The Scarlet Letter — Page 12
And yet, though invariably happiest elsewhere, there is within me a feeling for old Salem, which, in lack of a better phrase, I must be content to call affection.
Eppure, sebbene io sia invariabilmente più felice altrove, nutro dentro di me un sentimento per la vecchia Salem, che, in mancanza di una frase migliore, devo accontentarmi di chiamare affetto.
The sentiment is probably assignable to the deep and aged roots which my family has struck into the soil.
Il sentimento è probabilmente attribuibile alle radici profonde e antiche che la mia famiglia ha affondato nel suolo.
It is now nearly two centuries and a quarter since the original Briton, the earliest emigrant of my name, made his appearance in the wild and forest-bordered settlement, which has since become a city.
Sono ormai passati quasi due secoli e un quarto da quando il primo Britanno, il più antico emigrante del mio nome, fece la sua comparsa nell'insediamento selvaggio e circondato da foreste, che da allora è diventato una città.
And here his descendants have been born and died, and have mingled their earthy substance with the soil; until no small portion of it must necessarily be akin to the mortal frame wherewith, for a little while, I walk the streets.
E qui i suoi discendenti sono nati e morti, e hanno mescolato la loro sostanza terrena con il suolo; finché non piccola parte di esso deve necessariamente essere affine alla spoglia mortale con cui, per un breve tempo, cammino per le strade.
In part, therefore, the attachment which I speak of is the mere sensuous sympathy of dust for dust.
In parte, dunque, l'attaccamento di cui parlo non è che la pura simpatia sensibile della polvere per la polvere.
Few of my countrymen can know what it is; nor, as frequent transplantation is perhaps better for the stock, need they consider it desirable to know.
Pochi dei miei connazionali possono sapere cosa sia; né, poiché i trapianti frequenti sono forse migliori per la stirpe, è necessario che lo considerino desiderabile da sapere.
But the sentiment has likewise its moral quality.
Ma il sentimento possiede altresì la sua qualità morale.
The figure of that first ancestor, invested by family tradition with a dim and dusky grandeur, was present to my boyish imagination, as far back as I can remember.
La figura di quel primo antenato, investita dalla tradizione familiare di una grandezza vaga e oscura, era presente alla mia immaginazione fanciullesca, per quanto indietro riesca a ricordare.
It still haunts me, and induces a sort of home-feeling with the past, which I scarcely claim in reference to the present phase of the town.
Mi perseguita ancora, e suscita in me una sorta di senso di appartenenza nei confronti del passato, che difficilmente rivendico in riferimento alla fase attuale della città.
Vocabulary
- Eppure
- Yet, however, nonetheless; used to express contrast
- sebbene
- Although, even though; introduces a concessive clause
- io
- I; first person singular personal pronoun
- sia
- Be; subjunctive form of essere (to be)
- più
- More; comparative marker or additional quantity
- felice
- Happy, content, pleased; expressing joy or satisfaction
- nutro
- I nourish, harbor, cherish; present tense first person
- dentro
- Inside, within; indicates interior location or direction
- di
- Of, from; preposition showing possession or origin
- me
- Me; first person singular object pronoun
- un
- A, an; masculine singular indefinite article
- sentimento
- Feeling, emotion, sentiment; an emotional state
- per
- For, by, through; preposition indicating purpose or means
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article
- vecchia
- Old, ancient; feminine adjective describing age
- che
- That, which, who; relative or subordinating conjunction
- in
- In, at; preposition indicating location or position
- mancanza
- Lack, absence, want; state of being without something
- una
- A, an; feminine singular indefinite article
- frase
- Phrase, sentence; group of words expressing thought
- migliore
- Better, best; comparative or superlative adjective
- devo
- I must, I have to; present tense of dovere
- accontentarmi
- To satisfy myself, to content myself; reflexive verb
- chiamare
- To call, to name; common verb of nomination
- affetto
- Affection, love, fondness; warm emotional attachment
- Il
- The; masculine singular definite article
- probabilmente
- Probably, likely, presumably; indicates probable occurrence
- alle
- To the; feminine plural contraction of a+le
- radici
- Roots; plural of radice, origins or foundations
- profonde
- Deep, profound; adjective describing great depth
- antiche
- Ancient, old; plural feminine adjective for age
- mia
- My; first person singular feminine possessive adjective
- famiglia
- Family; relatives or members of same household
- ha
- Has, have; present tense third person of avere
- affondato
- Sunk, settled; past participle of affondare
- nel
- In the; masculine singular contraction of in+il
- suolo
- Soil, ground, earth; the surface layer of land
- Sono
- I am; present tense first person of essere
- ormai
- By now, already, at this point; indicates finality
- passati
- Passed, gone by; past participle of passare
- quasi
- Almost, nearly, approximately; indicates near equivalence
- due
- Two; number 2
- secoli
- Centuries; plural of secolo, periods of one hundred years
- quarto
- Fourth; ordinal number 4th
- da
- From, since, by; preposition indicating origin or agent
- quando
- When; temporal adverb or subordinating conjunction
- il
- The; masculine singular definite article
- primo
- First; ordinal number, initial in sequence
- Britanno
- British; adjective or noun referring to Britain
- antico
- Ancient, old; adjective describing great age
- emigrante
- Emigrant; person who leaves homeland for settlement
- nome
- Name; word by which person is known
- fece
- Made, did; past tense third person of fare
- sua
- His, her, its; third person singular possessive adjective
- insediamento
- Settlement, colony; place of human habitation established
- selvaggio
- Wild, savage; adjective describing uncultivated state
- circondato
- Surrounded, encircled; past participle of circondare
- foreste
- Forests; plural of foresta, large wooded areas
- allora
- Then, at that time; temporal adverb
- diventato
- Become, turned into; past participle of diventare
- città
- City, town; urban center with population
- qui
- Here, in this place; locative adverb
- suoi
- His, her, its; third person plural possessive adjective
- discendenti
- Descendants, offspring; those descended from ancestor
- sono
- Are; third person plural of essere
- nati
- Born; past participle of nascere
- morti
- Died, dead; past participle of morire
- hanno
- Have; third person plural present of avere
- mescolato
- Mixed, blended; past participle of mescolare
- loro
- Their, theirs; third person plural possessive adjective
- sostanza
- Substance, matter; physical or essential nature
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