The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments — Page 12
[2] To the pieces of poetry which are interspersed throughout the work he has paid especial attention; not only correcting the errors which he found in them, but also always adding the vowel-points, and generally, commentaries or explanations.
[2] Ai componimenti poetici che sono disseminati in tutta l'opera egli ha prestato particolare attenzione; non solo correggendo gli errori che vi ha trovato, ma aggiungendo sempre anche i segni vocalici, e generalmente commenti o spiegazioni.
Thus I have shewn that I am very greatly indebted to him for his learned labours.
Ho così dimostrato di essere molto profondamente in debito con lui per le sue dotte fatiche.
I should, however, add, that I have ventured to differ from him in interpreting a few words; having found more appropriate meanings assigned to them by Arabs in parts not visited by him, or such meanings given in printed dictionaries with which he is unacquainted; and I have also corrected a few errors which have escaped his notice.[3]
Dovrei tuttavia aggiungere che mi sono permesso di dissentire da lui nell'interpretazione di alcune parole; avendo trovato significati più appropriati loro attribuiti da Arabi in luoghi non visitati da lui, o tali significati riportati in dizionari a stampa a lui sconosciuti; e ho anche corretto alcuni errori che sono sfuggiti alla sua attenzione.[3]
Without the valuable aid which he has afforded me, I would not have attempted the translation; nor with it would I have done so were it not for the advantage that I derive from my having lived among Arabs.
Senza il prezioso aiuto che egli mi ha fornito, non avrei tentato la traduzione; né con esso l'avrei fatto se non fosse per il vantaggio che traggo dall'aver vissuto tra gli Arabi.
No translator can always be certain that, from twenty or more significations which are borne by one Arabic word, he has selected that which his author intended to convey; but, circumstanced as I am, I have the satisfaction of feeling confident that I have never given, to a word or phrase in this work, a meaning which is inconsistent with its presenting faithful pictures of Arab life and manners.
Nessun traduttore può essere sempre certo di aver selezionato, tra venti o più significati che una sola parola araba può avere, quello che il suo autore intendeva trasmettere; ma, nelle circostanze in cui mi trovo, ho la soddisfazione di sentirmi sicuro di non aver mai attribuito, a una parola o a una frase in quest'opera, un significato che sia in contrasto con la presentazione di fedeli immagini della vita e dei costumi arabi.
"I have thought it right to omit such tales, anecdotes, &c., as are comparatively uninteresting or on any account objectionable.
«Ho ritenuto opportuno omettere quei racconti, aneddoti, ecc., che sono relativamente poco interessanti o per qualsiasi motivo inopportuni.
Vocabulary
- Ai
- Contraction of 'a' and 'i', meaning 'to the' (plural)
- componimenti
- Literary or musical compositions, works, pieces
- poetici
- Relating to poetry; poetic in nature
- che
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that', 'which', 'who'
- sono
- Third person plural of 'essere': 'they are'
- disseminati
- Scattered or spread throughout a text or place
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in', 'into', or 'within'
- tutta
- Feminine singular of 'tutto': 'all', 'entire', 'whole'
- opera
- A work, especially literary, artistic, or musical
- egli
- Formal third person singular pronoun: 'he'
- ha
- Third person singular of 'avere': 'he/she has'
- prestato
- Past participle of 'prestare': 'given', 'paid', 'lent'
- particolare
- Special, specific, particular attention or detail
- attenzione
- Attention, care, or focus given to something
- non
- Negation particle meaning 'not'
- solo
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'only', 'alone', 'just'
- correggendo
- Gerund of 'correggere': in the act of correcting
- gli
- Masculine plural article or indirect object pronoun: 'the'/'him'
- errori
- Plural of 'errore': mistakes, errors, inaccuracies
- vi
