The Ballad of the White Horse — Page 8
Even as she spoke she was not,
Proprio mentre parlava, lei non c'era più,
Nor any word said he,
Né lui disse alcuna parola,
He only heard, still as he stood
Udì soltanto, immobile com'era
Under the old night's nodding hood,
Sotto il cappuccio ondeggiante della vecchia notte,
The sea-folk breaking down the wood
La gente del mare abbattere il bosco
Like a high tide from sea.
Come un'alta marea dal mare.
He only heard the heathen men,
Udì soltanto gli uomini pagani,
Whose eyes are blue and bleak,
I cui occhi sono azzurri e tetri,
Singing about some cruel thing
Cantare di qualche cosa crudele
Done by a great and smiling king
Compiuta da un grande e sorridente re
In daylight on a deck.
Alla luce del giorno su un ponte di nave.
He only heard the heathen men,
Udì soltanto gli uomini pagani,
Whose eyes are blue and blind,
I cui occhi sono azzurri e ciechi,
Singing what shameful things are done
Cantare quali azioni vergognose si compiono
Between the sunlit sea and the sun
Tra il mare assolato e il sole
When the land is left behind.
Quando la terra viene lasciata alle spalle.
Vocabulary
- Proprio
- Own, one's own; exactly, precisely
- mentre
- While, whereas, during the time that
- parlava
- Was speaking, used to speak (imperfect)
- lei
- She, her; formal you (polite form)
- non
- Not, negation marker in Italian
- era
- Was (imperfect form of essere)
- più
- More, plus; no longer (with non)
- Né
- Neither, nor; and not
- lui
- He, him; that man or person
- disse
- Said, told (past tense of dire)
- alcuna
- Any, some (feminine form); none at all
- parola
- Word, spoken utterance or term
- Udì
- Heard, listened to (past tense)
- soltanto
- Only, solely, just; nothing more
- immobile
- Motionless, still, stationary, unchanging
- Sotto
- Under, beneath, below; underneath
- il
- The (masculine singular article)
- cappuccio
- Hood, hooded garment; cover
- della
- Of the (feminine article contraction)
- vecchia
- Old, aged (feminine form)
- notte
- Night, darkness; nighttime period
- La
- The (feminine singular article)
- gente
- People, folk, persons collectively
- del
- Of the (masculine article contraction)
- mare
- Sea, ocean; body of salt water
- abbattere
- To knock down, fell, demolish
- bosco
- Wood, forest; wooded area
- Come
- How, as, like; in what way
- un
- A, an (masculine singular article)
- alta
- High, tall, lofty (feminine)
- marea
- Tide; rise and fall of sea
- dal
- From the (masculine article contraction)
- gli
- The, to him (masculine plural article)
- uomini
- Men, male persons (plural)
- pagani
- Pagans, non-believers; heathen peoples
- cui
- Whom, which; relative pronoun
- occhi
- Eyes, organs of sight (plural)
- sono
- Are; present tense of essere
- azzurri
- Blue, azure (masculine plural)
- Cantare
- To sing; produce musical sounds
- di
- Of, about; preposition indicating possession
- qualche
- Some, a few, any; certain
- cosa
- Thing, something; object or matter
- crudele
- Cruel, harsh, unkind, severe
- Compiuta
- Completed, finished, accomplished (feminine)
- da
- By, from; preposition of agency
- grande
- Great, big, large; important
- sorridente
- Smiling, grinning; expression of joy
- re
- King, ruler; monarch of realm
- Alla
- To the, at the (feminine article)
- luce
- Light, illumination; daylight or lamp
- giorno
- Day, daytime; period of light
- su
- On, upon, up; preposition of place
- ponte
- Bridge; structure spanning water
- nave
- Ship, vessel; large boat for sea
- ciechi
- Blind, sightless; unable to see
- quali
- Which, what; relative pronoun plural
- azioni
- Actions, deeds, acts performed
- vergognose
- Shameful, disgraceful, dishonorable (feminine plural)
- si
- Oneself, himself, herself; reflexive pronoun
- compiono
- Are accomplished, happen, take place
- Tra
- Between, among, amid; in midst
- assolato
- Sunny, sunlit; exposed to sun
- sole
- Sun, sunlight; star of solar system
- Quando
- When, at what time; whenever
- la
- The, her (feminine singular article)
- terra
- Land, earth, ground; terrain
- viene
- Comes, arrives; present tense of venire
- lasciata
- Left, abandoned, forsaken (feminine)
- alle
- To the (feminine plural article)
- spalle
- Shoulders; back part of body
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