Piccolissima — Page 10
Piccolissima, from her education, resembled the flies a little too much to boast of her perseverance.
Piccolissima, de par son éducation, ressemblait un peu trop aux mouches pour se vanter de sa persévérance.
So she gave up her project.
Elle abandonna donc son projet.
While bending her small head over these eyes, she distinguished, at the bottom of these crystals, a moving dark spot, and thousands of little Piccolissimas, one after the other, smiled upon her from these little mirrors.
En penchant sa petite tête sur ces yeux, elle distingua, au fond de ces cristaux, une tache sombre en mouvement, et des milliers de petites Piccolissimas, l'une après l'autre, lui sourirent depuis ces petits miroirs.
O, wonderful! these thousands of crystal groups on each side of the head were not all; a triangle of three diamonds crowned the forehead of the fly.
Ô, merveille ! ces milliers de groupes de cristaux de chaque côté de la tête n'étaient pas tout ; un triangle de trois diamants couronnait le front de la mouche.
Piccolissima did not know the name they give to these small eyes, nor that a writer on the subject had said, that the diadem of the fly outshines that of queens, but she could not refrain from saying aloud, "O, my little friend, pray tell me what you do with so many eyes?"
Piccolissima ne connaissait pas le nom que l'on donne à ces petits yeux, ni qu'un auteur sur le sujet avait dit que le diadème de la mouche éclipse celui des reines, mais elle ne put s'empêcher de dire à voix haute : « Ô, ma petite amie, dis-moi, je te prie, à quoi te servent tant d'yeux ? »
"What do I do with them, indeed! why, I look," answered the fly, a little vexed at being disturbed in his repast.
« À quoi ils me servent, vraiment ! eh bien, je regarde », répondit la mouche, un peu contrariée d'être dérangée dans son repas.
"Are there not fingers, nails, pins, pincers, jaws, claws, beaks, which menace me on every side?
« N'y a-t-il pas des doigts, des ongles, des épingles, des pinces, des mâchoires, des griffes, des becs, qui me menacent de toutes parts ?
Do I not want eyes to see at a distance, and eyes to see near?
N'ai-je pas besoin d'yeux pour voir de loin, et d'yeux pour voir de près ?
And do you not know that my head is better put on than yours, which cannot turn to all points of the compass?"
Et ne savez-vous pas que ma tête est mieux disposée que la vôtre, qui ne peut se tourner vers tous les points de la boussole ? »
"What! can you look behind you without turning your head?"
« Quoi ! pouvez-vous regarder derrière vous sans tourner la tête ? »
Vocabulary
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
- par
- Preposition meaning 'by' or 'through'
- son
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its'
- éducation
- Upbringing or formal schooling received by someone
- ressemblait
- Past tense of 'ressembler,' meaning 'resembled' or 'looked like'
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- peu
- Adverb meaning 'a little' or 'slightly'
- trop
- Adverb meaning 'too much' or 'too many'
- aux
- Contraction of 'à les,' meaning 'to the' or 'at the'
- mouches
- Plural noun meaning 'flies,' small buzzing insects
- pour
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'
- se
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'themselves'
- vanter
- To boast or brag about something proudly
- sa
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' or 'its'
- persévérance
- Noun meaning 'perseverance' or continued determined effort
- Elle
- Subject pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it'
- abandonna
- Past tense of 'abandonner,' meaning 'she abandoned' or 'gave up'
- donc
- Conjunction meaning 'therefore,' 'so,' or 'thus'
- projet
- Noun meaning 'project' or 'plan' one intends to carry out
- En
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'by,' or 'while'
- penchant
- Present participle of 'pencher,' meaning 'tilting' or 'leaning'
- petite
- Adjective meaning 'small' or 'little,' feminine form
- tête
- Noun meaning 'head,' the upper part of the body
- sur
- Preposition meaning 'on,' 'over,' or 'upon'
- ces
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'these' or 'those'
- yeux
- Plural noun meaning 'eyes,' organs used for seeing
