White nights, and other stories — Page 11
The girl flew straight as an arrow,
A rapariga voou direita como uma flecha,
with the timid haste one sees in all girls who do not want any one to volunteer to accompany them home at night, and no doubt the staggering gentleman would not have pursued her, if my good luck had not prompted him.
com a tímida pressa que se vê em todas as raparigas que não querem que ninguém se ofereça para as acompanhar a casa de noite, e sem dúvida o cavalheiro cambaleante não a teria perseguido, se a minha boa sorte não o tivesse incitado.
Suddenly, without a word to any one, the gentleman set off and flew full speed in pursuit of my unknown lady.
De repente, sem uma palavra a ninguém, o cavalheiro partiu e voou a toda a velocidade em perseguição da minha desconhecida.
She was racing like the wind, but the staggering gentleman was overtaking--overtook her.
Ela corria como o vento, mas o cavalheiro cambaleante estava a alcançá-la--alcançou-a.
The girl uttered a shriek, and ... I bless my luck for the excellent knotted stick, which happened on that occasion to be in my right hand.
A rapariga soltou um grito, e... Abençoo a minha sorte pelo excelente cajado nodoso, que por acaso se encontrava nessa ocasião na minha mão direita.
In a flash I was on the other side of the street; in a flash the obtrusive gentleman had taken in the position, had grasped the irresistible argument, fallen back without a word, and only when we were very far away protested against my action in rather vigorous language.
Num instante estava do outro lado da rua; num instante o importuno cavalheiro havia compreendido a situação, havia apreendido o argumento irresistível, recuado sem uma palavra, e só quando já estávamos muito longe protestou contra a minha ação em linguagem bastante enérgica.
But his words hardly reached us.
Mas as suas palavras mal nos alcançaram.
"Give me your arm," I said to the girl. "And he won't dare to annoy us further."
«Dê-me o seu braço», disse eu à rapariga. «E ele não se atreverá a incomodar-nos mais.»
She took my arm without a word, still trembling with excitement and terror.
Ela tomou o meu braço sem uma palavra, ainda a tremer de agitação e terror.
Oh, obtrusive gentleman! How I blessed you at that moment!
Oh, importuno cavalheiro! Como o abençoei naquele momento!
I stole a glance at her, she was very charming and dark--I had guessed right.
Lancei-lhe um olhar furtivo, ela era muito encantadora e morena--eu havia adivinhado bem.
On her black eyelashes there still glistened a tear--from her recent terror or her former grief--I don't know.
Nas suas pestanas negras ainda brilhava uma lágrima--do seu terror recente ou da sua antiga mágoa--não sei.
Vocabulary
- rapariga
- ha-pa-REE-ga — Young woman or girl (European Portuguese)
- voou
- voh-OH — She/he flew; moved very quickly away
- direita
- dee-RAY-ta — Right side or direction
- como
- KOH-moo — Like, as; used for comparisons
- flecha
- FLAY-sha — Arrow; projectile shot from a bow
- com
- kong — Preposition meaning with
- tímida
- TEE-mee-da — Shy, timid; lacking confidence or boldness
- pressa
- PRAY-sa — Haste, hurry; urgent speed of movement
- vê
- vay — Sees; third person singular of ver
- todas
- TOH-das — All, every (feminine plural form)
- raparigas
- ha-pa-REE-gas — Young women or girls (European Portuguese plural)
- não
- nowng — No, not; negation word
- querem
- KAIR-eng — They want; third person plural of querer
- ninguém
- ning-GAYNG — Nobody, no one; negative indefinite pronoun
- ofereça
- oh-fe-RAY-sa — Offers; subjunctive form of oferecer
- acompanhar
- a-kom-pa-NYAR — To accompany, escort someone somewhere
- casa
- KAH-za — House, home; place where one lives
- noite
- NOY-te — Night; the period after sunset
- sem
- seng — Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- dúvida
- DOO-vee-da — Doubt; uncertainty about something
- cavalheiro
- ka-va-LYAY-roo — Gentleman; a polite or well-mannered man
- cambaleante
- kam-ba-lee-AN-te — Staggering, tottering; walking unsteadily
- teria
- te-REE-a — Would have; conditional form of ter
- perseguido
- per-se-GEE-doo — Pursued, chased; past participle of perseguir
- minha
- MEEN-ya — My; feminine singular possessive pronoun
- boa
- BOH-a — Good; feminine adjective describing quality
- sorte
- SOR-te — Luck, fortune; chance outcome of events
- tivesse
- tee-VES-e — Had; past subjunctive form of ter
- incitado
- in-see-TAH-doo — Incited, encouraged; spurred into action
- repente
- he-PEN-te — Suddenly; used in phrase de repente
- palavra
- pa-LAH-vra — Word; a unit of spoken or written language
- partiu
- par-TYOO — Left, departed; third person past of partir
- toda
- TOH-da — All, whole, entire (feminine singular form)
- velocidade
- ve-lo-see-DAH-de — Speed, velocity; rate of motion
- perseguição
- per-se-gee-SOWNG — Pursuit, chase; act of following someone
- desconhecida
- des-ko-nye-SEE-da — Unknown woman; female stranger
- corria
- ko-HEE-a — Was running; imperfect past of correr
- vento
- VEN-too — Wind; moving air; also means very fast
- mas
- mas — But; adversative conjunction showing contrast
- estava
- es-TAH-va — Was; imperfect past of estar
- alcançá
