ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND ALICIA EN EL PAIS DE LAS MARAVILLAS
Lewis Carroll Lewis Carroll
CHAPTER I. Down the Rabbit-Hole Captulo 1 - EN LA MADRIGUERA DEL CONEJO
Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her Alicia empezaba ya a cansarse de estar sentada con su sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once hermana a la orilla del ro, sin tener nada que hacer: or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was haba echado un par de ojeadas al libro que su hermana reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, estaba leyendo, pero no tena dibujos ni dilogos. Y de 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without qu sirve un libro sin dibujos ni dilogos?, se preguntaba pictures or conversation?' Alicia. So she was considering in her own mind (as well as As pues, estaba pensando (y pensar le costaba cierto she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy esfuerzo, porque el calor del da la and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy- haba dejado soolienta y atontada) si el placer de tejer chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and una guirnalda de margaritas la compensara del trabajo picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit de levantarse y coger las margaritas, cuando de pronto with pink eyes ran close by her. salt cerca de ella un Conejo Blanco de ojos rosados. There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor No haba nada muy extraordinario en esto, ni tampoco le did Alice think it so VERY much out of the way to pareci a Alicia muy extrao or que el conejo se deca a hear the Rabbit say to itself, 'Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall s mismo: Dios mo! Dios mo! Voy a llegar tarde! be late!' (when she thought it over afterwards, it (Cuando pens en ello despus, decidi que, desde luego, occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at hubiera debido sorprenderla mucho, pero this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but en aquel momento le pareci lo ms natural del mundo). when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF Pero cuando el conejo se sac un reloj de bolsillo del ITS WAISTCOAT-POCKET, and looked at it, and chaleco, lo mir y ech a correr, Alicia se levant de un then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed salto, porque comprendi de golpe que ella nunca haba across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit visto un conejo con chaleco, ni con reloj que sacarse de l, with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out y, ardiendo de curiosidad, se puso a correr tras el conejo of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the por la pradera, y lleg justo a tiempo para ver cmo se field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it precipitaba en una madriguera que se abra al pie del pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge. seto. In another moment down went Alice after it, never Un momento ms tarde, Alicia se meta tambin en la once considering how in the world she was to get out madriguera, sin pararse a considerar cmo se las again. arreglara despus para salir. The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some Al principio, la madriguera del conejo se extenda en lnea way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that recta como un tnel, y despus torci bruscamente hacia Alice had not a moment to think about stopping abajo, tan bruscamente que Alicia no tuvo siquiera tiempo herself before she found herself falling down a very de pensar en detenerse y se encontr cayendo por lo que deep well. pareca un pozo muy profundo. Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, O el pozo era en verdad profundo, o ella caa muy for she had plenty of time as she went down to look despacio, porque Alicia, mientras descenda, tuvo tiempo about her and to wonder what was going to happen sobrado para mirar a su alrededor y para preguntarse qu next. First, she tried to look down and make out what iba a suceder despus. Primero, intent mirar hacia abajo she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; y ver a dnde ira a parar, pero estaba todo demasiado then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed oscuro para distinguir nada. Despus mir hacia las that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; paredes del pozo y observ que estaban cubiertas de here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon armarios y estantes para libros: aqu y all vio mapas y pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as cuadros, colgados de clavos. Cogi, a su paso, un jarro de she passed; it was labelled 'ORANGE los estantes. Llevaba