Piccolissima — Page 9
One of the flies--it was the elder--having fixed upon the little prodigy one of the thousand faces of his brown, sparkling eyes, surrounded with golden eyelashes, he then placed, one by one, his little black feet upon the stick of sugar candy, stretched forth his trunk, and began to suck with eagerness.
L'une des mouches -- c'était l'aînée -- ayant fixé sur la petite prodige l'une des mille facettes de ses yeux bruns et étincelants, entourés de cils dorés, elle posa ensuite, l'un après l'autre, ses petits pieds noirs sur le bâton de sucre d'orge, étendit sa trompe et commença à sucer avec avidité.
Piccolissima had now time enough to contemplate a being whose organs she thought were like her own in their weakness.
Piccolissima eut alors tout le loisir de contempler un être dont elle pensait que les organes ressemblaient aux siens par leur faiblesse.
She found pleasure in examining the extraordinary form of its almost cylindrical body, divided into three parts, and a head wider than it was long, an irregular globe surmounted by two horns, or antennae, as they are called.
Elle prit plaisir à examiner la forme extraordinaire de son corps presque cylindrique, divisé en trois parties, et d'une tête plus large que longue, globe irrégulier surmonté de deux cornes, ou antennes, comme on les appelle.
The eyes most excited her curiosity.
Les yeux excitèrent le plus sa curiosité.
She attempted to count their numerous little faces, so regular, so finely cut into hexagons, more polished, more brilliant than diamonds.
Elle essaya de compter leurs nombreuses petites facettes, si régulières, si finement taillées en hexagones, plus polies, plus brillantes que des diamants.
When Piccolissima had counted one hundred, she drew from a very small box, which was a family treasure, some minikin pins, and stuck one of them into the cushion on which she was seated, intending thus to mark every hundred that she counted; but she had not counted thus half a thousand, before she found that breath and knowledge failed her; in truth, she did not know enough of arithmetic to count the eyes of a fly.
Quand Piccolissima eut compté cent, elle tira d'une toute petite boîte, qui était un trésor de famille, quelques épingles très fines, et en planta une dans le coussin sur lequel elle était assise, avec l'intention de marquer ainsi chaque centaine comptée ; mais elle n'avait pas encore compté la moitié d'un millier qu'elle se trouva à bout de souffle et de savoir ; en vérité, elle ne connaissait pas suffisamment l'arithmétique pour compter les yeux d'une mouche.
In the very first group which she undertook to count, that on the right side of the fly, she had not counted a sixteenth part.
Dans le tout premier groupe qu'elle entreprit de compter, celui situé sur le côté droit de la mouche, elle n'en avait pas compté le seizième.
Vocabulary
- mouches
- muʃ — Flies; common buzzing insects
- était
- etɛ — Was; third person singular imperfect of 'être'
- aînée
- ene — Eldest daughter or oldest female sibling
- ayant
- ejɑ̃ — Having; present participle of 'avoir'
- fixé
- fikse — Fixed or directed steadily onto something
- prodige
- pʁɔdiʒ — Prodigy; a person of remarkable talent or ability
- facettes
- fasɛt — Facets; small flat surfaces of a compound eye
- yeux
- jø — Eyes; the plural form of 'œil'
- bruns
- bʁœ̃ — Brown; masculine plural color adjective
- étincelants
- etɛ̃slɑ̃ — Sparkling or glittering; shining brightly
- entourés
- ɑ̃tuʁe — Surrounded or encircled by something
- cils
- sil — Eyelashes; the hairs fringing the eyelids
- dorés
- dɔʁe — Golden or gilded; having a golden color
- posa
- poza — Placed or set down; past tense of 'poser'
- ensuite
- ɑ̃sɥit — Then or next; indicating following sequence
- pieds
- pje — Feet; the lower extremities of the legs
- noirs
- nwaʁ — Black; masculine plural color adjective
- bâton
- bɑtɔ̃ — Stick or rod; a long slender piece
- sucre
- sykʁ — Sugar; the sweet crystalline substance
- orge
- ɔʁʒ — Barley; a cereal grain plant
- étendit
- etɑ̃di — Extended or stretched out; past tense of 'étendre'
- trompe
- tʁɔ̃p — Proboscis; elongated feeding appendage of an insect
- commença
- kɔmɑ̃sa — Began or started; past tense of 'commencer'
- sucer
- syse — To suck; to draw liquid by mouth
- avidité
- avidite — Avidity or eagerness; greedy enthusiasm for something
- eut
- y — Had; third person singular past of 'avoir'
- alors
- alɔʁ — Then or so; indicating a consequence or moment
- loisir
- lwazɪʁ — Leisure or opportunity; free time to do something
- contempler
- kɔ̃tɑ̃ple — To contemplate or observe carefully and attentively
- être
- ɛtʁ — Being or creature; also infinitive of 'to be'
- dont
- dɔ̃ — Whose or of which; relative pronoun
- pensait
- pɑ̃sɛ — Thought or was thinking; imperfect of 'penser'
- organes
- ɔʁɡan — Organs; body parts serving specific functions
