The Scarlet Letter — Page 10
Furthermore, on the left hand as you enter the front door, is a certain room or office, about fifteen feet square, and of a lofty height; with two of its arched windows commanding a view of the aforesaid dilapidated wharf, and the third looking across a narrow lane, and along a portion of Derby Street.
Inoltre, sulla sinistra entrando dalla porta principale, si trova una certa stanza o ufficio, di circa quindici piedi per lato, e di soffitto elevato; con due delle sue finestre ad arco che dominano la vista del suddetto molo in rovina, e la terza che guarda attraverso un vicolo stretto, e lungo una parte di Derby Street.
All three give glimpses of the shops of grocers, block-makers, slop-sellers, and ship-chandlers; around the doors of which are generally to be seen, laughing and gossiping, clusters of old salts, and such other wharf-rats as haunt the Wapping of a seaport.
Tutte e tre offrono scorci dei negozi di droghieri, fabbricanti di carrucole, venditori di abiti usati e fornitori navali; intorno alle cui porte si vedono generalmente, ridendo e chiacchierando, gruppi di vecchi lupi di mare e altri topi di banchina del genere che frequentano il Wapping di un porto di mare.
The room itself is cobwebbed, and dingy with old paint; its floor is strewn with gray sand, in a fashion that has elsewhere fallen into long disuse; and it is easy to conclude, from the general slovenliness of the place, that this is a sanctuary into which womankind, with her tools of magic, the broom and mop, has very infrequent access.
La stanza stessa è coperta di ragnatele e annerita dalla vecchia vernice; il suo pavimento è cosparso di sabbia grigia, secondo un'usanza che altrove è caduta da tempo in disuso; ed è facile concludere, dalla generale sciatteria del luogo, che questo è un santuario nel quale il genere femminile, con i suoi strumenti magici, la scopa e il mocio, ha accesso molto di rado.
In the way of furniture, there is a stove with a voluminous funnel; an old pine desk, with a three-legged stool beside it; two or three wooden-bottom chairs, exceedingly decrepit and infirm; and—not to forget the library—on some shelves, a score or two of volumes of the Acts of Congress, and a bulky Digest of the Revenue Laws.
Per quanto riguarda l'arredamento, vi è una stufa con un fumaiolo voluminoso; una vecchia scrivania di pino, con uno sgabello a tre gambe accanto; due o tre sedie con seduta di legno, estremamente decrepite e malferme; e — senza dimenticare la biblioteca — su alcuni scaffali, una ventina di volumi degli Atti del Congresso, e un corposo Compendio delle Leggi sulle Entrate.
A tin pipe ascends through the ceiling, and forms a medium of vocal communication with other parts of the edifice.
Un tubo di latta sale attraverso il soffitto e costituisce un mezzo di comunicazione vocale con le altre parti dell'edificio.
Vocabulary
- Inoltre
- Furthermore; used to add additional information
- sulla
- Contraction of 'su' and 'la', meaning 'on the'
- sinistra
- Left side or direction
- entrando
- Entering; gerund form of 'entrare'
- dalla
- Contraction of 'da' and 'la', meaning 'from the'
- porta
- Door or gate of a building
- principale
- Main or primary; most important
- si
- Reflexive pronoun; oneself or itself
- trova
- Is found or located; third person singular
- una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- certa
- A certain; specific but unnamed
- stanza
- Room within a building or house
- o
- Or; conjunction connecting alternatives
- ufficio
- Office; place where administrative work is done
- di
- Of or from; common Italian preposition
- circa
- Approximately; about a certain measurement
- quindici
- The number fifteen
- piedi
- Feet; plural of 'piede', unit of measurement
- per
- For or per; common Italian preposition
- lato
- Side of a shape or object
- e
- And; basic coordinating conjunction
- soffitto
- Ceiling of a room or building
- elevato
- High or elevated; above normal height
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment
- due
- Two; the number two
- delle
- Contraction of 'di' and 'le', meaning 'of the'
- sue
- Her/his/its; feminine plural possessive pronoun
- finestre
- Windows; plural of 'finestra'
- ad
- To or at; preposition used before vowels
- arco
- Arch; curved architectural structure
- che
- That or which; relative pronoun
- dominano
- Dominate or overlook; third person plural
- la
- The; feminine definite article
- vista
- View or sight; what can be seen
- del
- Contraction of 'di' and 'il', meaning 'of the'
- suddetto
- Aforementioned; previously mentioned above
- molo
- Pier or dock extending into water
- in
- In or into; common Italian preposition
- rovina
- Ruin; state of decay or destruction
- terza
- Third; feminine ordinal number
- guarda
- Looks or faces toward; third person singular
- attraverso
- Through or across; indicating passage
- un
- Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- vicolo
- Alley or narrow lane between buildings
- stretto
- Narrow or tight; limited in width
- lungo
- Long or along; extended in length
- parte
- Part or portion of something larger
- Tutte
- All; feminine plural of 'tutto'
- tre
- Three; the number three
- offrono
- Offer or provide; third person plural
- scorci
- Glimpses or partial views of something
- dei
- Contraction of 'di' and 'i', meaning 'of the'
- negozi
- Shops or stores; plural of 'negozio'
- droghieri
- Grocers; sellers of food and household goods
- fabbricanti
- Manufacturers or makers of goods
- carrucole
- Pulleys; mechanical devices for lifting loads
- venditori
- Sellers or vendors of merchandise
- abiti
- Clothes or garments; plural of 'abito'
- usati
