The Confessions of St. Augustine — Page 9
Even then I had being and life, and (at my infancy's close) I could seek for signs whereby to make known to others my sensations.
Anche allora io avevo essere e vita, e (al termine della mia infanzia) potevo cercare segni con cui far conoscere agli altri le mie sensazioni.
Whence could such a being be, save from Thee, Lord?
Da dove potrebbe venire un tale essere, se non da Te, o Signore?
Shall any be his own artificer?
Può forse qualcuno essere artefice di se stesso?
or can there elsewhere be derived any vein, which may stream essence and life into us, save from thee, O Lord, in whom essence and life are one?
O può esservi altrove qualche vena da cui scorra in noi essenza e vita, se non da Te, o Signore, in cui essenza e vita sono una cosa sola?
for Thou Thyself art supremely Essence and Life.
Poiché Tu stesso sei somma Essenza e Vita.
For Thou art most high, and art not changed, neither in Thee doth to-day come to a close; yet in Thee doth it come to a close; because all such things also are in Thee.
Poiché Tu sei altissimo e non muti, e in Te l'oggi non giunge a termine; eppure in Te giunge a termine, perché tutte queste cose sono anche in Te.
For they had no way to pass away, unless Thou upheldest them.
Poiché esse non avrebbero modo di passare, se Tu non le sostenessi.
And since Thy years fail not, Thy years are one to-day.
E poiché i Tuoi anni non vengono meno, i Tuoi anni sono un solo oggi.
How many of ours and our fathers' years have flowed away through Thy "to-day," and from it received the measure and the mould of such being as they had; and still others shall flow away, and so receive the mould of their degree of being.
Quanti anni nostri e dei nostri padri sono scorsi attraverso il Tuo «oggi», e da esso hanno ricevuto la misura e la forma di quell'essere che ebbero; e ancora altri ne scorreranno, e così riceveranno la forma del loro grado di essere.
But Thou art still the same, and all things of tomorrow, and all beyond, and all of yesterday, and all behind it, Thou hast done to-day.
Ma Tu sei sempre lo stesso, e tutte le cose di domani, e tutte quelle oltre, e tutte quelle di ieri, e tutte quelle prima, Tu le hai compiute oggi.
What is it to me, though any comprehend not this?
Che importa a me se qualcuno non comprende questo?
Let him also rejoice and say, What thing is this?
Si rallegri anche lui e dica: Che cosa è mai questo?
Let him rejoice even thus! and be content rather by not discovering to discover Thee, than by discovering not to discover Thee.
Si rallegri anche così! e sia contento piuttosto di non scoprirti nel cercarti, che di non scoprirti pur avendoti trovato.
Vocabulary
- Anche
- Also, too; used to add emphasis or inclusion
- allora
- Then, at that time, or so
- io
- I; first person singular pronoun
- avevo
- I had; first person singular imperfect of avere
- essere
- To be; fundamental Italian auxiliary and linking verb
- e
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- vita
- Life; one's existence or way of living
- al
- To the; contraction of a and il
- termine
- End, term, limit; point at which something concludes
- della
- Of the; contraction of di and la
- mia
- My; first person singular feminine possessive adjective
- infanzia
- Childhood, infancy; early period of one's life
- potevo
- I could; first person singular imperfect of potere
- cercare
- To search, look for; to seek something or someone
- segni
- Signs, marks; symbols conveying meaning or information
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- cui
- Which, whom; relative pronoun used after prepositions
- far
- To make, do; shortened infinitive form of fare
- conoscere
- To know, meet; to be acquainted with someone or something
- agli
- To the; contraction of a and gli
- altri
- Others; other people, those besides oneself
- le
- The; feminine plural definite article
- mie
- My; first person singular feminine plural possessive
- sensazioni
- Sensations, feelings; perceptions experienced through the senses
- Da
- From, by; preposition of origin, cause, or agent
- dove
- Where; interrogative or relative adverb of place
- potrebbe
- Could, might; third person singular conditional of potere
- venire
- To come; to move toward or arrive somewhere
- un
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article
- tale
- Such, such a; referring to something previously mentioned
- se
- If; conditional conjunction introducing a hypothesis
- non
- Not; standard Italian negation particle
- Te
- You; emphatic or stressed second person singular pronoun
- o
- Or; disjunctive conjunction presenting alternatives
- Signore
- Lord, Mister; title of respect or divine address
- Può
- Can, may; third person singular present of potere
- forse
- Perhaps, maybe; expressing uncertainty or possibility
- qualcuno
- Someone, anybody; an unspecified person
- artefice
- Maker, craftsman; one who creates or fashions something
- di
- Of, from; very common Italian preposition of possession
- stesso
- Same, itself; used for emphasis or identity
- O
- Or; disjunctive conjunction presenting alternatives
- può
- Can, may; third person singular present of potere
- esservi
- To be there; reflexive form of essere with locative vi
- altrove
- Elsewhere, somewhere else; in another place
- qualche
- Some, any; indefinite adjective indicating an unspecified amount
- vena
- Vein; blood vessel or metaphorical source or stream
- scorra
- Flows; third person singular present subjunctive of scorrere
- in
- In, into; preposition of location or motion
