The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle — Page 3
The grass was short and green, and there were clothes--props cut from bracken stems, with lines of plaited rushes, and a heap of tiny clothes pins--but no pocket-handkerchiefs!
La hierba era corta y verde, y había ropa tendida—soportes cortados de tallos de helecho, con cuerdas de juncos trenzados, y un montón de pequeñas pinzas para la ropa—¡pero ningún pañuelo de bolsillo!
But there was something else--a door! straight into the hill; and inside it some one was singing--
Pero había algo más—¡una puerta! justo dentro de la colina; y adentro alguien estaba cantando—
"Lily-white and clean, oh! With little frills between, oh! Smooth and hot--red rusty spot Never here be seen, oh!"
«¡Blanca como el lirio y limpia, oh! ¡Con pequeños volantes entre medio, oh! Suave y caliente—mancha roja y oxidada, ¡que aquí jamás se vea, oh!»
Lucie, knocked--once--twice, and interrupted the song.
Lucía llamó—una vez—dos veces, e interrumpió la canción.
A little frightened voice called out "Who's that?"
Una vocecilla asustada preguntó: «¿Quién es?»
Lucie opened the door: and what do you think there was inside the hill?--a nice clean kitchen with a flagged floor and wooden beams--just like any other farm kitchen.
Lucía abrió la puerta: ¿y qué crees que había dentro de la colina?—una bonita y limpia cocina con suelo de losas y vigas de madera—igual que cualquier otra cocina de granja.
Only the ceiling was so low that Lucie's head nearly touched it; and the pots and pans were small, and so was everything there.
Solo que el techo era tan bajo que la cabeza de Lucía casi lo rozaba; y las ollas y sartenes eran pequeñas, y también lo era todo lo demás.
There was a nice hot singey smell; and at the table, with an iron in her hand stood a very stout short person staring anxiously at Lucie.
Había un agradable olor cálido a ropa planchada; y junto a la mesa, con una plancha en la mano, estaba de pie una personita muy rechoncha y bajita mirando a Lucía con ansiedad.
Her print gown was tucked up, and she was wearing a large apron over her striped petticoat.
Su vestido de algodón estampado estaba recogido, y llevaba un gran delantal sobre su enagua de rayas.
Her little black nose went sniffle, sniffle, snuffle, and her eyes went twinkle, twinkle; and underneath her cap--where Lucie had yellow curls--that little person had PRICKLES!
Su pequeña nariz negra olfateaba, olfateaba, olfateaba, y sus ojos brillaban, brillaban; ¡y debajo de su cofia—donde Lucía tenía rizos amarillos—aquella personita tenía PÚAS!
"Who are you?" said Lucie. "Have you seen my pocket-handkins?"
«¿Quién eres?», dijo Lucía. «¿Has visto mis pañuelitos de bolsillo?»
The little person made a bob-curtsey--"Oh, yes, if you please'm; my name is Mrs. Tiggy-winkle; oh, yes if you please'm, I'm an excellent clear-starcher!"
La personita hizo una reverencia—«Oh, sí, con su permiso; me llamo la señora Tiggy-winkle; oh, sí, con su permiso, ¡soy una excelente planchadora y almidonadora!»
Vocabulary
- hierba
- Grass or herb growing in natural settings
- era
- Past tense of 'to be'; was or were
- corta
- Short in length or duration; brief
- verde
- The color green in Spanish
- había
- There was or there were; imperfect haver
- ropa
- Clothing or laundry items in general
- tendida
- Spread out or hung to dry outside
- soportes
- Supports or holders for hanging objects
- cortados
- Cut or trimmed into pieces or shapes
- tallos
- Stems or stalks of plants and ferns
- helecho
- A fern plant with feathery fronds
- cuerdas
- Ropes or strings used for tying things
- juncos
- Reeds or rushes growing near water
- trenzados
- Braided or woven together into strands
- montón
- A pile or heap of things stacked together
- pequeñas
- Small or little in size; feminine plural
- pinzas
- Clothespins or clips for hanging laundry
- ningún
- Not any; none of a particular thing
- pañuelo
- A handkerchief or small decorative scarf
- bolsillo
- A pocket in clothing for carrying items
- algo
- Something or somewhat; an unspecified thing
- puerta
- A door or gate providing entrance or exit
- justo
- Just, right, or exactly at a point
- dentro
- Inside or within a place or container
- colina
- A hill or small elevated landform
- adentro
- Inside or inward; toward an interior space
- alguien
- Someone or somebody; an unspecified person
- estaba
- Was; imperfect tense of 'estar' to be
- cantando
- Singing; present participle of 'cantar'
- Blanca
- White; pure in color or appearance
- lirio
- A lily flower, typically white and delicate
- limpia
- Clean or spotless; free from dirt or stain
- pequeños
- Small or little; masculine plural adjective
- volantes
- Ruffles or frills decorating clothing edges
- entre
- Between or among multiple things or people