- Pronoun or adverb: 'there', 'in it', 'you' (indirect)
- trovato
- Past participle of 'trovare': found, discovered something
- ma
- Coordinating conjunction meaning 'but'
- aggiungendo
- Gerund of 'aggiungere': in the act of adding
- sempre
- Adverb meaning 'always', 'every time', 'still'
- anche
- Adverb meaning 'also', 'too', 'even'
- segni
- Signs, marks, or symbols used in writing
- generalmente
- Adverb meaning 'generally', 'usually', 'in most cases'
- commenti
- Comments, annotations, or explanatory notes on a text
- spiegazioni
- Explanations, clarifications, or interpretations of meaning
- Ho
- First person singular of 'avere': 'I have'
- così
- Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', 'in this way'
- dimostrato
- Past participle of 'dimostrare': shown, demonstrated, proved
- essere
- Infinitive of the verb 'to be'
- molto
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'very', 'much', 'a lot'
- profondamente
- Adverb meaning 'deeply', 'profoundly', 'greatly'
- debito
- A debt or obligation owed to someone
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- lui
- Third person singular masculine pronoun: 'him', 'he'
- per
- Preposition meaning 'for', 'through', 'because of'
- le
- Feminine plural article or indirect object pronoun: 'the'
- sue
- Feminine plural possessive: 'his', 'her', 'its' (own)
- dotte
- Feminine plural of 'dotto': learned, scholarly, erudite
- fatiche
- Labors, efforts, or toils undertaken with difficulty
- Dovrei
- Conditional of 'dovere': 'I should', 'I ought to'
- tuttavia
- Adverb meaning 'however', 'nevertheless', 'yet'
- aggiungere
- Infinitive: to add, to include something further
- mi
- Reflexive or object pronoun: 'me', 'myself', 'to me'
- permesso
- Past participle of 'permettere': allowed, permitted oneself
- dissentire
- To disagree, dissent, or differ in opinion from someone
- da
- Preposition meaning 'from', 'by', 'since'
- interpretazione
- Interpretation, reading, or understanding of a text
- alcune
- Feminine plural indefinite adjective: 'some', 'a few'
- parole
- Plural of 'parola': words, terms, or expressions
- avendo
- Gerund of 'avere': 'having', used in compound gerunds
- significati
- Plural of 'significato': meanings, senses, definitions
- più
- Adverb meaning 'more', 'most', or 'plus'
- appropriati
- Plural of 'appropriato': appropriate, suitable, fitting
- loro
- Pronoun or possessive: 'them', 'their', 'to them'
- attribuiti
- Past participle plural of 'attribuire': attributed, assigned
- Arabi
- Plural noun or adjective: Arabs or Arabic people/things
- luoghi
- Plural of 'luogo': places, locations, or sites
- visitati
- Past participle plural of 'visitare': visited, traveled to
- tali
- Demonstrative adjective: 'such', 'those', 'of that kind'
- riportati
- Past participle plural of 'riportare': reported, cited, reproduced
- dizionari
- Plural of 'dizionario': dictionaries, lexicons, word references
- stampa
- Print, press, or printed publication; act of printing
- sconosciuti
- Plural of 'sconosciuto': unknown, unfamiliar, not recognized
- ho
- First person singular of 'avere': 'I have'
- corretto
- Past participle of 'correggere': corrected, fixed, amended
- alcuni
- Masculine plural indefinite adjective: 'some', 'a few'
- sfuggiti
- Past participle plural of 'sfuggire': escaped, slipped past unnoticed
- alla
- Contraction of 'a' and 'la': 'to the' (feminine singular)
- sua
- Feminine singular possessive: 'his', 'her', 'its'
- Senza
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- il
- Masculine singular definite article: 'the'
- prezioso
- Adjective meaning 'precious', 'valuable', 'invaluable'
- aiuto
- Help, assistance, or support provided to someone
- fornito
- Past participle of 'fornire': provided, supplied, offered
- avrei
- Conditional of 'avere': 'I would have'
- tentato
- Past participle of 'tentare': attempted, tried, endeavored
- la
- Feminine singular definite article or pronoun: 'the', 'her'
- traduzione
- Translation of a text from one language to another
- né
- Correlative conjunction meaning 'nor', 'neither'
- esso
- Formal third person pronoun: 'it', referring to a thing
- fatto
