Piccolissima — Page 2
On the mother's side, her lineage was no less distinguished.
Por parte de madre, su linaje no era menos distinguido.
Mignonette Littlepin (this was the family name of Madam Tom Thumb) was the great granddaughter of the wonderful Princess, who once lodged in a spectacle case, out of which she came so splendidly attired that the brilliancy of her little person illuminated all surrounding objects.
Mignonette Littlepin (este era el apellido de familia de Madame Pulgarcita) era la bisnieta de la maravillosa Princesa, que una vez se alojó en un estuche de gafas, del que salió tan espléndidamente ataviada que el resplandor de su diminuta persona iluminaba todos los objetos a su alrededor.
A trustworthy biographer tells us that nothing occurred in the history of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb to disgrace their illustrious parentage, and they were considered none the less good citizens because they were rather smaller than other people.
Un biógrafo de confianza nos cuenta que nada ocurrió en la historia del señor y la señora Pulgarcita que deshonrara su ilustre linaje, y que se les consideraba buenos ciudadanos a pesar de ser algo más pequeños que las demás personas.
In the mean while, however, our humble couple became suddenly celebrated by the birth of our heroine; this small creature was so delicate, so exquisite, so pretty, and so lively and full of spirit, that from the age of two years she became the object of general admiration.
Sin embargo, entre tanto, nuestra humilde pareja se hizo de repente célebre por el nacimiento de nuestra heroína; esta pequeña criatura era tan delicada, tan exquisita, tan bonita, y tan vivaz y llena de espíritu, que desde los dos años se convirtió en objeto de admiración general.
She was not more than one inch in height, and her mother, who had prepared the cradle and baby linen for a child of the usual size, was puzzled to know what to do.
No medía más de una pulgada de altura, y su madre, que había preparado la cuna y la ropa de bebé para un niño de tamaño normal, no sabía qué hacer.
Finally, the half of a cocoanut shell, lined, and furnished with soft cushions of thistle down, made a good bed for the little wonder; and the nursery maid, wife of a neighboring clockmaker, and a person of ingenuity, conceived the admirable idea of suspending the cocoanut cradle from the pendulum of a great clock, in order that the infant might be rocked all the time.
Finalmente, la mitad de una cáscara de coco, forrada y provista de suaves cojines de pelusa de cardo, hizo una buena cama para la pequeña maravilla; y la niñera, esposa de un relojero vecino y persona de gran ingenio, concibió la admirable idea de colgar la cuna de coco del péndulo de un gran reloj, para que la pequeña pudiera ser mecida todo el tiempo.
Madam Tom Thumb was enchanted with the invention.
Madame Pulgarcita quedó encantada con el invento.
Vocabulary
- Por
- Preposition indicating cause, means, or on behalf of
- parte
- Part, portion, or side of something
- de
- Preposition meaning of, from, or about
- madre
- Mother, female parent
- su
- Possessive pronoun meaning his, her, or their
- linaje
- Lineage, ancestry, or noble family line
- no
- Negation word meaning no or not
- era
- Past tense of ser; was or used to be
- menos
- Less or fewer in quantity or degree
- distinguido
- Distinguished, notable, or of high social standing
- este
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning this
- el
- Definite article meaning the (masculine singular)
- apellido
- Surname or family last name
- familia
- Family, a group of related individuals
- la
- Definite article meaning the (feminine singular)
- bisnieta
- Great-granddaughter, female descendant two generations down
- maravillosa
- Marvelous, wonderful, or extraordinary
- Princesa
- Princess, female member of royal family
- que
- Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning that or who
- una
- Indefinite article meaning a or an (feminine)
- vez
- Time or occasion, as in once upon a time
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive verbs
- alojó
- Lodged or stayed temporarily in a place
- en
- Preposition meaning in, on, or at
- un
- Indefinite article meaning a or an (masculine)
- estuche
- Case or small box for storing objects
- gafas
- Eyeglasses or spectacles worn to aid vision
- del
- Contraction of de and el, meaning of the
- salió
- Came out, exited, or emerged from somewhere
- tan
- So or as, used in comparisons of degree
- espléndidamente
- Splendidly, magnificently, in a glorious manner
- ataviada
- Dressed up, adorned, or elegantly attired
- resplandor
- Radiance, glow, or brilliant shining light
- diminuta
- Tiny, very small, or miniature in size
- persona
- Person, individual human being
- iluminaba
- Illuminated or lit up the surrounding area
- todos
- All or every, referring to an entire group
- los
- Definite article meaning the (masculine plural)
- objetos
- Objects, things, or physical items
- a
- Preposition meaning to, at, or toward
- alrededor
- Around, surrounding, or in the vicinity
- Un
- Indefinite article meaning a or an (masculine)
- biógrafo
- Biographer, person who writes someone's life story
- confianza
- Trust, confidence, or reliability in someone
- nos
