The Ballad of the White Horse — Page 7

English → It BOOK I. THE VISION OF THE KING Level 7/10

The gates of heaven are lightly locked,

I cancelli del cielo sono leggermente chiusi,

We do not guard our gold,

Non custodiamo il nostro oro,

Men may uproot where worlds begin,

Gli uomini possono sradicare là dove i mondi hanno inizio,

Or read the name of the nameless sin;

O leggere il nome del peccato senza nome;

But if he fail or if he win

Ma se fallisce o se vince

To no good man is told.

A nessun uomo dabbene è detto.

"The men of the East may spell the stars,

"Gli uomini d'Oriente possono decifrare le stelle,

And times and triumphs mark,

E segnare i tempi e i trionfi,

But the men signed of the cross of Christ

Ma gli uomini segnati dalla croce di Cristo

Go gaily in the dark.

Vanno gioiosamente nel buio.

"The men of the East may search the scrolls

"Gli uomini d'Oriente possono scrutare i rotoli

For sure fates and fame,

In cerca di destini certi e di gloria,

But the men that drink the blood of God

Ma gli uomini che bevono il sangue di Dio

Go singing to their shame.

Vanno cantando verso la loro vergogna.

"The wise men know what wicked things

"I saggi sanno quali cose malvagie

Are written on the sky,

Sono scritte nel cielo,

They trim sad lamps, they touch sad strings,

Aggiustano tristi lampade, sfiorano triste corde,

Hearing the heavy purple wings,

Udendo le pesanti ali purpuree,

Where the forgotten seraph kings

Dove i dimenticati re serafini

Still plot how God shall die.

Tramano ancora su come Dio debba morire.

"The wise men know all evil things

"I saggi conoscono tutte le cose malvagie

Under the twisted trees,

Sotto gli alberi contorti,

Where the perverse in pleasure pine

Dove i perversi languono nel piacere

And men are weary of green wine

E gli uomini sono stanchi del vino verde

And sick of crimson seas.

E nauseati dai mari cremisi.

"But you and all the kind of Christ

"Ma voi e tutta la stirpe di Cristo

Are ignorant and brave,

Siete ignoranti e coraggiosi,

And you have wars you hardly win

E avete guerre che a stento vincete

And souls you hardly save.

E anime che a stento salvate.

"I tell you naught for your comfort,

"Non vi dico nulla per vostro conforto,

Yea, naught for your desire,

No, nulla per il vostro desiderio,

Save that the sky grows darker yet

Se non che il cielo si fa ancora più oscuro

And the sea rises higher.

E il mare si alza sempre più.

"Night shall be thrice night over you,

"La notte sarà tre volte notte su di voi,

And heaven an iron cope.

E il cielo una volta di ferro.

Do you have joy without a cause,

Avete forse gioia senza ragione,

Yea, faith without a hope?"

Sì, fede senza speranza?"

Vocabulary

cancelli: Gates or barriers, typically made of metal or wood.
del: Contraction of 'di' and 'il'; of the.
cielo: Sky or heaven; the expanse above the earth.
sono: I am; third person singular present of essere.
leggermente: Lightly or slightly; in a light manner.
chiusi: Closed or shut; past participle of chiudere.
Non: Not; negation particle used before verbs.
custodiamo: We guard or keep; first person plural of custodire.
il: The; masculine singular definite article.
nostro: Our; possessive adjective, masculine singular.
oro: Gold; precious yellow metal of high value.
Gli: The; masculine plural definite article.
uomini: Men; plural of uomo, adult male persons.
possono: They can; third person plural of potere.
sradicare: To uproot or eradicate; remove from foundation.
là: There; in that place or location.
dove: Where; at what place or location.
mondi: Worlds; plural of mondo, planetary or imaginary realms.
hanno: They have; third person plural of avere.
inizio: Beginning or start; commencement of something.
leggere: To read; interpret written or printed text.
nome: Name; word by which person or thing identified.
peccato: Sin or shame; moral wrongdoing or regrettable thing.
senza: Without; lacking or deprived of something.
Ma: But; conjunction expressing contrast or opposition.
se: If; conditional conjunction introducing hypothetical situation.
fallisce: Fails or falls short; third person singular of fallire.
vince: Wins or conquers; third person singular of vincere.
nessun: No or none; negative pronoun or determiner.
uomo: Man; adult male human person.
detto: Said or aforementioned; past participle of dire.
Oriente: East or Orient; eastern regions or countries.
decifrare: To decipher or decode; interpret obscure writing.
le: The; feminine plural definite article.
stelle: Stars; celestial bodies visible in night sky.
segnare: To mark or indicate; make sign or record.
tempi: Times or periods; plural of tempo.
trionfi: Triumphs or victories; plural of trionfo.
gli: The; masculine plural definite article or him.
segnati: Marked or distinguished; past participle of segnare.
dalla: From the; contraction of 'da' and 'la'.
croce: Cross; intersection of lines or religious symbol.
di: Of; preposition indicating possession or relationship.
Cristo: Christ; Jesus Christ, central figure of Christianity.
Vanno: They go; third person plural of andare.
gioiosamente: Joyfully or happily; in joyous manner.
nel: In the; contraction of 'in' and 'il'.
buio: Darkness or dark; absence of light.
scrutare: To scrutinize or examine carefully; look closely.
rotoli: Scrolls or rolls; plural of rotolo.
In: In; preposition indicating location or state.
cerca: Search or quest; looking for something.
destini: Destinies or fates; plural of destino.
certi: Certain or sure; definitely known or confirmed.
gloria: Glory or fame; high honor and distinction.
che: That or which; relative pronoun.
bevono: They drink; third person plural of bere.
sangue: Blood; red fluid circulating in living organisms.
Dio: God; supreme being in monotheistic religions.
cantando: Singing; present participle of cantare.
verso: Toward or verse; directional preposition or poetry.
la: The; feminine singular definite article.
loro: Their or them; possessive pronoun or object.
vergogna: Shame or disgrace; feeling of humiliation.
saggi: Wise men or essays; plural of saggio.
sanno: They know; third person plural of sapere.
quali: Which or what kind; interrogative or relative.
cose: Things; plural of cosa, objects or matters.
malvagie: Evil or wicked; morally bad or harmful.
Sono: They are; third person plural of essere.
scritte: Written or inscribed; past participle of scrivere.
Aggiustano: They adjust or fix; third person plural of aggiustare.
tristi: Sad or melancholy; feeling sorrow or grief.
lampade: Lamps; plural of lampada, light-producing devices.
sfiorano: They barely touch; third person plural of sfiorare.
triste: Sad or sorrowful; feeling or expressing sadness.
corde: Cords or strings; plural of corda.
Udendo: Hearing; present participle of udire.
pesanti: Heavy or weighty; having great physical weight.

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