A Escrava Isaura 8.44 · 8.44

The metaphor makes grief physical and cruel: her heart is 'apertado entre as mãos geladas' — squeezed between the icy hands — of dismay, as if a cold grip closed on it. 'Pungente,' piercing, stinging, adds the sharpness. The image of frozen hands crushing a heart renders exactly the sensation of sudden, sickening loss.

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