alicia no país das marabillas

Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end!

-  “I wonder how many miles I’ve fallen by this time?” -she said aloud-. “I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think”- (for, you see, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her lessons in the school room, and though this was not a very good opportunity for showing off her knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her, still it was good practice to say it over)”- yes, that’s about the right distance- but then I wonder what Latitude or Longitude I’ve got to?” (Alice had no idea what Latitude was, or Longitude either, but thought they were nice grand words to say).

Presently she began again. “I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth! How funny it’ll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downward! The Antipathies, I think”- (she was rather glad there was no one listening, this time, as it didn’t sound at all the right word)- “but I shall have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. Please, Ma’am, is this New Zealand or Australia?” (and she tried to curtsey as she spoke- fancy curtseying as you’re falling through the air! Do you think you could manage it?) “And what an ignorant little girl she’ll think me for asking! No, it’ll never do to ask: perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere”.

Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so Alice soon began talking again. “Dinah’ll miss me very much tonight, I should think!” (Dinah was the cat). “I hope they’ll remember her saucer of milk at tea-time. Dinah my dear! I wish you were down here with me! There are no mice in the air, I’m afraid, but you might catch a bat, and that’s very like mouse, you know. But do cats eat bats, I wonder?” And here Alice began to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy sort of way, “Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?” and sometimes, “Do bats eat cats?” for, you see, as she couldn’t answer either question, it didn’t much matter which way she put it. She felt that she was doing off, and had just begun to dream that she was walking hand in hand  with Dinah, and saying to her very earnestly, “Now, Dinah, tell me the truth: did you ever eat a bat?” when suddenly, thump! thump! down she came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over.

Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on to her feet in a moment: she looked up, but it was all dark overhead; before her was another long passage, and the White Rabbit was still in sight, hurrying down it.

Alice in wonderland

Lewis Carroll

1865, Macmillan

traducido por Teresa Barro e Fernando Pérez-Barreiro e publicado como

Alicia no país das marabillas

Xerais

E baixa, e baixa, e baixa. ¿Non rematería nunca de caer?

- ¡Que sei eu cantas millas levarei baixado!- dixo en voz alta-. Debo andar xa preto do centro da terra. A ver: iso sería catro mil millas de fondo, coido eu… (porque habedes de saber que Alicia aprendera varias cousas dese xénero nas leccións que daba na escola, e aínda que esta non era así unha ocasión das máis boas para amostrala súa sabenza, porque non había ninguén para escoitala,  con todo a repetición valíalle de exercicio)… si, esa virá sendo a distancia aproximada… pero nese caso digo eu, ¿a que Latitude e Lonxitude estarei agora?... (Alicia non tiña a mínima idea do que eran a Latitude nin a Lonxitude, pero parecéronlle palabras moi lindas que soaban importantes).

- ¿E furarei a Terra dun lado a outro) -seguiu dicindo-. ¡Ha ser chistoso se vou saír entre xente que anda de cabeza para baixo! As Antílopas, coido… (desta alegrábase ben de que non houbera ninguén que a escoitara, porque non lle soaba a palabra xusta)… e terei que lles preguntar como se chama o país. Señora, se me fai o favor, ¿isto é Nova Zelandia ou Australia? (e probou a facer unha venia mentres falaba… ¡mira que ocorrencia, facer unha venia mentres caes polo aire! ¿Parécevos que seriades capaces diso?). ¡Pensará que son unha meniña ben ignorante, por preguntar! Non, máis valerá non preguntar nada;  se cadra aínda aparece escrito por algures.

E baixa, e baixa, e baixa. Como non tiña cousa mellor que facer, Alicia deseguida comezou a falar de novo.

- ¡A Dina si que me vai estranar á noite! (Dina era a gata). A ver se se recordan de lle poñeren a cunca do leite á merenda. ¡Ai, Dina, miña michiña, moito estimaba que estiveras aquí comigo! Ratos non hai no aire, pero se cadra aínda podías cazar algún morceguiño, que se lle imitan moito ós ratos. O que non sei é se os gatos comen morcegos.

E agora Alicia comezou a entrarlle o sono, e seguiu dicindo para si, medio adurmiñada:

- ¿Comen os michiños os morceguiños? ¿Comen os michiños os morceguiños? -e ás veces- ¿Comen os morceguiños os michiños?- porque naturalmente, como non podía contestar a ningunha das preguntas, tanto tiña virala dun lado coma do outro.

Sentiu que estaba adormecendo, e mesmo empezara a soñar que ía de paseo con Dina, collidiñas da man, e estáballe preguntando con moitísimo interés “a ver, Dina, ti cóntame a verdade: ¿comiches algunha vez un morcego?”, cando de repente ¡plumba! ¡pun! foi parar nun montón de carabullos e follas secas e rematou a caída.

Alicia non se magoou nada e ergueuse de camiño; ollou para enriba, pero aló estaba todo escuro. Diante dela vía outro corredor longo, e por el, a escape, ía o Coello Branco.