Piccolissima — Page 6
One evening she lost herself in the solitude of a drawer in which was kept some tobacco; she came near dying from the effect of it.
Un soir elle se perdit dans la solitude d'un tiroir dans lequel on gardait du tabac ; elle faillit en mourir.
Once she was near drowning in a superb salad dish of frothed eggs, which she may have taken for snow mountains.
Une fois elle faillit se noyer dans un superbe saladier d'œufs en neige, qu'elle avait peut-être pris pour des montagnes de neige.
She had a passion for discovery, she had a prodigious activity of mind and body, and yet they could find nothing for her to do, "because," they said, "she is so little, so delicate."
Elle avait la passion de la découverte, elle avait une activité prodigieuse d'esprit et de corps, et pourtant on ne trouvait rien à lui faire faire, « parce que, » disait-on, « elle est si petite, si délicate. »
She could not play with children of her own age, she was not allowed to run about, and without object, without employment, without means of studying, with no companions, no sympathy, the poor little thing was in danger of falling into a state of apathy, more to be feared than the accidents from which they wished to preserve her.
Elle ne pouvait pas jouer avec des enfants de son âge, on ne lui permettait pas de courir, et sans but, sans occupation, sans moyens d'étudier, sans compagnons, sans sympathie, la pauvre petite était en danger de tomber dans un état d'apathie, plus à craindre que les accidents dont on voulait la préserver.
One day, towards the end of February, Piccolissima had been placed upon the mantelpiece.
Un jour, vers la fin de février, Piccolissima avait été placée sur la cheminée.
Her mother had gone out; her father, who did not wish to have the trouble of watching over all his little daughter's movements, seated her upon a pincushion in which there were no pins, and putting the dictionary as a sort of rampart before her, he gave her a stick of barley sugar to entertain herself with, and after the usual admonition, left her to her dreams.
Sa mère était sortie ; son père, qui ne voulait pas avoir la peine de surveiller tous les mouvements de sa petite fille, l'installa sur une pelote à épingles dans laquelle il n'y avait pas d'épingles, et plaçant le dictionnaire comme une sorte de rempart devant elle, il lui donna un bâton de sucre d'orge pour se distraire, et après l'admonition habituelle, la laissa à ses rêves.
Vocabulary
- soir
- swar — Evening, the time after sunset
- perdit
- pɛʁdi — Past tense of 'perdre'; lost or became lost
- solitude
- sɔlityd — State of being alone or isolated
- tiroir
- tiʁwaʁ — A drawer, as found in furniture
- lequel
- ləkɛl — Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'in which'
- gardait
- gaʁdɛ — Imperfect tense of 'garder'; was keeping or storing
- tabac
- taba — Tobacco, a plant used for smoking
- faillit
- faji — Past tense of 'faillir'; nearly or almost did something
- mourir
- muʁiʁ — To die; to cease living
- fois
- fwa — Time or instance, as in 'one time'
- noyer
- nwaje — To drown or submerge something in liquid
- superbe
- sypɛʁb — Magnificent, splendid, or superb in quality
- saladier
- saladje — A salad bowl used for mixing or serving food
- œufs
- ø — Eggs, the plural form of 'oeuf'
- neige
- nɛʒ — Snow; also beaten egg whites resembling snow
- pris
- pʁi — Past participle of 'prendre'; taken or mistaken for
- montagnes
- mɔ̃taɲ — Mountains, large natural elevations of earth
- passion
- pasjɔ̃ — Intense enthusiasm or strong emotional drive
- découverte
- dekuvɛʁt — A discovery or finding of something new
- activité
- aktivite — Activity or occupation keeping one busy
- prodigieuse
- pʁɔdiʒjøz — Prodigious, extraordinary, or remarkably impressive
