Atlantis: The Antedeluvian World — Page 1
PLATO'S HISTORY OF ATLANTIS.
LA STORIA DI ATLANTIDE DI PLATONE.
Plato has preserved for us the history of Atlantis.
Platone ci ha tramandato la storia di Atlantide.
If our views are correct, it is one of the most valuable records which have come down to us from antiquity.
Se le nostre opinioni sono corrette, essa è uno dei resoconti più preziosi che ci siano pervenuti dall'antichità.
Plato lived 400 years before the birth of Christ.
Platone visse 400 anni prima della nascita di Cristo.
His ancestor, Solon, was the great law-giver of Athens 600 years before the Christian era.
Il suo antenato, Solone, fu il grande legislatore di Atene 600 anni prima dell'era cristiana.
Solon visited Egypt.
Solone visitò l'Egitto.
Plutarch says, "Solon attempted in verse a large description, or rather fabulous account of the Atlantic Island, which he had learned from the wise men of Sais, and which particularly concerned the Athenians; but by reason of his age, not want of leisure (as Plato would have it), he was apprehensive the work would be too much for him, and therefore did not go through with it.
Plutarco dice: «Solone tentò in versi un'ampia descrizione, o piuttosto un racconto favoloso dell'Isola Atlantica, che aveva appreso dai saggi di Sais, e che riguardava in particolare gli Ateniesi; ma a causa della sua età, non per mancanza di tempo libero (come vorrebbe Platone), temeva che l'opera fosse troppo gravosa per lui, e quindi non la portò a termine.
These verses are a proof that business was not the hinderance:
Questi versi sono la prova che gli impegni non furono l'ostacolo:
'I grow in learning as I grow in age.'
«Cresco nel sapere come cresco negli anni.»
And again:
E ancora:
'Wine, wit, and beauty still their charms bestow, Light all the shades of life, and cheer us as we go.'
«Il vino, l'ingegno e la bellezza dispensano ancora i loro incanti, illuminano tutte le ombre della vita e ci allietano nel cammino.»
"Plato, ambitious to cultivate and adorn the subject of the Atlantic Island, as a delightful spot in some fair field unoccupied, to which also he had some claim by reason of his being related to Solon, laid out magnificent courts and enclosures, and erected a grand entrance to it, such as no other story, fable, or Poem ever had.
«Platone, desideroso di coltivare e abbellire il soggetto dell'Isola Atlantica, come un luogo incantevole in un bel campo inoccupato, sul quale vantava anche un certo diritto in virtù della sua parentela con Solone, tracciò magnifici cortili e recinti, ed eresse per esso un ingresso grandioso, quale nessun'altra storia, favola o Poema aveva mai avuto.
Vocabulary
- STORIA
- sto-ria — Story, history, or narrative account
- ATLANTIDE
- at-lan-ti-de — Atlantis, the legendary sunken island civilization
- PLATONE
- pla-to-ne — Plato, ancient Greek philosopher and writer
- ci
- ci — Pronoun meaning 'us,' 'to us,' or 'there'
- tramandato
- tra-man-da-to — Handed down or passed on through generations
- storia
- sto-ria — Story, history, or account of events
- Atlantide
- at-lan-ti-de — Atlantis, the mythical sunken island
- opinioni
- o-pi-nio-ni — Opinions, views, or personal beliefs
- corrette
- cor-ret-te — Correct, accurate, or right (feminine plural)
- essa
- es-sa — Third person feminine pronoun meaning 'it' or 'she'
- resoconti
- re-so-con-ti — Accounts, reports, or detailed descriptions
- preziosi
- pre-zio-si — Precious, valuable, or highly prized (masculine plural)
- siano
- sia-no — Subjunctive form of 'essere,' meaning 'are' or 'be'
- pervenuti
- per-ve-nu-ti — Arrived, reached, or come down to us
- antichità
- an-ti-chi-tà — Antiquity, ancient times, or historical artifacts
- visse
- vis-se — Past tense of 'vivere,' meaning 'he/she lived'
- nascita
- na-sci-ta — Birth or the act of being born
- Cristo
- cris-to — Christ, referring to Jesus Christ
- antenato
- an-te-na-to — Ancestor or forefather from previous generations
- Solone
- so-lo-ne — Solon, renowned ancient Athenian statesman and lawgiver
- fu
- fu — Past tense of 'essere,' meaning 'was' or 'he was'
- legislatore
- le-gi-sla-to-re — Lawmaker or legislator who creates laws
- Atene
- a-te-ne — Athens, the capital city of Greece
- era
- e-ra — Era, age, or historical period of time
- cristiana
- cris-tia-na — Christian, relating to Christianity (feminine form)
- visitò
- vi-si-tò — Past tense of 'visitare,' meaning 'he/she visited'
- Egitto
- e-git-to — Egypt, the ancient North African country
- Plutarco
- plu-tar-co — Plutarch, ancient Greek historian and biographer
- tentò
- ten-tò — Past tense of 'tentare,' meaning 'he/she attempted'
- versi
- ver-si — Verses or lines of poetry
- ampia
