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The Scarlet Letter — Page 8

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Such occasions might remind the elderly citizen of that period before the last war with England, when Salem was a port by itself; not scorned, as she is now, by her own merchants and ship-owners, who permit her wharves to crumble to ruin, while their ventures go to swell, needlessly and imperceptibly, the mighty flood of commerce at New York or Boston.

Tali occasioni potrebbero ricordare al cittadino anziano quel periodo precedente all'ultima guerra con l'Inghilterra, quando Salem era un porto a sé stante; non disprezzata, come lo è ora, dai propri mercanti e armatori, che permettono ai suoi moli di sgretolarsi in rovina, mentre le loro imprese vanno ad ingrossare, inutilmente e impercettibilmente, il possente fiume del commercio a New York o a Boston.

On some such morning, when three or four vessels happen to have arrived at once,—usually from Africa or South America,—or to be on the verge of their departure thitherward, there is a sound of frequent feet, passing briskly up and down the granite steps.

In qualche mattina simile, quando tre o quattro imbarcazioni si trovano ad essere arrivate tutte insieme — di solito dall'Africa o dal Sud America — o sono sul punto di partire in quella direzione, si ode il suono di frequenti passi, che salgono e scendono vivacemente i gradini di granito.

Here, before his own wife has greeted him, you may greet the sea-flushed shipmaster, just in port, with his vessel's papers under his arm, in a tarnished tin box.

Qui, prima ancora che la propria moglie lo abbia salutato, potete salutare il capitano arrossato dal mare, appena giunto in porto, con i documenti della sua nave sotto il braccio, in una scatola di latta annerita.

Here, too, comes his owner, cheerful or sombre, gracious or in the sulks, accordingly as his scheme of the now accomplished voyage has been realized in merchandise that will readily be turned to gold, or has buried him under a bulk of incommodities, such as nobody will care to rid him of.

Qui arriva anche il suo armatore, allegro o cupo, grazioso o imbronciato, a seconda che il suo piano per il viaggio ormai compiuto si sia concretizzato in mercanzie che potranno facilmente essere convertite in oro, oppure lo abbia sepolto sotto una massa di merci scomode, di cui nessuno vorrà liberarlo.

Here, likewise,—the germ of the wrinkle-browed, grizzly-bearded, care-worn merchant,—we have the smart young clerk, who gets the taste of traffic as a wolf-cub does of blood, and already sends adventures in his master's ships, when he had better be sailing mimic-boats upon a mill-pond.

Qui, allo stesso modo — il germe del mercante dalla fronte rugosa, dalla barba brizzolata e dall'aspetto affaticato — troviamo il brillante giovane impiegato, che acquista il gusto del commercio come un lupacchiotto fa con il sangue, e già invia speculazioni sulle navi del suo padrone, quando farebbe meglio a navigare con barchette di carta su uno stagno di mulino.