una etiqueta que deca: MARMALADE', but to her great disappointment it MERMELADA DE NARANJA, pero vio, con desencanto, was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of que estaba vaco. La Mansin del Ingls - http://www.mansioningles.com killing somebody, so managed to put it into one of the No le pareci bien tirarlo al fondo, por miedo a matar a cupboards as she fell past it. alguien que anduviera por abajo, y se las arregl para dejarlo en otro de los estantes mientras segua 'Well!' thought Alice to herself, 'after such a fall as descendiendo. this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! Vaya! , pens Alicia. Despus de una cada como How brave they'll all think me at home! Why, I sta, rodar por las escaleras me parecer algo sin wouldn't say anything about it, even if I fell off the top importancia! Qu valiente me encontrarn todos! Ni of the house!' (Which was very likely true.) siquiera llorara, aunque me cayera del tejado! (Y era Down, down, down. Would the fall NEVER come to verdad.)Abajo, abajo, abajo. No acabara nunca de an end! 'I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this caer? time?' she said aloud. 'I must be getting somewhere --Me gustara saber cuntas millas he descendido ya --dijo near the centre of the earth. Let me see: that would be en voz alta--. four thousand miles down, I think--' (for, you see, Tengo que estar bastante cerca del centro de la tierra. Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her Veamos: creo que est a cuatro mil millas de lessons in the schoolroom, and though this was not a profundidad... VERY good opportunity for showing off her Como veis, Alicia haba aprendido algunas cosas de stas knowledge, as there was no one to listen to her, still it en las clases de la escuela, y aunque no era un momento was good practice to say it over) '--yes, that's about the muy oportuno para presumir de sus conocimientos, ya que right distance--but then I wonder what Latitude or no haba nadie all que pudiera escucharla, le pareci que Longitude I've got to?' (Alice had no idea what repetirlo le serva de repaso. Latitude was, or Longitude either, but thought they --S, est debe de ser la distancia... pero me pregunto a were nice grand words to say.) qu latitud o longitud habr llegado. Alicia no tena la menor idea de lo que era la latitud, ni Presently she began again. 'I wonder if I shall fall right tampoco la longitud, pero le pareci THROUGH the earth! How funny it'll seem to come bien decir unas palabras tan bonitas e impresionantes. out among the people that walk with their heads Enseguida volvi a empezar. downward! The Antipathies, I think--' (she was rather --A lo mejor caigo a travs de toda la tierra! Qu glad there WAS no one listening, this time, as it didn't divertido sera salir donde vive esta gente que anda sound at all the right word) '--but I shall have to ask cabeza abajo! Los antipticos, creo... (Ahora Alicia se them what the name of the country is, you know. alegr de que no hubiera nadie escuchando, porque esta Please, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?' (and palabra no le sonaba del todo bien.) Pero entonces she tried to curtsey as she spoke--fancy tendr que preguntarles el nombre del pas. Por favor, CURTSEYING as you're falling through the air! Do seora, estamos en Nueva Zelanda o en Australia? you think you could manage it?) 'And what an Y mientras deca estas palabras, ensay una reverencia. ignorant little girl she'll think me for asking! No, it'll Reverencias mientras caa por el aire! Creis que esto never do to ask: perhaps I shall see it written up es posible? somewhere.' --Y qu criaja tan ignorante voy a parecerle! No, mejor ser no preguntar nada. Ya lo ver Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, so escrito en alguna parte. Alice soon began talking again. 'Dinah'll miss me very Abajo, abajo, abajo. No haba otra cosa que hacer y much to-night, I should think!' (Dinah was the cat.) 'I Alicia empez enseguida a hablar otra vez. hope they'll remember her saucer of milk at tea-time. --Temo que Dina me echar mucho de menos esta noche ! Dinah my dear! I wish you were down here with me! (Dina era la gata.) Espero que se acuerden de su platito There are no mice in the air, I'm afraid, but you might de leche a la hora del t. Dina, guapa, me gustara catch a bat, and that's very like a mouse, you know. tenerte conmigo aqu abajo! En el aire no hay ratones, claro, pero podras cazar algn murcilago, y se parecen But do cats eat bats, I wonder?' And here Alice began mucho a los ratones, sabes. Pero me pregunto: comern to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a murcilagos los gatos? Al llegar a este punto, Alicia dreamy