Piccolissima — Page 15
Art thou placed in the sun to strengthen thy wings?
Es-tu placé au soleil pour fortifier tes ailes ?
Relate to me, quickly, thy metamorphosis whilst I dry myself.
Raconte-moi, vite, ta métamorphose pendant que je me sèche.
Let us see, hast thou been a caterpillar, a worm?
Voyons, as-tu été une chenille, un ver ?
How many feet didst thou once have?
Combien de pattes avais-tu autrefois ?
I will lay a wager thou didst not have any.
Je parie que tu n'en avais pas du tout.
For me, I had three rows of feet, forty-two in all, at least.
Moi, j'avais trois rangées de pattes, quarante-deux en tout, au moins.
Come, then, speak, and tell me; answer my question."
Allons, parle donc, et dis-moi ; réponds à ma question. »
Usually Piccolissima did not require to be urged to speak; but these questions were of such an extraordinary nature, so unexpected, that the little girl remained silent.
D'habitude, Piccolissima n'avait pas besoin qu'on l'encourageât à parler ; mais ces questions étaient d'une nature si extraordinaire, si inattendues, que la petite fille demeura silencieuse.
"Whether I have been a caterpillar or a worm? A queer question at the commencement of an acquaintance."
« Si j'ai été une chenille ou un ver ? Quelle drôle de question au début d'une connaissance. »
In the mean time the questioner was silent.
Entre-temps, celui qui questionnait se taisait.
Occupied with the comfort of exposing all his little person to the sun, he extended his wings, which, intersected with nerves, became every moment more substantial, without losing any of their delicacy.
Occupé à savourer le plaisir d'exposer toute sa petite personne au soleil, il étendait ses ailes qui, parcourues de nervures, devenaient à chaque instant plus consistantes, sans rien perdre de leur délicatesse.
This transparent network, divided like stained glass windows, by dark lines, resembled isinglass, sometimes decomposing the sun's rays, and showing the colors of the rainbow.
Ce réseau transparent, divisé comme des vitraux par des lignes sombres, ressemblait à de la talc, décomposant parfois les rayons du soleil et laissant apparaître les couleurs de l'arc-en-ciel.
The head of the insect, as it dried, became shiny like satin; the eyes, of a reddish brown, glowed in a circle of silver.
La tête de l'insecte, en séchant, devint brillante comme du satin ; les yeux, d'un brun rougeâtre, brillaient dans un cercle d'argent.
Over a little jet band, on the top of his head, three little soft eyes peeped out like those which the young observer had already noticed in the other fly.
Au-dessus d'une petite bande de jais, sur le sommet de sa tête, trois petits yeux doux apparaissaient, semblables à ceux que la jeune observatrice avait déjà remarqués sur l'autre mouche.
Vocabulary
- tu
- Second person singular pronoun meaning 'you'
- placé
- Positioned or placed in a specific location
- au
- Contraction of 'à le', meaning 'at the' or 'to the'
- soleil
- The sun, source of light and warmth
- pour
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'
- fortifier
- To strengthen or make stronger
- tes
- Possessive adjective meaning 'your' (plural)
- ailes
- Wings of a bird, insect, or aircraft
- Raconte
- Imperative form of 'raconter', meaning 'tell' or 'narrate'
- moi
- Stressed pronoun meaning 'me' or 'I'
- vite
- Adverb meaning 'quickly' or 'fast'
- ta
- Possessive adjective meaning 'your' (feminine singular)
- métamorphose
- A transformation or complete change in form
- pendant
- Preposition meaning 'during' or 'while'
- que
- Conjunction meaning 'that', 'which', or 'than'
- je
- First person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- me
- Reflexive or object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'myself'
- sèche
- To dry; present tense of 'sécher'
- Voyons
- Let's see; first person plural of 'voir'
- as
- Second person singular of 'avoir', meaning 'have'
- été
- Past participle of 'être'; also means 'summer'
- une
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine)
- chenille
- A caterpillar, larval stage of a butterfly or moth
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one' (masculine)
- ver
- A worm or grub-like creature
- Combien
- Interrogative meaning 'how many' or 'how much'
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'some'
- pattes
- Legs or paws of an animal or insect
- avais
- Imperfect tense of 'avoir', meaning 'had'
- autrefois
- Adverb meaning 'in the past' or 'formerly'
- Je
- First person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- parie
- To bet or wager; present tense of 'parier'
- n'
- Negation particle, contracted form of 'ne'
- en
- Pronoun or preposition meaning 'in', 'of it', or 'some'
- pas
- Negation word meaning 'not'; also a step
- du
- Contraction of 'de le', meaning 'of the' or 'some'
- tout
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'all', 'every', or 'quite'
- Moi
- Stressed first person pronoun meaning 'me' or 'I'
- j'
- Contracted form of 'je' used before a vowel
- trois
- The number three
- rangées
- Rows or lines of objects arranged in order
- quarante
- The number forty
- deux
- The number two
- moins
- Adverb meaning 'less' or 'minus'
- Allons
- Let's go; first person plural imperative of 'aller'
- parle
- Speak; imperative or present tense of 'parler'
- donc
- Conjunction meaning 'so', 'therefore', or 'then'
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- dis
- Say or tell; imperative form of 'dire'
- réponds
- Answer; imperative form of 'répondre'
- à
- Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'
- ma
- Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (feminine singular)
- question
- A question or query asked to obtain information
- D'
- Contracted form of 'de' before a vowel
- habitude
- A habit or usual custom practiced regularly
- avait
- Third person singular imperfect of 'avoir', meaning 'had'
- besoin
- A need or necessity for something
- qu'
- Contracted form of 'que' before a vowel
