,
while his father continued to
speak through the door. “He
isn’t well, please believe
me. Why else would Gregor
have missed a train! The lad
only ever thinks about the
business. It nearly makes
me cross the way he never
goes out in the evenings;
h e ’s b e e n i n t o w n f o r a
week now but stayed home
every evening. He sits with
us in the kitchen and just
reads the paper or studies
train timetables. His idea of
r e l a x a t i o n i s w o r k i n g with
h i s f r e t s a w . H e ’s m a d e a
little frame, for instance, it
only took him two or three
evenings, you’ll be amazed
how nice it is; it’s hanging up
in his room; you’ll see it as
soon as Gregor opens the
d o o r. A n y w a y, I ’ m g l a d
y o u ’ r e h e r e ; w e w o u l d n ’t
have been able to get Gregor
to open the door by ourselves;
he’s so stubborn; and I’m sure
he isn’t well, he said thi s
morning that he is, but he isn’t.”
“I’ll be there in a
moment”, said Gregor slowly
and thoughtfully, but
without moving so that he
would not miss any word of
t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n . “ We l l I
can’t think of any other way
of explaining it, Mrs. Samsa”,
said the chief clerk, “I hope
it’s nothing serious. But on
the other hand, I must say that
if we people in commerce ever
become slightly unwell then,
fortunately or unfortunately as
you like, we simply have to
overcome it because of business
considerations.”
“Can the chief clerk come in
to see you now then?”, asked
h i s f a t h e r i m p a t i e n t l y,
knocking at the door again.
“ N o ” , s a i d G r e g o r. I n t h e
room on his right there
f o l l o w ed a painful s i l e n c e ;
 Neugroschel del Solar Stokes Vialatte Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie

right-hand room en la habitación de la de- fell; in the room on the d r o i t e , l a s o e u r dans la pièce de droite, the sister began habitación contigua de la de- in the room on his
the sister began recha la hermana empezó a right his sister began to s e m i t à la soeur se mit à sobbing in the room on recha comenzó a sollozar la left his sister began
sobbing. sollozar. sob. sangloter. sangloter. the right. hermana. t o c r y.

Why didn’t she join the
others? She had probably
only just gotten out of bed
and not yet started dressing.
And what was she crying
about? Because Gregor
wouldn’t get up and let the
manager in, because he was
in danger of losing his job,
and because the boss would
then go back to dun n i n g
Gregor ’s parents with his
old claims? For the time
b e i n g , t h o s e w e re m o s t
l i k e ly pointless worries.
Gregor was still here and had
no intention whatsoever of
running out on his family.
True, at this moment he was
simply lying on the carpet,
and no one aware of his
condition would have
seriously expected him to
let in the manager. Indeed,
Gregor could hardly be
dismissed on the spot for
this petty discourtesy, for
which he would easily hit
on an [127] appropriate
excuse later on. He felt it
would make far more
sense if they left him
alone for now instead of
pestering him with tears
and coaxing. However, the
others were in a state of
suspense, which justified
their behavior.
[31] ¿Por qué no iba la
hermana a reunirse con los
otros? Probablemente acaba-
ba de salir de la cama y aún
no había empezado a vestir-
se. Pero, entonces, ¿por qué
lloraba? ¿Porque él no se le-
vantaba ni hacía pasar al ge-
rente? ¿Porque corría el pe-
ligro de perder su puesto y
el jefe volvería a perseguir
a los padres con sus viejas
reclamaciones? Estas eran,
de momento, preocupacio-
nes sin duda inútiles.
Gregor aún estaba ahí, y no
tenía la más remota intención
de abandonar a su familia.
Por ahora yacía sobre la al-
fombra, y nadie que lo hubie-
ra visto en ese estado le ha-
bría exigido seriamente que
hiciese pasar al gerente. De
todas formas, esa pequeña
descortesía, para la que ya
encontraría más adelante al-
guna excusa satisfactoria,
no podía provocar el despi-
do inmediato de Gregor. Y
este tuvo la impresión de
que, en vez de incordiarle
con llantos y ruegos, sería
mucho más sensato que lo
dejasen tranquilo por ahora.
Pero era precisamente la in-
certidumbre lo que los ago-
biaba y disculpaba su com-
portamiento.
Why did his sister not join
the others? She had probably
only just got out of bed and
hadn’t even begun to dress.
And why was she crying?
Because he was not getting up
to let the chief clerk in,
because he was in danger of
losing his job, and because the
boss would then start
hounding his parents again
about those old debts? There
w a s s u re l y n o n e e d t o
worry about such things
for the time being. Gregor
was still present and had not
the slightest intention of
deserting his family. For the
moment, it was true, he was
lying there on the carpet,
and no one aware of his
condition could seriously
have expected him to let the
chief clerk in. But this minor
d i s c o u r t e s y, f o r w h i c h a
suitable excuse could easily
be found at a later stage, [11]
was surely not reason
enough to dismiss Gregor on
the spot. And it seemed to
Gregor that it would have
been much more sensible to
leave him alone, instead of
disturbing him with tears and
entreaties. But it was, of course,
the uncertainty which was
distressing the others, and that
excused their behaviour.
Pourquoi n’allait-elle pas
rejoindre les autres.? [19] Sans
doute venait-elle seulement de
se lever et n’était-elle pas
encore vêtue. Et pourquoi
donc pleurait-elle? Parc e
qu’il ne se levait pas pour
faire entrer le gérant, qu’il
risquait de perdre son p o s t e
et que le patron
rec ommencerait à accabler
ses parents des mêmes
réclamations qu’autrefois? Soucis
vraiment déplacés!
Grégoire était encore là, et ne
pensait pas le moins du monde
à abandonner sa famille. En
cet instant, évidemment, il
gisait sur un tapis et personne en,
le voyant dans cet état n’aurait
pu exiger sérieusement qu’il fît
entrer le gérant dans sa
chambre. Mais ce n’était tout
de même pas à cause de cette
petite impolitesse, qu’il
trouverait d’ailleurs bien le
moyen de faire excuser plus
tard, qu’on allait le mettre
immédiatement à la porte. Et
Grégoire trouva qu’il eût été
plus raisonnable e n c e
moment de le laisser
tranquille que de
l ’ accabler de discours et de
gémissements. Mais c’était
justement l’incertitude des autres
qui causait leur inquiétude et les
excusait d’agir ainsi.
Pourquoi la soeur
n’allait-elle pas rejoindre les
autres? Elle venait
probablement de sortir tout juste
du lit et n’avait pas commencé
à s’habiller. Et pourquoi donc
pleurait-elle? Parce qu’il ne se
levait pas pour ouvrir au fondé
de pouvoir, parce qu’il risquait
de perdre son poste, parce que
le patron allait demander à
nouveau à ses parents le
paiement de leur dette?
C’étaient là provisoirement
des soucis inutiles. Gregor était
encore là et ne songeait pas le
moins du monde à abandonner
sa famille. Pour l’instant, il est
vrai, il était là, couché sur le
tapis et, en le voyant dans cet
état, personne n’aurait pu exiger
sérieusement qu’il fasse entrer
le fondé de pouvoir. Mais ce
n’était pourtant pas à cause de
ce petit manque de courtoisie,
pour lequel on trouverait plus
tard facilement une excuse,
qu’on allait mettre Gregor à la
porte. Et Gregor avait
l’impression qu’il serait
beaucoup plus raisonnable
pour l’instant de le laisser
tranquille, plutôt que de
l’accabler de larmes et
d’exhortations. Mais c’était
l’incertitude qui les
angoissait ainsi et qui
excusait leur attitude.
Why did the sister not
join the others? She had
probably just gotten out
of bed and had not yet
begun to dress. And why
was she crying? Because
he would not get up and
let the head clerk in,
because he was in danger
o f l o s i n g h i s j o b , because
the boss would again start
hounding Gregor ’s parents
for their old debts? These
were surely unnecessary
worries at the moment.
Gregor was still here and
would not think of deserting
his family. Of course, he was
currently lying on the carpet
and no one who knew of his
condition could seriously
expect that he would admit
the head clerk. This petty
d i s c o u r t e s y, f o r w h i c h a
suitable explanation could
easily be found later, could
hardly be grounds for
G r e g o r ’s immediate
dismissal. And it seemed to
Gregor that it would be
more reasonable if they
were now to leave him in
peace instead of bothering
him with their crying and
pleading. But the others were
obviously distressed by the
uncertainty, and this excused
their behavior.
Pero ¿por qué no iba ésta
a reunirse con los demás?
Cierto es que acababa de le-
vantarse y que ni siquiera ha-
bía empeza d o a v e s t i r s e .
Pero ¿por qué lloraba? Aca-
so porque el hermano no se
levantaba, porque no hacía
pasar al principal, porque
corría el peligro de perder su
colocación, con lo cual el
amo volvería a atormentar a
los padres con las deudas de
antaño. Pero éstas, por él mo-
mento, eran preocupaciones
completamente gratuitas.
Gregorio estaba todavía -allí,
y no pensaba ni remotamen-
te en abandonar a los suyos.
Por el momento, yacía sobre
la alfombra, y nadie que co-
nociera el estado en que se
encontraba hubiera pensado
que podía hacer entrar en su
cuarto al principal. Mas esta
pequeña descortesía, que
más adelante sabría de se-
guro explicar satisfactoria-
mente, no era motivo sufi-
ciente para despedirle sin
demora. Y Gregorio pensó
que, por de pronto, harto
mejor que molestarle [23]
con llantos y discursos era de-
jarle en paz. Pero la incertidumbre en
que se hallaban respecto a él era pre-
cisamente lo que aguijoneaba a los
otros, disculpando su actitud.
So why did his sister not
go and join the others? She
had probably only just got up
and had not even begun to get
dressed. And why was she
crying? Was it because he had
not got up, and had not let the
chief clerk in, because he was
in danger of losing his job
and if that happened his boss
would once more pursue their
parents with the same
d e m a n d s a s b e f o r e ? T h e re
was no need to worry about
things like that yet. Gregor
was still there and had not the
slightest intention of
a b a n d o n i n g h i s f a m i l y. F o r
the time being he just lay
there on the carpet, and no-
one who knew the condition
he was in would seriously
have expected him to let the
chief clerk in. It was only a
m i n o r d i s c o u r t e s y, a n d a
suitable excuse could easily
be found for it later on, it was
not something for which
Gregor could be sacked on the
spot. And it seemed to Gregor
much more sensible to leave
him now in peace instead of
disturbing him with talking
at him and crying . But the
others didn’t know what was
happening, they were
worried, that would excuse
their behaviour.

“Mr. Samsa,” the manager
now called out, raising his
voice, “what is wrong? You
are barricading yourself in
your room, answering only
`yes’ or `no,’ causing your
parents serious and
unnecessary anxieties, and-I
only mention this in
passing-neglecting your
professional duties in a truly
outrageous manner. I am
speaking on behalf of your
parents and the director of
t h e f i r m a nd I am quite
earnestly r e q u e s t i n g a n
immedi ate and cogent explanation.
I amdumbfounded, dumbfounded.
I believed you to be a
quiet, reasonable
person, and now you
suddenly seem intent on
«Señor Samsa», exclamó
entonces el gerente en voz
más alta, «¿qué es lo que le
pasa? Se ha atrincherado us-
ted en su habitación, respon-
de solo con un sí o un no,
crea preocupaciones graves
e inútiles a sus padres y, di-
cho sea de pa s o , d e s c u i d a
sus obligaciones profe-
sionales de manera fran-
camente inaudita. Le ha-
blo aquí en nombre de sus
padres y de su jefe, y le
pido muy en serio una ex-
plicación inmediata y
esclarecedora. Estoy asom-
brado, muy asombrado. Yo le
tenía por una persona tran-
quila [32] y juiciosa, y aho-
ra, de pronto, parece como si
quisiera hacer alarde de una
22
‘Herr Samsa,’ the chief
clerk now called out in a
louder voice, ‘what is wrong?
You barricade yourself in
your room, answer nothing
but yes or no, cause your
parents a great deal of
unnecessary anxiety and, in
addition - I only mention this
in passing - neglect your
professional duties in a
frankly quite outrageous
manner. On behalf of your
parents and your employer I
must ask you most earnestly
for an immediate, an
unambiguous explanation. I
am astonished, astonished. I
had always considered you to
be a calm and reasonable
individual, and now you
suddenly seem inclined to
Maintenant le gérant élevait
la voix : «Monsieur Samsa,
criait-il, que se passe-t-il donc?
Vous vous barricadez là dans
votre chambre, vous ne
répondez que par oui ou non,
vous plongez inutilement vos
parents dans l’angoisse et vous
négligez vos devoirs
professionnels, je l’ajoute entre
parenthèses, d’une façon
complètement inouïe! Je parle
ici au nom de vos parents et de
votre directeur, et je vous prie
très sérieusement de nous
donner immédiatement une
explication des plus nettes. Je
suis [20] complètement
stupéfait. Je vous prenais pour
un garçon tranquille, raisonnable, et
voilà que tout d’un coup vous vous
donnez des airs de vouloir, étonner
Maintenant, le fondé de
pouvoir élevait la voix : «
Monsieur Samsa », criait-il, «
que se passe-t-il? Vous vous
barricadez dans votre chambre,
vous ne répondez que par oui et
par non, vous causez
inutilement de grands soucis à
vos parents et vous négligez vos
obligations professionnelles,
soit dit en passant, d’une façon
proprement inouïe. Je parle ici
au nom de vos parents et de
votre directeur et je vous prie
très sérieusement de nous
donner à l’instant même une
explication claire. Je suis
étonné, très étonné. Je
croyais vous connaître
comme un homme calme et
raisonnable et voilà que tout à
coup vous semblez vouloir vous
“Mr. Samsa,” the he ad
clerk now called, raising his
voice, “what is the matter?
You are barricading yourself
in your room, giving only
yes and no answers, causing
your parents serious and
unnecessary concern, and
neglecting—I just mention
this in passing—your
professional responsibilities
in an outrageous m a n n e r. I
a m [14] speaking here in
the name of your parents
and your boss, and I
serio usly beg you to give a
clear and immediate explanation.
I am astonished, just
astonished. I hav e always
known you to be a quiet,
reasonable man and now
you suddenly seem to be
*Long, narrow-bladed saw used to cut ornamental work from thin wood.
23
—Señor Samsa -dijo, por
fin, el principal con voz
campanuda-, ¿qué significa
esto? Se ha atrincherado us-
ted en su habitación. No
contesta más que sí o no. In-
quieta usted grave e inútil-
mente a sus padres, y, sea
dicho de paso, falta a su
obligación en el almacén de
una manera verdaderamen-
te inaudi t a . L e h a b l o a
usted aquí en nombre de
sus padres y de su jefe,
y le ruego muy en serio
que se explique al punto
y claramente. Estoy
asombrado; yo le tenía a
usted por un hombre formal
y juicioso, y no parece sino
que ahora, de repente, quie-
re usted hacer gala de in-
The chief clerk now raised his voice,
“Mr. Samsa”, he called to him,
“what is wrong? You barricade
yourself in your room, give us
no more than yes or no for an
answer, you are causing serious
and unnecessary concern to
your parents and you fail - and
I mention this just by the way -
you fail to carry out your
business duties in a way that is
quite unheard o f. I ’ m
speaking here on behalf
of your parents and of
y o u r e m p l o y e r, a n d
r e a l l y must request a
clear and immediate explanation.
I am astonished, quite astonished.
I t h o u gh t I k n e w y o u a s a
calm and sensible person,
and now you suddenly seem
to be showing off with
 Neugroschel
flauntin g bizarre moods.
This morning the director
hinted at a possible
explanation for your
tardinessit pertained to the
cash collections that you
were recently entrusted
with-but in fact I practically
gave him my word of honor
that this explanation could
not be valid. Now, however,
I a m witnessing your
incomprehensible
stubbornness, which makes
me lose any and all desire to
speak up for you in any way
whatsoever. And your job is
by no means rock solid. My
original intention was to tell
you all this in private, but
since you are forcing me to
waste my time here
needlessly, I see no reason
why your parents should not
find out as well. Frankly, your
recent work has been highly
unsatisfactory. We do
appreciate that this is not the
season for doing a lot of
business; still, there is no
season whatsoever, there can be
no season for doing no business
at all, Mr. Samsa.” [128]
“ B u t , s i r, ” G r e g o r
exclaimed, beside himself,
forgetting everything else in
his agitation, “I’ll open the
door immediately, this very
instant. A slight indispo-
sition, a dizzy spell have
prevented me f r o m g e t t i n g
up. I am still lying in
bed. But now I am quite
f re sh again. I am getti ng
out of bed this very second.
Please be patient for another
moment or two! It is not going
as well as I expected. But I do
feel fine. How suddenly it can
overcome a person! Just last
night I was quite well, my
parents know I was-or rather,
last night I did have a slight
foreboding. It must have
been obvious to anyone
else. Just why didn’t I
report it at the office!? But
one always thinks one can
get over an illness without
staying home. Sir! Please
spare my parents! There are
no grounds for any of the
things you are accusing me
of-in fact, no one has ever
del Solar
conducta extravagante y
caprichosa. El jefe me sugi-
rió es t a m a ñ a n a u n a p o s i -
ble explicación de su tar-
danza, relacionada con
unos cobros que se le ha-
b í a n e n c o m endado hace
poco, pero yo casi empeñé mi
palabra de honor en que esa
explicación no podía ser cier-
ta. Ahora, sin embargo, y en
vista de su incomprensible tes-
tarudez, he perdido las ganas
de interceder, aunque sea
mínimamente, en su favor. Y
su posición en la empresa tam-
poco es que sea demasiado se-
gura. Mi intención inicial era
decirle todo esto a solas, pero
ya que me está haciendo per-
der aquí el tiempo inútilmen-
te, no veo por qué no habrían
de enterarse también sus seño-
res padres. Su rendimiento en
los últimos tiempos ha sido
muy poco satisfactorio; claro
que esta no es la mejor épo-
ca del año para hacer grandes
negocios, y nosotros lo reco-
nocemos, pero una época en
la que no se haga ningún ne-
gocio, señor Samsa, no la hay
ni debe haberla».
«Pero, señor gerente», ex-
clamó Gregor fuera de sí, ol-
vidándose en su excitación de
todo lo demás, «voy a abrir
ahora mismo, sí, inmediata-
mente. Una ligera indisposi-
ción, un pequeño vértigo me
han impedido levantarme.
Todavía estoy en la cama.
Pero ya me siento otra vez
fresco y despejado. Me le-
vantaré ahora mismo. ¡Solo
un poquito de paciencia! Aún
no me encuentro tan bien
como pensaba, pero ya estoy
mejor. ¡Son cosas que lo pi-
llan a uno desprevenido! Ayer
estaba la mar de [33] bien,
mis padres lo saben, o, me-
jor dicho, ya ayer tuve un
pequeño presentimiento , y
tendría que habérseme nota-
do. ¿Por qué no habré dicho
nada en la oficina? Aunque
uno siempre piensa que supe-
rará la enfermedad sin nece-
sidad de quedarse en casa.
¡Señor gerente, le ruego con-
sideración para con mis pa-
dres! Los reproches que aca-
ba usted de hacerme no tie-
24
Stokes
flaunt these peculiar whims.
Although your superior
intimated to me this morning
a possible explanation for
your absence -concerning the
cash payments that you had
been trusted to collect - I
virtually gave him my word
of honour that there could be
no truth in such an
explanation. But faced here
with your incomprehensible
o b s t i n a c y, I f i n d m y s e l f
losing absolutely all
inclination to defend you in
any way whatsoever. And
your position is far from
secure. My original intention
was to tell you all this
privately, but as you are
causing me to waste my time
here so aimlessly, I see no
reason why your good
parents should not hear it as
well. So: your achievements
have recently been most
unsatisfactory; it is of course
not the best season for doing
business, we recognise that;
but there is no such thing,
Herr Samsa, there can be no
such thing as a season for
doing no business at all:
‘But sir,’ cried Gregor,
distraught and forgetting
everything [12] else in his
agitation, ‘I’ll open the
door immediately, at once.
A slight indisposition, a
bout of dizziness, prevented
me from getting up. I’m still
in bed. But now I feel
perfectly fit again. I’m just
getting out of bed. Just be
patient for a second! Things
aren’t as good as I thought.
But there’s nothing wrong
with me. It’s strange how
quickly something like that
can hit you! I was feeling
fine only last night, you can
ask my parents, or, wait, I
did have a feeling last night
that something was wrong.
It must have shown on my
face. Why on earth didn’t I
let the office know? But
one always imagines one
will shake off such things
without needing to stay
at home. Sir! Spare my
parents! All these
accusations of yours are
quite unfounded; and no
Vialatte
la galerie par vos extravagances! M.
le Directeur, en me parlant ce matin
de votre absence, m’en proposait
une interprétation que j’ai
repoussée; il faisait allusion aux
encaissements qu’on vous a
confiés depuis peu; j’ai
engagé ma parole d’honneur
que cela n’avait rien à voir
dans l’affaire. Mais
maintenant je suis bien obligé
de constater votre entêtement,
et je vous assure, monsieur
Samsa, que cela m’ôte toute
envie de reprendre jamais
votre défense. Votre situation
n’est pourtant pas si solide!
J’avais d’abord l’intention de
vous dire cela en tête-à-tête,
mais, puisque vous me faites
perdre inutilement mon temps
ici, je ne vois plus de raison
de me taire devant vos
parents. Sachez donc que
votre travail de ces derniers
temps ne nous a pas donné
satisfaction; nous
reconnaissons, je le veux bien,
que la saison n’est pas propice aux
grandes affaires, mais apprenez,
monsieur Samsa, qu’une saison
sans aucune affaire, cela ne peut,
ne doit et ne saurait exister. »
Grégoire était hors de lui; son
désarroi lui fit oublier toute prudence
:«Mais, monsieur le Gérant,
cria-t-il, je vais vous ouvrir
i m m é d i a t e m e n t , j e v ous
ouvre! J’ai éprouvé un léger
malaise, un vertige qui m’a
empêché de me lever. Je suis
encore dans mon lit, mais les
forces me reviennent. Je me
lève; encore une seconde de
patience, ça ne [21] va pas
tout à fait aussi bien que je
pensais. Mais je rite sens quand
même beaucoup mieux.
Comment la maladie peut-elle
vous prendre si vite? Hier soir
encore je n’allais pas trop mal,
demandez à mes parents; et
pourtant si hier soir j ’ a i
éprouvé un petit symptôme.
On aurait bien dû le
remarquer. Pourquoi n’ai-je
pas prévenu au magasin! Mais
voilà, on se figure toujours
qu’on résistera à la maladie
sans avoir à garder la
chambre. Monsieur le Gérant,
épargnez mes parents. Les
reproches que vous m’avez faits
tout à l’heure sont vraiment
Cl. David
faire remarquer par vos
extravagances. Le directeur
suggérait bien, ce matin, une
explication possible de votre
absence - il s’agit des
encaissements qu’on vous a
confiés depuis quelque temps -,
mais je lui ai presque donné ma
parole que cette explication ne
pouvait pas être la bonne. Mais
maintenant, je suis témoin de votre
incompréhensible entêtement et
cela m’ôte tout désir de prendre
en quoi que ce soit votre défense.
Et votre situation n’est pas du
tout des plus solides. J’avais
d’abord l’intention de vous dire
cela en tête à tête, mais, puisque
vous me faites perdre mon
temps inutilement, je ne vois
plus pourquoi monsieur votre
père et madame votre mère ne
l’entendraient pas, eux aussi.
Sachez donc que vos résultats
n’ont pas du tout été
satisfaisants ces derniers temps;
ce n’est pas évidemment une
saison propice aux affaires,
nous sommes tout prêts à le
reconnaître. Mais une saison
sans affaires du tout, cela
n’existe pas, monsieur Samsa,
cela ne doit pas exister.»
« Mais, monsieur le fondé de
pouvoir », s’écria Gregor hors
de lui, tandis que son émotion
lui faisait oublier tout le reste,
« je vous ouvre tout de suite,
je vous ouvre à l’instant même.
Une légère indisposition, un
accès de vertige, m’ont
empêché de me lever. Je suis
encore au lit. Mais maintenant
je me sens à nouveau frais et
dispos. Je viens de sortir du lit.
Encore un petit instant de
patience! Cela ne va pas encore
aussi bien que je pensais. Mais
je me sens déjà tout à fait bien.
Comme ces choses arrivent
brusquement! Hier soir, j’allais
très bien, mes parents le savent.
Ou plutôt, déjà hier soir, j’ai eu
un petit pressentiment. On
aurait dû s’en rendre compte.
Pourquoi n’ai-je pas prévenu
au magasin? Mais on imagine
toujours qu’on peut venir à
bout du mal sans garder la
chambre. Monsieur le fondé de
pouvoir, épargnez mes parents!
Tous les reproches que vous
venez de me faire sont dénués
de fondement; on ne m’en avait
Freed
indulging in rash
eccentricities. The Chief did
point out a possible
explanation for your absence
early today-concerning the
cash payments t h a t w e r e
recently entrusted to
you-but in fact
practically gave him my
word of honor that this
could not be the true
explanation. N o w,
however, I see your
incredible obstinacy and
have completely lost any
desire to intercede on
your behalf. And your
position is by no means
unassailable. I originally
intended to speak with
y o u p r i v a t e l y, b u t s i n c e
you are pointlessly
wasting my time, I see no
reason why your good
parents shouldn’t also hear.
Your recent performance has
been highly unsatisfactory; it
is admittedl y not a heavy
business season, but a
season of no business at
all, I assure you, Mr.
S a m s a , does not exist,
cannot exist.”
“But, sir,” cried Gregor,
beside himself and
forgetting all else in his
agitation, “I’ll open the
d o o r i m m e d i a t e l y, t h i s
instant. A slight
indisposition, a spell of
dizziness prevented me
from getting up. I’m still
lying in bed. But now I am
feeling completely
refreshed. I’m just getting
out of bed. Please be patient
a moment! I’m not as well
as I thought. But really I’m
all right. These things can
just wipe you out so
suddenly. Only last night I
felt fine, my parents can tell
you, or actually last night I
already had some sign of it.
They must have noticed it.
Oh, why did I not report it
at the office! But one
always thinks that one will
overcome an illness without
staying home. Sir, please
spare my parents! There are
no grounds to the
accusations you’ve just
made against me, no one has
Alianza
comprensibles extravagan-
cias. Cierto que el jefe m e
insinuó esta mañana
una posible explicación
de su falta: referíase al
cobro que se le encomendó
a usted hiciese anoche efec-
I tivo, mas yo casi empeñé mi
palabra de honor de que esta
explicación no venía al caso.
Pero ahora, ante esta incom-
prensible testarudez, no me
quedan ya ganas de seguir
interesándome por usted. Su
posición de usted no es, ni
con mucho, muy segura. Mi
intención era [24] decirle a
usted todo esto a solas; pero,
como usted tiene a bien ha-
cerme perder inútilmente el
tiempo, no veo ya por qué no
habrían de enterarse también
sus señores padres. En estos
últimos tiempos su trabajo
ha dejado bastante que de-
sear. Cierto que no es ésta la
época más propicia para los
negocios; nosotros mismos
lo reconocemos. Pero, señor
Samsa, no hay época, no
debe haberla, en que los ne-
gocios estén completamente
parados.
—Señor principal -gritó
Gregorio fuera de sí, olvi-
dándose en su excitación de
todo lo demás-. Voy inme-
diatamente, voy al momen-
to. Una ligera indisposición,
un desvanecimiento,
impidióme levantarme. Es-
toy todavía acostado. Pero
ya me siento completamente
despejado. Ahora mismo me
levanto. ¡Un momento de
paciencia! Aún no me en-
cuentro tan bien como creía.
Pero ya estoy mejor. ¡No se
comprende cómo le pueden
suceder a uno estas cosas! Ayer
tarde estaba yo tan bueno. Sí,
mis padres lo saben. Mejor di-
cho, ya ayer tarde tuve una es-
pecie de p resentimiento .
¿Cómo no me lo habrán no-
tado? Y ¿por qué no lo diría
yo en el almacén? Pero siem-
pre cree uno que podrá pa-
sar la enfermedad sin nece-
sidad de estarse en casa. ¡Se-
ñor principal, tenga [25]
consideración con mis pa-
dres! No hay motivo para
todos los reproches que me
25
Willie
peculiar [odd] whims. This
morning, your employer did
suggest a possible reason for
y o u r f a i l u r e t o a p p e a r, i t ’s
true - it had to do with the
m o ney that was recently
entrusted to you - but I came near
to giving him my word of honour
that that could not be the right
explanation. But now that I see
your incomprehensible
stubbornness I no longer feel
any wish whatsoever to
intercede on your behalf.
And nor is your position all
that secure. I had
originally intended to say
all this to you in private,
but since you cause me to
waste my time here for no
good reason I don’t see
why your parents should
n o t a l s o l e a r n o f i t . Yo u r
turnover has been very
unsatisfactory of late; I
g r a n t y o u t h a t i t ’s n o t t h e
time of year to do
especially good business,
we recognise that; but
there simply is no time of
year to do no business at
a l l , M r. S a m s a , w e c a n n o t
allow there to be.”
“But Sir”, called Gregor,
beside himself and
forgetting all else in the
excitement, “I’ll open up
immediately, just a moment.
I’m slightly unwell, an
attack of dizziness, I
h a v e n ’t b e e n a b l e t o g e t u p .
I ’ m s t i l l i n b e d n o w. I ’ m
q u i t e f r e s h a g a i n n o w,
though. I’m just getting out
of bed. Just a moment. Be
patient! It’s not quite as easy
as I’d thought. I’m quite
a l r i g h t n o w, t h o u g h . I t ’ s
shocking, what can suddenly
happen to a person! I was
quite alright last night, my
parents know about it,
perhaps better than me, I
h a d a s m a l l s ymptom of it
last night al r e a d y. T h e y m u s t
h a v e n o t i c e d i t . I d o n ’t
k n o w w h y I d i d n ’t l e t y o u
know at work! But you
always think you can get
over an illness without
staying at home. Please,
don’t make my parents
s u ff e r ! T h e r e ’s n o b a s i s f o r
any of the accusations
 Neugroschel
so much as breathed a word
to me. Perhaps you have
not seen the latest orders
that I sent in. Anyhow, I
will be catching the eight
A. M. train, these several
hours of rest have
revitalized me. Do not
waste any more of your
time, sir; I’ll be in the
o f f i c e m y s e l f i n s t a n tly -
please be kind enough to
inform them of this and to give
my best to the director!”
And while hastily blurting
out all these things, barely
knowing what he was saying,
Gregor, most likely because
of his practice in bed, had
managed to get closer to the
wardrobe and was now trying
to pull himself up against it.
He truly wanted to open the
door, truly show himself and
speak to the office manager;
he was eager to learn what the
others, who were so keen on
his presence now, would say
upon seeing him. If they were
shocked, then Gregor would
bear no further responsibility
and could hold his peace.
[129] But if they accepted
everything calmly, then he
likewise had no reason to get
upset, and could, if he stepped
on it, actually be in the station
by eight. At first, he kept
sliding down the smooth side
of the wardr obe, but
eventually he gave himself a
final swing and stood there
ignoring the burning pains in
his abdomen, distressful as
they were. Next he let himself
keel over against the back of a
nearby chair, his tiny legs clinging
to the edges. In this way, he
gained control of himself and
he kept silent, for now he
could listen to the office
manager.
“Did you understand a
single word of that?” the
office manager asked the
parents. “He’s not trying to
make fools of us, is he?!”
“For goodness’ sake,” the
mother exclaimed, already
weeping, “he may be seriously ill
and we’re torturing him. Grete!
Grete!” she then shouted.
“Mother?” the sister called
del Solar
nen ningún fundamento, y
nadie me había dicho nada de
todo eso. Quizá no haya us-
ted leído los últimos pedidos
que he enviado. Además, aún
pienso coger el tren de las
ocho, estas horas de descan-
so me han dado nuevas fuer-
zas. No pierda más su tiem-
po, señor gerente, ensegui-
da llegaré a la oficina; ten-
ga la bondad de decírselo al
señor director, y de presen-
tarle mis respetos».
Y mientras espetaba atro-
pelladamente todo esto sin
saber muy bien lo que decía,
Gregor, gracias sin duda a la
práctica adquirida en la
cama, se había acercado sin
dificultad al armario e inten-
taba enderezarse apoyándose
en él. Quería, de hecho, abrir
la puerta, dejarse ver y hablar
con el gerente; estaba ansio-
so por saber qué dirían, al
verle, quienes tanto reclama-
ban su presencia. Si se asus-
taban, Gregor no tendría ya
ninguna responsabilidad y
podría estar tranquilo. Si,
en cambio, lo aceptaban
todo con calma, tampoco
tendría ningún motivo para
inquietarse y, dándose pr isa,
podría estar realmente a las
ocho en la estación. Al prin-
cipio resbaló varias veces
apoyado en las paredes lisas
del armario, pero un último im-
pulso le permitió erguirse [34] del
todo. Ya no prestó más atención
a los dolores del bajo vientre,
pese a que eran muy agudos ,
y se dejó caer con tra el res-
paldo de una silla cercana, a
cuyos bordes se aferró c o n
las patitas. Así pudo recu-
perar el dominio de sí mis-
mo, y enmudeció, pues
ahora podía escuchar al
gerente.
«¿Han entendido ustedes
una sola palabra?», pregun-
tó el gerente a los padres.
«¡Espero que no nos esté to-
m a n d o e l p e l o ! » «¡ P o r e l
amor de Dios!», exclamó la
madre llorando, «quizá esté
gravemente enfermo y lo es-
temos torturando. ¡Grete!
¡Grete!», gritó luego. «¿Ma-
dre?», exclamó la hermana
26
Stokes
one has said a word
about them to me.
Perhaps you haven’t seen
the last batch of orders I
s e n t i n . A n y w a y, I ’ l l
catch the eight o’clock
train, the few hours’ rest
have done me good.
Don’t waste another
moment, sir; I’ll be at
the office myself in no
time, would you kindly
pass that on and send my
respects to the boss!’
And while Gregor was blurting
all this out and hardly
knew what he was saying,
he had managed to reach
the chest of drawers without
difficulty, as a consequence
perhaps of the practice he had
acquired in bed, and was now
trying to haul himself upright. He
really did intend to open the door,
really did intend to show himself
and speak with the chief clerk;
he was anxious to find out what
the others, who were asking for
him with such insistence, would
say when they saw him. If they
took fright, Gregor would have
no further responsibility and
could relax. If, on the other hand,
they took it all in their stride,
there would be no reason for him
to get agitated, and he could, if he
hurried, actually be at the station by
eight. At first he kept sliding down
the smooth surface of the chest of
drawers, but at last he gave himself
a final heave and stood [13] upright;
he no longer paid any attention to
the pains in his nether regions, no
matter how acute they were. He
now let himself slump against
the back of a nearby chair,
gripping it round the edge
with his little legs. Having thus
gained control over himself, he
fell silent, for he was now able
to listen to what the chief clerk
was saying.
‘Have you understood a
single word?’ the chief clerk
was asking his parents, ‘he
isn’t trying to make fools of
us, is he?’ ‘God forbid,’
cried his mother, already in
tears, ‘perhaps he’s seriously
ill, and we’re tormenting
him. Grete! Grete!’ she then
cried. ‘Mother?’ called his
sister from the other side.
Vialatte
dépourvus de fondement; on ne
m’en avait d’ailleurs jamais rien
dit. Vous n’avez peut-être pas vu
les dernières commandes que
j’ai envoyées? Je vais partir au
train de huit heures; ces
quelques instants de repos
m’ont fait du bien. Je ne veux
pas vous faire perdre votre temps,
monsieur le Gérant, je vais
arriver tout de suite au magasin,
ayez la bonté d’en prévenir M. le
Directeur et de me recommander
à sa bienveillance.»
Tout en lâchant ce flot de
paroles sans trop savoir
ce qu’il disait, Grégoire,
avec une facilité due à
ses exercices précédents,
s’était approché du
c o f f r e contre lequel il
essayait maintenant de se lever.
Il voulait, mais parfaitement! il
voulait ouvrir la porte, il voulait
se faire voir et parler au gérant;
il était curieux de connaître
l’impression qu’il allait
produire sur ces gens qui
réclamaient si impérieusenient
sa présence. S’il les effrayait,
c’était rassurant, car il cessait
d’être responsable, et si les
autres [22] prenaient bien la
chose, à quoi bon se tracasser?
Il pourrait encore en se pressant
prendre le train de huit heures
à la gare. Le coffre était lisse,
Grégoire glissa plusieurs fois;
pourtant dans un élan suprême
il réussit à se lever; il ne
faisait plus attention aux
souffrances qu’il éprouvait
dans l’abdomen, q u e l q u e
cuisantes qu’elles fussent. Il
se laissa tomber en avant sur
le dossier d’une chaise voisine,
et s’y maintint en se cramponnant
des pattes contre les bords. Puis,
enfin maître de son corps, il
observa le plus grand
silence pour écouter
parl er le gérant.
«Avez-vous compris un seul
mot de son histoire?» demandait cet
homme aux parents; «j’espère tout
de même qu’il ne veut pas se moquer
de nous? - Mon Dieu, -mon Dieu!»
s’écriait la mère déjà en larmes, «il
est peut-être gravement malade, et
nous qui passons notre temps à le
torturer!» «Grete! Grete!»
appela-t-elle. «Maman!» répondit
la jeune fille à travers l’autre
Cl. David
jamais parlé. Peut-être
n’avez-vous pas lu les
dernières commandes que je
vous ai envoyées. D’ailleurs, je
vais partir par le train de 8
heures; ce repos de quelques
heures m’a rendu toutes mes
forces. Ne perdez pas votre
temps, monsieur le fondé de
pouvoir; dans un instant, je
serai au magasin , ayez
l’obligeance de le dire au
directeur et de lui présenter mes
devoirs.»
En tenant précipitamment ces
propos et sans trop savoir ce
qu’il disait, Gregor s’était sans
trop de difficulté rapproché de
la commode, sans doute en
tirant profit de l’expérience
qu’il avait acquise dans son lit
et il essayait de se redresser en
prenant appui sur le meuble. Il
voulait en effet ouvrir la porte,
il voulait se faire voir et parler
au fondé de pouvoir; il était
curieux de savoir ce que tous ces
gens qui exigeaient sa présence
allaient dire en le voyant. S’il
les effrayait, il cessait d’être
responsable et pouvait être
tranquille, et s’ils prenaient bien
la chose, il n’avait aucune raison
de s’inquiéter et pouvait fort
bien être à 8 heures à la gare,
s’il se dépêchait. Il dérapa
d’abord plusieurs fois de
la commode glissante;
mais, en prenant un
d e r n i e r é l a n , i l p a r v i nt à se
lever. Il ne prêtait plus attention
à ses douleurs dans le
basventre, bien qu’elles fussent
très vives. II se laissa tomber sur
le dossier d’une chaise qui était
à proximité et se retint en
s’agrippant sur les bords avec
ses petites pattes. Ce faisant, il
avait repris le contrôle de
lui-même et il restait silencieux,
car il était maintenant en mesure
d’écouter le fondé de pouvoir.
« Avez-vous pu comprendre
le moindre mot?», demandait
celui-ci aux parents. « Ne serait-il
pas tout bonnement en train de
nous prendre pour des imbéciles?»
« Mon Dieu », s’écriait la mère au
milieu des larmes, « il est peut-être
gravement malade et nous le
mettons à la torture. Grete ! Grete
!», cria-t-elle ensuite. « Maman?»
s’écria la soeur de l’autre côté.
Freed
said so much as a word
about them to me. Perhaps
you haven’t seen the latest
orders I sent in. In any
event, I will be on the eight
o’clock train. I’ve been
invigorated by these few
hours of rest. Don’t let me
keep you further, sir, I’ll be
in the office myself
i m m e d i a t e l y. P l e a s e b e
good enough to tell them
and convey my respects to
the Chief!”
And while Gregor blurted
all this out, hardly knowing
what he said, he had easily,
probably due to the exercise
he had had in bed, reached
the bureau and was now
trying to pull himself upright
against it. He actually
wanted to open the door, to
actually show himself and
speak to the head clerk; he
was eager to find out what
the others, who so desired to
see him now, would say [15]
at the sight of him. If they
were shocked, then Gregor
was no longer responsible
and could be calm. But if they
accepted everything calmly,
then he too had no reason to
get worked up and could, if
he rushed, actually be at the
train station by eight o’clock.
At first he kept sliding off the
smooth bureau but finally
gave himself a last powerful
push and stood upright; he
no longer paid attention to
the pains in his lower
abdomen, however burning.
He then let himself fall
against the back of a nearby
chair, his little legs clinging
to the edges. In this way he
also managed to gain control
of himself and fell silent, as
he could now listen to the
head clerk.
“Did you understand
even a word?” the head
clerk asked the parents. “He
isn’t making fools of us?”
“For God’s sake,” cried the
mother, already weeping,
“maybe he is seriously ill
and we’re tormenting him.
Grete! Grete!” she then
screamed. “Mother?”
called the sister from the
27
Alianza
hace usted ahora; nunca me
han dicho nada de eso. Sin
duda, no ha visto usted los
últimos pedidos que he
transmitido. Por lo demás,
saldré en el tren de las ocho.
Este par de horas de descan-
so me han dado fuerzas. No
se detenga usted más, señor
principal. En seguida voy al
almacén . Explique usted
allí esto, se lo suplico; así
como que presente mis res-
petos al jefe.
Y mientras espetaba atro-
pelladamente este discurso, sin
casi saber lo que decía,
Gregorio, gracias a la soltura
ya adquirida en la cama, se
aproximó fácilmente al baúl
e intentó enderezarse apo-
yándose en él. Quería efec-
tivamente abrir la puerta,
dejarse ver del principal,
hablar con él. Sentía curio-
sidad por saber lo que di-
rían cuando l e viesen los
que tan insistentemente le
llamaban. Si se asustaban,
Gregorio encontrábase desli-
gado de toda responsabilidad
y no tenía por qué temer. Si,
por el contrario, se quedaban
tan tranquilos, tampoco él te-
nía por qué excitarse, y podía,
dándose prisa, estar realmen-
te a las ocho en la estación.
Varias veces se escurrió con-
tra las lisas paredes del baúl;
pero, al fin, un último
brinco le puso en pie.
De los dolores en el
[26] vientre, aunque
m u y vivos , no se cuidaba.
Dejóse caer contra el res-
paldo de una silla cercana,
a cuyos bordes agarróse
fuertemente con sus patas.
Logró a la vez recobrar el
dominio de sí mismo, y ca-
lló para escuchar lo que
decía el principal.
—¿Han entendido ustedes
una sola palabra? -preguntaba
éste a los padres-. ¿No será
que se hace el loco? - ¡Por
amor de Dios! ~ -exclamó la
madre llorando-. Tal vez se
siente muy mal y nosotros le
estamos mortificando. Y se-
guidamente llamó: - ¡Grete!
¡Grete! -¿Qué, madre? -con-
testó la hermana desde el otro
Willie
y o u ’ r e m a k i n g ; n o b o d y ’s
ever said a word to me
about any of these things.
Maybe you haven’t read the
latest contracts I sent in.
I’ll set off with the eight
o’clock train, as well, these
few hours of rest have given
m e s t r e n g t h . Yo u d o n ’t n e e d
to wait, sir; I’ll be in the
office soon after you, and
please be so good as to tell
that to the boss and
recommend me to him!”
And while Gregor gushed ou t
these words, hardly
kn o w i n g w h a t h e w a s
saying, he made his
w a y o v e r t o t h e chest
o f d r a w e rs - this was easily done,
probably because of the practise he
had already had in bed - where he
now tried to get himself upright. He
really did want to open the door,
really did want to let them see him
and to speak with the chief clerk;
the others were being so insistent,
and he was curious to learn what
they would say when they caught
sight of him. If they were shocked
then it would no longer be Gregor’s
responsibility and he could rest. If,
however, they took everything
calmly he would still have no reason
to be upset, and if he hurried he
really could be at the station for
eight o’clock. The first few times
he tried to climb up on the smooth
chest of drawers he just slid
down again, but he finally
gave himself one last swing
and stood there upright; the
lower part of his body was in
serious pain but he no longer
gave any attention to it. Now he
let himself fall against the back
of a nearby chair and h e l d
tightly to the edges of it with his
little legs. By now he had also
calmed down, and kept quiet so
that he could listen to what the
chief clerk was saying.
“Did you understand a word
of all that?” the chief clerk asked
his parents, “surely he’s not
trying to make fools of us”.
“Oh, God!” called his
mother, who was already in
tears, “he could be seriously
ill and we’re making him
s u f f e r. G r e t e ! G r e t e ! ” s h e
t h e n c r i e d . “ M o t h er?” his
sister called from the other side.
 Neugroschel
from the other side. They
were communicating across
Gregor’s room. “You have to
go to the doctor immediately.
Gregor is sick. Hurry, get the
doctor. Did you hear Gregor
talking just now?”
“That was an animal’s
voice,” said the manager, his
tone noticeably soft compared
with the mother’s shouting.
“Anna! Anna!” the father
called through the vestibule
into the kitchen, clapping hi s
hands, “Get a locksmith
immediately! ” And the
two girls, their skirts
r u stling, were alr e a d y
dashing through the vestibule
(how could the sister have
dressed so quickly?) and
tearing the apartment door
open. No one heard it
slamming; they must have
left it open, as is common in
homes that are struck by
disaster. [130]
Gregor, however, had
grown much calmer. True, the
others no longer understood
what he said even though it
sounded clear enough to him,
clearer than before, perhaps
because his ears had gotten
used to it. But nevertheless, the
others now believed there was
something not quite right about
him, and they were willing to
help. His spirits were brightened
by the aplomb and assurance
with which their first few
instructions had been carried
out. He felt included once again
in human society and, without
really drawing a sharp
distinction between the doctor
and the locksmith, he expected
magnificent and astonishing
feats from both. Trying to make
his voice as audible as he could
for the crucial discussions about
to take place, he coughed up a
little, though taking pains to do so
quite softly, since this noise too
might sound different from human
coughing, which he no longer felt
capable of judging for himself.
Meanwhile, the next room had
become utterly hushed. Perhaps
the parents and the office manager
were sitting and whispering at the
table, perhaps they were all
leaning against the doors and
eavesdropping.
del Solar
desde el otro lado. Se comu-
nicaban a través de la habita-
ción de Gregor. «Ve ahora
mismo a llamar al médico.
Gregor está enfermo. ¡Rápido,
el médico! ¿Has oído cómo
hablaba?» «Era una voz de ani-
mal», dijo el gerente en un
tono sorprendentemente bajo
comparado con el griterío de
la madre. «¡Anna! ¡Anna! »,
exclamó el padre a través del
recibidor en dirección a la co-
cina, y dio varias palmadas.
«¡Ve enseguida por un cerraje-
ro!» Y al instante las dos mu-
chachas echaron a correr por el
recibidor haciendo ruido con
sus faldas -¿cómo se habría
vestido tan rápido la herma-
na?- y abrieron bruscamente
la puerta del piso. No se oyó
ningún portazo; debían de ha-
ber dejado la puerta abierta,
como suele hacerse en las ca-
sas donde ha ocurrido una
gran desgracia.
Gregor, en cambio, se ha-
bía calmado mucho. Cierto es
que sus palabras ya no se en-
tendían, aunque [35] a él le
parecían suficientemente cla-
ras, más que al principio, qui-
zá porque el oído se le había
acostumbrado. Pero al me-
nos ya se habían dado cuenta
de que algo extraño le ocurría,
y estaban dispuestos a ayudar-
lo. La confianza y seguridad
con que acababan de tomarse
las primeras disposiciones le
sentaron bien. Se sintió otra
vez integrado en el ámbito
humano, y confió en que am-
bos, el médico y el cerrajero
-sin distinguirlos con total
precisión-, obtuvieran resulta-
dos magníficos y sorprenden-
tes. A fin de procurarse una
voz lo más clara posible para
las decisivas conversaciones
que se avecinaban, tosió un
poco, aunque esforzándose en
hacerlo muy suavemente, pues
era posible que ese ruido tam-
poco sonara a tos humana, algo
que él mismo ya no se atrevía
a decidir. En la habitación con-
tigua se había hecho, entretan-
to, un silencio total. Quizá los
padres cuchichearan con el
gerente sentados a la mesa,
quizá estuvieran todos pegados
a la puerta, escuchando.
28
Stokes
They were communicating
through Gregor’s room. ‘You
must go to the doctor ’s at
once. Gregor is ill. Fetch the
doctor, quick. Did you hear
Gregor talking just now?’
‘That was the voice of an
animal,’ said the chief clerk,
in a tone that was strikingly
soft compared to his mother’s
shrieking. ‘Anna! Anna!’ his
father was shouting through
the hallway into the kitchen,
and he clap p e d h i s hands.
‘Get a locksmith
immediately!’ And already
the two girls were running
with r u s tling sk i r t s
through the hall - how had
his sister got dressed so
quickly? - and tearing open
the apartment door. There
was no sound of the door
slamming; they had probably
left it open, as happens in
homes where a great calamity
has occurred.
But Gregor had become
much calmer. It was true, then,
that they could no longer
understand his words, though
they had seemed clear enough
to him, clearer than before,
perhaps because his ear had
become attuned to them. But
at least they now believed that
all was not quite right with him,
and were prepared to help. The
confidence and assurance with
which the first steps had been
taken comforted him. He felt
integrated once more into
human society and hoped for
great and startling contributions
from both the doctor and the
[14] locksmith, without really
making any clear distinction
between them. In order to make
his voice as clear as possible for
the crucial discussions that
were imminent, he gave a little
cough, taking good care, of
course, to muffle it properly,
since possibly even that noise
might sound different from
human coughing, something that
he no longer felt competent to
judge. Complete silence had
meanwhile fallen in the
adjoining room. Perhaps his
parents were sitting at the table
with the chief clerk, whispering;
perhaps they were all leaning
against the wall, listening.
Vialatte
cloison, c a r e l l e s é t a i e n t
séparées par la chambre de
Grégoire.«Va chercher le
médecin immédiatement.
Notre Grégoire est malade!
Un médecin, vite, vite! L’as-tu
entendu parler? - C’était une
voix d’animal», déclara le gérant;
après les cris des deux femmes on
eût dit qu’il parlait tout bas.
«Anna, Anna!» cria le père en
direction du vestibule pour être
entendu de la cuisine _ _ ________
: «Allez vite chercher un serrurier.
Et déjà les deux petites - comment
Grete avait-elle fait pour être
habillée si vite? filaient dans le
couloir avec un bruit de
robes et [23] ouvrai e n t l a
porte d’un seul coup;
on ne l’entendit pas se
refermer; sans doute
l’avaient-elles laissée
ouverte, comme dans
les maisons où un
grand malheur vient
d’ a r r i v e r.
Grégoire cependant était
devenu bien plus calme. Sans
doute on n’avait pas compris
ses paroles bien qu’elles lui
eussent paru fort claires, plus
claires même que la première
fois, par suite de
l’accoutumance. Mais du
moins on commençait à se
rendre compte que son cas
n’était pas normal et on
s’apprêtait à lui venir en aide.
L’assurance et le sangfroid avec
lequel les premières mesures
avaient été prises lui
réconfortaient l’esprit. Il se
sentait réintégré dans la société
humaine, et il attendait du
médecin et du serrurier, sans
faire entre eux trop de
différences, des exploits
grandioses et surprenants. Afin
de s’éclaircir la voix pour la
conversation qu’il allait avoir
à soutenir, il toussa un peu,
mais le plus doucement
possible, car il craignait que sa
toux ne sonnât pas comme celle
d’un homme! il n’osait plus s’en
rapporter là-dessus à son propre
jugement. Entre-temps un grand
silence s’était fait dans la pièce
contiguë. Peut-être ses parents,
s’étaient-ils assis à table pour un
conciliabule secret, peut-être
aussi tout le monde était-il en
train d’écouter à la porte.
Cl. David
Elles s’interpellaient à travers
la chambre de Gregor. « Va tout
de suite chercher le médecin.
Gregor est malade. Vite chez le
médecin! Tu as entendu
comment Gregor parle?» «
C’était une voix de bête », dit
le fondé de pouvoir - on
s’étonnait, après les cris de la
mère, de l’entendre parler si
bas. « Anna! Anna!» criait le
père dans la cuisine à
travers le vestibule en
f r a p p a nt dans ses mains, «
va immédiatement chercher
un serrurier!» Et déjà les deux
jeunes filles traversaient le
vestibule dans un froissement
de jupes -comment Grete
avait-elle fait pour s’habiller
si vite? - et ouvraient
précipitamment la porte
d’entrée; on ne l’entendit pas
retomber, elles avaient dû la
laisser ouverte, comme on fait
d a n s l e s m a i s o n s o ù s’est
produit un grand malheur.
Mais Gregor était devenu
beaucoup plus calme. On ne
comprenait plus ce qu’il disait,
bien que ses propos lui parussent
clairs, plus clairs que la première
fois, probablement parce que son
oreille s’y était faite. Mais on se
rendait compte au moins qu’il
n’allait pas pour le mieux et on
s’apprêtait à lui venir en aide.
L’assurance et la confiance avec
laquelle les premières mesures
avaient été prises le
réconfortaient. Il se sentait
ramené dans le cadre de la société
humaine et il attendait des deux
personnes, du médecin et du
serrurier, sans bien faire la
différence entre les deux, des
performances grandioses et
miraculeuses. Afin d’avoir, dans
les conciliabules qui se
préparaient, une voix aussi claire
que possible, il toussa un peu
pour se dégager la gorge, tout en
s’efforçant de le faire modérément,
car il était possible que déjà ce
bruit fût différent d’une toux
humaine; il n’osait plus en
décider par ses propres moyens.
Dans la pièce d’à côté, tout était
cependant devenu silencieux.
Peut-être ses parents étaient-ils
assis à table à chuchoter avec le
fondé de pouvoir, peut-être
étaient-ils tous penchés à la
porte pour écouter.
Freed
other side. They were
communicating across
Gregor’s room. “You must go
for the doctor immediately.
Gregor is sick. Run for the
doctor. Did you just hear
Gregor speak?” “That was the
voice of an animal,” said the
head clerk, in a noticeably low
tone compared to the mother’s
shrieking. “Anna! Anna!”
yelled the fath e r t h r o u g h
the foyer to the kitchen,
clapping his hands, “go
get a locksmith at once!”
And already the two girls
were running through the
foyer with a r u s t l i n g of
skirts-how had the
sister dressed so
quickly?-and throwing
open the house door. The
door could not be heard
closing; they must have
left it open as is usual in
houses visited by great
misfortune. (3)
Gregor had become much
calmer however. Apparently
his words were no longer
understandable even though
they were clear enough to
him, clearer than before,
perhaps because his ear had
become accustomed to their
sound. But at least it was now
believed that all was not right
with him and they were ready
to help him. He felt cheered
by the confidence and surety
with which the first orders
were met. He felt encircled by
humanity again and he
expected great and
miraculous results from both
the doctor and the locksmith,
without truly distinguishing
between them. In order to
have the clearest voice
possible for the decisive
conversations to come, he
coughed a little, taking pains
to stifle the sound, as it may
not have sounded like a
human cough and he could no
longer trust his own judgment
about it. Meanwhile in the
adjoining room it had become
completely still. Maybe the
parents were sitting at the
table [16] whispering with the
head clerk, or maybe they
were all leaning against the
door, listening.
29
Alianza
lado de la habitación de
Gregorio, a través de la cual
hablaban. -Tienes que ir en se-
guida a buscar al médico;
Gregorio está malo. Ve corrien-
do. ¿Has oído cómo hablaba aho-
ra Gregorio? -Es una voz de ani-
mal -dijo el principal, que habla-
ba en voz extraordinariamente
baja, comparada con la gritería
de la madre. - ¡Ana! ¡Ana! -lla-
mó el padre, volviéndose hacia
la cocina a través del recibimien-
to y dand o p a l m a d a s - .
Va y a i n m e d i a t a m e n t e a
buscar un cerrajero. Ya se
sentía por el recibimien-
to el rumor de las faldas de las
dos muchachas que salían corrien-
do ( ¿cómo se habría vestido tan
de prisa la hermana?), y ya se oía
abrir bruscamente [27] la puerta
del piso. Pero no se percibió nin-
gún portazo. Debieron de dejar la
puerta abierta, como suele suce-
der en las casas en donde h a ocu-
rrido una desgracia.
Gregorio, empero,
hallábase ya mucho más tran-
quilo. Cierto es que sus pala-
bras resultaban ininteligibles,
aunque a él le parecían muy cla-
ras, más claras que antes, sin
duda porque ya se le iba acos-
tumbrando el oído. Pero lo
esencial era que ya se habían
percatado los demás de que
algo insólito le sucedía y se dis-
ponían a acudir en su ayuda. La
decisión y firmeza con que fue-
ron tomadas las primeras dis-
posiciones le aliviaron. Sintióse
nuevamente incluido entre los
seres humanos, y esperó de los
dos, del médico y del cerraje-
ro, indistintamente, acciones
extrañas y maravillosas. Y, a fin
de poder intervenir lo más cla-
ramente posible en las conver-
saciones decisivas que se ave-
cinaban, carraspeó ligeramen-
te, forzándose a hacerlo muy le-
vemente, por temor a que tam-
bién este ruido sonase a algo
que no fuese una tos humana,
cosa que ya no tenía seguridad
de poder distinguir. Mientras
tanto, en la habitación contigua,
reinaba un profundo silencio.
Tal vez los padres, sentados jun-
to a la mesa con el principal,
cuchicheaban [28] con éste. Tal
vez estaban todos pegados a la
puerta escuchando.
Willie
They communicated across
Gregor’s room. “You’ll have to
go for the doctor straight away.
Gregor is ill. Quick, get the
doctor. Did you hear the way
Gregor spoke just now?”
“That was the voice of an
animal”, said the chief clerk,
with a calmness that was in
c o n t r a s t w i t h h i s m o t h e r ’s
screams. “Anna! Anna!” his
father called into the k i t c h e n
through the entrance
h a l l , c l a p p i n g h i s h a n d s,
“get a l o c k s m i t h
h e r e , n o w ! ” A n d
t h e two girls, their
skirts s w i s h i n g, immediately ran
out through the hall, wrenching
open the front door of the flat as
they went. How had his sister
managed to get dressed so quickly?
There was no sound of the door
banging shut again; they must have
left it open; people often do in
homes where something awful has
happened.
G r e g o r, i n c o n t r a s t , h a d
b e c o m e m u c h c a l m e r. S o
they couldn’t understand his
words any more, although
they seemed clear enough to
him, clearer than before -
perhaps his ears had become
used to the sound. They had
realised, though, that there was
something wrong with him,
and were ready to help. The
first response to his situation
had been confident and wise,
and that made him feel better.
He felt that he had been drawn
back in among people, and
from the doctor and the
locksmith he expected great
and surprising achievements -
although he did not really
distinguish one from the other.
Whatever was said next would
be crucial, so, in order to make
his voice as clear as possible,
he coughed a little, but taking
care to do this not too loudly
as even this might well sound
different from the way that a
human coughs and he was no
longer sure he could judge this
for himself. Meanwhile, it had
become very quiet in the next
room. Perhaps his parents were
sat at the table whispering with
the chief clerk, or perhaps they
were all pressed against the
door and listening.
 Neugroschel del Solar Stokes Vialatte Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie

Gregor slowly lumbered
toward the door, shoving the
chair along, let go of it upon
arriving, tackled the door,
held himself erect against
it-the pads on his tiny feet
were a bit sticky-and for a
moment he rested from the
strain. But then, using his
mouth, he began twisting the
key in the lock. Unfortunately
he appeared to have no real
teeth-now with what should he
grasp the key?-but to make up
for it his jaws were, of course,
very powerful. They actually
enabled him to get the key
moving, whereby he ignored
the likelihood of his harming
himself in some way, for a
[131] brown liquid oozed from
his mouth, flowing over the
key and dripping to the floor.
“Listen,” said the office
manager in the next room,
“he’s turning the key.” This
was very encouraging for
Gregor; but everyone should
have cheered him on,
including the father and the
mother. “Attaboy, Gregor!”
they should have shouted.
“Don’t let go, get that lock!”
And imagining them all as
suspensefully following his
efforts, he obliviously bit
into the key with all the
strength he could muster. In
tune with his progress in
t u r n i n g t h e k e y, h e k e p t
dancing around the lock,
holding himself upright
purely by his mouth and, as
need be, either dangling
from the key or pushing it
down again with the full heft
o f h i s b o d y. I t w a s t h e
sharper click of the lock
finally snapping back that
literally brought Gregor to.
Sighing in relief, he told
himself, “So I didn’t need the
locksmith after all,” and he
put his head on the handle in
order to pull one wing of the
double door all the way in.
Gregor se arrastró lentamen-
te hacia la puerta empujando la
silla, la soltó al llegar, se lanzó
contra la puerta, se mantuvo er-
guido aferrándose a ella -las
ventosas de sus patitas tenían
una sustancia viscosa- y descan-
só un momento para reponerse
del esfuerzo. Luego intentó, con
la boca, hacer girar la llave den-
tro de la cerradura. Parecía no
tener, por desgracia, aquello que
se suele llamar dientes -¿con qué
iba a coger la llave en ese
caso?-, aunque sus mandíbulas
eran, en cambio, muy fuertes.
[36] Con su ayuda logró poner
por fin la llave en movimiento
sin reparar en que se estaba ha-
ciendo daño, sin lugar a dudas,
pues de la boca le salió un lí-
quido pardusco que chorreó por
la llave y empezó a gotear al suelo.
«¡Escuchen eso!», dijo el ge-
rente en la habitación conti-
gua. «¡Está girando la llave!»
Aquello fue un gran estímulo
para Gregor, aunque todos ten-
drían que haberlo animado, tam-
bién el p a d r e y l a m a d r e :
«¡Venga, Gregor!», habrían
debido gritarle. «¡Adelan-
te, duro con l a cerradura!»
Y pensando que todos seguían
sus esfuerzos con tensa ex-
pectación, se aferró ciegamen-
te a la llave con todas las fuer-
zas que fue capaz de reunir. A
medi da que avanzaba el mo-
vimiento giratorio de la llave,
él también giraba en torno a la
cerradura; a ratos ya solo se
sostenía con la boca y, segú n
hiciera falta, se colgaba
de la llave o la empuja-
ba hacia abajo con todo
el peso de su cuerpo. El
ruido nítido de la cerra-
dura al ceder finalmente
despertó a Gregor de ver-
dad. Respirando hondo se
dijo: «Bueno, no he nece-
sitado al cerrajero», y
apoyó la cabeza en el pi-
caporte para abrir del
todo la puerta.
Gregor slowly dragged himself Grégoire se traîna lentement Gregor se traîna lentement
towards the door, pushing the chair vers elle avec sa chaise; là il avec sa chaise jusqu’à la porte;
in front of him, then let go of it, abandonna le siège, se jeta là il abandonna le siège, se jeta
threw himself against the door, contre la porte et se maintient sur la porte, se maintint debout
where he propped himself up - the debout en s’aidant du bois car en s’appuyant contre elle - le
pads on the bottom of his little legs le bout de ses pattes sécrétait bout de ses pattes sécrétait une
were slightly adhesive - and rested une substance collante [24] - substance collante - et resta là
there for a moment from his puis se reposa un moment de un instant, à se reposer de son
exertions. But then he set about s o n e ff o r t ; a p r è s q u o i i l effort. Après quoi, il essaya
turning the key in the lock with essaya d’ouvrir la serrure avec sa bouche de tourner la
his mouth. Unfortunately it avec sa bouche. Comment clef dans la serrure. Il
seemed that he had no proper saisir la clef? S’il n’avait semblait malheureusement
teeth - what was he to grasp the p a s d e v r a i e s d e n t s , i l qu’il n’eût pas de vraies dents
key with? - but to compensate possédait en revanche des - avec quoi, dès lors, saisir la
for that his jaws were very mâchoires très robustes et il clef? -; en revanche, il avait
strong; with their help he a r r i v a e f f e c t i v e m e n t à des mandibules très robustes;
actually got the key moving, remuer la clef en négligeant il parvint grâce à elles à
ignoring the fact that in so le mal qu’il pouvait se faire; mouvoir la clef, en négligeant
doing he was undoubtedly il lui coulait des lèvres un le fait qu’il était certainement
causing himself some damage, l i q u i d e b r u n â t r e q u i s e en train de se blesser, car un
for a brown liquid issued from r é p a n d a i t s u r l a s e r r u r e , liquide brunâtre lui sortait de la
his mouth, flowed over the key p u i s s ’ é g o u t t a i t s u r l e bouche, coulait sur la clef et
and dripped onto the floor. X t a p i s . « E c o u t ez, disait le tombait goutte à goutte sur le sol.
‘Listen,’ said the chief clerk in gérant dans la pièce voisine, il « Écoutez », disait le fondé de
the next room, ‘he’s turning the est en train de tourner la clef.» pouvoir dans la pièce d’à côté,
k e y. ’ T h a t w a s a g r e a t Ce fut un encouragement « il est en train de tourner la
encouragement to Gregor; b i e n précieux pour clef.» Ce fut pour Gregor un
b u t t h e y s h o u l d a l l h a v e Grégoire; il aurait voulu grand encouragement, mais tous
been cheering him on, his q u e s o n p è r e , s a m è r e , auraient dû crier avec lui, même
father and mother too. ‘Come t o u t l e m o n d e e n f i n , s e son père et sa mère : « Hardi,
on, Gregor,’ they should have m î t à l u i c r i e r : « H a r d i , Gregor », auraient-ils dû crier,
shouted, ‘stick at it, harder, Grégoire, courage, pousse « vasy, attaque-toi à la serrure!»
work on that lock!’ And donc!» Et dans l’i dée que Et à l’idée que tout le monde
imagining that they were all toute la famille suivait ses suivait passionnément ses
following his efforts with efforts avec une attention efforts avec une vive attention,
tense excitement, he bit passionnée il se cramponnait il s’accrochait aveuglément à la
furiously on the key with all à pleine mâchoire, de toutes clef, de toutes les forces qu’il
the strength he could muster. ses forces, presque à tomber pouvait trouver en lui. A
As the key turned, he inanimé. S u i v a n t l a mesure que la clef tournait, il
danced round the lock; he p o s i t i o n d e l a c l e f , i l dansait autour de la serrure;
was now holding himself d a n s a i t a u t o u r d e l a tantôt il se maintenait
up by his mouth alone and, s e r r u r e , s e m a i n t e n a n t simplement debout grâce à sa
as the situation demanded, s i m p l e m e n t de la bouche, tantôt, selon l’exigence
either clung to the key or b o u c h e , o u s e p e n d a i t de l’instant, il se suspendait à
pressed it down again with a p r è s l ’ a n n e a u e t l e la cl e f o u l a t i r a i t e n b a s
the full weight of his ramenait en bas de tout de tout le poids de son
body. The [15] sharper l e p o i d s d e s o n c o r p s . corps. Le bruit plus
sound of the lock as it Le déclic clair du pêne clair que fit la serrure
finally snapped back woke q u i a v a i t c é d é s o n n a l e quand le pène finit par
Gregor up once and for r é v e i l d e G r é g o i r e . J e céder, réveilla Gregor
all. With a sigh of relief he m e suis passé du tout à fait. «J’ai donc
said to himself, ‘I didn’t s e r r u r i e r » , s e d i t - i l a v e c pu me passer du
need the locksmith after u n soupir de serrurier », se dit-il,
all,’ and laid his head on s o u l a g e m e n t , e t i l p o s a et il posa la tête sur
the handle to pull the door s a t ê t e s u r l a p o i g n é e la clenche pour finir
wide open. p o u r f i n i r d ’ o u v r i r. d ’ o u v rir.
With the aid of the chair,
Gregor slowly pushed
himself to the door, then let
go and threw himself against
it and held himself
upright-the pads of his little
legs were slightly sticky-and
rested there for a moment
from his exertions. He then
attempted to unlock it by
taking the key into his mouth.
Unfortunately he appeared to
have no teeth-how then
should he grasp the key?but
on the other hand his jaws
were certainly very powerful,
and with their help he got the
key to move, ignoring the fact
that he was somehow
harming himself, because a
brown fluid had come from
his mouth, oozed over the key,
and dripped onto the floor.
“Do you hear that,” said the
head clerk in the next room,
“he’s turning the key.” This
was a great encouragement to
Gregor, but they should all,
the mother and father too,
have shouted: “Go, Gregor,”
they should have shouted:
“Keep going, keep going with
that lock!” And imagining
that they were intently
following his every move, he
obliviously clenched the key
in his jaws with all the
strength he could muster .
In accordance with the
pr o g r e s s o f t h e k e y, h e
danced around the lock,
holding himself up only
by his mouth, and as
needed he either hung on
to the key or pressed his
whole we ight down against
it. It was the sharp click of
the lock finally snapping
back that abruptly roused
him. Breathing a sigh of
relief, he said to himself.
“So I didn’t need the
locksmith after all,” and
pressed his head against the
handle in order to completely
open the door.
Gregorio se deslizó len-
tamente con el sillón hacia la
puerta; al llegar allí, abando-
nó el asiento, arrojóse con-
tra ésta y se sostuvo en pie,
agarrado, pegado a ella por
la viscosidad de sus patas.
Descansó así un rato del es-
fuerzo realizado: ~ Luego in-
tentó con la boca hacer girar
la llave dentro de la cerradu-
ra. Por desgracia, no parecía
tener lo que propiamente lla-
mamos dientes. ¿Con qué iba
entonces a coger la llave?
Pero, en cambio, sus mandí-
bulas eran muy fuertes, y, sir-
viéndose de ellas, pudo po-
ner la llave en movimiento,
sin reparar en el daño que
seguramente se hacía, pues
un líquido oscuro le salió de
la boca, resbalando por la lla-
ve y goteando hasta el suelo.
-Escuchen ustedes -dijo el
principal en el cuarto inme-
diato-; está dando vueltas a
la llave. Estas palabras alen-
taron mucho a Gregorio. Pero
todos, el padre, la madre,
debían haberle gritado: ---
¡Adelante, Gregorio! - Sí,
debían haberle gritado: -
¡Siempre adelante! ¡Duro
con la cerradura! -E imagi-
nando la ansiedad con que
todos seguirían sus esfuer-
zos mordió con toda su
alma en la llave, medio des-
fallecido. Y, a medida que
ésta giraba en la cerradura,
él sosteníase, [29] mecién-
dose en el aire, colgado por
la boca, y, conforme era ne-
cesario, agarrábase a la lla-
ve o la empujaba hacia aba-
jo con todo el peso de su
cuerpo. El sonido metálico
de la cerradura, cediendo
por fin, le volvió completa-
mente en sí. -Bueno- se dijo
con un suspiro de alivio-;
pues no ha sido preciso que
venga el cerrajero, y dio con
la cabeza en el pestillo para
acabar de abrir.
Gregor slowly pushed his
way over to the door with
the chair. Once there he let
go of it and threw himself
o n t o t h e d o o r, h o l d i n g
himself upright against it
using the adhesive on the tips
of his legs. He rested there a
little while to recover from the
effort involved and then set
himself to the task of turning
the key in the lock with his
mouth. He seemed,
unfortunately, to have no proper
teeth - how was he, then, to
grasp the key? - but the lack of
teeth was, of course, made up
for with a very strong jaw;
using the jaw, he really was
able to start the key turning,
ignoring the fact that he must
have been causing some kind of
damage as a brown fluid came
from his mouth, flowed over the
key and dripped onto the floor.
“Listen”, said the chief clerk
in the next room, “ he’s turning
the key.” Gregor was greatly
encouraged by this; but they all
should have been calling to
him, his father and his mother
too: “Well done, Gregor”, they
should have cried, “keep at it,
keep hold of the lock!” And
with the idea that they were
all excitedly following his
efforts, he bit on the key with
all his strength, paying no
attention to the pain he was
causing himself. As the key
turned round he turned
around the lock with it, only
holding himself upright with
his mouth, and hung onto the
key or pushed it down again
with the whole weight of his
body as needed. The clear
sound of the lock as it snapped
back was Gregor’s sign that he
could break his concentration,
and as he regained his breath
he said to himself: “So, I
didn’t need the locksmith after
all”. Then he lay his head on
the handle of the door to open
it completely.

Since he had to stay on the
same side as the key, the door
actually swung back quite far
without his becoming visible.
He had to twist slowly around
the one wing , and very
gingerly at that, to avoid
Como tuvo que abrirla de ese
modo, él mismo no era todavía
visible aunque, de hecho, la puerta
ya estuviese bien abierta. Prime-
ro tuvo que girarse lentamente en
torno a uno de los batientes, y
hacerlo con mucho cuidado si
By opening it in this way,
the door was actually wide
open while he himself was
still not visible. First he had
to edge his way round this
wing of the door, and with
the utmost care, if he wasn’t
Cette méthode, la seule
possible, empêcha sa
famille de le voir un bon
moment, même quand la
porte fut ouverte. Il lui
fallait contourner l’un des
battants avec la plus
En manoeuvrant la porte de
cette manière, elle se trouva
grande ouverte sans qu’on pût
encore l’apercevoir. Il lui fallait
contourner lentement l’un des
battants avec les plus grandes
précautions, s’il ne voulait pas
Since he had to pull the door
open in this way, it was opened
quite wide while he himself still
could not be seen. He first had
to slowly circumnavigate one of
the double doors and do it
very carefully so as not to
Este modo de abrir la
puerta- fue causa de que,
aunque franca ya la entrada,
todavía no se le viese. Hubo
primero que girar lentamen-
te contra una de las hojas de
la puerta, con gran cuidado
Because he had to open the
d o o r i n t h i s w a y, i t w a s
already wide open before he
could be seen. He had first to
slowly turn himself around
one of the double doors , a n d
he had to do it very carefully

