The Adventures of Roderick Random — Page 2
The reader gratifies his curiosity in pursuing the adventures of a person in whose favour he is prepossessed; he espouses his cause, he sympathises with him in his distress, his indignation is heated against the authors of his calamity: the humane passions are inflamed; the contrast between dejected virtue and insulting vice appears with greater aggravation, and every impression having a double force on the imagination, the memory retains the circumstance, and the heart improves by the example.
Il lettore soddisfa la propria curiosità seguendo le avventure di una persona verso la quale è predisposto favorevolmente; abbraccia la sua causa, simpatizza con lui nella sua sventura, la sua indignazione si accende contro gli artefici della sua calamità: le passioni umane sono infiammate; il contrasto tra la virtù abbattuta e il vizio insolente appare con maggiore acrimonia, e ogni impressione avendo una doppia forza sull'immaginazione, la memoria trattiene la circostanza, e il cuore migliora grazie all'esempio.
The attention is not tired with a bare catalogue of characters, but agreeably diverted with all the variety of invention; and the vicissitudes of life appear in their peculiar circumstances, opening an ample field for wit and humour.
L'attenzione non si stanca di un mero catalogo di personaggi, ma viene piacevolmente distratta da tutta la varietà dell'invenzione; e le vicissitudini della vita appaiono nelle loro peculiari circostanze, aprendo un ampio campo all'arguzia e all'umorismo.
Romance, no doubt, owes its origin to ignorance, vanity, and superstition.
Il romanzo cavalleresco, senza dubbio, deve la sua origine all'ignoranza, alla vanità e alla superstizione.
In the dark ages of the World, when a man had rendered himself famous for wisdom or valour, his family and adherents availed themselves of his superior qualities, magnified his virtues, and represented his character and person as sacred and supernatural.
Nei secoli bui del mondo, quando un uomo si era reso famoso per la saggezza o il valore, la sua famiglia e i suoi seguaci si avvalevano delle sue qualità superiori, ne magnificavano le virtù e rappresentavano il suo carattere e la sua persona come sacri e soprannaturali.
The vulgar easily swallowed the bait, implored his protection, and yielded the tribute of homage and praise, even to adoration; his exploits were handed down to posterity with a thousand exaggerations; they were repeated as incitements to virtue; divine honours were paid, and altars erected to his memory, for the encouragement of those who attempted to imitate his example; and hence arose the heathen mythology, which is no other than a collection of extravagant romances.
Il volgo ingoiava facilmente l'esca, ne implorava la protezione e rendeva il tributo di omaggio e lode, fino all'adorazione; le sue gesta venivano tramandate ai posteri con mille esagerazioni; venivano ripetute come incitamenti alla virtù; onori divini erano tributati e altari eretti alla sua memoria, per incoraggiare coloro che tentavano di imitare il suo esempio; e da ciò sorse la mitologia pagana, che non è altro che una raccolta di romanzi stravaganti.
Vocabulary
- lettore
- A person who reads; a reader
- soddisfa
- Third person singular of soddisfare; satisfies or fulfills
- propria
- One's own; belonging to oneself
- curiosità
- Desire to know or learn; curiosity
- seguendo
- Present participle of seguire; following or pursuing
- avventure
- Exciting or unusual experiences; adventures
- persona
- An individual human being; a person
- verso
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'
- quale
- Relative pronoun or adjective meaning 'which' or 'who'
- predisposto
- Inclined or favorably disposed toward something beforehand
- favorevolmente
- In a favorable or positive manner; favorably
- abbraccia
- Third person singular of abbracciare; embraces or takes up
- causa
- A reason, goal, or cause one supports
- simpatizza
- Third person singular of simpatizzare; sympathizes or feels compassion
- sventura
- A misfortune or unfortunate circumstance; bad luck
- indignazione
- Strong anger aroused by injustice; indignation
- accende
- Third person singular of accendere; ignites or is kindled
- contro
- Preposition meaning 'against' or 'opposed to'
- artefici
- Those who craft or cause something; architects of an event
- calamità
- A great disaster or catastrophe causing widespread suffering
- passioni
- Strong emotions or intense feelings; passions
- umane
- Relating to human beings; human (feminine plural)
- infiammate
- Stirred up or inflamed; aroused intensely (feminine plural)
- contrasto
- A sharp opposition or difference between two things; contrast
- tra
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among'
- virtù
- Moral excellence or goodness of character; virtue
- abbattuta
- Struck down, defeated, or dejected; brought low
- vizio
- Immoral or wicked behavior; a vice
- insolente
- Rudely arrogant or contemptuous; insolent
- appare
- Third person singular of apparire; appears or seems
- maggiore
- Greater in size, degree, or importance; major
- acrimonia
- Bitterness or sharpness of manner or speech; acrimony
- ogni
- Adjective meaning 'every' or 'each'
- impressione
- An effect produced on the mind or senses; impression
- avendo
- Present participle of avere; having
- doppia
- Adjective meaning 'double' or 'twofold' (feminine)
- forza
- Physical or mental strength; force or power
- immaginazione
- The faculty of forming mental images; imagination
- memoria
- The ability to recall past events or information; memory
- trattiene
- Third person singular of trattenere; retains or holds back
- circostanza
- A condition or detail surrounding an event; circumstance
- cuore
