Lúcia de Jesus
Lucia says of the eyes: “They were very dark.” “And the dress?” — “White and gold.”
“With a coloured belt?” — “No, with gold stars; look, she had one on her breast.” “And on her head?” — “A mantle and a thing, like this...” “But what?” — “I don't know, it was like a little basket thing” (a little basket). I did not even say the word crown, which came to my mind at once; I let the child ex-[384v]plain herself as best she could, and I confess I found the comparison delightful. “And could her hair be seen?” — “No.” “Tell me, was Our Lady laughing, cheerful?” — “No, she was serious.” “Cross?” — “No, serious.” “She had the beads, didn't she?” — “Yes, some white beads, and when she spoke she opened her hands, like this...” The child took the beads out of her pocket and explained what she had seen: At a certain point she tells me that Our Lady had a great deal of light. “Like the sun?” — “More than the sun.” A lady who was there says to her: “Why were you afraid at first? If I appeared to you, you wouldn't run away.” — “That's because you wouldn't blind me.” She says that Our Lady asks the people to mend their ways, to pray the rosary (5 decades) a great deal and to build a chapel to Our Lady of the Rosary. The child repeats many times: “The people don't mend their ways, the people don't mend their ways...”
A Lucia diz dos olhos: “Eram muito escuros.” “E o fato?” — “Branco e oiro.”
“Com cinto de côr?” — “Não, com estrelas de oiro; olhe, tinha uma no peito.” “E na cabeça?” — “Um manto e uma coisa, assim...” “Mas o quê?” — “Não sei, era assim um açafatico” (um açafatesinho). Eu nem disse a palavra corôa que me veio logo á ideia; deixar a pequena expli-[384v]car-se como sabe e confesso que achei de apetite a comparação. “E via-se o cabelo?” — “Não.” “Olha, N. Senhora estava a rir-se, alegre?” — “Não, estava séria.” “Zangada?” — “Não, séria.” “Trazia as contas, não trazia?” — “Sim, umas contas brancas e quando falava abria as mãos, assim...” A pequena tirou as contas da algibeira e explicou o que tinha visto: A certa altura diz-me que N. Senhora tinha muita luz. “Como o sol?” — “Mais do que o sol.” Uma senhora que ali estava, diz-lhe: “Porque tiveste medo ao principio? Se eu te aparecesse, tu não fugias.” — “É que a senhora não me cegava.” Diz que N. Senhora pede ao povo que se emende, que reze muito o terço e faça uma capela a N. Senhora do Rosario. A pequena repete muitas vezes: “O povo não se emenda, o povo não se emenda...”
