Great Expectations — Page 5
"
"
"And you know what wittles is?"
«E sai cosa sono le vettovaglie?»
"Yes, sir."
«Sì, signore.»
After each question he tilted me over a little more, so as to give me a greater sense of helplessness and danger.
Dopo ogni domanda mi inclinava un po' di più, in modo da darmi una maggiore sensazione di impotenza e pericolo.
"You get me a file." He tilted me again. "And you get me wittles." He tilted me again. "You bring 'em both to me." He tilted me again. "Or I'll have your heart and liver out." He tilted me again.
«Procurami una lima.» Mi inclinò di nuovo. «E procurami le vettovaglie.» Mi inclinò di nuovo. «Portamele entrambe.» Mi inclinò di nuovo. «O ti strappo il cuore e il fegato.» Mi inclinò di nuovo.
I was dreadfully frightened, and so giddy that I clung to him with both hands, and said, "If you would kindly please to let me keep upright, sir, perhaps I shouldn't be sick, and perhaps I could attend more."
Ero spaventato a morte, e così stordito che mi aggrappai a lui con tutte e due le mani, e dissi: «Se aveste la bontà di lasciarmi stare in piedi, signore, forse non mi sentirei male, e forse potrei prestare più attenzione.»
He gave me a most tremendous dip and roll, so that the church jumped over its own weathercock.
Mi diede un'inclinazione e una rotazione formidabili, tanto che la chiesa sembrò saltare sopra il proprio segnavento.
Then, he held me by the arms, in an upright position on the top of the stone, and went on in these fearful terms:—
Poi mi tenne per le braccia, in posizione eretta in cima alla pietra, e continuò con queste terribili parole:—
"You bring me, to-morrow morning early, that file and them wittles. You bring the lot to me, at that old Battery over yonder. You do it, and you never dare to say a word or dare to make a sign concerning your having seen such a person as me, or any person sumever, and you shall be let to live. You fail, or you go from my words in any partickler, no matter how small it is, and your heart and your liver shall be tore out, roasted, and ate.
«Portami, domani mattina presto, quella lima e quelle vettovaglie. Portami tutto quanto, a quella vecchia Batteria laggiù. Se lo fai, e non osi mai dire una parola o fare un segno riguardo all'aver visto una persona come me, o qualsiasi altra persona, ti sarà permesso di vivere. Se fallisci, o ti discosti dalle mie parole in qualsiasi particolare, per quanto piccolo sia, il tuo cuore e il tuo fegato saranno strappati, arrostiti e mangiati.
Vocabulary
- sai
- you know (informal second person singular)
- cosa
- thing; what
- sono
- I am; they are (present tense)
- le
- the (feminine plural); her; you (formal)
- Sì
- yes
- signore
- sir; gentleman; mister
- Dopo
- after; afterwards; behind
- ogni
- each; every; all
- domanda
- question; request; demand
- mi
- me; to me; myself (object pronoun)
- inclinava
- bent; leaned; inclined (past imperfect)
- un
- a; an; one (indefinite article)
- po
- a little; a bit; some
- di
- of; from; by; about
- più
- more; plus; additional
- in
- in; into; at; during
- modo
- manner; way; mode; fashion
- da
- from; by; since; as
- darmi
- to give me; to provide me
- una
- a; an; one (feminine article)
- maggiore
- greater; larger; major; older
- sensazione
- sensation; feeling; sense; impression
- pericolo
- danger; peril; risk; hazard
- lima
- file; lime (fruit)
- Mi
- me; to me; myself (object pronoun)
- inclinò
- bent; leaned; inclined (past simple)
- nuovo
- new; again; fresh; novel
- entrambe
- both (feminine); both of them
- ti
- you; to you; yourself (object pronoun)
- strappo
- tear; rip; wrench; pull
- il
- the (masculine singular article)
- cuore
- heart; courage; core; center
- fegato
- liver (organ)
- Ero
- I was (past imperfect of essere)
- spaventato
- frightened; scared; terrified; afraid
- morte
- death; decease; demise; end
- così
- so; thus; in this way; therefore
- stordito
- stunned; dazed; dizzy; bewildered
- che
- that; which; who; what
- aggrappai
- clung; grasped; held tight (past simple)
- lui
- him; he; to him
- con
- with; together with; by means of
- tutte
- all (feminine plural); all of them
- due
- two; both; pair
- mani
- hands; hands of
- dissi
- I said; I told (past simple)
- Se
- if; whether; in case
- aveste
- you had (conditional; formal plural)
- la
- the (feminine singular); her; it
- bontà
- kindness; goodness; courtesy; favor
- lasciarmi
- let me; allow me; leave me
- stare
- to stand; to stay; to remain
- piedi
- feet; foot; standing position
- forse
- perhaps; maybe; possibly; probably
- non
- not; no; negation particle
- sentirei
- I would feel; I would hear (conditional)
- male
- badly; ill; poorly; wrong
- potrei
- I could; I would be able (conditional)
- prestare
- to lend; to pay; to give attention
- attenzione
- attention; care; notice; regard
- diede
- gave; provided (past simple of dare)
- rotazione
- rotation; turning; revolution; spin
- tanto
- so much; as much; too much
- chiesa
- church; chapel; religious building
- sembrò
- seemed; appeared; looked (past simple)
- saltare
- to jump; to skip; to leap
- sopra
- above; over; on; upon
- proprio
- own; proper; itself; very
- Poi
- then; afterwards; next; later
- tenne
- held; kept; maintained (past simple)
- per
- for; by; through; during
- braccia
- arms; embraces (plural of braccio)
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