Harrigan — Page 6
They closed on the white man with a yell; a passing group of their compatriots joined the affray; the whole mass surged in around the tall fellow.
Si avventarono sull'uomo bianco con un grido; un gruppo di loro compatrioti di passaggio si unì alla mischia; tutta la massa si riversò attorno all'uomo alto.
Harrigan's head went back and his eyes half closed like a critic listening to an exquisite symphony.
La testa di Harrigan si inclinò all'indietro e i suoi occhi si socchiusero come quelli di un critico che ascolta una sinfonia squisita.
"Ah-h!" he whispered to himself. "Watch him fight!"
«Ah-h!» sussurrò tra sé. «Guardalo combattere!»
The policemen struck the outer edge of the circle with drawn clubs, but there they stopped.
I poliziotti colpirono il bordo esterno del cerchio con i manganelli sguainati, ma lì si fermarono.
They could not dent that compacted mass.
Non riuscivano a scalfire quella massa compatta.
The soldiers struggled manfully, but they were held at bay.
I soldati lottarono valorosamente, ma venivano tenuti a bada.
Harrigan could see the heaving shoulders of the defender over the heads of the assailants, and the crack of hard-driven fists.
Harrigan riusciva a vedere le spalle ondeggianti del difensore sopra le teste degli assalitori, e a sentire il crepitio dei pugni vibrati con forza.
The attackers were crushed together and had little room to swing their arms with full force, while the big man stood with his back against the wall of the cottage and made every smashing punch count.
Gli attaccanti erano stipati insieme e avevano poco spazio per menare le braccia con tutta la forza, mentre l'uomo grande se ne stava con la schiena contro il muro del cottage e faceva valere ogni pugno devastante.
As if by common assent, the soldiers suddenly desisted and gave back from this deadly fighter.
Come per comune accordo, i soldati desistettero all'improvviso e arretrarono davanti a questo combattente letale.
His bellow of triumph rang over the clamor.
Il suo urlo di trionfo risuonò sopra il clamore.
His hat was off; his long black hair stood straight up in the wind; and he leaped after them with flailing arms.
Il cappello era volato via; i suoi lunghi capelli neri si drizzavano nel vento; e si lanciò all'inseguimento con le braccia che sferravano colpi a caso.
But now the police had managed to pry their way into the mass by dint of indiscriminate battering.
Ma ora la polizia era riuscita a farsi largo nella massa a forza di colpi indiscriminati.
As the black-haired man came face to face with the sergeant, the light gleamed on a high-swung club that thudded home; and the big man dropped out of sight.
Quando l'uomo dai capelli neri si trovò faccia a faccia con il sergente, la luce brillò su un manganello alzato in alto che colpì duramente il bersaglio; e l'uomo grande sparì alla vista.
Vocabulary
- Si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself,' 'herself,' or 'themselves'
- avventarono
- They rushed or threw themselves upon something aggressively
- sull'
- Contraction of 'su' and 'il/lo,' meaning 'on the'
- uomo
- A male human being; man
- bianco
- Of white color; also used to describe pale complexion
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- un
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'
- grido
- A loud shout or cry of emotion
- gruppo
- A collection of people or things together; group
- di
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
- loro
- Third-person plural pronoun meaning 'their' or 'them'
- compatrioti
- People from the same country; fellow countrymen
- passaggio
- A passage, transition, or act of passing through
- si
- Reflexive pronoun used with verbs for self-action
- unì
- Joined or united with a group or cause
- alla
- Contraction of 'a' and 'la,' meaning 'to the'
- mischia
- A chaotic brawl or confused struggle among people
- tutta
- Feminine form of 'all' or 'the whole of'
- la
- Feminine definite article meaning 'the'
- massa
- A large crowd or dense body of people
- riversò
- Poured or surged toward something in a mass
- attorno
- Around or surrounding something or someone
- all'
- Contraction of 'a' and 'il/lo,' meaning 'to the'
- alto
- Tall in stature; also meaning high or elevated
- La
- Feminine definite article meaning 'the'
- testa
- The head, the topmost part of the body
- inclinò
- Tilted or leaned in a particular direction
- indietro
- Backward or toward the rear direction
- e
- Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses
- i
- Masculine plural definite article meaning 'the'
- suoi
- His, her, or its (masculine plural possessive adjective)
- occhi
- The eyes, the organs used for seeing
- socchiusero
- They half-closed or narrowed, as eyes in concentration
- come
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'like,' 'as,' or 'how'
- quelli
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' (masculine plural)
- critico
- A person who judges or analyzes artistic works professionally
- che
- Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning 'that' or 'who'
- ascolta
- Listens attentively to a sound or speaker
- una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'
- sinfonia
- A large orchestral musical composition in multiple movements
- squisita
- Exquisitely beautiful, refined, or of exceptional quality
- sussurrò
- Whispered softly so as not to be heard broadly
- tra
- Preposition meaning 'between,' 'among,' or 'to oneself'
- sé
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself,' 'herself,' or 'itself'
- Guardalo
- Imperative meaning 'Look at him!' or 'Watch him!'
