Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 1 – Magnificent Stories, Stories of Animals, Anecdotes (Cuentos maravillosos, Cuentos de animales, Anécdotas)
004. The Little Hummingbird (La Tenquita)
(Recited in 1905 by 50-year old Polonia Gonzalez, from the province of Colchagua)
Know so one can tell, and tell so one can learn.
There was a Little Hummingbird who had some very cute little hatchlings, which were recently hatched from the eggs.
One morning she left [her nest] to go search for food, and as it was winter and a lot of snow had fallen, one of the Little Hummingbird’s legs froze.
When the little bird found herself crippled, she became very upset and cried to the Snow:
Snow, why are you being so evil that you hurt my little leg?
And the Snow answered her:
More evil is the Sun that melts me [away].
Then the Little Hummingbird went to the Sun and asked him:
Sun, why are you being so evil that you melt away the Snow, the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
And the Sun replied:
More evil is the Cloud which covers me up.
The Little Hummingbird went to see the Cloud and said to him:
Cloud, why are you being so evil that you cover up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Wind that blows me away.
The Little Hummingbird went to the Wind and said to him:
Wind, why are you being so evil that you blow the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] burns that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Wall that stops me [in my track].
The Little Hummingbird went to see the Wall and said to him:
Wall, why are you being so evil that you stop the Wind [in his track], the Wind [which] blows the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Rat that bores a hole through me.
The Little Hummingbird went to the Rat and said to him:
Rat, why are you being so evil that you bore a hole through the Wall, the Wall [which] stops the Wind [in his track], the Wind [which] blows the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Cat that eats me.
The Little Hummingbird went to the Cat and said to him:
Cat, why are you being so evil that you eat the Rat, the Rat [which] bores a hole in the Wall, the Wall [which] stops the Wind in his track, the Wind [which] blows the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Dog that chases me around.
Then the Little Hummingbird went to the Dog and said to him:
Dog, why are you being so evil that you chase after the Cat, the Cat [which] eats the Rat, the Rat [which] bores a hole in the Wall, the Wall [which] stops the Wind in his track, the Wind [which] blows the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] burns that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Stick that beats me.
So the Little Hummingbird then went to the Stick and said to it:
Stick, why are you being so evil that you beat the Dog, the Dog [which] chases after the Cat, the Cat [which] eats the Rat, the Rat [which] bores a hole in the Wall, the Wall [which] stops the Wind in his track, the Wind [which] blows the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Fire that burns me.
The Little Hummingbird went to the Fire and said:
Fire, why are you being so evil that you burn the Stick, the Stick [which] beats the Dog, the Dog [which] chases after the Cat, the Cat [which] eats the Rat, the Rat [which] bores a hole in the Wall, the Wall [which] stops the Wind in his track, the Wind [which] blows the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Water that extinguishes me.
The Little Hummingbird went to the Water and said:
Water, why are you being so evil that you extinguish the Fire, the Fire [which] burns the Stick, the Stick [which] beats the Dog, the Dog [which] chases after the Cat, the Cat [which] eats the Rat, the Rat [which] bores a hole in the Wall, the Wall [which] stops the Wind in his track, the Wind [which] blows the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Ox that drinks me up.
The Little Hummingbird went to the Ox and said:
Ox, why are you being so evil that you drink up the Water, the Water [which] extinguishes the Fire, the Fire [which] burns the Stick, the Stick [which] beats the Dog, the Dog [which] chases after the Cat, the Cat [which] eats the Rat, the Rat [which] bores a hole in the Wall, the Wall [which] stops the Wind in his track, the Wind [which] blows the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Knife that kills me.
The Little Hummingbird went to the Knife and said:
Knife, why are you being so evil that you kill the Ox, the Ox [which] drinks up the Water, the Water [which] extinguishes the Fire, the Fire [which] burns the Stick, the Stick [which] beats the Dog, the Dog [which] chases after the Cat, the Cat [which] eats the Rat, the Rat [which] bores a hole in the Wall, the Wall [which] stops the Wind in his track, the Wind [which] blows the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
More evil is the Man that makes me.
The Little Hummingbird went to the Man and said:
Man, why are you being so evil that you make the Knife, the Knife [which] kills the Ox, the Ox [which] drinks up the Water, the Water [which] extinguishes the Fire, the Fire [which] burns the Stick, the Stick [which] beats the Dog, the Dog [which] chases after the Cat, the Cat [which] eats the Rat, the Rat [which] bores a hole in the Wall, the Wall [which] stops the Wind in his track, the Wind [which] blows the Cloud away, the Cloud [which] covers up the Sun, the Sun [which] melts away the Snow, and the Snow [which] hurts that little leg of mine?
Ask the Lord who created me.
Then the Little Hummingbird went to Her Divine Majesty, and kneeling humbly before her, she bowed her head until she kissed the ground, and said to the Lord:
Lord, why did you create Man, who is very evil, [for] the Man makes the Knife, the Knife kills the Ox, the Ox drinks the Water, the Water extinguishes the Fire, the Fire burns the Stick, the Stick beats the Dog, the Dog chases after the Cat, the Cat eats the Rat, the Rat bores a hole in the Wall, the Wall stops the Wind, the Wind blows the Cloud away, the Cloud covers up the Sun, the Sun melts the Snow, and the Snow burns that little leg of mine?
And the Little Hummingbird began to cry so bitterly that it was pitiful to look at her.
The Lord took pity on the poor little bird’s misfortune and gently said to her:
Go in peace, Little Hummingbird, and return to care for your little hummingbirds, who are shivering in the cold and dying of hunger.
The Little Hummingbird, being a good Christian that she was, obeyed immediately and when she got back to her little nest she found that her injured little leg was healthy and well [again].
—– VOCABULARY —–
Coja – (old-fashioned) (anatomy) back of the knee
Derretir – (to liquify) to melt, to thaw (unfreeze), to melt down [[hacer líquido algo sólido o pastoso por medio de calor; consumir, gastar, disipar la hacienda, el dinero, los muebles, etc.]]
Atajar – (to take a shorter way) to take a shortcut; (to put an end to something) to put a stop to, to stop, to stem, to contain, to check the spread of; (to interrupt) to cut short; (to intercept) (Latin America) to catch, to stop
Agujerear – to make holes in, to pierce
[C] Es de regla decir de una sola tirada, sin descansar ni tomar aliento, las quejas de la Tenquita.
Apagar – (to disconnect) to turn off, to switch off, to put out; (to cause to stop burning) to put out, to blow out, extinguish (formal); (to satisfy) to quench; (to pacify) to calm, to soothe; (to tone down) to muffle, to soften
Arrodillar – (to bend the knees) to make kneel, to bring someone to his knees; arrodillarse – (to genuflect) to kneel down, to kneel [[hacer que alguien hinque la rodilla o ambas rodillas]]
Amargamente – bitterly [[con amargura – gusto amargo, aflicción o disgusto]]
Dulzura – (culinary) sweetness; (tenderness) sweetness, gentleness; (delight) sweetness
Tiritar – to shiver, to tremble [[temblar o estremecerse de frío o por causa de fiebre, de miedo, etc.]]
Nidito – (place for birds) little nest; (figurative) (dwelling) nest