- Indirect or direct object pronoun meaning us
- cuenta
- Tells or recounts; also means account or bill
- nada
- Nothing, not anything at all
- ocurrió
- Occurred, happened, or took place
- historia
- Story, history, or narrative of events
- señor
- Mister or sir, formal title for a man
- y
- Conjunction meaning and, joining two elements
- señora
- Mrs. or madam, formal title for a woman
- deshonrara
- Dishonored or brought shame upon someone
- ilustre
- Illustrious, renowned, or distinguished in reputation
- les
- Indirect object pronoun meaning to them or them
- consideraba
- Considered or regarded someone in a certain way
- buenos
- Good, virtuous, or of fine quality (plural)
- ciudadanos
- Citizens, members of a community or nation
- pesar
- Despite or in spite of; also means to weigh
- ser
- To be, infinitive of the verb indicating essence
- algo
- Something or somewhat, a small amount
- más
- More, greater in quantity or degree
- pequeños
- Small, little, or tiny in size (plural)
- las
- Definite article meaning the (feminine plural)
- demás
- The rest, the others, or the remaining ones
- personas
- People, persons, or individuals
- Sin
- Without, lacking something or someone
- embargo
- Used in sin embargo, meaning however or nevertheless
- entre
- Between or among multiple things or people
- tanto
- So much, as much, or meanwhile
- nuestra
- Our, possessive adjective (feminine singular)
- humilde
- Humble, modest, or of low social status
- pareja
- Couple, pair, or romantic partner
- hizo
- Made or did, past tense of hacer
- repente
- Used in de repente, meaning suddenly or all at once
- célebre
- Famous, celebrated, or widely known
- por
- Preposition meaning by, for, or because of
- nacimiento
- Birth, the act of being born
- heroína
- Heroine, female protagonist or brave woman
- esta
- Demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning this (feminine)
- pequeña
- Small, little, or tiny (feminine singular)
- criatura
- Creature or small child, a living being
- delicada
- Delicate, fragile, or sensitive in nature
- exquisita
- Exquisite, extremely beautiful or refined
- bonita
- Pretty, attractive, or pleasing in appearance
- vivaz
- Vivacious, lively, or full of energy
- llena
- Full of or filled with something
- espíritu
- Spirit, soul, or inner vitality
- desde
- Since or from a particular time or place
- dos
- Two, the number 2
- años
- Years, units of time equal to twelve months
- convirtió
- Became or turned into something different
- objeto
- Object, thing, or subject of attention
- admiración
- Admiration, feeling of wonder or high regard
- general
- General or widespread, affecting everyone
- No
- No, negation word used to deny or refuse
- medía
- Measured, was a certain size or length
- pulgada
- Inch, unit of measurement equal to 2.54 cm
- altura
- Height, vertical measurement of something or someone
- había
- There was or had, auxiliary past tense form
- preparado
- Prepared or made ready in advance
- cuna
- Cradle or crib for a baby to sleep in
- ropa
- Clothing, garments, or items of dress
- bebé
- Baby, a very young infant
- para
- Preposition meaning for, in order to, or toward
- niño
- Child or boy, a young person
- tamaño
- Size, the dimensions or measurements of something
- normal
- Normal, typical, or standard in nature
- sabía
- Knew or was aware of something (imperfect)
- qué
- What, interrogative or exclamatory pronoun
- hacer
- To do or to make something
- Finalmente
- Finally or ultimately, after a long time
- mitad
- Half, one of two equal parts of something
- cáscara
- Shell, husk, or outer covering of a fruit
- coco
- Coconut, tropical fruit with a hard shell
- forrada
- Lined or covered on the inside with material
- provista
- Provided or supplied with necessary items
- suaves
- Soft, gentle, or smooth to the touch
- cojines
- Cushions or small pillows for comfort
- pelusa
- Fluff, fuzz, or soft downy material
- cardo
- Thistle, a prickly plant with soft down seeds
- buena
- Good, fine, or of excellent quality (feminine)
- cama
- Bed, furniture used for sleeping or resting
- maravilla
- Marvel or wonder, something extraordinarily impressive
- niñera
- Nanny or babysitter who cares for children
- esposa
- Wife, female spouse in a marriage
- relojero
- Watchmaker or clockmaker, person who repairs timepieces
- vecino
- Neighbor, person living nearby
- gran
- Great or grand, of exceptional quality or size
- ingenio
- Ingenuity, cleverness, or creative intelligence
- concibió
- Conceived or thought up an idea or plan
- admirable
- Admirable, worthy of praise or great respect
- idea
- Idea, thought, or concept in someone's mind
- colgar
- To hang or suspend something from above
- péndulo
- Pendulum, swinging weight used in clocks
- reloj
- Clock or watch used to tell the time
- pudiera
- Could or might be able to (subjunctive form)
- mecida
- Rocked or swayed gently back and forth
- todo
- All, every, or the whole of something
- tiempo
- Time or weather, depending on context
- quedó
- Remained, stayed, or ended up in a state
- encantada
- Delighted, enchanted, or very pleased with something
- con
- Preposition meaning with, alongside, or together
- invento
- Invention, a newly created device or idea
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