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.
J'ai appris qu'une minute ne ressemble pas à une autre ; que le froid est proche de la chaleur, que la lumière est proche de l'obscurité, et que le doux suit l'amer.
It is now two hundred and twenty-one thousand, seven hundred and sixty-one minutes, and twenty-four seconds, since I broke my shell.
Il y a maintenant deux cent vingt et un mille, sept cent soixante et un minutes, et vingt-quatre secondes, depuis que j'ai brisé ma coquille.
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.
Ce soleil, que vous voyez maintenant si pâle dans le crépuscule, brillait alors avec plus de ferveur, et envoyait partout plus de rayons et d'étincelles que je ne peux compter de secondes dans ma longue vie.
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.
J'étais tout mouillé comme vous l'êtes maintenant -- pauvre petite chose sans défense ; mais je me tournai vers quelques-uns de ces rayons brillants, et mes ailes devinrent aussitôt fortes, telles que vous les voyez maintenant, gaufrées et peintes de sept couleurs différentes et changeantes, reflets des rayons du soleil.
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."
Voyez ! voilà l'un de ces rayons maintenant ; avancez ; déployez votre aile humide, déjà rétrécie et froide ; vous prendrez votre part des bénédictions qui viennent d'en haut. »
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, toute attention et pleine de curiosité, regarda autour d'elle, et vit sortir du cadre de la fenêtre deux mouches, qui semblaient se parler.
The wings of one of them remained stuck together on its back, and it made a great effort to extend them.
Les ailes de l'une d'elles restaient collées ensemble sur son dos, et elle faisait un grand effort pour les déployer.
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.
Ravie de découvrir des compagnons dans sa solitude, des compagnons, de plus, dont elle pouvait comprendre le langage, Piccolissima était impatiente de faire leur connaissance ; aussi leur offrit-elle son bâton de sucre.
Vocabulary
- ai
- First person singular of 'avoir', meaning 'have'
- appris
- Past participle of 'apprendre'; learned or discovered
- minute
- A unit of time equal to sixty seconds
- ressemble
- Third person singular of 'ressembler'; resembles or looks like
- autre
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'another'
- froid
- Adjective or noun meaning 'cold' or 'coldness'
- proche
- Adjective meaning 'near', 'close', or 'nearby'
- chaleur
- Noun meaning 'heat' or 'warmth'
- lumière
- Noun meaning 'light', as from the sun or a lamp
- obscurité
- Noun meaning 'darkness' or 'obscurity'
- doux
- Adjective meaning 'sweet', 'soft', or 'gentle'
- suit
- Third person singular of 'suivre'; follows or comes after
- amer
- Adjective meaning 'bitter' in taste or feeling
- maintenant
- Adverb meaning 'now' or 'at this moment'
- cent
- Cardinal number meaning 'one hundred'
- vingt
- Cardinal number meaning 'twenty'
- mille
- Cardinal number meaning 'one thousand'
- soixante
- Cardinal number meaning 'sixty'
- minutes
- Plural of 'minute'; units of time each lasting sixty seconds
- vingt-quatre
- Cardinal number meaning 'twenty-four'
- secondes
- Plural noun meaning 'seconds', units of time
- depuis
- Preposition meaning 'since' or 'for' a period of time
- brisé
- Past participle of 'briser'; broken or shattered
- coquille
- Noun meaning 'shell', as of an egg or snail
- soleil
- Noun meaning 'sun', the star at the center of our solar system
- voyez
- Second person plural of 'voir'; you see or look at
- si
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or adverb meaning 'so' or 'yes'
- pâle
- Adjective meaning 'pale' or 'faint' in color
- crépuscule
- Noun meaning 'twilight' or 'dusk', the time after sunset
- brillait
- Imperfect tense of 'briller'; was shining or gleaming
- alors
- Adverb meaning 'then', 'at that time', or 'so'
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'no longer' in negative phrases
- ferveur
- Noun meaning 'fervor', intense enthusiasm or passionate feeling
- envoyait
- Imperfect tense of 'envoyer'; was sending or dispatching
- partout
- Adverb meaning 'everywhere' or 'all over'
- rayons
- Plural noun meaning 'rays' of light or beams
- étincelles
- Plural noun meaning 'sparks' of fire or light
- peux
- First person singular of 'pouvoir'; can or am able to
- compter
- Infinitive meaning 'to count' or 'to rely on'
- longue
- Feminine adjective meaning 'long' in duration or length
- vie
- Noun meaning 'life' or 'lifetime'
- étais
- First person imperfect of 'être'; was or used to be
- tout
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'all', 'whole', or 'very'
- mouillé
- Adjective meaning 'wet' or 'soaked' with liquid
- comme
- Conjunction or preposition meaning 'like', 'as', or 'how'
- pauvre
- Adjective meaning 'poor', either financially or pitifully
