Pride and Prejudice — Page 15

English → It Preface Level 7/10

I sometimes wish that the exigencies of the story had permitted Miss Austen to unite these personages, and thus at once achieve a notable mating and soothe poor Mrs. Bennet's anguish over the entail.

A volte desidero che le esigenze della storia avessero permesso alla signorina Austen di unire questi personaggi, e così ottenere al tempo stesso un notevole accoppiamento e lenire la sofferenza della povera signora Bennet per il fidecommesso.

The Bingleys and the Gardiners and the Lucases, Miss Darcy and Miss de Bourgh, Jane, Wickham, and the rest, must pass without special comment, further than the remark that Charlotte Lucas (her egregious papa, though delightful, is just a little on the thither side of the line between comedy and farce) is a wonderfully clever study in drab of one kind, and that Wickham (though something of Miss Austen's hesitation of touch in dealing with young men appears) is a not much less notable sketch in drab of another.

I Bingley e i Gardiner e i Lucas, la signorina Darcy e la signorina de Bourgh, Jane, Wickham e gli altri, devono passare senza commenti particolari, fatta eccezione per l'osservazione che Charlotte Lucas (il suo egregio papà, sebbene delizioso, è appena un poco oltre la linea che separa la commedia dalla farsa) è uno studio straordinariamente sapiente del grigiore di un certo tipo, e che Wickham (sebbene appaia qualcosa dell'esitazione di tocco della signorina Austen nel trattare i giovani uomini) è uno schizzo non molto meno notevole del grigiore di un altro tipo.

Only genius could have made Charlotte what she is, yet not disagreeable; Wickham what he is, without investing him either with a cheap Don Juanish attractiveness or a disgusting rascality.

Solo il genio avrebbe potuto fare di Charlotte ciò che è, eppure non antipatica; di Wickham ciò che è, senza investirlo né di un'attrattiva dongiovannesca a buon mercato né di una ripugnante furfanteria.

But the hero and the heroine are not tints to be dismissed.

Ma l'eroe e l'eroina non sono sfumature da liquidare con leggerezza.

Darcy has always seemed to me by far the best and most interesting of Miss Austen's heroes; the only possible competitor being Henry Tilney, whose part is so slight and simple that it hardly enters into comparison.

Darcy mi è sempre sembrato di gran lunga il migliore e il più interessante degli eroi della signorina Austen; l'unico possibile rivale è Henry Tilney, la cui parte è così lieve e semplice che difficilmente si presta al confronto.

It has sometimes, I believe, been urged that his pride is unnatural at first in its expression and later in its yielding, while his falling in love at all is not extremely probable.

È stato sostenuto a volte, credo, che il suo orgoglio sia innaturale dapprima nella sua espressione e poi nel suo cedere, mentre il fatto che si innamori affatto non è estremamente probabile.

Here again I cannot go with the objectors.

Anche in questo caso non posso concordare con chi solleva obiezioni.

