The Scarlet Letter — Page 7
Over the entrance hovers an enormous specimen of the American eagle, with outspread wings, a shield before her breast, and, if I recollect aright, a bunch of intermingled thunderbolts and barbed arrows in each claw.
Sobre a entrada paira um enorme exemplar da águia americana, com as asas abertas, um escudo diante do peito, e, se me recordo bem, um feixe de raios e flechas com farpa entrelaçados em cada garra.
With the customary infirmity of temper that characterizes this unhappy fowl, she appears, by the fierceness of her beak and eye, and the general truculency of her attitude, to threaten mischief to the inoffensive community; and especially to warn all citizens, careful of their safety, against intruding on the premises which she overshadows with her wings.
Com a habitual instabilidade de temperamento que caracteriza esta infeliz ave, ela parece, pela ferocidade do seu bico e olhar, e pela truculência geral de sua atitude, ameaçar a inofensiva comunidade; e especialmente advertir todos os cidadãos, zelosos de sua segurança, contra a intromissão nas dependências que ela cobre com as suas asas.
Nevertheless, vixenly as she looks, many people are seeking, at this very moment, to shelter themselves under the wing of the federal eagle; imagining, I presume, that her bosom has all the softness and snugness of an eider-down pillow.
No entanto, por mais feroz que pareça, muitas pessoas procuram, neste exato momento, abrigar-se sob a asa da águia federal; imaginando, presumo, que o seu seio tem toda a maciez e o aconchego de um travesseiro de edredom.
But she has no great tenderness, even in her best of moods, and, sooner or later,—oftener soon than late,—is apt to fling off her nestlings, with a scratch of her claw, a dab of her beak, or a rankling wound from her barbed arrows.
Mas ela não tem grande ternura, nem mesmo em seus melhores momentos, e, mais cedo ou mais tarde,—mais cedo do que tarde,—tende a expulsar seus filhotes, com uma arranhada de sua garra, uma bicada, ou uma ferida irritante de suas flechas com farpa.
The pavement round about the above-described edifice—which we may as well name at once as the Custom-House of the port—has grass enough growing in its chinks to show that it has not, of late days, been worn by any multitudinous resort of business.
O calçamento ao redor do edifício acima descrito—que bem podemos desde já denominar a Alfândega do porto—tem ervas suficientes crescendo em suas fendas para mostrar que não foi, nos últimos tempos, desgastado por qualquer afluência numerosa de negócios.
In some months of the year, however, there often chances a forenoon when affairs move onward with a livelier tread.
Em alguns meses do ano, porém, há frequentemente uma manhã em que os assuntos avançam com um ritmo mais animado.
Vocabulary
- Sobre
- On, upon, about, concerning a topic
- entrada
- Entrance, entry, or admission to a place
- paira
- Hovers, floats, or hangs in the air
- um
- One, a, an indefinite article in Portuguese
- enorme
- Enormous, huge, very large in size
- exemplar
- Specimen, example, or copy of something
- da
- Of the, from the feminine singular form
- águia
- Eagle, a large bird of prey
- americana
- American, relating to America or United States
- com
- With, accompanied by, in company of
- as
- The feminine plural article or pronoun
- asas
- Wings, limbs used by birds for flight
- abertas
- Open, unclosed, spread wide or extended
- escudo
- Shield, protective barrier or heraldic emblem
- diante
- In front of, ahead of, before something
- do
- Of the, from the masculine singular
- peito
- Chest, breast, front part of body
- se
- Reflexive pronoun or conditional if conjunction
- me
- Me, to me, object pronoun in Portuguese
- recordo
- I remember, recall, or recollect something
- bem
- Well, properly, good or goodness itself
- feixe
- Bundle, beam of light or rays
- de
- Of, from, indicating possession or origin
- raios
- Rays, beams of light or lightning
- flechas
- Arrows, projectiles shot from a bow
- entrelaçados
- Intertwined, interlaced, woven together closely
- em
- In, inside, within a place or time
- cada
- Each, every, all individual units separately
- garra
- Claw, talon of a bird or animal
- Com
- With, accompanied by, in company of
- habitual
- Habitual, customary, done by habit regularly
- instabilidade
- Instability, lack of stability or firmness
- temperamento
- Temperament, natural disposition or mood traits
- que
- That, which, what, relative or interrogative
- caracteriza
- Characterizes, marks, or defines something
- esta
- This, this one feminine or present verb
- infeliz
- Unhappy, unfortunate, sad or unlucky bird
- ave
- Bird, feathered animal that flies
- ela
- She, her, the feminine personal pronoun
- parece
- Seems, appears, looks like to someone
- pela
- By the, through the feminine singular
- ferocidade
- Ferocity, savageness, intense wildness or brutality
- seu
- His, her, its, your possessive adjective
- bico
- Beak, mouth part of birds
- olhar
- Look, glance, gaze or eye direction
- geral
- General, overall, common or widespread manner
- sua
- His, her, its, your feminine possessive
- atitude
- Attitude, posture, manner or way of being
- ameaçar
- Threaten, menace, endanger or intimidate someone
- inofensiva
- Harmless, inoffensive, causing no harm whatsoever
- comunidade
- Community, group of people living together
- especialmente
- Especially, particularly, particularly important or notable
- advertir
- Warn, caution, notify of danger ahead
- todos
- All, everybody, each and every one
- os
- The masculine plural article or pronoun
- cidadãos
- Citizens, members of a political community
- zelosos
- Zealous, eager, fervent about something
- segurança
- Security, safety, protection from danger
- contra
- Against, in opposition to something
- nas
- In the feminine plural form article
- dependências
- Dependencies, outbuildings or annexed structures
- cobre
- Covers, copper metal or protective layer
- suas
- His, her, its, your feminine plural
- No
- In the, at the masculine singular
- entanto
- However, nevertheless, on the other hand
- por
- By, for, through, per, in exchange
- mais
- More, greater quantity or degree or
- feroz
- Fierce, wild, ferocious in manner
- pareça
- Seems, appears, may seem or look
- muitas
- Many, a lot of feminine plural
- pessoas
- People, persons, individuals in general
- procuram
- Seek, look for, search for something
- neste
- In this, in this exact moment
- exato
- Exact, precise, accurate or correct
- momento
- Moment, instant, point in time
- abrigar-se
- Take shelter, find protection or refuge
- sob
- Under, beneath, below something or someone
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