Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World — Page 6
If the censure of the _Yahoos_ could any way affect me, I should have great reason to complain, that some of them are so bold as to think my book of travels a mere fiction out of mine own brain, and have gone so far as to drop hints, that the _Houyhnhnms_ and _Yahoos_ have no more existence than the inhabitants of Utopia.
Se la censura degli _Yahoo_ potesse in qualche modo colpirmi, avrei gran motivo di lamentarmi che alcuni di loro siano tanto arditi da ritenere il mio libro di viaggi una mera finzione della mia propria mente, e si siano spinti fino al punto di lasciar intendere che gli _Houyhnhnm_ e gli _Yahoo_ non abbiano più esistenza degli abitanti dell'Utopia.
Indeed I must confess, that as to the people of _Lilliput_, _Brobdingrag_ (for so the word should have been spelt, and not erroneously _Brobdingnag_), and _Laputa_, I have never yet heard of any _Yahoo_ so presumptuous as to dispute their being, or the facts I have related concerning them; because the truth immediately strikes every reader with conviction.
In verità devo confessare che, per quanto riguarda il popolo di _Lilliput_, _Brobdingrag_ (poiché così la parola avrebbe dovuto essere scritta, e non erroneamente _Brobdingnag_), e _Laputa_, non ho mai ancora sentito di alcuno _Yahoo_ tanto presuntuoso da contestarne l'esistenza, o i fatti che ho narrato a loro riguardo; perché la verità colpisce immediatamente ogni lettore con forza di convinzione.
And is there less probability in my account of the _Houyhnhnms_ or _Yahoos_, when it is manifest as to the latter, there are so many thousands even in this country, who only differ from their brother brutes in _Houyhnhnmland_, because they use a sort of jabber, and do not go naked?
E vi è forse minore probabilità nel mio resoconto degli _Houyhnhnm_ o degli _Yahoo_, quando è manifesto, per quanto riguarda questi ultimi, che ve ne sono molte migliaia persino in questo paese, i quali differiscono dai loro fratelli bruti nell'_Houyhnhnmland_ solo perché usano una sorta di gergo e non vanno in giro nudi?
I wrote for their amendment, and not their approbation.
Ho scritto per la loro correzione, e non per la loro approvazione.
The united praise of the whole race would be of less consequence to me, than the neighing of those two degenerate _Houyhnhnms_ I keep in my stable; because from these, degenerate as they are, I still improve in some virtues without any mixture of vice.
Le lodi congiunte dell'intera razza mi sarebbero di minor valore del nitrito di quei due _Houyhnhnm_ degenerati che tengo nella mia stalla; perché da questi, degenerati come sono, ricavo ancora qualche miglioramento in certe virtù senza alcuna mescolanza di vizio.
Do these miserable animals presume to think, that I am so degenerated as to defend my veracity?
Osano questi miserabili animali pensare che io sia così degenerato da dover difendere la mia veridicità?
Vocabulary
- Se
- if; conditional conjunction introducing hypothetical situations
- la
- the; feminine singular definite article in Italian
- censura
- censorship; suppression or prohibition of content deemed objectionable
- degli
- of the; contraction of 'di' and 'gli' for plural masculine
- potesse
- could; subjunctive past tense of 'potere' meaning ability or permission
- in
- in; preposition indicating location, time, or manner
- qualche
- some; any; indefinite adjective indicating an unspecified quantity
- modo
- way; manner; method of doing something
- colpirmi
- to strike me; to affect or harm me directly
- avrei
- I would have; conditional past tense of 'avere'
- gran
- great; large; adjective form of 'grande' before consonants
- motivo
- reason; motive; cause or justification for something
- di
- of; preposition indicating possession, origin, or composition
- lamentarmi
- to complain; to express dissatisfaction or regret about something
- che
- that; which; relative pronoun connecting clauses or ideas
- alcuni
- some; certain; plural masculine indefinite pronoun or adjective
- loro
- their; third person plural possessive adjective or pronoun
- siano
- are; subjunctive present of 'essere' meaning to be
- tanto
- so much; so; adverb or adjective expressing quantity or degree
- arditi
- bold; daring; adjective describing courageous or reckless behavior
- da
- from; by; preposition indicating origin, agency, or manner
- ritenere
- to believe; to consider; to hold or maintain an opinion
- il
- the; masculine singular definite article in Italian
- mio
- my; first person singular possessive adjective in Italian
- libro
- book; bound written or printed literary work or composition
- viaggi
- travels; journeys; plural noun or verb form of viaggio
- una
- a; an; feminine singular indefinite article in Italian
- mera
- mere; pure; simple adjective indicating something is only that
- finzione
- fiction; fabrication; invention or false creation of imagination
- della
- of the; contraction of 'di' and 'la' for feminine singular
- propria
- own; one's own; reflexive possessive adjective indicating belonging
- mente
- mind; intellect; seat of consciousness and mental processes
- si
- oneself; reflexive pronoun indicating action directed at oneself
- spinti
- driven; urged; past participle of 'spingere' meaning to push
- fino
- until; up to; preposition indicating limit of time or space
- al
- to the; contraction of 'a' and 'il' for masculine singular
- punto
- point; dot; specific location or stage in sequence
- lasciar
- to let; to allow; infinitive of 'lasciare' meaning permit
- intendere
- to understand; to mean; to comprehend or convey meaning
- gli
- to him; to them; indirect object pronoun for masculine persons
- non
- not; adverb negating verbs, adjectives, or entire statements
- abbiano
- have; subjunctive present of 'avere' meaning possess or own
- più
- more; plus; adverb or adjective indicating greater quantity
- esistenza
- existence; being; state of having life or presence in world
- abitanti
- inhabitants; residents; plural noun for people living in place
- dell
- of the; contraction of 'di' and 'il' before vowels
- In
- in; preposition indicating location, time, or manner context
- verità
- truth; fact; quality or state of being true always
- devo
- I must; I have to; present tense of 'dovere'
- confessare
- to confess; to admit; to acknowledge something previously hidden
- per
- for; in order to; preposition indicating purpose or reason
- quanto
- as much as; how much; interrogative or relative adverb
- riguarda
- concerns; regards; third person singular of 'riguardare'
- popolo
- people; population; inhabitants collectively of nation or region
- poiché
- because; since; conjunction giving reason or cause for something
- così
- thus; so; in this manner or way indicated
- parola
- word; term; unit of speech or writing language
- dovrebbe
- should; ought to; conditional of 'dovere' indicating obligation
- essere
- to be; fundamental verb expressing existence or state being
- scritta
- written; past participle feminine of 'scrivere' to write
- erroneamente
- erroneously; wrongly; in manner containing or marked by error
- ho
- I have; present tense first person singular of 'avere'
- mai
- never; ever; adverb indicating negation or interrogation time
- ancora
- yet; still; moreover; adverb indicating continuation or addition
- sentito
- heard; felt; past participle of 'sentire' meaning perceive
- alcuno
- any; some; indefinite pronoun or adjective of unspecified identity
- presuntuoso
- presumptuous; arrogant; adjective indicating excessive boldness or pride
- contestarne
- to dispute them; to challenge; infinitive with object pronoun
- fatti
- facts; deeds; plural noun of fatto meaning events or actions
- narrato
- narrated; recounted; past participle of 'narrare' to tell
- riguardo
- regard; respect; consideration or relation to something mentioned
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