A braille study edition

English ↔ Braille español

A Dream Within a Dream · the Spanish text in Spanish braille

Edition: complete · the project's Spanish translation in uncontracted Spanish braille, ONCE signs · unreviewed project draft

Spanish braille is the six-dot alphabet used across the Spanish-speaking world, set out in Spain by the Comisión Braille Española of ONCE. This edition takes the project's own Spanish translation of the poem and writes every letter, accent and mark of it in braille, one cell at a time.

Read the poem ↓ Learn the alphabet ↓

One cell, six dots

142536

dots 1

Type a Spanish word

⠎⠥⠑⠻⠕

Dots are numbered 1-2-3 down the left and 4-5-6 down the right. Select any letter below to see it in the cell.

614cells to read, letters and signs together

87different Spanish words to practise

7letters with a cell of their own: á é í ó ú ü ñ

6dots in every cell

Part one / The poem

The poem, line by line

Each line of Poe's poem beside the project's Spanish translation and the same line in Spanish braille. Select a line number for its study note.

Hide the Spanish print above the braille

Line	English · source	Español · braille
	Take this kiss upon the brow!	¡Recibe este beso en la frente!⠖⠨⠗⠑⠉⠊⠃⠑ ⠑⠎⠞⠑ ⠃⠑⠎⠕ ⠑⠝ ⠇⠁ ⠋⠗⠑⠝⠞⠑⠖
	And, in parting from you now,	Y, al despedirme de ti ahora,⠨⠽⠂ ⠁⠇ ⠙⠑⠎⠏⠑⠙⠊⠗⠍⠑ ⠙⠑ ⠞⠊ ⠁⠓⠕⠗⠁⠂
	Thus much let me avow —	déjame confesar tan solo esto:⠙⠮⠚⠁⠍⠑ ⠉⠕⠝⠋⠑⠎⠁⠗ ⠞⠁⠝ ⠎⠕⠇⠕ ⠑⠎⠞⠕⠒
	You are not wrong, who deem	no te equivocas al pensar⠝⠕ ⠞⠑ ⠑⠟⠥⠊⠧⠕⠉⠁⠎ ⠁⠇ ⠏⠑⠝⠎⠁⠗
	That my days have been a dream;	que mis días han sido un sueño;⠟⠥⠑ ⠍⠊⠎ ⠙⠌⠁⠎ ⠓⠁⠝ ⠎⠊⠙⠕ ⠥⠝ ⠎⠥⠑⠻⠕⠆
	Yet if hope has flown away	pero si la Esperanza se ha ido⠏⠑⠗⠕ ⠎⠊ ⠇⠁ ⠨⠑⠎⠏⠑⠗⠁⠝⠵⠁ ⠎⠑ ⠓⠁ ⠊⠙⠕
	In a night, or in a day,	en una noche, o en un día,⠑⠝ ⠥⠝⠁ ⠝⠕⠉⠓⠑⠂ ⠕ ⠑⠝ ⠥⠝ ⠙⠌⠁⠂
