A Room with a View — Page 7
The Pension Bertolini had decided, almost enthusiastically, that they would do.
La Pensione Bertolini aveva deciso, quasi con entusiasmo, che sarebbero andati bene.
Whichever way they looked, kind ladies smiled and shouted at them.
Da qualunque parte guardassero, signore gentili sorridevano e si rivolgevano a loro ad alta voce.
And above all rose the voice of the clever lady, crying: "Prato! They must go to Prato.
E sopra tutto si levò la voce della signora ingegnosa, che gridava: «Prato! Devono andare a Prato.
That place is too sweetly squalid for words.
Quel posto è così deliziosamente squallido che le parole non bastano.
I love it; I revel in shaking off the trammels of respectability, as you know."
Lo adoro; mi compiaccio nel liberarmi dai ceppi della rispettabilità, come ben sapete.»
The young man named George glanced at the clever lady, and then returned moodily to his plate.
Il giovane di nome George lanciò un'occhiata alla signora ingegnosa, e poi tornò malinconico al suo piatto.
Obviously he and his father did not do.
Evidentemente lui e suo padre non andavano bene.
Lucy, in the midst of her success, found time to wish they did.
Lucy, nel pieno del suo successo, trovò il tempo di desiderare che andassero bene.
It gave her no extra pleasure that any one should be left in the cold; and when she rose to go, she turned back and gave the two outsiders a nervous little bow.
Non le dava nessun piacere aggiuntivo che qualcuno venisse lasciato in disparte; e quando si alzò per andarsene, si voltò e fece ai due esclusi un piccolo inchino nervoso.
The father did not see it; the son acknowledged it, not by another bow, but by raising his eyebrows and smiling; he seemed to be smiling across something.
Il padre non lo vide; il figlio lo ricambiò, non con un altro inchino, ma alzando le sopracciglia e sorridendo; sembrava sorridere al di là di qualcosa.
She hastened after her cousin, who had already disappeared through the curtains—curtains which smote one in the face, and seemed heavy with more than cloth.
Si affrettò a seguire la cugina, che era già sparita oltre le tende — tende che colpivano in pieno viso, e sembravano pesanti di qualcosa più che di semplice tessuto.
Beyond them stood the unreliable Signora, bowing good-evening to her guests, and supported by 'Enery, her little boy, and Victorier, her daughter.
Al di là di esse stava la inaffidabile Signora, che salutava con un inchino i suoi ospiti augurandogli la buona sera, sostenuta da 'Enery, il suo bambino, e da Victorier, la sua figliola.
It made a curious little scene, this attempt of the Cockney to convey the grace and geniality of the South.
Era una piccola scena curiosa, questo tentativo del Cockney di trasmettere la grazia e la cordialità del Sud.
And even more curious was the drawing-room, which attempted to rival the solid comfort of a Bloomsbury boarding-house.
E ancora più curiosa era la sala, che tentava di rivaleggiare con il solido comfort di una pensione di Bloomsbury.
Vocabulary
- La
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- Pensione
- Boarding house; pension or retirement benefit
- aveva
- Had (third person singular past tense of avere)
- deciso
- Decided (past participle of decidere)
- quasi
- Almost; nearly; about; seemingly
- con
- With; in the company or presence of
- entusiasmo
- Enthusiasm; excitement; keen interest or eagerness
- che
- That; which; who; relative or conjunctive pronoun
- sarebbero
- Would be (third person plural conditional of essere)
- andati
- Gone (past participle masculine plural of andare)
- bene
- Well; good; fine; in a good manner
- Da
- From; by; since; at the place of
- qualunque
- Any; any whatsoever; whichever
- parte
- Part; side; direction; role or portion
- guardassero
- Looked (third person plural imperfect subjunctive of guardare)
- signore
- Gentlemen; sir; polite form of address for men
- gentili
- Kind; gentle; courteous; well-mannered people
- sorridevano
- Smiled (third person plural imperfect of sorridere)
- si
- Oneself; himself; herself; themselves; reflexive pronoun
- rivolgevano
- Addressed; turned toward (imperfect of rivolgersi)
- loro
- Them; their; theirs; third person plural pronoun
- ad
- To; at (preposition before vowels)
- alta
- High; loud; tall; of high pitch or volume
- voce
- Voice; tone; word; item in list or account
- sopra
- Above; on top of; over; beyond
- tutto
- All; every; everything; the whole amount
- levò
- Raised; lifted (third person singular past of levare)
- della
- Of the; from the (feminine singular contraction)
- signora
- Lady; madame; woman; polite form of address
- ingegnosa
- Ingenious; clever; resourceful; inventive person
- gridava
- Shouted; cried out (imperfect of gridare)
- Prato
- Meadow; field; lawn (or proper place name)
- Devono
- Must; they have to; they ought to
- andare
- To go; to travel; to proceed or move
- Quel
- That; that one (masculine singular demonstrative)
- posto
- Place; spot; position; seat or location
- così
- So; thus; in this way; therefore
- deliziosamente
- Delightfully; charmingly; in delicious manner
- squallido
- Squalid; dingy; dreary; wretched or miserable
- parole
- Words; speech; language; utterances or remarks
- bastano
- Are enough; suffice (third person plural of bastare)
- Lo
- Him; it; the (masculine singular object pronoun)
- adoro
- Adore; love deeply (first person singular of adorare)
- mi
- Me; myself (first person singular object pronoun)
- compiaccio
- Delight; take pleasure (first person singular of compiacere)
- nel
- In the; within (contraction of in+il)
- liberarmi
- Free myself; liberate myself from
- dai
- From the (contraction of da+i, plural)
- ceppi
- Shackles; chains; fetters; bonds or constraints
- rispettabilità
- Respectability; social standing; propriety or decorum
- sapete
- Know (second person plural of sapere)
- giovane
- Young; young person; youth; adolescent or juvenile
- nome
- Name; title; designation or appellation
- lanciò
- Threw; cast; launched (past tense of lanciare)
- un
- A; an (masculine singular indefinite article)
- occhiata
- A glance; a look; a quick gaze
- alla
- To the; at the (feminine singular contraction)
- poi
- Then; afterwards; next; subsequently or later
- tornò
- Returned; went back (past tense of tornare)
- malinconico
- Melancholic; sad; gloomy; sorrowful or dejected
- suo
- His; her; its; their (possessive adjective)
- piatto
- Plate; dish; flat; dull or insipid
- Evidentemente
- Evidently; obviously; clearly; manifestly or apparently
- lui
- Him; he; third person masculine singular pronoun
- padre
- Father; dad; male parent; founding male figure
- andavano
- Went; were going (imperfect plural of andare)
- pieno
- Full; complete; filled; brimming or loaded
- del
- Of the; from the (masculine singular contraction)
- successo
- Success; achievement; favorable outcome or victory
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