← Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave — Page 4

English → It Full Text Level 8/10

As soon as he had taken his seat, filled with hope and admiration, I rose, and declared that PATRICK HENRY, of revolutionary fame, never made a speech more eloquent in the cause of liberty, than the one we had just listened to from the lips of that hunted fugitive.

Non appena egli ebbe preso posto, pieno di speranza e ammirazione, mi alzai e dichiarai che PATRICK HENRY, famoso per la rivoluzione, non aveva mai pronunciato un discorso più eloquente in favore della libertà, di quello che avevamo appena ascoltato dalle labbra di quel fuggiasco braccato.

So I believed at that time—such is my belief now.

Così credevo allora—tale è la mia convinzione ora.

I reminded the audience of the peril which surrounded this self-emancipated young man at the North,—even in Massachusetts, on the soil of the Pilgrim Fathers, among the descendants of revolutionary sires; and I appealed to them, whether they would ever allow him to be carried back into slavery,—law or no law, constitution or no constitution.

Ricordai al pubblico il pericolo che circondava questo giovane autoemancipato nel Nord,—persino nel Massachusetts, sul suolo dei Padri Pellegrini, tra i discendenti degli avi rivoluzionari; e feci loro appello, chiedendo se avrebbero mai permesso che venisse ricondotto in schiavitù,—legge o non legge, costituzione o non costituzione.

The response was unanimous and in thunder-tones—"NO!"

La risposta fu unanime e a voce tonante—«NO!»

"Will you succor and protect him as a brother-man—a resident of the old Bay State?"

«Lo soccorrerete e lo proteggerete come un fratello—un residente del vecchio Bay State?»

"YES!" shouted the whole mass, with an energy so startling, that the ruthless tyrants south of Mason and Dixon's line might almost have heard the mighty burst of feeling, and recognized it as the pledge of an invincible determination, on the part of those who gave it, never to betray him that wanders, but to hide the outcast, and firmly to abide the consequences.

«SÌ!» gridò tutta la massa, con un'energia così sbalorditiva, che i tiranni spietati a sud della linea Mason-Dixon avrebbero quasi potuto udire quella poderosa esplosione di sentimento, e riconoscerla come il pegno di una determinazione invincibile, da parte di coloro che la espressero, di non tradire mai colui che vaga, ma di nascondere il proscritto, e di accettare fermamente le conseguenze.

It was at once deeply impressed upon my mind, that, if Mr.

Mi si impresse immediatamente nella mente, che, se il Sig.