- al-kan-SAH — To reach, catch up to someone (truncated)
- la
- la — Her; direct object clitic pronoun
- alcançou
- al-kan-SOH — Reached, caught up; past tense of alcançar
- soltou
- sol-TOH — Released, let out; past tense of soltar
- grito
- GREE-too — Scream, shout, cry of alarm or surprise
- Abençoo
- a-ben-SOH — I bless; first person present of abençoar
- excelente
- esh-se-LEN-te — Excellent, outstanding; of very high quality
- cajado
- ka-ZHA-doo — Staff, walking stick; sturdy wooden rod
- nodoso
- no-DOH-zoo — Knotty, gnarled; having many knots or bumps
- por
- por — By, for, through; common preposition
- acaso
- a-KAH-zoo — By chance, accidentally; random occurrence
- encontrava
- en-kon-TRAH-va — Was carrying, had; imperfect of encontrar
- nessa
- NES-a — In that; contraction of em + essa
- ocasião
- oh-ka-zyOWNG — Occasion, moment; a particular point in time
- mão
- mowng — Hand; the body part at end of arm
- instante
- ins-TAN-te — Instant, moment; a very brief period of time
- outro
- OH-troo — Other, another; referring to a different one
- lado
- LAH-doo — Side; one of two opposite directions or faces
- rua
- HOO-a — Street, road; public thoroughfare in a city
- importuno
- im-por-TOO-noo — Nuisance, pest; troublesome intrusive person
- havia
- a-VEE-a — Had, there was; imperfect of haver
- compreendido
- kom-pree-en-DEE-doo — Understood; past participle of compreender
- situação
- see-twa-SOWNG — Situation; set of circumstances at a moment
- apreendido
- a-pree-en-DEE-doo — Grasped, seized; past participle of apreender
- argumento
- ar-goo-MEN-too — Argument, point; reasoning used to persuade
- irresistível
- ee-he-zis-TEE-vel — Irresistible; impossible to resist or oppose
- recuado
- he-kwa-DOO — Retreated, backed away; past participle of recuar
- só
- so — Only, alone; exclusively or by oneself
- quando
- KWAN-doo — When; temporal conjunction or adverb
- já
- zha — Already, now; indicating something has occurred
- estávamos
- es-TAH-va-moos — We were; first person plural imperfect of estar
- muito
- MWEE-too — Very, much, a lot; degree adverb
- longe
- LON-zhe — Far, distant; a great distance away
- protestou
- pro-tes-TOH — Protested, objected; past tense of protestar
- contra
- KON-tra — Against; preposition showing opposition
- ação
- a-SOWNG — Action; something done or performed
- linguagem
- lin-GWAH-zheng — Language, speech; manner of expression
- bastante
- bas-TAN-te — Quite, enough, fairly; sufficient degree
- enérgica
- e-NER-zhee-ka — Energetic, forceful; vigorous in expression
- Mas
- mas — But; adversative conjunction showing contrast
- suas
- SOO-as — His/her/their; feminine plural possessive pronoun
- palavras
- pa-LAH-vras — Words; plural of palavra
- mal
- mal — Hardly, barely; scarcely enough to notice
- nos
- noos — Us; first person plural object pronoun
- alcançaram
- al-kan-SAH-rowng — Reached us; past plural of alcançar
- Dê
- day — Give; imperative form of dar
- seu
- say-oo — Your, his, her; possessive pronoun
- braço
- BRAH-soo — Arm; the upper limb of the human body
- disse
- DEE-se — Said; past tense of dizer
- atreverá
- a-tre-ve-RAH — Will dare; future tense of atrever-se
- incomodar
- in-ko-mo-DAR — To bother, disturb; to cause inconvenience
- mais
- mays — More, anymore; comparative degree adverb
- tomou
- to-MOH — Took; past tense of tomar
- meu
- MAY-oo — My; masculine singular possessive pronoun
- ainda
- a-IN-da — Still, yet; continuing up to present moment
- tremer
- tre-MAIR — To tremble, shake; involuntary shaking motion
- agitação
- a-zhee-ta-SOWNG — Agitation, anxiety; state of nervous excitement
- terror
- te-HOR — Terror, extreme fear; intense dread or fright
- Como
- KOH-moo — How, like; exclamation of feeling or comparison
- abençoei
- a-ben-soy — I blessed; past tense of abençoar
- naquele
- na-KEH-le — In that; contraction of em + aquele
- momento
- mo-MEN-too — Moment; a brief point or period in time
- Lancei
- lan-SAY — I cast, threw; past tense of lançar
- lhe
- lye — To her/him; indirect object clitic pronoun
- olhar
- ol-YAR — Look, glance; act of directing eyes at something
- furtivo
- fur-TEE-voo — Furtive, stealthy; done secretly or discreetly
- era
- EH-ra — Was; imperfect past tense of ser
- encantadora
- en-kan-ta-DOH-ra — Enchanting, charming; delightfully attractive woman
- morena
- mo-RAY-na — Dark-haired, brunette; woman with dark complexion
- adivinhado
- a-dee-veen-YAH-doo — Guessed, sensed; past participle of adivinhar
- bem
- beng — Well, right; correctly or in a good way
- pestanas
- pes-TAN-as — Eyelashes; hairs growing along the eyelid edge
- negras
- NAY-gras — Black (feminine plural); very dark in color
- brilhava
- bree-LYAH-va — Shone, gleamed; imperfect past of brilhar
- lágrima
- LAH-gree-ma — Tear; drop of fluid from the eye when crying
- recente
- he-SEN-te — Recent, fresh; having occurred not long ago
- ou
- oh — Or; disjunctive conjunction presenting alternatives
- sua
- SOO-a — Her, his, your; feminine singular possessive
- antiga
- an-TEE-ga — Old, ancient; existing since a long time ago
- mágoa
- MAH-gwa — Grief, sorrow; deep emotional pain or sadness
- sei
- say — I know; first person present of saber
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