- petite
- Feminine adjective meaning 'small', 'little', or 'young'
- chose
- Noun meaning 'thing' or 'matter'
- sans
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- défense
- Noun meaning 'defense' or 'protection'; also means 'tusk'
- tournai
- First person simple past of 'tourner'; turned toward something
- vers
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'around' a time
- quelques-uns
- Pronoun meaning 'some' or 'a few' of them
- brillants
- Plural adjective meaning 'brilliant', 'shining', or 'bright'
- ailes
- Plural noun meaning 'wings' of a bird or insect
- devinrent
- Third person plural simple past of 'devenir'; became
- aussitôt
- Adverb meaning 'immediately' or 'right away'
- fortes
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'strong' or 'powerful'
- telles
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'such' or 'like'
- gaufrées
- Adjective meaning 'embossed' or 'waffle-patterned' in texture
- peintes
- Feminine plural past participle of 'peindre'; painted or colored
- couleurs
- Plural noun meaning 'colors' or 'hues'
- différentes
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'different' or 'various'
- changeantes
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'changing' or 'shifting'
- reflets
- Plural noun meaning 'reflections' or 'glints' of light
- Voyez
- Imperative of 'voir'; look or see, addressing multiple people
- voilà
- Exclamation meaning 'there it is' or 'here you go'
- avancez
- Imperative of 'avancer'; come forward or move ahead
- déployez
- Imperative of 'déployer'; spread out or unfold something
- aile
- Noun meaning 'wing' of a bird, insect, or aircraft
- humide
- Adjective meaning 'humid', 'damp', or 'moist'
- déjà
- Adverb meaning 'already' or 'yet'
- rétrécie
- Past participle of 'rétrécir'; shrunken or narrowed
- froide
- Feminine adjective meaning 'cold' in temperature or manner
- prendrez
- Future tense of 'prendre'; you will take or receive
- part
- Noun meaning 'part' or 'share'; also used in set phrases
- bénédictions
- Plural noun meaning 'blessings' given by God or someone
- viennent
- Third person plural of 'venir'; come or are coming
- haut
- Adjective or noun meaning 'high', 'top', or 'above'
- toute
- Feminine adjective meaning 'all', 'whole', or 'completely'
- attention
- Noun meaning 'attention' or 'careful notice' to something
- pleine
- Feminine adjective meaning 'full' or 'filled with something'
- curiosité
- Noun meaning 'curiosity' or 'eagerness to know something'
- regarda
- Third person simple past of 'regarder'; looked at or watched
- autour
- Adverb or preposition meaning 'around' or 'surrounding'
- vit
- Third person simple past of 'voir'; saw or noticed something
- sortir
- Infinitive meaning 'to go out', 'to leave', or 'to exit'
- cadre
- Noun meaning 'frame', 'setting', or 'framework'
- fenêtre
- Noun meaning 'window' in a building or vehicle
- mouches
- Plural noun meaning 'flies', the common flying insects
- semblaient
- Imperfect of 'sembler'; seemed or appeared to be doing something
- parler
- Infinitive meaning 'to speak' or 'to talk'
- restaient
- Imperfect of 'rester'; were staying or remaining in place
- collées
- Feminine plural past participle of 'coller'; stuck or glued together
- ensemble
- Adverb meaning 'together' or noun meaning 'set' or 'group'
- dos
- Noun meaning 'back' of the body or an object
- faisait
- Imperfect of 'faire'; was doing or making something
- grand
- Adjective meaning 'great', 'big', or 'tall'
- effort
- Noun meaning 'effort' or 'exertion' toward a goal
- déployer
- Infinitive meaning 'to deploy', 'to spread out', or 'to unfold'
- Ravie
- Feminine past participle meaning 'delighted' or 'thrilled'
- découvrir
- Infinitive meaning 'to discover' or 'to find out'
- compagnons
- Plural noun meaning 'companions' or 'fellow members'
- solitude
- Noun meaning 'solitude' or 'loneliness', state of being alone
- dont
- Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'of which', or 'from which'
- pouvait
- Imperfect of 'pouvoir'; could or was able to do something
- comprendre
- Infinitive meaning 'to understand' or 'to comprehend'
- langage
- Noun meaning 'language' or 'manner of speaking'
- était
- Third person imperfect of 'être'; was or used to be
- impatiente
- Feminine adjective meaning 'impatient' or 'eager' to act
- faire
- Infinitive meaning 'to do' or 'to make'
- leur
- Possessive adjective or object pronoun meaning 'their' or 'to them'
- connaissance
- Noun meaning 'acquaintance' or 'knowledge'; 'faire connaissance' means to meet
- aussi
- Adverb meaning 'also', 'too', or 'as well'
- offrit
- Third person simple past of 'offrir'; offered or gave something
- bâton
- Noun meaning 'stick', 'rod', or 'baton'
- sucre
- Noun meaning 'sugar', a sweet crystalline substance
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