Monday 22 July 2024

The Silkworm and the Spider

Tomás de Iriarte (1750-1791)
‘El gusano de seda y la araña’

Trabajando un Gusano su capullo,
La Araña, que texía á toda prisa,
De esta suerte le habló con falsa risa
Mui propia de su orgullo:
¿Qué dice de mi tela el seor Gusano?
Esta mañana la empecé temprano,
Y ya estará acabada á mediodía.
Mire qué sutil es, mire qué bella....
El Gusano con sorna respondía:
Usted tiene razon: así sale ella.

‘The Silkworm and the Spider’
While a Worm was working on his cocoon,
The Spider, who was weaving fast,
Spoke to him in mock jest,
What does Mr. Worm have to say about my web?
I started early this morning
And it will be finished by noon.
See how delicate it is, behold how beautiful....
The Worm replied sarcastically:
You are right: that is how it comes out.
Tomas de Iriarte, Fabulas literarias, ed. by Jaime Fitzmaurice-Kelly (Oxford: OUP, 1917; 1782), p. 5. My translation.