Vocabulary

A: a — Preposition meaning 'at' or 'to' in Italian.
volte: VOL-te — Times, instances; used in expressions of frequency.
desidero: de-ZI-de-ro — I desire, I wish, I want something.
che: ke — That, which, who; common conjunction and pronoun.
le: le — The (feminine plural); also indirect object pronoun 'her'.
esigenze: e-zi-JEN-tse — Requirements, demands, needs of a situation.
della: DEL-la — Of the (feminine singular); preposition and article combined.
storia: STO-rya — Story, history, narrative of events.
avessero: a-VES-se-ro — They had; past subjunctive of 'avere'.
permesso: per-MES-so — Permitted, allowed; past participle of 'permettere'.
alla: AL-la — To the (feminine singular); combined preposition and article.
signorina: si-nyo-RI-na — Miss, young unmarried woman; polite form of address.
di: di — Of, from; very common Italian preposition.
unire: u-NI-re — To unite, join, bring together two or more things.
questi: KWES-ti — These (masculine plural); demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
personaggi: per-so-NAD-ji — Characters, figures in a story or play.
e: e — And; the most basic Italian coordinating conjunction.
così: ko-ZI — So, thus, in this way; common adverb.
ottenere: ot-te-NE-re — To obtain, achieve, get something desired.
al: al — To the (masculine singular); contracted preposition and article.
tempo: TEM-po — Time, weather; fundamental Italian noun.
stesso: STES-so — Same, very; used for emphasis or identity.
un: un — A, an (masculine singular); indefinite article.
notevole: no-TE-vo-le — Notable, remarkable, worthy of attention.
accoppiamento: ak-kop-pya-MEN-to — Pairing, coupling, matching of two things or people.
lenire: le-NI-re — To soothe, alleviate, ease pain or suffering.
la: la — The (feminine singular); definite article.
sofferenza: sof-fe-REN-tsa — Suffering, pain, distress endured by someone.
povera: PO-ve-ra — Poor, unfortunate; expresses sympathy or pity.
signora: si-NYO-ra — Mrs., madam; polite title for a married woman.
per: per — For, through, by; very common Italian preposition.
il: il — The (masculine singular); definite article.
I: i — The (masculine plural); definite article.
i: i — The (masculine plural); definite article.
gli: lyi — The (masculine plural before vowels/z/s+cons); definite article.
altri: AL-tri — Others, the rest; masculine plural of 'altro'.
devono: DE-vo-no — They must, they have to; third person plural of 'dovere'.
passare: pas-SA-re — To pass, go by, move on to something else.
senza: SEN-tsa — Without; preposition indicating absence or lack.
commenti: kom-MEN-ti — Comments, remarks, observations about something.
particolari: par-ti-ko-LA-ri — Particular, specific, detailed; plural adjective or noun.
fatta: FAT-ta — Made, done; past participle of 'fare', feminine form.
eccezione: et-tse-TSYO-ne — Exception, exclusion from a general rule or statement.
l': l — The; elided definite article before a vowel.
osservazione: os-ser-va-TSYO-ne — Observation, remark, comment about something noticed.
suo: SWO — His, her, its, your (formal); possessive adjective.
egregio: e-GRE-jo — Distinguished, esteemed; formal adjective of respect.
papà: pa-PA — Dad, father; informal term for one's father.
sebbene: seb-BE-ne — Although, even though; concessive conjunction with subjunctive.
delizioso: de-li-TSYO-so — Delightful, delicious, charming, extremely pleasing.
è: è — Is; third person singular present of 'essere'.
appena: ap-PE-na — Just, barely, hardly, scarcely; common adverb.
poco: PO-ko — Little, a bit, not much; common adverb or adjective.
oltre: OL-tre — Beyond, over, past a limit or boundary.
linea: LI-ne-a — Line, boundary, dividing mark between two things.
separa: se-PA-ra — Separates, divides; third person singular of 'separare'.
commedia: kom-ME-dya — Comedy, play; theatrical or literary genre of humor.
dalla: DAL-la — From the (feminine singular); combined preposition and article.
farsa: FAR-sa — Farce; exaggerated comic theatrical genre or absurd situation.
uno: U-no — One, a (masculine); numeral and indefinite article.
studio: STU-dyo — Study, analysis, examination of a subject or character.
straordinariamente: stra-or-di-na-rya-MEN-te — Extraordinarily, remarkably, to an exceptional degree.
sapiente: sa-PYEN-te — Wise, skillful, expert; showing great knowledge or craft.
del: del — Of the (masculine singular); contracted preposition and article.
grigiore: gri-JO-re — Greyness, dullness, monotony of character or situation.
certo: CHER-to — Certain, a certain, sure; adjective or adverb of affirmation.
tipo: TI-po — Type, kind, sort of person or thing.
appaia: ap-PA-ya — Appears, seems; present subjunctive of 'apparire'.
qualcosa: kwal-KO-sa — Something, anything; indefinite pronoun of quantity.
dell': del — Of the; elided combined preposition and definite article.
esitazione: e-zi-ta-TSYO-ne — Hesitation, uncertainty, pause before acting or deciding.
tocco: TOK-ko — Touch, stroke; light, careful handling of a subject.
nel: nel — In the (masculine singular); contracted preposition and article.
trattare: trat-TA-re — To treat, deal with, handle a topic or person.
giovani: JO-va-ni — Young people, youths; plural of 'giovane'.
uomini: WO-mi-ni — Men; plural of 'uomo'.
schizzo: SKIT-tso — Sketch, rough outline, brief portrayal of a character.
non: non — Not; basic Italian negation adverb.
molto: MOL-to — Much, very, a lot; common Italian adverb or adjective.
meno: ME-no — Less, minus; used in comparisons and expressions.