30 31
 Neugroschel
plopping over on his back
before entering the next room.
He was still busy performing
this tricky maneuver, with no
time to heed anything else,
when he heard the office
manager blurt out a loud
“Oh!”-it sounded like a
whoosh of wind-and now he
also saw him, the person
nearest to the door, pressing
his hand to his open mouth
and slowly shrinking back as
if he were being ousted by
some unseeable but relentless
force. The mother, who,
despite the office manager’s
presence, [132] stood there
with her hair still undone and
bristling, first gaped at the
father, clasping her hands,
then took two steps toward
Gregor and collapsed, her
petticoats flouncing out all
around her and her face
sinking quite undetectably
into her breasts. The father
clenched his fist, glaring at
Gregor as if trying to shove
him back into his room, then
peered unsteadily around the
parlor before covering his
eyes with his hands and
weeping so hard that his
powerful chest began to
quake.
Gregor did not step into
the parlor after all; instead
he leaned against his side
of the firmly bolted second
wing of the door, so that
only half his body could be
seen along with his head,
which tilted sideways
above it, peeping out at the
others. Meanwhile the day
h a d g r o w n m u c h l i g h t e r.
Across the street, a portion
of the endless, grayish
black building (it was a
hospital) stood out clearly
with its regular windows
harshly disrupting the
facade. The rain was still
falling, but only in large,
visibly separate drops that
were also literally hurled
separately to the ground.
The breakfast dishes still
abundantly covered the
table because breakfast was
the most important meal of
the day for Gregor’s father;
and he would draw it out for
del Solar
no quería caer torpemente de
espaldas ante el umbral mis-
mo de la habitación. Aún es-
taba entregado a esa difícil
maniobra, sin tiempo para
pensar en otra cosa, cuando
oyó [37] que el gerente lan-
zaba un fuerte «¡Oh!» -sonó
como cuando muge el vien-
to-, y también lo vio, pues era
el más próximo a la puerta,
taparse con la mano la boca
abierta y retroceder lenta-
mente, como impulsado por
una fuerza invisible y de
efecto constante. La madre
-que pese a la presencia del
gerente aún seguía allí con el
pelo revuelto y erizado de la
noche pasada- miró primero
al padre con las manos jun-
tas, dio luego dos pasos ha-
cia Gregor y, hundiendo el
rostro en el pecho hasta que
desapareció del todo, se des-
plomó en medio de sus fal-
das, que quedaron extendidas
a su alrededor. El padre ce-
rró el puño con expresión
hostil, como queriendo hacer
retroceder a Gregor a su ha-
bitación, miró luego en derre-
dor con aire inseguro, se tapó
los ojos con las manos y dejó
que el llanto estremeciera su
poderoso pecho.
Gregor no llegó a entrar,
pues, en la sala de estar, sino
que, desde el interior de su ha-
bitación, se apoyó en el batien-
te cerrado de la puerta, de modo
que solo se le veían la mitad del
cuerpo y, por encima, inclina-
da hacia un lado, la cabeza, con
la cual espiaba a los otros. En-
tretanto ya había clareado mu-
cho más, y al otro lado de la
calle se recortaba nítidamente
un trozo del edificio de enfren-
te, interminable y de un gris
negruzco -era un hospital-, con
su hilera regular de ventanas
que horadaban abruptamente
la fachada. La lluvia seguía
cayendo, aunque solo en
goterones visibles de forma
aislada que caían al suelo
también de uno en uno. La
[38] vajilla del desayuno se
acumulaba en gran cantidad
sobre la mesa, pues para el
padre el desayuno era la co-
mida más importante del día,
que él prolongaba durante ho-
32
Stokes
to fall flat on his back
before entering the room.
He was still preoccupied
with this tricky manoeuvre,
and had no time to attend to
anything else, when he
heard the chief clerk utter a
loud ‘Ugh!’ - it sounded like
a rush of wind -and now he
could see him, standing
closest to the door, pressing
his hand to his open mouth,
backing slowly away, as if
driven out by some invisible
and constantly unrelenting
force. His mother - in spite
of the chief clerk’s presence,
she was standing there with
her hair all undone and
tousled from t h e n i g h t -
looked first with clasped
h a n d s a t h i s f a t h e r, t h e n
took two steps towards
Gregor and slumped down,
her skirts billowing in
circles around her, her face
completely buried in her
bosom. His father looked
hostile and clenched a fist,
as if he intended to beat
Gregor back into his room,
then looked uncertainly
round the living-room,
shaded his eyes with his
hands and wept until his
powerful chest shook.
Gregor did not in fact
enter the room at all, but
leaned against the inside of
the firmly bolted wing of the
door, so all that could be
seen was half of his body
and, above it, his head tilted
to one side and staring out
at the others. In the
meantime it had grown
much lighter; clearly visible
on the other side of the
street was a section of the
endless, grey-black building
opposite - it was a hospital
- with its regular windows
harshly piercing its facade;
the rain was still falling, but
only in huge, individually
visible drops that were
literally pelting the ground
[16] one by one. An
excessive number of
breakfast dishes lay
scattered on the table, since
breakfast for his father was
the most important meal of
the day, which he would
Vialatte
grande prudence pour ne
pas rater son entrée en
s’étalant sur le dos; il s’y
escrimait [25] encore, toute
son attention absorbée par
la manoeuvre, quand il
entendit son chef pousser un
de ces «Oh !» sonores, tels
qu’en produisent les mugissements
du vent, et le vit - le gérant était le
plus près de la porte - presser la
main sur sa bouche ouverte et
battre en retraite lentement
comme si quelque force invisible
et d’intensité constante l’eût
repoussé de cet endroit. La mère,
qui était restée là malgré la
présence du gérant, avec ses
cheveux en bataille pleins du
désordre de la nuit, commença
par regarder le père en joignant
les mains, puis fit deux pas dans
la direction de Grégoire et tomba
au centre du cercle de famille, ses
jupes s’étalant autour d’elle
tandis que son visage,
s’affaissant sur son sein, devenait
absolument introuvable. Le père
serra les poings d’un air méchant,
comme pour rejeter Grégoire
dans sa chambre, regarda la
salle à manger d’un oeil
perplexe, se couvrit les yeux de
ses mains et pleura avec de gros
sanglots qui agitaient sa
puissante poitrine.
Grégoire s’abstint donc
de pénétrer dans la pièce, il
se contenta de s’appuyer
sur le battant fermé de la
porte, ne laissant voir que
la moitié de son corps, et,
tout en haut, sa tête
penchée sur le côté pour
guetter la suite. Cependant
le temps s’était beaucoup
éclairci; on voyait
nettement de l’autre côté de
la rue un morceau de la
maison d’en face, un long
hôpital, noirâtre, avec les
fenêtres régulières qui
trouaient durement sa
faç a d e ; i l p l e u v a i t [ 2 6 ]
encore, mais par
grandes gouttes bien
séparées qui tombaient
s u r l e s o l u n e à u n e. La
vaisselle du petit déjeuner
s’étalait abondamment sur
la table, car ce repas était
pour le père le plus
important du jour; il le
prolongeait des heures
Cl. David
retomber lourdement sur le dos,
juste au moment de son entrée
dans la pièce. II était encore tout
occupé à ce mouv ement
difficile, en ne pouvant prêter
d’attention à rien d’autre,
quand il entendit le fondé de
pouvoir pousser un a Oh! »
sonore - on eût dit le
mugissement du vent - et il le vit,
lui qui était le plus près de la
porte, appuyer la main sur sa
bouche ouverte et battre
lentement en retraite, comme si
une force invisible et constante,
toujours égale à ellemême, le
chassait de cet endroit. Sa mère,
dont la chevelure, en dépit de la
présence du fondé de pouvoir,
avait gardé tout le désordre de la
nuit et se hérissait vers le haut de
la tête, regarda d’abord le père en
joignant les mains, puis fit deux
pas vers Gregor et tomba au
milieu de ses jupons déployés
autour d’elle; son visage, penché
sur sa poitrine, avait entièrement
disparu. Le père serra les poings
d’un air hostile, comme pour rejeter
Gregor dans sa chambre, promena
ses regards d’un air incertain d’un
bout de la pièce à l’autre, puis il
se couvrit les yeux de ses mains et
se mit à pleurer avec de gros
sanglots qui secouaient sa
puissante poitrine.
Gregor n’entra pas dans la
pièce; il resta appuyé sur le
battant fermé de la porte, de
sorte qu’on ne voyait que la
moitié de son corps et
par-dessus, on pouvait voir sa
tête penchée de côté qui
essayait d’apercevoir les
autres personnages. Le temps
s’était éclairci; on voyait
distinctement de l’autre côté
de la rue un fragment de
l’immense maison noirâtre qui
constituait le vis-à-vis - c’était
un hôpital -; des fenêtres
disposées régulièrement en
perçaient brutalement la
façade; la pluie continuait à
tomber, mais maintenant en
grosses gouttes séparées les
unes des autres et qui
paraissaient littéralement
jetées l’une après l’autre sur le
sol. L’abondante vaisselle du
petit déjeuner était encore sur
la table, car c’était pour le père
le principal repas de la
journée; il le prolongeait
Freed
flop onto his back before
entering the room. He was
still busy with this involved
maneuver and had no time
to be distracted by anything
else when he heard the head
clerk burst out with a loud
“Oh!”-it sounded like a
gust of windand now he
also saw the head clerk,
standing closest to the
d o o r, p r e s s i n g h i s h a n d
against his open mouth and
backing away slowly as if
r e p e l l e d b y a n i n v is i b l e
a n d r e l e n t l e s s f o r c e . (4 )
The motherstanding there,
despite the presence of the
head clerk, with her hair
still undone and bristling
all over-first looked at the
father with clasped hands,
then took two steps toward
Gregor and fell down amid
her billowing skirts, her
face sinking out of sight
onto [17] her breast. The
father, furiously shaking
his fists as if willing
Gregor to go back in his
room, looked uncertainly
around the living room,
covered his eyes in his
hands, and sobbed with
great heaves of his
powerful chest.
Gregor did not now
enter the room but instead
leaned against the other,
firmly locked wing of the
door so that only half of
his body could be seen and
his head above it, tilting
as he peered out at the
others. In the meantime it
had grown much brighter;
a section of the endless
dark gray building across
the street was clearly
visible-it was a hospital,
with regular windows
breaking through the
matte façade; the rain was
still falling but now only in
large individually formed
and visible drops that
struck the ground one at a
time. The many breakfast
dishes lay on the table, as
breakfast was the most
important meal of the day
for the father, the time
when he would pore over
t h e d i ff e r e n t n e w s p a p e r s
33
Alianza
para no caerse brusca-
mente de espaldas en el
umbral. Y aún estaba
ocupado en llevar a cabo
tan difícil movimiento,
sin tiempo para pensar
en otra cosa, cuando sin-
t i ó u n « ¡ o h !» del principal,
que sonó como suena el
mugido del viento, y vio a
este señor, el más inmedia-
to a la puerta, taparse la
boca con la mano y retroce-
der lentamente, como im-
pulsado mecánicamente por
una fuerza invisible.
La madre -que, a pesar de la
presencia del principal, estaba
allí despeinada, con el pelo en-
redado en lo alto del cráneo- miró
primero a Gregorio, juntando las
manos, avanzó luego dos pasos
hacia él, y se desplomó por fin,
en medio de sus faldas esparci-
das [30] en torno suyo, con el
rostro oculto en las profundida-
des del pecho. El padre amenazó
con el puño, con expresión hos-
til, cual si quisiera empujar a
Gregorio hacia el interior de la
habitación; volvióse luego, sa-
liendo con paso inseguro al reci-
bimiento, y, cubriéndose los ojos
con las manos, rompió a llorar de
tal modo, que el llanto sacudía
su robusto pecho.
Gregorio, pues, no llegó a
penetrar en la habitación;
desde el interior de la suya
permaneció apoyado en la
hoja cerrada de la puerta, de
modo que solo presentaba la
mitad superior del cuerpo,
con la cabeza inclinada de
medio lado, espiando a los
circunstantes. En esto, había
ido clareando, y en la acera
opuesta se recortaba nítido
un trozo del edificio negruz-
co de enfrente. Era un hospi-
tal, cuya monótona fachada
rompían simétricas ventanas.
La lluvia no había cesado,
pero caía ya en goterones ais-
lados, que se veían llegar
distintamente al suelo. Sobre
la mesa estaban los utensilios
del servicio de desayuno,
pues, para el padre, era ésta
la comida principal del día,
que gustaba de prolongarse
con la lectura de varios perió-
dicos. En el lienzo de pared
que daba justo frente a
Willie
if he did not want to fall flat
on his back before entering
the room. He was still
occupied with this difficult
movement, unable to pay
attention to anything else,
when he heard the chief
clerk exclaim a loud “Oh!”,
which sounded like the
soughing of the wind. Now
he also saw him - he was the
nearest to the door - his
hand pressed against his
open mouth and slowly
retreating as if driven by a
steady and invisible force.
G r e g o r ’s m o t h e r , h e r h a i r
still dishevelled from bed
d e s p i t e t h e c h i e f c l e r k ’s
being there, looked at his
f a t h e r. T h e n s h e u n f o l d e d
her arms, took two steps
forward towards Gregor and
sank down onto the floor
into her skirts that spread
themselves out around her as
her head disappeared down
onto her breast. His father
looked hostile, and clenched
his fists as if wanting to
knock Gregor back into his
room. Then he looked
uncertainly round the living
room, covered his eyes with
his hands and wept so that
his powerful chest shook.
So Gregor did not go into the
room, but leant against the
inside of the other door which
was still held bolted in place.
In this way only half of his
body could be seen, along with
his head above it which he leant
over to one side as he peered
[looked keenly] out at the others.
Meanwhile the day had become
much lighter; part of the
endless, grey-black building on
the other side of the street -
which was a hospital - could be
seen quite clearly with the
austere and regular line of
windows piercing its façade;
the rain was still falling, now
throwing down large,
individual droplets which hit
the ground one at a time. The
washing up from breakfast lay
on the table; there was so
much of it because, for
Gregor ’s father, breakfast was
the most important meal of the
day and he would stretch it out
for several hours as he sat
 Neugroschel
hours o n e n d b y r e a d i n g
various newspapers. The
opposite wall sported a
photograph of Gregor from
his military days: it
showed him as a tido de alférez, la mano en
lieutenant, hand on sword,
with a carefree smile,
demanding respect for his
bearing and his uniform. The
vestibule door was open, and
since the apartment door was
open too, one could see all
the way out to the landing and
the top of the descending
stairs. [133]
“ We l l , ” s a i d G r e g o r,
quite aware of being the only
one who had kept calm, “I’ll
be dressed in a minute, pack
up my samples, and catch my
train. Would you all, would
you all let me go on the
road? Well, sir, you can see
I am not stubborn and I
enjoy working. Traveling is
arduous, but I could not live
without it. Why, where are
y o u g o i n g , s i r ? To t h e
off i c e ? R i g h t ? Wi l l y o u
report all this accurately? A
man may be temporarily
incapacitated, but that is
precisely the proper time to
remember his past
achievements and to bear in
mind that later on, once the
obstacle is eliminated, he is
sure to work all the harder
and more intently. After all,
I am so deeply obligated to
the director, you know that
very well. And then, I have
to take care of my parents
and my sister. I’m in a tight
spot, but still I’ll work my
way out again. So please
d o n ’t m a k e t h i n g s m o r e
difficult for me than they
already are. Put in a good
word for me at the office!
People don’t like a traveling
salesman, I know. They think
he makes barrels of money
and has a wonderful life.
They simply have no special
reason to examine their
prejudice. But you, sir, you
have a better notion of what
it’s all about than the rest of
the staff, why, than even-this
is strictly between us-a
better notion than even the
director, who, as owner of
del Solar
ras leyendo varios periódi-
cos. Justo en la pared de en-
frente colgaba una fotogra-
fía de Gregor durante su ser-
vicio militar, en la cual, ves-
la espada y sonriendo des-
pre o c u p a d a m e n t e , p a r e c í a
exigir respeto hacia su
porte y su uniforme. La
puerta que daba al vestíbulo
estaba abierta; y como la
puerta del piso también lo
estaba, se veían el rellano y
el arranque de la escalera
que conducía hacia abajo.
« B u e n o » , d i j o G r e g o r,
perfectamente consciente de
ser el único que había man-
tenido la calma, «me vestiré
ahora mismo, empaquetaré el
muestrario y me iré. Me de-
jaréis partir, ¿verdad que sí?
Ya ve usted, señor gerente,
que no soy tozudo y me gus-
ta trabajar; viajar es moles-
to, pero no podría vivir sin
hacerlo. ¿Adónde va usted
ahora, señor gerente? ¿A la
oficina? ¿Sí? ¿Presentará us-
ted un informe fiel de todo lo
ocurrido? Alguien puede es-
tar incapacitado para trabajar
en un momento dado, pero es
precisamente entonces cuan-
do hay que acordarse de sus
rendimientos anteriores y
pensar que más adelante, una
vez superado el impedimen-
to, volverá a trabajar con
mayor ahínco y aplicación.
Le debo muchísimo al señor
director, y usted lo sabe muy
bien. Por otra parte, tengo la
carga de mis padres y de mi
hermana. Estoy metido en un
aprieto, pero ya saldré de él.
Eso sí, no me complique las
[39] cosas más de lo que es-
tán. ¡Póngase de mi parte en
la oficina! Ya sé que los via-
jantes no son muy bien vis-
tos. Se piensa que ganan un
dineral y se dan la gran vida.
Y es cierto que no hay nin-
guna razón especial para re-
visar este prejuicio. Sin em-
bargo, usted, señor gerente,
tiene una visión de conjunto
superior a la del resto del
personal, superior incluso -y
que esto quede entre noso-
tros- a la del propio señor di-
rector, que en su condición de
34
Stokes
prolong for hours by
reading a variety of
newspapers. Hanging on the
wall opposite was a
photograph of Gregor from
his army days, which
showed him as a lieutenant,
hand on sword, a carefree
smile on his lips, inviting
respect for his bearing and
uniform. The door to the
hallway was open, and since
the front door was open too,
it was possible to see out
onto the landing and the top
of the stairs.
‘Right,’ said Gregor, well
aware that he was the only
one to have retained his
composure, ‘I shall now get
dressed, pack my samples
and be off: Are you willing,
are you willing to let me go?
You can see, sir, that I am
not stubborn and that I like
my work; travelling is
wearisome, but I couldn’t
live without it. Where are
y o u g o i n g , s i r ? To t h e
office? Yes? Will you make
a faithful report of all this?
A man might for a moment
be unable to work, but that’s
precisely the time to
remember his past
achievements and to
consider that later on, once
the obstacle has been
removed, he will be sure to
work with increased energy
and concentration. I am
deeply beholden to the head
of the firm, as you are well
aware. On the other hand, I
have my parents and my
sister to think about. I’m in
a tight spot, but I’ll work my
way out of it. Don’t make
things harder for me than
they already are. Speak up
for me in the firm!
Travelling salesmen aren’t
well-liked, I know. People
think they earn a fortune and
live in clover. They have no
particular reason to revise
such a prejudice. But you,
sir, you have a better view of
things than the rest of the
staff and, between you and
me, than the head of the firm
himself who, in his capacity
a s e m p l o y e r, c a n e a s i l y
allow his judgement to err,
Vialatte
entières par la lecture de
divers journaux. Sur la
cloison on pouvait voir
Grégoire photographié en
lieutenant, comme au temps
de son service, souriant, la
main sur son sabre, heureux
de vivre, et semblant par
son allure exiger le respect
de sa tenue. La porte étant
ouverte, on découvrait à
travers celle du vestibule
l’espace qui s’étendait
au-delà du palier et les
premières marches de
l’escalier. ‘
Grégoire déclara,
conscient d’être le seul à avoir
conservé son calme :«Je vais
m’habiller tout de suite, ranger
mes échantillons et partir.
Voulez-vous me laisser partir?
Voulez-vous? Vous voyez
bien, monsieur le Gérant, que
je n’y mets pas d’entêtement;
les voyages sont pénibles, sans
doute, mais je ne saurais m’en
passer. Où allez-vous donc,
monsieur le Gérant? Au
magasin? Oui? Leur
ferez-vous de tout un rapport
fidèle? On peut se trouver un
instant dans l’incapacité
d’accomplir sa besogne, mais
c’est alors le bon moment pour
se rappeler ses anciens travaux
et se mettre en tête que,
l’obstacle franchi, on
apportera deux fois plus de
coeur à l’ouvrage. Je dois tant
à monsieur le Directeur, vous
le savez bien. J’ai mes parents
et ma soeur à ma charge. Je
suis dans une mauvaise passe,
mais j’en sortirai par le travail.
Seulement ne me rendez [27]
pas la chose trop difficile; elle
l’est déjà suffisamment.
Prenez mon parti au magasin.
Je sais bien qu’on n’aime pas
le voyageur. On croit qu’il
gagne un argent fou et qu’il
mène une vie de pacha; et je
comprends que la situation
actuelle n’encourage pas à
revenir sur ce préjugé. Mais
vous, monsieur le Gérant, vous
qui jugez mieux des
circonstances que le reste du
personnel, mieux que
monsieur le Directeur
lui-même, soit dit entre nous
(car il peut, en sa qualité
d’employeur, se laisser
Cl. David
pendant des heures à lire
divers journaux. Au mur d’en
face était accrochée une
photographie de Gregor, du
temps de son service militaire;
elle le représentait en
sous-lieutenant, la main sur son
épée, souriant d’un air
insouciant, semblant exiger le
respect pour son maintien et
pour son uniforme. La porte du
vestibule était ouverte et, comme
la porte de l’appartement était
ouverte elle aussi, on apercevait
le palier et les premières
marches de l’escalier.
« Bon », dit Gregor, tout à fait
conscient d’être le seul à avoir
conservé son calme, « je vais
t o u t d e s u i t e m ’ h a b i l l e r,
emballer la collection et m’en
a l l e r. Vo u s v o u l e z b i e n m e
laisser partir? vous voulez bien?
Vous voyez, monsieur le fondé
de pouvoir, que je ne suis pas
têtu et que j’aime le travail; les
voyages sont pénibles, mais je
ne pourrais pas m’en passer. Où
allez-vous donc, monsieur le
fondé de pouvoir? Au magasin?
Oui? Allez-vous faire un compte
rendu fidèle de tout? Il peut
arriver qu’on soit dans l’instant
incapable de travailler, mais
c’est aussi le bon moment pour
se rappeler tout ce qu’on a fait
autrefois et pour penser que,
l’obstacle une fois franchi, on ne
travaillera ensuite qu’avec
encore plus de zèle et
d’application. J’ai tant
d’obligations envers M. le
directeur, vous le savez pourtant
bien. J’ai d’autre part le souci de
mes parents et de ma soeur. Je
suis dans une mauvaise passe,
mais je m’en sortirai.
Seulement, ne me rendez pas les
choses encore plus difficiles
qu’elles ne le sont. Prenez mon
parti au magasin! On n’aime pas
les voyageurs, je le sais bien. On
pense qu’ils gagnent un argent
fou et qu’ils mènent la belle vie.
C’est parce qu’on n’a pas
l’occasion de remettre ce préjugé
en question. Mais vous,
monsieur le fondé de pouvoir,
vous avez une meilleure vision
de l’ensemble que le reste du
personnel et même, entre nous
soit dit, une vision plus juste que
M. le directeur lui-même, qui, en
tant qu’employeur, peut être
Freed
for hours. On the wall just
opposite hung a to de éste, hecho durante su
photograph of Gregor
from the time of his
military service, showing
him as a lieutenant and,
with a carefree smile and
his hand on his sword,
demanding respect for his
bearing and uniform. The
door to the foyer was open,
and since the apartment
door was also open, one
could see out to the
landing and the top of the
stairs leading down.
“Well now,” said Gregor,
well aware that he alone had
remained calm, “I will get
dressed immediately, pack
my samples, and be on my
way. Will you all, will you
let me go catch my train?
Now you see, sir, I’m not
stubborn and I’m happy to
work; traveling is difficult
but I couldn’t live without
it. Where are you going, sir?
To the office? Yes? Will you
report on everything
truthfully? A man can
suddenly be incapable of
working, but this is the
precise moment
remember his
performance and
c o n s i d e r t h a t l a t e r, a f t e r
resolving his difficulties, he
would work all the harder
and more diligently. I am so
deeply obligated to the
Chief, as you well know.
And besides,
responsible for my parents
and sister. I am in a tough
bind but I’ll work myself
back out of it. Please do not
make it more difficult than
it already is. I beg you to
speak up for me in the
office! No one likes
traveling salesmen, I know.
They think we make a slew
of money and lead charmed
lives. There’s no particular
reason for them to further
examine this prejudice. But
you, sir, you have a better
perspective than the rest of
the office, an even better
perspective, in
confidence, than the Chief
himself, who, in his
capacity as [18] employer,
Alianza
Gregorio, colgaba un retra-
servicio militar, y que [31]
le representaba con uniforme
de teniente, la mano puesta
en la espalda, sonriendo des-
preocupadamente, con un
aire que parecía exigir res-
peto para su indumento y su
actitud. Esa habitación daba
al recibimiento; por la puer-
ta abierta veíase la del piso,
también abierta, el rellano de
la escalera y el arranque de
esta última, que conducía a
los pisos inferiores.
—Bueno -dijo Gregorio
muy convencido de ser el
único que había conservado
su serenidad-. Bueno, me vis-
to al momento, recojo el
muestrario y salgo de viaje.
¿Me permitiréis que salga de
viaje, verdad? Ea, señor prin-
cipal, ya ve usted que no soy
testarudo y que trabajo con
gusto. El viajar es cansado;
pero yo no sabría vivir sin
viajar. ¿Adónde va usted, se-
ñor principal? ¿Al almacén?
¿Sí? ¿Lo contará todo tal
como ha sucedido? Puede
uno tener un momento de in-
to capacidad para el trabajo;
past pero entonces es precisamen-
to te cuando deben acordarse
los jefes de lo útil que uno ha
sido y pensar que, una vez
pasado el impedimento, vol-
verá a ser tanto más activo y
trabajará con mayor celo. Yo,
como usted sabe muy bien, le
I am estoy muy obligado al jefe.
Por otra parte, también ten-
go que atender a mis padres
y a mi hermana. Cierto que
hoy me encuentro [32] en un
grave aprieto. Pero trabajan-
do sabré salir de él. Usted no
me haga la cosa más difícil
de lo que ya es. Póngase de
mi parte. Ya sé yo que al via-
jante no se le quiere. Todos
creen que gana el dinero a
espuertas, y además que se da
la gran vida. Cierto es que no
hay ninguna razón especial
para que este prejuicio des-
aparezca. Pero usted, señor
principal, usted está más en-
all terado de lo que son las co-
sas que el resto del personal,
incluso, y dicho sea en con-
fianza, que el propio jefe, el
35
Willie
reading a number of different
newspapers. On the wall
exactly opposite there was
photograph of Gregor when
he was a lieutenant in the
army, his sword in his hand
and a carefree smile on his
face as he called forth
respect for his uniform and
bearing. The door to the
entrance hall was open and
as the front door of the flat
was also open he could see
onto the landing and the
stairs where they began their
way down below.
“Now, then”, said Gregor,
well aware that he was the only
one to have kept calm, “I’ll get
dressed straight away now, pack
up my samples and set off. Will
you please just let me leave?
You can see”, he said to the
chief clerk, “that I’m not
stubborn and like I like to do
my job; being a commercial
traveller is arduous but without
travelling I couldn’t earn my
living. So where are you going,
in to the office? Yes? Will you
report everything accurately,
then? It’s quite possible for
someone to be temporarily
unable to work, but that’s just
the right time to remember
what’s been achieved in the past
and consider that later on, once
t h e d i ff i c u l t y h a s b e e n
removed, he will certainly work
with all the more diligence and
c o n c e n t r a t i o n . Yo u ’ r e w e l l
aware that I’m seriously in debt
to our employer as well as
having to look after my parents
a n d m y s i s t e r, s o t h a t I ’ m
trapped in a difficult situation,
but I will work my way out of
it again. Please don’t make
things any harder for me than
they are already, and don’t take
sides against me at the office. I
know that nobody likes the
travellers. They think we earn
an enormous wage as well as
having a soft time of it. That’s
just prejudice but they have no
particular reason to think better
it. But you, sir, you have a
better overview than the rest of
the staff, in fact, if I can say this
in confidence, a better overview
than the boss himself - it’s very
easy for a businessman like him
to make mistakes about his
 Neugroschel
the firm, is easily swayed
against an employee. You
also know very well that a
traveling salesman, being
away from the office most of
the year, can so easily fall
victim to gossip, coincidences,
and unwarranted complaints,
and he c a n n o t p o s s i b l y
defend himself since he
almost never finds out about
them, except perhaps when
he returns from a trip,
exhausted, and personally
suffers [134] their awful
consequences at home
without fathoming their
inscrutable causes. Sir, please
do not leave without saying
something to show that you
agree with me at least to
some small extent!”
But the office manager had
already turned away at
Gregor’s very first words, and
he only looked back at him
over his twitching shoulder
and with gaping lips. Indeed
during Gregor’s speech, the
manager did not halt for even
an instant. Rather, without
losing sight of Gregor, he
retreated toward the door,
but only very gradually, as
if there were some secret
ban on leaving the room.
He was already in the
vestibule, and to judge by
his abrupt movement when
he finally pulled his leg out of
the parlor, one might have
thought he had just burned the
sole of his foot. In the
vestibule, however, he
stretched out his right hand
very far, toward the staircase,
as if some unearthly
redemption were awaiting him
there.
Gregor realized he must
on no account allow the office
manager to leave in this frame
of mind; if he did, Gregor’s
position at the office would be
thoroughly compromised. The
parents did not quite
understand this. During these
long years, they had become
convinced that he was set up
for life at this firm, and
besides they were so
preoccupied with their
immediate problems as to
del Solar
empresario puede dejarse in-
fluir fácilmente en contra de
un empleado. También sabe
muy bien que un viajante, al
pasarse casi todo el año fue-
ra de la oficina, puede ser
víctima fácil de habladurías,
arbitrariedades y quejas in-
fundadas contra las que le es
totalmente imposible defen-
derse, pues la mayoría de las
veces ni se entera, y solo
cuando vuelve a casa, ex-
hausto, de algún viaje, em-
pieza a sentir en carne pro-
pia las funestas consecuen-
cias cuyas causas resultan ya
inescrutables. Señor gerente,
no se vaya sin haberme dicho
algo para demostrarme que,
al menos mínimamente, me
da usted la razón».
Pero el gerente ya se ha-
bía vuelto al oír las prime-
r a s p a l a bras de Gregor, al
que solo miraba por encima
el hombro, agitado por un
temblor convulsivo y con los
labios fruncidos. Y mientras
Gregor le hablaba no se que-
dó quieto un instante, sino
que fue retrocediendo, sin
perderlo de vista, hacia la
puerta, aunque muy paulati-
namente, como si una prohi-
bición secreta le impidiese
abandonar la habitación. Ya
estaba en el vestíbulo, y a
juzgar por la [40] brusque-
dad con que retiró el pie al
salir de la sala de estar, se
habría dicho que acababa
de quemarse la suela del
zapato. A1 llegar al vestí-
bulo estiró la mano dere-
cha en dirección a la esca-
lera, como si allí lo aguar-
dase alguna redención
u l t r a terrena.
Gregor comprendió que en
ningún caso debía permitir
que el gerente se fuera en ese
estado si no quería que su
puesto en la empresa corriese
un serio peligro. Los padres
no entendieron tan bien todo
aquello; en el curso de esos
largos años habían llegado al
convencimiento de que
Gregor tenía la vida asegura-
da en esa empresa, y estaban
además tan agobiados con las
preocupaciones de aquel mo-
36
Stokes
to the disadvantage of an
employee. And you know
very well that the travelling
[17] salesman, who is out of
the office practically all year
round, can fall prey to
gossip, coincidences and
unfounded complaints,
against which h e ’s
completely unable to defend
himself, since in most cases
he knows nothing at all
about them, or only finds out
for himself when he has just
returned exhausted from a
trip and hears of the
repercussions at home, when
it’s too late to discover their
cause. Sir, don’t go away
without telling me that you
think I’m at least partly
right!’
But the chief clerk had
already turned away at
Gregor ’s very first words,
merely staring back at him
with curled lips over his
quivering shoulder. And
during Gregor’s speech he
never stood still for a moment
but, without letting Gregor
out of his sight, kept moving
away towards the door, only
very gradually though, as if
there were some secret
injunction against leaving the
room. He was already in the
hallway, and to judge from the
sudden movement with which
he finally stepped from the
living-room, one might have
thought he had just scorched
the sole of his foot. Once in
the hall, however, he stretched
out his right hand far in front
of him towards the stairs, as
if an almost supernatural
deliverance were awaiting
him there.
Gregor realised that he
could in no circumstances
allow the chief clerk to depart
in this frame of mind if his
position in the firm were not
to be seriously endangered.
His parents did not understand
these things too well; in the
course of many years they had
formed the conviction that
Gregor was set up for life in
this firm; and besides, they
were so preoccupied with
their own immediate worries
Vialatte
influencer facilement au
préjudice d’un employé), vous
n’ignorez pas, vous, que le
voyageur, qui n’est presque
jamais au magasin de toute
l’année, se trouve souvent
victime d’un simple racontar,
d’un hasard, d’une réclamation
gratuite, et qu’il lui est
absolument impossible de se
défendre puisqu’il ne sait
même pas qu’on l’accuse,
puisqu’il ne l’apprend qu’en
revenant épuisé de son voyage,
quand les tristes conséquences
d’une affaire aux causes dé
laquelle il ne peut plus remonter
le font pâtir dans son propre
corps! Monsieur le Gérant, ne
partez pas sans un geste qui me
montre que vous me donnez au
moins un petit peu raison.»
Mais le gérant, aux
premiers mots de Grégoire,
s’était détourné pour ne plus
le regarder qu’en faisant la
moue par-dessus son épaule
tout agitée d’un tremblement
convulsif. Pendant le discours
de Grégoire, au lieu d’écouter
froidement, il s’était retiré -
tout en le gardant à vue - petit
à petit vers la porte; on eût dit
qu’une loi secrète lui [28]
interdisait de quitter la pièce.
Il avait déjà gagné le
vestibule, et, quand il sortit le
dernier pied de la salle à
manger, ce fut d’un
mouvement si brusque
qu ’ o n e û t p u c r o i r e q u e
le plancher lui brûlait
les souliers. Puis il
lança de loin sa main
vers la rampe comme
si quelque délivrance
s u r n a t u r e l l e
l’attendait au bas de
l ’ e s c a l i e r.
Grégoire comprit qu’il ne
fallait à aucun prix le laisser
partir dans cet état s’il tenait
à conserver son poste.
Malheureusement ses
parents voyaient moins clair
dans la situation; depuis le
temps que leur fils était dans
ce commerce, ils s’étaient
ancrés dans l’idée que
Grégoire était casé pour la
vie, et leurs soucis présents
absorbaient trop leur âme
pour qu’ils trouvassent
Cl. David
amené à avoir le jugement faussé
en défaveur d’un employé. Vous
n’ignorez pas que le voyageur,
qui n’est presque jamais au
magasin de toute l’année, est
facilement victime de potins, de
hasards, de réclamations dénuées
de fondement, contre lesquels il
lui est absolument impossible de
se défendre, puisqu’il ne sait
même pas qu’on l’accuse; et que
c’est seulement quand il revient
chez lui, épuisé par son voyage,
qu’il en découvre à ses dépens
les conséquences, sans même
parvenir jamais à en deviner les
causes. Ne partez pas, monsieur
l e f o n d é d e p o u v o i r, s a n s
m’avoir dit un mot qui me
prouve que vous me donnez
raison, au moins pour une toute
petite partie!»
Mais le fondé de pouvoir,
dès les premiers mots de
Gregor, s’était détourné, avec
une moue de dégoût, pour ne
plus le regarder que par-dessus
son épaule, agitée d’un
tremblement nerveux. Et
pendant le discours de Gregor,
il ne resta pas un instant
immobile; sans le perdre de
vue, il battit en retraite vers la
porte, mais à petits pas,
comme si une interdiction
mystérieuse l’empêchait de
quitter la pièce. Ii était déjà
dans le vestibule et, quand il
fit le dernier pas hors de la
salle de séjour, ce fut d’un
mouvement si brusque qu’on
aurait pu croire que le plancher
brûlait la semelle de ses
souliers. Arrivé dans le
vestibule, il tendit la main
droite loin de lui, du côté du
l’escalier, comme si l’attendait
là quelque secours proprement
surnaturel.
Gregor comprit qu’il ne
fallait en aucun cas laisser le
fondé de pouvoir partir dans cet
état, si sa position au magasin
ne devait pas être à tout jamais
compromise. Ses parents ne
voyaient pas les choses ainsi;
au cours de ces longues années,
ils s’étaient installés dans la
conviction que Gregor était
casé dans cette affaire pour sa
vie entière et, en outre, ils
avaient trop à faire de leurs
soucis présents pour pouvoir
Freed
allows his opinion to be
easily swayed against an
employee. You know very
well that a traveling
salesman, out of the office
for almost the entire year,
can easily fall prey to
gossip, coincidences, and
unfounded grievances
against which he cannot
possibly defend himself
because he almost never
hears about them except
when returning home from
an exhausting trip; he
personally suffers the grim
consequences, the causes of
which he can no longer
determine. Sir, do not leave
without giving me a word to
show that you think me at
least partially right!”
But with Gregor ’s first
words the head clerk had
already turned away and
with gaping lips simply
looked back over his
twitching shoulder at
G r e g o r. And during
Gregor ’s speech he did not
stand still for a moment
but crept step-by-step to
t h e d o o r, h i s e y e s n e v e r
leaving Gregor, as if
obeying some secret
injunction to leave the
room. He was already in
the foyer, and from the
sudden movement with
which he took his last step
from the living room, one
might believe he had just
burned the sole of his foot.
In the foyer, however, he
stretched his right hand far
out toward the stairs as if
some supernatural
deliverance were awaiting
him there.
Gregor realized that he
must on no account let the
head clerk leave in this frame
of mind or his position in the
firm would be seriously
jeopardized. The parents did
not understand this so well;
they had convinced
themselves over the years
that Gregor was set for life at
this firm, and besides, they
were so preoccupied with the
current problem that they had
lost all sense of the future.
37
Alianza
cual, en su cualidad de amo,
se equivoca con frecuencia
respecto de un empleado. Us-
ted sabe muy bien que el via-
jante, como está fuera del al-
macén la mayor parte del
año, es fácil pasto de habla-
durías y víctima propicia de
coincidencias y quejas infun-
dadas, contra las cuales no le
es cómodo defenderse, ya
que la mayoría de las veces
no llegan a su conocimiento,
y que únicamente al regresar
reventado de un viaje es cuan-
do empieza a notar directa-
mente las funestas consecuen-
cias de una causa invisible.
Señor principal, no se vaya sin
decirme algo que me pruebe
que me da usted la razón; por
lo menos en parte.
Pero, desde las primeras
palabras de Gregorio, el prin-
cipal había dado media vuel-
ta, y contemplaba a aquél por
encima del hombro, [33]
convulsivamente agitado con
una mueca de asco en los la-
bios. Mientras Gregorio habla-
ba, no permaneció un momen-
to tranquilo. Retiróse hacía
la puerta sin quitarle ojo de
encima, pero muy lenta-
mente, como si una fuerza
misteriosa le impidiese
abandonar aquella habita-
ción. Llegó, por fin, al re-
cibimiento, y, ante la pron-
titud con que alzó por úl-
tima vez el pie del
suelo, difiérase que
había pisado lumbre.
Alargó el brazo dere-
cho en dirección de
la escalera, como si
esperase encontrar
allí milagrosamente
la libertad.
Gregorio comprendió que
no debía de ningún modo dejar
marchar al principal en ese es-
tado de ánimo, pues si no su
puesto en el almacén estaba se-
riamente amenazado. No lo
comprendían los padres tan
bien como él, porque, en el
transcurso de los años, habían
llegado a hacerse la ilusión de
que la posición de Gregorio en
aquella casa solo con su vida
podía acabar; además, con la
inquietud del momento, y sus
Willie
employees and judge them more
harshly than he should. And
you’re also well aware that we
travellers spend almost the
whole year away from the
office, so that we can very
easily fall victim to gossip and
chance and groundless
complaints, and it’s almost
impossible to defend yourself
from that sort of thing, we don’t
usually even hear about them,
or if at all it’s when we arrive
back home exhausted from a
trip, and that’s when we feel the
harmful effects of what’s been
going on without even knowing
what caused them. Please, don’t
g o a w a y, a t l e a s t f i r s t s a y
something to show that you
grant that I’m at least partly
right!”
But the chief clerk had
turned away as soon as
Gregor had started to speak,
and, with protruding lips,
only stared back at him over
his trembling shoulders as
he left. He did not keep still
for a moment while Gregor
was speaking, but moved
steadily towards the door
w i t h o u t t a k i n g h i s e y e s o ff
him. He moved very
g r a d u a l l y, a s i f t h e r e h a d
been some secret
prohibition on leaving the
room. It was only when he
had reached the entrance
hall that he made a sudden
movement, drew his foot
from the living room, and
rushed forward in a panic.
In the hall, he stretched his
right hand far out towards
the stairway as if out there,
there were some
supernatural force waiting
to save him.
Gregor realised that it was
out of the question to let the
chief clerk go away in this
mood if his position in the firm
was not to be put into extreme
danger. That was something his
parents did not understand very
well; over the years, they had
become convinced that this job
would provide for Gregor for
his entire life, and besides,
they had so much to worry
about at present that they had
lost sight of any thought for the
 Neugroschel
have lost all sense of
foresight. Gregor, however,
did possess such foresight.
The office manager had to be
held back, calmed down,
cajoled, and finally won over;
Gregor’s future and that of his
family hinged on it! If only
the sister had been here! She
was intelligent; she had
already started to cry when
Gregor was still lying calmly
on his back. And [135] the
office manager, that ladies’
man, would certainly have let
her take him in hand: she
would have shut the apartment
door, kept him in the
vestibule, and talked him out
of his terror. But the sister
was not there, so Gregor had
to act on his own. Forgetting
that he was as yet
unacquainted with his current
powers of movement and also
that once again his words had
possibly, indeed probably, not
been understood, he left the
wing of the door and
lumbe r e d t h r o u g h t h e
opening. He intended to
h e a d t o w a r d t h e o ff i c e
m a n a g e r, who was
l u d i c r o u s l y c l u t c h ing the
banister on the landing with
both hands. But Gregor,
fumbling for support, yelped
as he flopped down upon his
many tiny legs. The instant
this happened, he felt a
physical ease and comfort for
the first time that morning.
His tiny legs had solid ground
underneath, and he was
delighted to note that they
were utterly obedient—they
even strove to carry him off
to wherever he wished; and he
already believed that the final
recovery from all sufferings
was at hand. He lay on the
floor, wobbling because of
his checked movement, not
that far from his mother, who
seemed altogether self-
absorbed. But at that same
moment, she unexpectedly
leaped up, stretched her arms
far apart, splayed her fingers,
and cried, “Help! For God’s
sake, help!” Next she lowered
her head as if to see Gregor
more clearly, but then, in
self-contradiction, she
senselessly backed away,
del Solar
mento que p e r d i e r o n t o d o
sentido de la previsión. Pero
Gregor sí que lo tenía. Ha-
bía que retener al gerente,
calmarlo, convencerlo y, por
último, conquistarlo; de ello
dependía, en definitiva, el
futuro de Gregor y de su fa-
milia. ¡Si la hermana hubie-
ra estado allí! Era una chica
inteligente; ya había llorado
cuando Gregor aún yacía
tranquilamente sobre la es-
palda. Y seguro que el geren-
te, aquel mujeriego impeni-
tente, se habría dejado llevar
por ella; tras cerrar la puer-
ta del piso, la hermana le ha-
bría quitado el miedo con-
versando con él en el vestí-
bulo. Pero al no estar ella ahí,
Gregor tenía que actuar solo.
Y sin pensar que aún no co-
nocía del todo su actual capa-
cidad de movimiento, sin pen-
sar tampoco que era posible -e
incluso probable- que no hu-
bieran comprendido su último
discurso, abandonó el batien-
te de la puerta, se impulsó
[41] a través de la abertura
con la intención de acercarse
al gerente, que ya se había
aferrado ridículamente con
ambas manos a la barandilla
del rellano, y se desplomó
enseguida, mientras buscaba
un asidero, sobre sus numero-
sas patitas, lanzando un leve
grito. En cuanto esto ocurrió,
sintió por primera vez esa
mañana un bienestar físico;
las patitas se apoyaban en
suelo firme y obedecían a la
perfección, según notó muy
contento; hasta se esforzaban
por trasladarlo a donde él qui-
siera, por lo que consideró
inminente la curación defini-
tiva de todos sus males. Pero
en ese mismo instante, mien-
tras se balanceaba con conte-
nido movimiento allí en el
suelo, nada lejos y justo en-
frente de su madre, esta, que
parecía tan concentrada en sí
misma, pegó un salto brusco
y, con los brazos extendidos
y los dedos estirados, excla-
mó: «¡Auxilio! ¡Por el amor
de Dios, auxilio!». Mantuvo
la cabeza agachada, como si
quisiera ver mejor a Gregor,
aunque contradiciendo ese
gesto retrocedió absurdamen-
38
Stokes
that they had completely lost
the ability to look ahead. But
Gregor had this ability. The
chief clerk must be
restrained, calmed down,
convinced and finally won
over; Gregor’s future and that
of his family depended on it!
If only his sister had been
there! She was clever; she
had already started to cry
when Gregor was still lying
calmly on his [18] back. And
surely the chief clerk, this
ladies’ man, would have
allowed himself to be swayed
by her; she would have
closed the front door and
talked him out of his fears in
the hall. But since his sister
was not there, Gregor had to
act on his own. And without
stopping to think that he was
still wholly unfamiliar with
his present powers of
locomotion, without stopping
to think that his words had
possibly, even probably, not
been understood again, he let
go of the wing of the door; he
shoved himself through the
opening; he wanted to get to
the chief clerk who was by
now, ridiculously, holding
onto the banisters with both
hands; but promptly fell, as he
groped for support, onto his
numerous little legs with a
short cry. No sooner had this
happened than, for the first
time that morning, he felt a
sense of physical well-being;
his little legs had firm ground
beneath them; they obeyed
him completely, as he noted to
his joy; they were even eager
to carry him wherever he
wanted to go; and he already
believed that an end to all his
suffering was finally at hand.
But at that very same moment,
as he lay there on the ground
rocking to and fro with
repressed motion, not far from
his mother and directly
opposite her, she, who had
seemed so utterly
self-absorbed, suddenly leapt
into the air, arms stretched
out wide, fingers spread,
crying, ‘Help, for God’s sake,
help!’, craned her neck
forward as if to see Gregor
better, but in self-contradiction
ran frantically back instead;
Vialatte
encore la force de prévoir.
Mais un pressentiment
habitait le tueur de Grégoire.
I l f a l l a i t a r r ê t e r, calmer,
convaincre et finalement
conquérir le gérant, il y allait
de l’avenir de Grégoire et de
sa famille. Ah! si sa soeur avait
été là! Elle comprenait,
celle-là, elle qui avait déjà
commencé à pleurer quand il
n’était encore que couché sur
le dos, plein d’insouciance! Et
le gérant, qui aimait les dames,
l’aurait certainement écoutée;
il se serait laissé guider par
elle, elle aurait fermé la porte
et lui aurait prouvé dans le
vestibule l’inanit é d e s a
f r a y e u r. M a i s v o i l à , e l l e
n’était justement pas là;
toutes les négociations
incombaient à Grégoire.
Et sans même s’inquiéter
de savoir s’il pourrait
aller bien loin- ni si son
discours avait été compris
- ce qui semblait peu
vraisemblable [29] - il
abandonna son battant de
porte, passa par
l’ouverture pour rattraper
le gérant (qui se
cramponnait déjà des deux
m a i n s à l a rampe d’une
faon tout à fait ridicule),
chercha vainement un appui
et tomba sur ses pattes grêles
en poussant un petit cri. Il
ressentit aussitôt pour la
première fois de la matinée
une impression de bien-être
physique; il avait pied sur le
sol ferme, il remarqua
joyeusement que ses pattes
lui obéissaient à merveille
et brûlaient même de le
porter où il voudrait; et déjà
il se prenait à croire que la
fin de ses maux était venue.
Mais tandis qu’il se
balançait sur place sous
l’influence de son besoin de
courir, tout près de sa mère
gisante, il la vit subitement
faire un bond, tout évanouie
qu’elle parût, lancer ses
bras dans l’espace en
écarquillant les doigts, et
hurler : «Au secours, à
l’aide, à l’aide!» après quoi
elle pencha la tête comme
pour mieux le voir, puis,
contradiction flagrante, se
mit à reculer follement sans
Cl. David
penser à l’avenir. Mais Gregor
y pensait. Il fallait arrêter,
calmer, convaincre le fondé
de pouvoir et finalement le
gagner à sa cause, il y allait
de l’avenir de Gregor et de sa
famille. Si seulement sa soeur
avait été là! Elle était
intelligente, elle s’était mise
à pleurer déjà lorsque Gregor
était encore tranquillement
couché sur le dos. Et le fondé
de pouvoir, qui aimait bien les
dames, se serait certainement
laissé convaincre par elle; elle
aurait fermé la porte de
l’appartement et lui aurait
montré dans le vestibule
l’inanité d e sa frayeur. Mais
sa soeur n’était précisément
pas là; Gregor devait agir
seul. Et, sans penser qu’il
ignorait lui-même quelle
était sa capacité de
mouvement, sans se dire
qu’il était possible, et même
probable, que son dernier
discours n’ait pas été
compris, il abandonna le
battant de la porte, se glissa
par l’ouverture et voulut se
diriger vers le fondé de
pouvoir qui s’était déjà
agrippé ridiculement des deux
mains à la rampe du palier,
mais il retomba aussitôt, en
cherchant un appui, sur l’une de
ses pattes, en poussant un petit
cri. A peine cela se futil produit
qu’il ressentit pour la première
fois dans cette matinée une
impression de bien-être
physique; ses pattes reposaient
sur un sol solide; elles lui
obéissaient à merveille, comme
il le remarqua avec plaisir, et ne
demandaient même qu’à
l’emmener où il voulait; et il se
prenait déjà à croire que la fin de
ses maux était proche. Mais, au
même moment, alors qu’il se
balançait sur place en retenant son
mouvement tout près de l’endroit
où se trouvait sa mère et qu’il
avançait sur le plancher juste en
face d’elle, celleci, qu’on eût dit
abîmée en elle-même, se releva
d’un bond, lança les bras en l’air
en écarquillant les doigts et
hurla : « Au secours, seigneur
Dieu, au secours!» ; après quoi,
elle garda la tête penchée pour
mieux le voir, puis, en
contradiction avec ce geste, se
rejeta comme une folle en
Freed
But Gregor did have this
foresight. The head clerk
had to be detained,
calmed, persuaded, and
ultimately won over; the
very future of Gregor and
his family depended on it.
If only the sister had been
there! She was perceptive;
she had already begun to
cry when Gregor was still
lying quietly on his back.
And the head clerk, that
ladies’ man, would
certainly have let her
guide him; she would have
closed the apartment door
and assuaged his fears in
the foyer. But the sister was
not there and Gregor would
have to handle the situation
himself. And without stopping
to think that he still had no
idea what powers of
movement he had or even to
think that very
possibly-indeed probably-his
words would once again be
unintelligible, he let go of the
wing of the door and flung
himself through the opening;
desiring to go toward the head
clerk, who was already on the
landing and ludicrously [19]
clutching the banister with both
hands, Gregor instead, while
groping for support, fell with a
little cry onto his numerous little
legs. This had barely happened
when, for the first time that
morning, he felt a sense of
physical well-being: The little
legs had firm ground beneath
them, he was delighted to note that
they were completely under his
command, they even strained to
carry him off wherever he might
desire, and he already believed
that the final alleviation of all
his grief was imminent. But at
that same moment, as he lay
there rocking from his
restrained movement not far
from his mother-in fact just
in front of her-she, who had
seemed so self-absorbed,
suddenly sprang up with
arms wide and fingers
outstretched, shouting:
“Help, for God’s sake, help!”
She bent her head down as if
to see Gregor better but
instead ran contradictorily and
madly backward and, having
forgotten that the laden table
39
Alianza
consiguientes quehaceres,
habíanse olvidado de toda pru-
dencia. Pero no así Gregorio,
que se percataba de que era in-
dispensable retener al principal,
apaciguarle, convencerle, con-
quistarle. De ello dependía el
porvenir de Gregorio y de los
suyos. ¡Si siquiera estuviese ahí
[34] la hermana! Era muy lista;
había llorado cuando aún yacía
Gregorio tranquilamente sobre
la espalda. De seguro que el
principal, galante con el bello
sexo, se hubiera dejado llevar
por ella a donde ella hubiera
querido. Habría cerrado la puer-
ta del piso y le habría quitado el
susto en, el mismo recibimien-
to. Pero no estaba la hermana,
y Gregorio tenía que arreglár-
selas él solo. Y, sin pensar que
todavía no conocía sus nuevas
facultades de movimiento, ni
tampoco que lo más posible, y
hasta lo más seguro, era que no
habría logrado darse a com-
prender con su discurso, aban-
donó la hoja de la puerta en que
se apoyaba, deslizóse por el
hueco formado en la abertura
de 1a otra, con intención de
avanzar hacia el principal, que
seguía cómicamente agarrado a
la barandilla del rellano. Mas
inmediatamente cayó en tierra,
intentando, con inútiles esfuer-
zos, sostenerse sobre sus innu-
merables y diminutas patas, y
exhalando un ligero quejido. Al
punto sintióse, por primera vez
en aquel día, invadido por un
verdadero bienestar: las patitas,
apoyadas en el suelo,
obedecíanle perfectamente. Lo
notó con la natural alegría, y vio
que se esforzaban en llevarle allí
donde él deseaba ir, dándole la
sensación de haber llegado al
cabo de sus [35] sufrimientos:
Mas, en el preciso momento
en que Gregorio, a causa del
movimiento contenido, se ba-
lanceaba a ras de tierra, no
lejos y enfrente de su madre,
ésta, no obstante hallarse tan
sumida en sí, dio de pronto
un brinco y se puso a gritar,
extendiendo los brazos y sepa-
rando los dedos: «¡Socorro!
¡Por amor de Dios! ¡Socorro!»
Inclinaba la cabeza como para
ver mejor a Gregorio; pero de
pronto, como para desmentir
este supuesto, desplomóse ha-
Willie
future. Gregor, though, did
think about the future. The
chief clerk had to be held
back, calmed down,
convinced and finally won
over; the future of Gregor
and his family depended
on it! If only his sister
were here! She was clever;
she was already in tears
while Gregor was still
lying peacefully on his
back. And the chief clerk
was a lover of women,
surely she could persuade
him; she would close the
front door in the entrance
hall and talk him out of his
shocked state. But his
sister was not there, Gregor
would have to do the job
himself. And without
considering that he still was
not familiar with how well
he could move about in his
present state, or that his
speech still might not - or
probably would not - be
understood, he let go of the
door; pushed himself
through the opening; tried to
reach the chief clerk on the
l a n d i n g w h o , r i d i c u l o u s l y,
was holding on to the
banister with both hands;
but Gregor fell immediately
over and, with a little scream as
he sought something to hold
onto, landed on his numerous
little legs. Hardly had that
happened than, for the first time
that day, he began to feel alright
with his body; the little legs had
the solid ground under them; to
his pleasure, they did exactly as
he told them; they were even
making the effort to carry him
where he wanted to go; and he
was soon believing that all his
sorrows would soon be finally
at an end. He held back the urge
to move but swayed from side
to side as he crouched there on
the floor. His mother was not
far away in front of him and
seemed, at first, quite
engrossed in herself, but then
she suddenly jumped up with
her arms outstretched and her
fingers spread shouting: “Help, for
pity’s sake, Help!” The way she held
her head suggested she wanted to see
Gregor better, but the unthinking way
she was hurrying backwards showed
that she did not; she had forgotten that
 Neugroschel
forgetting the covered table
behind her, hurriedly sat down
upon it without thinking, and
apparently failed to notice that
next to her the large coffeepot had
been knocked over and was
discharging a torrent of coffee full
force upon the carpet. [136]
“ M o t h e r, Mother,”
Gregor murmured, looking up
at her. For an instant, the
office manager had entirely
slipped h i s m i n d ; o n t h e
other hand, Gregor
could not help
snapping his jaws a
f e w t i m e s at the sight of
t h e f l o w i n g coffee. This
p r o m p t e d t h e mother to
scream again, flee from the
table, and collapse into the
father ’s arms as he came
dashing up to her. But Gregor
had no time for his parents:
t h e o ff i c e m a n a g e r w a s
already on the stairs; with his
chin on the banister, he took
one final look back. Gregor
broke into a run, doing his
best to catch up with him.
The office manager must
have had an inkling of this, for
he jumped down several steps
at a time and disappeared.
However, he did shout, “Ugh!”
and his shout rang through the
entire stairwell.
U n f o r t u n a t e l y, the
f a t h e r, w h o s o f a r h a d
stayed relatively
composed, seemed
thoroughly bewildered by
the office manager ’s flight.
For, instead of rushing
after him or at least not
p re v e n t i n g G r e g o r f r o m
pursuing him, the father,
with his right hand,
grabbed the cane that the
o ff i c e m a n a g e r, t o g e t h e r
with a hat and overcoat,
h a d f o rg o t t e n o n a c h a i r
and, with his left hand,
took a large newspaper
from the table. Stamping
his feet, he brandished the
cane and the newspaper at
Gregor in order to drive
him back into his room. No
pleading from Gregor
helped, indeed no pleading
was understood; no matter
how humbly Gregor turned
his head, the father merely
del Solar
te; había olvidado que tenía de-
trás la mesa puesta, se dejó caer
encima, como distraída, nada
más llegar a ella, y no pareció
advertir que, a su lado, el café de
la gran cafetera, volcada, empe-
zaba a chorrear profusamente
sobre la alfombra.
«¡Madre , m a d r e ! » , d i j o
Gregor en voz baja, y
alzó la mirada hacia
ella. El gerente se le ha-
b í a borrado por un momento
de la mente, pero en cambio no
pudo evitar, a la vista del café
que se derramaba, abrir y ce-
rrar varias veces las mandíbu-
las [42] como intentando mor-
der el vacío. A1 verlo, la ma-
dre volvió a gritar, salió hu-
yendo, se apartó precipitada-
mente de la mesa y cayó en los
brazos del padre, que ya corría
a su encuentro. Pero Gregor no
tenía ahora tiempo para sus pa-
dres; el gerente ya estaba en la
escalera, y con la barbilla por
encima de la baranda miró por
última vez hacia atrás. Gregor
tomó impulso para estar más
seguro de darle alcance, pero
algo debió de barruntar el ge-
rente, pues bajó varios pelda-
ños de un salto y desapareció.
«¡Uh!», alcanzó aún a gritar,
y su grito resonó por toda la
escalera.
Por desgracia, la huida del
gerente también pareció
desconcertar por completo
al padre, que hasta enton-
ces se había mantenido re-
lativamente sereno, pues en
vez de echar a correr detrás
del fugitivo o, al menos, de
no impedir que lo hiciera
Gregor, cogió con la mano
derecha el bastón del ge-
rente, que este había deja-
do en una silla junto con el
sombrero y el gabán, con la
izquierda agarró un gran
periódico que había sobre
la mesa y, dando fuertes pa-
tadas en el suelo, obligó a
Gregor a retroceder a su ha-
bitación agitando el bastón
y el periódico. Ningún rue-
go le sirvió de ayuda a
G r e g o r, n i n g ú n r u e g o f u e
comprendido, y por más
que girase humildemente la
cabeza, el padre pataleaba
con mayor fuerza todavía.
40
Stokes
forgot that the table with the
breakfast things was behind her;
sat down on it hastily, absent-
mindedly, when she reached it; and
seemed quite unaware that the
coffee was pouring onto the carpet
in a steady stream out of the big
overturned pot.
‘ M o t h e r, m o t h e r ,’ s a i d
Gregor softly, and looked
u p a t h e r. F o r a m o m e n t
he had completely
forgotten about the chief
clerk, though at the sight of
the coffee pouring out he
couldn’t [19] resist
snapping at the air several
times with his jaws. At this
his mother let out another
scream, fled from the table
and fell into the arms of his
father who came rushing up
to her. But Gregor now had
no time for his parents; the
chief clerk was already on
the stairs; his chin on the
banister, he was taking a last
look back. Gregor darted
forwards to be as sure as
possible of catching up with
him; the chief clerk must
have suspected something,
for he leapt down several
steps and disappeared; he
was still yelling ‘Ugh!’, and
it echoed through the whole
staircase.
Unfortunately, his father,
who till then had remained
relatively composed,
seemed quite bewildered
by the chief clerk’s flight,
for instead of running
after the chief clerk
himself or at least not
obstructing Gregor in his
pursuit, he seized in his
right hand the chief
c l e r k ’s c a n e , w h i c h h a d
been left behind on a chair
with his hat and overcoat,
picked up with his left
hand a large newspaper
from the table and,
stamping his feet and
brandishing both cane and
newspaper, began to drive
Gregor back into his
room. Gregor ’s entreaties
were to no a v a i l , n o n e
were even understood;
however humbly he turned
his head, his father only
stamped his feet harder. O n
Vialatte
songer à la table encore
couverte, la heurta, s’assit
dessus en toute hâte à la façon
d’une personne distraite, et
sembla ne pas s’apercevoir
qu’auprès d’elle la cafetière
renversée répandait un fleuve
sur le tapis.
«Maman, maman»,
souffla le fils en levant
les yeux. Le gérant lui
était complètement
p assé de l’esprit : voyant
le café se répandre,
Grégoire ne put s’empêcher
d’esquisser plusieurs fois
dans le vide le mouvement de
mâchoires de quelqu’un qui
mange. Là-dessus la mère se
remit à crier, abandonna [30]
brusquement la table et
tomba dans les bras du père
qui accourait au-devant
d’elle. Mais Grégoire n’avait
plus le temps de s’occuper
d’eux; le gérant était déjà
dans l’escalier; le menton sur
la rampe il jetait un dernier
regard en arrière. Grégoire
prit son élan pour tâcher de le
ramener; le gérant, soupçonnant
sans doute quelque chose,
sauta d’un bond plusieurs
marches et disparut en
p o u s s a n t u n : « O uh!...
ouh!...» qui retentit dans toute
la cage de l’escalier.
Cette fuite eut le
malheureux résultat de faire
perdre complètement la tête
au père qui, jusque-là, était
resté relativement maître de
lui; au lieu de courir
lui-même après le gérant,
ou tout au moins de ne pas
entraver Grégoire dans sa
poursuite, il empoigna de la
main droite la canne que le
visiteur avait abandonnée sur
une chaise avec son pardessus
et son chapeau, saisit de la
main gauche un journal qui
traînait sur la table et se mit
en devoir de taper des pieds
tout en agitant le journal et la
canne pour repousser
Grégoire dans ses quartiers.
Nulle prière n’y fit, nulle
d’ailleurs ne fut comprise;
Grégoire avait beau tourner
vers lui une tête suppliante,
si humble qu’il se montrât
son père n’en prenait note
que pour redoubler ses
Cl. David
arrière en perdant la tête, sans se
rappeler que la table mise se
trouvait derrière elle; arrivée près
de la table, dans sa hâté et sa
distraction, elle s’assit dessus, sans
paraître s’apercevoir que, de la
grande cafetière renversée, un flot de
café se répandait sur le tapis.
« Mère, mère!», dit Gregor
à voix basse, en levant les
yeux vers elle. Le fondé de
pouvoir lui était pour l’instant
sorti de l’esprit; mais, à la
vue du café qui coulait, il ne
put s’empêcher de happer à
plusieurs reprises dans le vide
avec ses mandibules.
Là-dessus, sa mère se remit à
crier, s’écarta de la table et
tomba dans les bras du père
qui se précipitait à sa
rencontre. Mais Gregor, en cet
instant, n’avait pas le temps
de s’occuper de ses parents; le
fondé de pouvoir était déjà
dans l’escalier; le menton
posé sur la rampe, il se
retournait une dernière fois.
Gregor prit son élan pour
tâcher d’être sûr de le
rattraper; le fondé de pouvoir
avait dû pressentir quelque
chose, car il sauta plusieurs
marches et disparut en
poussant un « Ouh !» , qui
retentit dans toute la cage
d’escalier.
Mais cette fuite du fondé de
pouvoir eut le malheureux
résultat que le père, qui
était resté jusqu’alors
relativement maître de lui,
perdit soudain la tête; au
lieu de rattraper le fondé de
pouvoir ou tout au moins
d ’ empêcher Gregor de le
poursuivre, il saisit de la main
droite la canne du fondé de
pouvoir, que celui-ci avait
laissée sur une chaise avec
son chapeau et son pardessus,
prit de la main gauche un
grand journal qui traînait sur
la table et en tapant des pieds,
i l s e m i t e n d e v o i r, e n
brandissant la canne et le
journal, de ramener Gregor
dans sa chambre. Aucune
prière de Gregor n’y faisait
rien, aucune de ses prières ne
parvenait d’ailleurs à se faire
comprendre; Gregor avait
beau tourner humblement la
tête vers lui, son père tapait
Freed
stood behind her, sat down
on it thoughtlessly and
h a s t i l y, seemingly
oblivious to the large
overturned coffee pot next
to her from which coff e e
was pouring in a steady
stream onto the carpet.
“ M o t h e r, Mother,”
G r e g o r s a i d s o f t l y, a n d
looked up at her. The head
clerk had momentarily
slipped h i s m i n d a n d h e
could not help snapping
his jaws in the air at the
sight of the flowing
coffee. This caused the
mother to scream again;
she fled from the table
and f ell into the father ’s
arms as he rushed to her.
But Gregor now had no
time to waste on his
parents; the head clerk
was already on the stairs,
with his chin on the
banister he was looking
back one last time.
Gregor broke into a run to
be sure to catch him; the
head clerk must have
suspected this because he
leaped down several steps
and disappeared; he was
still yelling, “Aaahh!”
which rang throughout the
whole staircase.
Unfortunately the head
c l e r k ’s f l i g h t s e e m e d t o
totally confuse the
father, who until now
had remained relatively
calm, for instead of
going after the head
clerk or at least not
hindering G r e g o r ’s
pursuit, he seized in his
right hand the head
c l e r k ’s w a l k i n g s t i c k
(which along with his hat
and overcoat had been
left behind on a chair)
and with his left hand
grabbed a large
newspaper from the table
and, stamping his feet,
proceeded to brandish the
walking stick and
newspaper in order to
drive Gregor back into his
room. No plea
Gregor ’s helped, nor
indeed was any plea
understood; however
Alianza
cia atrás, cayendo inerte sobre
la mesa, y no habiendo recor-
dado que estaba aún puesta,
quedó sentada en ella, sin dar-
se cuenta de que a su lado el
café chorreaba de la cafetera
volcada, derramándose por la
alfombra.
— ¡Madre! ¡Madre!
-murmuró Gregorio,
mirándola de abajo
arriba. Un momento
e s f u m ó s e de su memoria
el principal; y no pudo por
menos, ante el café verti-
do, de abrir y cerrar repe-
tidas veces las mandíbulas
en el vacío. Nuevo alarido
de la madre, que, huyendo
de la mesa, se arrojó en
brazos del padre, que co-
rría a su encuentro. Pero ya
no podía Gregorio dedicar
su atención a sus padres; el
principal estaba en la esca-
lera y, con la barbilla apo-
yada sobre la baranda, di-
rigía una última mirada a
aquel cuadro. Gregorio
tomó impulso para darle
[36] alcance, pero él algo
debió figurarse , pues, de
un salto, bajó varios esca-
lones y desapareció, no sin
antes lanzar unos gritos
que resonaron por toda la
escalera.
Para colmo de desdicha,
esta fuga del principal pa-
reció trastornar también
por completo al padre, que
hasta entonces se había
mantenido relativamente
sereno; pues, en lugar de
precipitarse tras el fugiti-
vo, o por lo menos permitir
que así lo hiciese Gregorio,
empuñó con la diestra el
bastón del principal -que
éste no se había cuidado de
recoger, como tampoco su
sombrero y su gabán, olvi-
dados en una silla- y, ar-
mándose con la otra mano
de un gran periódico, que
estaba sobre la mesa,
preparóse, dando fuertes
patadas en el suelo, esgri-
miendo papel y bastón, a
hacer retroceder a Gregorio
of hasta- el interior de su
cuarto. De nada le sirvieron
a este último sus súplicas,
que no fueron entendidas; y,
41
Willie
the table was behind her with all the
breakfast things on it; when she reached
the table she sat quickly down on it
without knowing what she was doing;
without even seeming to notice that the
coffee pot had been knocked over and
a gush of coffee was pouring down onto
the carpet.
“Mother, mother”,
s a i d G r e g o r g e n t l y,
looking up at her. He
had completely
f o r g o t t e n t he chief clerk
for the moment, but could
not help himself snapping in
the air with his jaws at the
s i g h t o f t h e f l o w o f c o ff e e .
That set his mother
s c r e a m i n g a n e w, s h e f l e d
from the table and into the
arms of his father as he
rushed towards her. Gregor,
though, had no time to spare
for his parents now; the
chief clerk had already
reached the stairs; with his
c h i n o n t h e b a n i s t e r, h e
looked back for the last
time. Gregor made a run for
him; he wanted to be sure of
re aching him; the chief clerk
must have expected something,
as he leapt down several
steps at once and
disappeared; his shouts
resounding all around the
staircase.
The flight of the chief clerk
s e e m e d , u n f o r t u n a t e l y, t o
p u t G r e g o r ’s f a t h e r i n t o a
panic as well. Until then he
had been relatively self
c o n t r o l l e d , b u t n o w, i n s t e a d
of running after the chief
clerk himself, or at least not
impeding Gregor as he ran
a f t e r h i m , G r e g o r ’s f a t h e r
seized the chief clerk’s stick
in his right hand (the chief
clerk had left it behind on a
chair, along with his hat and
overcoat), picked up a large
newspaper from the table
with his left, and used them
to drive Gregor back into his
room, stamping his foot at
h i m a s h e w e n t . G r e g o r ’s
appeals to his father were of
no help, his appeals were
simply not understood,
however much he humbly
turned his head his father
merely stamped his foot all
the harder. Across the room,
 Neugroschel
s tamped his feet all the
more forcefully . Across
the room, the mother had
flung open a window
despite the cool weather,
and leaning way out, she
buried her face in her
hands. A strong draft arose
between the street and the
stairwell, [137] the window
curtains flew up, the
newspapers rustled on the
table, stray pages wafted
ac r o s s t h e f l o o r. T h e
father charged pitile s s l y ,
s p e w i n g h i s s es like a
savage. Since Gregor as
yet had no practice in
moving backwards, it was
really slow going. Had he
only been permitted to
wheel around, he would
have been inside his room
at once. But he was afraid
it would take too long,
trying the father’s patience
even more-and at any
moment now the cane in
t h e f a t h e r ’s h a n d t h r e a t -
ened to deal the lethal
blow to Gregor ’s back or
head. Ultimately, however,
Gregor had no choice, for
he realized with dismay
that he did not even know
how to stay the course
when backing up. And so,
while constantly darting
fearful side glances at his
father, he began rotating as
swiftly as he could, though
he was actually very slow.
Perha p s the father
s e n s e d G r e g o r ’s g o o d
intention, for he did not
i n t e r f e re , i n s t e a d , h e
occasionally even steered
the pivoting m o t i o n f r o m
a distance with the tip of
his cane. If only the
father would stop that
unbearable hissing! It
made Gregor lose his
h e a d a l t o g e t h e r. H e h a d
swung around almost fully
when, constantly
distracted by those hisses,
he actually miscalculated
and briefly shifted the
wrong way. And then, as
soon as he finally managed
to get his head to the
doorway, his body proved
too broad to squeeze
t h r o u g h a l l t h a t re a d i l y.
distracted 1 : mentally confused, troubled, or remote 2 : maddened or deranged especially by grief or anxiety
1 confuso, perplejo, aturdido, 2 desconsuelo [distress], turbado,
del Solar
Al ot ro lado, y pese al tiem-
po frío, la madre había
abierto de par en par una
ventana, y asomándose
mucho por ella se cubrió
la cara con las manos. En-
tre la calle y la escalera se
creó una fuerte corriente
de [43] aire, las cortinas
de la ventana se abomba-
ron, los periódicos sobre
l a m e s a s e a g i t a r o n , y al-
gunas hojas sueltas revolo-
tearon por el suelo. Inexo-
rable, el padre seguía aco-
sando y lanzaba silbidos
como un salvaje. Pero
Gregor no tenía aún ningu-
na práctica en caminar ha-
cia atrás y la cosa iba muy
lentamente. De haber podi-
do dar la vuelta, ensegui-
da habría estado en su ha-
bitación, pero temía impa-
cientar al padre por su len-
titud al girarse, y ese bas-
tón en la mano paterna lo
amenazaba a cada instante
con un golpe mortal en la
espalda o la cabeza. Al fi-
na l , s i n e m b a rg o , n o l e
quedó otro remedio, pues
advirtió con horror que al
retroceder no era capaz
siquiera de mantener la
b u e n a d i r e c c i ó n ; y así, en-
tre incesantes y angustio-
sas miradas de reojo a su
padre, empezó a darse la
v u e l t a l o m á s r á p idamen-
te posible, aunque, en rea-
l i d a d , l o h ac í a c o n g r a n
l e n t i t u d . Quizá el padre
notara su buena volu n t a d ,
pues no solo no se lo
impidió , sino que hasta di-
rigió de lejos el movimien-
t o gi ratorio c o n l a p u n -
ta de su bastón. ¡Si
hubiera dejado de emi-
tir ese silbido insopor-
t a b l e , q u e l e h a c í a per-
der la cabeza a Gregor!
Este se había girado ya
casi del todo cuando,
atento siempre a aquel
silbido, se equivocó y
volvió a retroceder un
poco. Pero cuando al fin
se encontró felizmente
con la cabeza frente al
vano de la puerta, resul-
tó que su cuerpo era
demasiado ancho para
pasar sin más por ella.
42
Stokes
the other side of the room
his mother had thrown
open a window despite
t h e c o o l w e a t h e r, a n d ,
leaning a long way out,
was pressing her face
into her hands. A strong
draught was created
between the street and
the stairwell, the curtains
billowed, the newspapers
on the table rustled,
several sheets blew
across the floor.
Relentlessly his father
drove him back, hissing
like a savage. Gregor,
h o w e v e r, still had no
practice in walking
backwards, and was making
very slow progress. If only
Gregor had been allowed to
turn round, he could have
reached his room in no time
at all, but he was frightened
of making his father
impatient by so
time-consuming a turn, and at
any moment the cane in his
father ’s hand threatened to
deal [20] him a deadly blow
on the back or the head.
Finally, however, Gregor had
no alternative, for he noticed
with horror that in reverse he
could not even keep going in
one direction; so he now
began, with repeated and
anguished sideways glances
at his father, to turn around
as quickly as he could, which
was in reality very slowly.
Perhaps his father was
aware of his good
intentions, because he did
not hinde r h i m i n t h i s ,
b u t o c c a s i o nally, from a
distance, even directed the
operation with the tip of
his stick. If only his father
had not kept making those
intolerable hissing noises!
It threw Gregor into utter
confusion. He had almost
turned himself completely
round when, with his mind
continually on this
hissing, he made an error
and started turning the
o t h e r w a y. B u t w h e n h e
had finally succeeded in
f a c i n g t h e d o o r w a y, i t
became clear that his body
was too broad to pass
through as it was. His
Vialatte
piétinements. Dans la salle à
manger, malgré le froid, 1a
mère avait ouvert la fenêtre
toute grande, se penchait
au-dehors le plus loin
possible et pressait son visage
entre ses mains. Un grand
courant d’air balaya l’espace,
de la salle à l’escalier; les
rideaux se gonflèrent, les
journaux [31]se froissèrent,
quelques feuilles vinrent
voltiger audessus du
parquet. Mais le père
impitoyable traquait son fils
en poussant des sifflements
de Sioux, et Grégoire, qui
n’était pas entraîné à la
marche arrière, ne progressait
que bien lentement. S’il avait
pu se retourner il aurait eu
vite fait de regagner sa
chambre, mais il craignait
d’impatienter son père par la
lenteur de sa conversion et
redoutait à tout instant
quelque coup, mortel pour sa
tête ou son échine, de ce
bâton menaçant. Bientôt le
choix ne fut plus possible :
Grégoire constata avec
épouvante que, lorsqu’il
marchait en arrière, il n’était
pas maître de sa direction,
et tout en observant de
côté l’attitud e de son père
sur lequel il jetait sans cesse
un regard angoissé, il
commença son mouvement
tournant avec toute la
vitesse possible, c’est -à -
dire, hélas! très lentement.
Peut-être le père
r e m a r q u a -t - i l s a b o n n e
v o l o n t é c a r, a u l i e u
d’entraver la manoeuvre,
il la dirigea de loin en
aidant de temps en temps
Grégoire du bout de sa
canne. Si seulement il
avait voulu cesser ce
sifflement insupportable!
Grégoire en perdait
complètemet les sens. Il
a v a i t p r e s q u e terminé sa
conversion quand, à force
d’entendre ça, il se trompa
dans la manoeuvre et
réduisit l’angle déjà décrit.
Lorsque enfin, à sa grande
joie, il se trouva b i e n e n
face de l’ouverture de la
porte, il découvrit que son
corps était trop large pour
passer sans accroc. Il ne
Cl. David
des pieds encore plus
furieusement. Làbas, sa mère,
malgré le temps frais, avait
ouvert la fenêtre toute grande
et restait penchée au-dehors,
la tête dans ses mains. Entre
la rue et la cage d’escalier, un
grand courant d’air se
produisit, les rideaux des
fenêtres se soulevèrent, l’air
agita les journaux posés sur la
table, quelques feuilles
voltigèrent jusque sur le
parquet. Le père chassait
Gregor impitoyablement, en
poussant des sifflements de
sauvage, et Gregor, qui ne
s’était pas encore exercé à
marcher à reculons, ne
pouvait se déplacer que très
lentement. Si Gregor avait pu
faire demi-tour, il se serait
trouvé rapidement dans sa
chambre, mais il craignait
d’exaspérer son père par la
lenteur de ce mouvement
tournant et redoutait à tout
instant le coup de bâton
mortel qui pouvait l’atteindre
dans le dos ou sur la tête.
Mais bientôt, il n’eut plus
d’autre ressource, car il
s’aperçut avec effroi qu’en
marchant ainsi à reculons, il
ne parvenait même pas à
garder la direction; il
commença donc, en jetant
sans cesse de côté et d’autre
des regards angoissés vers son
père, à faire demi-tour aussi
rapidement qu’il le pouvait,
c’est-à-dire malgré tout fort
lentement. Peut-être son père
aperçut-il cette marque de
bonne volonté, car il ne chercha
pas à le gêner, mais dirigea au
contraire le mouvement
tournant en l’accompagnant
de loin de la pointe de sa
canne. Si seulement il avait
bien voulu cesser cet
insupportable sifflement!
Gregor en perdait tout à fait
la tê te. Il s’était déjà presque
entièrement retourné quand,
à force d’entendre ce
sifflement, il commit même
une erreur et se retourna un
petit peu du mauvais côté.
M a i s q u a n d i l f u t enfin
heureusement parvenu à placer
sa tête en face de l’ouverture de
la porte, il apparut que son
corps était trop large pour
passer sans dommage:
Freed
humbly he turned his head, the
father merely stamped his feet
all the more forcefully. Across
the room the mother, despite
the cool weather, had thrown
[20] open a window and was
leaning far out of it with her
face buried in her hands. A
strong draft swept in from the
street to the staircase, the
window curtains swelled, the
newspapers on the table
rustled, stray pages fluttered
over the floor. The father
drove Gregor
relentlessly, hissing like a
savages A s G r e g o r w a s a s
yet unpracticed in moving
backward, it was very
slow going. If only
Gregor had
permitted to turn around,
he would have been in his
room at once, but he was
afraid to make the father
impatient by
time-consuming rotation,
and at any moment the
s t i c k i n t h e f a t h e r ’s h a n d
threatened to deal a fatal
blow to the back or the
head. In the end, however,
there remained no other
choice, for
observed to his horror
that he could not control
his direction
moving backward, and so
he began as quickly as
possible, which was
a c t u a l l y v e r y s l o w l y, t o
turn himself around.
Perhaps the
recognized his good
intentions because he did
n o t i n t e r f e re; i n s t e a d h e
occasionally
directed the movement
from a distance with the
tip of his stick. If only the
father would quit that
infernal hissing! It made
Gregor completely lose
his head. He was almost
turned all the way around
when, distracted by the
hissing, he made a
mistake and turned back
the other way for a
stretch. When
successfully ended up
headfirst in front of the
d o o r w a y, i t w a s o b v i o u s
that his body was too wide
to get through as it was .
Alianza
por mucho que volvió sumiso la
cabeza hacia su padre, solo consi-
guió hacerle redoblar su enérgico
pataleo. La madre, por su parte, a
pesar del tiempo desapacible, ha-
bía bajado el cristal de una de las
ventanas y, violentamente inclina-
da hacia afuera, cubríase el rostro
con las manos. Entre el aire de la
calle y el de la escalera establecióse
una corriente fortísima; las [37]
cortinas de la ventana se ahueca-
ron; sobre la mesa los periódicos
agitáronse, y algunas hojas suel-
back tas volaron por el suelo. El padre,
inexorable, apremiaba la retirada
con silbidos salvajes. P e r o
Gregorio carecía aún de
práctica en la marcha ha-
cia atrás, y la cosa iba muy
been despacio. ¡Si siquiera hu-
biera podido v olverse! En
un dos por t r e s s e h u b i e -
se encontrado en su
cuarto. Pero temía, con
this su lentitud en dar la
vuelta, impacientar al
padre, cuyo bastón er-
guido amenazaba
deslomarle o abrirle la
cabeza. Finalmente, sin
embargo, no tuvo más re-
medio que volverse, pues
Gregor advirtió con rabia que,
caminando hacia atrás,
le era imposible conser-
when var su dirección. Así es
que, sin dejar de mirar
angustiosamente hacia su
padre, inició una vuelta
lo más rápidamente que
pudo, es decir, con ex-
father traordinaria lentitud. El
padre debió de percatar-
se de su buena voluntad,
pues dejó de acosarle,
even dirigiendo incluso de le-
jos con la punta del bas-
tón el movimiento gira-
torio. ¡Si al menos hu-
biese cesado ese irresis-
t i b l e s i l b i d o ! Esto era lo
que a G r e g o r i o l e h a c í a
perder por completo la
cabeza. Cuando ya iba a
terminar la vuelta,
aquel silbido le equivo-
có , haciéndole retroce-
der otro poco. Por fin
he logró verse frente a la
puerta. Pero entonces
comprendió que su [38]
cuerpo era demasiado
ancho para poder fran-
quearla sin más ni más.
43
Willie
d e s p i t e t h e c h i l l y w e a t h e r,
Gregor’s mother had
p u l l e d o p e n a w i n d o w,
leant far out of it and
pressed her hands to her
face. A strong draught of
air flew in from the street
t o w a r d s t h e s t a i r w a y, t h e
curtains flew up, the
newspapers on the table
fluttered and some of
them were blown onto the
f l o o r. N o t h i n g w o u l d s t o p
Gregor’s father as he
drove him back, making
hissing noises at him like
a wild man. Gregor had
never had any practice in
moving backwards and was
o n l y a b l e t o g o v e r y s l o w l y.
If Gregor had only been
allowed to turn round he
would have been back in his
r o o m s t r a i g h t a w a y, b u t h e
was afraid that if he took the
time to do that his father
would become impatient,
and there was the threat of
a lethal blow to his back or
head from the stick in his
f a t h e r ’s h a n d a n y m o m e n t .
E v e n t u a l l y, t h o u g h , G r e g o r
realised that he had no
c h o i c e a s h e s a w, t o h i s
disgust, that he was quite
incapable of going
backwards in a straight line;
so he began, as quickly as
possible and with frequent
anxious glances at his
f a t h e r, t o t u r n h i m s e l f
r o u n d . I t w e n t v e r y s l o w l y,
but perhaps his father was
able to see his good
intentions as he did nothing
to h i n d e r him, in fact now
and then he used the tip of
his stick to give directions
from a distance as to which
way to turn If only his
father would stop that
unbearable hissing! It was
m a king Gregor quite
confused. When he had nearly
finished turning round, still
listening to that hissing, he
made a mistake and turned
himself back a little the way
he had just come. He was
pleased when he finally had
his head in front of the
doorway, but then saw that it
was too narrow, and his body
was too broad to get through
it without further difficulty.
 Neugroschel
Naturally, in the father ’s
present mood, it never
even remotely crossed his
mind to push back the
other wing of the door and
create a passage wide
enough for Gregor. He was
obsessed simply with
forcing Gregor back into
his room as fast as
possible. Nor would he
ever have stood for the
intricate preparations that
[138] Gregor needed for
hoisting himself on end
and perhaps passing
through the doorway in
that posture. Instead, as if
there were no hindrance,
the father drove Gregor
forward with a great
uproar: behind Gregor the
yelling no longer sounded
like the voice of merely
one father. Now i t w a s d o
or die, and Gregor-
come what might-jammed
i n t o t h e d o o r w a y. Wi t h
one side of his body
heaving up, he sprawled
lopsided in the opening.
His one flank was
bruised r a w, ugly
splotches remained on
t h e w h i t e d o o r, a n d h e
was soon wedged in and
unable to budge on his
own. The tiny legs on
his one side were
dangling and trembling
in midair and the tiny
legs on his other side
w ere painfully crushed
against the floor. But now
the f a t h e r g a v e h i m a
powerful shove from
behind-a true deliverance.
A n d G r e g o r, b l e e d i n g
heavily, flew far into his
room. The door was
slammed shut with the cane,
and then the apartment was
still at last. [139-140]
del Solar Stokes
Por cierto que al padre, en fat h e r , o f c o u r s e , i n h i s
el estado en que se halla- present state of mind, did
ba, no se le ocurrió ni re- not even consider
motamente abrir la otra opening the other wing of
hoja de la puerta para pro- t h e d o o r in order to give
curarle [44] espacio sufi- Gregor sufficient room to
ciente a Gregor. Su obse- pass through. He was
sión era simplemente que obsessed by the one idea
este tenía que volver lo of getting Gregor back to
más rápido p o s i b l e a s u h i s r o o m a s q uickly as
h a b i t a c i ó n . Ta m p o c o h u - possible. He would never
b i e r a p e r m i t i do nunca los have countenanced the
complicados preparativos elaborate preparations that
qu e G r e g o r n e c e s i t a b a h a - would have been necessary
c e r p a r a e r g u i r s e y, q u i z á , for Gregor to assume an
pasar así por el quicio de upright position and
la puerta. Antes bien, y perhaps in that way pass
como si no hubiese nin- through the door. Instead he
gún impedimento, lo drove Gregor on, as if there
apremiaba hacia delante were no obstacle, with
haciendo aún más ruido; exceptional loudness; it no
la voz que resonaba detrás longer sounded like the
de Gregor ya no parecía voice of a single father
s e n c i l l a m e n t e la de un sim- behind Gregor; it was now
ple padre; la cosa ya no esta- beyond a joke, and
ba para bromas y Gregor se Gregor thrust himself -
lanzó - p a sa s e l o q u e p a s a - come w h a t m a y - i n t o
s e- hacia el quicio de la t h e d o o r w a y. O n e
puerta. Uno de los lados side of his body
d e s u c u e r p o s e i rguió, y rose up, he lay
él quedó de través en el lopsided in the
vano de la puerta, con un doorway, one of his
flanco totalmente ex- flanks was rubbed
coriado que dejó en la q u i t e r a w, t h e w h i t e
puerta blanca unas man- door was stained with
chas repulsivas; pronto se ugly blotches, soon he
atascó de veras y ya no would be stuck fast
hubiera podido moverse unab le to move unaided,
solo -las patitas de uno de his little legs on one
los lados temblaban sus- side hung quivering in
pendidas en el aire, y las the air, those on the
del otro habían quedado other were squashed
dolorosamente oprimidas painfully against the
c o n t r a el suelo-, cuando el floor - at which point
padre le dio p o r d e t r á s u n his father [21] dealt
golpe v i o l e n t o y realmen- him a truly liberating
t e l i b e r a d o r, q u e l o h i z o blow from behind, and,
saltar, sangrando en abun- b l e e d i n g p r o f u s e l y, h e
dancia, hasta muy adentro flew far into his room.
de su habitación. La puer- The door was then
ta fue luego cerrada con el slammed shut with the
bastón, y por fin se hizo el cane, and at last there
silencio. was silence.
44
Vialatte
vint nat u r e l l e m e n t p a s à
l’esprit du père, dans
l’humeur où il se
trouvait, d’ouvrir l’autre
battant [32]de la porte
pour permettre à pour offrir à Gregor un
Grégoire de passer. Il
était en proie à l’idée
fixe, il fallait que
Grégoire rentrât
immédiatement. Jamais il
n’aurait s u p p o r t é l e s
préparations de longue haleine
dont Grégoire aurait eu
besoin pour se dresser et
essayer de passer debout.
Grégoire l’entendait
tempêter derrière lui, sans
doute pour le pousser à
passer comme s’il n’y avait
eu aucun obstacle; ce
vacarme résonnait
maintenant comme la voix
de cent mille pères, c e
n’était plus le moment
d e plaisanter, et Grégoire
-arrive que pourra - s e
jeta dans l’ouverture
de la porte. Il y
demeura dans une
p o s i t i o n oblique, le corps
levé d’un côté et le flanc râpé
par le bois du chambranle
dont la peinture blanche se
couvrit de vilaines taches
brunes; il était pris et ne
pouvait s’en tirer seul; d’un
côté ses pattes flottaient en
l’air, vibrant dans le vide, de
l ’ au t r e e l l e s s ’ é t a i e n t
douloureusement coincées
sous son corps; alors le
père lui envoya de derrière
un coup solide qui cette
fois procura à Grégoire un
véritable soulagement; il
décrivit une trajectoire
assez longue et tomba au
milieu de la chambre,
perdent son sang. La porte
fut fermée d’un coup de
canne et le silence se mit
enfin à régner.
Cl. David
Naturellement, dans l’état
d’esprit où il se trouvait alors,
son père fut bien éloigné de
penser par exemple à ouvrir
l’autre battant de la porte,
passage suffisant. Son idée
fixe était seulement de faire
rentrer Gregor dans sa
chambre aussi vite que
possible. Jamais il n’aurait
toléré les préparatifs
compliqués dont Gregor avait
besoin pour se mettre debout
et essayer de franchir la porte
de cette manière. Il poussait
au contraire Gregor, comme
s’il n’y avait eu aucun
obstacle en faisant plus de
bruit encore qu’auparavant.
Gregor avait l’impression que
son père n’était plus seul,
mais que plusieurs pères
s’étaient ligués contre lui. Ce
n’était vraiment plus le
moment de plaisanter et
Gregor se jeta dans
l’ouverture de la porte, sans
se soucier du res t e . U n c ô t é
de son corps se redressa,
il resta pris de travers
dans l’ouverture de la
porte, un de ses flancs
était entièrement écorché;
de vilaines taches brunes
restèrent sur la porte
blanche; bientôt, il se
trouva coincé et
incapable de bouger;
d’un côté, ses pattes
s ’ a g i t a i e n t e n l ’ a i r, d e
l’autre elles étaient
pressées contre le
plancher; son père lui
lança par-derrière un
coup qui parvint à le
d é l i v r e r, i l f u t p r o j e t é
jusqu’au milieu de la
chambre, en perdant son
sang en abondance. La
porte fut encore fermée
d’un coup de canne, puis
le silence se fit enfin.
Freed
Nat u r a l l y i t d i d n o t
occur to the father in
his present mood to
open the other wing of
the door to give Gregor
a wide enough passage.
He was fixed on the
idea of getting Gregor
back in his room as
quickly as possible.
And he would never
have allowed the
elaborate preparations
that Gregor needed to
pull himself upright and
perhaps attempt to go
through the door that
w a y. R a t h e r, h e d r o v e
Gregor forward, as if
there were no obstacle,
with a considerable
amount of noise; it no
longer sounded like just
one father behind him
a n d now it was really no
longer a joke, and Gregor
—come what may—
thrust himself into the
d o o r w a y. O n e s i d e o f
his body rose up and
he lay at an angle in
the doorway, one of
his flanks was
scraped raw and the
white door was stained
with ugly blotches, he
was soon stuck fast and
could not move on his
own, the little legs on
one side hung
trembling in midair and
on the other side they
were pinned painfully
to the floor-when his
father gave him a
terrific s h o v e f r o m
b e h i n d a n d h e f l e w,
bleeding profusely,
far into the room.
The door was
slammed shut with
the stick, then all
was still.
45
Alianza
Al padre , e n a q u e l l a s u
actual disposición de
ánimo, no se le ocurrió
naturalmente abrir la
otra hoja para dejar es-
pacio suficiente. Solo
una idea le embargaba:
la de que Gregorio ha-
bía de meterse cuanto
antes en su habitación.
Tampoco hubiera él
permitido nunca los
enojosos preparativos
que Gregorio necesitaba
p a r a i n c o r p o r a r s e y, d e
este modo, pasar por la
puerta. Como si no exis-
tiese para esto ningún
impedimento, empujaba,
pues, á Gregorio con es-
trépito creciente.
Gregorio sentía tras de sí
una voz que parecía im-
posible fuese la de un
padre. ¡Cualquiera se an-
daba con bromas!
G r e g o r i o - p a sase lo
que pasase - se apretujó
en el marco de la puerta.
S e i r g u i ó d e medio lado;
ahora yacía atravesado en
el umbral, con su costado
completamente deshecho.
En la nitidez de la puerta,
imprimiéronse unas man-
chas repulsivas. Gregorio
quedó allí atascado, impo-
sibilitado en absoluto de
hacer por sí solo el menor
movimiento. Las patitas de
uno de los lados colgaban
en el aire, y las del otro
eran dolorosamente pren-
sadas contra el suelo... En
esto, el padre diole por
detrás un golpe enérgico y
salvador, que lo pr e c i p i t ó
dentro del cuarto, san-
grando en abundancia.
[39] Luego, la puerta fue
cerrada con el bastón, y
todo volvió por fin a la
tranquilidad.
Willie
In his present mood, it
obviously did not occur to
his father to open the other
of the double doors so that
Gregor would have enough
space to get through. He
was merely fixed on the
idea that Gregor should be
got back into his room as
quickly as possible. Nor
would he ever have allowed
Gregor the time to get
himself upright as
preparation for getting
t h r o u g h t h e d o o r w a y. W h a t
he did, making more noise
than ever, was to drive
Gregor forwards all the
harder as if there had been
nothing in the way; it
sounded to Gregor as if
there was now more than
o n e f a t h e r b e hind him; it was
not a p l e a s a n t e x p e r i e n c e ,
and Gregor pushed himself into
the doorway witho u t r e g a r d
for what might
happ e n . O n e s i d e
o f h i s b o d y
l i f t e d i t s e l f , h e
l a y a t a n a n g l e in the
doorway, o n e f l a n k s c r a p e d
on the white door and w a s
painfully injured,
leaving vile brown
flecks on it, soon he was
stuck fast and would not
have been able to move
at all by himself, the
little legs along one side
hung quivering in the air
while those on the other
s i d e w e r e p r e ssed painfully
against th e ground.
T h e n h i s f a t h e r g ave him
a hefty shove from behind
which released him from
where he was held and sent
him flying, and heavily
bleeding, deep into his
room. The door was
slammed shut with the stick,
t h e n , f i n a l l y, a l l w a s q u i e t .
 Neugroschel
II
It was almost dusk by
the time Gregor emerged
from his comatose sleep.
He would certainly have
awoken not much later
even without being
disturbed, for he felt
sufficiently well rested;
yet it seemed to him as if
he had been aroused by
fleeting steps and a
cautious shutting of the
vestibule door. The glow
from the electric
streetlamps produced
pallid spots on the ceiling
and the higher parts of the
furniture, but down by
Gregor it was dark. Slowly,
still clumsily groping with
his feelers , which he was
just learning to appreciate,
h e l u m b e re d t o w a r d t h e
door to see what had been
going on. His left side
appeared to be one long,
unpleasantly tightening
scar, and he actually had to
limp on his two rows of
legs. One tiny leg,
moreover, had been badly
hurt during that morning’s
events (it was almost
miraculous that only one
had been hurt) and it
dragged along lifelessly.
Only upon reaching the
door did Gregor discover what
had actually enticed him: it was
th e s m e l l o f s o m e t h i n g
edible. For there stood a bowl
full of fresh [141] milk with
tiny slices of white bread
floating in it. He practically
chortled for joy, being even
hungrier now than in the
morning, and he promptly
dunked his head into the milk
until it was nearly over his eyes.
Soon, however, he withdrew his
head in disappointment. Not
only did the bruises on his left
side make it difficult for him to
eat-he could eat only if his
entire wheezing body joined
in-but he did not care for the
milk, even though it had always
been his favorite beverage,
which was no doubt why his
sister had placed it in his room.
As a matter of fact, he turned
away from the bowl almost with
del Solar
[45] II
Solo al caer la tarde se
despertó Gregor de su pesado
sueño, similar a un desvane-
cimiento. Sin duda se habría
despertado no mucho más tar-
de y aunque no lo hubieran
molestado, pues se sentía
suficientemente repuesto y
descansado, pero le pareció
que unos pasos furtivos y el
ruido de la puerta que daba al
vestíbulo, cerrada con gran
cautela, lo habían despertado.
La luz de las farolas eléctri-
cas se reflejaba, pálida, en
puntos aislados del techo y en
la parte alta de los muebles,
pero abajo, donde estaba Gre-
gor, no había sino oscuridad.
Tanteando aún torpemente
con sus antenas, que solo en-
tonces aprendió a valorar, se
deslizó con lentitud hacia la
puerta para ver qué había ocu-
rrido. Su costado izquierdo
parecía una única y larga ci-
catriz que le producía tirones
desagradables, y tuvo que
avanzar renqueando sobre su
doble hilera de patas. Una de
estas, además, había quedado
seriamente lesionada durante
los incidentes de la mañana
-era casi un milagro que hu-
biese sido solo una-, y se
arrastraba sin vida.
Solo al llegar a la puerta
advirtió lo que en realidad lo
había atraído hacia ella: era
el olor a algo comestible. Por-
que ahí había una escudilla
llena de leche azucarada en la
que nadaban rodajitas de [46]
pan blanco. Estuvo a punto de
llorar de alegría, pues tenía
aún más hambre que p o r l a
mañana, y al instante
sumergió la cabeza en la leche
casi hasta la altura de los ojos. Pero
pronto volvió a sacarla desilusio-
nado; y es que no solo comer le
creaba dificultades debido a la le-
sión en su costado izquierdo -po-
día comer únicamente si todo el
cuerpo colaboraba jadeando-,
sino que, encima, la leche,
hasta entonces su bebida pre-
dilecta -seguro que por eso
se la había traído la herma-
na-, no le gustó nada esta
vez; es más, se apartó casi
con asco de la escudilla y
46
Stokes
It was not until dusk that
Gregor woke from his deep,
comalike sleep. He would
certainly have woken not
much later even without
being disturbed, for he felt
sufficiently rested and
refreshed, but it seemed to
him th a t h e h a d b e e n
roused by hurried steps
and a cautious closing of
the door that led into the
hall. The light of the
electric street lamps
flickered pallidly on the
ceiling and the upper parts
of the furniture, but down
where Gregor lay it was
dark. Slowly, still groping
awkwardly with his
feelers, which he was only
now beginning to appreciate,
he dragged himself over to
the door to see what had
been happening there. His
left side felt like one long,
unpleasantly tautening scar,
and he was reduced to
limping on his twin rows of
legs. One leg, moreover,
had been seriously damaged
in the course of the
morning’s events - it was
almost a miracle that only
one had been damaged - and
trailed limply after him.
Only when he reached the
door did he notice what had
actually lured him there; it was
the smell of something to eat.
For there stood a bowl brimming
with sweetened milk in which
little slices of white bread were
floating. He could almost have
laughed for joy, because he was
even hungrier than he had been in
the morning, and he promptly
dipped his head into the milk,
almost up to his eyes. But he
soon drew it back again in
disappointment; not merely
because eating caused him
difficulties due to his tender left
side - and he [22] could only eat
if his whole panting body
participated - but because he did
not care for the milk at all,
despite it normally being his
favourite drink, for which
reason his sister had certainly
put it down for him. Indeed he
turned away from the bowl with
Vialatte
[33] II
Grégoire ne sortit qu’au
crépuscule d’un sommeil de
plomb semblable à la mort.
Même s’il n’eût pas été
dérangé il ne se serait sans
doute pas réveillé beaucoup
plus tard, car il avait eu sa
ration de repos complète; il
lui sembla néanmoins qu’il
avait été troublé par un bruit
de pas furtifs et le grincement
prudent d’une clef dans la
serrure du vestibule. Le reflet
du tramway électrique posait
çà et là des taches blafardes
sur le plafond et le haut des
meubles, niais en bas, dans la
zone de Grégoire, c’était la
nuit. Pour savoir ce qui s’était
passé il se traîna lentement
vers la porte en tâtant
gauchement autour de lui avec
ses antennes dont il
commençait à apprécier enfin
l’utilité. Son côté gauche lui
faisait l’effet de n’être qu’une
longue cicatrice irritante et
toute une rangée de ses pattes
boitait. L’une d’elles avait été
sérieusement endommagée au
cours des incidents de la
matinée - et c’était miracle
qu’elle fût la seule -elle
suivait le mouvement en
traînant par terre à la façon
d’un membre mort.
Ce ne fut qu’une fois
devant la porte qu’il
comprit ce qui l’avait attiré
: une odeur de nourriture.
[34] Il y avait là un bol de
lait sucré où nageaient de
petits morceaux de pai n
blanc. Il en aurait presque
ri d e p l a i s i r t a n t s o n
appétit avait augmenté
d e p u i s l e m a t i n ; il
fourra donc sa tête
jusqu’au x yeux dans
l’écuelle, mais il la retira
vite avec d é c e p t i o n c e
malheureux côté gauche
lui causait des difficult é s ,
car il ne pouvait manger
q u ’ e n ro n f l a n t d e t o u t l e
c o r p s ; e t p u i s i l ne pouvait
plus souffrir le lait, qui était
autrefois sa boisson préférée
et que sa soeur lui avait sans
doute servi par une attention
particulière; il se détourna
presque avec dégoût de
11 En 1832 se extendió en Francia
una gran epidemia de cólera.
Cl. David
II
Ce n’est qu’au crépuscule que
Gregor sortit d’un sommeil
semblable à la pâmoison. Il se
serait sans doute de toute manière
éveillé peu après, même s’il
n’avait pas été dérangé, car il se
sentait suffisamment reposé et
avait eu son saoul de sommeil,
mais il lui sembla avoir été
éveillé par des pas furtifs et par
le bruit qu’on faisait en fermant
avec précaution la porte qui
menait au vestibule. La lueur des
réverbères électriques se déposait
faiblement sur le plafond et sur
la partie supérieure des meubles,
mais en bas, là où était Gregor,
tout était plongé dans l’ombre.
Lentement, il se trama du côté de
la porte, en tâtant encore
maladroitement autour de lui
avec ses antennes, dont il
commençait seulement à
comprendre l’utilité, pour voir ce
qui s’était passé. Son côté gauche
lui faisait l’effet d’être une
longue cicatrice, qui le tirait
désagréablement et sur ses deux
rangées de pattes, il était
proprement obligé de boiter. Une
de ses pattes avait d’ailleurs été
sérieusement blessée au cours des
incidents de la matinée - et c’était
un miracle que ce fût la seule; la
vie s’en était retirée et elle
traînait par terre.
C’est seulement quand il fut
parvenu à la porte qu’il remarqua
ce qui l’avait attiré de ce côté-là
c’était l’odeur de quelque chose
de comestible. Il y avait là une
jatte remplie de lait sucré, dans
lequel nageaient de petites tranches
de pain blanc. Il se serait presque
mis à rire de plaisir, car sa faim
était encore plus grande que le
matin et il plongea aussitôt sa
tête presque jusqu’aux yeux
dans le lait. Mais il la retira bien
vite avec déception : non
seulement il avait de la peine à
manger à cause de so n
malheureux côté gauche -
pour manger, il devait, en
haletant, faire un effort du
corps entier -, mais en outre, il
ne pouvait plus sentir le lait, qui
était autrefois sa boisson
préférée et que sa soeur avait
sans doute placé là pour cette
raison; il se détourna de la jatte
presque avec répugnance et
Freed
[21] II
I T WA S T W I L I G H T
WHEN Gregor awoke
from his deep slumber.
Even without being
disturbed he doubted he
would have slept much
l a t e r, a s h e f e l t s o w e l l
rested, but it seemed to
him that a furtive step and
a cautious shutting of the
foyer door had roused
him. The glow of the
electric street lamps shone
in pale patches on the
ceiling and upper parts of
the furniture, but where
Gregor slept it was dark.
S l o w l y, s t i l l g r o p i n g
awkwardly with his anten-
nas, which he was only
now learning to appreciate,
he pushed himself over to
the door to see what had
been happening. His left
side felt like a single long
unpleasantly taut scar and
he actually had to limp on
his two rows of legs. One
l i t t l e l e g , m o r e o v e r, h a d
been seriously injured
during the course of the
m o r n i n g ’s e v e n t s - i t w a s
nearly a miracle that only
one had been hurt-and
dragged behind him
lifelessly.
Only when he reached the
door did Gregor discover what
had actually tempted him
there: the smell of something
edible. For there stood a bowl
filled with fresh milk in which
small slices of white bread
were floating. He could have
almost laughed for joy, as he
was even hungrier than in the
morning, and immediately
plunged his head, almost up to
the eyes, into the milk. But he
quickly withdrew it in
disappointment; not only was
eating difficult on account of his
tender left side-and eating had to
be a collaboration of the whole
heaving body-but he did not
care at all for the milk,
which was otherwise his
favorite drink and surely the
reason his sister had set it
out for him. In fact, it was
almost in revulsion that he
turned away from the bowl
47
Alianza
II
Hasta el anochecer, no
despertó Gregorio de aquel
sueño tan pesado, semejan-
te a un desvanecimiento. No
habría tardado mucho en
despertar por sí solo, pues
ya había descansado bastan-
te, pero le pareció que le
despertaba el rumor de unos
pasos furtivos y el ruido de
la puerta del recibimiento,
cerrada con cuidado. El re-
flejo del tranvía eléctrico
ponía franjas de luz en el te-
cho de la habitación y la
parte superior de los mue-
bles; pero abajo, donde es-
taba Gregorio, reinaba la
oscuridad. Lenta y todavía
torpemente, tanteando con
sus tentáculos, cuyo valor
ya entonces comprendió,
deslizóse hasta la puerta
para ver lo que había ocu-
rrido. Su lado izquierdo era
una única, larga y repugnan-
te llaga. Andaba cojeando,
alternativa y simétricamente ,
sobre cada una de sus dos
filas de patas. Por otra par-
te, una de estas últimas,
herida en el accidente de
por la mañana - ¡milagro
fue que las demás saliesen
ilesas! -, arrastrábase sin
vida.
[40] Al llegar a la puer-
ta, comprendió que lo que
allí le había atraído era el
olor de algo comestible.
Encontró una escudilla lle-
na de leche azucarada, en la
cual nadaban trocitos de
pan blanco. A poco si suel-
ta a reír de gozo, pues tenía
aún más hambre que por la
mañana. Al momento, zambu-
lló la cabeza en la leche casi
hasta los ojos; mas. pronto
hubo de retirarla desilusiona-
do, pues no solo la dolencia
de su lado izquierdo le hacía
dificultosa la operación (para
comer tenía que poner todo el
cuerpo en movimiento), sino
que, además, la leche, que
hasta entonces fuera su bebi-
da predilecta -por eso, sin
duda, habíala colocado allí la
hermana-, no le gustó nada.
Se apartó casi con repugnan-
cia de la escudilla, y se arras-
Willie
II
It was not until it was getting
dark that evening that Gregor
awoke from his deep and coma-
like sleep. He would have
woken soon afterwards anyway
e v e n i f h e h a d n ’t b e e n
disturbed, as he had had enough
sleep and felt fully rested. But
he had the impression that some
hurried steps and the sound of
the door leading into the front
room being carefully shut had
woken him. The light from the
electric street lamps shone
palely here and there onto the
ceiling and tops of the
f u r n i t u r e , b u t d o w n b e l o w,
where Gregor was, it was dark.
He pushed himself over to the
door, feeling his way clumsily
with his antennae - of which
he w a s n o w b e g i n n i n g t o
learn the value - in order to
see what had been
happening there. The
whole of his left side
seemed like one, painfully
s t r e t c h e d s c a r, a n d h e
limped badly on his two
rows of legs. One of the
legs had been badly injured
in the events of that
morning - it was nearly a
miracle that only one of them
had been - and dragged
along lifelessly.
It was only when he had reached the
door that he realised what it actually
was that had drawn him over to it; it
was the smell of something to eat. By
the door there was a dish filled
with sweetened milk with little
pieces of white bread floating in
it. He was so pleased he almost
laughed, as he was even hungrier
than he had been that morning, and
immediately dipped his head into
the milk, nearly covering his eyes
with it. But he soon drew his head
back again in disappointment; not
only did the pain in his tender left
side make it difficult to eat the
food - he was only able to eat if
his whole body worked together
as a snuffling whole - but the
milk did not taste at all nice.
Milk like this was normally
his favourite drink, and his
sister had certainly left it
there for him because of that,
but he turned, almost against
his own will, away from the
 Neugroschel
loathing and crawled back to
the middle of the room.
1.2
In the parlor, as Gregor
could see through the door
crack, the gaslight was lit. But
while at this time of day his
father would usually take up
his newspaper, an afternoon
daily, and read it in a raised
voice to the mother and
sometimes also to the sister,
not a sound was to be heard.
Well, perhaps this practice of
reading aloud, which the
sister had always told Gregor
about and written him about,
had recently been discarded
altogether. Yet while the entire
apartment was hushed, it was
anything but deserted.
“My, what a quiet life the
family used to lead,” Gregor
thought to himself, and as he
peered into the darkness, he
felt a certain pride that he
had managed to provide his
parents and his sister with
such a life in such a beautiful
apartment. What if now all
c a l m , a l l p r o s p e r i t y, a l l
contentment should come to
a horrifying end? Rather
than lose himself in such
ruminations, Gregor
preferred to start moving,
and so he crept up and down
the room. [142]
Once, during the long
evening, one side door and
then the other was opened
a tiny crack and quickly
shut again: somebody had
apparently felt an urge to
come in, but had then
thought the better of it.
Gregor halted right at the
parlor door, determined to
somehow bring in the
hesitant visitor or at least
find out who it was. But
the door was not
reopened, and Gregor
waited in vain. That
morning, when the doors
had been locked,
everybody had wanted to
come in; but now that he
had opened one door, and
the rest had clearly been
o p e n e d d u r i n g t h e d a y,
nobody came, and the keys
were on the other side.
del Solar
regresó a rastras al centro
de la habitación.
En la sala de estar, según
pudo ver Gregor por la rendi-
ja de la puerta, la luz de gas
estaba encendida; pero mien-
tras que a esa hora del día el
padre solía leer en voz alta a
la madre, y a veces también a
la hermana, el periódico de la
tarde, ahora no se oía el me-
nor ruido. Puede que última-
mente hubieran abandonado
esas lecturas en voz alta, so-
bre las cuales la hermana
siempre le hablaba y escribía.
Pero el silencio era total tam-
bién alrededor, pese a que, sin
duda, el piso no estaba vacío.
«¡Qué vida tan apacible ha
venido llevando la familia!»,
se dijo Gregor y, mirando fi-
jamente en la oscuridad, se
sintió muy orgulloso de haber
podido proporcionar a sus pa-
dres y hermana una vida se-
mejante en una vivienda tan
hermosa. Pero ¿qué pasaría
ahora si toda aquella calma,
todo ese bienestar, toda esa
satisfacción tuvieran de pron-
to un final terrible? Para no
extraviarse pensando en esas
cosas, [47] Gregor prefirió
ponerse en movimiento y re-
correr a rastras la habitación
de un extremo a otro.
Una vez, durante ese largo
atardecer, se entreabrió una de las
hojas de la puerta, y otra vez la
otra, hasta dejar una pequeña ren-
dija, pero se habían cerrado de
nuevo a toda prisa; alguien sin-
tió necesidad de entrar, probable-
mente, pero se lo pensó demasia-
do. Gregor se detuvo entonces
justo ante la puerta que daba a la
sala de estar, decidido a hacer
entrar como fuera al indeciso vi-
sitante o, por lo menos, a averi-
guar quién era; pero la puerta ya
no volvió a abrirse y Gregor
aguardó en vano. Esa misma ma-
ñana, cuando las puertas estaban
cerradas con llave, todos habían
querido entrar en su habitación,
y ahora que él había abierto una
de las puertas y las otras habían
sido abiertas sin duda a lo largo
del día, no venía nadie; y eso que
las llaves también estaban pues-
tas por fuera.
48
Stokes
repugnance and crawled back
into the middle of the room.
In the living-room the gas
had already been lit, as
Gregor could see through the
crack in the door, but whereas
at this time of day his father
always used to read aloud
extracts from his evening
paper to his mother and
sometimes his sister as well,
everything now was utterly
silent. Maybe this custom of
reading aloud, which his sister
was always telling him about
and mentioning in letters, had
recently been discontinued.
But it was just as silent in all
the rooms, even though the
apartment was surely not
empty. ‘What a quiet life the
family has been leading,’
Gregor said to himself, and
felt so proud, as he sat there
staring into the darkness, that
he had been able to provide
his parents and sister with a
life of this sort in such a
pleasant apartment. But what
if all the peace, the prosperity,
the contentment were now to
come to a terrible end? In
order not to lose himself in
such thoughts, Gregor chose
to move about, and crawled
back and forth across the
room.
During the long evening,
first one of the side-doors
and then the other was
opened slightly and quickly
shut again; somebody had
presumably needed to come
in, but had had too many
misgivings. Gregor now
stationed himself directly in
front of the living-room door,
determined somehow to get
his hesitant visitor into the
room, or at least to discover
who it might be; but the door
was not opened again and
Gregor waited in vain. In the
morning, when the doors had
been locked, everyone had
wanted to come in; now,
when he had opened one door
and the others had clearly
been opened [23] during the
day, no one came any more,
and the keys, moreover, were
now on the outside.
Vialatte
l’écuelle et retourna au
milieu de la chambre.
Le gaz flambait dans la
salle à manger, on pouvait le
voir par les rainures de la
parte; c’était le moment où,
d’ordinaire, le père lisait à sa
famille le journal de
l’agrès-midi; cette fois
Grégoire n’entendit rien.
Peut-être cette lecture
traditionnelle, dont sa soeur lui
faisait toujours des récits dans
ses conversations et dans ses
lettres, avait-elle disparu ces
derniers temps des habitudes
de la maison. Mais partout
régnait le même silence, et
cependant il y avait sûrement
du monde dans l’appartement.
«Quelle vie tranquille a menée
la famille!» pensa Grégoire en
regardant fixement dans le
noir, et il se sentit très fier, car
c’était à lui que ses parents et
sa soeur devaient une si calme
existence dans un si bel
appartement. Qu’allait-il
arriver maintenant, si cette
paix, cette satisfaction, ce
bien-être finissaient avec perte
et fracas? Pour ne pas
s’abandonner à ces réflexions
lugubres, Grégoire préféra
[35] prendre un peu d’exercice
et fit les cent pas sur son
ventre.
Une fois, au cours de la
soirée, il vit s’entrouvrir la
porte de gauche, et une fois
la porte de droite;
quelqu’un avait bien senti le
besoin d’entrer, mais avait
trouvé l’entreprise trop
chanceuse. Grégoire se
résolut donc à faire halte
devant la porte de la salle à
manger, décidé à entraîner
comme il pourrait le visiteur
hésitant ou tout au moins à
l’identifier; mais la porte ne
s’ouvrit plus et l’attente de
Grégoire fut vaine. Le
matin, quand les portes
étaient fermées, tout le
monde voulait envahir sa
chambre, et maintenant
qu’on avait réussi à les
ouvrir personne ne venait le
voir; on avait même mis les
clefs dans les serrures, de
l’extérieur.
Cl. David
rampa jusqu’au milieu de la
chambre.
Dans la salle de séjour, on
avait allumé le gaz, comme
Gregor s’en rendit compte par
la fente de la porte; mais, alors
que son père avait l’habitude,
à cette heure du jour, de lire à
haute voix à sa mère et à sa
soeur son journal, qui
paraissait l’après-midi, on
n’entendait aujourd’hui aucun
bruit. Peut-être cette lecture,
dont sa soeur ne cessait de lui
parler dans ses conversations
et dans ses lettres, avait-elle
été abandonnée les derniers
temps. Mais partout régnait le
même silence, bien que la
maison n’ait certainement pas
été vide. « Quelle vie
tranquille menait notre famille
», pensa Gregor et, tout en
regardant fixement dans le
noir, il éprouvait une grande
fierté d’avoir pu procurer une
telle vie dans un aussi joli
appartement à ses parents et à
sa soeur. Mais qu’allait-il
arriver maintenant, si cette
tranquillité, cette satisfaction,
ce bien-être allaient s’achever
dans l’horreur? Pour ne pas
s’abandonner à ces pensées,
Gregor préféra prendre du
mouvement et se mit à ramper
de-ci de-là dans la pièce.
Une fois pendant cette longue
soirée, on entrouvrit, puis
referma vivement une des portes
latérales; un peu plus tard, on
recommença avec l’autre porte;
quelqu’un avait visiblement
envie d’entrer, mais finalement
les hésitations l’emportaient.
Gregor s’arrêta tout près de la
porte de la salle de séjour, bien
décidé à faire entrer d’une
manière ou d’une autre le
visiteur hésitant ou du moins à
savoir qui c’était; mais on
n’ouvrit plus la porte et Gregor
attendit en vain. Le matin,
lorsque toutes les portes étaient
fermées, tout le monde avait
voulu entrer et maintenant qu’il
avait lui-même ouvert l’une des
portes et qu’on avait
certainement dû ouvrir les autres
au cours de la journée, personne
ne venait et on avait mis les clefs
à l’extérieur.
Freed
and crawled back to the
middle of the room.
In the living room, as
Gregor could see through the
crack in the door, the gas
was lit; although the father
usually liked to read the
afternoon paper at this hour
in a loud voice to the mother
and sometimes to the sister
as well, not a sound was
heard. Well, perhaps this
custom of reading that the
sister had told him about
[22] and wrote of in her
letters had been recently
discontinued. But it was so
silent everywhere, even
though the apartment was
certainly not empty. “What a
quiet life the family has led,”
Gregor said to himself, and
felt, as he stared pointedly
into the darkness, a great
surge of pride that he had
been able to provide his
parents and his sister such a
life and in such a beautiful
apartment. But what if all the
tranquillity, all the comfort,
all the contentment were
now to come to a horrifying
end? So as not to dwell on
such thoughts, Gregor
started to move and began
crawling up and down the
room.
Once during the long
evening, one of the side
doors and then the other
was opened a small crack
and quickly shut again;
someone had apparently
had the urge to come in but
had then thought better of
it. Gregor now stationed
himself directly before the
living room door,
determined to persuade the
hesitant visitor to come in
or at least discover who it
might be, but the door was
not opened again and
Gregor waited in vain. That
morning, when the doors had
been locked, they all wanted
to come in; now after he had
opened the one door and the
others had been opened
during the day, no one came
and the keys were now on the
other side.
49
Alianza
tró de nuevo hacia el centro
de la habitación.
Por la rendija de la
puerta vio que el gas esta-
ba encendido en el come-
dor. Pero, contrariamente a
lo que sucedía siempre, no
se oía al padre leer en alta
voz a la madre y a la her-
mana el diario de la noche.
No se sentía el menor rui-
do. Quizá esta costumbre,
de la que siempre le habla-
ba la hermana en sus cartas,
hubiese últimamente des-
aparecido. Pero todo en
torno estaba silencioso, y
eso que, con toda seguri-
dad, la casa no estaba va-
cía. - ¡Qué vida más tran-
quila parece [ 41] llevar mi
familia! -pensó Gregorio.
Y, mientras sus miradas se
clavaban en la sombra,
sintióse orgulloso de haber
podido proporcionar a sus
padres y hermana tan sose-
gada existencia, en marco
tan lindo. Con pavor pensó
al punto que aquella tran-
quilidad, aquel bienestar y
aquel la alegría tocaban a su
término... Para no dejarse ex-
traviar por estos pensamien-
tos, prefirió agitarse física-
mente y comenzó a arrastrar-
se por el cuarto.
En el curso de la noche
entreabrióse una vez una de
las hojas de la puerta, y otra
vez la otra: alguien, sin
duda, necesitaba entrar, y
vacilaba. Gregorio, en vis-
ta de ello, paróse contra la
misma puerta que daba al
comedor, dispuesto a atraer
hacia el interior al indeciso
visitante, o por lo menos a
averiguar quién fuera éste.
Pero la puerta no volvió a
abrirse, y esperó en vano.
En las primeras horas de la
mañana, cuando se hallaba
la puerta cerrada, todos ha-
b í a n h e c h o p o r e n t r a r, y
ahora que él había abierto
una puerta, y que las otras
habían sido también abier-
tas, sin duda, durante el día,
ya no venía nadie, y las lla-
ves quedaban por fuera, en
las cerraduras.
Willie
dish and crawled back into
the centre of the room.
Through the crack in the
d o o r, G r e g o r c o u l d s e e t h a t
the gas had been lit in the
living room. His father at
this time would normally be
s a t w i t h h i s e v e n i n g p a p e r,
reading it out in a loud voice
t o G r e g o r ’s m o t h e r , a n d
sometimes to his sister, but
there was now not a sound to
b e h e a r d . G r e g o r ’s s i s t e r
would often write and tell
him about this reading, but
maybe his father had lost the
habit in recent times. It was
so quiet all around too, even
though there must have been
somebody in the flat. “What
a quiet life it is the family
lead”, said Gregor to
himself, and, gazing into the
darkness, felt a great pride
that he was able to provide
a life like that in such a nice
home for his sister and
parents. But what now, if all
this peace and wealth and
comfort should come to a
horrible and frightening
end? That was something
that Gregor did not want to
think about too much, so he
started to move about,
crawling up and down the
room.
Once during that long
evening, the door on one side of
the room was opened very
slightly and hurriedly closed
again; later on the door on the
other side did the same; it
seemed that someone needed to
enter the room but thought better
of it. Gregor went and waited
immediately by the door,
resolved either to bring the
timorous visitor into the room in
some way or at least to find out
who it was; but the door was
opened no more that night and
Gregor waited in vain. The
previous morning while the
doors were locked everyone had
wanted to get in there to him, but
now, now that he had opened up
one of the doors and the other
had clearly been unlocked some
time during the day, no-one
came, and the keys were in the
other sides.
 Neugroschel
It was not until late at
night that the light in the
parlor was put out. Gregor
could easily tell that the
parents and the sister had
stayed up this long, for, as
he could clearly discern, all
three of them were tiptoeing
off. Since nobody would be
visiting Gregor until
morning, he had lots of time
to reflect undisturbed and to
figure out how to
restructure his life. But the
free, high-ceilinged room
where he was forced to lie
flat on the floor terrified
him without his being able
to pinpoint the cause; after
all, it was his room and he
had been living there for
the last five years. Turnin g
half involuntarily and
not without a faint sense
of embarrassment, he
scurried under the settee,
wh e r e , e v e n t h o u g h h i s
back was a bit squashed
and he could not lift his
head, he instantly felt
v e r y c o z y, r e g r e t t i n g
only that his body was
too broad to squeeze in
a l l t h e w a y.
There he remained for
the rest of the night, either
d rowsing and repeatedly
yanked awake by his
h u n g e r, o r e l s e f r e t t i n g
amid vague hopes, all of
which, however, [143] led
to his concluding that for
now he would have to lie
low and, by being patient
and utterly considerate,
help the family endure the
inconveniences that, as it
happened, he was forced
to cause them in his
present state.
By early morning-it was
still almost n i g h t - G r e g o r
had a chance to test the
strength of the resolutions
he had just made, for the
s i s t e r, almost fully
dressed, opened the
vestibule door and
suspensefully p e e r e d i n .
She did not find him right
away, but when she noticed
him under the settee
(goodness, he had to be
del Solar
La luz de la sala de estar
se apagó ya muy entrada la
noche, y así resultó fácil com-
probar que los padres y la her-
mana habían estado despiertos
hasta entonces, pues según po-
día oírse perfectamente, los tres
se alejaban de puntillas en aquel
momento. Seguro que hasta la
mañana siguiente no entraría
nadie a ver a Gregor; tenía,
pues, mucho tiempo para pen-
sar con calma cómo reorganizar
su vida a partir de entonces. Pero
aquella habitación alta y esp a -
ciosa, en cuyo suelo se
veía obligado a yacer
tumbado, le daba miedo,
sin que lograse explicar-
se el porqué, pues era su
habitación, donde llevaba
[48] ya cinco años vi-
viendo. Y volviéndose de
manera semiinconsciente
y n o s i n c i e r t a v e rg ü e n z a ,
se metió a toda prisa bajo el sofá,
donde, pese a que la espalda le
quedó un poco estrujada y ya
no podía levantar la cabeza,
se sintió enseguida muy a
gusto, y solo lamentó que su
cuerpo fuese demasiado an-
cho para poder instalarlo por
entero bajo el sofá.
Allí permaneció toda la
noche, que pasó, en parte, su-
mido en un duermevela del
que el hambre lo arrancaba
una y otra vez, y en parte tam-
bién perdido entre preocupa-
ciones y confusas esperanzas
que lo llevaron siempre a la
conclusión de que por ahora
tendría que actuar tranquila-
mente y, con paciencia y mu-
cha consideración, hacer so-
portables a su familia las mo-
lestias que se vería obligado
a causarle en vista de su esta-
do actual.
Ya a la madrugada siguien-
te, aún casi de noche, tuvo
Gregor la oportunidad de po-
ner a prueba la firmeza de las
resoluciones que acababa de
tomar, pues la hermana, vesti-
da casi del todo, abrió la puer-
ta desde el vestíbulo y miró
dentro con aire expectante.
No lo descubrió ense-
guida, pero cuando lo
v i o d e b a j o d e l s ofá -¡Dios
Santo, en algún sitio tenía
50
Stokes
It wasn’t until late in the
evening that the light was
turned off in the living-room,
and it quickly became clear
that his parents and his sister
had stayed up all that time, for
all three of them could now be
distinctly heard moving away
on tiptoe. Certainly no one
would now come into Gregor’s
room until morning; he
therefore had a long time to
consider in peace and quiet
how best to reorganise his life.
But the highceilinged
spacious room, in which he
was obliged to lie flat on the
floor, filled him with an
anguish he could not account
for, since it was, after all, the
room he had lived in for the
past five years - and with a
half-conscious change of
direction and not without a
slight feeling of shame he
scuttled under the couch
where, although his back was
a little squashed and he could
not raise his head any more, he
immediately felt quite
comfortable and was only
sorry that his body was too
broad to fit completely beneath
the couch.
There he stayed the
whole night, either
dozing and being continually
jolted awake by pangs of
hunger, or in worries and
vague hopes, all of which,
h o w e v e r, l e d t o t h e
conclusion that for the time
being he had to stay calm
and, by exercising patience
and being as considerate as
possible to his family, make
bearable the uripleasantnesses
that he was compelled to
cause them in his present
condition.
By early next morning -
it was still almost night -
Gregor had an opportunity
to test the firmness of his
new resolve, for his sister,
almost fully dressed,
opened the door from the
hall and looked uneasily
in. Sh e d i d n o t s e e h i m
i m m e d i a t e l y, b u t w h e n
she spotted him beneath
t h e c o u c h - good heavens,
he had to be somewhere, he
Vialatte
La lumière ne s’éteignit
que très tard dans la salle,
et il fut facile à Grégoire
de constater que ses
parents et sa soeur avaient
veillé jusqu’alors, car il
les entendit partir tous
trois sur la pointe des
pieds. Naturellement
personne ne vint plus
chez lui jusqu’au matin et
il eut tout le temps désirable
pour méditer l’organisation
de sa nouvelle v i e ; m a i s
c e t t e g r a n d e chambre
où il était obligé de
rester à plat sur le sol
lui faisait peur sans
qu’il pût en
comprendre la cause,
c a r il y habita i t depuis
cinq ans et, par un
réflexe presque
i n c o n s cient dont il eut
cep endant un peu honte, il
se glissa hâtivement sous le canapé;
il s’y trouva tout de suite très
bien quoiqu’il eût le dos un
peu aplati et ne pût lever
[36] la tête; il regrettait
seulement que son corps
fût trop large pour être
remisé sous le meuble en
entier.
Ce fut là qu’il passa
toute la nuit, tantôt plongé
dans un demi-sommeil dont
les affres de la faim le
réveillaient en sursaut,
tantôt remâchant son
i n q u iétude et ses vagues
espérances pour finir
toujours par conclure que
son devoir était
provisoirement de se tenir
coi et de rendre supportable
aux siens, par sa patience et
ses égards, les désagréments
que sa situation leur
imposait malgré lui.
De bon matin il eut
l’occasion de mettre à
l’épreuve la fermeté de ses
résolutions récentes; il
faisait encore presque nuit;
sa soeur, déjà à peu près
vêtue, ouvrit la porte du
vestibule et regarda avec
curiosité. Elle ne découvrit
pas tout de suite Grégoire,
mais quand elle l’aperçut
sous le canapé - il faut bien
qu’il soit quelque part,
Cl. David
La lumière ne s’éteignit
dans la salle que tard dans la
nuit et il lui fut dès lors facile
de constater que ses parents et
sa soeur étaient restés tout ce
temps-là à veiller, car on les
entendit fort bien s’éloigner
tous les trois sur la pointe des
pieds. Il était sûr maintenant
que personne n’entrerait chez
Gregor avant le matin; il avait
donc un bon moment pour
méditer à son aise sur la
nouvelle organisation de son
existence. Mais cette grande
chambre vide, où il était
obligé de rester couché à plat
s u r l e s o l , l u i f a i s a i t p e u r,
sans qu’il pût en deviner la
raison, car c’était la chambre
où il logeait depuis cinq ans
- et à la sui t e d ’ u n e
décision à demi consciente
et non sans une légère
honte, il partit vivement
se coucher sous le canapé, où
il se sentit aussitôt tout à fait
à son aise, bien que son dos fût
un peu serré et qu’il lui fût
impossible de relever la tête;
il regrettait seulement que son
corps fût trop large pour
pouvoir trouver place tout
entier sous le canapé.
Il resta là toute la nuit,
qu’il passa pour une part dans
un demi-sommeil, dont la faim
le tirait sans cesse en sursaut,
mais pour une part aussi au
milieu des soucis et de vagues
espérances, qui le menaient
tous à cette conclusion que le
mieux était provisoirement de
se tenir tranquille et d’essayer
par de la patience et de grands
ménagements de rendre
supportables à sa famille les
désagréments que son état
actuel ne pouvait éviter de lui
causer.
De bon matin - il faisait
encore presque nuit -, Gregor
eut l’occasion de mettre à
l’épreuve la force des
résolutions qu’il venait de
prendre, car la porte du
vestibule s’ouvrit et sa soeur,
déjà tout habillée, passa la tête
avec une attention inquiète.
Elle ne le trouva pas tout de
suite et, lorsqu’elle le
découvrit sous le canapé -
pardieu ! il fallait bien qu’il
Freed
It was late into the night
before the light went out in
the living room, and it was
now obvious that the
parents and the sister had
stayed-awake until then,
because he could clearly
discern that all three were
tiptoeing away. Certainly no
one would come in to
Gregor until morning,
therefore he had a long
undisturbed time to ponder
how best to reorder his life.
But the high-ceilinged,
spacious room in which he
was forced to lie flat on the
floor filled him with an
unaccountable dread; it was,
after all, his own room
which he had inhabited for
five years, and with an
almost involuntary
movement—and not without
a faint feeling of shame—he
scurried under the sofa ,
where, despite his back
being slightly squashed
and being unable to raise
his head, he felt
immediately cozy and only
regretted that his body was
too wide to fit completely
underneath the sofa.
There he stayed the
whole night,
sometimes dozing but
t h e n waking up with a
start from hunger pains;
sometimes he worried and
entertained vague hopes,
but it all led him to the
same conclusion: For now
h e m u s t l i e l o w a n d t r y,
through patience and [23]
the greatest consideration,
to help his family bear the
inconvenience he was
bound to cause them in his
present condition.
So early in the morning
that it was almost still night,
Gregor had an opportunity
to test the strength of his
new resolutions, because
the sister, nearly fully
dressed, opened the door
from the foyer and eagerly
peered in. She did not
immediately find him, but
when she noticed him
underneath the sofa-well, he
had to be somewhere, he
51
Alianza
Muy entrada la noche, se
apagó la luz del comedor.
Pudo Gregorio comprender
por [42] ello que sus padres y
su hermana habían velado has-
ta entonces. Sintió que se ale-
jaban de puntillas. Hasta por
la mañana no entraría ya segu-
ramente nadie a ver a
Gregorio; éste tenía tiempo
sobrado para pensar, sin temor
a ser importunado, acerca de
cómo le convendría ordenar en
adelante su vida. Pero aquella
habitación fría y al t a d e t e -
cho, en donde había de
permanecer echado de
bruces, le dio miedo,
sin que lograse expli-
carse el porqué, pues
era la suya, la habita-
ción en que vivía desde
hacía cinco años...
Bruscamente, y con
cierto rubor, precipitóse
d e b a j o d e l sofá , en donde,
no obstante sentirse algo
estrujado, por no poder le-
vantar la cabeza, se encon-
tró en seguida muy bien, la-
mentando únicamente no
poder introducirse allí por
completo a causa de su ex-
cesiva corpulencia.
Así permaneció toda la
noche, parte en un
semisueño , del que le
des pertaba con sobresalto
el hambre, y parte también
presa de preocupaciones y
esperanzas no muy defini-
das, pero cuya conclusión
era siempre la necesidad,
por de pronto, de tener cal-
ma y paciencia y de hacer lo
posible para que la familia,
a su vez, soportase cuantas
molestias él, en su estado
actual, no podía por menos
de causar.
[43] Muy de mañana
-apenas si clareaba el día-
tuvo Gregorio ocasión de
experimentar la fuerza de
estas resoluciones. Su her-
mana, ya casi arreglada,
abrió la puerta que daba al
recibimiento y miró ávida-
mente hacia el interior. Al
principio, no le vio; pero
al divisarle luego debajo
del sofá - ¡en algún sitio ha-
bía de estar, santo Dios! ¡No
Willie
It was not until late at night
that the gaslight in the living
room was put out, and now it
was easy to see that parents and
sister had stayed awake all that
time, as they all could be
distinctly heard as they went
away together on tip-toe. It
was clear that no-one would
come into Gregor ’s room any
more until morning; that gave
him plenty of time to think
undisturbed about how he
would have to re-arrange his
life. For some reason, the tall,
empty room where he was
forced to remain made
him feel uneasy as he lay
there flat on the floor,
even though he had been
living in it for five years.
Hardly aware of what he
was doing other than a
slight feeling of shame,
he hurried under the
couch. It pressed down
o n h is back a little, and he
was no longer able to lift
his head, but he nonetheless
felt immediat e l y a t e a s e
and his only regret was
that his body was to o
broad to get it all
underneath.
He spent the whole night there.
Some of the time he passed in
a light sleep, although he
frequently woke from it in
alarm because of his hunger,
and some of the time was spent
in worries and vague hopes
which, however, always led to
the same conclusion: for the
time being he must remain
calm, he must show patience
and the greatest consideration
so that his family could bear the
unpleasantness that he, in his
present condition, was forced to
impose on them.
Gregor soon had the
opportunity to test the
strength of his decisions, as
early the next morning, almost
before the night had ended, his
sister, nearly fully dressed,
opened the door from the front
room and looked anxiously in.
She did not see him straight
away, but when she did notice
him under the couch - he had
to be somewhere, for God’s
sake, he couldn’t have flown
 Neugroschel
somewhere, he couldn’t just
have flown away), she was so
startled that unable to control
herself she slammed the door
from the outside. But,
apparently regretting her
b e h a v i o r, s h e i n s t a n t l y
reopened the door and
tiptoed in as if visiting a very
sick patient or even a
s t r a n g e r. G r e g o r, h a v i n g
pushed his head ,forward to
the very edge of the settee,
was watching her. Would she
notice that he had barely
touched the milk, though by
no means for lack of hunger,
and would she bring in some
other kind of food more to his
taste? If she did not do so on
her own, he would rather
starve to death than point it
out to her, even while he felt
a tremendous urge to scoot
out from under the settee,
throw himself at her feet, and
beg her for some good food.
But the sister, with some
surprise, instantly noticed the
full bowl, from which only a
little milk had splattered all
around. She promptly picked
up the bowl, though not with
her bare hands, but with a
rag, and carried it away.
Gregor was extremely
curious as to what she would
replace it with, and all sorts
of conjectures ran through
his mind. [144] But he would
never have hit on what the
sister actually did in the
goodness of her heart.
Hoping to check his likes and
dislikes, she brought him a
whole array of food, all
spread out on an old
newspaper. There were old,
half-rotten vegetables, some
bones left over from supper
and coated with a solidified
white sauce, a few raisins and
almonds, some cheese that
Gregor had declared inedible
two days ago, dry bread,
bread and butter, and salted
bread and b u t t e r.
Furthermore, along with all
those things, she brought
some water in the bowl,
which had probably been
assigned to Gregor for good.
And sensing that Gregor
would not eat in front of her,
she discreetly hurried away,
del Solar
que estar, no podía haberse
ido volando!-, se asustó tan-
to que, sin poder dominarse,
volvió a cerrar la puerta. Pero
como si se arrepintiese de su
reacción, al instante la abrió
de nuevo y entró de puntillas,
como si estuviese en el cuar-
to de un enfermo grave o in-
cluso de un extraño. Gregor
había sacado la cabeza casi
hasta el borde del sofá y la
[49] observaba. ¿Se daría
cuenta de que no había toca-
do la leche, aunque no preci-
samente por falta de apetito,
y le traería otra cosa más
acorde con sus gustos? Si no
lo hacía de forma espontánea,
él preferiría antes morirse de
hambre que hacérselo notar,
pese a que sentía unas ganas
enormes de salir de debajo
del sofá, arrojarse a los pies
de la hermana y rogarle que
le trajera algo bueno de co-
mer. Pero la hermana reparó
sorprendida en la escudilla
todavía llena, de la que solo
se había derramado un poco
de leche, la levantó de inme-
diato, aunque no directamen-
te con las manos, sino con un
paño, y se la llevó. A Gregor
le entró una enorme curiosi-
dad por saber qué le traería a
cambio, e hizo las más di-
versas conjeturas al respecto.
Pero nunca hubiera podido
adivinar lo que su bondadosa
hermana hizo realmente. Para
poner a prueba sus gustos le
trajo un amplio surtido, todo
dispuesto sobre un periódico
viejo. Había verduras pasa-
das y medio podridas, huesos
sobrantes de la cena, rodea-
dos de una salsa blanca que
se había endurecido, unas
cuantas pasas y almendras,
un queso que, dos días antes,
Gregor había calificado de
incomestible, un panecillo
seco, una rebanada untada
con mantequilla y otra con
mantequilla y sal. A todo eso
añadió además la escudilla,
probablemente reservada
para Gregor y nadie más a
partir de entonces, en la que
había echado agua. Y por de-
licadeza, pues sabía que
Gregor no comería delante de
ella, se retiró a toda prisa y
hasta cerró con llave, solo
52
Stokes
couldn’t just have flown away
- she got such a fright that she
lost control of herself and
slammed [24] the door shut
again from the outside. But, as
if regretting her behaviour, she
immediately opened the door
again and tiptoed into the
room, as though she were
visiting someone seriously ill,
or even a stranger. Gregor had
stuck his head out almost to the
edge of tire couch, and was
observing her. Would she
notice that he had left the milk
standing, though not because
he had no appetite, far from it,
and would she bring in some
other food that suited him
better? If she didn’t do so of
her own accord, he would
rather starve than bring it to
her attention, although in fact
he felt a tremendous urge to
dart out from under the couch,
throw himself at his sister’s
feet and beg her to bring him
something good to eat. His
sister, however, noticed
immediately, and with
astonishment, the still-full
bowl, from which only a little
milk had splattered all around,
picked it up, admittedly riot
with her bare hands but with a
cloth, and carried it out.
Gregor was extremely curious
to know what she would bring
instead, and indulged in all
manner of speculation. But
never could he have guessed
what his sister in the goodness
of her heart actually did. In
order to find out what he liked,
she brought him a whole
selection of things, all spread
out on an old newspaper: old,
half-rotten vegetables; bones
left over from supper,
surrounded by congealed
white sauce; some raisins and
almonds; some cheese that two
days earlier Gregor had
declared inedible; a slice of
dry bread, a slice of bread and
butter, and another spread with
butter and salted. In addition
to all this she also put down
the bowl, which had probably
been permanently assigned to
Gregor, and into which she had
poured some water. And out of
a sense of delicacy, since she
knew that Gregor would not
eat in her presence, she hastily
Vialatte
voyons; il ne s’est pourtant
pas envolé!...» - elle éprouva
une frayeur qu’elle ne réussit
pas à maîtriser et sortit en
faisant claquer la porte. Puis,
se repentant de son geste, elle
la rouvrit aussitôt et rentra sur
la pointe des pieds comme
dans la chambre d’un étranger
ou d’un grand malade.
Grégoire, ayant avancé la tête
presque jusqu’au bord du
canapé, l’observait.
Remarquerait-elle qu’il avait
laissé le lait et que ce n’était
pas par manque d’appétit? Lui
apporterait-elle autre chose de
plus conforme à ses goûts? Si
elle ne le faisait pas
d’elle-même, il aimerait [37]
mieux mourir de faim que
d’attirer son attention
là-dessus malgré l’envie qui le
dévorait de s’échapper
brusquement de sa cachette,
de se jeter aux pieds de sa
soeur et de lui demander
quelque chose de mangeable.
Mais la soeur remarqua tout
de suite l’écuelle pleine et
s’en étonna; il était tombé tout
autour quelques gouttes de
lait; elle ramassa le récipient
- sans le toucher, avec un
chiffon de papier - et
l’emporta dans la cuisine.
Grégoire attendait avec
curiosité ce qu’elle lui
donnerait en échange et se
creusait la tête pour deviner.
Mais jamais il n’eût
soupçonné jusqu’où alla la
bonté de sa soeur. Pour
s’orienter sur les goûts de son
frère, elle apporta tout un
choix de comestibles étalés
sur un vieux journal. Il y avait
là des trognons de légumes à
moitié pourris, des os du dîner
de la veille couverts d’une
sauce blanche figée , des
raisins de Corinthe, des
amandes, un fromage que
Grégoire avait déclaré
immangeable quelques jours
auparavant, un pain rassis,
une tartine de beurre salée et
une autre sans sel. Elle
compléta le tout par l’écuelle
qui semblait définitivement
affectée à Grégoire depuis la
veille et qu’elle avait remplie
d’eau. Puis, pensant que son
frère ne mangerait pas devant
elle, elle poussa la délicatesse
Cl. David
soit quelque part, il ne pouvait
pourtant pas s’être envolé! -
elle éprouva une telle terreur
qu’elle ne put pas maîtriser
ses mouvements et sortit en
faisant claquer la porte. Mais,
comme si elle se repentait de
son attitude, elle rouvrit
aussitôt et revint sur la pointe
des pieds, comme elle l’aurait
fait chez un grand malade ou
m ê m e c h e z u n é t r a n g e r.
Gregor avait avancé la tête
jusqu’au bord du canapé et
l’observait. Allait-elle
remarquer qu’il n’avait pas
touché au lait - et pas du tout
parce qu’il n’avait pas faim -
et allait-elle apporter une
autre nourriture qui lui
convînt davantage? Si elle ne
le faisait pas d’elle-même, il
aimait mieux mourir de faim
que d’attirer là-dessus son
attention; en dépit de l’envie
qui le tenaillait, il n’aurait
voulu pour rien au monde
sortir de sous le canapé, se
jeter aux pieds de sa soeur et
la supplier de lui apporter
quelque chose de bon à
m a n g e r. M a i s s a s o e u r
remarqua aussitôt avec
étonnement la jatte pleine,
autour de laquelle un peu de
lait s’était répandu; elle la
ramassa immédiatement, mais
sans la toucher directement
e t , en s’aidant d’un torchon,
elle la porta dehors. Gregor se
demandait avec la plus grande
curiosité ce qu’elle
apporterait à la place et se
creusait la tête pour
l ’ i m a g i n e r. M a i s i l n ’ a u r a i t
jamais pu deviner jusqu’où
irait la bonté de sa soeur. Afin
de connaître son goût, elle lui
apporta tout un choix de
choses comestibles, qu’elle
avait étalées sur un vieux
journal. Il y avait là des
légumes à moitié pourris, des
os du dîner de la veille, dans
une sauce blanchâtre figée;
des raisins secs et des
amandes; un fromage que
Gregor avait déclaré
immangeable l’avant-veille;
un pain rassis, deux tartines de
beurre, l’une salée, l’autre
non. Elle joignit à cela la
jatte, qui semblait une fois
pour toutes destinée à Gregor,
qu’elle avait cette fois remplie
Freed
c o u l d n ’t h a v e j u s t f l o w n
away-she was so startled
that, unable to control
herself, she slammed the
door shut from the outside.
But, as if regretting her
b e h a v i o r, s h e i n s t a n t l y
reopened it and tiptoed in as
though she were visiting
someone seriously ill or
even a stranger. Gregor had
pushed his head forward to
the edge of the sofa and was
w a t c h i n g h e r. Wo u l d s h e
notice that he had left the
milk untouched not from
any lack of hunger and bring
something he liked better?
If she did not do so on her
own, he would rather starve
than bring it to her
attention, although he was
extremely hard-pressed not
to dart out from under the
sofa and throw himself at
her feet to beg for
something good to eat. But
the sister immediately and
with surprise noticed the
bowl, still full except for a
little milk that had spilled
around it, and promptly
picked it up, not with bare
hands of course but with a
rag, and carried it out.
Gregor was exceedingly
curious as to what she
would bring instead, and he
advanced all sorts of
theories. But he could never
have guessed what in the
goodness of her heart the
sister actually did. To find
out his likes and dislikes,
she brought him a wide
selection all spread out on
a n o l d n e w s p a p e r. T h e r e
were old, half-rotten
vegetables, bones covered
with congealed white sauce
from supper the night
before, some raisins and
almonds, a cheese that
Gregor had declared
inedible two days before,
dry bread, bread with butter,
and bread with butter and
salt. Beside this she set
down the bowl, now
presumably reserved for
G r e g o r ’s e x c l u s i v e u s e ,
which she had filled with
water. And it was out of del-
i c a c y, k n o w i n g G r e g o r
would not eat in her
53
Alianza
iba a haber volado! - se asus-
tó tanto, que, sin poderse do-
minar, volvió a cerrar la
puerta. Mas debió arrepen-
tirse de su proceder, pues
tornó a abrir al momento y
entró de puntillas, como si
fuese la habitación de un en-
fermo de gravedad o la de un
extraño. Gregorio, con la
cabeza casi asomada fuera
del sofá, la observaba. ¿Re-
pararía en que no había pro-
bado la leche y, compren-
diendo que ello no era por
falta de apetito, le traería de
comer otra cosa más adecua-
da? Pero, si por ella misma
no lo hacía, él prefería mo-
rirse de hambre antes que
llamarle la atención sobre
esto, no obstante sentir unas
ganas tremendas de salir de
debajo del sofá, arrojarse a
sus pies y suplicarle le tra-
jese algo bueno de comer.
Pero la hermana, asombrada,
advirtió inmediatamente que
la escudilla estaba intacta;
únicamente se había vertido
un poco de leche. Recogió
ésta en seguida; verdad que
no con la mano, sino [44] va-
liéndose de un trapo, y se la
llevó. Gregorio sentía una
gran curiosidad por ver lo
que iba a traerle en sustitu-
ción, haciendo respecto a
ello muchas y muy distintas
conjeturas. Mas nunca hu-
biera adivinado lo que la
bondad de su hermana le re-
servaba. A fin de ver cuál era
su gusto, le trajo un surtido
completo de alimentos y los
extendió sobre un periódico
viejo: allí había legumbres
atrasadas, medio podridas
ya; huesos de la cena de la
víspera, rodeados de salsa
blanca cuajada; pasas y al-
mendras; un pedazo de que-
so, que dos días antes
Gregorio había declarado in-
comible; un panecillo duro;
otro untado con mantequilla,
y otro con mantequilla y sal.
Añadió a esto la escudilla,
que por lo visto quedaba
destinada a Gregorio defini-
tivamente, pero ahora esta-
ba llena de agua. Y por deli-
cadeza (pues sabía que
Gregorio no comería estan-
do ella presente) retiróse
Willie
away - she was so shocked
that she lost control of herself
and slammed the door shut
again from outside. But she
seemed to regret her
behaviour, as she opened the
door again straight away and
came in on tip-toe as if
entering the room of someone
seriously ill or even of a
stranger. Gregor had pushed
his head forward, right to the
edge of the couch, and
watched her. Would she notice
that he had left the milk as it
was, realise that it was not
from any lack of hunger and
bring him in some other food
that was more suitable? If she
didn’t do it herself he would
rather go hungry than draw her
attention to it, although he did
feel a terrible urge to rush
forward from under the couch,
throw himself at his sister ’s
feet and beg her for something
g o o d t o e a t . H o w e v e r, h i s
sister noticed the full dish
immediately and looked at it
and the few drops of milk
splashed around it with some
surprise. She immediately
picked it up - using a rag, not
her bare hands - and carried it
out. Gregor was extremely
curious as to what she would
bring in its place, imagining
the wildest possibilities, but
he never could have guessed
w h a t h i s s i s t e r, i n h e r
goodness, actually did bring.
In order to test his taste, she
brought him a whole selection
of things, all spread out on an
o l d n e w s p a p e r. T h e r e w e r e
old, half-rotten vegetables;
bones from the evening meal,
covered in white sauce that
had gone hard; a few raisins
and almonds; some cheese that
Gregor had declared inedible
two days before; a dry roll and
some bread spread with butter
and salt. As well as all that she
had poured some water into
the dish, which had probably
been permanently set aside for
Gregor ’s use, and placed it
beside them. Then, out of
c o n s i d e r a t i o n f o r G r e g o r ’s
feelings, as she knew that he
would not eat in front of
h e r, s h e h u r r i e d o u t a g a i n
and even turned the key in
the lock so that Gregor
 Neugroschel
even turning the key, just to
show him that he could make
himself as comfortable as he
wished. Gregor’s tiny legs
whirred a s h e c h a rg e d
toward the food. His wounds,
i n c i d e n t a l l y, m u s t h a v e
healed up by now, he felt no
handicap anymore, which
was astonishing; for, as he
recalled, after he had nicked
his finger with a knife over a
month ago, the injury had
still been hurting the day
before yesterday. “Am I less
sensitive now?” he
wondered, greedily sucking
at the cheese, which had
promptly exerted a more
emphatic attraction on him
than any of the other food.
His eyes watered with
contentment as he gulped
down the cheese, the
vegetables, and the sauce in
rapid succession. By
contrast, he did not relish the
fresh foods, he could not
even stand their smells, and
he actually dragged the
things he wanted to eat a
short distance away. He was
already done long since and
was simply lazing in the same
spot when the sister, to signal
that he should withdraw,
s l o w l y t u r n e d t h e k e y.
Startled, he jumped [145] up
though he was almost dozing,
and scuttered back under the
settee. However, it took a lot
of self-control to remain
there even during the few
short moments that the sister
spent in the room, for his
body was slightly bloated
from the ample food and he
could scarcely breathe in
that cramped space. Amid
short fits of suffocation, he
stared with somewhat
bulging eyes while the
unsuspecting sister, wielding
a broom, swept up not only
the leftovers but also the
untouched food, as if this too
were now unusable; she then
hastily dumped everything
into a pail, shutting its
wooden lid and carrying
everything out. No sooner
had she turned her back than
he skulked out from under the
settee and began stretching
and puffing up.
del Solar
para [50] que él se diese
cuenta de que podía sentirse
completamente a sus anchas.
Las patitas le zumbaban a
Gregor cuando se dirigió a
comer. Por lo demás, sus he-
ridas debían de haberse cura-
do del todo, ya no sentía nin-
guna molestia, y se asombró
al recordar que, hacía algo
más de un mes, se había he-
cho un pequeño corte en el
dedo con un cuchillo y esa
herida aún le había dolido
bastante la antevíspera.
«¿Tendré ahora menos sensi-
bilidad que antes?», pensó, y
se puso a chupar ávidamente
el queso, que fue, entre todo
aquello, lo que primero y con
más fuerza lo atrajo. Rápida-
mente y con lágrimas de sa-
tisfacción en los ojos fue de-
vorando uno tras otro el que-
so, la verdura y la salsa; los
alimentos frescos, en cambio,
no le gustaron, ni siquiera
podía soportar su olor e in-
cluso apartó un poco lo que
le apetecía comer. Ya había
terminado hacía rato y seguía
perezosamente tumbado en el
mismo sitio, cuando la her-
mana, para indicarle que de-
bía retirarse, empezó a girar
lentamente la llave. Eso lo
sobresaltó al instante, pese a
que estaba casi adormilado, y
volvió a esconderse a toda
prisa bajo el sofá. Pero le
costó un gran esfuerzo de
voluntad quedarse ahí siquie-
ra el breve tiempo que la her-
mana estuvo en la habitación,
pues la abundante comida le
había abultado un poco el
vientre y apenas podía respi-
rar en aquella estrechez. En-
tre leves ataques de asfixia y
con los ojos un tanto
desorbitados vio cómo la her-
mana, totalmente ajena a lo
que le estaba ocurriendo, se
puso a barrer con una escoba
no solo los [51] restos, sino
incluso los alimentos que
Gregor no había tocado, como
si estos tampoco pudieran ya
utilizarse, tiró todo precipita-
damente en un cubo, lo cubrió
con una tapa de madera y se
lo llevó. En cuanto ella se dio
la vuelta, Gregor salió de de-
bajo del sofá, se desperezó y
respiró hondamente.
54
Stokes
withdrew and even turned the
key in the lock to let Gregor
know that he could make
himself as comfortable as he
wished. Gregor’s [25] little
legs whirred as he made his
way to the food. His wounds,
moreover, must have
completely healed by now, for
he felt no further impediment,
which astonished him, and he
remembered how more than a
month earlier he had cut his
finger ever so slightly with a
knife and how this finger had
still been hurting him only the
day before yesterday. ‘Might I
have grown less sensitive?’ he
thought, already sucking
greedily on the cheese which
had attracted him immediately
and more forcibly than all the
other food. In quick succession
and with tears of contentment
welling in his eyes, he
devoured the cheese, the
vegetables and the sauce; the
fresh food, on the other hand,
did not appeal to him, he
couldn’t even stand the smell
and he actually dragged the
things he did not wish to eat a
little further off: He had long
finished everything and was
just lying lazily on the same
spot when, as a sign that he
should withdraw, his sister
slowly turned the key. That
immediately made him start,
despite the fact that he was
almost dozing off, and he
scuttled back beneath the
couch. But it took enormous
self-control to stay under the
couch, even for the short time
that his sister was in the room,
since the copious meal had
bloated his body a little and he
could hardly breathe in that
cramped space. In between
brief bouts of suffocation he
watched with slightly bulging
eyes as his unsuspecting sister
took a broom and swept up not
only the remains of what he had
eaten but even the food that Gregor
had not touched, as if it too were
now unusable, and then dumped
everything hastily into a bucket
which she covered with a wooden
lid, before carrying everything out.
She had hardly turned her back
when Gregor came out from
under the couch to stretch and
distend his belly.
Vialatte
jusqu’à se retirer en fermant
la porte à clef de façon à bien
lui montrer qu’il pouvait
prendre toutes ses aises.
Maintenant que la table était
mise, Grégoire ressentait dans
ses pattes un trémoussement
général. D’ailleurs ses
blessures devaient être
guéries car il [38] n’éprouvait
plus la moindre gêne; il en
resta même tout étonné en
songeant qu’à son époque
humaine, il y avait un mois, il
s’était fait au doigt une légère
coupure dont il avait encore
souffert l’avant-veille.
«Serais-je devenu moins
sensible?» pensa-t-il; mais
déjà il s’était mis à sucer le
fromage qui l’avait attiré,
entre tous les autres aliments,
d’une façon subite et
impérieuse. Il avala
successivement comme un
goulu le fromage, les légumes
et la sauce, avec des yeux
mouillés de satisfaction;
quant aux odeurs fraîches il
n’en faisait aucun cas, leur
odeur lui répugnait même, et
pour manger, il les éloignait
des autres. Il avait fini depuis
longtemps et restait
paresseusement à digérer à la
même place quand sa soeur se
mit à tourner lentement la clef
pour lui donner le signal de la
retraite. Il en ressentit une
grande frayeur malgré sa
demisomnolence et se hâta de
regagner le canapé. Il lui falut
beaucoup de courage pour
rester dessous pendant le temps,
cependant très court, que sa
soeur mit à faire la chambre; son
repas copieux lui avait arrondi
le ventre et il pouvait à peine
respirer dans son réduit. Entre
deux petits accès d’étouffement
il vit, les yeux gonflés de larmes,
sa soeur qui, sans penser à mal,
balayait avec les restes de son
repas les choses auxquelles il
n’avait pas touché comme si
l’on ne pouvait plus rien en
faire; elle se dépêcha de tout
jeter dans un seau qu’elle
ferma d’un couvercle de bois
et qu’elle emporta à la hâte.
Elle n’eut pas plus tôt tourné
les talons que Grégoire [39]
sortit de sa cachette pour
s’étirer et rendre à son ventre
son volume normal.
Cl. David
d’eau. Et par délicatesse, parce
qu’elle savait que Gregor ne
mangerait pas devant elle, elle
s’éloigna promptement et
tourna même la clef pour que
Gregor vît bien qu’il pouvait
prendre toutes ses aises. Au
moment d’aller vers la
nourriture, les pattes de Gregor
se mirent à s’agiter avec bruit.
Ses blessures devaient être
d’ailleurs entièrement guéries,
il ne sentait plus aucune gêne;
il s’en étonna en songeant
qu’il s’était fait au doigt une
légère coupure avec un
couteau, il y avait plus d’un
mois, et que cette blessure le
faisait encore souffrir deux
jours plus tôt. « Serais-je
devenu moins sensible?»,
pensa-t-il, et déjà il léchait
goulûment le fromage, qui l’avait
aussitôt attiré le plus fortement
au milieu des autres aliments. Il
dévora successivement le fromage,
les légumes et la sauce, et la
satisfaction lui faisait verser des
larmes; mais il n’avait en revanche
aucun goût pour les nourritures
fraîches, il n’en pouvait même pas
supporter l’odeur et il traîna même un
peu à l’écart les choses qu’il voulait
manger. Il avait fini depuis
longtemps et paressait encore à la
même place, quand sa soeur, pour
lui faire comprendre que le moment
était venu de se retirer, tourna
lentement la clef dans la serrure. Il
sursauta immédiatement, bien
qu’il fût à moitié endormi et se
hâta de regagner le canapé. Il lui
fallut un grand effort sur luimême
pour y rester pendant le bref
moment que sa soeur passa dans
la chambre, car le repas copieux
lui avait un peu gonflé le ventre,
il se sentait à l’étroit et avait
peine à respirer. Au milieu de
petites crises d’étouffement, les
yeux un peu exorbités, il
regardait faire sa soeur qui, sans
pouvoir rien comprendre,
ramassait avec un balai non
seulement ses restes, mais aussi
l e s n o u rritures auxquelles il
n’avait pas touché, comme si elles
étaient devenues, elles aussi,
inutilisables, et jetait vivement le
tout dans un baquet, qu’elle
recouvrit d’un couvercle de bois, et
qu’elle emporta à la hâte. Elle avait
à peine tourné les talons que Gregor
sortit de sous le canapé, pour s’étirer
et laisser son ventre se gonfler.
Freed
presence, that she hurriedly
removed herself and even
turned the key in the lock to
indicate to Gregor that he
was free to indulge himself
as comfortably as he
pleased. Gregor ’s little legs
whizzed toward the food.
His wounds must have
already been fully healed,
he felt no more injury; he
marveled at this and
thought about when he had
cut his finger with a knife
over a month ago and how
this [[24] wound had still
bothered him just the day
before yesterday. “Have I
become less sensitive?” he
thought, sucking greedily at
the cheese, to which he was
initially and primarily
drawn before all the other
f o o d . Wi t h t e a r s o f
gratitude he quickly
devoured, one after the
o t h e r, t h e c h e e s e , t h e
vegetables, and the sauce;
the fresh food on the other
hand did not appeal to him
and he even dragged what he
did want to eat a bit farther
away. He had long finished
with everything and lay
drowsily on the same spot
when the sister, to signify
her return, slowly turned the
key in the lock. This jerked
him into action, as he was
dozing, and he rushed back
under the sofa. But he truly
had to force himself, even
for the short time that the
sister was in the room, to
stay beneath the sofa,
because he had bloated
slightly from the large meal
and he could barely breathe
in such strict confinement.
In between minor bouts of
suffocation, he watched
with bulging eyes as the
unsuspecting sister swept up
not only the remaining
scraps but even what Gregor
had not touched, as if they
now had no more use, and
dumped it all quickly into a
bucket that she covered with
a wooden lid and carried
away. Hardly had she turned
her back when Gregor came
o u t from under the sofa,
stretched, and puffed
himself out.
55
Alianza
cuan pronto pudo, y echó la
llave, sin duda para que
Gregorio comprendiese que
podía ponerse a sus anchas.
Al ir Gregorio a comer, sus
patas produjeron como un
zumbido. Por otra parte, las
heridas debían de haberse
curado ya por completo, por-
que no sintió ninguna moles-
tia; lo cual no dejó de sor-
prenderle, pues recordó que
hacía más de un mes sor-
prenderle, había [45] heri-
do con un cuchillo en un
dedo y que la antevíspera
todavía le dolía bastante.
-¿Si tendré yo ahora menos
sensibilidad que antes?
-pensó, mientras comenzaba
a chupar con glotonería el
queso, que fue lo que prime-
ro y con más fuerza le se-
dujo. Rápidamente, con los
ojos arrasados en lágrimas
de alegría, devoró sucesiva-
mente el queso, las legumbres y la
salsa. En cambio, los alimentos
frescos no le gustaban; su olor mis-
mo le era insoportable, hasta el
punto de arrastrar lejos aquellas
cosas que quería comer. Ya hacía
tiempo que había terminado.
Hallábase perezosamente extendi-
do en el mismo sitio, cuando la her-
mana, para anunciarle, sin duda,
que debía retirarse, hizo girar len-
tamente la llave. A pesar de estar
medio dormido, Gregorio se so-
bresaltó y corrió a ocultarse de nue-
vo debajo del sofá. Mas permane-
cer allí aunque solo el breve tiem-
po en que la hermana estuvó en el
cuarto, costóle ahora gran esfuer-
zo de voluntad; pues, a consecuen-
cia de la copiosa comida, su cuer-
po habíase abultado algo y apenas
si podía respirar en aquel reduci-
do espacio. Presa de un leve aho-
go miraba, con los ojos un poco
salidos de sus órbitas, a su herma-
na, completamente ajena a lo que
[46] le sucedía, barrer con una es-
coba, no solo los restos de la co-
mida, sino también los alimentos
que Gregorio no había siquiera
tocado, como si éstos no pudie-
sen ya aprovecharse. Y vio tam-
bién cómo lo arrojaba todo vio-
lentamente a un cubo, que cerró
luego con una tapa de madera,
llevándoselo por fin. Apenas se
hubo marchado, Gregorio salió
de su escondrijo, se desperezó y
respiró.
Willie
would know he could make
things as comfortable for
himself as he liked.
G r e g o r ’s little legs
w h i r re d [ z u m b a r ] , a t l a s t
h e could eat. What’s more,
his injuries must already
have completely healed as
he found no difficulty in
moving. This amazed him, as
more than a month earlier he
had cut his finger slightly
with a knife, he thought of
how his finger had still hurt
t h e d a y b e f o r e y e s t e r d a y.
“Am I less sensitive than I
used to be, then?”, he
t h o u g h t , a n d w a s already
sucking greedily at the cheese
which had immediately, almost
compe l l i n g l y , a t t r a c t e d h i m
much more than the other
foods on the newspaper.
Quickly one after another, his
eyes watering with pleasure,
he consumed the cheese, the
vegetables and the sauce; the
fresh foods, on the other hand,
he didn’t like at all, and e v e n
dragged the things he did
want to eat a little way away
from them because he
c o u l d n ’t s t a n d t h e s m e l l .
Long after he had finished
eating and lay lethargic in the
same place, his sister slowly
turned the key in the lock as
a sign to him that he should
withdraw. He was immediately
startled, although he h ad been
half asleep, and he hurried
back under the couch. But he
needed great self-control to
stay there even for the short
time that his sister was in the
room, as eating so much food
had rounded out his body a
little and he could hardly
breathe in that narrow space.
Half suffocating, he watched
with bulging eyes as his sister
unselfconsciously took a
broom and swept up the left-
overs, mixing them in with
the food he had not even
touched at all as if it could
not be used any more. She
quickly dropped it all into a
bin, closed it with its
wooden lid, and carried
everything out. She had
hardly turned her back
b e f o r e G r e g o r came out again
from under the couch and
stretched himself.
 Neugroschel del Solar Stokes Vialatte Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie

That was how Gregor
received his food every
day: once in
morning, when
parents and the maid
were still asleep, and the
second time after the
family -lunch, for the
parents would then take
a brief nap while the
sister would send the
maid out on some errand.
While the parents
certainly did not want
G r e g o r t o s t a r v e e i t h e r,
they may not have
endured knowing more
about his eating than
from hearsay, or the
sister may have wished to
spare them some-perhaps
only slight-grief, for they
were really suffering
enough as it was.
De este modo le fue
llegando cada día su co-
the mida, una vez por la ma-
the ñana, cuando los padres y
la criada aún dormían, y
la segunda vez después
del almuerzo familiar,
pues los padres hacían en-
tonces una breve siesta y
la hermana mandaba a la
criada a hacer algún reca-
do. Sin duda ellos tampo-
co querían que Gregor se
muriese de hambre, aun-
que quizá les habría re-
sultado insoportable sa-
ber sobre sus comidas
más de lo que pudiera lle-
garles de oídas, o quizá la
hermana quería ahorrarles
una pena más bien de
poca monta, pues, de he-
cho, bastante estaban ya
padeciendo.
This was how Gregor
now received his food
e a c h d a y, o n c e i n t h e
morning while his
parents and the maid
were still [26] asleep,
and again when everyone
had had lunch, for then
his parents took another
short nap and the maid
was sent on some errand
o r o t h e r b y h i s s i s t e r.
They surely did not want
h i m t o s t a r v e e i t h e r, b u t
perhaps the only way
they could bear to find
out about his eating
h a b i t s w a s b y h e a r s a y,
perhaps his sister even
wanted to spare them
what was possibly merely
a minor distress, for they
were really suffering
enough as it was.
C’est ainsi qu’il fut
nourri tous les jours : le
matin, avant le réveil des
parents et de la bonne, et
l’agrès-midi, à la fin du
déjeuner, au moment où les
parents faisaient la sieste;
quant à la bonne, à ce
moment la soeur trouvait
toujours une course pour
elle. Certainement les autres
non plus ne voulaient pas
qu’il mourût de faim, mais
ils aimaient mieux ne
connaître ses repas que par
ouï-dire; ils n’en auraient
peut-être pas supporté la vue;
peut-être aussi n’étaient-ils
pas si dégoûtés peut-être la
jeune fille tenait-elle
simplement à leur épargner la
moindre peine. Il fallait bien
reconnaître qu’ils avaient
assez de malheurs.
C’est ainsi que Gregor
reçut désormais tous les
jours la nourriture, une fois
le matin, quand ses parents et
la bonne dormaient encore, la
deuxième fois après le repas
général de midi, car les
parents faisaient à ce
moment-là encore une petite
sieste et la soeur envoyait la
bonne faire
commission. Ils ne voulaient
certainement pas, eux non
plus, laisser Gregor mourir
de faim, mais peut-être
n’auraient-ils pas supporté
d’être informés de ses repas
autrement que par ouï-dire; il
est possible aussi que la
s o e u r a i t v o u l u l e u r é p a rg n e r
une source de tristesse
peut-être mineure, car ils
avaient déjà bien assez à
souf frir.
Gregor was fed De esta manera reci- This was how Gregor
twice daily in this bió Gregorio diariamen- received his food each day
way, once in the te su comida; una vez n o w, o n c e i n t h e m o r n i n g
morning while the por la mañana, cuando while his parents and the
parents and the maid todavía dormían los pa- maid were still asleep, and
still slept, and once dres y la criada, y otra the second time after
after dinner was eaten después del almuerzo, everyone had eaten their
while the parents mientras los padres meal at midday as his parents
napped for a short sesteaban un rato y la would sleep for a little while
time and the sister criada salía a algún reca- t h e n a s w e l l , a n d G r e g o r ’s
quelque could send the maid on do, a que la mandaba la sister would send the maid
some errand. The hermana. Seguramente away on some errand.
parents certainly did no querían tampoco ellos Gregor ’s father and mother
not want Gregor to que Gregorio se muriese certainly did not want him to
starve, but perhaps it de hambre; pero tal vez starve either, but perhaps it
was as much as they no hubieran podido so- would have been more than
could bear to hear portar el espectáculo de they could stand to have any
about it, perhaps the sus comidas, y era mejor more experience of his
sister wanted to save que solo las conociesen feeding than being told about
them from even the por lo que les dijera la it, and perhaps his sister
smallest possible h e r m a n a . Ta l v e z t a m - wanted to spare them what
discomfort, as they bién quería ésta ahorrar- distress she could as they
surely had enough to les una pena más, sobre w e r e i n d e e d s u ff e r i n g
bear. lo que ya sufrían. enough.

Gregor could not find out
what excuses they had come up
with to get the doctor and the
locksmith out of the apartment;
for since he was not
understood, no one, including
the sister, assumed that he
could understand them. And
so, whenever she was in his
room, he had to content
himself with occasionally
hearing her sighs and her
appeals to the saints. It was
[146] only later, when she had
gotten a bit accustomed to
everything (naturally there
cold be no question of her ever
becoming fully accustomed),
Gregor sometimes caught a
remark that was meant to be
friendly or might be
interprete d as such. “He
certainly enjoyed it today,” she
would say when Gregor had
polished off a good portion of the
food; while in the opposite event,
which was gradually becoming
more and more frequent, she would
say almost sadly: “Now once again
nothing’s been touched.”
Con qué excusas habían
despedido esa primera maña-
na al médico y al cerrajero
es algo que Gregor no pudo
averiguar, pues como no le
entendían, nadie, ni siquie-
ra la hermana, pensaba que
él pudiera entender a los de-
más; y así, cuando la herma-
na estaba en su habitación,
él tenía que conformarse con
oír de rato en rato sus suspi-
ros e invocaciones a los san-
tos. Solo más tarde, cuando
ella se hubo acostumbrado
un poco a todo -nunca podría
decirse, claro está, que lle-
gase a acostumbrarse por
completo-, Gregor captaba a
veces algún comentario ama-
ble o que podía
interpretarse como tal. «Se
[52] ve que hoy le ha gustado»,
decía cuando Gregor había dado
buena cuenta de la comida,
mientras que, en el caso contra-
rio, que empezó a repetirse con
mayor frecuencia, solía decir
casi con tristeza: «Esta vez ha
vuelto a dejarlo todo».
What pretexts had been used
on that first morning to get the
doctor and the locksmith out of
the apartment, Gregor was quite
unable to discover, for since the
others could not understand
what he said, it did not occur to
anyone, not even his sister, that
he might be able to understand
other people, and so when his
sister was in his room he had to
content himself with hearing her
intermittent sighs and
invocations to the saints. It was
only later, when she had begun
to get used to everything - there
could never of course be any
question of a complete
adjustment - that Gregor
sometimes seized on a remark
that was meant to be friendly or
could be so interpreted. ‘He
really liked his food today,’ she
would say when Gregor had
licked his bowl clean, and when
the opposite was true, which
gradually occurred more and
more frequently, she would say
almost sadly: ‘He’s left
everything again.’
Grégoire ne put jamais
apprendre quel prétexte on avait
trouvé le premier jour pour se
débarrasser du médecin et du
serrurier; car, personne ne
réussissant à le comprendre,
personne, sans excepter sa soeur,
n’imaginait qu’il pût comprendre
les autres; il devait donc se
contenter, quand elle venait dans
sa chambre, de l’écouter
invoquer les saints entre deux
soupirs. Ce ne fut que beaucoup
plus tard, une fois Grete résignée
à cette situation nouvelle - à
laquelle elle ne s’habitua jamais
vraiment - ce ne fut que
beaucoup plus tard que Grégoire
surprit parfois, sur les lèvres de
la jeune fille, une réflexion qui
témoignait de la gentillesse ou
permettait d’en supposer. Quand
il avait fait table nette, elle disait
: «Ça lui a plu aujourd’hui»;
[40] d’autres fois, quand il
n’avait pas montré d’appétit,
ce qui devint de plus en plus
fréquent, elle déclarait d’un
ton presque triste :«Il a encore
tout laissé.»
Gregor ne put jamais savoir
grâce à quels prétextes on s’était
débarrassé, le premier matin, du
médecin et du serrurier; en effet,
comme on ne le comprenait pas,
personne, même pas sa soeur, ne
pensait qu’il était capable de
comprendre les autres et il devait
se contenter, quand sa soeur était
dans sa chambre, de l’entendre
de temps en temps soupirer ou
invoquer les saints. C’est
seulement plus tard, quand elle
se fut un peu habituée à la
situation - à laquelle
naturellement il était
impossible de s’habituer tout à
fait -, que Gregor parvint
quelquefois à saisir une
remarque qui exprimait de la
gentillesse ou qui permettait à
tout le moins d’être interprétée
de la sorte. « Eh bien!
aujourd’hui cela lui a plu »,
disait-elle, quand Gregor avait
fait honneur au repas ou bien,
dans le cas contraire, qui se
produisait de plus en plus
fréquemment : « Voilà qu’il a
encore tout laissé.»
Gregor had no idea
what excuse was used that
first morning to put off the
doctor and locksmith,
because as no one could
understand him, no one
thought, including the
sister, that he could
understand them, and so
he had to content himself,
whenever his sister was in
the room, with hearing a
sigh now and then or an
appeal to the saints. A
little time later, when she
was a bit more at ease-of
course it was never a
question of being completely
at ease-Gregor sometimes
caught a remark that was
meant kindly or at least
c o u l d b e s o c o n s i d e re d .
“Oh, he enjoyed it
t o d a y, ” s h e s a i d w h e n
Gregor had eaten well,
or when he had [25] not,
w h i c h was more frequently
the case, she would say
almost sadly, “It’s all been
left again.”
A Gregorio le fue completa-
mente imposible averiguar con
qué disculpas habían despedido
aquella mañana al médico y al
cerrajero. Como no se hacía
comprender de nadie, nadie
pensó, ni siquiera la hermana,
que [47] él pudiese comprender
a los demás. No le quedó, pues,
otro remedio que contentarse,
cuando la hermana entraba en su
cuarto, con oírla gemir e invo-
car a todos los santos. Más ade-
lante, cuando ella se hubo acos-
tumbrado un poco a este nuevo
estado de cosas (no puede, na-
turalmente, suponerse que se
acostumbrase por completo),
pudo Gregorio advertir en ella
alguna intención amable, o, por
lo menos, algo que se podía
considerar como tal. -Hoy
sí que le ha gustado -decía,
cuando Gregorio había co-
mido opíparamente; mien-
tras que en el caso contra-
rio, cada vez más frecuen-
te, solía decir casi con tris-
teza: -Vaya, hoy lo ha de-
jado todo.
It was impossible for
Gregor to find out what they
had told the doctor and the
locksmith that first morning to
get them out of the flat. As
nobody could understand him,
nobody, not even his sister,
thought that he could
understand them, so he had to
be content to hear his sister ’s
sighs and appeals to the saints
as she moved about his room.
It was only later, when she had
become a little more used to
everything - there was, of
course, no question of her ever
becoming fully used to the
situation - that Gregor would
sometimes catch a friendly
comment, or at least a
comment that could be
construed as friendly. “He’s
enjoyed his dinner today”, she
might say when he had diligently
cleared away all the food left for
him, or if he left most of it, which
slowly became more and more
frequent, she would often say,
sadly, “now everything’s just been
left there again”.

But while Gregor could
learn no news directly, he would
eavesdrop, picking up a few
things from the adjacent rooms,
and the instant he heard voices,
he would promptly scuttle over
to the appropriate door,
squeezing his entire body
Pero aunque Gregor no po-
día enterarse directamente de
ninguna novedad, aguzando el
oído captaba algo de lo que se
decía en las habitaciones con-
tiguas, y en cuanto oía voces,
corría hacia la puerta en cues-
tión y se pegaba a ella con todo
But although Gregor could
not discover anything directly,
he did overhear a fair amount
from the adjoining rooms, and
whenever he heard voices he
would run at once to the
appropriate door and press his
whole body against it.
Mais, s’il ne pouvait
apprendre directement les
nouvelles, Grégoire écoutait ce
qui se disait dans la salle à
manger; dès qu’il entendait
parler quelque part il courait à
la porte la plus propice et s’y
collait de tout son corps. Dans
Mais, si Gregor ne pouvait
apprendre directement aucune
nouvelle, il parvenait à glaner
des informations dans les pièces
voisines et, dès qu’il entendait
parler, il se précipitait aussitôt
sur la porte en question et s’y
collait de tout son long. Dans les
Although Gregor could get
no news directly, he overheard
a great deal from the
neighboring rooms, and as soon
as he heard voices he would run
over to the corresponding door
and press his entire body against
it. There was no conversation,
Mas, aun cuando Gregorio
no podía saber directamente
ninguna noticia, prestó atención
a lo que sucedía en las habita-
ciones contiguas, y tan pronto
sentía voces, corría hacia la
puerta que correspondía al lado
de donde provenía. y se pegaba
A l t h o u g h G r e g o r w a s n ’t
able to hear any news directly
he did listen to much of what
was said in the next rooms, and
whenever he heard anyone
speaking he would scurry
straight to the appropriate door
and press his whole body

56 57
 Neugroschel
against it. During the early
period in particular, no
conversation took place that was
not somehow about him, even
if only in secret. For two whole
days, every single meal was
filled with discussions about
what they ought to do; but even
between meals, they kept
harping on the same theme, for
there were always at least two
family members in the
apartment, since plainly nobody
wished to stay home alone and
they could by no means all go
out at the same time.
Furthermore, on the very first
day, the maid-it was not quite
clear how much she knew about
what had occurred-had implored
the mother on bended knees to
dismiss her immediately. Then,
saying goodbye a quarter hour
later, she had tearfully thanked
them for the dismissal as if it
were the most benevolent deed
that they had ever done for her;
and without being asked, she
had sworn a dreadful oath that
she would never breathe a single
word to anyone. [147]
S o n o w t h e s i s t e r,
together with the mother,
also had to do the cooking;
but this was not much of a
bother, for they ate next to
n o t h i n g . O v e r a n d o v e r,
Gregor heard them urging
one another to eat, though in
v a i n , r e c e i ving no other
answer than, “Thanks, I’ve had
enough,” or something similar.
They may not have drunk
anything either. The sister
would often ask the father if he
would like some beer and she
warmly offered to go and get it
herself; when he failed to
respond, she anticipated any
misgivings on his part by
saying she could also send the
janitor’s wife. But then the
father would finally utter an
emphatic “No,” and the subject
was no longer broached.
In the course of the very
first day, the father laid out
their overall financial
circumstances and prospects
to both the mother and the
sister. From time to time, he
rose from the table to fetch
some document or notebook
del Solar
su cuerpo. Sobre todo en los
primeros días no hubo ningu-
na conversación que, siquiera
veladamente, no se refiriese a
él de un modo u otro. Durante
dos días se pudo escuchar en
todas las comidas deliberacio-
nes acerca de cómo había que
comportarse ahora; pero tam-
bién entre las comidas se ha-
blaba del mismo tema, pues
siempre había en casa dos
miembros de la familia como
mínimo, ya que nadie quería
quedarse solo en el piso y en
ningún caso podían abando-
narlo totalmente. Ya el primer
día, la criada -no estaba del
todo claro qué y cuánto sabía
de lo ocurrido- había rogado
a la madre, de rodillas, que la
despidiera de inmediato, y
cuando se marchó al cabo de
un cuarto de hora, con lágri-
mas en los ojos, agradeció el
despido como el favor más
grande que hubieran podido
hacerle, y, sin que se lo pidie-
ran, hizo el solemne juramen-
to de no revelarle absoluta-
mente nada a nadie.
A partir de entonces la her-
mana tuvo que ayudar a la
madre en la cocina, lo cual, a
decir verdad, [53] tampoco
suponía un gran esfuerzo, pues
no comían casi nada. Todo el
tiempo escuchaba Gregor
cómo uno animaba en vano a
comer al otro y no recibía más
respuesta que un «Gracias, ya
no quiero más» o algo pareci-
do. Quizá tampoco bebían
nada. A menudo la hermana
preguntaba al padre si le ape-
tecía cerveza, y se ofrecía
amablemente a ir a buscárse-
la ella misma; y cuando el
padre callaba, ella, para ven-
cer cualquier reparo, añadía
que también podía mandar a
la portera; p e r o a l f i n a l e l
padre lanzaba un «No» ro-
tundo; y no volvía a ha-
blarse del asunto.
Ya en el transcurso del pri-
mer día el padre expuso tanto
a la madre como a la hermana
la situación económica y las
perspectivas de la familia. De
rato en rato se levantaba de la
mesa y sacaba de su pequeña
caja de caudales Wertheim
58
Stokes
Especially in the early days there
was no conversation that did not
in someway, if only clandestinely,
refer to him. For two whole
days there were consultations to
be heard at every meal about
how they should now proceed;
but the same topic was also
discussed between meals, for at
least two members of the [27]
family were always at home,
probably because no one
wanted to be at home alone and
because leaving the apartment
completely empty was out of
the question. Besides, the maid
had on the very first day - it was
not quite clear what or how
much she knew of what had
happened - gone to his mother
and begged her on bended knees
to be dismissed at once, and
when she took her leave a
quarter of an hour later, she
thanked them in tears for her
dismissal, as if it had been the
greatest favour ever conferred
on her, and vowed, without any
prompting, a fearful oath that
she would never breathe a word
to anyone.
Now Gregor’s sister, with
her mother’s help, had to do
the cooking as well; although
that did not of course involve
much work since they ate
practically nothing. Time and
again Gregor heard one of them
vainly exhorting the other to
eat, and never getting any other
answer than, ‘Thank you, I’ve
had enough,’ or something
similar. They didn’t seem to
drink anything either. His
sister often asked his father if
he wanted a beer, and kindly
offered to fetch it herself, and
when his father made no reply
she said, in order to remove
any misgivings he might have,
that she could send the
janitor ’s wife to fetch it,
whereupon his father uttered
a decisive ‘No’, and that was
the last they heard of it.
In the course of the very
first day his father explained
fully the family’s financial
situation and prospects to
both mother and sister. From
time to time he rose from the
table and took some receipt or
notebook out of his small
Vialatte
les premiers temps surtout il n’y
eut guère de conversation qui
ne roulât plus ou moins
directement sur son compte. Deux
jours durant, les repas furent
consacrés à délibérer de la nouvelle
attitude à observer à son égard, ce
qui n’empêchait pas entre ces mêmes
repas de disserter encore sur ce
thème, car maintenant la maison
restait gardée en permanence par
deux membres de la famille,
personne ne voulant y demeurer seul
ni surtout l’abandonner sans
surveillance. Quant à la bonne, on
ne savait au juste ce qu’elle avait
appris de l’événement : tout ce qu’on
pouvait dire c’est que dès le premier
jour elle s’était traînée sur les genoux
pour supplier la mère de la chasser
immédiatement, qu’elle avait pris
congé de la famille un quart d’heure
après en versant des pleurs de
reconnaissance, qu’elle avait remercié
de son renvoi comme du plus grand
témoignage de bonté qu’elle eût reçu
dans la maison et qu’elle s’était
spontanément engagée par un
serment terrible à ne jamais rien
dévoiler à personne, non, non,
jamais, au grand jamais.
Maintenant [41] c’étaient la
scieur et la mère qui devaient se
charger de la cuisine; cela ne leur
donnait d’ailleurs pas grand mal,
car l’appétit avait disparu de la
maison. Grégoire entendait à tout
moment l’un des membres de sa
famille en exhorter vainement un
autre à manger. C’était toujours
la même réponse : «Merci. Je
n’ai plus faim ou quelque
chose d’analogue. Peut-être
aussi ne buvait-on pas.
Souvent la soeur demandait au
père s’il ne voulait pas de la
bière, elle s’offrait de bon coeur
à aller en chercher, et, devant le
silence du père, elle déclarait,
pour lui enlever tout scrupule,
qu’elle pouvait charger la
concierge de la commission,
mais le père répondait par un a
non irréfutable et il n’en était
plus question.
Dans le courant de la
première journée, M. Samsa
exposa à sa femme et à sa
fille la situation et les
perspectives financières du
ménage. De temps en temps
il se levait de table pour aller
chercher quelque papier ou
Cl. David
premiers temps surtout, il n’y
avait aucune conversation qui ne
portât plus ou moins, fût-ce à mots
couverts, sur son compte. Pendant
deux jours, tous les conciliabules
pendant les repas portaient sur la
conduite à tenir et, entre les repas,
on reprenait le même sujet, car il
y avait toujours au moins deux
membres de la famille à la maison;
personne ne voulait probablement
y rester seul et il était encore
moins question de laisser la
maison vide. Quant à la bonne,
dès le premier jour sans qu’on
pût comprendre clairement ce
qu’elle connaissait des
événements et comment elle les
avait appris - elle avait supplié
la mère à genoux de lui donner
immédiatement son congé et, en
faisant ses adieux un quart
d’heure plus tard, elle
remerciait de son renvoi comme
s’il s’était agi du plus grand des
bienfaits dont elle ait jamais
bénéficié et, sans qu’on le lui
eût demandé, elle s’était
engagée par un serment solen-
nel à ne jamais révéler à
personne la moindre chose.
C’est sa soeur désormais qui
devait, avec sa mère, se charger de
la cuisine. Il est vrai que cela ne
leur donnait pas beaucoup de mal,
car on ne mangeait presque rien.
A tout moment, Gregor entendait
un membre de la famille en
exhorter vainement un autre à
prendre de la nourriture; il
n’obtenait pas d’autre réponse que
: « Merci, j’ai assez », ou une autre
phrase de ce genre. On avait aussi
l’impression qu’on ne buvait pas
davantage. La soeur demandait
souvent à son père s’il voulait de
la bière et lui proposait gentiment
d’aller en chercher elle-même.
Quand son père ne répondait pas,
elle disait, pour lui retirer tout
scrupule, qu’elle pouvait
également envoyer la concierge,
mais son père finissait par dire
: « Non » d’un ton ferme et on
n’en parlait plus.
Dès le premier jour, le père
avait fait à la mère en même
temps qu’à la soeur un exposé
sur sa situation de fortune et
sur les perspectives d’avenir.
De temps en temps, il se levait
de table et allait chercher dans
le petit cof fre-fort Wertheim
Freed
especially early on, that did
not concern him even if only
indirectly. At every meal for
two whole days there were
discussions about what
should be done, but this
same theme was also
debated between meals,
because there were always at
least two family members
home since no one wanted to
be alone in the apartment
and it certainly could not be
left empty under the
circumstances. Furthermore,
on the very first day, the
cook-it was not entirely clear
what and how much she
knew of the situation-begged
the mother on her knees to
be discharged immediately,
and when she took her leave
a quarter of an hour later, she
was tearfully thankful for the
dismissal, as if it were the
greatest service they had
ever conferred upon her, and
with no prompting swore a
dreadful oath never to
breathe to anyone a word of
what had happened.
Now the sister also had
to cook, as did the mother,
but this was not much
trouble, as the family ate
almost nothing. Again and
again Gregor heard one
encouraging another in
vain to eat and receiving
no answer but: “Thank
you, I’ve had enough,” or
s o m e t h i n g v e r y s i m i l a r.
Perhaps they did not drink
either. The sister often
asked the father whether
he would have some beer
and kindly offered to
procure it herself, and
when the father did not
reply she suggested that
she could send the
janitor ’s wife to fetch it to offset
any hesitation, but then in the end the
father answered with a firm “No,” and
it was discussed no further.
In the course of the very
f i r s t d a y, t h e f a t h e r
e x p l a i n e d t h e f a m i l y ’s
financial position and
prospects to both the
mother and the sister. Now
and then he rose from the
table to get some receipt or
59
Alianza
a ella cuan largo era. Particu-
larmente en los primeros tiem-
pos, todas las conversaciones
se referían a él, aunque no cla-
ramente. Durante dos días, en
todas las comidas hubo delibe-
raciones acerca de la conducta
que cumplía observar en ade-
lante. Mas también fuera de las
comidas hablábase de lo mis-
mo, pues como ninguno de los
miembros de la familia [48]
quería permanecer solo en casa,
y como tampoco querían dejar
ésta abandonada, siempre había
allí por lo menos dos personas.
Ya el primer día, la criada -por
cierto que todavía no se sabía
exactamente hasta qué punto
estaba enterada de lo
ocurridohabíale suplicado de
rodillas a la madre que la des-
pidiese en seguida, y al mar-
charse, un cuarto de hora des-
pués, agradeció con lágrimas
en los ojos el gran favor que
se le hacía, y, sin que nadie se
lo pidiese, comprometióse,
con los más solemnes juramen-
tos, a no contar a nadie abso-
lutamente nada.
La hermana tuvo que
ponerse a guisar con la ma-
dre; lo que, en realidad, no
le daba mucho trabajo,
pues apenas si comían.
Gregorio los oía continua-
mente animarse en vano
unos a otros a comer, sien-
do un «gracias, tengo bas-
tante», u otra frase por el
estilo, la respuesta invaria-
ble a estos requerimientos.
Tampoco bebían casi nada.
Con frecuencia preguntaba
la hermana al padre si que-
ría cerveza, brindándose a
ir ella misma a buscarla.
Callaba el padre, y enton-
ces ella añadía que tam-
bién podían mandar a la
portera . Pero el padre res-
pondía finalmente un «no»
que no admitía replica, no se
hablaba más del asunto.
Ya el primer día expuso el
padre a la madre [49] y a la her-
mana la verdadera situación
económica de la familia y las
perspectivas que ante ésta se
abrían. Dé cuando en cuando
levantábase de la mesa para
buscar en su pequeña caja de
Willie
against it. There was seldom
any conversation, especially at
first, that was not about him in
s o m e w a y, e v e n i f o n l y i n
secret. For two whole days, all
the talk at every mealtime was
about what they should do
now; but even between meals
they spoke about the same
subject as there were always at
least two members of the
family at home - nobody
wanted to be at home by
themselves and it was out of
the question to leave the flat
entirely empty. And on the very
first day the maid had fallen to
her knees and begged Gregor’s
mother to let her go without
delay. It was not very clear
how much she knew of what
had happened but she left
within a quarter of an hour,
tearfully thanking Gregor ’s
mother for her dismissal as if
she had done her an enormous
service. She even swore
emphatically not to tell anyone
the slightest about what had
happened, even though no-one
had asked that of her.
Now Gregor’s sister also had
to help his mother with the
cooking; although that was
not so much bother as no-one
ate very much. Gregor often
heard how one of them would
unsuccessfully urge another
to eat, and receive no more
answer than “no thanks, I’ve
had enough” or something
s i m i l a r. N o - o n e d r a n k v e r y
much either. His sister would
sometimes ask his father
whether he would like a beer,
hoping for the chance to go
and fetch it herself. When his
fa t h e r t h e n s a i d n o t h i n g s h e
would add, so that he
would not feel selfish, that
she could send the
housekeeper for it, but then his
father would close the matter
with a big, loud “No”, and no
more would be said.
Even before the first day
had come to an end, his
father had explained to
G r e g o r ’s m o t h e r a n d s i s t e r
what their finances and
prospects were. Now and
then he stood up from the
table and took some receipt
 Neugroschel
from his small strongbox,
which he had salvaged after
the collapse of his business
five years earlier. They heard
him opening the complicated
lock and then shutting it
again after removing
whatever he had been looking
for. The father’s explanations
were to some extent the first
pleasant news that Gregor got
to hear since his
imprisonment. He had been
under the impression that the
father had failed to rescue
anything from his business-at
least, the father had told him
nothing to the contrary, nor,
admittedly, had Gregor ever
asked him. Gregor ’s sole
concern at that time had been
to do whatever he could to
make the family forget as
quickly as possible the
business catastrophe that had
plunged them all into utter
d e s p a i r. A n d s o h e h a d
thrown himself into his job
with tremendous [148]
fervor, working his way up,
almost overnight, from minor
clerk to traveling salesman,
w h o , n a t u r a l l y, h a d a n
altogether different earning
potential and whose
professional triumphs were
instantly translated, by way
of commissions, into cash,
which could be placed on the
table at home for the
astonished and delighted
f a m i l y. T h o s e h a d b e e n
lovely times, and they had
never recurred, at least not
with that same luster, even
though Gregor was
eventually earning so much
money that he was able to
cover and indeed did cover
all the expenditures of the
f a m i l y. T h e y h a d s i m p l y
grown accustomed to this,
both the family and Gregor;
they accepted the money
gratefully, he was glad to
hand it over, but no great
warmth came of it. Only the
sister had remained close to
Gregor; and since she, unlike
Gregor, loved music and
could play the violin
poignantly, he was secretly
planning to send her to the
conservatory next year
regardless of the great
del Solar
-que había salvado de la quie-
bra de su negocio, ocurrida
cinco años antes- algún res-
guardo o una libreta de pedi-
dos. Se oía cómo abría el
complicado cerrojo y volvía a
cerrarlo después de sacar lo
que buscaba. Estas explica-
ciones del padre fueron, en
parte, la primera cosa agrada-
ble que Gregor escuchó des-
de el inicio de su cautiverio.
Él h a b í a p e n s a d o s i e m p r e
que al padre no le quedaba
absolutamente nada de aquel
negocio, al menos el padre no
le había dicho lo contrario, si
bien es cierto que Gregor tam-
poco se lo había preguntado.
Por entonces, la única preocu-
pación de Gregor había sido
hacer todo lo posible para que
la familia olvidase cuanto an-
tes el desastre financiero que
los había sumido a todos [54]
en la más absoluta desespera-
ción. Y así había empezado a
trabajar con un fervor muy
particular y, casi de la noche
a la mañana, de simple
dependiente había pasado a
ser un viajante que, por
supuesto, tenía muchas más
posibilidades de ganar dinero,
y cuyos éxitos laborales se
traducían al momento en co-
misiones en metálico que po-
dían ponerse sobre la mesa de
casa para asombro y alegría de
la familia. Habían sido buenos
tiempos y nunca se habían re-
petido -al menos con aquel
esplendor-, aunque más tarde
Gregor llegó a ganar tanto
dinero que estaba en condicio-
nes de cargar con los gastos
de toda la familia, y es lo que
hacía. Ya se habían acostum-
brado a ello, tanto la familia
como el propio Gregor; ellos
aceptaban el dinero agradeci-
dos y él lo entregaba gustoso,
pero aquel calor especial ya
no había vuelto a darse. Solo
la hermana había permaneci-
do muy unida a Gregor, cuyo
propósito secreto era enviar-
la al conservatorio el año si-
guiente -a diferencia de su
hermano, a ella le gustaba
mucho la música y tocaba el
violín con sentimiento-, sin
preocuparse por los elevados
gastos que inevitablemente
ocasionaría y que ya intenta-
60
Stokes
Wertheim safe that he had
held onto even after the
collapse of his business five
years earlier. He could be
heard opening the
complicated lock and closing
it again once he had taken out
what he was looking for.
These explanations by his
father were to some extent the
first encouraging news he had
heard since his imprisonment.
[28] He had always assumed
that his father had been left
with nothing at all from that
business, at least his father
had never told him anything
to the contrary, and Gregor
himself had never asked him.
Gregor’s sole concern in those
days had been to do
everything in his power to
help his family forget as
quickly as possible the
commercial disaster that had
plunged them all into utter
despair. And so he had set to
work with quite exceptional
zeal and risen almost
overnight from junior clerk to
travelling salesman, in which
capacity he naturally had
many more possibilities of
earning money, since his
successes could be
immediately translated by
way of commission into ready
cash that could be laid on the
table at home before the
astonished and delighted eyes
of his family. Those had been
wonderful times, which had
never been repeated, at least
not so gloriously, although
Gregor subsequently earned
so much money that he was in
a position to meet the entire
family’s expenses and
actually did so. They had
simply got used to it, the
family as well as Gregor; they
accepted the money with
gratitude, he gave it with
pleasure, but no special
feelings of warmth were
engendered any more. Only
his sister had remained close
to Gregor, and it had been his
secret plan that she, who,
unlike him, loved music and
could play the violin most
movingly, should be sent next
year to the conservatoire,
regardless of the great
expense it would entail and
Vialatte
livret de versement dans le
coffre-fort Wertheim qu’il
avait sauvé du naufrage cinq
années auparavant, lors de la
faillite de son commerce. On
l’entendait ouvrir la serrure
compliquée et la refermer
après avoir pris ce qu’il
cherchait. Rien, depuis sa
captivité, n’avait fait plus de
plaisir à Grégoire que ces
explications financières, tout
au moins sur certains points.
Il s’était toujours imaginé
que M. Samsa n’avait pu
sauver le moindre pfennig de
sa débâcle; en tout cas le
père n’avait jamais rien dit
pour le détromper, et [42]
Grégoire ne l’avait pas
interrogé; il s’était contenté
de mettre tout en oeuvre
pour faire oublier aux siens
le plus vite possible le
désastre qui les désespérait
tous. Il s’était lancé dans le
travail avec une ardeur
splendide; petit commis, il
avait été, du jour au
lendemain, pour ainsi dire,
promu au grade de voyageur
avec tous les bénéfices de
l’emploi; grâce au- système
de la provision, les succès
s’étaient traduits tout de
suite en argent comptant
qu’on pouvait étaler chez soi
sur la table, devant une
famille étonnée et ravie.
Temps heureux... on n’en
avait plus retrouvé l’éclat,
bien que Grégoire eût gagné
par la suite de quoi nourrir
tous les Samsa, comme il le
fit en effet. Tout le monde
s’y était habitué, les siens
comme lui; sa famille prenait
l’argent avec gratitude, de
son côté, il le donnait
volontiers, mais l’opération
ne s’accompagnait plus
d’effusions particulières.
Seule la soeur avait conservé
plus de tendresse pour-
Grégoire qui projetait en
secret de la faire admettre au
Conservatoire l’année
suivante, sans regarder aux
frais considérables de
l’entreprise qu’il tâcherait
de couvrir d’une autre façon,
car, différent de lui sur ce
point, Grete aimait beaucoup
la musique. Ce
Conservatoire revenait assez
Cl. David
qu’il était parvenu à sauver du
désastre de son entreprise, cinq
ans plus tôt, un document ou un
registre. On l’entendait ouvrir
la serrure compliquée du coffre
et la refermer après avoir
trouvé ce qu’il cherchait. Ces
explications que donnait son
père étaient sans doute pour
une part la première chose
agréable que Gregor entendait
depuis le début de sa captivité.
Il avait toujours pensé que son
père n’avait rien pu sauver du
tout de cette entreprise; son
père, à tout le moins n’avait
jamais cherché à le détromper
et Gregor d’ailleurs ne lui
posait aucune question à ce
sujet. Le souci de Gregor
n’avait toujours été en ce
temps-là que de faire oublier le
plus vite possible à sa famille
la catastrophe qui l’avait
p r i v é e d e t o u t e s p o i r. E t i l
s’était lancé dans le travail
avec une ardeur toute
particulière; de petit commis
qu’il était, il était d’un jour à
l’autre devenu voyageur, ce qui
offrait naturellement de tout
autres possibilités de salaire et
ses succès professionnels
s’étaient aussitôt traduits en
argent liquide, qu’on lui
remettait à titre de provision et
qu’il pouvait étaler chez lui sur
la table, devant une famille
étonnée et ravie. C’étaient de
belles années et il ne s’en était
plus trouvé depuis qui leur
fussent comparables et qui
fussent du moins aussi
brillantes, bien que Gregor eût
ensuite gagné tellement
d’argent qu’il fut en mesure de
subvenir aux besoins de la
famille entière, ce qu’il fit en
effet. Tout le monde s’y était
habitué, la famille aussi bien
que Gregor; on acceptait
l’argent avec gratitude et lui le
donnait volontiers, mais il ne
régnait plus autant de chaleur
que dans les premiers temps.
Seule sa soeur était restée
assez proche de Gregor, et
comme, contrairement à lui,
elle aimait la musique et jouait
bien du violon, il avait conçu
secrètement le plan de
l’envoyer l’année suivante au
Conservatoire, sans se soucier
des frais élevés que cela
entraînerait et qu’on
Freed
notebook from the small
safe he had managed to
rescue from the collapse of
his business five years
earlier. He could be heard
opening the complicated
lock, removing the desired
document, and closing it
again. The f a t h e r ’s
explanations were the first
encouraging news Gregor
had heard since his
captivity. He had been of
the opinion that nothing
had been salvaged from the
father ’s business; at least
the father had said nothing
t o t h e [ 2 6 ] c o n t r a r y,
although Gregor had also
never asked him. Gregor ’s
only concern at that time
had been to do whatever he
could to have the family
forget as quickly as
possible the financial
misfortune that had
plunged them into total
despair. And so he began to
work with consuming
energy and was promoted,
almost overnight, from a
minor clerk to a traveling
salesman with much
greater potential to earn
money, and his success was
soon transformed, by way
of commission, into cash
that he could then lay on
the table before the
astonished and delighted
f a m i l y. T h o s e h a d b e e n
happy times and they had
never returned, at least not
with the same brilliance,
even though Gregor later
earned enough to meet the
expenses of the entire
family and did so. They
had simply grown used to
it, both the family and
Gregor; the money was
gratefully accepted and
gladly given but it no
longer brought any
particular warmth. Only
the sister remained close to
G r e g o r, a n d i t w a s h i s
secret plan that she, who
unlike Gregor greatly
loved music and played the
violin movingly, should be
sent to the Conservatory
next year despite the
considerable expense it
was sure to incur, which
61
Alianza
caudales -salvada de la quiebra
cinco años antes- algún docu-
mento o libro de notas. Se oía
el ruido de la complicada ce-
rradura al abrirse o volverse a
cerrar, después de haber saca-
do el padre lo que buscaba.
Estas explicaciones fueron, en
cierto modo, la primera noticia
agradable que le fue dado oír a
Gregorio desde su encierro. Él
siempre había creído que a su
padre no le quedaba absoluta-
mente nada del antiguo nego-
cio. El padre, al menos, nada
le había dicho que pudiese des-
vanecer esta idea. Verdad es
que tampoco Gregorio le había
preguntado nada sobre el par-
ticular. Por aquel entonces,
Gregorio solo había pensado en
poner cuantos medios estuvie-
sen a su alcance para hacer ol-
vidar a los suyos, lo más rápi-
damente posible, la desgracia
mercantil que los sumiera a to-
dos en la más completa deses-
peración. Por eso había él co-
menzado a trabajar con tal
ahínco, convirtiéndose en poco
tiempo, de dependiente sin im-
portancia, en todo un viajante
de comercio, con harto mayo-
res posibilidades de ganar di-
nero, y cuyos éxitos profesio-
nales [50] patentizábanse inme-
diatamente bajo la forma de
comisiones contantes y sonan-
tes, puestas sobre la mesa fa-
miliar ante el asombro y la ale-
gría de todos. Fueron aquéllos,
tiempos hermosos de veras.
Pero no se habían repetido, al
menos con igual esplendor, no
obstante llegar más tarde
Gregorio a ganar lo suficiente
para llevar por sí solo el peso
de toda la casa. La costumbre,
tanto en la familia, que recibía
agradecida el dinero de
Gregorio, como en éste, que lo
entregaba con gusto, hizo que
aquella primera sorpresa y pri-
mera alegría no volviesen a
producirse con el mismo calor.
Únicamente la hermana perma-
neció siempre estrechamente
unida a Gregorio, y como, con-
trariamente a éste, era muy afi-
cionada a la música y tocaba el
violín con mucha alma,
Gregorio alimentaba la secreta
esperanza de mandarla el año
próximo al Conservatorio, sin
reparar en los gastos que esto
Willie
or document from the little
cash box he had saved from
his business when it had
collapsed five years earlier.
Gregor heard how he opened
the complicated lock and
then closed it again after he
had taken the item he
wanted. What he heard his
father say was some of the
first good news that Gregor
heard since he had first been
incarcerated in his room. He
had thought that nothing at
all remained from his
father’s business, at least he
had never told him anything
d i ff e r e n t , a n d G r e g o r h a d
never asked him about it
a n y w a y. T h e i r b u s i n e s s
misfortune had reduced the
family to a state of total
d e s p a i r, a n d G r e g o r ’s o n l y
concern at that time had been
to arrange things so that they
could all forget about it as
quickly as possible. So then
he started working especially
hard, with a fiery vigour that
raised him from a junior
salesman to a travelling
representative almost
overnight, bringing with it
the chance to earn money in
quite different ways. Gregor
converted his success at
work straight into cash that
he could lay on the table at
home for the benefit of his
astonished and delighted
family. They had been good
times and they had never
come again, at least not with
t h e s a m e s p l e n d o u r, e v e n
though Gregor had later
earned so much that he was
in a position to bear the costs
of the whole family, and did
bear them. They had even got
used to it, both Gregor and
t h e f a m i l y, t h e y t o o k t h e
money with gratitude and he
was glad to provide it,
although there was no longer
much warm affection given
in return. Gregor only
remained close to his sister
n o w. U n l i k e h i m , s h e w a s
very fond of music and a
gifted and expressive
violinist, it was his secret
plan to send her to the
conservatory next year even
though it would cause great
expense that would have to
 Neugroschel
expense that it was bound to
entail and that would
certainly be made up for in
s o m e o t h e r w a y. D u r i n g
Gregor’s brief stays in the
city, the conservatory was
often mentioned in his talks
with the sister, but only as a lovely
dream that could never possibly
be realized; nor did the parents
care to hear these innocent
references. But Gregor’s ideas on
the subject were very definite and
he intended to make the
solemn a n n o u n c e m e n t o n
Christmas Eve.
Such were the thoughts,
quite futile in his present
condition, that ran through
his mind as he clung upright
to the door, eavesdropping.
Sometimes he was so
thoroughly exhausted that
he could no longer listen.
His head would then
inadvertently bump against
t h e [ 1 4 9 ] d o o r, b u t h e
promptly pulled it erect
again; for even that slight
tap had been heard in the
next room, causing everyone
to stop talking. “What’s he
up to now!?” the father
would say after a while,
obviously turning toward
the door, and only then did
the interrupted conversation
gradually resume.
Gregor now learned
precisely enough (for the
father would often repeat
his explanations, partly
because he himself had not
dealt with these matters in
a long time and partly
because the mother did not
always understand
everything right off) that
despite the disaster, some
assets , albeit a very tiny
sum, had survived from the
old days, growing bit by bit
because of the untouched
interest. Furthermore, since
the money that Gregor had
brought home every month
(keeping only a little for
himself) had never been
fully spent, it had
accumulated into a small
principal. Gregor, behind
his door, nodded eagerly,
delighted at this unexpected
del Solar
ría compensar de otra mane-
ra. A menudo, durante las bre-
ves estancias de Gregor en la
ciudad, el conservatorio se
mencionaba en las conversa-
ciones con la hermana, aun-
que solo como un sueño her-
moso en cuya realización no
cabía ni pensar; a los padres
no les hacía la menor gracia
escuchar esas inocentes alu-
siones, pero Gregor pensaba
seriamente [55] en ello y se
había propuesto anunciarlo
con toda solemnidad en No-
chebuena.
Tales eran los pensamien-
tos, perfectamente inútiles
dada su actual situación, que
cruzaron por su mente mien-
tras estaba allí erguido, pe-
gado a la puerta y con el
oído atento. A veces, la fati-
ga le impedía escuchar y de-
jaba caer con negligencia la
cabeza contra la puerta, pero
al momento volvía a alzarla,
pues incluso el levísimo rui-
do que así producía se oía en
la habitación de al lado y ha-
cía enmudecer a todos.
«¡Qué estará haciendo aho-
ra!», decía el padre al cabo
de un rato, vuelto sin duda
hacia la puerta, y solo des-
pués se reanudaba gra-
dualmente la conversación
interrumpida.
Gregor pudo así enterarse
con lujo de detalles -pues el
padre repetía a menudo sus
explicaciones, en parte porque
él mismo llevaba ya mucho
tiempo sin ocuparse de esas
cosas, y en parte también por-
que la madre no lo entendía
todo a la primerade que, pese
a todas las desgracias, aún les
quedaba de los viejos tiempos
un patrimonio -cierto es que
muy pequeño- y que los inte-
reses acumulados habían cre-
cido un poco a lo largo de
aquellos años. Además, el di-
nero que Gregor traía cada
mes a casa -él mismo no se
había reservado sino unos
cuantos florines- no se había
consumido del todo y se ha-
bía convertido en un pequeño
capital. Gregor, detrás de su
puerta, aprobaba con fervor,
contento ante tan inesperada
62
Stokes
which he would somehow
meet. During Gregor’s short
stays in town, the
conservatoire would often
crop up in conversations with
his sister, but never as
anything more than a beautiful
dream which could not
possibly be fulfilled, and their
parents did not even like to
hear these innocent allusions;
Gregor, however, had very
fixed ideas on the subject, and
intended to make the solemn
announcement on Christmas
Eve.
Such were the thoughts,
utterly futile in his present
[29] condition, that
passed through his mind as he
clung there upright, glued to
the door, and listened.
Sometimes out of general
exhaustion he could not pay
attention any longer and let
his head bump carelessly
against the door, but he
immediately held it up again,
for even the tiny noise this
made had been heard in the
next room and reduced them
all to silence. ‘What on earth
is he up to now,’ said his
father after a while, obviously
turning towards the door, and
only then would the
interrupted conversation
gradually be resumed.
Gregor now became
thoroughly acquainted - for his
father was in the habit of
repeating himself frequently in
his explanations, partly
because he had not concerned
himself with these matters for
quite some time and partly
because his mother could not
always grasp things on first
hearing - with the fact that,
despite all their misfortune, a
sum of money, admittedly very
small, was still intact from the
old days, which in the interim
had increased a little with the
untouched interest. But
besides that, the money Gregor
had brought home every month
- he had kept only a few
gulden for himself - had not
all been used up and had
accumulated into a modest
capital. Gregor nodded
vigorously behind his door,
Vialatte
fréquemment dans les
entretiens de la soeur et du
frère, quand Grégoire
trouvait quelques jours à
passer dans sa famille; ils
n’en parlaient guère que
comme d’un rêve impossible
à réaliser; les parents
n’aimaient pas leurs
innocentes allusions à ce
sujet, mais Grégoire pensait
à la chose de la façon la [43]
plus sérieuse et se promettait
de, le déclarer
solennellement à la veillée
de Noël.
C’étaient des idées de ce
genre, des idées parfaitement
déplacées dans sa situation
présente, qui lui trottaient par la
tête tandis qu’il se tenait collé
contre la porte, debout, pour
écouter les conversations. Il lui
arrivait de se trouver si fatigué
qu’il ne pouvait plus rien
entendre; alors il se laissait aller,
sa tête frappait contre la porte,
mais il la redressait aussitôt, car
le moindre bruit était
immédiatement remarqué de la
salle à manger et suivi d’un
temps de silence. «Qu’est-ce
qu’il peut encore fabriquer?»
disait le père au bout d’un
moment, en se tournant sans
doute vers la chambre; et la
conversation interrompue ne
reprenait que lentement.
Le père recommençait
toujours ses explications, pour
se remémorer des détails
oubliés ou les faire
comprendre à sa femme qui ne
saisissait pas toujours du
premier coup. Grégoire apprit
donc amplement par ses
discours que, malgré tous leurs
malheurs, les parents avaient
pu sauver de leur ancien avoir
une certaine somme, assez
maigre à vrai dire, mais qui
s’était grossie depuis des
intérêts épargnés. On n’avait
pas non plus dépensé tout
l’argent que Grégoire, ne se
réservant que quelques florins,
versait tous les mois à sa
famille, ce qui avait permis
d’économiser un petit capital.
Grégoire, derrière sa porte,
procédait à des
hochements de tête
convaincus, il était tout
Cl. David
parviendrait bien à couvrir
d’une manière ou d’une autre.
Ce Conservatoire revenait
fréquemment dans les
entretiens entre le frère et la
soeur, pendant les brefs séjours
que Gregor faisait à la ville; ils
n’en parlaient que comme d’un
beau rêve, à peu près
irréalisable, et même ces
innocentes allusions n’étaient
guère approuvées des parents,
mais Gregor y pensait de la façon
la plus précise et il avait formé
le projet de l’annoncer
solennellement le soir de Noël.
Des pensées de ce genre,
fort inutiles dans sa situation
présente, lui passaient par la
tête lorsqu’il restait debout,
c o l l é à l a p o r t e , à é c o u t e r.
Quelquefois, sa lassitude
était telle qu’il ne pouvait
même plus écouter; il
laissait alors sa tête
négligemment cogner contre
la porte, mais il ne tardait
pas à se reprendre, car même
l e p e t i t b r u i t q u ’ i l a v a i t ainsi
provoqué avait été entendu à
côté et tout le monde s’était tu.
« Que fabrique-t-il encore? »,
demandait le père au bout d’un
moment, en se tournant sans
doute vers la porte, et c’est
seulement ensuite que la
conversation un moment
interrompue pouvait reprendre.
Gregor apprit alors, plus
qu’il n’était besoin - car son
père avait coutume de se répéter
souvent dans ses explications,
d’une part parce qu’il avait
cessé depuis longtemps de
s ’ o c c u p e r d e c e s a ff a i r e s e t
d’autre part aussi parce que la
mère ne comprenait pas tout du
premier coup -, que malgré
leurs déboires, il leur restait de
l’ancien temps une fortune,
assez peu considérable à vrai
dire, mais que les intérêts
accumulés avaient entre-temps
un peu augmentée. On n’avait
pas non plus dépensé tout
l ’ a rg e n t q u e G r e g o r , q u i n e
gardait pour lui-même que
quelques florins, apportait tous
les mois, et on avait de la sorte
constitué un petit capital.
Gregor, derrière sa porte,
approuvait vivement de la tête,
tout heureux de cette
Freed
would just have to be met
in some other way. During
Gregor ’s short stays in the
c i t y, t h e C o n s e r v a t o r y
would often come up in
conversation with the
sister but always as a
beautiful dream that could
never be realized. The
parents were displeased to
hear even these innocent
allusions, but Gregor had
very definite ideas about
it and intended to
announce his plan on
Christmas Eve.
Such were the
thoughts, utterly useless
in his present condition,
that went through his head
as he stood listening,
g l u e d t o t h e d o o r.
Sometimes, from general
weariness he could listen
no longer and carelessly
let his head slump against
the door, but he promptly
recovered because even
the small noise he had
made had been heard in
the next room and had
silenced them all. “What’s
he up to now?” the father
said after a while,
obviously turning toward
the door, and only then did
the interrupted con-
versation resume.
Gregor was now very
thoroughly informed-because
the father tended to repeat his
explanations, partly because
he had not dealt with these
matters himself in a long time
and partly because the
mother did not always
understand the first time-and
discovered that despite the
disaster a sum, admittedly
very small, remained from
the old days and had
increased slightly in the [27]
meantime due to the
untouched interest. And
besides that, the money
Gregor brought home every
month-he had kept only a few
guilder for himself-had not
been entirely depleted and
had now accumulated into a
small capital sum. Behind the
door Gregor nodded his head
emphatically, delighted to learn
63
Alianza
había forzosamente de acarrear,
y de los cuales ya se resarciría
por otro lado. Durante las bre-
ves estancias de Gregorio junto
a los suyos, la palabra «Conser-
vatorio» sonaba a menudo en las
charlas con la hermana, pero
siempre como añoranza de un
lindo sueño, en cuya realización
no se podía ni pensar. A los pa-
dres, estos ingenuos proyectos
no les hacían [51] ninguna gra-
cia; pero Gregorio pensaba muy
seriamente en ello, y tenía deci-
dido anunciarlo solemnemente
la noche de Navidad.
Todos estos pensamien-
tos, completamente inútiles
ya, agitábanse en su mente
mientras él, pegado a la
puerta, escuchaba lo que se
decía al lado. De cuando en
cuando, la fatiga impedíale
prestar atención, y dejaba
caer con cansancio la cabe-
za contra la puerta. Mas al
punto tornaba a er guirla,
pues, incluso el levísimo rui-
do que este gesto suyo ori-
ginaba, era oído en la habi-
tación contigua, haciendo
enmudecer a todos.
—Pero, ¿qué hará otra vez?
-decía al poco el padre, miran-
do sin duda hacia la puerta.
Y, pasados unos momentos,
reanudábase la interrumpida
conversación.
De este modo supo, pues,
Gregorio, con gran satisfac-
ción -el padre repetía y recal-
caba sus explicaciones, en par-
te porque hacía tiempo que él
mismo no se había ocupado de
aquellos asuntos, y en parte
también porque la madre tar-
daba en entenderlosque, a pe-
sar de la desgracia, aún les
quedaba del antiguo esplendor
algún dinero; verdad es que
muy escaso, pero que algo ha-
bía ido aumentando desde en-
tonces, gracias a los intereses
intactos. Además, el dinero
[52] entregado todos los me-
ses por Gregorio -él se reser-
vaba únicamente una ínfima
cantidad- no se gastaba por
completo, y había ido a su vez
formando un pequeño capital.
A través de la puerta, Gregorio
aprobaba con la cabeza, con-
tento de esta inesperada pre-
Willie
be made up for in some other
way. During Gregor ’s short
periods in town,
conversation with his sister
would often turn to the
conservatory but it was only
ever mentioned as a lovely
dream that could never be
realised. Their parents did
not like to hear this innocent
talk, but Gregor thought
about it quite hard and
decided he would let them
know what he planned with
a grand announcement of it
on Christmas day.
That was the sort of totally
pointless thing that went
through his mind in his
present state, pressed upright
against the door and
listening. There were times
when he simply became too
tired to continue listening,
when his head would fall
wearily against the door and
he would pull it up again with
a start, as even the slightest
noise he caused would be
heard next door and they
would all go silent. “What’s
t h a t h e ’s d o i n g n o w ” , h i s
father would say after a
while, clearly having gone
o v e r t o t h e d o o r, a n d o n l y
then would the interrupted
conversation slowly be taken
up again.
When explaining things, his
father repeated himself several
times, partly because it was a
long time since he had been
occupied with these matters
himself and partly because
G r e g o r ’s m o t h e r d i d n o t
understand everything first
time. From these repeated
explanations Gregor learned, to
his pleasure, that despite all
their misfortunes there was still
some money available from the
old days. It was not a lot, but it
had not been touched in the
meantime and some interest had
accumulated. Besides that, they
had not been using up all the
money that Gregor had been
bringing home every month,
keeping only a little for
himself, so that that, too, had
been accumulating. Behind the
d o o r, G r e g o r n o d d e d w i t h
enthusiasm in his pleasure at
 Neugroschel
thrift and prudence.
A c t u a l l y, h e c o u l d h a v e
applied this surplus toward
settling the father’s debt to
the director, thereby bringing
the day when he could have
been rid of that job a lot
closer; but now, the way the
father had arranged things
was better, no doubt.
Of course this sum was
by no means large enough
for the family to live off the
interest; it might suffice to
keep them going for one, at
most two years, and that was
all. It was simply money
that really should not be
drawn on and that ought to
be put aside for
e m e rg e n c i e s , w h i l e t h e
money to live on had to be
e a r n e d . B u t t h e f a t h e r,
though still healthy, was an
old man, who had not done
a lick of work in five years
[150] and in any case could
not be expected to take on
very much. During those
five years, his first vacation
in an arduous and yet
unsuccessful life, he had
grown very fat, becoming
rather clumsy. And should
perhaps the old mother go to
w o r k - s h e , w h o s u ff e r e d
from asthma, who found it
strenuous just walking
through the apartment, and
who spent every other day
on the sofa, gasping for air
by the open window? Or
should the sister go to
work-she, who was still a
child at seventeen and
should certainly keep
enjoying her lifestyle,
which consisted of dressing
n i c e l y, s l e e p i n g l a t e ,
lending a hand with the
housekeeping, going out to
a few modest amusements,
and above all, playing the
violin? At first, whenever
the conversation turned to
this need to earn money,
Gregor would always let go
of the door and throw
himself on the cool leather
sofa nearby, for he felt quite
hot with shame and grief.
Often he would lie there all
through the long night, not getting a
del Solar
muestra de previsión y aho-
rro. Cierto es que con ese di-
nero sobrante habría podido
[56] amortizar la deuda que el
padre tenía con el jefe,
aproximando el día en el que
hubiera podido liberarse de su
empleo. Pero ahora era mejor
así, sin duda, tal y como el
padre lo había dispuesto.
No obstante, ese dinero
no bastaba en absoluto para
que la familia pudiera vivir
de los intereses; quizá habría
bastado para mantenerla un
año o, a lo sumo, dos, pero
no más. Solo era, pues, una
suma que en realidad no de-
bía tocarse y convenía man-
tener en reserva para un caso
de necesidad; el dinero para
vivir había, en cambio, que
ganárselo. Ahora bien, el pa-
dre, aunque sano, era un
hombre viejo, que llevaba ya
cinco años sin trabajar y tam-
poco podía confiar mucho en
sus fuerzas; en el curso de
esos cinco años, que habían
significado las primeras va-
caciones de su esforzada aun-
que infructuosa vida, había
engordado y se había vuelto
lento y torpe. ¿Tendría acaso
que ganar dinero la anciana
madre, que padecía asma y se
cansaba ya con solo atrave-
sar el piso, y que un día sí y
otro también tenía que tum-
barse en el sofá con la venta-
na abierta debido a sus difi-
cultades respiratorias? ¿O
debería hacerlo la hermana,
todavía una niña a sus dieci-
siete años, que había llevado
hasta entonces una vida en-
vidiable, una vida que con-
sistía en ir siempre muy aci-
calada, dormir mucho, ayudar
en las tareas de la casa, to-
mar parte en alguna que otra
diversión modesta y, sobre
todo, tocar el violín? Cuan-
do la conversación recalaba
en la necesidad de ganar di-
nero, Gregor abandonaba
[57] la puerta y se lanzaba
sobre la fría butaca de cuero
que había junto a ella, pues
se sentía arder de vergüenza
y de tristeza.
A menudo yacía allí no-
ches enteras sin dormir un
64
Stokes
delighted at this unexpected
foresight and thrift. He could
in fact have used this surplus
money to pay off more of his
father’s debts to his boss, thus
bringing much closer the day
when he could quit his job, but
as things stood, the way his
father had arranged it was
undoubtedly better.
Yet this money was by no
means sufficient for the
family even to consider
living off the interest; it
m i g h t h a v e s u ff i c e d t o
support them for one, or at
most two years, but that was
all. It was therefore merely a
sum that should not actually
be touched but rather put
a s i d e f o r a n e m e rg e n c y ;
money to live on had to be
earned. Now Gregor’s father,
though in good [30] health,
was an old man who had not
worked for five years, and
could not in any case be
expected to take on too much;
during those five years, the
first holiday of his arduous
yet unsuccessful life, he had
put on a lot of fat and had
consequently become very
sluggish. And was Gregor’s
old mother now supposed to
go out and earn money when,
suffering as she did from
asthma, she found it a strain
even to walk round the flat
and spent every other day
lying on the sofa by the open
window gasping for breath?
And was his sister now to go
out to work, who at seventeen
was still a child and whose
way of life no one would
have begrudged h e r,
consisting as it did of
dressing prettily, sleeping
late, helping in the house,
enjoying a few modest
amusements and above all
playing the violin? Whenever
the conversation turned to
this need to earn money,
Gregor would first let go of
the door and then throw
himself down on the cool
leather sofa beside it, for he
felt quite hot with shame and
grief.
Often he would lie there all
night long, not sleeping a wink
Vialatte
heureux de cette [44] prévoyance
in a t t e n d u e . Sans doute, grâce à
ces réserves, aurait-il pu amortir
plus rapidement la dette contractée
par le père envers son directeur, ce qui
aurait considérablement rapproché la
date de sa délivrance; mais, étant
donné les circonstances, il valait
beaucoup mieux que M. Samsa eût agi
comme il avait fait.
Le malheur était que cet
argent ne suffirait pas à sa
famille pour vivre des seuls
intérêts; cela irait un an,
deux au plus, ce serait tout.
Cette épargne constituait
donc une somme à laquelle
il ne fallait pas toucher, et
qu’on devait réserver pour
un besoin pressant : quant à
l’argent nécessaire à la vie,
il fallait se mettre à le
gagner. Or le père, malgré sa
santé, n’en était pas moins
un vieil homme qui avait
cessé tout travail depuis cinq
ans et ne pouvait se livrer à
de folles espérances; durant
ces cinq années de repos,
premières vacances d’une
existence toute consacrée au
labeur et à l’insuccès, il
avait pris pas mal de ventre
et se trouvait bien alourdi.
Quant à la vieille mère,
qu’aurait-elle pu faire avec
son asthme? C’était déjà un
gros effort pour elle que de
se traîner dans la maison;
elle passait la moitié de son
temps sur le sofa à étouffer
devant la fenêtre ouverte. Et.
la soeur? Une enfant de
dix-sept ans si bien faite
pour l’existence qu’elle
avait menée jusque-là,
s’habiller gentiment, bien
dormir, aider au ménage,
prendre part à quelques
modestes divertissements,
jouer du violon surtout -
était-ce à elle de gagner de
l’argent? Quand [45] la
conversation tombait sur ce
sujet, Grégoire commençait
toujours par lâcher sa porte
pour aller se coucher sur le
sofa de cuir dont la
fraîcheur était douce à son
corps tout brûlant de peine
et de honte.
Il y passait souvent
des nuits d’insomnie à
Cl. David
prévoyance et de cette économie,
qu’il ne soupçonnait pas. A vrai dire,
il aurait pu, grâce à cet argent
excédentaire, continuer à amortir la
dette que son père avait contractée
envers son patron et le jour où il aurait
pu se libérer de son poste se serait
considérablement rapproché, mais la
façon dont son père en avait disposé
était sans nul doute préférable.
En tout cas, cet argent ne
suffisait absolument pas pour
permettre à la famille de vivre des
intérêts; il eût permis tout au plus
de l’entretenir un an ou deux.
C’était donc une somme qu’on ne
devait pas attaquer et qu’il fallait
conserver pour le cas où on se
serait trouvé un jour dans le
besoin, pas autre chose; quant à
l’argent pour la vie courante, il
fallait continuer à le gagner. Or,
le père. se portait bien,
assurément, mais c’était un home
âgé, qui avait cessé tout travail
depuis cinq ans et, en tout cas, il
ne devait pas présumer de ses
forces; ces cinq années avaient été
les premières vacances qu’il ait
prises dans une vie de labeur, et
pourtant rarement couronnée de
succès; il avait beaucoup
engraissé et s’était déjà
passablement encroûté. Et ce
n’était certainement pas sa vieille
mère qui allait gagner de l’argent
avec son asthme, elle pour qui un
déplacement à travers
l’appartement représentait déjà un
effort et qui tous les deux jours
restait assise sur le sofa à étouffer
devant la fenêtre ouverte. Et c’est
à sa soeur qu’on allait demander
de gagner de l’argent? à dix-sept
ans, c’était encore une enfant,
qu’on n’allait certes pas priver de
la vie qu’elle avait menée
jusqu’ici et qui avait consisté à
s’habiller gentiment, à faire la
grasse matinée, à donner un coup
de main au ménage, à participer à
de modestes divertissements et
surtout à jouer du violon. Quand
la conversation venait à évoquer
la nécessité de gagner de l’argent,
Gregor était le premier à laisser
retomber la porte et allait se jeter,
pour y trouver un peu de fraîcheur,
sur le canapé de cuir qui se
trouvait à côté, tant il était brûlant
de confusion et de tristesse.
C’est là qu’il restait souvent
tout au long des nuits, sans dormir
Freed
of this unexpected frugality
and foresight. Of course he
actually could have used this
extra money to further pay off
the father’s debt to the Chief,
thus bringing much closer the
day he could have rid himself of
this job, but doubtless things
were better this way, the way his
father had arranged them.
H o w e v e r, t h i s m o n e y
was by no means
s u ff i c i e n t t o s u p p o r t t h e
family on the interest; the
principal might support
the family for a year, o r
two at the most. So it was
just a sum that should not
be touched, put aside for
emergencies, and the
money to live on would
still need to be earned.
Now the father was
certainly healthy but an
old man who had not
worked in five years and
could not be expected to
do much; during these
years, the first leisure
time in his laborious
albeit unsuccessful life,
he had gained a lot of
weight and become quite
sluggish as a result. And
how should the elderly
mother earn a living,
when she suffered from
asthma and even a walk
through the apartment
was trying, leaving her
gasping for breath every
other day on the sofa by
an open window? And
should the sister work,
still a child of seventeen
whose life had been so
pleasant
now-dressing n i c e l y,
sleeping late, helping
with the housework,
enjoying a few modest
amusements, and above
all playing the violin? At
first, whenever
conversation turned to the
n e e d t o e a r n m o n e y,
Gregor let go of the door
and threw himself onto
the cool leather sofa
n e a r b y, h e f e l t s o f l u s h e d
with shame and grief.
He often lay there through
the whole night, not sleeping
Alianza
visión e insospechado ahorro.
Cierto que con este dinero so-
brante podía él haber pagado
poco a poco la deuda que su
padre tenía con el jefe, y ha-
berse visto libre de ella mucho
antes de lo que creyera; pero
ahora resultaban sin duda me-
jor las cosas tal como su pa-
dre las había dispuesto.
Ahora bien, este dinero era
de todo punto insuficiente
para permitir a la familia vi-
vir tranquila de sus rentas;
todo lo más bastaría tal vez
para uno o, a lo sumo, dos
años. Para más tiempo ¡ni
pensarlo! Por tanto, era este
un capitalito al que en reali-
dad no se debía tocar, y que
convenía conservar para caso
de necesidad. El dinero para
ir viviendo, no había más re-
medio que ganarlo. Pero ocu-
rría que el padre, aunque es-
taba bien de salud, era ya vie-
jo y llevaba cinco años sin tra-
bajar; por lo tanto, poco po-
día esperarse de él: en estos
cinco años que habían consti-
tuido los primeros ocios de su
laboriosa, pero fracasada
existencia, había ido asimilan-
do mucha grasa, y se había
puesto [53] excesivamente
pesado. ¿Incumbiríale acaso
trabajar a la madre, que pade-
cía de asma, que se fatigaba
con solo andar un poco por
casa, y que un día sí y otro
también tenía que tenderse en
el sofá, con la ventana abier-
ta de par en par, porque le fal-
taba la respiración?
¿Corresponderíale a la herma-
nó, todavía una niña, con sus
until diecisiete años, y cuya envi-
diable existencia había con-
sistido, hasta entonces, en
emperifollarse, dormir todo lo
que le pedía el cuerpo, ayu-
dar en los quehaceres domés-
ticos, participar en alguna que
the otra modesta diversión, y, so-
bre todo, tocar el violín?
Cada vez que la conversación
venía a parar a esta necesidad
de ganar dinero, Gregorio aban-
donaba la puerta y, encendido de
pena y de vergüenza, arrojábase
sobre el fresco sofá de cuero.
A menudo pasábase allí
toda la noche, sin pegar
65
Willie
this unexpected thrift and
caution. He could actually have
used this surplus money to
reduce his father’s debt to his
boss, and the day when he could
have freed himself from that job
would have come much closer,
but now it was certainly better
the way his father had done
things.
T h i s m o n e y, h o w e v e r ,
was certainly not enough to
enable the family to live
off the interest; it was
enough to maintain them
for, p e r h a p s , o n e o r t w o
y e a r s , n o m o r e . T h a t ’s t o
s a y, i t w a s m o n e y t h a t
should not really be
touched but set aside for
e m e rg e n c i e s ; m o n e y t o l i v e
on had to be earned. His
father was healthy but old,
and lacking in self
confidence. During the five
years that he had not been
working - the first holiday
in a life that had been full
of strain and no success -
he had put on a lot of
weight and become very
s l o w a n d c l u m s y. Wo u l d
Gregor ’s elderly mother
now have to go and earn
m o n e y ? S h e s u ff e r e d f r o m
asthma and it was a strain
for her just to move about
the home, every other day
would be spent struggling
for breath on the sofa by
t h e o p e n w i n d o w. Wo u l d
his sister have to go and
earn money? She was still
a child of seventeen, her
life up till then had been
very enviable, consisting
of wearing nice clothes,
sleeping late, helping out
in the business, joining in
with a few modest
pleasures and most of all
playing the violin.
Whenever they began to
talk of the need to earn
m o n e y, G r e g o r w o u l d
always first let go of the
door and then throw
himself onto the cool,
leather sofa next to it, as
he became quite hot with
shame and regret.
He would often lie there the
whole night through, not
 Neugroschel
wink of sleep and merely scrabbling
on the leather for hours on end.
Or else, undaunted by the great
effort, he would shove a chair
over to the window, clamber up
to the sill, and, propped on the
chair, lean against the panes,
obviously indulging in some
vague memory of the freedom
he had once found by gazing
out the window. For actually,
from day to day, even the things
that were rather close were
growing hazier and hazier; he
could no longer even make out
the hospital across the street,
the all-too-frequent sight of
which he used to curse. And if
he had not known for sure that
he lived on Charlotte Street, a
quiet but entirely urban
thoroughfare, he might have
believed that he was staring at
a wasteland in which [151] gray
sky and gray earth blurred
together indistinguishably.
Only twice had the observant
sister needed to see the chair
standing by the window; now,
whenever she tidied up the
room she would push the
chair back to the
window-indeed, from then on
she would even leave the
inside casement ajar.
If only Gregor could have
spoken to her and thanked
her for everything she had to
do for him, he would have
endured her kind actions
more readily; but instead
they caused him great
suffering. Of course, she
tried to surmount the overall
embarrassment as much as
possible, and naturally, as
time wore by, she succeeded
more and more. However,
Gregor too eventually
gained a sharper sense of
things. Her very entrance
was already terrible for him.
No sooner had she stepped
in than, without even taking
time to close the door—
careful as she usually was to
protect everyone else from
seeing Gregor’s room—she
charged straight over to the
window and, as if almost
suffocating, yanked it open
with hasty hands, lingering
there briefly no matter how
chilly the weather and
del Solar
solo instante, rascando e l
cuero horas y horas. O bien no
se arredraba ante el gran es-
fuerzo que suponía empujar
una silla hasta la ventana, tre-
par luego al antepecho y, bien
afianzado en la silla, apoyar-
se en él, sin duda para recor-
dar vagamente la sensación
liberadora que antes solía pro-
curarle mirar por la ventana.
Pues, en efecto, de día en día
veía cada vez con menos cla-
ridad hasta las cosas muy
poco alejadas; ya ni siquiera
lograba distinguir el hospital
de enfrente, cuya visión ex-
cesivamente frecuente había
maldecido en otros tiempos;
y de no haber sabido que vi-
vía en la tranquila, aunque
céntrica, Charlottenstrasse
habría podido creer que su
ventana daba a un desierto en
el que el cielo gris y la tierra gris
se unían indiferenciadamente.
A la atenta hermana le bastó
con ver dos veces la silla jun-
to a la ventana para, cada vez
que terminaba de arreglar
la habitación, volver a po-
nerla exactamente en ese
sitio y, a partir de entonces,
dejar incluso abierta la
contraventana interior.
De haber podido Gregor
hablar con su hermana y agra-
decerle todo lo que tenía que
hacer por él, habría soporta-
do más fácilmente sus servi-
cios; así, en cambio, estos lo
hacían sufrir. Cierto es que la
hermana hacía cuanto podía
por disimular lo penoso de
toda la situación, y cuanto
más tiempo pasaba, [58] na-
turalmente más fácil le resul-
taba, aunque también Gregor
empezó a verlo todo mucho
más claro con el tiempo. Ya la
manera de entrar de la herma-
na le parecía horrible. En
cuanto entraba, y sin tomarse
tiempo para cerrar la puerta
-pese a que normalmente se
cuidaba mucho de ahorrarles
a todos el espectáculo de la
habitación de Gregor-, corría
derecha a la ventana, la abría
de par en par con manos pre-
surosas, como si estuviera a
punto de asfixiarse, y, por
mucho frío que hiciera, se
quedaba allí un momento y
66
Stokes
racler rascar, frotar
but merely scratching at the
leather for hours on end. Or, not
shirking the huge effort of
pushing a chair to the window,
he would crawl up to the
window-sill and, propped up in
the chair, lean against the
window, evidently responding to
a vague memory of that sense
of freedom which looking out of
the window had once given him.
For as the days went by he did
in fact see things even a short
distance away less and less
distinctly; the hospital opposite,
which he used to curse because
he saw so much of it, he could
now no longer see at all, and
had he not known perfectly
well that he lived in the quiet
but decidedly urban
Charlottenstrasse, he might have
thought that what he saw from
his window was a wilderness in
which the grey sky and grey
earth were indistinguishably
mingled. His thoughtful sister
only needed to see the chair by
[31] the window on two
occasions before she thereafter,
each time she had finished
tidying his room, pushed it
carefully back beneath the
window and even, from then on,
left the inner casement open.
If only Gregor had been
able to speak to his sister
and thank her for everything
that she had to do for him,
he could have accepted her
efforts more easily; but as it
was, they caused him pain.
His sister certainly tried to
ease the embarrassment of
the whole situation as much
as she could, and as time
went on she became more
and more successful, but
with time Gregor too saw
everything much more
clearly. Her very entrance
was terrible for him. The
moment she crossed the
threshold, without pausing
t o s h u t t h e d o o r, e v e n
though she was other rise
most careful to spare
everyone the sight of
G r e g o r ’s r o o m , s h e r a n
s t r a i g h t t o t h e w i n d o w,
hastily tore it open, as if she
w e r e a l m o s t s u ff o c a t i n g ,
remained there a while, no
matter how cold it was,
Vialatte
racler le cuir pendant des
heures. D’autres fois, sans
plaindre sa peine, il poussait
son fauteuil vers la fenêtre,
gagnait l’appui, et, bien étayé
par son siège, s’appuyait à la
croisée, moins pour jouir de
la vue qu’en souvenir de
l’impression de délivrance
qu’il avait éprouvée autrefois
en regardant à travers les
carreaux; car, maintenant, il
devenait de jour en jour de
plus en plus myope; il ne
pouvait même plus
apercevoir l’hôpital d’en
face, qu’il maudissait à son
époque humaine parce qu’il
le voyait trop, et s’il n’avait
su pertinemment qu’il
habitait la Charlottenstrasse,
une rue calme mais urbaine,
il eût pu croire que sa fenêtre
donnait sur un désert où le
ciel et la terre confondaient
leurs gris. L’attentive soeur
n’eut qu’à voir deux fois le
fauteuil pr è s d e l a f e n ê t r e
pour comprendre;
désormais, toutes les
fois qu’elle fit la
chambre, elle poussa le
fauteuil près de la croisée
d ont elle laissa m ê m e l e
battant inférieur ouvert.
Si seulement Grégoire
avait pu parler à sa soeur et la
remercier de tout ce qu’elle
faisait pour lui, il aurait plus
facilement supporté ses
services, mais, condamné au
mutisme, il en souffrait. Grete
cherchait naturellement à lui
dissimuler le côté pénible [46]
de la situation et plus le temps
passait, mieux elle jouait son
rôle, mais ne pouvait
empêcher que son frère ne vît
de plus en plus clair dans son
jeu. Sa seule apparition
causait à Grégoire une peine
horrible. A peine entrée, et
malgré le soin qu’elle
apportait toujours à épargner
aux autres la vue de cette
chambre, elle ne prenait
même pas le temps de fermer
la porte; elle courait à la
fenêtre, l’ouvrait en toute
hâte, d’un seul coup, comme
pour éviter un étouffement
imminent et demeurait là un
moment, si froid qu’il fît, à
respirer profondément.
Cl. David
un seul instant, occupé à gratter
le cuir pendant des heures. Ou
bien il ne reculait pas devant le
grand effort qu’il devait
déployer pour pousser une chaise
jusqu’à la fenêtre, se dresser
ensuite pour grimper jusqu’au
garde-fou et là, bien calé sur son
siège, pour rester appuyé à la
croisée, en souvenir
manifestement de l’impression de
liberté qu’il éprouvait autrefois
quand il regardait par la fenêtre.
Car maintenant, il reconnaissait
de moins en moins claire ment
les objets, dès qu’ils étaient un
peu éloignés; il ne parvenait
même plus à voir l’hôpital d’en
face, qu’il détestait autrefois pour
être trop habitué à le voir; et s’il
n’avait pas su pertinemment qu’il
habitait la Charlottenstrasse, une
rue paisible mais urbaine, il aurait
pu croire que sa fenêtre ne donnait
que sur un désert, où le ciel gris
et la terre grise se confondaient
indiscernablement. II avait suffi
à sa soeur, toujours attentive, de
voir deux fois la chaise près de
la fenêtre pour la remettre
exactement au même endroit
après avoir fait la chambre; elle
prit même l’habitude de laisser
désormais ouvert le battant de la
fenêtre intérieure.
Si seulement Gregor avait pu
parler à sa soeur et la remercier
de tout ce qu’elle faisait pour
lui, il lui aurait été plus facile
de supporter les services qu’elle
lui rendait; mais, dans la
situation actuelle, il en
souffrait. Sa soeur essayait
évidemment de dissimuler
autant que possible ce que tout
cela avait de pénible et,
naturellement, plus le temps
passait, mieux elle y parvenait;
mais, de son côté, Gregor, lui
aussi, voyait les choses avec
une précision toujours plus
grande. Le moment déjà où elle
entrait dans la pièce était pour
lui terrible. A peine était-elle
entrée que, sans prendre le
temps de fermer la porte,
malgré le soin qu’elle prenait à
épargner à tout le monde le
spectacle de la chambre de
Gregor, elle courait droit à la
fenêtre et en toute hâte, comme
si elle était sur le point
d’étouffer, elle l’ouvrait toute
grande, puis, même par grand
Freed
a wink, just scrabbling on the
leather for hours. Or, not
shying from the great effort,
he would push a chair over to
the window, climb up to the
sill, and lean, propped up on
the chair, against the
windowpanes, evidently in
some vague remembrance of
the freedom he had once
found in gazing out. For
actually he now saw things
just a short distance away
becoming dimmer each day;
he could no longer make out
the hospital opposite, whose
sight he used to curse for
having seen it all too often,
and if he were not so certain
that he lived on the quiet but
decidedly urban Charlotte
Street, he could have believed
that he was gazing out the [28]
window at a barren wasteland
where the ashen sky merged
indistinguishably with the
gray earth. The observant
sister had needed to notice the
chair standing by the window
only twice; whenever she
straightened the room after
that, she carefully replaced
the chair at the window and
now even left the inner
casements open.
If only Gregor had been
able to speak with the sister
and thank her for everything
she was obliged to do for
him, he could have borne
her ministrations more
easily; as it was they
oppressed him. The sister
certainly tried to lessen the
general awkwardness of the
situation as much as
possible, and as time went
by she naturally succeeded
more and more, however
with the passing time
Gregor too saw everything
m o r e c l e a r l y. H e r v e r y
entrance was terrible for
him. Hardly had she entered
when she rushed directly to
the window without taking
the time to close the door—
although she was usually so
careful to shield everyone
from the sight of Gregor ’s
room—tore the window
open with hasty hands as if
almost suffocating, and
stayed there awhile, even
67
Alianza
ojo, arañando el cuero hora
tras hora. A veces también
tomábase el trabajo excesivo
de empujar una butaca hasta
la ventana, y, trepando por el
alféizar, permanecía de pie en
la butaca y apoyado en la ven-
tana, sumido, sin duda, en sus
recuerdos, pues antaño
interesábale siempre mirar
por la ventana aquella. Pau-
latinamente, las cosas más
cercanas dibujábansele con
menos claridad. El hospital
[54] de enfrente, cuya vista
había maldecido con frecuen-
cia, ya no lo divisaba; y, de
no haber sabido, sin que ello
pudiese dejar lugar a dudas;
que vivía en una calle tranqui-
la, aunque completamente ur-
banizada, hubiera podido
creer que su ventana daba a
un desierto, en el cual
fundíanse indistintamente el
cielo y la tierra por igual gri-
ses. Tan solo dos veces pudo
advertir la hermana, siempre
vigilante, que la butaca se en-
contraba junto a la ventana. Y
ya, al arreglar la habitación,
aproximaba ella misma la bu-
taca. Más aún: dejaba abier-
tos los primeros dobles cris-
tales.
De haber siquiera podido
Gregorio conversar con su
hermana; de haberle podido
dar las gracias por cuanto por
él hacía, le hubieran sido más
leves estos trabajos que oca-
sionaba, y que de este modo
tanto le hacían sufrir. Sin
duda, la hermana hacía cuan-
to podía para borrar lo dolo-
roso de la situación, y, a me-
dida que transcurría el tiem-
po, iba consiguiéndolo mejor,
como es natural. Pero también
Gregorio, a medida que pasa-
ban los días, veíalo todo con
mayor claridad. Ahora, la en-
trada de la hermana era para
él algo terrible. Apenas den-
tro de la habitación, y sin cui-
darse siquiera de cerrar pre-
viamente [55] las puertas,
como antes, para ocultar a to-
dos la vista del cuarto, corría
derecha a la ventana, y la
abría violentamente, cual si se
hallase a punto de asfixiarse;
y hasta cuando el frío era in-
tenso, permanecía allí un rato,
Willie
sleeping a wink but scratching
at the leather for hours on end.
Or he might go to all the effort
of pushing a chair to the
window, climbing up onto the
sill and, propped up in the chair,
leaning on the window to stare
out of it. He had used to feel a
great sense of freedom from
doing this, but doing it now was
obviously something more
remembered than experienced,
as what he actually saw in this
way was becoming less distinct
every day, even things that were
quite near; he had used to curse
the ever-present view of the
hospital across the street, but
now he could not see it at all,
and if he had not known that he
lived in Charlottenstrasse, which
was a quiet street despite being
in the middle of the city, he
could have thought that he was
looking out the window at a
barren waste where the grey sky
and the grey earth mingled
inseparably. His observant sister
only needed to notice the chair
twice before she would always
push it back to its exact position
by the window after she had
tidied up the room, and even left
the inner pane of the window
open from then on.
If Gregor had only been
able to speak to his sister and
thank her for all that she had
to do for him it would have
been easier for him to bear it;
but as it was it caused him
p a i n . H i s s i s t e r, n a t u r a l l y,
tried as far as possible to
pretend there was nothing
burdensome about it, and the
longer it went on, of course,
the better she was able to do
so, but as time went by
Gregor was also able to see
through it all so much better.
It had even become very
u n p l e a s a n t f o r h i m , n o w,
whenever she entered the
room. No sooner had she
come in than she would
quickly close the door as a
precaution so that no-one
would have to suffer the view
into Gregor’s room, then she
would go straight to the
window and pull it hurriedly
open almost as if she were
s u ff o c a t i n g . E v e n i f i t w a s
cold, she would stay at the
 Neugroschel del Solar Stokes Vialatte Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie

inhaling deeply. This din respiraba hondamente. Con b r e a t h i n g d e e p l y. S h e Deux fois par jour elle froid, elle restait près de la fenêtre à when it w as bitterly cold, respirando con fuerza. Tales window breathing deeply for a
a n d d a s h i n g t e r r i f i e d esas carreras y ruidos asusta- terrified Gregor twice daily épouvantait Grégoire de respirer profondément. Deux fois par breathing deeply. This bustle carreras y estrépitos asusta- little while. She would alarm
G r e g o r t w i c e a d a y. ba a Gregor dos veces por día; w i t h a l l t h i s c r a s h i n g cette course et de ce jour, elle épouvantait Gregor à courir and racket of hers tortured ban a Gregorio dos veces al Gregor t w i c e a d a y w i t h this
Throughout her visits he este se pasaba todo el rato around; he spent the whole fracas; il restait à pareillement et à faire tout ce bruit; il Gregor twice a day, and he día. Y Gregorio, aunque segu- running about and noise
w o u l d c o w e r u n d e r t h e temblando bajo el sofá, pese time trembling beneath the frissonner sous son canapé X restait tout ce temps-là à frissonner X lay the entire time quaking ro de que ella le hubiera evi- making; he would stay under
X X
settee, fully realizing that a saber perfectamente que couch, even though he knew pendant tout le temps que durait s o u s s o n c a n a p é , t o u t e n under the sofa, k n o w i n g tado con gusto estas moles- the couch shivering the whole
she would certainly have ella, de haber podido perma- p e r f e c t l y w e l l t h a t s h e la séance; il savait bien que sa s a c h a n t f o r t b i e n q u ’ e l l e v e r y w e l l t h a t s h e tias, de haberle sido posible while, knowing full well that
preferred to spare him this necer con la ventana cerrada would certainly have spared soeur lui eût épargné ce supplice l u i a u r a i t é p a r g n é c e w o u l d h a v e s p a r e d h i m permanecer con las ventanas she would certainly have liked
disturbance if only she had en una habitación en la que se him this, if only she had si elle avait pu réussir d’une s u p p l i c e , s i s e u l e m e n t e l l e t h i s i f i t w e r e a t a l l cerradas en la habitación, to spare him this ordeal, but it
b e e n a b l e t o k e e p t h e encontrara su hermano, le ha- been capable of staying in a façon quelconque à rester la a v a i t p u r e s t e r , l a f e n ê t r e p o s s i b l e t o r e m a i n i n a quedaba temblando debajo was impossible for her to be in
X
window shut while staying in bría evitado muy gustosa todo room occupied by Gregor fenêtre fermée dans une pièce où f e r m é e , d a n s l a p i è c e o ù i l r o o m w i t h G r e g o r w i t h del sofá todo el tiempo que the same room with him with
the same room with him. aquello. with the window closed. il se trouvait. se trouvait. the window shut. duraba la visita. the windows closed.
cower v. intr. 1 crouch or shrink back, esp. in fear; cringe. 2 stand or squat in a bent position. cower agazaparse, agacharse, amedrentarse, acobardarse, alebrarse=echarse en le suelo pegándose contra él como las liebres.

