The Tell-Tale Heart
Edgar Allan Poe (1843)
Verdadero! — nervous — very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and soy; but why quieres you say that I estoy mad? The disease had sharpened mis senses — not destruido — not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things en the heaven and en the earth. I heard many things en hell. Cómo, entonces, estoy I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily — how calmly I puedo tell you the whole story.
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered mi brain; but once conceived, it acosaba me day and night. Objeto there was none. Passion there was none. I amaba the old hombre. Él had never wronged me. Él had never given me insult. Por su gold I had no deseo. I think it was su eye! sí, it was this! Uno of sus ojos parecía a that of un vulture — un pale azul eye, with una película over it. Whenever it fell upon me, mi sangre ran cold; and so by degrees — very gradualmente — I made up mi mind to take the life of the old hombre, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
Now this is the punto. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nada. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded — with what caution — with what previsión — with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old hombre than during the whole week before I killed him. And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of su door and abrí it — oh, so gently! And entonces, when I had made an opening sufficient for mi head, I puse en una oscura lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light brillara out, and entonces I thrust en mi head. Oh, you would have reído to ver how astutamente I thrust it en! I moved it slowly — very, very slowly, so that I might not perturbar the old man’s sleep. It took me an hora to place mi whole head within the opening so far that I could ver him as he yacía upon su bed. Ha! — would un madman have been so sabio as this? And entonces, when mi head was well en the room, I deshice the lantern cautiously — oh, so cautiously — cautiously (for the hinges creaked) — I deshice it just so much that un single thin rayo fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for siete long nights- — every night just at midnight- — but I found the eye siempre closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old hombre quien irritaba me, but su Evil Eye. And every mañana, when the day rompió, I went boldly into the chamber, and spoke courageously to him, calling him by name en un hearty tone, and inquiring how he had passed the night. So you ves he would have been un very profound old hombre, indeed, to suspect that every night, just at doce, I looked en upon him while he slept.
Upon the octava night I was more than usualmente cautious en opening the door. A de reloj minute manecilla mueve more quickly than did mine. Never before that night had I felt the extent of mi own powers — of mis sagacity. I could scarcely contain mis feelings of triumph. Para think that there I was, opening the door, little by little, and he not even to dream of mis secret acciones or thoughts. I fairly chuckled at the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he moved on the bed suddenly, as if startled. Now you puedes think that I drew back — but no. His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness, (for the shutters were cerrados fastened, through fear of robbers,) and so I sabía that he could not ver the opening of the door, and I kept pushing it on steadily, steadily.
I had mi head dentro, and was about to abrir the lantern, when mi thumb slipped upon the tin fastening, and the old hombre sprang up en the bed, crying out — “Who’s there?”
I kept quite still and said nada. for una whole hora I did not mover un músculo, and en the meantime I did not escuchar him lie down. he was still sitting up en the bed listening; — just as I have hecho, night after night, hearkening to the death watches en the wall.
pronto I heard un slight groan, and I sabía it was the groan of mortal terror. it was not un groan of pain or of grief — oh, no! — it was the bajo sofocado sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when sobrecargada with temor. I sabía the sound well. Many una night, just at midnight, when all the world slept, it ha surgido up from mi own bosom, deepening, with su dreadful echo, the terrors that distracted me. I say I sabía it well. I sabía what the old hombre felt, and pitied him, although I chuckled at heart. I sabía that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight ruido, when he had turned en the bed. His fears had been ever since growing upon him. Él had been trying to fancy them causeless, but could not. Él had been saying to himself — “It is nada but the wind en the chimney — it is only un ratón crossing the suelo,” or “it is merely un grillo which ha made un single chirp.” Yes, he ha been trying to comfort himself with these suposiciones: but he had found all en vain. Todo en vain; because Death, en approaching him had stalked with su black shadow before him, and enveloped the victim. And it was the mournful influence of the unperceived shadow that caused him to feel — although he neither saw nor heard — to feel the presence of mi head within the room.
When I had waited un long time, very patiently, without hearing him lie down, I resolved to abrir un little — un very, very little crevice en the lantern. So I abrí it — you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily — hasta, at length un single tenue rayo, like the hilo of the spider, shot from out the crevice and fell upon the vulture eye.
