The Expedition of Humphry Clinker — Page 1
The pills are good for nothing--I might as well swallow snowballs to cool my reins--I have told you over and over how hard I am to move; and at this time of day, I ought to know something of my own constitution.
Le pillole non servono a niente--potrei anche ingoiare palle di neve per rinfrescarmi i reni--te l'ho detto tante e tante volte quanto sia difficile farmi reagire; e a quest'ora del giorno, dovrei sapere qualcosa della mia propria costituzione.
Why will you be so positive?
Perché vuoi essere così categorico?
Prithee send me another prescription--I am as lame and as much tortured in all my limbs as if I was broke upon the wheel: indeed, I am equally distressed in mind and body--As if I had not plagues enough of my own, those children of my sister are left me for a perpetual source of vexation--what business have people to get children to plague their neighbours?
Ti prego, mandami un'altra ricetta--sono così zoppo e così torturato in tutte le membra come se fossi stato spezzato sulla ruota: in verità, sono ugualmente afflitto nella mente e nel corpo--Come se non avessi già abbastanza guai miei, quei figli di mia sorella mi sono stati lasciati come perenne fonte di tormento--che diritto hanno le persone di mettere al mondo figli per tormentare il prossimo?
A ridiculous incident that happened yesterday to my niece Liddy, has disordered me in such a manner, that I expect to be laid up with another fit of the gout--perhaps, I may explain myself in my next.
Un ridicolo incidente capitato ieri alla mia nipote Liddy mi ha turbato in tal modo che mi aspetto di essere costretto a letto da un altro attacco di gotta--forse, mi spiegherò meglio nella mia prossima lettera.
I shall set out tomorrow morning for the Hot Well at Bristol, where I am afraid I shall stay longer than I could wish.
Partirò domani mattina per le Terme di Bristol, dove temo che resterò più a lungo di quanto vorrei.
On the receipt of this send Williams thither with my saddle-horse and the demi pique.
Al ricevimento di questa lettera manda Williams là con il mio cavallo da sella e la mezza sella.
Tell Barns to thresh out the two old ricks, and send the corn to market, and sell it off to the poor at a shilling a bushel under market price.
Di' a Barns di trebbiare i due vecchi pagliai, di portare il grano al mercato e di venderlo ai poveri a uno scellino per staio al di sotto del prezzo di mercato.
I have received a snivelling letter from Griffin, offering to make a public submission and pay costs.
Ho ricevuto una lettera piagnucolosa da Griffin, in cui offre di fare una pubblica sottomissione e di pagare le spese.
Vocabulary
- pillole
- Pills; small medicinal tablets taken orally
- servono
- They serve; they are useful for something
- niente
- Nothing; not anything at all
- potrei
- I could; first-person conditional of potere
- anche
- Also; even; too; additionally
- ingoiare
- To swallow; to gulp something down
- palle
- Balls; spherical objects of various sizes
- neve
- Snow; frozen precipitation falling from clouds
- rinfrescarmi
- To refresh myself; to cool myself down
- reni
- Kidneys; organs filtering blood; also lower back
- detto
- Said; past participle of dire
- tante
- Many; so many; a large number of
- volte
- Times; occasions; instances of repetition
- quanto
- How much; how; to what extent
- sia
- Is; third-person singular present subjunctive of essere
- difficile
- Difficult; hard; not easy to do
- farmi
- To make me; to have me do something
- reagire
- To react; to respond to a stimulus
- ora
- Hour; now; the current time
- giorno
- Day; a 24-hour period of time
- dovrei
- I should; first-person conditional of dovere
- sapere
- To know; to have knowledge of something
- qualcosa
- Something; an unspecified thing or matter
- propria
- Own; one's own; belonging to oneself
- costituzione
- Constitution; physical or bodily makeup and health
- Perché
- Why; because; used for questions or explanations
- vuoi
- You want; second-person singular of volere
- essere
- To be; fundamental linking verb in Italian
- così
- So; like this; in such a manner
- categorico
- Categorical; absolute; admitting no exceptions
- prego
- I beg; please; you're welcome
- mandami
- Send me; imperative of mandare with pronoun
- altra
- Another; other; a different feminine noun
- ricetta
- Prescription; recipe; written medical or culinary instruction
- zoppo
- Lame; limping; unable to walk normally
- torturato
- Tortured; subjected to severe pain or suffering
- tutte
- All; every; feminine plural of tutto
- membra
- Limbs; members; parts of the body
- come
- As; like; how; used for comparison