Once-something like a
month had passed since
Gregor’s metamorphosis, and
there was truly no special reason
why the sister should still be
alarmed by his appearance-she
turned up a bit earlier than usual
and caught Gregor staring out
the window, motionless [152]
and terrifyingly erect. He would
not have been surprised if she
had refused to come in since his
position prevented her from
opening the window
immediately. But not only did
she not come in, she actually
recoiled and closed the door; an
outsider might have honestly
thought that Gregor had meant
to ambush her and bite her.
Naturally he hid under the settee
at once, but then had to wait until
noon for his sister to return, and
she seemed far more upset than
usual. It thus dawned on him that
his looks were still unbearable
to her and were bound to remain
unbearable, which meant that it
must have taken a lot of
self-control for her not to run
away upon glimpsing even the
tiny scrap of his body that
protruded from under the settee.
So one day, hoping to spare her
even this sight-the job took him
four hours-he got the sheet on
his back and lugged it over to
the settee, arranging it in such
a way that it concealed him
entirely, thereby preventing
the sister from seeing him
even when she stooped down.
After all, if she
considered the sheet
u n n e c e s s a r y, s h e c o u l d
have removed it, for it
was plain that Gregor
could not possibly enjoy
cutting himself off so
t h o r o u g h l y. B u t s h e l e f t
the sheet just as it was,
and once, he even
Una vez -ya había transcu-
rrido un mes desde la transfor-
mación de Gregor y no había
ninguna razón concreta para
que su aspecto despertase el
asombro de la hermana-, esta
vino un poco antes de lo habi-
tual y encontró a Gregor mi-
rando aún por la ventana, in-
móvil y en una postura ideal
para inspirar espanto. A
Gregor no le habría sorprendi-
do que no entrase, pues al es-
tar allí le impedía abrir de in-
mediato la ventana, pero ella
no solo no entró, sino que re-
trocedió bruscamente y cerró
la puerta; un extraño hubiera
podido pensar que él la estaba
acechando con la intención de
morderla. [59] Por supuesto
que Gregor se escondió al ins-
tante bajo el sofá, pero tuvo
que esperar hasta el mediodía
a que ella regresase, y le pare-
ció mucho más intranquila que
de costumbre. De ello dedujo
que su aspecto aún le resulta-
ba insoportable y que así se-
guiría siendo, y que ella debía
de hacer un gran esfuerzo para
no salir corriendo nada más
ver esa pequeña parte de su
cuerpo que sobresalía por deba-
jo del sofá. Para ahorrarle inclu-
so esta visión, un día arrastró
sobre su espalda la sábana hasta
el sofá -tarea que le exigió cua-
tro horas- y la dispuso de mane-
ra que lo cubriese por completo
y la hermana no pudiera
verlo aunque se agachase.
S i , a j u i cio de ella, esa sá-
bana no hubiera sido necesa-
ria, habría podido retirarla,
pues era bastante claro que
a Gregor no podía hacerle
mucha gracia aislarse de ma-
nera tan total y definitiva;
pero la dejó tal como esta-
ba, y Gregor hasta creyó
captar una mirada de grati-
Once, it must have been a
month since Gregor ’s
transformation, and there was
no particular reason now for
his sister to be astonished at
his appearance, she came a
little earlier than usual and
caught Gregor, motionless
and at his most terrifying,
looking out of the window. It
would not have surprised
Gregor if she had not come in,
because his position
prevented her from opening
the window at once, but not
only did she not come in, she
even sprang back and shut the
door; a stranger might almost
have thought that Gregor had
been lying in wait for her,
intending to bite her. Gregor
of course [32] immediately hid
himself beneath the couch, but he
had to wait until noon before his
sister returned, and she seemed
much more restless than usual. He
realised from this that the sight of
him was still unbearable to her and
was bound to remain unbearable,
and that it probably required
enormous self-control on her part
not to run away at the sight of
even the small portion of his
body that jutted out from under the
couch. And in order to spare her this
sight, he managed one day - the task
took him four hours-tocarrythebedsheet
on his back over to the couch and drape
it in such a way that he was now
completely covered, making it
impossible for his sister to see
him, even if she bent down.
Had she considered this
s h e e t u n n e c e s s a r y, s h e
could of course have
removed it, for it was clear
enough that it gave Gregor
no pleasure to close
himself off so completely,
but she left the sheet the
way it was, and Gregor
even thought he detected a
Un jour - il devait y avoir
un mois depuis la
métamorphose de Grégoire, et
sa soeur n’avait plus grand
motif de s’étonner de son
aspect - elle arriva un peu plus
tôt que d’habitude et le trouva
en train de regarder par la
fenêtre, immobile et dans une
position bien faite pour inspirer
la terreur. Si elle s’était
contentée de ne pas entrer, cela
n’eût pas étonné Grégoire, car
il l’empêchait par sa position
d’ouvrir la fenêtre; mais, non
contente de ne pas entrer, elle
eut un sursaut en arrière et
ferma la porte à clef; un
étranger aurait pu penser que
Grégoire épiait l’arrivée de sa
soeur pour [47] la mordre. Il se
cacha naturellement aussitôt
sous le canapé, mais il dut
attendre jusqu’à midi le retour
de Grete, et, quand elle vint,
elle avait l’air beaucoup plus
inquiet que d’habitude. Il
s’aperçut par là que son aspect
n’avait pas cessé d’inspirer de la
répugnance à la pauvre fille, qu’il
en serait toujours ainsi et qu’elle
devait même se faire grandement
violence pour ne pas s’enfuir à la
seule vue du petit morceau de
Grégoire qui dépassait le canapé.
Pour lui en épargner le spectacle
il prit un drap du lit sur son dos,
le transporta sur le sofa, travail qui
lui demanda quatre heures, et le
disposa de telle sorte que sa
soeur ne pût rien voir sous le
meuble, même en se baissant.
Si e l l e a v a i t t r o u v é l a
précaution superflue elle
aurait pu faire
disparaître le drap, car
elle pensait bien que
Grégoire ne se murait
p a s ainsi pour son plaisir,
mais elle laissa le drap à sa
place et Grégoire, en
écartant prudemment le
Un jour - il pouvait s’être
écoulé un mois depuis la
métamorphose de Gregor et sa
soeur n’avait donc plus grand
motif de s’étonner de son aspect,
elle arriva un jour plus tôt qu’à
l’ordinaire, elle trouva Gregor en
train de regarder par la fenêtre; il
était dressé de tout son haut,
immobile, dans une position bien
faite pour inspirer la terreur.
Gregor ne se serait pas étonné si
elle n’était pas entrée, car il
l’empêchait par sa position
d’ouvrir tout de suite la fenêtre;
mais elle ne se contenta pas de ne
pas entrer, elle recula épouvantée
et ferma la porte à clef; un
étranger aurait vraiment pu penser
que Gregor s’était mis à l’affût
pour la m o r d r e . I l a l l a
naturellement se cacher aussitôt
sous le canapé, mais il fallut
attendre midi avant que sa soeur
ne revint, l’air beaucoup plus
inquiet qu’à l’ordinaire. Il en
conclut que son aspect n’avait pas
cessé de lui inspirer de la
répugnance, qu’il en serait encore
ainsi à l’avenir et que, dès que la
plus petite partie de son corps
dépassait du canapé, elle devait
se faire violence pour ne pas
immédiatement prendre la fuite.
Afin de lui épargner ce spectacle,
il prit un jour le drap de lit, le
tira sur son dos jusque sur le
canapé - ce qui lui demanda quatre
bonnes heures de travail - et le
disposa de manière à être entièrement
couvert, afin que sa soeur ne pût plus
rien voir, même en se baissant. Si
elle avait estimé que ce drap
n’était pas nécessaire, elle
aurait toujours pu le retirer,
car il était bien évident que ce
n’était pas pour son plaisir que
Gregor se coupait ainsi du
reste du monde; mais elle
laissa le drap tel qu’il était et
Gregor crut même surprendre
chez elle un regard de
Once, approximately a
month after Gregor ’s
transformation, when there was
no reason for the sister to be
especially alarmed at his
appearance, she came a little
earlier than usual and caught
Gregor perfectly still, gazing
out the window, thus giving him
a particularly frightful aspect.
It would not have surprised
Gregor if she had not come in,
as his position prevented her
from immediately opening the
window, but not only did she
not enter, she actually jumped
back and shut the door; a
stranger could easily have
thought Gregor had been lying
in wait for her and meant to bite
her. Gregor naturally hid
himself at once under the sofa
but had to wait until noon for
the sister’s return, and then she
seemed much more uneasy than
usual. He concluded that the
sight of him was still repulsive
to her and was bound to remain
repulsive, and that she must
have exercised great self-
control not to take flight at the
sight of even the smallest
portion of his body protruding
from under the couch. To spare
her from even these glimpses,
he dragged the sheet to the
sofa on his back [29] one
day—this required four hours’
work-and laid it in such a way
as to conceal himself entirely,
so the sister could not see him
even if she stooped down. If
she di d n o t f i n d t h e s h e e t
n e c e s s a r y, s h e c e r t a i n l y
could have removed it,
because it was clear
enough that Gregor
could not possibly be
pleased by his total
confinement, but she left
the sheet as it was, and
Gregor imagined he
Un día -ya había transcu-
rrido un mes desde la meta-
morfosis, y no tenía, por tan-
to, la hermana ningún motivó
especial para sorprenderse del
aspecto de Gregorio -entró
algo más temprano que de cos-
tumbre, y se encontró a éste
mirando inmóvil por-la venta-
na, pero ya dispuesto a asus-
tarse. Nada le hubiera extraña-
do a Gregorio que su hermana
no entrase, pues él, en la acti-
tud en que estaba, le impedía
abrir inmediatamente la venta-
na. Pero no solo no entró, sino
que retrocedió y cerró la puer-
ta: un [56] extraño hubiera
creído que Gregorio la acecha-
ba para morderla. Claro es que
Gregorio se escondió al punto
debajo del sofá, pero hubo de
esperar hasta el mediodía an-
tes de ver tornar a su hermana,
más intranquila que de costum-
bre. Ello le dio a entender que
su vista seguía siéndole inso-
portable a la hermana, que lo
seguiría siendo, y que ésta ha-
bía de hacer un gran esfuerzo
de voluntad para no salir tam-
bién corriendo al divisar la pe-
queña parte del cuerpo que so-
bresalía por debajo del sofá. Y, al
fin de ahorrarle incluso esto, trans-
portó un día sobre sus espaldas
-trabajo para el cual precisó cua-
tro horas- una sábana hasta el sofá,
y la dispuso de modo que le tapa-
ra por completo y que ya la her-
mana no pudiese verle, por
mucho que s e a g a c h a s e .
De no haberle parecido a
ella conveniente este
arreglo, ella misma hu bie-
ra quitado la sábana, pues
fácil era comprender que,
para Gregorio, el aislarse
no constituía ningún pla-
cer. Mas dejó la sábana tal
como estaba, e incluso
Gregorio, al levantar sigi-
One day, about a month after
Gregor’s transformation when
his sister no longer had any
particular reason to be shocked
at his appearance, she came into
the room a little earlier than
usual and found him still staring
out the window, motionless,
and just where he would be
most horrible. In itself, his
sister ’s not coming into the
room would have been no
surprise for Gregor as it would
have been difficult for her to
immediately open the window
while he was still there, but not
only did she not come in, she
went straight back and closed
the door behind her, a stranger
would have thought he had
threatened her and tried to bite
her. Gregor went straight to
hide himself under the couch,
of course, but he had to wait
until midday before his sister
came back and she seemed
much more uneasy than usual.
It made him realise that she still
found his appearance
unbearable and would continue
to do so, she probably even had
to overcome the urge to flee
when she saw the little bit of
him that protruded from under
the couch. One day, in order to
spare her even this sight, he
spent four hours carrying the
bedsheet over to the couch on his
back and arranged it so that he
was completely covered and his
sister would not be able to see
him even if she bent down. If
she did n o t t h i n k t h i s s h e e t
was necessary then all
she had to do was take it
o ff a g a i n , a s i t w a s c l e a r
enough that it was no
pleasure for Gregor to cut
himself o ff so
c o m p l e t e l y. S h e l e f t t h e
sheet where it was.
Gregor even thought he

68 69
 Neugroschel
believed he caught a
grateful glance when he
cautiously lifted it a
smidgen [pizca] with his head
to see how his sister was
taking this innovation.
During the first two
weeks, the parents could not
get themselves to come into
his room, and he often heard
them expressing their great
appreciation of the sister’s
efforts, whereas earlier they
had often been cross with her
for being, they felt, a
somewhat useless [153] girl.
But now both the father and
the mother would frequently
wait outside Gregor ’s door
while the sister tidied up
inside, and upon reemerging,
she promptly had to render
a detailed account of what
the room looked like, what
Gregor had eaten, how he
had behaved this time, and
whether he was perhaps
showing some slight
improvement. The mother,
incidentally, wanted to visit
Gregor relatively soon. At
first, the father and the sister
tried to reason with her, and
Gregor paid very close
attention to their arguments,
approving of them
w h o l e h e a r t e d l y. L a t e r,
however, the mother had to
be held back forcibly, and
when she then cried out, “Let
me go to Gregor, he’s my
u n h a p p y s o n ! D o n ’t y o u
understand I have to go to
him?” Gregor felt it might be
a good idea if she did come
in after all-not every day,
naturally, but perhaps once a
week: she was much better at
everything than the sister,
who, for all her courage, was
still a child and might
ultimately have taken on
such a demanding task
purely out of teenage
capriciousness.
Gregor ’s wish to see his
mother came true shortly.
During the day, if only out of
consideration for his parents,
he did not want to appear at
the window. On the other
hand, he could not creep very
far around the few square
del Solar
tud cuando, en algún mo-
mento y muy caute-
losamente, levantó un poco
la sábana con la cabeza para
ver cómo había asumido la
hermana el nuevo arreglo .
Durante las dos primeras
semanas, los padres no lo-
graron decidirse a entrar en
la habitación, y él escuchaba
a menudo cómo reconocían
plenamente el actual trabajo
de la hermana, cuando hasta
entonces se habían enfadado
muchas veces con ella por-
que les parecía una chica
algo inútil. Pero ahora, am-
bos, el padre y la madre, so-
lían esperar ante la habita-
ción de Gregor mientras la
hermana la arreglaba, [60] y
en cuanto ella salía, tenía
que contarles con todo lujo
de detalles qué aspecto tenía
el cuarto, qué había comido
Gregor, cómo se había com-
portado esta vez y si acaso
se notaba una pequeña mejo-
ría. La madre, además, qui-
so entrar a verlo relativa-
mente pronto, pero el padre
y la hermana la disuadieron,
al principio con argumentos
racionales que Gregor escu-
chó con gran atención y
aprobó por completo. Más
tarde, sin embargo, hubo que
retenerla por la fuerza, y si
entonces exclamaba:
«¡ D e j a d m e e n t r a r a v e r a
Gregor, mi pobre hijo! ¿No
comprendéis que debo entrar
a verle?», Gregor pensaba
que quizá sería bueno que la
madre entrase, no todos los
días, por supuesto, pero sí
una vez por semana; ella lo
entendía todo mucho mejor
que la hermana, quien pese
a su gran valor no era más
que una niña y, en última
instancia, quizá solo había
aceptado una tarea tan difí-
cil por pura ligereza infan-
til.
El deseo de Gregor de ver
a su madre se vio pronto sa-
tisfecho. Durante el día, y por
consideración hacia sus pa-
dres, no quería asomarse a la
ventana, pero tampoco podía
moverse mucho por los esca-
sos metros cuadrados del sue-
70
Stokes
look of gratitude when, in
order to see how his sister
was taking the new
arrangement, he
cautiously raised the sheet
a little with his head.
For the first fortnight his
parents could not bring
themselves to enter his room,
and he often heard them
w h o l e h e a r t e d l y
acknowledging the work his
sister was now doing, whereas
before they had frequently
been annoyed with her because
she seemed to them a
somewhat unhelpful girl. But
now both of them, his father
and his mother, often waited
outside Gregor’s room, while
his sister cleaned it out, and as
soon as she emerged, she had
to give them a detailed account
of how the room looked, what
Gregor had eaten, how he had
behaved this time, and whether
he had perhaps shown a slight
improvement. His mother,
incidentally, wanted to visit
Gregor relatively early on, but
his father and sister succeeded
at first in dissuading her with
rational arguments, to which
Gregor [33] listened most
attentively and with
unreserved approval. Later,
though, she had to be
restrained by force, and when
she cried out: ‘Let me see my
Gregor, my own unhappy son!
Don’t you understand that I
must go to him?’, Gregor
thought it might be a good
thing after all if his mother
came in, not every day of
course, but perhaps once a
week; she really did
understand everything so
much better than his sister
who, for all her courage, was
still only a child and had
perhaps, when all was said and
done, only taken on so hard a
task out of childish
recklessness.
Gregor’s wish to see his
mother was soon fulfilled.
During the day Gregor did not
want to show himself at the
w i n d o w, i f o n l y o u t o f
consideration for his parents,
but neither could he crawl
very much on the few square
Vialatte
rideau avec la tête pour
observer l’impression que
causait à sa soeur le nouvel
agencement, crut même
saisir dans ses yeux un
regard de reconnaissance.
Pendant la première
quinzaine, les parents
n’avaient pu prendre sur eux
de venir lui rendre visite, et il
leur entendit souvent louer le
zèle de sa soeur, en qui ils
n’avaient vu jusqu’alors
qu’une jeune fille inutile et
dont ils se plaignaient
souvent. Maintenant il arrivait
fréquemment au père et à la
mère d’attendre à la porte de
la chambre de Grégoire que
leur fille eût fini de nettoyer
pour se [48] faire raconter
minutieusement à sa sortie
dans quel état elle avait trouvé
la pièce, ce que Grégoire avait
mangé, ce qu’il avait fait de
particulier cette fois-là; ils lui
demandaient encore s’il n’y
avait pas un léger mieux à
constater. La mère se montrait
d’ailleurs relativement
impatiente de voir Grégoire,
mais le père et la fille la
retenaient par des arguments
qu’il écoutait d’une façon très
attentive et qu’il approuvait
pleinement. Plus tard,
pourtant, il fallut employer la
force, et quand la mère se mit
à crier : «Laissez-moi donc
voir Grégoire, c’est mon
pauvre fils malheureux! Vous
ne comprenez donc pas qu’il
faut que je le voie!» Grégoire
pensa qu’il serait peut-être
bon que sa mère vînt chez lui
sinon tous les jours, ce qui
eût été folie, du moins une
fois par semaine par
exemple; elle devait mieux
comprendre les choses que sa
soeur qui n’était qu’une
fillette malgré tout son
courage et n’avait qui sait? -
assumé sa lourde tâche que
par légèreté d’enfant.
Le désir qu’il éprouvait de
voir sa mère ne tarda pas à se
réaliser. Grégoire évitait
pendant la journée de se montrer
à la fenêtre, ne fût-ce que par
égard pour ses parents, mais ses
promenades sur le plancher ne
lui fournissaient pas de
Cl. David
reconnaissance, un jour
qu’avec précaution, il avait
s o u l e v é l é g è re m e n t l e d r a p
avec sa tête pour voir
comment sa soeur appréciait
sa nouvelle organisation .
Pendant la première
quinzaine, les parents
n’avaient pu prendre sur eux
d’entrer dans la chambre et il
les entendit souvent louer sans
réserve le travail de sa soeur,
alors qu’autrefois ils
s’irritaient fréquemment contre
elle, parce qu’ils estimaient
qu’elle n’était bonne à rien.
Maintenant, ils restaient
souvent tous les deux, le père
comme la mère, devant la
c h a m b r e d e G r e g o r, p e n d a n t
que sa saeur y faisait le
ménage, et, à peine était-elle
sortie qu’elle devait leur
raconter exactement de quoi la
chambre avait l’air, si Gregor
avait mangé, comment il s’était
comporté cette fois-là et si on
constatait un léger mieux. Sa
mère manifesta d’ailleurs
relativement tôt le désir d’aller
voir Gregor, mais le père et la
soeur l’en dissuadèrent au
début par des arguments de
raison, que Gregor écoutait
avec grande attention et qu’il
approuvait pleinement. Plus
tard cependant, il fallut la
retenir de force et quand elle
s’écriait : « Laissezmoi donc
voir Gregor mon pauvre fils,
qui est si malheureux! Vous ne
comprenez donc pas qu’il faut
que j’aille le voir?» , il pensait
qu’il serait peut-être bon
malgré tout que sa mère vienne
chez lui, pas tous les jours
naturellement, mais par
exemple une fois par semaine;
elle s’y entendait malgré tout
mieux que sa soeur, qui n’était
finalement qu’une petite fille,
en dépit de tout son courage et
qui n’avait peut-être au fond
assumé ce travail que par
légèreté enfantine.
Le désir qu’avait Gregor de
voir sa mère fut bientôt
satisfait. Pendant la journée, il
ne voulait passe montrer à la
fenêtre, ne fût-ce que par égard
pour ses parents; ses quelques
mètres carrés de plancher
étaient peu de chose pour y
Freed
caught a grateful look
once when he cautiously
raised the sheet a little
with his head to see how
the sister was taking the
new arrangement.
During the first two
weeks, the parents could not
bring themselves to enter his
room and he often heard
them praising the efforts of
the sister, whereas earlier
they had frequently been
annoyed with her because
she appeared to them to be a
somewhat useless girl. Now,
however, both the father and
the mother often waited
outside Gregor’s room while
the sister cleaned up inside,
and as soon as she stepped
out she had to report fully to
them on exactly how the
room looked, what Gregor
had eaten, how he had
behaved this time, and
whether perhaps some slight
improvement was
noticeable. Incidentally, the
mother wanted to visit
Gregor relatively soon but
the father and the sister put
h e r o ff w i t h l o g i c a l
arguments that Gregor
listened to very attentively
and approved of
wholeheartedly. But later she
had to be held back by force,
and when she cried out: “Let
me go to Gregor, he’s my
unfortunate son! Can’t you
understand that I must go to
him?” Gregor then thought
that it would perhaps be
beneficial if the mother did
come in, not every day of
course, but maybe once a
week; she understood
everything much better than
the sister, who for all her
pluck was still just a child
and may have ultimately
undertaken such a difficult
task out of childish
recklessness.
Gregor ’s desire to see
the mother was soon
fulfilled. During the
daytime Gregor did not
want to show himself at the
w i n d o w, i f o n l y o u t o f
consideration for his
parents, but he could not
71
Alianza
losamente con la cabeza
una punta de ésta, para ver
cómo la hermana acogía la
nueva disposición , creyó
adivinar en ella una mira-
da de grati t u d .
Durante las dos primeras
semanas, no pudieron [57]
los padres decidirse a entrar
a verle. Él los oyó a menu-
do ensalzar los trabajos de
la hermana, cuando hasta
entonces solían, por el con-
trario, reñirle, por parecer-
les una muchacha, como
quien dice, inútil. Mas, con
frecuencia, ambos, el padre
y la madre, esperaban ante
la habitación de Gregorio,
mientras la hermana la arre-
glaba, y, en cuanto salía
ésta, había de contarles
exactamente cómo estaba el
cuarto, lo que Gregorio ha-
bía comido, cuál había sido
su actitud, y si se advertía
en él alguna mejoría. La
madre, cierto es, quiso vi-
sitar a Gregorio en seguida,
y entonces el padre y la her-
mana la detuvieron con ra-
zones que Gregorio escuchó
con la mayor atención, y
aprobó por entero. Pero más
adelante fue menester impe-
dírselo por la fuerza, y
cuando exclamaba:
«¡Dejadme entrar a ver a
Gregorio! ¡Pobre hijo mío!
¿No comprendéis que nece-
sito entrar a verle?»,
Gregorio pensaba que tal
vez conviniera que su madre
entrase, claro que no todos
los días, pero, por ejemplo,
una vez a la semana: ella era
mucho más comprensiva
que la hermana, quien, a
pesar de todo su valor, no
dejaba de ser, al fin y al
cabo, solo una niña, que
quizá solo por ligereza in-
f an til se h ab ía echado so -
bre los hombros tan pe-
nosa carga.
[58] Poco había de tardar en
realizarse el deseo de Gregorio
de ver a su madre. Durante el
día, por consideración a sus.
padres, no se asomaba a la
ventana. Pero... poco podía
arrastrarse por aquellos dos
metros cuadrados de suelo.
Willie
glimpsed a look of
gratitude one time when
he carefully looked out
from under the sheet to
see how his sister liked
the new arrangement.
For the first fourteen days,
G r e g o r ’s p a r e n t s c o u l d n o t
bring themselves to come into
the room to see him. He would
often hear them say how they
appreciated all the new work
his sister was doing even
though, before, they had seen
her as a girl who was
somewhat useless and
frequently been annoyed with
her. But now the two of them,
father and mother, would often
both wait outside the door of
Gregor’s room while his sister
tidied up in there, and as soon
as she went out again she would
have to tell them exactly how
everything looked, what Gregor
had eaten, how he had behaved
this time and whether, perhaps,
any slight improvement could
be seen. His mother also
wanted to go in and visit
Gregor relatively soon but his
father and sister at first
persuaded her against it.
Gregor listened very closely
to all this, and approved fully.
Later, though, she had to be
held back by force, which
made her call out: “Let me
go and see Gregor, he is my
u n f o r t u n a t e s o n ! C a n ’t y o u
understand I have to see
him?”, and Gregor would
think to himself that maybe
it would be better if his
mother came in, not every day
of course, but one day a
week, perhaps; she could
understand everything much
better than his sister who, for
all her courage, was still just
a child af t e r a l l , a n d r e a l l y
might not have had an
a d u l t ’s a p p r e c i at i o n o f t h e
burdensome job she had
taken on.
Gregor ’s wish to see his
mother was soon realised.
Out of consideration for his
parents, Gregor wanted to
avoid being seen at the
window during the day, the
few square meters of the
floor did not give him much
 Neugroschel
meters of the floor, he found
it hard to lie still even at
night, and eating soon gave
him no pleasure whatsoever.
So, for amusement, he got
into the habit of prowling
crisscross over the walls
and ceiling. He particularly
liked hanging from the
ceiling. It was quite
different from lying on the
floor: he could breathe more
freely and a faint tingle
quivered through his body.
In his almost blissful
w o o l g a t h e r i n g [divaga-
ciones] [15 4 ] u p t h e r e ,
Gregor might, to his
own surprise, let go
and crash down on the
f l o o r. B u t s i n c e h e
naturally now
controlled his body
far more effectively
than before, he was
never harmed by that
g r e a t plunge. The sister
i n s t a n t l y n o t iced the new
entertainment that Gregor had
found for himself-after all, when
creeping, he occasionally left
traces of his sticky substance
behind. And so, taking it into her
head to enable Gregor to crawl over
the widest possible area, she
decided to remove the obstructive
furniture-especially the wardrobe
and the desk. However, there was
no way she could manage this alone.
She did not dare ask her father for
help, and the maid would most
certainly not have pitched in; for
while this girl, who was about
sixteen, had been valiantly sticking
it out since the cook’s departure, she
had asked for the special favor of
keeping the kitchen door locked all
the time and opening it only when
specifically called. As a result, the
sister had no choice but to approach
the mother one day during the
father’s absence. And indeed, with
cries of joyful excitement, the
mother came over, although
falling silent at the door to
Gregor ’s r o o m . First,
naturally, the sister checked
inside to make sure
everything was in order; only
then did she let the mother
enter. Gregor had hurriedly
pulled the sheet lower and in
tighter folds, truly making it
look as if it had been tossed
casually over the settee. This
del Solar
lo, y estar echado tranquila-
mente era algo que ya le cos-
taba soportar durante la no-
che. La comida dejó de pro-
ducirle placer muy pronto, y,
como distracción, adoptó la
costumbre de arrastrarse de un
lado para otro por las paredes
y el techo. Sobre todo le gus-
taba quedarse arriba, colgado
del techo; era algo totalmente
[61] distinto a yacer en el
piso, se respiraba con mayor
libertad, un leve balanceo le
recorría a uno el cuerpo, y en
el casi feliz aturdimiento que
embargaba a Gregor allá
arriba , podía ocurrir que,
para su propia sorpresa, se
desprendiese y fuese a es-
trellarse contra el suelo.
Pero lo cierto es que ahora
tenía un dominio de su cuer-
po muy distinto del de an-
tes, y no se hacía daño ni
siquiera tras una caída tan
grande. La hermana advirtió
enseguida el nuevo entretenimien-
to que Gregor había descubierto -al
arrastrarse de un lado para otro iba
dejando rastros de la sustancia vis-
cosa que llevaba en el extremo de
las patas-; y tuvo la idea de facili-
tarle al máximo los desplazamien-
tos sacando los muebles que pudie-
ran impedírselos, en particular el ar-
mario y el escritorio. Ahora bien,
ella sola no estaba en condiciones
de hacerlo, y no se atrevía a pedirle
ayuda al padre; la criada seguro que
no la habría ayudado, pues aunque
esa chiquilla de dieciséis años ve-
nía resistiendo valientemente des-
de que despidieron a la cocinera an-
terior, había pedido como favor es-
pecial que le permitiesen mantener
siempre cerrada la puerta de la co-
cina y abrirla tan solo si oía una lla-
mada concreta. No le quedó más re-
medio a la hermana, pues, que re-
currir a la madre un día que el pa-
dre no estaba. Con gritos de
emocionada alegría se acercó
la madre, pero enmudeció
ante la puerta del cuarto de
Gregor. Claro que la hermana
se cercioró primero de que en
la habitación todo estuviera
en orden, y solo después [62]
hizo entrar a la madre. Gregor
se había apresurado a exten-
der la sábana un poco más
abajo y formando más plie-
gues, y el conjunto parecía de
verdad solo una sábana arro-
72
Stokes
yards of floor, even at night
he found it difficult to lie
still, eating soon stopped
giving him the slightest
pleasure, and so for
amusement he acquired the
habit of crawling all over the
walls and ceiling. He was
particularly partial to
hanging from the ceiling; it
was quite different from lying
on the floor; one could
breathe more freely; a mild
vibration coursed through his
body; and in the almost happy
absent-mindedness w h i c h
Gregor experienced up
there, it sometimes
happened that to his ow n
surprise he let go and
crashed to the floor.
But now of course he
had his body under
much better control
than before and even
such a great fall did him
n o h a r m. His sister noticed
at once the new pastime that
Gregor had discovered for
himself - after all, he left
behind traces of his sticky
substance even when crawling
- and decided to give Gregor
as much crawling-space as
possible by removing the
furniture which stood in his
way, especially the chest of
drawers and the desk. But she
was unable to do this on her
own; she dared not ask her
father to help; the maid would
most certainly not have helped,
for [34] although this girl of
about sixteen had been braving
it out since the dismissal of the
previous cook, she had asked
as a favour to be allowed to
keep the kitchen locked at all
times and open it only when
specifically called on to do so;
so his sister had no alternative
but to fetch his mother when
her father was out. And his
mother did come, uttering
cries of excitement and joy,
though she fell silent at the
door of Gregor’s room. First,
of course, his sister checked
whether all was well within;
only then did she let her
mother enter. Gregor had very
hastily pulled the sheet down
even lower, creating more
folds - the whole thing really
did look like a sheet that had
Vialatte
compensations bien copieuses;
rester couché? même pendant la
nuit il ne le supportait guère; il
n’éprouva bientôt plus aucun
plaisir à manger, et il finit par
prendre l’habitude de se promener
dans tous les sens, pour se distraire,
sur les murs et sur le plafond. [49]
C’était surtout le plafond qu’il
aimait, pour s’y laisser pendre;
c’était tout autre chose que sur le
plancher : la respiration devenait
plus libre, un léger mouvement
d’oscillation vous traversait le
corps, et dans l’état d’euphorie
__ __ _ qui saisissait là-
haut Gr é g o i r e , i l l u i
arrivait à sa propre
surprise de lâcher le
plafond et de s’aplatir
sur le sol. Mais
maintenant, sachant
mieux utiliser les
ressources de son
corps, il réussissait à
rendre ces chutes
i n o f f e n s i v e s . Sa soeur eut
vite fait de remarquer son
nouveau passe-temps; il
laissait d’ailleurs çà et là aux
murs sur son passage des
traces de sa colle; et Grete se
mit en tête de lui faciliter ses
promenades en faisant
disparaître les meubles les plus
gênants, c’est-à-dire surtout le
coffre et le bureau .
Malheureusement elle n’était
pas assez forte pour en venir.
seule à bout et n’osait
demander l’aide du père; quant
à la bonne, elle aurait refusé
certainement, car, si cette
enfant de seize ans «tenait»
vaillamment depuis le départ
de l’ancienne cuisinière,
c’était sous réserve de pouvoir
se barricader continuellement
dans la cuisine et de n’ouvrir
que sur un ordre exprès; il ne
restait donc plus à la jeune fille
qu’à faire appel à sa mère un
jour où le père serait absent.
La mère arriva en poussant
des exclamations de joie
qui s’arrêtèrent devant la
porte de Grégoire. La soeur
vint opérer une inspection
préalable, et ne laissa entrer
la mère que quand ce fut bien
fini. Grégoire s’était dépêché
de rabaisser le drap encore
plus que d’habitude et de lui
faire une [50] foule de plis de
façon à donner à l’ensemble
Cl. David
r a m p e r, l a s t a t i o n a l l o n g é e
lui paraissait déjà pénible
pour la nuit; il n’éprouva
bientôt plus le moindre
plaisir à manger; aussi avait-il
pris l’habitude, pour se
distraire, de se promener sur les
murs et au plafond. C’est au
plafond qu’il se tenait le plus
volontiers; c’était beaucoup
mieux que d’être couché sur le
plancher; on y respirait plus
librement, on se sentait dans
tous ses membres agréablement
balancé; et, dans l’état d’heureux
a b a n d on o ù i l s e t r o u v a i t
l à -h a u t , i l l u i a r r i v a i t , à s a
propre surprise, de se
laisser tomber pour
r e b o n d i r s u r l e p l a n c h e r.
Mais il commandait
maintenant son corps
naturellement beaucoup
mieux qu’au début et ne se
faisait pas de mal, même
e n t o m b a n t d e s i h a u t . Sa
soeur remarqua tout de suite le
nouveau passetemps qu’il avait
trouvé - il laissait d’ailleurs
des traces de colle sur son
passage - et elle se mit en tête
de faciliter autant que possible
ses mouvements en retirant les
meubles qui pouvaient le
gêner, c’est-à-dire surtout la
commode et le bureau. Mais
elle n’était pas en mesure de le
faire toute seule; elle n’osait
pas demander de l’aide à son
père et on ne pouvait pas
attendre de secours de la
bonne, car cette enfant pouvait
avoir seize ans; elle tolérait
vaillamment la situation depuis
qu’on avait donné congé à
l’ancienne cuisinière, mais elle
avait demandé la faveur de
rester barricadée dans la
cuisine et de n’ouvrir que sur
un ordre exprès; il ne restait
donc pas d’autre ressource à la
soeur que de faire une fois
appel à sa mère, en l’absence du
père. La mère arriva donc dans
une grande excitation et en
poussant des exclamations de
joie, qui cessèrent cependant
quand elle fut arrivée devant la
chambre de Gregor. La soeur
vérifia naturellement tout
d’abord si tout était en bon
ordre avant de laisser entrer sa
mère. Gregor s’était hâté de
tirer son drap plus bas encore
qu’à l’ordinaire et de le laisser
Freed
crawl around very far in
the few square meters of
floor, nor could he bear to
l i e still even at night, and
eating gave him scant
pleasure, so as a distraction he
acquired the habit of crawling
crisscross over the walls and
ceiling. He especially liked
hanging from the ceiling; it
was entirely different from
lying on the floor, he could
breathe more freely and a mild
tingling r a n t h r o u g h h i s
body, and in the near joyful
oblivion in which Gregor
found himself up [30] there
he could, to his own
surprise, lose hold and
p l u n g e t o t h e f l o o r. B u t
naturally he now had
much more control over
his body than before and
was not harmed by even
s o g r e a t a f a l l . The sister
immediately n o t iced
G r e g o r ’s newfound
entertainment—after all he
did leave behind the sticky
traces of his crawling here
and there—and she got it into
her head to allow Gregor the
widest crawling space
possible by the removal of
the furniture that hindered
him, namely the bureau and
the desk. She was not,
h o w e v e r, a b l e t o d o t h i s
alone; she did not dare ask
for the father ’s help and the
maid would certainly not
help her because, although
she, a girl of about sixteen,
had had the courage to stay
on after the cook’s departure,
she had asked for the
privilege of keeping the
kitchen door locked at all
times and opening it only
upon specific requests. This
left the sister no choice but
to ask the mother at a time
when the father was out. The
mo t h e r d i d c o m e w i t h
exclamations of excited
delight but fell silent
outside the door to Gregor ’s
room. Naturally the sister
first checked to see that
everything was in order in
the room and only then ad-
mitted the mother. Gregor
had very hastily pulled the
sheet down lower in tighter
folds so that it really
73
Alianza
Descansar tranquilo le era
ya difícil durante la noche.
La comida, muy pronto dejó
de producirle la menor ale-
gría, y así fue tomando, para
distraerse, la costumbre de tre-
par zigzagueando por las pare-
des y el techo. En el techo,
particularmente, era donde
más a gusto se encontraba;
aquello era cosa harto distinta
que estar echado en el suelo;
allí se respiraba mejor, el cuer-
po sentíase agitado por una li-
gera vibración. Pero aconteció
que Gregorio, casi feliz, y al
tiempo divertido,
desprendióse del techo,
con gran sorpresa suya, y
se fue a estrellar cont ra el
suelo. Mas, como puede
suponerse, su cuerpo había
adquirido una resistencia
mucho mayor que antes, y,
pese a la fuerza del golpe,
no se lastimó . La hermana
advirtió inmediatamente el
nuevo entretenimiento de
Gregorio -tal vez dejase éste
al trepar, acá y acullá, rastro
de su babilla-, e imaginó al
punto facilitarle todo lo po-
sible los medios de trepar,
quitando los muebles que lo
impedían, y, principalmente
el baúl y la mesa de escribir.
[59] Pero esto no podía lle-
varlo a cabo ella sola; tam-
poco se atrevía a pedir ayu-
da al padre: y en cuanto a la
criada, no había que contar
con ella, pues esta moza, de
unos sesenta años, aunque se
había mostrado muy valiente
desde la despedida de su an-
tecesora, había suplicado,
como favor especial, que le
fuese permitido mantener
siempre cerrada la puerta de
la cocina, y no abrirla sino
cuando la llamasen. Por tan-
to, solo quedaba el recurso de
buscar a la madre en ausen-
cia del padre. La madre acu-
dió dando gritos de júbilo. Pero
se quedó muda en la misma
puerta. Como es natural, prime-
ro se cercioró la hermana de que
todo estaba en orden, y tan solo
luego la dejó pasar. Gregorio se
había apresurado a bajar la sá-
bana más que de costumbre, de
modo que formara abundantes
pliegues. La sábana parecía
efectivamente haber sido arro-
Willie
room to craw l a b o u t , i t w a s
hard to just lie quietly
through the night, his food
soon stopped giving him
any pleasure at all, and so,
to entertain himself, he got
i n t o t h e h abit of crawling up
and down the walls and
ceiling. He was especially
fond of hanging from the
ceiling; it was quite different
from lying on the floor; he
could breathe more freely; his
body had a light swing to it;
and up there, relaxed and
a l m o s t h a p p y, i t m i g h t
happen that he would surprise
even himself by letting go of
the ceiling and landing on the
floor with a crash. But now,
of course, he had far better
control of his body than
before and, even with a fall
as great as that, caused
himself no damage. Very soon
his sister noticed Gregor’s new
way of entertaining himself -
he had, after all, left traces
of the adhesive from his feet as
he crawled about - and got it
into her head to make it as easy
as possible for him by removing
the furniture that got in his way,
especially the chest of drawers
and the desk. Now, this was not
something that she would be
able to do by herself; she did
not dare to ask for help from
her father; the sixteen year old
maid had carried on bravely
since the cook had left but she
certainly would not have
helped in this, she had even
asked to be allowed to keep
the kitchen locked at all times
and never to have to open the
door unless it was especially
important; so his sister had no
choice but to choose some
time when Gregor’s father was
not there and fetch his mother
to help her. As she approached
the room, Gregor could hear his
mother express her joy, but once
at the door she went silent. First, of
course, his sister came in and looked
round to see that everything in the
room was alright; and only then did
she let her mother enter. Gregor had
hurriedly pulled the sheet down
lower over the couch and put more
folds into it so that everything really
looked as if it had just been thrown
down by chance. Gregor also
refrained, this time, from spying
 Neugroschel
time, Gregor also refrained
from peeping out from under
the sheet: he would go
without seeing the mother for
now and was simply glad that
she had come despite
everything. “Come on, he’s
out of sight,” said the sister,
evidently [155] leading the
mother by the hand. Gregor
now heard the two delicate
women pushing the very
heavy old wardrobe from its
place and the sister
constantly insisting on doing
the major share of the work,
ignoring the warnings from
the mother, who was afraid
s h e w ou l d o v e r e x e r t
herself. It took a very
long time. After probably
j u s t a q u a r t e r hour of
drudging, the mother said it
would be better if they left
t h e w a r d ro b e h e r e . F o r
one thing, it was too
heavy-they would not be
d o n e b e f o r e t h e f a t h e r ’s
arrival; and if the wardrobe
stood in the middle of the
room, it would block Gre-
g o r ’s m o v e m e n t s i n a l l
d i r e c t i o n s . S e c o n d l y, i t
was not at all certain that
they were doing Gregor a
favor by removing the
furniture. She said that the
opposite seemed to be the
case, the sight of the bare
wall literally made her
heart bleed. And why
wouldn’t Gregor respond in
the same way since he was
long accustomed to the
furniture and would therefore
feel desolate in the empty
room? “And isn’t that,” the
mother concluded very softly
(in fact, she persistently almost
whispered, as if, not knowing
Gregor’s precise whereabouts,
she wanted to keep him from
hearing the very sound of her
voice, convinced as she was
that he did not understand the
words), “and if we remove the
furniture, isn’t that like
showing him that we’ve given
up all hope of his improvement
and that we’re callously
leaving him to his own
devices? I believe it would be
best if we tried to keep the
room just as it was, so that
when Gregor comes back to us
del Solar
jada casualmente sobre el
sofá. Esta vez se abstuvo
además de espiar por debajo
de la sábana, renunció a ver
a la madre y se alegró bas-
tante de que por fin hubiera
venido. «Ven, entra, que no
se le ve», dijo la hermana
que, al parecer, llevaba a la
madre de la mano. Gregor
oyó luego cómo esas dos
mujeres débiles movían de
su sitio el viejo y pesado ar-
mario, y cómo la hermana
insistía en encargarse de la
parte más ardua del trabajo
sin escuchar las adverten-
cias de la madre, que temía
verla sometida a un esfuerzo
ex c e s i v o . L a o p e -
ración duró bas-
t a n t e t i e m p o. Ya al
cabo de un rato de trabajo
la madre di j o q u e s e r í a
mejor dejar el armario
donde estaba, en primer
lugar porque era muy
pesado y no podrían
acabar antes de que vol-
viese el padre, y deján-
dolo en medio de la ha-
bitación le bloquearían
a Gregor todos los ca-
minos, y en segundo lu-
gar porque no era nada
seguro que le hiciesen
un favor sacando los
muebles. A ella le pare-
cía más bien lo contra-
rio; ver la pared vacía le
o p r i m í a e l corazón; por
q u é n o h a b r í a d e s e n tir
Gregor lo mismo, ya que esta-
ba acostumbrado hacía tiempo
a los muebles de la habitación
y podría sentirse abandonado
en el cuarto vacío. «Además,
¿no parecerá...?», concluyó la
madre en voz muy baja -de
hecho hablaba casi susurran-
do, como si quisiera impedir
que Gregor, cuyo paradero
[63] exacto ignoraba, oyese si-
quiera el sonido de su voz,
pues estaba convencida de que
no entendía las palabras-, «¿no
parecerá que al sacar los mue-
bles le estamos demostrando
que hemos perdido toda espe-
ranza de que mejore y lo aban-
donamos a su suerte sin nin-
guna consideración? Creo que
lo mejor sería conservar la
habitación en el mismo esta-
do en que estaba antes, para
74
Stokes
been randomly thrown over
the couch. Once again Gregor
refrained from peering out
from under the sheet; on this
occasion he denied himself
the sight of his mother and
was simply happy that she
had come. ‘Come on, you
can’t see him,’ said his sister,
evidently leading his mother
by the hand. Gregor could
now hear the two frail
women shifting the old
heavy chest of drawers from
its place, with his sister
continually bearing the main
burden and ignoring the
anxious warnings of his mother,
who was afraid sh e might
overtax herself. It took a very long
time.After they had been at it for what
must have been a good quarter
of an hour, his mother said it
would be better to leave
the chest of drawers where
it was, for in the first place
it was simply too heavy and
they would not finish
before his father arrived,
and with the chest in the
middle of the room they
would be blocking Gregor ’s
every move, and secondly it
was by no means certain that
by removing the furniture
they were doing Gregor a
favour. It seemed to her that
the opposite was the case;
she found the sight of the
bare wall downright
depressing; and why shouldn’t
Gregor share the same feeling,
since he had long before grown
used to these pieces of furniture
and would therefore feel
abandoned in the empty [3.5]
room. ‘And wouldn’t it look,’ his
mother concluded very quietly,
in fact she had been almost
whispering the whole time, as if
she wanted to prevent Gregor,
whose precise whereabouts she
was unaware of, from hearing
even the sound of her voice, for
she was convinced that he did not
understand the words, ‘and
wouldn’t it look as if by
removing the furniture we were
giving up all hope of him making
a recovery and were callously
leaving him to his own fate? I
think it would be best if we tried
to keep the room in exactly the
same state as before, so that when
Gregor returns to us he’ll find
Vialatte
l’air d’une simple nature
morte. Il renonça aussi pour
cette fois à épier sous son
drap et à regarder sa mère;
il se réjouirait simplement
de sa venue. «Tu peux entrer,
on ne le voit pas», dit la
jeune fille; et elle amena la
mère en la tenant par la
main. Grégoire entendit
alors les deux faibles
femmes qui s’escrimaient à
déplacer le vieux coffre, un
meuble d’un poids
imposant; la soeur tenait à
assumer le plus lourd de la
tâche, malgré les
avertissements de la mère
qui craignait qu’elle ne se
fît mal. Cela prit beaucoup
de temps. Il y avait bien
déjà quatre heures
qu’elles suaient à la
besogne quand la mère
déclara qu’il valait mieux
laisser le coffre en place,
qu’il était trop lourd pour
elles, qu’elles n’auraient
pas fini avant l’arrivée du
père et que le meuble,
parvenu alors au beau
milieu de la chambre,
boucherait le passage dans
tous les sens; enfin et
surtout on ne savait pas si
Grégoire serait satisfait de
la disparition de son
mobilier. Pour son compte
la mère pensait que non;
l’ a s p e c t d u m u r v i d e l u i
s e r r a i t le coeur; pourquoi
Grégoire n’aurait-il pas
éprouvé la même sensation, lui
qui était habitué à ses meubles
depuis longtemps et qui se
sentirait délaissé dans sa
chambre vide? «A quoi cela
ressemblerait-il?» conclut la mère à
voix très basse; elles s’était
exprimée depuis le début par
chuchotements, comme pour
éviter à Grégoire, dont elle ignorait
le refuge, d’entendre, je ne dis pas
le sens - elle était persuadée [51]
qu’il ne comprenait pas - mais
même le son de sa parole.
«Est-ce que nous n’aurions
pas l’air, en enlevant les
meubles, de dire que nous
renonçons à l’espoir de le voir
guérir et que nous
l’abandonnons méchamment à
lui-même? Je crois que le
mieux serait de conserver la
chambre exactement comme
Cl. David
retomber dans ses plis; on eût
dit vraiment qu’on l’avait jeté
là par hasard sur le canapé.
Gregor s’interdit d’espionner à
travers le drap et renonça pour
cette fois à apercevoir sa mère;
il était déjà suffisamment
heureux qu’elle soit venue. « Tu
peux entrer, on ne le voit pas »,
dit la jeune fille qui devait
probablement tenir sa mère par
la main. Gregor entendit les
deux femmes qui essayaient
avec leurs faibles forces de
déplacer la vieille commode,
assez lourde malgré tout; c’était
la soeur qui prenait sur elle le
plus gros du travail, sans tenir
compte des objurgations de sa
mère, qui craignait qu’elle ne fît un
effort. Cela prit beaucoup de temps.
Après un bon quart d’heure de
besogne, l a m è r e d é c l a r a
qu’il valait finalement
mieux laisser la commode
là où elle était; d’abord,
elle était trop lourde et
elles n’en auraient jamais
fini avant le retour du
père et s’il fallait la
laisser au milieu de la
pièce, on ne ferait
qu’empêcher tout à fait
Gregor de bouger; et
d’autre part, il n’était pas
sûr qu’en retirant les
m e u b l e s o n l u i f i t p l a i s i r.
Elle avait l’impression du
contraire : quan t à elle,
l’aspect du mur nu lui
s e r r a i t l e coeur ; p o u r q u o i
Gregor n’aurait-il pas la même
impression? il était depuis
longtemps habitué à ses
meubles et pourrait donc se
sentir perdu dans une chambre
vide. « Et dans ce cas-là »,
dit-elle encore tout doucement
depuis le début, elle chuchotait
presque, comme si elle voulait
é v i t e r q u e G r e g o r, d o n t e l l e
ignorait le refuge, pût même
entendre le son de sa voix; car,
quant au sens de ses propos,
elle était sûre qu’il ne pouvait
pas les comprendre - « et dans
ce cas-là, est-ce que nous
n’aurions pas l’air, en retirant
les meubles, de renoncer à tout
espoir de guérison et de
l’abandonner sans réserve à son
sort? Je pense qu’il voudrait
mieux laisser la chambre
exactement dans l’état où elle
était auparavant, pour que
Freed
looked like a sheet
casually thrown over the
couch. He refrained from
peeking out from under the
sheet this time, renouncing
this very first sight of his
mother, and was only glad
she had come at all. “Come
in, you can’t see him,” said
the sister, evidently
leading the mother by the
hand. Gregor now heard
the two frail women
pushing the extremely
heavy old bureau from its
place and the sister taking
on most of the work, not
heeding the warnings of
the mother, who feared she
might overexert herself. It
took a very long time. After
struggling for a good quarter
of an hour, the mother de-
clared that they had better
leave the bureau where it
was; first, it was just too
heavy, they would not be
finished before the fa-
t h e r ’s arrival, and
Gregor ’s every movement
would be hindered with
the bureau in the middle
of the room, and second,
it was not at all certain
that removing the
furniture was doing
Gregor any great
service. It seemed to her
that the opposite was
true: The look of the
empty wall was
hear trendi ng, and wouldn’t
Gregor feel that same way
since he had been used to
the furniture for so long and
might feel bereft in the empty
room. “And doesn’t it look,”
concluded the mother very
softly, in fact she practically
whispered the whole time as
if, not knowing Gregor ’s
precise [31] whereabouts, she
did not want him to hear even
the sound of her voice, as she
was convinced that he could
not understand the words,
“and doesn’t it look, by
removing all the furniture,
like we’ve abandoned all hope
of his recovery and are
callously leaving him completely
on his own? I think it would be
best if we tried to keep the room
exactly as it was before, so that
when Gregor comes back to us
75
Alianza
jada allí por casuali-
d a d . Ta m b i é n g u a r d ó s e
esta vez de espiar por
debajo; renunció a ver
a su madre, gozoso úni-
camente de que ésta,
por fin, hubiese venido.
—Entra, que no se le
ve -dijo la hermana, que
sin duda conducía a la
madre por la mano.
Y Gregorio oyó cómo las
dos frágiles mujeres [60] reti-
raban de su sitio el viejo y har-
to pesado baúl, y cómo la her-
mana, siempre animosa, toma-
ba sobre sí la mayor parte del
trabajo, sin hacer caso de las
advertencias de la madre, que
temía se fatigase demasiado.
La operación duró bastante; verdad
es que, al cabo de un cuarto de hora, la
mad re declaró que más va-
lía dejar el baúl donde es-
taba, en primer lugar
porque era muy pesado,
y no acabarían antes del
regreso del padre, y ade-
más porque, estando en
medio de la habitación
el baúl, le cortaría el
p a s o a G r e g o r i o , y, e n
fin, porque no era segu-
ro que a Gregorio le
agradara que se retira-
sen los muebles. A ella
le parecía precisamente
que debía de ser todo lo
contrario. La vista de
l a s p a r e d e s d e s n u das
oprimíale el corazón. ¿Por
qué no había de sentir Gregorio la
misma impresión, ya que estaba
acostumbrado de antiguo a los
muebles de su cuarto? ¿Quién dice
que no se sentiría como abando-
nado en la habitación vacía?
—¿Y no parecería entonces
-continuó muy quedo, casi en
un susurro, cual si quisiese evi-
tar a Gregorio, que no sabía
exactamente dónde se encon-
traba, hasta el sonido de su voz,
pues estaba convencida de que
no entendía las palabras-, no
parecería [61] entonces que, al
retirar los muebles, indicába-
mos que renunciábamos a toda
esperanza de mejoría, y que lo
abandonábamos sin considera-
ción ninguna a su suerte? Yo
creo que lo mejor sería dejar el
cuarto como antes, a fin de
que Gregorio, al volver de
nuevo entre nosotros, lo en-
Willie
out from under the sheet; he gave
up the chance to see his mother
until later and was simply glad that
she had come. “ Yo u c a n c o m e
i n , h e c a n ’t b e s e e n ” , s a i d
his s ister, obviously
leading her in by the hand.
The old chest of drawers
was too heavy for a pair of
fee b l e w o m e n t o b e
h e a v in g a b o u t , b u t G r e g o r
listened as they pushed it
from its place, his sister
always taking on the
heaviest part of the work
for herself and ignoring
her mother’s warnings
that she would strain
herself. This lasted a
very long time. After
labou r i n g a t i t f o r
fifteen minutes or
more his mother said
i t w o uld be better to
leave the chest where it
was, for one thing it was
too heavy for them to
get the job finished
b e f o r e G r e g o r ’s f a t h e r
got home and leaving it
in the middle of the
room it would be in his
way even more, and for
another thing it wasn’t
even sure that taking the
furniture away would
really be any help to
h im. She thought just the
opposite; the sight of the
bare walls saddened her
r i ght to her heart; and why
wouldn’t Gregor feel the same
way about it, he’d been used to
this furniture in his room for a
long time and it would make
him feel abandoned to be i n a n
e m p t y r o o m l i k e that.
Then, quietly, almost
whispering as if wanting
Gregor (whose whereabouts
she did not know) to hear not
even the tone of her voice, as
she was convinced that he
did not understand her
words, she added “and by
t a k i n g t h e f u r n i t u r e a w a y,
won’t it seem like we’re
showing that we’ve given
up all hope of improvement
and we’re abandoning him
to cope for himself? I think
it’d be best to leave the
room exactly the way it was
before so that when Gregor
comes back to us again he’ll
 Neugroschel
he will find that nothing’s been
changed and it will be much
easier for him to forget what
happened.”
Upon hearing the
m o t h e r ’s w o r d s , G r e g o r
realized [156] that in the
course of these two
months the lack of
having anyone to
converse with, plus the
monotonous life in the
m i d s t o f t h e f a m i l y, m u s t
have befuddled his
mind, for there was no
other way to account for
how he could have
seriously longed to have
his room emptied out. Did
he really want the warm
room, so cozily appointed with
heirlooms, transformed into
a l a i r, w h e r e h e m i g h t , o f
course, be able to creep,
unimpeded, in any direction,
though forgetting his human
past s w i f t l y a n d t o t a l l y ?
B y n o w, h e w a s a l r e a d y
on the verge of forgetting,
and had been brought up
sharply only by the
m o t h e r ’s v o i c e a f t e r n o t
h e a r ing it for a long time.
Nothing should be
removed, everything had to
remain: he could not do
without the positive effects
of the furniture on his state
of mind. And if the
furniture interfered with
his senselessly crawling
about, then it w a s a g r e a t
asset and no loss.
Unfortunately, the sister
was of a different mind; in
the discussions concerning
Gregor, she had gotten into
the habit-not without some
justification, to be sure-of
acting the great expert in
front of the parents. So now
t h e m o t h e r ’s a d v i c e w a s
again reason enough for the
sister to demand that they
remove not only the
wardrobe and the desk, in
line with her original plan,
but all the furniture except
for the indispensable set-
tee. Her resoluteness was,
n a t u r a l l y, p r o m p t e d n o t
just by childish defiance
and the unexpected self-
del Solar
que Gregor, cuando vuelva a
estar con nosotros, lo encuentre
todo igual y pueda olvidar más
fácilmente este período ».
Al escuchar estas pala-
bras de la madre, Gregor
se dio cuenta de que la
falta de cualquier rela-
ci ó n d i r e c t a c o n e l l e n -
guaje humano, unida a
la monótona vida que
l l e v a b a e n e l s e n o de la
familia, había debido de
t r a s t o r n a r sus facultades
mentales en el curso de esos
dos meses; pues de lo contra-
rio no lograba explicarse cómo
había podido desear seriamente
que vaciaran su cuarto. ¿De
verdad tenía ganas de que trans-
formaran su cálida habitación,
confortablemente decorada con
muebles heredados de su fami-
lia, en una cueva en la que sin
duda habría podido arrastrarse
sin trabas en cualquier direc-
ción, pero a costa de olvidar al
mismo tiempo, rápidamente y
por completo, su pasado huma-
no? De hecho, ya estaba muy
próximo a olvidarlo, y solo la
voz de la madre, que él llevaba
mucho tiempo sin escuchar, lo
había conmovido. Nada debía
ser retirado; todo debía quedar
tal como estaba; no podía renun-
ciar a la benéfica influencia de
los muebles sobre su estado, y
si estos le impedían proseguir
[64] con su absurdo arrastrarse
de un lado para otro, no se tra-
taba de ningún perjuicio, sino de
una gran ventaja.
Pero la hermana no com-
partía, por desgracia, esta opi-
nión; se había acostumbrado,
y no sin cierta razón, a pre-
sentarse como particularmen-
te experta ante sus padres
cuando discutían asuntos re-
lacionados con Gregor, por lo
que ahora el consejo de la
madre fue motivo suficiente
para que la hermana insistie-
ra en sacar no solo el armario
y el escritorio, como había
pensado en un principio, sino
todos los muebles, exceptuan-
do el imprescindible sofá. Por
cierto que no eran solo una
terquedad infantil y esa con-
fianza en sí misma que, de
manera tan ardua e inespera-
76
Stokes
everything the same and it will
be that much easier for him to
forget what has happened in the
meantime:
On hearing his
m o t h e r ’s w o r d s , G r e g o r
realised that the lack of
all direct human
c o m m u n i c a t i o n ,
together with a desquels personne ne
monotonous life in the
m i d s t o f h i s f a m i l y, m u s t
h a v e c o n f u s e d his mind in
the course of these last two
months, for he could not
explain to himself in any
other way how he could have
seriously wished to have his
room cleared out. Did he
really want to have his warm
room, comfortably
furnished with family
heirlooms, transformed into
a cave in which, admittedly,
he would be able to crawl
about freely in all directions
but at the cost of swiftly and
totally forgetting his human
past? He was already on the
verge of forgetting it, and
o n l y h i s m o t h e r ’s v o i c e ,
which he had not heard for
so long, had brought him to
his senses. Nothing should be
removed; everything had to
stay; he could not do without
the beneficial influence of the
furniture on his state of mind;
and if the furniture prevented
him from carrying on with his
aimless crawling around, that
was no loss, but a great
advantage.
But his sister
unfortunately thought
otherwise; not without some
justification, she had grown
accustomed to taking on the
role, vis-a-vis her parents, of
a particularly well-qualified
[36] specialist whenever
Gregor’s affairs were being
discussed, and so her mother’s
advice was now sufficient
reason for her to insist on the
removal of not only the chest
of drawers and desk, which
was all she had been planning
at first, but of every item of
furniture, apart from the
indispensable couch. It was,
of course, more than childish
defiance and the self-confidence
Vialatte
autrefois, pour que Grégoire
ne trouve aucun changement
quand il nous reviendra et qu’il
oublie plus facilement.»
En entendant les
mots de sa mère,
Grégoire reconnut que
les deux mois de vie
monotone au cours
lui avait adressé la
parole avaient dû lui
t ro u b l e r l e c e r v e a u ; i l
ne pouvait s’expliquer
autrement le désir qui lui
était venu de posséder
une chambre vide.
Av a i t - i l v r a i m e n t e n v i e
de laisser transformer
cette pièce chaude,
confortablement garnie
de meubles de famille,
en une caverne où il
paierait d’un oubli
rapide et complet de son
humanité passée le droit
de batifoler sur les
murs? C’est que l’oubli
faisait déjà son oeuvre,
et, pour l’arracher à sa
torpeur, il n’avait pas
moins fallu que la voix
de sa mère qu’il n’avait
pl us entendue depuis si
longtemps. Non, n’enlevez
rien, tout doit rester, il ne
saurait se passer de la
bonne influence de ses
meubles et s’ils
l’empêchent de se livrer à
ses divagations rampantes,
ce ne sera pas un mal, mais
un bien.
La soeur ne fut
malheureusement pas
de cet avis; elle avait
pris avec ses parents
l’habitude de faire
[52] autorité dans la
question Grégoire; ce
n’était d’ailleurs pas
sans raison, et il suffit
cette fois-ci du conseil
de la mère pour la
décider à évacuer non
seulement le bureau et
l e b a h u t , qui avaient constitué
d’abord son unique objectif, mais
encore tous les autres meubles, à
l’exception de l’indispensable
canapé. Son exigence n’était
d’ailleurs pas le résultat d’une
simple bravade enfantine ou de ce
Cl. David
Gregor trouve tout inchangé
quand il nous reviendra et oublie
ainsi plus facilement tout ce qui
se sera passé entre-temps.»
En entendant ces propos
de sa mère, Gregor se dit que
ces deux mois au cours
desquels aucun être humain
ne lui avait adressé la parole,
en même temps que la vie
monotone qu’il menait au
sein de sa famille avaient dû
l u i tr o u b l e r l ’ e s p r i t ; s i n o n ,
il ne pouvait plus
comprendre comment il
avait pu sérieusement
souhaiter qu’on vide sa
c h a m b r e . Av a i t - i l v r a i m e n t
envie que cette pièce
c h a l e u r e u s e ,
confortablement remplie de
vieux meubles de famille,
soit changée en un repaire
dans lequel il pourrait
certes ramper librement
dans tous les sens, mais au
prix d’un oubli rapide et
total de son ancienne
condition d’homme? Il était
déjà tout près de l’oublier et
il avait fallu la voix de sa
mère, qu’il n’avait pas
entendue depuis
longtemps pour qu’il se
ressaisisse. Il ne fallait rien
enlever; tout devait rester en
place; il ne pouvait se passer
de la bonne influence de ses
meubles; et si ses meubles
empêchaient ses absurdes
reptations, ce n’était pas un
mal, mais un grand
avantage.
Mais la soeur fut
malheureusement d’une autre
opinion; elle avait pris
l’habitude, non sans raison, il est
vrai, de se considérer, en face de
ses parents, comme experte pour
tout ce qui regardait les affaires
de Gregor et il suffit, cette fois,
que sa mère ait formulé cet avis,
pour que Grete insistât non
seulement sur l’éloignement de
la commode et du bureau,
comme ç’avait été au début son
intention, mais sui celui de tous
les meubles, à l’exception de
l’indispensable canapé. Si elle
formulait cette exigence, ce
n’était naturellement pas
seulement par bravade enfantine
ni à cause de la confiance en
Freed
he can find everything
unchanged and forget that much
more easily what happened in
the meantime.”
Upon hearing the
m o t h e r ’s words,
Gregor realized that
the lack of any direct
human exchange,
coupled with the
monotony of the
f a m i l y ’s l i f e , m u s t
h a v e c o n f u s e d his
mind; he could not
otherwise explain to
himself how he could have
seriously wished to have
his room cleared out. Did
he really wish his warm
room, comfortably
furnished with old family
heirlooms, to be trans-
formed into a lair in which
he would certainly be able
to crawl freely in any
direction, but at the price
of rapidly and completely
forgetting his human past?
He had indeed been so
close to forgetting that
only the voice of the
mother, so long unheard,
si brought him to his senses.
Nothing should be
removed, everything must
stay as it was, he could not
do without the beneficial
influence of the furniture
on his state of mind, and
if the furniture impeded
his senseless crawling
about, it was not a loss
but a great boon.
Unfortunately, however,
the sister thought
differently; she had grown
accustomed, not entirely
without reason, to being
especially expert in any
discussion with her parents
concerning Gregor, and so
n o w t h e m o t h e r ’s a d v i c e
was grounds enough for her
to insist on removing not
only the bureau and desk,
as she had originally
planned, but also the rest of
the furniture, with the
exception of the
indispensable sofa. This
determination of course did
not arise only from childish
defiance and the
77
Alianza
cuentre todo en el mismo
estado y pueda olvidar tan-
to más fácilmente este pa-
réntesis.
Al oír estas palabras
de la madre, compren-
dió Gregorio que la fal-
ta de toda relación hu-
mana directa, unida a la
monotonía de la exis-
tencia que llevaba entre
los suyos, había debido
t r a s t o r n a r su inteligencia
en aquellos dos meses, pues,
de otro modo, no podía expli-
carse que él hubiese deseado
ver vaciar su habitación. ¿Es
que él deseaba de verdad sé
cambiase aquella su muelle
habitación, confortable y dis-
puesta con muebles de fami-
lia, en un desierto en el cual
hubiera podido, es verdad,
trepar en todas las direcciones
sin el menor impedimento,
pero en el cual se hubiera, al
mismo tiempo, olvidado rápi-
da y completamente de su pa-
sada condición humana? Ya
estaba él ahora muy cerca de ol-
vidarse de ésta, y únicamente
habíale conmovido la voz de la
madre, no oída hacía ya tiempo.
No, no había que retirar nada;
todo tenía [62] que permanecer
tal cual; no era posible prescin-
dir de la bienhechora influencia
que los muebles ejercían sobre
él, y, aunque éstos impedían su
libre ejercicio, ello, en todo
caso, antes que un perjuicio,
debía ser considerado como una
gran ventaja.
Por desgracia, la herma-
na no compartía esta opinión,
y, como se había acostumbra-
do -cierto es que no sin mo-
tivo- a actuar como perito
frente a los padres en todo lo
que a Gregorio se refería,
bastóle la idea expuesta por
la madre para insistir y decla-
rar que no solo debían ser
retirados de allí el baúl y la
mesa, en los que al principio
únicamente había pensado,
sino también todos los demás
muebles, excepción hecha
del indispensable sofá. Cla-
ro es que a ello no le impul-
saban únicamente su tozudez
infantil y aquella confianza
en sí misma, tan repentina
Willie
find everything unchanged
a n d h e ’ l l b e a b l e t o f o rg e t
the time in between all the
easier”.
Hearing these words
from his mother made
Gregor realise that the
lack of any direct human
communication, along with
the monotonous life led by
the family during these
two months, must have
made him confused - he
could think of no other
way of explaining to
himself why he had
seriously wanted his room
emptied out. Had he really
wanted to transform his
room into a cave, a warm
room fitted out with the
nice furniture he had
inherited? That would
have let him crawl around
unimpeded in any
direction, but it would
also have let him quickly
forget his past when he
had still been human. He
had come very close to
f o rg e t t i n g , a n d i t h a d o n l y
been the voice of his
mother, unheard for so long,
that had shaken him out of
it. Nothing should be
removed; everything had to
stay; he could not do without
the good influence the furniture
had on his condition; and if the
furniture made it difficult for
him to crawl about mindlessly
that was not a loss but a great
advantage.
H i s s i s t e r, u n f o r t u n a t e l y,
did not agree; she had
become used to the idea,
not without reason, that
she was G r e g o r ’s
spokesman to his parents
about the things that
concerned him. This meant
t h a t h i s m o t h e r ’s a d v i c e
n o w w a s s u ff i c i e n t r e a s o n
for her to insist on
removing not only the
chest of drawers and the
desk, as she had thought at
first, but all the furniture
apart from the all-
important couch. It was
more than childish
p e r v e r s i t y, o f c o u r s e , o r
the unexpected confidence
 Neugroschel
confidence she had
recently gained at such
great cost. After all, she
had observed that while he
needed a lot of space to
creep around in, Gregor, so
far as could be seen, made
no use whatsoever of the
furniture. Perhaps,
however, the enthusiasm of
girls her age [157] also
played its part-an
exuberance that they try to
indulge every chance they
get. It now inveigled*
Grete into making Gregor’s
situation even more
terrifying, so she could do
even more for him than
previously. For most likely
no one but Grete would
ever dare venture into a
room where Gregor ruled
the bare walls all alone.
* inveigle 1 : to win over by wiles : entice
And so she dug in her
heels, refusing to give in to
the mother, who, apparently
quite anxious and uncertain
of herself in this room, soon
held her tongue and, to the
best of her ability, helped the
sister push out the wardrobe.
We l l , G r e g o r c o u l d , i f
necessary, do without the
wardrobe, but the desk had
to remain. And no sooner
had the squeezing, groaning
women shoved the wardrobe
through the doorway than
Gregor poked his head out
from under the settee to
judge how he could
intervene as cautiously and
considerately as possible.
But alas, it was precisely the
mother who was the first to
return while Grete was still
in the next room, holding her
arms around the wardrobe
and rocking it back and forth
by herself without, of
course, getting it to budge
from the spot. The mother,
however, was not used to the
sight of Gregor-it might
sicken her. And so Gregor,
terrified, scuttered backwards
to the other end of the settee,
but was unable to prevent the
front of the sheet from
stirring slightly. That was
enough to catch the mother’s
eye. She halted, stood still
for an instant, then went
del Solar
da, había adquirido en los úl-
timos tiempos lo que la impul-
saba a plantear esta exigencia;
también había observado, en
efecto, que Gregor necesitaba
mucho espacio para arrastrar-
se y, en cambio, no utilizaba
para nada los muebles, al me-
nos hasta donde podía verse.
Pero quizá entraba además en
juego el temperamento exal-
tado de una muchacha de su
edad, que busca su satis-
facción en cualquier oportuni-
dad y ahora inducía a Grete a
volver aún más aterradora la
situación de Gregor, para lue-
go poder hacer por él mucho
más que hasta entonces. Pues
nadie, excepto Grete, se atre-
vería a entrar nunca en un es-
pacio en el que Gregor domi-
nara en solitario las paredes
vacías.
2 : to acquire by ingenuity or flattery
Así pues, no se dejó apar-
tar de sus propósitos por la
madre, quien, de pura inquie-
tud, también [65] parecía sen-
tirse insegura en esa habita-
ción, enmudeció pronto y,
como pudo, ayudó a la herma-
na a sacar fuera el armario. Eso
sí: de este aún podía prescin-
dir Gregor en caso de necesi-
dad, pero el escritorio tenía
que quedarse. Y en cuanto las
dos mujeres salieron de la ha-
bitación con el armario, que
empujaban entre gemidos,
Gregor sacó la cabeza de de-
bajo del sofá para ver cómo
podría intervenir con pruden-
cia y la máxima considera-
ción posible. Pero, por des-
gracia, fue precisamente la
madre la primera en volver,
mientras Grete, en la ha-
bitación contigua, rodeaba el
armario con los brazos y lo
zarandeaba sola sin lograr,
claro está, moverlo del sitio.
La madre, sin embargo, no
estaba acostumbrada a ver a
Gregor, cuyo aspecto habría
podido indisponerla, por lo
que este, aterrado, retrocedió
a toda prisa hasta el otro ex-
tremo del sofá, aunque no
pudo impedir que la sábana se
moviera un poco por delante.
Eso bastó para poner sobre avi-
so a la madre, que se detuvo en
seco, permaneció un instante en
silencio y regresó luego a don-
78
Stokes
so unexpectedly and painstakingly
acquired in recent weeks that
determined her to make this
demand; she had indeed
noticed that Gregor needed
plenty of room to crawl
around in, and there was no
sign that he made the
slightest use of the furniture.
But perhaps a contributory
factor was the romantic
spirit of girls of her age,
which seeks fulfilment at
every opportunity and which
had now tempted Grete into
making Gregor ’s situation
even more horrific, so that
she could be of even greater
help to him than before. For
no one but Grete would ever
dare to set foot in a room in
which Gregor reigned in
solitary state over the bare
walls.
synonym see lure
And so she would not
allow her resolve to be
shaken by her mother, who
out of sheer nervousness also
seemed unsure of herself in
that room, and soon fell silent
and began doing all she could
to help his sister get the chest
of drawers out. Now Gregor,
if need be, could manage
without the chest of drawers,
but the desk had to stay. And
no sooner had the women left
the room, groaning as they
flattened themselves against
the chest of drawers, than
Gregor poked his head from
under the couch to see how
he might intervene cautiously
and with as much tact as
possible. But as luck would
have it, his mother came back
first, while Grete in the
adjoining room was clasping
the chest of drawers, rocking
it unaided to and fro without
of course moving it an inch.
His mother, however, was not
used to the sight of Gregor -
looking at him might make her
ill - so Gregor reversed in a
panic to the other end of the
[37] couch, though he was
too late to prevent the sheet
at the front from swaying a
little. That was enough to
attract his m o t h e r ’s
attention. She stopped in her
tracks, stood still for a
moment and then went back
Vialatte
nouveau sentiment de confiance
en soi qu’elle venait d’acquérir
d’une façon si inattentendue et si
pénible; non, elle avait réellement
constaté que Grégoire avait
besoin de beaucoup d’espace
pour ses promenades, et qu’autant
qu’on pouvait s’en rendre
compte, il n’utilisait jamais les
meubles. Mais peut-être aussi
l’esprit romanesque des
fillettes de son âge n’était-il
pas étranger à sa décision;
une humeur qui cherche à
se satisfaire à tout propos et
qui la poussait en ce moment
à dramatiser la situation de
son frère afin de pouvoir se
dévouer davantage pour lui;
car nul, sauf Grete, n’oserait
désormais se risquer dans un
endroit où le seul Grégoire
régnerait sur des murs
déserts.
Elle ne se laissa donc pas
détourner de sa résolution
par sa mère que
l’atmosphère de cette
chambre rendait inquiète et
indécise, et qui ne tarda pas
à l’aider tant bien que mal à
évacuer le coffre. Soit, ce
meuble, Grégoire pouvait à la
rigueur s’en passer, mais le
bureau devait rester à sa
place; et à peine les femmes
eurent-elles quitté la chambre
avec le bahut qu’elles
poussaient en ahanant, [53]
que Grégoire sortit la tête
pour examiner les
possibilités d’une entrée en
matière pleine de prudence et
de tact; le malheur voulut que
ce fût justement la mère qui
revînt la première, tandis
que Grete, dans la pièce à
côté, les bras passés autour
du bahut, le secouait de
droite et de gauche sans
a r r i v e r à l e d é p l a c e r. L a
mère n’était pas habituée à
voir Grégoire, elle aurait pu
en faire une maladie;
effrayé, il se dépêcha de
reculer jusqu’à l’autre
extrémité du canapé, mais il
ne put empêcher le drap
d’enregistrer sur le devant
une légère agitation qui
attira l’attention de la vieille
dame; elle s’arrêta court,
resta figée un instant sur
place et retourna enfin vers
Cl. David
elle-même qu’elle avait acquise
ces derniers temps de manière si
soudaine et au travers de telles
difficultés; elle avait aussi
observé réellement que Gregor
avait b esoin de beaucoup
d’espace pour sa reptation,
mais que les meubles, autant
qu’on en pouvait juger, ne lui
servaient au contraire à rien.
Mais il était possible que fût
intervenu aussi l’esprit
romanesque des jeunes filles de
son âge, qui cherche toujours
à se satisfaire de toutes les
occasions; peut-être s’était-elle
laissé inciter à rendre pire encore
la situation de Gregor, afin de
pouvoir faire encore davantage
pour lui. Car personne, en dehors
de Grete, n’oserait probablement
mettre les pieds dans une pièce où
il régnerait tout seul au milieu de
ses murs nus.
Elle ne se laissa donc pas
détourner de sa résolution par sa
mère, à qui l’inquiétude qu’elle
éprouvait dans cette pièce ôtait tout
esprit de décision et qui ne tarda
pas à garder le silence et à l’aider,
dans la mesure de ses forces, à
déménager la commode. Bon,
Gregor pouvait à la rigueur se
passer de la commode, mais il
fallait absolument laisser le bureau.
Et les deux femmes avaient à peine
quitté la pièce avec la commode,
qu’elles tenaient serrée contre elles
en gémissant sous l’effort, que
Gregor passa la tête sous le canapé
pour examiner comment il pourrait
luimême intervenir, en y mettant
autant de ménagement et de
prudence qu’il lui serait possible.
Mais le malheur voulut que ce fût
sa mère qui revînt la première,
pendant que Grete, dans la pièce
à côté, les bras passés autour de
la commode, la secouait de
droite et de gauche, sans
parvenir naturellement à la
déplacer. Mais la mère n’était
pas habituée à la vue de Gregor;
elle aurait pu en t o m b e r
malade; aussi Gregor se
hâta-t-il de partir épouvanté
à reculons jusqu’à l’autre
bout du canapé; il ne put
toutefois éviter que le drap
ne fit un léger mouvement.
Cela suffit pour attirer
l’attention de sa mère; elle
s’arrêta court, resta sur
place un moment, puis partit
Freed
self-confidence she had
recently and so
unexpectedly developed at
such a cost; she had in fact
observed that Gregor
needed more room to
crawl, and as far as one
could see, he never used
the furniture. Her
determination may also
have arisen from the
romantic enthusiasm of girls
her age that seeks expression
at every opportunity and
tempted Grete to overplay
t h e h o r r o r o f G r e g o r ’s
predicament in order that she
might perform even more
heroically on his behalf than
previously. For in a room
where Gregor alone [32] ruled
over the bare walls, no one
other than Grete was likely to
dare set foot.
And so she refused to be
shaken from her resolve by
t h e m o t h e r, w h o s e e m e d
extremely anxious and
unsure of herself in this
room and soon quieted and
helped the sister, to the best
of her abilities, to push the
bureau outside. Now, in a
pinch Gregor could do
without the bureau but the
desk must absolutely stay.
And no sooner had the
women left the room,
grunting and heaving with
the bureau, than Gregor
poked his head out from
under the sofa to ascertain
how he could cautiously and
tactfully intervene. But as
luck would have it, it was
the mother who returned
first while Grete was still in
the next room with her arms
around the bureau, rocking
it and trying to shift it on
her own but naturally not
budging it an inch. The
m o t h e r , h o w e v e r, w a s
unaccustomed to Gregor ’s
appearance and it might
have sickened her; so
Gregor panicked and
scuttled back to the other
end of the sofa, but he could
not prevent the sheet from
stirring a little in front. This
was enough to catch the
mother ’s eye. She froze,
stood still for a beat, then
79
Alianza
cuan difícilmente adquirida
en los últimos tiempos; tam-
bién había observado que
Gregorio, además de necesi-
tar mucho espacio para arras-
trarse y trepar, no utilizaba
los muebles en lo más míni-
mo, y tal vez también, con
aquel entusiasmo propio de
las muchachas de su edad, an-
heloso siempre de una oca-
sión que le permita ejercitar-
se, dejóse llevar secretamente
por el deseo de aumentar [63]
lo pavoroso de la situación de
Gregorio, a fin de poder hacer
por él aún más de lo que hasta
ahora hacía. Y es que en un
cuarto en el cual Gregorio hu-
biese aparecido completamen-
te solo entre las paredes des-
nudas, seguramente no se atre-
vería a entrar ningún ser huma-
no fuera de Grete.
No le fue, pues, posible
a la madre hacerla desistir
de su proyecto, y como en
aquel cuarto sentía una gran
desazón, no tardó en callar-
se y en ayudar a la herma-
na, con todas sus fuerzas, a
sacar el baúl. Bueno; del co-
fre, en caso necesario,
Gregorio podía prescindir;
pero la mesa tenía que que-
darse allí. Apenas hubieron
abandonado el cuarto las
dos mujeres, llevándose el
cofre, al que se agarraban
gimiendo, sacó Gregorio la
cabeza de debajo del sofá,
para ver el modo de inter-
venir con la mayor conside-
ración y todas las precaucio-
nes posibles. Por desgracia,
la madre fue la primera en
volver, mientras Grete, en la
habitación de al lado, seguía
agarrada al cofre, zarandeán-
dolo de un lado paró otro, aun-
que sin lograr mudarlo, de si-
tio. La madre no estaba acos-
tumbrada a la vista de
Gregorio; podía haber enfer-
mado al verlo de pronto; así es
que Gregorio, asustado, retro-
cedió a toda velocidad hasta el
otro extremo del sofá; pero de-
masiado [64] tarde para evitar
que la sábana que le ocultaba se
agitase un poco, lo cual bastó
para llamar la atención de la ma-
dre. Esta paróse en seco, que-
dó un punto suspensa, y vol-
Willie
she had recently acquired,
that made her insist; she
had indeed noticed that
Gregor needed a lot of
room to crawl about in,
whereas the furniture, as
far as anyone could see,
was of no use to him at all.
Girls of that age, though,
do become enthusiastic
about things and feel they
must get their way
whenever they can.
Perhaps this was what
tempted Grete to make
Gregor ’s situation seem
even more shocking than it
was so that she could do
even more for him. Grete
would probably be the only
one who would dare enter a
room dominated by Gregor
crawling about the bare
walls by himself.
So she refused to let her
mother dissuade h e r.
G r e g o r ’s m o t h e r a l r e a d y
looked uneasy in his room,
she soon stopped speaking
and helped Gregor ’s sister to
get the chest of drawers out
with what strength she had.
The chest of drawers was
something that Gregor could
do without if he had to, but
the writing desk had to stay.
Hardly had the two women
pushed the chest of drawers,
groaning, out of the room
than Gregor poked his head
out from under the couch to
see what he could do about
it. He meant to be as careful
and considerate as he could,
but, unfortunately, it was his
mother who came back first
while Grete in the next room
had her arms round the chest,
pushing and pulling at it
from side to side by herself
without, of course, moving it
an inch. His mother was not
used to the sight of Gregor,
he might have made her ill,
so Gregor hurried backwards
to the far end of the couch.
In his startlement, though, he
was not able to prevent the
sheet at its front from
moving a little. It was
enough to attract his
mother ’s attention. She stood
very still, remained there a
moment, and then went back
 Neugroschel
back to Grete.
Gregor kept telling
himself that nothing out of
the ordinary was
happening, it was just some
furniture being moved. But
these comings and goings
of the women, their soft
c a l l s t o o n e a n o t h e r, t h e
sc r a p i n g [ 1 5 8 ] o f t h e
furniture along the floor
was, as he soon had to
admit, like a huge
r u mpus pouring in on all
sides. And no matter how
snugly he pulled in his
head and legs and pressed
his body against the floor,
he inevitably had to own up
that he would not endure
the hubbub much longer.
They were clearing out his
room, stripping him of
everything he loved. They
had already dragged away
the wardrobe, which
contained the fretsaw and
other tools, and they were
now unprying the solidly
embedded desk, where he
had done his assignments
for business college, high
school, w h y, even
elementary school-and he
really had no time to delve
into the good intentions of
the two women, whom,
incidentally, he had almost
forgotten about, for they
were so exhausted that they
were already laboring in
silence, and all that could
be heard was the heavy
plodding of their feet.
And so, while the women
were in the next room,
leaning against the desk to
catch their breath, he broke
out, changing direction four
times, for he was truly at a
loss about what to rescue
first-when he saw the picture
of the woman clad in nothing
but furs hanging blatantly
on the otherwise empty wall.
He quickly scrambled up to
it and squeezed against the
glass, which held him fast,
soothing his hot belly. At
least, with Gregor now
covering it up, this picture
would certainly not be
carried off by anyone. He
del Solar
de estaba Grete.
Aunque Gregor se dije-
ra una y otra vez que no
estaba ocurriendo nada
extraordinario, sino que
solo iban a cambiar de si-
tio unos muebles, aquel ir
y venir de las mujeres,
sus pequeños gritos, el
c h i r r i d o de los muebles al ser
arrastrados, todo esto, como tuvo
que confesarse pronto, cayó desde
todos lados sobre él como un gran
barullo , y, p o r m u c h o q u e
encogiera la cabeza y las
patas y a p r e t a r a [ 6 6 ] e l
cuerpo contra el suelo,
se vio irremisible-
mente obligado a de-
cirse que no aguantaría
aquello mucho tiempo.
Le estaban vaciando
su habitación, qui-
tándole todo lo que
él quería; el armario
en el que guardaba la
s ierra de marquetería y otras he-
rramientas ya se lo habían lle-
vado fuera, y ahora empezaban
a mover el escritorio, ya firme-
mente empotrado en el suelo;
donde él había hecho sus debe-
res cuando estudiaba comercio,
cuando cursaba estudios secun-
darios, e incluso cuando iba a la
escuela primaria... Ahora sí que
no tenía realmente tiempo para
verificar las buenas intenciones
de esas dos mujeres, cuya exis-
tencia, por lo demás, casi había
olvidado, pues el agotamiento
las hacía trabajar ahora en silen-
cio y solamente se oía el pesado
rumor de sus pasos.
Y así salió de pronto de su
escondrijo -en la habitación
contigua, las mujeres acaba-
ban de apoyarse en el escrito-
rio para tomar aliento-, cam-
bió cuatro veces la dirección
de su marcha, sin saber muy
bien qué debía salvar prime-
ro; cuando vio, colgado lla-
mativamente en la pared ya
vacía, el cuadro de la mujer
envuelta en pieles, se arrastró
presuroso hasta él y se pegó
contra el vidrio, que lo sostu-
vo y alivió el ardor de su
vientre. Al m enos ese cua-
dro, que Gregor tapaba
ahora totalmente, no se lo
quitaría nadie. Y volvió la
80
Stokes
to Grete.
Although Gregor kept
telling himself that nothing
out of the ordinary was
happening, that only a few
pieces of furniture were
being moved, he was soon
forced to admit that the
women’s to-ing and fro-ing,
their little calls to each
other, the scraping of the
furniture on the floor, were
affecting him like some great
turmoil that was being
fuelled from all sides, and no
matter how firmly he drew in
his head and legs and
pressed his body against the
floor, he knew for certain
that he would not be able to
stand it much longer. They
were clearing out his room;
depriving him of everything
he loved; they had already
carried out the chest of
drawers which contained his
fretsaw and other tools; now
they were prising free the
desk that had embedded itself
in the floor, at which as a
student of commerce, and
before that as a schoolboy, in
fact ever since his primary-
school days, he had always done
his homework - and he simply
had no more time to verify the
good intentions of the two
women, whose existence he
had in any case almost
forgotten, for they were so
exhausted that they were now
working in silence, and only
the heavy shuffling of their
feet could be heard.
And so he broke out - in
the adjoining room the women
were leaning against the desk
to catch their breath for a
moment - changed direction
four times, he really had no
idea what to salvage first,
then, noticing the picture of
the lady draped in nothing but
furs where it hung on the
otherwise bare wall, he
quickly crawled up to it and
pressed himself against the
glass which held him fast and
soothed his hot belly. This
picture, at least, which Gregor
was now completely [38]
covering, was certainly not
going to be taken from him.
Vialatte
Grete.
Grégoire avait beau se
dire qu’il ne se passait
rien d’extraordinaire et
qu’on déplaçait
seulement quelques
morceaux de bois, les
allées et venues des
femmes, leurs petites
exclamations, le
grincement des meubles
sur le plancher, lui
faisaient l’effet d’un
grand vacarme alimenté
de toutes parts, et, si fort
qu’il rentrât la tête,
contractât ses jambes et
se pressât sur le sol, il
devait s’avouer qu’il ne
supporterait pas
longtemps ce supplice.
Elles lui vidaient sa
chambre, lui emportaient
tout ce qu’il aimait; elles
avaient déjà fait disparaître
le bahut où il s e r r a i t s a
scie à découper e t tout son
petit outillage, elles
dégageaient maintenant le
bureau solidement ancré dans
le parquet depuis le temps
qu’il était en service, ce
bureau sur lequel il avait écrit
ses devoirs de l’école de
commerce, et même de
l’école [54] primaire; non, il
ne pouvait décidément plus
leur tenir compte de leurs
intentions; d’ailleurs il avait
presque oublié leur existence
car la fatigue les rendait
muettes et l’on n’entendait
plus que le claquement de
leurs pas alourdis.
Il opéra donc une sortie
pendant qu’elles restaient
appuyées sur le bureau dans la
pièce voisine pour souffler un
peu, et il se trouvait si perplexe
qu’il changea quatre fois de
direction; il ne savait par où
commencer son sauvetage quand
il aperçut brusquement l’image
de la dame toute en fourrure qui
prenait une importance énorme
sur le mur vide; il se dépêcha de
monter sur la cloison et de
s’appuyer sur le verre qui adhéra
à son ventre brûlant et le
rafraîchit d’une façon
délicieuse. Cette image que
Grégoire recouvrait
complètement, personne ne
Cl. David
rejoindre Grete.
Bien que Gregor se soit dit
constamment qu’il n’arrivait
rien d’extraordinaire et
qu’on déplaçait seulement
quelques meubles, il dut
bientôt convenir que ce
va-et-vient des deux femmes,
les phrases brèves qu’elles se
criaient l’une à l’autre, le
grincement des meubles sur
l e p l a n c h e r, q u e t o u t c e l a l u i
faisait l’effet d’un
remue-ménage, qui ne cessait
d’augmenter de tous les
côtés; et il avait beau replier
la tête et les pattes contre lui
et presser son corps contre le
sol, il fut contraint de se dire
qu’il ne pourrait pas
supporter cela longtemps.
Elles lui vidaient sa
chambre, on lui pre nait tout
ce à quoi il tenait; elles
a v a ient d é j à e n l e v é le
m e u b l e o ù i l r angeait sa
scie à découper et ses autres
outils, voilà maintenant qu’elles
dégageaient le bureau
profondément enfoncé dans le
plancher, sur lequel il avait
écrit ses devoirs lorsqu’il était
à l’école supérieure de
commerce, au collège ou même
déjà à l’école primaire; non, ce
n’était plus le moment de peser
les bonnes intentions que les
deux femmes pouvaient avoir; il
avait d’ailleurs presque oublié
l e u r e x i s t e n c e , c a r, d a n s l e u r
extrême fatigue, elles avaient
cessé de parler et l’on
n’entendait plus que le lourd
martèlement de leurs pas.
Il surgit alors de sa retraite,
pendant qu’elles reprenaient leur
souf fle d a n s l a p i è c e v o i s i n e ,
appuyées sur le bureau - il changea
quatre fois la direction de sa course,
sans parvenir à savoir ce qu’il devait
sauver pour commencer; c’est alors
qu’il aperçut sur le mur l’image de
la dame toute couverte de fourrure;
elle attira son attention, parce
qu’elle restait seule sur le mur nu;
il grimpa en toute hâte sur la
cloison, se pressa sur le verre, qui
adhéra contre lui et dont la fraîcheur
fit du bien à son ventre brûlant.
Cette gravure, en tout cas, qu’il
recouvrait maintenant de son
corps, personne ne viendrait la
lui prendre. Il fit un effort pour
Freed
retreated to Grete.
Although Gregor said
over and over to himself
that nothing out of the
ordinary was happening,
that some furniture was just
being moved around, he
soon had to concede that the
coming and going of the
women, their soft
exclamations, the scraping
of the furniture furniture
along the floor were all like
a roaring rising up and
pressing in around him, and
no matter how he tucked in
his head and legs and
flattened his body to the
f l o o r, h e w a s f o r c e d t o
admit that he could not
stand the ruckus much
longer. They were clearing
out his room, taking from
him everything that he
loved; they had already
dragged out the bureau,
which contained the fretsaw
and other tools, and now they
were prying loose the firmly
entrenched desk, at which he
had done his assignments
during business school, high
school, and even as far back
as elementary school-there
was now no longer any time
to contemplate the finer
intentions of the two women,
whose existence he had
actually almost forgotten,
because from sheer
exhaustion they were
struggling in silence and only
the heavy shuffling of their
feet could be heard.
And so he broke out-the
women were in the next
room, leaning on the desk to
catch their breath-and ran in
four dif ferent directions,
not knowing what to save
first; then he saw on [33] the
otherwise barren wall
opposite him the picture of
the lady swathed in furs
and quickly scrambled up
and pressed himself
against the glass, a surface
he could stick to and that
soothed his hea ted b elly.
At the very least this
picture, which Gregor now
completely concealed,
would be removed by no
81
Alianza
vió junto a Grete.
Aunque Gregorio
repetíase de continuo que se-
guramente no había de acon-
tecer nada de extraordinario,
y que solo unos muebles se-
rían cambiados de sitio, no
pudo por menos de impresio-
narle, cuando él mismo reco-
noció muy pronto, aquel ir y
venir de las mujeres, las lla-
madas que una y otra se diri-
gían, el rayar de los muebles
en el suelo; en una palabra,
aquella confusión que reina-
ba en torno suyo, y, encogien-
do cuanto pudo la cabeza y
las piernas, aplastando el
vientre contra el suelo, hubo
de confesarse, ya sin mira-
mientos de ninguna clase,
que no le sería posible sopor-
tarlo mucho tiempo. Le
vaciaban su cuarto, le quita-
ban cuanto él amaba: ya se
habían llevado el baúl en que
guardaba la sierra y las de-
más herramientas; ya movían
aquella mesa firmemente
empotrada en el suelo, y en
la cual, cuando estudiaba la
carrera de comercio, cuando
cursaba el grado, e incluso
cuando iba a la escuela, ha-
bía escrito sus temas... Sí; no
tenla ya ni un minuto que per-
der para enterarse [65] de las
buenas intenciones de las dos
mujeres, cuya existencia, por
lo demás, casi había olvida-
do, pues, rendidas por la fa-
tiga, trabajaban en silencio,
y solo se percibía el rumor de
sus pasos cansados.
Y así fue como -en el mismo
momento que las mujeres, en la
habitación contigua, recostábanse
un punto en la mesa escritorio
para tomar aliento-, así fue como
salió de repente de su escondrijo,
caminando hasta cuatro veces la
dirección de su marcha. No sabía
en verdad a qué acudir primero.
En esto, llamóle la atención, en la
pared ya desnuda, el retrato de la
dama envuelta en pieles. Trepó
precipitadamente hasta allí, y
aga r r ó s e a l c r i s t a l , c u y o
contacto calmó el ardor de
su vientre. Al menos esta
estampa que él tapaba
ahora por completo, no se
la quitarían. Y volvió la
Willie
out to Grete.
Gregor kept trying to
assure himself that nothing
unusual was happening, it
was just a few pieces of
furniture being moved
after all, but he soon had
to admit that the women
going to and fro, their
l i t t l e c a l l s t o e a c h o t h e r,
the scraping of the
f u r n i t u r e o n t h e f l o o r, a l l
these things made him feel
as if he were being assailed
from all sides. With his head
and legs pulled in against
him and his body pressed to
t h e f l o o r, h e w a s f o r c e d t o
admit to himself that he
could not stand all of this
m u c h l o n g e r. T h e y w e r e
emptying his room out;
taking away everything
that was dear to him; they
h a d a l r e a d y t a k en o u t t h e
chest containing his
fre t s a w and other tools; now
they threatened to remove the
writing desk with its place
clearly worn into the floor, the
desk where he had done his
homework as a business
trainee, at high school, even
while he had been at infant
school - he really could not
wait any longer to see whether
t h e t w o w o m e n ’s i n t e n t i o n s
were good. He had nearly
forgotten they were there
anyway, as they were now too
tired to say anything while
they worked and he could only
hear their feet as they stepped
heavily on the floor.
So, while the women were
leant against the desk in the other
room catching their breath, he
sallied out, changed direction
four times not knowing what he
should save first before his
attention was suddenly caught by
the picture on the wall - which
was already denuded of
everything else that had been on
it - of the lady dressed in copious
fur. He hurried up onto the
picture and pressed himself
against its glass, it held him
firmly and felt good on his hot
belly. This picture at least,
now totally covered by
G r e g o r, w o u l d c e r t a i n l y b e
taken away by no-one. He
 Neugroschel
turned his head toward the
p a r l o r d o o r, h o p i n g t o
observe the women upon
their return.
After granting
themselves little rest, they
were already coming back;
Grete had put her arm around
her mother, almost carrying
her. “Well, what should we
take next?” said Grete,
looking around. At this
point, [159] her eyes met
those of Gregor on the wall.
It was no doubt only because
of the mother’s presence that
she maintained her
composure. Bending her face
toward the mother to keep her
from peering about, she said,
a l t h o u g h t r e mb l i n g a n d
without thinking: “Come
on, why don’t we go back
to the parlor for a
moment?” It was obvious to
Gregor that she wanted to
get the mother to safety and
then chase him down from
the wall. Well, just let her
try! He clung to his picture,
refusing to surrender it. He
would rather jump into
Grete’s face.
But Grete’s words
had truly unnerved the
mother, who stepped
aside, glimpsed the
huge brown splotch on
t h e f l o w e r e d w a l l p a p e r,
and cried out in a
harsh, shrieking voice
b e f o r e actually realizing
that this was Gre g o r,
“Oh God, oh God!”
With outspread arms as if
giving up everything, she
collapsed across the settee
and remained motionless.
“Hey, Gregor!” the sister
shouted with a raised fist
a n d a p e n e t r a t i n g g l a r e.
These were her first direct
words to him since his
metamorphosis. She ran
into the next room to get
some sort of essence for
reviving the mother from
her faint. Gregor also
wanted to help (there was
time enough to salvage the
picture later), but he was
stuck fast to the glass and
had to wrench himself
del Solar
cabeza hacia la puerta de
la sala de estar para obser-
var a las mujeres cuando
volviesen.
Estas no se habían con-
cedido un gran descanso y
ya estaban de vuelta; Grete
rodeaba a la madre con
[67] el brazo, casi soste-
niéndola: «Y ahora ¿qué
nos llevamos?», dijo mi-
r a n d o a s u a l r e d e d o r. E n
ese instante su mirada se
cruzó con la de Gregor,
colgado en la pared. Solo
consiguió dominarse debi-
do a la presencia de la ma-
dre, hacia la que inclinó la
cara para impedirle mirar
en derredor, y dijo, aunque
con voz temblorosa y atur-
dida: «Ven, ¿qué tal si vol-
vemos otro rato a la sala de
estar?». La intención de
Grete le resultó clara a
Gregor: quería llevar a la
madre a un sitio seguro y
luego echarlo a él de la pa-
red. ¡Pues que lo intenta-
se! Él seguía aferrado al
cuadro y no pensaba ren-
dirse. Antes le saltaría a
Grete a la cara.
Pero las palabras de
Grete más bien habían in-
quietado a la madre, que se
hizo a un lado, vio la enor-
me mancha pardusca sobre el
papel floreado de la pared y,
antes de darse cuenta real-
mente de que lo que estaba
viendo era Gregor, exclamó
con voz ronca y estridente:
«¡Ay, Dios mío! ¡Ay, Dios
mío!», se desplomó sobre el
sofá con los brazos es-
tirados, como si renunciara
a todo, y no se movió. «¡Ya
está bien, Gregor!», gritó la
hermana con el puño en alto
y la mirada penetrante. Eran,
desde la transformación, las
primeras palabras que le
dirigía directamente. Luego
corrió a la habitación con-
tigua en busca de alguna
esencia con la que poder
despertar a la madre de su
desvanecimiento; Gregor
también quiso ayudar -ya
habría tiempo para salvar el
cuadro-, pero estaba firme-
mente pegado al cristal y
82
Stokes
He twisted his head round
towards the living-room door
to observe the women when
they returned.
They had not given
themselves much of a rest and
were already coming back;
Grete had put her arm around
her mother and was virtually
carrying her. ‘So, what shall
we take next?’ said Grete, and
looked about her. And then her
eyes met Gregor’s as he clung
to the wall. It was probably
only because her mother was
there that she kept her
composure, she lowered her
face close to her mother’s to
prevent her from looking
around, and said, albeit in a
quavering voice and without
thinking, ‘Come along, hadn’t
we better go back to the
living-room for a moment?’ It
was clear to Gregor what Grete
was up to, she wanted to lead
her mother to safety and then
chase him down from the wall.
Well, just let her try! He was
sitting there on this picture and
would not part with it. He
would sooner fly into Grete’s
face.
But Grete’s words had
only served to increase her
m o t h e r ’s a n x i e t y ; s h e
stepped to one side, caught
sight of the huge brown
blotch on the flowered
wallpaper, and, before it
had really dawned on her
that it was Gregor she was
looking at, cried out in a
harsh and screaming voice:
‘Oh God, oh God!’ and fell
across the couch with
outstretched arms, as if
abandoning everything, and
did not stir. ‘You, Gregor!’
cried his sister with raised
fist and piercing eyes.
These were the first words
she had addressed to him
directly since the
transformation. She ran
into the adjoining room to
fetch some smelling-salts
to revive her unconscious
mother; Gregor wanted to
help - he still had time to
rescue the picture - but he
was stuck to the glass and
had to tear himself free;
Vialatte
viendrait la prendre. Il tourna la
tête vers la porte de la salle à
manger pour pouvoir observer
les femmes à leur retour.
Elles ne s’étaient pas
accordé une récréation bien
longue et revenaient déjà chez
lui; Grete portait presque sa
mère qu’elle tenait par la taille.
«Eh bien, à qui le tour
maintenant?» dit-elle en
regardant dans tous les coins.
Ses yeux croisèrent alors ceux
de Grégoire perché sur son mur.
Si elle parvint à conserver son
sang-froid ce fut uniquement à
cause de sa mère vers laquelle
elle pencha la tête pour
l’empêcher de voir, et elle
déclara, trop vite, sans pouvoir
réprimer un tremblement :
«Allons, viens, nous ferions sans
doute mieux de [55] retourner
un moment dans la salle.»
L’intention de la jeune fille était
nette et Grégoire la comprit; elle
voulait placer d’abord la mère
en sûreté et le chasser du mur
ensuite. Eh bien, elle n’avait
qu’à essayer, il était couché sur
son image et il ne la lâcherait pas
ainsi. Plutôt sauter à la figure de
sa soeur.
Mais en parlant
Grete n’avait réussi
qu’à inquiéter sa
mère; celle-ci se
détourna, aperçut
l’énorme tache
brune qui s’étalait
sur le papier peint,
et avant d’avoir pu
i d e n t i f i e r
Grégoire, s’écria :
«Oh! mon Dieu, mon Dieu!»
d’ une voix glapissante et
rauque, tomba sur le canapé
les bras en croix dans un
geste de renoncement total et
cessa de donner signe de vie.
«Ohl Grégoire!» s’écria la
soeur en levant le poing et en
perçant Grégoire de ses
regards. C’était le premier
mot qu’elle lui adressât
directement depuis la
métamorphose. Elle courut
chercher des sels à la salle à
manger pour réveiller la mère
de son évanouissement,
Grégoire décida de l’aider -
cela ne l’empêcherait pas en
temps opportun de sauver
Cl. David
tourner la tête vers la porte du
séjour, pour pouvoir observer les
deux femmes lorsqu’elles
reviendraient.
Elles ne s’étaient pas
accordé beaucoup de répit et
revenaient déjà; Grete avait pris
sa mère par la taille et la portait
presque. « Qu’allons-nous
emporter, cette fois-ci?» ,
demanda-t-elle en promenant
ses regards autour d’elle. C’est
alors que ses regards se
croisèrent avec ceux de Gregor
s u r s o n m u r. E l l e p a r v i n t à
garder contenance, sans doute
à cause de la présence de sa
mère, pencha son visage vers
elle, pour l’empêcher de
regarder autour d’elle et
déclara, toute tremblante et
sans prendre le temps de
réfléchir « Viens! retournons
donc un instant dans la pièce de
séjour. » L’int ention de Grete
était claire et Gregor la comprit
aussitôt : elle voulait d’abord
mettre sa mère à l’abri, puis le
déloger de son mur. Eh bien’.
elle n’avait qu’à essayer! Il
était couché sur son image et il
ne la lâchait pas. Plutôt sauter
à la figure de Grete !
Mais les paroles de Grete
n’avaient réussi qu’à
inquiéter sa mère; elle se
détourna et aperçut
l’énorme tache brune qui
s’étalait sur le papier à
fleurs et avant même
d’avoir pu reconnaître que
ce qu’elle voyait était bien
Gregor, elle hurla d’une
voix rauque : « Oh! mon
Dieu, mon Dieu!», sur quoi
elle tomba sur le canapé en
écartant les bras, comme si
elle renonçait à tout, et resta
là immobile. « Oh! Gregor ! »,
cria la soeur en levant le
poing et en le perçant du
regard. C’étaient les
premières paroles qu’elle lui
eût adressées directement
depuis la métamorphose. Elle
courut dans la pièce voisine.
Elle partit chercher des sels
dans la pièce voisine pour
tirer sa mère de son
évanouissement. Gregor
v o u l u t a i d e r, l u i a u s s i - i l
serait toujours temps plus
tard de sauver la gravure -,
Freed
one. He twisted his head
around to the living room
door to observe the
women’s return.
They had not taken
much of a break and were
already headed back; Grete
had put an arm around the
mother and was almost
c a r r y i n g h e r. “ S o w h a t
should we take now?” said
Grete, looking around. And
then her eyes met Gregor ’s
gaze from the wall. It was
probably due only to the
presence of the mother that
she maintained her
composure, bent her head
down to the mother to keep
her from looking up, and
said, rather shakily and
without thinking: “Come,
why don’t we go back to the
living room for a moment?”
It was clear to Gregor that
she intended to get the
mother to safety and then
chase him down from the
wall. Well, just let her try!
He cleaved to his picture
and would not relinquish it.
He would rather fly in
Grete’s face.
B u t G r e t e ’s w o r d s
had quite unnerved the
mother; she took a
step to the side, took
in the huge brown
splotch on the flowered
w a l l p a p e r, a n d , b e f o r e
realizing what she saw
was actually Gregor,
screamed in a loud,
h a r s h v o i c e : “ Oh God!
Oh God!” and collapsed,
arms, outflung in total
abandon, onto the sofa
and did not move.
“Gregor, you!” yelled
the sister, glaring
fiercely and raising her
fist. These were her first
direct words to him since
the metamorphosis. She
ran to the next room for
some kind of aromatic
spirits to revive the
mother from her faint;
Gregor wanted to help
too-there was time
enough to save the
picturebut he was stuck
fast to the glass and had
83
Alianza
cabeza hacia la puerta del
comedor, para observar a
las mujeres cuando éstas
entrasen.
La verdad es que éstas no se
habían concedido mucha tregua.
Ya estaban allí de nuevo, ro-
deando Grete a la madre con el
brazo, y casi sosteniéndola.
—Bueno, y ahora ¿qué nos
llevamos? -dijo Grete mirando
en derredor.
En esto, sus miradas
cruzáronse con las de Gregorio,
pegado a la pared. Grete logró
[66] dominarse, cierto es que
únicamente a causa de la presen-
cia de la madre, inclinóse hacia
ésta, para ocultarle la vista de
lo que había en torno suyo, y ,
aturdida y temblorosa:
—Ven -dijo-, ¿no te parece
mejor que nos vayamos un mo-
mento al comedor?
Para Gregorio, la intención
de Grete no dejaba lugar a du-
das: quería poner a salvo a la
madre, y, después, echarle aba-
jo de la pared. Bueno, ¡pues que
intentase hacerlo! El continua-
ba agarrado a su estampa, y no
cedería. Prefería saltarle a Grete
a la cara.
Mas las palabras de
Grete solo habían logrado
inquietar a la madre. Esta se
echó a un lado; divisó aque-
lla gigantesca mancha oscu-
ra sobre el rameado papel
de la pared, y, antes de po-
der darse siquiera cuenta de
que aquello era Gregorio,
gritó con voz aguda:
— ¡Ay, Dios mío! ¡Ay, Dios mío!
Y se desplomó sobre el sofá,
con los brazos extendidos, cual si
todas sus fuerzas la abandonasen,
quedando allí sin movimiento.
Y se desplomó.
— ¡Ojo, Gregorio! -gritó la
hermana con el puño en alto y
enérgica mirada.
[67] Eran estas las prime-
ras palabras que le dirigía di-
rectamente después de la me-
tamorfosis. Pasó a la habita-
ción contigua, en busca de
algo que dar a la madre para
hacerla volver en sí. Gregorio
hubiera que rido ayudarla
-para salvar la estampa había
todavía tiempo-, pero se ha-
llaba pegado al cristal, y
Willie
turned his head to face the
door into the living room so
that he could watch the women
when they came back.
They had not allowed
themselves a long rest and
came back quite soon;
Grete had put her arm
around her mother and was
n e a r l y c a r r y i n g h e r. “ W h a t
s h a l l w e t a k e n o w, t h e n ? ” ,
said Grete and looked
around. Her eyes met those
of Gregor on the wall.
Perhaps only because her
mother was there, she
remained calm, bent her
face to her so that she
would not look round and
said, albeit hurriedly and
with a tremor in her voice:
“ C o m e o n , l e t ’s g o b a c k i n
the living room for a
while?” Gregor could see
what Grete had in mind,
she wanted to take her
mother somewhere safe and
then chase him down from
t h e w a l l . We l l , s h e c o u l d
certainly try it! He sat
unyielding on his picture.
He would rather jump at
G r e t e ’s f a c e .
But Grete’s words
had made her mother
quite worried, she
stepped to one side,
saw the enormous
brown patch against the
flowers of the
wallpaper, and before
she even realised it was
Gregor that she saw
s c r e a m e d : “Oh God, oh
God!” Arms outstretched,
she fell onto the couch as
if she had given up
everything and stayed
there immobile. “Gregor!”
shouted his sister,
glowering at him and
shaking her fist. That was
the first word she had
spoken to him directly
since his transformation.
She ran into the other
room to fetch some kind of
smelling salts to bring her
mother out of her faint;
Gregor wanted to help too
- he could save his picture
l a t e r, a l t h o u g h h e s t u c k
fast to the glass and had
 Neugroschel del Solar Stokes Vialatte Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie

