Little Women — Page 11
" muttered Jo, rolling her eyes and clutching at the air, as she had seen a famous tragedian do.
" mormorò Jo, rotando gli occhi e agitando le braccia nell'aria, come aveva visto fare a un famoso tragico.
"No, it's the toasting fork, with Mother's shoe on it instead of the bread.
«No, è il forchettone da tostare, con la scarpa della Mamma al posto del pane.
Beth's stage-struck!" cried Meg, and the rehearsal ended in a general burst of laughter.
Beth è stata colpita dalla febbre del palcoscenico!» gridò Meg, e la prova si concluse in una risata generale.
"Glad to find you so merry, my girls," said a cheery voice at the door, and actors and audience turned to welcome a tall, motherly lady with a 'can I help you' look about her which was truly delightful.
«Sono contenta di trovarvi così allegre, ragazze mie,» disse una voce gioiosa alla porta, e attori e spettatori si voltarono per accogliere una donna alta e materna, con un'aria da 'posso aiutarvi' che era davvero deliziosa.
She was not elegantly dressed, but a noble-looking woman, and the girls thought the gray cloak and unfashionable bonnet covered the most splendid mother in the world.
Non era vestita elegantemente, ma era una donna dall'aspetto nobile, e le ragazze pensavano che il mantello grigio e il cappellino fuori moda celassero la madre più meravigliosa del mondo.
"Well, dearies, how have you got on today?
«Ebbene, care mie, come ve la siete cavata oggi?
There was so much to do, getting the boxes ready to go tomorrow, that I didn't come home to dinner.
C'era così tanto da fare, preparare le casse da spedire domani, che non sono tornata a casa per cena.
Has anyone called, Beth?
Ha chiamato qualcuno, Beth?
How is your cold, Meg?
Come sta il tuo raffreddore, Meg?
Jo, you look tired to death.
Jo, sembri stanca morta.
Come and kiss me, baby."
Vieni a darmi un bacio, piccola.»
While making these maternal inquiries Mrs. March got her wet things off, her warm slippers on, and sitting down in the easy chair, drew Amy to her lap, preparing to enjoy the happiest hour of her busy day.
Mentre rivolgeva queste domande materne, la signora March si tolse gli indumenti bagnati, si infilò le pantofole calde e, sedendosi sulla poltrona, attirò Amy sulle sue ginocchia, preparandosi a godersi l'ora più felice della sua giornata intensa.
The girls flew about, trying to make things comfortable, each in her own way.
Le ragazze si agitavano intorno, cercando di sistemare le cose comodamente, ciascuna a modo suo.
Meg arranged the tea table, Jo brought wood and set chairs, dropping, over-turning, and clattering everything she touched.
Meg sistemò la tavola per il tè, Jo portò la legna e sistemò le sedie, facendo cadere, rovesciare e sbattere tutto ciò che toccava.
Vocabulary
- mormorò
- He/she murmured or whispered softly.
- rotando
- Rolling or rotating continuously in motion.
- gli
- Masculine plural definite article meaning 'the'.
- occhi
- Eyes, the organs used for seeing.
- agitando
- Waving or shaking something energetically.
- le
- Feminine plural definite article meaning 'the'.
- braccia
- Arms, the upper limbs of the human body.
- nell'
- Contraction of 'in' and 'l'', meaning 'in the'.
- aria
- Air, the invisible gaseous substance surrounding earth.
- aveva
- He/she had; past tense of 'avere'.
- visto
- Seen; past participle of the verb 'vedere'.
- fare
- To do or to make something.
- famoso
- Famous, well-known, or widely recognized.
- tragico
- Tragic actor or something relating to tragedy.
- forchettone
- A large fork used for toasting or serving.
- tostare
- To toast bread or other food over heat.
- scarpa
- A shoe worn on the foot.
- posto
- Place or position substituting something else.
- pane
- Bread, a staple baked food.
- colpita
- Struck or affected by something strongly.
- febbre
- Fever, an abnormally high body temperature.
- palcoscenico
- Stage, the platform where theatrical performances occur.
- gridò
- He/she shouted or cried out loudly.
- prova
- Rehearsal or trial run of a performance.
- concluse
- Concluded or ended, past tense of 'concludere'.
- risata
- A laugh or burst of laughter.
- generale
- General or widespread, involving everyone present.
- contenta
- Happy, pleased, or satisfied with something.
- trovarvi
- To find you all in a place.