	In a vision, or in none,	en una visión, o sin ninguna,⠑⠝ ⠥⠝⠁ ⠧⠊⠎⠊⠬⠝⠂ ⠕ ⠎⠊⠝ ⠝⠊⠝⠛⠥⠝⠁⠂
	Is it therefore the less gone?	¿acaso por eso se ha ido menos?⠢⠁⠉⠁⠎⠕ ⠏⠕⠗ ⠑⠎⠕ ⠎⠑ ⠓⠁ ⠊⠙⠕ ⠍⠑⠝⠕⠎⠢
	All that we see or seem	Todo lo que vemos o parecemos⠨⠞⠕⠙⠕ ⠇⠕ ⠟⠥⠑ ⠧⠑⠍⠕⠎ ⠕ ⠏⠁⠗⠑⠉⠑⠍⠕⠎
	Is but a dream within a dream.	no es más que un sueño dentro de un sueño.⠝⠕ ⠑⠎ ⠍⠷⠎ ⠟⠥⠑ ⠥⠝ ⠎⠥⠑⠻⠕ ⠙⠑⠝⠞⠗⠕ ⠙⠑ ⠥⠝ ⠎⠥⠑⠻⠕⠄
	I stand amid the roar	Estoy de pie entre el estruendo⠨⠑⠎⠞⠕⠽ ⠙⠑ ⠏⠊⠑ ⠑⠝⠞⠗⠑ ⠑⠇ ⠑⠎⠞⠗⠥⠑⠝⠙⠕
	Of a surf-tormented shore,	de una orilla azotada por las olas,⠙⠑ ⠥⠝⠁ ⠕⠗⠊⠇⠇⠁ ⠁⠵⠕⠞⠁⠙⠁ ⠏⠕⠗ ⠇⠁⠎ ⠕⠇⠁⠎⠂
	And I hold within my hand	y sostengo en mi mano⠽ ⠎⠕⠎⠞⠑⠝⠛⠕ ⠑⠝ ⠍⠊ ⠍⠁⠝⠕
	Grains of the golden sand —	granos de arena dorada.⠛⠗⠁⠝⠕⠎ ⠙⠑ ⠁⠗⠑⠝⠁ ⠙⠕⠗⠁⠙⠁⠄
	How few! yet how they creep	¡Qué pocos! Y, sin embargo, cómo se deslizan⠖⠨⠟⠥⠮ ⠏⠕⠉⠕⠎⠖ ⠨⠽⠂ ⠎⠊⠝ ⠑⠍⠃⠁⠗⠛⠕⠂ ⠉⠬⠍⠕ ⠎⠑ ⠙⠑⠎⠇⠊⠵⠁⠝
	Through my fingers to the deep,	entre mis dedos hacia el abismo,⠑⠝⠞⠗⠑ ⠍⠊⠎ ⠙⠑⠙⠕⠎ ⠓⠁⠉⠊⠁ ⠑⠇ ⠁⠃⠊⠎⠍⠕⠂
	While I weep — while I weep!	¡mientras lloro, mientras lloro!⠖⠍⠊⠑⠝⠞⠗⠁⠎ ⠇⠇⠕⠗⠕⠂ ⠍⠊⠑⠝⠞⠗⠁⠎ ⠇⠇⠕⠗⠕⠖
	O God! Can I not grasp	¡Oh Dios! ¿No puedo aferrarlos⠖⠨⠕⠓ ⠨⠙⠊⠕⠎⠖ ⠢⠨⠝⠕ ⠏⠥⠑⠙⠕ ⠁⠋⠑⠗⠗⠁⠗⠇⠕⠎
	Them with a tighter clasp?	con más fuerza?⠉⠕⠝ ⠍⠷⠎ ⠋⠥⠑⠗⠵⠁⠢
	O God! can I not save	¡Oh Dios! ¿No puedo salvar⠖⠨⠕⠓ ⠨⠙⠊⠕⠎⠖ ⠢⠨⠝⠕ ⠏⠥⠑⠙⠕ ⠎⠁⠇⠧⠁⠗
	One from the pitiless wave?	uno solo de la ola implacable?⠥⠝⠕ ⠎⠕⠇⠕ ⠙⠑ ⠇⠁ ⠕⠇⠁ ⠊⠍⠏⠇⠁⠉⠁⠃⠇⠑⠢
	Is all that we see or seem	¿Es todo lo que vemos o parecemos⠢⠨⠑⠎ ⠞⠕⠙⠕ ⠇⠕ ⠟⠥⠑ ⠧⠑⠍⠕⠎ ⠕ ⠏⠁⠗⠑⠉⠑⠍⠕⠎
	But a dream within a dream?	tan solo un sueño dentro de un sueño?⠞⠁⠝ ⠎⠕⠇⠕ ⠥⠝ ⠎⠥⠑⠻⠕ ⠙⠑⠝⠞⠗⠕ ⠙⠑ ⠥⠝ ⠎⠥⠑⠻⠕⠢

Part two / How it works

Thirty-three letters, six dots

The full Spanish braille alphabet with the punctuation the poem uses. Select a cell to see its dots; the count is how often the poem uses it.