sort of way, 'Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat empez a sentirse medio dormida y sigui dicindose bats?' and sometimes, 'Do bats eat cats?' for, you see, como en sueos: Comen murcilagos los gatos? as she couldn't answer either question, it didn't much Comen murcilagos los gatos? Y a veces: matter which way she put it. She felt that she was Comen gatos los murcilagos? Porque, como no saba La Mansin del Ingls - http://www.mansioningles.com dozing off, and had just begun to dream that she was contestar a ninguna de las dos preguntas, no importaba walking hand in hand with Dinah, and saying to her mucho cual de las dos se formulara. Se estaba durmiendo very earnestly, 'Now, Dinah, tell me the truth: de veras y empezaba a soar que paseaba con Dina de la did you ever eat a bat?' when suddenly, thump! thump! mano y que le preguntaba con mucha ansiedad: Ahora down she came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, Dina, dime la verdad, te has comido alguna vez un and the fall was over. murcilago?, cuando de pronto, cataplum!, fue a dar sobre un montn de ramas y hojas secas. La cada Alice was not a bit hurt, and she jumped up on to her haba terminado. feet in a moment: Alicia no sufri el menor dao, y se levant de un salto. she looked up, but it was all dark overhead; before her Mir hacia arriba, pero todo estaba oscuro. Ante ella se was another long passage, and the White Rabbit was abra otro largo pasadizo, y alcanz a ver en l al Conejo still in sight, hurrying down it. Blanco, que se alejaba a toda prisa. No haba momento que perder, y Alicia, sin vacilar, ech a correr There was not a moment to be lost: away went Alice como el viento, y llego justo a tiempo para orle decir, like the wind, and was just in time to hear it say, as it mientras doblaba un recodo: turned a corner, 'Oh my ears and whiskers, how late --Vlganme mis orejas y bigotes, qu tarde se me est it's getting!' She was close behind it when she turned haciendo! the corner, but the Rabbit was no longer to be seen: Iba casi pisndole los talones, pero, cuando dobl a su vez she found herself in a long, low hall, which was lit up el recodo, no vio al Conejo por ninguna parte. Se encontr by a row of lamps hanging from the roof. en un vestbulo amplio y bajo, iluminado por una hilera de There were doors all round the hall, but they were all lmparas que colgaban del techo. Haba puertas locked; and when Alice had been all the way down alrededor de todo el vestbulo, pero todas estaban one side and up the other, trying every door, she cerradas con llave, y cuando Alicia hubo dado la vuelta, walked sadly down the middle, wondering how she bajando por un lado y subiendo por el otro, probando was ever to get out again. puerta a puerta, se dirigi tristemente al centro de la habitacin, y se pregunt cmo se las arreglara para Suddenly she came upon a little three-legged table, all salir de all. made of solid glass; there was nothing on it except a De repente se encontr ante una mesita de tres patas, toda tiny golden key, and Alice's first thought was that it de cristal macizo. might belong to one of the doors of the hall; but, alas! No haba nada sobre ella, salvo una diminuta llave de oro, either the locks were too large, or the key was too y lo primero que se le ocurri a Alicia fue que deba small, but at any rate it would not open any of them. corresponder a una de las puertas del vestbulo. Pero, However, on the second time round, she came upon a ay!, o las cerraduras eran demasiado grandes, o la llave low curtain she had not noticed before, and behind it era demasiado pequea, lo cierto es que no pudo abrir was a little door about fifteen inches high: she tried the ninguna puerta. Sin embargo, al dar la vuelta por segunda little golden key in the lock, and to her great delight it vez, descubri una cortinilla que no haba visto antes, y fitted! detrs haba una puertecita de unos dos palmos de altura. Prob la llave de oro en la cerradura, y vio con alegra Alice opened the door and found that it led into a que ajustaba bien. small passage, not much larger than a rat-hole: she Alicia abri la puerta y se encontr con que daba a un knelt down and looked along the passage into the estrecho pasadizo, no ms ancho que una ratonera. Se loveliest garden you ever saw. How she longed to get arrodill y al otro lado del pasadizo vio el jardn ms out of that dark hall, and wander about among those maravilloso que podis imaginar. Qu ganas tena de beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains, but salir de aquella oscura sala y de pasear entre aquellos she could not even get her head through the doorway; macizos de flores multicolores y aquellas frescas fuentes! 