Harrigan — Page 1
They were past the thick of the mob now and they dodged rapidly among the cottages until the clamor of police fell away to a murmur behind them, and they swung out onto the narrow, dark street which led back toward the heart of Honolulu.
Avevano ormai superato il folto della folla e schivarono rapidamente tra le casette finché il clamore della polizia si affievolì in un mormorio dietro di loro, e svoltarono sulla strada stretta e buia che conduceva verso il cuore di Honolulu.
For ten minutes they strode along without a word.
Per dieci minuti camminarono a grandi passi senza dire una parola.
Under the light of a street lamp they stopped of one accord.
Sotto la luce di un lampione si fermarono di comune accordo.
"I'm McTee."
«Sono McTee.»
"I'm Harrigan."
«Sono Harrigan.»
The gripping of the hands was more than fellowship; it was like a test of strength which left each uncertain of the other's resources.
La stretta di mano era più di una semplice fratellanza; era come una prova di forza che lasciava ciascuno incerto delle risorse dell'altro.
They were exactly opposite types.
Erano tipi esattamente opposti.
McTee was long of face, with an arched, cruel nose, gleaming eyes, heavy, straight brows which pointed up and gave a touch of the Mephistophelian to his expression, a narrow, jutting chin, and lips habitually compressed to a thin line.
McTee aveva un viso allungato, con un naso arcuato e crudele, occhi lucenti, sopracciglia folte e dritte che puntavano verso l'alto e conferivano un tocco mefistofelico alla sua espressione, un mento stretto e prominente, e labbra abitualmente compresse in una linea sottile.
It was a handsome face, in a way, but it showed such a brutal dominance that it inspired fear first and admiration afterward.
Era un viso bello, in un certo senso, ma mostrava una dominanza così brutale che ispirava prima paura e poi ammirazione.
Such a man must command.
Un tale uomo doveva necessariamente comandare.
He might be only the boss of a gang of laborers, or he might be a financier, but never in any case an underling.
Avrebbe potuto essere soltanto il capo di una squadra di operai, o forse un finanziere, ma in nessun caso un subalterno.
Altogether he combined physical and intellectual strength to such a degree that both men and women would have stopped to look at him, and once seen he would be remembered.
Nel complesso univa forza fisica e intellettuale a tal punto che sia gli uomini che le donne si sarebbero fermati a guardarlo, e una volta visto non lo si sarebbe dimenticato.
On the other hand, in Harrigan one felt only force, not directed and controlled as in McTee, but impulsive, irregular, irresponsible, uncompassed.
D'altro canto, in Harrigan si avvertiva soltanto forza, non diretta e controllata come in McTee, ma impulsiva, irregolare, irresponsabile, senza bussola.
Vocabulary
- Avevano
- ah-VEH-vah-no — They had (third person plural past perfect)
- ormai
- or-MAI — By now, at this point, already
- superato
- soo-peh-RAH-to — Surpassed, overcome, passed beyond something
- folto
- FOL-to — Dense, thick, crowded mass or group
- folla
- FOL-la — A crowd, large group of people
- schivarono
- skee-VAH-ro-no — They dodged, swerved around obstacles or people
- rapidamente
- rah-pee-dah-MEN-teh — Quickly, swiftly, at fast speed
- tra
- trah — Among, between, through (preposition)
- casette
- kah-ZET-teh — Small houses, little cottages or dwellings
- finché
- fin-KEH — Until, as long as (subordinating conjunction)
- clamore
- klah-MOH-reh — Loud noise, clamor, uproar from a crowd
- polizia
- po-LEE-tsyah — Police, law enforcement agency
- affievolì
- af-fyeh-vo-LEE — Faded, weakened, diminished gradually in intensity
- mormorio
- mor-MOR-yo — A murmur, low indistinct background sound
