Heart of Darkness — Page 14

English → It Full Text Level 9/10

Therefore he whacked the old nigger mercilessly, while a big crowd of his people watched him, thunderstruck, till some man—I was told the chief's son—in desperation at hearing the old chap yell, made a tentative jab with a spear at the white man—and of course it went quite easy between the shoulder-blades.

Perciò picchiò il vecchio negro senza pietà, mentre una gran folla della sua gente lo guardava, esterrefatta, finché un tale—mi fu detto il figlio del capo—dalla disperazione nell'udire il vecchio urlare, assestò una timida stoccata con una lancia all'uomo bianco—e naturalmente andò a segno con grande facilità tra le scapole.

Then the whole population cleared into the forest, expecting all kinds of calamities to happen, while, on the other hand, the steamer Fresleven commanded left also in a bad panic, in charge of the engineer, I believe.

Poi l'intera popolazione fuggì nella foresta, aspettandosi ogni sorta di calamità, mentre, d'altra parte, il vapore comandato da Fresleven partì anch'esso in preda al panico, sotto il comando dell'ingegnere, credo.

Afterwards nobody seemed to trouble much about Fresleven's remains, till I got out and stepped into his shoes.

In seguito nessuno sembrò preoccuparsi molto dei resti di Fresleven, finché non andai là e presi il suo posto.

I couldn't let it rest, though; but when an opportunity offered at last to meet my predecessor, the grass growing through his ribs was tall enough to hide his bones.

Non potevo lasciare la cosa in sospeso, però; ma quando si offrì finalmente l'occasione di incontrare il mio predecessore, l'erba che cresceva tra le sue costole era abbastanza alta da nasconderne le ossa.

They were all there.

Erano tutte lì.

The supernatural being had not been touched after he fell.

L'essere soprannaturale non era stato toccato dopo che era caduto.

And the village was deserted, the huts gaped black, rotting, all askew within the fallen enclosures.

E il villaggio era deserto, le capanne si aprivano nere, marcescenti, tutte storte all'interno dei recinti caduti.

A calamity had come to it, sure enough.

Una calamità vi si era abbattuta, senza dubbio.

The people had vanished.

La gente era scomparsa.

Mad terror had scattered them, men, women, and children, through the bush, and they had never returned.

Un terrore folle li aveva dispersi, uomini, donne e bambini, attraverso la boscaglia, e non erano mai tornati.

What became of the hens I don't know either.

Che fine abbiano fatto le galline non lo so nemmeno io.

I should think the cause of progress got them, anyhow.

Penso che la causa del progresso se le sia prese, comunque.

However, through this glorious affair I got my appointment, before I had fairly begun to hope for it.

Tuttavia, grazie a questa gloriosa faccenda ottenni il mio incarico, prima ancora di aver cominciato davvero a sperarlo.

