A Tale of Two Cities — Page 2
Even the Cock-lane ghost had been laid only a round dozen of years, after rapping out its messages, as the spirits of this very year last past (supernaturally deficient in originality) rapped out theirs.
Persino il fantasma di Cock-lane era stato messo a tacere solo da una dozzina abbondante di anni, dopo aver battuto i suoi messaggi, così come gli spiriti di quest'anno appena trascorso (soprannaturalmente privi di originalità) avevano battuto i loro.
Mere messages in the earthly order of events had lately come to the English Crown and People, from a congress of British subjects in America: which, strange to relate, have proved more important to the human race than any communications yet received through any of the chickens of the Cock-lane brood.
Semplici messaggi nell'ordine terreno degli eventi erano giunti di recente alla Corona e al Popolo inglese, da un congresso di sudditi britannici in America: i quali, strano a dirsi, si sono rivelati più importanti per la razza umana di qualsiasi comunicazione ricevuta finora attraverso qualsiasi pulcino della covata di Cock-lane.
France, less favoured on the whole as to matters spiritual than her sister of the shield and trident, rolled with exceeding smoothness down hill, making paper money and spending it.
La Francia, complessivamente meno favorita in materia spirituale rispetto alla sua sorella dello scudo e del tridente, scivolava con estrema fluidità a valle, fabbricando carta moneta e spendendola.
Under the guidance of her Christian pastors, she entertained herself, besides, with such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with pincers, and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty or sixty yards.
Sotto la guida dei suoi pastori cristiani, si intratteneva inoltre con tali umani risultati come condannare un giovane ad avere le mani tagliate, la lingua strappata con le tenaglie e il corpo bruciato vivo, perché non si era inginocchiato sotto la pioggia per rendere onore a una sporca processione di monaci che passava nel suo campo visivo, a una distanza di circa cinquanta o sessanta iarde.
It is likely enough that, rooted in the woods of France and Norway, there were growing trees, when that sufferer was put to death, already marked by the Woodman, Fate, to come down and be sawn into boards, to make a certain movable framework with a sack and a knife in it, terrible in history.
È abbastanza probabile che, radicate nei boschi di Francia e di Norvegia, stessero crescendo degli alberi, quando quel martire fu messo a morte, già segnati dal Boscaiolo, il Destino, per essere abbattuti e segati in assi, per costruire un certo telaio mobile con un sacco e un coltello al suo interno, terribile nella storia.
Vocabulary
- Persino
- Even; including; as much as.
- il
- The (definite article, masculine singular).
- fantasma
- Ghost; phantom; apparition or spirit.
- di
- Of; from; belonging to something.
- era
- Was; past tense of essere.
- stato
- State; been; past participle of essere.
- messo
- Put; placed; past participle of mettere.
- tacere
- To silence; to keep quiet or silent.
- solo
- Only; alone; solely or just.
- da
- By; from; since or at.
- una
- A; an; one feminine indefinite article.
- dozzina
- Dozen; group of twelve things.
- abbondante
- Abundant; plentiful; copious or generous.
- anni
- Years; plural of anno.
- dopo
- After; afterwards; following in time.
- aver
- To have; infinitive form of avere.
- battuto
- Beaten; struck; past participle of battere.
- suoi
- His; her; their possessive pronoun.
- messaggi
- Messages; plural of messaggio.
- così
- So; thus; in this manner.
- come
- Like; as; how or in what way.
- gli
- Him; to him; indirect object pronoun.
- spiriti
- Spirits; ghosts; plural of spirito.
- quest
- This; that; shortened form of questo.
- anno
- Year; period of twelve months.
- appena
- Just; barely; hardly or scarcely.
- trascorso
- Passed; elapsed; past participle of trascorrere.
- soprannaturalmente
- Supernaturally; in manner beyond natural laws.
- privi
- Lacking; devoid; without something entirely.
- originalità
- Originality; quality of being original.
- avevano
- Had; past tense of avere.
- loro
- Their; theirs; possessive pronoun.
- Semplici
- Simple; plain; uncomplicated or straightforward.
- nell
- In the; contraction of in+il.
- ordine
- Order; arrangement; sequence or organization.
- terreno
- Earthly; terrestrial; ground or land.
- degli
- Of the; contraction of di+gli.
- eventi
- Events; occurrences; plural of evento.
- erano
- Were; past tense of essere.
- giunti
- Arrived; reached; past participle of giungere.
- recente
- Recently; lately; in recent time.
- alla
- To the; contraction of a+la.
- Corona
- Crown; monarchy; royal authority or power.
- al
- To the; contraction of a+il.
- Popolo
- People; populace; common people or nation.
- inglese
- English; relating to England or language.
- un
- A; an; masculine singular indefinite article.
- congresso
- Congress; assembly; formal meeting of representatives.
- sudditi
- Subjects; citizens; plural of suddito.
- britannici
- British; relating to Britain or people.
- in
- In; into; within or inside.
- quali
- Which; what kind; relative pronoun.
- strano
- Strange; odd; unusual or peculiar.
- dirsi
- To be said; to be called.
- si
- Reflexive pronoun; oneself; themselves.
- sono
- Are; present tense of essere.
- rivelati
- Revealed; shown; past participle of rivelare.
- più
- More; most; greater in quantity.
- importanti
- Important; significant; of great consequence.
- per
- For; during; in order to.
- razza
- Race; breed; species or human race.
- umana
- Human; mankind; relating to humanity.
- qualsiasi
- Any; any kind of; whatever.
- comunicazione
- Communication; message; exchange of information.
- ricevuta
- Received; obtained; past participle of ricevere.
- finora
- Until now; so far; hitherto.
- attraverso
- Through; across; by way of.
- pulcino
- Chick; young bird; baby chicken.
- della
- Of the; contraction of di+la.
- La
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- complessivamente
- Overall; altogether; on the whole.
- meno
- Less; minus; to a lesser degree.
- favorita
- Favored; preferred; liked most.
- materia
- Matter; subject; material or substance.
- spirituale
- Spiritual; relating to spirit or soul.
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