The same a to z

Spanish braille uses Louis Braille's letters a to z unchanged, so a reader of English braille can already read most of a Spanish page.

⠎⠥⠑⠻⠕ sueño

Accents get their own cell

Á, é, í, ó, ú, ü and ñ are not a letter plus a mark: each is one cell of its own.

á ⠷ · é ⠮ · í ⠌ · ó ⠬ · ú ⠾ · ñ ⠻

Capitals

A capital is the letter with dots 4-6 in front of it. That is why Dios and Esperanza each take one cell more than their letters.

⠨⠙⠊⠕⠎ Dios

¿…? and ¡…!

Spanish opens questions and exclamations as well as closing them. In braille the opening and closing signs are the same cell: dots 2-6 for questions, 2-3-5 for exclamations.

⠖⠨⠕⠓ ⠨⠙⠊⠕⠎⠖

Practice

Read the cell

A braille cell is shown. Pick the Spanish letter it stands for.

0 of 0 correct

Practice with every word

Every word of the poem

All 87 different words of the Spanish translation, in the order they first appear. Read the braille, then reveal the word.

Braille → Spanish

How to practise

Find the capital sign (dots 4-6) and the accent cells first.
Read the rest letter by letter, then say the word.
Reveal it and find it in the poem.
Copy a line with a slate and stylus, or trace it on the page with a finger.

See the full word list (87 words)

