The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle — Page 2
Three handkins and a pinny! Have _you_ seen them, Tabby Kitten?"
Tre fazzolettini e un grembiulino! Li hai visti _tu_, Gatta Soriana?"
The Kitten went on washing her white paws; so Lucie asked a speckled hen--
La gattina continuò a lavarsi le zampine bianche; così Lucie chiese a una gallina chiazzata--
"Sally Henny-penny, have _you_ found three pocket-handkins?"
"Sally Chiocciola-pennola, hai trovato _tu_ tre fazzoletti da tasca?"
But the speckled hen ran into a barn, clucking--
Ma la gallina chiazzata corse in un fienile, chiocciando--
"I go barefoot, barefoot, barefoot!"
"Io vado a piedi nudi, a piedi nudi, a piedi nudi!"
And then Lucie asked Cock Robin sitting on a twig.
E poi Lucie chiese a Pettirosso Ciuffetto seduto su un ramoscello.
Cock Robin looked sideways at Lucie with his bright black eye, and he flew over a stile and away.
Pettirosso Ciuffetto guardò Lucie di traverso con il suo occhio nero lucente, e volò oltre uno steccato e via.
Lucie climbed upon the stile and looked up at the hill behind Little-town--a hill that goes up--up--into the clouds as though it had no top!
Lucie salì sullo steccato e guardò in su verso la collina dietro Piccola-città--una collina che sale--su--fino alle nuvole come se non avesse cima!
And a great way up the hill-side she thought she saw some white things spread upon the grass.
E molto in alto sul fianco della collina le sembrò di vedere alcune cose bianche distese sull'erba.
Lucie scrambled up the hill as fast as her stout legs would carry her; she ran along a steep path-way--up and up--until Little-town was right away down below--she could have dropped a pebble down the chimney!
Lucie scalò la collina più in fretta che le sue robuste gambette potevano portarla; corse lungo un ripido sentiero--su e su--finché Piccola-città era lontana in basso--avrebbe potuto lasciar cadere un sasso giù per il camino!
Presently she came to a spring, bubbling out from the hill-side.
Poco dopo arrivò a una sorgente, che gorgogliava fuori dal fianco della collina.
Some one had stood a tin can upon a stone to catch the water--but the water was already running over, for the can was no bigger than an egg-cup!
Qualcuno aveva posato un barattolo di latta su una pietra per raccogliere l'acqua--ma l'acqua traboccava già, perché il barattolo non era più grande di un portauovo!
And where the sand upon the path was wet--there were foot-marks of a _very_ small person.
E dove la sabbia sul sentiero era bagnata--c'erano le impronte di una persona _molto_ piccola.
Lucie ran on, and on.
Lucie continuò a correre, e ancora.
The path ended under a big rock.
Il sentiero terminava sotto una grande roccia.
Vocabulary
- Tre
- treh — The number three
- fazzolettini
- fat-tso-let-TEE-nee — Small handkerchiefs or little tissues
- e
- eh — And; basic coordinating conjunction
- un
- oon — A, an; masculine indefinite article
- grembiulino
- grem-byu-LEE-noh — Small apron, often worn by children
- Li
- lee — Them; third-person plural direct object pronoun
- hai
- AH-ee — You have; second-person singular of avere
- visti
- VEES-tee — Seen; past participle of vedere, plural masculine
- tu
- too — You; second-person singular subject pronoun
- Gatta
- GAT-tah — Female cat; also used as a proper name
- Soriana
- so-RYAH-nah — Tabby; referring to a striped or tabby cat
- La
- lah — The; feminine singular definite article
- gattina
- gat-TEE-nah — Little female cat, kitten
- continuò
- kon-tee-NWOH — Continued; third-person singular past of continuare
- a
- ah — To, at; common Italian preposition
- lavarsi
- lah-VAR-see — To wash oneself; reflexive infinitive of lavare
- le
- leh — The; feminine plural definite article or indirect pronoun
- zampine
- tsam-PEE-neh — Little paws, small animal feet
