Piccolissima — Page 13
The look, gloomy, and a little sullen, of the fly, recalled somewhat the funny mask of a harlequin, and Piccolissima was on the point of showing how one laughs with the lips, by laughing in the fly's face, when the latter forced air slightly through the breathing holes which open under the wings; the two little double scales, the winglets, which unfold at birth, began to vibrate; and Piccolissima, who just now remarked that this was the method that her new acquaintance took to emit sounds, was eager to listen to what he might say; so she made an effort to command herself, and became serious.
O aspecto, sombrio e um pouco carrancudo, da mosca, recordava um pouco a máscara engraçada de um arlequim, e Piccolissima estava prestes a mostrar como se ri com os lábios, rindo na cara da mosca, quando esta forçou levemente o ar através dos orifícios respiratórios que se abrem sob as asas; as duas pequenas escamas duplas, as asazinhas, que se desdobram ao nascer, começaram a vibrar; e Piccolissima, que acabara de notar que este era o método que a sua nova conhecida usava para emitir sons, estava ansiosa para ouvir o que ele poderia dizer; por isso fez um esforço para se controlar e ficou séria.
"Do you not see, with your dull human intelligence, that my trunk is a pump, a hollow tube, an instrument for sucking which I stretch out and draw in at my pleasure?"
"Não vês, com a tua embotada inteligência humana, que a minha tromba é uma bomba, um tubo oco, um instrumento para sugar que estendo e recolho ao meu prazer?"
While speaking thus, the fly thrust half way out from the cavity in the middle of his head, just under his eyes, a trunk with two or three joints in it; at the end was an opening like two black lips, folded over, with grooves or little hollows.
Enquanto falava assim, a mosca projetou até meio para fora da cavidade no meio da sua cabeça, logo abaixo dos seus olhos, uma tromba com duas ou três articulações; na extremidade havia uma abertura semelhante a dois lábios negros, dobrados, com sulcos ou pequenas cavidades.
The fly, thus urged to show the use of his trunk, or, more probably, forgetting the sequel of a discourse upon which he had entered in such a pompous style, flew upon the sugar, and set himself again to sucking it.
A mosca, assim levada a mostrar o uso da sua tromba, ou, mais provavelmente, esquecendo a continuação de um discurso no qual havia entrado com um estilo tão pomposo, voou sobre o açúcar e pôs-se novamente a sugá-lo.
Piccolissima again observed the little drops fall which she had noticed before.
Piccolissima observou novamente as pequenas gotas cair, que ela havia notado antes.
Vocabulary
- aspecto
- as-PEK-tu — Aspect, appearance, or look of something
- sombrio
- som-BREE-u — Gloomy, dark, or somber in appearance
- pouco
- POH-ku — A little, a small amount of something
- carrancudo
- ka-ran-KU-du — Frowning, sullen, or grumpy in expression
- mosca
- MOS-ka — A fly, the common flying insect
- recordava
- re-kor-DA-va — Was reminding or recalling something to mind
- máscara
- MAS-ka-ra — A mask worn on the face
- engraçada
- en-gra-SA-da — Funny, amusing, or comical in nature
- arlequim
- ar-le-KĨ — Harlequin, a comic theatrical masked character
- prestes
- PRES-tis — About to, on the verge of doing something
- mostrar
- mos-TRAR — To show or demonstrate something to someone
- ri
- ri — Laughs; third person singular of rir
- lábios
- LA-bius — Lips, the two fleshy parts of the mouth
- rindo
- RIN-du — Laughing; present participle of rir
- cara
- KA-ra — Face; informal word for someone's face
- forçou
- for-SOH — Forced or pushed with effort or pressure
- levemente
- le-ve-MEN-ti — Lightly, gently, or slightly in manner
- ar
- ar — Air; the atmosphere or a breath of air
- através
- a-tra-VES — Through or across something
- orifícios
- o-ri-FI-sios — Orifices, small openings or holes in body
- respiratórios
- res-pi-ra-TO-rius — Respiratory; relating to breathing or respiration
- abrem
- A-brẽ — Open; third person plural of abrir
- sob
- sob — Under or beneath something
- asas
- A-zas — Wings of a bird, insect, or aircraft
- escamas
- es-KA-mas — Scales of a fish, reptile, or insect
- duplas
- DU-plas — Double; feminine plural meaning two of something
- asazinhas
- a-za-ZI-nyas — Tiny little wings; diminutive plural of asas
- desdobram
- des-DO-brãw — Unfold or spread out from a folded position
- nascer
- nas-SER — To be born or to emerge into existence
- começaram
- ko-me-SA-rãw — They began or started doing something
- vibrar
- vi-BRAR — To vibrate or quiver rapidly back and forth
