On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 3
One day, walking near a little wood, he saw, hastening that way, one of the Queen's chief eunuchs, followed by a troop of officials, who appeared to be in the greatest anxiety, running hither and thither like men distraught, in search of some lost treasure.
Un giorno, passeggiando vicino a un piccolo bosco, vide, affrettarsi in quella direzione, uno dei principali eunuchi della Regina, seguito da un gruppo di ufficiali, che sembravano essere nella più grande agitazione, correndo qua e là come uomini sconvolti, in cerca di qualche tesoro perduto.
'Young man,' cried the eunuch, 'have you seen the Queen's dog?'
«Giovane,» gridò l'eunuco, «avete visto il cane della Regina?»
Zadig answered modestly, 'A bitch, I think, not a dog.'
Zadig rispose modestamente: «Una cagna, credo, non un cane.»
'Quite right,' replied the eunuch; and Zadig continued, 'A very small spaniel who has lately had puppies; she limps with the left foreleg, and has very long ears.'
«Esattamente,» replicò l'eunuco; e Zadig continuò: «Un piccolo spaniel che ha avuto di recente dei cuccioli; zoppica con la zampa anteriore sinistra e ha orecchie molto lunghe.»
'Ah! you have seen her then,' said the breathless eunuch.
«Ah! l'avete vista dunque,» disse l'eunuco senza fiato.
'No,' answered Zadig, 'I have not seen her; and I really was not aware that the Queen possessed a spaniel.'
«No,» rispose Zadig, «non l'ho vista; e in realtà non sapevo che la Regina possedesse uno spaniel.»
"By an odd coincidence, at the very same time, the handsomest horse in the King's stables broke away from his groom in the Babylonian plain.
«Per una strana coincidenza, nel medesimo momento, il più bello dei cavalli nelle scuderie del Re si era liberato dal suo stalliere nella pianura babilonese.
The grand huntsman and all his staff were seeking the horse with as much anxiety as the eunuch and his people the spaniel; and the grand huntsman asked Zadig if he had not seen the King's horse go that way.
Il gran cacciatore e tutto il suo seguito cercavano il cavallo con la stessa ansia con cui l'eunuco e i suoi uomini cercavano lo spaniel; e il gran cacciatore chiese a Zadig se non avesse visto il cavallo del Re passare da quella parte.
'A first-rate galloper, small-hoofed, five feet high; tail three feet and a half long; cheek pieces of the bit of twenty-three carat gold; shoes silver?' said Zadig.
«Un galoppatrice di prim'ordine, con zoccoli piccoli, cinque piedi di altezza; coda lunga tre piedi e mezzo; guanciali del morso in oro a ventitré carati; ferri d'argento?» disse Zadig.
'Which way did he go? Where is he?' cried the grand huntsman.
«Da che parte è andato? Dov'è?» gridò il gran cacciatore.
