Piccolissima — Page 8
I have learned that one minute does not resemble another; that cold is near to heat, that light is near to darkness, and that sweet follows bitter.
He aprendido que un minuto no se parece a otro; que el frío está cerca del calor, que la luz está cerca de la oscuridad, y que lo dulce sigue a lo amargo.
It is now two hundred and twenty-one thousand, seven hundred and sixty-one minutes, and twenty-four seconds, since I broke my shell.
Han pasado ya doscientos veintiún mil, setecientos sesenta y un minutos, y veinticuatro segundos, desde que rompí mi caparazón.
This sun, which you now see so pale in the dusk, glowed then with more fervor, and sent every where more rays and sparkles than I can count seconds in my long life.
Este sol, que ahora ves tan pálido en el crepúsculo, brillaba entonces con más fervor, y enviaba por todas partes más rayos y destellos de los que puedo contar segundos en mi larga vida.
I was all wet as you are now--poor, helpless thing; but I turned myself to some of those brilliant rays, and my wings directly became strong, as you now see them, embossed and painted with seven different, changing colors, reflections of the rays of the sun.
Estaba toda mojada como tú ahora —pobre criatura desamparada—; pero me volví hacia algunos de aquellos rayos brillantes, y mis alas se volvieron fuertes de inmediato, como las ves ahora, realzadas y pintadas con siete colores distintos y cambiantes, reflejos de los rayos del sol.
See! there is one of these rays now; come forth; spread thy moist wing, already shrunk and chill; thou shalt take thy part in the blessings which come from on high."
¡Mira! ahí hay uno de esos rayos ahora; sal adelante; extiende tu ala húmeda, ya encogida y fría; tomarás tu parte en las bendiciones que vienen de lo alto."
Piccolissima, all attention and full of curiosity, looked around her, and saw coming out from the window frame two flies, who appeared to be talking together.
Piccolissima, toda atención y llena de curiosidad, miró a su alrededor, y vio salir del marco de la ventana a dos moscas, que parecían estar conversando entre sí.
The wings of one of them remained stuck together on its back, and it made a great effort to extend them.
Las alas de una de ellas permanecían pegadas sobre su espalda, y hacía un gran esfuerzo por extenderlas.
Delighted at the discovery of companions in her solitude, companions, too, whose language she could understand, Piccolissima was eager to make their acquaintance; so she offered them her stick of candy.
Encantada con el descubrimiento de compañeras en su soledad, compañeras, además, cuyo lenguaje podía entender, Piccolissima estaba ansiosa por conocerlas; así que les ofreció su bastón de caramelo.
Vocabulary
- He
- First person singular present of 'haber'; I have
- aprendido
- Past participle of 'aprender'; learned something
- que
- Conjunction meaning 'that' or relative pronoun 'which'
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- minuto
- A unit of time equal to sixty seconds
- no
- Negation word meaning 'no' or 'not'
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive or impersonal verbs
- parece
- Third person singular of 'parecer'; seems or looks like
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or personal 'a'
- otro
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'another' or 'other'
- el
- Definite article meaning 'the' for masculine nouns
- frío
- Adjective or noun meaning 'cold' or 'coldness'
- está
- Third person singular of 'estar'; is (state or location)
- cerca
- Adverb meaning 'near' or 'close by'
- del
- Contraction of 'de' and 'el' meaning 'of the'
- calor
- Noun meaning 'heat' or 'warmth'
- la
- Definite article meaning 'the' for feminine nouns
- luz
- Noun meaning 'light,' as from the sun or a lamp
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of,' 'from,' or 'about'
- oscuridad
- Noun meaning 'darkness' or absence of light
- y
- Conjunction meaning 'and,' linking words or clauses
- lo
- Neuter article or direct object pronoun meaning 'it'
- dulce
- Adjective meaning 'sweet' in taste or character
- sigue
- Third person singular of 'seguir'; follows or continues
- amargo
- Adjective meaning 'bitter' in taste or feeling
- Han
