Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem — Page 6
Hrothgar, king of the Danes, or Scyldings, builds a great mead-hall, or palace, in which he hopes to feast his liegemen and to give them presents.
Hrothgar, re dei Danesi, o Scildingi, costruisce una grande sala met, o palazzo, nel quale spera di banchettare con i suoi vassalli e di fare loro dei doni.
The joy of king and retainers is, however, of short duration.
La gioia del re e dei suoi seguaci è, tuttavia, di breve durata.
Grendel, the monster, is seized with hateful jealousy.
Grendel, il mostro, è preso da una gelosia odiosa.
He cannot brook the sounds of joyance that reach him down in his fen-dwelling near the hall.
Non riesce a tollerare i suoni di gioia che lo raggiungono giù nella sua dimora paludosa vicino alla sala.
Oft and anon he goes to the joyous building, bent on direful mischief.
Spesso e di tanto in tanto si reca all'allegro edificio, intenzionato a compiere terribili malefatte.
Thane after thane is ruthlessly carried off and devoured, while no one is found strong enough and bold enough to cope with the monster.
Un thane dopo l'altro viene portato via spietatamente e divorato, mentre nessuno si trova abbastanza forte e abbastanza coraggioso da affrontare il mostro.
For twelve years he persecutes Hrothgar and his vassals.
Per dodici anni perseguita Hrothgar e i suoi vassalli.
Over sea, a day's voyage off, Beowulf, of the Geats, nephew of Higelac, king of the Geats, hears of Grendel's doings and of Hrothgar's misery.
Oltre il mare, a un giorno di navigazione di distanza, Beowulf, dei Geati, nipote di Higelac, re dei Geati, viene a sapere delle azioni di Grendel e della miseria di Hrothgar.
He resolves to crush the fell monster and relieve the aged king.
Decide di sconfiggere il feroce mostro e di soccorrere il vecchio re.
With fourteen chosen companions, he sets sail for Dane-land.
Con quattordici compagni scelti, salpa verso la terra dei Danesi.
Reaching that country, he soon persuades Hrothgar of his ability to help him.
Raggiunto quel paese, persuade presto Hrothgar della sua capacità di aiutarlo.
The hours that elapse before night are spent in beer-drinking and conversation.
Le ore che trascorrono prima della notte vengono trascorse bevendo birra e conversando.
When Hrothgar's bedtime comes he leaves the hall in charge of Beowulf, telling him that never before has he given to another the absolute wardship of his palace.
Quando arriva l'ora di coricarsi di Hrothgar, egli lascia la sala in custodia a Beowulf, dicendogli che mai prima d'ora aveva affidato ad un altro la custodia assoluta del suo palazzo.
All retire to rest, Beowulf, as it were, sleeping upon his arms.
Tutti si ritirano a riposare, Beowulf, per così dire, dorme sulle sue armi.
Grendel comes, the great march-stepper, bearing God's anger.
Grendel arriva, il grande camminatore delle paludi, recando l'ira di Dio.
He seizes and kills one of the sleeping warriors.
Afferra e uccide uno dei guerrieri addormentati.
Then he advances towards Beowulf.
Poi avanza verso Beowulf.
Vocabulary
- re
- reh — King; male monarch of a country
- dei
- deh-ee — Of the; contraction of 'di' and 'i'
- o
- oh — Or; conjunction presenting an alternative option
- costruisce
- koh-stroo-ee-sheh — Builds; third person singular of costruire
- una
- oo-nah — A, an; indefinite article feminine singular form
- grande
- grahn-deh — Large, great; describing something of impressive size
- sala
- sah-lah — Hall, room; large space for gatherings or meetings
- palazzo
- pah-laht-tsoh — Palace, mansion; large impressive building or residence
- nel
- nehl — In the; contraction of 'in' and 'il'
- quale
- kwah-leh — Which, that; relative pronoun referring to something
- spera
- speh-rah — Hopes; third person singular of sperare
- di
- dee — Of, from; common Italian preposition indicating possession
- banchettare
- ban-keht-tah-reh — To feast; to eat and drink in celebration
- con
- kohn — With; preposition expressing accompaniment or association
- i
- ee — The; definite article masculine plural form
- suoi
- swoh-ee — His, her, its; possessive adjective masculine plural
- vassalli
- vahs-sahl-lee — Vassals; feudal subordinates pledging loyalty to lord
- e
- eh — And; conjunction connecting words or phrases together
- fare
- fah-reh — To do, to make; common Italian infinitive verb
- loro
- loh-roh — Their, them; third person plural pronoun or adjective
- doni
- doh-nee — Gifts, presents; things given to others generously
- La
- lah — The; definite article feminine singular form
- gioia
- joh-yah — Joy, happiness; feeling of great pleasure or delight
- del
- dehl — Of the; contraction of 'di' and 'il'
- seguaci
- seh-gwah-chee — Followers, supporters; people who follow a leader
- è
- eh — Is; third person singular of essere to be
- tuttavia
- toot-tah-vee-ah — However, nevertheless; conjunction showing contrast or concession
- breve
- breh-veh — Brief, short; lasting only a short amount of time
- durata
- doo-rah-tah — Duration, length; period of time something lasts
- il
- eel — The; definite article masculine singular form
- mostro
- mohs-troh — Monster; frightening creature of terrifying appearance
- preso
- preh-zoh — Seized, taken; past participle of prendere
- da
- dah — By, from; preposition indicating origin or agent
- gelosia
- jeh-loh-zee-ah — Jealousy, envy; resentful feeling toward others' advantages
- odiosa
- oh-dyoh-zah — Hateful, odious; extremely unpleasant or detestable quality
- Non
- nohn — Not; negation word used to negate verbs
- riesce
- ryeh-sheh — Manages, succeeds; third person singular of riuscire
- a
- ah — To, at; common Italian preposition of direction
- tollerare
- tohl-leh-rah-reh — To tolerate, endure; to put up with something
- suoni
- swoh-nee — Sounds, noises; audible vibrations perceived by hearing
- che
- keh — That, which, who; common relative or conjunction pronoun
- lo
- loh — Him, it; third person masculine singular object pronoun
- raggiungono
- rahd-joon-goh-noh — Reach, arrive at; third person plural of raggiungere
- giù
- joo — Down, below; adverb indicating downward direction
- nella
- nehl-lah — In the; contraction of 'in' and 'la'
- sua
- swah — His, her, its; possessive adjective feminine singular
- dimora
- dee-moh-rah — Dwelling, abode; place where someone lives or resides
- paludosa
- pah-loo-doh-zah — Marshy, swampy; characterized by wet boggy terrain
- vicino
- vee-chee-noh — Near, close; located a short distance away
- alla
- ahl-lah — To the, at the; contraction of 'a' and 'la'
- Spesso
- spehs-soh — Often, frequently; happening many times regularly
- tanto
- tahn-toh — So much, so many; indicating a large quantity
- in
- een — In, inside; preposition indicating location or state
- si
- see — Himself, herself, oneself; reflexive pronoun in Italian
- reca
- reh-kah — Goes, proceeds; third person singular of recarsi
- all'
- ahl — To the, at the; elided form before vowel
- allegro
- ahl-leh-groh — Joyful, merry; characterized by happiness and liveliness