lo o s e . H e t h e n a l s o
scurried into the next
room as if he could give
the sister some kind of
advice as in earlier times,
but then had to stand idly
behind her while she
rummaged through an
array of vials. Upon
spinning around, she was
startled by the sight of
him. A vial fell on the floor
and shattered. A sliver of
g l a s s i n j u r e d G r e g o r ’s
face, and some corrosive
[160] medicine oozed from
the sliver. Grete, without
further delay, grabbed as
many vials as she could
hold and dashed over to the
mother, slamming the door
with her foot. Gregor was
thus cut off from the mother,
who might have been dying
because of him; he had to
refrain from opening the
door lest he frighten away
the sister, who had to remain
with the mother. There was
nothing he could do but
wait, and so, tortured by
self-rebukes and worries, he
began to creep about—he
crept over everything,
walls, furniture, and ceiling,
and finally, in his despair,
when the entire room began
whirling around him, he
plunged down to the middle
of the large table.
tuvo que desprenderse con
esfuerzo; [68] después se di-
rigió también al cuarto de al
lado, como si pudiera darle
algún consejo a la hermana,
al igual que en otros tiem-
pos, pero tuvo que quedarse
detrás de ella inactivo, mien-
tras Grete hurgaba entre una
serie de frasquitos; al vol-
verse, se asustó y uno de los
frascos cayó al suelo y se
rompió. Una esquirla hirió a
Gregor en la cara, y un me-
dicamento corrosivo lo sal-
picó. Sin detenerse más
tiempo, Grete cogió todos
los frasquitos que pudo car-
gar y voló con ellos hacia
donde estaba la madre, ce-
rrando la puerta con el pie.
Gregor quedó entonces sepa-
rado de la madre, que quizá
estaba a punto de morir por
su culpa; no debía abrir la
puerta si no quería ahuyen-
tar a la hermana, que debía
quedarse con la madre; aho-
ra ya solo le quedaba espe-
rar, y agobiado por la pre-
ocupación y los reproches a
sí mismo em p e z ó a a r r a s -
trarse por todas partes, re-
corriendo paredes, muebles
y techo hasta que finalmen-
te, cuando la habitación en-
tera comenzó a girar en tor-
no a él, en su desesperación
se dejó caer en medio de
la gran mesa.
then he too ran into the
adjoining room as though
he could give his sister
some advice, as in the
past; but once there he had
to stand idly [39] behind
her; while rummaging
among various little
bottles, she turned round
and was startled; a bottle
fell to the floor and broke;
a shard of glass wounded
Gregor in the face, some
kind of corrosive
medicine poured over him;
without delaying any
longer, Grete now gathered
up as many bottles as she
could and ran with them in
to her mother; she slammed
the door behind her with her
foot. Gregor was now cut
off from his mother, who
through his fault was
perhaps near to death. He
could not open the door for
fear of driving away his
sister, who had to stay by
his mother ’s side; all he
could now do was to wait;
and tormented by
self-reproach and anxiety,
he began to crawl, he
crawled over everything,
walls, furniture and ceiling,
until finally, in his despair,
with the whole room
starting to spin around him,
he fell down onto the
middle of the big table.
l’image, - hélas! il se trouvait
collé assez solidement au verre
et dut faire un effort violent
pour se dégager; il courut
ensuite à la salle à manger
comme s’il pouvait donner
encore un bon conseil à sa
soeur, mais il dut se contenter
de se tenir passivement derrière
elle pendant qu’elle fourrageait
dans les fioles et il lui causa une
peur horrible quand elle se
retourna; un flacon tomba et se
brisa sur le plancher, un éclat
blessa même [56] Grégoire à la
figure, une médecine corrosive
se répandit à ses pieds; Grete
alors, sans plus s’attarder,
se chargea de toutes. les
fioles qu’elle put attraper
et se précipita vers la’ mère
en fermant la porte d’un
coup de pied. Grégoire se
trouva donc séparé de sa
mère qui était peut-être
près de mourir par sa faute;
il ne pouvait ouvrir la porte
sous peine de chasser sa
soeur dont le rôle était de
rester près de la malade; il
n’avait donc plus qu’à
attendre, et, dévoré de
remords et d’inquiétude, il
se mit à vagabonder sur les
murs, sur les meubles et le
plafond, si bien que tout se
mit à tourner autour de lui
et qu’il tomba dans son
désespoir au milieu de la
grande table.
mais il restait collé au verre
et dut faire un effort pour s’en
arracher; puis il courut dans
la pièce voisine, comme s’il
avait pu donner un bon
conseil à sa soeur, comme
autrefois, mais il dut se
contenter de rester derrière
elle sans bouger; en fouillant
parmi divers flacons, elle se
retourna et fut à nouveau
saisie d’effroi; un flacon
tomba sur le sol et se brisa
sur le , plancher : un éclat
blessa Gregor au visage, une
médecine corrosive se
répandit autour de lui; Grete,
sans s’attarder davantage,
saisit autant de flacons
qu’elle pouvait en porter et
s’élança avec eux pour
rejoindre sa mère; d’un coup
de pied elle ferma la porte.
Gregor était maintenant séparé
de sa mère qui, par sa faute,
était peut-être maintenant près
de la mort; il ne pouvait ouvrir
la porte sans chasser sa soeur,
qui devait rester auprès de sa
mère; il n’avait désormais
plus rien d’autre à faire qu’à
attendre; alors, assailli de
remords et d’inquiétude, il se
mit à ramper, à ramper sur tout,
sur les murs, les meubles, le
plafond- pour tomber enfin
d a n s s o n d é s e s p o i r, l o r s q u e
toute la pièce se mit à tourner
autour de lui, au milieu de la
grande table.
to wrench himself free, hubo de desprenderse de él t o p u l l h i m s e l f o ff b y
then he also ran into the violentamente. Después de lo force; then he, too, ran
next room, as if to offer cual, precipitóse también en into the next room as if he
advice as he used to, but la habitación contigua, cual si could advise his sister
had to stand idly behind le fuese posible, como anta- like in the old days; but
her once there while she ño, dar algún consejo a la he had to just stand
was rummaging among hermana. Mas hubo de con- behind her doing nothing;
the various bottles; she tentarse con permanecer she was looking into
was freshly shocked quieto detrás de ella. various bottles, he
when she turned around, Ella, entretanto, revolvía startled her when she
one of the vials fell to entre diversos frascos; al vol- turned round; a bottle fell
the floor and shattered, a verse, se asustó, dejó caer al to the ground and broke; a
splinter of glass sliced suelo una botella, que se rom- s p l i n t e r c u t G r e g o r ’s f a c e ,
G r e g o r ’s f a c e a n d a pió, y un fragmento hirió a some kind of caustic
corrosive medicine Gregorio en la cara, llenándo- medicine splashed all over
splashed around him; sela de un líquido corrosivo. him; n o w, without
Grete, without further Mas Grete, sin detenerse, co- delaying any longer, Grete
d e l a y, g r a b b e d a s m a n y gió tantos frascos como llevar- took hold of all the bottles
vials as she could hold, se pudo, y entró en el cuarto de she could and ran with
ran with them to her Gregorio, cerrando tras de sí la them in to her mother; she
mother, and kicked shut puerta con el pie. Gregorio slammed the door shut
t h e d o o r. G r e g o r w a s n o w encontróse, pues, completa- with her foot. So now
c u t o ff f r o m t h e m o t h e r, mente separado de la madre, la Gregor was shut out from
who might be near death cual, por culpa suya, hallábase his mother, who, because
because of him; he could tal vez en trance de muerte. ¡Y of him, might be near to
not open the door for fear él no podía abrir la puerta si no death; he could not open
of frightening away the quería echar de allí a la herma- the door if he did not want
sister, [34] who had to na, cuya presencia, junto a la t o c h a s e h i s s i s t e r a w a y,
stay with the mother; madre, era necesaria; [68] y, and she had to stay with
there was nothing to do por tanto, no le quedaba más his mother; there was
but wait, and plagued remedio que esperar! nothing for him to do but
with worry and Y, presa de remordimien- wait; and, oppressed with
self-reproach he began to tos y de inquietud, comenzó a anxiety and self-reproach, he
c r a w l , t o c r a w l a l l o v e r, trepar por todas las paredes, began to crawl about, he
over everything, walls, todos los muebles, y por todo crawled over everything, walls,
furniture, ceiling, and el techo, y, finalmente, cuan- furniture, ceiling, and finally
f i n a l l y f e l l i n d e s p a i r, do ya la habitación comenza- in his confusion as the whole
when the whole room was ba a dar vueltas en torno suyo, room began to spin around him
spinning, onto the middle dejóse caer con desesperación he fell down into the middle of
of the large table. encima de la mesa. the dinner table.

A short while passed, with
Gregor lying there worn out.
The entire apartment was still,
which was possibly a good
sign. Then the doorbell rang.
The maid was, naturally,
locked up in her kitchen, and
so Grete had to go and answer
the door. The father had come.
“What’s happened?” were
his first words; Grete’s face
must have revealed
everything. She replied in a
muffled voice, obviously
pressing her face into his
chest: “Mother fainted, but
she’s feeling better now.
Gregor broke out.”
“I expected it,” said the
father, “I kept telling you both,
but you women refuse to listen.”
It was clear to Gregor that
the father had misinterpreted
G r e t e ’s all-too-brief
Pasó un rato, Gregor ya-
cía ahí extenuado, el silen-
cio era total alrededor, y esto
acaso fuera una buena señal.
De pronto sonó el timbre. La
criada estaba, por supuesto,
encerrada en su cocina, por
lo que Grete tuvo que ir a
abrir. Era el padre. «¿Qué ha
pasado?», fueron sus prime-
ras palabras; el aspecto de
Grete se lo había dicho todo.
La joven respondió con voz
sorda, apretando al parecer la
cara contra el pecho del padre:
«Mamá se ha desmayado, [69]
pero ya se encuentra mejor.
Gregor se ha e s c a p a d o » .
«Ya me lo esperab a», dijo
el padre; «os lo he dicho
siempre, pero vosotras, las
mujeres, no queréis escu-
char». Gregor tuvo claro que
el padre había interpretado
A short time passed,
Gregor lay there limply,
silence reigned all around,
perhaps that was a good sign.
Then the doorbell rang. The
maid of course was locked up
in her kitchen, and so Grete
had to open the door. It was
Gregor ’s father. ‘What’s
happened?’ were his first
words; Grete’s appearance
must have told him
everything. Grete replied in a
muffled voice, with her face
presumably pressed against
her father ’s chest, ‘Mother
fainted, but she’s better now.
Gregor’s broken loose.’ ‘I
knew it,’ said his father, ‘I
kept telling you it would
happen, but you women never
listen.’ It was clear to Gregor
that his father had
misinterpreted Grete’s
Un instant passa :
Grégoire était étendu là,
fatigué; à l’entour, tout faisait
silence, c’était peut-être un
présage excellent. Mais
soudain il entendit sonner. La
bonne étant naturellement
barricadée dans sa cuisine,
Grete dut aller elle-même
ouvrir. C’était le père qui
rentrait. «Que s’est-il passé?»
demanda-t-il immédiatement :
sans doute l’expression de
Grete lui avait-elle tout
révélé. La jeune fille répondit
d’une voix étouffée - elle
appuyait probablement son
visage contre la poitrine du
père : «Maman s’est évanouie,
mais elle commence à se
remettre; Grégoire a fait des
siennes. - Je m’y attendais»,
répondit le père. «Je n’ai
jamais cessé de vous prévenir,
Un instant passa. Gregor
restait étendu là, épuisé; à
l’entour, tout était silencieux,
peut-être était-ce bon signe.
Mais soudain on sonna. La
bonne était naturellement
enfermée dans sa cuisine. Grete
dut donc aller ouvrir elle-même.
C’était son père. « Qu’est-il
arrivé? », furent ses premiers
mots. Sans doute (expression de
Grete lui avait-elle tout révélé.
Grete lui répondit d’une voix
étouffée - elle devait appuyer
sans doute son visage sur la
poitrine de son père
« Ma mère s’est évanouie,
mais elle va déjà mieux. Gregor
est sorti.» « Je m’y attendais »,
dit le père, « je vous l’ai
toujours dit, mais vous autres
femmes, vous ne voulez jamais
rien entendre.» Il fut évident
pour Gregor que son père s’était
A little while passed,
Gregor still lay prostrate
and everything was quiet;
perhaps this was a good
sign. Then the doorbell
rang; the maid was
naturally locked in the
kitchen so Grete had to
answer it. It was the father.
“What’s happened?” were
h i s f i r s t w o r d s ; G r e t e ’s
appearance must have told
all. Grete answered in a
muffled voice, her face
obviously thrust against the
f a t h e r ’s c h e s t : “ M o t h e r
f a i n t e d , b u t s h e ’s b e t t e r
now; Gregor ’s broken out.”
“Just as I expected,” said
the father. “I keep telling
you, but you women won’t
listen.” It was clear to
Gregor that the father had
misinterpreted Grete’s all
Así transcurrieron unos ins-
tantes. Gregorio yacía extenua-
do; todo en derredor callaba, lo
cual era tal vez buena señal. En
esto, llamaron. La criada estaba
como siempre encerrada en su
cocina, y Grete tuvo que salir a
abrir. Era el padre.
—¿Qué es lo que ha ocurrido?
Estas fueron sus primeras
palabras. El aspecto de Grete se
lo había revelado todo. Grete
ocultó su cara en el pecho del
padre, y, con voz sorda, declaró:
—Madre se ha desmayado,
pero ya está mejor. Gregorio se
ha escapado.
—Lo esperaba -dijo el pa-
dre-. Siempre os lo dije; pero
vosotras, las mujeres, nunca
queréis hacer caso.
Gregorio comprendió
que el padre, al oír las noti-
cias que Grete le daba a boca
He lay there for a while,
numb and immobile, all around
him it was quiet, maybe that was
a good sign. Then there was
someone at the door. The maid,
of course, had locked herself in
her kitchen so that Grete would
have to go and answer it. His
father had arrived home.
“What’s happened?” were his
first words; Grete’s appearance
must have made everything clear
to him. She answered him with
subdued voice, and openly
pressed her face into his chest:
“Mother’s fainted, but she’s
better now. Gregor got out.”
“Just as I expected”, said his
father, “just as I always said, but
you women wouldn’t listen,
would you.”
It was clear to Gregor that
Grete had not said enough and
that his father took it to mean

84 85
 Neugroschel
statement and leaped to the
conclusion that Gregor had
perpetrated some kind of
violence. That was why he
now had to try and placate the
father, for he had neither the
time nor the chance to
enlighten him. He therefore
fled to the door of his room,
squeezing against it, so that
t h e f a t h e r, [ 1 6 1 ] u p o n
entering from the vestibule,
could instantly see that
Gregor had every intention of
promptly returning to his
room and that there was no
need to force him back. All
they had to do was open
the door and he would
vanish on the spot.
But the father was in
no mood to catch such
niceties. “Ah!” he
roared upon entering,
and his tone sounded
both furious and elated.
Gregor drew his head
back from the door and
raised it toward the
f a t h e r. H e h a d r e a l l y
not pictured him as he
was standing there now;
n a t u r a l l y, b e c a u s e o f
his new habit of
creeping around,
Gregor had lately failed
to concern himself with
anything else going on
in the apartment and he
should actually have
been prepared for some
changes. And yet, and
yet, was this still his
father? The same man
who used to lie buried
in bed, exhausted,
whenever Gregor
started out on a mo hombre que, exhaus-
business trip; who,
whenever Gregor came
home in the evening,
would greet him,
wearing a robe, in the
armchair; who, being
quite incapable of
standing up, would only
raise his arms as a sign
of joy; and who,
bundled up in his old
overcoat, laboriously
shuffled along during
rare family strolls on a
few Sundays during the
year and on the highest
del Solar
mal el escuetísimo mensaje
de Grete y sospechaba que
Gregor había perpetrado al-
gún acto violento. De ahí
que, ahora, este tuviera que
intentar apaciguar al padre,
pues para darle explicacio-
nes no tenía el tiempo ni la
posibilidad. Y así se preci-
pitó hacia la puerta de su ha-
bitación y se pegó a ella para
que el padre, nada más en-
trar del vestíbulo, pudiese
ver que Gregor tenía la me-
jor intención de volver inme-
diatamente a su cuarto y no
hacía falta obligarlo a retro-
ceder, sino que bastaba con
abrir la puerta para que des-
apareciera enseguida.
Pero el padre no esta-
ba de humor para adver-
tir semejantes sutilezas:
«¡Ah!», gritó al entrar
en un tono a la vez furio-
so y satisfecho. Gregor
retiró la cabeza de la
puerta y la levantó hacia
el padre. En realidad no
se había imaginado así a
su padre, tal y como es-
taba allí; cierto es que
en los últimos tiempos,
por haber estado tan ocu-
pado con su novedosa
manera de arrastrarse
por la habitación entera,
había dejado de preocu-
parse como antes de lo
que ocurría en el resto
del piso, cuando, de he-
cho, tendría que haber
estado preparado para
toparse con situaciones
muy distintas. Pero, pese
a ello, ¿seguía siendo
aquel su padre? ¿El mis-
to, yacía sepultado en su
cama cuando Gregor [70]
emprendía un viaje de
negocios? ¿El mismo
que, las tardes en que
volvía, lo recibía en bata
sentado en su sillón, no
era capaz de levantarse y
se limitaba a levantar los
brazos en señal de ale-
gría? ¿El mismo que, du-
rante los raros paseos
que daban juntos, algu-
nos domingos al año y en
las festividades más se-
ñaladas, se abría camino
86
Stokes
all-too-brief announcement
and assumed that Gregor had
been guilty of some act of
violence. He now therefore
had to try to calm his father
down, for he had neither the
time nor the means to explain
the situation to him. And so
he fled to the door of his room
and pressed himself against it
so that when his father came
in from the hallway he could
see at once that Gregor had
every intention of returning
forthwith to his room, that it
was [40] unnecessary to drive
him back, that he only needed
to open the door, at which
point he would promptly
disappear.
But his father was in
no mood to notice such
niceties; ‘Aha!’ he cried
on entering, in a tone that
suggested simultaneous
rage and delight. Gregor
drew his head back from
the door and lifted it
towards his father. He had
really not pictured his
father the way he now
s t o o d t h e r e ; a d m i t t e d l y,
Gregor had been too
absorbed recently by his
new-found interest in
crawling to concern
himself, as he used to,
with what was going on in
the rest of the apartment,
and he ought really to
have been prepared to
find that circumstances
h a d c h a n g e d . Ye s , y e s ,
but could this really be
his father? The same man
who used to lie wearily
buried in bed whenever
Gregor set out on a
business trip; who greeted
him wearing
dressinggown and
reclining in an armchair
when he returned in the
evening; who was actually
hardly capable of getting
to his feet, but merely
raised his arms to
indicate that he was
pleased, and who on the
rare occasions when the
family went for a walk
together, on a few
Sundays each year and on
the major holidays, would
Vialatte
mais les femmes ne veulent
rien entendre.» Grégoire
comprit à ces mots que le père
avait mal interprété les
paroles de Grete et [57] se
figurait que son fils s’était
livré à quelque voie de fait. Il
n’était plus temps de
l’éclairer, il fallait chercher à
l’adoucir. Grégoire se réfugia
contre la porte de sa chambre
et s’y pressa pour que son
père vît en entrant, dès le
vestibule, qu’il avait la ferme
intention de réintégrer ses
quartiers et qu’il n’était pas
nécessaire de l’y contraindre
par la violence; qu’on lui
ouvrît seulement la porte et il
disparaîtrait aussitôt.
Mais le père n’était
pas d’humeur à d’humeur à entendre ces
remarquer ces nuances :
«Ah! ah!» s’écria-t-il du
plus loin, sur un ton de
joie et de colère.
Grégoire écarta la tête de
la porte et la leva vers M.
Samsa. Il fut surpris : il
ne se l’était pas
représenté comme il le
vit là; il est vrai que
pendant les derniers
temps il avait oublié de
surveiller comme
autrefois les événements
de la maison pour se
livrer à son nouveau
système de promenade, et
il aurait dû s’attendre à
rencontrer des
changements chez les
siens. Pourtant..
pourtant.. était-ce bien là
son père? Etait-ce bien
ce même homme qui
restait enfoui dans son
lit, fatigué, quand
Grégoire partait autrefois
a en voyage? qui le
recevait en robe de
c h a m b r e , à s o n r e t o u r,
dans un fauteuil d’où il
ne pouvait même pas se
l e v e r, s e c o n t e n t a n t d e
jeter les bras au ciel pour
manifester sa joie? ce
vieillard qui, pendant les
rares promenades
familiales, deux ou trois
dimanches par an et les
jours de grande fête,
traînait la jambe entre
Grégoire et la mère qui
Cl. David
mépris sur les trop brèves
paroles de Grete, et croyait
qu’il s’était livré à quelque
méfait. Gregor devait donc
chercher à le calmer; il n’avait,
en effet, ni le temps ni la
possibilité de le mettre au
courant de ce qui s’était passé;
il se réfugia donc contre la porte
de sa chambre et resta appuyé
contre elle, afin que son père,
en venant du vestibule puisse
voir immédiatement qu’il avait
les meilleures intentions, qu’il
allait retourner tout de suite
dans sa chambre, qu’il n’était
donc pas nécessaire de l’y
contraindre : il suffisait
d’ouvrir la porte, il disparaîtrait
aussitôt.
Mais lé père n’était pas
finesses. « Ah!»,
s’écria-t-il dès qu’il fut
entré, comme s’il était à la
fois plein de fureur et de
joie. Gregor écarta la tête
de la porte et la leva vers
son père. Il ne l’avait
jamais vraiment imaginé
tel qu’il était devenu; il
est vrai que, ces derniers
temps, à force de ramper
comme il en avait pris
l’habitude, il avait négligé
de se soucier des
événements dans le reste
de la maison et il devait
s’attendre à trouver du
changement. I1 n’empêche,
il n’empêche, était-ce bien
encore son père? Était-ce
encore l’homme à bout de
forces qui restait enfoui
dans son lit quand Gregor
partait autrefois en voyage
professionnel, qui, le soir
du retour, l’accueillait en
robe de chambre, enfoncé
dans son fauteuil, qui
n’était même pas capable
de se mettre debout et se
contentait de lever le bras
en signe de joie, et qui,
lors des rares promenades
familiales, quelques
dimanches dans l’année et
les jours de grande fête,
traînait la jambe
péniblement entre Gregor
et sa mère, qui faisaient
pourtant déjà leur possible
pour marcher lentement;
cet homme empaqueté d’un
Freed
too brief statement and
assumed Gregor was guilty
of some kind of violence.
Gregor now had to try to
placate the father, for he
had neither the time nor the
means for an explanation.
And so Gregor flew to the
door of his room, crouching
against it, to show his
father as soon as he came
in from the foyer that he
had every intention of
returning at once to his
room and that it was not
necessary to drive him
back; if only someone
w o u l d o p e n t h e d o o r, h e
would immediately
disappear.
But the father was in
no mood to make such
fine distinctions. “Ah!”
he cried as soon as he
entered, in a tone both
furious and exultant.
Gregor drew his head
back from the door and
raised it toward the
father. He had not at all
pictured his father like
this as he was standing
there now; admittedly
he had been
preoccupied of late
with his newly
discovered crawling to
concern himself about
what was going on in
the household, and he
really should have been
prepared for some
changes. And yet, and
yet could this indeed
still be the father? The
same man who used to
lie wearily buried in
bed when Gregor left
for a business trip; who
welcomed his return in
the evening by merely
raising his arms to
s h o w h i s j o y, n o t b e i n g
quite able to get up,
and reclining in an
armchair in his robe;
who, during the rare
family walks a few
Sundays a year and on
the highest holidays,
shuffled laboriously
between Gregor and the
m o t h e r, a l w a y s m o v i n g
a bit slower than their
Alianza
de jarro, había entendido
mal, y se figuraba, sin duda,
que él había cometido algún
acto de violencia. Necesita-
ba, por tanto, apaciguar [69]
al padre, pues no tenía ni
tiempo ni medios para acla-
rarle lo ocurrido. Precipitóse
hacia la puerta de su habita-
ción, aplastándose contra
ella, para que el padre, en
cuanto entrase, se percatase
de que Gregorio tenía inten-
ción de regresar inmediata-
mente a su cuarto, y de que
no solo no era preciso
empujarlo hacia dentro, sino
que bastaba abrirle la puer-
ta para que al punto desapa-
reciese.
Pero el estado de ánimo del
padre no era el más a propósito
para advertir estas sutilezas.
— ¡ Ay ! - g r i t ó , a l e n -
trar, con un tono a un
tiempo furioso y triunfan-
te. Gregorio apartó la ca-
beza de la puerta, y la
alzó hacia su padre. Toda-
vía no se había presenta-
do a éste en su nuevo es-
t a d o . Ve r d a d e s t a m b i é n
que, en los últimos ,tiem-
too pos, ocupado por entero
en establecer su nuevo
sistema de arrastrarse por
d o q u i e r, h a b í a d e j a d o d e
preocuparse como antes
de lo que sucedía en el
resto de la casa; y que,
por tanto, debía haberse
preparado a encontrar las
cosas harto cambiadas.
Pero, y pese a todo, ¿era
aquél realmente su pa-
dre? ¿Era éste aquel
hombre que, antaño,
cuando Gregorio se pre-
paraba a emprender un
viaje de negocios, perma-
necía [70] fatigado en la
cama? ¿Aquel mismo
hombre que, al regresar a
casa le acogía en bata,
hundido en su butaca, y
que, por no estar en con-
diciones de levantarse,
contentábase con alzar
los brazos en señal de
alegría? ¿Aquel mismo
hombre que, en los raros
paseos dados en común,
algunos domingos, o en
las fiestas principales,
87
Willie
that something bad had
happened, that he was
responsible for some act of
violence. That meant Gregor
would now have to try to calm
his father, as he did not have the
time to explain things to him
even if that had been possible.
So he fled to the door of his
room and pressed himself
against it so that his father,
when he came in from the hall,
could see straight away that
Gregor had the best intentions
and would go back into his
room without delay, that it
would not be necessary to drive
him back but that they had only
to open the door and he would
disappear.
His father, though,
was not in the mood to
notice subtleties like
that; “Ah!”, he shouted
as he came in, sounding
as if he were both angry
and glad at the same
time. Gregor drew his
head back from the door
and lifted it towards his
f a t h e r. H e r e a l l y h a d
not imagined his father
the way he stood there
now; of late, with his
new habit of crawling
about, he had neglected
to pay attention to what
was going on the rest of
the flat the way he had
done before. He really
ought to have expected
things to have changed,
but still, still, was that
really his father? The
same tired man as used
to be laying there
entombed in his bed
when Gregor came back
from his business trips,
who would receive him
sitting in the armchair
in his nightgown when
he came back in the
evenings; who was
hardly even able to
stand up but, as a sign
of his pleasure, would
just raise his arms and
who, on the couple of
times a year when they
went for a walk together
on a Sunday or public
holiday wrapped up
tightly in his overcoat
 Neugroschel del Solar Stokes Vialatte Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie

holidays, a l w a y s e n t r e G r e g o r y l a m a d r e , always struggle on between marchaient pourtant au vieux manteau, qui avançait already slowed pace, entre Gregorio y la madre, between Gregor and his
c a u t i o u s l y p l a n t i n g h i s q u e y a d e p o r s í c a m i n a - Gregor and his mother, who petit pas? cet homme péniblement, en prenant bundled in his old cuyo paso, ya de por sí era m o t h e r, w o u l d a l w a y s
c a n e , t r u d g i n g a b i t ban lentamente, un poco were slow walkers empaqueté [58] d’un vieux précautionneusement appui overcoat and carefully lento, pero que entonces labour his way forward a
m o r e s l o w l y b e t w e e n m á s l e n t o q u e e l l o s , e n - themselves, even slightly manteau, qui travaillait sur sa canne d’infirme et plodding forward by acortábáse todavía más, little more slowly than
G r e g o r a n d t h e m o t h e r v u e l t o e n s u v i e j o a b r i g o , m o r e s l o w l y t h a n t h e y, toujours d’une canne qui, lorsqu’il voulait dire meticulously placing avanzaba envuelto en su them, who were already
( t h e y w e r e w a l k i n g a p o y a n d o e l b a s t ó n s i e m - wrapped in his old overcoat, prudente pour avancer quelque chose, s’arrêtait his cane; and [35] who, viejo gabán, apoyándose walking slowly for his
s l o w l y a s i t w a s ) , a n d p r e c o n c u i d a d o , y, c u a n - with his crookhandled stick péniblement, et qui était presque chaque fois en when he wanted to say cuidadosamente en el bas- sake; who would place his
w h o , w h e n e v e r h e w a s d o q u e r í a d e c i r a l g o , c a s i always placed cautiously in o b l i g é , p o u r p a r l e r, d e forçant ceux qui something, nearly tón, y que solía pararse stick down carefully and,
a b o u t t o s a y a n y t h i n g , s i e m p r e s e d e t e n í a y c o n - front of him, and who, when s’arrêter tous les trois pas l’accompagnaient à former always stood still and cada vez que quería decir if he wanted to say
n e a r l y a l w a y s h a l t e d g r e g a b a a s u s a c o m p a - he wanted to say something, et de rappeler à lui son le cercle autour de lui? Il se gathered everyone algo, obligando a los de- something would
a n d g a t h e r e d t h e o t h e r s ñ a n t e s a s u a l r e d e d o r ? almost invariably stopped escorte? Comme il s’était tenait tout droit around him? 6 Now, más a formar corro en tor- invariably stop and gather
a r o u n d h i m ? B u t n o w Ahora, en cambio, estaba and gathered the others redressé depuis lors! Il aujourd’hui; il était vêtu du however, he held no suyo?P e r o n o ; a h o r a his companions around
t h e f a t h e r s t o o d q u i t e a h í m u y e r g u i d o , c o n u n around him? Now, however, portait un uniforme bleu à strict uniforme bleu à himself erect, dressed presentábase firme y dere- him. He was standing up
s t e a d y, i n a s n u g b l u e s e v e r o u n i f o r m e a z u l d e he held himself erect; he boutons d’or, sans un pli, boutons dorés que porte in a tight blue uniform cho, con un severo unifor- straight enough now;
uniform with g o l d b o t o n e s d o r a d o s c o m o l o s was dressed in a tight-fitting comme on en voit au le personnel des with gold buttons, like me azul con botones dora- dressed in a smart blue
buttons, such a s que llevan los ord enanzas blue uniform with gold personnel des maisons de institutions bancaires; that of a bank dos, cual el que suelen usar uniform with gold buttons,
a t t e n d a n t s i n b a n k s d e l o s b a n c o s ; p o r s o b r e buttons, the kind worn by b a n q u e : audessus de son au-dessus du grand col messenger; his heavy los ordenanzas de los Ban- the sort worn by the
w e a r ; h i s h e a v y d o u b l e e l c u e l l o a l t o y d u r o d e l a bank messengers; his heavy grand col raide son double raide de sa tunique se double chin bulged cos. Sobre la rigidez del employees at the banking
c h i n u n f u r l e d o v e r t h e l e v i t a s e d e r r a m a b a s u double chin spilling over menton développait sa ligne déployait son ample over the high stiff cuello alto, derramábase la institute; above the high,
h i g h s t i f f c o l l a r o f t h e e n o r m e p a p a d a ; b a j o l a s the high stiff collar of his puissante; sous ses sourcils en double menton; sous ses collar of his jacket; papada; bajo las pobladas s t i ff c o l l a r o f t h e coat his
j a c k e t . F r o m u n d e r h i s b i e n p o b l a d a s c e j a s s u r - jacket; from under his bushy broussaille le regard vigilant sourcils en broussaille from under the bushy cejas, los ojos negros des- strong doubl e - c h i n e m e r g e d ;
b u s h y e y e b r o w s , t h e g í a , f r e s c a y a t e n t a , l a eyebrows his piercing dark de ses yeux noirs perçait avec perçait le regard alerte et eyebrows his alert pedían una m i r a d a a t e n - under the bushy eyebrows,
b l a c k e y e s g a z e d f r e s h m i r a d a d e s u s o j o s n e - eyes had a fresh, alert look; une expression de jeunesse; attentif de ses yeux black eyes flashed ta y lozana, y el cabe- his piercing, dark eyes
[ 1 6 2 ] a n d a l e r t ; t h e gros; y el pelo canoso, the usually dishevelled ses cheveux blancs, noirs; ses cheveux penetratingly; his llo blanco, siempre looked out fresh and alert;
o n c e d i s h e v e l e d h a i r n o r m a l m e n t e d e s g reñado, white hair had been combed d’ordinaire en désordre, blancs, jadis en désordre, previously disheveled desmelenado hasta en- his normally unkempt
w a s n o w g l o s s y , c o m b e d se veía ahora brillante y di- down flat and gleaming on avaient été minutieusement étaient maintenant lustrés white hair was tonces, aparecía bri- white hair was combed
d o w n , a n d m e t i c u l o u s l ycrencha.v i1.d Raya
i d oquep divide
o r uelncabello
a r ieng dos
u r partes. either
o s a 2. Cada side of a meticulous
una de estas partes.
séparés, rabattus et lustrés e t p e i g n é s a v e c s o i n, a v e c u n e combed flat, llante y dividido por down painfully close to
p a r t e d . R e m o v i n g h i s c r e n c h a . A r r o j ó s u g o r r a parting. He threw his cap, par le peigne. Il commenta raie méticuleusement dessinée. I l e x a c t i n g l y parted and u n a raya primorosamente his scalp. He took his
c a p w i t h i t s g o l d -en la que había un mono- which was adorned [41] p ar jeter sur le sofa sa jeta sa casquette ornée gleaming. He tossed s a c a d a. A r r o j ó s o b r e e l cap, with its gold
m o n o g r a m , p r o b a b l y grama dorado, probable- with a gold monogram, casquette ornée du d’un monogramme doré, his cap, on which there sof á la gorra, que ostentaba monogram from,
t h a t o f a b a n k , a n d mente de algún banco- ha- p r o b a b l y t h a t o f s o m e monogramme doré de sans doute celui d’une was a gold monogram, un monograma dorado -pro- p r o b a b l y, s o m e b a n k , a n d
p i t c h i n g i t i n a n a r c t h e cia el sofá, describiendo bank, in an arc across the quelque institut financier, banque, à travers la pièce; v e r y p o s s i b l y a b a n k ’s , bablemente el de algún Ban- threw it in an arc right
full length of the room un arco a través de toda la e n t i r e r o o m o n t o t h e en lui faisant décrire un arc après avoir décrit un arc de clear across the room in co-, y, trazando una curva, across the room onto the
o v e r t o t h e s e t t e e , h e h a b i t a c i ó n , y a v a n z ó e n couch, and with the tails de cercle à travers la cercle, elle alla atterrir sur an arc and onto the cruzó toda la habitación, sofa, put his hands in his
l u n g e d t o w a r d G r e g o r, d i r e c c i ó n a G r e g o r c o n o f h i s l o n g l i v e r y j a c k e t chambre, et, les mains dans le canapé; après quoi, les sofa, and with his hands dirigiéndo [71] se con cara trouser pockets, pushing
h i s f a c e g r i m , h i s h a n d s cara de encono, las manos folded back, his hands in les poches du pantalon, les mains dans les poches de in his pockets and the torva hacia Gregorio, con las back the bottom of his
i n h i s t r o u s e r p o c k e t s , en los bolsillos del panta- his trouser pockets, he pans antérieurs de sa son pantalon, les pans de tails of his long uniform manos en los bolsillos del long uniform coat, and,
t h e t a i l s o f h i s l o n g lón y los faldones de su advanced towards Gregor redingote d’uniforme son grand uniforme rejetés jacket thrown back, he pantalón, y los faldones de w ith look of de t e r m i n a t i o n ,
u n i f o r m j a c k e t s w i n g i n g l a r g a l e v i t a d e u n i f o r m e with a grim expression on rejetés en arrière, il en arrière, il s’avança vers went after Gregor with a su larga levita de u n i f o r m e w a l k e d t o w a r d s G r e g o r.
b a c k . H e h i m s e l f m o s t recogidos hacia atrás. Pro- h i s f a c e . H e h i m s e l f s’avança sur Grégoire d’un Gregor, le visage plein de grimly set face. He recogidos hacia atrás. El He probably did not even
l i k e l y d i d n o t k n o w bablemente ni él mismo probably had no idea of air menaçant. Il ignorait f u r e u r. I l n e s a v a i t s a n s probably did not know mismo no sabía lo que know himself what he
w h a t h e h a d i n m i n d ; sabía qué tenía en mente, w h a t h e h a d i n m i n d ; peut-être lui-même ce qu’il doute pas luimême ce qu’il what he himself intended ‘iba a hacer; mas levan- had in mind, but
n e v e r t h e l e s s h e l i f t e d pero sí levantaba los pies nevertheless, he raised allait faire; en tout cas il voulait faire; toujours to do, nevertheless he tó los pies a una altura nonetheless lifted his
his feet unusually high, hasta una altura inhabi- his feet unusually high levait les pieds très haut et est-il qu’il levait les pieds lifted his feet unusually desusada, y Gregorio feet unusually high.
and Gregor marveled at tual, y Gregor se asombró a n d Gregor was Grégoire, s’étonnant de la très haut et Gregor s’étonna high and Gregor was qued ó asombrado de las Gregor was amazed at the
t h e g i g a n t i c s i z e o f h i s d e l e n o r m e t a m a ñ o d e l a s astonished at the gigantic taille gigantesque de ses de la taille gigantesque des astonished at the gigantic gigantes c a s p r o p o r c i o - enormous size of the
boot soles. But he did suelas de sus botas. No size of the soles of his semelles, se garda de semelles de ses bottes. Il size of his boot s o l e s. n e s d e s u s suelas . Empe- soles of his boots, but
not dwell on this; after se [71] quedó allí quie- boots. Bu t h e d i d n ’t rester sur sa position, car ne s’arrêta pourtant pas à But Gregor did not ro, esta actitud no le eno- wasted no time with that
a l l , f r o m t h e v e r y f i r s t to, sin embargo, pues ya dwell on that; for he had il savait depuis le ce détail, il savait depuis dwell on this; he had jó, pues ya sabía, desde - he knew full well, right
day of his new life, he desde el primer día de su k n o w n f r o m t h e v e r y premier jour de sa le premier jour de sa vie known from the very el primer día de su nueva from the first day of his
h a d k n o w n t h a t t h e n u e v a v i d a s a b í a q u e , first day of his new life métamorphose que le’ nouvelle que son père first day of his new life vida, que al padre la ma- new life, that his father
father viewed only the con respecto a él, su pa- that his father believed père estimait que la considérait qu’envers lui that the father yor severidad le parecía thought it necessary to
utmost severity as dre solo consideraba that the only way to sévérité la plus grande seule la plus grande considered only the poca con respecto al hijo. always be extremely
appropriate for dealing oportuna la máxima se- treat him was with the était la seule attitude sévérité était de mise. II se strictest measures Echó, pues, a correr de- strict with him. And so
w i t h h i m . A n d s o n o w v e r i d a d . E c h ó , p u e s , a u t m o s t s e v e r i t y. A n d s o i n d i q u é e e nvers lui. Il se mit donc à courir devant appropriate when lante de su progenitor, se h e r a n u p t o h i s f a t h e r,
G r e g o r s c o o t e d a w a y , c o r r e r d e l a n t e d e l p a d r e , he ran on i n f r o n t o f h i s mit donc à battre en retraite, son père, à s’arrêter quand dealing with him. And detenía cuando éste, y stopped when his father
stopping only when the d e t e n i é n d o s e c u a n d o f a t h e r, s t o p p i n g w h e n h i s s’arrêtant quand son père son père restait en place, à so he ran from the emprendía nueva carrera stopped, scurried
father halted, a n d e s t e l o h a c í a y e m p r e n - father came to a halt, and faisait halte, et partant repartir dès qu’il faisait un father, stopping only en cuanto le veía hacer forwards again when he
skittering f o r w a r d d i e n d o u n a n u e v a c a r r e - hurrying forwards again, immédiatement au mouvement. Ils firent ainsi when the father stood un movimiento. Así die- m o v e d , e v e n s l i g h t l y. I n
a g a i n t h e i n s t a n t t h e r a a p e n a s e l p a d r e s e as soon as his father made moindre mouvement de plusieurs fois le tour de la still, and scurried away ron varias veces la vuel- this way they went round
f a t h e r m o v e d . I n t h i s movía. Así dieron varias a move. In this manner l’adversaire. Cette chambre sans qu’il se again as soon as the ta a la habitación, sin lle- the room several times
w a y, t h e y c i r c l e d t h e veces la vuelta a la ha- t h e y c i r c led the room méthode les promena passât rien de décisif; father moved. In this gar a nada decisivo. Es without anything
room several times with b i t a c i ó n , s i n q u e o c u - several times, without plusieurs fois [59] autour comme tout se déroulait way they circled the más, sin que esto, debido decisive happening,
nothing d e c i s i v e r r i e r a n a d a d e c i s i v o y anything decisive occurring, de la chambre sans lentement, personne room several times a las dilatadas pausas, without even giving the
h a p p e n i n g ; i n f a c t , s i n q u e t o d o a q u e l l o , d e - in fact without the whole résultat décisif; n’aurait même pu imaginer without anything tuviese el aspecto de una impression of a chase as
scoot run or dart away quickly, escabullirse : I must scoot, tengo que marcharme enseguida
88 89
 Neugroschel
because of its slow tempo,
the whole business did not
even resemble a chase.
That was why Gregor kept
to the floor for now, espe-
cially since he feared that
the father might view an
escape to the walls or the
ceiling as particularly
wicked. Nevertheless,
Gregor had to admit that
he could not endure even
this scurrying much
longer, because for every
step the father took,
Gregor had to carry out an
endless string of
movements. He was already
panting noticeably, just as
his lungs had never been
altogether reliable even in
his earlier days. He was
just barely staggering
along, trying to focus
all his strength on
running, scarcely
keeping his eyes
open, feeling so
numb that he could
t h i n k of no other possible
recourse than running, and
almost forgetting that he
was free to use the walls,
w h i c h , h o w e v e r, [ 1 6 3 ]
were blocked here by
intricately carved
furniture bristling with
sharp points and
notches-when all at
once a lightly tossed
something flew down
right next to him, barely
missing him, and rolled
on ahead of him. It was
an apple. Instantly a
second one flew after
the first. Gregor halted,
petrified. Any more
running would be
useless, for the father
was dead set on bom-
barding him. He had
filled his pockets with
fruit from the bowl on
the sideboard and, not
taking sharp aim for the
moment, was hurling
apple after apple. Those
small red apples
r i c o c h e t e d [rebotar como las
balas] a r o u n d t h e f l o o r a s
if galvanized, colliding
w i t h o n e a n o t h e r. A
weakly thrown apple
grazed Gregor ’s back,
del Solar Stokes
bido a la lentitud del rit- performance, because of the
mo, tuviera el aspecto de slow tempo, having the
una persecución. Por eso appearance of a chase. So
Gregor también se quedó for the time being Gregor
de momento en el suelo, kept to the floor, especially
pues temía que el padre as he feared that his father
pudiera considerar como might interpret a flight onto
una maldad particular la the walls or the ceiling as an
huida por las paredes o act of particular malice on
el techo. De todas for- his part. Even so, Gregor
mas, tuvo que decirse had to admit that he would
que no resistiría mucho not be able to keep up even
tiempo esas carreras, this kind of running for
porque mientras el padre long, because for every
daba un paso, él tenía ste p h i s f a t h e r t o o k h e
que realizar un sinnúme- had to execute a whole
ro de movimientos. Pron- series of movements.
to comenzó a sentir sofo- Signs of breathlessness
cos, aunque la verdad es w e r e a l s o b e coming
que en otros tiempos sus apparent, just as in his
pulmones habían sido del previous life his lungs had
todo fiables. Y mientras not been wholly reliable.
a v a n z a b a tambaleándose, As he now s t a g g e r e d o n ,
dispuesto a concentrar hardly k e e p i n g h i s
todas sus fuerzas para eyes open in order
la carrera, con los ojos to concentrate
apenas abiertos, sin entirely on
p e n s a r, d e b i d o a s u e m - ru nning; not even,
botamiento, en otra i n h is dazed condition,
posibilidad de salva- t h i nking of any other
c i ó n q u e l a d e c o r r e r, means of escape but
habiendo casi olvidado running; and having almost
que aún le quedaban for g o t t e n t h a t t h e w a l l s
las paredes, que allí w e r e a t h i s disposal,
estaban, aunque tapa- though in this room they were
das, eso sí, por mue- obstructed by ela b o r a t e l y
bles tallados con gran carved furniture
esmero y llenos de can- bristling with jagged
t o s y a r i s t as, en ese e d g e s a n d s p i k e s - an
preciso instante, algo object, that had been lightly
lanzado sin fuerza pasó thro w n , s u d d e n l y f l e w
volando a su lado, cayó right past him, hit the
a tierra y rodó delante de floor and rolled in front of
él. Era una manzana, a la him. It was an apple; a
que al momento siguió second one came flying
una segunda. [72] Gregor right [ 4 2 ] a f t e r i t ;
se quedó paralizado por Gregor stopped dead
el miedo; seguir corrien- with terror; to continue
do era inútil, pues el pa- running was pointless,
dre había decidido bom- for his father had
bardearlo. Con el conte- decided to bombard him.
nido del frutero que ha- He had filled his
bía sobre el aparador se pockets from the fruit
había llenado los bolsi- bowl on the sideboard
llos y empezó a lanzar a n d w a s n o w, w i t h o u t
manzana tras manzana, for the time being taking
sin afinar mucho, de mo- careful aim, hurling one
mento, la puntería. a p p l e a f t e r a n o t h e r.
Aquellas manzanas pe- These small red apples
q u e ñ a s , r o j a s , ro d a b a n ro l l e d a b o u t o n t h e f l o o r
por el suelo como elec- as if electrified and
trizadas y chocaban unas cannoned into each other.
con otras. Una de ellas, One apple, thrown
arrojada débilmente, without force, grazed
cayó sobre la espalda de Gregor ’s back and
90
Vialatte
l’opération ne prit même
pas figure de poursuite tant
le rythme en était net. Aussi
Grégoire resta-t-il
provisoirement sur le
plancher; il craignait
surtout que son père, en le
voyant grimper sur, les murs
ou le plafond, n’allât
prendre sa manoeuvre pour
quelque raffinement de
méchanceté. Il dut
cependant s’avouer bientôt
qu’il ne tiendrait pas
longtemps à cette allure; le
peu de temps que mettait
son père à faire un pas,
Grégoire devait le consacrer
à toute une série de
gymnastiques, et, n’ayant
jamais eu les poumons bien
solides, il commençait à
s’essouffler; il c l o p i n a i t
donc cahin-caha pour
rassembler toutes ses
forces en vue d’un
élan suprême, osant à
peine ouvrir les yeux,
et si hébété qu’il
n’envisageait son
salut que dans la
course alors que les
murs étaient là - des
murs de salle à manger
bien sûr, avec des
m e u b l e
s o i g n e u s e m e n t
sculptés et couverts de
f e s t o n s e t d e d e n t e lles,
m a is des murs cependant,
d e s m u r s . . . . - To u t d ’ u n
coup, vlan! quelque chose
vola tout près de lui, tomba
par terre et s’en alla rouler
plus loin. C’était une pomme
négligemment lancée; une
deuxième la suivit aussitôt.
Raidi d’effroi, Grégoire
resta sur place; il était inutile
de continuer la course
puisque le père avait décidé
de le bombarder. Il avait
vidé la coupe à fruits de la
crédence, garni ses poches
de projectiles et les jetait
maintenant l’un après
l’autre, s a n s t r o p s e
préoccuper encore de
b i e n v i s e r. C e s p e t i t e s
b o u l e s ro u l a i e n t p a r t o u t
sur le [60] plancher et se
c o gnaient entre elles; on eût
dit des billes électrisées.
Une pomme lancée
mollement effeura la
Cl. David
qu’il s’agissait
poursuite. Gregor resta donc
provisoirement sur le plancher,
d’autant qu’il pouvait craindre
que, s’il avait pris la fuite par
les murs ou par le plafond, son
père eût pu voir là un
raffinement de méchanceté. Il
dut cependant s’avouer bientôt
qu’il ne tiendrait pas
longtemps à cette allure, car,
pendant que son père faisait un
pas, il était obligé d’exécuter
toute une série
mouvements. Il commençait
déjà à éprouver quelque
difficulté à respirer; ses
poumons d’ailleurs, même
dans les temps anciens,
n’avaient jamais
particulièrement dignes d e
confiance. T a n d i s q u ’ i l
titubait de la sorte,
rassemblant toutes ses
forces pour la course,
ouvrant à peine les
yeux, ne pensant plus,
dans l’espèce
torpeur où il était,
qu’il y avait pour lui
d’autres moyens
salut que la course,
oubliant presque que les
murs étaient là à sa
disposition, des murs à
s vrai dire encombrés de
meubles finement
sculptés, pleins
dentelures et de pointes
- , q u e l q u e c h o s e v o l a près
de lui, un objet qu’on venait
de lancer avec légèreté et
qui se mit à rouler à ses
pieds. C’était une pomme;
une deuxième la suivit
aussitôt; Gregor resta sur
place, terrorisé; il était
inutile de continuer à
c o u r i r, c a r s o n p è r e a v a i t
résolu de le bombarder. Il
avait vidé la coupe de
fruits sur la crédence et
s’en était rempli les
poches et il tirait, sans se
soucier pour l’instant de
bien viser. Ces petites
pommes rouges roulaient
sur le sol comme si elles
étaient électrisées et
allaient se cogner l e s u n e s
contre les autres. Une
pomme mollement
l a n c é e e ff l e u r a l e d o s d e
Gregor, et glissa sans
provoquer de dommages;
Freed
d’une decisive happening; in
fact they proceeded so
slowly it did not look like
a c h a se. With this in mind
Gregor kept to the floor
for the moment, especially
since he feared the father
might view an escape to
the walls or ceiling as a
particularly malevolent
act. At the same time
Gregor had to admit that
he could not keep up with
de this running for long,
because for every step the
father took Gregor had to
execute a countless
number of maneuvers. He
was already short of
été breath, as his lungs had
never been all that
reliable in his previous
life. He staggered a l o n g ,
his e y e s b a r e l y o p e n ,
trying to focus all
his energy
running; in this daze
de he could not think of
anything to do but
run, and had already
de almost forgotten that
the walls were
available to him,
although in this room
they were blocked by
elaborately carved
furniture, thorny
de with points and
notches —suddenly
something that had
been lightly tossed
almost hit him, but
landed next to him and
rolled in front of him.
It was an apple,’ and a
second instantly flew in
his direction. Gregor
froze in terror; further
running was useless,
for the father was
determined to bombard
him. He had filled his
pockets from the bowl
on the sideboard and
was now throwing apple
after apple, taking no
more than general
momentary aim. These
small red apples [36]
ro l l e d a round t h e f l o o r
as if electrified and
c o l l i d e d w i t h e a c h o t h e r.
One weakly lobbed
apple grazed G r e g o r ’s
back and harmlessly
Alianza
persecución. Por lo mis-
mo, prefirió Gregorio no
alejarse al pronto del
suelo: temía, principal-
mente, que el padre to-
mase su huida por las
paredes o por el techo
por un refinamiento de
maldad. Mas no tardó
mucho Gregorio en com-
prender que aquellas ca-
rreras no podían prolon-
garse, pues, mientras su
padre daba un paso, te-
nía él que realizar un
sinnúmero de movimien-
tos, y su respiración se
le tornaba [72] anhelan-
te. Bien es verdad que
tampoco en su estado
anterior podía confiar
mucho en sus pulmones.
Ta m b a l e ó s e u n p u n t o ,
i n tentando concentrar to-
das sus fuerzas para em-
on prender nuevamente la
huida. Apenas si podía te-
ner los ojos abiertos; en su
a zoramiento, no pensaba en
más salvación posible que la
que le proporcionase seguir
corriendo, y ya casi se había
olvidado de que las paredes
ofrecíansele completamente li-
bres; aunque cierto es que es-
taban atestadas de muebles es-
meradamente tallados, que
amenazaban por doquier con
sus ángulos y sus picos.. . E n
esto, algo d i e s t r a m e n t e
lanzado cayó junto a
su lado, y rodó ante él:
era una manzana, a la
que pronto hubo de se-
guir otra. Gregorio,
atemorizado, no se
movió: era inútil con-
tinuar corriendo, pues
el padre había resuel-
to bombardearle. Se
había llenado los bol-
sillos con el contenido
del frutero que estaba
sobre el aparador, y
arrojaba una manzana
tras otra, aunque sin
lograr por el momento
dar en el blanco. L a s
manzanitas rojas
r odaban por el suelo,
como electrizadas, trope-
zando unas con otras.
Una de ellas, lanzada
con mayor habilidad,
rozó la espalda de
91
Willie
everything went so
s l o w l y. Gregor
remained all this time
o n t h e f l o o r, l a r g e l y
because he feared his
father might see it as
especially provoking if
he fled onto the wall or
ceiling. Whatever he
did, Gregor had to
admit that he certainly
would not be able to
keep up this running
about for long, as for
each step his father
took he had to carry out
countless movements.
He became noticeably
short of breath, even in
his earlier life his
lungs had not been very
r e l i a b l e . N o w, a s h e
lurched about in his
efforts to muster all
the strength he could
for running he could
hardly keep his eyes
open; his thoughts
became too slow for
him to think of any
other way of saving
himself than running;
he almost forgot that
the walls were there for
him to use although,
here, they were concealed
b e h i n d c a r e f u ll y c a r v e d
furniture full of
notches and protrusions
- then, right beside him,
lightly tossed, something
flew down and rolled in
front of him. It was an
apple; then another one
immediately flew at
him; Gregor froze in
shock; there was no
longer any point in
running as his father
had decided to
bombard him. He had
filled his pockets with
fruit from the bowl on
the sideboard and
n o w, w i t h o u t e v e n
taking the time for
careful aim, threw
on e apple after anot h e r.
These little, red apples
rolled about on the floor,
knocking into each other
as if they had electric
motors. An apple thrown
without much force
glanced against Gregor’s
 Neugroschel del Solar Stokes Vialatte Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie

s l i d i n g o f f h a r m l e s s l y. G r e g or , p e r o s e d e s l i z ó g l a n c e d o f f h a r m l e s s l y. carapa c e d e G r é g o i r e mais la suivante vint slid off. But another, Gregorio, pero se deslizó back and slid off without
A n o t h e r o n e , h o w e v e r, por ella sin hacerle B u t a n o t h e r, t h a t c a m e et glissa dessus sans littéralement s’encastrer pitched directly after por ella sin causarle doing any harm. Another
promptly following it, daño. En cambio, otra fl y i n g a f t e r i t , a c t u a l l y lui faire de mal; mais dans son dos; Gregor it, actually lodged daño. En [73] c a m b i o , l a one however,
actually dug right into que la siguió de inme- p e n e t r a t e d G r e g o r ’s la suivante s’enfonça voulut se traîner un peu i t s e l f i n G r e g o r ’s siguiente, le asestó un immediately following
his back. Gregor diato se le incrustó; back; Gregor tried to littéralement dans plus loin, comme si back; Gregor tried to g o l p e c e r t e r o , y, a u n q u e it, hit squarely
wanted to keep Gregor quiso arrastrar- drag himself forward, son dos; il voulut se l ’ é p o u v a n t a b l e drag himself away, Gregorio intentó esca- [directly/ h o n e s t l y,
dragging himself along se un poco más, como as if the startling, traîner plus loin souffrance qui venait de as if this shockingly parse, cual si aquel in- fairly) and lodged in his
as though this si el increíble e inespe- unbelievable pain comme si ce le surprendre pouvait unbelievable pain tolerable dolor pudiese back; Gregor wanted to
startling and rado dolor pudiera des- might pass with a déplacement pouvait s’atténuer par un would ease with a desvanecerse al cambiar d r a g h i m s e l f a w a y, a s i f
incredible pain would aparecer cambiando de change of location; but calmer l’horrible changement de lieu; change in position, de sitio, parecióle que he could remove the
vanish with a change lugar, pero se sintió he felt nailed to the souffrance qui venait mais il se sentit cloué but he felt nailed to le clavaban en donde surprising, the
of location, yet he felt como clavado en el si- spot, and he stretched de le surprendre, sur place et vint the spot and estaba, y quedó allí des- incredible pain by
nailed to the spot and tio y se estiró, presa de o u t h i s b o d y, w i t h a l l mais il se sentit s’étaler sur le plancher stretched out, all his patarrado, perdida la changing his position;
so he stretched out una confusión total. his senses in a cloué sur place et dans un complet senses in complete noción de cuanto suce- but he felt as if nailed to
with all his senses in A ú n a l c a n z ó a v e r, c o n c o m p l e t e b l u r. T h e l a s t s’étira sans plus désarroi de tous ses confusion. And it día en torno. Su postrer the spot and spread
utter derangement. It una última mirada, thing he saw was the savoir ce qu’il sens. Son dernier regard was with his last mirada enteróle todavía himself out, all his
was only with his final cómo la puerta de su door of his room being faisait. Son dernier lui permit encore de conscious sight that de cómo la puerta de su senses in confusion. The
glance that he saw the habitación se abría vio- flung open and his regard lui montra la voir qu’on ouvrait he saw the door of habitación abríase con last thing he saw was the
door to his room burst lentamente y por ella, mother rushing out porte de sa chambre brusquement la porte de his room burst open violencia, y pudo ver door of his room being
open. The m o t h e r, precediendo a la her- ahead of his qui s’ouvrait sa chambre et, devant sa and in front of the asimismo a la madre co- pulled open, his sister
wearing only a chemise mana, que chillaba, s c r e a m i n g s i s t e r, i n brusquement, sa soeur en train de screaming sister the rriendo en camisa -pues was screaming, his
(for the sister had salía corriendo la ma- her chemise, as his soeur qui criait, pousser des cris, il mother tearing out Grete la había desnuda- mother ran out in front
undressed her to let her dre en enaguas, pues sister had started précédée de la mère aperçut sa mère qui in her chemise, do para hacerla volver of her in her blouse (as
breathe more freely la hermana la había undressing her to help qui arrivait en toute arrivait - en chemise, car because when she de su desvanecimiento- his sister had taken off
while unconscious), desvestido para que her breathe while she hâte - sans corsage, la jeune fille l’avait fainted the sister delante de la hermana, some of her clothes after
hurried out in front of pudiera respirar en su was unconscious, and car la jeune fille déshabillée pour faciliter had undressed her to que gritaba; luego a la she had fainted to make
the screaming sister desmayo más libremen- his mother running l’avait déshabillée sa respiration pendant sa let her breathe more madre precipitándose it easier for her to
and dashed toward the te, y vio también cómo towards his father, pour la faire respirer syncope -; il la vit ensuite f r e e l y. H e s a w t h e hacia el padre, perdien- breathe), she ran to his
f a t h e r. S t u m b l i n g o v e r la madre corría hacia shedding her loosened pendant sa syncope sa courir vers le père, il la mother run to the do en el camino una tras f a t h e r, her skirts
her unfastened el padre y en el camino petticoats one by one mère encore qui vit perdre en chemin tous father, stumbling otra sus faldas desanu- unfastened and sliding
petticoats as they glided se le iban resbalando on the floor behind courait sur le père en ses jupons l’un après over her loosened dadas, y por fin, des- one after another to the
to the floor one by one, una tras otra las ena- her and stumbling perdant ses jupes une l’autre, trébucher sur ses petticoats as they pués de tropezar con és- ground, stumbling over
she pressed against the guas desatadas, y cómo, over her skirts and à une, trébuchait vêtements, se jeter sur le slipped to the floor tas, llegar hasta donde the skirts she pushed
f a t h e r, f l u n g h e r a r m s tropezando con ellas, se flinging herself on dedans, fonçait sur son père, le saisir dans ses one by one, and el padre estaba, abra- h e r s e l f t o h i s f a t h e r,
around his neck in total abalanzaba hacia el pa- him, embracing him in mari, l’embrassait, le bras et enfin, ne faisant press herself zarse estrechamente a her arms around him,
union with him-but now dre, y abrazándolo, es- absolute union with pressait c o n t r e e l l e , plus qu’un avec lui - mais against him, uniting él... Y Gregorio, con la uniting herself with
Gregor’s eyesight trechamente unida a él h i m - b u t n o w G r e g o r ’s et, les mains en cet instant, les yeux de them in her embrace- vista ya nublada, sintió him totally - now
failed e n t i r e l y -a n d , -ya aquí la vista le fa- sight was beginning to croisées sur la Gregor cessèrent de voir now Gregor ’s vision por último cómo su ma- Gregor lost his ability
with her hands lló a Gregor-, le supli- fail - begging him, nuque du père - déjà clair - elle joignit les failed him-and with dre, con las manos cru- to see anything - her
clutching the back of caba, con las manos pe- with hands clasped Grégoire n’y voyait mains derrière la tête her arms flung zadas en la nuca del pa- hands behind his
the father ’s head, she gadas a la nuca del pa- b e h i n d h i s f a t h e r ’s plus - le suppliait du père, pour le around his neck, she dre, le suplicaba que f a t h e r ’s h e a d b e g g i n g
begged him to spare dre, que le perdonase la head, to spare d’épargner la vie de c o n j u r e r d ’ é pargner l a v i e begged the father to perdonase la vida al him to spare Gregor ’s
Gregor ’s life. [164] v i d a a G r e g o r. G r e g o r ’s l i f e . l e u r e n fant. de son fils. s p a r e G r e g o r ’s l i f e . hijo. life.

