Dracula — Page 11

English → It CHAPTER I Level 7/10

I shall never forget the last glimpse which I had of the inn-yard and its crowd of picturesque figures, all crossing themselves, as they stood round the wide archway, with its background of rich foliage of oleander and orange trees in green tubs clustered in the centre of the yard.

Non dimenticherò mai l'ultima occhiata che ebbi del cortile della locanda e della sua folla di figure pittoresche, tutti che si facevano il segno della croce, mentre stavano attorno all'ampio arco, con il suo sfondo di ricca vegetazione di oleandri e aranci in vasche verdi raggruppate al centro del cortile.

Then our driver, whose wide linen drawers covered the whole front of the box-seat--"gotza" they call them--cracked his big whip over his four small horses, which ran abreast, and we set off on our journey.

Poi il nostro cocchiere, i cui larghi calzoni di lino coprivano tutta la parte anteriore del sedile di guida — li chiamano «gotza» — schioccò la sua grande frusta sui suoi quattro piccoli cavalli, che correvano affiancati, e partimmo per il nostro viaggio.

I soon lost sight and recollection of ghostly fears in the beauty of the scene as we drove along, although had I known the language, or rather languages, which my fellow-passengers were speaking, I might not have been able to throw them off so easily.

Presto persi di vista e di mente i timori fantasmatici nella bellezza del paesaggio mentre procedevamo, sebbene, se avessi conosciuto la lingua, o piuttosto le lingue, che i miei compagni di viaggio stavano parlando, avrei potuto non essere in grado di scrollarmeli di dosso così facilmente.

Before us lay a green sloping land full of forests and woods, with here and there steep hills, crowned with clumps of trees or with farmhouses, the blank gable end to the road.

Davanti a noi si estendeva una terra verde e ondulata piena di foreste e boschi, con qua e là colline ripide, coronata da gruppi di alberi o da case coloniche, con il muro cieco del frontone rivolto verso la strada.

There was everywhere a bewildering mass of fruit blossom--apple, plum, pear, cherry; and as we drove by I could see the green grass under the trees spangled with the fallen petals.

Ovunque vi era una massa sconcertante di fiori da frutto — melo, susino, pero, ciliegio; e mentre passavamo potevo vedere l'erba verde sotto gli alberi cosparsa di petali caduti.

In and out amongst these green hills of what they call here the "Mittel Land" ran the road, losing itself as it swept round the grassy curve, or was shut out by the straggling ends of pine woods, which here and there ran down the hillsides like tongues of flame.

Tra e fuori da queste colline verdi di quella che qui chiamano la «Mittel Land» correva la strada, perdendosi mentre si snodava attorno alla curva erbosa, o era nascosta dalle estremità sparse dei boschi di pini, che qua e là scendevano lungo i fianchi delle colline come lingue di fuoco.