- The organ pumping blood; also the seat of emotions, heart
- migliora
- Third person singular of migliorare; improves or gets better
- grazie
- Thanks; used in 'grazie a' meaning 'thanks to'
- esempio
- A thing serving as a model or illustration; example
- attenzione
- The act of focusing one's mind on something; attention
- stanca
- Third person singular of stancare; tires or wearies
- mero
- Nothing more than; pure and simple; mere
- catalogo
- A systematic list or enumeration of items; catalog
- personaggi
- Fictional or real individuals in a story; characters
- viene
- Third person singular of venire; comes or is (passive auxiliary)
- piacevolmente
- In a pleasant or agreeable manner; pleasantly
- distratta
- Past participle of distrarre; distracted or diverted
- tutta
- Adjective meaning 'all' or 'the whole of' (feminine)
- varietà
- A range of different things; variety or diversity
- invenzione
- The creation of something new; invention or inventiveness
- vicissitudini
- Changes of circumstances, especially difficulties; vicissitudes
- vita
- The state of being alive; life
- appaiono
- Third person plural of apparire; they appear or seem
- loro
- Pronoun or possessive meaning 'their', 'them', or 'they'
- peculiari
- Distinctive or characteristic; peculiar (plural)
- circostanze
- Conditions or details surrounding events; circumstances (plural)
- aprendo
- Present participle of aprire; opening or revealing
- ampio
- Large, broad, or extensive in scope; ample
- campo
- A field or area of activity; domain or scope
- arguzia
- Cleverness or sharpness of wit; wittiness
- umorismo
- The quality of being funny or comic; humor
- romanzo
- A long fictional prose narrative; a novel
- cavalleresco
- Relating to medieval knights and chivalry; chivalric
- senza
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- dubbio
- Uncertainty or lack of certainty; doubt
- deve
- Third person singular of dovere; must or owes
- origine
- The point from which something starts; origin
- ignoranza
- Lack of knowledge or awareness; ignorance
- vanità
- Excessive pride in one's appearance or achievements; vanity
- superstizione
- Belief in supernatural causation; superstition
- secoli
- Periods of one hundred years; centuries
- bui
- Dark, gloomy, or unenlightened; dark (masculine plural)
- mondo
- The earth and all its inhabitants; world
- quando
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'
- uomo
- An adult male human being; man
- reso
- Past participle of rendere; made or rendered
- famoso
- Well known by many people; famous
- saggezza
- The quality of having good judgment; wisdom
- valore
- Worth, bravery, or merit; valor or value
- famiglia
- A group of related people; family
- seguaci
- People who follow or support a leader; followers
- avvalevano
- Imperfect of avvalersi; they availed themselves or made use
- qualità
- The standard or degree of excellence; quality
- superiori
- Higher in rank, quality, or degree; superior (plural)
- ne
- Pronoun meaning 'of it', 'of them', or 'about it'
- magnificavano
- Imperfect of magnificare; they glorified or extolled
- rappresentavano
- Imperfect of rappresentare; they represented or portrayed
- carattere
- The mental and moral qualities of a person; character
- sacri
- Connected with a deity or religion; sacred (plural)
- soprannaturali
- Beyond natural laws; supernatural (plural)
- volgo
- The common people or masses; the populace
- ingoiava
- Imperfect of ingoiare; was swallowing or gulping down
- facilmente
- Without difficulty or effort; easily
- esca
- Bait used to lure or attract; lure
- implorava
- Imperfect of implorare; was imploring or begging earnestly
- protezione
- The action of keeping safe from harm; protection
- rendeva
- Imperfect of rendere; was rendering or giving
- tributo
- A payment or acknowledgment of respect; tribute
- omaggio
- Respect or reverence shown publicly; homage
- lode
- Admiring praise expressed in words; praise
- fino
- Preposition meaning 'up to', 'as far as', or 'until'
- adorazione
- Deep love and reverence, often religious; adoration
- gesta
- Heroic deeds or notable achievements; feats (plural)
- venivano
- Imperfect of venire; they were being (used as passive auxiliary)
- tramandate
- Passed down through generations; handed down (past participle)
- posteri
- Future generations; descendants or posterity
- mille
- The number one thousand; a thousand
- esagerazioni
- Statements beyond the truth; exaggerations (plural)
- ripetute
- Done or said many times again; repeated (feminine plural)
- incitamenti
- Things that encourage or urge action; incitements (plural)
- onori
- High respect or public recognition; honors (plural)
- divini
- Of or relating to a god; divine (masculine plural)
- tributati
- Paid or given as tribute; rendered (past participle plural)
- altari
- Tables or raised structures for religious offerings; altars
- eretti
- Built or set up; erected (masculine plural past participle)
- incoraggiare
- To give confidence or support to someone; to encourage
- coloro
- Pronoun meaning 'those' or 'those people'
- tentavano
- Imperfect of tentare; they were trying or attempting
- imitare
- To copy or follow as a model; to imitate
- ciò
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this' or 'that thing'
- sorse
- Third person singular past of sorgere; arose or emerged
- mitologia
- A collection of myths of a culture; mythology
- pagana
- Relating to pre-Christian or polytheistic religions; pagan
- altro
- Different or additional; another or other
- raccolta
- A gathering or collection of items; collection
- romanzi
- Long fictional prose narratives; novels (plural)
- stravaganti
- Wildly unusual or eccentric; extravagant (plural)
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