Bleak House — Page 4
Well may the court be dim, with wasting candles here and there; well may the fog hang heavy in it, as if it would never get out; well may the stained-glass windows lose their colour and admit no light of day into the place; well may the uninitiated from the streets, who peep in through the glass panes in the door, be deterred from entrance by its owlish aspect and by the drawl, languidly echoing to the roof from the padded dais where the Lord High Chancellor looks into the lantern that has no light in it and where the attendant wigs are all stuck in a fog-bank!
Ben può l'aula essere buia, con candele che si consumano qua e là; ben può la nebbia gravarvi pesante, come se non dovesse mai diradarsi; ben possono le vetrate colorate perdere il loro colore e non lasciar penetrare alcuna luce del giorno nel luogo; ben possono i profani provenienti dalla strada, che scrutano attraverso i vetri della porta, essere dissuasi dall'entrare dal suo aspetto torvo e dal tono monotono e strascicato che riecheggia languidamente fino al soffitto dal palco imbottito dove il Lord Alto Cancelliere guarda nella lanterna che non ha luce e dove le parrucche degli inservienti sono tutte immerse in un banco di nebbia!
This is the Court of Chancery, which has its decaying houses and its blighted lands in every shire, which has its worn-out lunatic in every madhouse and its dead in every churchyard, which has its ruined suitor with his slipshod heels and threadbare dress borrowing and begging through the round of every man's acquaintance, which gives to monied might the means abundantly of wearying out the right, which so exhausts finances, patience, courage, hope, so overthrows the brain and breaks the heart, that there is not an honourable man among its practitioners who would not give—who does not often give—the warning, "Suffer any wrong that can be done you rather than come here!
Questa è la Corte della Cancelleria, che ha le sue case fatiscenti e i suoi terreni devastati in ogni contea, che ha il suo folle esaurito in ogni manicomio e i suoi morti in ogni cimitero, che ha il suo litigante rovinato con i tacchi scalcagnati e l'abito logoro che va a mendicare e a chiedere prestiti attraverso la cerchia delle conoscenze di ogni uomo, che offre alla potenza del denaro i mezzi in abbondanza per logorare il diritto, che esaurisce così le finanze, la pazienza, il coraggio, la speranza, che sconvolge così la mente e spezza il cuore, che non vi è un uomo onesto tra i suoi operatori che non darebbe—che non dia spesso—l'avvertimento: «Sopportate qualsiasi torto che vi possa essere fatto piuttosto che venire qui!
Vocabulary
- Ben
- Well; used as an intensifier or affirmation
- può
- Can; third person singular of potere
- l'
- The; elided definite article before vowel
- aula
- Hall, courtroom, or large room
- essere
- To be; fundamental Italian auxiliary verb
- buia
- Dark, gloomy; feminine adjective describing darkness
- con
- With; common Italian preposition
- candele
- Candles; wax sticks burned for light
- che
- That, which, who; versatile conjunction or pronoun
- si
- Reflexive or impersonal pronoun; oneself
- consumano
- Consume, burn away; third person plural present
- qua
- Here; indicates a nearby location
- e
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- là
- There; indicates a distant location
- ben
- Well; shortened intensifier form of bene
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- nebbia
- Fog, mist; dense atmospheric moisture
- gravarvi
- To weigh upon it; to burden or press down
- pesante
- Heavy, oppressive; adjective describing great weight
- come
- As, like, how; comparison or manner conjunction
- se
- If; conditional conjunction introducing hypothesis
- non
- Not; standard Italian negation word
- dovesse
- Should, ought to; imperfect subjunctive of dovere
- mai
- Never, ever; adverb of time or negation
- diradarsi
- To thin out, disperse; used of fog lifting
- possono
- Can, are able to; third person plural of potere
- le
- The; feminine plural definite article
- vetrate
- Stained or large glass windows; glazed panels
- colorate
- Colored, stained; feminine plural adjective
- perdere
- To lose; to cease having or maintaining something
- il
- The; masculine singular definite article
- loro
- Their, theirs; third person plural possessive pronoun
- colore
- Color; visual property of light or pigment
- lasciar
- To let, allow; infinitive of lasciare, elided
- penetrare
- To penetrate, enter; to pass through something
- alcuna
- Any, some; feminine singular indefinite adjective
- luce
- Light; illumination or brightness
- del
- Of the; masculine singular contracted preposition
- giorno
- Day; period of daylight or twenty-four hours
- nel
- In the; masculine singular contracted preposition
- luogo
- Place, location; a specific spot or setting
- i
- The; masculine plural definite article
- profani
- Outsiders, laypeople; those not belonging to a place
- provenienti
- Coming from, originating; present participle of provenire
- dalla
- From the; feminine singular contracted preposition
- strada
- Street, road; a public way for travel
- scrutano
- Scrutinize, peer closely; third person plural present
- attraverso
- Through, across; preposition indicating passage
- vetri
- Glass panes; plural of vetro, transparent panels
- della
- Of the; feminine singular contracted preposition
- porta
- Door, gate; entryway to a building or room
- dissuasi
- Dissuaded, deterred; past participle of dissuadere
- dall'
- From the; elided contracted preposition da + l'
- entrare
- To enter, go in; to pass inside a place
- dal
- From the, by the; masculine singular contracted preposition
- suo
- His, her, its; masculine singular possessive adjective
- aspetto
- Appearance, aspect; the look or air of something
