Anna Karenina — Page 4
"Matvey, my sister Anna Arkadyevna will be here tomorrow," he said, checking for a minute the sleek, plump hand of the barber, cutting a pink path through his long, curly whiskers.
«Matvej, mia sorella Anna Arkad'evna sarà qui domani,» disse, fermando per un momento la mano liscia e paffuta del barbiere, che tracciava un sentiero roseo tra i suoi lunghi baffi ricci.
"Thank God!" said Matvey, showing by this response that he, like his master, realized the significance of this arrival—that is, that Anna Arkadyevna, the sister he was so fond of, might bring about a reconciliation between husband and wife.
«Grazie a Dio!» disse Matvej, dimostrando con questa risposta che lui, come il suo padrone, capiva il significato di questo arrivo — vale a dire che Anna Arkad'evna, la sorella di cui era così affezionato, avrebbe potuto favorire una riconciliazione tra marito e moglie.
"Alone, or with her husband?" inquired Matvey.
«Da sola, o con suo marito?» chiese Matvej.
Stepan Arkadyevitch could not answer, as the barber was at work on his upper lip, and he raised one finger.
Stepan Arkad'evič non poté rispondere, poiché il barbiere stava lavorando sul suo labbro superiore, e alzò un dito.
Matvey nodded at the looking-glass.
Matvej annuì verso lo specchio.
"Alone. Is the room to be got ready upstairs?"
«Da sola. Bisogna preparare la stanza di sopra?»
"Inform Darya Alexandrovna: where she orders."
«Informate Dar'ja Aleksandrovna: dove ordina lei.»
"Darya Alexandrovna?" Matvey repeated, as though in doubt.
«Dar'ja Aleksandrovna?» ripeté Matvej, come se fosse in dubbio.
"Yes, inform her. Here, take the telegram; give it to her, and then do what she tells you."
«Sì, informala. Ecco, prendi il telegramma; dallo a lei, e poi fa' quello che ti dice.»
"You want to try it on," Matvey understood, but he only said, "Yes, sir."
«Vuole tentare il colpo,» capì Matvej, ma disse soltanto: «Sì, signore.»
Stepan Arkadyevitch was already washed and combed and ready to be dressed, when Matvey, stepping deliberately in his creaky boots, came back into the room with the telegram in his hand.
Stepan Arkad'evič era già lavato e pettinato e pronto per vestirsi, quando Matvej, camminando deliberatamente con i suoi stivali scricchiolanti, tornò nella stanza con il telegramma in mano.
The barber had gone.
Il barbiere se n'era andato.
"Darya Alexandrovna told me to inform you that she is going away. Let him do—that is you—as he likes," he said, laughing only with his eyes, and putting his hands in his pockets, he watched his master with his head on one side.
«Dar'ja Aleksandrovna mi ha incaricato di informarla che se ne va. Faccia lui — cioè lei — come vuole,» disse, ridendo solo con gli occhi, e mettendosi le mani in tasca, osservò il suo padrone con la testa inclinata di lato.
Stepan Arkadyevitch was silent a minute.
Stepan Arkad'evič rimase in silenzio per un momento.
Vocabulary
- mia
- Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (feminine singular).
- sorella
- Female sibling; a sister.
- sarà
- Third person singular future of 'essere'; will be.
- qui
- Adverb indicating this place; here.
- domani
- The day following today; tomorrow.
- disse
- Past tense of 'dire'; he/she said.
- fermando
- Gerund of 'fermare'; stopping or pausing something.
- per
- Preposition meaning for, by, or through.
- un
- Indefinite article for masculine singular nouns; a/an.
- momento
- A brief period of time; a moment.
- la
- Definite article for feminine singular nouns; the.
- mano
- The body part at the end of the arm; hand.
- liscia
- Adjective meaning smooth or sleek (feminine singular).
- e
- Coordinating conjunction connecting words or clauses; and.
- paffuta
- Adjective meaning chubby or plump (feminine singular).
- del
- Contraction of 'di' and 'il'; of the (masculine).
- barbiere
- A person who cuts hair and shaves beards; barber.
