"EL JUEGO" (HWAY-goh), "The Game"

The following little story has been floating around the Internet in Spanish for ages and copied many many times. I don't even know who the original author is. It is a very cute story though and I thought it would be nice to translate it into plain English for those with only beginner skills and also as a practice lesson for those who are a little more fluent in Spanish. In any case I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do. Keep in mind that some of it is not a literal translation because a direct word for word translation doesn't always sound very good.

Cuentan que una vez se reunieron en un lugar de la tierra todos los sentimientos y cualidades de los hombres.
They say that once upon a time on the Earth there was a get together of all of the feelings and qualities of mankind.

Cuando El ABURRIMIENTO había bostezado por tercera vez, LA LOCURA, como siempre tan loca, les propuso: "¡Vamos a jugar a los escondidos!".
When BOREDOM had yawned for the third time, CRAZINESS, crazy like always, proposed to the others, “Let's play a game of hide and seek!”.

LA INTRIGA levantó la ceja intrigada y LA CURIOSIDAD, sin poder contenerse pregunto: "¿A los escondidos? ¿Y cómo es eso?".
INTRIGUE raised an intrigued eyebrow and CURIOSITY, without being able to contain herself asked, “Hide and seek? What is that?".

“Es un juego”, explicó LA LOCURA, “en que yo me tapo la cara y comienzo a contar desde uno hasta un millón mientras ustedes se esconden y cuando yo haya terminado de contar, al primero de ustedes que encuentre ocupará mi lugar para continuar el juego".
“It is a game”, explained CRAZINESS, “Where I cover my face and begin to count to one million while you guys hide yourselves and when I have finished counting the first one of you that is found will take my place to continue the game”.

EL ENTUSIASMO bailó secundado por LA EUFORIA, LA ALEGRÍA dio tantos saltos que terminó por convencer a LA DUDA, e incluso a LA APATÍA, a la que nunca le interesaba nada.
ENTHUSIASM danced and was backed up by EUPHORIA, and JOY did so many leaps that she ended up convincing DOUBT and also APATHY who was never interested in anything.

Pero no todos quisieron participar, LA VERDAD prefirió no esconderse. "¿Para que?, si al final siempre la hallaban"; y LA SOBERBIA opinó que era un juego muy tonto (en el fondo lo que le molestaba era que la idea no hubiese sido de ella) y LA COBARDÍA prefirió no arriesgarse...
But not everyone wished to participate. TRUTH preferred not to hide. “What for if in the end they always find you?”; and PRIDE was of the opinion that it was a very foolish game (in truth she was upset that the idea hadn't been hers) and COWARDICE preferred not to take a risk.

"Uno, dos, tres"...comenzó a contar LA LOCURA. La primera en esconderse fue LA PEREZA, que como siempre se dejó caer tras la primera piedra del camino, LA FE subió al cielo y LA ENVIDIA se escondió tras la sombra del TRIUNFO, que con su propio esfuerzo había logrado subir a la copa del árbol más alto.
"One, two, three", began counting CRAZINESS. The first one to hide was IDLENESS who like always dropped down behing the first rock in the road. FAITH rose up to heaven and ENVY hid under the shadow of TRIUMPH who by his own effort had managed to climb to the crown of the tallest tree.

LA GENEROSIDAD casi no alcanzaba a esconderse, cada sitio que hallaba le parecía maravilloso para alguno de sus amigos: ¿que si un lago cristalino? ¡ideal para LA BELLEZA!; ¿que si la hendija de un árbol? ¡perfecto para LA TIMIDEZ! ; ¿que si el vuelo de la mariposa? ¡lo mejor para LA VOLUPTUOSIDAD! ; ¿que si una ráfaga de viento? !magnífico para LA LIBERTAD!. Así termino por ocultarse en un rayito de sol.
GENEROSITY almost couldn't find a place to hide. Each place she was finding seemed marvellous for one of her friends. What if there was a crystaline lake? Ideal for BEAUTY! What about a cleft in a tree? Perfect for TIMIDNESS! What about the flight of a butterfly? The best thing for VOLUPTUOSITY! What about a puff of wind? Magnificent for LIBERTY. In the end she hid herself in a ray of sunshine.

EL EGOÍSMO en cambio encontró un sitio muy bueno desde el principio, ventilado, cómodo...pero solo para él.
SELFISHNESS on the other hand found a very good site right away, airy, comfortable...but just for him.

LA MENTIRA se escondió en el fondo de los océanos (mentira, en realidad se escondió detrás del arco iris) y LA PASIÓN y EL DESEO en el centro de los volcanes.
The LIE hid herself in the depths of the oceans (that's a lie, in reality she hid behind the rainbow), and PASION and DESIRE hid in the center of volcanoes.

