Coniston — Volume 01 — Page 1
First I am to write a love-story of long ago, of a time some little while after General Jackson had got into the White House and had shown the world what a real democracy was.
Prima di tutto devo scrivere una storia d'amore di tanto tempo fa, di un'epoca poco dopo che il Generale Jackson era entrato alla Casa Bianca e aveva mostrato al mondo cos'era una vera democrazia.
The Era of the first six Presidents had closed, and a new Era had begun.
L'Era dei primi sei Presidenti si era conclusa, e una nuova Era era iniziata.
I am speaking of political Eras.
Parlo di Ere politiche.
Certain gentlemen, with a pious belief in democracy, but with a firmer determination to get on top, arose,--and got in top.
Certi gentiluomini, con una pia fede nella democrazia, ma con una determinazione ancora più ferma di arrivare in cima, si levarono,--e arrivarono in cima.
So many of these gentlemen arose in the different states, and they were so clever, and they found so many chinks in the Constitution to crawl through and steal the people's chestnuts, that the Era may be called the Boss-Era.
Così tanti di questi gentiluomini emersero nei diversi stati, ed erano così abili, e trovarono così tante fessure nella Costituzione attraverso cui strisciare e rubare le castagne del popolo, che quell'Era può essere chiamata l'Era dei Boss.
After the Boss came along certain Things without souls, but of many minds, and found more chinks in the Constitution: bigger chinks, for the Things were bigger, and they stole more chestnuts.
Dopo i Boss arrivarono certe Entità senza anima, ma dotate di molte menti, e trovarono altre fessure nella Costituzione: fessure più grandi, poiché le Entità erano più grandi, e rubarono più castagne.
But I am getting far ahead of my love-story--and of my book.
Ma mi sto allontanando troppo dalla mia storia d'amore--e dal mio libro.
The reader is warned that this first love-story will, in a few chapters, come to an end: and not to a happy end--otherwise there would be no book.
Il lettore è avvertito che questa prima storia d'amore, nel giro di qualche capitolo, giungerà a una fine: e non a un lieto fine--altrimenti non ci sarebbe nessun libro.
Lest he should throw the book away when he arrives at this page, it is only fair to tell him that there is another and a much longer love story later on, if he will only continue to read, in which, it is hoped, he may not be disappointed.
Affinché non getti via il libro quando arriva a quella pagina, è giusto dirgli che c'è un'altra storia d'amore, molto più lunga, più avanti, se vorrà continuare a leggere, nella quale, si spera, non rimarrà deluso.
Vocabulary
- Prima
- PREEma — First, before anything else in order
- di
- dee — Of, from; common preposition with many uses
- tutto
- TOOTto — All, everything, the whole
- devo
- DEvo — I must, I have to; first person singular
- scrivere
- SCREEvere — To write, to compose text
- una
- OOna — A, an; feminine indefinite article
- storia
- STORya — Story, history, narrative account
- d'
- d — Of; elided form before vowel
- amore
- aMOre — Love, affection, romantic feeling
- tanto
- TANto — So much, a lot, very much
- tempo
- TEMpo — Time, weather; common everyday noun
- fa
- fa — Ago; used in time expressions
- un'
- oon — A, an; elided feminine indefinite article
- epoca
- Epoka — Era, epoch, historical period
- poco
- POko — Little, a bit, not much
- dopo
- DOpo — After, later, afterward
- che
- ke — That, which, who; versatile conjunction
- il
- eel — The; masculine singular definite article
- Generale
- jeneRAle — General; high-ranking military officer
- era
- Era — Was; third person singular imperfect
- entrato
- enTRAto — Entered; past participle of entrare
- alla
- ALla — To the; preposition plus feminine article
- Casa
- KAza — House, home; building for living
- Bianca
- BYANka — White; feminine adjective describing color
- e
- e — And; basic coordinating conjunction
- aveva
- aVEva — Had; third person singular imperfect
- mostrato
- moSTRAto — Shown, demonstrated; past participle of mostrare
- al
- al — To the; masculine singular contraction
- mondo
- MONdo — World, everyone, humanity at large
- cos'
- koz — What; elided form of cosa
- vera
- VEra — True, real, genuine; feminine adjective
- democrazia
- demokratsEEa — Democracy; system of representative government
- L'
- l — The; elided definite article before vowel
- Era
- Era — Era, age; historical period of time
- dei
- DEi — Of the; masculine plural contraction
- primi
- PREEmi — First; masculine plural ordinal adjective
- sei
- SEi — Six; cardinal number
- Presidenti
- prezeeDENtee — Presidents; plural of presidente
- si
- see — Reflexive pronoun; oneself, each other
- conclusa
- konKLOOza — Concluded, ended; feminine past participle
- nuova
- NWOva — New; feminine adjective
- iniziata
- eeneetSYAta — Begun, started; feminine past participle
- Parlo
- PARlo — I speak, I am talking about
- Ere
- Ere — Eras, ages; plural of era
- politiche
- poLEEtike — Political; feminine plural adjective
- Certi
- CHERtee — Certain, some; masculine plural adjective
- gentiluomini
- jenteeWOmeenee — Gentlemen; men of refined social standing
- con
- kon — With; basic Italian preposition
- pia
- PEEa — Pious, devout; feminine adjective of faith
- fede
- FEde — Faith, belief, trust in something
- nella
- NELla — In the; feminine singular preposition contraction
- ma
- ma — But; basic adversative conjunction
- determinazione
- determeenatsYOne — Determination, resolve, firm intention
- ancora
- anKOra — Still, yet, again, even more
- più
- pyoo — More, most; comparative and superlative marker