- combattere
- To fight or struggle against an opponent or force
- I
- Masculine plural definite article meaning 'the'
- poliziotti
- Police officers; members of the law enforcement force
- colpirono
- They struck or hit with force against something
- il
- Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'
- bordo
- The edge or outer rim of something circular
- esterno
- Outer, external, on the outside of something
- del
- Contraction of 'di' and 'il,' meaning 'of the'
- cerchio
- A circular ring or group arranged in a circle
- manganelli
- Police batons or clubs used to strike people
- sguainati
- Drawn out or unsheathed, ready for use in combat
- ma
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrasting idea
- lì
- Adverb meaning 'there,' indicating a specific location
- fermarono
- They stopped or halted their movement or action
- Non
- Negation adverb meaning 'not,' negating verbs or adjectives
- riuscivano
- They managed or were able to do something (imperfect)
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'in'
- scalfire
- To scratch, graze, or make a small mark on something
- quella
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (feminine singular)
- compatta
- Compact, tightly packed, or densely grouped together
- soldati
- Soldiers; armed fighters serving in a military force
- lottarono
- They fought or struggled with great effort and determination
- valorosamente
- Bravely and courageously, showing valor in difficult circumstances
- venivano
- They were coming or being (imperfect passive auxiliary use)
- tenuti
- Held, kept, or maintained in a particular state
- bada
- Used in 'tener a bada,' meaning to keep at bay
- riusciva
- He/she managed or was able to do something
- vedere
- To see or perceive something with the eyes
- le
- Feminine plural definite article or object pronoun 'the'
- spalle
- The shoulders, upper back area of the human body
- ondeggianti
- Swaying or undulating with a rhythmic back-and-forth motion
- difensore
- A defender; one who protects or defends against attack
- sopra
- Above, over, or on top of something else
- teste
- Heads; plural of 'testa,' the topmost body part
- degli
- Contraction of 'di' and 'gli,' meaning 'of the' (plural)
- assalitori
- Attackers or assailants who aggressively assault someone
- sentire
- To hear or feel; to perceive through senses
- crepitio
- A crackling or snapping sound from repeated impacts
- pugni
- Fists; also punches thrown in a physical fight
- vibrati
- Delivered forcefully; struck with vibrating or resonant impact
- forza
- Physical strength or force applied to an action
- Gli
- Masculine plural definite article or indirect object pronoun
- attaccanti
- Attackers; those who initiate an aggressive physical assault
- erano
- They were; third-person plural imperfect of 'essere'
- stipati
- Crammed or packed tightly together with little room
- insieme
- Together; in the company of or combined with others
- avevano
- They had; third-person plural imperfect of 'avere'
- poco
- Little, not much; a small quantity of something
- spazio
- Space or room available for movement or action
- per
- Preposition meaning 'for,' 'in order to,' or 'through'
- menare
- To swing or deliver blows with the arms
- braccia
- Arms; the upper limbs used for swinging and fighting
- mentre
- Conjunction meaning 'while' or 'whereas,' indicating simultaneity
- l'
- Elided definite article 'il/la' before a vowel sound
- grande
- Big, large, or great in size or stature
- se
- Reflexive or conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'himself'
- ne
- Pronoun meaning 'of it,' 'from there,' or 'about it'
- stava
- He/she was staying or standing (imperfect of 'stare')
- schiena
- The back of the human body, rear torso area
- contro
- Preposition meaning 'against,' indicating opposition or contact
- muro