'and even if my head would go through,' thought poor Pero ni siquiera poda pasar la cabeza por la abertura. Y Alice, 'it would be of very little use without my aunque pudiera pasar la cabeza, pens la pobre Alicia, shoulders. Oh, how I wish I could shut up like a de poco iba a servirme sin los hombros. Cmo me telescope! I think I could, if I only know how to gustara poderme encoger como un telescopio! Creo que begin.' For, you see, so many out-of-the-way things podra hacerlo, slo con saber por dnde empezar. Y es had happened lately, that Alice had begun to think that que, como veis, a Alicia le haban pasado tantas cosas very few things indeed were really impossible. extraordinarias aquel da, que haba empezado a La Mansin del Ingls - http://www.mansioningles.com There seemed to be no use in waiting by the little door, pensar que casi nada era en realidad imposible. so she went back to the table, half hoping she might De nada serva quedarse esperando junto a la puertecita, find another key on it, or at any rate a book of rules for as que volvi a la mesa, casi con la esperanza de shutting people up like telescopes: this time she found encontrar sobre ella otra llave, o, en todo caso, un libro a little bottle on it, ('which certainly was not here de instrucciones para encoger a la gente como si fueran before,' said Alice,) and round the neck of the bottle telescopios. Esta vez encontr en la mesa una botellita was a paper label, with the words 'DRINK ME' (que desde luego no estaba aqu antes, dijo Alicia), y beautifully printed on it in large letters. alrededor del cuello de la botella haba una etiqueta de papel con la palabra BEBEME hermosamente impresa en grandes caracteres. It was all very well to say 'Drink me,' but the wise Est muy bien eso de decir BEBEME, pero la pequea little Alice was not going to do THAT in a hurry. 'No, Alicia era muy prudente y no iba a beber aquello por las I'll look first,' she said, 'and see whether it's marked buenas. No, primero voy a mirar, se dijo, para ver si "poison" or not'; for she had read several nice little lleva o no la indicacin de veneno. Porque Alicia haba histories about children who had got burnt, and eaten ledo preciosos cuentos de nios que se haban quemado, up by wild beasts and other unpleasant things, all o haban sido devorados por bestias feroces, u otras cosas because they WOULD not remember the simple rules desagradables, slo por no haber querido recordar las their friends had taught them: such as, that a red-hot sencillas normas que las personas que buscaban su bien poker will burn you if you hold it too long; and that if les haban inculcado: como que un hierro al rojo te quema you cut your finger VERY deeply with a knife, it si no lo sueltas en seguida, o que si te cortas muy hondo usually bleeds; and she had never forgotten that, if you en un dedo con un cuchillo suele salir sangre. Y Alicia no drink much from a bottle marked 'poison,' it is almost olvidaba nunca que, si bebes mucho de una botella que certain to disagree with you, sooner or later. lleva la indicacin veneno, terminar, a la corta o a la larga, por hacerte dao. However, this bottle was NOT marked 'poison,' so Sin embargo, aquella botella no llevaba la indicacin Alice ventured to taste it, and finding it very nice, (it veneno, as que Alicia se atrevi a probar el contenido, had, in fact, a sort of mixed flavour of cherry-tart, y, encontrndolo muy agradable (tena, de hecho, una custard, pine-apple, roast turkey, toffee, and hot mezcla de sabores a tarta de cerezas, almbar, pia, pavo buttered toast,) she very soon finished it off. asado, caramelo y tostadas calientes con mantequilla), se lo acab en un santiamn. * * * * * * * ******* * * * * * * ****** * * * * * * * ******* 'What a curious feeling!' said Alice; 'I must be shutting --Qu sensacin ms extraa! --dijo Alicia--. Me debo up like a telescope.' estar encogiendo como un telescopio. And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches Y as era, en efecto: ahora meda slo veinticinco high, and her face brightened up at the thought that she centmetros, y su cara se ilumin de alegra al pensar que was now the right size for going through the little door tena la talla adecuada para pasar por la puertecita y into that lovely garden. First, however, she waited for meterse en el maravilloso jardn. Primero, no obstante, a few minutes to see if she was going to shrink any esper unos minutos para ver si segua todava further: she felt a little nervous about this; 'for it might disminuyendo de tamao, y esta posibilidad la puso un end, you know,' said Alice to herself, 'in my going out poco nerviosa. No vaya consumirme del todo, como una altogether, like a candle. I