Vocabulary

Non: Negation word meaning 'not' in Italian.
appena: Meaning 'as soon as' or 'just,' indicating immediacy.
egli: Third-person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he.'
ebbe: Past tense of 'avere,' meaning 'he had.'
preso: Past participle of 'prendere,' meaning 'taken.'
posto: Noun meaning 'place' or 'seat'; also past participle of 'porre.'
pieno: Adjective meaning 'full' or 'filled with something.'
di: Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from' in Italian.
speranza: Noun meaning 'hope,' an optimistic expectation.
e: Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses.
ammirazione: Noun meaning 'admiration,' a feeling of great respect.
mi: First-person singular reflexive/object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'myself.'
alzai: First-person past tense of 'alzarsi,' meaning 'I stood up.'
dichiarai: First-person past tense of 'dichiarare,' meaning 'I declared.'
che: Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'who.'
famoso: Adjective meaning 'famous,' widely known and celebrated.
per: Preposition meaning 'for,' 'through,' or 'by' in Italian.
la: Definite article meaning 'the' for feminine singular nouns.
rivoluzione: Noun meaning 'revolution,' a major political or social upheaval.
non: Negation word meaning 'not' in Italian.
aveva: Third-person singular imperfect of 'avere,' meaning 'had.'
mai: Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever' depending on context.
pronunciato: Past participle of 'pronunciare,' meaning 'delivered' or 'spoken.'
un: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' for masculine nouns.
discorso: Noun meaning 'speech' or 'discourse' delivered publicly.
più: Adverb meaning 'more,' used in comparisons.
eloquente: Adjective meaning 'eloquent,' expressing ideas fluently and persuasively.
in: Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into' in Italian.
favore: Noun meaning 'favor' or 'support' for a cause.
della: Contraction of 'di' and 'la,' meaning 'of the' (feminine).
libertà: Noun meaning 'freedom' or 'liberty.'
quello: Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'that' or 'that one.'
avevamo: First-person plural imperfect of 'avere,' meaning 'we had.'
ascoltato: Past participle of 'ascoltare,' meaning 'listened to' or 'heard.'
dalle: Contraction of 'da' and 'le,' meaning 'from the' (plural feminine).
labbra: Noun meaning 'lips,' the plural of 'labbro.'
quel: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that,' used before consonants.
fuggiasco: Noun/adjective meaning 'fugitive,' someone fleeing from danger.
braccato: Adjective meaning 'hunted,' pursued relentlessly by authorities.
Così: Adverb meaning 'so,' 'thus,' or 'in this way.'
credevo: First-person imperfect of 'credere,' meaning 'I believed.'
allora: Adverb meaning 'then,' referring to a past moment in time.
tale: Adjective or pronoun meaning 'such' or 'such a.'
è: Third-person singular present of 'essere,' meaning 'is.'
mia: Possessive adjective meaning 'my' (feminine singular).
convinzione: Noun meaning 'conviction,' a firmly held belief or opinion.
ora: Adverb meaning 'now'; also noun meaning 'hour.'
Ricordai: First-person past tense of 'ricordare,' meaning 'I reminded.'
al: Contraction of 'a' and 'il,' meaning 'to the' (masculine singular).
pubblico: Noun meaning 'audience' or 'public,' a group of listeners.
il: Definite article meaning 'the' for masculine singular nouns.
pericolo: Noun meaning 'danger' or 'peril,' a threatening situation.
circondava: Third-person imperfect of 'circondare,' meaning 'surrounded.'
questo: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'this,' indicating something nearby.
giovane: Adjective or noun meaning 'young' or 'young person.'
autoemancipato: Adjective meaning 'self-emancipated,' having freed oneself from slavery.
nel: Contraction of 'in' and 'il,' meaning 'in the' (masculine singular).
Nord: Noun meaning 'North,' the northern geographic direction or region.
persino: Adverb meaning 'even,' emphasizing an unexpected inclusion.
sul: Contraction of 'su' and 'il,' meaning 'on the' (masculine singular).
suolo: Noun meaning 'soil' or 'ground,' the earth's surface.
dei: Contraction of 'di' and 'i,' meaning 'of the' (masculine plural).
Padri: Noun meaning 'Fathers,' plural of 'padre'; used in historical titles.
Pellegrini: Noun meaning 'Pilgrims,' the early English settlers of New England.
tra: Preposition meaning 'among,' 'between,' or 'amid.'
i: Definite article meaning 'the' for masculine plural nouns.
discendenti: Noun meaning 'descendants,' people descended from earlier ancestors.
degli: Contraction of 'di' and 'gli,' meaning 'of the' (masculine plural).
avi: Noun meaning 'ancestors' or 'forefathers,' plural of 'avo.'
rivoluzionari: Noun/adjective meaning 'revolutionaries,' those who fought for political change.
feci: First-person past tense of 'fare,' meaning 'I made' or 'I did.'
loro: Pronoun meaning 'them,' 'their,' or 'they' in Italian.
appello: Noun meaning 'appeal,' a call for help or support.
chiedendo: Gerund of 'chiedere,' meaning 'asking' or 'inquiring.'
se: Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'whether' in Italian.