- am-pia — Wide, broad, or extensive (feminine form)
- descrizione
- de-scri-zio-ne — Description or detailed account of something
- piuttosto
- piut-tos-to — Rather, instead, or somewhat; expresses preference
- racconto
- rac-con-to — Story, tale, or short narrative
- favoloso
- fa-vo-lo-so — Fabulous, legendary, or mythical in nature
- Isola
- i-so-la — Island, a land mass surrounded by water
- Atlantica
- at-lan-ti-ca — Atlantic, relating to the Atlantic Ocean or Atlantis
- appreso
- ap-pre-so — Learned or acquired knowledge from a source
- saggi
- sag-gi — Wise men, sages, or learned scholars
- Sais
- sa-is — Sais, an ancient city in the Nile Delta
- riguardava
- ri-guar-da-va — Concerned, regarded, or related to something
- particolare
- par-ti-co-la-re — Particular, specific, or especially notable
- Ateniesi
- a-te-nie-si — Athenians, the citizens of ancient Athens
- causa
- cau-sa — Cause, reason, or motive behind an event
- età
- e-tà — Age, referring to a person's age or period
- mancanza
- man-can-za — Lack, shortage, or absence of something
- tempo
- tem-po — Time or weather
- libero
- li-be-ro — Free, available, or unoccupied
- vorrebbe
- vor-reb-be — Conditional of 'volere,' meaning 'would want'
- temeva
- te-me-va — Imperfect of 'temere,' meaning 'he/she feared'
- opera
- o-pe-ra — Work, literary or artistic creation
- fosse
- fos-se — Imperfect subjunctive of 'essere,' meaning 'were'
- troppo
- trop-po — Too much, excessively, or overly
- gravosa
- gra-vo-sa — Burdensome, heavy, or difficult to bear
- quindi
- quin-di — Therefore, so, or consequently
- portò
- por-tò — Past tense of 'portare,' meaning 'brought' or 'carried'
- termine
- ter-mi-ne — End, term, or conclusion of something
- prova
- pro-va — Proof, evidence, or a test or trial
- impegni
- im-pe-gni — Commitments, obligations, or engagements
- furono
- fu-ro-no — Past tense of 'essere,' meaning 'they were'
- ostacolo
- os-ta-co-lo — Obstacle, hindrance, or impediment to progress
- Cresco
- cres-co — First person of 'crescere,' meaning 'I grow'
- sapere
- sa-pe-re — To know or knowledge; understanding of facts
- cresco
- cres-co — First person of 'crescere,' meaning 'I grow'
- ancora
- an-co-ra — Still, yet, or again; also meaning 'anchor'
- vino
- vi-no — Wine, the fermented grape beverage
- ingegno
- in-ge-gno — Ingenuity, wit, or natural talent and intelligence
- bellezza
- bel-lez-za — Beauty, attractiveness, or loveliness
- dispensano
- dis-pen-sa-no — Dispense, distribute, or bestow upon others
- incanti
- in-can-ti — Charms, spells, or enchantments
- illuminano
- il-lu-mi-na-no — Illuminate, light up, or brighten something
- ombre
- om-bre — Shadows or shades
- vita
- vi-ta — Life or a person's existence
- allietano
- al-lie-ta-no — Cheer, gladden, or make someone happy
- cammino
- cam-mi-no — Path, journey, or road being traveled
- desideroso
- de-si-de-ro-so — Desirous, eager, or longing for something
- coltivare
- col-ti-va-re — To cultivate, grow, or develop something
- abbellire
- ab-bel-li-re — To embellish, beautify, or adorn something
- soggetto
- sog-get-to — Subject, topic, or theme of discussion
- luogo
- luo-go — Place, location, or spot
- incantevole
- in-can-te-vo-le — Enchanting, charming, or delightfully attractive
- bel
- bel — Beautiful or handsome (masculine elided form)
- campo
- cam-po — Field, area, or domain of activity
- inoccupato
- in-oc-cu-pa-to — Unoccupied, vacant, or not yet taken
- vantava
- van-ta-va — Boasted, claimed, or prided itself on something
- certo
- cer-to — Certain, sure, or a particular (adjective)
- diritto
- di-rit-to — Right, entitlement, or law (noun/adjective)
- virtù
- vir-tù — Virtue, moral excellence, or admirable quality
- parentela
- pa-ren-te-la — Kinship, family relationship, or relatives
- tracciò
- trac-ciò — Past tense of 'tracciare,' meaning 'he/she traced'
- magnifici
- ma-gni-fi-ci — Magnificent, splendid, or grand (masculine plural)
- cortili
- cor-ti-li — Courtyards or inner yards of a building
- recinti
- re-cin-ti — Enclosures, fences, or enclosed areas
- eresse
- e-res-se — Past tense of 'erigere,' meaning 'he/she erected'
- esso
- es-so — Third person masculine pronoun meaning 'it'
- ingresso
- in-gres-so — Entrance, entry, or gateway to a place
- grandioso
- gran-dio-so — Grandiose, impressive, or magnificent in scale
- nessun'
- nes-sun' — No, none, or not any (elided feminine form)
- favola
- fa-vo-la — Fable, fairy tale, or fictional story
- Poema
- po-e-ma — Poem, especially a long narrative or epic poem
- mai
- mai — Never or ever (used in negation or questions)
- avuto
- a-vu-to — Past participle of 'avere,' meaning 'had'
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