On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 5
I noticed the track of an animal in the sand, and it was easy to see that it was that of a small dog.
Ho notato la traccia di un animale nella sabbia, ed era facile vedere che si trattava di quella di un piccolo cane.
Long faint streaks upon the little elevations of sand between the footmarks convinced me that it was a she dog with pendent dugs, showing that she must have had puppies not many days since.
Lunghe e tenui striature sulle piccole elevazioni di sabbia tra le impronte mi convinsero che si trattava di una cagna con mammelle pendenti, a indicare che doveva aver avuto dei cuccioli non molti giorni prima.
Other scrapings of the sand, which always lay close to the marks of the forepaws, indicated that she had very long ears;
Altri graffi nella sabbia, che giacevano sempre vicino alle impronte delle zampe anteriori, indicavano che aveva orecchie molto lunghe;
and, as the imprint of one foot was always fainter than those of the other three, I judged that the lady dog of our august Queen was, if I may venture to say so, a little lame.
e, poiché l'impronta di una zampa era sempre più debole di quelle delle altre tre, giudicai che la cagnolina della nostra augusta Regina fosse, se mi è permesso dirlo, un poco zoppa.
"'With respect to the horse of the King of Kings, permit me to observe that, wandering through the paths which traverse the wood, I noticed the marks of horse-shoes.
"'Riguardo al cavallo del Re dei Re, permettetemi di osservare che, vagando per i sentieri che attraversano il bosco, ho notato le impronte dei ferri di cavallo.
They were all equidistant.
Erano tutte equidistanti.
"Ah!" said I, "this is a famous galloper."
"Ah!" dissi, "questo è un famoso galoppatore."
In a narrow alley, only seven feet wide, the dust upon the trunks of the trees was a little disturbed at three feet and a half from the middle of the path.
In un vicolo stretto, largo solo sette piedi, la polvere sui tronchi degli alberi era leggermente smossa a tre piedi e mezzo dal centro del sentiero.
"This horse," said I to myself, "had a tail three feet and a half long, and, lashing it from one side to the other, he has swept away the dust."
"Questo cavallo," dissi tra me, "aveva una coda lunga tre piedi e mezzo, e, agitandola da un lato all'altro, ha spazzato via la polvere."
Vocabulary
- Ho
- First person singular present of 'avere' (to have).
- notato
- Past participle of 'notare'; noticed or observed something.
- la
- Definite article feminine singular; the.
- traccia
- A track, trace, or mark left behind.
- di
- Preposition meaning of, from, or by.
- un
- Indefinite article masculine singular; a or an.
- animale
- A living creature; an animal.
- nella
- Contraction of 'in' and 'la'; in the (feminine).
- sabbia
- Granular material found on beaches; sand.
- ed
- Conjunction meaning and, used before vowels.
- era
- Third person singular imperfect of 'essere'; was.
- facile
- Not difficult; easy or simple.
- vedere
- Infinitive verb meaning to see or observe.
- che
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning that, which, or who.
- si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning oneself, himself, herself, itself.
- trattava
- Imperfect of 'trattarsi'; it was a matter of.
- quella
- Demonstrative adjective feminine; that (one).
- piccolo
- Small in size; little.
- cane
- A domesticated canine animal; a dog.
- Lunghe
- Plural feminine adjective; long in measurement or extent.
- e
- Conjunction meaning and, connecting words or phrases.
- tenui
- Thin, faint, or delicate in appearance.
- striature
- Thin streaks or stripes on a surface.
- sulle
- Contraction of 'su' and 'le'; on the (feminine plural).
- piccole
- Feminine plural adjective meaning small or little.
- elevazioni
- Raised areas or heights above surrounding surface.
- tra
- Preposition meaning between, among, or within.
- le
- Feminine plural definite article; the.
- impronte
- Footprints or impressions left on a surface.
- mi
- First person singular reflexive or indirect pronoun; me.
- convinsero
- Third person plural past of 'convincere'; they convinced.
- una
- Indefinite article feminine singular; a or an.
- cagna
- A female dog.
- con
- Preposition meaning with or having.
- pendenti
- Hanging or drooping downward; pendant.
- a
- Preposition meaning to, at, or in.
- indicare
- Infinitive meaning to indicate, show, or point out.
- doveva
- Imperfect of 'dovere'; had to or must have.
- aver
- Shortened infinitive of 'avere'; to have.
- avuto
- Past participle of 'avere'; had.
- dei
- Partitive article masculine plural; some of the.
- cuccioli
- Young offspring of a dog; puppies.
- non
- Negation adverb; not.
- molti
- Masculine plural adjective meaning many or a lot.
- giorni
- Plural of 'giorno'; days.
- prima
- Adverb or adjective meaning before or earlier.