- acabara
- a-ka-BA-ra — Had just finished or had just stopped doing
- notar
- no-TAR — To notice or observe something carefully
- método
- ME-tu-du — Method or technique used to achieve something
- conhecida
- ko-nye-SI-da — Acquaintance; a known or familiar person
- usava
- u-ZA-va — Was using or used habitually in the past
- emitir
- e-mi-TIR — To emit or produce sounds or signals
- sons
- sõs — Sounds; plural of som meaning sound
- ansiosa
- an-si-O-za — Anxious or eager; feminine adjective
- ouvir
- oh-VIR — To hear or listen to something or someone
- poderia
- po-de-RI-a — Could or might; conditional form of poder
- dizer
- di-ZER — To say or to tell something to someone
- fez
- fes — Made or did; past tense of fazer
- esforço
- es-FOR-su — Effort or exertion toward achieving a goal
- controlar
- kon-tro-LAR — To control or restrain oneself or something
- ficou
- fi-KOH — Became or stayed; past tense of ficar
- séria
- SE-ria — Serious; feminine adjective meaning not laughing
- vês
- ves — You see; second person singular of ver
- embotada
- em-bo-TA-da — Blunted, dulled, or not sharp in ability
- inteligência
- in-te-li-JEN-sia — Intelligence; mental capacity for understanding things
- tromba
- TROM-ba — Proboscis or trunk; elongated feeding mouthpart
- bomba
- BOM-ba — Pump; a device that draws in fluid
- tubo
- TU-bu — Tube; a hollow cylindrical pipe or channel
- oco
- O-ku — Hollow or empty inside a structure
- instrumento
- ins-tru-MEN-tu — Instrument or tool used for a purpose
- sugar
- su-GAR — To suck or draw in liquid through suction
- estendo
- es-TEN-du — Extending or stretching something outward
- recolho
- re-KO-lyu — I withdraw or retract something back in
- prazer
- pra-ZER — Pleasure or enjoyment derived from something
- Enquanto
- en-KWAN-tu — While or as long as; temporal conjunction
- falava
- fa-LA-va — Was speaking or talking; imperfect of falar
- assim
- a-SĨ — Thus, so, or like this in this way
- projetou
- pro-je-TOH — Projected or extended outward from a surface
- até
- a-TE — Until, up to, or as far as something
- meio
- MEH-yu — Half or middle; midpoint of something
- fora
- FO-ra — Outside or out; beyond a boundary
- cavidade
- ka-vi-DA-di — Cavity; a hollow space within a body
- cabeça
- ka-BE-sa — Head; the uppermost part of the body
- logo
- LO-gu — Soon, right away, or just below something
- abaixo
- a-BAI-shu — Below or underneath something else
- olhos
- O-lyus — Eyes; the organs of sight
- articulações
- ar-ti-ku-la-SÕIS — Joints or articulations connecting body segments
- extremidade
- eks-tre-mi-DA-di — End or tip; the outermost part of something
- havia
- a-VI-a — There was or had; imperfect of haver
- abertura
- a-ber-TU-ra — Opening or aperture; a gap in a surface
- semelhante
- se-me-LYA-ti — Similar or resembling something else closely
- negros
- NE-grus — Black; masculine plural color adjective
- dobrados
- do-BRA-dus — Folded or bent; past participle of dobrar
- sulcos
- SUL-kus — Grooves or furrows on a surface
- cavidades
- ka-vi-DA-dis — Cavities; multiple hollow spaces or recesses
- levada
- le-VA-da — Carried away or mischievous; lively and naughty
- uso
- U-zu — Use or habit; the act of using something
- provavelmente
- pro-va-vel-MEN-ti — Probably or likely to be the case
- esquecendo
- es-ke-SEN-du — Forgetting; present participle of esquecer
- continuação
- kon-ti-nu-a-SÃW — Continuation; the act of continuing something
- discurso
- dis-KUR-su — Speech or discourse delivered to an audience
- qual
- kwal — Which or that; relative pronoun or adjective
- entrado
- en-TRA-du — Entered; past participle of entrar
- estilo
- es-TI-lu — Style or manner of doing or expressing something
- tão
- tãw — So or such; intensifying adverb of degree
- pomposo
- pom-PO-zu — Pompous or grandiloquent in speech or manner
- voou
- vo-OH — Flew; past tense of voar meaning to fly
- sobre
- SO-bri — Over, on top of, or about something
- açúcar
- a-SU-kar — Sugar; the sweet crystalline substance
- pôs-se
- POHS-si — Set herself to; began doing reflexively
- novamente
- no-va-MEN-ti — Again or once more; repeating an action
- sugá-lo
- su-GA-lu — To suck it; infinitive with object pronoun attached
- observou
- ob-ser-VOH — Observed or watched carefully; past of observar
- gotas
- GO-tas — Drops; small quantities of liquid falling
- cair
- ka-IR — To fall or drop down from a height
- notado
- no-TA-du — Noticed or observed; past participle of notar
- antes
- AN-tis — Before; prior to a moment in time
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