- che
- Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning who, that, which.
- tracciava
- Imperfect of 'tracciare'; was tracing or drawing a line.
- sentiero
- A narrow path or trail through an area.
- roseo
- Adjective meaning rosy or pinkish in color.
- tra
- Preposition indicating position between two things; between/among.
- i
- Definite article for masculine plural nouns; the.
- suoi
- Possessive adjective meaning his/her/its (masculine plural).
- lunghi
- Adjective meaning long in length (masculine plural).
- baffi
- Facial hair grown above the upper lip; mustache.
- ricci
- Adjective meaning curly, referring to hair (masculine plural).
- Grazie
- Expression of gratitude; thank you.
- a
- Preposition meaning to, at, or in.
- Dio
- The supreme being in monotheistic religion; God.
- dimostrando
- Gerund of 'dimostrare'; showing or demonstrating something.
- con
- Preposition indicating accompaniment or means; with.
- questa
- Demonstrative adjective meaning this (feminine singular).
- risposta
- A reply given to a question or statement; answer.
- lui
- Third person singular masculine subject pronoun; he/him.
- come
- Conjunction or adverb meaning how or like/as.
- il
- Definite article for masculine singular nouns; the.
- suo
- Possessive adjective meaning his, her, or its.
- padrone
- A person who has authority or ownership; master/boss.
- capiva
- Imperfect of 'capire'; he/she understood or grasped.
- significato
- The meaning or sense conveyed by something; meaning.
- di
- Preposition expressing belonging or origin; of/from.
- questo
- Demonstrative adjective meaning this (masculine singular).
- arrivo
- The act of reaching a destination; arrival.
- vale
- Third person of 'valere'; is worth; used in 'vale a dire'.
- dire
- Infinitive meaning to say or to tell.
- cui
- Relative pronoun meaning whom, which, or whose.
- era
- Imperfect of 'essere'; he/she/it was.
- così
- Adverb meaning so, thus, or in this way.
- affezionato
- Adjective meaning fond of or attached to someone.
- avrebbe
- Conditional of 'avere'; he/she would have.
- potuto
- Past participle of 'potere'; been able to.
- favorire
- To facilitate or encourage something to happen; to favor.
- una
- Indefinite article for feminine singular nouns; a/an.
- riconciliazione
- The restoration of friendly relations after conflict; reconciliation.
- marito
- A man joined in marriage to a woman; husband.
- moglie
- A woman joined in marriage to a man; wife.
- Da
- Preposition meaning from, by, or since.
- sola
- Adjective meaning alone or by oneself (feminine singular).
- o
- Coordinating conjunction presenting an alternative; or.
- chiese
- Past tense of 'chiedere'; he/she asked a question.
- non
- Negation adverb used before verbs; not.
- poté
- Past tense of 'potere'; he/she was able/could.
- rispondere
- Infinitive meaning to give a reply; to answer.
- poiché
- Conjunction meaning since or because, introducing a reason.
- stava
- Imperfect of 'stare'; he/she was (doing something).
- lavorando
- Gerund of 'lavorare'; working or operating on something.
- sul
- Contraction of 'su' and 'il'; on the (masculine).
- labbro
- The fleshy edge of the mouth opening; lip.
- superiore
- Adjective meaning upper or higher in position.
- alzò
- Past tense of 'alzare'; he/she raised or lifted.
- dito
- One of the digits on the hand or foot; finger.
- annuì
- Past tense of 'annuire'; he/she nodded in agreement.
- verso
- Preposition indicating direction toward something; toward.
- lo
- Definite article or pronoun for masculine singular; the/it.
- specchio
- A reflective surface used to see oneself; mirror.
- Bisogna
- Impersonal verb meaning it is necessary or one must.
- preparare
- Infinitive meaning to make ready or set up.
- stanza
- An enclosed space within a building; room.
- sopra
- Adverb or preposition meaning above or upstairs.
- Informate
- Imperative plural of 'informare'; inform or notify (you all).
- dove
- Interrogative or relative adverb indicating location; where.
- ordina
- Third person singular of 'ordinare'; he/she orders/commands.
