Harrigan — Page 2
His beat is quiet. Shall I tell him to come with us?"
Il suo turno è tranquillo. Devo dirgli di venire con noi?"
"No," grinned the sergeant, and then looked up and watched the broad shoulders of the red-haired man, who advanced through the crowd as the prow of a ship lunges through the waves.
«No,» sogghignò il sergente, poi alzò lo sguardo e osservò le larghe spalle dell'uomo dai capelli rossi, che avanzava tra la folla come la prua di una nave che fende le onde.
"Go get Morley," he said abruptly.
«Va' a prendere Morley,» disse bruscamente.
But Harrigan went on his way without misgivings, not that he forgot the policeman, but he was accustomed to stand under the suspicious eye of the law.
Ma Harrigan proseguì per la sua strada senza esitazioni, non perché avesse dimenticato il poliziotto, ma perché era abituato a trovarsi sotto l'occhio sospettoso della legge.
In all the course of his wanderings it had been upon him.
Nel corso di tutti i suoi vagabondaggi, essa lo aveva sempre seguito.
His coming was to the men in uniform like the sound of the battle trumpet to the cavalry horse.
Il suo arrivo era per gli uomini in divisa come il suono della tromba da battaglia per il cavallo della cavalleria.
This, however, was Harrigan's first night in Honolulu, and there was much to see, much to do.
Questa, tuttavia, era la prima notte di Harrigan a Honolulu, e c'era molto da vedere, molto da fare.
He had rambled through the streets; now he was headed for the Ivilei district.
Aveva girovagato per le strade; ora era diretto verso il quartiere di Ivilei.
Instinct brought him there, the still, small voice which had guided him from trouble to trouble all his life.
L'istinto lo aveva condotto lì, quella voce sommessa e silenziosa che lo aveva guidato di guaio in guaio per tutta la vita.
At a corner he stopped to watch a group of Kanakas who passed him, wreathed with leis and thrumming their ukuleles.
A un angolo si fermò a osservare un gruppo di Kanaka che gli passarono davanti, ornati di ghirlande di fiori e pizzicando i loro ukulele.
They sang in their soft, many-voweled language and the sound was to Harrigan like the rush and lapse of water on a beach, infinitely soothing and as lazy as the atmosphere of Honolulu.
Cantavano nella loro lingua morbida e ricca di vocali, e il suono era per Harrigan come il fluire e il rifluire dell'acqua su una spiaggia, infinitamente rassicurante e pigro come l'atmosfera di Honolulu.
All things are subdued in the strange city where East and West meet in the middle of the Pacific.
Tutto è pacato nella strana città dove l'Oriente e l'Occidente si incontrano nel mezzo del Pacifico.
Vocabulary
- suo
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'.
- turno
- A scheduled shift or turn in rotation.
- tranquillo
- Calm, quiet, or peaceful in manner.
- Devo
- First person singular of 'dovere'; means 'I must'.
- dirgli
- To tell him; infinitive with indirect object pronoun.
- venire
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to come'.
- sogghignò
- He sneered or smirked with contempt.
- sergente
- Military or police rank of sergeant.
- poi
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'afterwards'.
- alzò
- He raised or lifted something upward.
- sguardo
- A look or gaze directed at something.
- osservò
- He observed or watched carefully.
- larghe
- Wide or broad; feminine plural adjective.
- spalle
- Shoulders; plural noun referring to the body part.
- uomo
- A man; adult male human being.
- capelli
- Hair; plural noun referring to strands on the head.
- rossi
- Red; masculine plural adjective describing color.
- avanzava
- He was advancing or moving forward steadily.
- tra
- Preposition meaning 'among', 'between', or 'through'.
- folla
- A crowd or throng of people.
- prua
- The bow or front section of a ship.
- nave
- A ship or large seafaring vessel.
- fende
- It splits or cleaves through something forcefully.
- onde
- Waves; plural noun referring to water undulations.
- Va'
- Imperative of 'andare'; means 'go!'.
- prendere
- Infinitive meaning 'to take' or 'to fetch'.
- disse
- He/she said; past tense of 'dire'.
- bruscamente
- Abruptly or curtly, in a brusque manner.
- proseguì
- He continued or went on without stopping.
- strada
- A road or street in a town or city.
- senza
- Preposition meaning 'without'.
- esitazioni
- Hesitations; moments of uncertainty before acting.
- perché
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'because' or 'why'.
- avesse
- Subjunctive past of 'avere'; meaning 'had' conditionally.
