Bleak House — Page 3
On such an afternoon, if ever, the Lord High Chancellor ought to be sitting here—as here he is—with a foggy glory round his head, softly fenced in with crimson cloth and curtains, addressed by a large advocate with great whiskers, a little voice, and an interminable brief, and outwardly directing his contemplation to the lantern in the roof, where he can see nothing but fog.
In un tal pomeriggio, se mai in alcuno, il Lord Alto Cancelliere dovrebbe essere seduto qui—come qui difatti si trova—con un'aureola di nebbia intorno al capo, morbidamente racchiuso fra drappi e tendaggi cremisi, mentre un avvocato imponente, dai folti favoriti, dalla voce sottile e dal fascicolo interminabile, gli si rivolge, e lui ostenta di volgere la propria contemplazione al lucernario nel soffitto, dove non può scorgere altro che nebbia.
On such an afternoon some score of members of the High Court of Chancery bar ought to be—as here they are—mistily engaged in one of the ten thousand stages of an endless cause, tripping one another up on slippery precedents, groping knee-deep in technicalities, running their goat-hair and horsehair warded heads against walls of words and making a pretence of equity with serious faces, as players might.
In un tal pomeriggio, una ventina di membri del foro dell'Alta Corte di Cancelleria dovrebbero essere—come qui sono—nebbiosamente intenti in uno dei diecimila stadi di una causa senza fine, facendosi lo sgambetto a vicenda su scivolosi precedenti, brancolando fino alle ginocchia nelle tecnicità, sbattendo le loro teste protette da parrucche di crine di capra e di cavallo contro muri di parole e simulando equità con facce serie, come potrebbero fare degli attori.
On such an afternoon the various solicitors in the cause, some two or three of whom have inherited it from their fathers, who made a fortune by it, ought to be—as are they not?—ranged in a line, in a long matted well (but you might look in vain for truth at the bottom of it) between the registrar's red table and the silk gowns, with bills, cross-bills, answers, rejoinders, injunctions, affidavits, issues, references to masters, masters' reports, mountains of costly nonsense, piled before them.
In un tal pomeriggio i vari procuratori della causa, due o tre dei quali l'hanno ereditata dai loro padri, che vi avevano fatto fortuna, dovrebbero essere—e non lo sono forse?—schierati in fila, in un lungo banco coperto di stuoie (nel fondo del quale cerchereste invano la verità) tra il tavolo rosso del cancelliere e le toghe di seta, con istanze, contro-istanze, repliche, controrepliche, ingiunzioni, affidavit, questioni, rimandi ai magistrati, relazioni dei magistrati, montagne di costose sciocchezze, ammassate dinanzi a loro.
Vocabulary
- tal
- Shortened form of 'tale', meaning 'such a'
- pomeriggio
- The afternoon period of the day
- mai
- Adverb meaning 'ever' or 'never'
- alcuno
- Pronoun or adjective meaning 'any' or 'some'
- Alto
- Adjective meaning 'high' or 'tall'
- Cancelliere
- High legal official; Lord Chancellor in English court
- dovrebbe
- Conditional form of 'dovere', meaning 'should'
- seduto
- Past participle of 'sedere', meaning 'seated'
- difatti
- Adverb meaning 'in fact' or 'indeed'
- aureola
- Halo of light around a person's head
- nebbia
- Atmospheric moisture reducing visibility; fog or mist
- intorno
- Adverb or preposition meaning 'around' or 'surrounding'
- capo
- Noun meaning 'head' or 'chief'
- morbidamente
- Adverb meaning 'softly' or 'gently'
- racchiuso
- Past participle of 'racchiudere', meaning 'enclosed' or 'wrapped'
- fra
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- drappi
- Plural of 'drappo'; decorative cloths or drapes
- tendaggi
- Plural noun meaning 'curtains' or 'draperies'
- cremisi
- Adjective meaning 'crimson'; deep red color
- mentre
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'whereas'
- avvocato
- Professional who practices law; lawyer or attorney
- imponente
- Adjective meaning 'imposing' or 'impressive'
- folti
- Adjective meaning 'thick' or 'bushy' (plural)
- favoriti
- Side whiskers or mutton-chop sideburns on the face
- voce
- Noun meaning 'voice' or 'sound'
- sottile
- Adjective meaning 'thin', 'slender', or 'subtle'
- fascicolo
- A file or dossier of documents in legal context
- interminabile
- Adjective meaning 'endless' or 'interminable'
- rivolge
- Third person of 'rivolgere'; addresses or directs speech
- ostenta
- Third person of 'ostentare'; shows off or feigns
- volgere
- Infinitive meaning 'to turn' or 'to direct'
- propria
- Adjective meaning 'one's own' (feminine singular)
- contemplazione
- State of deep thoughtful observation or meditation
- lucernario
- Skylight or glass opening in the ceiling for light
- soffitto