EL OLVIDO... se me olvidó donde se escondió... pero eso no es lo importante.
FORGETFULNESS...I forget where he hid himself...but that isn't important.

Cuando LA LOCURA contaba 999.999, EL AMOR aún no había encontrado sitio para esconderse, pues todo se encontraba ocupado... hasta que divisó un rosal y enternecido decidió esconderse entre sus flores.
When CRAZINESS counted 999,999, LOVE still had not found a place to hide because all of the places he looked were already taken...until he spotted a rose bush and moved (emotionally) by that he decided to hide among the flowers.

"Un millón", contó LA LOCURA y comenzó a buscar. La primera en aparecer fue LA PEREZA sola a tres pasos de una piedra.
"One million", counted CRAZINESS and began to search. The first to appear was IDLENESS only three steps from a rock.

Después se escucho LA FE discutiendo con Dios en el cielo sobre Zoología y a LA PASIÓN y EL DESEO los sintió en el vibrar de los volcanes.
Afterwards FAITH was hear arguing with God in heaven about Zoology and PASSION and DESIRE were felt in the vibration of the volcanoes.

En un descuido encontró a LA ENVIDIA y, claro, pudo deducir donde estaba EL TRIUNFO.
ENVY was discovered by mistake and then one could easily guess where TRIUMPH was.

EL EGOÍSMO no tuvo ni que buscarlo. El solito salió disparado de su escondite, que había resultado ser un nido de avispas. De tanto caminar sintió sed y al acercarse al lago descubrió a LA BELLEZA.
SELFISHNESS didn't even have to be seached for. The loner shot out of his hiding place because there was a wasps nest there. After running so much he felt thirsty and getting close to the lake he discoverd BEAUTY.

Con LA DUDA resulto más fácil todavía, pues la encontró sentada sobre una cerca sin decidir aun de que lado esconderse.
With DOUBT it was even easier yet because she was discovered sitting on a fence without being able to decide on which side to hide herself.

Así fue encontrando a todos, EL TALENTO entre la hierba fresca, a LA ANGUSTIA en una oscura cueva, a LA MENTIRA detrás del arco iris...(mentira, si ella estaba en el fondo del océano) y hasta EL OLVIDO... que ya se le había olvidado que estaba jugando a los escondidos, pero solo EL AMOR no aparecía por ningún sitio.
And in a similar fashion all were found, TALENT in the fresh grass, ANXIETYin a dark cave, the LIE behind the rainbow...(this is a lie, yes she was at the bottom of the ocean) and to FORGETFULNESS...who had already forgotten that he was playing hide and seek, but LOVE didn't appear anywhere.

LA LOCURA busco detrás de cada árbol, bajo cada arroyuelo del planeta, en la cima de las montañas y cuando estaba por darse por vencido divisó un rosal y las rosas... Tomó una horquilla y comenzó a mover las ramas, cuando de pronto un doloroso grito se escucho. Las espinas habían herido en los ojos AL AMOR!!!!!
CRAZINESS looked behind every tree, under every small rivulet on the planet, on top of the mountains until when just about ready to give up spied a rose bush and roses. She took a forked stick and began moving the branches when suddenly a painful cry was heard. The thorns had had wounded the eyes of LOVE!!!!

LA LOCURA no sabia que hacer para disculparse, lloro, rogó, imploro, pidió perdón y hasta prometió ser su lazarillo. Desde entonces; desde que por primera vez se jugaron a los escondidos en la tierra EL AMOR ES CIEGO Y LA LOCURA SIEMPRE LO ACOMPAÑA.
CRAZINESS did not know how to make up for it and so ever since then from the first time that hide and seek was played on the Earth LOVE IS BLIND AND IS ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED BY CRAZINESS.

Some notes:

Sometimes we wonder why in Spanish everything has a gender. In this case all of the human feelings are either a "he or a "she". In English we can't do that. I find it interesting and a bit humorous that "EL AMOR", love, is a male and "LA LOCURA", craziness, is a female.

¿que si la hendija de un árbol?
What about a cleft in a tree?
You might not find "hendija" in your regular Spanish/English dictionary. "Hendija" is a variuation of the word "rendija" which means "chink, crack, rift, or split". I used the word "cleft" because I like it.

El solito salió disparado de su escondite
The loner shot out of his hiding place
"Solito" is another word you might not find. It is a variation of the word "solo" and means "the lone person". I used the word "loner" beacause that is what an "egoist" generally is.

EL TALENTO entre la hierba fresca
TALENT in the fresh grass
I translated "entre la hierba fresca" as "in the fresh grass" but "heierba fresca" can also mean fresh herbs. The culinary herbs such as basil (albahaca), dill, (eneldo), rosemary (romero), and thyme (tomillo) are often referred to collectively as "hierba fresca".

Oh, and I almost forgot...what about CAFECITO?