recibe	⠗⠑⠉⠊⠃⠑	line 1 · 1×
este	⠑⠎⠞⠑	line 1 · 1×
beso	⠃⠑⠎⠕	line 1 · 1×
en	⠑⠝	line 1 · 5×
la	⠇⠁	line 1 · 3×
frente	⠋⠗⠑⠝⠞⠑	line 1 · 1×
y	⠽	line 2 · 3×
al	⠁⠇	line 2 · 2×
despedirme	⠙⠑⠎⠏⠑⠙⠊⠗⠍⠑	line 2 · 1×
de	⠙⠑	line 2 · 7×
ti	⠞⠊	line 2 · 1×
ahora	⠁⠓⠕⠗⠁	line 2 · 1×
déjame	⠙⠮⠚⠁⠍⠑	line 3 · 1×
confesar	⠉⠕⠝⠋⠑⠎⠁⠗	line 3 · 1×
tan	⠞⠁⠝	line 3 · 2×
solo	⠎⠕⠇⠕	line 3 · 3×
esto	⠑⠎⠞⠕	line 3 · 1×
no	⠝⠕	line 4 · 4×
te	⠞⠑	line 4 · 1×
equivocas	⠑⠟⠥⠊⠧⠕⠉⠁⠎	line 4 · 1×
pensar	⠏⠑⠝⠎⠁⠗	line 4 · 1×
que	⠟⠥⠑	line 5 · 4×
mis	⠍⠊⠎	line 5 · 2×
días	⠙⠌⠁⠎	line 5 · 1×
han	⠓⠁⠝	line 5 · 1×
sido	⠎⠊⠙⠕	line 5 · 1×
un	⠥⠝	line 5 · 6×
sueño	⠎⠥⠑⠻⠕	line 5 · 5×
pero	⠏⠑⠗⠕	line 6 · 1×
si	⠎⠊	line 6 · 1×
Esperanza	⠨⠑⠎⠏⠑⠗⠁⠝⠵⠁	line 6 · 1×
se	⠎⠑	line 6 · 3×
ha	⠓⠁	line 6 · 2×
ido	⠊⠙⠕	line 6 · 2×
una	⠥⠝⠁	line 7 · 3×
noche	⠝⠕⠉⠓⠑	line 7 · 1×
o	⠕	line 7 · 4×
día	⠙⠌⠁	line 7 · 1×
visión	⠧⠊⠎⠊⠬⠝	line 8 · 1×
sin	⠎⠊⠝	line 8 · 2×
ninguna	⠝⠊⠝⠛⠥⠝⠁	line 8 · 1×
acaso	⠁⠉⠁⠎⠕	line 9 · 1×
por	⠏⠕⠗	line 9 · 2×
eso	⠑⠎⠕	line 9 · 1×
menos	⠍⠑⠝⠕⠎	line 9 · 1×
todo	⠞⠕⠙⠕	line 10 · 2×
lo	⠇⠕	line 10 · 2×
vemos	⠧⠑⠍⠕⠎	line 10 · 2×
parecemos	⠏⠁⠗⠑⠉⠑⠍⠕⠎	line 10 · 2×
es	⠑⠎	line 11 · 2×
más	⠍⠷⠎	line 11 · 2×
dentro	⠙⠑⠝⠞⠗⠕	line 11 · 2×
estoy	⠑⠎⠞⠕⠽	line 12 · 1×
pie	⠏⠊⠑	line 12 · 1×
entre	⠑⠝⠞⠗⠑	line 12 · 2×
el	⠑⠇	line 12 · 2×
estruendo	⠑⠎⠞⠗⠥⠑⠝⠙⠕	line 12 · 1×
orilla	⠕⠗⠊⠇⠇⠁	line 13 · 1×
azotada	⠁⠵⠕⠞⠁⠙⠁	line 13 · 1×
las	⠇⠁⠎	line 13 · 1×
olas	⠕⠇⠁⠎	line 13 · 1×
sostengo	⠎⠕⠎⠞⠑⠝⠛⠕	line 14 · 1×
mi	⠍⠊	line 14 · 1×
mano	⠍⠁⠝⠕	line 14 · 1×
granos	⠛⠗⠁⠝⠕⠎	line 15 · 1×
arena	⠁⠗⠑⠝⠁	line 15 · 1×
dorada	⠙⠕⠗⠁⠙⠁	line 15 · 1×
qué	⠟⠥⠮	line 16 · 1×
pocos	⠏⠕⠉⠕⠎	line 16 · 1×
embargo	⠑⠍⠃⠁⠗⠛⠕	line 16 · 1×
cómo	⠉⠬⠍⠕	line 16 · 1×
deslizan	⠙⠑⠎⠇⠊⠵⠁⠝	line 16 · 1×
dedos	⠙⠑⠙⠕⠎	line 17 · 1×
hacia	⠓⠁⠉⠊⠁	line 17 · 1×
abismo	⠁⠃⠊⠎⠍⠕	line 17 · 1×
mientras	⠍⠊⠑⠝⠞⠗⠁⠎	line 18 · 2×
lloro	⠇⠇⠕⠗⠕	line 18 · 2×
oh	⠕⠓	line 19 · 2×
Dios	⠨⠙⠊⠕⠎	line 19 · 2×
puedo	⠏⠥⠑⠙⠕	line 19 · 2×
aferrarlos	⠁⠋⠑⠗⠗⠁⠗⠇⠕⠎	line 19 · 1×
con	⠉⠕⠝	line 20 · 1×
fuerza	⠋⠥⠑⠗⠵⠁	line 20 · 1×
salvar	⠎⠁⠇⠧⠁⠗	line 21 · 1×
uno	⠥⠝⠕	line 22 · 1×
ola	⠕⠇⠁	line 22 · 1×
implacable	⠊⠍⠏⠇⠁⠉⠁⠃⠇⠑	line 22 · 1×

Background

Braille in Spanish

From Paris

Louis Braille published his six-dot system in Paris in 1829. Spanish kept his letters a to z and gave its own letters, the accented vowels, ü and ñ, cells of their own.

ONCE

Spain's national organisation of the blind, ONCE, was founded in 1938. Its Comisión Braille Española sets the Spanish signs, published as the Signografía básica.

Shared across languages

The same Spanish signs serve Galician, and the Comisión also publishes braille for Catalan, Basque and Valencian, so one reader can move between Spain's languages.

Sources

Pages consulted

Comisión Braille Española, Signografía básica (ONCE, 2005)
Comisión Braille Española, Documento técnico B 2: Signografía básica de las lenguas cooficiales españolas (ONCE)
liblouis Spanish grade 1 table, Es-Es-g1.utb
Spanish Braille, Wikipedia
A Dream Within a Dream, Spanish translation, Crypt of Echoes (poe-english-spanish-study.pdf)