The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin — Page 3
Presently a little thread of blue _smoke_ from a wood fire came up from the top of the tree, and Nutkin peeped through the key-hole and sang--
En ese momento un pequeño hilo de humo azul de un fuego de leña salió por la cima del árbol, y Nutkin espió por el ojo de la cerradura y cantó--
"A house full, a hole full! And you cannot gather a bowl-full!"
"¡Una casa llena, un agujero lleno! ¡Y no puedes reunir un cuenco lleno!"
The squirrels searched for nuts all over the island and filled their little sacks.
Las ardillas buscaron nueces por toda la isla y llenaron sus pequeñas bolsas.
But Nutkin gathered oak-apples--yellow and scarlet--and sat upon a beech-stump playing marbles, and watching the door of old Mr. Brown.
Pero Nutkin recogió agallas de roble --amarillas y escarlatas-- y se sentó sobre un tocón de haya jugando a las canicas, y vigilando la puerta del viejo Sr. Brown.
On the third day the squirrels got up very early and went fishing; they caught seven fat minnows as a present for Old Brown.
En el tercer día las ardillas se levantaron muy temprano y fueron a pescar; atraparon siete gordos pececillos como regalo para el viejo Brown.
They paddled over the lake and landed under a crooked chestnut tree on Owl Island.
Remaron por el lago y desembarcaron bajo un torcido castaño en la Isla del Búho.
Twinkleberry and six other little squirrels each carried a fat minnow; but Nutkin, who had no nice manners, brought no present at all.
Twinkleberry y otras seis ardillitas llevaron cada una un gordo pececillo; pero Nutkin, que no tenía buenos modales, no trajo ningún regalo en absoluto.
He ran in front, singing--
Él corrió por delante, cantando--
"The man in the wilderness said to me, 'How many strawberries grow in the sea?' I answered him as I thought good-- 'As many red herrings as grow in the wood.'"
"El hombre en el desierto me dijo, '¿Cuántas fresas crecen en el mar?' Le respondí como me pareció bien-- 'Tantos arenques rojos como crecen en el bosque.'"
But old Mr. Brown took no interest in riddles--not even when the answer was provided for him.
Pero el viejo Sr. Brown no mostró ningún interés en los acertijos--ni siquiera cuando la respuesta le era proporcionada.
On the fourth day the squirrels brought a present of six fat beetles, which were as good as plums in _plum-pudding_ for Old Brown.
En el cuarto día las ardillas trajeron un regalo de seis gordos escarabajos, que eran tan buenos como ciruelas en el pudín de ciruela para el viejo Brown.
Each beetle was wrapped up carefully in a dock-leaf, fastened with a pine-needle pin.
Cada escarabajo estaba envuelto cuidadosamente en una hoja de bardana, asegurada con un alfiler de aguja de pino.
But Nutkin sang as rudely as ever-- "Old Mr. B!
Pero Nutkin cantó tan groseramente como siempre-- "¡Viejo Sr. B!
Vocabulary
- ese
- Demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'that'.
- momento
- A brief period of time; a moment.
- pequeño
- Adjective describing something of little size; small.
- hilo
- A thin strand of thread or smoke; thread.
- humo
- The visible gas produced by burning; smoke.
- azul
- The color of a clear sky; blue.
- fuego
- Combustion producing heat and light; fire.
- leña
- Wood cut and gathered for burning as fuel.
- salió
- Past tense of salir; he/she/it went out.
- cima
- The highest point of something; top or summit.
- árbol
- A tall woody perennial plant; a tree.
- espió
- Past tense of espiar; he/she spied or peeked.
- ojo
- The organ used for seeing; eye.
- cerradura
- A mechanical device on a door for locking; lock.
- cantó
- Past tense of cantar; he/she sang a song.
- casa
- A building where people live; house or home.
- llena
- Adjective meaning completely filled; full.
- agujero
- An opening or gap in a surface; hole.
- lleno
- Adjective describing something completely filled; full.
- puedes
- Second person singular present of poder; you can.
- reunir
- To bring together or collect into one group; gather.
- cuenco
- A deep rounded vessel used for holding food; bowl.
- ardillas
- Small bushy-tailed rodents that climb trees; squirrels.
- buscaron
- Past tense of buscar; they searched or looked for.
- nueces
- Hard-shelled edible seeds from trees; nuts.
- toda
- Adjective meaning the whole of something; all/entire.
- isla
- A piece of land surrounded by water; island.
- llenaron
- Past tense of llenar; they filled something up completely.
- bolsas
- Flexible containers used to carry items; bags.
- recogió
- Past tense of recoger; he/she picked up or collected.
- agallas
- Oak galls; abnormal plant growths caused by insects.
- roble
- A large hardwood tree producing acorns; oak.
- amarillas
- Feminine plural adjective for the color yellow.
- escarlatas
- Bright vivid red color; scarlet.
- sentó
- Past tense of sentarse; he/she sat down.
- sobre
- Preposition meaning 'on,' 'above,' or 'about'.
- tocón
- The remaining stump after a tree is cut down.
- haya
- A smooth-barked deciduous hardwood tree; beech.