- ressemblaient
- ʁəsɑ̃blɛ — Resembled or looked like; imperfect of 'ressembler'
- siens
- sjɛ̃ — His or hers own; masculine plural possessive pronoun
- faiblesse
- fɛblɛs — Weakness; lack of strength or robustness
- prit
- pʁi — Took; third person singular simple past of 'prendre'
- plaisir
- plɛzɪʁ — Pleasure or enjoyment; a pleasant sensation
- examiner
- ɛɡzamine — To examine or inspect closely and carefully
- forme
- fɔʁm — Form or shape; the external appearance of something
- extraordinaire
- ɛkstʁaɔʁdinɛʁ — Extraordinary; remarkably unusual or exceptional
- corps
- kɔʁ — Body; the physical structure of a living being
- presque
- pʁɛsk — Almost or nearly; not quite completely
- cylindrique
- silɛ̃dʁik — Cylindrical; having the shape of a cylinder
- divisé
- divize — Divided or separated into distinct parts
- parties
- paʁti — Parts or sections; divisions of a whole
- tête
- tɛt — Head; the uppermost part of the body
- large
- laʁʒ — Wide or broad; greater than usual width
- longue
- lɔ̃ɡ — Long; extended in length; feminine form
- globe
- ɡlɔb — Globe or sphere; a round three-dimensional shape
- irrégulier
- iʁeɡylje — Irregular; not uniform or consistent in shape
- surmonté
- syʁmɔ̃te — Surmounted or topped; having something placed on top
- cornes
- kɔʁn — Horns; pointed projections from an animal's head
- antennes
- ɑ̃tɛn — Antennae; sensory appendages on an insect's head
- appelle
- apɛl — Calls or names; third person singular of 'appeler'
- excitèrent
- ɛksitɛʁ — Excited or stimulated; past tense of 'exciter'
- curiosité
- kyʁjozite — Curiosity; strong desire to know or learn
- essaya
- eseja — Tried or attempted; past tense of 'essayer'
- compter
- kɔ̃te — To count; to enumerate items one by one
- nombreuses
- nɔ̃bʁøz — Numerous or many; a large quantity of something
- régulières
- ʁeɡyljɛʁ — Regular or uniform; consistent in pattern or shape
- finement
- finmɑ̃ — Finely or delicately; with great precision or refinement
- taillées
- taje — Cut or carved; shaped by cutting with a tool
- hexagones
- ɛɡzaɡɔn — Hexagons; six-sided geometric figures
- polies
- pɔli — Polished or smooth; refined to a shiny surface
- brillantes
- bʁijɑ̃t — Brilliant or sparkling; shining with reflected light
- diamants
- djamɑ̃ — Diamonds; precious gemstones of great brilliance
- compté
- kɔ̃te — Counted; past participle of 'compter'
- tira
- tiʁa — Pulled out or drew; past tense of 'tirer'
- boîte
- bwat — Box or tin; a small container for storing things
- trésor
- tʁezɔʁ — Treasure; a collection of valuable or precious items
- famille
- famij — Family; a group of related individuals
- quelques
- kɛlkə — Some or a few; small indefinite quantity
- épingles
- epɛ̃ɡl — Pins; thin pointed fastening tools
- fines
- fin — Fine or thin; slender and delicate in form
- planta
- plɑ̃ta — Planted or stuck in; past tense of 'planter'
- coussin
- kusɛ̃ — Cushion or pillow; a soft padded object
- lequel
- ləkɛl — Which or whom; relative pronoun replacing masculine noun
- assise
- asiz — Seated or sitting; feminine past participle of 'asseoir'
- intention
- ɛ̃tɑ̃sjɔ̃ — Intention or purpose; a plan to do something
- marquer
- maʁke — To mark or indicate; to make a visible sign
- ainsi
- ɛ̃si — Thus or in this way; indicating manner or result
- chaque
- ʃak — Each or every; referring to individual items
- centaine
- sɑ̃tɛn — A hundred or so; approximately one hundred
- comptée
- kɔ̃te — Counted; feminine past participle of 'compter'
- avait
- avɛ — Had; third person singular imperfect of 'avoir'
- encore
- ɑ̃kɔʁ — Still or yet; indicating continuation or incompletion
- moitié
- mwatje — Half; one of two equal parts of something
- millier
- milje — A thousand or so; approximately one thousand
- trouva
- tʁuva — Found or was; past tense of 'trouver'
- bout
- bu — End or limit; the furthest point of something
- souffle
- sufl — Breath; air expelled or inhaled during breathing
- savoir
- savwaʁ — To know; to have knowledge or information
- vérité
- veʁite — Truth; the actual state of facts or reality
- connaissait
- kɔnɛsɛ — Knew or was familiar with; imperfect of 'connaître'
- suffisamment
- syfizamɑ̃ — Sufficiently or enough; to an adequate degree
- arithmétique
- aʁitmetik — Arithmetic; the branch of mathematics using numbers
- mouche
- muʃ — Fly; a common small winged insect
- groupe
- ɡʁup — Group; a number of things or people together
- entreprit
- ɑ̃tʁəpʁi — Undertook or began; past tense of 'entreprendre'
- celui
- səlɥi — That one or the one; masculine demonstrative pronoun
- situé
- sitɥe — Situated or located in a particular place
- côté
- kote — Side; one of the lateral surfaces of something
- droit
- dʁwa — Right; the direction opposite to left
- seizième
- sɛzjɛm — Sixteenth; the ordinal number sixteen
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