Vocabulary

Non: non — Negation word meaning 'not' in Italian.
dimenticherò: dimenticherò — I will forget; future tense of dimenticare.
mai: mai — Never; or ever, depending on context.
ultima: ultima — Last, final; feminine form of ultimo.
occhiata: occhiata — A glance or quick look at something.
che: che — That, which, who; versatile conjunction or pronoun.
ebbi: ebbi — I had; first-person singular past historic of avere.
cortile: cortile — Courtyard; an open area enclosed by buildings.
locanda: locanda — An inn or small tavern offering lodging.
sua: sua — His, her, its; feminine singular possessive adjective.
folla: folla — Crowd; a large group of people gathered together.
figure: figure — Figures, forms; shapes or persons in a scene.
pittoresche: pittoresche — Picturesque; visually charming or quaint in appearance.
tutti: tutti — All, everyone; refers to a whole group collectively.
si: si — Reflexive pronoun; oneself, themselves, each other.
facevano: facevano — They were making/doing; imperfect of fare.
segno: segno — Sign; a symbol, gesture, or mark of something.
croce: croce — Cross; the Christian symbol or a crossing shape.
mentre: mentre — While, whereas; conjunction indicating simultaneous actions.
stavano: stavano — They were staying/standing; imperfect of stare.
attorno: attorno — Around, surrounding; indicating position encircling something.
ampio: ampio — Wide, broad, ample; describing large spacious dimensions.
arco: arco — Arch; a curved structure spanning an opening.
suo: suo — His, her, its; masculine singular possessive adjective.
sfondo: sfondo — Background; the backdrop behind the main subject.
ricca: ricca — Rich, lush, abundant; feminine form of ricco.
vegetazione: vegetazione — Vegetation; plant life growing in a particular area.
oleandri: oleandri — Oleanders; flowering shrubs common in Mediterranean regions.
aranci: aranci — Orange trees; citrus trees bearing orange fruit.
vasche: vasche — Tubs, basins, tanks; containers holding water or plants.
verdi: verdi — Green; plural adjective describing colour of plants.
raggruppate: raggruppate — Grouped, clustered; arranged together in a collection.
centro: centro — Centre; the middle point of a space or group.
Poi: poi — Then, afterwards; indicating sequence of events.
nostro: nostro — Our; first-person plural possessive adjective, masculine.
cocchiere: cocchiere — Coachman; a driver of a horse-drawn carriage.
cui: cui — Whose, whom; relative pronoun used after preposition.
larghi: larghi — Wide, broad; masculine plural adjective indicating width.
calzoni: calzoni — Trousers, breeches; a garment covering the legs.
lino: lino — Linen; a fabric woven from flax plant fibres.
coprivano: coprivano — They covered; imperfect of coprire, to cover.
tutta: tutta — All, entire; feminine singular adjective meaning whole.
parte: parte — Part, section; a portion or side of something.
anteriore: anteriore — Front, anterior; relating to the forward-facing part.
sedile: sedile — Seat; a surface or structure designed for sitting.
guida: guida — Guide, driving; act of leading or steering something.
li: li — Them; third-person masculine plural direct object pronoun.
chiamano: chiamano — They call; third-person plural present of chiamare.
schioccò: schioccò — He cracked, snapped; past historic of schioccare.
grande: grande — Big, great; adjective describing large size or importance.
frusta: frusta — Whip; a flexible implement used to drive horses.
suoi: suoi — His, her; masculine plural possessive adjective or pronoun.
quattro: quattro — Four; the cardinal number between three and five.
piccoli: piccoli — Small, little; masculine plural adjective of piccolo.
cavalli: cavalli — Horses; plural of cavallo, domestic equine animals.
correvano: correvano — They were running; imperfect of correre, to run.
affiancati: affiancati — Side by side, abreast; positioned alongside one another.
partimmo: partimmo — We departed; first-person plural past historic of partire.
viaggio: viaggio — Journey, trip; travel from one place to another.
Presto: presto — Soon, quickly; indicating speed or nearness in time.
persi: persi — I lost; first-person singular past historic of perdere.
vista: vista — Sight, view; the ability to see or a panorama.
mente: mente — Mind; the faculty of thought, memory, and reasoning.
timori: timori — Fears, worries; plural of timore, a feeling of dread.
fantasmatici: fantasmatici — Phantasmal, ghostly; relating to spectres or imaginary fears.
bellezza: bellezza — Beauty; the quality of being pleasing to the senses.
paesaggio: paesaggio — Landscape, scenery; the visible features of an area.
procedevamo: procedevamo — We were proceeding; imperfect of procedere, to advance.
sebbene: sebbene — Although, even though; concessive conjunction introducing contrast.
se: se — If; conditional conjunction introducing a hypothetical clause.
avessi: avessi — I had; past subjunctive of avere, used hypothetically.
conosciuto: conosciuto — Known; past participle of conoscere, to know.
lingua: lingua — Language, tongue; a system of human communication.
piuttosto: piuttosto — Rather, quite; expressing preference or degree of something.
lingue: lingue — Languages; plural of lingua, systems of communication.
miei: miei — My; masculine plural possessive adjective of primo person.