92 93
 Neugroschel
2.1
III
Gregor ’s serious injury,
from which he suffered for
over a month (since no one
had the nerve to remove
the apple, it stayed lodged
in his flesh as a visible
memento), apparently
reminded even the father
t h a t G r e g o r, d e s p i t e h i s
now dismal and disgusting
shape, was a member of the
family and could not be
t r e a t e d l i k e a n e n e m y.
Instead, familial
obligations dictated that
they swallow their
repulsion and endure,
simply endure.
N o w G r e g o r ’s i n j u r y
may have cost him some
m o b i l i t y, n o d o u b t f o r
good, impelling him to
take long, long minutes
to shuffle across his
room like an old war
invalid (there was no
question of his creeping
up the walls). Still, this
worsening of his
condition was, to his
mind, more than made
up for by the fact that
every evening the parlor
d o o r, w h i c h h e w o u l d
watch sharply for one or
two hours in advance,
was opened, so that he,
lying in the darkness of
his room and invisible
f r o m t h e p a r l o r, w a s
allowed to see the entire
family at the illuminated
table and, by general
consent [165] as it were,
listen to their
t a l k s - r a t h e r, t h a t i s ,
than eavesdropping as
before.
Of course, these were no
longer the lively exchanges
of earlier days, which
Gregor had always
somewhat wistfully mused
about in the tiny hotel
rooms whenever he had
wearily collapsed into the
d a m p b e d d i n g . N o w, t h e
evenings were usually very
hushed. The father would
d o z e o ff i n h i s a r m c h a i r
shortly after supper; the
del Solar Stokes
[73] III III
La grave herida de Gregor ’s severe wound,
Gregor, que le dolió durante from which he suffered for
más de un mes -como nadie more than a month - the
se atrevía a sacarla, la man- apple remained lodged in
zana permaneció incrustada his flesh as a visible
en la carne como un testimo- reminder since no one dared
nio visible de lo ocurrido-, to remove it - seemed to
parecía haberle recordado have brought home even to
incluso al padre que, pese a his father that Gregor,
su triste y repulsivo aspecto despite his present sad and
actual, Gregor seguía siendo repugnant appearance, was
un miembro de la familia al a member of the family who
que no se podía tratar como should not be treated as an
a un enemigo, sino ante el enemy, but that on the [43]
cual era un deber familiar contrary family duty
tragarse la repugnancia y ser required them to swallow
tolerante, nada más que to- their disgust and endure
lerante. him, simply endure him.
Y aunque debido a su he- And even though
rida Gregor había sufrido, Gregor ’s wound had
probablemente para siempre, caused him to lose for
una merma en su capacidad good some of his
de movimiento, y de momen- m o b i l i t y, a n d h e n e e d e d
to necesitaba, como un vie- for the time being long,
jo inválido, muchos y largos long minutes to traverse
minutos para cruzar su habi- his room like an old
tación -imposible pensar invalid - crawling above
ahora en trepar a las alturas-, ground was out of the
a cambio de este empeora- question - he felt fully
miento de su estado recibió compensated for this
una compensación, según él worsening of his
más que suficiente, y era que condition by the fact that
s i e m p r e , a l a n o c h e c e r, s e every day around dusk
abría la puerta de la sala de the living-room door,
estar, que él ya solía obser- which he was in the habit
var fijamente entre una y dos of watching closely an
horas antes, de modo que, hour or two beforehand,
tumbado en la penumbra de was thrown open, so that
su habitación y sin ser visto as he lay in the darkness
desde la sala de estar, podía of his room, invisible
ver a toda la familia sentada from the living-room, he
a la mesa iluminada y escu- could see the whole
char su conversación, en family at table beneath
cierto [74] modo con el con- the lamp, and listen to their
sentimiento general, es de- conversation, by general
cir, en condiciones comple- consent as it were, and in quite
tamente distintas a las de different circumstances than
antes. before.
Cierto es que ya no eran These were of course no
las animadas conversaciones longer the animated
de otros tiempos, esas que conversations of the old days,
Gregor recordaba siempre which Gregor had always
con cierta nostalgia en la pe- recalled with some wistfulness
queña habitación de algún in those tiny hotel rooms, when
hotel, cuando, exhausto, te- he’d had to throw himself
nía que acostarse entre unas wearily into the damp
sábanas húmedas. En general, bedclothes. Things were now
todo transcurría ahora muy mostly very peaceful. Soon
silenciosamente. El padre se after supper his father wo u l d
quedaba dormido en su si- fall asleep in his chair;
llón poco después de cenar; his mother and sister kept
94
Vialatte
III
La pomme, que personne
n’osa extraire du dos de
Grégoire, demeura incrustée
dans sa chair comme un
souvenir palpable de
l’événement, et la grave blessure
dont il souffrit pendant plus d’un
[61] mois sembla avoir rappelé
au père lui-même que son fils,
malgré sa triste et répugnante
métamorphose, n’en demeurait
pas moins un membre de la
famille; il ne fallait donc pas le
traiter en ennemi; le devoir
exigeait au contraire qu’on
surmontât son dégoût et, qu’on
supportât Grégoire, qu’on le
supportât seulement.
Sa blessure lui avait
fait perdre,
irrémédiablement sans
doute, beaucoup de son
agilité; pour traverser
simplement s a c h a m b r e ,
il lui fallait un temps
i n f i n i comme à un vieil
invalide; quant aux
promenades sur les murs il
avait dû en faire son deuil.
Mais cette aggravation de
son état s’était trouvée
largement compensée, à son
avis, par le fait qu’on ouvrait
maintenant tous les soirs la
porte de la salle à manger; il
attendait cet événement
pendant deux heures; couché
dans l’ombre de sa chambre,
invisible pour les dîneurs, il
pouvait alors observer toute
la famille réun i e a u t o u r d e
l a t a b l e d a n s la lumière
de la lampe, il avait le
droit d’écouter la
c onversation avec
l’autorisation de tout le
monde : c’était beaucoup
mieux qu’auparavant.
Sans doute ce n’étaient
plus ces entretiens animés de
l’ancien temps auxquels il
pensait toujours autrefois
avec un peu de mélancolie au
moment de regagner un lit
humide dans quelque petite
chambre d’hôtel. La plupart
du temps on ne disait même
plus grand-chose maintenant
après le dîner. Le père ne
tardait pas à s’endormir dans
son fauteuil, [62] la mère et
Cl. David Freed
III [37] III
La grave blessure de GREGOR’S SERIOUS
G r e g o r, d o n t i l s o u f f r i t p e n - INJURY, FROM which he
dant plus d’un mois - la suffered for almost a
pomme, que personne n’avait month-the apple remained
o s é r e t i r e r, r e s t a i t f i c h é e embedded in his flesh as a
dans sa chair, comme un visible souvenir because no
souvenir visible - semblait one had the courage to
avoir rappelé à son père remove it-served to remind
lui-même que Gregor, malgré even the father that Gregor,
son triste et répugnant despite his now pathetic and
aspect, n’en demeurait pas repulsive shape, was a
moins un membre de la member of the family who
famille, qu’on ne pouvait pas could not be treated as an
traiter en ennemi; le devoir enemy; on the contrary, in
familial exigeait de ravaler accordance with family duty
sa répulsion et- de le they were required to quell
s u p p o r t e r ; i l s u ff i s a i t q u ’ o n their aversion and tolerate
le supporte. him, but only tolerate.
Et si Gregor avait perdu à A n d n o w, a l t h o u g h
cause de sa blessure et Gregor had lost some
probablement pour toujours m o b i l i t y, m o s t l i k e l y
une grande partie de son permanently due to his
agilité - il lui fallait injury, and traversing his
provisoirement, comme à un room now took many long
vieil invalide, de longues, minutes like an old
longues minutes pour invalid-crawling above
traverser sa chambre et quant floor level was out of the
à monter sur le mur, on n’y question-he was granted,
pouvait même plus songer - in his mind, entirely
cette aggravation de son état satisfactory compensation
avait entraîné une for this deterioration of
compensation, selon lui tout his condition: toward
à fait suffisante, dans le fait evening every day the
qu’on ouvrait maintenant l i v i n g r o o m d o o r, w h i c h
vers le soir la porte de la he got used to watching
salle de séjour, qu’il guettait intently for an hour or two
déjà des yeux depuis une ou beforehand, was opened,
deux heures. Couché dans so that lying in the
l’ombre de sa chambre, darkness of his room and
invisible de l’autre côté, il unseen from the living
pouvait voir maintenant la room, he could view the
famille entière assise à table whole family at the
autour de la lampe; il brightly lit table and could
pouvait entendre leurs listen to their
conversations beaucoup conversation more or less
mieux qu’autrefois, en with their consent,
quelque sorte avec completely unlike his
l’autorisation de tous. prior eavesdropping.
Ce n’étaient certes plus Of course there no
les entretiens animés de longer were the lively
l’ancien temps auxquels conversations of earlier
Gregor pensait avec quelque times that Gregor would
envie, lorsque fatigué de sa wistfully recall
journée, il lui fallait entrer whenever he’d had to
dans les draps humides de sink down into the damp
ses petites chambres d’hôtel. bedding of some small
To u t s e p a s s a i t m a i n t e n a n t hotel room. Now it was
très silencieusement. Après mostly very subdued.
l e d î n e r, l e p è re n e t a r d a i t Th e father fell asleep in
pas à s’endormir sur sa his armchair soon after
chaise; la mère et la fille supper, and the mother
95
Alianza
III
Aquella grave herida, de la
cual tardó más de un mes en
curar --nadie se atrevió a qui-
tarle la manzana, que así que-
dó empotrada [74] en su car-
ne, cual visible testimonio de
lo ocurrido-, pareció recordar,
incluso al padre, que Gregorio,
pese a lo triste y repulsivo de
su forma actual, era un miem-
bro de la familia, a quien no
se debía tratar como a un ene-
migo, sino, por el contrario,
guardar todos los respetos, y
que era un elemental deber de
familia sobreponerse a la re-
pugnancia y resignarse. Resig-
narse y nada más.
Gregorio, por su parte,
aun cuando a causa de su
herida había perdido, aca-
so para siempre, el libre
juego de sus movimien-
tos; aun cuando precisaba
ahora, cual un anciano
impedido, varios e inter-
minables minutos para
cruzar su habitación -tre-
par hacia lo alto, ya ni
pensarlo-, Gregorio tuvo,
en aquella agravación de
su estado, una compensa-
ción que le pareció harto
suficiente: por la tarde, la
p u e r t a d e l c o m e d o r, e n l a
cual tenía ya fija la mira-
da desde una o dos horas
antes, la puerta del come-
dor se abría, y él, echado
en su cuarto, en tinieblas,
invisible para los demás,
podía contemplar a toda
la familia en torno a la
mesa iluminada, y oír sus
conversaciones, como
quien dice con aquiescen-
cia general, o sea ya de un
modo muy distinto .
Claro está que las tales conversacio-
nes no eran, ni con [75] mucho, aque-
llas charlas animadas de otros tiem-
pos, que Gregorio añoraba en los re-
ducidos aposentos de las fondas, y en
las que pensaba con ardiente afán al
arrojarse fatigado sobre la húmeda
ropa de la cama extraña. Ahora, la ma-
yor parte de las veces, la velada trans-
curría monótona y triste. Poco des-
pu és de cenar, el padre se dor-
mía en su bu taca, y la madre
y la hermana
Willie
III
No-one dared to remove
the apple lodged in
G r e g o r ’s f l e s h , s o i t
remained there as a visible
r e m i n d e r o f h i s i n j u r y. H e
had suffered it there for
more than a month, and his
condition seemed serious
enough to remind even his
f a t h e r t h a t G r e g o r, d e s p i t e
his current sad and revolting
form, was a family member
who could not be treated as
an enemy. On the contrary, as
a family there was a duty to
swallow any revulsion for
him and to be patient, just to
be patient.
Because of his injuries,
Gregor had lost much of his
mobility - probably
p e r m a n e n t l y. H e h a d b e e n
reduced to the condition of
an ancient invalid and it
took him long, long
minutes to crawl across his
room - crawling over the
ceiling was out of the
question - but this
deterioration in his
condition was fully (in his
opinion) made up for by the
door to the living room
being left open every
evening. He got into the
habit of closely watching it
for one or two hours before
it was opened and then,
lying in the darkness of his
room where he could not be
seen from the living room,
he could watch the family
in the light of the dinner
table and listen to their
conversation - with
e v e r y o n e ’s p e r m i s s i o n , i n a
w a y, a n d t h u s q u i t e
differently from before.
They no longer held the
lively conversations of
earlier times, of course, the
ones that Gregor always
thought about with longing
when he was tired and
getting into the damp bed in
some small hotel room. All
of them were usually very
quiet nowadays. Soon after
di n n e r , h i s f a t h e r w o u l d
go to sleep in his chair;
his mother and sister
 Neugroschel
mother and the sister would
urge one another to keep
still. The mother, hunched
way over beneath the light,
would be sewing fine lin-
gerie for a fashion boutique;
the sister, having found a
job as salesgirl, was
studying shorthand and
French every evening in
hopes of perhaps eventually
obtaining a better position.
Sometimes the father would
wake up and, as if unaware
that he had been sleeping,
would say to the mother:
“How long you’ve been
sewing again today!” and
doze off again while mother
and sister smiled wearily at
each other.
In a kind of obstinacy, the
father refused to take off his
attendant’s uniform at home;
and while his robe dangled
uselessly on the clothes
hook, he would slumber in
his chair, fully dressed, as if
always on duty and at his
superior ’s beck and call
even here. And so, despite
all the painstaking efforts of
m o t h e r a n d s i s t e r, t h e
uniform, which had not been
brand-new in the first place,
grew less and less tidy, and
Gregor would often spend
entire evenings gazing at this
soiled and spotted garment,
which shone with its always
polished gold buttons, while
the old man slept a very
uncomfortable and yet
peaceful sleep.
The instant the clock
struck ten, the mother, by
[166] speaking softly to the
father, tried to awaken him
and talk him into going to
bed, for after all, this was no
way to get proper sleep,
which the father, who had to
start work at six A.M., badly
needed. But with the
obstinacy that had gotten
hold of him upon his becom-
ing a bank attendant, he
would always insist on re-
maining at the table a bit
longer even though he
invariably nodded out and,
m o r e o v e r, c o u l d t h e n b e
coaxed only with the greatest
del Solar
la madre y la hermana se ex-
hortaban mutuamente al si-
lencio; la madre, muy incli-
nada bajo la luz, cosía ropa
interior fina para una tien-
da de modas; la hermana,
que había aceptado un tra-
bajo como vendedora,
aprendía por la noche
taquigrafía y francés, quizá
para conseguir más tarde al-
gún puesto mejor. A veces el
padre se despertaba y, como
si no supiera que había dor-
mido un rato, decía a la ma-
dre: «¡Cuánto has cosido
hoy también!» y volvía a
dormirse enseguida, mien-
tras la madre y la hermana,
cansadas, intercambiaban
una sonrisa.
Con una especie de obs-
tinación, el padre se negaba
a quitarse en casa el unifor-
me de trabajo, y mientras su
bata colgaba inútilmente de
la percha, él dormitaba en su
asiento totalmente vestido,
como si estuviera siempre
listo para el servicio y tam-
bién allí aguardase la voz de
su superior. Debido a ello, el
uniforme, que para empezar
ya no era nuevo, se fue des-
luciendo pese a todos los
desvelos de la madre y de la
hermana, y Gregor se pasa-
ba a menudo tardes enteras
mirando aquella prenda [75]
salpicada de manchas y con
los botones dorados siempre
relucientes, con la que el an-
ciano dormía muy incómodo
y, sin embargo, tranquilo.
En cuanto el reloj daba
las diez, la madre inten-
taba despertar al padre en
voz baja y convencerlo de
que se fuera a la cama,
pues allí no podía dormir
como es debido y, dado que
entraba a trabajar a las seis
de la mañana, necesitaba
c o n u r g e n c i a d e s c a n s a r.
Pero este, con la testarudez
que se había apoderado de
él desde que trabajaba de
ordenanza, insistía en que-
darse más tiempo a la
mesa, pese a que normal-
mente volvía a dormirse y
luego era preciso hacer
grandes esfuerzos para
96
Stokes
reminding each other to
be quiet; his mother,
leaning far forward under
the light, sewed fine linen
for a fashion store; his
s i s t e r, w h o h a d t a k e n a
job as a salesgirl, was
learning shorthand and
French in the evenings in
the hope of securing a
better position later on.
Sometimes his father
would wake up and, as if
unaware that he had been
asleep at all, say to his
m o t h e r : ‘ Yo u ’ v e b e e n
doing a lot of sewing again
today!’, and go right back
to sleep, while mother and
sister exchanged a weary
smile.
With a sort of obstinacy,
his father refused to take off
his official uniform even in
the house; and while his
dressing-gown hung idle on
the peg, he slept fully clothed
in his chair, as if he were
permanently ready for duty
and awaiting his [44]
superior ’s orders even here.
As a result his uniform,
which had not been new to
start with, lost some of its
smartness despite all
Gregor’s mother and sister
could do, and Gregor would
often stare all evening long at
this garment, covered with
stains and gleaming with its
constantly polished gold
buttons, in which the old man
slept in great discomfort and
yet at peace.
As soon as the clock
s t r u c k t e n , G r e g o r ’s
mother tried to wake his
father with a gentle word
or two and urge him to go
to bed, for this was no
place to get a proper
sleep, which was essential
since his father had to
report for duty at six
o’clock. But with the
stubbornness he had
acquired since becoming a
bank messenger he always
insisted on staying longer
at table, although he
regularly fell asleep and
could then only with the
g r e a t e s t d i ff i c u l t y b e
Vialatte
la fille s’exhortaient
mutuellement au silence; la
mère, penchée sous la
lumière, cousait de la
lingerie fine pour un
magasin de blanc, et la
s o e u r, e n g a g é e q u e l q u e
part comme vendeuse,
étudiait la sténographie ou
le français dans l’espoir
d’améliorer plus tard sa
situation. Parfois le père se
réveillait, et, comme s’il
ignorait qu’il eût dormi,
déclarait à la mère : «Que
tu couds longtemps
aujourd’hui!» , sur quoi il
reprenait son somme,
tandis que la mère et la
saur échangeaient un
sourire fatigué.
Par une sorte d’obstination
capricieuse, le père se refusait
à quitter sa livrée, même dans
son intérieur; sa robe de
chambre inutile restait
accrochée au portemanteau et
il dormait sur son fauteuil en
grand uniforme comme pour se
tenir toujours prêt à exécuter un
ordre; jusque chez lui il
semblait attendre la voix d’un
supérieur. Aussi la livrée, qui
n’était déjà pas neuve quand on
la lui avait donnée, perdait-elle
chaque jour de son éclat malgré
les soins des deux femmes; et
Grégoire passait souvent sa
soirée à contempler cet habit
criblé de taches dont les
boutons bien astiqués brillaient
toujours, et sous lequel le vieil
homme dormait dans le calme
et l’inconfort.
Dès que la pendule
sonnait dix heures, la mère
tâchait de réveiller le père
à voix basse et de le
décider à gagner son lit,
déclarant que ce sommeil
dans la position assise ne
comptait pas et qu’il avait
besoin de dormir
normalement avant de [63]
reprendre son service à six
heures. Mais, avec
l’entêtement qu’il marquait
depuis qu’il recevait des
consignes à la banque, il
persistait opiniâtrement à
rester à table bien qu’il se
rendormît régulièrement et
qu’il devînt alors très
Cl. David
s’exhortaient mutuellement
au silence; la mère, courbée
sous la lampe, cousait de la
lingerie fine pour un
m a g a s i n d e d a m e s ; l a s o e u r,
engagée comme vendeuse,
apprenait le soir la
sténographie et le français,
dans l’espoir d’obtenir
peut-être un jour une
situation meilleure.
Quelquefois, le père se
réveillait et, sans se rendre
compte qu’il avait fait un
somme, il disait à la mère :
« Combien de temps as-tu
encore passé à ta couture 1
», sur quoi il se rendormait,
tandis que la mère et la
soeur échangeaient un pâle
sourire.
Avec une sorte d’entêtement,
le père refusait de quitter son
uniforme, même quand il était
chez lui, et tandis que la robe de
chambre restait inutilement
pendue au porte-manteau, il
sommeillait tout habillé à sa
place, comme s’il était à tout
instant prêt à servir et à prêter
l’oreille à la voix de son
supérieur. L’uniforme, qui n’était
déjà pas tout neuf lorsqu’il l’avait
reçu, n’était donc pas de la
première propreté, malgré le soin
qu’en prenaient la mère et la
soeur, et pendant des soirées
entières, Gregor restait assis à
regarder le vêtement couvert de
taches, avec ses boutons dorés
toujours bien astiqués, dans
lequel le vieillard dormait très
inconfortablement et pourtant
d’un sommeil paisible.
Dès que l’horloge
sonnait dix heures, la mère
cherchait à réveiller son
mari en lui adressant
doucement la parole et
essayait de l’inciter à
gagner son lit, car ce
n’était pas ici le vrai
sommeil, dont le père, qui
reprenait son service à six
heures, avait un tel besoin.
Mais, avec l’entêtement
dont il faisait preuve
depuis qu’il avait pris du
service à la banque, il
insistait pour rester encore
à table, tout en continuant
à s’y endormir
régulièrement, et il était
Freed
and the sister would
caution each other to keep
s t i l l ; t h e m o t h e r, b e n t
over toward the light,
sewed delicate lingerie
for an apparel shop; the
s i s t e r, w h o h a d t a k e n a
job as a salesgirl, was
studying shorthand and
French in the hope of
attaining a better position
in the future. The father
sometimes woke up and,
as if he were not aware he
had been sleeping, would
say to the mother: “How
long you’re sewing again
today!” and instantly fall
back asleep while mother
and sister exchanged a
tired smile.
[38] Out of some absurd
obstinacy, the father refused
to take off his messenger’s
uniform even in the house,
and while the dressing gown
hung uselessly on the clothes
hook, the father sat fully
dressed in his chair, as if he
were ever ready for duty and
awaited, even here, his
superior’s call. As a result the
uniform, which was not new
to begin with, became more
and more seedy despite all the
efforts of the mother and
sister, and Gregor often spent
whole evenings staring at this
garment, covered with greasy
stains and gleaming,
constantly polished gold
buttons, in which the father
slept awkwardly but very
peacefully.
As soon as the clock
struck ten, the mother
tried to rouse the father
with gentle words and then
persuade him to go to bed,
for he simply was not
getting any proper rest
where he was, something
he sorely needed since he
had to go on duty at six.
But, with this
stubbornness that he had
acquired since becoming a
bank messenger, he always
insisted on staying longer
at the table even though he
nodded off regularly, and
it was then a monumental
task to coax him into
97
Alianza
recomendábanse una a otra
silencio. La madre, incli-
nada muy junto a la luz,
cosía ropa blanca fina para
un almacén, y la hermana,
que se había colocado de
dependienta, estudiaba por
las noches estenografía y
francés, a fin de lograr qui-
zá con el tiempo un puesto
mejor que el actual. De
cuando en cuando, el padre
despertaba, y, cual si no se
diese cuenta de haber dor-
mido, decíale a la madre:
«¡Cuánto coses hoy tam-
bién!» Y volvía al punto a
dormirse, mientras la ma-
dre y la hermana, rendidas
de cansancio, cambiaban
una sonrisa.
El padre negábase obstina-
damente a despojarse, ni aun en
casa, de su uniforme de orde-
nanza. Y mientras la bata, ya
inútil, colgaba de la percha, dor-
mitaba perfectamente uniforma-
do, cual si quisiese hallarse
siempre dispuesto a prestar ser-
vicio, o esperase oír hasta en su
casa la voz de alguno [76] de
sus jefes. Con lo cual el unifor-
me, que ya al principio no era
nuevo, perdió rápidamente su
pulcritud, a pesar del cuidado de
la madre y de la hermana. Y
Gregorio, con frecuencia,
pasábase horas enteras con la
mirada puesta en ese traje lus-
troso, lleno de lamparones, pero
con los botones dorados siem-
pre relucientes, dentro del’ cual
el viejo dormíase harto incómo-
do, si bien tranquilo.
Al dar las diez, la ma-
dre intentaba despertar al
padre, exhortándole dul-
cemente a marcharse a la
cama, queriendo conven-
cerle de que aquello no
era dormir de veras, cosa
que él tanto necesitaba,
pues ya a las seis había
de comenzar su servicio.
Mas el padre, con la obs-
tinación que se había
apoderado de él desde
que era ordenanza, per-
sistía en querer permane-
cer más tiempo a la mesa,
no obstante dormirse allí
invariablemente y costar
gran trabajo moverle a
Willie
w o u l d u rg e e a c h o t h e r t o
b e q u i e t ; h i s m o t h e r,
bent deeply under the
lamp, would sew fancy
underwear for a fashion
s h o p ; h i s s i s t e r, w h o h a d
taken a sales job, learned
shorthand and French in
the evenings so that she
might be able to get a
better position later on.
Sometimes his father would
wake up and say to Gregor ’s
mother “you’re doing so
much sewing again today!”,
as if he did not know that
he had been dozing - and
then he would go back to
sleep again while mother
and sister would exchange a
tired grin.
With a kind of stubbornness,
Gregor ’s father refused to take
his uniform off even at home;
while his nightgown hung
unused on its peg Gregor ’s
father would slumber where he
was, fully dressed, as if always
ready to serve and expecting to
hear the voice of his superior
even here. The uniform had not
been new to start with, but as
a result of this it slowly
became even shabbier despite
the efforts of Gregor’s mother
and sister to look after it.
Gregor would often spend the
whole evening looking at all
the stains on this coat, with its
gold buttons always kept
polished and shiny, while the
old man in it would sleep,
highly uncomfortable but
peaceful.
As soon as it struck ten,
G r e g o r ’s m o t h e r w o u l d
speak gently to his father
to wake him and try to
persuade him to go to bed,
a s h e c o u l d n ’t s l e e p
properly where he was and
he really had to get his
sleep if he was to be up at
six to get to work. But
since he had been in work
he had become more
obstinate and would
always insist on staying
longer at the table, even
though he regularly fell
asleep and it was then
harder than ever to
persuade him to exchange
 Neugroschel
difficulty to trade the chair for
the bed. No matter how much
the mother and the sister
cajoled and gently admonished
him, he would shake his head
slowly for a quarter of an hour,
keeping his eyes shut and
refusing to stand up. The
mother would tug at his
sleeve, whispering honeyed
words into his ear, and the
sister would leave her
homework to help the
mother; but none of this had
any effect on the father. He
would merely sink deeper
into his chair. It was only
when the women lifted him
under his armpits tha t h e
would open his eyes, glance
to and fro between
m o t h e r a n d s i s t e r, a n d
s a y : “What a life. This is
my rest in my old days.”
And supporting himself on
the two women, he would
ponderously struggle to his
feet as if being the greatest
burden on himself, let the
two women steer him to the
door, wave them off upon
arriving and trudge on
unaided, while the mother
hastily discarded her sewing
and the daughter her pen in
order to run after him and con-
tinue being helpful.
Who in this
overworked and exhausted
family had time to look
after Gregor any more
than was absolutely
necessary? The household
was reduced further; the
maid was now dismissed
after all, and a gigantic
bony [167] charwoman
with white hair fluttering
around her head would
come every morning and
evening to do the heaviest
chores. Everything else
was taken care of by the
mother along with her
great amount of
needlework. It even
happened that various
i t e m s o f f a m i l y j e w e l r y,
which mother and sister
had once blissfully
sported at celebrations
and festivities, were now
being sold off, as Gregor
learned in the evenings
del Solar
animarlo a cambiar el si-
l l ó n p o r l a c a m a . Ya p o -
dían la madre y la herma-
n a i nsistirle con breves ex-
hortaciones, él se pasaba un
cuarto de hora entero me-
neando lentamente la cabe-
za con los ojos cerrados y
no se levantaba. La madre
le tiraba de la manga,
diciéndole al oído palabras
cariñosas, la hermana deja-
ba su trabajo para ayudar a
la madre, pero nada de esto
tenía efecto sobre el padre,
que se hundía aún más pro-
fundamente en su sillón.
Solo cuando ambas mujeres
lo sujetaban por las axilas,
él abría los ojos y, mirando
alternativamente a la madre y
a la hermana, solía decir:
«¡Qué vida! ¡Y pensar que esta
es la tranquilidad de mi ve-
jez!». Y, apoyándose en las dos
mujeres, se levantaba penosa-
mente, como si él fuese para
sí mismo la carga más pesada,
se dejaba llevar por ellas has-
ta la puerta, donde les indicaba
por señas que lo dejasen, y
proseguía solo, [76] mientras
la madre soltaba rápidamente
sus útiles de costura y la her-
mana su pluma, para correr
tras el padre y seguir prestán-
dole ayuda.
¿Quién, en esa familia ago-
tada por el trabajo y rendida de
cansancio, podía tener tiempo
para ocuparse de Gregor más
de lo estrictamente necesario?
El presupuesto familiar se
iba reduciendo cada vez
más; la criada fue final-
mente despedida; una
a s i s t e n t a g i g a ntesca y
huesuda, de pelo blanco y
desgreñado, empezó a venir
por la mañana y por la tarde
a hacer los trabajos más du-
ros; de todo el resto se en-
cargaba la madre, además de
sus numerosas labores de
costura. Llegaron incluso a
vender una serie de joyas de
la familia que, tiempo atrás,
la madre y la hermana ha-
bían lucido muy contentas en
fiestas y celebraciones, se-
gún se enteró Gregor una
noche en que comentaban los
precios conseguidos. Pero la
mayor queja guardaba siem-
98
Stokes
persuaded to exchange his
chair for his bed. No matter
how much his mother and
sister kept nagging him
with mild admonishments,
he would go on shaking his
head slowly for a quarter of
an hour, with his eyes firmly
closed and refusing to get
up. G r e g o r ’s mother
plucked at his sleeve,
whispered cajoling words in
his ear, his sister dropped
her homework to come and
h e l p h e r m o t h e r, b u t t h e
effect on his father was nil.
He merely sank deeper into
his chair. Only when the
women grasped him under
the armpits would he open
his eyes, l o o k f r o m w i f e
to daughter and say:
‘What a life. So much for a
peaceful old age.’ And,
leaning on the two women,
he would get up awkwardly
as if he were the greatest
burden to himself, let the
women escort him to the
door, where, waving them
away, he would proceed on
h i s o w n , w h i l e G r e g o r ’s
mother abandoned her
sewing, and his sister her
pen in order to run after his
father and offer him further
assistance.
Who in this
overworked and
exhausted family had time
to worry about Gregor
any more than was
absolutely necessary?
They economised more
and more; the maid was
finally [ 45] dismissed; a huge
bony cleaning woman with
white hair fluttering
around her head came
mornings and evenings to
do the heaviest work; his
mother took care of
everything else, on top of
all her sewing. It even
happened that various
pieces of family jewellery,
which his mother and sister
had once been overjoyed to
wear at parties and
celebrations, were sold, as
Gregor discovered one
evening from the general
discussion about the prices
they had fetched. But the
Vialatte
pénible de lui faire
échanger son fauteuil pour
le lit. La mère et la soeur
avaient beau le pr esser,
multiplier leurs petits
avertissements il restait là
pendant des quarts d’heure à
branler lentement la tête, les
yeux fermés, sans vouloir
jamais se lever. La mère le
secouait par la manche, lui
disait à l’oreille des choses
gentilles, la fille abandonnait
ses devoirs pour la seconder,
mais tout cela restait sans
effet. Il ne faisait que
s’enfoncer un peu plus dans
son fauteuil. Il fallait que l e s
femmes le saisissent enfin
sous les bras pour lui
f a i r e o u v r i r l e s paupières;
alors il les regardait tour à tour
et déclarait d’ordinaire :
«C’en est une vie! C’est ça le
repos de mes vieux jours?» Et,
s’appuyant sur les deux femmes,
il se levait péniblement comme
s’il eût été pour lui-même une
charge énorme, se laissait
conduire à la porte par sa
femme et par sa fille, leur faisait
signe de s’en aller et continuait
son chemin tout seul, tandis que
la mère et la soeur, jetant au plus
vite l’une sa plume et l’autre son
aiguille, couraient après lui pour
l’aider encore.
Qui aurait eu le temps dans
cette famille surmenée par le
travail et la fatigue de
s’occuper de Grégoire
autrement que pour ses besoins
les plus pressants? On
réduisait de plus en plus le
budget [64] du ménage, on
finit par renvoyer la bonne;
une immense femme de peine
d’un aspect osseux, avec des
cheveux blancs qui flottaient
autour de sa tête, vint
désormais la remplacer le
matin et le soir pour les gros
travaux; le reste, c’était
maintenant la mère qui s’en
occupait en plus de ses
interminables ravaudages. Il
advint même- qu’on dut
vendre différents bijoux de
famille qui avaient fait
autrefois l’orgueil de la mère
et de la soeur dans les petites
cérémonies et les fêtes;
Grégoire l’apprit un jour en
entendant discuter les prix à la
Cl. David
ensuite très difficile de
l’amener à échanger sa chaise
contre son lit. La mère et la s oeur
avaient beau multiplier
leurs petites exhortations
pour le décider, il restait encore
des quarts d’heure entiers à
hocher la tête, gardait les yeux
fermés et refusait de se lever. La
mère le tirait par la manche, lui
disait à l’oreille des choses
gentilles, la soeur quittait son
travail pour prêter main-forte à
sa mère : tout cela restait sans
effet sur le père, il ne faisait
que s’enfoncer encore plus
p r o f o n d é m e nt dans son
fauteuil. C’est seulement quand
les femmes le prenaient sous les
épaules qu’il ouvrait les yeux,
regardait alternativement sa femme
et s a f i l l e t o u t e n d i s a n t
d ’ o r d i n a i r e : «On appelle cela
une vie 1 et c’est là tout le repos de mes
vieux jours?» Et, appuyé sur les
deux femmes, il se levait avec
peine, comme s’il était pour
lui-même le fardeau le plus
encombrant, se laissait conduire
jusqu’à la porte par les deux
femmes; arrivé là, il leur faisait
signe de s’éloigner et continuait
seul son chemin, tandis que la
mère rangeait en hâte sa couture,
la fille son porteplume, pour
courir derrière le père et
continuer à l’aider.
Qui donc, dans cette
famille usée de travail et
recrue de fatigue, avait encore
le temps de s’occuper de
Gregor plus qu’il n’était
absolument nécessaire? On
réduisit plus encore le budget
du ménage; on se décida à
renvoyer la bonne; une énorme
femme de peine au visage
osseux, la tête environnée de
cheveux blancs, venait le
matin et le soir pour les gros
travaux; c’est la mère qui, en
plus de toute sa couture,
s’occupait de tout le reste. Il
arriva même qu’on vendît
dif férents bijoux de famille,
qui avaient fait autrefois le
bonheur de la mère et de la
fille, lorsqu’elles les avaient
portés lors de leurs sorties et
des festivités, ainsi que
Gregor l’apprit le soir en
entendant la famille
commenter les prix qu’on
avait obtenus. Mais le plus
Freed
exchanging the chair for
t he bed. However mu c h
the mother and sister
prodded him with admonishments,
he would go on shaking
his head slowly with his
eyes closed for another
quarter of an hour and
refuse to get up. The
mother plucked at his
sleeve, cajoling softly in
his ear, and the sister left
her lessons to help the
mother, all to no avail. The
father only ensconced
himself farther in the chair.
Not until the two women
pulled him up under the
arms would he open his
eyes and look back and
forth from the mother to
t h e s i s t e r, w i t h t h e
customary remark: “What a
life. This is the rest of my
old age.” And supported
by the two women, he rose
haltingly to his feet as if
he himself were his
greatest burden and
allowed the women to
steer him to the door,
where he shrugged them
off and labored on alone,
while the mother dropped
her sewing and the sister
her pen to run after him
and aid him further.
Who in this
overworked and
exhausted family had time
to fuss over Gregor more
than was absolutely
necessary? The household
was even further reduced;
the maid was dismissed
after all and a huge bony
charwoman with white
hair flapping around her
head came mornings and
evenings to see to the
heaviest chores; the
mother took care of
everything else on top of
her copious sewing. Even
various pieces of family
jewelry, which the mother
and sister used to
joyously display at
parties and celebrations,
had to be [39] sold, as
Gregor learned from a
discussion of the obtained
prices one evening.
However, their most
99
Alianza
cambiar la butaca por
la cama. Pese a todos
los razonamientos de
la madre y la hermana,
él seguía allí con los
ojos cerrados, dando
lentas cabezadas cuar-
to de hora tras cuarto
de hora, y no se levan-
taba. La madre
sacudíale de la manga,
deslizándole en el oído
palabras cariñosas; la
hermana [77] abando-
naba su tarea para ayu-
darla. Pero de ~ nada
servía esto, pues el pa-
dre hundíase más hon-
d o en su butaca y no abría
los ojos hasta que las dos mu-
jeres le asían por debajo de
los brazos. Entonces miraba a
una y a otra, y solía exclamar:
— ¡Sí que es una vida! ¡Este
es el sosiego de mis últimos años!
Y penosamente, cual si la
suya fuese la carga más pesada,
poníase en pie, apoyándose en la
madre y la hermana, dejábase
acompañar de esta guisa hasta la
puerta, indicábales allí con el
gesto que ya no las necesitaba, y
seguía solo su camino, mientras
la madre arrojaba rápidamente
sus útiles de costura y la herma-
na sus plumas, para correr en pos
suya y continuar ayudándole.
¿Quién, en aquella familia
cansada, deshecha por el tra-
bajo, hubiera podido dedicar
a Gregorio algún tiempo más
que el estrictamente necesa-
rio? El tren de la casa redújose
cada vez más. Se despidió a la
criada, y se la sustituyó en los
trabajos más duros por una
asistenta, una especie de gi-
gante huesudo, con un nimbo
de cabellos blancos en torno a
la cabeza, que venía un rato
por la mañana y otro por la tar-
de, y fue la madre quien hubo
de sumar, a su ya nada corta
labor de costura, todos los de
[78] más quehaceres. Hubie-
ron, incluso, de venderse va-
rias alhajas que poseía la fa-
milia, y que, en otros tiempos,
habían lucido gozosas la ma-
dre y la hermana en fiestas y
reuniones. Así lo averiguó
Gregorio a la noche, por la
conversación acerca del
resultado de la venta. Mas el
Willie
the chair for his bed. Then,
however much mother and
sister would importune him
with little reproaches and
warnings he would keep
slowly shaking his head for
a quarter of an hour with his
eyes closed and refusing to
g e t u p . G r e g o r ’s m o t h e r
would tug at his sleeve,
whisper endearments into
h i s e a r , G r e g o r ’s s i s t e r
would leave her work to
help her mother, but nothing
w o u l d h a v e a n y e ff e c t o n
him. He would just sink
d e e p e r i n t o h i s c h a i r. O n l y
when the two w omen took
him under the arms he would
abruptly open his eyes,
look at t h e m o n e a f t e r
the other and say:
“ W h a t a life! This is what
peace I get in my old age!”
And supported by the two
women he would lift himself
up carefully as if he were
carrying the greatest load
himself, let the women take
him to the door, send them
off and carry on by himself
while Gregor ’s mother would
throw down her needle and
his sister her pen so that they
could run after his father and
continue being of help to
him.
Who, in this tired and
o v e r w o r k e d f a m i l y, w o u l d
have had time to give more
attention to Gregor than was
absolutely necessary? The
household budget became
even smaller; so now the
maid was dismissed; an
enormous, thick-boned
charwoman with white hair
that flapped around her head
came every morning and
evening to do the heaviest
work; everything else was
l o o k e d a f t e r b y G r e g o r ’s
m o t h e r o n t o p o f t h e l a rge
amount of sewing work she
did. Gregor even learned,
listening to the evening
conversation about what price
t h e y h a d h o p e d f o r, t h a t
several items of jewellery
belonging to the family had
been sold, even though both
mother and sister had been
very fond of wearing them at
functions and celebrations.
 Neugroschel
from the general
discussions of the prices
they had obtained. Their
greatest persistent
complaint, though, was that
since they could hit on no
way of moving Gregor, they
could not give up this
apartment, which was much
too large for their present
c i r c u m s t a n c e s . G regor,
however, realized it was not
just their consideration for
him that held them back, for
they could have easily
transported him in a suitable
crate with a couple of air
holes in it. The main obstacle
to the family’s relocation was
their utter despair and their
sense of being struck by a
misfortune like no one else
among their friends a n d -
relatives. Whatever the
world demands of poor
people, they carried out to
an extreme: the father
fetched breakfast for the
minor bank tellers, the
mother sacrificed herself to
underwear for strangers,
the sister, ordered around
by customers, ran back and
forth behind the counter.
But those were the limits of
the family’s strength. And
the injury in Gregor ’s back
started hurting again
whenever mother and
sister, having returned from
getting the father to bed,
ignored their work as they
huddled togeth e r c h e e k t o
c h e e k , a n d t h e m o t h e r,
p o i n t i n g t o w a r d G r e gor ’s
room, now said:
“Close that d o o r,
Grete,” so that Gregor
was back in the dark,
while the women in the
next room mingled their
tears or peered dry-eyed
at the table. [168]
Gregor spent his nights
and days almost entirely
without sleep. Occasionally
he decided that the next
time the door opened, he
would take over the
family’s affairs as in the
p a s t . N o w, a f t e r a l o n g
absence, the director and
the office manager
reappeared in his thoughts,
del Solar
pre relación con el hecho
de que no podían dejar ese
piso excesivamente grande
en las circunstancias ac-
tuales, pues no lograban
imaginarse cómo podrían
t r a s l a d a r a G r e g o r. G r e g o r
se daba perfecta cuenta de
que no solo era la consi-
deración hacia él lo que
impedía un traslado, pues
hubieran podido transpor-
tarlo fácilmente en una
caja adecuada con unos
cuantos agujeros para res-
pirar; lo que realmente im-
pedía a la familia cambiar-
se de piso era más bien la
absoluta desesperación y
la idea de haber sido gol-
peados por una desgracia
sin parangón en todo su
círculo de parientes y co-
nocidos . Todo cuanto el [77]
mundo exige de la gente pobre
lo cumplían ellos con creces:
el padre llevaba el desayuno a
los pequeños empleados de un
banco, la madre se sacrificaba
por la ropa interior de gente
extraña, la hermana corría de-
trás de un mostrador de un lado
para otro a petición de los
clientes; pero las fuerzas de la
familia ya no daban para más.
Y la herida en la espalda de
Gregor empezaba a dolerle
como el primer día cuando la
madre y la hermana, después
de haber acostado al padre,
volvían a la sala de estar, de-
jaban sus labores y se acerca-
ban la una a la otra hasta que-
dar mejilla contra mejilla;
cuando la madre, señalando la
habitación de Gregor, decía:
«Cierra esa puerta, Grete», y
cuando Gregor se quedaba
de nuevo a oscuras, mientras
al lado las mujeres confun-
dían sus lágrimas o se que-
daban mirando fijamente la
mesa, sin llorar.
Gregor pasaba las no-
ches y los días casi sin dor-
mir. A veces pensaba que, la
próxima vez que se abriese
la puerta, él se haría otra
vez cargo, como solía, de
los asuntos familiares; en
sus pensamientos volvían a
aparecer, después de mucho
tiempo, el jefe y el gerente,
los dependientes y los apren-
100
Stokes
chief complaint was
always that they could not
give up the apartment,
which was far too big for
their present
circumstances, since it was
impossible to imagine how
Gregor could be moved.
But Gregor realised that it
was not only concern for
him that prevented a move,
for it would have been a
simple matter to transport
him in a suitable crate with
a few air-holes; the main
reason that prevented the
family from moving was
rather a feeling of utter
hopelessness and the
thought that they had been
afflicted by a misfortune
that none of their friends
and relatives had ever
suffered. What the world
requires of impoverished
people they fulfilled to the
utmost; his father fetched
breakfast for the minor
officials at the bank; his
mother sacrificed herself
making underwear for
strangers, his sister ran back
and forth behind the counter
at her customers’ command,
but to do any more was
beyond the family’s power.
And the wound in Gregor’s
back began to hurt all over
again when mother and
sister, having put his father
to bed, now came back,
dropped their work, pulled
their chairs close together
and sat cheek to cheek;
when his mother, indicating
G r e g o r ’s r o o m , s a i d ,
‘C l o s e that door,
Grete’; and when
Gregor was again in the
dark, while in the next
room the women wept
together or just stared
dry-eyed at the table.
Gregor spent the nights
and days almost entirely
without sleep. Sometimes
he thought that the next time
the door [46] opened he
would take charge of the
family’s affairs again just as
before; after a long interval
the head of the firm and the chief
clerk reappeared in his thoughts,
together with the other clerks
Vialatte
veillée. Mais le plus gros
sujet de plainte était surtout
cet appartement devenu trop
coûteux pour la bourse du
ménage et qu’on ne pouvait
quitter à cause de Grégoire
dont on n’arrivait pas à
imaginer le transport. Hélas!
Grégoire comprenait bien
que ce n’étaient pas les
égards qu’on lui devait qui
constituaient le principal
obstacle à ce déménageaient,
car on aurait très bien pu le
faire voyager dans une
bonne caisse en bois
pourvue de trous d’aération;
non, le principal obstacle,
c’était le désespoir des
siens, l’idée qu’ils avaient
été frappés d’un malheur
unique dans les annales de
leur famille et de leur milieu.
De toutes les obligations que
le monde impose aux pauvres,
aucune maintenant ne leur était
épargnée; le père allait chercher
le déjeuner des petits employés
de la banque, la mère se tuait à
laver le linge des étrangers; la
soeur manoeuvrait en cadence
derrière son comptoir au
commandement des clients;
mais il ne fallait pas leur
demander [65] autre chose;
leurs forces n’y auraient pas
suffi. Il semblait au pauvre
Grégoire que sa blessure se
couvrît quand sa mère et sa
soeur, revenant de coucher le
père, laissaient leur ouvrage en
détresse, approchaient leurs
chaises l’une de l’autre,
s’installaient presque joue contre
joue, et que la mère disait en
montrant la chambre de
Grégoire : «Ferme donc la
porte, Grete», et qu’il se
retrouvait dans l’ombre tandis
que de l’autre côté les deux
femmes mêlaient leurs larmes
ou, pis, restaient à fixer la
table d’un oeil sec.
Grégoire passait des jours et
des nuits sans dormir. Il
songeait de temps en temps à
reprendre en main c omme
autrefois les affaires de la
famille, dès que la porte
s’ouvrirait; au bout d’une
longue éclipse il vit défiler un
jour dans sa mémoire son
patron et son gérant, les commis
et les apprentis-calicots, le
Cl. David
gros sujet de plainte était
toujours qu’il était
impossible de quitter
l’appartement, devenu trop
grand dans la situation
actuelle, parce qu’on ne
pouvait pas envisager le
t r a n s p o r t d e G r e g o r. A v r a i
dire, Gregor comprenait bien
que ce n’était pas sa présence
qui constituait le principal
obstacle à un déménagement,
car on aurait pu facilement le
transporter dans une caisse
appropriée, avec des trous
pour lui permettre de respirer;
ce qui empêchait surtout la
famille de changer de
domicile, était bien plutôt le
sentiment de désespoir et
l’idée qu’ils avaient été
frappés par un malheur sans
exemple dans leur parenté et
d a n s l e u r m i l i e u . Toutes les
obligations que le monde
impose aux pauvres gens, ils
les accomplissaient à fond : le
père allait chercher le déjeuner
des petits employés de la
banque, la mère se tuait à
coudre du linge pour des
étrangers, la soeur courait
derrière son comptoir pour
répondre aux ordres des clients,
mais leurs forces ne pouvaient
pas aller au-delà. Et Gregor
recommençait à souffrir de sa
blessure dans le dos, quand sa
mère et sa soeur, après avoir
amené son père jusqu’à son lit,
revenaient dans la salle,
laissaient là leur ouvrage,
r a p p r o c h a i e n t l e u r s chaises,
restaient joue contre joue, puis
quand la mère, en désignant la
porte de Gregor, disait à Grete :
« Allons! C’est le moment de
fermer!» et qu’il se trouvait à
nouveau dans le noir, tandis que,
dans la pièce à côté, les femmes
mêlaient leurs larmes ou
gardaient les yeux fixés sur la
table, sans même verser un pleur.
Gregor passait les jours et
les nuits presque entièrement
sans sommeil. II lui arrivait de
penser que, la prochaine fois
que la porte s’ouvrirait, il
recommencerait, tout comme
autrefois, à reprendre en main
les affaires de la famille; un
jour, après que bien du temps
eut passé, il revit en pensée le
patron et le fondé de pouvoir,
Freed
persistent lament was
that they could not leave
this apartment, much too
large for their present
needs, because it was
inconceivable how
Gregor was to be moved.
But Gregor fully
comprehended that it
was not only con-
sideration for him that
prevented a move, for he
could easily have been
transported in a suitable
crate with a few
airholes; what truly
hindered them was an
utter hopelessness and
the belief that a plight
had befallen them unlike
any other that had been
visited upon their
friends or relatives.
T hey carried out the
world’s demands on poor
people to the extreme: The
father fetched breakfast for
the minor bank clerks, the
mother sacrificed herself to
the underwear of strangers,
the sister ran to and fro
behind the counter at
customers’ beck and call,
but beyond this the family
had no more strength. And
the wound in Gregor ’s back
began to hurt anew
whenever the mother and
s i s t e r, a f t e r p u t t i n g t h e
father to bed, returned to
the table, left their work
idle, drew close to each
other, and sat cheek to
cheek, and whenever the
m o t h e r, p o i n t i n g t o w a r d
Gregor ’s room, now said:
“Go s h u t t h a t d o o r,
Grete,” and Gregor was
in darkness a g a i n w h i l e
next door the women
mingled their tears or
stared dry-eyed at the
table.
Gregor spent the days
and nights almost entirely
without sleep. Sometimes
he mulled over the idea
that the next time the door
opened he would take
control of the family
affairs as he had done in
the past; these musings led
him once more after such
a long interval to conjure
101
Alianza
mayor motivo de lamentación
consistía siempre en la
imposibilidad de dejar aquel
piso, demasiado grande ya en
las actuales circunstancias;
pues no había modo alguno de
mudar a Gregorio. Pero bien
comprendía éste que él no era
el verdadero impedimento
para la mudanza, ya que se le
podía haber transportado fá-
cilmente en un cajón, con tal
que tuviese un par de aguje-
ros por donde respirar. No; lo
que detenía principalmente a
la familia, en aquel trance de
mudanza, era la desespera-
ción que ello le infundía al te-
ner que concretar la idea de
que había sido azotada por
una desgracia, inaudita hasta
entonces en todo el círculo
de sus parientes y conocidos.
Hubieron de apurar hasta la
hez el cáliz que el mundo im-
pone a los desventurados: el
padre tenía que ir a buscar el
desayuno del humilde emplea-
do de Banco; la madre, que sa-
crificarse por ropas de extra-
ños; la hermana, que correr de
acá para allá detrás [79] del
mostrador, conforme lo exi-
gían los clientes. Pero las fuer-
zas de la familia no daban ya
más de sí. Y Gregorio sentía
renovarse el dolor de la heri-
da que tenía en la espalda,
cuando la madre y la herma-
na, después de acostar al pa-
dre, tornaban al comedor y
abandonaban el trabajo para
sentarse muy cerca una de otra,
casi mejilla con mejilla. La
madre señalaba hacia la habi-
tación de Gregorio y decía:
—Grete, cierra esa puerta.
Y Gregorio hallábase de nuevo
sumido en la oscuridad, mientras, en
la habitación contigua, las mujeres
confundían sus lágrimas, o se queda-
ban mirando fijamente a la mesa, con
los ojos secos.
Las noches y los días de
Gregorio deslizábanse sin
que el sueño tuviese apenas
parte en ellos. A veces,
ocurríasele pensar que iba a
abrirse la puerta de su cuarto,
y que él iba a encargarse de
nuevo, como antes, de los
asuntos de la familia. Por su
mente volvieron a cruzar, tras
largo tiempo, el jefe y el ge-
Willie
But the loudest complaint was
that although the flat was much
too big for their present
circumstances, they could not
move out of it, there was no
imaginable way of transferring
Gregor to the new address. He
could see quite well, though,
that there were more reasons
than consideration for him that
made it difficult for them to
move, it would have been quite
easy to transport him in any
suitable crate with a few air
holes in it; the main thing
holding the family back from
their decision to move was
much more to do with their
total despair, and the thought
that they had been struck with
a misfortune unlike anything
experienced by anyone else
they knew or were related to.
They ca r r i e d o u t a b s o l u t e l y
everything that the world
expects from poor people,
Gregor’s father brought bank
employees their breakfast,
his mother sacrificed herself
by washing clothes for
strangers, his sister ran back
and forth behind her desk at
the behest of the customers,
but they just did not have
the strength to do any more.
A n d t h e i n j u r y i n G r e g o r ’s
back began to hurt as much
a s w h e n i t w a s n e w. A f t e r
they had come back from
taking his father to bed
G r e g o r ’s m o t h e r a n d s i s t e r
would now leave their work
where it was and sit close
together, cheek to cheek; his
mother would point to
G r e g o r ’s r o o m a n d s a y
“ C l o s e t h a t d o o r, G r e t e ” ,
and then, when he was in the
dark again, they would sit in
the next room and their tears
would mingle, or they would
simply sit there staring dry-
eyed at the table.
Gregor hardly slept at
a l l , e i t h e r n i g h t o r d a y.
Sometimes he would think
o f t a k i n g o v e r t h e f a m i l y ’s
aff a i r s , j u s t l i k e b e f o r e , t h e
next time the door was
opened; he had long
forgotten about his boss and
the chief clerk, but they
would appear again in his
thoughts, the salesmen and
 Neugroschel
the clerks and the trainees,
the dim-witted errand boy,
two or three friends from
other companies, a tiendas, la camarera de un
chambermaid in a provincial
hotel, a dear, fleeting
m e m o r y, a m i l l i n e r ’s
cashier whom he had
courted earnestly but too
slowly-they all reappeared,
mingling with strangers or
forgotten people. Yet rather
than helping him and his
family, they were all unap-
proachable, and he was
glad when they dwindled
away. At other moments, he
was in no mood to worry
about his family-he was
filled with sheer rage at
being poorly looked after;
and although unable to pic-
ture anything that might
tempt his appetite, he did
try to devise ways of
getting into the pantry and,
while not hungry, taking
what was ultimately his
due. No longer paying any
heed to what might be a
special tr eat for Gregor,
the sister, before hurrying
off to work in the morning
and after lunch, would use
her foot to shove some
random food into Gregor ’s
room. Then, in the evening,
indifferent as to whether
the food had been merely
tasted or-most often the
case-left entirely
untouched, she would
sweep it out with a swing
of the broom. She
would now tidy up
the room in the
evening, and she
could not have done
i t a n y f a s t e r. G r i m y
streaks lined the
walls, knots of dust
and filth littered the
f l o o r. In the
beginning, when the
sister arrived,
Gregor would station
himself in such
p a r t i c u l a r l y
offensive corners as
i f t o c h i d e h e r . B u t he
could have waited there for
weeks on end without her
making [169] any
improvement; she certainly
saw the dirt as clearly as he
del Solar
dices, el mozo de los reca-
dos, tan duro de mollera,
dos o tres amigos de otras
hotel de provincias, un re-
cuerdo tierno y fugaz, la
cajera de una sombrerería a
la que había cortejado se-
riamente, aunque con exce-
siva lentitud; todos ellos se
le aparecían mezclados con
gente extraña o ya olvida-
da, pero en vez de ayudar-
lo a él y [78] a su familia,
eran todos inaccesibles, y
Gregor se alegraba cuando
desaparecían. Después, eso
sí, ya no estaba de humor
para preocuparse por su
familia, solo sentía rabia
por el mal cuidado que le
dispensaban, y aunque no
podía imaginarse nada que
despertase su apetito, hacía
planes sobre cómo llegar a
la despensa para coger allí
todo lo que, de hecho, y
aunque no tuviera hambre,
le correspondía. Sin poner-
se a pensar ya con qué po-
dría darle un gusto particu-
l a r a G r e g o r, l a h e r m a n a ,
antes de irse a trabajar por
la mañana y al mediodía,
empujaba a toda prisa con
el pie cualquier pitanza al
interior de la habitación,
para luego, por la noche,
sin fijarse si él la había
probado o -y este era el
caso más frecuente- si la
había dejado intacta, re-
cogerla de un escobazo . La
lim p i e z a d e l a h a b i t a -
ción, que ahora reali-
zaba siempre por la
noche, no hubiera po-
dido hacerse más de-
prisa. Franjas de mu-
gre recorrían las pare-
des, y aquí y allá se
veían ovillos de polvo
y suciedad. Al princi-
pio, Gregor se coloca-
ba en algún rincón par-
ticularmente sucio
cuando llegaba la her-
mana para hacerle así,
como quien dice, un
r e p r o c h e . Pero lo cierto es
que habría podido quedarse
allí semanas enteras sin que la
hermana se aplicara; pues
aunque veía la mugre tan bien
como él, había decidido no to-
102
Stokes Vialatte
and the apprentices, the domestique aux idées courtes,
exceptionally dim-witted deux ou trois amis qui étaient
e r r a n d - b o y, t w o o r t h r e e employés dans d’autres maisons
friends from other firms, a de commerce, une bonne d’hôtel
chambermaid in a provincial, souvenir fugitif et
provincial hotel, a fond, cher, et une caissière de
fleeting memory, a cashier chapellerie qu’il avait
in a hat shop whom he had recherchée d’une façon sérieuse
courted earnestly but too mais trop lente; ces gens
slowly -they all appeared, passaient dans un brouillard où
intermingled with strangers se mêlaient confusément des
or people he had already physionomies étrangères et des
forgotten, but instead of figures perdues de vue; mais
helping him and his family, aucun ne pouvait lui porter
they were all inaccessible, secours ni à lui ni à sa famille; il
and he was glad when they n’y avait rien à tirer d’eux, et il
disappeared. But at other fut content de les voir partir. Ce
times he was in no mood to défilé lui avait ôté toute envie
worry about his family, he de s’occuper des siens; il ne
was consumed by fury at songeait plus au contraire qu’à
how badly he was being rager contre eux parce qu’ils
looked after, and although négligeaient son pansage et,
he could think of nothing bien [66] que rien d’imaginable
that he might like to eat, he ne parvînt à exciter son. appétit,
nonetheless laid plans for il se plaisait à combiner une
gaining access to the larder, descente à l’office en, vue d’y
to take what was his by exercer un droit de reprise sur
rights, even though he les aliments qui lui revenaient
wasn’t hungry. No longer même s’il n’avait pas faim.
considering how she might Maintenant sa soeur ne
give Gregor a special treat, cherchait plus à deviner ce qui
his sister would shove any aurait pu lui. faire plaisir; elle
old food into his room with apparaissait en coup de vent
her foot, before running off deux fois par jour, le matin et
to work every morning and l’agrès-midi, avant d’aller au
afternoon, and in the magasin, et lui poussait du pied
evening, regardless of un morceau de n’importe quoi
whether the food had merely par la porte; le soir, sans même
been picked at or as was s’inquiéter de savoir s’il avait
most frequently the case - touché à cette pitance ou s’il l’avait
left completely untouched, laissée intacte - ce qui était devenu
she s w e p t i t o u t w i t h a courant - elle en faisait disparaître
swish of her broom. les restes d’un coup de balai.
The cleaning of the Qua n t a u nettoyage de la
room, which she now chambre, auquel elle
always attended to in procédait maintenant le soir,
the evenings, could not il ne pouvait être enlevé de
have been done more façon plus expéditive : des
s p e e d i l y. St r e a k s o f zones de crasse s’allongeaient
dirt lined the walls, sur les murs, de petits tas de
heaps of dust and filth poussièr e et d’ordures
lay here and there on the s’accumulaient dans tous les
f l o o r. A t f i r s t , w h e n e v e r coins . L e s p r e m i e r s
his sister came in, temps Grégoire s’était
Gregor would station installé aux endroits
himself in corners of the les plus malpropres au
room that were moment de l’arrivée de
particularly f i l t h y, sa soeur, pour lui
i m p l y i n g b y t h i s po s i t i o n apparaître ainsi comm e
a s o r t o f r e p r o a c h . B ut u n r e p roche. Mais il aurait
he could probably have bien pu rester là des
stayed there for weeks semaines sans que Grete
without his sister mending changeât jamais rien à sa
her ways; she saw the dirt just conduite; elle voyait la
as clearly as he did, but had saleté aussi bien que lui,
Cl. David
les commis et les apprentis, le
garçon de bureau, qui avait
l’intelligence si courte, deux
ou trois amis employés dans
d’autres magasins, une femme
de chambre dans un hôtel de
province - un souvenir fugitif,
qui lui était resté cher -, la
caissière d’une chapellerie, à
laquelle il avait fait
sérieusement, mais trop
lentement, la cour - tous lui
revinrent à l’esprit, mêlés à des
étrangers ou à des gens qu’il
avait perdus de vue; mais au
lieu de venir en aide à sa
famille ou à lui-même, ils se
détournaient tous de lui et il se
félicitait de les voir disparaître
de sa pensée. Une autre fois, il
n’était plus du tout d’humeur
à s’occuper de sa famille; il n’y
avait plus en lui que de la
fureur à cause du manque de
soins dans lequel on le laissait,
et, bien qu’il ne pût rien
imagi n e r q u i f û t c a p a b l e
d’exciter sa faim, il
forgeait des plans pour
faire irruption à l’office
afin d’y prendre tout ce
qui, malgré son manque
d’appétit, lui revenait de
droit. Le matin et à midi,
avant de partir pour son
travail et sans même se
demander ce qui pourrait
faire un quelconque plaisir
à Gregor, sa soeur poussait
du pied dans sa chambre la
première nourriture venue,
et la poussait le soir d’un
coup de balai, sans se soucier
de savoir s’il y avait goûté ou
s’il l’avait laissée sans y
toucher, ce qui était le cas le plus
fréquent. Quant au nettoyage de
la chambre, auquel maintenant
elle procédait toujours le soir, il
eût été difficile d’y passer moins
de temps. Des traces de saleté
sillonnaient les murs, des petits
tas de poussière et d’ordure
traînaient ici ou là. Les premiers
temps, Gregor s’installait dans
les coins les plus caractéristiques
de ce point de vue, au moment de
l’arrivée de sa soeur, pour lui
exprimer de la sorte une manière
de reproche. Mais il aurait pu
y rester des semaines entières
sans que sa soeur eût amélioré
sa façon de faire; elle voyait
la saleté aussi bien que lui,
mais elle était bien décidée à
Freed
up the figures of the boss,
the head clerk, the
salesmen, the apprentices,
t h e d u l l a r d o f a n o ff i c e
m e s s e n g e r, t w o o r t h r e e
friends from other firms, a
sweet and fleeting memory
of a chambermaid in one of
the rural hotels, a cashier
in a milliner ’s shop whom
he had wooed earnestly but
too slowly—they all
appeared mixed up with
strangers or nearly
forgotten people, but
instead of helping him and
his family they were each and
every one unapproachab l e , and
he was relieved when they
evaporated. Then other
times he could not be
bothered to worry about his
family, he was filled with
rage at their miserable
treatment of him, and even
though he could not
imagine anything that
might spark his appetite he
still devised plans to raid
the pantry and, even if he
w a s n o t h u n g r y, g e t t h e
food due him. No longer
concerning herself about
what Gregor might
particularly care for, the
sister hastily shoved any
old food through the door
[40] to Gregor ’s room with
her foot, both morning and
noon before she raced to
work, and in the evening
cleared it all out with one
sw e e p o f t h e b r o o m ,
indifferent to whether the
food had only been tasted
or-as was most frequently the
case-left completely
untouched. The cleaning of
his room, which she now
always did in the evening,
could not have been more
cursory. Grimy dirt streaked
the walls, layers of dust and
filth had settled everywhere.
At first, whenever the sister
came in, he would station
himself in corners
particularly offensive in this
respect as if to impart some
reproach. B u t h e c o u l d
have waited there for
weeks without the sister
showing any
improvement; she could
see the dirt just as well as
103
Alianza
rente, el dependiente y el
aprendiz, aquel ordenanza tan
cerril, dos o tres amigos que
tenía en otros comercios, una
camarera de una fonda provin-
ciana, y un recuerdo amado y
pasajero: el de una cajera de
una sombrerería, a quien había
[80] formalmente pretendido,
pero sin bastante apremio...
Todas estas personas
aparecíansele confundidas con
otras extrañas ha tiempo olvi-
dadas; mas ninguna podía
prestarle ayuda, ni a él ni a los
suyos. Eran todas inasequi-
bles, y se sentía aliviado cuan-
do lograba desechar su recuer-
do. Y, después, perdía también
‘el humor de preocuparse por
su familia, y solo sentía hacia
ella la irritación producida por
la poca atención que se le dis-
pensaba. No se le ocurría pen-
sar en nada que le apeteciera;
empero, fraguaba planes para
llegar hasta la despensa y apo-
derarse, aunque sin hambre, de
lo que en todo caso le perte-
necía de derecho. La hermana
no se preocupaba ya de idear
lo que más había de agradar-
le; antes de marchar a su tra-
bajo, por la mañana y por la
tarde, empujaba con el pie
cualquier comida en el interior
del cuarto, y luego, al regre-
sar, sin fijarse siquiera si
Gregorio solo había probado la
comida -lo cual era lo más fre-
cuente- o si ni siquiera la
había tocado, recogía los
restos de un escoba z o . E l
arreglo de la habita-
ción, que siempre te-
nía lugar de noche, no
podía asimismo ser
más rápido. Las pare-
d e s e s t a b an cubiertas de
mugre, y el polvo [ 81] y
la basura
am o n t o n á b a n s e e n l o s
rincones. En los pri-
meros tiempos, al en-
trar la hermana,
Gregorio se situaba
precisamente en el rin-
cón en que la porque-
ría le resultaba más
p a t e n t e . Pero ahora po-
día haber permanecido allí
semanas enteras sin que por
eso la hermana se hubiese
aplicado más, pues veía la
porquería tan bien como él,
Willie
the apprentices, that stupid
t e a b o y, t w o o r t h r e e f r i e n d s
f r o m o t h e r b u s i n e ss e s , o n e
of the chambermaids from
a provincial hotel, a
tender memory that
appeared and disappeared
again, a cashier from a hat
shop for whom his
attention had been serious
b u t t o o s l o w, - a l l o f t h e m
appeared to him, mixed
together with strangers
and others he had
f o rg o t t e n , b u t i n s t e a d o f
helping him and his
family they were all of
them inaccessible, and he
was glad when they
disappeared. Other times
he was not at all in the
mood to look after his
f a m i l y, h e w a s f i l l e d w i t h
simple rage about the lack
of attention he was shown,
and although he could
think of nothing he would
have wanted, he made
plans of how he could get
into the pantry where he
could take all the things
he was entitled to, even if
h e w a s n o t h u n g r y.
G r e g o r ’s s i s t e r n o l o n g e r
thought about how she
could please him but
would hurriedly push some
food or other into his room
with her foot before she
rushed out to work in the
m o r n i n g a n d a t m i d d a y,
and in the evening she
w o uld sweep it away again
with the broom, indifferent as to
whether it had been eaten or -
more often than not - had been
left totally untouched. She still
cleared up the room in the
evening, but now she could not
have been any quicker about it.
Smears of dirt were left on the
walls, here and there were li ttle
balls of dust and filth. At first,
Gregor went into one of the
worst of these places when his
sister arrived as a reproach to
her, but he could have stayed
there for weeks without his
sister doing anything about it;
she could see the dirt as well
a s h e c o ul d b u t s h e h a d
simply decided to leave him
to it. At the same time she
became touchy in a way that
was quite new for her and
 Neugroschel del Solar Stokes Vialatte Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie

did, but she had simply made carla. Al mismo tiempo se
up her mind to leave it there. preocupaba, con una
Nevertheless, with a susceptibilidad totalmente
touchiness that aside from nueva en ella y que, en gene-
being quite novel for her had ral, se había apoderado de
actually seized hold of the toda la familia, de que el arre-
entire family, she made sure glo de la habitación de Gregor
that this tidying-up remained le estuviera reservado [79]
her b a i l i w i c k. Once, the solo a ella. En cierta ocasión
mother had subjected la madre sometió a una lim-
Gregor ’s room to a major pieza a fondo la habitación de
cleansing, which had Gregor, cosa que solo consi-
required several buckets of guió después de utilizar varios
water (the great dampness, of cubos de agua -tanta humedad
course, made Gregor ill, and mortificó también a Gregor, que
afterwards he sprawled on permaneció extendido sobre el
the settee, embittered and sofá, inmóvil y amargado-,
immobile). But the mother’s pero el castigo no tardó en
punishment was not long in llegar. Pues esa misma noche,
coming. For that evening, the en cuanto la hermana advir-
instant the sister noticed the tió el cambio en la habita-
change in Gregor’s room, she ción, se precipitó, profunda-
ran, deeply offended, into mente ofendida, a la sala de
the parlor, and even though estar y, pese a las manos de
the mother raised her hands la madre levantadas en acti-
beseechingly, the sister had tud implorante, estalló en un
a crying fit. The father was, llanto convulsivo que los pa-
naturally, startled out of his dres -el padre, claro está, se
armchair, and both parents despertó sobresaltado en su
gaped, at first in helpless sillón- observaron primero
astonishment, until they too con asombro y sin saber qué
started in: the father hacer, hasta que también ellos
upbraided the mother, on empezaron a actuar; el padre,
his right, for not leaving the a su derecha, reprochaba a la
cleaning to the sister and he madre que no dejara en manos
yelled at the sister, on his de la hermana la limpieza de
left, warning her that she la habitación de Gregor, y a
would never again be su izquierda decía a gritos a
allowed to clean Gregor ’s la hermana que nunca más
room. The mother tried to permitiría que la limpiara; la
drag the father, who was madre, mientras, intentaba
beside himself with rage, llevar al dormitorio al padre,
into the bedroom; the sister, que estaba fuera de sí por la
quaking with sobs, kept excitación; la hermana, presa
hammering the table with de fuertes sollozos, aporrea-
her little fists; and Gregor ba la mesa con sus pequeños
hissed loudly in his fury puños, y Gregor silbaba rui-
because no one thought of dosamente de pura rabia por-
closing his door to shield que a nadie se le ocurría ce-
him from this spectacle and rrar la puerta y ahorrarle ese
commotion. espectáculo y ese barullo.
simply decided to leave it
there. At the same time she
saw to it, with a touchiness
that was quite new to her and
was [47] indeed affecting the
w h o l e f a m i l y, t h a t t h e
cleaning of Gregor ’s room
should remain her
prerogative. On one occasion
his mother had undertaken a
thorough cleaning of
Gregor ’s room, which she
had only managed with the
help of several buckets of
water - all this dampness, of
course, upset Gregor, who lay
stretched out on the couch,
sullen and immobile - but his
mother did not go
unpunished. For as soon as
his sister noticed the change
i n G r e g o r ’s r o o m t h a t
evening, she ran into the
living-room, deeply hurt, and
despite her m o t h e r ’s
imploringly uplifted hands,
burst into a fit of sobbing that
his parents - his father of
course had been startled out
of his chair - at first watched
in helpless amazement, until
they too got excited; his
f a t h e r, t o h i s r i g h t ,
reproached his mother for not
leaving the cleaning of
Gregor’s room to his sister;
to his left, on the other hand,
he yelled at his sister, saying
that never again would she be
permitted to clean Gregor’s
room; while his mother tried
to drag his father, who was
beside himself with agitation,
into the bedroom; his sister,
shaken with sobs, hammered
the table with her small fists;
and Gregor hissed loudly
with rage, because nobody
thought to close the door and
spare him such a spectacle
and row.
seulement elle avait
décidé une fois pour toutes
de la laisser en place : voilà.
Cela ne l’empêchait d’ailleurs
pas de veiller plus jalousement
que jamais à ce qu’on lui
conservât le monopole du
nettoyage de la chambre; ce
regain de susceptibilité s’était
montré contagieux; c’est [67]
ainsi que la mère opéra un jour
un grand lavage de la pièce qui
nécessita plusieurs seaux d’eau
- et ce déluge mortifia
profondément le pauvre
Grégoire étalé sur son canapé
dans une immobilité amère
mais la punition ne tarda pas.
A peine la soeur, en rentrant le
soir, eu t - e l l e e n e f f e t
remarqué cette innovation
que, se sentant profondément
offensée, elle courut à la salle
à manger pour y piquer une
crise de larmes malgré les
supplication s de sa mère
qui lançait les bras aux
cieux; le père, assis, s’était
levé en sursaut; ils
assistèrent d’abord au
désastre, lui et sa femme,
avec un étonnement
impuissant; puis l’agitation
les gagna; le père hurlant
attrapa la mère à droite
pour n’avoir pas laissé le
soin du nettoyage à la fille,
et défendit à gauche à sa
fille de jamais se risquer à
nettoyer; la mère chercha à
entraîner dans la chambre à
coucher le père affolé de
colère; la fille, secouée de
sanglots, travaillait la table
avec ses petits poings, et
Grégoire sifflait de rage de
toutes ses forces en voyant
que personne ne songeait à
fermer la forte pour lui
épargner ce spectacle et ce
fracas.
ne pas y toucher. Et cependant
elle veillait avec une
susceptibilité toute
particulière, qui s’était
emparée d’ailleurs de toute la
famille, à ce que lui fût réservé
l’entretien de la chambre. Un
jour, la mère avait soumis la
chambre de Gregor à un grand
nettoyage, qui avait nécessité
plusieurs seaux d’eau - toute
cette humidité avait
d’ailleurs été pour Gregor
u n e c a u s e d e s o u ff r a n c e e t i l
était resté couché de tout
son long sur le canapé,
i m mobile et plein d’aigreur -
mais le châtiment pour la
mère ne s’était pas fait
attendre. A peine la soeur
eut-elle remarqué le
changement dans la chambre
de Gregor que, se sentant
profondément offensée, elle
courut dans la salle de séjour
et, en dépit des adjurations de
la mère, qui levait les deux mains
vers le ciel, elle fut saisie d’une
crise de larmes, à laquelle les
parents - car le père, effrayé,
s’était naturellement levé, lui
aussi, de sa chaise - assistèrent
d’abord avec un étonnement
impuissant; puis l’agitation les
gagna à leur tour; le père, à
droite, faisait des reproches à la
mère, parce qu’elle n’avait pas
laissé à sa fille le soin du
nettoyage; à gauche, il interdisait
à Grete de toucher désormais à la
chambre de Gregor; il ne se
connaissait plus à force
d’énervement et la mère
cherchait à l’entraîner dans la
chambre à coucher; Grete,
secouée de sanglots, tapait sur
la table avec ses petits poings;
et Gregor sifflait de rage, parce
que personne ne songeait à
fermer la porte et à lui épargner
ce spectacle et ce vacarme.
he, but she had simply
made up her mind to leave
it there. At the same time,
with a testiness that was
new to her and had in fact
overtaken the whole
family, she made certain
that this tidying remained
in her sole domain. The
mother once subjected
Gregor ’s room to thorough
cleaning that was effected
only after many buckets of
water-all this dampness
sickened Gregor of course,
and he lay sprawled on the
sofa, embittered and
immobile-but the mother ’s
punishment was not far off.
Because as soon as the
sister noticed the change in
G r e g o r ’s room that
evening, she ran into the
living room deeply insulted
and despite the mother ’s
hands, raised imploringly,
burst into a fit of tears
while the astonished
parents-the father was
naturally shocked out of
h;s chair-looked on
h e l p l e s s l y. T h e n t h e y
quickly started in; the
father admonished the
mother to his right for not
having left the cleaning of
Gregor ’s room to the sister
and shouted at the sister to
his left that she was never
again allowed to clean
Gregor ’s room; meanwhile
the mother tried to drag the
overexcited father to the
bedroom, the sister
shaking with sobs beat her
small fists on the table,
and Gregor hissed
furiously because no one
had thought to close his
door and spare him this
racket and spectacle.
pero estaba, por lo visto,
decidida a dejarla. Con una
susceptibilidad en ella com-
pletamente nueva, pero que
se había extendido a toda la
familia, no admitía que nin-
guna otra persona intervi-
niese en el arreglo de la ha-
bitación. Un día, la madre
quiso limpiar a fondo el
cuarto de Gregorio, tarea
que solo pudo llevar a cabo
con varios cubos de agua -y
verdad es que la humedad le
hizo daño a Gregorio, que
yacía amargado e inmóvil
debajo del sofá-, mas el cas-
tigo no se hizo esperar: ape-
nas hubo advertido la her-
mana, al regresar por la tar-
de, el cambio operado en la
habitación, sintióse ofendi-
da en lo más íntimo de su
ser, precipitóse en el come-
dor, y, sin reparar en la ac-
titud suplicante de la madre,
rompió en una crisis de lágrimas
que sobrecogió a los padres por
cuanto tenía de extraña y des-
consolada. Por fin, los padres -el
padre, [82] asustado, había dado
un brinco en su butaca- se
tranquilizaron; el padre, a la
derecha de la madre,
reprochábale el no haber cedi-
do por entero a la hermana el
cuidado de la habitación de
Gregorio; la hermana, a la iz-
quierda, aseguraba a gritos que
ya no le sería posible encargar-
se de aquella limpieza. Entretan-
to, la madre quería llevarse a la
alcoba al padre, que no podía
contener su excitación; la her-
mana, sacudida por los sollozos,
daba puñetazos en la mesa con
sus manitas, y Gregorio silbaba
de rabia, porque ninguno se ha-
bía acordado de cerrar la puerta
y de ahorrarle el tormento de
aquel espectáculo y aquel jollín.
which everyone in the
family understood -
cleaning up Gregor’s
room was for her and her
a l o n e . G r e g o r ’s m o t h e r
did once thoroughly
clean his room, and
needed to use several
bucketfuls of water to do
it - although that much
dampness also made
Gregor ill and he lay flat
on the couch, bitter and
immobile. But his
mother was to be
punished still more for
what she had done, as
hardly had his sister
arrived home in the
evening than she noticed
the change in Gregor’s
room and, highly
aggrieved, ran back into
the living room where,
despite her mothers raised
a n d im ploring hands, she
broke into convulsive tears.
H e r f a t h e r, o f c o u r s e , w a s
startled out of his chair and
the two parents looked on
astonished and helpless; then
they, too, became agitated;
Gregor ’s father, standing to
t h e r i g h t o f h i s m o t h e r,
accused her of not leaving
t h e c l e a n i n g o f G r e g o r ’s
room to his sister; from her
left, G r e g o r ’s sister
screamed at her that she was
never to clean Gregor’s room
again; while his mother tried
to draw his father, who was
b e s i d e h i m s e l f w i t h a n g e r,
into the bedroom; his sister,
quaking with tears, thumped
on the table with her small
fists; and Gregor hissed in
anger that no-one h a d e v e n
thought of closing the door
to save him the sight of this
and all its noise.

But even if the sister,
exhausted from her work at
the shop, was fed up with
looking after Gregor as
before, by no means did the
mother have to step in to
keep Gregor from being
neglected. For now the
[170] charwoman was here.
This old widow, who, with
the help of her strong bone
structure, must have
managed to overcome the
De todos modos, aun
cuando la hermana, agotada
por su trabajo en la tienda,
estuviera ya harta de cuidar
de Gregor como antes, la
madre no tenía por qué sus-
tituirla ni tampoco hacía fal-
ta que Gregor quedara aban-
donado. Pues para eso esta-
ba la [80] asistenta. Esa vie-
ja viuda, que en su larga
vida debía de haber supera-
do lo peor con ayuda de su
But even if his sister,
worn out by her job, had
grown tired of caring for
Gregor as she had once done,
there was absolutely no need
for his mother to take her
place, and no reason for
Gregor to be neglected. For
the cleaning woman was now
there. This elderly widow,
whose powerful frame had no
doubt helped her weather the
worst in the course of her
D’ailleurs, s’il était
devenu trop pénible à la soeur,
épuisée par le magasin, de
s’occuper aussi
soigneusement qu’autrefois
de Grégoire, on aurait pu
s’arranger quand même pour
ne pas le négliger sans
recourir à la mère. On avait en
effet sous la main une femme
de peine, une vieille veuve
que sa charpente osseuse
avait aidée à sortir des pires
M a i s m ê m e s i l a s o e u r,
épuisée par son travail
professionnel, s’était lassée de
s’occuper de Gregor comme
elle le faisait auparavant, la
mère n’aurait pas eu besoin de
le faire à sa place, sans que
Gregor fût pour autant négligé.
Car il y avait maintenant la
femme de peine. Cette vieille
veuve avait sûrement dû,
charpentée comme elle était,
supporter les pires épreuves au
But even if the sister,
worn out by her job, ceased
to tend to him as she used
to, there was no need for
the mother ’s intervention
or for Gregor to be at all
neglected. For now there
was the charwoman. This
old widow, who must have
weathered the worst in her
long life with the help of
her sturdy bone structure,
was not particularly
Mas si la hermana, exte-
nuada por el trabajo, hallábase
ya cansada de cuidar a
Gregorio como antes, no tenía
por qué remplazarla la ma-
dre, ni Gregorio tenía por qué
sentirse abandonado, que ahí
estaba la asistenta. Esta viu-
da, harto crecida en años y a
quien su huesuda constitu-
ción debía haber permitido
resistir las mayores amargu-
ras en el curso de su dilatada
G r e g o r ’s sister was
exhausted from going out to
work, and looking after
Gregor as she had done before
was even more work for her,
but even so his mother ought
certainly not to have taken her
place. Gregor, on the other
hand, ought not to be
neglected. Now, though, the
charwoman was here. This
elderly widow, with a robust
bone structure that made her

104 105
 Neugroschel
worst things in her long life,
felt no actual repugnance
toward Gregor. While not
really snooping, she had
once happened to open the
door to his room and, at the
s i g h t o f G r e g o r, w h o ,
c o m p l e t e l y c a u g h t o ff
guard, began scrambling
every which way even
though no one was chasing
him, she had halted in
astonishment with her hands
folded on her abdomen.
Since then, she had never
failed to quickly open the
door a crack every morning
and evening and peep in on
him. Initially, she would
even summon him with
phrases that she must have
c o n s i d e r e d f r i e n d l y, l i k e
“C’mon over, you old dung
beetle!” or “Just look at the
old dung beetle!” But
Gregor refused to respond
to such overtures; he stayed
motionless in his place as
though the door had not
been opened. If only they
had ordered this charwoman
to clean his room daily
instead of letting her
gratuitously disturb him
whenever the mood struck
her! Early one morning,
when a violent rain, perhaps
a sign of the coming spring,
was pelting against the
windowpanes, the
charwoman launched into
her phrases again. Gregor
fe lt so b itte rly p ro v o k e d
that he charged toward her
as if to attack, albeit slowly
a n d f e e b l y. B u t t h e
charwoman, undaunted,
merely heaved up a chair by
the door and stood there
with her mouth wide open,
obviously intending to close
it only when the chair in her
hand smashed down into
Gregor’s back. “So that’s as
far as you’re going?” she
asked when he shifted away,
and she calmly returned the
chair to the corner.
Gregor was now eating
next to nothing. It was only
[171] when he happened to
pass the food left for him
that he would playfully take
a morsel into his mouth, keep
del Solar
sólida osamenta, no sentía
realmente la menor repug-
nancia por Gregor. Sin ser
lo que se dice curiosa, una
vez había abierto por ca-
sualidad la puerta de la ha-
b i t a c i ó n d e G r e g o r y, a l
verlo, se había quedado in-
móvil, con las manos jun-
tas en el regazo, mientras
él, totalmente sorprendido,
se lanzó a correr de un lado
para otro aunque nadie lo
persiguiera. Desde enton-
ces ella nunca dejaba de
abrir un poco la puerta, por
la mañana y por la tarde, y
echarle un fugaz vistazo a
Gregor. Al principio lo lla-
maba con palabras que pro-
bablemente le parecían ca-
riñosas, como: «¡Ven aquí,
viejo escarabajo!» o: «¡Ca-
ramba con el viejo escarabajo
estercolero!». Gregor no daba
respuesta alguna a esas llama-
das, sino que permanecía in-
móvil en su sitio, como si no
hubieran abierto la puerta.
¡Ojalá hubiesen ordenado a esa
asistenta que le limpiara cada
día la habitación, en vez de
permitir que lo molestase inú-
tilmente a su antojo! Una ma-
ñana temprano -una intensa
lluvia, quizá ya un signo de la
vecina primavera, azotaba los
cristales-, cuando la asistenta
empezó una vez más a llamar-
lo, Gregor se irritó tanto que se
volvió hacia ella como para ata-
carla, aunque lentamente y sin
brío. Pero la asistenta, en vez
de asustarse, levantó simple-
mente una silla que había cer-
ca de la puerta, y como per-
maneció allí de pie y con la
boca muy abierta, quedó cla-
ro que su intención era ce-
rrar la boca solo [81] cuan-
do la silla que sostenía en la
mano se estrellase contra la
espalda de Gregor. «¿Con-
que no seguimos avanzando,
eh?», preguntó al ver que
Gregor volvía a darse la
vuelta, y colocó nuevamente
la silla en el rincón.
Gregor ya casi no comía
nada. Solo cuando por ca-
sualidad pasaba junto a la
comida que le preparaban,
se llevaba por jugar un tro-
zo a la boca, le daba vuel-
106
Stokes
long life, had no real horror
of Gregor. Without being in
the least inquisitive, she had
once accidentally opened the
door to Gregor ’s room, and
at the sight of Gregor, who,
taken completely by surprise,
began to run back and forth
although no one was chasing
him, had stood still in
amazement, her hands [48]
folded in front of her. From
that time on she never failed
to open the door a little every
morning and every evening to
look in at Gregor. At the
beginning she even called
him over to her with words
she probably regarded as
friendly, such as, ‘Come over
here, you old dung-beetle!’ or
‘Just look at the old
dungbeetle!’ Gregor never
responded to such forms of
address but remained
motionless where he stood, as
if the door had never been
opened. If only, instead of
allowing this cleaning lady to
disturb him pointlessly
whenever she felt like it, they
had given her orders to clean
his room every day! Once,
early in the morning - heavy
rain, perhaps a sign of
approaching spring, was
beating against the
window-panes - Gregor felt
so exasperated when the
cleaning woman started
prattling again that he turned
on her, albeit slowly and like
an invalid, as if to attack.
Instead of taking fright,
however, the cleaning lady
merely picked up a chair that
was near the door, and as she
stood there with her mouth
wide open, it was clear that
she only intended to shut her
mouth when the chair in her
hand had come crashing
down on Gregor’s back. ‘You
keep your distance,
understand?’ she said, as
Gregor turned around again,
and calmly placed the chair
back in the corner.
Gregor by now was
eating practically nothing.
Only when he accidentally
went past the food laid out
for him would he take a bite
as a game, hold it for hours
Vialatte
ma lheurs au cours, de sa
longue carrière, et dont on
n’aurait [68] pu dire que
Grégoire la dégoûtât
réellement. Bien qu’elle ne fût
pas curieuse, il lui était arrivé
une fois d’ouvrir la porte de la
chambre, et elle était restée
plantée là les mains sur le
ventre, tout étonnée à la vue de
l’autre qui s’était mis à trotter
çà et là dans sa surprise bien
que personne ne songeât à le
chasser. Depuis ce jour, matin
et soir, la vieille ne manquait
jamais de jeter en passant un
coup d’oeil à travers la porte.
Au début elle appelait
Grégoire pour le faire venir, en
lui criant par manière amicale
: «Voyez-moi ce vieux
mangebouse», ou «Arrive ici,
vieux cancrelat ». A de telles
invitations Grégoire ne
répondait jamais que par le
silence; il restait à sa place,
immobile, comme si personne
n’était entré. Au lieu de laisser
cette salariée faire ses caprices
et le déranger inutilement, on
eût mieux fait, estimait-il, de
lui donner l’ordre de nettoyer
sa chambre tous les jours. Un
matin où une pluie qui
présageait peut-être le
printemps frappait les carreaux
avec violence, Grégoire fut
tellement irrité contre la vieille
qui recommençait à lui dévider
ses gentillesses qu’il se
retourna contre elle, d’une
façon plutôt pesante et
incertaine à vrai dire, mais
comme pour l’attaquer. Il ne
lui fit d’ailleurs pas peur; elle
attrapa simplement la chaise
qui se trouvait près de la
porte et la brandit dans les
airs en ouvrant la bouche
toute grande avec l’intention
visible de ne la refermer
qu’en assenant le coup sur le
dos de Grégoire. «Eh bien!
C’est tout? demanda-t-elle en
le voyant revenir à [69] sa
position primitive. Et elle
reposa tranquillement la chaise
dans le coin.
Maintenant Grégoire ne
mangeait presque plus; quand
il passait par hasard devant sa
pitance, il s’amusait à en
prendre un morceau qu’il
gardait dans la bouche pendant
Cl. David
cours de sa longue vie et elle
n’éprouvait pas de véritable
r é p u g n a n c e d e v a n t G r e g o r.
Bien qu’elle ne fût pas
curieuse, elle avait une fois
ouvert par hasard la porte de la
chambre, et, à la vue de
Gregor, qui, tout à fait étonné,
s’était mis à courir, bien que
personne ne l’eût chassé, elle
était demeurée stupéfaite, les
deux mains jointes dans son
giron. Depuis, elle ne
négligeait jamais, soir et
matin, d’entrouvrir la porte et
de jeter un coup d’oeil sur
G r e g o r. A u d é b u t , e l l e
l’appelait en se servant de mots
qu’elle devait probablement
considérer comme amicaux,
tels que: « Arrive ici, vieux
bousier!» ou « Regardez-moi
ce vieux bousier!» Gregor ne
répondait pas à ces
interpellations, il restait
immobile à sa place, comme si
on n’avait pas ouvert la porte.
Si seulement on avait donné
l’ordre à cette domestique de
nettoyer sa chambre tous les
jours, au lieu de la laisser le
tourmenter inutilement! Un
j o u r, d e g r a n d m a t i n - u n e
violente pluie, peut-être
annonciatrice de la venue du
printemps, frappait contre les
vitres -Gregor fut à tel point
irrité contre la domestique, qui
s’apprêtait à lui tenir ses
propos ordinaires, qu’il se
tourna vers elle, d’un
mouvement à vrai dire lent et
gauche, mais comme pour
l’attaquer. Mais la domestique,
au lieu d’avoir peur, souleva
seulement une chaise qui se
trouvait à proximité de la porte
et, à la voir là, debout, la
bouche grande ouverte, on
comprenait que son intention
était de ne refermer la bouche
que quand le siège se serait
abattu sur le dos de Gregor. «
Eh bien! c’est tout?» ,
demanda-t-elle, en voyant
Gregor faire demi-tour, puis
elle remit tranquillement la
chaise dans son coin.
Gregor ne mangeait presque
plus. Quand il passait par hasard
à côté de la nourriture qu’on lui
avait préparée, il en prenait
seulement un morceau dans la
bouche, par manière de jeu, l’y
Freed
disgusted by Gregor.
Without being truly nosy,
she happened to open the
door to Gregor ’s room one
day and, at the sight of
Gregor-who was
completely caught off
guard [41] an d , a l t h o u g h
no one chased him, began
running back and
forth-she merely stood
still, her arms folded over
her middle, in amazement.
Since then she never
failed to briefly open the
door a crack every morning
and evening to look in on
Gregor. Initially she would
also call him over to her
with words she pr o b a b l y
c o n s i d e r e d f r i e n d l y, l i k e
“ C o m e o n o v e r, y o u o l d
dung beetle !” (8) or “Just
look at the old dung
beetle!” Gregor did not
respond to these overtures
but remained in his place as
if the door had never been
opened. If only they had
ordered this charwoman to
clean his room every day
instead of allowing her to
uselessly barge in on him
whenever the whim seized
her! Early one morning-a
heavy rain, maybe a sign of
the coming spring, was
pelting the windowpanes -
Gregor was so exasperated
when the charwoman started
up again with her sayings
that he turned toward her as
if to attack, albeit decrepitly
and slowly. Instead of being
f r i g h t e n e d , h o w e v e r, t h e
charwoman simply raised a
chair that was close to the
door and stood there with
her mouth wide open; it was
clearly her intention to shut
her mouth only when the
chair was smashed on
Gregor ’s back. “So you’re
not coming any closer?” she
inquired when Gregor
turned back around, and
calmly put the chair back
down in the corner.
Gregor now ate next to
nothing. Only when by
chance he passed the food
set out for him would he
take a bite just for fun, hold
it in his mouth for hours,
107
Alianza
existencia, no sentía hacia
Gregorio ninguna repulsión
propiamente dicha. Sin que
ello pudiese achacarse a un
afán de curiosidad, abrió un
día la puerta del cuarto de
Gregorio, y, a la vista de éste,
que en su sorpresa, y aunque
[83] nadie le perseguía, co-
menzó a correr de un lado
para otro, permaneció inmu-
table, con las manos cruzadas
sobre el abdomen. Desde en-
tonces, nunca se olvidaba de
entreabrir, tarde y mañana,
furtivamente la puerta, para
contemplar a Gregorio. Al
principio, incluso le llama-
ba, con palabras que sin
duda creía cariñosas, como:
«¡Ven aquí, pedazo de bi-
cho! ¡Vaya con el pedazo de
bicho este!» A estas llamadas,
Gregorio no solo no respondía,
sino que seguía inmóvil en su
sitio, como si ni siquiera se hu-
biese abierto la puerta. ¡Cuán-
to más no hubiese valido que
se le ordenase a esta sirvienta
limpiar diariamente su cuarto,
en lugar de aparecer para im-
portunarle a su antojo, sin pro-
vecho ninguno! Una mañana
temprano -mientras la lluvia, tal
vez heraldo de la primavera
próxima, azotaba furiosamente
los cristales- la asistenta co-
menzó de nuevo sus manejos,
y Gregorio irritóse a tal punto,
que se volvió contra ella, lenta
y débilmente, es cierto, pero en
disposición de atacar. Mas ella,
en vez de asustarse, levantó
simplemente en alto una silla
que estaba junto a la puerta, y
quedóse en esta actitud, con la
boca abierta de par en par, cual
demostrando a las [84] claras
su propósito de no cerrarla has-
ta después de haber descarga-
do sobre la espalda de Gregorio
la silla que tenía en mano.
—¿ C o n q u e n o s e g u i -
mos adelante? -preguntó,
al ver que Gregorio retro-
cedía. Y tranquilamente
volvió a colocar la silla
en el rincón.
Gregorio casi no comía.
Al pasar junto a los alimen-
tos que tenía dispuestos, to-
maba algún bocado a modo
de muestra, lo guardaba en la
boca durante horas, y casi
Willie
able to withstand [resist] the
hardest of things in her long
life, wasn’t really repelled by
Gregor. Just by chance one
d a y, r a t h e r t h a n a n y r e a l
curiosity, she opened the door
to Gregor’s room and found
herself face to face with him.
He was taken totally by
surprise, no-one was chasing
him but he began to rush to
and fro while she just stood
there in amazement with her
hands crossed in front of her.
From then on she never failed
to open the door slightly every
evening and morning and look
briefly in on him. At first she
would call to him as she did
so with words that she
probably considered friendly,
such as “come on then, you
old dung-beetle!”, or “look at
the old dung-beetle there!”
Gregor never responded to
being spoken to in that way,
but just remained where he
was without moving as if the
door had never even been
opened. If only they had told
this charwoman to clean up
his room every day instead of
letting her disturb him for no
reason whenever she felt like
i t ! O n e d a y, e a r l y i n t h e
morning while a heavy rain
struck the windowpanes,
perhaps indicating that spring
was coming, she began to
speak to him in that way once
again. Gregor was so resentful
of it that he started to move
toward her, he was slow and
infirm, but it was like a kind
of attack. Instead of being
afraid, the charwoman just
lifted up one of the chairs
from near the door and stood
there with her mouth open,
clearly intending not to close
her mouth until the chair in
her hand had been slammed
d o w n i n t o G r e g o r ’s b a c k .
“ A r e n ’t y o u c o m i n g a n y
closer, then?”, she asked when
Gregor turned round again,
and she calmly put the chair
back in the corner.
Gregor had almost entirely
stopped eating. Only if he
happened to find himself next
to the food that had been
prepared for him he might take
some of it into his mouth to
 Neugroschel del Solar Stokes Vialatte Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie

it in for hours and hours, and tas durante horas y, por lo in his mouth and then generally des heures pour finir en gardait plusieurs heures pour le and mostly spit it back out. siempre lo escupía. Al prin- play with it, leave it there a
then usually spit it out again. general, volvía a escupirlo. spit it out again. At first he général par le cracher. Il avait recracher ensuite. Il pensa At first he thought he was cipio, pensó que su desgana few hours and then, more
At first, he thought that his Primero pensó que la triste- thought it was sadness at the d’abord attribué son manque d’abord que c’était la tristesse mourning the state of his era efecto, sin duda, de la me- often than not, spit it out
anguish about the condition of za por el estado de su habi- state of his room that was d’appétit à la tristesse où le qu’il éprouvait à cause de l’état room and that this kept him lancolía en qué le sumía el again. At first he thought it
his room was what kept him tación era lo que le impedía spoiling his appetite, but he had plongeait l’état de sa chambre; de sa chambre qui l’empêchait from eating, but he soon estado de su habitación; pero was distress at the state of his
from eating, but he very soon comer, pero muy pronto se very quickly become erreur sans doute, car il s’était de manger; mais c’était grew accustomed to precisamente se habituó muy room that stopped him eating,
came to terms with those X reconcilió con los cambios reconciled to precisely these X vite réconcilié avec le nouvel précisément avec ces precisely these changes. It pronto al nuevo aspecto de but he had soon got used to
very changes. The family had ocurridos en ella. Se habían changes in his room. His family aspect de son logis. On avait transformations qu’il s’était had become habit to put ésta. Habían ido tomando la the changes made there. They
gotten used to storing things a c o s t u m b r a d o a m e t e r e n had got into the habit of putting pris l’habitude de fourrer chez aisément réconcilié. On s’était anything that had no other costumbre de colocar allí las had got into the habit of
here that could not be put ella las cosas que no podían things in his room that could lui toutes les choses qu’on ne habitué à empiler dans cette place in the house in this cosas que estorbaban en otra putting things into this room
anywhere else, and now there colocar en otro sitio, y aho- not be accommodated pouvait mettre autre part, et elles chambre tous les objets qu’on ne room, and these things now parte, las cuales eran muchas, that they had room for
were many such items here, ra había muchas de esas co- elsewhere, and there were se trouvaient en grand nombre pouvait pas mettre ailleurs et il amounted to a lot because pues uno de los cuartos de la anywhere else, and there were
for they had rented out one sas porque habían alquilado now many such things, since maintenant qu’on avait loué y en avait un grand nombre, car a room in the house had casa había sido cedido a tres now many such things as one
room of the apartment to una de las habitaciones del they had let one room of the l’une des pièces de on avait loué une pièce de been let to three gentlemen huéspedes. Estos, tres seño- of the rooms in the flat had
t h r e e b o a r d e r s . These piso a tres huéspedes. Esos apartment to three lodgers. l’appartement à trois messieurs. l’appartement à trois messieurs. b o a r d e r s . (9 ) T h e s e d o u r res muy formales -los tres been rented ou t t o t h r e e
earnest gentlemen-all three serios señores -los tres te- These earnest gentlemen all C’étaient des hommes sérieux Ces messieurs d’allure grave - men-all three had full beards, usaban barba, según compro- g e n t l e m e n . T h e s e e a rnest
had full beards, as Gregor nían barba, como una vez three wore beards, as Gregor qui portaient toute leur barbe, tous trois portaient la barbe, as Gregor ascertained once bó Gregorio una vez por la gentlemen - all three of them
once ascertained through the pudo comprobar Gregor por once observed through a c o m m e G r é g o i r e p u t l e comme Gregor le constata un through a crac k i n t h e rendija de la puerta-, cui- had full beards, as Gregor
crack of the door—were una rendija de la puerta- [49] crack in the door - were constater un jour à travers jour à travers la fente de la porte door-were passionate about daban de que reinase el or- learned peering through the
sticklers for order, not only eran partidarios de un or- sticklers for order, not only une fente de la porte, et qui - exigeaient un ordre order, not only in their room den más escrupuloso no crack in the door one day -
in their room, but also, since den meticuloso no solo en in their own room but also, é t a i e n t p a r t i s a n s d ’ u n méticuleux, non seulement but, since they were solo en su propia ha- were painfully insistent on
t h e y w e r e l o d g i n g h e r e , su habitación, sino, pues- now that they were installed o r d r e m é t i c u l e u x , n o n dans leur chambre, mais, boarding there, throughout bitación, sino en toda y en things’ being tidy. This meant
throughout the apartment, to que habían decidido ins- as lodgers, throughout the s e u l e m e n t d a n s l e u r puisqu’ils avaient loué à cet the whole household, todo lo de la casa, puesto not only in their own room
especially the kitchen. They t a l a r s e a l l í , e n t o d a l a e n t i r e a p a r t m e n t a n d chambre personnelle, mais endroit, dans tout le ménage et especially the kitchen. They que en ella vivían, y muy but, since they had taken a
could not endure useless, casa, y muy particularmen- especially in the kitchen. encore -puisque aussi bien en premier lieu à la cuisine. Ils could not abide useless, let especialmente en la coci- room in this establishment, in
m u c h l e s s d i r t y r e f u s e . te en la cocina. No podían They had no time for useless c ’ é t a i t i c i q u ’ i l s a v a i e n t ne toléraient aucun fouillis alone dirty, junk. Besides, na. Trastos inútiles, y [85] the entire flat and especially
Moreover, they had largely soportar trastos inútiles ni, junk, especially if it was élu domicile - dans tout le inutile ni surtout rien de sale. they had for the most part mucho menos cosas sucias, in the kitchen. Unnecessary
b r o u g h t i n t h e i r o w n mucho menos, sucios. Ade- dirty. Besides, they had for ménage et dans la cuisine Ils avaient d’ailleurs apporté brought their own household no los soportaban. Ade- clutter was something they
household goods. For this m á s , s e h a b í a n t r a í d o l a the most part brought their en premier lieu. Ils avaient eux-mêmes la plus grande goods with them. For this más, habían traído consigo could not tolerate, especially
reason, many of the family’s mayor parte de sus propios own furniture with them. As apporté presque tout ce qui partie de leur équipement. reason many things had la mayor, parte de su mo- i f i t w a s d i r t y. T h e y h a d
belongings had become muebles, por lo que mu- a result, many things had l e u r é t a i t n é c e s s a i r e , e t Beaucoup d’objets étaient de la become superfluous, and biliario, lo cual hacía- moreover brought most of
superfluous; but while they c h a s c o s a s q u e n o s e p o - become superfluous, and c e t t e p r é c a u t i o n a v a i t sorte devenus inutiles, des while they had no innecesarias varias cosas their own furnishings and
had no prospects of selling dían vender, pero tampoco though they couldn’t be sold, r e n d u s u p e r f l u s n o m b r e objets qui n’étaient pas commercial worth they also imposibles de vender, pero equipment with them. For this
them, they did not want to se querían tirar, acabaron no one wanted to throw them d’objets qu’on ne pouvait vendables, mais que malgré could not be thrown away. que tampoco se querían ti- reason, many things had
throw them out either. All resultando inútiles. Todas out. All these things ended ni jeter ni vendre, et qui tout on ne voulait pas jeter. All these things ended up in r a r. Y t o d a s e s t a s c o s a s become superfluous which,
these items wound up in ellas recalaron en la habi- u p i n G r e g o r ’s r o o m . prirent tous le chemin de la Tous prirent le chemin de la G r e g o r ’s room. This iban a parar al cuarto de although they could not be
Gregor ’s room—as did the tación de Gregor, así como Likewise the ash bucket and c h a m b r e d e G r é g o i r e , c h a m b r e d e G r e g o r. S u i v i s included the ash can and the Gregorio, de igual modo sold, the family did not wish
ash bucket and the garbage t a m b i é n e l c o n t e n e d o r d e rubbish bin from the kitchen. s u i v i s b i e n t ô t d e l a bientôt par la poubelle où l’on rubbish bin from the kitchen. que el cogedor de las ce- to discard. All these things
c a n f r o m t h e k i t c h e n . I f las cenizas y el cubo de la Whatever was not for the p o u b e l l e e t d u c e n d r i er. jetait les cendres et par la boîte Any t h i n g d e e m e d u s e l e s s nizas y el cajón de la ba- found their way into Gregor ’s
anything was unusable at b a s u r a . To d o c u a n t o d e m o m e n t b e i n g u s e d w a s Tout ce qui se trouvait à ordures de la cuisine. Tout ce for now was hastily [42] sura. Aquello que de mo- room. The dustbins from the
the moment, t h e momento no servía lo me- s i m p l y f l u n g b y t h e provisoirement inutilisable, la qui paraissait à première vue hurled into Gregor ’s mento no había de ser uti- kitchen found their way in there
c h a r w o m a n , w h o w a s t í a [ 8 2 ] l a asistenta, que c l e a n i n g l a d y , w h o w a s femme de peine, toujours inutile, la femme de peine, room by the charwoman; l i z a d o , la asistenta, que en t o o . The charwoman was
always in a mad rush, would siempre tenía mucha prisa, always in a g r e a t h u r r y, pressée, l’enfournait chez le pauvre toujours pressée, l’enfournait Gregor was usually esto se daba mucha prisa, lo always in a hurry, and anything
simply toss it into Gregor ’s en la habitación de Gregor; i n t o G r e g o r ’s r o o m ; Grégoire; il avait juste le temps de simplement dans la chambre de lucky enough to see just arrojaba al cuarto de Gregorio, she couldn’t use for the time
room; luckily, he mostly por suerte, este solo solía ver fortunately, Gregor usually voir une main brandissant [70] Gregor; celui-ci n’apercevait the object in question quien, por fortuna, la mayoría de being she would just chuck in
s a w o n l y t h e o b j e c t i n el objeto en cuestión y la s a w o n l y t h e o b j e c t i n l’ustensile indésirable; et il valait heureusement d’ordinaire que and the hand that field las veces, solo lograba divisar there. He, fortunately, would
question and the hand that mano que lo sostenía. Quizá question and the hand that mieux qu’il en fût ainsi. Peut-être l’objet en question et la main qui it. Perhaps the el objeto en cuestión y la mano usually see no more than the
h e l d i t . S h e m a y h a v e la intención de la asistenta held it. Perhaps the cleaning l’intention de la vieille était-elle de le tenait. La femme de peine avait charwoman intended to que lo esgrimía. Quizá tuviese object and the hand that held it.
intended to come for these fuera recoger otra vez las co- woman intended to retrieve revenir chercher à l’occasion les peut-être l’intention, quand elle en collect these things is intención la asistenta de volver The woman most likely meant to
t h i n g s i n h e r o w n g o o d sas cuando se presentase la the things when she had the objets relégués là quand elle en trouverait le temps ou qu’elle en time and opportunity en busca de aquellas cosas cuan- fetch the things back out again
time or dump them all out ocasión, o bien tirarlas todas t i m e a n d o p p o r t u n i t y, o r aurait le temps, ou de les jeter un aurait l’occasion, de venir recher- afforded, or to throw do tuviese tiempo y ocasión, o when she had time and the
i n o n e f e l l s w o o p ; b u t de golpe, pero el hecho es throw them all out in one go, jour en bloc une fois pour toutes, cher ces choses ou de les jeter everything out together, de tirarlas fuera todas de una opportunity, or to throw
i n s t e a d , t h e y r e m a i n e d que se iban quedando allí but in reality they remained mais en fait ils restaient dans la toutes à la fois; mais en fait elles but in fact they lay vez; pero el hecho es que per- everything out in one go, but
wherever they happened to donde las habían arrojado la w h e r e v e r t h e y h a d b e e n chambre, à l’endroit même où ils étaient restées à l’endroit même où wherever they manecían allí donde habían sido what actually happened was that
l a n d , u n l e s s G r e g o r primera vez, salvo cuando tossed, except when Gregor avaient atterri le premier jour, à on les avait reléguées le premier happened to land unless arrojadas en un principio. A they were left where they landed
t w i s t e d h i s w a y t h r o u g h Gregor se abría paso entre pushed his way through the moins que Grégoire ne fût obligé jour, à moins que Gregor ne fût Gregor waded through menos que Gregorio se revolvie- when they had first been thrown
the clutter, making it shift. los trastos y los movía, al junk and set it in motion, at de se promener à travers le bazar venu rôder dans ce bazar et ne t h e junk pile and set it in se contra el trasto y lo pusiese unless Gregor made his way through
At first, he had no choice, p r i n c i p i o o b l i g a d o a e l l o , first out of necessity, since pour se faire de la place, jeu l’eût déplacé, ce qu’il fit d’abord motion, it first out of en movimiento, impulsado a ello the junk and moved it somewhere
there being nowhere else for pues ya no le quedaba espa- there was no other space for auquel il finit par prendre contraint et forcé parce qu’il ne necessity because there was primero porque éste no le dejaba else. At first he moved it because,
him to crawl; but later [172] cio libre para arrastrarse, y c r a w l i n g , b u t l a t e r w i t h un goût croissant malgré la lui restait plus aucune place pour no other free space to crawl ya sitio libre para arrastrarse, y with no other room free where he
on it got to be m o r e a n d más tarde con creciente pla- increasing delight, although t r i s t e s s e e t l a f a t i g u e bouger, mais ensuite avec un but later with increasing luego por verdadero afán, aun- could crawl about, he was forced to,
m o r e f u n , e v e n i f , cer, aunque después de esos after such peregrinations he épouvantables qui suivaient plaisir croissant, encore qu’après pleasure, though after these que después de tales paseos que- but later on he came to enjoy it
dead-tired and mournful after paseos quedara muerto de would once again remain c e s p é r é g r i n a t i o n s e t l e ces randonnées, il restât forays he lay still for hours, daba horriblemente triste y fati- although moving about in the way
such treks, he would lie unstirring cansancio y de tristeza y se motionless for hours on end, l a i s s a i e n t p a r a l y s é p o u r immobile pendant des heures, achingly tired and gado, sin ganas de moverse du- left him sad and tired to death and
for hours on end. pasara horas sin moverse. tired to death and sad. d e s heures. triste et las à périr. miserable. rante horas enteras. he would remain immobile for

