Piccolissima — Page 7
Leaving the sugar to slip down by her side, she remained lost in melancholy reflections from which she was drawn by a light murmur, such as one hears sometimes in the silence of the night when persons are speaking in a low voice in a distant part of the house.
Dejando que el azúcar se deslizara a su lado, permaneció perdida en melancólicas reflexiones de las que fue sacada por un leve murmullo, como el que a veces se escucha en el silencio de la noche cuando las personas hablan en voz baja en una parte lejana de la casa.
Piccolissima listened with deep attention for some time.
Piccolissima escuchó con profunda atención durante algún tiempo.
Usually she disliked the sound of conversation; it struck harshly on her organs, and seemed a sort of mimic thunder; but these sounds had nothing discordant, nothing disagreeable in them, to her ear.
Por lo general, le desagradaba el sonido de la conversación; golpeaba duramente sus órganos y parecía una especie de trueno imitado; pero estos sonidos no tenían nada discordante, nada desagradable para su oído.
As Piccolissima had been forced to observe rather than to act, her faculties took a new direction, and a development of which she was unconscious herself took place, and her joy and her surprise were great when she found that, in what had at first appeared to her a confused murmur, she distinguished, as she listened attentively, intelligible words.
Como Piccolissima se había visto obligada a observar más que a actuar, sus facultades tomaron una nueva dirección, y tuvo lugar un desarrollo del que ella misma no era consciente, y su alegría y su sorpresa fueron grandes cuando descubrió que, en lo que al principio le había parecido un murmullo confuso, distinguía, al escuchar atentamente, palabras inteligibles.
"It was hardly worth while," said a small, sharp voice, "it was hardly worth the trouble it cost me to leave my cradle.
«Casi no valía la pena», dijo una voz pequeña y aguda, «casi no valía la pena el esfuerzo que me costó abandonar mi cuna.
I have come into the world where all is dead around me.
He llegado a un mundo donde todo está muerto a mi alrededor.
Ah! if I had only known that this world was so cold and dull, I should not have made efforts which almost destroyed me, to break the roof and leave my narrow house."
¡Ah! si tan solo hubiera sabido que este mundo era tan frío y aburrido, no habría hecho esfuerzos que casi me destruyeron para romper el techo y abandonar mi estrecha morada.»
"Patience," replied another voice, a little quieter, but much like the other; "I have lived longer than thou, who art only a few seconds old.
«Paciencia», respondió otra voz, un poco más tranquila, pero muy parecida a la anterior; «yo he vivido más que tú, que solo tienes unos pocos segundos de vida.
Vocabulary
- Dejando
- Leaving or allowing something to happen or remain.
- que
- That; which; introducing a clause or comparison.
- el
- The; definite article for masculine singular nouns.
- azúcar
- Sugar; sweet crystalline substance used in food.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun; oneself or itself in various contexts.
- deslizara
- Slide or slip; move smoothly across a surface.
- su
- His, her, its, or your; possessive adjective.
- lado
- Side; lateral part or edge of something.
- permaneció
- Remained or stayed in a particular place or state.
- perdida
- Lost; bewildered or absorbed in thought.
- en
- In; preposition indicating location or time.
- melancólicas
- Melancholic; sad, pensive, or gloomy in mood.
- reflexiones
- Reflections; thoughts or considerations about something.
- de
- Of; preposition indicating possession or origin.
- las
- The; definite article for feminine plural nouns.
- fue
- Was; past tense of ser indicating a state.
- sacada
- Taken out or removed from a place.
- por
- By; through; preposition indicating agency or means.
- un
- A or an; indefinite article for masculine singular.
- leve
- Light, slight, or gentle in degree or intensity.
- murmullo
- Murmur; soft, whispering, or indistinct sound.
- como
- Like or as; comparison or manner conjunction.
- veces
- Times; instances or occasions when something happens.
- escucha
- Listen or hear; perceive sound with attention.
- silencio
- Silence; absence of sound or noise.
- la
- The; definite article for feminine singular nouns.
- noche
- Night; period of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
- cuando
- When; at what time or under what circumstances.
- personas
- People; human beings or individuals in general.
- hablan
- Speak or talk; communicate using words.
- voz
- Voice; sound produced by speaking or singing.
- baja
- Low; not high in pitch, volume, or position.
- una
- A or an; indefinite article for feminine singular.
- parte
- Part; portion or section of something larger.
- lejana
- Distant; far away in space or time.
- casa
- House; building where people live or reside.
- escuchó
- Listened; past tense of escuchar with attention.
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or association.
- profunda
- Deep; extending far down or penetrating thoroughly.
- atención
- Attention; mental focus or concentration on something.
- durante
- During; throughout the course of a period.
- algún
- Some; any or a certain unspecified thing.
- tiempo
- Time; duration or a particular period.
- Por
- By; through; preposition indicating agency or means.
- lo
- It; neuter definite article or pronoun.
- general
- General; usual or commonly occurring circumstances.
- le
- To him, her, or you; indirect object pronoun.
- desagradaba
- Displeased or was disagreeable to someone.
- sonido
- Sound; vibration perceived by hearing or auditory.
- conversación
- Conversation; exchange of words between people.
- golpeaba
- Struck or hit; made forceful contact with.
- duramente
- Harshly; in a severe or forceful manner.
- sus
- His, her, its, or your; possessive adjective plural.
- órganos
- Organs; body parts with specific functions.
- parecía
- Seemed or appeared to be in a state.
- especie
- Species or kind; a type or variety.
- trueno
- Thunder; loud sound following lightning in storm.
- imitado
- Imitated; copied or reproduced something else.
- pero
- But; conjunction showing contrast or exception.
- estos
- These; demonstrative pronoun for nearby things.
- sonidos
- Sounds; auditory sensations or vibrations heard.
- no
- Not; negation or denial particle.
- tenían
- Had; possessed or contained in past tense.
- nada
- Nothing; not anything or absence of things.
- discordante
- Discordant; clashing or disagreeable in sound.
- desagradable
- Unpleasant; disagreeable or offensive to senses.
- para
- For; preposition indicating purpose or direction.
- oído
- Ear; organ of hearing or sense.
- Como
- Like or as; comparison or manner conjunction.
- había
- Had; past tense of haber auxiliary verb.
- visto
- Seen; past participle of ver.
- obligada
- Obliged or compelled to do something.
- observar
- Observe or watch; examine something carefully.
- más
- More; greater in quantity or degree.
- actuar
- Act or perform; take action or behave.
- facultades
- Faculties; mental abilities or powers.
- tomaron
- Took; past tense of tomar in plural.
- nueva
- New; recently made or not existing before.
- dirección
- Direction; course, way, or management.
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