- elle
- Subject pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it'
- distingua
- Past tense of 'distinguer,' meaning 'she made out' or 'discerned'
- au
- Contraction of 'à le,' meaning 'at the' or 'to the'
- fond
- Noun meaning 'bottom,' 'depth,' or 'background'
- cristaux
- Plural noun meaning 'crystals,' transparent mineral formations
- une
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one,' feminine form
- tache
- Noun meaning 'spot,' 'stain,' or 'mark' on a surface
- sombre
- Adjective meaning 'dark,' 'gloomy,' or 'dim'
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'while'
- mouvement
- Noun meaning 'movement' or 'motion' of something
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses
- des
- Partitive or plural article meaning 'some' or 'of the'
- milliers
- Noun meaning 'thousands,' a very large number
- petites
- Adjective meaning 'small' or 'tiny,' feminine plural form
- l'
- Contracted definite article meaning 'the' before a vowel
- après
- Preposition or adverb meaning 'after' or 'afterwards'
- autre
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'another'
- lui
- Pronoun meaning 'him,' 'her,' or 'to him/her'
- sourirent
- Past tense of 'sourire,' meaning 'they smiled' at someone
- depuis
- Preposition meaning 'from,' 'since,' or 'out of'
- petits
- Adjective meaning 'small' or 'little,' masculine plural form
- miroirs
- Plural noun meaning 'mirrors,' reflective glass surfaces
- Ô
- Interjection meaning 'O' or 'Oh,' expressing strong emotion
- merveille
- Noun meaning 'marvel' or 'wonder,' something astonishing
- groupes
- Plural noun meaning 'groups' or 'clusters' of things
- chaque
- Adjective meaning 'each' or 'every,' referring to individuals
- côté
- Noun meaning 'side,' a lateral part or direction
- la
- Definite article meaning 'the,' feminine singular form
- n'
- Contracted negation particle 'ne' used before vowels
- étaient
- Imperfect tense of 'être,' meaning 'they were'
- pas
- Negation adverb meaning 'not,' used with 'ne'
- tout
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'all,' 'every,' or 'quite'
- triangle
- Noun meaning 'triangle,' a three-sided geometric shape
- trois
- Number meaning 'three,' a cardinal numeral
- diamants
- Plural noun meaning 'diamonds,' precious gemstones
- couronnait
- Imperfect of 'couronner,' meaning 'was crowning' or 'adorned'
- le
- Definite article meaning 'the,' masculine singular form
- front
- Noun meaning 'forehead,' the area above the eyes
- mouche
- Noun meaning 'fly,' a small winged insect
- ne
- Negation particle used with 'pas' to form negation
- connaissait
- Imperfect of 'connaître,' meaning 'knew' or 'was familiar with'
- nom
- Noun meaning 'name,' a word identifying a person or thing
- que
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that,' 'which,' or 'than'
- on
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one,' 'people,' or 'they'
- donne
- Present tense of 'donner,' meaning 'gives' or 'one gives'
- à
- Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'in'
- ni
- Conjunction meaning 'nor,' used in negative constructions
- qu'
- Contracted form of 'que,' meaning 'that' before a vowel
- auteur
- Noun meaning 'author' or 'writer' of a text
- sujet
- Noun meaning 'subject' or 'topic' of discussion
- avait
- Imperfect of 'avoir,' meaning 'had,' indicating past possession
- dit
- Past participle of 'dire,' meaning 'said' or 'told'
- diadème
- Noun meaning 'diadem,' a crown or decorative headband
- éclipse
- Noun meaning 'eclipse,' an astronomical or figurative obscuring
- celui
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that one' or 'the one'
- reines
- Plural noun meaning 'queens,' female monarchs or rulers
- mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrasting clause
- put
- Past tense of 'pouvoir,' meaning 'could' or 'was able to'
- s'
- Contracted reflexive pronoun 'se' before a vowel
- empêcher
- Infinitive meaning 'to prevent' or 'to stop oneself from'
- dire
- Infinitive meaning 'to say' or 'to tell' something
- voix
- Noun meaning 'voice,' the sound produced when speaking
- haute
- Adjective meaning 'high' or 'loud,' feminine singular form
- ma
- Possessive adjective meaning 'my,' feminine singular form
- amie