- jugando
- Present participle of jugar; playing a game or sport.
- canicas
- Small glass or clay balls used in children's games; marbles.
- vigilando
- Present participle of vigilar; watching over or guarding.
- puerta
- A movable barrier used to open or close an entrance; door.
- viejo
- Adjective describing something of great age; old.
- tercer
- Ordinal number meaning the one numbered three; third.
- día
- A 24-hour period from midnight to midnight; day.
- levantaron
- Past tense of levantarse; they got up or rose.
- temprano
- Adverb indicating an early time of day; early.
- fueron
- Past tense of ir; they went somewhere.
- pescar
- The activity of catching fish; to fish.
- atraparon
- Past tense of atrapar; they caught or trapped something.
- siete
- The cardinal number between six and eight; seven.
- gordos
- Adjective describing something plump or overweight; fat.
- pececillos
- Diminutive plural of pez; small fish.
- regalo
- Something given to another person voluntarily; gift.
- Remaron
- Past tense of remar; they rowed a boat.
- lago
- A large body of still inland water; lake.
- desembarcaron
- Past tense of desembarcar; they landed or disembarked.
- bajo
- Preposition or adjective meaning 'under' or 'low'.
- torcido
- Adjective meaning bent or not straight; twisted/crooked.
- castaño
- A tree producing edible brown nuts; chestnut tree.
- Isla
- A landmass completely surrounded by water; island.
- Búho
- A nocturnal bird of prey with large eyes; owl.
- seis
- The cardinal number between five and seven; six.
- ardillitas
- Diminutive of ardillas; little squirrels.
- llevaron
- Past tense of llevar; they carried or brought something.
- cada
- Adjective distributing items individually; each/every.
- gordo
- Adjective describing a plump or large item; fat.
- pececillo
- Diminutive of pez; a small fish.
- tenía
- Past imperfect of tener; he/she had or possessed.
- buenos
- Masculine plural adjective meaning of good quality; good.
- modales
- Learned social behaviors in company; manners.
- trajo
- Past tense of traer; he/she brought something along.
- ningún
- Adjective meaning not any; no/none.
- absoluto
- Adjective meaning complete or total; absolute.
- corrió
- Past tense of correr; he/she ran quickly.
- delante
- Adverb indicating position in front of something; ahead.
- cantando
- Present participle of cantar; singing a song.
- hombre
- An adult male human being; man.
- desierto
- A barren dry landscape with little vegetation; desert.
- dijo
- Past tense of decir; he/she said or told something.
- Cuántas
- Interrogative adjective asking about quantity; how many.
- fresas
- Small red sweet fruits; strawberries.
- crecen
- Third person plural present of crecer; they grow.
- mar
- The vast body of salt water; sea.
- respondí
- Past tense of responder; I answered or replied.
- pareció
- Past tense of parecer; it seemed or appeared to be.
- bien
- Adverb meaning in a good or correct manner; well.
- Tantos
- Adjective meaning as many or so many; so many.
- arenques
- Small silver saltwater fish often smoked; herrings.
- rojos
- Masculine plural adjective for the color red.
- bosque
- A dense area of trees and undergrowth; forest/woods.
- mostró
- Past tense of mostrar; he/she showed or displayed interest.
- interés
- A feeling of wanting to know more; interest.
- acertijos
- Puzzles or questions requiring clever answers; riddles.
- ni
- Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'not even'.
- siquiera
- Adverb used for emphasis meaning 'even' or 'at least'.
- cuando
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when' in time.
- respuesta
- A reply given in reaction to a question; answer.
- era
- Past imperfect of ser; it was or used to be.
- proporcionada
- Past participle of proporcionar; provided or given.
- cuarto
- Ordinal number meaning number four in a sequence; fourth.
- trajeron
- Past tense of traer; they brought something along.
- escarabajos
- Insects with hardened forewings; beetles.
- eran
- Past imperfect of ser; they were at some point.
- tan
- Adverb indicating degree meaning 'so' or 'as'.
- ciruelas
- Small sweet purple or red fruits; plums.
- pudín
- A sweet steamed or baked dessert dish; pudding.
- ciruela
- A small sweet stone fruit; plum.
- Cada
- Adjective meaning every individual item separately; each.
- escarabajo
- An insect with hard protective wing covers; beetle.
- estaba
- Past imperfect of estar; he/she/it was located or felt.
- envuelto
- Past participle of envolver; wrapped up or enclosed.
- cuidadosamente
- Adverb meaning done with great care; carefully.
- hoja
- A flat green part of a plant; leaf.
- bardana
- A large-leafed weed producing sticky burrs; burdock.
- asegurada
- Past participle of asegurar; fastened or secured in place.
- alfiler
- A thin sharp metal pin used for fastening; pin.
- aguja
- A thin pointed tool used for sewing; needle.
- pino
- An evergreen coniferous tree with needles; pine tree.
- groseramente
- Adverb meaning in a rude or impolite manner; rudely.
- siempre
- Adverb meaning at all times without exception; always.
- Viejo
- Adjective or noun meaning old; used as nickname here.
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