The Complete Works of William Shakespeare — Page 1
From fairest creatures we desire increase,
Dalle creature più belle desideriamo progenie,
That thereby beauty's rose might never die,
Affinché la rosa della bellezza non muoia mai,
But as the riper should by time decease,
Ma come il più maturo dovrebbe col tempo perire,
His tender heir might bear his memory:
Il suo tenero erede ne porti la memoria:
But thou contracted to thine own bright eyes,
Ma tu, contratto ai tuoi stessi occhi luminosi,
Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel,
Nutri la fiamma della tua luce con combustibile di te stesso,
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Creando carestia là dove abbonda la ricchezza,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel:
Te stesso tuo nemico, troppo crudele verso il tuo dolce sé:
Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament,
Tu che sei ora il fresco ornamento del mondo,
And only herald to the gaudy spring,
E unico araldo della sfarzosa primavera,
Within thine own bud buriest thy content,
Nel tuo stesso bocciolo seppellisci il tuo essere,
And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding:
E, tenero villano, sprechi nell'avarizia:
Pity the world, or else this glutton be,
Abbi pietà del mondo, o sii questo ghiottone,
To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee.
Che divora ciò che spetta al mondo, tra la tomba e te.
When forty winters shall besiege thy brow,
Quando quaranta inverni assedieranno la tua fronte,
And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,
E scaveranno profondi solchi nel campo della tua bellezza,
Thy youth's proud livery so gazed on now,
La fiera livrea della tua giovinezza, ora tanto ammirata,
Will be a tattered weed of small worth held:
Sarà un logoro cencio di scarso valore:
Then being asked, where all thy beauty lies,
Allora, interrogato su dove risieda tutta la tua bellezza,
Where all the treasure of thy lusty days;
Dove sia tutto il tesoro dei tuoi giorni vigorosi;
To say, within thine own deep sunken eyes,
Rispondere che è nei tuoi occhi profondamente incavati,
Were an all-eating shame, and thriftless praise.
Sarebbe una vergogna divorante e una lode vana.
How much more praise deserv'd thy beauty's use,
Quanto più degno di lode sarebbe l'impiego della tua bellezza,
If thou couldst answer 'This fair child of mine
Se potessi rispondere: 'Questo mio bel figlio
Shall sum my count, and make my old excuse,'
Farà il computo di me e giustificherà la mia vecchiaia,'
Proving his beauty by succession thine.
Dimostrando con la sua bellezza, per successione, la tua.
This were to be new made when thou art old,
Questo sarebbe rinascere quando sei vecchio,
And see thy blood warm when thou feel'st it cold.
E vedere il tuo sangue caldo quando lo senti freddo.
Vocabulary
- Dalle
- DAL-le — From the (feminine plural contraction).
- creature
- kre-a-TU-re — Creatures, beings, or living things.
- più
- PYOO — More; most; used in comparisons and superlatives.
- belle
- BEL-le — Beautiful (feminine plural adjective).
- desideriamo
- de-zi-de-RYA-mo — We desire or wish for something.
- progenie
- pro-JE-nye — Offspring, descendants, or progeny.
- Affinché
- af-fin-KE — So that; in order that (conjunction of purpose).
- rosa
- RO-za — Rose; the flower, symbol of beauty.
- bellezza
- bel-LET-tsa — Beauty; the quality of being beautiful.
- muoia
- MWO-ya — May die; subjunctive form of morire.
- mai
- MAI — Never; ever; used in negations and questions.
- maturo
- ma-TU-ro — Ripe; mature; fully developed.
- dovrebbe
- do-VREB-be — Should; ought to (conditional of dovere).
- tempo
- TEM-po — Time; weather; period or duration.
- perire
- pe-RI-re — To perish; to die; to come to an end.
- tenero
- TE-ne-ro — Tender; gentle; soft or delicate.
- erede
- e-RE-de — Heir; inheritor of property or traits.
