The Wonderful Wizard of Oz — Page 1
The Cyclone
El Ciclón
Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife.
Dorothy vivía en medio de las grandes praderas de Kansas, con el tío Henry, que era granjero, y la tía Em, que era la esposa del granjero.
Their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles.
Su casa era pequeña, pues la madera para construirla tenía que ser transportada en carreta durante muchas millas.
There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cookstove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds.
Había cuatro paredes, un suelo y un techo, que formaban una sola habitación; y esta habitación contenía una cocina de aspecto oxidado, un armario para los platos, una mesa, tres o cuatro sillas y las camas.
Uncle Henry and Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner, and Dorothy a little bed in another corner.
El tío Henry y la tía Em tenían una cama grande en un rincón, y Dorothy una cama pequeña en otro rincón.
There was no garret at all, and no cellar—except a small hole dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path.
No había desván en absoluto, ni sótano, excepto un pequeño hoyo excavado en el suelo, llamado sótano anticiclones, adonde la familia podía ir en caso de que surgiera uno de esos grandes torbellinos, lo suficientemente poderoso como para destruir cualquier edificio a su paso.
It was reached by a trap door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole.
Se accedía a él por una trampilla en el centro del suelo, desde la cual una escalera descendía hasta el pequeño y oscuro hoyo.
When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side.
Cuando Dorothy se paraba en la entrada y miraba a su alrededor, no podía ver nada más que la gran pradera gris por todos lados.
Not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of flat country that reached to the edge of the sky in all directions.
Ni un árbol ni una casa interrumpía la amplia extensión de terreno llano que llegaba hasta el horizonte en todas direcciones.
The sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass, with little cracks running through it.
El sol había convertido la tierra arada en una masa gris, con pequeñas grietas que la atravesaban.
Vocabulary
- Ciclón
- A violent rotating storm; cyclone.
- vivía
- She lived; past imperfect of vivir.
- medio
- Middle or midst of something.
- grandes
- Large or great (plural adjective).
- praderas
- Open grassy plains or meadows.
- tío
- Uncle; a male relative of the parent's generation.
- era
- He/she was; past imperfect of ser.
- granjero
- A farmer who works agricultural land.
- tía
- Aunt; a female relative of the parent's generation.
- esposa
- Wife; a married female partner.
- casa
- House; a place where someone lives.
- pequeña
- Small or little (feminine adjective).
- pues
- Conjunction meaning 'because,' 'since,' or 'well.'
- madera
- Wood; timber material used in construction.
- construirla
- To build it; infinitive with attached pronoun.
- tenía
- He/she had; past imperfect of tener.
- transportada
- Transported; carried from one place to another.
- carreta
- A cart or wagon used to transport goods.
- durante
- Preposition meaning 'during' or 'for' a period.
- millas
- Miles; units of distance measurement.
- Había
- There was/were; imperfect of haber.
- paredes
- Walls; vertical structures enclosing a room.
- suelo
- Floor or ground; the surface walked upon.
- techo
- Roof or ceiling; the top covering of a building.
- formaban
- They formed; past imperfect of formar.
- sola
- Single or alone (feminine adjective).
- habitación
- Room; an enclosed space within a building.
- contenía
- It contained; past imperfect of contener.
- cocina
- Kitchen; a room where food is prepared.
- aspecto
- Appearance or look; the visual impression of something.
- oxidado
- Rusty; covered with rust from oxidation.
- armario
- Wardrobe or cupboard for storing items.
- platos
- Plates; flat dishes used for serving food.
- mesa
- Table; a piece of furniture with a flat surface.
- sillas
- Chairs; seats with backs for sitting.
- camas
- Beds; furniture pieces for sleeping.
- tenían
- They had; past imperfect of tener.
- cama
- Bed; furniture used for sleeping.
- grande
- Large or big (adjective).
- rincón
- Corner; an inner angle of a room.
- desván
- Attic; a storage space just below a roof.
- absoluto
- Absolute; used in 'en absoluto' meaning 'at all'.
- ni
- Conjunction meaning 'nor' or 'neither'.
- sótano
- Basement; an underground room beneath a building.
- excepto
- Except; excluding something from a group.
- pequeño
- Small or little (masculine adjective).
- hoyo
- Hole or pit dug into the ground.
- excavado
- Excavated; dug out from the earth.
- llamado
- Called or named; past participle of llamar.
- anticiclones
- Anticyclones; high-pressure weather systems with outward winds.
- adonde
- Where (to); relative adverb indicating destination.
- familia
- Family; a group of related people living together.
- podía
- He/she/it could; past imperfect of poder.
- ir
- To go; infinitive of the verb ir.
- caso
- Case or situation; used in 'en caso de'.
- surgiera
- Should arise; past subjunctive of surgir.
- torbellinos
- Whirlwinds or tornadoes; rapidly spinning columns of air.
- suficientemente
- Sufficiently; to a sufficient or adequate degree.
- poderoso
- Powerful; having great strength or force.
- destruir
- To destroy; to cause complete ruin or damage.
- cualquier
- Any; used before nouns to mean any one.
- edificio
- Building; a structure with walls and a roof.
- paso
- Pass or step; movement through or past something.
- accedía
- One accessed; past imperfect of acceder.
- trampilla
- Trapdoor; a small hinged door in a floor.
- centro
- Center; the middle point of something.
- desde
- Preposition meaning 'from' or 'since'.
- cual
- Which; relative pronoun referring to a noun.
- escalera
- Staircase or ladder; steps used to change levels.
- descendía
- It descended; past imperfect of descender.
- hasta
- Preposition meaning 'until,' 'up to,' or 'as far as'.
- oscuro
- Dark or obscure; lacking light.
- Cuando
- Conjunction meaning 'when'.
- paraba
- She stopped; past imperfect of parar.
- entrada
- Entrance or doorway; the place of entry.
- miraba
- She looked; past imperfect of mirar.
- alrededor
- Around; in the surrounding area.
- ver
- To see; infinitive of the verb ver.
- nada
- Nothing; not anything at all.
- gran
- Great or large; shortened form of grande.
- pradera
- Prairie or meadow; a large open grassy area.
- gris
- Gray; a color between black and white.
- todos
- All or every (masculine plural).
- lados
- Sides; the lateral parts or directions.
- Ni
- Nor; negative conjunction linking alternatives.
- árbol
- Tree; a tall woody plant.
- interrumpía
- It interrupted; past imperfect of interrumpir.
- amplia
- Wide or broad (feminine adjective).
- extensión
- Extension or expanse; a wide stretch of land.
- terreno
- Land or terrain; a stretch of ground.
- llano
- Flat or level; describing smooth, even terrain.
- llegaba
- It reached; past imperfect of llegar.
- horizonte
- Horizon; the line where earth meets the sky.
- direcciones
- Directions; the courses along which something moves.
- sol
- Sun; the star that provides light and heat.
- convertido
- Converted or turned; past participle of convertir.
- tierra
- Earth or soil; the ground or land.
- arada
- Plowed; land that has been tilled for farming.
- masa
- Mass or dough; a large cohesive body of matter.
- grietas
- Cracks or crevices; narrow splits in a surface.
- atravesaban
- They crossed or ran through; past imperfect of atravesar.
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