Vocabulary

Perciò: per-CHOH — Therefore; used to indicate a logical consequence.
picchiò: pik-KYO — He/she beat or struck someone repeatedly.
vecchio: VEK-kyo — Old man; elderly male person.
senza: SEN-tsa — Without; lacking something or someone.
pietà: pye-TAH — Pity, mercy, or compassion toward others.
mentre: MEN-tre — While; during the time that something happens.
gran: grahn — Short form of grande; large or great.
folla: FOL-la — A crowd or large group of people.
gente: JEN-te — People; a group of persons collectively.
guardava: gwar-DAH-va — He/she/it was watching or looking at someone.
esterrefatta: es-ter-re-FAT-ta — Thunderstruck, utterly astonished, or horrified.
finché: fin-KEH — Until; up to the point in time when.
tale: TAH-le — A certain person; such a one (pronoun/adjective).
fu: foo — He/she/it was (past absolute of essere).
detto: DET-to — Told; past participle of dire (to say/tell).
figlio: FEE-lyo — Son; a male child in relation to parents.
capo: KAH-po — Chief, leader, or head of a group.
disperazione: dis-pe-ra-TSYO-ne — Desperation; a state of hopelessness and extreme distress.
udire: oo-DEE-re — To hear; to perceive sound with the ears.
urlare: ur-LAH-re — To scream or shout very loudly.
assestò: as-ses-TOH — He/she landed or delivered a blow precisely.
timida: TEE-mi-da — Timid, shy, or hesitant (feminine adjective).
stoccata: stok-KAH-ta — A thrust or jab with a pointed weapon.
lancia: LAN-cha — A spear or lance used as a weapon.
uomo: WO-mo — Man; an adult male human being.
bianco: BYAN-ko — White; of white color or a white person.
naturalmente: na-tu-ral-MEN-te — Naturally; of course; as expected.
andò: an-DOH — He/she/it went (past absolute of andare).
segno: SEN-yo — Mark or target; andò a segno means hit the mark.
grande: GRAN-de — Great, large; of considerable size or importance.
facilità: fa-chi-li-TAH — Ease, facility; ability to do something without difficulty.
tra: trah — Between, among; preposition indicating position.
scapole: SKA-po-le — Shoulder blades; flat bones on the upper back.
Poi: poy — Then, afterwards; indicating sequence of events.
intera: in-TE-ra — Entire, whole, complete (feminine adjective).
popolazione: po-po-la-TSYO-ne — Population; all the inhabitants of a place.
fuggì: fud-JEE — He/she/it fled; ran away quickly from danger.
foresta: fo-RES-ta — Forest; a large dense area of trees.
aspettandosi: as-pet-TAN-do-si — Expecting for themselves; anticipating something to come.
ogni: ON-yi — Every, each; referring to all members of a group.
sorta: SOR-ta — Sort, kind, type of something.
calamità: ka-la-mi-TAH — Calamity; a great disaster or misfortune.
altra: AL-tra — Other, another (feminine adjective).
parte: PAR-te — Part, side; dall'altra parte means on the other side.
vapore: va-PO-re — Steamboat; a vessel powered by steam engines.
comandato: ko-man-DAH-to — Commanded, captained; led by someone in authority.
partì: par-TEE — He/she/it departed; left a place.
anch': ank — Also, too; elided form of anche before vowel.
esso: ES-so — It; third person singular neuter pronoun.
preda: PRE-da — Prey; in preda al means seized by (panic etc.).
panico: PA-ni-ko — Panic; sudden overwhelming fear or anxiety.
sotto: SOT-to — Under, below; preposition of position.
comando: ko-MAN-do — Command, control; leadership of a vessel or group.
ingegnere: in-jen-YE-re — Engineer; a person trained in engineering.
credo: KRE-do — I believe, I think; first person singular of credere.
seguito: SE-gwi-to — In seguito means afterwards, subsequently, later on.
nessuno: nes-SOO-no — Nobody, no one; negative indefinite pronoun.
sembrò: sem-BROH — He/she/it seemed; past absolute of sembrare.
preoccuparsi: pre-ok-ku-PAR-si — To worry about; to concern oneself with something.
molto: MOL-to — Much, very; adverb indicating high degree.
resti: RES-ti — Remains; what is left, especially human remains.
andai: an-DAY — I went; first person past absolute of andare.
là: lah — There; adverb indicating a distant place.
presi: PRE-zi — I took; first person past absolute of prendere.
posto: POS-to — Place, position, spot; also past participle of porre.
potevo: po-TE-vo — I could; first person imperfect of potere.
lasciare: la-SHA-re — To leave, to let; to abandon or allow something.
cosa: KO-za — Thing, matter; referring to a situation or object.
sospeso: sos-PE-zo — Suspended, pending; left unresolved or hanging.
però: pe-ROH — However, but; conjunction indicating contrast.
quando: KWAN-do — When; conjunction of time.
offrì: of-FREE — Offered itself; presented itself (past absolute).
finalmente: fi-nal-MEN-te — Finally, at last; after a long wait.