- esprit
- ɛspʁi — Mind, spirit, or intellect of a person
- corps
- kɔʁ — Body, the physical structure of a person
- pourtant
- puʁtɑ̃ — Nevertheless, yet, however, despite that
- trouvait
- tʁuvɛ — Imperfect tense of 'trouver'; found or could find
- rien
- ʁjɛ̃ — Nothing; not anything at all
- disait
- dizɛ — Imperfect tense of 'dire'; was saying or used to say
- petite
- pətit — Small or little; feminine form of 'petit'
- délicate
- delikat — Delicate, fragile, or requiring gentle handling
- jouer
- ʒwe — To play, as in games or with others
- enfants
- ɑ̃fɑ̃ — Children, young people not yet grown up
- âge
- aʒ — Age; the number of years one has lived
- permettait
- pɛʁmɛtɛ — Imperfect of 'permettre'; allowed or permitted something
- courir
- kuʁiʁ — To run; to move quickly on foot
- sans
- sɑ̃ — Preposition meaning 'without'
- but
- by — Goal or purpose; aim of an action
- occupation
- ɔkypasjɔ̃ — An occupation or activity that keeps one engaged
- moyens
- mwajɛ̃ — Means or resources available to achieve something
- étudier
- etydje — To study; to learn through academic effort
- compagnons
- kɔ̃paɲɔ̃ — Companions or friends who share activities together
- sympathie
- sɛ̃pati — Sympathy or fellow feeling toward another person
- pauvre
- povʁ — Poor; lacking wealth or evoking pity
- danger
- dɑ̃ʒe — Danger; risk of harm or injury
- tomber
- tɔ̃be — To fall; to drop down from a height
- état
- eta — State or condition of a person or thing
- apathie
- apati — Apathy; lack of interest, emotion, or motivation
- craindre
- kʁɛ̃dʁ — To fear; to be afraid of something
- accidents
- aksidɑ̃ — Accidents; unexpected harmful events or mishaps
- dont
- dɔ̃ — Relative pronoun meaning 'of which' or 'whose'
- préserver
- pʁezɛʁve — To preserve or protect from harm or damage
- jour
- ʒuʁ — Day; a period of twenty-four hours
- vers
- vɛʁ — Toward; in the direction of something
- fin
- fɛ̃ — End; the final part of something
- février
- fevʁije — February; the second month of the year
- placée
- plase — Feminine past participle of 'placer'; placed or positioned
- cheminée
- ʃəmine — Fireplace or chimney in a home
- mère
- mɛʁ — Mother; a female parent
- sortie
- sɔʁti — Past participle of 'sortir'; gone out or departed
- père
- pɛʁ — Father; a male parent
- peine
- pɛn — Difficulty, trouble, or effort in doing something
- surveiller
- syʁvɛje — To watch over or monitor someone carefully
- mouvements
- muvmɑ̃ — Movements; physical motions of a person or object
- fille
- fij — Girl or daughter; a young female person
- installa
- ɛ̃stala — Past tense of 'installer'; set up or settled in
- pelote
- pəlɔt — A ball of yarn or a pincushion
- épingles
- epɛ̃gl — Pins used for sewing or fastening fabric
- laquelle
- lakɛl — Relative pronoun meaning 'which' (feminine form)
- plaçant
- plasɑ̃ — Present participle of 'placer'; placing or positioning
- dictionnaire
- diksjɔnɛʁ — A dictionary; reference book of word definitions
- sorte
- sɔʁt — Sort or kind; a type or variety of something
- rempart
- ʁɑ̃paʁ — A rampart or barrier providing protection
- devant
- dəvɑ̃ — In front of; ahead of something
- bâton
- batɔ̃ — A stick or rod; also a type of candy
- sucre
- sykʁ — Sugar; a sweet crystalline substance
- orge
- ɔʁʒ — Barley; a grain often used in candy or drinks
- distraire
- distʁɛʁ — To distract or amuse; to entertain someone
- après
- apʁɛ — After; following in time or order
- admonition
- admɔnisjɔ̃ — A gentle warning or reprimand given to someone
- habituelle
- abitɥɛl — Usual or habitual; done regularly or typically
- laissa
- lɛsa — Past tense of 'laisser'; left or allowed to remain
- rêves
- ʁɛv — Dreams; imaginative thoughts during sleep or daydreaming
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