- torvo
- Grim, menacing; adjective describing a threatening look
- tono
- Tone, quality; manner or character of a sound
- monotono
- Monotonous, droning; lacking variety or interest
- strascicato
- Drawling, dragging; slow and labored in delivery
- riecheggia
- Echoes, reverberates; third person singular present
- languidamente
- Languidly, feebly; in a weak or listless manner
- fino
- Until, up to; preposition indicating a limit or boundary
- al
- To the, at the; masculine singular contracted preposition
- soffitto
- Ceiling; the upper interior surface of a room
- palco
- Platform, box seat, stage; raised elevated surface
- imbottito
- Padded, stuffed; upholstered with soft filling
- dove
- Where; adverb or conjunction of place
- Alto
- High; adjective indicating elevated rank or position
- Cancelliere
- Chancellor; high-ranking judicial or government official
- guarda
- Looks, watches; third person singular of guardare
- nella
- In the; feminine singular contracted preposition
- lanterna
- Lantern; portable light-bearing device or structure
- ha
- Has; third person singular present of avere
- parrucche
- Wigs; artificial hairpieces worn on the head
- degli
- Of the; masculine plural contracted preposition
- inservienti
- Attendants, court staff; people performing service duties
- sono
- Are; third person plural present of essere
- tutte
- All; feminine plural adjective meaning every one
- immerse
- Immersed, plunged; past participle of immergere
- in
- In, into; basic Italian preposition of location
- un
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article
- banco
- Bank, bench, mass; group or layer of something
- di
- Of, from; very common Italian preposition
- Questa
- This; feminine singular demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- è
- Is; third person singular present of essere
- Corte
- Court; judicial or royal institution and its setting
- Cancelleria
- Chancery; court of equity or judicial chancellery
- sue
- His, her, its; feminine plural possessive adjective
- case
- Houses, homes; plural of casa
- fatiscenti
- Dilapidated, crumbling; falling apart from neglect
- suoi
- His, her, its; masculine plural possessive adjective
- terreni
- Lands, grounds; plots of earth or real estate
- devastati
- Devastated, ruined; past participle of devastare
- ogni
- Every, each; invariable Italian adjective of totality
- contea
- County; an administrative territorial division
- folle
- Mad, insane; adjective describing loss of reason
- esaurito
- Exhausted, depleted; past participle of esaurire
- manicomio
- Asylum, madhouse; institution for mentally ill patients
- morti
- Dead, deaths; plural noun or adjective for deceased
- cimitero
- Cemetery, graveyard; burial ground for the dead
- litigante
- Litigant; party involved in a legal dispute
- rovinato
- Ruined, destroyed; past participle of rovinare
- tacchi
- Heels; back bottom parts of shoes
- scalcagnati
- Worn-down heeled, shabby; having deteriorated shoe heels
- abito
- Suit, garment, dress; an article of clothing
- logoro
- Worn out, threadbare; deteriorated through prolonged use
- va
- Goes; third person singular present of andare
- a
- To, at; basic Italian preposition of direction
- mendicare
- To beg; to ask for alms or charity
- chiedere
- To ask, request; to inquire or seek something
- prestiti
- Loans; money borrowed and to be repaid
- cerchia
- Circle, group; a surrounding social network of people
- delle
- Of the; feminine plural contracted preposition
- conoscenze
- Acquaintances, knowledge; people one knows informally
- uomo
- Man; an adult male human being
- offre
- Offers, provides; third person singular of offrire
- alla
- To the; feminine singular contracted preposition
- potenza
- Power, potency; great force or capacity for action
- denaro
- Money; currency used in financial transactions
- mezzi
- Means, resources; available tools or financial capacity
- abbondanza
- Abundance, plenty; a large plentiful supply
- per
- For, through, by; versatile Italian preposition
- logorare
- To wear down, exhaust; to deplete through attrition
- diritto
- Right, law; a legal entitlement or the law itself
- esaurisce
- Exhausts, depletes; third person singular of esaurire
- così
- So, thus; in this way or to such a degree
- finanze
- Finances; monetary resources and financial affairs
- pazienza
- Patience; calm endurance of delay or difficulty
- coraggio
- Courage, bravery; strength to face fear or hardship
- speranza
- Hope; expectation of a desired future outcome
- sconvolge
- Upsets, overwhelms; third person singular of sconvolgere
- mente
- Mind; the faculty of thought and consciousness
- spezza
- Breaks, shatters; third person singular of spezzare
- cuore
- Heart; the organ or seat of emotions
- vi
- There, you; locative adverb or pronoun
- onesto
- Honest, upright; truthful and morally correct
- tra
- Among, between; preposition of position or relation
- operatori
- Practitioners, operators; people working in a field
- darebbe
- Would give; conditional of dare, third person singular
- dia
- Give; present subjunctive of dare, third person singular
- spesso
- Often; adverb indicating frequent recurrence
- avvertimento
- Warning, advice; a cautionary message or notice
- Sopportate
- Endure, bear; imperative of sopportare, second person plural
- qualsiasi
- Any, whatever; indefinite adjective meaning any kind
- torto
- Wrong, injustice; an unfair or harmful act done
- possa
- May, can; present subjunctive of potere
- fatto
- Done, made; past participle of fare
- piuttosto
- Rather, instead; expressing preference or alternative
- venire
- To come; to move toward or arrive somewhere
- qui
- Here; indicating the present location of the speaker
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