- se
- If; whether; conditional conjunction
- fossi
- Were; first-person imperfect subjunctive of essere
- stato
- Been; past participle of essere; also state
- spezzato
- Broken; shattered; split violently into pieces
- ruota
- Wheel; a circular rotating device or instrument
- verità
- Truth; the quality of being true
- ugualmente
- Equally; likewise; in the same manner
- afflitto
- Afflicted; distressed; suffering mentally or physically
- mente
- Mind; the faculty of thought and consciousness
- corpo
- Body; the physical structure of a person
- Come
- As if; like; how; comparative conjunction
- avessi
- Had; first-person imperfect subjunctive of avere
- già
- Already; yet; previously
- abbastanza
- Enough; sufficiently; quite a lot
- guai
- Troubles; problems; woes; difficulties
- quei
- Those; masculine plural demonstrative adjective
- figli
- Children; sons; offspring of a parent
- sorella
- Sister; a female sibling
- lasciati
- Left; entrusted; past participle of lasciare
- perenne
- Perennial; perpetual; never-ending; constant
- fonte
- Source; fountain; origin of something
- tormento
- Torment; anguish; severe mental or physical suffering
- diritto
- Right; entitlement; what one is entitled to
- persone
- People; persons; individuals
- mettere
- To put; to place; to bring into existence
- mondo
- World; earth; also used in mettere al mondo (to bring into the world)
- tormentare
- To torment; to cause suffering to others
- prossimo
- Neighbor; fellow human being; one's fellow man
- ridicolo
- Ridiculous; absurd; laughable; deserving mockery
- incidente
- Incident; accident; unexpected unpleasant event
- capitato
- Happened; occurred; past participle of capitare
- ieri
- Yesterday; the day before today
- nipote
- Niece; nephew; grandchild; relative of younger generation
- turbato
- Disturbed; upset; troubled; past participle of turbare
- tal
- Such; such a; shortened form of tale
- modo
- Way; manner; mode of doing something
- aspetto
- I wait; also appearance; first-person of aspettare
- costretto
- Forced; compelled; confined; past participle of costringere
- letto
- Bed; piece of furniture for sleeping
- altro
- Another; other; a different masculine noun
- attacco
- Attack; bout; sudden onset of illness
- gotta
- Gout; a painful joint disease causing inflammation
- forse
- Perhaps; maybe; expressing uncertainty
- spiegherò
- I will explain; first-person future of spiegare
- meglio
- Better; more well; comparative of bene
- prossima
- Next; following; nearest feminine adjective
- lettera
- Letter; written correspondence sent to someone
- Partirò
- I will leave; first-person future of partire
- domani
- Tomorrow; the day after today
- mattina
- Morning; the early part of the day
- Terme
- Thermal baths; spa; hot spring resort
- dove
- Where; in which place
- temo
- I fear; I'm afraid; first-person of temere
- resterò
- I will stay; first-person future of restare
- più
- More; longer; the most; comparative particle
- lungo
- Long; lengthy; for a long time
- vorrei
- I would like; first-person conditional of volere
- ricevimento
- Receipt; reception; receiving of goods or guests
- manda
- Send; third-person singular imperative of mandare
- là
- There; in that place; over there
- cavallo
- Horse; a large domesticated riding or working animal
- sella
- Saddle; seat placed on a horse's back
- mezza
- Half; mid; feminine form of mezzo
- Di'
- Tell; say; imperative of dire
- trebbiare
- To thresh; to separate grain from harvested plants
- due
- Two; the number 2
- vecchi
- Old; aged; masculine plural adjective
- pagliai
- Haystacks; stacks of straw stored after harvest
- portare
- To bring; to carry; to take somewhere
- grano
- Grain; wheat; a cereal crop
- mercato
- Market; a place where goods are sold
- venderlo
- To sell it; infinitive of vendere with pronoun
- poveri
- The poor; poor people; those lacking money
- scellino
- Shilling; an old British monetary unit
- staio
- Bushel; an old unit of dry measure
- sotto
- Under; below; beneath
- prezzo
- Price; the cost of something for sale
- ricevuto
- Received; gotten; past participle of ricevere
- piagnucolosa
- Whining; whimpering; full of complaints or laments
- cui
- Whom; which; relative pronoun indicating indirect object
- offre
- Offers; proposes; third-person singular of offrire
- fare
- To do; to make; fundamental Italian verb
- pubblica
- Public; open to all; feminine adjective
- sottomissione
- Submission; act of yielding or surrendering to another
- pagare
- To pay; to make a payment for something
- spese
- Expenses; costs; money spent on something
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