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.
Laissant le sucre glisser à côté d'elle, elle demeura perdue dans de mélancoliques réflexions dont elle fut tirée par un léger murmure, tel qu'on en entend parfois dans le silence de la nuit lorsque des personnes parlent à voix basse dans une partie éloignée de la maison.
Piccolissima listened with deep attention for some time.
Piccolissima écouta avec une profonde attention pendant quelque temps.
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.
D'ordinaire, elle n'aimait pas le bruit de la conversation ; il frappait rudement ses organes et semblait une sorte de tonnerre factice ; mais ces sons n'avaient rien de discordant, rien de désagréable à son oreille.
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.
Comme Piccolissima avait été contrainte d'observer plutôt que d'agir, ses facultés prirent une nouvelle direction, et un développement dont elle n'avait pas elle-même conscience s'opéra, et sa joie et sa surprise furent grandes lorsqu'elle constata que, dans ce qui lui avait d'abord semblé un murmure confus, elle distinguait, en écoutant attentivement, des mots intelligibles.
"It was hardly worth while," said a small, sharp voice, "it was hardly worth the trouble it cost me to leave my cradle.
« Cela n'en valait guère la peine, dit une voix petite et aiguë, cela ne valait guère le mal qu'il m'a coûté de quitter mon berceau.
I have come into the world where all is dead around me.
Je suis venue dans ce monde où tout est mort autour de moi.
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 j'avais seulement su que ce monde était si froid et si terne, je n'aurais pas fait des efforts qui m'ont presque détruite pour briser le toit et quitter ma demeure étroite. »
"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.
« Patience, répondit une autre voix, un peu plus douce, mais fort semblable à la première ; j'ai vécu plus longtemps que toi, qui n'as que quelques secondes d'existence.
Vocabulary
- Laissant
- Allowing or letting something happen or continue.
- le
- The definite article for masculine singular nouns.
- sucre
- Sweet crystalline substance used to sweeten food.
- glisser
- To slide or slip smoothly across a surface.
- côté
- Side or direction; beside or alongside something.
- elle
- She or her; feminine third-person singular pronoun.
- demeura
- Remained or stayed in a particular state or place.
- perdue
- Lost or missing; bewildered or confused state.
- dans
- In or inside; within a specific space or time.
- de
- Of or from; preposition indicating possession or origin.
- mélancoliques
- Sad, gloomy, or pensive in mood or feeling.
- réflexions
- Thoughts or deep consideration of something.
- dont
- Of which or whose; relative pronoun indicating possession.
- fut
- Was; past tense third-person singular of être.
- tirée
- Pulled or drawn out from something.
- par
- By or through; preposition indicating agent or means.
- un
- A or one; indefinite article for masculine singular.
- léger
- Light in weight or of slight importance.
- murmure
- Soft, low sound; whisper or gentle murmuring noise.
- tel
- Such or like; similar to or resembling something.
- qu
- That or which; relative pronoun or conjunction.
- on
- One or we; impersonal pronoun used in French.
- en
- In it or some; personal or locational pronoun.
- entend
- Hears or understands; third-person present of entendre.
- parfois
- Sometimes or occasionally; at times or now and then.
- silence
- Complete absence of sound or noise.
- la
- The definite article for feminine singular nouns.
- nuit
- Night or darkness; period from sunset to sunrise.
- lorsque
- When or at the time that something happens.
- des
- Some or of the; plural definite or partitive article.
- personnes
- People or persons; human beings collectively.
- parlent
- Speak or talk; third-person plural of parler.
- voix
- Voice or sound produced by speaking or singing.
- basse
- Low in pitch or situated at bottom level.
- une
- A or one; indefinite article for feminine singular.
- partie
- Part or portion; section of something larger.
- éloignée
- Distant or far away; remote or separated.
- maison
- House or home; building where people live.
- écouta
- Listened or paid attention to sounds.
- avec
- With or together with; in company or accompaniment.
- profonde
- Deep or profound; of great depth or intensity.
- attention
- Careful observation or focused concentration on something.
- pendant
- During or while; throughout a period of time.
- quelque
- Some or any; unspecified or indeterminate amount.
- temps
- Time or weather; duration or period of existence.
- ordinaire
- Ordinary or usual; common or typical occurrence.
- aimait
- Liked or loved; past tense of aimer.
- pas
- Not or no; negation or refusal of something.
- bruit
- Noise or sound; unwanted or disturbing sounds.
- conversation
- Dialogue or talk between people; exchange of words.
- frappait
- Struck or hit; past tense of frapper.
- rudement
- Roughly or harshly; in an abrupt or crude manner.
- organes
- Organs or parts; bodily structures with specific function.
- semblait
- Seemed or appeared; past tense of sembler.
- sorte
- Kind or type; category or variety of something.
- tonnerre
- Thunder; loud sound during storms or electrical discharge.
- sons
- Sounds or tones; auditory sensations or noises.
- avaient
- Had or possessed; past tense of avoir.
- rien
- Nothing or anything; absence of something.
- désagréable
- Unpleasant or disagreeable; causing discomfort or annoyance.
- oreille
- Ear; organ for hearing and detecting sound.
- Comme
- As or since; in the manner or way that.
- été
- Been; past participle of être or summer season.
- contrainte
- Forced or compelled; subjected to constraint or pressure.
- observer
- To watch or observe; to notice carefully.
- plutôt
- Rather or instead; in preference to something else.
- agir
- To act or take action; to do something.
- facultés
- Faculties or abilities; mental or physical powers.
- prirent
- Took or captured; past tense of prendre.
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