- allegre
- Cheerful, merry, or in good spirits.
- ragazze
- Girls or young women.
- disse
- Said; past tense of the verb 'dire'.
- voce
- Voice, the sound produced when speaking.
- gioiosa
- Joyful or full of happiness and delight.
- porta
- Door, an entrance or exit to a room.
- attori
- Actors, performers in a theatrical production.
- spettatori
- Spectators or audience members watching a performance.
- voltarono
- They turned around to face someone.
- accogliere
- To welcome or receive someone warmly.
- donna
- Woman, an adult female person.
- alta
- Tall or high in stature.
- materna
- Motherly or maternal in appearance and manner.
- posso
- I can; first person singular of 'potere'.
- aiutarvi
- To help you all with something.
- davvero
- Really, truly, or genuinely so.
- deliziosa
- Delightful, charming, or wonderfully pleasing.
- vestita
- Dressed or wearing particular clothing.
- elegantemente
- Elegantly, in a stylish or refined manner.
- aspetto
- Appearance or look of a person.
- nobile
- Noble, dignified, or having distinguished bearing.
- pensavano
- They thought or believed something.
- mantello
- A cloak or mantle worn as outerwear.
- grigio
- Gray, a color between black and white.
- cappellino
- A small hat or bonnet worn on head.
- fuori
- Out or outside of something.
- moda
- Fashion or style of clothing and trends.
- celassero
- They might conceal or hide something.
- madre
- Mother, a female parent.
- meravigliosa
- Wonderful, marvelous, or extraordinarily impressive.
- mondo
- World, the earth and everything in it.
- Ebbene
- Well then, used to introduce a statement.
- care
- Dear ones, a term of affectionate address.
- cavata
- Managed or got along; past participle form.
- tanto
- So much or a great deal of something.
- preparare
- To prepare or get something ready.
- casse
- Crates or boxes for packing and shipping.
- spedire
- To send or ship something to a destination.
- domani
- Tomorrow, the day after today.
- tornata
- Returned home; feminine past participle of 'tornare'.
- cena
- Dinner, the evening meal.
- chiamato
- Called or telephoned someone.
- raffreddore
- A cold, a common respiratory illness.
- sembri
- You seem or appear a certain way.
- stanca
- Tired or exhausted from effort.
- morta
- Dead; here used idiomatically meaning extremely tired.
- Vieni
- Come here; imperative form of 'venire'.
- darmi
- To give me something.
- bacio
- A kiss given as a greeting or affection.
- piccola
- Little one; affectionate term for a small girl.
- rivolgeva
- She directed or addressed words to someone.
- domande
- Questions asked to obtain information.
- materne
- Motherly or maternal in nature.
- signora
- Mrs. or madam, a polite title for women.
- tolse
- She removed or took off something.
- indumenti
- Garments or articles of clothing.
- bagnati
- Wet or soaked with water.
- infilò
- She slipped on or put on footwear.
- pantofole
- Slippers worn indoors for comfort.
- calde
- Warm, having a comfortable or cozy temperature.
- sedendosi
- Sitting down; reflexive gerund of 'sedersi'.
- poltrona
- An armchair or comfortable upholstered seat.
- attirò
- She drew or pulled someone close to her.
- ginocchia
- Knees, the joints in the middle of legs.
- preparandosi
- Preparing oneself; reflexive gerund of 'prepararsi'.
- godersi
- To enjoy or savor something pleasurable.
- ora
- Hour or a specific time of day.
- felice
- Happy, joyful, or in a pleased state.
- giornata
- The whole day or a day's events.
- intensa
- Intense, demanding, or full of activity.
- agitavano
- They moved busily or fussed about.
- intorno
- Around or surrounding someone or something.
- cercando
- Trying or looking for something.
- sistemare
- To arrange, fix, or make comfortable.
- cose
- Things or objects in general.
- comodamente
- Comfortably, in a comfortable manner.
- ciascuna
- Each one individually among a group.
- sistemò
- She arranged or set something in order.
- tavola
- Table, a flat surface for dining.
- tè
- Tea, a hot beverage brewed from leaves.
- portò
- She brought or carried something somewhere.
- legna
- Firewood used for burning in a fireplace.
- sedie
- Chairs used for sitting.
- cadere
- To fall or drop down.
- rovesciare
- To knock over or spill something.
- sbattere
- To bang, slam, or knock something hard.
- toccava
- She touched or handled whatever she encountered.
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