Harrigan — Page 3
He strolled out to the pier and watched the last ropes cast loose.
Si diresse lentamente verso il molo e osservò gli ultimi cavi essere sganciati.
The ship was not large, and even in the dark it seemed dingy and dilapidated.
La nave non era grande, e anche nell'oscurità sembrava squallida e fatiscente.
He guessed that, big or small, this boat would carry her crew to some distant quarter of the world, and therefore to a place to be desired.
Immaginò che, grande o piccola, questa imbarcazione avrebbe portato il suo equipaggio in qualche angolo lontano del mondo, e quindi in un luogo desiderabile.
A strong voice gave an order from the deck--a hard voice with a ring in it like the striking of iron against iron.
Una voce possente impartì un ordine dal ponte — una voce dura con un timbro simile al risuonare del ferro contro il ferro.
Harrigan glanced up with a start of recognition, and by the light of a swinging lantern he saw McTee.
Harrigan alzò lo sguardo con un sussulto di riconoscimento, e alla luce di una lanterna oscillante vide McTee.
If he were in command, this ship was certainly going to a far port.
Se fosse stato lui al comando, quella nave si stava certamente dirigendo verso un porto lontano.
Black water showed between the dock and the ship.
L'acqua nera apparve tra il molo e la nave.
In a moment more it would be beyond reach, and that thought decided Harrigan.
In un altro momento sarebbe stata irraggiungibile, e quel pensiero spinse Harrigan a decidersi.
He made a few paces back, noted the aperture in the rail of the ship where the gangplank was being drawn in, then ran at full speed and leaped high in the air.
Fece qualche passo indietro, notò l'apertura nel parapetto della nave dove la passerella veniva ritirata, poi corse a tutta velocità e saltò in alto nell'aria.
The three sailors at the rail shouted their astonishment as Harrigan struck the edge of the gangplank, reeled, and then pitched forward to his knees.
I tre marinai al parapetto gridarono la loro sorpresa mentre Harrigan atterrava sul bordo della passerella, barcollava e poi cadeva in avanti sulle ginocchia.
He rose and shook himself like a cat that has dropped from a high fence to the ground.
Si rialzò e si scosse come un gatto che è caduto da un alto steccato a terra.
"What're you?"
«Chi sei?»
"I'm the extra hand."
«Sono il marinaio in più.»
And Harrigan ran up the steps to the bridge.
E Harrigan salì di corsa i gradini verso il ponte di comando.
There he found McTee with the first and second mates.
Lì trovò McTee con il primo e il secondo ufficiale.
Vocabulary
- Si
- si — Reflexive pronoun meaning himself, herself, itself, themselves
- diresse
- di-RES-se — He/she directed or headed toward a place
- lentamente
- len-ta-MEN-te — Slowly, in a slow manner
- verso
- VER-so — Toward, in the direction of
- molo
- MO-lo — A dock or pier where boats are moored
- osservò
- os-ser-VÒ — He/she observed or watched carefully
- ultimi
- UL-ti-mi — Last or final ones in a sequence
- cavi
- CA-vi — Ropes or cables used to moor a vessel
- essere
- ES-se-re — To be; also used as auxiliary verb
- sganciati
- sgan-CIA-ti — Unhooked, released, or detached from fastening
- nave
- NA-ve — A ship or large seafaring vessel
- grande
- GRAN-de — Large, big, or great in size
- anche
- AN-ke — Also, too, even
- oscurità
- os-cu-ri-TÀ — Darkness, the absence of light
- sembrava
- sem-BRA-va — It seemed or appeared to be something
- squallida
- SQUAL-li-da — Squalid, dreary, grim in appearance
- fatiscente
- fa-ti-SHEN-te — Dilapidated, crumbling, in disrepair
- Immaginò
- im-ma-gi-NÒ — He/she imagined or pictured something mentally
- piccola
- PIC-co-la — Small, little in size
- imbarcazione
- im-bar-ca-ZIO-ne — A boat or watercraft of any kind
- avrebbe
- a-VREB-be — Would have; conditional form of avere
- portato
- por-TA-to — Carried or brought to a destination
- equipaggio
- e-qui-PAG-gio — The crew of a ship or aircraft
- qualche
- QUAL-ke — Some, any, a few
- angolo
- AN-go-lo — A corner or remote spot in space
- lontano
- lon-TA-no — Far, distant, remote from here
- mondo
- MON-do — The world; the earth and all people
- quindi
- QUIN-di — Therefore, so, then indicating consequence
- luogo
- LUO-go — A place or location
- desiderabile
- de-si-de-RA-bi-le — Desirable, worth wanting or seeking out
- voce
- VO-ce — A voice or spoken sound
- possente
- pos-SEN-te — Powerful, mighty, strong in force
- impartì
- im-par-TÌ — Issued or gave a command or order
- ordine
- OR-di-ne — An order or command given authoritatively
- ponte
- PON-te — The deck of a ship or a bridge
- dura
- DU-ra — Hard, harsh, or tough in quality
- timbro
- TIM-bro — Timbre or tone quality of a voice
- simile