- noi
- We, us; first person plural pronoun
- essenza
- Essence; fundamental nature or most important quality
- sono
- Are, am; first or third person plural of essere
- una
- A, an, one; feminine singular indefinite article
- cosa
- Thing; an object, matter, or affair
- sola
- Alone, only; feminine singular of solo
- Poiché
- Since, because; causal or explanatory conjunction
- Tu
- You; second person singular subject pronoun
- sei
- You are; second person singular present of essere
- somma
- Supreme, sum; highest degree or total of something
- Essenza
- Essence; the fundamental or most important quality
- Vita
- Life; existence, the state of being alive
- altissimo
- Highest, most high; superlative form of alto
- muti
- Mute, silent ones; those who do not speak
- l'
- The; elided definite article before a vowel
- oggi
- Today; the present day
- giunge
- Arrives, reaches; third person singular present of giungere
- a
- To, at; preposition of direction or location
- eppure
- And yet, nevertheless; expressing contrast or surprise
- perché
- Why, because; interrogative or causal conjunction
- tutte
- All; feminine plural form of tutto
- queste
- These; feminine plural demonstrative adjective
- cose
- Things; plural of cosa, objects or matters
- anche
- Also, too; particle adding inclusion or emphasis
- esse
- They, them; third person feminine plural pronoun
- avrebbero
- They would have; third person plural conditional of avere
- modo
- Way, manner, means; method of doing something
- passare
- To pass, go by; to move past or elapse
- sostenessi
- I sustained; first person singular imperfect subjunctive of sostenere
- E
- And; coordinating conjunction connecting words or clauses
- poiché
- Since, because; conjunction indicating cause or reason
- i
- The; masculine plural definite article
- Tuoi
- Your; second person singular masculine plural possessive
- anni
- Years; plural of anno, units of time
- vengono
- Come; third person plural present of venire
- meno
- Less, fewer; comparative expressing reduction or diminishment
- solo
- Only, alone; exclusively or by oneself
- Quanti
- How many; interrogative or exclamative quantity adjective
- nostri
- Our; first person plural masculine plural possessive adjective
- dei
- Of the; contraction of di and i
- padri
- Fathers; plural of padre, male parents or ancestors
- scorsi
- Past, gone by; masculine plural of scorso
- attraverso
- Through, across; preposition indicating passage within something
- il
- The; masculine singular definite article
- Tuo
- Your; second person singular masculine possessive adjective
- esso
- It, he; third person singular masculine pronoun
- hanno
- They have; third person plural present of avere
- ricevuto
- Received; past participle of ricevere
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- misura
- Measure, size; extent or dimension of something
- forma
- Form, shape; the outward appearance of something
- quell'
- That; elided demonstrative adjective before a vowel
- che
- That, which, who; relative pronoun or conjunction
- ebbero
- They had; third person plural remote past of avere
- ancora
- Still, yet, again; temporal adverb indicating continuation
- ne
- Of it, of them; partitive or locative pronoun
- scorreranno
- Will flow; third person plural future of scorrere
- così
- So, thus, like this; adverb indicating manner or result
- riceveranno
- Will receive; third person plural future of ricevere
- del
- Of the; contraction of di and il
- loro
- Their, them; third person plural possessive or pronoun
- grado
- Degree, grade, level; measure or rank of something
- Ma
- But; adversative conjunction expressing contrast
- sempre
- Always, ever; at all times without exception
- lo
- Him, it; masculine singular direct object pronoun
- domani
- Tomorrow; the day after today
- quelle
- Those; feminine plural demonstrative adjective or pronoun
- oltre
- Beyond, further; past a certain point or limit
- ieri
- Yesterday; the day before today
- prima
- Before, first; earlier in time or order
- hai
- You have; second person singular present of avere
- compiute
- Completed, done; feminine plural past participle of compiere
- Che
- What, that; interrogative pronoun or conjunction
- importa
- Matters, is important; third person singular of importare
- me
- Me; stressed first person singular object pronoun
- comprende
- Understands, includes; third person singular of comprendere
- questo
- This; masculine singular demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- Si
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun for third person
- rallegri
- Rejoices; third person singular present subjunctive of rallegrarsi
- lui
- He, him; third person singular masculine pronoun
- dica
- Says; third person singular present subjunctive of dire
- è
- Is; third person singular present of essere
- mai
- Ever, never; temporal adverb of frequency or negation
- sia
- Be, may be; third person singular present subjunctive of essere
- contento
- Happy, satisfied, content; feeling pleasure or fulfillment
- piuttosto
- Rather, instead; expressing preference or degree
- scoprirti
- To discover you; infinitive of scoprire with clitic ti
- nel
- In the; contraction of in and il
- cercarti
- To seek you; infinitive of cercare with clitic ti
- pur
- Even though, although; concessive particle or conjunction
- avendoti
- Having found you; gerund of avere with clitic ti
- trovato
- Found; past participle of trovare, to find
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