The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete — Page 13
In chronicling the latter meteoric career, Smollett had already observed the peculiarity of his countrymen which Thackeray was fond of harping on in the next century—"the maxim which universally prevails among the English people . . to overlook, . . on their return to the metropolis, all the connexions they may have chanced to acquire during their residence at any of the medical wells.
Nel raccontare quest'ultima carriera meteoritica, Smollett aveva già osservato la peculiarità dei suoi connazionali su cui Thackeray amava insistere nel secolo successivo — «la massima che prevale universalmente tra il popolo inglese . . di ignorare, . . al loro ritorno nella metropoli, tutte le relazioni che avrebbero potuto stringere durante la loro permanenza in una qualsiasi delle terme medicinali.
And this social disposition is so scrupulously maintained, that two persons who live in the most intimate correspondence at Bath or Tunbridge, shall, in four-and-twenty hours . . meet in St. James's Park, without betraying the least token of recognition."
E questa disposizione sociale è mantenuta così scrupolosamente, che due persone che vivono nella più intima familiarità a Bath o a Tunbridge, si incontreranno, nel giro di ventiquattr'ore . . a St. James's Park, senza tradire il minimo segno di riconoscimento.»
And good, too, is the way in which, as Dr. Fathom goes rapidly down the social hill, he makes excuses for his declining splendour.
E ottimo è anche il modo in cui, mentre il dottor Fathom scende rapidamente la china sociale, trova scuse per il suo splendore in declino.
His chariot was overturned "with a hideous crash" at such danger to himself, "that he did not believe he should ever hazard himself again in any sort of wheel carriage."
La sua carrozza si era ribaltata «con un fragore orrendo» con tale pericolo per la sua persona, «che non credeva di doversi mai più arrischiare su qualsiasi tipo di veicolo a ruote».
He turned off his men for maids, because "men servants are generally impudent, lazy, debauched, or dishonest."
Aveva licenziato i suoi domestici maschi in favore delle domestiche, perché «i servitori maschi sono generalmente sfacciati, pigri, dissoluti o disonesti».
To avoid the din of the street, he shifted his lodgings into a quiet, obscure court.
Per evitare il frastuono della strada, aveva trasferito il suo alloggio in un cortile tranquillo e appartato.
And so forth and so on, in the true Smollett vein.
E così via e via ancora, nel vero stile di Smollett.
But, after all, such of the old sparks are struck only occasionally.
Ma, dopotutto, tali vecchie scintille si sprigionano solo di tanto in tanto.
Vocabulary
- raccontare
- To tell, narrate, or recount a story
- ultima
- Last, final, most recent
- carriera
- Career, professional life or occupation
- meteoritica
- Meteoric, extremely rapid and spectacular rise
- già
- Already, previously, by now
- osservato
- Observed, noted, remarked upon something
- peculiarità
- Peculiarity, distinctive or unusual characteristic
- connazionali
- Fellow countrymen, people of the same nationality
- cui
- Whom, which (relative pronoun)
- insistere
- To insist, persist, or emphasize repeatedly
- secolo
- Century, a period of one hundred years
- successivo
- Following, subsequent, the next one
- massima
- Maxim, general principle or rule of conduct
- prevale
- Prevails, predominates, is most widespread
- universalmente
- Universally, across all people or places
- popolo
- People, nation, the common folk
- inglese
- English, relating to England or its people
- ignorare
- To ignore, disregard, pretend not to notice
- ritorno
- Return, coming back to a place
- metropoli
- Metropolis, large important city or capital
- relazioni
- Relationships, connections, acquaintances formed with others
- stringere
- To forge, tighten, establish (a relationship)
- durante
- During, throughout a period of time
- permanenza
- Stay, sojourn, period of residing somewhere
- qualsiasi
- Any, whatever, whichever one at all
- terme
- Thermal baths, spa resorts with mineral waters
- medicinali
- Medicinal, having healing or therapeutic properties
- disposizione
- Disposition, tendency, social attitude or arrangement
- sociale
- Social, relating to society or social behavior
- mantenuta
- Maintained, kept up, preserved over time
- così
- So, thus, in this way
- scrupolosamente
- Scrupulously, with great care and conscientiousness
- intima
- Intimate, close, deeply personal (feminine adjective)
- familiarità
- Familiarity, closeness, friendly informal relationship
- incontreranno
- They will meet, encounter one another (future)
- giro
- Turn, circuit; within (time), around
- ventiquattr'
- Twenty-four (elided form before 'ore')
- ore
- Hours (plural of ora)
- senza
- Without (preposition)
- tradire
- To betray, reveal, show inadvertently
- minimo
- Minimum, slightest, smallest possible amount
- segno
- Sign, gesture, indication, token
- riconoscimento
- Recognition, acknowledgment of knowing someone
- ottimo
- Excellent, very good, outstanding
- modo
- Way, manner, method of doing something
- mentre
- While, whereas (temporal/contrastive conjunction)
- dottor
- Doctor (title, abbreviated form before name)
- scende
- Descends, goes down, falls (present tense)
- rapidamente
- Rapidly, quickly, at great speed
- china
- Slope, downward incline; decline
- scuse
- Excuses, justifications, pretexts offered
- splendore
- Splendor, magnificence, brilliant luxury
- declino
- Decline, deterioration, gradual falling off
- carrozza
- Carriage, horse-drawn vehicle for passengers
- ribaltata
- Overturned, capsized, flipped upside down
- fragore
- Crash, loud roaring noise, clamor
- orrendo
- Horrible, dreadful, terrifying in sound or appearance
- tale
- Such, so great, of that kind
- pericolo
- Danger, peril, risk to safety
- credeva
- Believed, thought, considered (imperfect tense)
- doversi
- To have to (reflexive infinitive of dovere)
- mai
- Never, ever (negative/emphatic adverb)
- arrischiare
- To risk, to venture, to put in danger
- tipo
- Type, kind, sort of thing
- veicolo
- Vehicle, means of transport on wheels
- ruote
- Wheels (plural of ruota)
- licenziato
- Dismissed, fired, let go from employment
- domestici
- Male domestic servants, household staff
- maschi
- Males, men (plural adjective/noun)
- favore
- Favor, benefit; in favor of, preferring
- domestiche
- Female domestic servants, housemaids
- servitori
- Servants, attendants, household employees
- generalmente
- Generally, usually, as a rule
- sfacciati
- Impudent, cheeky, brazenly insolent
- pigri
- Lazy, idle, lacking in effort
- dissoluti
- Dissolute, immoral, given to excess and vice
- disonesti
- Dishonest, untrustworthy, not honest
- evitare
- To avoid, escape, prevent something from happening
- frastuono
- Racket, loud noise, din of a street
- strada
- Street, road, path
- trasferito
- Transferred, moved to a different location
- alloggio
- Lodging, accommodation, place to stay
- cortile
- Courtyard, enclosed yard within a building
- tranquillo
- Quiet, calm, peaceful, undisturbed
- appartato
- Secluded, isolated, set apart from noise
- via
- Street, way; away (noun/adverb)
- ancora
- Still, yet, again (adverb)
- vero
- True, real, genuine (adjective)
- stile
- Style, manner, characteristic way of doing
- dopotutto
- After all, when all is said and done
- tali
- Such, those kinds of (plural of tale)
- vecchie
- Old, aged (feminine plural adjective)
- scintille
- Sparks, flashes of fire or brilliance
- sprigionano
- They release, emit, give off sparks
- solo
- Only, just, alone (adverb/adjective)
- tanto
- So much, so many, a lot
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