- Altri
- Adjective or pronoun meaning other or others.
- graffi
- Scratches or marks made by claws or nails.
- giacevano
- Imperfect of 'giacere'; they lay or were lying.
- sempre
- Adverb meaning always or still.
- vicino
- Close in proximity; near or nearby.
- alle
- Contraction of 'a' and 'le'; at the or to the.
- delle
- Partitive or contraction meaning of the (feminine plural).
- zampe
- Paws or legs of an animal.
- anteriori
- Plural adjective meaning front or anterior.
- indicavano
- Imperfect of 'indicare'; they indicated or showed.
- aveva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'avere'; had.
- orecchie
- Plural of 'orecchio'; ears.
- molto
- Adverb or adjective meaning very or a lot.
- lunghe
- Feminine plural adjective; long.
- poiché
- Conjunction meaning since, because, or as.
- impronta
- A single print or impression left on a surface.
- zampa
- Singular form; a paw or foot of an animal.
- più
- Adverb meaning more or most.
- debole
- Lacking strength; weak or feeble.
- quelle
- Feminine plural demonstrative pronoun; those.
- altre
- Feminine plural adjective meaning other or different.
- tre
- Cardinal number three.
- giudicai
- First person singular past of 'giudicare'; I judged.
- cagnolina
- A small female dog; a little female dog.
- della
- Contraction of 'di' and 'la'; of the (feminine).
- nostra
- Possessive adjective feminine singular; our.
- Regina
- A female monarch ruling a kingdom; queen.
- fosse
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'essere'; were or might be.
- se
- Conjunction meaning if, or reflexive pronoun oneself.
- è
- Third person singular present of 'essere'; is.
- permesso
- Allowed or granted; past participle of 'permettere'.
- dirlo
- Infinitive 'dire' plus pronoun; to say it.
- poco
- A small amount; a little or slightly.
- zoppa
- Feminine adjective describing one who limps; lame.
- Riguardo
- Preposition or noun meaning regarding, concerning, or respect.
- al
- Contraction of 'a' and 'il'; to the or at the.
- cavallo
- A large domesticated animal used for riding; horse.
- del
- Contraction of 'di' and 'il'; of the (masculine).
- Re
- A male monarch who rules a kingdom; king.
- permettetemi
- Imperative of 'permettere' plus pronoun; allow me or permit me.
- osservare
- Infinitive meaning to observe, watch, or notice.
- vagando
- Gerund of 'vagare'; wandering or roaming around.
- per
- Preposition meaning for, through, by, or per.
- i
- Masculine plural definite article; the.
- sentieri
- Narrow paths through countryside or woods; trails.
- attraversano
- Third person plural present of 'attraversare'; they cross.
- il
- Masculine singular definite article; the.
- bosco
- A wooded area or small forest; woods.
- ho
- First person singular present of 'avere'; I have.
- Erano
- Third person plural imperfect of 'essere'; they were.
- tutte
- Feminine plural adjective meaning all or every.
- dissi
- First person singular past of 'dire'; I said.
- questo
- Demonstrative adjective or pronoun masculine; this.
- famoso
- Well known to many people; famous or renowned.
- In
- Preposition meaning in, into, or within.
- vicolo
- A narrow urban lane or alley.
- stretto
- Adjective meaning narrow or tight; confined in width.
- largo
- Wide in extent; broad or wide.
- solo
- Adverb or adjective meaning only, alone, or just.
- sette
- Cardinal number seven.
- piedi
- Plural of 'piede'; feet as body parts or units.
- polvere
- Fine dry particles covering surfaces; dust.
- sui
- Contraction of 'su' and 'i'; on the (masculine plural).
- tronchi
- Plural of 'tronco'; tree trunks or logs.
- degli
- Contraction of 'di' and 'gli'; of the (masculine plural).
- alberi
- Plural of 'albero'; trees growing in a landscape.
- leggermente
- Adverb meaning slightly or lightly; in a gentle way.
- mezzo
- Adjective or noun meaning half, middle, or center.
- dal
- Contraction of 'da' and 'il'; from the (masculine).
- centro
- The middle point or central area of something.
- sentiero
- A narrow path through nature; trail or footpath.
- Questo
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective masculine singular; this.
- me
- Stressed first person singular pronoun; me.
- coda
- The tail of an animal or end of something.
- lunga
- Feminine singular adjective meaning long.
- agitandola
- Gerund of 'agitare' plus pronoun; shaking or waving it.
- da
- Preposition meaning from, by, since, or as.
- lato
- A side or flank of something; direction or edge.
- altro
- Masculine singular adjective meaning other or another.
- ha
- Third person singular present of 'avere'; has.
- spazzato
- Past participle of 'spazzare'; swept or brushed away.
- via
- Adverb meaning away, off; also a street or road.
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