Heart of Darkness — Page 7

English → It Full Text Level 9/10

Imagine him here—the very end of the world, a sea the colour of lead, a sky the colour of smoke, a kind of ship about as rigid as a concertina—and going up this river with stores, or orders, or what you like.

Immaginatelo qui—alla fine del mondo, un mare color piombo, un cielo color fumo, una specie di nave rigida quanto una fisarmonica—e risalire questo fiume con provviste, o ordini, o quel che vi pare.

Sand-banks, marshes, forests, savages,—precious little to eat fit for a civilized man, nothing but Thames water to drink.

Banchi di sabbia, paludi, foreste, selvaggi,—ben poco da mangiare adatto a un uomo civilizzato, nient'altro che acqua del Tamigi da bere.

No Falernian wine here, no going ashore.

Niente vino Falerno qui, niente di sbarcare.

Here and there a military camp lost in a wilderness, like a needle in a bundle of hay—cold, fog, tempests, disease, exile, and death—death skulking in the air, in the water, in the bush.

Qua e là un accampamento militare perduto in una landa desolata, come un ago in un pagliaio—freddo, nebbia, tempeste, malattia, esilio e morte—la morte che si aggirava nell'aria, nell'acqua, tra i cespugli.

They must have been dying like flies here.

Dovevano morire come mosche qui.

Oh, yes—he did it.

Oh, sì—lo fece.

Did it very well, too, no doubt, and without thinking much about it either, except afterwards to brag of what he had gone through in his time, perhaps.

Lo fece anche molto bene, senza dubbio, e senza pensarci troppo, tranne forse in seguito per vantarsi di ciò che aveva vissuto nel suo tempo.

They were men enough to face the darkness.

Erano abbastanza uomini da affrontare le tenebre.

And perhaps he was cheered by keeping his eye on a chance of promotion to the fleet at Ravenna by and by, if he had good friends in Rome and survived the awful climate.

E forse si consolava tenendo d'occhio la possibilità di una promozione alla flotta di Ravenna col tempo, se aveva buoni amici a Roma e sopravviveva al clima terribile.

Or think of a decent young citizen in a toga—perhaps too much dice, you know—coming out here in the train of some prefect, or tax-gatherer, or trader even, to mend his fortunes.

O pensate a un onesto giovane cittadino in toga—forse troppo dedito ai dadi, sapete—che veniva qui al seguito di qualche prefetto, o esattore delle tasse, o persino mercante, per rimettere a posto le proprie fortune.

Vocabulary

Immaginatelo: Imagine it; picture this situation or scene.
qui: Here; in this place or location.
alla: To the; at the (feminine singular).
fine: End; conclusion or final part of something.
del: Of the; belonging to the (masculine).
mondo: World; the earth and all its inhabitants.
un: A; one (indefinite article, masculine).
mare: Sea; large body of salt water.
color: Color; the appearance of things to the eye.
piombo: Lead; heavy gray metal; leaden color.
cielo: Sky; the expanse above the earth.
fumo: Smoke; visible vapor from fire or combustion.
una: A; one (indefinite article, feminine).
specie: Species; kind or type of organism or thing.
di: Of; indicating possession or relationship.
nave: Ship; large boat for traveling over water.
rigida: Rigid; stiff and not flexible or bending.
quanto: How much; to what extent or degree.
fisarmonica: Accordion; musical instrument with keyboard and bellows.
risalire: Go up; travel upstream or ascend a river.
questo: This; referring to something nearby or present.
fiume: River; large natural stream of flowing water.
con: With; accompanied by or having something.
provviste: Supplies; food and equipment for a journey.
ordini: Orders; commands or instructions to be followed.
quel: That; referring to something distant or mentioned.
che: That; which; used to introduce a clause.
vi: You; to you or yourselves (formal/plural).
pare: Seems; appears to you as if something.
sabbia: Sand; fine particles of rock and minerals.
paludi: Marshes; wetland areas with soft soggy ground.
foreste: Forests; large areas covered with trees.
ben: Well; in a good or satisfactory manner.
poco: Little; small amount or quantity of something.
da: From; indicating source or starting point.
mangiare: To eat; consume food with the mouth.
adatto: Suitable; appropriate or fitting for a purpose.
uomo: Man; adult male human being.
civilizzato: Civilized; having advanced culture and customs.
nient: Nothing; not anything at all (colloquial).
altro: Other; different or additional thing or person.
acqua: Water; clear liquid essential for life.
bere: To drink; consume liquid by swallowing.
Niente: Nothing; not a single thing whatsoever.
vino: Wine; fermented drink made from grapes.
sbarcare: To land; go ashore from a ship.
Qua: Here; in this location or vicinity.
là: There; in that location over there.
accampamento: Camp; temporary settlement for soldiers or travelers.
militare: Military; relating to armed forces or soldiers.
perduto: Lost; unable to find way or location.
landa: Moor; open uncultivated hilly landscape or terrain.
desolata: Desolate; empty and uninviting; barren and lonely.
ago: Needle; small pointed metal tool for sewing.
freddo: Cold; low temperature or feeling chilly.
nebbia: Fog; thick mist reducing visibility greatly.
tempeste: Storms; violent weather with wind and rain.
malattia: Disease; illness or sickness affecting the body.
esilio: Exile; forced absence from one's country.
morte: Death; end of life or living things.
si: Oneself; reflexive pronoun or impersonal subject.
aggirava: Hovered; moved around or lurked in area.
nell: In the; in that (contraction of nella/nello).
aria: Air; invisible mixture of gases we breathe.
tra: Between; in the middle of two things.
cespugli: Bushes; small woody plants or shrubs.
Dovevano: Had to; were supposed to or obligated.
morire: To die; cease living or stop existing.
mosche: Flies; small insects with wings and legs.
Oh: Oh; exclamation expressing surprise or emotion.
sì: Yes; affirmative response or agreement.

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