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Scene 1 · Intermediate
Het tinnen soldaatje met één been
The one-legged tin soldier
Dutch
Er waren eens vijfentwintig tinnen soldaatjes. Ze waren allemaal broers, want ze waren uit dezelfde oude tinnen lepel gemaakt. Met hun geweer op de schouder keken ze recht voor zich uit. Hun uniformen waren prachtig rood en blauw.
English translation
Once upon a time, there were twenty-five tin soldiers. They were all brothers, because they had been made from the same old tin spoon. With their rifles resting on their shoulders, they looked straight ahead. Their uniforms were a splendid red and blue.
Dutch
‘Tinnen soldaatjes!’ Dat waren de eerste woorden die ze hoorden toen het deksel van hun doos werd gehaald. Een jongetje klapte van blijdschap in zijn handen: hij had ze voor zijn verjaardag gekregen. Hij ging bij de tafel staan om ze daar op te stellen.
English translation
“Tin soldiers!” Those were the first words they heard when the lid was taken off their box. A little boy clapped his hands with delight: he had received them for his birthday. He went to the table to set them up there.
Dutch
Alle soldaatjes zagen er precies hetzelfde uit, behalve één. Die had maar één been. Hij was als laatste gemaakt, toen er niet meer genoeg gesmolten tin over was voor een tweede been. Toch stond hij stevig op dat ene been, en juist daardoor was hij bijzonder.
English translation
All the soldiers looked exactly alike, except for one. He had only one leg. He had been made last, when there wasn’t enough molten tin left for a second leg. Still, he stood firmly on that one leg, and that was precisely what made him special.
Continue with Het standvastige tinnen soldaatje
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