Vocabulary

Tali
Such, of that kind; used as a demonstrative adjective.
occasioni
Occasions, opportunities; plural of occasione.
potrebbero
They could, might; conditional third person plural of potere.
ricordare
To remember or remind someone of something.
al
To the; contraction of a and il.
cittadino
Citizen, resident of a city or town.
anziano
Elderly, old; referring to an older person.
quel
That; masculine singular demonstrative adjective before consonants.
periodo
Period, era, span of time.
precedente
Previous, preceding; coming before in time or order.
all'
To the; contraction of a and l' before vowel.
ultima
Last, final; feminine form of ultimo.
guerra
War; armed conflict between nations or groups.
con
With; preposition indicating accompaniment or association.
l'
The; elided definite article before vowel sounds.
Inghilterra
England; country in the United Kingdom.
quando
When; conjunction or adverb referring to time.
era
Was; third person singular imperfect of essere.
un
A, an; masculine indefinite article.
porto
Port, harbor; place where ships dock.
a
To, at, in; common Italian preposition.
sé
Itself, oneself; reflexive pronoun used independently.
stante
Standing, independent; existing on its own terms.
non
Not; basic Italian negation adverb.
disprezzata
Despised, scorned; feminine past participle of disprezzare.
come
As, like, how; conjunction or adverb of comparison.
lo
It, him; masculine singular direct object pronoun.
è
Is; third person singular present of essere.
ora
Now; adverb indicating the present moment.
dai
By the; contraction of da and i.
propri
Own; masculine plural possessive adjective.
mercanti
Merchants, traders; people who buy and sell goods.
e
And; basic coordinating conjunction.
armatori
Shipowners; people who own and operate ships commercially.
che
Who, that, which; relative pronoun or conjunction.
permettono
They allow, permit; third person plural present of permettere.
ai
To the; contraction of a and i, masculine plural.
suoi
His, her, its; masculine plural possessive adjective.
moli
Piers, wharves; plural of molo, docking structures.
di
Of, from; very common Italian preposition.
sgretolarsi
To crumble, fall apart; reflexive verb of disintegration.
in
In, into; basic Italian preposition of location.
rovina
Ruin, decay; state of destruction or collapse.
mentre
While, whereas; conjunction indicating simultaneous or contrasting actions.
le
The; feminine plural definite article.
loro
Their, theirs; third person plural possessive pronoun.
imprese
Enterprises, businesses; commercial or industrial ventures.
vanno
They go; third person plural present of andare.
ad
To, toward; form of a used before vowels.
ingrossare
To swell, enlarge; to increase the size of something.
inutilmente
Uselessly, pointlessly; in a way that serves no purpose.
impercettibilmente
Imperceptibly; in a way that cannot easily be noticed.
il
The; masculine singular definite article.
possente
Mighty, powerful; strong and imposing in character.
fiume
River; large natural watercourse flowing to the sea.
del
Of the; contraction of di and il.
commercio
Commerce, trade; buying and selling of goods.
o
Or; conjunction indicating an alternative.
In
In; preposition indicating location or context.
qualche
Some, a few; indefinite adjective indicating small quantity.
mattina
Morning; the early part of the day.
simile
Similar, like; resembling something already mentioned.
tre
Three; the number 3.
quattro
Four; the number 4.
imbarcazioni
Vessels, boats; plural of imbarcazione, watercraft.
si
Reflexive pronoun; oneself, themselves; also 'one.'
trovano
They find themselves, are found; third plural of trovare.
essere
To be; fundamental Italian auxiliary and linking verb.
arrivate
Arrived; feminine plural past participle of arrivare.
tutte
All; feminine plural form of tutto.
insieme
Together; at the same time or place.
solito
Usual, customary; as typically happens or expected.
dall'
From the; contraction of da and l' before vowel.
dal
From the; contraction of da and il.
Sud
South; cardinal direction or southern region.
sono
They are, I am; present tense of essere.
sul
On the; contraction of su and il.
punto
Point, moment; on the verge of doing something.
partire
To leave, depart; to set off on a journey.
quella
That; feminine singular demonstrative adjective or pronoun.
direzione
Direction; the course toward which something moves.
ode
Hears; third person singular present of udire.
suono
Sound; noise perceived by the ear.
frequenti
Frequent; happening often or in quick succession.
passi
Steps, footsteps; sounds or movements of walking.
salgono
They go up, climb; third person plural of salire.
scendono
They go down, descend; third person plural of scendere.
vivacemente
Vivaciously, briskly; in a lively and energetic manner.
i
The; masculine plural definite article.
gradini
Steps, stairs; plural of gradino, individual stair steps.
granito
Granite; hard igneous rock used in construction.
Qui
Here; adverb indicating this place or location.
prima
Before, first; adverb or adjective of temporal priority.
ancora
Still, yet; adverb indicating continuation or persistence.