- Third person plural of 'haber'; they have (auxiliary)
- pasado
- Past participle of 'pasar'; passed or gone by
- ya
- Adverb meaning 'already,' 'now,' or 'yet'
- doscientos
- Number meaning 'two hundred'
- veintiún
- Number meaning 'twenty-one' before a masculine noun
- mil
- Number meaning 'one thousand'
- setecientos
- Number meaning 'seven hundred'
- sesenta
- Number meaning 'sixty'
- minutos
- Plural noun meaning 'minutes,' units of time
- veinticuatro
- Number meaning 'twenty-four'
- segundos
- Plural noun meaning 'seconds,' units of time
- desde
- Preposition meaning 'since' or 'from' a point in time
- rompí
- First person singular preterite of 'romper'; I broke
- mi
- Possessive adjective meaning 'my'
- caparazón
- Noun meaning 'shell' or 'carapace' of an animal
- Este
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' for masculine nouns
- sol
- Noun meaning 'sun,' the star at the center of our solar system
- ahora
- Adverb meaning 'now' or 'at this moment'
- ves
- Second person singular of 'ver'; you see
- tan
- Adverb meaning 'so' or 'as,' used in comparisons
- pálido
- Adjective meaning 'pale' in color or complexion
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at'
- crepúsculo
- Noun meaning 'twilight' or 'dusk,' dim evening light
- brillaba
- Third person singular imperfect of 'brillar'; was shining
- entonces
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'at that time'
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- más
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'more' or 'most'
- fervor
- Noun meaning 'fervor' or intense passionate enthusiasm
- enviaba
- Third person singular imperfect of 'enviar'; was sending
- por
- Preposition meaning 'through,' 'for,' or 'by'
- todas
- Feminine plural of 'todo'; meaning 'all' or 'every'
- partes
- Plural noun meaning 'parts' or 'places,' as in all directions
- rayos
- Plural noun meaning 'rays' of light or lightning bolts
- destellos
- Plural noun meaning 'flashes' or 'sparkles' of light
- los
- Definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'them'
- puedo
- First person singular of 'poder'; I can or am able
- contar
- Infinitive meaning 'to count' or 'to tell a story'
- larga
- Feminine adjective meaning 'long' in duration or length
- vida
- Noun meaning 'life' as in existence or lifetime
- Estaba
- First or third person singular imperfect of 'estar'; was
- toda
- Feminine form of 'todo'; meaning 'all,' 'whole,' or 'every'
- mojada
- Feminine adjective meaning 'wet' or 'soaked'
- como
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'like,' 'as,' or 'how'
- tú
- Second person singular subject pronoun meaning 'you'
- pobre
- Adjective meaning 'poor,' lacking resources or pitiable
- criatura
- Noun meaning 'creature' or young living being
- desamparada
- Adjective meaning 'helpless,' 'abandoned,' or 'unprotected'
- pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrast
- me
- First person singular reflexive or object pronoun 'me'
- volví
- First person singular preterite of 'volver'; I turned or returned
- hacia
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'
- algunos
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'some' or 'a few'
- aquellos
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'those' (far from speaker)
- brillantes
- Plural adjective meaning 'bright,' 'shining,' or 'brilliant'
- mis
- Plural possessive adjective meaning 'my'
- alas
- Plural noun meaning 'wings' of a bird or insect
- volvieron
- Third person plural preterite of 'volver'; they became or returned
- fuertes
- Plural adjective meaning 'strong' or 'powerful'
- inmediato
- Adjective meaning 'immediate'; in 'de inmediato' means immediately
- las
- Feminine plural definite article or pronoun meaning 'them'
- realzadas
- Past participle meaning 'enhanced' or 'highlighted'
- pintadas
- Past participle meaning 'painted' or 'colored'
- siete
- Number meaning 'seven'
- colores
- Plural noun meaning 'colors'
- distintos
- Plural adjective meaning 'distinct,' 'different,' or 'various'
- cambiantes
- Plural adjective meaning 'changing' or 'shifting'
- reflejos
- Plural noun meaning 'reflections' or 'glints' of light
- Mira
- Imperative of 'mirar'; 'look!' or 'look at this!'