- SI-mi-le — Similar, resembling something else closely
- risuonare
- ri-suo-NA-re — To resound or ring out loudly
- ferro
- FER-ro — Iron, the metal; used in many expressions
- contro
- CON-tro — Against; preposition indicating opposition or contact
- alzò
- al-ZÒ — He/she raised or lifted something upward
- sguardo
- SGUAR-do — A look or gaze directed at something
- sussulto
- sus-SUL-to — A start or jolt of sudden surprise
- riconoscimento
- ri-co-no-sci-MEN-to — Recognition, the act of identifying someone known
- luce
- LU-ce — Light, illumination from a source
- lanterna
- lan-TER-na — A lantern, a portable light-giving device
- oscillante
- os-cil-LAN-te — Swinging, swaying back and forth
- vide
- VI-de — He/she saw; past tense of vedere
- Se
- se — If; conditional conjunction in Italian
- fosse
- FOS-se — Were; subjunctive past of essere (to be)
- stato
- STA-to — Been; past participle of essere (to be)
- comando
- co-MAN-do — Command, control, or authority over others
- si
- si — Reflexive pronoun; oneself, itself, themselves
- stava
- STA-va — Was (in the process of doing something)
- certamente
- cer-ta-MEN-te — Certainly, definitely, without any doubt
- dirigendo
- di-ri-GEN-do — Heading or directing itself toward a place
- porto
- POR-to — A harbor or port where ships dock
- acqua
- AC-qua — Water in liquid form
- nera
- NE-ra — Black (feminine adjective)
- apparve
- ap-PAR-ve — Appeared, came into view suddenly
- tra
- tra — Between, among; preposition of position
- altro
- AL-tro — Another, other, different
- momento
- mo-MEN-to — A moment, a brief period of time
- sarebbe
- sa-REB-be — Would be; conditional of essere (to be)
- irraggiungibile
- ir-rag-giun-GI-bi-le — Unreachable, impossible to attain or access
- pensiero
- pen-SIE-ro — A thought or idea in the mind
- spinse
- SPIN-se — Pushed or drove someone to do something
- decidersi
- de-CI-der-si — To make up one's mind, to decide
- Fece
- FE-ce — He/she did or made; past tense of fare
- passo
- PAS-so — A step taken while walking or moving
- indietro
- in-DIEC-tro — Backward, behind, in the reverse direction
- notò
- no-TÒ — He/she noticed or observed something specific
- apertura
- a-per-TU-ra — An opening, gap, or passage in something
- parapetto
- pa-ra-PET-to — A parapet or railing along a ship's side
- dove
- DO-ve — Where; interrogative or relative adverb of place
- passerella
- pas-se-REL-la — A gangway or walkway connecting ship to dock
- veniva
- ve-NI-va — Was being; imperfect of venire (to come)
- ritirata
- ri-ti-RA-ta — Withdrawn or pulled back from position
- poi
- poi — Then, afterward, later in sequence
- corse
- COR-se — He/she ran; past tense of correre
- tutta
- TUT-ta — All, entire, whole (feminine adjective)
- velocità
- ve-lo-ci-TÀ — Speed, velocity, quickness of movement
- saltò
- sal-TÒ — He/she jumped or leaped upward or forward
- alto
- AL-to — High, tall, or elevated in position
- aria
- A-ria — Air, atmosphere; also means tune or aria
- marinai
- ma-ri-NAI — Sailors, seamen who work on ships
- gridarono
- gri-da-RO-no — They shouted or cried out loudly
- sorpresa
- sor-PRE-sa — Surprise, an unexpected or astonishing event
- mentre
- MEN-tre — While, as, at the same time that
- atterrava
- at-ter-RA-va — Was landing or touching down on a surface
- bordo
- BOR-do — The edge or side of a ship or object
- barcollava
- bar-col-LA-va — Was staggering or tottering unsteadily
- cadeva
- ca-DE-va — Was falling; imperfect of cadere (to fall)
- avanti
- a-VAN-ti — Forward, ahead, onward in direction
- ginocchia
- gi-NOC-chia — Knees; the joints between thigh and shin
- rialzò
- ri-al-ZÒ — He/she got back up or rose again
- scosse
- SCOS-se — Shook or shuddered; past tense of scuotere
- come
- CO-me — Like, as, how; comparison or manner adverb
- gatto
- GAT-to — A cat; common domestic feline animal
- caduto
- ca-DU-to — Fallen; past participle of cadere (to fall)
- steccato
- stec-CA-to — A fence or picket fence made of stakes
- terra
- TER-ra — Ground, earth, land or floor surface
- Chi
- chi — Who; interrogative pronoun asking about identity
- marinaio
- ma-ri-NAI-o — A sailor or seaman working on a vessel
- più
- più — More, most, plus; comparative adverb
- salì
- sa-LÌ — He/she climbed or went up; past of salire
- corsa
- COR-sa — A run or race; also running speed
- gradini
- gra-DI-ni — Steps or stairs on a staircase
- Lì
- lì — There, at that place or location
- trovò
- tro-VÒ — He/she found or encountered someone or something
- primo
- PRI-mo — First in order or rank
- secondo
- se-CON-do — Second in order; also means according to
- ufficiale
- uf-fi-CIA-le — An officer, an official of rank or authority
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