wonder what I should be vela, se dijo para sus adentros. Qu sera de m like then?' And she tried to fancy what the flame of a entonces? E intent imaginar qu ocurra con la llama de candle is like after the candle is blown out, for she una vela, cuando la vela estaba apagada, pues no poda could not remember ever having seen such a thing. recordar haber visto nunca una cosa as. After a while, finding that nothing more happened, she Despus de un rato, viendo que no pasaba nada ms, decided on going into the garden at once; but, alas for decidi salir en seguida al jardn. Pero, pobre Alicia!, poor Alice! when she got to the door, she found she cuando lleg a la puerta, se encontr con que haba had forgotten the little golden key, and when she went olvidado la llavecita de oro, y, cuando volvi a la mesa back to the table for it, she found she could not para recogerla, descubri que no le era posible possibly reach it: she could see it quite plainly through alcanzarla. La Mansin del Ingls - http://www.mansioningles.com the glass, and she tried her best to climb up one of the Poda verla claramente a travs del cristal, e intent con legs of the table, but it was too slippery; and when she ahnco trepar por una de las patas de la mesa, pero era had tired herself out with trying, the poor little thing demasiado resbaladiza. Y cuando se cans de intentarlo, sat down and cried. la pobre nia se sent en el suelo y se ech a llorar. 'Come, there's no use in crying like that!' said Alice to Vamos! De nada sirve llorar de esta manera!, se dijo herself, rather sharply; 'I advise you to leave off this Alicia a s misma, con bastante firmeza. Te aconsejo que minute!' She generally gave herself very good advice, dejes de llorar ahora mismo! Alicia se daba por lo (though she very seldom followed it), and sometimes general muy buenos consejos a s misma (aunque rara vez she scolded herself so severely as to bring tears into los segua), y algunas veces se rea con tanta dureza que her eyes; and once she remembered trying to box her se le saltaban las lgrimas. Se acordaba incluso de haber own ears for having cheated herself in a game of intentado una vez tirarse de las orejas por haberse hecho croquet she was playing against herself, for this trampas en un partido de croquet que jugaba consigo curious child was very fond of pretending to be two misma, pues a esta curiosa criatura le gustaba mucho people. 'But it's no use now,' thought poor Alice, 'to comportarse como si fuera dos personas a la vez. Pero pretend to be two people! de nada me servira ahora comportarme como si fuera dos Why, there's hardly enough of me left to make ONE personas!, pens la pobre Alicia. Cuando ya se me respectable person!' hace bastante difcil ser una sola persona como Dios Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying manda!Poco despus, su mirada se pos en una cajita de under the table: cristal que haba debajo de la mesa. La abri y encontr she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on dentro un diminuto pastelillo, en que se lea la palabra which the words 'EAT ME' were beautifully marked in COMEME, deliciosamente escrita con grosella. currants. 'Well, I'll eat it,' said Alice, 'and if it makes Bueno, me lo comer, se dijo Alicia, y si me hace me grow larger, I can reach the key; and if it makes crecer, podr coger la llave, y, si me hace todava ms me grow smaller, I can creep under the door; so either pequea, podr deslizarme por debajo de la puerta. De un way I'll get into the garden, and I don't care which modo o de otro entrar en el jardn, y eso es lo que happens!' importa.Dio un mordisquito y se pregunt nerviossima a She ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself, s misma: Hacia dnde? 'Which way? Which way?', holding her hand on the Hacia dnde? Al mismo tiempo, se llev una mano a la top of her head to feel which way it was growing, and cabeza para notar en qu direccin se iniciaba el cambio, she was quite surprised to find that she remained the y qued muy sorprendida al advertir que segua con el same size: to be sure, this generally happens when one mismo tamao. En realidad, esto es lo que sucede eats cake, but Alice had got so much into the way of normalmente cuando se da un mordisco a expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to un pastel, pero Alicia estaba ya tan acostumbrada a que happen, that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to todo lo que le suceda fuera extraordinario, que le pareci go on in the common way. muy aburrido y muy tonto que la vida discurriese por cauces normales. So she set to work, and very soon finished off the As pues pas a la accin, y en un santiamn dio buena cake. cuenta del pastelito.