Classic
Der Kabuliwallah
Rabindranath Tagore
In each language: The Cabuliwallah · Der Kabuliwallah · El Cabuliwallah · Le Cabuliwallah · Il Cabuliwallah
In Calcutta, a talkative five-year-old named Mini is afraid of the tall, turbaned peddler from Kabul who passes her father's window. With nuts, raisins and silly jokes he soon becomes her best friend, while her mother watches anxiously, until an incident in the street changes everything.
In English, German, Spanish, French and Italian · about 3,000 words · 15–25 min to read.
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Comment ça commence
Meine fünfjährige Tochter Mini kann nicht leben, ohne zu plappern. Ich glaube wirklich, dass sie in ihrem ganzen Leben noch keine Minute schweigend verschwendet hat. Ihre Mutter ist darüber oft verärgert und würde ihr Geplapper gerne unterbinden, aber ich wollte das nicht.
My five years' old daughter Mini cannot live without chattering. I really believe that in all her life she has not wasted a minute in silence. Her mother is often vexed at this, and would stop her prattle, but I would not.
Mini still zu sehen, ist unnatürlich, und ich kann es nicht lange ertragen. Und so ist mein eigenes Gespräch mit ihr immer lebhaft.
To see Mini quiet is unnatural, and I cannot bear it long. And so my own talk with her is always lively.
Eines Morgens zum Beispiel, als ich mitten im siebzehnten Kapitel meines neuen Romans steckte, schlich meine kleine Mini ins Zimmer, legte ihre Hand in meine und sagte: „Vater! Ramdayal, der Türsteher, nennt eine Krähe eine Krow!
One morning, for instance, when I was in the midst of the seventeenth chapter of my new novel, my little Mini stole into the room, and putting her hand into mine, said: "Father! Ramdayal the door-keeper calls a crow a krow!
Languages
- The Cabuliwallah · English (original)3,007 words · ~15 min
- Der Kabuliwallah · GermanB1 Intermediate · 2,902 words · ~25 min
- El Cabuliwallah · SpanishB1 Intermediate · 2,934 words · ~25 min
- Le Cabuliwallah · FrenchB1 Intermediate · 3,165 words · ~25 min
- Il Cabuliwallah · ItalianB1 Intermediate · 2,837 words · ~25 min
Open in the reader: German with English · Spanish with English · French with English · Italian with English
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Reading it as a parallel text
A parallel text puts a story next to its translation, paragraph by paragraph. Read in the language you are working on and glance across only when a sentence stops you: the story keeps moving, and the words you look up stay in context. More in how to read with a parallel text.
Questions
- Which languages can I read The Cabuliwallah in?
- English, German, Spanish, French and Italian. Pick the language you want to read and the one to keep beside it: every paragraph sits next to its translation, so you can check a sentence without losing your place.
- What level is it?
- In translation, German, Spanish, French and Italian are B1 Intermediate. Levels follow the Common European Framework, from A1 (beginner) to C2.
- How long is it?
- About 3,007 words: around 15–25 min of reading, with the translation beside it. The time depends on the edition's level: an easier edition is read more slowly.
- Is it free?
- Yes. Read it online with no account. The e-reader files (EPUB, and AZW3 and MOBI for Kindle) need a free account; the PDF doesn't.
- Can I read it on a Kindle or Kobo?
- Yes. Download the EPUB for Kobo, Apple Books and most e-readers, or the AZW3 or MOBI for a Kindle, with each paragraph followed by its translation. There is also a side-by-side PDF to print, and each language on its own.