- ferma
- FERma — Firm, steady, resolute; feminine adjective
- arrivare
- arreevAre — To arrive, to reach a destination
- in
- een — In, into; basic location preposition
- cima
- CHEEma — Top, summit, apex of something
- levarono
- leVArono — They rose, they lifted themselves up
- arrivarono
- arreeVArono — They arrived; third person plural past
- Così
- koZEE — So, thus, in this way
- tanti
- TANtee — So many, a lot; masculine plural
- questi
- KWEStee — These; masculine plural demonstrative pronoun
- emersero
- eMERsero — They emerged, came to the surface
- nei
- NEi — In the; masculine plural preposition contraction
- diversi
- deeVERsee — Various, different, several; masculine plural
- stati
- STAtee — States; plural of stato
- ed
- ed — And; variant of e before vowels
- così
- koZEE — So, such, this way
- abili
- Abeelee — Skilled, able, capable; masculine plural
- trovarono
- troVArono — They found; third person plural past
- tante
- TANte — So many; feminine plural adjective
- fessure
- fesSUre — Cracks, loopholes, gaps; feminine plural noun
- Costituzione
- Constitution; fundamental legal document of state
- attraverso
- atravERso — Through, across, via
- cui
- KWee — Which, whom; relative pronoun
- strisciare
- streeSHAre — To crawl, to slither, to creep
- rubare
- rooBAre — To steal, to rob, to take unlawfully
- le
- le — The; feminine plural definite article
- castagne
- kasTANye — Chestnuts; figuratively, fruits of labor
- del
- del — Of the; masculine singular contraction
- popolo
- POPolo — People, the public, folk, nation
- quell'
- kwel — That; elided demonstrative adjective
- può
- pwo — Can, is able to; third person singular
- essere
- ESsere — To be; fundamental Italian auxiliary verb
- chiamata
- kyaMAta — Called, named; feminine past participle
- l'
- l — The; elided article before vowel
- Dopo
- DOpo — After, then, following that
- i
- ee — The; masculine plural definite article
- certe
- CHERte — Certain, some; feminine plural adjective
- Entità
- enteeTa — Entities; beings or organizations as units
- senza
- SENtsa — Without; preposition expressing absence
- anima
- Aneema — Soul, spirit; inner essence of person
- dotate
- doTAte — Gifted, endowed with; feminine plural participle
- molte
- MOLte — Many, a lot; feminine plural adjective
- menti
- MENtee — Minds; plural of mente
- altre
- ALtre — Other, others; feminine plural adjective
- grandi
- GRANdee — Great, big, large; plural adjective
- poiché
- poiKE — Since, because, given that
- rubarono
- rooBArone — They stole; third person plural past
- Ma
- ma — But; adversative conjunction starting sentence
- mi
- mee — Me, myself; first person reflexive pronoun
- sto
- sto — I am; used in progressive construction
- allontanando
- allontaNANdo — Moving away, straying; gerund of allontanare
- troppo
- TROPpo — Too much, excessively; adverb or adjective
- dalla
- DALla — From the; feminine singular contraction
- mia
- MEEa — My; feminine singular possessive adjective
- dal
- dal — From the; masculine singular contraction
- mio
- MEEo — My; masculine singular possessive adjective
- libro
- LEEbro — Book; written literary work
- Il
- eel — The; masculine singular definite article
- lettore
- letTOre — Reader; person who reads
- è
- e — Is; third person singular of essere
- avvertito
- avverTEEto — Warned, notified; past participle of avvertire
- questa
- KWESta — This; feminine singular demonstrative adjective
- prima
- PREEma — First; feminine ordinal, first part mentioned
- nel
- nel — In the; masculine singular contraction
- giro
- JEEro — Turn, space of; used in time expressions
- qualche
- KWALke — Some, a few; singular invariable adjective
- capitolo
- kaPEEtolo — Chapter; section of a book
- giungerà
- joonjeCHERA — Will arrive, will reach; future tense
- a
- a — To, at; basic Italian preposition
- fine
- FEEne — End, ending; conclusion of something
- non
- non — Not; basic Italian negation word
- un
- oon — A, an; masculine indefinite article
- lieto
- LYEto — Happy, joyful; often in lieto fine
- altrimenti
- altreeMENtee — Otherwise, or else, if not
- ci
- chee — There, here, us; versatile particle
- sarebbe
- saREBbe — There would be; conditional of essere
- nessun
- nesSOOn — No, none, not any; masculine adjective
- Affinché
- affeenKE — So that, in order that; purpose conjunction
- getti
- JETtee — Throws away; subjunctive of gettare
- via
- VEEa — Away; adverb indicating removal or departure
- quando
- KWANdo — When; temporal conjunction
- arriva
- arREEva — Arrives, reaches; third person singular present
- quella
- KWELla — That; feminine singular demonstrative adjective
- pagina
- PAjeena — Page; single leaf of a book
- giusto
- JOOSto — Right, fair, correct; adjective or adverb
- dirgli
- DEERlyee — To tell him; infinitive with clitic pronoun
- c'
- ch — There is/are; elided form of ci
- altra
- ALtra — Another, other; feminine singular adjective
- molto
- MOLto — Very, much, a lot; common intensifier
- lunga
- LOONga — Long; feminine adjective describing length
- avanti
- aVANtee — Ahead, forward, still to come
- se
- se — If; conditional conjunction
- vorrà
- vorRA — Will want; future of volere
- continuare
- konteenooARe — To continue, to keep going, to proceed
- leggere
- LEDjere — To read; common everyday verb
- quale
- KWAle — Which, that; relative pronoun
- spera
- SPEra — Hopes; third person singular of sperare
- rimarrà
- reeMAHra — Will remain, will stay; future of rimanere
- deluso
- deLOOzo — Disappointed, let down; adjective or past participle
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