- Noun meaning 'friend,' a female companion or acquaintance
- dis
- Imperative of 'dire,' meaning 'tell' or 'say' to someone
- moi
- Stressed pronoun meaning 'me' or 'I,' used emphatically
- je
- Subject pronoun meaning 'I,' first person singular
- te
- Object pronoun meaning 'you,' second person singular
- prie
- Present of 'prier,' meaning 'beg' or 'please' politely
- quoi
- Interrogative pronoun meaning 'what,' used in questions
- servent
- Present of 'servir,' meaning 'serve' or 'are used for'
- tant
- Adverb meaning 'so many,' 'so much,' or 'as many'
- d'
- Contracted preposition 'de' before a vowel, meaning 'of'
- À
- Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'for,' with accent
- ils
- Subject pronoun meaning 'they,' masculine or mixed group
- me
- Object pronoun meaning 'me,' first person singular object
- vraiment
- Adverb meaning 'truly,' 'really,' or 'genuinely'
- eh
- Interjection meaning 'hey' or 'well,' expressing surprise
- bien
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'well,' 'good,' or 'fine'
- regarde
- Imperative of 'regarder,' meaning 'look' or 'watch'
- répondit
- Past tense of 'répondre,' meaning 'she replied' or 'answered'
- contrariée
- Adjective meaning 'annoyed' or 'put out,' feminine form
- être
- Infinitive meaning 'to be,' fundamental French auxiliary verb
- dérangée
- Adjective meaning 'disturbed' or 'interrupted,' feminine form
- dans
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'inside,' or 'during'
- repas
- Noun meaning 'meal,' a regular occasion for eating food
- N'
- Contracted negation 'ne' before a vowel in negative phrases
- y
- Adverbial pronoun meaning 'there' or 'at it'
- a
- Present tense of 'avoir,' meaning 'has' or 'there is'
- il
- Subject pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'
- doigts
- Plural noun meaning 'fingers,' digits on the human hand
- ongles
- Plural noun meaning 'nails' or 'claws,' at fingertips
- épingles
- Plural noun meaning 'pins,' sharp pointed fastening objects
- pinces
- Plural noun meaning 'pincers,' 'claws,' or 'clips'
- mâchoires
- Plural noun meaning 'jaws,' bones forming the mouth
- griffes
- Plural noun meaning 'claws' or 'talons' of an animal
- becs
- Plural noun meaning 'beaks' or 'bills' of birds
- qui
- Relative or interrogative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'
- menacent
- Present of 'menacer,' meaning 'threaten' from all directions
- toutes
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all,' feminine plural form
- parts
- Plural noun meaning 'parts' or 'places,' as in directions
- ai
- Present of 'avoir,' meaning 'have,' first person singular
- besoin
- Noun meaning 'need,' a necessity or requirement for something
- voir
- Infinitive meaning 'to see,' to perceive with one's eyes
- loin
- Adverb meaning 'far' or 'from a distance'
- près
- Adverb meaning 'near' or 'close,' indicating proximity
- Et
- Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting clauses or ideas
- savez
- Present of 'savoir,' meaning 'you know,' second person plural
- vous
- Pronoun meaning 'you,' second person plural or formal
- est
- Present of 'être,' meaning 'is,' third person singular
- mieux
- Adverb meaning 'better,' comparative of 'bien'
- disposée
- Adjective meaning 'arranged' or 'inclined,' feminine form
- vôtre
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'yours,' with circumflex accent
- peut
- Present of 'pouvoir,' meaning 'can' or 'is able to'
- tourner
- Infinitive meaning 'to turn' or 'to rotate' in direction
- vers
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'
- tous
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all,' masculine plural form
- les
- Definite article meaning 'the,' plural form for both genders
- points
- Plural noun meaning 'points,' specific locations or directions
- boussole
- Noun meaning 'compass,' instrument indicating magnetic north
- Quoi
- Interrogative pronoun meaning 'what,' expressing surprise
- pouvez
- Present of 'pouvoir,' meaning 'you can,' second person plural
- regarder
- Infinitive meaning 'to look at' or 'to watch' something
- derrière
- Preposition or adverb meaning 'behind' or 'at the back'
- sans
- Preposition meaning 'without,' indicating absence of something
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