occasione: ok-ka-ZYO-ne — Occasion, opportunity; a favorable moment or chance.
incontrare: in-kon-TRAH-re — To meet, to encounter; to come across someone.
predecessore: pre-de-ches-SO-re — Predecessor; the person who held a role before.
erba: ER-ba — Grass, herb; low-growing green plant.
cresceva: kre-SHE-va — Was growing; imperfect of crescere (to grow).
costole: KOS-to-le — Ribs; the curved bones of the thoracic cage.
abbastanza: ab-bas-TAN-tsa — Enough, sufficiently; to an adequate degree.
alta: AL-ta — High, tall (feminine adjective).
nasconderne: nas-KON-der-ne — To hide them; infinitive of nascondere with pronoun.
ossa: OS-sa — Bones; plural of osso, the skeletal structures.
tutte: TUT-te — All (feminine plural); every one of them.
lì: lee — There; adverb indicating a nearby place.
essere: ES-se-re — To be; fundamental Italian auxiliary and linking verb.
soprannaturale: so-pran-na-tu-RAH-le — Supernatural; beyond the natural or explainable world.
stato: STA-to — Been/state; past participle of essere or noun 'state'.
toccato: tok-KAH-to — Touched; past participle of toccare.
dopo: DO-po — After, afterwards; indicating subsequent time.
caduto: ka-DOO-to — Fallen; past participle of cadere (to fall).
villaggio: vil-LAD-jo — Village; a small rural human settlement.
deserto: de-ZER-to — Deserted, empty; abandoned by its inhabitants.
capanne: ka-PAN-ne — Huts, cabins; small simple dwellings or shelters.
aprivano: a-PREE-va-no — Were opening; imperfect of aprire (to open).
nere: NE-re — Black (feminine plural adjective).
marcescenti: mar-che-SHEN-ti — Rotting, decaying; in the process of decomposition.
storte: STOR-te — Twisted, crooked, bent out of shape (feminine plural).
interno: in-TER-no — Interior, inside; the inner part of something.
recinti: re-CHIN-ti — Enclosures, fences; bounded areas around dwellings.
caduti: ka-DOO-ti — Fallen, collapsed (masculine plural past participle).
vi: vee — There; locative adverb/pronoun meaning in that place.
abbattuta: ab-bat-TOO-ta — Knocked down, demolished, felled (feminine past participle).
dubbio: DUB-byo — Doubt; uncertainty about something.
scomparsa: skom-PAR-sa — Disappearance; the act of vanishing from sight.
terrore: ter-RO-re — Terror; extreme fear or dread.
folle: FOL-le — Insane, wild, mad; acting without reason.
dispersi: dis-PER-si — Scattered, dispersed (masculine plural past participle).
uomini: WO-mi-ni — Men; plural of uomo.
donne: DON-ne — Women; plural of donna.
bambini: bam-BEE-ni — Children; plural of bambino.
attraverso: at-tra-VER-so — Through, across; preposition of movement or space.
boscaglia: bos-KAL-ya — Scrubland, bush; dense wild vegetation or thicket.
mai: MY — Never, ever; adverb of frequency or negation.
tornati: tor-NAH-ti — Returned (masculine plural past participle of tornare).
fine: FEE-ne — End, fate; what became of someone or something.
abbiano: AB-bya-no — They have (present subjunctive of avere).
fatto: FAT-to — Done, made; past participle of fare.
galline: gal-LEE-ne — Hens, chickens; female domestic fowl.
so: so — I know; first person singular present of sapere.
nemmeno: nem-ME-no — Not even; stronger form of negation.
Penso: PEN-so — I think; first person singular of pensare.
causa: KOW-za — Cause, reason; that which produces an effect.
progresso: pro-GRES-so — Progress; advancement or development toward improvement.
se: se — If, whether; conditional conjunction.
sia: SEE-a — Be (present subjunctive of essere); third person singular.
prese: PRE-ze — Took, seized (third person past absolute of prendere).
comunque: ko-MOON-kwe — Anyway, however; regardless of the circumstances.
Tuttavia: tut-ta-VEE-a — Nevertheless, yet; concessive adverb showing contrast.
grazie: GRAT-sye — Thanks to; because of (also thank you).
questa: KWES-ta — This (feminine); demonstrative adjective/pronoun.
gloriosa: glo-RYO-za — Glorious; full of glory, often used ironically.
faccenda: fat-CHEN-da — Affair, matter, business; a thing to deal with.
ottenni: ot-TEN-ni — I obtained; first person past absolute of ottenere.
incarico: in-KAH-ri-ko — Assignment, post, charge; a task or position given.
prima: PREE-ma — Before, first; adverb or adjective of precedence.
ancora: an-KO-ra — Still, yet, again; adverb of continuity or repetition.
aver: a-VER — To have (infinitive avere, clipped form).
cominciato: ko-min-CHA-to — Started, begun; past participle of cominciare.
davvero: dav-VE-ro — Really, truly; emphasizing sincerity or truth.
sperarlo: spe-RAR-lo — To hope for it; infinitive sperare with object pronoun.

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