- dietro
- DYEH-tro — Behind, at the back of something
- svoltarono
- svol-TAH-ro-no — They turned, changed direction at a corner
- strada
- STRAH-dah — Street, road, path for travel
- stretta
- STRET-ta — Narrow, tight, confined in width
- buia
- BOO-yah — Dark, unlit, lacking light (feminine adjective)
- conduceva
- kon-doo-CHEH-vah — Led, guided toward a destination (imperfect tense)
- verso
- VER-so — Toward, in the direction of something
- cuore
- KWOH-reh — Heart, core, central part of something
- dieci
- DYEH-chee — Ten (cardinal number)
- minuti
- mee-NOO-tee — Minutes (plural unit of time)
- camminarono
- kam-mee-NAH-ro-no — They walked, traveled on foot
- grandi
- GRAN-dee — Large, great, big (plural adjective)
- passi
- PAS-see — Steps, paces, strides while walking
- senza
- SEN-tsah — Without (preposition indicating absence)
- dire
- DEE-reh — To say, to speak, to utter words
- parola
- pah-ROH-lah — A word, spoken or written unit of language
- Sotto
- SOT-to — Under, below, beneath (preposition of position)
- luce
- LOO-cheh — Light, illumination from a source
- lampione
- lam-PYO-neh — Street lamp, outdoor light pole
- fermarono
- fer-MAH-ro-no — They stopped, halted their movement
- comune
- ko-MOO-neh — Common, shared, mutual between parties
- accordo
- ak-KOR-do — Agreement, accord, mutual understanding
- mano
- MAH-no — Hand (body part)
- più
- pyoo — More, most (comparative adverb)
- semplice
- SEM-plee-cheh — Simple, plain, uncomplicated in nature
- fratellanza
- frah-tel-LAN-tsah — Brotherhood, fellowship, bond among men
- prova
- PROH-vah — Test, proof, trial of ability or strength
- forza
- FOR-tsah — Strength, force, physical power
- lasciava
- lah-SHAH-vah — Left, allowed, let remain (imperfect tense)
- ciascuno
- chah-SKOO-no — Each one, everyone individually
- incerto
- in-CHER-to — Uncertain, unsure about something or someone
- risorse
- ree-SOR-seh — Resources, capabilities, means available to someone
- altro
- AL-tro — Other, another, the other one
- tipi
- TEE-pee — Types, kinds, characters of people
- esattamente
- eh-zat-tah-MEN-teh — Exactly, precisely, in a completely accurate way
- opposti
- op-POS-tee — Opposite, contrary, completely different from each other
- viso
- VEE-zo — Face, the front part of the head
- allungato
- al-loon-GAH-to — Elongated, stretched, long in shape
- naso
- NAH-zo — Nose (facial feature)
- arcuato
- ar-KWAH-to — Arched, curved, hooked in shape
- crudele
- kroo-DEH-leh — Cruel, harsh, merciless in character
- occhi
- OK-kee — Eyes (plural, facial features)
- lucenti
- loo-CHEN-tee — Shining, gleaming, bright and sparkling
- sopracciglia
- so-prat-CHEE-lyah — Eyebrows (plural facial feature)
- folte
- FOL-teh — Thick, bushy, dense (feminine plural adjective)
- dritte
- DRIT-teh — Straight, upright, not curved (feminine plural)
- puntavano
- poon-TAH-vah-no — Pointed toward, aimed in a direction
- alto
- AL-to — High, tall, upward direction
- conferivano
- kon-feh-REE-vah-no — Conferred, gave, added a quality to something
- tocco
- TOK-ko — Touch, a hint or trace of something
- mefistofelico
- meh-fis-to-FEH-lee-ko — Mephistophelian, sinister, devilishly cunning in appearance
- espressione
- es-pres-SYO-neh — Expression, facial look, outward appearance
- mento
- MEN-to — Chin (facial feature below the mouth)
- stretto
- STRET-to — Narrow, tight, closely confined
- prominente
- pro-mee-NEN-teh — Prominent, jutting out, noticeably projecting forward
- labbra
- LAB-brah — Lips (plural, part of the mouth)
- abitualmente
- ah-bee-twahl-MEN-teh — Usually, habitually, as a matter of routine
- compresse
- kom-PRES-seh — Compressed, pressed together tightly (feminine plural)
- linea