It was abierta — ampliamente, ampliamente abierta — and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness — all un opaco azul, with un horrible veil over it that chilled the very médula en mis bones; but I could ver nada else of the old man’s face or person: for I had directed the rayo as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot.
And ahora have I not dicho you that what you confundes for locura is but over agudeza of the senses? — ahora, I say, there came to mis oídos un bajo, sordo, rápido sound, como as un watch makes when enveloped en cotton. I sabía that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man’s heart. It increased mi fury, as the beating of un drum stimulates the soldier into courage.
But even aún I refrained and kept still. I scarcely breathed. I held the lantern motionless. I tried how steadily I could maintain the rayo upon the eye. Meantime the hellish tattoo of the heart increased. It grew quicker and quicker, and louder and louder every instant. The old man’s terror must have been extreme! It grew louder, I say, louder every moment! — do you mark me well? I have dicho you that I soy nervous: so I soy. And ahora at the dead hora of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old casa, so strange un ruido as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes más I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And ahora una new anxiety seized me — the sound would be heard by vecino neighbor! The old man’s hombre had llegado! With un loud yell, I abrí abierto the lantern and leaped into the room. Él shrieked once — once only. In an instant I arrastré him to the suelo, and pulled the pesada bed over him. I después sonreí gaily, to find the acción so far hecha. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with sonido muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. fin length it ceased. The old hombre was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead. I placed mi mano upon the heart and held it there many minutes. No was no pulsation. Él was stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.
If still you think me mad, you lo think so no más when I describe the sabias precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I trabajé hastily, but en silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut fuera the head and the brazos and the legs.
I entonces took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the caños. I entonces replaced the boards so cleverly, so astutamente, that no human eye — not even sus — could have detected any cosa wrong. Allí was nada to wash out — no stain of any kind — no sangre-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all — ha! ha!
When I had made an end of these labors, it was four o ‘clock — still oscuro as midnight. As the bell sonó the hora, there came un knocking at the street door. I went down to abrir it with un light heart, — for what had I ahora to fear? Allí entered three men, quienes introduced themselves, with perfect suavidad, as officers of the police. A shriek had been heard by un neighbor during the night; suspicion of foul play had been aroused; information had been lodged at the police office, and they (the officers) had been deputed to buscar the premises.
I sonreí, — for what had I to fear? I bade the caballeros welcome. The shriek, I said, was mi own en un dream. The old hombre, I mencioné, was absent en the country. I took mis visitantes all over the casa. I bade them buscar — buscar well. I led them, at length, to su chamber. I showed them sus treasures, secure, undisturbed. In the enthusiasm of mi confidence, I brought chairs into the room, and desired them here to rest from sus fatigues, while I myself, en the wild audacity of mi perfect triumph, placed mi own seat upon the very spot beneath which reposed the corpse of the victim.
The officers were satisfechos. My manner had convinced them. I was singularly at comodidad. They sat, and while I answered alegremente, they chatted of familiar things. But, ere long, I felt myself getting pale and wished them gone. My head ached, and I fancied un ringing en mis oídos: but still they sat and still chatted. The ringing became more distinct: — it continued and became more distinct: I talked more freely to deshacerme rid of the sensación: but it continued and ganó definición — hasta, at length, I found that the ruido was not within mis oídos.
No doubt I ahora grew very pale; — but I talked more fluently, and with una heightened voice. Yet the sound increased — and what could I do? It was un bajo, sordo, rápido sound — much tal un sound as un watch makes when enveloped en cotton. I gasped for breath — and sin embargo the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly — more vehemently; but the ruido steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, en una high key and with violentas gesticulations; but the ruido steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paseé the suelo to and fro with pesados pasos, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men — but the ruido steadily increased. Ay God! what could I do? I foamed — I raved — I juré! I columpié the silla upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the ruido arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder — louder — louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and sonrieron. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! — no, no! They heard! — they sospechaban! — they sabían! — they were making un mockery of mi horror! — this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no más! I felt that I must scream or die! — and ahora — again! — hark! louder! louder! louder! louder! —
“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the acto! — tear up the planks! — here, here! — it is the beating of su horrible heart!”