- bianche
- BYAN-keh — White; feminine plural adjective
- così
- ko-ZEE — So, thus; indicates manner or consequence
- chiese
- KYE-zeh — Asked; third-person singular past of chiedere
- gallina
- gal-LEE-nah — Hen; adult female chicken
- chiazzata
- kyat-TSAH-tah — Speckled, spotted; covered with patches of color
- trovato
- tro-VAH-toh — Found; past participle of trovare
- fazzoletti
- fat-tso-LET-tee — Handkerchiefs or tissues, plural
- tasca
- TAS-kah — Pocket; compartment in clothing for carrying items
- corse
- KOR-seh — Ran; third-person singular past of correre
- in
- een — In, into; common Italian preposition
- fienile
- fye-NEE-leh — Barn, hay storage building on a farm
- chiocciando
- kyot-CHAN-doh — Clucking; present participle of chiocciare
- Io
- EE-oh — I; first-person singular subject pronoun
- vado
- VAH-doh — I go; first-person singular present of andare
- piedi
- PYE-dee — Feet; plural of piede
- nudi
- NOO-dee — Bare, naked; plural adjective for unclothed
- poi
- POY — Then, afterwards; indicates sequence in time
- Pettirosso
- pet-tee-ROS-soh — Robin; small bird with a red or orange breast
- seduto
- seh-DOO-toh — Seated, sitting; past participle of sedere
- su
- soo — On, upon; common Italian preposition
- ramoscello
- rah-mo-SHEL-loh — Small twig or branch of a tree
- guardò
- gwar-DOH — Looked, watched; third-person singular past of guardare
- di
- dee — Of, from; very common Italian preposition
- traverso
- tra-VER-soh — Sideways, askance; di traverso means sideways
- con
- kon — With; common Italian preposition
- il
- eel — The; masculine singular definite article
- suo
- SWOH — His, her, its; third-person singular possessive adjective
- occhio
- OK-kyoh — Eye; organ of vision
- nero
- NEH-roh — Black; dark color adjective
- lucente
- loo-CHEN-teh — Shining, bright, gleaming
- volò
- vo-LOH — Flew; third-person singular past of volare
- oltre
- OL-treh — Beyond, past, over; indicates passing a point
- steccato
- stek-KAH-toh — Fence made of stakes or wooden palings
- via
- VEE-ah — Away, street; can indicate direction or a road
- salì
- sah-LEE — Climbed, went up; third-person singular past of salire
- sullo
- SOOL-loh — On the; contraction of su and lo
- verso
- VER-soh — Toward; preposition indicating direction
- collina
- kol-LEE-nah — Hill; elevated landform smaller than a mountain
- dietro
- DYE-troh — Behind, after; preposition indicating position
- che
- keh — That, which, who; conjunction or relative pronoun
- sale
- SAH-leh — Rises, goes up; third-person singular present of salire
- fino
- FEE-noh — Until, up to; preposition indicating limit
- alle
- AL-leh — To the; contraction of a and le
- nuvole
- NOO-vo-leh — Clouds; plural of nuvola
- come
- KO-meh — As, like, how; comparison or manner word
- se
- seh — If; conditional conjunction
- non
- non — Not; standard negation word
- avesse
- ah-VES-seh — Had; third-person singular imperfect subjunctive of avere
- cima
- CHEE-mah — Top, summit; highest point of something
- molto
- MOL-toh — Very, much, a lot; adverb of degree
- alto
- AL-toh — High, tall; adjective for height
- fianco
- FYAN-koh — Side, flank; lateral part of something
- della
- DEL-lah — Of the; contraction of di and la
- sembrò
- sem-BROH — Seemed, appeared; third-person singular past of sembrare
- vedere
- veh-DEH-reh — To see; basic infinitive for visual perception
- alcune
- al-KOO-neh — Some, a few; feminine plural indefinite adjective
- cose
- KO-zeh — Things; plural of cosa
- distese
- dee-STEH-zeh — Spread out, stretched; plural past participle of distendere
- sull'
- sool — On the; contraction of su and l' before a vowel
- erba
- ER-bah — Grass, herb; low green plant covering ground
- scalò
- ska-LOH — Climbed, scaled; third-person singular past of scalare
- più