- Past participle of 'fare': done, made; also noun 'fact'
- se
- Conjunction meaning 'if', 'whether'; reflexive pronoun 'himself'
- fosse
- Imperfect subjunctive of 'essere': 'were', 'would be'
- vantaggio
- Advantage, benefit, or gain obtained from something
- traggo
- First person singular of 'trarre': 'I draw', 'I derive'
- dall'
- Contraction of 'da' and 'l'': 'from the' (elided form)
- aver
- Shortened infinitive of 'avere': 'to have' (in compounds)
- vissuto
- Past participle of 'vivere': lived, resided, experienced life
- tra
- Preposition meaning 'between', 'among', 'within'
- Nessun
- Adjective meaning 'no', 'not any', 'no one' (masculine)
- traduttore
- A translator who renders text into another language
- può
- Third person singular of 'potere': 'he/she/it can'
- certo
- Adjective or adverb: 'certain', 'sure', 'of course'
- selezionato
- Past participle of 'selezionare': selected, chosen, picked out
- venti
- The number twenty; also 'winds' (plural of vento)
- una
- Feminine indefinite article: 'a', 'an', 'one'
- sola
- Feminine singular of 'solo': 'alone', 'only', 'single'
- parola
- A word, term, or spoken expression in language
- araba
- Feminine singular of 'arabo': Arabic, of Arab origin
- avere
- Infinitive of 'to have'; auxiliary verb in Italian
- quello
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective: 'that', 'that one'
- autore
- Author, writer, or creator of a work
- intendeva
- Imperfect of 'intendere': intended, meant, understood
- trasmettere
- To transmit, convey, or communicate meaning or information
- nelle
- Contraction of 'in' and 'le': 'in the' (feminine plural)
- circostanze
- Plural of 'circostanza': circumstances, conditions, situations
- cui
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which', 'whom', 'whose'
- trovo
- First person singular of 'trovare': 'I find', 'I consider'
- soddisfazione
- Satisfaction, fulfillment, or pleasure from an outcome
- sentirmi
- Reflexive infinitive: 'to feel myself', 'to feel' (personal)
- sicuro
- Adjective meaning 'sure', 'certain', 'safe', 'confident'
- mai
- Adverb meaning 'never', 'ever', depending on context
- attribuito
- Past participle of 'attribuire': attributed, assigned meaning to
- frase
- A sentence, phrase, or expression in language
- quest'
- Elided form of 'questa' or 'questo': 'this' before vowel
- un
- Masculine indefinite article: 'a', 'an', 'one'
- significato
- Meaning, sense, or significance of a word or phrase
- sia
- Present subjunctive of 'essere': 'is', 'may be', 'whether'
- contrasto
- Contrast, opposition, or conflict between two things
- presentazione
- Presentation, introduction, or displaying of something formally
- fedeli
- Plural of 'fedele': faithful, accurate, loyal, true
- immagini
- Plural of 'immagine': images, depictions, or mental pictures
- della
- Contraction of 'di' and 'la': 'of the' (feminine singular)
- vita
- Life, lifestyle, or way of living
- dei
- Contraction of 'di' and 'i': 'of the' (masculine plural)
- costumi
- Customs, traditions, habits, or costumes of a people
- arabi
- Masculine plural of 'arabo': Arab, Arabic people or things
- ritenuto
- Past participle of 'ritenere': considered, deemed, thought appropriate
- opportuno
- Adjective meaning 'appropriate', 'opportune', 'suitable'
- omettere
- To omit, leave out, or skip over something intentionally
- quei
- Masculine plural demonstrative adjective: 'those' (far objects)
- racconti
- Plural of 'racconto': stories, tales, or short narratives
- aneddoti
- Plural of 'aneddoto': anecdotes, brief amusing or illustrative stories
- ecc.
- Abbreviation of 'eccetera': et cetera, and so on
- relativamente
- Adverb meaning 'relatively', 'comparatively', 'fairly'
- poco
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'little', 'few', 'not much'
- interessanti
- Plural of 'interessante': interesting, engaging, of worth
- qualsiasi
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'any', 'whatever', 'whichever'
- motivo
- Reason, motive, cause, or musical motif
- inopportuni
- Plural of 'inopportuno': inappropriate, unsuitable, ill-timed
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