- edificio
- eh-dee-fee-choh — Building, structure; constructed edifice for human use
- intenzionato
- een-ten-tsyoh-nah-toh — Intending, determined; resolved to do something specific
- compiere
- kohm-pyeh-reh — To accomplish, carry out; to perform a deed
- terribili
- tehr-ree-bee-lee — Terrible, dreadful; causing terror or extreme fear
- malefatte
- mah-leh-faht-teh — Evil deeds, misdeeds; wicked or harmful actions done
- Un
- oon — A, an; indefinite article masculine singular form
- dopo
- doh-poh — After, then; indicating something comes later in time
- l'
- l — The; elided definite article before a vowel
- altro
- ahl-troh — Other, another; referring to a different person or thing
- viene
- vyeh-neh — Comes, becomes; third person singular of venire
- portato
- pohr-tah-toh — Carried, taken; past participle of portare
- via
- vee-ah — Away; adverb indicating removal or departure from place
- spietatamente
- spyeh-tah-tah-men-teh — Mercilessly, ruthlessly; without pity or compassion
- divorato
- dee-voh-rah-toh — Devoured; eaten completely with great hunger or ferocity
- mentre
- men-treh — While, whereas; conjunction indicating simultaneous actions
- nessuno
- nehs-soo-noh — Nobody, no one; pronoun indicating absence of people
- trova
- troh-vah — Finds, considers; third person singular of trovare
- abbastanza
- ahb-bah-stahn-tsah — Enough, sufficiently; to an adequate degree or amount
- forte
- fohr-teh — Strong, loud; having great physical or mental power
- coraggioso
- koh-rahd-joh-zoh — Courageous, brave; showing great courage in difficult situations
- affrontare
- ahf-frohn-tah-reh — To face, confront; to deal directly with a challenge
- Per
- pehr — For, through; preposition indicating purpose or duration
- dodici
- doh-dee-chee — Twelve; the cardinal number between eleven and thirteen
- anni
- ahn-nee — Years; plural of anno, unit of time measurement
- perseguita
- pehr-seh-gwee-tah — Persecutes, harasses; to pursue relentlessly with hostility
- Oltre
- ohl-treh — Beyond, over; on the other side of something
- mare
- mah-reh — Sea, ocean; large body of salt water
- un
- oon — A, an; indefinite article masculine singular form
- giorno
- johr-noh — Day; period of twenty-four hours or daytime hours
- navigazione
- nah-vee-gah-tsyoh-neh — Navigation, sailing; act of traveling across water
- distanza
- dees-tahn-tsah — Distance; amount of space between two points
- nipote
- nee-poh-teh — Nephew, niece, grandchild; close family relation
- sapere
- sah-peh-reh — To know, to learn; awareness of facts or information
- delle
- dehl-leh — Of the, some; contraction of 'di' and 'le'
- azioni
- ah-tsyoh-nee — Actions, deeds; things done with deliberate intent
- della
- dehl-lah — Of the; contraction of 'di' and 'la'
- miseria
- mee-zeh-ryah — Misery, wretchedness; state of extreme suffering or distress
- Decide
- deh-chee-deh — Decides; third person singular of decidere
- sconfiggere
- skohn-feed-jeh-reh — To defeat, vanquish; to overcome an enemy completely
- feroce
- feh-roh-cheh — Fierce, ferocious; extremely violent or intense in nature
- soccorrere
- sohk-kohr-reh-reh — To help, rescue; to come to someone's aid
- vecchio
- vehk-kyoh — Old, elderly; having lived or existed for many years
- Con
- kohn — With; preposition expressing accompaniment or means
- quattordici
- kwah-tohr-dee-chee — Fourteen; the cardinal number between thirteen and fifteen
- compagni
- kohm-pah-nyee — Companions, comrades; people who accompany or work together
- scelti
- shehl-tee — Chosen, selected; past participle plural of scegliere
- salpa
- sahl-pah — Sets sail, departs; third person singular of salpare
- verso
- vehr-soh — Toward, towards; in the direction of something
- terra
- tehr-rah — Land, earth, ground; solid surface of the earth
- Raggiunto
- rahd-joon-toh — Reached, arrived at; past participle of raggiungere
- quel
- kwehl — That; demonstrative adjective referring to something distant
