The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete — Page 12
The clock struck twelve, the owl screeched from the ruined battlement, the door was opened by the sexton, who, by the light of a glimmering taper, conducted the despairing lover to a dreary aisle, and stamped upon the ground with his foot, saying, 'Here the young lady lies interred.'"
L'orologio batté le dodici, il gufo stridette dal bastione in rovina, la porta fu aperta dal sagrestano, il quale, alla luce di una fioca candela, condusse l'amante disperato fino a una lugubre navata, e batté il piede sul suolo dicendo: «Qui giace sepolta la giovane signora»."
We have here such an amount of the usual romantic machinery of the "grave-yard" school of poets—that school of which Professor W. L. Phelps calls Young, in his Night Thoughts, the most "conspicuous exemplar"—that one is at first inclined to think Smollett poking fun at it.
Abbiamo qui una tale quantità dei consueti meccanismi romantici della scuola dei poeti del «cimitero» — quella scuola di cui il Professor W. L. Phelps definisce Young, nei suoi Pensieri Notturni, il più «cospicuo esemplare» — che si è dapprima portati a pensare che Smollett ne stia facendo una parodia.
The context, however, seems to prove that he was perfectly serious.
Il contesto, tuttavia, sembra dimostrare che egli era del tutto serio.
It is interesting, then, as well as surprising, to find traces of the romantic spirit in his fiction over ten years before Walpole's Castle of Otranto.
È interessante, quindi, oltre che sorprendente, trovare tracce dello spirito romantico nella sua narrativa oltre dieci anni prima del Castello di Otranto di Walpole.
It is also interesting to find so much melodramatic feeling in him, because it makes stronger the connection between him and his nineteenth-century disciple, Dickens.
È anche interessante trovare in lui un sentimento così melodrammatico, poiché rafforza il legame tra lui e il suo discepolo ottocentesco, Dickens.
From all that I have said, it must not be thought that the usual Smollett is always, or almost always, absent from Count Fathom.
Da tutto ciò che ho detto, non si deve pensare che il consueto Smollett sia sempre, o quasi sempre, assente dal Conte Fathom.
I have spoken of the dedication and of the opening chapters as what we might expect from his pen.
Ho parlato della dedica e dei capitoli iniziali come di ciò che ci si potrebbe aspettare dalla sua penna.
There are, besides, true Smollett strokes in the scenes in the prison from which Melvil rescues Fathom, and there is a good deal of the satirical Smollett fun in the description of Fathom's ups and downs, first as the petted beau, and then as the fashionable doctor.
Vi sono, inoltre, veri e propri tratti smollettiani nelle scene della prigione dalla quale Melvil salva Fathom, e vi è una buona dose del divertimento satirico di Smollett nella descrizione delle vicissitudini di Fathom, prima come galante viziato, e poi come medico alla moda.
Vocabulary
- orologio
- A device used to tell the time; a clock
- batté
- Past tense of 'battere'; struck or hit
- dodici
- The number twelve
- gufo
- A nocturnal bird of prey; an owl
- stridette
- Past tense of 'stridere'; shrieked or screeched
- bastione
- A projecting part of a fortification; a bastion
- rovina
- A state of decay or destruction; ruin
- porta
- An entryway to a building or room; a door
- fu
- Past tense of 'essere'; was
- aperta
- Feminine past participle of 'aprire'; opened
- sagrestano
- Person who maintains a church and its contents; sexton
- quale
- Relative pronoun meaning who, which, or what
- luce
- Electromagnetic radiation visible to the eye; light
- fioca
- Dim, faint, or weak in brightness or sound
- candela
- A wax stick burned to provide light; a candle
- condusse
- Past tense of 'condurre'; led or guided someone
- amante
- A person deeply in love; a lover
- disperato
- Without hope; desperate or despairing
- fino
- Preposition indicating extent; as far as or until
- lugubre
- Mournful, gloomy, and dismal in character
- navata
- The central hall of a church; a nave
- piede
- The lower extremity of the leg; a foot
- suolo
- The surface of the earth; ground or floor
- dicendo
- Present participle of 'dire'; saying or telling
- Qui
- Adverb indicating location; here
- giace
- Third person singular of 'giacere'; lies buried
- sepolta
- Feminine past participle of 'seppellire'; buried
- giovane
- Of a relatively early age; young
- signora
- Respectful title for a woman; lady or madam
- Abbiamo
- First person plural of 'avere'; we have
- qui
- Adverb indicating this place; here
- tale
- Adjective meaning such or of that kind
- quantità
- An amount or number of something; quantity
- consueti
- Plural of 'consueto'; usual or customary things
- meccanismi
- Plural of 'meccanismo'; systems or devices; mechanisms
- romantici
- Plural adjective relating to Romantic literary movement
- scuola
- An institution for education or artistic movement; school
- poeti
- Plural of 'poeta'; writers of poetry; poets
- cimitero
- A place where the dead are buried; cemetery
- quella
- Feminine demonstrative pronoun; that one