- Used or second-hand; previously owned
- fornitori
- Suppliers or providers of goods
- navali
- Naval; relating to ships or maritime trade
- intorno
- Around or surrounding something
- alle
- Contraction of 'a' and 'le', meaning 'at the'
- cui
- Whose or which; relative pronoun
- porte
- Doors; plural of 'porta'
- vedono
- See or are seen; third person plural
- generalmente
- Generally or usually; in most cases
- ridendo
- Laughing; gerund form of 'ridere'
- chiacchierando
- Chatting or gossiping; gerund form
- gruppi
- Groups; plural of 'gruppo'
- vecchi
- Old men or elderly people
- lupi
- Wolves; plural of 'lupo'
- mare
- Sea; large body of saltwater
- altri
- Others; additional people or things
- topi
- Rats or mice; plural of 'topo'
- banchina
- Quay or wharf; dockside platform
- genere
- Kind or type; sort of person or thing
- frequentano
- Frequent or regularly visit; third person plural
- il
- The; masculine singular definite article
- porto
- Port or harbor; place for docking ships
- La
- The; feminine definite article
- stessa
- Same; herself or itself, feminine form
- è
- Is; third person singular of 'essere'
- coperta
- Covered; past participle of 'coprire'
- ragnatele
- Cobwebs; plural of 'ragnatela'
- annerita
- Blackened or darkened; past participle
- vecchia
- Old; feminine adjective for aged things
- vernice
- Paint or varnish applied to surfaces
- suo
- His/her/its; masculine singular possessive
- pavimento
- Floor of a room or building
- cosparso
- Sprinkled or scattered over a surface
- sabbia
- Sand; granular material found on beaches
- grigia
- Gray; feminine adjective for the color
- secondo
- According to; also means 'second'
- un'
- Feminine indefinite article before vowels
- usanza
- Custom or tradition; habitual practice
- altrove
- Elsewhere; in another place
- caduta
- Fallen; past participle of 'cadere'
- da
- From or since; common Italian preposition
- tempo
- Time or weather; passage of time
- disuso
- Disuse; state of no longer being used
- ed
- And; variant of 'e' before vowels
- facile
- Easy; simple or not difficult
- concludere
- To conclude or deduce; reach a conclusion
- generale
- General or overall; widespread
- sciatteria
- Slovenliness or untidiness; state of neglect
- luogo
- Place or location; a specific spot
- questo
- This; masculine singular demonstrative pronoun
- santuario
- Sanctuary; sacred or protected place
- nel
- Contraction of 'in' and 'il', meaning 'in the'
- quale
- Which or what; relative or interrogative pronoun
- femminile
- Feminine; relating to female gender
- i
- The; masculine plural definite article
- suoi
- His/her/its; masculine plural possessive
- strumenti
- Tools or instruments; plural of 'strumento'
- magici
- Magical; relating to magic, masculine plural
- scopa
- Broom; tool used for sweeping floors
- mocio
- Mop; cleaning tool for washing floors
- ha
- Has; third person singular of 'avere'
- accesso
- Access or entry; ability to enter somewhere
- molto
- Very or much; intensifier or quantity word
- rado
- Rare or seldom; infrequent occurrence
- Per
- For; preposition indicating purpose or time
- quanto
- How much or as for; relating to quantity
- riguarda
- Regards or concerns; third person singular
- l'
- The; definite article before vowel
- arredamento
- Furnishings or interior decor of a room
- vi
- There is; locative pronoun meaning 'there'
- stufa
- Stove or heater; device for warming a room
- fumaiolo
- Chimney pipe or smokestack of a stove
- voluminoso
- Bulky or voluminous; large in size
- scrivania
- Desk; writing table for office work
- pino
- Pine; type of wood from pine tree
- uno
- One; masculine indefinite article or number
- sgabello
- Stool; seat without a back or arms
- a
- To or at; common Italian preposition
- gambe
- Legs; plural of 'gamba'
- accanto
- Next to or beside something
- sedie
- Chairs; plural of 'sedia'
- seduta
- Seat or sitting; also past participle of 'sedersi'
- legno
- Wood; material from trees
- estremamente
- Extremely; to the greatest degree
- decrepite
- Decrepit; worn out and in poor condition
- malferme
- Unsteady or wobbly; not firmly stable
- senza
- Without; indicating absence of something
- dimenticare
- To forget; fail to remember something
- biblioteca
- Library or bookcase; collection of books
- su
- On or up; preposition indicating position
- alcuni
- Some or a few; indefinite plural adjective
- scaffali
- Shelves; plural of 'scaffale'
- ventina
- About twenty; approximate group of twenty
- volumi
- Volumes; plural of 'volume', bound books
- degli
- Contraction of 'di' and 'gli', meaning 'of the'
- Atti
- Acts or proceedings; official recorded documents
- Congresso
- Congress; legislative assembly or formal meeting
- corposo
- Substantial or hefty; thick and weighty
- Compendio
- Compendium; comprehensive summary of information
- Leggi
- Laws; plural of 'legge'
- sulle
- Contraction of 'su' and 'le', meaning 'on the'
- Entrate
- Revenues or incomes; government financial receipts
- Un
- A or an; masculine indefinite article
- tubo
- Tube or pipe; cylindrical hollow object
- latta
- Tin or tin plate; thin metal sheet
- sale
- Goes up or rises; third person singular
- costituisce
- Constitutes or forms; third person singular
- mezzo
- Means or medium; way of doing something
- comunicazione
- Communication; exchange of information
- vocale
- Vocal; relating to the voice
- le
- The; feminine plural definite article
- altre
- Other; feminine plural of 'altro'
- parti
- Parts or sections; plural of 'parte'
- dell'
- Contraction of 'di' and 'l'', meaning 'of the'
- edificio
- Building or structure; constructed edifice
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →