Beyond Good and Evil — Page 2

English → It Preface Level 9/10

Is there not ground for suspecting that all philosophers, in so far as they have been dogmatists, have failed to understand women--that the terrible seriousness and clumsy importunity with which they have usually paid their addresses to Truth, have been unskilled and unseemly methods for winning a woman?

Non vi è forse motivo di sospettare che tutti i filosofi, nella misura in cui sono stati dogmatici, abbiano mancato di comprendere le donne--che la terribile serietà e la goffa importunità con cui di solito hanno rivolto le loro attenzioni alla Verità, siano stati metodi inetti e sconvenienti per conquistare una donna?

Certainly she has never allowed herself to be won; and at present every kind of dogma stands with sad and discouraged mien--IF, indeed, it stands at all!

Certamente essa non si è mai lasciata conquistare; e al momento ogni tipo di dogma si erge con aspetto triste e scoraggiato--SE, davvero, si erge ancora!

For there are scoffers who maintain that it has fallen, that all dogma lies on the ground--nay more, that it is at its last gasp.

Vi sono infatti degli schernitori che sostengono che esso sia caduto, che ogni dogma giaccia a terra--anzi, che sia agli ultimi respiri.

But to speak seriously, there are good grounds for hoping that all dogmatizing in philosophy, whatever solemn, whatever conclusive and decided airs it has assumed, may have been only a noble puerilism and tyronism; and probably the time is at hand when it will be once and again understood WHAT has actually sufficed for the basis of such imposing and absolute philosophical edifices as the dogmatists have hitherto reared:

Ma a parlare seriamente, vi sono buone ragioni per sperare che tutto il dogmatizzare in filosofia, qualunque aria solenne, qualunque aria conclusiva e decisa abbia assunto, possa essere stato soltanto un nobile puerilismo e tirocinio; e probabilmente il momento si avvicina in cui si comprenderà ancora una volta CHE COSA abbia effettivamente costituito la base di quegli imponenti e assoluti edifici filosofici che i dogmatici hanno finora eretto:

perhaps some popular superstition of immemorial time (such as the soul-superstition, which, in the form of subject- and ego-superstition, has not yet ceased doing mischief):

forse qualche popolare superstizione di tempo immemorabile (come la superstizione dell'anima, che, nella forma di superstizione del soggetto e dell'io, non ha ancora cessato di fare danno):

perhaps some play upon words, a deception on the part of grammar, or an audacious generalization of very restricted, very personal, very human--all-too-human facts.

forse qualche gioco di parole, un inganno da parte della grammatica, o un'audace generalizzazione di fatti molto limitati, molto personali, molto umani--fin troppo umani.