- LEE-neh-ah — Line, a thin straight mark or shape
- sottile
- sot-TEE-leh — Thin, slender, fine in width
- bello
- BEL-lo — Beautiful, handsome, attractive in appearance
- certo
- CHER-to — Certain, a certain kind of (adjective/adverb)
- senso
- SEN-so — Sense, meaning, way of understanding something
- mostrava
- mo-STRAH-vah — Showed, displayed, revealed (imperfect tense)
- dominanza
- do-mee-NAN-tsah — Dominance, supremacy, overpowering control over others
- così
- ko-ZEE — So, thus, in this way
- brutale
- broo-TAH-leh — Brutal, savage, violently harsh in nature
- ispirava
- is-pee-RAH-vah — Inspired, aroused a feeling in someone
- prima
- PREE-mah — First, before, earlier (adverb of time)
- paura
- pah-OO-rah — Fear, fright, feeling of being scared
- poi
- poy — Then, afterward, later (adverb of time)
- ammirazione
- am-mee-rah-TSYO-neh — Admiration, feeling of respect and wonder
- tale
- TAH-leh — Such a, this kind of person or thing
- uomo
- WO-mo — Man, adult male human being
- doveva
- do-VEH-vah — Had to, must have (imperfect of dovere)
- necessariamente
- neh-ches-sah-ryah-MEN-teh — Necessarily, inevitably, by force of circumstance
- comandare
- ko-man-DAH-reh — To command, to lead, to give orders
- Avrebbe
- ah-VREB-beh — He/she would have (conditional of avere)
- potuto
- po-TOO-to — Been able, could have (past participle of potere)
- essere
- ES-seh-reh — To be (fundamental Italian infinitive verb)
- soltanto
- sol-TAN-to — Only, solely, just (restrictive adverb)
- capo
- KAH-po — Head, leader, boss of a group
- squadra
- SKWAH-drah — Team, squad, group working together
- operai
- o-peh-RAH-ee — Workers, laborers, manual workforce (plural)
- forse
- FOR-seh — Perhaps, maybe, possibly (adverb of uncertainty)
- finanziere
- fee-nan-TSYEH-reh — Financier, banker, person dealing in large finance
- nessun
- nes-SOON — No, not any (masculine singular negative adjective)
- caso
- KAH-zo — Case, situation, circumstance, instance
- subalterno
- soo-bal-TER-no — Subordinate, inferior rank, secondary in authority
- complesso
- kom-PLES-so — Overall, complex whole; on the whole
- univa
- oo-NEE-vah — United, combined, joined together (imperfect tense)
- fisica
- FEE-zee-kah — Physical strength or quality (feminine noun/adjective)
- intellettuale
- in-tel-let-TWAH-leh — Intellectual, mental, relating to the mind
- tal
- tal — Such, to such (short form of tale)
- punto
- POON-to — Point, degree, extent of something
- sia
- SEE-ah — Both...and; whether (subjunctive of essere)
- uomini
- WO-mee-nee — Men, adult males (plural of uomo)
- donne
- DON-neh — Women, adult females (plural of donna)
- sarebbero
- sah-REB-beh-ro — They would be (conditional of essere)
- fermati
- fer-MAH-tee — Stopped, halted (past participle, plural masculine)
- guardarlo
- gwar-DAR-lo — To look at him, to watch him
- volta
- VOL-tah — Time, occasion, once (unit of occurrence)
- visto
- VIS-to — Seen (past participle of vedere)
- sarebbe
- sah-REB-beh — Would be, would have been (conditional)
- dimenticato
- dee-men-tee-KAH-to — Forgotten (past participle of dimenticare)
- canto
- KAN-to — Side, part; song (here: on his part)
- avvertiva
- av-ver-TEE-vah — Felt, sensed, perceived something instinctively
- diretta
- dee-RET-tah — Direct, straightforward, not indirect (feminine adjective)
- controllata
- kon-trol-LAH-tah — Controlled, restrained, kept in check
- impulsiva
- im-pool-SEE-vah — Impulsive, acting without thinking first
- irregolare
- ir-reh-go-LAH-reh — Irregular, uneven, not following a pattern
- irresponsabile
- ir-reh-spon-SAH-bee-leh — Irresponsible, lacking accountability or reliability
- bussola
- BOOS-so-lah — Compass, navigational instrument showing direction
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