- The upper interior surface of a room; ceiling
- scorgere
- Infinitive meaning 'to glimpse' or 'to make out'
- ventina
- Approximate group of twenty people or things
- membri
- Plural of 'membro'; members of a group or body
- foro
- The legal bar or court of justice; legal profession
- Alta
- Adjective meaning 'high' or 'upper' (feminine)
- Corte
- Noun meaning 'court' in judicial or royal sense
- Cancelleria
- Court of Chancery; high legal court of equity
- dovrebbero
- Conditional plural of 'dovere'; 'they should'
- nebbiosamente
- Adverb meaning 'foggily' or 'in a hazy manner'
- intenti
- Adjective meaning 'intent' or 'absorbed' (plural)
- diecimila
- The number ten thousand
- stadi
- Plural of 'stadio'; stages or phases of a process
- causa
- Legal case or lawsuit being tried in court
- senza
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- fine
- Noun meaning 'end'; or adjective meaning 'fine'
- facendosi
- Reflexive gerund of 'fare'; 'doing to themselves'
- sgambetto
- A trip or trick causing someone to stumble; tripping
- vicenda
- Turn or alternation; 'a vicenda' means 'each other'
- scivolosi
- Adjective meaning 'slippery' (masculine plural)
- precedenti
- Legal precedents; prior cases guiding current rulings
- brancolando
- Gerund of 'brancolare'; groping or fumbling blindly
- ginocchia
- Plural of 'ginocchio'; the knees of the body
- tecnicità
- Technical details or legal technicalities; complexities
- sbattendo
- Gerund of 'sbattere'; banging or hitting repeatedly
- teste
- Plural of 'testa'; heads of the human body
- protette
- Past participle of 'proteggere'; protected or covered
- parrucche
- Plural of 'parrucca'; wigs worn especially in court
- crine
- Horsehair or animal hair used in wig-making
- capra
- A female goat; goat hair used in wigs
- cavallo
- A horse; also horse hair used in wigs
- contro
- Preposition meaning 'against' or 'versus'
- muri
- Plural of 'muro'; walls of a building or structure
- parole
- Plural of 'parola'; words or spoken language
- simulando
- Gerund of 'simulare'; simulating or pretending
- equità
- Fairness or equity; principle of justice in law
- facce
- Plural of 'faccia'; faces or facial expressions
- serie
- Adjective meaning 'serious' or 'grave' (plural)
- potrebbero
- Conditional plural of 'potere'; 'they could'
- attori
- Plural of 'attore'; actors or theatrical performers
- vari
- Adjective meaning 'various' or 'several' (plural)
- procuratori
- Plural of 'procuratore'; legal attorneys or solicitors
- ereditata
- Past participle of 'ereditare'; inherited from someone
- padri
- Plural of 'padre'; fathers or male parents
- vi
- Pronoun or adverb meaning 'there' or 'to you'
- fortuna
- Luck, fortune, or wealth accumulated over time
- forse
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'
- schierati
- Past participle of 'schierarsi'; lined up or arranged in rows
- fila
- A row or line of people or objects
- lungo
- Adjective meaning 'long' or preposition 'along'
- banco
- A bench or counter; court bench in legal context
- coperto
- Past participle of 'coprire'; covered or overlaid
- stuoie
- Plural of 'stuoia'; woven mats or matting material
- fondo
- Bottom, depth, or background; rear of a space
- cerchereste
- Second person plural conditional of 'cercare'; 'you would search'
- invano
- Adverb meaning 'in vain' or 'uselessly'
- verità
- Noun meaning 'truth' or 'reality'
- tra
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- tavolo
- A table used for work or dining
- rosso
- Adjective meaning 'red' in color
- cancelliere
- A chancellor or court clerk in legal proceedings
- toghe
- Plural of 'toga'; robes worn by legal professionals
- seta
- A natural fabric; silk cloth or material
- istanze
- Plural of 'istanza'; formal legal petitions or motions
- contro-istanze
- Counter-petitions or counter-motions in legal proceedings
- repliche
- Plural of 'replica'; legal replies or rebuttals
- controrepliche
- Counter-replies or surrebuttals in legal procedure
- ingiunzioni
- Plural of 'ingiunzione'; legal injunctions or orders
- affidavit
- Sworn written statement used as legal evidence
- questioni
- Plural of 'questione'; questions or legal issues raised
- rimandi
- Plural of 'rimando'; referrals or legal adjournments
- magistrati
- Plural of 'magistrato'; judges or legal magistrates
- relazioni
- Plural of 'relazione'; reports or formal legal accounts
- montagne
- Plural of 'montagna'; mountains; here meaning huge piles
- costose
- Adjective meaning 'costly' or 'expensive' (feminine plural)
- sciocchezze
- Plural of 'sciocchezza'; foolish things or nonsense
- ammassate
- Past participle of 'ammassare'; piled up or heaped together
- dinanzi
- Adverb or preposition meaning 'in front of' or 'before'
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