- ne
- ne — Of it; from it; partitive pronoun.
- porti
- POR-ti — May carry; subjunctive/imperative of portare.
- memoria
- me-MO-rya — Memory; remembrance; recollection.
- contratto
- kon-TRAT-to — Contracted; bound; also means contract (noun).
- stessi
- STES-si — Same; very (masculine plural emphatic adjective).
- occhi
- OK-ki — Eyes (masculine plural noun).
- luminosi
- lu-mi-NO-zi — Luminous; bright; shining (masculine plural).
- Nutri
- NU-tri — Feed; nourish (imperative of nutrire).
- fiamma
- FYAM-ma — Flame; fire; a burning light.
- luce
- LU-che — Light; brightness; illumination.
- combustibile
- kom-bus-TI-bi-le — Fuel; combustible material that burns.
- stesso
- STES-so — Yourself; same; emphatic reflexive pronoun.
- Creando
- kre-AN-do — Creating; gerund form of creare.
- carestia
- ka-res-TI-a — Famine; scarcity; severe shortage of food.
- là
- la — There; in that place (adverb).
- dove
- DO-ve — Where; in the place that (conjunction/adverb).
- abbonda
- ab-BON-da — Abounds; is plentiful; overflows with.
- ricchezza
- rik-KET-tsa — Wealth; richness; abundance of resources.
- nemico
- ne-MI-ko — Enemy; foe; adversary.
- troppo
- TROP-po — Too; too much; excessively.
- crudele
- kru-DE-le — Cruel; harsh; merciless.
- verso
- VER-so — Toward; against (preposition); also verse.
- dolce
- DOL-che — Sweet; gentle; soft; pleasant.
- sé
- se — Oneself; reflexive stressed pronoun.
- sei
- sei — You are (second person singular of essere).
- ora
- O-ra — Now; at this moment (adverb).
- fresco
- FRES-ko — Fresh; cool; new; young and vigorous.
- ornamento
- or-na-MEN-to — Ornament; decoration; adornment.
- mondo
- MON-do — World; the earth; society.
- unico
- U-ni-ko — Unique; only; sole.
- araldo
- a-RAL-do — Herald; announcer; one who proclaims something.
- sfarzosa
- sfar-TSO-za — Lavish; splendid; ostentatiously luxurious (feminine).
- primavera
- pri-ma-VE-ra — Spring; the season following winter.
- bocciolo
- bot-CHO-lo — Bud; an unopened flower.
- seppellisci
- sep-pel-LI-shi — You bury; second person singular of seppellire.
- essere
- ES-se-re — To be; also existence as a noun.
- villano
- vil-LA-no — Rude; boorish; a villainous or crude person.
- sprechi
- SPRE-ki — You waste; squander (subjunctive/indicative of sprecare).
- nell'avarizia
- nel-la-va-RI-tsya — In avarice; in greed; through miserliness.
- Abbi
- AB-bi — Have (imperative of avere, informal singular).
- pietà
- pye-TA — Pity; mercy; compassion.
- sii
- SI-i — Be (imperative of essere, informal singular).
- ghiottone
- gyot-TO-ne — Glutton; one who eats excessively and greedily.
- divora
- di-VO-ra — Devours; consumes greedily (third person singular).
- ciò
- cho — That; this; what (neuter demonstrative pronoun).
- spetta
- SPET-ta — Belongs to; is due to (third person singular).
- tra
- tra — Between; among; within (preposition).
- tomba
- TOM-ba — Tomb; grave; burial place.
- Quando
- KWAN-do — When; at the time that (conjunction/adverb).
- quaranta
- kwa-RAN-ta — Forty; the number 40.
- inverni
- in-VER-ni — Winters; plural of inverno.
- assedieranno
- as-se-dye-RAN-no — Will besiege; will lay siege to (future tense).
- fronte
- FRON-te — Forehead; front; brow.
- scaveranno
- ska-ve-RAN-no — Will dig; will carve out (future of scavare).
