Spanish–English parallel text
La lechera
The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Aesop
A free bilingual English–Spanish edition: the Spanish translation with the English original beside it, paragraph by paragraph. Read it online, or download it as a dual-language ebook.
Opening the reader…
Una lechera había salido a ordeñar las vacas y regresaba del campo con el reluciente cántaro de leche equilibrado perfectamente sobre su cabeza. Mientras caminaba, su linda cabeza estaba ocupada con planes para los días venideros.
A Milkmaid had been out to milk the cows and was returning from the field with the shining milk pail balanced nicely on her head. As she walked along, her pretty head was busy with plans for the days to come.
“Esta buena y rica leche”, reflexionaba, “me dará mucha nata para batir. La mantequilla que haga la llevaré al mercado, y con el dinero que obtenga por ella compraré muchos huevos para incubar.
“This good, rich milk,” she mused, “will give me plenty of cream to churn. The butter I make I will take to market, and with the money I get for it I will buy a lot of eggs for hatching.
Qué bien se sentirá cuando todos hayan salido del cascarón y el patio esté lleno de hermosos polluelos. Luego, cuando llegue el día de mayo, los venderé, y con el dinero compraré un precioso vestido nuevo para lucir en la feria. Todos los jóvenes me mirarán.
How nice it will be when they are all hatched and the yard is full of fine young chicks. Then when May day comes I will sell them, and with the money I’ll buy a lovely new dress to wear to the fair. All the young men will look at me.
Vendrán e intentarán cortejarme, ¡pero yo los despacharé muy rápidamente para que sigan con sus asuntos!”
They will come and try to make love to me,--but I shall very quickly send them about their business!”
Mientras pensaba en cómo resolvería ese asunto, sacudió la cabeza con desdén, y el cántaro de leche cayó al suelo. Toda la leche se derramó, y con ella se desvanecieron la mantequilla, los huevos, los polluelos, el vestido nuevo y todo el orgullo de la lechera.
As she thought of how she would settle that matter, she tossed her head scornfully, and down fell the pail of milk to the ground. And all the milk flowed out, and with it vanished butter and eggs and chicks and new dress and all the milkmaid’s pride.
No cuentes tus pollitos antes de que salgan del cascarón.
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.
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