- pyoo — More; comparative adverb of quantity or degree
- fretta
- FRET-tah — Hurry, haste; speed in action
- sue
- SOO-eh — Her, his; third-person feminine plural possessive adjective
- robuste
- ro-BOOS-teh — Sturdy, strong, robust; feminine plural adjective
- gambette
- gam-BET-teh — Little legs; affectionate diminutive of gambe
- potevano
- po-TEH-vah-noh — Could, were able; third-person plural imperfect of potere
- portarla
- por-TAR-lah — To carry her; infinitive with direct object pronoun
- lungo
- LOON-goh — Along, long; preposition or adjective of length
- ripido
- REE-pee-doh — Steep; adjective describing a sharp incline
- sentiero
- sen-TYE-roh — Path, trail; narrow walkway through countryside
- finché
- feen-KEH — Until, as long as; temporal conjunction
- era
- EH-rah — Was; third-person singular imperfect of essere
- lontana
- lon-TAH-nah — Far, distant; feminine adjective of distance
- basso
- BAS-soh — Low, short; adjective for low position or height
- avrebbe
- ah-VREB-beh — Would have; third-person singular conditional of avere
- potuto
- po-TOO-toh — Been able; past participle of potere
- lasciar
- lah-SHAR — To let, to leave; shortened infinitive of lasciare
- cadere
- kah-DEH-reh — To fall; infinitive for dropping or falling down
- sasso
- SAS-soh — Stone, rock; small piece of hard mineral matter
- giù
- joo — Down, downward; adverb of direction
- per
- pehr — For, through, by; versatile Italian preposition
- camino
- kah-MEE-noh — Chimney, fireplace; vertical flue for smoke
- Poco
- POH-koh — Little, a bit; small amount or short time
- dopo
- DOH-poh — After, later; preposition or adverb of time
- arrivò
- ar-ree-VOH — Arrived; third-person singular past of arrivare
- sorgente
- sor-JEN-teh — Spring, source; natural water emerging from ground
- gorgogliava
- gor-go-LYA-vah — Was gurgling, bubbling; imperfect of gorgogliare
- fuori
- FWOH-ree — Outside, out; adverb or preposition of position
- dal
- dal — From the; contraction of da and il
- Qualcuno
- kwal-KOO-noh — Someone, somebody; indefinite pronoun
- aveva
- ah-VEH-vah — Had; third-person singular imperfect of avere
- posato
- po-ZAH-toh — Placed, set down; past participle of posare
- barattolo
- bah-RAT-to-loh — Jar, tin, container for storing goods
- latta
- LAT-tah — Tin, tin plate; thin sheet metal material
- pietra
- PYE-trah — Stone, rock; solid mineral material
- raccogliere
- rak-KOL-lyeh-reh — To collect, gather; pick up multiple items
- acqua
- AK-kwah — Water; clear liquid essential for life
- ma
- mah — But; adversative coordinating conjunction
- traboccava
- tra-bok-KAH-vah — Was overflowing, spilling over; imperfect of traboccare
- già
- jah — Already; adverb indicating something done before
- perché
- pehr-KEH — Because, why; causal conjunction or interrogative
- grande
- GRAN-deh — Big, large, great; adjective of size
- portauovo
- por-tah-WO-voh — Egg cup; small holder for a boiled egg
- dove
- DOH-veh — Where; adverb of place
- sabbia
- SAB-byah — Sand; fine granular material found on beaches
- bagnata
- ban-YAH-tah — Wet, damp; feminine past participle of bagnare
- c'erano
- CHEH-rah-noh — There were; imperfect of esserci, indicating presence
- impronte
- eem-PRON-teh — Footprints, imprints; marks left by pressing
- persona
- pehr-SOH-nah — Person; individual human being
- piccola
- PIK-ko-lah — Small, little; feminine adjective of size
- correre
- KOR-reh-reh — To run; infinitive for moving quickly on foot
- ancora
- an-KOH-rah — Still, yet, again; adverb of continuation
- Il
- eel — The; masculine singular definite article
- terminava
- ter-mee-NAH-vah — Was ending, terminated; imperfect of terminare
- sotto
- SOT-toh — Under, below; preposition of position
- roccia
- ROT-chah — Rock, cliff; large solid mass of stone
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