compagni: compagni — Companions, travel companions; people sharing a journey.
parlando: parlando — Speaking, talking; gerund of parlare, to speak.
avrei: avrei — I would have; conditional of avere, to have.
potuto: potuto — Been able; past participle of potere, expressing ability.
non: non — Not; standard Italian negation word preceding a verb.
essere: essere — To be; fundamental Italian infinitive verb of existence.
grado: grado — Degree, level; used in 'in grado di' meaning able.
scrollarmeli: scrollarmeli — To shake them off myself; reflexive clitic infinitive.
dosso: dosso — Back, off one's back; used in 'di dosso' phrases.
così: così — So, thus, in this way; adverb of manner.
facilmente: facilmente — Easily; adverb meaning in an easy or simple manner.
Davanti: davanti — In front of, ahead; preposition indicating forward position.
noi: noi — We, us; first-person plural personal pronoun in Italian.
estendeva: estendeva — Extended, stretched; imperfect of estendersi, to spread.
terra: terra — Land, earth, ground; the surface of the world.
verde: verde — Green; colour of grass, leaves, and vegetation.
ondulata: ondulata — Undulating, rolling; having gentle waves or curves.
piena: piena — Full, filled; feminine adjective indicating abundance or saturation.
foreste: foreste — Forests; large dense areas covered with trees.
boschi: boschi — Woods, groves; smaller wooded areas less dense than forests.
qua: qua — Here; adverb of place, this side or location.
là: là — There; adverb indicating a place away from speaker.
colline: colline — Hills; plural of collina, elevated land less than mountains.
ripide: ripide — Steep; feminine plural adjective describing sharp inclines.
coronata: coronata — Crowned, topped; adorned at the summit with something.
gruppi: gruppi — Groups, clusters; plural of gruppo, collections of things.
alberi: alberi — Trees; plural of albero, large woody perennial plants.
case: case — Houses; plural of casa, residential dwellings or homes.
coloniche: coloniche — Farmhouses; rural dwellings associated with agricultural estates.
muro: muro — Wall; a solid structure forming a side of building.
cieco: cieco — Blind, blank; here meaning a wall without windows.
frontone: frontone — Gable, pediment; the triangular upper part of a facade.
rivolto: rivolto — Turned, facing; past participle of rivolgere, to turn toward.
verso: verso — Toward, towards; preposition indicating direction or orientation.
strada: strada — Road, street; a route or path for travel.
Ovunque: ovunque — Everywhere, wherever; adverb indicating all places collectively.
vi: vi — There, here; locative adverb or reflexive particle.
era: era — There was, was; imperfect singular of essere, to be.
massa: massa — Mass, abundance; a large quantity of something together.
sconcertante: sconcertante — Bewildering, disconcerting; causing confusion or surprise.
fiori: fiori — Flowers; plural of fiore, blossoms of flowering plants.
frutto: frutto — Fruit; the edible product of a flowering plant.
melo: melo — Apple tree; a fruit tree bearing apples.
susino: susino — Plum tree; a fruit tree that bears plums.
pero: pero — Pear tree; a fruit tree that bears pears.
ciliegio: ciliegio — Cherry tree; a tree that produces cherry fruit.
passavamo: passavamo — We were passing; imperfect of passare, to pass.
potevo: potevo — I could, was able; imperfect of potere.
vedere: vedere — To see; infinitive of the verb meaning to perceive visually.
erba: erba — Grass, herb; low-growing green ground-covering plant.
sotto: sotto — Under, below; preposition indicating lower position.
cosparsa: cosparsa — Strewn, scattered; feminine past participle of cospargere.
petali: petali — Petals; the coloured leaf-like parts of a flower.
caduti: caduti — Fallen; masculine plural past participle of cadere.
Tra: tra — Between, among, through; preposition of position or time.
fuori: fuori — Outside, out; adverb or preposition of exterior location.
queste: queste — These; feminine plural demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
quella: quella — That; feminine singular demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
qui: qui — Here; adverb indicating the speaker's current location.
correva: correva — It ran, flowed; imperfect of correre, to run.
perdendosi: perdendosi — Losing itself, disappearing; reflexive gerund of perdersi.
snodava: snodava — It wound, twisted; imperfect of snodarsi, to unwind.
curva: curva — Curve, bend; a rounded turn in a road or path.
erbosa: erbosa — Grassy; covered with or consisting of grass.
nascosta: nascosta — Hidden, concealed; feminine past participle of nascondere.
estremità: estremità — Extremities, tips, ends; outermost points of something.
sparse: sparse — Scattered, sparse; feminine plural past participle of spargere.
pini: pini — Pine trees; plural of pino, tall evergreen coniferous trees.
scendevano: scendevano — They descended; imperfect of scendere, to go down.
lungo: lungo — Along, long; preposition meaning along or adjective for length.
fianchi: fianchi — Sides, flanks; lateral faces or slopes of something.
come: come — Like, as, how; conjunction or adverb of comparison.
fuoco: fuoco — Fire; combustion producing heat, light, and flame.

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