- on
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one', 'we', or 'they'
- l'
- Contracted definite article 'le' or 'la' before vowel
- encourageât
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'encourager', to encourage someone
- parler
- To speak or talk
- mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but'
- ces
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'these' or 'those'
- questions
- Plural of 'question'; queries asked to get answers
- étaient
- Third person plural imperfect of 'être', meaning 'were'
- nature
- Nature; also character or kind of something
- si
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'so' (intensifier)
- extraordinaire
- Extraordinary; beyond what is ordinary or expected
- inattendues
- Unexpected or unanticipated (feminine plural)
- la
- Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular)
- petite
- Adjective meaning 'small' or 'little' (feminine)
- fille
- A girl or daughter
- demeura
- Remained or stayed; past simple of 'demeurer'
- silencieuse
- Silent or quiet (feminine adjective)
- Si
- Conjunction meaning 'if'; also 'yes' contradicting negation
- ai
- First person singular present of 'avoir', meaning 'have'
- ou
- Conjunction meaning 'or'
- Quelle
- Interrogative adjective meaning 'what' or 'which' (feminine)
- drôle
- Funny, strange, or odd
- début
- The beginning or start of something
- connaissance
- Knowledge or acquaintance with someone or something
- Entre
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- temps
- Time or weather
- celui
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'the one' (masculine)
- qui
- Relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'
- questionnait
- Was questioning; imperfect tense of 'questionner'
- se
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself', 'herself', or 'itself'
- taisait
- Was silent; imperfect of 'se taire'
- Occupé
- Busy or occupied with a task or activity
- savourer
- To savor or enjoy something with great pleasure
- le
- Definite article meaning 'the' (masculine singular)
- plaisir
- Pleasure or enjoyment
- exposer
- To expose or display something to light or view
- toute
- All or entire (feminine singular form of 'tout')
- sa
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'
- personne
- A person; also 'nobody' in negative constructions
- il
- Third person singular pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'
- étendait
- Was spreading or stretching out; imperfect of 'étendre'
- ses
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its' (plural)
- parcourues
- Traversed or crossed; past participle of 'parcourir'
- nervures
- Veins or ribs on a leaf, wing, or structure
- devenaient
- Were becoming; imperfect of 'devenir'
- chaque
- Adjective meaning 'each' or 'every'
- instant
- A moment or instant in time
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'no longer' (with negation)
- consistantes
- Consistent, firm, or substantial (feminine plural)
- sans
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- rien
- Nothing; used in negative or rhetorical constructions
- perdre
- To lose something or someone
- leur
- Possessive adjective or pronoun meaning 'their' or 'them'
- délicatesse
- Delicacy, fineness, or sensitivity of quality
- Ce
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'
- réseau
- A network or grid of interconnected lines
- transparent
- Transparent; allowing light to pass through clearly
- divisé
- Divided or separated into sections or parts
- comme
- Conjunction or preposition meaning 'like' or 'as'
- des
- Plural indefinite article meaning 'some' or 'of the'
- vitraux
- Stained glass windows found in churches or cathedrals
- par
- Preposition meaning 'by', 'through', or 'per'
- lignes
- Lines drawn or forming a pattern or shape
- sombres
- Dark or gloomy in color or mood
- ressemblait
- Resembled; imperfect tense of 'ressembler'
- décomposant
- Decomposing or breaking down into component parts
- parfois
- Adverb meaning 'sometimes' or 'occasionally'
- les
- Definite article meaning 'the' (plural)
- rayons
- Rays of light or beams emanating from a source
- laissant
- Leaving or letting; present participle of 'laisser'
- apparaître
- To appear or become visible
- couleurs
- Colors or hues visible to the eye
- arc
- An arc or bow shape; used in 'arc-en-ciel' (rainbow)
- ciel
- The sky or heaven
- La
- Definite article meaning 'the' (feminine singular)
- tête
- The head of a person or animal
- insecte
- An insect, a small six-legged arthropod
- séchant
- Drying; present participle of 'sécher'
- devint
- Became; past simple of 'devenir'
- brillante
- Brilliant, shining, or glossy (feminine adjective)
- satin
- Satin; a smooth, glossy fabric with a shiny surface
- yeux
- Eyes; plural of 'œil'
- brun
- Brown in color
- rougeâtre
- Reddish in hue or tending toward red
- brillaient
- Were shining or sparkling; imperfect of 'briller'
- dans
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'inside'
- cercle
- A circle or ring shape
- argent
- Silver metal; also money in French
- Au
- Contraction of 'à le', meaning 'at the' or 'to the'
- dessus
- Above or on top of something
- bande
- A band, strip, or group of people or things
- sur
- Preposition meaning 'on' or 'upon'
- sommet
- The summit, top, or peak of something
- petits
- Small or little (masculine plural adjective)
- doux
- Soft, gentle, or sweet
- apparaissaient
- Were appearing; imperfect of 'apparaître'
- semblables
- Similar or alike in appearance or nature
- ceux
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' (masculine plural)
- jeune
- Young in age
- observatrice
- A female observer who watches attentively
- déjà
- Adverb meaning 'already' or 'before'
- remarqués
- Noticed or remarked upon; past participle of 'remarquer'
- autre
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'another'
- mouche
- A fly; a common flying insect
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