Dracula — Page 7
It was so near the time of starting that I had no time to ask any one else, for it was all very mysterious and not by any means comforting.
Era così vicino il momento della partenza che non ebbi tempo di chiedere a nessun altro, poiché era tutto molto misterioso e per nulla rassicurante.
Just before I was leaving, the old lady came up to my room and said in a very hysterical way:
Poco prima che partissi, la vecchia signora salì nella mia stanza e disse in modo molto isterico:
"Must you go? Oh! young Herr, must you go?"
"Deve proprio andare? Oh! giovane signore, deve proprio andare?"
She was in such an excited state that she seemed to have lost her grip of what German she knew, and mixed it all up with some other language which I did not know at all.
Era in uno stato di tale agitazione che sembrava aver perso il controllo del poco tedesco che conosceva, mescolandolo tutto con qualche altra lingua che non conoscevo affatto.
I was just able to follow her by asking many questions.
Riuscii a malapena a seguirla facendo molte domande.
When I told her that I must go at once, and that I was engaged on important business, she asked again:
Quando le dissi che dovevo partire subito e che ero impegnato in affari importanti, ella chiese di nuovo:
"Do you know what day it is?"
"Sa che giorno è oggi?"
I answered that it was the fourth of May.
Risposi che era il quattro maggio.
She shook her head as she said again:
Scosse la testa mentre ripeteva:
"Oh, yes! I know that! I know that, but do you know what day it is?"
"Oh, sì! Lo so! Lo so, ma sa lei che giorno è?"
On my saying that I did not understand, she went on:
Avendo io detto che non capivo, ella continuò:
"It is the eve of St. George's Day.
"È la vigilia del giorno di San Giorgio.
Do you not know that to-night, when the clock strikes midnight, all the evil things in the world will have full sway?
Non sa forse che questa notte, quando l'orologio batterà la mezzanotte, tutte le forze del male nel mondo avranno pieno dominio?
Do you know where you are going, and what you are going to?"
Sa dove sta andando, e cosa troverà?"
She was in such evident distress that I tried to comfort her, but without effect.
Era in uno stato di così evidente angoscia che cercai di consolarla, ma senza alcun risultato.
Vocabulary
- Era
- Third person singular past tense of 'essere' (to be)
- così
- So, thus, in this way
- vicino
- Near, close, nearby
- momento
- Moment, instant in time
- partenza
- Departure, the act of leaving
- ebbi
- I had (past absolute of 'avere')
- tempo
- Time; also weather
- chiedere
- To ask, to inquire
- nessun
- No, not any, none (masculine adjective)
- altro
- Other, another, else
- poiché
- Since, because, given that
- era
- Was (third person singular imperfect of 'essere')
- tutto
- All, everything, whole
- molto
- Very, much, a lot
- misterioso
- Mysterious, enigmatic, puzzling
- nulla
- Nothing, not at all
- rassicurante
- Reassuring, comforting, calming
- Poco
- Little, a small amount, few
- prima
- Before, earlier, first
- partissi
- That I leave (imperfect subjunctive of 'partire')
- vecchia
- Old (feminine adjective); old woman
- signora
- Lady, Mrs., madam
- salì
- She went up, climbed (past absolute of 'salire')
- stanza
- Room, chamber in a building
- disse
- She/he said (past absolute of 'dire')
- modo
- Way, manner, mode
- isterico
- Hysterical, frantically emotional
- Deve
- Must, has to (third person of 'dovere')
- proprio
- Really, truly, one's own
- andare
- To go
- giovane
- Young; a young person
- signore
- Sir, mister, gentleman
- stato
- State, condition; also past participle of 'essere'
- tale
- Such, so great, of that kind
- agitazione
- Agitation, distress, nervous excitement
- sembrava
- She/he seemed (imperfect of 'sembrare')
- perso
- Lost (past participle of 'perdere')
- controllo
- Control, command, mastery
- poco
- Little, small amount (adjective/adverb)
- tedesco
- German (language or adjective)
- conosceva
- She/he knew (imperfect of 'conoscere')
- mescolandolo
- Mixing it, blending it (gerund of 'mescolare')
- qualche
- Some, a few, any
- altra
- Other, another (feminine adjective)
- lingua
- Language; also tongue
- conoscevo
- I knew (imperfect of 'conoscere')
- affatto
- At all, absolutely (used in negations)
- Riuscii
- I managed, I succeeded (past absolute of 'riuscire')
- malapena
- Barely, hardly, with great difficulty
- seguirla
- To follow her (infinitive + pronoun)
- facendo
- Making, doing (gerund of 'fare')
- molte
- Many, a lot of (feminine plural)
- domande
- Questions, inquiries
- Quando
- When (conjunction or adverb)
- dissi
- I said (past absolute of 'dire')
- dovevo
- I had to (imperfect of 'dovere')
- partire
- To depart, to leave
- subito
- Immediately, at once, right away
- ero
- I was (first person imperfect of 'essere')
- impegnato
- Busy, committed, engaged in something
- affari
- Business, affairs, matters
- importanti
- Important, significant, major
- ella
- She (formal/literary third person pronoun)
- chiese
- She/he asked (past absolute of 'chiedere')
- nuovo
- New; again (di nuovo = again)
- Sa
- She/he/you know(s) (formal 'sapere')
- giorno
- Day
- oggi
- Today
- Risposi
- I replied (past absolute of 'rispondere')
- quattro
- Four (numeral)
- maggio
- May (the month)
- Scosse
- She/he shook (past absolute of 'scuotere')
- testa
- Head
- mentre
- While, whereas (conjunction)
- ripeteva
- She/he repeated (imperfect of 'ripetere')
- so
- I know (first person of 'sapere')
- sa
- She/he/you know(s) (formal 'sapere')
- lei
- She; you (formal pronoun)
- Avendo
- Having (gerund of 'avere')
- detto
- Said, told (past participle of 'dire')
- capivo
- I understood (imperfect of 'capire')
- continuò
- She/he continued (past absolute of 'continuare')
- vigilia
- Eve, the day before a holiday or event
- forse
- Perhaps, maybe, possibly
- questa
- This (feminine demonstrative adjective)
- notte
- Night
- quando
- When (conjunction or adverb)
- orologio
- Clock, watch
- batterà
- Will strike, will beat (future of 'battere')
- mezzanotte
- Midnight
- tutte
- All, every (feminine plural)
- forze
- Forces, powers, strengths
- male
- Evil, bad, harm
- mondo
- World
- avranno
- They will have (future of 'avere')
- pieno
- Full, complete, total
- dominio
- Dominion, control, power over something
- dove
- Where (adverb or conjunction)
- sta
- Is (she/he is doing, third person of 'stare')
- andando
- Going (gerund of 'andare')
- cosa
- Thing; what (interrogative)
- troverà
- She/he will find (future of 'trovare')
- evidente
- Evident, obvious, clearly visible
- angoscia
- Anguish, deep anxiety, dread
- cercai
- I tried, I sought (past absolute of 'cercare')
- consolarla
- To console her, to comfort her
- senza
- Without (preposition)
- alcun
- Any, no (masculine adjective in negative context)
- risultato
- Result, outcome, effect
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