altro: AL-tro — Other, another, else; common Italian adjective or pronoun.
Solo: SO-lo — Only, just, alone; adverb or adjective of exclusivity.
genio: JE-nyo — Genius, great talent or a person of exceptional ability.
avrebbe: av-REB-be — Would have; third person singular conditional of 'avere'.
potuto: po-TU-to — Been able to; past participle of 'potere'.
fare: FA-re — To do, to make; one of the most common Italian verbs.
ciò: cho — That, this, it; neutral demonstrative pronoun.
eppure: ep-PU-re — And yet, nevertheless, still; concessive conjunction.
antipatica: an-ti-PA-ti-ka — Unpleasant, disagreeable, unlikable (feminine form).
investirlo: in-ves-TIR-lo — To invest him, endow him; infinitive with pronoun attached.
né: né — Neither, nor; used to connect negative alternatives.
un': un — A, an (feminine before vowel); elided indefinite article.
attrattiva: at-trat-TI-va — Attraction, appeal, charm that draws people in.
a buon mercato: a bwon mer-KA-to — Cheap, inexpensive, low-cost; idiomatic phrase.
una: U-na — A, an (feminine singular); indefinite article.
ripugnante: ri-pu-NYAN-te — Repugnant, revolting, deeply disgusting or offensive.
furfanteria: fur-fan-te-RI-a — Roguery, villainy, dishonest and deceitful behavior.
Ma: ma — But; basic Italian adversative conjunction.
eroe: e-RO-e — Hero; main male protagonist of a story or myth.
eroina: e-ro-I-na — Heroine; main female protagonist of a literary work.
sono: SO-no — Are, I am; present tense of 'essere'.
sfumature: sfu-ma-TU-re — Nuances, subtleties, fine shades of meaning or character.
da: da — From, by, since; versatile Italian preposition.
liquidare: li-kwi-DA-re — To dismiss, dispose of, deal with quickly and summarily.
con: kon — With; basic Italian preposition of accompaniment or means.
leggerezza: led-je-RET-tsa — Lightness, superficiality, lack of seriousness or depth.
mi: mi — Me, to me; first person singular object pronoun.
sempre: SEM-pre — Always, ever; common Italian adverb of frequency.
sembrato: sem-BRA-to — Seemed, appeared; past participle of 'sembrare'.
gran: gran — Great, big; shortened form of 'grande' before consonants.
lunga: LUN-ga — Long (feminine); adjective of length or duration.
migliore: mi-LYO-re — Better, best; comparative form of 'buono'.
più: pyù — More, most; essential adverb for comparisons.
interessante: in-te-res-SAN-te — Interesting, engaging, capturing one's attention.
degli: DE-lyi — Of the (masculine plural); combined preposition and article.
eroi: e-RO-i — Heroes; plural of 'eroe'.
unico: U-ni-ko — Unique, only, sole; indicating singularity or incomparability.
possibile: pos-SI-bi-le — Possible; able to happen or be done.
rivale: ri-VA-le — Rival, competitor, one who competes for the same goal.
cui: kwi — Whom, which, whose; relative pronoun used after prepositions.
parte: PAR-te — Part, role, portion; important and versatile Italian noun.
lieve: LYE-ve — Light, slight, gentle; describes something of little weight.
semplice: SEM-pli-che — Simple, plain, uncomplicated, easy to understand.
difficilmente: dif-fi-chil-MEN-te — Hardly, with difficulty, not easily or readily.
si: si — Oneself, each other; reflexive and reciprocal pronoun.
presta: PRES-ta — Lends itself, suits; third person singular of 'prestare'.
confronto: kon-FRON-to — Comparison, contrast between two things or people.
È: è — Is; third person singular present of 'essere'.
stato: STA-to — Been, state; past participle of 'essere' or noun 'state'.
sostenuto: sos-te-NU-to — Sustained, maintained, argued; past participle of 'sostenere'.
credo: KRE-do — I believe, I think; first person singular of 'credere'.
orgoglio: or-GO-lyo — Pride, arrogance, strong sense of self-worth.
sia: SI-a — Is, be; present subjunctive of 'essere'.
innaturale: in-na-tu-RA-le — Unnatural, artificial, contrary to natural behavior.
dapprima: dap-PRI-ma — At first, initially, in the beginning.
nella: NEL-la — In the (feminine singular); contracted preposition and article.
sua: SU-a — His, her, its (feminine form); possessive adjective.
espressione: es-pres-SYO-ne — Expression, way of showing feelings or conveying meaning.
poi: poi — Then, afterwards, later; common Italian time adverb.
cedere: CHE-de-re — To yield, give way, surrender, concede to something.
mentre: MEN-tre — While, whereas; temporal or contrastive conjunction.
fatto: FAT-to — Fact, done; noun meaning 'fact' or past participle of 'fare'.
innamori: in-na-MO-ri — Falls in love; present subjunctive of 'innamorarsi'.
affatto: af-FAT-to — At all, entirely; used in negations or strong affirmations.
estremamente: es-tre-ma-MEN-te — Extremely, to the highest degree; intensifying adverb.
probabile: pro-BA-bi-le — Probable, likely, expected to happen or be true.
Anche: AN-ke — Also, too, even; common Italian additive adverb.
in: in — In, into; very common Italian preposition of place or time.
questo: KWES-to — This (masculine singular); demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
caso: KA-so — Case, instance, event, chance; versatile Italian noun.
posso: POS-so — I can, I am able; first person singular of 'potere'.
concordare: kon-kor-DA-re — To agree, concur, be in accord with someone's view.
chi: ki — Who, whoever; interrogative and relative pronoun.
solleva: sol-LE-va — Raises, brings up; third person singular of 'sollevare'.
obiezioni: o-bye-TSYO-ni — Objections, protests, arguments raised against something.

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