- dimenticato
- Forgotten; past participle of 'dimenticare'.
- poliziotto
- A police officer or cop.
- abituato
- Accustomed or used to something habitual.
- trovarsi
- To find oneself; reflexive form of 'trovare'.
- sotto
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'beneath'.
- occhio
- An eye; singular noun referring to the sensory organ.
- sospettoso
- Suspicious or distrustful in attitude.
- legge
- Law or legal authority; noun from 'legge'.
- corso
- Course or duration of time or events.
- tutti
- All or every; masculine plural adjective.
- suoi
- Possessive adjective 'his/her/its'; masculine plural form.
- vagabondaggi
- Wanderings or aimless travels from place to place.
- sempre
- Adverb meaning 'always' or 'ever'.
- seguito
- Followed; past participle of 'seguire'.
- arrivo
- Arrival; the act of reaching a destination.
- uomini
- Men; plural of 'uomo', adult male humans.
- divisa
- A uniform worn by military or police personnel.
- suono
- A sound or noise produced by something.
- tromba
- A trumpet; a brass musical instrument.
- battaglia
- A battle or military combat engagement.
- cavallo
- A horse; a large domesticated four-legged animal.
- cavalleria
- Cavalry; horse-mounted military troops.
- Questa
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' (feminine).
- tuttavia
- Adverb meaning 'however' or 'nevertheless'.
- prima
- First or before; adverb or adjective.
- notte
- Night; the period of darkness after sunset.
- molto
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'much', 'very', or 'a lot'.
- vedere
- Infinitive meaning 'to see' or 'to look at'.
- fare
- Infinitive meaning 'to do' or 'to make'.
- girovagato
- Wandered around aimlessly through streets or places.
- strade
- Streets or roads; plural of 'strada'.
- ora
- Now; adverb indicating the present moment.
- diretto
- Headed or directed toward a specific destination.
- verso
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'.
- quartiere
- A neighborhood or district within a city.
- istinto
- Instinct; an innate natural impulse or tendency.
- condotto
- Led or guided; past participle of 'condurre'.
- lì
- Adverb meaning 'there', indicating a specific location.
- quella
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (feminine singular).
- voce
- A voice or sound produced by vocal cords.
- sommessa
- Subdued or hushed; soft and quiet in tone.
- silenziosa
- Silent or quiet; making no sound at all.
- guidato
- Guided or led; past participle of 'guidare'.
- guaio
- Trouble or a mess; an unfortunate situation.
- tutta
- All or whole; feminine singular adjective.
- vita
- Life; the existence of a living being.
- angolo
- A corner or angle of a street or room.
- fermò
- He stopped or came to a halt.
- osservare
- To observe or watch carefully and attentively.
- gruppo
- A group or cluster of people or things.
- passarono
- They passed by; past tense of 'passare'.
- davanti
- In front of; adverb or preposition of place.
- ornati
- Adorned or decorated with ornamental embellishments.
- ghirlande
- Garlands or wreaths made from flowers or leaves.
- fiori
- Flowers; plural of 'fiore', blooming plants.
- pizzicando
- Plucking or strumming a stringed instrument.
- loro
- Their or them; third person plural pronoun.
- Cantavano
- They were singing; imperfect tense of 'cantare'.
- lingua
- A language or tongue; means of human communication.
- morbida
- Soft or gentle; feminine singular adjective.
- ricca
- Rich or full of something; feminine adjective.
- vocali
- Vowels; the open speech sounds in a language.
- fluire
- To flow; infinitive describing liquid-like movement.
- rifluire
- To flow back; to ebb or recede in waves.
- acqua
- Water; the essential liquid compound H₂O.
- spiaggia
- A beach or sandy shore along water.
- infinitamente
- Infinitely or endlessly; to an immeasurable degree.
- rassicurante
- Reassuring or comforting in effect or manner.
- pigro
- Lazy or sluggish; lacking energy or motivation.
- atmosfera
- Atmosphere or mood; the surrounding feeling of a place.
- Tutto
- Everything or all; masculine singular pronoun or adjective.
- pacato
- Calm and composed; placid and unhurried in nature.
- strana
- Strange or unusual; feminine singular adjective.
- città
- A city or town; an urban settlement.
- dove
- Where; adverb indicating location or place.
- Oriente
- The East or Orient; eastern part of the world.
- Occidente
- The West; the western part of the world.
- incontrano
- They meet or encounter each other; present tense.
- mezzo
- Middle or center; halfway point between two extremes.
- Pacifico
- The Pacific; referring to the Pacific Ocean.
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