Vocabulary

vi: Pronoun meaning 'there' or 'you' (plural).
forse: Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'.
motivo: Noun meaning 'reason', 'motive', or 'cause'.
sospettare: Verb meaning 'to suspect' or 'to distrust'.
tutti: Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'everyone'.
filosofi: Noun meaning 'philosophers', plural of 'filosofo'.
misura: Noun meaning 'measure', 'extent', or 'degree'.
cui: Relative pronoun meaning 'which', 'whom', or 'whose'.
dogmatici: Adjective meaning 'dogmatic'; rigidly asserting fixed beliefs.
abbiano: Subjunctive form of 'avere'; meaning 'that they have'.
mancato: Past participle of 'mancare'; meaning 'failed' or 'missed'.
comprendere: Verb meaning 'to understand' or 'to comprehend'.
donne: Noun meaning 'women', plural of 'donna'.
terribile: Adjective meaning 'terrible', 'dreadful', or 'awful'.
serietà: Noun meaning 'seriousness', 'gravity', or 'earnestness'.
goffa: Adjective meaning 'clumsy', 'awkward', or 'ungainly'.
importunità: Noun meaning 'importunity'; persistent and annoying insistence.
solito: Adjective meaning 'usual' or 'habitual'; di solito means 'usually'.
rivolto: Past participle of 'rivolgere'; meaning 'turned' or 'directed'.
attenzioni: Noun meaning 'attentions' or 'acts of consideration'.
Verità: Noun meaning 'Truth', often used in philosophical contexts.
siano: Subjunctive form of 'essere'; meaning 'that they are'.
metodi: Noun meaning 'methods' or 'approaches', plural of 'metodo'.
inetti: Adjective meaning 'inept', 'incompetent', or 'unsuitable'.
sconvenienti: Adjective meaning 'improper', 'unsuitable', or 'inappropriate'.
conquistare: Verb meaning 'to conquer', 'to win over', or 'to capture'.
donna: Noun meaning 'woman' or 'lady'.
Certamente: Adverb meaning 'certainly' or 'definitely'.
essa: Pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it' (feminine singular).
mai: Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever'.
lasciata: Past participle of 'lasciare'; meaning 'let' or 'allowed'.
momento: Noun meaning 'moment' or 'time'; al momento means 'currently'.
ogni: Adjective meaning 'every' or 'each'.
tipo: Noun meaning 'type', 'kind', or 'sort'.
dogma: Noun meaning 'dogma'; a fixed, authoritative belief or doctrine.
erge: Third person singular of 'ergersi'; meaning 'rises' or 'stands up'.
aspetto: Noun meaning 'aspect', 'appearance', or 'look'.
triste: Adjective meaning 'sad' or 'sorrowful'.
scoraggiato: Adjective meaning 'discouraged' or 'disheartened'.
davvero: Adverb meaning 'really', 'truly', or 'indeed'.
ancora: Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'again'.
Vi: Pronoun meaning 'there' or 'you' (plural).
infatti: Adverb meaning 'in fact', 'indeed', or 'actually'.
schernitori: Noun meaning 'mockers' or 'scoffers', those who ridicule others.
sostengono: Third person plural of 'sostenere'; meaning 'they maintain'.
esso: Pronoun meaning 'it' or 'he' (masculine singular).
sia: Subjunctive form of 'essere'; meaning 'that it is'.
caduto: Past participle of 'cadere'; meaning 'fallen' or 'dropped'.
giaccia: Subjunctive form of 'giacere'; meaning 'that it lies'.
terra: Noun meaning 'earth', 'ground', or 'land'.
anzi: Adverb meaning 'indeed', 'rather', or 'on the contrary'.
ultimi: Adjective meaning 'last' or 'final', plural masculine form.
respiri: Noun meaning 'breaths', plural of 'respiro'.
parlare: Verb meaning 'to speak' or 'to talk'.
seriamente: Adverb meaning 'seriously' or 'earnestly'.
buone: Adjective meaning 'good', feminine plural form of 'buono'.
ragioni: Noun meaning 'reasons' or 'arguments', plural of 'ragione'.
sperare: Verb meaning 'to hope' or 'to wish'.
tutto: Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all', 'everything', or 'whole'.
dogmatizzare: Verb meaning 'to dogmatize'; to assert beliefs without proof.
filosofia: Noun meaning 'philosophy'; the study of fundamental questions.
qualunque: Adjective meaning 'any', 'whatever', or 'whichever'.
aria: Noun meaning 'air', 'atmosphere', or 'manner'.
solenne: Adjective meaning 'solemn', 'formal', or 'ceremonious'.
conclusiva: Adjective meaning 'conclusive' or 'final', feminine singular form.
decisa: Adjective meaning 'decided', 'determined', or 'resolute'.
abbia: Subjunctive form of 'avere'; meaning 'that it has'.
assunto: Past participle of 'assumere'; meaning 'assumed' or 'taken on'.
possa: Subjunctive form of 'potere'; meaning 'that it can'.
stato: Past participle of 'essere'; meaning 'been'; also 'state'.
soltanto: Adverb meaning 'only', 'just', or 'merely'.
nobile: Adjective meaning 'noble' or 'distinguished'; also a noun.
puerilismo: Noun meaning 'puerility'; childish or immature behavior or thinking.
tirocinio: Noun meaning 'apprenticeship', 'training', or 'probationary period'.
probabilmente: Adverb meaning 'probably' or 'likely'.
avvicina: Third person singular of 'avvicinarsi'; meaning 'approaches'.
comprenderà: Future tense of 'comprendere'; meaning 'will understand'.
volta: Noun meaning 'time' (occurrence) or 'turn'; also 'vault'.
COSA: Noun meaning 'thing'; che cosa means 'what'.
effettivamente: Adverb meaning 'effectively', 'actually', or 'in reality'.
costituito: Past participle of 'costituire'; meaning 'constituted' or 'formed'.
base: Noun meaning 'base', 'foundation', or 'basis'.
quegli: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'those' (masculine plural).
imponenti: Adjective meaning 'imposing', 'impressive', or 'grand'.
assoluti: Adjective meaning 'absolute' or 'unconditional', masculine plural.
edifici: Noun meaning 'buildings' or 'structures', plural of 'edificio'.
filosofici: Adjective meaning 'philosophical', masculine plural form.
finora: Adverb meaning 'until now', 'so far', or 'hitherto'.
eretto: Past participle of 'erigere'; meaning 'erected' or 'built'.
qualche: Adjective meaning 'some', 'a few', or 'any'.
popolare: Adjective meaning 'popular' or 'of the people'.
superstizione: Noun meaning 'superstition'; irrational belief in supernatural causation.
tempo: Noun meaning 'time', 'weather', or 'tense'.
immemorabile: Adjective meaning 'immemorial'; beyond the reach of memory.
anima: Noun meaning 'soul', 'spirit', or 'psyche'.
forma: Noun meaning 'form', 'shape', or 'structure'.
soggetto: Noun meaning 'subject'; the topic or grammatical subject.
cessato: Past participle of 'cessare'; meaning 'ceased' or 'stopped'.
danno: Noun meaning 'damage', 'harm', or 'loss'.
gioco: Noun meaning 'game', 'play', or 'trick'.
parole: Noun meaning 'words', plural of 'parola'.
inganno: Noun meaning 'deception', 'trick', or 'fraud'.
parte: Noun meaning 'part', 'side', or 'role'.
grammatica: Noun meaning 'grammar'; the rules governing a language.
audace: Adjective meaning 'bold', 'daring', or 'audacious'.
generalizzazione: Noun meaning 'generalization'; a broad conclusion from limited data.
fatti: Noun meaning 'facts', plural of 'fatto'; or past participle 'done'.
molto: Adverb or adjective meaning 'very', 'much', or 'a lot'.
limitati: Adjective meaning 'limited' or 'restricted', masculine plural.
personali: Adjective meaning 'personal', plural form of 'personale'.
umani: Adjective meaning 'human', masculine plural form of 'umano'.
fin: Preposition meaning 'until', 'up to'; short form of 'fino'.
troppo: Adverb or adjective meaning 'too much' or 'too'.

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