- cui
- Relative pronoun meaning whom, which, or whose
- Professor
- Academic title for a university teacher; professor
- definisce
- Third person singular of 'definire'; defines or describes
- suoi
- Possessive adjective, masculine plural; his or her
- Pensieri
- Plural of 'pensiero'; thoughts or reflections
- Notturni
- Plural of 'notturno'; nocturnal or nightly works
- più
- Adverb indicating greater degree; more or most
- cospicuo
- Notable, prominent, or conspicuous in degree
- esemplare
- A representative instance of something; an example
- dapprima
- Adverb meaning at first or initially
- portati
- Past participle of 'portare'; led or inclined
- pensare
- To use the mind to form ideas; to think
- ne
- Pronoun meaning of it, of them, or from there
- stia
- Subjunctive of 'stare'; be or remain in state
- facendo
- Present participle of 'fare'; doing or making
- parodia
- A humorous imitation of another work; parody
- contesto
- The circumstances surrounding an event; context
- tuttavia
- Adverb meaning nevertheless or however
- sembra
- Third person singular of 'sembrare'; seems or appears
- dimostrare
- To show or prove something clearly; to demonstrate
- egli
- Third person masculine singular pronoun; he
- era
- Imperfect tense of 'essere'; was or used to be
- tutto
- Adjective or pronoun meaning all or completely
- serio
- Not joking or frivolous; serious
- interessante
- Holding attention; worthy of interest or curiosity
- quindi
- Adverb meaning therefore or consequently
- oltre
- Preposition meaning beyond or more than
- sorprendente
- Causing surprise or astonishment; surprising
- trovare
- To discover or come across something; to find
- tracce
- Plural of 'traccia'; signs or marks left behind; traces
- spirito
- The non-physical essence; spirit or mood
- romantico
- Relating to romance or the Romantic movement
- sua
- Feminine possessive adjective; his, her, or its
- narrativa
- Written prose fiction; narrative or storytelling
- dieci
- The number ten
- anni
- Plural of 'anno'; years
- prima
- Adverb or adjective meaning before or earlier
- Castello
- A large fortified medieval residence; a castle
- anche
- Adverb meaning also, too, or as well
- lui
- Third person masculine singular pronoun; him or he
- sentimento
- An emotional feeling or sensation; sentiment
- così
- Adverb meaning so, thus, or in this way
- melodrammatico
- Excessively dramatic or emotional; melodramatic
- poiché
- Conjunction meaning since, because, or given that
- rafforza
- Third person singular of 'rafforzare'; strengthens
- legame
- A connection or bond between things or people
- tra
- Preposition meaning between or among
- suo
- Masculine possessive adjective; his, her, or its
- discepolo
- A follower who learns from a teacher; disciple
- ottocentesco
- Adjective relating to the nineteenth century; nineteenth-century
- ciò
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning this or that thing
- ho
- First person singular of 'avere'; I have
- detto
- Past participle of 'dire'; said or stated
- deve
- Third person singular of 'dovere'; must or has to
- consueto
- Something habitual or customary; usual
- sia
- Subjunctive of 'essere'; be (subjunctive mood)
- sempre
- Adverb meaning always or at all times
- quasi
- Adverb meaning almost or nearly
- assente
- Not present in a place; absent
- Conte
- Noble title equivalent to count; also part of title
- parlato
- Past participle of 'parlare'; spoken or talked
- dedica
- A written tribute at the start of a book; dedication
- capitoli
- Plural of 'capitolo'; divisions of a book; chapters
- iniziali
- Plural adjective meaning first or opening; initial
- come
- Adverb or conjunction meaning how or as
- ci
- Reflexive or locative pronoun meaning us or here
- potrebbe
- Conditional of 'potere'; could or might
- aspettare
- To remain until something happens; to wait or expect
- penna
- An instrument used for writing; a pen
- Vi
- Pronoun meaning there or you (formal/plural)
- inoltre
- Adverb meaning furthermore or in addition
- veri
- Plural of 'vero'; true or genuine things
- propri
- Plural of 'proprio'; own or proper things
- tratti
- Plural of 'tratto'; features, traits, or characteristics
- scene
- Plural of 'scena'; parts of a play or narrative; scenes
- prigione
- A place where criminals are confined; prison
- salva
- Third person singular of 'salvare'; saves or rescues
- vi
- Pronoun meaning there, in it, or you (plural)
- buona
- Feminine of 'buono'; good or pleasant
- dose
- A measured portion of something; a dose
- divertimento
- The state of being amused; amusement or entertainment
- satirico
- Using satire to criticize or mock; satirical
- descrizione
- A spoken or written account of something; description
- vicissitudini
- Unexpected changes in life or fortune; vicissitudes
- galante
- Charmingly attentive to women; gallant or flirtatious
- viziato
- Spoiled by excessive indulgence; pampered or corrupted
- poi
- Adverb meaning then, afterwards, or later
- medico
- A person qualified to practice medicine; a doctor
- moda
- A popular trend in dress or behavior; fashion
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