la
The; feminine singular definite article.
propria
Own; feminine singular possessive adjective.
moglie
Wife; a man's female spouse.
abbia
Has; third person singular present subjunctive of avere.
salutare
To greet, say hello or goodbye to someone.
potete
You can, are able to; second person plural of potere.
capitano
Captain; commander of a ship or military unit.
arrossato
Reddened, ruddy; made red by sun, wind, or weather.
mare
Sea; large body of salt water.
appena
Just, barely, as soon as; recently or hardly.
giunto
Arrived; past participle of giungere, to arrive.
documenti
Documents, papers; official written records or certificates.
della
Of the; contraction of di and la, feminine singular.
sua
His, her; feminine singular possessive adjective.
nave
Ship; large seagoing vessel.
sotto
Under, beneath; preposition of position below something.
braccio
Arm; the upper limb of the human body.
una
A, an; feminine singular indefinite article.
scatola
Box, tin; a container usually made of cardboard or metal.
latta
Tin, tin plate; thin sheet metal used for containers.
annerita
Blackened, darkened; made black by soot or smoke.
arriva
Arrives; third person singular present of arrivare.
anche
Also, too, even; adverb adding inclusion.
suo
His, her, its; masculine singular possessive adjective.
armatore
Shipowner; person who owns or operates a merchant ship.
allegro
Cheerful, merry; in a happy and lively mood.
cupo
Gloomy, somber; dark or brooding in mood.
grazioso
Gracious, charming; pleasant and agreeable in manner.
imbronciato
Sulky, sullen; in a moody or displeased state.
seconda
Second; ordinal number, feminine form of secondo.
piano
Floor, plan; level of a building or a scheme.
per
For, through, by; versatile Italian preposition.
viaggio
Journey, voyage, trip; travel from one place to another.
ormai
By now, already; indicating something has already occurred.
compiuto
Completed, accomplished; past participle of compiere.
sia
May be, is; third person singular present subjunctive of essere.
concretizzato
Materialized, realized; turned into something concrete and real.
mercanzie
Merchandise, goods; commodities bought and sold in trade.
potranno
They will be able to; future tense of potere.
facilmente
Easily; without difficulty or effort.
convertite
Converted, transformed; changed into a different form.
oro
Gold; precious yellow metal used as currency or treasure.
oppure
Or else, otherwise; alternative conjunction.
sepolto
Buried; past participle of seppellire, to bury.
massa
Mass, bulk, large amount; a large quantity of something.
merci
Goods, commodities; plural of merce, items of trade.
scomode
Inconvenient, uncomfortable; difficult to deal with or use.
cui
Whom, which; relative pronoun used after prepositions.
nessuno
Nobody, no one; indefinite pronoun of negation.
vorrà
Will want; third person singular future of volere.
liberarlo
To free him from it; infinitive with object pronoun attached.
allo
To the; contraction of a and lo, masculine singular.
stesso
Same; adjective or pronoun indicating identity or similarity.
modo
Way, manner; method or style of doing something.
germe
Germ, seed, embryo; the beginning or early form of something.
mercante
Merchant, trader; person engaged in commercial trade.
dalla
From the; contraction of da and la, feminine singular.
fronte
Forehead, front; the brow of the face.
rugosa
Wrinkled; having creases or folds, especially from age.
barba
Beard; hair growing on a man's face.
brizzolata
Grizzled, salt-and-pepper; mixed with gray, said of hair.
aspetto
Appearance, look; the way someone or something looks.
affaticato
Tired, fatigued; worn out from exertion or hard work.
troviamo
We find; first person plural present of trovare.
brillante
Brilliant, bright; shining or intellectually impressive.
giovane
Young; of a small age or early in life.
impiegato
Employee, clerk; person employed in an office or business.
acquista
Acquires, gains; third person singular present of acquistare.
gusto
Taste, relish; pleasure or appreciation for something.
fa
Does, makes; third person singular present of fare.
sangue
Blood; the red fluid circulating in the body.
già
Already, yet; adverb indicating prior occurrence.
invia
Sends, dispatches; third person singular present of inviare.
speculazioni
Speculations; risky financial ventures or conjectures.
sulle
On the; contraction of su and le, feminine plural.
navi
Ships; plural of nave, large seafaring vessels.
padrone
Owner, master, boss; person with authority or ownership.
farebbe
Would do; third person singular conditional of fare.
meglio
Better; comparative adverb of bene.
navigare
To sail, navigate; to travel by water or steer a vessel.
barchette
Little boats; diminutive plural of barca, small vessels.
carta
Paper; thin material for writing or folding.
su
On, upon; preposition indicating position above or on.
uno
A, one; masculine singular indefinite article or numeral.
stagno
Pond, pool; small body of still water.
mulino
Mill; building with machinery to grind grain or use water.
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