- paese
- pah-eh-zeh — Country, village; nation or small rural community
- persuade
- pehr-swah-deh — Persuades, convinces; third person singular of persuadere
- presto
- prehs-toh — Soon, quickly; in a short time or rapidly
- capacità
- kah-pah-chee-tah — Ability, capacity; skill or power to do something
- aiutarlo
- ah-yoo-tahr-loh — To help him; infinitive with attached object pronoun
- Le
- leh — The; definite article feminine plural form
- ore
- oh-reh — Hours; plural of ora, units of time measurement
- trascorrono
- trahs-kohr-roh-noh — Pass, go by; third person plural of trascorrere
- prima
- pree-mah — First, before; indicating precedence or earlier time
- notte
- noht-teh — Night; period of darkness between sunset and sunrise
- vengono
- vehn-goh-noh — Come, are; third person plural of venire
- trascorse
- trahs-kohr-seh — Passed, spent; third person singular past of trascorrere
- bevendo
- beh-vehn-doh — Drinking; gerund form of bere, to drink
- birra
- beer-rah — Beer; alcoholic beverage brewed from malt and hops
- conversando
- kohn-vehr-sahn-doh — Conversing, chatting; gerund form of conversare
- Quando
- kwahn-doh — When; conjunction or adverb indicating time of event
- arriva
- ahr-ree-vah — Arrives, comes; third person singular of arrivare
- ora
- oh-rah — Hour, now, time; moment or unit of time
- coricarsi
- koh-ree-kahr-see — To lie down, to go to bed; reflexive infinitive
- egli
- ehl-yee — He; formal third person masculine singular subject pronoun
- lascia
- lah-shah — Leaves, lets; third person singular of lasciare
- custodia
- koos-toh-dyah — Custody, care, guard; responsibility for protecting something
- dicendogli
- dee-chen-doh-lyee — Telling him; gerund of dire with dative pronoun
- mai
- mah-ee — Never, ever; adverb negating or emphasizing occurrence
- d'
- d — Of; elided preposition used before a vowel
- aveva
- ah-veh-vah — Had; third person singular imperfect of avere
- affidato
- ahf-fee-dah-toh — Entrusted, assigned; past participle of affidare
- ad
- ahd — To, at; form of 'a' used before vowels
- assoluta
- ahs-soh-loo-tah — Absolute, complete; total without any limitation or exception
- suo
- swoh — His, her, its; possessive adjective masculine singular
- Tutti
- toot-tee — All, everyone; referring to every person in group
- ritirano
- ree-tee-rah-noh — Withdraw, retire; third person plural of ritirarsi
- riposare
- ree-poh-zah-reh — To rest, sleep; to recover energy through resting
- per
- pehr — For, through, in order to; common Italian preposition
- così
- koh-zee — So, thus; adverb meaning in this or that manner
- dire
- dee-reh — To say, tell; common Italian infinitive meaning speak
- dorme
- dohr-meh — Sleeps; third person singular of dormire
- sulle
- sool-leh — On the; contraction of 'su' and 'le'
- sue
- sweh — His, her, its; possessive adjective feminine plural
- armi
- ahr-mee — Arms, weapons; objects used for fighting or warfare
- camminatore
- kahm-mee-nah-toh-reh — Walker, wanderer; one who travels or walks habitually
- paludi
- pah-loo-dee — Swamps, marshes; wet boggy areas of land
- recando
- reh-kahn-doh — Bringing, carrying; gerund form of recare
- ira
- ee-rah — Wrath, anger; intense feeling of rage or fury
- Dio
- dee-oh — God; supreme deity in monotheistic religious tradition
- Afferra
- ahf-fehr-rah — Grabs, seizes; third person singular of afferrare
- uccide
- oo-chee-deh — Kills, murders; third person singular of uccidere
- uno
- oo-noh — One; indefinite article or cardinal number masculine
- guerrieri
- gwehr-ryeh-ree — Warriors, fighters; men trained and experienced in battle
- addormentati
- ahd-dohr-men-tah-tee — Asleep, sleeping; past participle plural of addormentarsi
- Poi
- poh-ee — Then, afterwards; adverb indicating subsequent time or event
- avanza
- ah-vahn-tsah — Advances, moves forward; third person singular of avanzare
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