Harrigan — Page 5
You can't get away with little tricks like that. You better be starting on. Move along."
Non puoi cavartela con questi piccoli trucchi. Faresti meglio ad andartene. Muoviti."
Harrigan glanced slowly from face to face.
Harrigan guardò lentamente da un viso all'altro.
The three policemen drew closer together as if for mutual protection.
I tre poliziotti si avvicinarono l'uno all'altro come per proteggersi a vicenda.
"Please--honey!" urged the whisper of the girl.
"Ti prego--tesoro!" insisteva il sussurro della ragazza.
The hand of Harrigan resting on the window sill had gathered to a hard-bunched fist, white at the knuckles, but he nodded across the open space between the cottages.
La mano di Harrigan posata sul davanzale della finestra si era stretta in un pugno duro e compatto, bianco alle nocche, ma egli annuì verso lo spazio aperto tra i cottage.
"If you're looking for work," he said, "seems as though you'd find a handful over there."
«Se state cercando lavoro», disse, «sembra che ne trovereste un bel po' laggiù».
A clatter of sharp, quick voices rose from a group of Negro soldiers gathering around a white man.
Un coro di voci acute e veloci si levò da un gruppo di soldati negri che si raccoglievano intorno a un uomo bianco.
No one could tell the cause of the quarrel.
Nessuno riusciva a capire la causa della lite.
It might have been anything from an oath to a blow.
Poteva essere qualsiasi cosa, da un'imprecazione a un colpo.
"Watch him," said Harrigan. "He looks like a man." He added plaintively: "But looks are deceivin'."
«Guardatelo», disse Harrigan. «Sembra un uomo». Aggiunse malinconicamente: «Ma le apparenze ingannano».
The center of the disturbance appeared to be a man indeed.
Il centro della zuffa sembrava essere davvero un uomo.
He was even taller than Harrigan and broader of shoulder, and, like the latter, there was a suggestion of strength in him which could not be defined by his size alone.
Era persino più alto di Harrigan e più largo di spalle, e, come quest'ultimo, emanava una sensazione di forza che non poteva essere definita dalla sola corporatura.
At the distance they could guess his smile as he faced the clamoring mob.
Da quella distanza potevano intuire il suo sorriso mentre affrontava la folla vociante.
"Break in there!" ordered the sergeant to his companions, and started toward the angry circle.
«Intervenite!» ordinò il sergente ai suoi compagni, e si mosse verso il cerchio inferocito.
As he spoke, they heard one of the Negroes curse and the fist of the tall man darted at the face of a soldier and drove him toppling back among his comrades.
Mentre parlava, sentirono uno dei negri imprecare e il pugno dell'uomo alto scattò verso il viso di un soldato, facendolo barcollare all'indietro tra i suoi compagni.
Vocabulary
- Non
- Negation; not
- puoi
- You can; second person singular present tense
- cavartela
- To manage; to get by or handle situation
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- questi
- These; demonstrative pronoun masculine plural
- piccoli
- Small; little; plural masculine adjective
- trucchi
- Tricks; deceptions or clever devices
- Faresti
- You would do; conditional second person singular
- meglio
- Better; best; adverb of comparative superiority
- andartene
- To go away; to leave or depart
- Muoviti
- Move; imperative second person singular reflexive verb
- guardò
- Looked; third person singular past tense
- lentamente
- Slowly; adverb indicating slow movement or action
- da
- From; by; preposition indicating origin or agent
- un
- A; an; indefinite article masculine singular
- viso
- Face; countenance or facial expression
- altro
- Other; another; different person or thing
- tre
- Three; number 3
- poliziotti
- Police officers; plural of poliziotto
- si
- Reflexive pronoun; oneself or themselves
- avvicinarono
- Approached; third person plural past tense
- uno
- One; number 1 or indefinite article
- come
- How; as if; comparative conjunction or adverb
- per
- For; in order to; preposition indicating purpose
- proteggersi
- To protect oneself; reflexive infinitive verb
- vicenda
- Event; occurrence or sequence of happenings
- Ti
- You; second person singular direct object pronoun
- prego
- Please; you are welcome or I pray
- tesoro
- Treasure; darling; term of endearment
- insisteva
- Insisted; third person singular imperfect tense
- il
- The; definite article masculine singular
- sussurro
- Whisper; soft murmuring sound or tone
- della
- Of the; contraction of di + la
- ragazza
- Girl; young woman or female person
- La
- The; definite article feminine singular
- mano
- Hand; upper limb from wrist downward
- di
- Of; preposition indicating possession or relationship
- posata
- Placed; rested; past participle of posare
- sul
- On the; contraction of su + il
- davanzale
- Windowsill; ledge at bottom of window
- finestra
- Window; opening in wall for light entry
- era
- Was; third person singular imperfect tense
- stretta
- Tight; clenched or firmly held together
- in
- In; into; preposition indicating location or direction
- pugno
- Fist; closed hand with fingers curled
- duro
- Hard; firm; solid or difficult to compress
- compatto
- Compact; dense; closely packed or compressed
- bianco
- White; color opposite to black
- alle
- To the; plural feminine contraction of a
- nocche
- Knuckles; joints of fingers in hand
- ma
- But; conjunction indicating contrast or opposition
- egli
- He; third person singular masculine pronoun
- annuì
- Nodded; third person singular past tense
- verso
- Toward; in direction of or about
- lo
- The; him; definite article or direct object pronoun
- spazio
- Space; area or room between objects
- aperto
- Open; not closed; accessible or unobstructed
- cottage
- Cottage; small country house or dwelling
- Se
- If; conditional conjunction in Italian
- state
- Are; second person plural present tense
- cercando
- Searching; looking for; present participle
- lavoro
- Work; employment or job activity
- disse
- Said; third person singular past tense
- sembra
- Seems; appears to be; third person singular
- che
- That; which; relative or subordinating conjunction
- ne
- Of it; from there; adverbial pronoun
- trovereste
- You would find; second person plural conditional
- bel
- Beautiful; fine; apocope of bello before masculine
- po
- A bit; a little; apocope of poco
- laggiù
- Down there; below in that location
- Un
- A; an; indefinite article before masculine
- coro
- Chorus; group singing together in harmony
- voci
- Voices; plural of voce, human vocal sound
- acute
- Sharp; high-pitched; feminine plural adjective
- veloci
- Fast; quick; plural adjective indicating speed
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