Italian · Intermediate
Adapted from The Little Match Girl
On a cold New Year’s Eve, a poor girl lights her matches and sees visions in their flames.
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Scene 1 · Intermediate
Era l'ultima sera dell'anno. Faceva un freddo terribile, era quasi buio e la neve cadeva fitta. Una povera bambina vagava per le strade, senza niente in testa e a piedi nudi.
It was the last evening of the year. The cold was terrible, it was almost dark, and the snow was falling thickly. A poor little girl wandered through the streets, bareheaded and barefoot.
Quando era uscita di casa, aveva un paio di pantofole, ma erano troppo grandi per esserle davvero utili: prima erano appartenute a sua madre. Le aveva perse mentre attraversava la strada di corsa per evitare due carrozze che passavano a tutta velocità. Una pantofola era scomparsa e non era riuscita a ritrovarla.
When she had left home, she had been wearing a pair of slippers, but they were much too big to be of any real use to her: they had belonged to her mother. She had lost them while running across the street to avoid two carriages racing past. One slipper had disappeared, and she had been unable to find it.
Un ragazzo aveva afferrato l'altra ed era scappato, dicendo che l'avrebbe usata come culla quando avesse avuto dei figli.
A boy had snatched the other one and run off, saying he would use it as a cradle when he had children.
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