108 109
 Neugroschel
Since the boarders
sometimes also ate their
supper at home in the
common parlor, the door
between that room and
Gregor’s would remain shut
on those evenings. But
Gregor easily did without the
open door—after all, there
had been evenings when he
had not even taken
advantage of it; instead,
unnoticed by the family, he
had crouched in the darkest
nook of his room. Once,
however, the charwoman had
left the parlor door ajar, and
it remained ajar even when
the boarders came in that
evening and the light was
turned on. Settling down at
the head of the table, where
the father, the mother, and
Gregor had eaten in earlier
times, they unfolded their
napkins and took hold of
their knives and forks.
Instantly the mother
appeared in the kitchen
doorway with a platter of
meat and, right behind her,
the sister with a heaping
platter of potatoes. The
steaming food gave off thick
fumes. The platters were set
down in front of the
boarders, who bent over
them as if to test the food
before eating it; and indeed
the man sitting in the middle,
and apparently looked up to
as an authority by the two
others, cut up a piece of meat
on the platter, clearly in
order to determine whether
it was tender enough or
should perhaps be sent back
to the kitchen. He was
satisfied, and so mother and
s i s t e r, w h o h a d b e e n
watching in suspense, began
to smile with sighs of relief.
The family itself ate in
the kitchen. Nevertheless,
before heading there, the
father would stop off in the
[173] parlor, bowing once,
with his cap in his hand, and
circle the table. The
boarders would all rise and
mumble something into
their beards. Then, by
themselves again, they
del Solar
Como los huéspedes ce-
naban a veces en casa, en la
sala de estar compartida, la
puerta que daba a la habita-
ción de Gregor permanecía
algunas noches cerrada; a
Gregor, sin embargo, no le
costó casi nada renunciar a
que la abrieran, pues tampo-
co había aprovechado cier-
tas noches en que estaba
abierta, y, sin que la fami-
lia lo notase, se había ins-
talado en el rincón más os-
curo de su cuarto. Una v e z ,
sin embargo, la asistenta
había dejado entreabierta
la puerta que daba a la
s a l a d e e star, y así estaba
también cuando llegaron los
huéspedes y encendieron la
luz. Se sentaron a la mesa,
donde en otros tiempos se
habían sentado el padre, la
madre y Gregor, desdobla-
ron las servilletas y empu-
ñaron cuchillo y tenedor. Al
momento apareció en la
puerta la m a d r e c o n u n a
bandeja de carne, y de-
trás mismo la hermana
c o n o t r a f u e n t e re pleta de
patatas [83] apiladas. La co-
mida despedía un vapor muy
denso. Los huéspedes se in-
clinaron sobre las fuentes
que les habían puesto delan-
te, como si quisieran pro-
barlas antes de comer, y, de
hecho, el que estaba senta-
do en medio y parecía ser
una autoridad para los otros
dos cortó un trozo de carne
en la misma bandeja, al pa-
recer para comprobar si es-
taba lo suficientemente tier-
na o si debían llevársela de
nuevo a la cocina. Quedó
satisfecho, y la madre y la
hermana, que habían obser-
vado todo con suma aten-
ción, sonrieron aliviadas.
La familia comía en la
cocina. Pese a lo cual el pa-
dre, antes de ir a la cocina,
entraba en esa habitación y,
haciendo una sola reveren-
cia, daba una vuelta a la
mesa con la gorra en la
mano. Los huéspedes se po-
nían de pie y murmuraban
algo entre dientes. Luego,
cuando se quedaban solos,
110
Stokes
As the lodgers sometimes
also had their supper at
home in the communal
living-room, there were
certain evenings on which
the living-room door stayed
shut, but Gregor could do
very well without the door
being opened, there had after
all been quite a few evenings
when he had taken no
advantage of it being open
and had lain, unnoticed by
the family, in the darkest
corner of his room. But on
one occasion the cleaning
woman had left the
living-room door ajar, and it
remained like that when the
lodgers came home in the
evening and the lamp was lit.
They sat down at the head of
the table, where in the old
days his father, his mother
and Gregor had sat, unfolded
[50] their napkins and
picked up their knives and
f o r k s . G r e g o r ’s m o t h e r
promptly appeared in the
doorway with a dish of meat,
closely followed by his sister
with another dish piled high
with potatoes. The food gave
off thick clouds of steam.
The lodgers bent over the
plates that were set in front
of them as if wishing to
examine them before eating,
and indeed the one in the
middle, whom the others
seemed to regard as an
authority, sliced a piece of
meat while it was still on the
dish, obviously to ascertain
whether it was tender enough
or whether it should not
perhaps be sent back to the
kitchen. He was satisfied,
and mother and sister, who
had been watching
apprehensively, began to
smile with relief.
The family itself ate in
the kitchen. Gregor’s father,
however, before going into
the kitchen, entered the
living-room and, bowing
low, made a tour of the table,
cap in hand. The lodgers all
stood up and mumbled
something into their beards.
When they were alone again,
they ate in almost complete
Vialatte
Comme les locataires
dînaient quelquefois à la
maison dans la salle
commune, la porte de cette
pièce restait fermée certains
soirs; Grégoire n’y attachait
d’ailleurs plus autant
d’importance; il lui était
arrivé plusieurs fois dans les
derniers temps de ne pas
profiter des soirées où on
l’ouvrait et de rester couché
dans le coin le plus sombre de
sa chambre sans que la famille
s’en aperçût. Mais un jour la
femme de peine oublia de
refermer complètement la
porte de la salle à manger qui
resta entrouverte jusqu’au
moment où les locataires
rentrèrent et allumèrent le
gaz. Ils allèrent s’asseoir à
table aux places
qu’occupaient autrefois le
père, la mère et Grégoire,
déplièrent leurs serviettes et
prirent en mains leur
fourchette et leur couteau.
Aussitôt la mère apparut au
seuil avec un plat de viande;
la soeur, derrière, portait un
échafaudage de pommes de
terre sur un second plat. Les
nourritures [71] fumaient
avec une vapeur épaisse.
Quand on les eut disposées
devant eux, les locataires se
penchèrent sur elles comme
pour les soumettre à un
examen préalable, et celui qui
était assis au milieu et qui
semblait faire autorité coupa
en effet un morceau de viande
dans le plat même, pour savoir
apparemment si elle était
assez tendre ou s’il devait la
renvoyer à la cuisine. Il fut
satisfait et les deux femmes
qui avaient suivi
anxieusement l’opération
laissèrent voir un sourire de
soulagement.
La famille même mangeait
à la cuisine; cependant le père,
avant de s’y rendre, vint voir à
la salle à manger; il s’inclina,
la casquette à la main, une seule
fois pour tous les convives, et
fit le tour de la table. Les
locataires se levèrent en choeur
en marmottant quelque chose
dans leur barbe. Une fois seuls,
ils se mirent à manger sans un
Cl. David
Comme les locataires
prenaient quelquefois égale-
ment leur repas du soir à la
maison dans la salle de
s é j o u r, l a p o r t e d e c e l l e - c i
restait parfois fermée, mais
Gregor renonçait volontiers à
l’ouverture de la porte il lui
était arrivé, certains soirs où
elle était ouverte, de ne pas
en avoir tiré parti et de s’être
réfugié dans le coin le plus
sombre de sa chambre, sans
que sa famille s’en fût
a p e r ç u e . M a i s u n s o i r, l a
femme de peine avait laissé la
porte du séjour entrouverte,
même quand les trois
locataires rentrèrent et qu’on
alluma la lumière. Ils allèrent
s’asseoir au haut bout de la
table, là où jadis le père, la
mère et Gregor prenaient
leurs repas, ils déplièrent
leurs serviettes, prirent en
main leur fourchette et leur
couteau. La mère apparut
aussitôt dans l’ouverture de la
porte, portant un plat de
viande et immédiatement
derrière elle sa fille, avec un
échafaudage de pommes de
terre sur un autre plat. Des
deux mets s’élevait une
épaisse fumée. Les locataires
se penchèrent sur ces plats
qu’on venait de poser devant
eux, comme pour les
e x a m i n e r, e t e n e ff e t , c e l u i
qui était assis au milieu et
auquel les deux autres
semblaient concéder de
l’autorité, découpa un
morceau de viande dans le plat,
manifestement pour vérifier si
elle était cuite à point ou s’il
fallait par hasard la renvoyer à
la cuisine. Il parut satisfait et
la mère et la fille, qui l’avaient
regardé faire avec inquiétude,
purent à nouveau respirer et
sourire.
La famille elle-même
mangeait à la cuisine. Le père
cependant, avant de s’y rendre,
entra dans la salle de séjour et,
après s’être une fois incliné, fit
le tour de la table, sa calotte à
la main. Les locataires se
soulevèrent tous les trois de
leur siège en marmonnant
quelque chose dans leur barbe.
Lorsqu’ils se trouvèrent seuls à
Freed
Since the boarders
sometimes took their
evening meal in the common
living room as well, the
living room door stayed
shut certain e v e n i n g s , y e t
Gregor was easily
r e c o n c i l e d t o t h e d o o r ’s
closing: On many
evenings it was opened he
had not taken advantage of
it but, without the family
noticing it, had lain in the
darkest corner of his
room. One time, however,
the charwoman had left
the living room door
slightly ajar and it stayed
open, even when the
boarders entered in the
evening and the lamp was
lit. They sat at the head of
the table where the father,
m o t h e r, a n d G r e g o r h a d
sat in the old days; they
unfolded their napkins
and took knife and fork in
hand. The mother at once
appeared in the doorway
with a platter of meat and
directly behind her was
t h e s i s t e r w i t h a heaping
dish of potatoes. Thick
plumes of steam rose
from the food. The
boarders bent over the
dishes as if to examine
them before eating; in
fact the one in the middle,
seemingly regarded as an
authority by the other
two, cut into a piece of
m e a t s t i l l o n t h e p l a t t e r,
evidently to determine
whether it was tender
enough or needed to be
sent back to the kitchen.
He was satisfied and
m o t h e r a n d s i s t e r, w h o
were anxiously watching,
released their breath and
began to smile.
The family itself ate in
the kitchen. Nevertheless
the father came into the
living room before retiring
to the kitchen, bowed
d e e p l y, h a t i n h a n d , a n d
made the rounds of the
table. The boarders stood up
as one and mumbled
something into their beards.
When they were alone again
111
Alianza
Los huéspedes, algunos
días cenaban en [86] casa,
en el comedor común, con
lo cual la puerta que daba a
esta habitación permanecía
también cerrada algunas no-
ches; mas esto a Gregorio
importábale ya muy poco,
pues incluso algunas noches
en que la puerta estaba
abierta, no había aprovecha-
do esta coyuntura, sino que
se había retirado, sin que la
familia lo advirtiese, al rin-
cón más oscuro de su habi-
tación. Pero aconteció un
día que la sirvienta dejó
algo entornada la puerta que
daba al comedor, y que ésta
permaneció de igual guisa
cuando los huéspedes entra-
ron por la noche y dieron la
luz. Sentáronse a la mesa, en
los sitios antaño ocupados
por el padre, la madre y
Gregorio, desdoblaron las
servilletas y empuñaron cu-
chillo y tenedor. Al punto
apareció en la puerta la ma-
dre con una fuente de carne,
seguida de la hermana, que
traía una fuente con una pila
de patatas. De la comida se
elevaba una nube de humo.
Los huéspedes inclináronse
sobre las fuentes colocadas
ante ellos, cual si quisiesen
probarlas antes de servirse,
y, en efecto, el que se halla-
ba sentado en medio, y pa-
recía el más autorizado de
los tres, cortó un pedazo de
carne en la fuente misma,
sin duda para comprobar
que estaba bastante [87]
tierna y que no era menes-
ter devolverla a la cocina.
Exteriorizó su satisfacción,
y la madre y la hermana, que
habían observado suspensas
la operación, respiraron y
sonrieron.
Entretanto, la familia co-
mía en la cocina. A pesar de
lo cual, el padre, antes de di-
rigirse hacia ésta, entraba en
el comedor, hacía una reve-
rencia general y, gorra en
mano, daba la vuelta a la
mesa. Los huéspedes se po-
nían en pie y murmuraban
algo para sus adentros. Des-
pués, ya solos, comían casi en
Willie
hours afterwards.
The gentlemen who rented
the room would sometimes
take their evening meal at
home in the living room that
was used by everyone, and so
the door to this room was
often kept closed in the
evening. But Gregor found it
easy to give up having the
door open, he had, after all,
often failed to make use of it
when it was open and, without
the family having noticed it,
lain in his room in its darkest
corner. One time, though, the
charwoman left the door to the
living room slightly open, and
it remained open when the
gentlemen who rented the
room came in in the evening
and the light was put on. They
sat up at the table where,
formerly, Gregor had taken his
meals with his father and
m o t h e r, t h e y u n f o l d e d t h e
serviettes and picked up their
k n i v e s a n d f o r k s . G r e g o r ’s
mother immediately appeared
in the doorway with a dish of
meat and soon behind her
came his sister with a dish
piled high with potatoes. The
food was steaming, and filled
the room with its smell. The
gentlemen bent over the dishes
set in front of them as if they
wanted to test the food before
eating it, and the gentleman in
the middle, who seemed to
count as an authority for the
other two, did indeed cut off a
piece of meat while it was still
in its dish, clearly wishing to
establish whether it was
sufficiently cooked or whether
it should be sent back to the
kitchen. It was to his
s a t i s f a c t i o n , a n d G r e g o r ’s
mother and sister, who had
b e e n l o o k i n g o n a n x i o u s l y,
began to breathe again and
smiled.
The family themselves ate
in the kitchen. Nonetheless,
Gregor ’s father came into the
living room before he went
into the kitchen, bowed once
with his cap in his hand and
did his round of the table.
The gentlemen stood as one,
and mumbled something into
their beards. Then, once they
 Neugroschel
would eat in almost total
silence. It struck Gregor as
bizarre that amid all the
various and sundry noises
of eating, he kept making
out the noise of their
chewing as if he were being
shown that one needed teeth
for eating and that one could
accomplish nothing with
even the most wonderful
toothless jaws. “I do have
an appetite,” Gregor told
himself, “but not for these
foods. How well these
boarders eat, and I’m
starving to death!”
That very evening
(Gregor could not recall
hearing it all this time),
the sound of the violin
came from the kitchen.
The boarders had already
finished their supper. The
middle one had pulled out
a n e w s p a p e r, g i v i n g t h e
other two one page each;
and now they were
leaning back, reading and
smoking. When the violin
began to play, the boarders
pricked up their ears, got to
their feet, and tiptoed over to
t h e v e s t i b u l e d o o r w a y,
crowding into it and
remaining there. They must
have been overheard from the
kitchen, for the father called:
“Do you gentlemen mind the
v i o l i n ? We c a n s t o p i t
immediately.” “Quite the
contrary,” said the middle
gentleman, “would the young
lady care to come and play in
this room, which is far more
convenient and
comfortable?” “Oh, thank
you,” called the father as if
he were the violinist. The
gentlemen came back into the
parlor and waited. Soon the
father arrived with the music
stand, the mother with the
sheet music, and the sister
with the violin. The sister
calmly prepared everything
[174] for the playing. The
parents, having never rented
out rooms before, which was
why they were being so overly
courteous to the boarders, did
not dare sit in their own
chairs. The father leaned
against the door, slipping his
del Solar
comían en un silencio casi
absoluto. A Gregor le pare-
cía extraño que, entre los
distintos ruidos propios de la
comida, se oyeran siempre
unos dientes que masticaban
como queriendo demostrar
que para comer hacían falta
dientes, y que de nada ser-
vían las mandíbulas más be-
llas si no tenían dientes.
«Pues yo tengo apetito», se
decía Gregor preocupado,
«aunque no de este tipo de
cosas. ¡Cómo engullen estos
huéspedes, y yo aquí mu-
riéndome de hambre!».
Precisamente aquella no-
che -Gregor no recordaba
haber oído el violín en todo
ese tiempo- llegaron unos
sonidos desde la cocina. Los
huéspedes ya [84] habían
terminado de cenar, el de en
medio había sacado un pe-
riódico y repartido una hoja
a cada uno de los otros, y los
tres leían y fumaban
re t r e p a d o s e n s u s s i l l a s .
Cuando empezó a sonar el
violín, prestaron atención, se
levantaron y avanzaron de
puntillas hasta la puerta del
vestíbulo, donde permane-
cieron de pie, apretados uno
contra el otro. Debieron de
oírlos desde la cocina, pues
el padre exclamó: «¿Les des-
agrada la música a los seño-
res? Puede dejar de sonar
ahora mismo». «Todo lo con-
trario», dijo el señor de en
medio. «¿No querría la seño-
rita venir con nosotros y to-
car en esta sala, donde se
está mejor y es más agrada-
ble?» «¡Claro que sí!», ex-
clamó el padre, como si el
violinista fuera él. Los seño-
res volvieron a la sala de es-
tar y esperaron. Al poco rato
entró el padre con el atril, la
madre con la partitura y la
hermana con el violín. La
hermana lo preparó tranqui-
lamente todo para tocar; los
padres, que antes jamás ha-
bían alquilado habitaciones
y por ello exageraban las
muestras de cortesía ante los
huéspedes, no se atrevían a
tomar asiento en sus propias
sillas; el padre se apoyó en
la puerta, con la mano dere-
112
Stokes
silence. It seemed odd to
Gregor that, among all the
multifarious sounds of the
meal, he kept picking out the
noise of their champing
teeth, as though he were
being shown that one needed
teeth to eat and that even
with the finest toothless jaws
nothing could be
accomplished. ‘I do have an
appetite,’ Gregor said to
himself, full of worry, ‘but
not for those things. Look
h o w t h e s e l o d g e r s g o rge
themselves, while I waste
away!’
On this same evening -
Gregor could not remember
having heard it once in all
this time - the sound of
violin-playing came from
the kitchen. The lodgers
had already finished their
supper, the one in the
middle had produced a
newspaper, given each of
the others a page, and now,
leaning back in their chairs,
they were reading and
smoking. When the violin
began to play, they pricked
up their ears, stood up and
tiptoed to the door leading
into the hall, where they
stood in a huddle. Their [51]
movements must have been
heard in the kitchen, for his
father called out, ‘Do you
find the playing unpleasant,
gentlemen? It can be stopped
at once: ‘On the contrary,’
said the gentleman in the
middle, ‘wouldn’t the young
lady like to join us and play
in here where it’s much more
cosy and comfortable?’
‘With pleasure,’ cried his
f a t h e r, a s i f h e w e r e t h e
violinist. The gentlemen
went back into the room and
waited. Gregor’s father soon
came in with the music
stand, his mother with the
music, his sister with the
violin. His sister calmly
prepared herself to play; his
parents, who had never
previously rented out rooms
and therefore treated the
lodgers with excessive
politeness, did not even dare
sit down on their own chairs;
his father leaned against the
Vialatte
mot. Chose étrange, pensa
Grégoire, on ne cessait
d’entendre revenir à travers
tous les bruits de la table le
claquement de leurs mâchoires
au travail comme s’il s’était agi
de lui prouver qu’il faut de
vraies dents pour manger et que
les plus belles mandibules du
monde ne sauraient y
parvenir.«J’ai bien faim,
pensait Grégoire tout soucieux,
mais je n’ai plus faim de ces
choses-là. Comme ces
messieurs se nourrissent!
Pendant ce temps, moi, j’ai le
droit de mourir.»
Il ne se souvenait plus
d’avoir entendu jouer sa soeur
depuis l’arrivée des locataires;
mais ce soir-là le son du violon
retentit à la cuisine. Les trois
messieurs [72] venaient de
terminer leur repas; celui du’
milieu avait sorti un journal et
distribué une des feuilles à
chacun des deux autres;
maintenant ils lisaient tous
trois en fumant, renversés sur
le dossier de leurs chaises. Le
son du violon éveilla leur
attention, ils se levèrent et se
dirigèrent sur la pointe des
pieds vers la porte du
vestibule où ils firent halte en
groupe serré. Malgré toutes
leurs précautions on les avait
entendus de la cuisine, car le
père se mit à crier : «Est-ce
que le violon gêne ces
messieurs? On pourrait le
faire cesser tout de suite.»
«Mais au contraire, répondit
le monsieur du milieu; si
mademoiselle voulait venir
chez nous, dans la salle à
manger, elle y serait mieux,
c’est plus confortable.» «
Mais bien sûr », s’écria le père
comme si c’était lui qui jouait.
Les messieurs rentrèrent donc
dans la salle et attendirent. Le
père arriva bientôt avec le
pupitre, la mère avec la
musique et la soeur avec le
violon. La soeur prépara
tranquillement ses partitions,
les parents qui, louant leur
chambre pour la première
fois, exagéraient la politesse
envers leurs hôtes,
craignirent de se montrer
grossiers en utilisant leurs
propres sièges : le père
Cl. David
nouveau, ils se mirent à manger
sans presque s’adresser la
parole. Il parut curieux à Gregor
de discerner parmi les divers
bruits du repas celui que leurs
dents ne cessaient de faire en
mâchant, comme s’il s’agissait
de lui démontrer qu’il faut des
dents pour manger et que la plus
belle mâchoire, quand elle est
édentée, n’arrive à rien. « J’ai
de l’appétit », se disait Gregor
pensivement, « mais pas pour
ces choses-là. Comme ces trois
l o c a t a i r e s s a v e n t s e n o u r r i r,
alors que je suis en train de
périr!»
Ce soir-là, précisément -
Gregor ne se rappelait pas, les
jours précédents, avoir jamais
entendu le son du violon -, ce
soir-là, on entendit un air de
violon qui venait de la cuisine.
Les locataires avaient terminé
leur dîner, celui du milieu
avait tiré un journal, en avait
donné une feuille à chacun des
deux autres et maintenant,
renversés sur le dossier de leur
chaise, ils lisaient en fumant.
Lorsqu’on commença à jouer du
violon, ils tendirent l’oreille, se
levèrent et allèrent sur la pointe
des pieds jusqu’à la porte du
vestibule, où ils restèrent
debout, pressés les uns contre
les autres. On avait dû les
entendre de la cuisine, car le
père s’écria: «Le violon
gêne-t-il ces messieurs? On
peut l’arrêter tout de suite.» «
Au contraire », dit le monsieur
du milieu, « la demoiselle ne
voudrait-elle pas entrer et jouer
ici dans la pièce? c’est bien plus
commode et plus agréable.» «
Oh! je vous en prie », répondit
le père, comme s’il était
lui-même le violoniste. Les
messieurs rentrèrent dans la
pièce et attendirent. Bientôt
arriva le père avec le pupitre,
suivi de la mère avec la
partition et de la soeur avec son
violon. La soeur prépara
tranquillement tout ce qu’il
fallait pour se mettre à jouer;
les parents, qui n’avaient jamais
loué de chambre auparavant et
qui, à cause de cela, exagéraient
la politesse envers leurs
locataires, n’osaient pas
s’asseoir sur leurs chaises; le
père restait appuyé à la porte,
Freed
they ate in virtual silence. It
seemed odd to Gregor that
out of the myriad noises
from the meal, he could
always distinguish the
mashing teeth, as if to
indicate to Gregor that teeth
were needed in order to eat
and even the best of
toothless jaws could do
nothing. “I’m hungry
enough,” said Gregor to
himself mournfully, “but not
for these things. How these
boarders stuf f themselves
and here I am starving to
death!”
[43] On this very
evening-Gregor could not
remember having heard the
violin all this time-the
sound of the violin came
from the kitchen. The
boarders had already finished
their supper, the middle one
had taken out a newspaper
and distributed a sheet each
to the two others, and they
were now l e a n i n g b a c k ,
reading and smoking. When
the violin began playing
they all looked up, got to
their feet, and tiptoed to the
f o y e r d o o r, w h e r e t h e y
huddled together. They must
have been heard from the
kitchen because the father
called out: “Are the
gentlemen disturbed by the
violin playing? It can be
stopped at once.” “On the
contrary,” said the middle
gentleman, “wouldn’t the
young lady care to come in
here with us and play where
it is more spacious and
comfortable?” “Oh,
certainly,” cried the father,
as though he were the
violinist. The boarders
retreated to the room and
waited. Soon the father
entered with the music
stand, the mother with the
music and the sister with the
violin. The sister calmly
prepared everything to start
playing; the parents, who
had never before let a room
and were consequently
excessively polite to the
boarders, did not dare to sit
in their own chairs; the
father leaned against the
113
Alianza
silencio. A Gregorio
resultábale extraño percibir
siempre, entre los diversos
ruidos de la comida, el que los
dientes hacían al masticar,
cual si quisiesen demostrar a
Gregorio que para comer se
necesitan dientes, y que la
más hermosa mandíbula, vir-
gen de dientes, de nada pue-
de servir. «Pues sí que tengo
apetito -decíase Gregorio,
preocupado-. Pero no son és-
tas las cosas que me apete-
cen... ¡Cómo comen estos
huéspedes! ¡Y yo, mientras,
muriéndome!»
Aquella misma noche
-Gregorio no recordaba haber
oído el violín en todo aquel
tiempo-, sintió tocar en la co-
cina. Ya habían acabado los
huéspedes de cenar. El que
estaba en medio había saca-
do un periódico [88] y dado
una hoja a cada uno de los
otros dos, y los tres leían y
fumaban recostados hacia
atrás. Al sentir el violín, que-
dó fija su atención en la músi-
ca; se levantaron, y, de punti-
llas, fueron hasta la puerta del
recibimiento, junto a la cual
permanecieron inmóviles,
apretados uno contra otro. Sin
duda se les oyó desde la coci-
na, pues el padre preguntó:
—¿Tal vez a los señores les
desagrada la música?
Y añadió:
—En ese caso, puede cesar al momento.
—Al contrario -aseguró el
señor de más autoridad-. ¿No
querría entrar la señorita y to-
car aquí? Sería mucho más
-cómodo y agradable.
— ¡Claro, no faltaba más!
-respondió el padre, cual si fue-
se él mismo el violinista.
Los huéspedes tornaron al
interior del comedor, y espera-
ron. Muy pronto llegó el padre
con el atril, luego la madre con
los papeles de música, y, por
fin, la hermana, con el violín.
La hermana lo dispuso todo tran-
quilamente para comenzar a to-
car. Mientras, los padres, que nun-
ca habían tenido habitaciones al-
quiladas y que, por lo mismo, ex-
tremaban la cortesía para con los
huéspedes, no se atrevían a sen-
tarse en sus [89] propias butacas.
El padre quedó apoyado en la
Willie
were alone, they ate in near
perfect silence. It seemed
remarkable to Gregor that
above all the various noises
of eating their chewing teeth
could still be heard, as if
they had wanted to Show
Gregor that you need teeth in
order to eat and it was not
possible to perform anything
with jaws that are toothless
however nice they might be.
“I’d like to eat something”,
said Gregor anxiously, “but
not anything like they’re
eating. They do feed
themselves. And here I am,
dying!”
Throughout all this time,
Gregor could not remember
having heard the violin being
played, but this evening it began
to be heard from the kitchen.
The three gentlemen had already
finished their meal, the one in
the middle had produced a
newspaper, given a page to each
of the others, and now they leant
back in their chairs reading them
and smoking. When the violin
began playing they became
attentive, stood up and went on
tip-toe over to the door of the
hallway where they stood
pressed against each other.
Someone must have heard them
in the kitchen, as Gregor’s father
called out: “Is the playing
perhaps unpleasant for the
gentlemen? We can stop it
straight away. “ “On the
contrary”, said the middle
gentleman, “would the young
lady not like to come in and play
for us here in the room, where it
is, after all, much more cosy and
comfortable?” “Oh yes, we’d
love to”, called back Gregor’s
father as if he had been the
violin player himself. The
gentlemen stepped back into the
room and waited. Gregor ’s
father soon appeared with the
music stand, his mother with the
music and his sister with the
violin. She calmly prepared
everything for her to begin
playing; his parents, who had
never rented a room out before
and therefore showed an
exaggerated courtesy towards
the three gentlemen, did not
even dare to sit on their own
chairs; his father leant against
 Neugroschel
right hand between two
buttons of his buttoned-up
uniform jacket; the mother,
however, was offered a chair
by one gentleman and, leaving
it where he happened to place
it, she sat off to the side, in a
corner.
The sister began to
play; the father and the
mother, on either side,
closely followed the
motions of her hands.
G r e g o r, d r a w n t o t h e
playing, had ventured a bit
further out, so that his
head was already sticking
i n t o t h e p a r l o r. H e w a s
hardly aware of his recent
lack of consideration
toward the others,
although earlier he had
prided himself on being
considerate. For now more
than ever he had reason to
hide, thoroughly coated as
he was with the dust that
shrouded everything in his
room, flurrying about at
the vaguest movement.
Furthermore, threads,
hairs, and scraps of
leftover food were
sticking to his back and
his sides, for he had
become much too
apathetic to turn over and
scour his back on the
carpet as he used to do
several times a day. And
so, despite his present
state, he had no qualms
about advancing a bit
across the spotless parlor
floor.
N o r, t o b e s u r e , d i d
anyone take any notice of
him. The family was
engrossed in the violin
playing; the boarders, in
contrast, their hands in
their trouser pockets, had
initially placed
themselves much too
close to the sister ’s music
stand so they could all
read the score, which was
bound to fluster her. As a
result, [175] half
muttering with lowered
heads, they soon retreated
to the window, where they
remained, with the father
del Solar
cha oculta entre dos botones
de su librea abrochada; uno
de los señores le ofreció una
silla a la madre, quien, por
no moverla de donde el se-
ñor la había dejado al azar,
permaneció sentada en un
rincón.
La hermana empezó a to-
car; el padre y la madre se-
guían con atención, cada
uno desde su sitio, los mo-
vimientos de sus manos.
Atraído por la música, [85]
Gregor se había atrevido a
asomarse un poco más y te-
nía ya toda la cabeza en la
sala de estar. Apenas se sor-
prendía de la escasa consi-
deración que, en los últimos
tiempos, tenía para con los
demás, una consideración
que antes había sido su or-
gullo. Y, sin embargo, aho-
ra hubiera tenido más moti-
vos que nunca para escon-
derse, pues debido al polvo
que lo cubría todo en su ha-
bitación y se esparcía al
menor movimiento, también
él estaba completamente cu-
bierto de polvo; sobre su es-
palda y a los lados arrastra-
ba consigo hilos, pelos y
restos de comida; su indife-
rencia hacia todo era dema-
siado grande para permitir-
le tumbarse de espaldas y
restregarse contra la alfom-
bra, como antes hacía varias
veces al día. Y, a pesar de
su estado, no se avergonzó
de avanzar un poco más por
el suelo impecable de la
sala de estar.
Cierto es que nadie
había reparado en él. La
familia estaba totalmen-
te absorta en la música
del violín; los huéspe-
des, en cambio, que al
principio, con las manos
en los bolsillos del pan-
talón, se habían instala-
do detrás y demasiado
cerca del atril de la her-
mana, de suerte que hu-
bieran podido leer la
partitura -lo cual, sin
duda, tenía que molestar
a la hermana-, se retira-
ron pronto, con la cabe-
za gacha y conversando a
114
Stokes
door, his right hand inserted
between two buttons of his
livery jacket; but his mother
was offered a chair by one of
the gentlemen and sat down
where the gentleman had
happened to place it, tucked away
in a corner.
His sister began to play.
F a t h e r a n d m o t h e r, f r o m
either side, followed
attentively the movements
o f h e r h a n d s . G r e g o r,
attracted by the playing,
had ventured out a little
further and already had his
head in the living-room.
He was hardly surprised
that he had recently shown
such little consideration
for others; such
consideration had once
been his greatest pride.
And now there was even
more reason for him to stay
out of sight because, as a
result of the dust that lay
all over his room and blew
around at the slightest
movement, he too was
completely covered in
dust; he dragged around
with him, on his back and
along his sides, lengths of
thread, hair and scraps of
food; his indifference to
everything was much too
great for him to turn over
on his back and scrub
himself clean on the
carpet. And in spite of his
condition, he was not
ashamed to inch out a little
fu rth e r onto the spotless
living-room floor.
Not that anyone noticed
him. The family was
completely [52] absorbed
by the violin-playing; the
lodgers on the other hand,
who, having stationed
themselves, hands in
pockets, much too close
behind his sister ’s music
stand so that they could all
have read the music, which
must surely have bothered
his sister, soon withdrew,
muttering to one another
with lowered heads, to the
window where they
remained, anxiously
watched by his father. It
Vialatte
s’appuya donc contre la porte,
une main entre les boutons de
sa livrée, mais l’un des
messieurs offrit une chaise à
la mère qui n’osa pas la
changer de place et resta
assise à part dans un coin
durant le reste de la séance.
La fille se mit à
jouer tandis que le père
e t l a mère observaient de
deux côtés différents le
mouvement [73] de ses
mains. Attiré par la
musique, Grégoire - audace!
- s’était avancé légèrement
et il avait déjà toute la tête
dans la salle. II ne
s’étonnait pas d’avoir perdu
dans les derniers temps
cette perpétuelle crainte de
gêner qui faisait autrefois
son orgueil; et pourtant il
n’avait jamais eu tant de
raisons de se cacher, car,
avec les saletés qui
s’étalaient dans sa chambre
et qui volaient au moindre
mouvement, il était toujours
couvert de poussière, de
bouts de fil, de cheveux, de
restes de mangeaille qui se
collaient sur son dos ou sur
ses pattes et qu’il traînait
partout avec lui; son apathie
était devenue bien trop
grande pour qu’il songeât
encore à se nettoyer
plusieurs fois par jour
comme autrefois en se
frottant sur le tapis, et sa
saleté ne l’empêcha pas
d’avancer encore sans
vergogne sur le plancher
immaculé.
II faut dire aussi que
personne ne l’avait
remarqué. La famille était
trop absorbée par le violon,
et les locataires, qui
s’étaient d’abord installés,
les mains dans les poches,
beaucoup trop près du
pupitre - ce qui gênait
forcément la soeur obligée
ainsi de voir danser leur
image au milieu des notes -
avaient vite fini par se
r e t i r e r, e n b a v a r d a n t à
mi-voix, la tête baissée,
vers la fenêtre où ils
restèrent décidément sous le
regard préoccupé du père
Cl. David Freed
la main droite entre deux door with his right hand
boutons de sa livrée tucked between two buttons
soigneusement fermée; mais un of his fastened uniform
des messieurs proposa une jacket; the mother, however,
chaise à la mère qui, laissant le was offered a chair by one
siège là où le monsieur l’avait of the gentlemen and sat
posé par hasard, s’assit à l’écart down where he had chanced
dans un coin. to put it, off in a corner.
Grete se mit à jouer; le The sister began to
père et la mère suivaient play; the mother and
attentivement, chacun de father on either side of
leur côté, le mouvement de her attentively followed
ses mains. Gregor, attiré par the movement of her
la musique, s’était un peu h a n d s . G r e g o r, s e d u c e d
risqué en avant et il passait by the playing, had
déjà la tête dans la salle. Il ventured farther
s’étonnait à peine d’avoir forward and his head
presque entièrement cessé, was already in the
ces derniers temps, de tenir living room. His
compte des gens; jadis, il y growing lack of concern
m e t t a i t s o n p o i n t d ’ h o n n e u r. for the others hardly
Et pourtant, il n’aurait surprised him, whereas
jamais eu plus de raisons de previously he had
s e c a c h e r , c a r, à c a u s e d e l a prided himself on being
saleté qui recouvrait toute sa considerate. And yet
chambre et qui s’envolait à now he had more reason
la moindre occasion, il était than ever to stay
lui-même couvert de hidden: He was coated
poussière; des fils, des with the dust that
cheveux, des restes de blanketed his room and
nourriture traînaient sur son blew around at the
dos et sur ses flancs; son slightest movement, bits
indifférence envers tout of fluff, hair, and food
était bien trop grande pour stuck to his back and
qu’il songeât encore, comme trailed from his sides; he
il le faisait auparavant w a s s o d e e p l y i n d i ff e r e n t
plusieurs fois par jour, à se that he would not turn
coucher sur le dos pour se over and scrape his back
brosser sur le tapis. Et, clean against the carpet
malgré l’état où il se as he once did several
trouvait, il n’éprouva t i m e s a d a y. A n d d e s p i t e
aucune vergogne à avancer his condition, he was not
d’un pas sur le plancher ashamed to inch farther
immaculé de la salle de onto the immaculate
s é j o u r. l i v i n g r o o m f l o o r.
Il faut dire que personne No one, to be sure,
ne prenait garde à lui. La paid him any mind. The
famille était entièrement family was completely
prise par le jeu du violon; absorbed by the violin
les locataires, en revanche, playing; the boarders on
qui, les mains dans les the other hand had at
poches de leur pantalon, first stood with their
s’étaient tenus tout d’abord hands in their pockets so
si près du pupitre qu’ils close behind the sister
auraient pu lire la partition, that they could all have
ce qui devait certainement read the music, which
gêner Grete, avaient fini, en [44] must have irritated
baissant la tête et en se her, but they soon
parlant à mi-voix, par se withdrew to the window
retirer du côté de la fenêtre, end stayed there with
où sous les regards inquiets lowered heads and
du père, ils avaient décidé half-heard grumblings
d e r e s t e r. O n c o m p r e n a i t while the father eyed
115
Alianza
puerta, con la mano derecha me-
tida entre dos botones de la librea
cerrada; pero a la madre, uno de
los huéspedes le ofreció una bu-
taca, y se sentó en un rincón apar-
tado, pues no movió el asiento del
punto en que aquel señor lo ha-
bía, casualmente, colocado.
Comenzó a tocar la her-
mana, y el padre y la madre,
cada uno desde su sitio, se-
guían todos los movimientos
de sus manos. Gregorio,
atraído por la música,
atrevióse a avanzar un poco,
y encontróse con la cabeza en
el comedor. Casi no le sor-
prendía la escasa considera-
ción que guardaba a los de-
más en los últimos tiempos,
y, sin embargo, antes, esa
consideración había sido pre-
cisamente su mayor orgullo.
Empero, ahora más que nun-
ca, tenía él motivo para ocul-
tarse, pues, debido al estado
de suciedad de su habitación,
cualquier movimiento que
hacía levantaba olas de pol-
vo en torno suyo, y él mismo
estaba cubierto de polvo y
arrastraba consigo, en la es-
palda y en los costados,
hilachos, pelos y restos de
comida: Su indiferencia ha-
cia todos era harto mayor que
cuando, cual antaño varias
veces al día, podía, echado
sobre la espalda, restregarse
contra la alfombra. Y, sin em-
bargo, a pesar [90] del esta-
do en que se hallaba, no sen-
tía’ el menor rubor en avan-
zar por el suelo inmaculado
del comedor.
Ve r d a d e s q u e n a d i e s e
cuidaba de él. La familia
hallábase completamente
absorta por el violín, y
los huéspedes, que a lo
primero habíanse coloca-
do, con las manos en los
bolsillos del pantalón,
junto al atril, demasiado
cerca de éste, con lo cual
todos podían ir leyendo
las notas y molestaban
seguramente a la herma-
na, no tardaron en reti-
rarse hacia la ventana, en
donde permanecían cu-
chicheando, con las tes-
tas inclinadas, y observa-
Willie
the door with his right hand
pushed in between two buttons
on his uniform coat; his mother,
though, was offered a seat by
one of the gentlemen and sat -
leaving the chair where the
gentleman happened to have
placed it - out of the way in a
corner.
His sister began to
play; father and mother
paid close attention, one
on each side, to the
movements of her hands.
Drawn in by the playing,
Gregor had dared to come
forward a little and
already had his head in
the living room. Before,
he had taken great pride
in how considerate he was
but now it hardly
occurred to him that he
had become so
thoughtless about the
o t h e r s . W h a t ’s m o r e ,
there was now all the
more reason to keep
himself hidden as he was
covered in the dust that
lay everywhere in his
room and flew up at the
slightest movement; he
carried threads, hairs, and
remains of food about on
his back and sides; he was
much too indifferent to
everything now to lay on
his back and wipe himself
on the carpet like he had
used to do several times a
d a y. A n d d e s p i t e t h i s
condition, he was not too
shy to move forward a little
onto the immaculate floor
of the living room.
No-one noticed him,
though. The family was
totally preoccupied with
the violin playing; at first,
the three gentlemen had
put their hands in their
pockets and come up far
too close behind the music
stand to look at all the
notes being played, and
they must have disturbed
G r e g o r ’s s i s t e r, b u t s o o n ,
in contrast with the
f a m i l y, t h e y w i t h d r e w b a c k
to the window with their
heads sunk and talking to
each other at half volume,
 Neugroschel
e y e i n g t h e m u n e a s i l y. I t
now truly seemed more
than obvious that their
hope of listening to a
lovely or entertaining
violin recital had been
d a s h e d , that they had had
enough of the performance,
and that it was only out of
sheer courtesy that they
were allowing themselves
to be put upon in their
leisure. It was especially
the manner in which they
all blew their cigar smoke
aloft through their
mouths and noses that
hinted at how fidgety
they were. And yet the
sister was playing so
b e a u t i f u l l y. H e r f a c e w a s
leaning to the side, her
sad, probing eyes were
following the lines of
notes. Gregor crawled a
bit farther out, keeping
his head close to the
f l o o r, s o t h a t t h e i r e y e s
m i g h t p o s s i b l y m e e t . Was
he a beast to be so moved
by music? He felt as if he
were being shown the
path to the unknown food
h e w a s y e a r n i n g f o r. H e
was determined to creep
all the way over to the
s i s t e r, t u g a t h e r s k i r t t o
suggest that she take her
violin and come into his
room, for no one here
would reward her playing
as he intended to reward
it. He wanted to keep her
there and never let her
out, at least not in his
lifetime. For once, his
terrifying shape would be
useful to him; he would
be at all the doors of his
r o o m s i m u l t a n e o u s l y,
hissing at the attackers.
H i s s i s t e r, h o w e v e r,
should remain with him
not by force, but of her
own free will. She should
sit next to him on the
settee, leaning down to
him and listening to him
confide that he had been
intent on sending her to
t h e c o n s e r v a t o r y, a n d
that if the misfortune had
not interfered, he would
have announced his plan
to everyone [176] last
del Solar
media voz, hacia la ven-
tana, donde se quedaron,
observados con preocu-
pación por el padre. Era
demasiado evidente que
parecían decepcionados
en sus expectativas de
oír un recital de violín
hermoso o entretenido,
que estaban hartos [86]
de la función y que solo
por cortesía permitían
que se les molestase. So-
bre todo la manera como
expulsaban el humo de
sus puros por la nariz y
por la boca delataba su
gran agitación. ¡Con lo
b i e n q u e t o c a b a la herma-
na! Esta había ladeado la
cara y su mirada seguía,
triste y escrutadora, los
pentagramas. Gregor avan-
zó un poco más y mantuvo
la cabeza muy pegada al
suelo para que, a ser posi-
ble, su mirada se encontra-
ra con la de ella. ¿Era real-
mente un animal, puesto que
la música lo emocionaba
tanto? Le pareció que se le
abría el camino hacia el an-
helado y desconocido ali-
mento. Estaba decidido a
avanzar hasta donde se ha-
llaba la hermana, tirarle de
la falda e insinuarle así que
entrase en su habitación con
el violín, pues allí nadie
agradecía su interpretación
como él deseaba agradecér-
sela. No quería dejarla salir
ya nunca más de su habita-
ción, al menos no mientras
estuviera vivo; por prime-
ra vez su horrible figura le
sería útil; quería estar en
todas las puertas de su
cuarto a la vez y rechazar
a los agres o r e s ; p e r o l a
hermana no debería
quedarse con él por la
fuerza, sino volunta-
riamente; debería sen-
tarse a su lado en el
sofá, inclinar el oído
hacia él, y él le con-
fiaría entonces que te-
nía la firme intención
de mandarla al conser-
v a t o r i o y, d e n o h a b e r -
se interpuesto aquella
desgracia, se lo habría
dicho a todos la Navi-
dad pasada -¿ya había
116
Stokes
really did seem abundantly
clear that they were
disappointed in their
expectation of hearing
some beautiful or
enjoyable violin-playing,
that they were tired of the
whole performance, and
that it was only out of
courtesy that they were
permitting their peace to
be further disturbed. It
was in particular the way
they all blew their cigar
smoke into the air
through the nose and
mouth that suggested they
were highly stressed. Yet
his sister was playing so
beau tifully. Her face was
tilted to one side, her eyes
looked sad and searching as
they followed the lines of
the score. Gregor crawled a
little further forward,
keeping his head close to
the floor so that their eyes
might meet. Could he be an
animal if music moved him
so? He felt as if he were
being shown the way to the
unknown nourishment that
he so craved. He was
determined to press forward
until he had reached his
sister, and suggest by
tugging her skirt that she
should come into his room
with her violin, for no one
here appreciated her
playing as he would
appreciate it. He would
never again let her out of his
room, at least not as long as
he lived; his nightmarish
appearance would for once
serve some useful purpose;
he would be at all the doors
of his room at once and spit
at his aggressors; his sister,
however, would not be
compelled to stay with him,
but would do so of her own
free will; she would sit
beside him on the couch
and incline her ear towards
him, and he would then
confide to her that it had
been his firm intention to
send her to the
conservatoire, and that if
the catastrophe had not
[53] intervened, he would
have announced this to
everyone last Christmas -
Vialatte
qui les observait
attentivement. Il était
devenu trop évident qu’ils
avaient été déçus dans leur
espoir d’entendre un beau
morceau de violon ou tout
au moins une petite mélodie
musante, que [74] tout cela
les fatiguait et qu’ils
n’acceptaient plus le
dérangement que par
politesse. A la façon dont ils
soufflaient la fumée de leurs
c i g a r e s , à l ’ é n e rg i e a v e c
laquelle ils l’envoyaient au
plafond par le nez ou par la
bouche, on devinait leur
agacement. Et la soeur
jouait pourtant si bien! Le
visage penché de côté, elle
suivait sa partition d’un
regard si profond, si triste.
Grégoire avança encore un
peu et approcha la tête le
plus près possible du sol
pour essayer de rencontrer
ce regard. N’était-il donc
qu’une bête? Cette musique
l’émouvait tant. Il avait
l’impression qu’une voie
s’ouvrait à lui vers la
nourriture inconnue qu’il
désirait si ardemment. Il
était décidé à se frayer un
chemin jusqu’à sa soeur et
à la tirer par la robe pour lui
faire comprendre qu’il
fallait venir chez lui parce
que personne ici ne
récompensait sa musique
par l’admiration qu’il
saurait lui témoigner. Il ne
la laisserait plus sortir de sa
chambre, tout au moins tant
qu’il vivrait; pour une fois
sa forme horrible lui
servirait à quelque chose, il
serait à toutes les portes à
la fois, repoussant les
agresseurs de son souffle
rauque. Entendons-nous, il ‘
ne voulait pas obliger sa
soeur à rester chez lui; elle
devrait y demeurer
volontairement, s’asseoir
près de lui sur le canapé et
lui prêter enfin l’oreille :
alors il lui dirait en
confidence qu’il avait eu
l’intention bien arrêtée de
l’envoyer au Conservatoire
et qu’il eût déclaré cela
devant tout le monde sans
s’inquiéter des objections,
pas plus [75] tard qu’à la
Cl. David
maintenant avec
d’évidence qu’il n’était
nécessaire qu’après avoir
espéré entendre un beau
morceau de violon ou du
moins quelque chose de
récréatif, ils avaient été
déçus dans leur attente,
qu’ils étaient lassés de ce
concert et
n’acceptaient plus que par
politesse d’être
dérangés dans leur repos. A
la façon déjà dont tous trois
chassaient en l’air la fumée
de leurs cigares par le nez et
par la bouche, on devinait
l e u r g r a n d e n e r v osité. Et
Grete pourtant jouait si bien.
Elle avait le visage penché de
côté et, de ses yeux attentifs
e• ‘cistes, elle suivait les
notes sur les portées. Gregor
fit un pas de plus en rampant,
la tête collée au sol, pour
essayer de rencontrer son
regard. N’était-il qu’une bête,
si la musique l’émouvait
pareillement? Il
l’impression que s’ouvrait
devant lui le chemin de la
nourriture inconnue à laquelle
il aspirait si ardemment. Il
était décidé à se frayer un
passage jusqu’à sa soeur, à la
tirer par sa jupe pour lui faire
comprendre qu’elle devait
venir dans sa chambre avec
son violon, car personne ne
saurait profiter de sa musique
autant qu’il s’apprêtait à le
faire. Il ne la laisserait plus
quitter sa chambre, aussi
longtemps du moins qu’il
resterait en vie; pour la
première fois, son aspect
terrifiant le servirait; il serait
à toutes les portes à la fois, il
cracherait son venin sur les
agre s s e u r s ; i l n ’ e x e r c e r a i t
d’ailleurs aucune contrainte
s u r s a s o e u r, e l l e r e s t e r a i t
de son plein gré; elle
s’assiérait à côté de lui
sur le canapé,
pencherait l’oreille
vers lui; il
confierait alors qu’il
avait la ferme intention
de l’envoyer
Conservatoire et que, si
le malheur n’était pas
arrivé, il avait eu le
projet de l’annoncer à
tout le monde à la Noël
Freed
plus them nervously. Indeed
it was more than obvious
that their hopes of
hearing the violin played
well or entertainingly
were disappointed, that
they had had enough of
the recital and were only
suffering through this
qu’ils disturbance of their
peace out of politeness.
ainsi I n p a r t i c u l a r, t h e m a n n e r
in which they blew their
clouds of cigar smoke to
the ceiling through
their mouths and noses
displayed
aggravation. And yet
the sister played so
b e a u t i f u l l y. H e r f a c e
was tilted to one side
and she followed the
notes with soulful and
probing eyes. Gregor
advanced a little,
keeping his eyes low so
that they might possibly
m e e t h e r s . Wa s h e a
avait beast if music could
move him so? He felt as
though the path to his
unknown hungers was
being cleared. He was
grimly determined to
reach the sister and tug
on her skirt to suggest
that she take her violin
and come into his room,
for no one here was as
worthy of her playing as
he would be. He would
never let her leave his
room, at least as long as
he lived; for the first
time, his horrifying
appearance would work
to his advantage: He
would stand guard at all the
d o o r s s i m u l t a n e o u s l y, h i s s i n g
at the attackers; the sister,
how e v e r, w o u l d n o t b e
forcibly detained but
would stay with him
of her own free will.
She would sit beside
him on the sofa, she
lui would lean down and
listen as he confided,
how he had intended to
au send her to
Conservatory and ho,
if misfortune had not
interfered, he would
have announced this
plan to everyone last
Alianza
dos por el padre, a quien
esta actitud visiblemente
preocupaba. Y es que
aquello parecía decir
bastante a las claras que
su ilusión de oír música
selecta o divertida había
sido defraudada, que ya
empezaban a cansarse y
que solo por cortesía con-
sentían que siguiese mo-
lestándoles y turbando su
santa tranquilidad.
Especialmente el modo
que todos tenían de echar
por la boca o la nariz el
severe humo de sus cigarros, de -
l a t a b a g r a n n e r viosidad.
Y, empero, ¡qué bien tocaba
la hermana! Con el rostro la-
deado seguía atenta y triste-
mente leyendo el pentagrama.
Gregorio se arrastró otro poco
hacia adelante y mantuvo la
cabeza pegada al suelo, ha-
ciendo por encontrar con su
mirada la mirada de la herma-
na. ¿Si sería una fiera, que la
música tanto le impresionaba?
Le parecía como si se abriese
ante él el camino que había de
conducirle hasta un alimento
desconocido, ardientemente
anhelado. Sí, estaba decidido
a llegar hasta la hermana, a
tirarle de la falda y a hacerle
comprender de este modo que
había de venir a su cuarto con
el violín, porque nadie pre-
miaba aquí su música cual él
quería hacerlo. En adelante,
ya no la dejaría salir de aquel
cuarto, al menos en tanto él
viviese. Por primera vez ha-
bía de servirle de algo aque-
lla su espantosa forma. Que-
ría poder estar a un tiempo en
todas las puertas, pronto a sal-
tar sobre todos los que preten-
diesen ataca r l e . P e r o e r a
precis o q u e l a h e r m a n a
permaneciese junto a él,
no a la fuerza, sino vo-
luntariamente; era pre-
ciso que se sentase jun-
to a él en el sofá, que se
inclinase hacia él, y en-
tonces le confiaría al
oído que había tenido la
the firme intención de en-
viarla al Conservatorio,
y que de no haber sobre-
venido la desgracia, du-
rante las pasadas Navi-
dades -¿pues las Navi-
117
Willie
and they stayed by the
w i n d o w w h i l e G r e g o r ’s
father observed them
a n x i o u s l y. I t r e a l l y n o w
seemed very obvious that
they had expected to hear
some beautiful or
entertaining violin playing
but had been disappointed,
that they had had enough
of the whole performance
and it was only now out of
politeness that they
allowed their peace to be
disturbed. It was especially
unnerving, the way they all
blew the smoke from their
cigarettes upwards from
t he i r m o u t h a n d n o s e s . Ye t
G r e g o r ’s s i s t e r w a s p l a y i n g
s o b e a u t i f u l l y. H e r f a c e w a s
leant to one side, following
the lines of music with a
careful and melancholy
expression. Gregor crawled
a little further forward,
keeping his head close to
the ground so that he could
meet her eyes if the chance
c a m e . Wa s h e a n a n i m a l i f
music could captivate him
so? It seemed to him that he
was being shown the way to
the unknown nourishment
h e h a d b e e n y e a r n i n g f o r.
He was determined to make
his way forward to his
sister and tug at her skirt to
show her she might come
into his room with her violin,
as no-one appreciated her
playing here a s m u c h a s h e
would. He never wanted to
let her out of his room, not
while he lived, anyway; his
shocking appearance
should, for once, be of
some use to him; he wanted
to be at every door of his
room at once to hiss and
spit a t t h e a t t a c k e r s ; h i s
sister should not be
forced to stay with him,
though, but stay of her
own free will; she would
sit beside him on the
couch with her ear bent
down to him while he
told her how he had
always intended to send
h e r t o t h e c o n s e r v a t o r y,
how he would have told
everyone about it last
Christmas - had
Christmas really come
 Neugroschel
Christmas (Christmas was
already past, wasn’t it?),
absolutely refusing to take
“no” for an answer. After
his d e c l a r a t i o n , t h e
sister would burst into
tears of emotion, and
Gregor would lift himself all
the way up to her shoulder
and kiss her throat, which
she had been keeping free
of any ribbon or collar
since she h a d f i r s t s t a r t e d
working.
“Mr. Samsa!” the middle
gentleman called to the
father and, not wasting
another word, pointed his
index finger at Gregor, who
was slowly edging forward.
The violin broke off, the
middle gentleman first
smiled at his friends,
shaking his head, and then
looked back at Gregor. The
father, instead of driving
Gregor out, evidently
considered it imperative
first to calm the boarders,
even though they were not
the least bit upset and
appeared to find Gregor
more entertaining than the
violin playing. The father
hurried over to them and,
with outspread arms, tried
to push them into their room
while simultaneously
blocking their view of
Gregor with his body. They
now in fact began to grow a
bit irate, though there was
no telling whether it was
due to the father ’s behavior
or to their gradual
realization that they had
unknowingly had a neighbor
like Gregor in the next
room. They demanded
explanations from the
father, raised their arms like
him, plucked at their beards,
and only very slowly backed
away toward their room.
Meanwhile the sister had
managed to overcome her
bewilderment, caused by the
abrupt end to her playing,
and after a time of holding
the violin and the bow in her
slackly dangling hands and
gazing at the score as if still
playing, she suddenly
pulled herself together, left
del Solar
pasado la Navidad?-,
sin preocuparse por
las posibles objecio-
nes. Tras esa declara-
ción, la hermana, emo-
cionada, estallaría en
llanto, y Gregor [87]
se le subiría hasta el
hombro y le besaría el
cuello, que ella, desde
que trabajaba en la
tienda, llevaba sin
cintas ni adornos de
ningún tipo.
«¡Señor Samsa! », le
gritó el señor de en medio
al padre y señaló con el
índice, sin malgastar una
p a l a b r a m á s , a G r e g o r,
que seguía avanzando
lentamente. El violín
enmudeció, el señor de en
medio sonrió moviendo
primero la cabeza en
dirección a sus amigos y
luego volvió a mirar a
G r e g o r. A l p a d r e l e
pareció más urgente
tranquilizar a los
huéspedes que echar fuera
a G r e g o r, a u n q u e e s t o s n o
estaban nada nerviosos y
Gregor parecía divertirlos
más que el violín. Corrió
hacia ellos e intentó, con
los brazos estirados,
hacerlos retroceder a su
habitación e impedirles al
mismo tiempo, con su
cuerpo, ver a Gregor.
Pero esta vez sí que se
enfadaron un poco, no se
sabía si por el
comportamiento del padre
o porque de pronto se
d i e r o n c u e n t a d e q u e , sin
saberlo, habían tenido un vecino
como Gregor en l a c a s a .
Pidieron explicaciones al
padre, alzaron también los
brazos, tiraron, inquietos, de
sus barbas y solo lentamente
se retiraron a su habitación.
Entretanto la hermana había
superado el desconcierto en
que cayera al dejar de tocar
bruscamente, y después de
sostener un momento el
violín y el arco en sus
manos, que colgaban
lánguidas, y de mirar un rato
más la partitura como si aún
siguiera tocando, reaccionó
de golpe, puso el instrumento
118
Stokes
Christmas had presumably
been and gone? - and
would not have listened to
any objections. After this
declaration his sister
would burst into tears of
emotion, and Gregor
would raise himself to the
level of her shoulder and
kiss her on the neck
which, ever since she
started going out to work,
she had left bare without
a ribbon or collar.
‘Herr Samsa!’ the middle
lodger cried, addressing
Gregor ’s father, and without
wasting another word
pointed with his index finger
at the slowly advancing
G r e g o r. T h e v i o l i n f e l l
silent, the middle lodger
with a shake of his head
smiled first at his friends,
then looked at Gregor again.
His father seemed to feel
that getting rid of Gregor
was for the moment less
urgent than reassuring the
lodgers, although they were
not at all agitated and
seemed to derive more
pleasure from Gregor than
the violin-playing. He
hurried over to them and
tried with outstretched arms
to drive them into their
room, and at the same time
to block their view of Gregor
with his body. Now they
really did get a little angry,
though it was no longer
possible to tell whether this
w a s d u e t o h i s f a t h e r ’s
behaviour or because of the
dawning realisation that,
without their knowledge,
they had had such a flatmate
as Gregor. They demanded
explanations from his father,
they themselves now raised
their arms, they plucked
excitedly at their beards and
only slowly retreated to their
room. His sister meanwhile
had overcome her
bewilderment, caused by the
abrupt end to her playing,
a n d h a d s u d d e n l y, a f t e r
holding violin and bow for a
time in her limply hanging
hands, while continuing to
look at the music as if she
were still playing, pulled
Vialatte
Noël dernière (la Noël était
bien passée?) si le malheur
n’était survenu si tôt. La
soeur émue de cette
explication éclaterait
sûrement en larmes et
Grégoire, grimpant alors
jusqu’à son épaule,
l’embrasserait sur le cou; ce
serait d’autant plus facile
qu’elle ne portait plus ni col
ni ruban; depuis qu’elle
allait au magasin elle était
toujours décolletée.
brook digest, endure, stick out, stomach, bear, stand, tolerate, support, abide, suffer, put up put up with something or somebody unpleasant; «I cannot bear his constant criticism»;
«The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks»; «he learned to tolerate the heat»; «She stuck out two years in a miserable marriage»
«Monsieur Samsa!» cria
le monsieur du milieu en
montrant de l’index
Grégoire qui s’avançait
lentement. Le violon se tut
brusquement, le monsieur
du milieu se tourna vers ses
amis avec un sourire
accompagné d’un
hochement de tête, puis
ramena les regards sur le
fils. Le père sembla trouver
plus urgent de rassurer ses
locataires que de chasser
son fils de la chambre bien
que les messieurs ne
parussent nullement émus
du spectacle et que
Grégoire eût même l’air de
les amuser beaucoup plus
que le violon. Le père
courut, les bras en croix,
sur les trois messieurs qu’il
tâcha de refouler dans leur
chambre tout en leur
cachant la vue de Grégoire
avec son corps. Ils
commencèrent alors à se
fâcher réellement, mais on
ne savait plus si c’était à
cause du père ou à cause du
voisinage qu’on leur avait
imposé à leur insu et dont
ils prenaient brusquement
conscience. Ils demandèrent
des explications, levèrent eux
aussi les bras, tiraillèrent
nerveusement leur barbe et
reculèrent vers leur porte.
Entre-temps la soeur s’était
remise de l’émoi où l’avait
précipitée la brusque
interruption [76] de sa
musique; après être restée un
moment complètement
désorientée - avec le violon et
l’archet qui pendaient au bout
de ses mains molles à suivre
sa partition des yeux comme
si elle jouait encore, elle
Cl. David
dernière (la Noël était
bien passée?), sans
s’inquiéter des
objections. Émue par
cette déclaration, elle
fondrait en larmes et
Gregor se redresserait
jusqu’à la hauteur de
son épaule et
l’embrasserait dans le
cou que, depuis qu’elle
travaillait au magasin,
elle gardait nu, sans col
ni ruban.
« Monsieur Samsa !»,
cria au père le monsieur du
milieu, sans dire un seul
mot; il désignait de
l’index G r e g o r, qui
s’avançait lentement. Le
violon se tut, le monsieur
du milieu se tourna
d’abord vers ses amis en
souriant et en hochant la
tête, puis il porta à
nouveau ses regards du
côté de Gregor. Le père
trouva plus important, au
lieu de chasser Gregor,
d’apaiser d’abord ses
locataires, bien que
ceux-ci ne semblassent
nullement nerveux et que
Gregor parût les amuser
plus que le violon. Il
bondit vers eux et chercha,
les bras écartés, à les
refouler dans leur chambre,
tout en masq u a n t a v e c s o n
corps la vue de Gregor. Ils
commencèrent alors à se
fâcher un peu, sans qu’on
pût savoir si c’était à cause
de l’attitude du père ou
parce qu ’ils ve n a i e n t
soudain de comprendre qu’ils
a v a i ent eu, sans le savoir, un
voisin de chambre tel que
Grego r. I l s d e m a n d è r e n t d e s
explications au père, en
levant les bras et en tirant
nerveusement sur leur barbe
et en ne reculant vers leur
chambre que pas à pas.
Entre-temps, la soeur était
sortie de la torpeur dans
laquelle elle était tombée
quand son jeu avait été si
soudainement interrompu;
après avoir un moment laissé
mollement tomber ses bras,
qui tenaient encore violon et
archet et continué à regarder
sa partition, comme si elle
Freed
C h r i s t m a s - h a d
Christmas really
p a s s e d a l r e a d y ? -a n d
brooked no argument.
After this declaration
the sister would burst
into emotional tears
and Gregor would
raise himself to her
shoulder and kiss her
neck, which she kept
bare since she started
working, wearing no
r i b b o n o r c o l l a r.
“Herr Samsa!” yelled the
middle man to the father,
and without wasting another
word pointed his index
finger at Gregor, who was
slowly crawling forward.
The violin stopped abruptly,
and the middle boarder first
smiled at his friends,
shaking his head, and then
looked at Gregor again.
Rather than drive Gregor
out, the father seemed to
consider it more urgent to
pacify the boarders,
although they were not
upset in the least and
appeared to be more
entertained by Gregor than
the violin playing. The
father rushed to them and
tried to herd them back to
their room with his
outstretched arms while at
the same time blocking their
view [45] of Gregor with his
body. They now became a
bit annoyed, but it was not
clear whether the father ’s
behavior was to blame or
whether the realization was
dawning on them that they
had unwittingly h a d a
neighbor like Gregor.
They demanded explana-
tions from the father, they
raised their arms at him and
nervously yanked their
beards, then they very
reluctantly backed away to-
ward their room. In the
meantime the sister woke up
from the bewildered state
she had fallen into after the
sudden interruption of her
music; after she listlessly
dangled the violin and bow
awhile in her slack hands
and gazed at the music as
though she were still
119
Alianza
dades ya habían pasado,
no?-, así se lo hubiera
declarado a todos, sin
cuidarse [92] de ningu-
na objeción en contra. Y
al oír esta explicación,
la hermana, conmovida,
rompería a llorar, y
Gregorio se alzaría has-
ta sus hombros, y la be-
saría en el cuello, que,
desde que iba a la tien-
da, llevaba desnudo, sin
cinta ni cuello.
—Señor Samsa -dijo de
pronto al padre el señor que
parecía ser el más autorizado.
Y, sin desperdiciar ninguna
palabra más, mostró al padre,
extendiendo el índice en
aquella dirección, a Gregorio,
que iba lentamente avanzan-
do. El violín enmudeció al
punto, y el señor que parecía
ser el más autorizado sonrió
a sus amigos, sacudiendo la
cabeza, y tornó a mirar a
Gregorio. Al padre le pareció
lo más urgente, en lugar de
arrojar de allí a Gregorio,
tranquilizar a los huéspedes,
los cuales no se mostraban ni
mucho menos intranquilos, y
parecían divertirse más con la
aparición de Gregorio que con
el violín. Precipitóse hacia
ellos, y, extendiendo los bra-
zos, quiso empujarlos hacia su
habitación a la vez que les
ocultaba con su cuerpo la vis-
ta de Gregorio: Ellos, enton-
ces, no disimularon su enojo,
aunque no era posible saber si
éste obedecía a la actitud del
padre o al enterarse en aquel
momento de que habían con-
vivido, [93] sin sospecharlo,
con un ser de aquella índole.
Pidieron explicaciones al pa-
dre, alzaron a su vez los bra-
zos al cielo, se estiraron la
barba con gesto inquieto, y no
retrocedieron sino muy lenta-
mente hasta su habitación.
Mientras, la hermana había
logrado sobreponerse a la im-
presión que hubo de causarle
en un principio el verse brus-
camente interrumpida.
Quedóse un punto con los bra-
zos caídos, sujetando con in-
dolencia el arco y el violín, y
la mirada fija en el papel de
música, cual si todavía toca-
Willie
and gone already? - if
t h i s m i s f o r t u n e h a d n ’t
g o t i n t h e w a y, a n d
refuse to let anyone
dissuade him from it. On
hearing all this, his
sister would break out in
tears of emotion, and
G r e g o r would climb up to
her shoulder and kiss her
neck, which, since she had
been going out to work, she
had kept free without any
n e c k l a c e o r c o l l a r.
“Mr. Samsa!”, shouted the
middle gentleman to
G r e g o r ’s f a t h e r , p o i n t i n g ,
without wasting any more
words, with his forefinger at
Gregor as he slowly moved
forward. The violin went
silent, the middle of the
three gentlemen first smiled
at his two friends, shaking
his head, and then looked
b a c k a t G r e g o r. H i s f a t h e r
seemed to think it more
important to calm the three
gentlemen before driving
Gregor out, even though they
were not at all upset and
seemed to think Gregor was
more entertaining that the
violin playing had been. He
rushed up to them with his
arms spread out and
attempted to drive them back
into their room at the same
time as trying to block their
view of Gregor with his
body. Now they did become
a little annoyed, and it was
not clear whether it was his
f a t h e r ’s b e h a v i o u r t h a t
annoyed them or the dawning
realisation that they had had
a neighbour like Gregor in the
next room without know ing
it. They asked Gregor ’s father
for explanations, raised their
arms like he had, tugged
excitedly at heir beards and
moved back towards their
r o o m o n l y v e r y s l o w l y.
M e a n w h i l e G r e g o r ’s s i s t e r
had overcome the despair she
had fallen into when her
playing was suddenly
interrupted. She had let her
hands drop and let violin and
bow hang limply [flaccidly]
for a while but continued to
look at the music as if still
playing, but then she
 Neugroschel
the instrument [177] in the
mother ’s lap (she was still
i n h e r c h a i r, h e r l u n g s
heaving violently), and
rushed into the next room,
toward which the father
was more and more
forcefully herding the
boarders. One could see
the blankets and pillows in
the beds flying aloft , then
being neatly arranged
under the sister’s practiced
hands. Before the
gentlemen ever reached the
room, she had finished
making up the beds and
slipped out. The father
seemed once again so
thoroughly overcome by his
obstinacy that he neglected
to pay the tenants the respect
nevertheless due them. He
merely kept shoving until the
middle gentleman, who was
already in the doorway of the
room, brought him to a halt
by thunderously stamping
his foot. “I hereby declare,”
said the middle gentleman,
raising his hand and looking
around for the mother and
the sister as well, “that in
consideration of the
repulsive conditions” (here
he abruptly spit on the floor)
“prevailing in this apartment
a n d i n t h i s f a m i l y, I am
giving immediate notice in
regard to my room. Naturally,
I will not pay a single penny
for the days I have resided
here; on the other hand, I will
give serious thought to the
eventuality of pursuing some
sort of claims against you, for
which—believe me—
excellent grounds can easily
be shown.” He paused and
peered straight ahead as if
expecting something. And
indeed, his two friends
promptly chimed in, saying, “We
are giving immediate notice too.”
Thereupon he grabbed the
doorknob and slammed the
door with a crash.
The father, groping
and staggering along,
collapsed into his
chair; he looked as if
he were stretching out
for his usual evening
nap, but his head,
del Solar
en el regazo de la madre, que
continuaba sentada en su silla,
respirando fatigosamente [88]
con los pulmones sometidos a
un violento esfuerzo, y corrió
luego a la habitación contigua,
a la que los huéspedes se
acercaban ya rápidamente
empujados por el padre. Se pudo
ver cómo, bajo las diestras
manos de la hermana, las mantas
y almohadas volaron hacia lo
alto y se fueron disponiendo en
orden. Y antes de que los
señores llegaran a la
habitación, ella ya había hecho
las camas y se h a b í a
escabullido fuera. El padre
parecía, una v e z m á s , t a n
dominado por su obstinación
que olvidó el respeto que, de
todas formas, debía a sus
huéspedes. No hacía sino
e m p u j a r y e m p u j a r, h a s t a
que, ya en la puerta de la
habitación, el señor de en
medio pegó una atronadora
patada contra el suelo y se
detuvo. «Declaro
formalmente», dijo le-
vantando la mano y
buscando con la mirada tam-
bién a la madre y a la
hermana, «que en vista de la
repugnante situación que
impera en esta casa y fa-
milia» -al llegar aquí
escupió resueltamente al
suelo-, «abandono ahora
mismo mi habitación. Por
supuesto que no voy a pagar
un solo céntimo por los días
que he vivido aquí, y más
bien estoy pensando si no
debería presentarle unas
cuantas reclamaciones que,
créame, serían muy fáciles
de justificar.» Calló y miró
hacia delante como si
esperase algo. Y, en efecto,
sus dos amigos intervinieron
de inmediato con las
siguientes palabras:
«Nosotros también nos iremos
ahora mismo». Tras lo cual cogió
el picaporte y cerró la puerta
dando un fuerte golpe.
[89] El padre avanzó
tambaleante y palpando
con las manos hasta su
sillón, en el que se dejó
caer; parecía disponerse
a echar su habitual
s iestecilla nocturna, pero la
120
Stokes
herself together, placed the
instrument on her mother ’s
lap, as she sat in her chair
fighting for breath with
violently pumping lungs, and
had run into the adjoining
room which the lodgers,
driven on [54] by his father,
were now approaching more
rapidly. Blankets and pillows
could be seen flying into the
air and falling back onto the
bed, guided by his sister ’s
practised hands. Even before
the lodgers had reached their
room, she had finished
making the beds and slipped
out. His father seemed once
more so overwhelmed by
his obstinacy that he forgot
every scrap of respect that
he should, after all, have
shown his tenants. He kept
driving them on and on
until, already at the
bedroom door, the middle
lodger stamped his foot
with a sound like thunder,
and so brought his father to
a halt. ‘I hereby declare,’
he said, raising his hand
and looking round for
Gregor ’s mother and sister
as well, ‘that in view of the
repellent conditions
prevailing in this apartment
and family here he spat
with sudden resolve onto
the floor - ‘I intend to
vacate this room as of now.
I shall not of course pay a
penny for the period I have
already spent here; I shall
on the other hand consider
taking action against you
with claims that - I assure
you - will be very easy to
substantiate.’ He fell silent
and looked straight ahead,
as if he were expecting
something. And, indeed, his
two friends chimed in at
once with, ‘We also give
notice as of n o w. ’
Whereupon he seized the
door handle and slammed
the door.
G r e g o r ’s father
staggered, groped his way
to his chair and slumped
onto it; he might have
been stretching himself
out for his customary
evening nap, but the
Vialatte
s’était soudainement ressaisie,
avait déposé son instrument dans
le giron de sa mère -qui était
restée sur sa chaise à étouffer, les
poumons travaillant avec violence
- et s’était précipitée dans la
chambre voisine dont les
locataires se rapprochaient avec
une rapidité croissante sous
l’impulsion de M. Samsa. On vit
voler sous les mains exercées de
Grete les oreillers et les
couvertures qui retombaient
ensuite en bon ordre sur les lits.
Les trois messieurs n’avaient pas
encore atteint la chambre que leur
couche était déjà prête et que
Grete se glissait hors de chez eux.
Quant au père il semblait si bien
possédé par son humeur bizarre
qu’il en avait oublié le respect
dû malgré tout à ses locataires.
Et de les presser, de les
refouler jusqu’à la porte de la
chambre où le monsieur du
milieu le fit stopper
brusquement en frappant du
pied sur le sol avec un bruit de
tonnerre : «Je vous annonce»,
dit cet homme en levant là main
et en cherchant du regard les
deux femmes, «qu’en présence
de la situation infecte qui règne
dans cette famille et qui
déshonore ces murs - ici,
prenant une décision brusque,
il cracha sur le parquet - je vous
signifie mon congé immédiat.
Naturellement vous ne
toucherez pas un sou pour le
temps que j’ai habité chez vous;
je me demande [77] même si je
ne dois pas exiger un
dédommagement qui serait
facile à motiver, croyez-m’en;
c’est une question que je vais
mettre à l’étude.» Il se tut et
regarda dans le vide comme s’il
attendait quelque chose.
Effectivement ses deux amis
prirent aussitôt la parole :
« Nous vous signifions, nous
aussi, notre congé immédiat.»
Là-dessus le monsieur du
milieu saisit la poignée de la
porte et sortit en faisant claquer
le battant.
Le père se dirigea vers
son fauteuil en tâtonnant
et se laissa tomber dessus
comme une masse; il
avait l’air de s’être
allongé pour sa petite
s i e s t e v e s p é r a le, mais, à la
Cl. David
jouait encore, elle s’était tout à coup
ressaisie, avait déposé son
instrument sur les genoux de sa
mère - qui était restée assise sur sa
chaise, aux prises avec un
étouffement et qu’on entendait
respirer péniblement - et elle s’était
précipitée vers la chambre voisine,
dont les locataires, poussés par le
père, se rapprochaient maintenant
un peu plus vite. On vit, sous les
mains expertes de la soeur, oreillers
et couvertures voler en l’air et
retomber en bon ordre sur les lits.
Les trois messieurs n’avaient pas
encore atteint leur chambre, qu’elle
avait déjà terminé de faire les lits et
s’était glissée au-dehors. Quant au
père, il avait été repris à ce
point par son entêtement qu’il
finissait par oublier le respect
qu’en tout état de cause il
devait à ses locataires. Il
continuait à les presser
toujours davantage, jusqu’au
moment où le monsieur du
milieu, parvenu déjà au seuil
de sa chambre, frappa
violemment du pied sur le sol,
obligeant le père à s’arrêter :
« Je déclare », dit-il en levant
la main et en cherchant du
regard la mère et la fille, «
que, vu les conditions
répugnantes qui règnent dans
cet appartement et dans cette
famille » - ce disant, il cracha
par terre d’un air décidé -, «
je déclare que je vous donne
congé sur-le-champ. Bien
entendu, je ne paierai pas un
sou pour les journées où j’ai
habité ici. Je vais voir au
contraire si je ne dois pas
exiger de vous un
dédommagement, qu’il serait,
croyez-moi, très facile de
m o t i v e r. » I l s e t u t e n
regardant devant lui, comme
s’il attendait encore quelque
c h o s e . E ff e c t i v e m e n t , s e s
deux amis reprirent aussitôt
la parole : « Nous aussi, nous
vous donnons congé à
l’instant même. » Làdessus, il
saisit la poignée et claqua la
porte.
Le p è r e s ’ a v a n ç a
vers sa chaise en
tâtonnant et se
laissa tomber. On
eût dit qu’il
s’allongeait pour sa
p e t ite sieste vespérale,
Freed
playing, she pulled herself
together, put the instrument
i n t h e m o t h e r ’s l a p ( t h e
mother was still seated,
gasping asthmatically for
breath, and ran into the next
room, which the boarders
were rapidly nearing under
the father ’s pressure. One
could see blankets and
pillows fly in the air around
the bed and arrange
themselves under the sister’s
practiced hands. Before the
men even reached the room
she had finished making the
beds and skipped out.
Once again the father
seemed so overpowered by
his own obstinacy that he
had forgotten the very
least courtesy due his
tenants. He just kept
pushing and p u s h i n g t h e m
up to the very door of the
room, where the middle
boarder brought him to a
halt by thunderously
stamping down his foot.
“I hereby declare,” he
said, raising his hand and
looking around for the
m o t h e r a n d s i s t e r, “ t h a t
in view of the revolting
conditions prevailing in
this household and
family”-here he promptly
spat on the floor-”I give
immediate notice.
Naturally I will not pay a
cent for the days I have
already spent here; on the
contrary I shall seriously
cons i d e r p u r s u i n g s o m e
legal claim against you
that-believe me-will
be quite easy to
substantiate.” He stopped
and stared directly before
him as though awaiting
something. Sure enough,
his two friends jumped in
w i t h t h e w o r d s : “ We t o o
give our notice.”
Thereupon he grabbed
t h e door handle and banged
shut the door.
The father staggered
and groped for his
chair, which he col-
lapsed into; it looked
like he was stretching
out for his usual
evening nap, but the
121
Alianza
se. Y de pronto estalló:
plantóle el instrumento en los
brazos a la madre, que seguía
sentada en su butaca, medio
ahogada por el dificultoso
trabajo de sus pulmones, y se
precipitó al cuarto contiguo,
al que los huéspedes, empu-
jados por el padre, íbanse
acercando ya más rápidamen-
te. Con gran destreza apartó
e hizo volar por lo alto man-
tas y almohadas, y aun antes
de que los señores penetrasen
en su habitación, ya había ter-
minado de arreglarles las ca-
mas y se había escabullido.
El padre hallábase a tal punto
dominado por su obstinación,
que se olvidaba hasta del más
elemental respeto debido a los
huéspedes, y los seguía empu-
jando frenéticamente. [94] Has-
ta que, ya en el umbral, el que
parecía ser el más autorizado de
los tres dio una patada en el
suelo, y, con voz tonante, le de-
tuvo con las siguientes palabras:
—Participo a ustedes -y
alzó la mano al decir esto y
buscaba con la mirada también
a la madre y a la hermana--,
participo a ustedes que, en vis-
ta de las repugnantes circuns-
tancias que en esta casa y fa-
milia concurren -y al llegar
aquí escupió con fuerza en el
suelo-, en este mismo momen-
to me despido. Claro está que
no he de pagar lo más mínimo
por los días que aquí he vivi-
do; antes al contrario, medita-
ré si he de exigir a usted algu-
na indemnización, la cual, no
lo dude, sería muy fácil de jus-
tificar. Calló y miró en torno
suyo, como esperando algo. Y,
efectivamente, sus dos amigos
corroboraron al punto lo di-
cho, añadiendo por su cuenta:
—También nosotros nos
despedimos al instante.
Tras de lo cual, el que
parecía ser el más autori-
zado de los tres agarró el
picaporte y cerró la puerta
de un golpe.
El padre, con paso va-
cilante, tanteando con las
manos, dirigióse hacia su
butaca, y se dejó caer en
ella. Parecía disponerse a
[95] echar su acostum-
brado sueñecillo de todas
Willie
suddenly pulled herself
together, lay the instrument
on her mother ’s lap who still
sat laboriously struggling for
breath where she was, and ran
into the next room which,
under pressure from her
father, the three gentlemen
were more quickly moving
t o w a r d . U n d e r h i s s i s t e r ’s
experienced hand, the pillows
and covers on the beds flew
up and were put into order
and she had already finished
making the beds and slipped
out again before the three
gentlemen had reached the
room. Gregor ’s father seemed
so obsessed with what he was
doing that he forgot all the
respect he owed to his
tenants. He urged them and
pressed them until, when he
was already at the door of the
room, the middle of the three
gentlemen shouted like
thunder and stamped his foot
and thereby brought Gregor ’s
father to a halt. “I declare
here and now”, he said,
raising his hand and glancing
at Gregor’s mother and sister
to gain their attention too,
“that with regard to the
repugnant conditions that
prevail in this flat and with this
family” - here he looked
briefly but decisively at the
floor - “I give immediate
notice on my room. For the
days that I have been living
here I will, of course, pay
nothing at all, on the contrary
I will consider whether to
proceed with some kind of
action for damages from you,
and believe me it would be
very easy to set out the
grounds for such an action.”
He was silent and looked
straight ahead as if waiting
for something. And indeed, his
two friends joined in with the
wor d s : “ A n d w e a l s o g i v e
immediate notice.” With that,
he took hold of the door handle
and slammed the door.
G r e g o r ’s father
staggered back to his seat,
feeling his way with his
h a n d s , a n d f e l l into it; it
looked as if he was s t r e t c h i n g
himself out for his u s u a l
evening nap but from
 Neugroschel
dangling as [178] if
unsupported, revealed
that he was anything but
asleep. All this while,
Gregor had been lying
right where the boarders
had first spotted him.
His frustration at the
failure of his plan, and
perhaps also the
feebleness caused by
h i s p e r s i s t e n t h u n g e r,
made it impossible for
him to move. Dreading
with some certainty that
at any moment now he
would have to bear the
blame for the overall
d i s a s t e r, h e w a i t e d . H e
was not even startled
when the violin, sliding
a w a y f r o m t h e m o t h e r ’s
trembling fingers,
plunged from her lap
with a reverberating
thud.
“My dear parents,” said
t h e s i s t e r, p o u n d i n g h e r
hand on the table by way
of introduction, “things
cannot go on like this. You
may not realize it, but I
do. I will not pronounce
my brother ’s name in front
of this monstrosity, and so
all I will say is: We must
t r y t o g e t r i d o f i t . We
have done everything
humanly possible to look
after it and put up with it;
I do not believe there is
anything we can be
reproached for.”
“She couldn’t be more
right,” said the father to
himself. The mother, still
struggling to catch her
breath and with an insane
look in her eyes, began to
cough into her muffling
hand.
The sister hurried over
to the mother and held her
f o r e h e a d . T h e f a t h e r,
apparently steered to
more concrete thoughts
b y t h e s i s t e r ’s w o r d s , s a t
b o l t u p r i g h t n o w, t o y i n g
w ith h is a tte n d a n t’s c a p ,
which lay on the table,
among the borders’
leftover supper dishes.
del Solar
fuerza con que movía la
cabeza, como suspendida
en el aire, demostraba que
no estaba durmiendo en
absoluto. Gregor había
permanecido todo el tiempo
silencioso en el sitio donde
lo sorprendieron los
huéspedes. La desilusión
ante el fracaso de su plan,
pero quizá también la
debilidad debida a toda el
hambre que estaba pasando,
le impedían cualquier
movimiento. Temía ya con
cierta seguridad que de un
momento a otro se des-
cargase sobre él una
tormenta y permaneció a la
espera. Ni siquiera lo
sobresaltó el ruido del
violín que, deslizándose
entre los temblorosos dedos
de la madre, se le cayó del
regazo y retumbó con fuerza
al llegar al suelo.
«Queridos padres», dijo
la hermana dando una
palmada en la mesa a guisa
de introducción, «esto no
puede seguir así. Si
vosotros no os dais cuenta,
yo sí lo veo claro. No
quiero pronunciar el
nombre de mi hermano ante
este monstruo, por lo que
diré simplemente: debemos
intentar librarnos de él. He-
mos hecho lo humanamente
posible por cuidarlo y
soportarlo, y creo que nadie
podrá hacernos el menor
reproche».
«Tiene razón una y mil
veces», dijo el padre para
sí. La madre, que aún seguía
sin recuperar del todo el
aliento, empezó a toser
sordamente con la mano
ante la boca y una expresión
de locura en los ojos.
[90] La hermana corrió
hacia ella y le sujetó la
frente. El padre, al que las
palabras de la hermana
parecían haberle sugerido
ideas más precisas, se había
incorporado en su silla,
jugueteaba con su gorra de
ordenanza entre los platos,
que aún seguían en la mesa
desde la cena de los
122
Stokes
heavy nodding of his
head, as if it had lost all
support, showed that he
was by no means asleep.
All this time Gregor had
been lying motionless
where the lodgers first
discovered him.
Disappointment at the
failure of his plan, but
perhaps also the weakness
caused by so much
fasting, made
impossible for him to
move. He feared, with
s o m e d e g r e e o f c e r t a i n t y,
that any moment now he
was about to suffer a
general breakdown, and
waited. Not even the
violin [55] startled him
when it slipped from his
mother ’s trembling
fingers, fell off her lap
and hit the floor with a
resounding clang.
‘Dear parents,’ said
h i s s i s t e r, h i t t i n g t h e
table with her hand by
way of introduction,
‘things cannot go on like
this. Maybe you don’t
realise it, but I do. I will
n o t u t t e r m y b r o t h e r ’s
name in front of this
m o n s t e r, a n d s o a l l I s a y
is: we must try to get rid
of it. We ’ v e done
everything humanly
possible to take care of
it, to put up with it, no
one can reproach us in
the slightest.’
‘She’s absolutely right,’
said his father to himself.
His mother, who still could
not catch her breath, began
to cough into her hand with
a hollow sound, and a
crazed look came in her
eyes.
His sister hurried over
to her and put a hand on
her forehead. His father,
whose thoughts seemed to
have crystallised as a
result of his sister’s words,
had sat up straight and was
playing with his
messenger ’s cap among the
plates that sill lay on the
table from the lodgers’
Vialatte
façon dont il balançait sa
tête, à grands coups comme au
bout d’un ressort cassé, on
voyait bien qu’il songeait à
tout autre chose qu’à dormir.
Grégoire était resté tout le
temps sans bouger à l’endroit
où l’avaient surpris les
locataires . IL se sentait
complètement paralysé par la
déception que lui causait
l’échec de son plan, peutêtre
it aussi par la faiblesse due à ses
jeûnes prolongés. Il redoutait
que la maison tout entière ne
finît par s’écrouler sur son dos,
il situait avec précision le
moment de cette catastrophe
dans la minute qui allait suivre
et il attendait. Aussi le violon
lui-même ne réussit-il pas à
l’effrayer en tombant avec un
bruit déchirant des doigts
tremblants de la mère qui
l’avait tenu jusqu’alors sur ses
genoux.
Mes chers parents, déclara la
soeur en frappant de la main sur
la table par manière
d’introduction, [78] cette situation
ne peut pas durer. Si vous ne
vous en rendez pas compte, moi
je le sens. Je ne veux pas
prononcer le nom de mon frère
en parlant du monstre qu’il y a
ici, je vous dirai donc simple-
ment : Il faut chercher à nous
débarrasser de ça: Nous avons
fait tout ce qui était humainement
possible pour le soigner et le
supporter; je crois que personne
ne pourra nous adresser le
moindre reproche.»
«Elle a cent fois
raison », dit le père.
Mais la mère, qui
n’arrivait toujours pas
à reprendre son souffle,
toussa sourdement
dans sa main, les yeux
hagards.
La soeur se précipita vers
elle pour lui soutenir le
front. Le père, dont les
paroles de Grete semblaient
avoir précisé les plans,
s’était redressé dans son
fauteuil et jouait entre les
assiettes avec sa casquette
de livrée, sur la table qui
n’avait pas encore été
desservie depuis le dîner des
Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie
mais qu’il ne pouvait plus s e e m i n g l y las noches, pero la pro- the uncontrolled way
tenir sa tête et aux uncontrollable bobbing funda inclinación de su his head kept nodding
mouvements qu’elle of his head revealed that cabeza, caída como sin it could be seen that
faisait, on voyait qu’il ne he was anything but peso, demostraba que no he was not sleeping at
dormait pas du tout. asleep. All this time Gre- dormía. Durante todo all. Throughout all
Gregor était resté couché gor had lain quietly este tiempo, Gregorio ha- this, Gregor had lain
tout ce temps-là à la place where the boarders had bía permanecido callado, still where the three
où l’avaient surpris les first spied him. The inmóvil en el mismo sitio gentlemen had first
locataires. La déception disappointment at his en que lo habían sorpren- seen him. His
que lui causait l’échec de plan’s failure and dido los huéspedes. El disappointment at the
son plan, mais peut-être perhaps also the weak- desencanto causado por failure of his plan,
aussi la faiblesse due à ness caused by his el fracaso de su plan, y and perhaps also
ses jeûnes prolongés persistent hunger kept tal vez también la debili- because he was weak
l’empêchaient de faire le him firmly rooted to [46] dad producida por el f r o m h u n g e r, m a d e i t
moindre mouvement. Il he spot. He feared, with hambre, hacíanle imposi- impossible for him to
redoutait comme une a f a i r d e g r e e o f c e r t a i n t y, ble el menor movimiento. move. He was sure
quasi-certitude pour that in the next moment No sin razón, temía ver that everyone would
l’instant suivant un total he would bare the brunt cernirse dentro de muy turn on him any
effondrement dont il allait of the whole disaster, and poco sobre sí una tor- moment, and he waited.
être la victime et il so he waited. He did not menta general, y espera- He was not even
attendait. Même le bruit que s t i r, e v e n w h e n t h e v i o l i n ba. Ni siquiera se sobre- startled out of this state
fit le violon, que les doigts slipped from the saltó con el ruido del when the violin on his
tremblants de sa mère m o t h e r ’s s h a k y f i n g e r s violín, escurrido del re- m o t h e r ’s l a p f e l l f r o m
avaient lâché et qui venait and fell from her lap gazo de la madre bajo el her trembling fingers
de tomber sur le sol, ne le fit with a reverberating impulso del temblor de and landed loudly on
p a s s u r s a u t e r. twang. sus dedos. t h e f l o o r.
« Mes chers parents », dit la “My dear parents,” —Queridos padres -dijo la “Father, Mother”,
soeur en frappant sur la table en s a i d t h e s i s t e r, p o u n d i n g hermana, dando, a modo de s a i d h i s s i s t e r, h i t t i n g
manière d’introduction, « cela the table with her hand introducción, un fuerte puñe- the table with her hand
ne peut plus continuer comme by way of introduction, tazo sobre la mesa-, esto no as introduction, “we
cela. Si vous ne vous en rendez “things can’t go on like puede continuar así. Si voso- can’t carry on like this.
pas compte, j’en suis, quant à this. Maybe you don’t tros no lo comprendéis, yo me Maybe you can’t see it,
moi, convaincue. Je ne veux pas, realize it, but I do. I doy cuenta de ello. Ante este b u t I c a n . I d o n ’t w a n t
devant cette horrible bête, refuse to pronounce my monstruo, no quiero ni siquie- to call this monster my
prononcer le nom de mon frère brother ’s name in front of ra pronunciar el nombre de mi brother, all I can say
et je me contente de dire : il faut t h i s m o n s t r o s i t y, a n d s o I hermano; y, por tanto, solo is: we have to try and
nous débarrasser de ça. Nous s a y : We h a v e t o t r y t o g e t diré esto: es forzoso intentar get rid of it. We’ve
avons essayé tout ce qui était r i d o f i t . We ’ v e d o n e librarnos de él. Hemos hecho d o n e a l l t h a t ’s h u m a n l y
humainement possible pour everything humanly cuanto era humanamente po- possible to look after it
prendre soin de lui et pour le possible to care for it and sible para cuidarle y tolerar- a n d b e p a t i e n t , I d o n ’t
t o l é r e r. J e n e c r o i s p a s q u e tolerate it; I don’t le, y no creo que nadie pueda, think anyone could
personne puisse nous faire le believe anyone could por tanto, hacernos el más accuse us of doing
moindre reproche.» reproach us.” leve reproche. anything wrong.”
« Elle a mille fois raison », “S h e ’s a b s o l u t e l y [96] —Tienes mil veces ra- “ S h e ’s a b s o l u t e l y r i g h t ” ,
dit le père à part lui. La mère, right,” the father said zón -dijo entonces el padre. s a i d G r e g o r ’s f a t h e r t o
qui ne parvenait toujours pas t o h i m s e l f . T h e m o t h e r, La madre, que aún no h i m s e l f . H i s m o t h e r, w h o
à retrouver son souffle, se mit who was still struggling podía respirar a sus an- still had not had time to
à tousser d’une voix to catch her breath and chas, comenzó a toser sor- catch her breath, began to
caverneuse en tenant sa main devant h a d a wild look in her eyes, damente, con la mano en el cough dully, her hand held out
la bouche, avec une expression began to cough hollowly into pecho y los ojos extravia- in front of her and a deranged
hagarde dans les yeux. her hand. dos como una loca. expression in her eyes.
La soeur alla vivement The sister rushed to La hermana corrió hacia G r e g o r ’s s i s t e r r u s h e d
vers sa mère et lui tint le the mother and cradled ella y le sostuvo la frente. to his mother and put her
front. Le père, à qui les her forehead. The father ’s Al padre, las palabras de la hand on her forehead. Her
paroles de sa fille semblaient thoughts seemed to have hermana parecieron inducir- words seemed to give
avoir inspiré des idées plus cleared in the aftermath le a concretar algo más su G r e g o r ’s f a t h e r s o m e
précises, s’était redressé sur o f t h e s i s t e r ’s w o r d s ; h e pensamiento. Se había in- more definite ideas. He
son siège, jouait avec sa sat up straight, played corporado en la butaca, ju- sat upright, played with
casquette de service au with the cap of his gaba con su gorra de orde- his uniform cap between
milieu des assiettes qui uniform among the dishes nanza por entre los platos, the plates left by the
étaient restées sur la table that still lay on the table que aún quedaban sobre la three gentlemen after
après le dîner des locataires from the boarders’ mesa, de la comida de los their meal, and
123
 Neugroschel
Every so often he glanced
a t G r e g o r, w h o k e p t
silent.
“We ’ v e g o t t o g e t r i d
of it,” the sister now said
e x c l u s i v e l y t o t h e f a t h e r,
for the mother heard
nothing through her
coughing, “it will kill the
both of you, I [179] can
see it coming. People who
have to work as hard as
w e d o c a n ’t a l s o e n d u r e
this nonstop torture at
home. I can’t stand it
anymore either.” And she
began sobbing
violently that her tears
flowed down to the
mother’s face, from which
she wiped them with
mechanical gestures.
“But, child,” said the
father with compassion
and marked
understanding, “what
should we do?”
The sister merely
shrugged her shoulders
to convey the perplexity
that, in contrast with her
earlier self-assurance,
had overcome her as she
wept.
“If he understood
u s , ” s a i d t h e f a t h e r,
half wondering. The
s i s t e r, i n t h e t h i c k o f
her weeping, wildly
flapped her hand to
signal that this was
inconceivable.
“If he understood us,”
the father repeated,
closing his eyes in order
to take in the sister ’s
conviction that this was
impossible, “then
perhaps we might come
to some sort of terms
with him. But as things
are now-”
“It has to go,”
exclaimed the sister, “that’s
the only way, Father. You
simply have to try and get
rid of the idea that it is
Gregor. Our real misfortune
is that we believed it for
del Solar
huéspedes, y de rato en rato
miraba a Gregor, que
permanecía en silencio.
«Debemos intentar
librarnos de él», repitió la
hermana, dirigiéndose ahora
exclusivamente al padre,
pues la madre, con su tos, no
oía nada; «acabará
matándoos a los dos, lo veo
v e n i r. C u a n d o h a y q u e
trabajar tan duramente como
nosotros, no se puede,
encima, soportar en casa esta
t o r t u r a i n t e r m i n a b l e . Yo
tampoco puedo más». Y
so rompió a llorar con tal
fuerza que sus lágrimas
caían sobre el rostro de la
madre, de donde las
enjugaba moviendo
mecánicamente la mano.
«Pero, hija», dijo el
padre en tono compasivo y
con sorprendente
comprensión, «¿qué quieres
que hagamos?».
La hermana se limitó a
encogerse de hombros para
hacer ver la perplejidad que,
en contraste con su
seguridad anterior, se había
apoderado de ella mientras
lloraba.
«Si al menos nos
comprendiese», dijo el padre
como preguntando a medias;
pero la hermana, en su
llanto, agitó con violencia la
mano en señal de que
aquello era simplemente
inconcebible.
«Si al menos nos
comprendiese», repitió el
padre y, cerrando los ojos,
hizo suya la convicción de
la [91] hermana sobre la
imposibilidad de que
a q u e l l o p u d i e r a o c u r r i r,
«quizá sería posible llegar
a un acuerdo con él. Pero
así...».
«Tiene que irse»,
exclamó la hermana, «es la
única solución, padre.
Intenta desechar la idea de
que es Gregor, y ya está. El
haberlo creído tanto tiempo
ha sido nuestra verdadera
124
Stokes
supper, casting occasional
glances at G r e g o r ’s
motionless form.
‘We must try to get rid
of it,’ his sister now said,
addressing only her father,
since her mother couldn’t
hear a word because of her
coughing, ‘or it will be the
death of both of you, I can
see it coming. Anyone who
works as hard as we all do
cannot take this constant
torture at home as well. I
can’t stand it any more.’
And she burst into such a
violent fit of weeping that
her tears flowed onto her
mother ’s face from where
she wiped them away with
mechanical movements of
her hand.
‘My child,’ said her
father sympathetically
and with noticeable
understanding, ‘but what
should we do?’
G r e g o r ’s s i s t e r, w h o
was normally so assured,
merely shrugged her
shoulders to indicate the
helplessness that had
come over her during her
fit of weeping. [56]
‘If he
understand us,’ said his
father half-ques-
t i o n i n g l y, b u t h i s s i s t e r ,
still weeping, waved
her hand violently to
show that this was
unthinkable.
‘If he
understand us,’ his father
repeated, and by closing
his eyes comprehended
h i s d a u g h t e r ’s c o n v i c t i o n
that this was impossible,
‘then maybe we could
come to an agreement
with him. But as things
are -’
‘It has to go,’ his
sister cried, ‘it’s the only
way, Father. You must try
to forget that it’s Gregor.
Our real downfall is that
we’ve believed it for so
long. But how can it be
Vialatte
locataires; de temps en
temps il arrêtait ses regards
sur l’immobile Grégoire.
«Il faut chercher à nous en
débarrasser», répéta alors la
soeur, ne s’adressant plus
qu’au père, car la mère,
secouée par sa toux,
n’entendait rien. «Il finirait pas
vous conduire à la tombe, et
sans tarder. Quand on a un
travail comme le nôtre toute la
journée, on ne peut pas
supporter par-dessus le marché
ce supplice perpétuel en ren-
trant chez soi. Moi, je suis à
bout.» Et elle fut prise d’une
crise de larmes si violente que
ses [79] pleurs en
dégoulinaient sur le visage de
la mère où elle les essuyait de
la main machinalement.
«Mais, ma petite», répliqua
le père d’une voix apitoyée -
c’était étonnant de voir comme
il comprenait sa fille - «que
devons-nous faire alors?»
La soeur se contenta de
hausser les épaules pour
marquer la perplexité qui
avait remplacé pendant
ses larmes l’assurance
dont elle faisait preuve
auparavant.
could «S’il nous comprenait »,
dit le père à demi
interrogatif; mais la soeur,
sans cesser de pleurer, fit un
geste violent de la main pour
montrer qu’il fallait
définitivement renoncer à
cette hypothèse.
could «S’il nous comprenait »,
répéta le père - et il fermait les
yeux tout en parlant comme
pour indiquer qu’il adoptait la
conviction de sa fille touchant
la vanité d’une telle supposition
- «s’il nous comprenait,
peut-être y aurait-il moyen de
s’entendre avec lui; mais dans
ces conditions...»
«Qu’il aille au diable », cria
la soeur, «c’est la seule
solution, papa. Tu n’as qu’à
tâcher de te débarrasser de
l’idée que c’est Grégoire. Nous
avons cru cela trop longtemps
et c’est là tout notre malheur.
Cl. David Freed Alianza Willie
et, de temps en temps, il supper, and from time to huéspedes, y, de cuando en occasionally looked down
portait ses regards sur time glanced over at cuando, dirigía una mirada at Gregor as he lay there
Gregor, qui r e s t a i t i m m o b i l e . G r e g o r ’s i n e r t f o r m . a Gregorio, impertérrito. immobile.
« Il faut chercher à nous en “ We h a v e t o t r y t o g e t —Es preciso que inten- “ We h a v e t o t r y a n d g e t
débarrasser », dit la soeur en rid of it,” said the temos deshacernos de él rid of it”, said Gregor’s
s’adressant uniquement à son s i s t e r, a d d r e s s i n g o n l y -repitió, por último, la her- s i s t e r, n o w s p e a k i n g o n l y t o
père, car la mère, à force de the father because the mana al padre; pues la ma- h e r f a t h e r, a s h e r m o t h e r
tousser, ne pouvait rien mother could hear dre, con su tos, no podía was too occupied with
entendre, « cette chose-là peut nothing over her oír nada-. Esto acabará coughing to listen, “it’ll be
encore vous mener tous les coughing. “It’ll kill you matándoos a los dos, lo es- the death of both of you, I
deux dans la tombe, cela ne both, I can see that toy viendo. Cuando hay c a n s e e i t c o m i n g . We c a n ’t
tardera pas. S’il faut travailler c o m i n g . We a l l w o r k t o o que trabajar lo que noso- all work as hard as we have
dur comme nous le faisons hard to come home to tros trabajamos, no es po- to and then come home to be
tous, on ne peut pas avoir this interminable sible sufrir, además, en t o r t u r e d l i k e t h i s , w e c a n ’t
par-dessus le marché ce t o r t u r e . A n d I c a n ’t casa estos tormentos. Yo e n d u r e i t . I c a n ’t e n d u r e i t
supplice perpétuel à la maison. stand it anymore.” And tampoco puedo más. Y any more.” And she broke
D’ailleurs, je n’en peux plus.» she began sobbing so rompió a llorar con tal out so heavily in tears that
Et elle fondit en larmes si violently that her tears fuerza, que sus lágrimas they flowed down the face
violemment que ses pleurs coursed down onto the cayeron sobre el rostro de o f h e r m o t h e r, a n d s h e
coulaient sur le visage de sa m o t h e r ’s f a c e , w h e r e s h e la madre, quien se las lim- wiped them away with
mère; Grete les essuyait d’un mechanically wiped pió mecánicamente con la mechanical hand
geste machinal de la main. t h e m a w a y. mano. movements.
« Mon enfant!», dit le “Oh, child,” said the —Hija mía -dijo en- “My child”, said her
père d’une voix apitoyée father compassionately tonces el padre con [97] father with sympathy
et en marquant une and with apparent compasión y sorprenden- and obvious
véritable compréhension, understanding, “what te lucidez-. ¡Y qué le va- understanding, “what
« mais que faire?» can we do?” mos a hacer! are we to do?”
La soeur se contenta de The sister just shrugged Pero la hermana contentóse His sister just shrugged
hausser les épaules pour her shoulders, displaying con encogerse de hombros, her shoulders as a sign of
exprimer la perplexité the helplessness that had como para demostrar la perple- the helplessness that had
qui, depuis qu’elle overtaken her during her jidad que se había apoderado de taken hold of her,
s’était mise à pleurer, crying jag in stark contrast ella mientras lloraba, y que tan displacing her earlier
avait remplacé sa to her former gran contraste hacía con su an- certainly when she had
précédente assurance. self-confidence. terior decisión. broken into tears.
« Si seulement il nous “If only he could —Si siquiera él nos com- “If he could just
comprenait », dit le père understand us,” the prendiese -dijo el padre en understand us”, said his
comme une question, mais father said, almost as a tono medio interrogativo. father almost as a
la soeur secoua question; the sister, Pero la hermana, sin cesar de question; his sister shook
violemment la main au still sobbing, llorar, agitó enérgicamente her hand vigorously
milieu de ses larmes, pour vehemently waved her la mano, indicando con ello through her tears as a sign
signifier qu’il ne fallait hand to show how que no había ni que pensar that of that there was no
p a s y c o m p t e r. unthinkable it was. en semejante cosa. question.
« Si seulement il nous compre- “If only he could —Si siquiera nos com- “If he could just
nait », répéta le père, - et en understand us,” repeated prendiese -insistió el padre, understand us”, repeated
fermant les yeux, il exprimait t h e f a t h e r, c l o s i n g h i s cerrando los ojos, como para G r e g o r ’s f a t h e r, c l o s i n g
qu’il partageait la conviction de eyes to absorb the dar a entender que él tam- his eyes in acceptance of
sa fille sur l’impossibilité d’une s i s t e r ’s c o n v i c t i o n t h a t bién se hallaba convencido h i s s i s t e r ’s c e r t a i n t y t h a t
telle hypothèse -, « s’il nous this was impossible de lo imposible de esta su- that was quite impossible,
comprenait, on pourrait “then we might be able posición-, tal vez pudiése- “then perhaps we could
peut-être arriver à un accord to come to some sort of mos entonces llegar a un come to some kind of
avec lui. Mais, dans ces agreement with him. But acuerdo con él. Pero en es- arrangement with him. But
conditions...» as it is-” tas condiciones... as it is.”
« II faut qu’il s’en aille, “It has to go,” the sister —Es preciso que se vaya “ I t ’s g o t t o g o ” , s h o u t e d
père », s’écria la soeur, « il n’y c r i e d , “ t h a t ’s t h e o n l y -dijo la hermana-. Este es el úni- h i s s i s t e r, “ t h a t ’s t h e o n l y
a pas d’autre moyen. Tu n’as w a y , F a t h e r . [ 4 7 ] Yo u co medio, padre. Basta que pro- w a y, F a t h e r. Yo u ’ v e g o t t o
qu’à tâcher de te débarrasser de have to try to stop cures desechar la idea de que se get rid of the idea that
l’idée qu’il s’agit de Gregor. thinking that this is trata de Gregorio. El haberlo t h a t ’s G r e g o r. We ’ v e o n l y
To u t v o t r e m a l h e u r v i e n t d e G r e g o r. Our true creído durante tanto tiempo es, harmed ourselves by
l’avoir cru si longtemps. Mais misfortune is that we’ve en realidad, el origen de nues- believing it for so long.
125
 Neugroschel
such a long time. Just how
can that possibly be
Gregor? If that were
Gregor, he would have
realized long ago that
human beings can’t possi-
bly live with such an animal
and he would have left of
his own accord. We might
have no brother then, but
we could go on living and
honor his memory. Instead,
this animal harries us, it
drives out the boarders, it
obviously wants to take
over the whole apartment
and make us sleep in the
gutter. Look, Father,” she
suddenly screamed, “he’s
starting again!” And in
[180] a panic that Gregor
could not for the life of him
fathom, the sister actually
deserted the mother. Liter-
ally thrusting away from her
chair as if she would rather
sacrifice her mother than
r e m a i n n e a r G r e g o r, s h e
dashed behind the father,
who, made frantic only by
the sister ’s behavior, stood
up, half raising his hands to
shield her.
harry 1 ravage or despoil (despojar). 2 harass, worry.harry 1 : to make a pillaging or destructive raid on : 2 : to force to move along by harassing <harrying the terrified horses down out of the
mountains — R. A. Sokolov>
Yet Gregor never even
dreamed of scaring
anyone, least of all his
s i s t e r. H e h a d m e r e l y
started wheeling around
in order to lumber back to
his room, although
because of his sickly
condition his movements
did look peculiar, for he
had to execute the
intricate turns by
repeatedly raising his
head and banging it
a g a i n s t t h e f l o o r. H e
paused and looked around.
His good intention seemed
to have been recognized;
the panic had only been
momentary. Now they all
gazed at him in dismal
s i l e n c e . T h e m o t h e r,
stretching out her legs and
pressing them together,
sprawled in her chair, her eyes
almost shut in exhaustion; the
father and the sister sat side
by side, she with her arm
around his neck.
“Now maybe I can
del Solar
desdicha. ¿Cómo podría ser
Gregor? Si lo fuera, habría
comprendido hace ya
tiempo que la convivencia
entre seres humanos y un
animal semejante es
imposible y se habría ido
por su propia voluntad. Nos
quedaríamos sin hermano,
pero podríamos seguir
viviendo y honrando su
memoria. Así, en cambio,
este bicho nos persigue,
ahuyenta a los huéspedes y es
obvio que quiere apoderarse
de toda la casa y hacernos
dormir en la calle. ¡Mira,
padre!», gritó de pronto. «¡Ya
vuelve a las andadas!» Y en
un arranque de pánico del
todo incomprensible para
Gregor, la hermana abandonó
