CHAPTER 20

[Freed from prison, Pinocchio sets out to return to the Fairy; but on the way he meets a Serpent and later is caught in a trap] [Liberto da prisão, Pinóquio parte para retornar à Fada; mas no caminho ele encontra uma Serpente e depois é pego em uma armadilha]

Fancy the happiness of Pinocchio on finding himself free! Without saying yes or no, he fled from the city and set out on the road that was to take him back to the house of the lovely Fairy. Sem dizer sim ou não, fugiu da cidade e pôs-se a caminho da estrada que o levaria de volta à casa da encantadora Fada.

It had rained for many days, and the road was so muddy that, at times, Pinocchio sank down almost to his knees. Havia chovido por muitos dias e a estrada estava tão lamacenta que, às vezes, Pinóquio quase caía de joelhos.

But he kept on bravely.

Tormented by the wish to see his father and his fairy sister with azure hair, he raced like a greyhound. Atormentado pelo desejo de ver seu pai e sua irmã fada de cabelos azuis, ele correu como um galgo. As he ran, he was splashed with mud even up to his cap. Enquanto corria, foi salpicado de lama até o boné.

"How unhappy I have been," he said to himself. "And yet I deserve everything, for I am certainly very stubborn and stupid! "E, no entanto, mereço tudo, pois certamente sou muito teimoso e estúpido! I will always have my own way. I won't listen to those who love me and who have more brains than I. But from now on, I'll be different and I'll try to become a most obedient boy. Não vou ouvir aqueles que me amam e que têm mais cérebro do que eu. Mas de agora em diante serei diferente e tentarei me tornar um menino muito obediente. I have found out, beyond any doubt whatever, that disobedient boys are certainly far from happy, and that, in the long run, they always lose out. I wonder if Father is waiting for me. Will I find him at the Fairy's house? It is so long, poor man, since I have seen him, and I do so want his love and his kisses. Faz tanto tempo, pobre homem, que não o vejo, e desejo tanto seu amor e seus beijos. And will the Fairy ever forgive me for all I have done? She who has been so good to me and to whom I owe my life! Ela que tem sido tão boa para mim e a quem devo minha vida! Can there be a worse or more heartless boy than I am anywhere?" Pode haver um menino pior ou mais sem coração do que eu em algum lugar?" As he spoke, he stopped suddenly, frozen with terror. Enquanto falava, ele parou de repente, paralisado de terror.

What was the matter? An immense Serpent lay stretched across the road--a Serpent with a bright green skin, fiery eyes which glowed and burned, and a pointed tail that smoked like a chimney. Uma imensa Serpente jazia estendida na estrada - uma Serpente com uma pele verde brilhante, olhos de fogo que brilhavam e queimavam, e uma cauda pontiaguda que fumegava como uma chaminé.

How frightened was poor Pinocchio! He ran back wildly for half a mile, and at last settled himself atop a heap of stones to wait for the Serpent to go on his way and leave the road clear for him. Ele correu descontroladamente por meia milha e finalmente se acomodou no topo de uma pilha de pedras para esperar que a Serpente seguisse seu caminho e deixasse a estrada livre para ele.

He waited an hour; two hours; three hours; but the Serpent was always there, and even from afar one could see the flash of his red eyes and the column of smoke which rose from his long, pointed tail. Ele esperou uma hora; duas horas; três horas; mas a Serpente estava sempre ali, e mesmo de longe via-se o brilho de seus olhos vermelhos e a coluna de fumaça que subia de sua cauda longa e pontiaguda.

Pinocchio, trying to feel very brave, walked straight up to him and said in a sweet, soothing voice: Pinóquio, tentando se sentir muito corajoso, foi direto até ele e disse com uma voz doce e calmante:

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Serpent, would you be so kind as to step aside to let me pass?" He might as well have talked to a wall. The Serpent never moved.

Once more, in the same sweet voice, he spoke:

"You must know, Mr. Serpent, that I am going home where my father is waiting for me. It is so long since I have seen him! Would you mind very much if I passed?" He waited for some sign of an answer to his questions, but the answer did not come. On the contrary, the green Serpent, who had seemed, until then, wide awake and full of life, became suddenly very quiet and still. Pelo contrário, a Serpente verde, que parecia, até então, bem desperta e cheia de vida, tornou-se repentinamente muito quieta e quieta. His eyes closed and his tail stopped smoking. Seus olhos se fecharam e sua cauda parou de soltar fumaça.

"Is he dead, I wonder?" said Pinocchio, rubbing his hands together happily. Without a moment's hesitation, he started to step over him, but he had just raised one leg when the Serpent shot up like a spring and the Marionette fell head over heels backward. Sem hesitar um momento, ele começou a passar por cima dele, mas ele tinha acabado de levantar uma perna quando a Serpente disparou como uma mola e a Marionete caiu de ponta-cabeça para trás. He fell so awkwardly that his head stuck in the mud, and there he stood with his legs straight up in the air. Ele caiu tão desajeitadamente que sua cabeça ficou presa na lama, e lá ficou ele com as pernas esticadas para o ar.

At the sight of the Marionette kicking and squirming like a young whirlwind, the Serpent laughed so heartily and so long that at last he burst an artery and died on the spot. Ao ver a Marionete chutando e se contorcendo como um jovem redemoinho, a Serpente riu com tanto entusiasmo e por tanto tempo que finalmente rompeu uma artéria e morreu no local.

Pinocchio freed himself from his awkward position and once more began to run in order to reach the Fairy's house before dark. Pinóquio se livrou de sua posição incômoda e mais uma vez começou a correr para chegar à casa da Fada antes do anoitecer. As he went, the pangs of hunger grew so strong that, unable to withstand them, he jumped into a field to pick a few grapes that tempted him. À medida que avançava, as dores da fome eram tão fortes que, não podendo resistir, saltou para um campo para colher algumas uvas que o tentavam. Woe to him!

No sooner had he reached the grapevine than--crack! Assim que ele alcançou a videira - crack! went his legs.

The poor Marionette was caught in a trap set there by a Farmer for some Weasels which came every night to steal his chickens. A pobre marionete foi pega em uma armadilha armada por um fazendeiro para algumas doninhas que vinham todas as noites para roubar suas galinhas.