a fuerza de roer
by persistently gnawingA fuerza de plus an infinitive expresses a result achieved through repeated effort. Roer means gnawing with the teeth.
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El ratón de la corte y el del campo
B1 · Chapter 2 of 3 · Edition 1
La otra cara de la abundancia
The other side of abundance
Adapted from El ratón de la corte y el del campo, by Félix María Samaniego.
La fiesta terminó de repente. La encargada de la despensa llegó y los ratones oyeron sus movimientos. Hasta entonces habían pensado únicamente en comer. Ahora, en cambio, buscaban un lugar donde esconderse. El mismo cuarto que les había parecido tan cómodo se convirtió en un espacio lleno de peligro.
Corrieron entre los alimentos, se agacharon y perdieron la orientación. El visitante estaba especialmente asustado porque no conocía las salidas. Por suerte, encontraron un pasadizo que los ratones habían abierto a fuerza de roer la pared. Era estrecho, pero ofrecía una posibilidad de escapar.
Los dos se metieron por él con toda la rapidez que pudieron. Una vez fuera, el ratón del campo tardó un momento en recuperar la calma. Habían escapado, pero la experiencia había cambiado su opinión sobre aquel alojamiento. No bastaba con tener buena comida: también necesitaba poder disfrutar de ella sin sobresaltos.
The party ended suddenly. The woman in charge of the pantry arrived, and the mice heard her movements. Until then, they had been thinking only about eating. Now, by contrast, they were looking for somewhere to hide. The very room that had seemed so comfortable to them turned into a place full of danger.
They ran among the food, crouched down and lost their bearings. The visitor was particularly frightened because he did not know the exits. Luckily, they found a passage that mice had made by gnawing through the wall. It was narrow, but it offered a chance to escape.
The two went through it as quickly as they could. Once outside, the country mouse took a moment to regain his composure. They had escaped, but the experience had changed his opinion of that accommodation. Having good food was not enough: he also needed to be able to enjoy it without sudden frights.
Key Phrases
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recuperar la calma
regain calm; calm down againRecuperar la calma means becoming calm again after fear or agitation.
sobresaltos
sudden frightsUnexpected scares interrupt the pleasure of eating.
Original source and edition
Adapted from El ratón de la corte y el del campo, by Félix María Samaniego.
Spanish prose adaptations by Read Spanish Daily. These versions retell one fable; they are not the original verse or the complete collection.
Fábulas en verso castellano, volume I, book I, fable VIII. Madrid: Oficina de Cano, 1818, pages 9–10. Original Spanish text in the public domain.
Original source and edition →