avrebbero: Third-person plural conditional of 'avere,' meaning 'they would have.'
permesso: Past participle of 'permettere,' meaning 'allowed' or 'permitted.'
venisse: Third-person singular subjunctive imperfect of 'venire,' meaning 'would come.'
ricondotto: Past participle of 'ricondurre,' meaning 'brought back' or 'returned.'
schiavitù: Noun meaning 'slavery,' the condition of being enslaved.
legge: Noun meaning 'law,' a rule enacted by governing authority.
o: Conjunction meaning 'or,' presenting an alternative choice.
costituzione: Noun meaning 'constitution,' the supreme law of a country.
La: Definite article meaning 'the' for feminine singular nouns.
risposta: Noun meaning 'answer' or 'response' to a question.
fu: Third-person singular past absolute of 'essere,' meaning 'was.'
unanime: Adjective meaning 'unanimous,' agreed upon by everyone present.
a: Preposition meaning 'at,' 'to,' or 'in' in Italian.
voce: Noun meaning 'voice,' the sound produced when speaking.
tonante: Adjective meaning 'thundering,' very loud and powerful in sound.
NO: Interjection meaning 'no,' a firm negative response.
Lo: Direct object pronoun meaning 'him' or 'it' (masculine).
soccorrerete: Second-person plural future of 'soccorrere,' meaning 'you will help.'
lo: Direct object pronoun meaning 'him' or 'it' (masculine).
proteggerete: Second-person plural future of 'proteggere,' meaning 'you will protect.'
come: Conjunction/adverb meaning 'as,' 'like,' or 'how.'
fratello: Noun meaning 'brother,' a male sibling or close companion.
residente: Noun/adjective meaning 'resident,' someone living in a specific place.
del: Contraction of 'di' and 'il,' meaning 'of the' (masculine singular).
vecchio: Adjective meaning 'old,' referring to age or long existence.
SÌ: Interjection meaning 'yes,' an affirmative response in Italian.
gridò: Third-person singular past absolute of 'gridare,' meaning 'shouted.'
tutta: Adjective meaning 'all' or 'entire,' indicating totality (feminine).
massa: Noun meaning 'mass' or 'crowd,' a large group of people.
con: Preposition meaning 'with,' indicating accompaniment or manner.
un': Elided indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine, before vowel).
energia: Noun meaning 'energy,' vigor or intensity in action.
così: Adverb meaning 'so' or 'such,' indicating degree or manner.
sbalorditiva: Adjective meaning 'astonishing' or 'staggering,' causing great surprise.
tiranni: Noun meaning 'tyrants,' rulers who exercise power cruelly and unjustly.
spietati: Adjective meaning 'ruthless' or 'merciless,' showing no compassion.
sud: Noun meaning 'south,' the southern geographic direction or region.
linea: Noun meaning 'line,' a boundary or demarcation between areas.
quasi: Adverb meaning 'almost' or 'nearly,' indicating close approximation.
potuto: Past participle of 'potere,' meaning 'been able to.'
udire: Verb meaning 'to hear,' perceiving sound with the ears.
quella: Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' (feminine singular).
poderosa: Adjective meaning 'powerful' or 'mighty,' of great force.
esplosione: Noun meaning 'explosion,' a sudden burst of energy or emotion.
sentimento: Noun meaning 'feeling' or 'sentiment,' an emotional state.
riconoscerla: Infinitive plus pronoun: 'to recognize it,' identifying something.
pegno: Noun meaning 'pledge' or 'token,' a symbol of commitment.
una: Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' for feminine singular nouns.
determinazione: Noun meaning 'determination,' firm resolve to achieve a goal.
invincibile: Adjective meaning 'invincible,' impossible to defeat or overcome.
da: Preposition meaning 'from,' 'by,' or 'since' in Italian.
parte: Noun meaning 'part' or 'side'; in 'da parte di,' means 'on the part of.'
coloro: Pronoun meaning 'those' or 'those people,' referring to a group.
espressero: Third-person plural past absolute of 'esprimere,' meaning 'expressed.'
tradire: Verb meaning 'to betray,' to act against someone's trust.
colui: Pronoun meaning 'he who' or 'that man,' referring to a specific person.
vaga: Adjective meaning 'vague' or 'wandering,' lacking precision or clarity.
ma: Conjunction meaning 'but,' indicating contrast or opposition.
nascondere: Verb meaning 'to hide' or 'to conceal' something or someone.
proscritto: Noun/adjective meaning 'proscribed' or 'outlaw,' officially banned person.
accettare: Verb meaning 'to accept,' to receive or agree to something.
fermamente: Adverb meaning 'firmly,' in a resolute and determined manner.
le: Definite article meaning 'the' for feminine plural nouns.
conseguenze: Noun meaning 'consequences,' results following from an action.
Mi: First-person singular object pronoun meaning 'me' or 'myself.'
si: Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'itself' in Italian.
impresse: Third-person singular past absolute of 'imprimersi,' meaning 'imprinted itself.'
immediatamente: Adverb meaning 'immediately,' without any delay whatsoever.
nella: Contraction of 'in' and 'la,' meaning 'in the' (feminine singular).
mente: Noun meaning 'mind,' the seat of thought and consciousness.
Sig: Abbreviation of 'Signore,' meaning 'Mr.' in Italian.

← Previous Next →

Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.

Create free account →