- A wall, typically made of stone or brick
- faceva
- He/she was doing or making (imperfect of 'fare')
- valere
- To be worth; to count or make something effective
- ogni
- Each or every; referring to all items individually
- pugno
- A punch; a strike delivered with a closed fist
- devastante
- Devastating, highly destructive, or overwhelmingly powerful
- Come
- As if; used here to mean 'as if by common accord'
- comune
- Common, shared, or mutual among a group of people
- accordo
- Agreement or accord reached between parties together
- desistettero
- They desisted or ceased their action or attack suddenly
- improvviso
- Sudden or unexpected; happening without prior warning
- arretrarono
- They stepped back or retreated from their position
- davanti
- In front of; facing or positioned ahead of something
- questo
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' (masculine singular)
- combattente
- A fighter or combatant engaged in physical battle
- letale
- Deadly or lethal; capable of causing death or defeat
- Il
- Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'
- suo
- His, her, or its (masculine singular possessive adjective)
- urlo
- A loud scream or yell expressing strong emotion
- trionfo
- Triumph; a great victory or exultant success
- risuonò
- Resounded or echoed loudly through the surrounding area
- clamore
- A loud noise or uproar made by a crowd
- cappello
- A hat worn on the head as headwear
- era
- He/she/it was; third-person singular imperfect of 'essere'
- volato
- Flown or flown off; past participle of 'volare'
- via
- Away; indicating departure or removal from a place
- lunghi
- Long; describing extended length in masculine plural form
- capelli
- Hair on the human head; plural of 'capello'
- neri
- Black; masculine plural adjective describing dark color
- drizzavano
- They were standing on end or bristling upright
- nel
- Contraction of 'in' and 'il,' meaning 'in the'
- vento
- Wind; moving air that blows across a landscape
- lanciò
- He launched or hurled himself into pursuit or action
- inseguimento
- A chase or pursuit of a fleeing person or group
- sferravano
- They were delivering or landing blows randomly around them
- colpi
- Blows, hits, or strikes in a physical confrontation
- caso
- Chance; here used in 'a caso,' meaning randomly
- Ma
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing contrast or exception
- ora
- Now; at the present moment in time
- polizia
- The police force responsible for law enforcement
- riuscita
- Managed or succeeded (feminine past participle of 'riuscire')
- farsi
- To make oneself; reflexive infinitive of 'fare'
- largo
- Wide or broad; 'farsi largo' means to make one's way
- nella
- Contraction of 'in' and 'la,' meaning 'in the'
- indiscriminati
- Indiscriminate; random blows without specific targeting
- Quando
- When; a conjunction indicating a specific point in time
- dai
- Contraction of 'da' and 'i,' meaning 'from the'
- trovò
- He/she found or came across something unexpectedly
- faccia
- The face; the front part of a person's head
- sergente
- A sergeant; a mid-ranking law enforcement or military officer
- luce
- Light; illumination from a source such as lamp or sun
- brillò
- Shone or gleamed brightly, reflecting or emitting light
- su
- Preposition meaning 'on,' 'up,' or 'upon'
- manganello
- A police baton or truncheon used to strike people
- alzato
- Raised or lifted upward; past participle of 'alzare'
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'into,' or 'within'
- colpì
- He struck or hit a target with force
- duramente
- Harshly or hard; with great force or severity
- bersaglio
- A target; the object or person aimed at and struck
- sparì
- He/she/it disappeared or vanished from sight suddenly
- vista
- Sight or view; the ability or range of seeing
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