incluso a la madre, se
incorporó bruscamente de su
silla, como si prefiriera sacri-
ficar a la madre antes que
quedarse cerca de Gregor, y se
refugió detrás del padre que,
irritado por su reacción,
también se puso en pie y
levantó a medias los brazos
delante de ella, como para
protegerla.
3 : to torment by or as if by constant attack synonym see worry. Hostigar, azuzar, acosar
Pero Gregor no tenía la
más remota intención de
asustar a nadie y, menos aún,
a su hermana. Simplemente
había empezado a darse la
vuelta para regresar a su
habitación, lo cual, hay que
decirlo, llamaba la atención,
pues, debido a su lamentable
[92] estado, para dar esa
vuelta tan difícil tenía que
ayudarse con la cabeza,
alzándola y abatiéndola
contra el suelo varias veces.
De pronto se detuvo y miró
a s u a l r e d e d o r. P a r e c í a n
haber advertido su buena
intención; solo había sido un
susto pasajero. Ahora todos
lo miraban tristes y en
silencio. La madre seguía en
la silla con las piernas
estiradas y muy juntas, y los
ojos casi se le cerraban de
agotamiento; el padre y la
hermana estaban sentados
uno junto al otro, la hermana
rodeando con su brazo el
cuello del padre.
«Quizá ahora pueda
126
Stokes
Gregor? If it were Gregor,
he would have realised
long ago that it isn’t
possible for humans to live
side by side with an animal
like that, and would have
gone away of his own free
will. Then w e w o u l d n ’t
have a brother but would
be able to go on living
a n d h o n o u r h i s m emory.
But as it is, this animal
persecutes us, drives away
our lodgers, clearly wants to
take over the whole
apartment and have us sleep
in the street. Look, Father,’
she suddenly screamed, ‘he’s
at it again!’ And in a fit of
terror that Gregor found
quite incomprehensible, she
even abandoned her mother,
literally pushing herself off
from the chair, as if she
would rather sacrifice her
mother than remain in
G r e g o r ’s v i c i n i t y , a n d
dashed behind her father
who, alarmed solely by
h e r b e h a v i o u r, a l s o s t o o d
up and half-raised his
a r m s i n f r o n t o f h e r, a s i f
t o p r o t e c t h e r.
But Gregor hadn’t the
s l i g h t e s t wish to frighten
anyone, especially not his
sister. He had merely begun
to turn round in order to go
back to his room, and that
was naturally conspicuous
because in his ailing
condition he could only
execute the difficult
manoeuvre with the help of
his head, raising and banging
it many times against the
f l o o r. H e s t o p p e d i n h i s
tracks and looked round.
They must have recognised
his good intentions; the
terror had only been [57]
t e m p o r a r y. N o w t h e y a l l
looked at him sadly and in
silence. His mother was
slumped in her chair, her
legs stretched out and
pressed together, her eyes
almost closing from
exhaustion; his father and
sister sat side by side, his
sister had put her arm around
their father’s neck.
‘Perhaps they’ll let me
Vialatte
Comment cela pourrait-il être
Grégoire? Si c’était lui il y
aurait beau temps qu’il aurait
reconnu l’impossibilité de faire
cohabiter des hommes avec une
pareille vermine et qu’il serait
parti de lui-même. Sans doute
nous n’aurions plus de frère,
mais la vie serait encore
possible et nous honorerions
son souvenir. Au lieu qu’ainsi
nous [80] avons toujours cette
bête qui nous poursuit et qui
chasse nos locataires; il
voudrait peut-être prendre tout
l’appartement pour lui? et nous
faire coucher dans la rue? Vois
donc, papa, vois donc »,
s’écriat-elle tout à coup, «le
voilà déjà qui recommence.»
Et, dans un accès de terreur
auquel Grégoire ne comprit
rien, elle abandonna soudain sa
mère si brusquement que le
fauteuil en vacilla; on eût dit
qu’elle aimait mieux la sacrifier
que de rester à proximité de
Grégoire; elle se précipita
derrière son père que sa
conduite finissait par affoler et
qui se leva devant elle en
écartant les bras comme pour
la protéger.
Mais Grégoire ne pensait
à rien moins qu’à effrayer
quelqu’un, surtout sa soeur;
il avait simplement
commencé un mouvement
de conversion destiné à le
ramener dans sa chambre, et
c’était, il faut le
reconnaître, d’un effet
plutôt indiscret, car sa
faiblesse l’obligeait à
s’aider de la tête dans les
tournants difficiles; on le
voyait alors lever le crâne à
plusieurs reprises et se taper
les mandibules sur le
plancher. Il finit cependant J
pas s’arrêter pour observer la
famille. On avait l’air d’avoir
reconnu sa bonne intention.
‘l’out le monde le regardait
avec une tristesse muette. La
mère gisait dans son fauteuil,
les jambes tendues et jointes,
les yeux presque clos rte
fatigue; le père et la soeur
étaient assis l’un à côté de
l’autre, et la soeur tenait le
père par le cou.
«Maintenant, ils vont sans
Cl. David
comment pourrait-ce être
Gregor? Si c’était Gregor, il y
a longtemps qu’il aurait
compris qu’il est impossible de
faire cohabiter des êtres
humains avec un tel animal, et
il serait parti de lui-même.
Dans ce cas-là, nous n’aurions
plus de frère, mais nous
pourrions continuer à vivre et
nous honorerions sa mémoire.
Ta n d i s q u e c e t a n i m a l n o u s
persécute, il fait fuir les
locataires, il veut manifestement
prendre possession de tout
l’appartement et nous faire
coucher dans la rue. Regarde,
père », cria-t-elle tout à coup, «
le voilà qui recommence!» Et,
dans un accès de peur, qui resta
tout à fait incompréhensible
pour Gregor, elle abandonna
même sa mère, bondit
littéralement hors de sa chaise,
comme si elle préférait sacrifier
sa mère plutôt que de rester à
proximité de Gregor et alla se
réfugier derrière son père qui,
uniquement affolé par l’attitude
de sa fille, se dressa à son tour,
en levant à demi les bras devant
elle comme s’il voulait la
protéger.
Mais Gregor n’avait pas le
moins du monde l’intention de
faire peur à quiconque, surtout
p a s à s a s o e u r. I l a v a i t
simplement commencé à se
tourner pour rentrer dans sa
chambre, mais il faut dire que
ce mouvement était bien fait
pour attirer l’attention, car, à
cause de sa mauvaise
condition physique, il était
obligé, pour prendre les
tournants difficiles, de s’aider
de la tête, qu’il soulevait et
laissait retomber sur le sol
plusieurs fois de suite. Il
s’arrêta et se retourna. On
avait l’air d’avoir reconnu sa
bonne intention. Ce n’avait été
qu’un instant d’épouvante.
To u t l e m o n d e l e r e g a r d a i t
maintenant tristement et sans
rien dire. La mère était
couchée sur sa chaise, les
jambes étendues et serrées
l’une contre l’autre; le père et
sa fille étaient assis l’un à
côté de l’autre, la fille tenait
son père par le cou.
« Je vais peut-être
Freed
believed it so long. But
how can it be Gregor?
Because Gregor would
have understood long ago
that people can’t possibly
live with such a creature,
and he would have gone
away of his own accord.
Then we would have no
brother, but we could go
on living and honor his
memory. But instead this
creature persecutes us and
drives out the boarders; it
obviously wants to take
over the whole apartment
and throw us out into the
gutter. Just look, Father,”
she suddenly screamed,
“he’s at it again!” And in a
state of panic that was
totally incomprehensible to
Gregor-she even abandoned
t h e m o t h e r, s h e l i t e r a l l y
bolted from the chair as if
she would rather sacrifice
the mother than stay in the
vicinity of Gregor-she
rushed behind the father,
who got to his feet only out
of agitation from her
behavior and half-raised his
arms as if to protect her.
But Gregor had no
intention of frightening
anyone, least of all his
s i s t e r. H e h a d m e r e l y
begun to turn around to
start the journey back to
his room, although it was
an alarming operation to
watch, since his enfeebled
condition forced him to
use his head to achieve the
complex rotations by
alternately lifting it and
then banging it down. He
paused and looked around
him. His good intentions
appeared to have been
recognized; it had only
been a momentary alarm.
Now they all watched him
in glum silence. The
mother lay back in her
c h a i r, her legs
outstretched but squeezed
together and her eyes
almost shut from
exhaustion the father and
sister sat side by side-her
hand around his neck.
“Now maybe I can
127
Alianza
tra desgracia. ¿Cómo puede ser
esto Gregorio? Si tal fuese, ya
hace tiempo que hubiera com-
prendido que no es posible que
unos seres humanos vivan en co-
munidad [98] con semejante bi-
cho. Y a él mismo se le habría
ocurrido marcharse. Habríamos
perdido al hermano, pero po-
dríamos seguir viviendo, y su
memoria perduraría eternamen-
te entre nosotros. Mientras que
así, este animal nos persigue,
echa a los huéspedes y mues-
tra claramente que quiere apo-
derarse de toda la casa y de-
jarnos en la calle. ¡Mira, pa-
dre -púsose a gritar de repen-
te-, ya empieza otra vez! Y
con un terror que a Gregorio
parecióle incomprensible, la
hermana abandonó incluso a
la madre, apartóse de la buta-
ca, cual si prefiriese sacrifi-
car a la madre que permane-
cer en las proximidades de
Gregorio, y corrió a refugiar-
se detrás del padre; el cual,
excitado a su vez por esta ac-
titud suya, púsose también en
pie, extendiendo los brazos
ante la hermana, en ademán
de protegerla.
Pero la cosa es que a
Gregorio no se le había ocurri-
do en absoluto querer asustar a
nadie, ni mucho menos a su her-
mana. Lo único que había he-
cho era empezar a dar la vuelta
para volver a su habitación, y
esto fue, sin duda, lo que sobre-
cogió a los demás, pues, a cau-
sa de su estado doliente, tenía,
para realizar aquel difícil movi-
miento, que ayudarse con la ca-
beza, levantandola [99] y vol-
viendo a apoyarla en el suelo
varias veces. Se detuvo y miró
en torno suyo. Parecía haber
sido adivinada su buena inten-
ción: aquello solo había sido un
susto momentáneo. Ahora todos
le contemplaban tristes y pen-
sativos. La madre estaba en su
butaca, con las piernas extendi-
das ante sí, muy juntas una con-
tra otra, y los ojos casi cerrados
de cansancio. El padre y la her-
mana hallábanse sentados uno al
lado del otro, y la hermana ro-
deaba con su brazo el cuello del
padre.
—Bueno, tal vez pue-
Willie
How can that be Gregor? If
it were Gregor he would
h a v e s e e n l o n g a g o t h a t i t ’s
not possible for human
beings to live with an
animal like that and he
would have gone of his own
f r e e w i l l . We w o u l d n ’t h a v e
a brother any more, then,
but we could carry on with
our lives and remember him
with respect. As it is this
a n im a l i s p e r s e c u t i n g u s,
it’s driven out our tenants, it
obviously wants to take over
the whole flat and force us to
sleep on the streets. Father,
look, just look”, she suddenly
s c r e a m e d , “ h e ’s s t a r t i n g
again!” In her alarm, which
was totally beyond Gregor ’s
comprehension, his sister even
abandoned his mother as she
pushed herself vigorously out
of her chair as if more willing
to sacrifice her own mother
than stay anywhere near
Gregor. She rushed over to
behind her father, who had
become excited merely
because she was and stood up
half raising his hands in front
o f G r e g o r ’s s i s t e r a s i f t o
protect her.
But Gregor had had no
intention of frightening
anyone, least of all his
s i s t e r. A l l h e h a d d o n e w a s
b e g i n t o t u r n ro u n d s o t h a t
he could go back into his
room, although that was in
itself quite startling as his
pain-wracked condition
meant that turning round
required a great deal of
ef f o r t a n d h e w a s u s i n g h i s
head to help himself do it,
repeatedly raising it and
s t r i k i n g i t a g a i n s t t h e f l o o r.
He stopped and looked
round. They seemed to have
realised his good intention
and had only been alarmed
briefly. Now they all looked
at him in unhappy silence.
His mother lay in her chair
with her legs stretched out
and pressed against each
o t h e r, h e r e y e s n e a r l y
closed with exhaustion; his
sister sat next to his father
with her arms around his
neck.
 Neugroschel del Solar
turn around,” Gregor dar la vuelta», pensó Gre-
thought, resuming his gor reanudando su tarea.
l a b o r. H e c o u l d n o t No podía contener los
help panting from the jadeos derivados del
strain and he also had esfuerzo y tenía que
t o r e s t i n t e r m i t t e n t l y. descansar de vez en
At least, no one was cuando. Por lo demás,
bullying him, and he nadie lo apremiaba, era
was left to his own libre de hacer lo que
devices. Upon quisiera. Cuando hubo
completing the turn, he acabado de darse la
headed straight back. vuelta, inició su repliegue
Amazed that his room enseguida, avanzando en
w a s f a r a w a y, h e c o u l d línea recta. Se asombró
n o t u n d e r s t a n d h o w, de la gran distancia que lo
given his feebleness, separaba de su habitación
he had come this great sin poder explicarse
distance almost cómo, pese a su
unwittingly. But, debilidad, había recorrido
absorbed in creeping poco antes el mismo
r a p i d l y, h e s c a r c e l y camino casi sin darse
noticed that no cuenta. Pensando solo en
interfering word or arrastrarse con rapidez,
outcry came from his apenas si advirtió que ni
f a m i l y. I t w a s o n l y una sola palabra o single exclamation or
upon reaching the door exclamación de su familia
that he turned his lo estorbaba. Cuando llegó
[181] head-not all the a la puerta volvió la
way for he felt his neck cabeza, no del todo, pues
s t i f f e n i n g ; sintió que el cuello se le
nevertheless, he did ponía rígido, pero aún al-
see that nothing had canzó a ver que detrás de él
changed behind him, nada había cambiado; tan
except that the sister solo la hermana se había
had gotten to her feet. puesto en pie. Su última
His final look grazed mirada acarició a la madre,
t h e m o t h e r, w h o w a s que se había quedado
f a s t a s l e e p b y n o w. profundamente dormida.
No sooner was he [93] Apenas entró en su
inside his room than the habitación, la puerta se cerró
door was hastily slammed, violentamente con cerrojo y
bolted, and locked. llave. Gregor se asustó tanto
Gregor was so terrified by con el repentino ruido a sus
the sudden racket behind espaldas que las patitas se le
him that his tiny legs doblaron. Era la hermana
buckled. It was the sister quien así se había
who had been in such a apresurado. Había
rush. She had been aguardado allí fuera de pie,
standing there, waiting, and para luego lanzarse
had then nimbly jumped ágilmente hacia delante
forward, before Gregor had -Gregor no la había oído
even heard her coming. acercarse- y exclamar «¡Por
“Finally!” she yelled to the fin!» en dirección a sus
parents while turning the padres, mientras giraba la
key in the lock. llave en la cerradura.
“What now?” Gregor « t Y a h o r a ? », s e
wondered, peering around preguntó Gregor mirando la
in the dark. He soon oscuridad que lo rodeaba.
discovered that he could Pronto descubrió que ya no
no longer budge at all. He podía moverse en absoluto.
was not surprised, it even Y no se sorprendió, más bien
struck him as unnatural le pareció antinatural que
that he had ever hasta entonces hubiera
128
Stokes
t u r n r o u n d n o w,’ G r e g o r
thought, and resumed his
labours. He could not
help panting with the
effort and had to rest
from time to time. Not
that anyone was
harassing him;
everything was left to
him. When he had com-
pleted the turn, he began
to crawl back at once in
a straight line. He was
astonished at the great
distance that separated
him from his room, and
utterly failed to
u n d e r s t a n d h o w, f e e l i n g
so weak, he had recently
covered the same ground
almost without realising
it. Concentrating entirely
on crawling fast, he
hardly noticed that not a
word disturbed his
progress. Only when he
was in the doorway did
he turn his head, not all
t h e w a y, f o r h e f e l t h i s
neck growing stiff, but
enough to see that
nothing had changed
behind him except that
his sister had risen to her
feet. His last glimpse was
of his mother who had
fallen fast asleep.
Hardly was he inside
his room than the door
was hastily closed,
bolted and locked. The
sudden noise behind him
s c ared Gregor so badly
that his little legs buckled.
It was his sister who had
been in such a hurry. She
had been standing there,
upright and waiting, then
she had leapt forward
nimbly - Gregor had not
even heard her coming -
and she cried, ‘At last!’ to
her parents as she turned
the key in the lock.
‘And now?’ Gregor
asked himself, and looked
around in the darkness. He
soon discovered that he
could no longer move at all.
That did not surprise him,
in fact he found it unnatural
that up until then he had
Vialatte
doute me laisser tourner »,
pensa Grégoire, [81] et il se
remit au travail. Il ne pouvait
réprimer un halètement de
fatigue et il était obligé de se
reposer de temps en temps.
D’ailleurs personne ne le
pressait; on lui laissait
entièrement carte blanche.
Quand il eut terminé sa
conversion il commença
immédiatement son
mouvement de retraite, en se
dirigeant droit devant lui. Il fut
tout étonné de la distance qui
le séparait encore de sa
chambre et n’arriva pas à
comprendre que, dans son état
de faiblesse, il eût pu faire sans
s’en rendre compte un tel
chemin l’instant d’avant. Sa
famille ne le gêna par aucun cri,
par aucune exclamation; mais
il ne le remarqua même pas,
tant il concentrait son esprit sur
la nécessité de faire vite. Ce ne
fut qu’une fois parvenu à la
porte de sa chambre qu’il
songea à tourner la tête, pas
complètement, à cause de son
cou qui se raidissait, mais
suffisamment tout de même
pour pouvoir constater que rien
n’avait changé derrière lui;
seule, sa soeur s’était levée.
Son dernier regard effleura la
mère qui s’était décidément
endormie.
A peine fut-il dans sa
chambre que la porte s’en
trouva poussée, verrouillée
et fermée à double tour. Le
vacarme fut si subit qu’il en
plia sur ses pattes. C’était
sa soeur qui s’était pressée
ainsi. Elle s’était levée dès
le premier instant pour se
tenir prête et avait bondi
sur la porte; au moment
voulu, d’une façon si légère
qu’il ne l’avait pas
entendue venir; en tournant
la clef dans la serrure, elle
cria :«Enfin!...» aux
parents. [82]
«Et maintenant?» se demanda
Grégoire en regardant autour
de lui dans le noir. Il découvrit
bientôt qu’il ne pouvait plus
faire un mouvement. Cela ne
l’étonna pas; il aurait été plutôt
surpris d’avoir pu jusqu’alors
se remuer sur des pattes aussi
Cl. David Freed
pouvoir tourner maintenant turn around,” Gregor
», pensa G r e g o r, en thought, and resumed
reprenant sa besogne. Il ne h i s l a b o r. H e c o u l d n o t
pouvait, dans son effort, help panting from the
réprimer une sorte de effort and had to rest
halètement et devait every once in a while.
s’arrêter de temps en temps At least he left on his
pour se reposer. Mais own with no one
personne maintenant ne le harassing him. As soon
pressait; on le laissait faire as he had finished
tout seul. Quand il eut turning, he started to
terminé son demitour, il crawl straight back. He
recommença aussitôt à battre was astonished by how
en retraite droit devant lui. far away the room was
Il s’étonnait de la grande and could not
distance qui le séparait de sa understand how he had
chambre et ne comprenait recently and in his
pas que, faible comme il pathetic condition so
était, il ait pu faire le même unknowingly traveled
chemin un instant plus tôt that great a distance.
s a n s m ê m e l e r e m a r q u e r. He was so intent on
Uniquement soucieux de crawling rapidly that
ramper aussi vite qu’il le he barely noticed that
pouvait, il s’aperçut à peine not a single word or
qu’aucune parole, aucune any interference came
exclamation de sa famille ne f r o m h i s f a m i l y. O n l y
v e n a i t l e g ê n e r. C ’ e s t when he was already in
seulement quand il fut arrivé the doorway did he
à la porte qu’il tourna la turn his head-not all
tête, pas complètement, car t h e w a y, f o r h e f e l t h i s
il sentait un raidissement neck stiffening-and
dans le cou, assez cependant saw that nothing had
pour voir que, derrière lui, changed behind him
rien n’avait changé; seule sa except that the sister
soeur s’était levée. Son had risen. His final
dernier regard frôla sa mère, gaze fell on the
qui était maintenant tout à mother, who was now
fait endormie. deeply asleep.
Il était à peine arrivé dans sa [48] He was hardly in
chambre que la porte fut his room when the door
vivement poussée, verrouil- w a s s h u t h a s t i l y, t h e n
l é e e t f e r m é e à d o u b l e t o u r. bolted and locked. The
Ce bruit soudain lui fit une sudden noise behind him
telle peur que ses pattes se rattled Gregor so much
dérobèrent sous lui. C’était that the little legs gave
sa soeur qui s’était way beneath him. It was
précipitée de la sorte. Elle the sister who had been in
était restée debout à such a rush. She had been
attendre, puis, légère comme standing by ready and
elle était, avait bondi en waiting and had lightly
avant; Gregor ne l’avait leapt forward before
m ê m e p a s e n t e n d u e v e n i r. « Gregor even heard her
Enfin!», cria-t-elle à ses coming; “Finally!” she cried
parents, après avoir tourné to the parents as she turned
la clef dans la serrure. the key in the lock.
« Et maintenant?», se “What now?” Gregor
demanda Gregor en se wondered, peering around
r e t r o u v a n t d a n s l e n o i r. I l n e in the darkness. He soon
tarda pas à s’apercevoir qu’il discovered that he could
ne pouvait plus bouger du no longer move at all. This
tout. Il n’en fut pas étonné, did not particularly puzzle
il lui paraissait plutôt him, rather it seemed
étrange d’avoir pu continuer unnatural to him that he
129
Alianza
da ya moverme -pensó
Gregorio, comenzando de
nuevo su penoso esfuerzo.
No podía contener sus re-
soplidos, y de cuando en
cuando tenía que pararse
a d e s c a n s a r. M a s n a d i e l e
apresuraba; se le dejaba
en entera libertad. Cuan-
do hubo dado la vuelta,
inició en seguida la mar-
cha atrás en línea recta.
Le asombró la gran dis-
tancia que le separaba de
su habitación; no acerta-
ba a comprender cómo, en
su actual estado de debi-
lidad, había podido, mo-
mentos antes, hacer ese
mismo camino casi sin
notarlo. Con la única pre-
ocupación de arrastrarse
lo más rápidamente posi-
ble, apenas si reparó en
que ningún [100] miembro
de la familia le azuzaba
con palabras o gritos. Al
llegar al umbral, volvió,
empero, la cabeza, aunque
solo a medias, pues sentía
cierta rigidez en el cuello,
y pudo ver que nada había
cambiado a su espalda.
Únicamente la hermana se
había puesto en pie. Y su
última mirada fue para la
madre, que, por fin, se ha-
bía quedado dormida.
Apenas dentro de su ha-
bitación, sintió cerrarse rá-
pidamente la puerta y echar
el pestillo y la llave. El
brusco ruido que esto pro-
dujo le asustó de tal nodo, que
las patas se le doblaron. La
hermana era quien tanta prisa
tenía. Había permanecido en
pie, como acechando el mo-
mento de poder precipitarse a
encerrarlo. Gregorio no la ha-
bla sentido acercarse.
— ¡Por fin! -exclamó ella
dirigiéndose a los padres, al
tiempo que daba vuelta a la lla-
ve en la cerradura.
—¿Y ahora? -preguntóse
Gregorio mirando en torno suyo
en la oscuridad. Muy pronto
hubo de convencerse de que le
era en absoluto imposible mover-
se. Esto no le asombró: antes al
contrario, no le parecía natural
haber podido avanzar, cual lo ha-
Willie
“Maybe now they’ll let
me turn round”, thought
Gregor and went back to
work. He could not help
panting loudly with the
effort and had sometimes
to stop and take a rest. No-
one was making him rush
any more, everything was
left up to him. As soon as
he had finally finished
turning round he began to
move straight ahead. He
was amazed at the great
distance that separated him
from his room, and could
not understand how he had
c o vered that distance in his
weak state a little while
before and almost without
noticing it. He concentrated
on crawling as fast as he
could and hardly noticed that
there was not a word, not
a n y c r y, f r o m h i s f a m i l y t o
distract him. He did not
turn his head until he had
r e a c h e d t h e d o o r w a y. H e
did not turn it all the way
round as he felt his neck
b e c o m i n g s t i ff , b u t i t w a s
nonetheless enough to see
that nothing behind him
had changed, only his
s i s t e r h a d s t o o d u p . Wi t h
his last glance he saw that
his mother had now fallen
completely asleep.
He was hardly inside
his room before the door
was hurriedly shut,
b o l t e d a n d l o c k e d . The
sudden noise behind
Gregor so startled him that
his little legs collapsed
under him. It was his sister
who had been in so much
of a rush. She had been
standing there waiting and
s p r u n g f o r w a r d l i g h t l y,
Gregor had not heard her
coming at all, and as she
turned the key in the lock
she said loudly to her
parents “At last!”.
“ W h a t n o w, t h e n ? ” ,
Gregor asked himself as he
looked round in the
darkness. He soon made the
discovery that he could no
longer move at all. This was
no surprise to him, it seemed
rather that being able to
 Neugroschel
succeeded in moving on
t h e s e s k i n n y little legs.
Otherwise he felt relatively
comfortable. His entire
body was aching, but it
seemed to him as if the
pains were gradually fading
and would ultimately vanish
altogether. He could barely
feel the rotting apple in his
back or the inflamed area
around it, which were
thoroughly cloaked with
soft dust. He recalled his
family with tenderness and
love. His conviction that he
would have to disappear
was, if possible, even firmer
t h a n h i s s i s t e r ’s . H e
lingered in this state of
blank and peaceful musing
until the tower clock struck
three in the morning. He
held on long enough to
glimpse the start of the
overall brightening outside
the window. Then his head
involuntarily sank to the
floor, and his final breath
came feebly from his
nostrils. [182]
When the charwoman
showed up early that
morning (in her haste and
sheer energy, and no matter
how often she had been
asked not to do it, she
slammed all the doors so
hard that once she walked
in no peaceful sleep was
possible anywhere in the
apartment), and peeked in
on Gregor as usual, she at
first found nothing odd
about him. Having credited
him with goodness knows
w h a t b r a i n p o w e r, s h e
thought he was deliberately
lying there so motionless,
pretending to sulk. Since
she happened to be
clutching the long broom,
she tried to tickle him
from the doorway. This had
no effect, and so she grew
annoyed and began poking
Gregor. It was only upon
shoving him from his place
but meeting no resistance
that she became alert.
When the true state of
affairs now dawned on the
charwoman, her eyes
bulged in amazement and
del Solar
podido desplazarse con esas
patitas tan delgadas. Por lo
demás, se sentía
relativamente a gusto. Cierto
es que le dolía todo el
cuerpo, pero era como si
esos dolores pudiesen
debilitarse gradualmente
hasta acabar desapareciendo
del todo. Apenas sentía ya la
manzana podrida en su
espalda y la inflamación de
alrededor, cubiertas ambas
por una fina capa de polvo.
Pensó en su familia con
emoción y cariño. Su
convicción de que debía de-
saparecer era, si cabe, más
firme aún que la de su
hermana. En ese estado de
meditación vacía y pacífica
permaneció hasta que el
reloj de la torre dio las tres
de la madrugada. Todavía
vivió el inicio de la claridad
que se expandía detrás de la
ventana. Luego su cabeza se
inclinó del todo sin él
quererlo, y por sus orificios
nasales exhaló débilmente el
último aliento.
[94] Cuando la
asistenta llegó a la
mañana siguiente, muy
temprano -de puro brío y
premura daba tales
portazos que, por más que
le hubiesen pedido
evitarlo, en todo el piso
era imposible seguir
durmiendo tranquilamente
después de su llegada-,
nada, al principio, le llamó
la atención en Gregor
durante su breve visita
habitual. Pensó que yacía
ahí inmóvil a propósito y
que se hacía el ofendido;
lo creía capaz de cualquier
astucia. Como por azar
tenía la escoba grande en
la mano, intentó con ella
hacerle cosquillas desde
la puerta. Al ver que no
conseguía nada, se irritó y
empezó a pinchar un poco
a Gregor, y solo cuando lo
hubo desplazado de su
sitio sin hallar la menor
resistencia le prestó
atención. Poco después, al
darse cuenta de la
verdadera situación, abrió
mucho los ojos y dejó
130
Stokes
been able to get about on
such thin little legs.
Otherwise, he felt relatively
comfortable. True, he [58]
had pains all over his body,
but he had the impression
that they were gradually
growing fainter and fainter
and would eventually vanish
altogether. By now he could
hardly feel the rotten apple
in his back and the inflamed
area around it, completely
covered with soft dust. He
recalled his family with
tenderness and love. His
conviction that he would
have to disappear was, if
possible, even firmer than
his sister ’s. He remained in
this state of vacant and
peaceful reflection until the
clock tower struck three in
the morning. He was still
conscious as everything
grew brighter outside the
w i n d o w. Then,
involuntarily, his head sank
right down, and his last
breath flowed feebly from
his nostrils.
When the cleaning
woman came early in the
morning - out of sheer
e n e rg y a n d i m p a t i e n c e ,
despite frequent requests not
to do so, she would slam all
the doors with such force
that peaceful sleep, once she
had arrived, was an
impossibility throughout the
apartment - she did not at
first find anything out of the
ordinary as she paid Gregor
her usual brief visit. She
thought that he was lying
there motionless on purpose,
pretending that his feelings
were hurt; she credited him
with boundless intelligence.
Because she happened to be
holding the long broom, she
tried to tickle Gregor with
it from the safety of the door.
When even this proved
unsuccessful she lost
patience and gave Gregor a
little prod, and it was only
when she had shifted him
from his place without
encountering any resistance
that she began to take notice.
Having soon become aware
of the true state of affairs,
Vialatte
grêles. D’ailleurs il éprouvait
une sensation de bien-être
relatif. Il sentait bien quelques
douleurs dans son corps, mais
il lui sembla qu’elles
devenaient de plus en plus
faibles et finiraient par
disparaître complètement. Il ne
souffrait déjà presque plus de
la pomme pourrie incrustée
dans son dos ni de
l’inflammation des parties
environnantes qui étaient
toutes couvertes d’une
poussière fine. Il resongea à sa
famille avec une tendresse
émue. Qu’il dût partir il le
savait, et son opinion sur ce
point était encore plus arrêtée,
s’il est possible, que celle
même de sa soeur. Il resta dans
cet état de méditation paisible
et vide jusqu’au moment où
l’horloge de la tour sonna la
troisième heure du matin. II vit
encore devant la fenêtre le
paysage qui commentait à
s’éclaircir. Puis sa tête
s’affaissa malgré lui et son
dernier souffle sortit
faiblement de ses narines.
Quand la femme de peine
arriva de grand matin - bien
qu’on le lui eût souvent
défendu, elle faisait si
bravement claquer les
portes dans l’excès de sa
vigueur et de sa hâte qu’il
n’y avait plus moyen de
dormir à partir de son
arrivée - elle ne remarqua
d’abord rien de particulier
en venant rendre à Grégoire
sa petite visite accoutumée.
Elle [83] pensa qu’il faisait
exprès de rester immobile
pour jouer au monsieur
offensé, car elle le croyait
capable de tous les
raffinements; comme elle
avait par hasard le grand
balai à la main, elle chercha
à le chatouiller depuis la
porte; l’insuccès de sa
plaisanterie la mit en colère,
et elle lui envoya quelques
bons renfoncements sous
lesquels le corps recula sans
résistance; alors seulement la
curiosité de la vieille
s’alluma. Elle eut vite fait de
se rendre compte de la
situation, ouvrit de grands
yeux, lâcha un coup de sifflet,
Cl. David
à se mouvoir jusqu’à présent
sur des pattes aussi g r ê l e s . I l
éprouvait au demeurant une
sensation de bien-être
relatif. II avait, il est vrai,
des douleurs sur tout le
corps, mais il lui sembla
qu’elles diminuaient peu à
peu et qu’elles allaient
cesser. Il ne sentait plus qu’à
peine la pomme pourrie
incrustée dans son dos ni
l’inflammation des parties
environnantes, maintenant
recouvertes d’une fine
poussière. Il pensa à sa
famille avec une tendresse
é m u e . L’ i d é e q u ’ i l n ’ a v a i t
plus qu’à disparaître était, si
possible, plus arrêtée encore
dans son esprit que dans celui
de sa soeur. Il resta dans cet
état de méditation vide et
paisible jusqu’au moment où
l’horloge du clocher sonna
trois heures. Il vit encore,
devant sa fenêtre, le jour
arriver peu à peu. Puis, sa tête
retomba malgré lui et ses
narines laissèrent faiblement
passer son dernier souffle.
Lorsque la femme de
peine arriva au petit matin
-bien qu’on le lui ait
défendu, elle claquait les
portes si violemment dans
son excès de vigueur et de
précipitation qu’il n’y
avait plus moyen de dormir
dans toute la maison dès
qu’elle était l à - , e l l e n e
trouva tout d’abord rien
de particulier, quand elle
fit chez Gregor sa brève
visite habituelle. Elle
pensa qu’il faisait exprès
de rester immobile et
qu’il jouait à l’offensé,
car elle lui prêtait to ut
l ’ e s p r i t i m a g i n a b l e . Elle
se trouvait tenir son grand
balai à la main et elle essaya
de le chatouiller depuis la
porte. Comme elle n’avait
toujours pas de succès, elle se
fâcha et se mit à pousser plus
fort; et c’est seulement quand
elle vit que Gregor se laissait
déplacer sans opposer de
résistance qu’elle se mit à y
regarder de plus près. Elle eut
vite fait de comprendre ce qui
s’était passé; elle ouvrit de
grands yeux et se mit à siffler
Freed
had actually been able to
walk on these skinny little
legs. Otherwise he felt
relatively comfortable. Of
course his whole body
ached, but it seemed to him
that the pain was gradually
fading and would
eventually disappear
altogether. He could hardly
feel the rotten apple in his
back and the enflamed area
around it, which were
covered over by soft dust.
His thoughts, full of
tenderness and love, went
back to his family. He was
even more firmly
convinced than his sister,
if possible, that he should
disappear. He remained in
this state of empty and
peaceful reflection until the
tower clock struck three in
the morning. He hung on to
see the growing light
outside the window. Then
his head sank involuntarily
to the floor and his last
feeble breath streamed
from his nostrils.
When the charwoman
came early in the
morning-from sheer
energy and impatience she
always slammed all the
doors, no matter how
many times she had been
asked not to, so it was
impossible for anyone to
sleep peacefully after her
arrival-she found nothing
unusual during her brief
customary visit to
G r e g o r ’s room. She
thought he was lying
motionless on purpose,
pretending to sulk; she
imbued him with all
manner of intelligence.
Since she happened to be
holding the long broom,
she tried to tickle him
from the doorway. When
this produced no response
she became annoyed and
began to jab at Gregor; it
was only when her shoves
were met with no
resistance and moved him
from his place that she
became alerted. She soon
grasped the truth of the
matter; her eyes went wide
131
Alianza
cía hasta entonces, con aquellas
patitas tan delgadas. Por lo de-
más, sentíase relativamente
[101] a gusto. Cierto es que
todo el cuerpo le dolía; pero
le parecía como si estos do-
lores se fuesen debilitando
más y más, y pensaba que,
por último, acabarían. Ape-
nas si notaba ya la manzana
podrida que tenía en la es-
palda, y la inflamación, re-
vestida de blanco por el pol-
vo. Pensaba con emoción y
cariño en los suyos.
Hallábase, a ser posible,
aún más firmemente con-
vencido que su hermana de
que tenía que desaparecer. Y
en tal estado de apacible
meditación e insensibilidad
permaneció hasta que el re-
loj de la iglesia dio las tres
de la madrugada. Todavía
pudo vivir aquel comienzo
del alba que despuntaba de-
trás de los cristales. Luego,
a pesar suyo, su cabeza
hundióse por completo y su
hocico despidió débilmente
su postrer aliento.
A la mañana siguiente,
cuando entró la asistenta
-daba tales portazos, que
en cuanto llegaba ya era
imposible descansar en la
cama, a pesar de las infi-
nitas veces que se le ha-
bían rogado otras maneras
para hacer a Gregorio la
breve visita de costum-
bre, no halló en él, al
principio, nada de parti-
cular. Supuso que perma-
necía así, inmóvil, con
toda intención, para ha-
cerse el enfada d o , p u e s
le consideraba capaz
del [102] más completo
d i s c e r n i m i e n t o . Casual-
mente llevaba en la mano el
deshollinador, y quiso con
él hacerle cosquillas a
Gregorio desde la puerta.
Al ver que tampoco con
esto lograba nada, irritóse
a su vez, empezó a pinchar-
le, y tan solo después que
le hubo empujado sin en-
contrar ninguna resistencia se
fijó en él, y, percatándose al
punto de lo sucedido, abrió
desmesuradamente los ojos y
dejó escapar un silbido de sor-
Willie
actually move around on
those spindly little legs
until then was unnatural. He
also felt relatively
comfortable. It is true that
his entire body was aching,
but the pain seemed to be
slowly getting weaker and
weaker and would finally
d i s a p p e a r a l t o g e t h e r. H e
could already hardly feel the
decayed apple in his back or
the inflamed area around it,
which was entirely covered
in white dust. He thought
back of his family with
emotion and love. If it was
possible, he felt that he must
go away even more strongly
than his sister. He remained
in this state of empty and
peaceful rumination until he
heard the clock tower strike
three in the morning. He
watched as it slowly began to
get light everywhere outside
the window too. Then,
without his willing it, his
head sank down completely,
and his last breath flowed
weakly from his nostrils.
When the cleaner came
in early in the morning -
they’d often asked her not
to keep slamming the
doors but with her
strength and in her hurry
she still did, so that
everyone in the flat knew
when she’d arrived and
from then on it was
impossible to sleep in
peace - she made her usual
brief look in on Gregor
and at first found nothing
special. She thought he
was laying there so still
on purpose, playing the
martyr; she attributed all
possible understanding
to him. She happened to be
holding the long broom in her
hand, so she tried to tickle
Gregor with it from the
d o o r w a y. W h e n s h e h a d n o
success with that she tried to
make a nuisance of herself
and poked at him a little, and
only when she found she
could shove him across the
floor with no resistance at all
did she start to pay attention.
She soon realised what had
really happened, opened her
 Neugroschel
she whistled to herself. But
instead of dawdling there,
s h e y a n k e d the bedroom
door open and hollered
into the darkness: “Go and
l o o k , i t ’s c r o a k e d ; i t ’ s
lying there, absolutely
croaked!”
M r. and Mrs. Samsa sat
upright in their
matrimonial bed, trying to
cope with the shock
caused by the charwoman.
When they managed to
grasp what she meant, the
two of them, one on either
side, hastily clambered
o u t o f b e d . M r. S a m s a
threw the blanket over his
shoulders, while Mrs.
Samsa emerged in her
nightgown; that was how
they entered Gregor ’s
room. Meanwhile, the
d o o r t o t h e p a r l o r, w h e r e
Grete had been sleeping
since the arrival of the
boarders, had likewise
opened; she was fully
dressed and her face was
pale as if she had not
slept. “Dead?” said Mrs.
Samsa, quizzically eyeing
the [183] charwoman
even though she could
have gone to check
everything for herself, or
could have surmised it
w i t h o u t c h e c k i n g . “ Yo u
bet,” said the charwoman
and by way of proof she
thrust out the broom and
p u s h e d G r e g o r ’s c o r p s e
somewhat further to the
side. Mrs. Samsa made as
if to hold back the broom,
b u t t h e n l e t i t b e . “We l l , ”
s a i d M r. S a m s a , “ n o w w e
can thank the Lord.” He
crossed himself and the
three women imitated his
example. Grete, her eyes
glued to the corpse, said:
“Just look how skinny he
w a s . We l l , h e s t o p p e d
eating such a long time
ago. The food came back
out exactly as it went
in.” And indeed,
G r e g o r ’s body was
utterly flat and dry; they
realized this only now
when it was no longer
raised on its tiny legs
del Solar
escapar un silbido, pero no se
entretuvo mucho rato, sino
que abrió de golpe la puerta
del dormitorio y exclamó a
voz en cuello en la oscuridad:
« ¡ Ve n g a n a v e r, l a h a
palmado! ¡Ahí lo tienen, la
h a palmado !».
El señor y la señora
Samsa estaban sentados en
la cama de matrimonio y
tuvieron que sobreponerse al
susto que les produjo la
asistenta antes de lograr
entender su mensaje. Pero
luego bajaron rápidamente
de la cama, cada uno por su
lado, el señor Samsa se echó
la manta sobre los hombros,
mientras la señora Samsa
salió solo en camisón, y así
entraron en la habitación de
Gregor. Entretanto también
se había abierto la puerta de
la sala de estar, donde Grete
dormía desde la llegada de
los huéspedes; estaba
totalmente [95] vestida,
como si no hubiera dormido
nada, y la palidez de su cara
parecía demostrarlo.
«¿Muerto?», preguntó la
señora Samsa alzando una
mirada interrogante hacia
la asistenta, pese a que ella
misma podía comprobarlo
todo y hasta darse cuenta de
lo ocurrido sin necesidad de
comprobarlo. «Eso parece»,
d i j o l a a s i s t e n t a y, c o m o
prueba, empujó un buen
trecho el cadáver de Gregor
con la escoba, arrastrándolo
hacia un lado. La señora
Samsa hizo un gesto como
queriendo detener la escoba,
pero se contuvo. «Pues
bien», dijo el señor Samsa,
«ya podemos dar gracias a
Dios». Se santiguó, y las tres
mujeres siguieron su
ejemplo. Grete, que no
apartaba la vista del cadáver,
dijo: «Mirad qué delgado
e s t a b a . Ya l l e v a b a m u c h o
tiempo sin comer nada. Las
comidas salían de la
habitación tal y como
entraban». En efecto, el
cuerpo de Gregor estaba
completamente plano y seco,
aunque solo ahora se daban
cuenta, cuando ya no se
mantenía alzado sobre sus
132
Stokes
she reacted with amazement,
whistled softly to herself,
did not delay but tore open
the bedr o o m d o o r a n d
yelled into the darkness:
‘ Ta k e a l o o k a t t h i s ; i t ’s
de a d ; i t ’s l y i n g t h e r e a s
dead a s dead can be!’
The Samsas sat bolt
upright in their double bed
and took a while to get over
the fright the cleaning
woman had given them [59]
before they finally grasped
what she was saying. Then,
h o w e v e r, H e r r a n d F r a n
Samsa got hastily out of
bed, each on their own side;
Herr Samsa threw the
blanket round his shoulders,
F r a n S a m s a e m e rg e d i n
nothing but her nightdress;
in this way they entered
Gregor ’s room. Meanwhile
the door of the living-room,
where Grete had been
sleeping since the lodgers
moved in, had also opened;
she was fully dressed, as if
she had not slept at all, an
impression that her pale
face seemed to confirm.
‘Dead?’ asked Fran Samsa
and looked up enquiringly
at the cleaning woman,
although she could verify
everything for herself and
see that it was so without
verification. ‘I’ll say,’ said
the cleaning woman, and
to prove it she gave
G r e g o r ’s c o r p s e a n o t h e r
huge shove to the side with
her broom. Fran Samsa
made as if to put a
restraining hand on the
broom but did not do so.
‘Well,’ said Herr Samsa,
‘may God be thanked.’ He
crossed himself, and the
three women followed his
example. Grete, without
taking her eyes off the
corpse, said, ‘Just look how
thin he was. But then it’s
ages since he ate anything.
The food used to come out
again just as it was taken
in.’ And Gregor ’s body was
indeed completely flat and
dry, which could actually
only now be observed,
since the body was no
longer held up by his little
Vialatte
mais ne s’attarda pas dans la
pièce; elle courut à la chambre
à coucher dont elle ouvrit la
porte en trombe et cria fortement
ces mots dans l’obscurité :
«Venez donc voir, il est crevé;
il est là, il est couché par terre;
il est crevé comme un rat.»
Le couple Samsa s’assit
sur son séant dans le lit
conjugal et dut s’occuper
activement de surmonter
l’effroi que lui avait causé la
vieille avant de chercher le
sens de son message. Mais
alors ce fut rapide : Monsieur
sauta hors du lit d’un côté,
Madame de l’autre; Monsieur
jeta la couverture sur ses
épaules, Madame sortit en
chemise de nuit, et ce fut dans
cet appareil qu’ils pénétrèrent
dans la chambre de Grégoire.
Entre-temps la porte de la
salle à manger s’était ouverte
: Grete couchait dans cette pièce
depuis l’arrivée des locataires; elle
était. complètement vêtue, comme
si elle n’avait pas dormi; et la pâleur
de son visage semblait également
témoigner de son insomnie.
«Mort?» demanda [84] Mme
Samsa en regardant la femme de
peine d’un air interrogatif, bien
qu’elle pût tout
examiner elle-même,
et constater aussi le
décès sans examen.
«Et comment!» déclara
l a f e m m e de peine en
poussant de côté avec son balai
le cadavre de Grégoire à
l’appui de son affirmation.
Mme Samsa eut un
mouvement comme pour
retenir le balai, mais ne
termina pas son geste. «Eh
bien, dit M. Samsa, nous
pouvons remercier Dieu.» Il
se signa et les trois femmes
suivirent son exemple. Grete,
qui n’avait pas quitté le
cadavre des yeux, déclara :
«Voyez donc comme il était
maigre. Il y avait si
longtemps aussi qu’il ne
mangeait plus rien. Sa
pitance sortait de la chambre
exactement comme elle y
entrait.» Et, de fait, le corps
de Grégoire était tout plat et
tout sec; on s’en rendait
mieux compte maintenant
qu’il n’était plus supporté par
Cl. David
entre ses dents, mais ne s’at-
tarda pas; elle ouvrit la chambre
à c o u c h e r, d o n t e l l e p o u s s a
violemment la porte, en criant
à pleine voix dans l’obscurité :
« Venez donc voir, la bête est
crevée; elle est là par terre, tout
ce qu’il y a de crevée!»
Le ménage Samsa se
redressa dans le lit conjugal; il
dut d’abord se remettre de la
frayeur que venait de leur
causer la femme de peine,
avant de comprendre ce qu’elle
venait de leur annoncer. Mais
ensuite, M. et Mme Samsa
sortirent promptement de leur
lit, chacun de son côté; M.
Samsa jeta la couverture sur ses
épaules, Mme Samsa n’avait
que sa chemise de nuit sur elle;
c’est dans cet appareil qu’ils
entrèrent dans la chambre de
G r e g o r. E n t r e - t e m p s s ’ é t a i t
ouverte aussi la porte du séjour,
où Grete passait la nuit depuis
l’emménagement des locataires;
elle était tout habillée, comme
si elle n’avait pas dormi, ce
que semblait indiquer aussi la
pâleur de son visage.
«Mort?»,dit Mme Samsa,
enlevant les yeux d’un air
i n t e r ro g a t i f v e r s l a f e m m e
de peine, bien qu’elle eût pu
aisément le contrôler
elle-même ou même le
comprendre sans rien
c o n t r ô l e r. « E t c o m m e n t ! » ,
dit la femme de peine, et,
pour en administrer la
preuve, elle déplaça encore
d’un grand coup de balai le
c a d a v r e d e G r e g o r. M m e
Samsa fit mine de retenir le
balai, mais ne termina pas
son geste. « Eh bien !»,dit
M. Samsa, «nous pouvons
rendre grâce à Dieu.» Il se
signa et les trois femmes
suivirent son exemple.
Grete, qui ne pouvait
détourner ses regards du
cadavre, dit : «Regardez
comme il était maigre. Il y
avait longtemps qu’il ne
mangeait plus rien. La
nourriture repartait comme elle
était arrivée.» Le corps de
Gregor était en effet tout à
fait plat et sec; on ne le
remarquait guère que
maintenant, où il n’était
plus porté par ses petites
Freed
and she gave a low whistle
but did not hesitate to tear
open the Samsas’ bedroom
door and yell into the
dark: “Come and look at
t h i s , i t ’s c r o a k e d ; i t ’s
lying there, dead as a
doornail!”
Herr and Frau Samsa
(10) sat up in their
matrimonial bed,
struggling [49] to
overcome the shock of the
c h a r w o m a n ’ s
announcement before
realizing its full import.
Then they each clambered
quickly out of bed from
either side, Herr Samsa
wrapped the blanket around
his shoulders and Frau
Samsa came out in her
nightgown, and so attired
they stepped into Gregor ’s
room. Meanwhile the living
room door also opened,
where Grete had slept since
the advent of the boarders;
s h e w a s fully dressed as
though she had not slept all
night and her wan face
seemed to confirm this.
“Dead?” said Frau Samsa,
and looked up inquiringly a t
the charwoman, although
she could have
investigated herself and it
was plain enough without
examination. “I’d say so,”
s a i d t he cha r w o m a n, and
to prove it she pushed
G r e g o r ’s c o r p s e w e l l t o
one side with the broom.
Frau Samsa made a move
to stop her, but checked
i t . “ We l l , ” s a i d H e r r
Samsa, “thanks be to
God.” He crossed
himself and the three
women followed suit.
Grete, her eyes never
leaving the corpse, said:
“Look how thin he was.
I t ’ s s o l o n g s i n c e h e ’s
eaten anything. The food
came out just as it was
brought in.” Indeed,
Gregor ’s body was
completely flat and dry;
this could be truly
appreciated for the first
time, since it was no
longer supported by the
little legs and nothing
133
Alianza
presa. Mas no se detuvo mu-
cho tiempo, sino que, abrien-
do bruscamente la puerta de
la alcoba, lanzó a voz en gri-
to en la oscuridad:
— ¡Miren ustedes, ha re-
ventado! ¡Ahí le tienen, lo
que se dice reventado!
El señor y la señora Samsa
incorporáronse en el lecho ma-
trimonial. Les costó gran traba-
jo sobreponerse al susto, y tar-
daron bastante en comprender lo
que de tal guisa les anunciaba
la asistenta. Mas una vez com-
prendido esto, bajaron al punto
de la cama, cada uno por su lado
y con la mayor rapidez posible.
El señor Samsa se echó la col-
cha por los hombros; la señora
Samsa iba solo cubierta con su
camisón de dormir, y en este
aspecto penetraron en la habi-
tación de Gregorio. Mientras,
habíase abierto también la [103]
puerta del comedor, en donde
dormía Grete desde la llegada
de los huéspedes. Grete estaba
del todo vestida, cual si no hu-
biese dormido en toda la noche,
cosa que parecía confirmar la
palidez de su rostro.
—¿Muerto? -dijo la señora Samsa,
mirando interrogativamente a la asis-
tenta, no obstante poderlo com-
probar todo por sí misma, e in-
cluso averiguarlo sin necesidad
de comprobación ninguna.
—Esto es lo que digo -con-
testó la asistenta, empujando
todavía un buen trecho con el
escobón el cadáver de Gregorio,
cual para probar la veracidad de
sus palabras.
La señora Samsa hizo un
movimiento como para detener-
la, pero no la detuvo.
—Bueno -dijo el señor
Samsa-, ahora podemos dar gra-
cias a Dios.
Se santiguó, y las tres muje-
res le imitaron.
Grete no apartaba la vista del
cadáver:
—Mirad qué delgado esta-
ba -dijo-. Verdad es que hacía
ya tiempo que no probaba bo-
cado. Así como entraban las
comidas, así se las volvían a
llevar. El cuerpo de Gregorio
aparecía, efectivamente, com-
pletamente plano y seco. De
esto solo se enteraban ahora,
porque ya no lo [104] soste-
Willie
eyes wide, whistled to
herself, but did not waste time
to yank open the bedroom
doors and shout loudly into
the darkness of the bedrooms:
“Come and ‘ave a look at this,
i t ’s d e a d , j u s t l y i n g t h e r e ,
stone dead!”
M r. a n d M r s . S a m s a s a t
upright there in their
marriage bed and had to
make an effort to get over
the shock caused by the
cleaner before they could
grasp what she was saying.
But then, each from his
own side, they hurried out
o f b e d . M r. S a m s a t h r e w
the blanket over his
shoulders, Mrs. Samsa just
came out in her nightdress;
and that is how they went
i n t o G r e g o r ’s r o o m . O n t h e
way they opened the door
to the living room where
Grete had been sleeping
since the three gentlemen
had moved in; she was fully
dressed as if she had never
been asleep, and the paleness
of her face seemed to
confirm this. “Dead?”, asked
Mrs. Samsa, looking at the
charwoman enquiringly,
even though she could have
checked for herself and
could have known it even
without checking. “That’s
what I said”, replied the
cleaner, and to prove it she
g a v e G r e g o r ’s b o d y a n o t h e r
shove with the broom,
sending it sideways across
t h e f l o o r. M r s . S a m s a m a d e
a movement as if she wanted
to h o l d b a c k t h e b r o o m ,
b u t did not complete it.
“ N o w then”, said Mr. Samsa,
“let’s give thanks to God for
that”. He crossed himself,
and the three women followed
his example.
Grete, who had not taken her
eyes from the corpse, said: “Just
look how thin he was. He didn’t
eat anything for so long.
The food came out again
just the same as when it
w e n t i n ” . G r e g o r ’s b o d y
was indeed completely
dried up and flat, they had
not seen it until then, but
now he was not lifted up
on his little legs, nor did
 Neugroschel
a n d n o t h i n g e l s e diverted
their eyes.
“Grete, come into our
room for a bit,” said Mrs.
Samsa, smiling wistfully,
and Grete, not without
looking back at the corpse,
followed her parents into the
bedroom. The charwoman
closed the door to Gregor’s
room and opened the
window all the way. Though
it was still early morning,
there was a touch of warmth
in the fresh air. It was already
late March, after all.
The three boarders
stepped out of their room
and, astonished, cast
about for their breakfast;
t h e y h a d b e e n f o rg o t t e n .
“Where is breakfast?” the
middle gentleman
peevishly asked the
charwoman. But putting
her finger on her lips, she
hastily and silently
beckoned for the
gentlemen to come into
Gregor ’s room. And come
they did, and with their
hands in the pockets of
their somewhat threadbare
jackets, they stood around
G r e g o r ’s c o r p s e i n t h e
now sunlit room. [184]
Next, the bedroom door
opened, and Mr. Samsa, in
his livery, appeared with his
wife on one arm and his
daughter on the other. Their
eyes were all slightly
tearstained; now and then,
Grete pressed her face into
the father ’s arm.
“Leave my home at once!”
Mr. Samsa told the three
gentlemen, pointing at the door
without releasing the women.
“What do you mean?”
asked the middle gentleman,
somewhat dismayed and with
a sugary smile. The t w o
other gentlemen held
t h e ir hands behind their
backs, incessantly rubbing
them t o g e t h e r as if
gleefully looking forward
to a grand argument that
they were bound to win.
“I mean exactly what I
del Solar
patitas y nada distraía la
mirada.
«Grete, ven un momento
a nuestra habitación», dijo la
señora Samsa con una
sonrisa melancólica, y
Grete, no sin antes volver la
m i r a d a h a c i a e l c a d á v e r,
entró en el dormitorio detrás
de sus padres. La asistenta
cerró la puerta y abrió la
ventana de par en par. Pese
a lo temprano de la hora, en
el aire fresco se mezclaba ya
cierta tibieza. Marzo estaba
llegando a su fin.
Los tres huéspedes
salieron de su habitación y
buscaron con mirada de
asombro su desayuno; se [96]
habían olvidado de ellos.
«¿Dónde está el desayuno?»,
preguntó el señor de en medio
a la asistenta, malhumorado.
Pero esta se llevó el
dedo a la boca y les
indicó por señas,
rápidamente y en silencio,
que entraran en la habitación
de Gregor. Estos entraron y se
quedaron de pie, con las
manos en los bolsillos de sus
chaquetas algo raídas,
rodeando el cadáver de
Gregor en la habitación ya
totalmente iluminada.
En ese instante se abrió
la puerta del dormitorio y
el señor Samsa apareció en
librea, cogido a su mujer
de un brazo y á su hija del
o t r o . To d o s e s t a b a n u n
poco llorosos; a ratos
Grete pegaba su cara al
brazo del padre.
«¡Váyanse ahora mismo
de mi casa!», dijo el señor
Samsa señalando la puerta y
sin soltar a las mujeres.
«¿Qué quiere usted decir?»,
preguntó el señor de en
medio algo desconcertado y
sonriendo dulzonamente.
Los otros dos tenían las
manos a la espalda y se las
frotaban sin parar una contra
otra, como si esperasen muy
contentos una gran pelea que
a ellos, sin embargo, debiera
favorecerlos. «Quiero decir
exactamente lo que he
134
Stokes
legs and there was nothing
else to distract the eye.
‘Come into our room for
a while, Grete,’ said Fran
Samsa with a wistful smile,
and Grete, not without
looking back at the corpse,
followed her parents into
their bedroom. The
cleaning woman closed the
door and opened the
window wide. Despite the
early hour the fresh air
already had a touch of
mildness to it. It was, after
all, the end of March.
The three lodgers
emerged from their room
and stared about them in
astonishment for their
breakfast; they had been
f o r g o t t e n . ‘ W h e r e ’s o u r
breakfast?’ the middle
lodger sullenly [60] asked
the cleaning woman. But
she put her finger to her
lips and then hastily and
silently beckoned the
lodgers to follow her into
Gregor ’s room. They did
so, and then, with their
hands in the pockets of
their somewhat shabby
jackets, they stood around
G r e g o r ’s c o r p s e i n t h e
now sunlit room.
Then the bedroom door
opened, and Herr Samsa
appeared in his uniform,
with his wife on one arm, his
daughter on the other. They
all looked as though they had
been crying; from time to
time Grete pressed her face
against her father’s arm.
‘Get out of my
apartment this instant!’
said Herr Samsa and
pointed to the door,
without letting go of the
women. ‘How do you
mean?’ said the middle
lodger, somewhat taken
aback, and smiled a sickly
smile. The other two had
their hands behind their
backs and kept rubbing them
together, as if in joyful
anticipation of a major
quarrel that was bound to
end in their favour. ‘I mean
Vialatte
les pattes et que rien n’en
distrayait le regard.
«Allons, Grete, viens chez
nous un moment», dit Mme
Samsa avec un sourire
mélancolique, et Grete suivit
les parents dans la chambre
conjugale, non sans se
retourner plusieurs fois pour
jeter un coup d’oeil sur le
corps. La femme’ de peine
ferma la porte et ouvrit la
fenêtre à deux battants. Malgré
l’heure matinale, l’air frais se
mêlait d’une sorte de tiédeur.
C’était déjà la fin de mars.
Les trois locataires,
sortis de leur chambre,
cherchaient partout leur
déjeuner avec
étonnement : on les avait
oubliés. «Où est le
déjeuner?» demanda en
b o u g o n n a n t le monsieur
du milieu à [85] la vieille.
Mais elle mit un doigt sur
sa bouche et leur fit signe
de la suivre d’un geste
muet et hâtif. Ils vinrent
donc et restèrent plantés là
autour du cadavre de
Grégoire, les mains dans
les poches de leurs vestons
un peu usagés, au milieu de
cette chambre où le soleil
brillait déjà.
Alors la porte des époux
s’ouvrit aussi et M. Samsa
apparut dans sa livrée, sa
femme à un bras, sa fille à
l’autre. Ils avaient tous un
peu l’air d’avoir pleuré et
Grete appuyait de temps en
temps son visage contre le
bras de son père.
«Quittez immédiatement
ma maison », dit M. Samsa en
montrant la porte sans lâcher
ses femmes du bras.
«Comment l’entendez-vous?»
fit le monsieur du milieu, un
peu interloqué, avec un sourire
douceâtre. Les deux autres
ayant croisé les mains derrière
le dos se frottaient les paumes
sans interruption comme s’ils
attendaient joyeusement une
grande dispute qui dût se
terminer par leur victoire. «Je
l’entends exactement comme
je le dis», répondit M. Samsa,
Cl. David
pattes et où rien ne
distrayait plus le regard.
« Vi e n s u n m o m e n t c h e z
nous, Grete », dit Mme
Samsa avec un sourire
mélancolique, et Grete, non
sans jeter encore un regard
sur le cadavre, entra derrière
ses parents dans leur
chambre à coucher. La femme
de peine ferma la porte et
ouvrit grand la fenêtre.
Malgré l’heure matinale, un
peu de tiédeur se mêlait déjà
à l a f r a î c h e u r d e l ’ a i r. O n
approchait de la fin mars.
Les trois locataires
s o r t i r e n t de leur chambre et,
d’un air étonné, cherchèrent du
regard leur petit déjeuner; on
les avait oubliés. « Où est le
déjeuner?» , demanda le
monsieur du milieu à la femme
de peine d’un air bougon.
Mais celle-ci mit son doigt
sur sa bouche et sans rien
dire fit rapidement signe
à ces messieurs d’entrer
dans la chambre de Gregor.
Ils entrèrent donc et les
mains dans les poches de
leurs vestons un peu
usagés, ils restaient là,
dans la pièce maintenant
baignée de soleil, autour
du cadavre de Gregor.
La porte de la chambre à
coucher s’ouvrit, et M.
Samsa apparut dans sa livrée,
tenant d’un bras sa femme,
de l’autre sa fille. Ils avaient
tous un peu l’air d’avoir
pleuré; Grete appuyait de
temps en temps son visage
contre le bras de son père.
« Quittez tout de suite ma
maison!», dit M. Samsa en
montrant la porte, sans
abandonner le bras des deux
femmes. « Que voulez-vous
dire?», demanda le monsieur du
milieu, un peu décontenancé,
avec un sourire doucereux. Les
deux autres avaient croisé leurs
mains derrière le dos et les
frottaient sans cesse l’une contre
l’autre, comme s’ils se
réjouissaient de voir se déclencher
une grande dispute qui,
pensaientils, ne pouvait se terminer
qu’à leur honneur. « Je l’entends
Freed
else distracted their
gaze.
“Grete, come in with us
for a while,” said Frau
Samsa, with a sad smile, and
Grete traipsed after her
parents into their bedroom
without looking back at the
corpse. The charwoman shut
Gregor ’s door and opened
the window wide. Although
it was very early in the
morning, there was a
mildness in the fresh air. It
was, after all, already the
end of March.
The three boarders
emerged from their room
and looked around in
astonishment for their
breakfast; they had been
forgotten. “Where is
breakfast?” the middle
gentleman gruffly
demanded of the
charwoman. But she just
shushed the men with a
finger to the mouth and
silently ushered them into
Gregor ’s room. They filed
into the now fully lit
room and circled around
Gregor ’s corpse, with
their hands in the pockets
of their rather shabby
coats.
Just then the bedroom
door opened and Herr Samsa
appeared in his uniform with
his wife on one arm and his
daughter on the other. They
were all a little teary-eyed,
and from time to time Grete
pressed her face against her
father’s sleeve.
“Leave my house at
once!” pronounced Herr
Samsa, and [50] pointed to
the door without releasing
the women. “Whatever do
you mean?” said the mildly
disconcerted middle
boarder, with a sugary smile.
The two other gentlemen
stood with their hands held
behind their backs,
incessantly rubbing them
together as if in gleeful
anticipation of a terrific
row that they were bound to
win. “I mean exactly what I
135
Alianza
nían sus patitas, y nadie apar-
taba de él la mirada.
—Grete, vente un ratito con
nosotros -dijo la señora Samsa,
sonriendo melancólicamente.
Y Grete, sin dejar de
mirar hacia el cadáver,
siguió a sus padres a la
alcoba. La asistenta ce-
rró la puerta, y abrió la
v e n t a n a d e p a r e n p a r.
Era todavía muy tempra-
no, pero el aire tenía ya,
en su frescor, cierta ti-
bieza. Se estaba justo a
fines de marzo.
Los tres huéspedes
salieron de su habita-
ción y buscaron con
la vista su desayuno.
Los habían olvidado.
—¿Y el desayuno?
-preguntóle a la asistenta
con mal humor el señor que pa-
recía ser el más autorizado de los tres.
Pero la asistenta, poniéndo-
se el índice ante la boca, invitó
silenciosamente, con señas enér-
gicas, a los señores a entrar en
la habitación de Gregorio.
Entraron, pues, y allí estuvie-
ron, en el cuarto inundado de clari-
dad, en torno al cadáver de
Gregorio, con expresión desdeñosa
y las manos hundidas en los bolsi-
llos de sus algo raídos chaqués.
Entonces se abrió la puerta de
la alcoba y apareció el señor
Samsa, enfundado en [105] su li-
brea, llevando de un brazo a su
mujer y del otro a su hija. Todos
tenían trazas de haber llorado
algo, y Grete ocultaba de cuan-
do en cuando el rostro contra
el brazo del padre.
Abandonen ustedes inmedia-
tamente mi casa -dijo el señor
Samsa, señalando la puerta, pero
sin soltar a las mujeres:
—¿Qué pretende usted dar
a entender con esto? pregun-
tón el más autorizado de los
señores, algo desconcertado y
sonriendo con timidez. Los
otros dos tenían las manos cru-
zadas a la espalda, y se las fro-
taban sin cesar una contra otra,
cual si esperasen gozosos una
pelea cuyo resultado había de
serles favorable.
—Pretendo dar a entender
Willie
he do anything to make
t h e m l o o k a w a y.
“Grete, come with us in
here for a little while”, said
Mrs. Samsa with a pained
smile, and Grete followed
her parents into the bedroom
but not without looking back
at the body. The cleaner shut
the door and opened the
window wide. Although it
was still early in the morning
the fresh air had something
of warmth mixed in with it.
It was already the end of
March, after all.
The three gentlemen
stepped out of their room
and looked round in
amazement for their
breakfasts; they had been
f o rg o t t e n a b o u t . “ W h e r e i s
our breakfast?”, the
middle gentleman asked
the cleaner irritably. She
just put her finger on her
lips and made a quick and
silent sign to the men that
they might like to come
i n t o G r e g o r ’s r o o m . T h e y
did so, and stood around
G r e g o r ’s c o r p s e w i t h
their hands in the pockets
of their well-worn coats.
It was now quite light in
the room.
Then the door of the
b e d r o o m o p e n e d a n d M r.
Samsa appeared in his
uniform with his wife on one
arm and his daughter on the
other. All of them had been
crying a little; Grete now and
then pressed her face against
her father’s arm.
“Leave my home. Now!”,
s a i d M r. S a m s a , i n d i c a t i n g
the door and without letting
the women from him. “What
do you mean?”, asked the
middle of the three
gentlemen somewhat
disconcerted, and he smiled
sweetly. The other two held
their hands behind their
backs and continually rubbed
them together in gleeful
anticipation of a loud
quarrel which could only end
in their favour. “I mean just
what I said”, answered Mr.
 Neugroschel
said,” replied Mr. Samsa, and
with his two companions he
made a beeline toward the
tenant. The latter at first stood
his ground, eyeing the floor as
if his thoughts were being
rearranged to form a new
pattern in his head.
“Well, then we’ll go,” he
said, looking up at Mr. Samsa
as if, in a sudden burst of
humility, he were requesting
sanction even for this
decision. Mr. Samsa, with
bulging eyes, merely
vouchsafed him a few brief
nods. Thereupon the
gentleman strode right into the
vestibule. His two friends, who
had been listening for a short
while with utterly calm hands,
now quite literally hopped
after him as if fearing that Mr.
Samsa might precede them
into the vestibule and might
thrust himself between them
and their leader. Once in the
vestibule, all three boarders
pulled their hats from the coat
rack, their canes from the
umbrella stand, bowed
wordlessly, and left the
apartment. Impelled by a [185]
suspicion that proved to be
thoroughly groundless, Mr.
Samsa and the two women
stepped out on the landing. As
they leaned on the banister,
they watched the three
gentlemen marching down the
long stairway slowly but
steadily, vanishing on every
floor in the regular twist of the
staircase, and popping up
again several moments later.
The lower the gentlemen got,
the more the Samsa family
lost interest in them, and as
a b u t c h e r ’s b o y, p r o u d l y
balancing a basket on his
head, came toward the
ge n t l e m e n and then
mounted well beyond
them, Mr. Samsa a nd the
women left the banister, and
as if relieved, they all
returned to their apartment.
They decided to spend
this day resting and
strolling; not only had they
earned this break from
work, they absolutely
needed it. And so they sat
down at the table to write
del Solar
dicho», respondió el señor
Samsa, y en línea con sus
dos acompañantes avanzó
hacia el huésped. Al princi-
pio este guardó silencio y
miró al suelo, como si las
cosas se estuvieran
reo rdenando en su cabeza.
« E n e s e c aso nos vamos»,
dijo luego alzando la mirada
hacia el señor Samsa, como si,
e n u n s ú b i t o a r r a n q u e de
humildad, le pidiese una nueva
autorización para tomar
incluso esa decisión. El señor
Samsa se [97] limitó a asentir
varias veces con los ojos muy
abiertos. Tras lo cual, en efecto,
el huésped se dirigió al vestíbulo
a grandes pasos; sus dos amigos
ya llevaban un ratito escuchando
con atención y las manos bien
quietas, y ahora salieron detrás
de él a un pasito trotón, como
temiendo que el señor Samsa
pudiera entrar antes que ellos en
el vestíbulo e impedirles el
contacto con su guía. Ya en el
recibidor, los tres cogieron sus
sombreros del perchero, sacaron
sus bastones de la bastonera, se
inclinaron en silencio y
abandonaron el piso. Con una
desconfianza totalmente
infundada, como se demostró
luego, el señor Samsa salió con
las dos mujeres al rellano;
apoyados en la barandilla se
quedaron mirando cómo los tres
señores bajaban lentamente,
pero sin detenerse, la larga
escalera, desaparecían en cada
planta tras una determinada
curva del hueco de la escalera y
volvían a aparecer al cabo de
unos instantes; cuanto más
bajaban, más se perdía el interés
de la familia Samsa por ellos, y
cuando un oficial de carnicero
que subía muy ufano con su
carga en la cabeza se cruzó con
los tres hombres y continuó
escaleras arriba, el señor Samsa
abandonó la barandilla con las
mujeres y todos juntos volvieron
a entrar en el piso, como
aliviados.
Decidieron dedicar aquel
día a descansar y a pasear;
no solo se merecían esa
pausa en el trabajo, sino que
la necesitaban con urgencia.
De modo que se sentaron a
la mesa y escribieron tres
136
Stokes
precisely what I say,’ replied
Herr Samsa, and, escorted
by the two women, marched
in a straight line towards the
lodger. The latter stood still
at first and looked at the floor,
as if the thoughts in his head
were being rearranged.
‘We’ll be going, then,’ he
concluded, and looked up
at Herr Sa msa as though, in
a sudden onset of humility,
he were seeking fresh
a p p ro v a l f o r e v e n t h i s
decision. Herr Samsa merely
gave him several brief nods
and glared at him.
Whereupon the gentleman
did indeed stride
immediately into the hallway;
his two friends, who for some
time had been listening
intently and had stopped
rubbing their hands, now
practically skipped after him,
as if afraid that Herr Samsa
might reach the hall before
them and cut them off from
their leader. In the hall all
three of them took their hats
from the coat rack, pulled
their canes from the umbrella
stand, bowed silently and left
t h e a p a r t m e n t . Wi t h a
mistrust that proved totally
unfounded, Herr Samsa
stepped out onto the landing
with the two women; [61]
leaning against the banister,
they watched the three
gentlemen slowly but steadily
descend the long flight of
stairs, disappear on each
landing at the same bend of
the stairwell, then reemerge
a few moments later; the
further down they got, the
more the Samsa family’s interest
in them dwindled, and when a
butcher’s boy, proudly bearing
his basket on his head, passed
them coming up and then
climbed high above them, Herr
Samsa and the women soon
left the landing, and they all
went back, as if relieved,
into their apartment.
They decided to spend the
day resting and going for a
walk; not only had they earned
this break from work, they
positively needed it. And so
they sat down at the table and
wrote three letters of apology
Vialatte
et il marcha sur le locataire
avec ses deux femmes, en
observant l’alignement. Le
locataire resta d’abord
tranquillement à sa place, les
yeux rivés sur le sol comme
pour procéder à un nouvel
agencement de ses pensées.
«Eh bien, donc, nous nous en
allons», dit-il enfin en levant
les yeux sur M. Samsa comme
pour quêter, dans un brusque
accès d’humilité,
l’approbation de cette décision
que l’autre lui imposait. M. Samsa
se contenta de hocher la tête à
plusieurs reprises en [86] lui
roulant de gros yeux. Là-dessus
le monsieur sortit à grands pas et
gagna rapidement l’antichambre;
ses deux amis qui, depuis un
moment déjà, écoutaient avec des
mains plus calmes,
l’accompagnèrent dans sa retraite
en bondissant littéralement
derrière lui comme s’ils
craignaient que M. Samsa pût
arriver avant eux et gêner leur
liaison avec leur chef. Parvenus
dans le vestibule ils prirent leurs
chapeaux aux patères, sortirent
leurs cannes du porte-parapluie,
s’inclinèrent en silence et quit-
tèrent l’appartement. Pris d’une
méfiance totalement injustifiée,
comme on put s’en apercevoir par
la suite, M. Samsa sortit aussitôt
sur le palier avec ses deux
femmes, et se pencha sur la rampe
pour voir partir les trois messieurs
qui, descendant l’interminable
escalier d’une allure lente mais
soutenue, disparaissaient une fois
par étage à hauteur d’un certain
tournant et reparaissaient au
bout de, quelques secondes; à
mesure qu’ils s’enfonçaient
davantage dans la vrille, l’intérêt
de la famille Samsa baissait de
plus en plus, et lorsqu’ils furent
enfin rejoints, puis dépassés, par
un garçon boucher qui gravissait
fièrement les étages» avec son
panier sur la tête, M. Samsa ne
tarda pas à quitter la rampe avec
ses femmes et ils rentrèrent tous
trois d’un air soulagé.
Ils décidèrent immédiatement
de consacrer cette journée
au repos et à la promenade;
ils avaient bien mérité ce
répit, ils en avaient surtout
un besoin indispensable. Ils
s’assirent donc à la table
Cl. David
exactement comme je viens de
vous le dire », répondit M. Samsa
et, les deux femmes et lui sur un
rang, il avança dans la direction du
locataire. Celui-ci resta d’abord
immobile, les yeux rivés sur le sol,
comme si les choses prenaient dans
sa tête une tournure nouvelle :
« Eh bien, soit! nous partons »,
dit-il enfin, en levant les yeux
vers M. Samsa, comme si, pris
d’un accès d’humilité, il
attendait pour cette décision
une nouvelle approbation. M.
Samsa se contenta de hocher la
tête à plusieurs reprises en
roulant de gros yeux. Sur quoi,
le monsieur s’engagea en effet
à grands pas dans le vestibule;
ses deux amis, qui s’étaient
contentés depuis un bon
moment d’écouter sans même
bouger les mains, bondirent
maintenant littéralement
derrière lui, comme s’ils
craignaient que M. Samsa ne
les devance dans le vestibule,
en coupant leur communication
avec leur guide. Arrivés dans le
vestibule, ils prirent tous trois
leurs chapeaux au
portemanteau, leurs cannes au
porte-cannes, s’inclinèrent
sans mot dire et quittèrent
l’appartement. Pris d’une
méfiance qui devait s’avérer
tout à fait immotivée, M.
Samsa et les deux femmes
s’avancèrent jusqu’au palier;
appuyés sur la rampe, ils
regardèrent les trois messieurs
descendre lentement mais sans
s’arrêter; à chaque étage, ils
disparaissaient à un certain
tournant de la cage d’escalier
pour reparaître quelques
instants après; à mesure qu’ils
s’enfonçaient, l’intérêt que
leur portait la famille Samsa
diminuait peu à peu et
lorsqu’ils furent croisés par un
garçon boucher qui montait
fièrement l’escalier, son panier
sur la tête, M. Samsa et ses
femmes quittèrent la rampe,
l’air soulagé, et rentrèrent chez
eux.
Ils décidèrent de
consacrer la journée au
repos et à la promenade; ils
avaient bien mérité ce
congé, ils en avaient même
absolument besoin. Ils
s’assirent donc à la table et
Freed
said,” answered Herr
Samsa, making a beeline for
the boarders with his two
c o m p a n i o n s i n t o w. T h e
middle boarder quietly
stood his ground at f irst,
eyeing the floor as if
reordering things in his head.
“Wel l t h e n , w e ’ l l b e
going,” he said, and
looked up at Herr Samsa
as though in a sudden fit
of humility he were
seeking fresh approval for
this decision. Herr Samsa
just nodded briefly
several times with his eyes
bulging. Thereupon the
gentleman immediately
strode into the foyer; his
two friends had been
standing at attention for a
while and now positively
chased after him,
seemingly fearful that
Herr Samsa might reach
the foyer before them and
cut them off from their
l e a d e r. I n t h e f o y e r, a l l
three took their hats from
the coatrack, their canes
from the umbrella stand,
silently bowed, and then
left the apartment. In what
proved to be unfounded
mistrust, Herr Samsa and
the two women stepped
out onto the landing and,
leaning on the banisters,
they watched the
gentlemen slowly but
surely descend the long
staircase, disappearing on
each floor at a certain turn
and then reappearing a
moment later; as they
dwindled down, the
family’s interest in them
waned, and when a
b u t c h e r ’s b o y c o c k i l y
carrying a tray on his head
swung past them and on up
the stairs, Herr Samsa and
the women quit the
banister and, as if
relieved, returned to the
apartment.
They decided to spend
the day resting and going
for a walk; they not only
deserved this respite from
work, they desperately
needed it. So they sat down
at the table to write three
137
Alianza
exactamente lo que digo -contes-
tó el señor Samsa,~ avanzando
con sus dos acompañantes en una
sola línea hacia el huésped.
Este permaneció un punto
callado y tranquilo, con la mira-
da fija en el suelo, cual si sus pen-
samientos se fuesen organizan-
do en una nueva disposición den-
tro de su magín.
—En ese caso, nos vamos -dijo,
por fin, mirando al señor Samsa, como
si una fuerza repentina le impulsase a
pedirle autorización incluso para esto.
[106] El señor Samsa contentóse
con abrir mucho los ojos e incli-
nar repetidas veces, breve y afir-
mativamente, la cabeza. Tras de
esto, el huésped encaminóse con
grandes pasos al recibimiento.
Hacía ya un ratito que sus dos
compañeros escuchaban, sin fro-
tarse las manos, y ahora salieron
pisándole los talones y dando
brincos, como si temiesen que el
señor Samsa llegase antes que
ellos al recibimiento y se inter-
pusiese entre ellos y su guía. Una
vez en el recibimiento, los tres
cogieron sus respectivos sombre-
ros del perchero, sacaron sus res-
pectivos bastones del paragüero,
se inclinaron en silencio y
abandonaron la casa. Con una
desconfianza que nada justifica-
ba, cual hubo de demostrarse
luego, el señor Samsa y las dos
mujeres salieron al rellano y, de
bruces sobre la barandilla, mi-
raron cómo aquellos tres seño-
res, lenta, pero ininterrumpida-
mente, descendían la larga es-
calera, desapareciendo al llegar
a la vuelta que daba ésta en cada
piso, y reapareciendo unos se-
gundos después.
A medida que iban bajando, de-
crecía el interés que hacia ellos sen-
tía la familia Samsa, y al cruzarse
con ellos primero, y seguir subien-
do después, el repartidor de una
[107] carnicería, que sostenía
orgullosamente su cesto en la cabe-
za, el señor Samsa y las mujeres
abandonaron la barandilla y; alivia-
dos de un verdadero peso, entráronse
de nuevo en la casa.
Decidieron dedicar aquel
día al descanso y a pasear:
no solo tenían bien ganada
esta tregua en su trabajo,
sino que les era hasta indis-
pensable. Sentáronse, pues,
a la mesa, y escribieron tres
Willie
Samsa, and, with his two
companions, went in a
straight line towards the
man. At first, he stood there
still, looking at the ground as
if the contents of his head
were rearranging themselves
into new positions.
“ A l right, we’ll go then”, he
s a i d , a n d l o o k e d u p a t M r.
Samsa as if he had been
suddenly overcome with
humility and wanted permission
again from Mr. Samsa for his
decision. Mr. Samsa merely
opened his eyes wide and
briefly nodded to him several
times. At that, and without
delay, the man actually did take
long strides into the front
hallway; his two friends had
stopped rubbing their hands
some time before and had been
listening to what was being
said. Now they jumped off after
their friend as if taken with a
sudden fear that Mr. Samsa
might go into the hallway in
front of them and break the
connection with their leader.
Once there, all three took their
hats from the stand, took their
sticks from the holder, bowed
without a word and left the
premises. Mr. Samsa and the
two women followed them out
onto the landing; but they had
had no reason to mistrust the
men’ intentions and as they
leaned over the landing they
saw how the three gentlemen
made slow but steady progress
down the many steps. As they
turned the corner on each floor
they disappeared and would
reappear a few moments later;
the further down they went, the
more that the Samsa family lost
interest in them; when a
butcher’s boy, proud of posture
with his tray on his head,
passed them on his way up and
came nearer than they were, Mr.
Samsa and the women came
away from the landing and
went, as if relieved, back into
the flat.
They decided the best way
to make use of that day was
for relaxation and to go for a
walk; not only had they earned
a break from work but they
were in serious need of it. So
they sat at the table and wrote
 Neugroschel
three letters of explanation:
Mr. Samsa to his superiors,
Mrs. Samsa to her
customer, and Grete to her
e m p l o y e r. A s t h e y w e r e
writing, the charwoman
came in to tell them she was
leaving, for her morning’s
work was done. The three
letter writers at first
merely nodded without
glancing up; it was only
when she kept hovering
that they looked up in
annoyance. “Well? ” a s k e d
M r. Samsa. The
charwoman stood
beaming in the doorway
as if she were about to
announce some great
w i n d f a l l f o r t h e f a m i l y,
but would do so only if
they dragged it out of
h e r. O n h e r h a t , t h e
small, almost erect
ostrich plume, which had
a n n o y e d M r. S a m s a
throughout her service
here, swayed lightly in
a l l directions. “What can
we do for you?” asked Mrs.
Samsa, whom the
charwoman respected the
most. [186]
“Well,” the charwoman
replied with such frien d l y
chuckling that she had to
b r e a k o ff , “ l i s t e n , y o u
don’t have to worry about
getting rid o f t h a t s t u f f
i n t h e n e x t r o om . I t ’ s
a l l b e e n t a k e n c a r e o f.”
M r s . Samsa and Grete
huddled over their letters
as if to keep writing; Mr.
Samsa, aware that the
charwoman was on the
verge of launching into a
blow-by-blow description,
resolutely stretched out his
arm to ward her off. Not
being allowed to tell her
s t o r y, she suddenly
remembered that she was in
an awful hurry, and clearly
offended, she called out:
“So long, everybody.” She
then vehemently whirled
around and charged out of the
apartment with a horrible slam
of the door.
“She’ll be dismissed
tonight,” said Mr. Samsa,
receiving no answer from
del Solar
cartas pidiendo disculpas: el
señor Samsa a la dirección,
la [98] señora Samsa a quien
le hacía los encargos, y Gre-
te al propietario de la tienda.
Mientras escribían entró la
asistenta a decir que ya se
iba porque había concluido
su trabajo de la mañan a . L o s
t r e s s i g u i e ro n e s c r i b i e n d o
y se limitaron a asentir
con la cabeza, sin
levantar la mirada; pero
como la mujer no acababa
de irse, la miraron
irritados. «¿Qué hay?»,
preguntó el señor Samsa.
La asistenta estaba de pie
junto a la puerta,
sonriente, como si tu-
viera que participar una
grata noticia a la familia,
pero dando a entender a
la vez que lo haría solo si
la interrogaban a fondo.
La pequeña pluma de
avestruz que se erguía
casi recta sobre su
sombrero y había irritado
s i e m p r e a l señor Samsa
d esde que contratara sus
servicios oscilaba
ligeramente en todas
direccione s. «Bueno , ¿qué es
lo que desea?», preguntó la señora
Samsa, que era la que más respeto
inspiraba a la asistenta. «Pues»,
respondió esta sin poder seguir
hablando de tanto reír afablemente,
«no se preocupen de cómo
desembarazarse de la cosa esa de al
lado. Ya está todo arreglado».
L a s e ñora Samsa y Grete se
inclinaron otra vez sobre
sus cartas como para seguir
escribiendo; el señor
Samsa, que advirtió que la
asistenta se disponía a
describirlo todo con lujo
de detalles, la hizo callar
extendiendo la mano con
gesto decidido. Como no le
permitieron contar nada, la
mujer recordó las grandes
prisas que tenía, exclamó
visiblemente ofendida
«¡Adiós a todos!», se
volvió br u s c a m e n t e
y salió del piso
dando un terrible
portazo.
[99] «Esta tarde quedará
despedida», dijo el señor
Samsa, pero no obtuvo
138
Stokes
- Herr Samsa to his superiors
at the bank, Frau Samsa to her
employers, and Grete to the
proprietor of the shop where
she worked. While they were
writing, the cleaning woman
came in to say that she was
going because she had finished
her morning’s work. The three
letter-write r s merely
nodded at first without
looking up, but when the
cleaning woman still gave
no sign of leaving, they
looked up in annoyance.
‘What is it then?’ asked
Herr Samsa. The cleaning
woman stood smiling in the
doorway, as though she had
some great good news for
the family which, however,
she would only disclose if
thoro u g h l y q u i z z e d . T h e
almost vertical little
ostrich feather in her hat,
which had irritated Herr
Samsa all the time she had
been working for them,
swayed gently in all
directions. ‘Well, what is it
you want?’ asked Frau
Samsa, for whom the
cleaning lady still had the
m o s t r e s p e c t . ‘ I t ’s l i k e
this,’ answered the cleaning
woman and couldn’t
continue immediately for
so much good-natured
laughter, ‘I mean you
mustn’t worry about how to
clear out that thing in there.
It’s already taken care of.’
Frau Samsa and Grete bent
over their letters, as if to
continue writing; Herr
Samsa, perceiving that [62]
the cleaning woman now
wished to describe
everything in detail,
checked her firmly with an
upheld hand. But since she
was not permitted to tell
her s t o r y, she
remembered she was in a
g r e a t h u r r y, c a l l e d o u t ,
obviously insulted:
‘Good riddance to all of
you,’ turned furiously o n
her heels and left the
apartment with a terrible
slamming of doors.
‘She’ll get her notice
this evening,’ said Herr
Samsa, but he received no
Vialatte
[87] pour écrire trois lettres
d’excuse, M. Samsa à son
directeur, Mme Samsa à son
patron et Grete à son chef de
rayon. La femme de peine
entra au cours de la séance
pour déclarer que son
travail était fini et qu’elle
s’en allait. Les trois
épistoliers se contentèrent
d’abord de hocher la tête sans
lever les yeux; mais comme la
vieille ne se décidait pas à
partir, ils finirent par lâcher
leurs plumes pour lui lancer
un regard de mauvaise
humeur. «Eh bien? demanda
M. Samsa. La femme de peine
était plantée sur la porte,
souriante, comme si elle avait
un grand bonheur à leur
annoncer mais qu’elle ne vou-
lût parler qu’après s’être fait
prier longtemps. La petite
plume d’autruche qui ornait
presque verticalement son
chapeau et qui avait toujours
agacé M. Samsa depuis que la
femme était à son service,
oscillait légè r e m e n t d a n s
t o u t e s les directions. «Eh
bien! qu’y a-t-il donc?» demanda
Mme Samsa à qui la vieille avait
toujours témoigné plus de respect
qu’aux autres. «Ah! voilà!...»,
répondit-elle, secoué d’un rire
d’amitié qui l’empêcha de pour-
suivre immédiatement son
explication : «Eh bien, il ne faut
pas vous tracasser pour emporter
le machin d’à côté. C’est déjà
réglé.» Mme Samsa et Grete
se penchèrent de nouveau
sur leurs lettres comme pour
continuer à écrire; M.
Samsa, remarquant que la
femme allait commencer à se
jeter dans une explication
détaillée, fit signe de sa main
tendue pour couper court
énergiquement à tout récit.
Alors, ne pouvant raconter,
elle se rappela [88]
brusquement qu’elle était
très pressée, lança
un«Adieu, tout l e m o n d e »
vexé, exécuta un
d e m i t o u r en coup de vent
et disparut en faisant
claquer sauvagement les
portes.
«Ce s o i r, on la
congédie » , d é c l a r a M .
Samsa; il n’éveilla
Cl. David
rédigèrent trois lettres
d’excuse, M. Samsa à sa
direction, Mme Samsa à son
employeur et Grete à son
chef de rayon. La femme de
peine entra pendant qu’ils
étaient en train d’écrire,
pour déclarer que son travail
du matin était terminé et
q u ’ e l l e a l l a i t p a r t i r. L e s
trois se contentèrent
d’abord de hocher la tête
sans lever les yeux. Mais,
comme elle ne partait
toujours pas, ils finirent,
non sans irritation, par la
r e g a r d e r. « E h b i e n ? » ,
demanda M. Samsa. La
femme de peine restait dans
la porte à sourire, comme si
elle avait quelque chose de
très agréable à leur dire,
mais qu’elle attendait, pour
le faire, d’avoir été dûment
interrogée. La petite plume
d’autruche, dressée presque
verticalement sur son
chapeau et qui avait toujours
a g a c é M . S a m s a d e p uis que la
femme était à leu r s e r v i c e ,
s’agitait en tous sens. «Alors,
que voulez-vous donc?»,
demanda Mme Samsa, à qui la
femme de peine avait toujours
témoigné plus de respect qu’aux
autres. « C’est que », répondit-
elle, en riant de si bonne humeur
qu’elle n’était pas en mesure de
continuer sa phrase, « c’est que
vous n’avez pas besoin de vous
faire du souci pour la chose d’à
côté. C’est déjà réglé.» Mme
Samsa et Grete se
replongèrent dans leurs
lettres, comme si elles
voulaient continuer à écrire;
M. Samsa, en voyant que la
femme de peine s’apprêtait à
tout décrire en détail, lui fit
un signe de la main pour
l’inviter à s’en abstenir.
Empêchée de raconter son
histoire, elle se rappela.
tout à coup qu’elle était
pressée, s’écria « Adieu,
t o u t l e m o n de », d’un air
manifestement v e x é, fit
brutalement demi-tour et
quitta l’appartement en
faisant claquer les portes avec
un bruit effroyable.
« C e s o i r, o n l a m e t à l a
porte », dit M. Samsa, sans
obtenir de réponse ni de sa
Freed
letters of excuse,” Herr
Samsa to the bank director,
Frau Samsa to her client,
and Grete to the
s h o p k e e p e r. W h i l e t h e y
were writing, the
charwoman came in to
announce that she was off,
as her morning chores were
d o n e . T h e three sc r i b e s
merely nodded at first
without looking up, but
when the charwoman
kept hovering they eyed
h e r i r r i t a b l y. “ We l l ? ”
asked Herr Samsa. The
charwoman stood
grinning in the doorway
as if about to report
some great news for the
family but would only
do so after being
properly questioned.
The little ostrich feather
sitting almost erect on
t o p o f h e r h a t, which had
annoyed Herr Samsa
throughout the [51] whole
o f h e r e m p l o y, f l u t t e r e d
ab o u t i n a l l d i r e c t i o n s .
“Well, what is it then?” queried
Frau Samsa, for whom the
charwoman had the most
respect. “Well,” answered
the charwoman, interrupting
herself with good-natured
ch u c k l i n g , “ w e l l , y o u
don’t have to worry
about getting rid of
the thing next door.
I t ’s already b een
taken care of.” Fran
Samsa and Grete bowed
their heads to the letters
as if to resume writing;
Herr Samsa, who realized
that she was eager to
begin describing the
details, cut her short
with a definitive gesture
of his hand. But since
she could not tell her
s t o r y, s h e r e m e m b e r e d
that she was in a great
h u r r y, a n d , o b v i o u s l y
insulted, she called out:
“So long, everyone,”
t h e n furiously whirled
around and slammed out of
the apartment with a terrific
bang of the door.
“She’ll be dismissed
tonight,” said Herr
Samsa, receiving no
139
Alianza
cartas disculpándose: el se-
ñor Samsa, a su jefe; la se-
ñora Samsa, al dueño de la
tienda, y Grete, a su prin-
cipal. Cuando estaban ocu-
pados en estos menesteres,
entró la asistenta a decir que
se iba, pues ya había termi-
nado su trabajo de la mañana.
Los tres siguieron escribiendo,
sin prestarle atención,
contentáronse con hacer un sig-
no afirmativo con la cabeza.
Pero, al ver que ella no acaba-
ba de marcharse, alzaron los
ojos, con enfado.
—¿Qué pasa? -preguntó el
señor Samsa.
La asistenta permanecía
sonriente en el umbral, cual si
tuviese que comunicar a la fa-
milia una felicísima nueva, pero
indicando con su actitud que
solo lo haría después de haber
sido convenientemente interro-
gada. La plumita plantada de-
recha en su sombrero, y que ya
molestaba al señor Samsa [108]
desde el momento en que ha-
bía entrado aquella mujer a su
servicio, bamboleábase en to-
das las direcciones.
—Bueno, vamos a ver, ¿qué
desea usted? -preguntó la señora
Samsa, que era la persona a quien
más respetaba la asistenta.
—Pues -contestó ésta, y la risa
no le dejaba seguir-, pues que no
tienen ustedes ya que preocupar-
se respecto a cómo van a quitarse
de en medio el trasto ése de ahí al
lado. Ya está todo arreglado.
La señora Samsa y
Grete inclináronse otra
vez sobre sus cartas, como
para seguir escribiendo, y
el señor Samsa, advirtien-
do que la sirvienta se dis-
ponía a contarlo todo mi-
nuciosamente, la detuvo,
extendiendo con energía la
mano hacia ella.
La asistenta, al ver que
no le permitían contar lo
que traía preparado; recor-
dó que tenía mucha prisa.
— ¡Queden con Dios!
-dijo, visiblemente ofendida.
Dio media vuelta con gran
irritación, y abandonó la casa
dando un portazo terrible.
—Esta noche la despido
-dijo el señor Samsa.
Pero no recibió respuesta, ni
Willie
three letters of excusal, Mr.
Samsa to his employers, Mrs.
Samsa to her contractor and
Grete to her principal. The
c l e a n e r c a m e i n w h i l e they
were writing to tell them s he
was going, she’d finished
her work for that morn i n g .
T h e t h re e o f t h e m a t f i r s t
just nodded without
looking up from what they
were writing, and it was
only when the cleaner still
did not seem to want to
leave that they looked up
i n i r r i t a t i o n . “ We l l ? ” ,
a s k e d M r. S a m s a . T h e
charwoman stood in the
doorway with a smile on
her face as if she had some
tremendous good news to
report, but would only do
it if she was clearly asked
to. The almost vertical
little ostrich feather on her
hat, which had been source
o f i r r i t a t i o n t o M r. S a m s a
all the time she had been
working for them, swayed
gently in all directions.
“What is it you want then?”,
asked Mrs. Samsa, whom the
cleaner had the most respect
f o r. “ Ye s ” , s h e a n s w e r e d ,
and broke into a friendly
laugh that made her unable to
s p e a k s t r a i g h t a w a y, “ w e l l
then, that thing in there, you
needn’t worry about how
you’re going to get rid of it.
That’s all been sor ted out.”
Mrs. Samsa and Grete bent
down over their letters as if
intent on continuing with
what they were writing; Mr.
Samsa saw that the cleaner
wanted to start describing
everything in detail but,
with outstretched hand, he
made it quite clear that she
was not to. So, as she was
prevented from telling them
all about it, she suddenly
remembered what a hurry
she was in and, clearly
peeved, c a l l e d o u t “ C h e e r i o
then, everyone”, turned
round sharply and left,
slamming the door terribly
as she went.
“Tonight she gets sacked”,
s a i d M r. S a m s a , b u t h e
received no reply from either
his wife or his daughter as
 Neugroschel
h i s w i f e o r h i s d a u g h t e r,
for the charwoman had
r u ff l e d t h e p e a c e a n d
q u ie t th a t th e y h a d b a re ly
g a i n e d . St a n d i n g u p , t h e
two women went over to
the window and remained
there, clasped in each
o t h e r ’s a r m s . M r. S a m s a
looked back from his
chair and silently watched
them for a while. Then he
exclaimed: “Come on, get
o v e r h e r e . F o rg e t a b o u t
the past once and for all.
And show me a little
consideration.” The
women, promptly obeying
him, hurried o v e r,
caressed him, and swiftly
finished their letters.
Then all three of them
left the apartment together,
which they had not done in
months, and took the trolley
out to the countryside
beyond the town. The
streetcar, where they were
the only passengers, was
flooded with warm
sunshine. Leaning back
comfortably in their seats,
they discussed their future
prospects and concluded
that, upon closer perusal,
these [187] were anything
but bad; for while they had
never actually asked one
another for any details, their
jobs were all exceedingly
advantageous and also
promising. Naturally, the
greatest immediate
improvement in their
situation could easily be
brought about by their
moving; they hoped to
rent a smaller and
cheaper apartment, but
with a better location
and altogether more
practical than their
current place, which had
b e e n f o u n d b y G r e g o r.
As they were conversing,
b o t h M r. a n d M r s .
Samsa, upon seeing the
daughter becoming more
and more vivacious,
realized almost in unison
t h a t l a t e l y, d e s p i t e a l l
the sorrows that had left
her cheeks pale, she had
blossomed into a lovely
del Solar
respuesta alguna de su mu-
jer ni de su hija, pues la
asistenta parecía haber
vuelto a perturbar su recién
recobrada tranquilidad. Las
dos se levantaron, se
dirigieron a la ventana y
permanecieron allí de pie,
abrazadas. El señor Samsa se
volvió en su silla hacia ellas,
observándolas en silencio un
breve rato. Luego exclamó:
« Va m o s , v e n i d a q u í .
Olvidad de una vez para
siempre las viejas historias.
Y pensad un poco más en
mí». Al momento lo
obedecieron las mujeres,
corrieron hacia él, lo
acariciaron y terminaron a
toda prisa sus cartas.
Luego salieron los tres
juntos del piso, cosa que
llevaban varios meses sin
h a c e r, y s e d i r i g i e r o n e n
tranvía a las afueras de la
ciudad. Todo el vagón, en el
que iban solos, estaba
inundado por un cálido sol.
Reclinados cómodamente en
sus asientos, hablaron de las
perspectivas futuras y
llegaron a la conclusión de
que, bien mirado, estas no
se presentaban nada mal,
pues sus tres puestos de
trabajo -y esto era algo
acerca de lo cual no se
habían interrogado aún el
uno al otro- eran sumamente
v e n t a j o s o s y, s o b r e t o d o ,
muy prometedores para más
adelante. De m o m e n t o , l a
principal mejoría de su
situación debería
producirse, claro está,
cambiando de vivienda;
querían alquilar un piso
más pequeño y barato,
p e r o m e j o r s i t u a d o y, a n t e
todo, más práctico que el
actual, que todavía había
escogido Gregor. Mientras
conversaban así, el señor
y [100] la señora Samsa
repararon casi al mismo
tiempo, al ver a su hija
cada vez más animada, en
que últimamente, y pese a
todas las desgracias que
habían hecho palidecer
sus mejillas, Grete había
florecido hasta
convertirse en una
140
Stokes
answer from either his
wife or his daughter, for
the cleaning woman
seemed to have shattered
once more their barely
regained peace of mind.
They got up, went over to
the window and stayed
there, clasping each other
tightly. Herr Samsa turned
his chair round to face
them, and watched them in
silence for a while. Then
he called out, ‘Come over
here, stop brooding over
the past. And have a little
consideration for me.’ The
women obeyed him at
once, hurried over to him,
caressed him and quickly
finished their letters.
Then all three of them
left the apartment together,
something they had not
done for months, and took
the tram into the country
just outside the town. The
carriage, in which they
were the only passengers,
was brightly lit by the warm
sun. Leaning back
comfortably in their seats,
they discussed their
prospects for the future,
which on closer
examination appeared to be
far from bad, for all three
of them had jobs which,
though they had never
really discussed it, were
entirely satisfactory and
boded very well for the
future. The greatest
immediate improvement in
their situation could of
course be expected from a
simple change of
accommodation; they
would now take a smaller
and cheaper apartment, but
better situated and in every
way simpler to manage than
their present one, which
Gregor had found. While
they were talking in this
way, Herr and Frau Samsa
realised at almost the same
moment, as they watched
their daughter becoming
increasingly animated, [63]
that recently, despite all the
troubles that had turned her
cheeks pale, she had
blossomed into a beautiful
Vialatte
d’ailleurs aucun écho
ni chez sa femme ni
c h e z Grete; la vieille
n’avait pu réussir à troubler
leur paix trop fraîchement
reconquise. Elles se
levèrent, allèrent à la
fenêtre et restèrent
enla c é e s ; M . S a m s a , s e
tournant vers elles
d a n s s o n f a u te u i l , l e s
observa un instant en
silence puis il cria :
«Allons, venez. Ne ruminez donc
plus comme ça les vieilles
histoires; vous pouvez bien penser
un peu à moi.» Ses femmes lui
obéirent aussitôt, elles se
précipitèrent sur lui, le couvrirent
de caresses et se dépêchèrent de
finir leurs lettres.
Ensuite, ils quittèrent en
choeur l’appartement, ce qui ne
leur était plus arrivé depuis des
mois, et ils allèrent prendre le
tramway pour filer à la
campagne. Dans la voiture il
n’y avait pas d’autres
voyageurs; elle était tout
ensoleillée, il y régnait une
douce chaleur.
Confortablement appuyés à
leurs dossiers, ils discutèrent
leurs chances d’avenir; il se
trouva qu’à y regarder de près
ces chances n’étaient pas, mon
Dieu, tellement mauvaises, car
- c’était un point sur lequel ils
ne s’étaient jamais encore
expliqués à fond - ils avaient
trouvé tous les trois des
situations vraiment
intéressantes et qui
promettaient surtout beaucoup
pour plus tard. La plus grosse
amélioration de [89] leur
situation actuelle, ils
l’obtiendraient en déménageant
immédiatement; ils loueraient
un appartement moins cher et
plus petit, mais plus pratique et
surtout mieux situé que leur
logement présent qui avait été
choisi par Grégoire. En
regardant parler leur fille qui
s’animait de plus en plus, M. et
Mme Samsa remarquèrent
presque en même temps que
Grete, malgré les crèmes de
beauté qui lui avaient fait les
joues pâles, s’était
considérablement épanouie
dans les derniers mois; c’était
maintenant une belle jeune fille
Cl. David
femme ni de sa fille, car la
domestique semblait avoir
à nouveau détruit leur
tranquillité fraîchement
reconquise. Elles se
levèrent, allèrent à la
fenêtre et restèrent là en se
tenant enlacées. M. Samsa
se tourna sur sa chaise, et
resta un petit moment à les
observer. Puis, il s’écria :
« Ve n e z d o n c p a r i c i !
Laissez une fois pour
toutes les vieilles
histoires. Et tâchez de
penser un peu à moi.» Les
deux femmes lui obéirent
aussitôt, allèrent le
rejoindre, le cajolèrent et
terminèrent rapidement
leurs lettres.
Sur quoi, tous trois
quittèrent ensemble
(appartement, ce qui ne leur
était pas arrivé depuis des
mois; puis, ils prirent le
tramway pour faire une
excursion en banlieue. La
voiture, dont ils étaient les
seuls passagers, était inondée
de soleil. Confortablement
installés sur leurs sièges, ils
discutèrent de leurs
perspectives d’avenir et il
apparut qu’à y bien regarder,
elles n’étaient pas si
mauvaises; car leurs situations
à tous trois - c’était un point
qu’ils n’avaient encore jamais
abordé entre eux - étaient tout
à fait convenables et surtout
très prometteuses pour plus
tard. La meilleure façon
d’améliorer leur sort le
plus tôt possible était
évidemment de déménager;
ils loueraient un
appartement plus petit et
meilleur marché, mais
aussi plus pratique et
mieux situé que leur
logement actuel, qui avait
é t é c h o i s i p a r G r e g o r. E n
parlant ainsi, M. et Mme
Samsa remarquèrent
presque’ simultanément en
regardant leur fille, qui
s’animait de plus en plus,
que celle-ci, malgré tous
les tourments qui avaient
un peu fait pâlir ses joues,
s’était beaucoup épanouie
ces derniers temps et
qu’elle était devenue une
Freed
reply from either his
wife or daughter, for the
charwoman had
dismantled their barely
maintained composure.
They got up, went to the
w i n d o w, a n d s t a y e d
there hugging each
o t h e r. Herr Samsa
turned in his chair and
quietly watched them a
little while. Then he
c a l l e d : “ C o m e n o w,
come over here. Put the
past to rest. And have a
little consideration for
me too.” The women
promptly obeyed him,
caressed him, and
hurriedly finished their
letters.
Then all three left the
apartment together, which
they had not done in
months, and took a trolley
to the countryside on the
outskirts of town. Their
trolley car had no other
passengers and was flooded
with warm sunshine.
Leaning back comfortably
in their seats, they discussed
their prospects for the
future and concluded, on
closer inspection, that these
were not at all bad; for all
three had jobs which,
although they had never
really questioned each other
about this, were entirely
satisfactory and seemed to
be particularly promising.
The greatest immediate
amelioration of their
circumstances
easily come to fruition
with a change of residence:
They wanted to take some
place smaller and less
expensive but better
situated and
ef ficiently designed than
the apartment they had,
which had been Gregor ’s
choice. It occurred almost
simultaneously to both
Herr and Frau Samsa,
while they
conversing and looking at
their increasingly
v i v a c i o u s d a u g h t e r, t h a t
despite the recent sorrows
that had paled her cheeks,
she had blossomed into a
Alianza
de su mujer ni de su hija, pues
la asistenta parecía haber [109]
vuelto a turbar aquella tranqui-
lidad que acababan apenas de
recobrar.
La madre y la hija se levan-
taron y se dirigieron hacia la
ventana, ante la cual permane-
cieron abrazadas. El señor
Samsa hizo girar su butaca en
aquella dirección, y estuvo ob-
servándolas un momento tran-
quilamente. Luego:
—Bueno -dijo-, venid ya.
Olvidad ya de una vez las cosas
pasadas. Tened también un poco
de consideración conmigo.
Las dos mujeres le obedecie-
ron al punto, corrieron hacia él,
le acariciaron y terminaron de
escribir.
Luego, salieron los tres
juntos, cosa que no había ocu-
rrido desde hacía meses, y to-
maron el tranvía para ir a res-
pirar el aire libre de las afue-
ras. El tranvía, en el cual eran
los únicos viajeros; hallábase
inundado de la luz cálida del
sol. Cómodamente recostados
en sus asientos, fueron cam-
biando impresiones acerca del
porvenir, y vieron que, bien
pensadas las cosas, éste no se
presentaba con tonos oscuros,
pues sus tres colocaciones
-sobre las cuales no se habían
todavía interrogado claramen-
te unos a otros- eran muy bue-
nas, y, sobre todo, permitían
abrigar para más adelante
grandes esperanzas. [101] Lo
que de mo m e n t o m á s h a -
bría de mejorar la situa-
would ción sería mudar de
casa. Deseaban una
casa más pequeña y
más barata, y, sobre
todo, mejor situada y-
más práctica que la ac-
more tual, que había sido es-
cogida por Gregorio. Y
mientras así departían,
percatáronse casi si-
multáneamente el señor
y la señora Samsa de
que su hija, que pese a
were todos los cuidados per-
diera el color en los úl-
timos tiempos, habíase
desarrollado y conver-
tido en una linda mu-
chacha llena de vida.
Sin cruzar ya palabra,
141
Willie
the charwoman seemed to
have destroyed the peace
they had only just gained.
They got up and went over to
the window where they
remained with their arms
around each other. Mr. Samsa
twisted round in his chair to
look at them and sat there
watching for a while. Then
he called out: “Come here,
then. Let’s forget about all
t h a t o l d s t u ff , s h a l l w e .
Come and give me a bit of
attention”. The two women
immediately did as he said,
hurrying over to him where
they kissed him and hugged
him and then they quickly
finished their letters.
After that, the three of
t h e m l e f t t h e f l a t t o g e t h e r,
which was something they
had not done for months,
and took the tram out to
the open country outside
the town. They had the
tram, filled with warm
sunshine, all to
themselves. Leant back
comfortably on their seats,
they discussed their
prospects and found that
on closer examination they
were not at all bad - until
then they had never asked
each other about their
work but all three had jobs
which were very good and
held particularly good
p r o m i s e f o r t h e f u t u re . T h e
greatest improvement for
the time being, of course,
would be achieved quite
easily by moving house;
what they needed now was
a flat that was smaller and
cheaper than the current
one which had been chosen
b y G r e g o r, o n e t h a t w a s i n
a better location and, most
of all, more practical. All
the time, Grete was
b e c o m i n g l i v e l i e r. Wi t h a l l
the worry they had been
having of late her cheeks
had become pale, but,
while they were talking,
M r. a n d M r s . S a m s a w e r e
struck, almost
s i m u l t a n e o u s l y, w i t h t h e
thought of how their
daughter was blossoming
into a well built and
 Neugroschel
and shapely girl. Lapsing
into silence and
communicating almost
unconsciously with their
eyes, they reflected that
it was high time they
found a decent husband
f o r h e r. A n d i t w a s l i k e
a confirmation of their
new dreams and good
intentions that at the
end of their ride the
-daughter was the first
to get up, stretching
h e r y o u n g b o d y. [ 1 8 8 ]
del Solar Stokes
muchacha hermosa y llena and voluptuous girl.
de vida. Sin decirse nada Growing quieter and
más y entendiéndose casi communicating almost
inconscientemente con la unconsciously through
mirada, pensaron que ya glances , t h e y r e f l e c t e d
iba siendo hora de that it would soon be
buscarle un buen marido. time to find her a good
Y fue para ellos una husband. And it was like
especie de confirmación a confirmation of their
de sus nuevos sueños y new dreams and good
buenas intenciones el intentions when at the
ver cómo, al final del end of the ride their
trayecto, la hija se daughter stood up first
levantó primero y estiró and stretched her young
su cuerpo joven. b o d y. [ 6 4 ]
142
Vialatte
aux formes pleines. Leur
expansion se calma un peu, ils
échangèrent presque
inconsciemment des regards
qui se comprirent, ils songèrent
tous deux qu’il allait être temps
de lui trouver un brave mari. Et
il leur sembla voir dans le geste
de leur fille une confirmation de
leurs nouveaux rêves, un
encouragement à leurs bonnes
intentions, quand, au terminus
du voyage, la petite se leva la
première pour étirer son jeune
corps.
Cl. David
belle fille plantureuse. Ils
se turent peu à peu et en se
comprenant presque
involontairement par un
échange de regards, ils se
prirent tous deux à penser
qu’il serait bientôt temps de
lui trouver un brave homme
comme mari. Et ils crurent
voir une confirmation de
leurs nouveaux rêves et de
leurs beaux projets, quand,
au terme du voyage, la jeune
fille se leva la première et
étira son jeune corps.
Freed
pretty and voluptuous
young woman. Growing
quieter and almost
unconsciously [52]
communicating through
exchanged glances, they
thought it was time to find
her a good husband. And it
was like a confirmation of
their new dreams and good
intentions that at their
j o u r n e y ’s end their
daughter jumped to her
feet and stretched her
young body.
143
Alianza Willie
entendiéndose casi b e a u t i f u l y o u n g l a d y. T h e y
instintivamente con las b e c a m e q u i e t e r. J u s t f r o m
miradas, dijéronse uno each other ’s glance and
a otro que ya era hora almost without knowing it
de encontrarle un buen they agreed that it would
marido. Y cuando, al soon be time to find a good
llegar al término del m a n f o r h e r. A n d , a s i f i n
viaje, la hija se levan- confirmation of their new
tó la primera y estiró dreams and good
sus formas juveniles, intentions, as soon as they
pareció cual si confir- reached their destination
mase con ello los nue- Grete was the first to get
vos sueños y sanas in- up and stretch out her
tenciones de los pa- y o u n g b o d y.
dres.
END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG
Fin de EBOOK, METAMORPHOSIS
La Metamorfosis