- ahí
- Adverb meaning 'there,' near the person being addressed
- hay
- Impersonal form of 'haber'; meaning 'there is' or 'there are'
- uno
- Number or pronoun meaning 'one'
- esos
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'those' (near the listener)
- sal
- Imperative of 'salir'; 'go out' or 'come out'
- adelante
- Adverb meaning 'forward,' 'ahead,' or 'come in'
- extiende
- Imperative of 'extender'; 'extend' or 'spread out'
- tu
- Possessive adjective meaning 'your' (informal singular)
- ala
- Noun meaning 'wing' of a bird, insect, or aircraft
- húmeda
- Feminine adjective meaning 'damp' or 'humid'
- encogida
- Adjective meaning 'shrunken,' 'curled up,' or 'huddled'
- fría
- Feminine adjective meaning 'cold'
- tomarás
- Second person singular future of 'tomar'; you will take
- parte
- Noun meaning 'part,' 'portion,' or 'share'
- bendiciones
- Plural noun meaning 'blessings' or divine gifts
- vienen
- Third person plural of 'venir'; they come
- alto
- Adjective meaning 'high' or 'tall'; from on high
- atención
- Noun meaning 'attention' or focused awareness
- llena
- Feminine adjective meaning 'full' or filled with something
- curiosidad
- Noun meaning 'curiosity' or desire to learn and explore
- miró
- Third person singular preterite of 'mirar'; looked or glanced
- su
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' 'its,' or 'their'
- alrededor
- Adverb meaning 'around' or 'surrounding'
- vio
- Third person singular preterite of 'ver'; saw
- salir
- Infinitive meaning 'to leave,' 'to go out,' or 'to exit'
- marco
- Noun meaning 'frame,' as of a window or picture
- ventana
- Noun meaning 'window' in a building or room
- dos
- Number meaning 'two'
- moscas
- Plural noun meaning 'flies,' common flying insects
- parecían
- Third person plural imperfect of 'parecer'; they seemed
- estar
- Infinitive meaning 'to be' (state, condition, or location)
- conversando
- Gerund of 'conversar'; conversing or having a conversation
- entre
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- sí
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'themselves' or 'oneself'
- Las
- Feminine plural definite article meaning 'the'
- una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- ellas
- Third person feminine plural pronoun meaning 'they'
- permanecían
- Third person plural imperfect of 'permanecer'; they remained
- pegadas
- Past participle meaning 'stuck' or 'glued' to a surface
- sobre
- Preposition meaning 'on,' 'above,' or 'about'
- espalda
- Noun meaning 'back,' the rear part of the body
- hacía
- Third person singular imperfect of 'hacer'; was doing or making
- gran
- Adjective meaning 'great' or 'big' before a noun
- esfuerzo
- Noun meaning 'effort' or exertion to accomplish something
- extenderlas
- Infinitive with pronoun; to extend or spread them out
- Encantada
- Adjective meaning 'delighted' or 'enchanted'; pleased to meet
- descubrimiento
- Noun meaning 'discovery' or finding something new
- compañeras
- Feminine plural noun meaning 'companions' or 'female partners'
- soledad
- Noun meaning 'solitude' or 'loneliness'
- además
- Adverb meaning 'moreover,' 'furthermore,' or 'also'
- cuyo
- Relative possessive adjective meaning 'whose'
- lenguaje
- Noun meaning 'language' or manner of communication
- podía
- Third person singular imperfect of 'poder'; could or was able
- entender
- Infinitive meaning 'to understand'
- estaba
- Third person singular imperfect of 'estar'; was
- ansiosa
- Feminine adjective meaning 'anxious' or 'eager'
- conocerlas
- Infinitive with pronoun; to get to know them
- así
- Adverb meaning 'thus,' 'so,' or 'in this way'
- les
- Indirect object pronoun meaning 'to them' or 'for them'
- ofreció
- Third person singular preterite of 'ofrecer'; offered
- bastón
- Noun meaning 'cane' or 'walking stick'
- caramelo
- Noun meaning 'candy' or 'caramel sweet'
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