The Angel in the House — Page 2

English → It Book I. Level 7/10

Then she: 'What is it, Dear? The Life

Poi lei: «Cos'è, Caro? La Vita

Of Arthur, or Jerusalem's Fall?'

di Artù, o la Caduta di Gerusalemme?»

'Neither: your gentle self, my Wife,

«Nessuna delle due: la tua dolce persona, moglie mia,

And love, that grows from one to all.

e l'amore, che da uno si espande a tutti.

And if I faithfully proclaim

E se fedelmente proclamo

Of these the exceeding worthiness,

di questi il valore sommo,

Surely the sweetest wreath of Fame

certo la più dolce corona della Fama

Shall, to your hope, my brows caress;

accarezzerà, a tua speranza, la mia fronte;

And if, by virtue of my choice

E se, in virtù della mia scelta

Of this, the most heart-touching theme

di questo, il tema più commovente

That ever tuned a poet's voice,

che abbia mai modulato la voce di un poeta,

I live, as I am bold to dream,

io viva, come ardisco sognare,

To be delight to many days,

per essere gioia di molti giorni,

And into silence only cease

e nel silenzio solo mi spenga

When those are still, who shared their bays

quando taceranno coloro che divisero i loro allori

With Laura and with Beatrice,

con Laura e con Beatrice,

Imagine, Love, how learned men

Immagina, Amore, come gli uomini dotti

Will deep-conceiv'd devices find,

troveranno reconditi artifici,

Beyond my purpose and my ken,

al di là del mio intento e del mio sapere,

An ancient bard of simple mind.

in un antico bardo dalla mente semplice.

You, Sweet, his Mistress, Wife, and Muse,

Tu, Dolce, sua Signora, Moglie e Musa,

Were you for mortal woman meant?

eri forse destinata a essere donna mortale?

Your praises give a hundred clues

Le tue lodi offrono cento indizi

To mythological intent!

a un intento mitologico!

And, severing thus the truth from trope,

E, separando così la verità dalla figura retorica,

In you the Commentators see

in te i Commentatori scorgono

Outlines occult of abstract scope,

profili occulti di portata astratta,

A future for philosophy!

un avvenire per la filosofia!

Your arm's on mine! these are the meads

Il tuo braccio è sul mio! questi sono i prati

In which we pass our living days;

nei quali trascorriamo i nostri giorni viventi;

There Avon runs, now hid with reeds,

Là scorre l'Avon, ora celato tra i giunchi,

Now brightly brimming pebbly bays;

ora luminosamente colmo di baie sassose;

Those are our children's songs that come

Quelle sono le canzoni dei nostri figli che giungono

With bells and bleatings of the sheep;

con i campanacci e i belati delle pecore;

And there, in yonder English home,

E là, in quella casa inglese,

We thrive on mortal food and sleep!'

prosperiamo con cibo mortale e sonno!»

She laugh'd. How proud she always was

Lei rise. Quanto era sempre orgogliosa

To feel how proud he was of her!

di sentire quanto lui fosse orgoglioso di lei!

But he had grown distraught, because

Ma lui era diventato distratto, perché

The Muse's mood began to stir.

l'umore della Musa aveva cominciato a muoversi.

Vocabulary

Poi: Then; afterward; next in sequence
lei: She; her; formal you (addressing a woman)
Caro: Dear; expensive; costly or beloved
La: The (feminine singular article); her; it
Vita: Life; living; existence or biography
di: Of; from; preposition indicating possession or origin
la: The (feminine singular); her; direct object pronoun
Caduta: Fall; falling; collapse or descent
Nessuna: No; not any; none (feminine singular form)
delle: Of the; some; plural feminine contractions
due: Two; the number two or both
tua: Your; yours (feminine singular, informal)
dolce: Sweet; gentle; pleasant or soft
persona: Person; individual; human being or character
moglie: Wife; married woman or spouse
mia: My; mine (feminine singular, informal)
amore: Love; affection; beloved person or passion
che: That; which; who; relative pronoun
da: From; by; since; preposition of origin
uno: One; a; the number one
si: Oneself; reflexive pronoun; if (conjunction)
espande: Expands; spreads out; extends widely
tutti: All; everyone; everybody (masculine plural)
se: If; oneself; reflexive or conditional pronoun
fedelmente: Faithfully; loyally; with fidelity
proclamo: I proclaim; I declare or announce
questi: This; these; this one (masculine)
il: The (masculine singular article)
valore: Value; worth; courage or merit
sommo: Supreme; highest; greatest or eminent
certo: Certain; sure; definite or a certain
più: More; most; greater or additional
corona: Crown; wreath; top or coronet
della: Of the; from the (feminine)
Fama: Fame; reputation; renown or glory
accarezzerà: Will caress; will stroke or embrace
speranza: Hope; expectation; prospect or aspiration
fronte: Front; forehead; brow or face
in: In; into; within; preposition of location
virtù: Virtue; merit; excellence or power
scelta: Choice; selection; picked or chosen
questo: This; this one (masculine singular)
tema: Theme; subject; topic or motif
commovente: Moving; touching; poignant or emotional
abbia: May have; might have (subjunctive)
mai: Ever; never; at any time
modulato: Modulated; shaped; tuned or modeled
voce: Voice; sound; tone or opinion
un: A; an; one (masculine singular)
poeta: Poet; verse maker; literary artist
io: I; me; first person singular pronoun
viva: Long live; hurray; vivid or lively
come: How; like; as; as if
ardisco: I dare; I venture; I presume
sognare: To dream; to daydream or imagine
per: For; in order to; by
essere: To be; existence; present infinitive
gioia: Joy; happiness; delight or gladness
molti: Many; numerous; a lot of
giorni: Days; period; twenty-four hour period
nel: In the; within the (masculine)
silenzio: Silence; quiet; absence of sound
solo: Only; alone; sole or solitary
mi: Me; myself; indirect object pronoun
spenga: May extinguish; might quench (subjunctive)
quando: When; whenever; at what time
taceranno: Will be silent; will keep quiet
coloro: Those; those people; they (formal)
divisero: Divided; shared; distributed or parted
loro: Their; theirs; them (plural pronoun)
allori: Laurels; bay leaves; honors or fame
con: With; together with; plus
Immagina: Imagine; envision; picture or conceive
Amore: Love; affection; beloved or passion
gli: Him; to him; them (plural)

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