- lei
- Third person singular feminine pronoun; she/her/you (formal).
- ripeté
- Past tense of 'ripetere'; he/she repeated something said.
- se
- Conjunction introducing a conditional clause; if.
- fosse
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'essere'; were (subjunctive mood).
- in
- Preposition indicating location or state; in/into.
- dubbio
- A state of uncertainty or indecision; doubt.
- Sì
- Affirmative response word; yes.
- informala
- Imperative of 'informare' with clitic; inform her.
- Ecco
- Exclamatory adverb drawing attention; here is/there you go.
- prendi
- Imperative singular of 'prendere'; take (something).
- telegramma
- A message sent by telegraph; telegram.
- dallo
- Imperative 'da'' plus 'lo'; give it (to him/her).
- poi
- Adverb indicating subsequent action or time; then/afterwards.
- fa'
- Imperative of 'fare' (truncated); do or make (something).
- quello
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning that one (masculine singular).
- ti
- Second person singular clitic pronoun; you/to you.
- dice
- Third person singular of 'dire'; he/she/it says.
- Vuole
- Third person singular of 'volere'; he/she wants/wishes.
- tentare
- Infinitive meaning to attempt or try something.
- colpo
- A strike or blow; also a sudden attempt or coup.
- capì
- Past tense of 'capire'; he/she understood something.
- ma
- Coordinating conjunction expressing contrast; but.
- soltanto
- Adverb meaning exclusively or merely; only/just.
- signore
- Polite form of address for a man; sir/mister.
- già
- Adverb meaning previously or by now; already.
- lavato
- Past participle of 'lavare'; washed or cleaned.
- pettinato
- Past participle of 'pettinare'; combed or groomed (hair).
- pronto
- Adjective meaning prepared and set to act; ready.
- vestirsi
- Reflexive infinitive of 'vestire'; to dress oneself.
- quando
- Conjunction or adverb indicating time; when.
- camminando
- Gerund of 'camminare'; walking or moving on foot.
- deliberatamente
- Adverb meaning in a careful, intentional manner; deliberately.
- stivali
- Footwear extending above the ankle; boots (plural).
- scricchiolanti
- Adjective/participle meaning making a creaking or squeaking sound.
- tornò
- Past tense of 'tornare'; he/she returned to a place.
- nella
- Contraction of 'in' and 'la'; in the (feminine).
- Il
- Definite article for masculine singular nouns; the.
- n'era
- Contraction of 'ne' and 'era'; there had been/he had gone.
- andato
- Past participle of 'andare'; gone or gone away.
- mi
- First person singular clitic pronoun; me/to me.
- ha
- Third person singular of 'avere'; he/she has.
- incaricato
- Past participle of 'incaricare'; entrusted or tasked with something.
- informarla
- Infinitive 'informare' plus clitic; to inform her.
- ne
- Clitic pronoun meaning of it, about it, or some.
- va
- Third person singular of 'andare'; he/she/it goes.
- Faccia
- Formal imperative of 'fare'; please do (formal address).
- cioè
- Conjunction meaning that is to say; namely/that is.
- vuole
- Third person singular of 'volere'; he/she wants/wishes.
- ridendo
- Gerund of 'ridere'; laughing or smiling with amusement.
- solo
- Adjective or adverb meaning alone or only.
- gli
- Indirect object pronoun or article; to him/the (plural).
- occhi
- The organs of sight on the face; eyes (plural).
- mettendosi
- Reflexive gerund of 'mettere'; placing or putting on oneself.
- le
- Definite article (feminine plural) or clitic pronoun; the/to her.
- mani
- Plural of 'mano'; the hands of the body.
- tasca
- A small pouch sewn into clothing; pocket.
- osservò
- Past tense of 'osservare'; he/she observed or remarked.
- testa
- The uppermost part of the human body; head.
- inclinata
- Past participle of 'inclinare'; tilted or leaning to one side.
- lato
- One of the sides of an object or body; side.
- rimase
- Past tense of 'rimanere'; he/she remained or stayed.
- silenzio
- The absence of sound or speech; silence.
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