Vocabulary
- giorno
- A day; a 24-hour period
- passeggiando
- Walking leisurely; strolling around
- vicino
- Near, close to something or someone
- piccolo
- Small, little in size or quantity
- bosco
- A small wood or forest area
- vide
- He/she saw; past tense of vedere
- affrettarsi
- To hurry, to rush toward something
- quella
- That (feminine demonstrative adjective)
- direzione
- Direction; the way something is heading
- principali
- Main, principal, most important ones
- Regina
- Queen; female monarch or ruler
- seguito
- Followed; also means retinue or following
- gruppo
- A group or cluster of people or things
- ufficiali
- Officials or officers in a formal role
- sembravano
- They seemed or appeared to be something
- essere
- To be; the fundamental linking verb
- più
- More; used to form superlatives and comparisons
- grande
- Big, great, large in size or importance
- agitazione
- Agitation; a state of nervous excitement
- correndo
- Running; moving quickly on foot
- qua
- Here; indicates this place or direction
- là
- There; indicates that place or direction
- come
- Like, as, how; used in comparisons
- uomini
- Men; plural of uomo (man)
- sconvolti
- Upset, distraught, deeply disturbed people
- cerca
- Searches for; looks for something
- qualche
- Some, a few, any (before singular noun)
- tesoro
- Treasure; something precious or highly valued
- perduto
- Lost; something no longer found or kept
- Giovane
- Young person; adjective meaning young
- gridò
- He/she shouted or cried out loudly
- avete
- You (plural) have; second person plural
- visto
- Seen; past participle of vedere (to see)
- cane
- Dog; a common domestic animal
- rispose
- He/she answered or replied to someone
- modestamente
- Modestly; in a humble or understated manner
- cagna
- A female dog; a bitch
- credo
- I believe; I think something is true
- Esattamente
- Exactly; precisely; used to confirm accuracy
- replicò
- He/she replied or retorted in response
- continuò
- He/she continued; went on speaking or acting
- avuto
- Had; past participle of avere (to have)
- recente
- Recent; happening not long ago
- cuccioli
- Puppies; young offspring of a dog
- zoppica
- She limps; walks unevenly due to injury
- zampa
- Paw; an animal's foot or leg
- anteriore
- Front, anterior; positioned at the front
- sinistra
- Left; the left side or direction
- orecchie
- Ears; the organs of hearing (plural)
- molto
- Very, much, a lot; intensifier adverb
- lunghe
- Long (feminine plural); extended in length
- vista
- Seen; also means sight or view
- dunque
- Therefore, so, then; indicates logical conclusion
- disse
- He/she said; past tense of dire
- senza
- Without; preposition indicating absence or lack
- fiato
- Breath; air expelled from the lungs
- realtà
- Reality; the actual state of things
- sapevo
- I knew; past imperfect of sapere (to know)
- possedesse
- He/she might possess; subjunctive of possedere
- strana
- Strange, odd, unusual (feminine adjective)
- coincidenza
- A coincidence; two events happening simultaneously
- medesimo
- The very same; identical (formal/literary term)
- momento
- Moment; a brief point or period in time
- bello
- Beautiful, handsome, fine (masculine adjective)
- cavalli
- Horses; plural of cavallo (horse)
- scuderie
- Stables; buildings where horses are kept
- Re
- King; a male monarch or ruler
- liberato
- Freed, liberated; released from restraint
- suo
- His, her, its; possessive adjective (singular)
- pianura
- Plain; a flat, open stretch of land
- gran
- Great, grand; shortened form of grande
- cacciatore
- Hunter; a person who hunts animals
- tutto
- Everything, all; refers to the whole
- cercavano
- They were searching for or looking for
- cavallo
- Horse; a large domesticated riding animal
- stessa
- Same (feminine); identical or very similar
- ansia
- Anxiety, worry; a state of nervous concern
- cui
- Whom, which; relative pronoun after preposition
- suoi
- His/her/its (plural); possessive adjective
- chiese
- He/she asked; past tense of chiedere
- se
- If, whether; introduces a conditional clause
- avesse
- He/she had (subjunctive); of avere
- passare
- To pass, to go by, to cross
- parte
- Part, side, role; a portion of something
- prim'
- First (elided); of the highest order or rank
- ordine
- Order, rank, command; an organized arrangement
- zoccoli
- Hooves; the hard feet of a horse
- piccoli
- Small (masculine plural); little in size
- cinque
- Five; the number between four and six
- piedi
- Feet; also a unit of measurement
- altezza
- Height; the measurement of how tall something is
- coda
- Tail; the rear appendage of an animal
- lunga
- Long (feminine); extended in length or duration
- tre
- Three; the number between two and four
- mezzo
- Half; the middle part of something
- morso
- Bit; the metal piece in a horse's mouth
- oro
- Gold; a precious yellow metallic element
- ventitré
- Twenty-three; the number 23
- ferri
- Horseshoes; also means 'irons' or metal tools
- argento
- Silver; a precious shiny white metal
- andato
- Gone; past participle of andare (to go)
- Dov'
- Where (elided); asks about location or place
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