- profondi
- pro-FON-di — Deep; profound (masculine plural adjective).
- solchi
- SOL-ki — Furrows; grooves; wrinkles; trenches.
- campo
- KAM-po — Field; countryside; area; domain.
- fiera
- FYE-ra — Proud; fierce; also a fair or marketplace.
- livrea
- li-VRE-a — Livery; uniform; outer appearance or garb.
- giovinezza
- jo-vi-NET-tsa — Youth; the period of being young.
- tanto
- TAN-to — So much; so many; a lot.
- ammirata
- am-mi-RA-ta — Admired; regarded with wonder (past participle, feminine).
- Sarà
- sa-RA — Will be (future tense of essere).
- logoro
- LO-go-ro — Worn out; threadbare; shabby.
- cencio
- CHEN-cho — Rag; tattered cloth; worn-out piece of fabric.
- scarso
- SKAR-so — Scarce; meager; of little value or quantity.
- valore
- va-LO-re — Value; worth; merit.
- Allora
- al-LO-ra — Then; at that time; so (adverb/conjunction).
- interrogato
- in-ter-ro-GA-to — Asked; questioned; interrogated (past participle).
- risieda
- ri-ZYE-da — Resides; dwells (subjunctive of risiedere).
- Dove
- DO-ve — Where; in which place (adverb/conjunction).
- sia
- SYA — May be; is (subjunctive of essere).
- tesoro
- te-ZO-ro — Treasure; precious possession; wealth.
- giorni
- JOR-ni — Days (masculine plural noun).
- vigorosi
- vi-go-RO-zi — Vigorous; strong; full of energy (masculine plural).
- Rispondere
- ris-PON-de-re — To answer; to reply; to respond.
- profondamente
- pro-fon-da-MEN-te — Deeply; profoundly (adverb).
- incavati
- in-ka-VA-ti — Hollowed; sunken; concave (masculine plural past participle).
- Sarebbe
- sa-REB-be — It would be (conditional of essere).
- vergogna
- ver-GO-nya — Shame; embarrassment; disgrace.
- divorante
- di-vo-RAN-te — Devouring; all-consuming (present participle of divorare).
- lode
- LO-de — Praise; commendation; honor.
- vana
- VA-na — Vain; empty; futile (feminine singular adjective).
- Quanto
- KWAN-to — How much; how; to what degree.
- degno
- DE-nyo — Worthy; deserving; dignified.
- sarebbe
- sa-REB-be — Would be (conditional of essere).
- l'impiego
- lim-PYE-go — The use; the employment; the deployment.
- potessi
- po-TES-si — Could; might (imperfect subjunctive of potere).
- bel
- bel — Beautiful; fine (elided masculine singular adjective).
- figlio
- FI-lyo — Son; child (masculine singular noun).
- Farà
- fa-RA — Will make; will do (future of fare, third person).
- computo
- KOM-pu-to — Account; reckoning; calculation.
- giustificherà
- jus-ti-fi-ke-RA — Will justify; will excuse (future of giustificare).
- vecchiaia
- vek-KYA-ya — Old age; the period of being elderly.
- Dimostrando
- di-mos-TRAN-do — Demonstrating; showing (gerund of dimostrare).
- successione
- sut-ches-SYO-ne — Succession; inheritance; sequence of generations.
- rinascere
- ri-NA-she-re — To be reborn; to rise again; to regenerate.
- quando
- KWAN-do — When; at what time (conjunction/adverb).
- vecchio
- VEK-kyo — Old; elderly; aged (masculine singular adjective).
- vedere
- ve-DE-re — To see; to observe; to watch.
- sangue
- SAN-gwe — Blood; bloodline; vital fluid.
- caldo
- KAL-do — Warm; hot (adjective or noun).
- senti
- SEN-ti — You feel; you hear (second person singular of sentire).
- freddo
- FRED-do — Cold; chilly (adjective or noun).
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