- medio
- Middle or half; center of something
- Suave
- Soft or gentle in texture or manner
- caliente
- Hot or warm in temperature
- mancha
- A stain or spot on fabric or surface
- roja
- Red in color; feminine adjective
- oxidada
- Rusty or oxidized; covered in rust
- aquí
- Here; in this place or location
- jamás
- Never; emphatic negation of ever occurring
- vea
- May see; present subjunctive of 'ver'
- llamó
- Called out or knocked; past tense llamar
- vez
- Time or instance of something happening
- veces
- Times or occasions; plural of 'vez'
- interrumpió
- Interrupted or broke off an ongoing action
- canción
- A song or musical vocal composition
- vocecilla
- A tiny or little voice; diminutive of voz
- asustada
- Frightened or scared; feeling sudden fear
- preguntó
- Asked a question; past tense of preguntar
- Quién
- Who; interrogative pronoun asking about identity
- abrió
- Opened; past tense of 'abrir' to open
- crees
- You believe or think; second person creer
- bonita
- Pretty or lovely; attractive feminine adjective
- cocina
- Kitchen; room where food is prepared
- suelo
- Floor or ground surface inside a building
- losas
- Stone slabs or floor tiles covering ground
- vigas
- Beams or rafters supporting a ceiling structure
- madera
- Wood material used in construction or furniture
- igual
- Equal or the same as something else
- cualquier
- Any; referring to an unspecified one
- granja
- A farm where animals and crops are raised
- Solo
- Only or just; alone or by itself
- techo
- Ceiling or roof of a room or building
- bajo
- Low or short in height or position
- cabeza
- Head; the uppermost part of the body
- casi
- Almost or nearly; very close to something
- rozaba
- Was grazing or barely touching a surface
- ollas
- Pots or cooking vessels used in kitchen
- sartenes
- Frying pans or skillets for cooking food
- eran
- Were; imperfect plural form of ser
- también
- Also or too; indicating inclusion of another
- todo
- All or everything; entire without exception
- demás
- The rest or others; remaining things
- Había
- There was or were; imperfect of haber
- agradable
- Pleasant or agreeable; producing good feelings
- olor
- A smell or scent detected by the nose
- cálido
- Warm in temperature or feeling; cozy
- planchada
- Ironed or pressed flat; past participle planchar
- junto
- Next to or beside something nearby
- mesa
- A table used for eating or working
- plancha
- A clothes iron used for pressing fabric
- mano
- Hand; the body part at the end of the arm
- pie
- Foot; the lower extremity used for standing
- personita
- A tiny little person; diminutive of persona
- rechoncha
- Chubby or plump; short and roundly built
- bajita
- Very short in stature; diminutive of baja
- mirando
- Looking or watching; present participle mirar
- ansiedad
- Anxiety or nervousness; feeling of worried tension
- vestido
- A dress or garment worn by women
- algodón
- Cotton fabric or fiber used in clothing
- estampado
- Printed or patterned fabric with a design
- recogido
- Gathered up or tucked; pulled together neatly
- llevaba
- Was wearing or carrying; imperfect of llevar
- gran
- Great or large; shortened form of grande
- delantal
- An apron worn to protect clothing while working
- sobre
- Over or on top of; above something else
- enagua
- A petticoat or underskirt worn beneath dress
- rayas
- Stripes or lines on fabric or surfaces
- pequeña
- Small or little; feminine singular adjective
- nariz
- Nose; the facial feature used for smelling
- negra
- Black in color; feminine singular adjective
- olfateaba
- Was sniffing or smelling something repeatedly
- ojos
- Eyes; the organs used for seeing
- brillaban
- Were shining or sparkling brightly
- debajo
- Below or underneath something else
- cofia
- A bonnet or cap worn over the head
- donde
- Where; relative adverb indicating a location
- tenía
- Had or possessed; imperfect of tener
- rizos
- Curls or ringlets of hair
- amarillos
- Yellow in color; masculine plural adjective
- aquella
- That over there; feminine demonstrative adjective
- PÚAS
- Spines or prickles on an animal or plant
- dijo
- Said; third person past tense of decir
- visto
- Seen; past participle of ver to see
- pañuelitos
- Small handkerchiefs; diminutive plural of pañuelo
- hizo
- Did or made; past tense of hacer
- reverencia
- A bow or curtsy showing respect to someone
- permiso
- Permission or leave; formal allowance to proceed
- llamo
- I am called; first person of llamarse
- señora
- Mrs. or madam; respectful title for a woman
- excelente
- Excellent or outstanding in quality or skill
- planchadora
- A female ironer or one who irons clothing
- almidonadora
- A female starcher who starches fabric and clothes
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