← The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2

The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 3

English → It THE PURLOINED LETTER Level 8/10

"Oh, good heavens! who ever heard of such an idea?"

"Oh, buon Dio! chi ha mai sentito parlare di una tale idea?"

"A little too self-evident."

"Un po' troppo ovvio."

"Ha! ha! ha—ha! ha! ha!—ho! ho! ho!" roared our visitor, profoundly amused, "oh, Dupin, you will be the death of me yet!"

"Ah! ah! ah—ah! ah! ah!—oh! oh! oh!" ruggì il nostro visitatore, profondamente divertito, "oh, Dupin, voi finirete per farmi morire dal ridere!"

"And what, after all, is the matter on hand?" I asked.

"E qual è, dopotutto, la questione in ballo?" chiesi.

"Why, I will tell you," replied the Prefect, as he gave a long, steady and contemplative puff, and settled himself in his chair.

"Ebbene, ve lo dirò," rispose il Prefetto, mentre tirava una lunga, lenta e meditabonda boccata, e si sistemava sulla sedia.

"I will tell you in a few words; but, before I begin, let me caution you that this is an affair demanding the greatest secrecy, and that I should most probably lose the position I now hold, were it known that I confided it to any one."

"Ve lo dirò in poche parole; ma, prima di cominciare, permettetemi di avvertirvi che si tratta di una faccenda che richiede il massimo riserbo, e che probabilmente perderei la posizione che attualmente occupo, se si sapesse che ne ho fatto parola con qualcuno."

"Proceed," said I.

"Procedete," dissi.

"Or not," said Dupin.

"O non procedete," disse Dupin.

"Well, then; I have received personal information, from a very high quarter, that a certain document of the last importance has been purloined from the royal apartments.

"Ebbene; ho ricevuto informazioni personali, da una fonte assai elevata, che un certo documento della massima importanza è stato sottratto dagli appartamenti reali.

The individual who purloined it is known; this beyond a doubt; he was seen to take it.

L'individuo che lo ha sottratto è noto; ciò è fuori di ogni dubbio; fu visto prendere il documento.

It is known, also, that it still remains in his possession."

È noto, inoltre, che il documento è ancora in suo possesso."

"How is this known?" asked Dupin.

"Come lo si sa?" chiese Dupin.

"It is clearly inferred," replied the Prefect, "from the nature of the document, and from the non-appearance of certain results which would at once arise from its passing out of the robber's possession; that is to say, from his employing it as he must design in the end to employ it.

"Lo si deduce chiaramente," rispose il Prefetto, "dalla natura del documento, e dal mancato verificarsi di certi risultati che scaturirebbero immediatamente dal fatto che esso uscisse dal possesso del ladro; vale a dire, dal fatto che egli lo impiegasse come deve avere intenzione di impiegarlo alla fine.

Vocabulary

Oh: Exclamation expressing surprise or realization.
buon: Good; adjective used before masculine nouns.
Dio: God; the supreme divine being.
chi: Who; interrogative or relative pronoun.
ha: Has; third person singular of avere.
mai: Ever; never; used in questions and negations.
sentito: Heard; past participle of sentire, to hear.
parlare: To speak; to talk to someone.
di: Of; preposition indicating possession or origin.
una: A; indefinite article for feminine singular nouns.
tale: Such; of that kind or nature.
idea: Idea; a thought or concept in mind.
Un: A; indefinite article for masculine singular nouns.
po': A little; a small amount of something.
troppo: Too much; excessively beyond a suitable degree.
ovvio: Obvious; easily understood or apparent to all.
Ah: Ah; exclamation expressing realization or satisfaction.
ah: Ah; exclamation expressing realization or satisfaction.
oh: Oh; exclamation of surprise or emotion.
ruggì: Roared; past tense of ruggire, to roar.
il: The; definite article for masculine singular nouns.
nostro: Our; possessive adjective indicating group ownership.
visitatore: Visitor; a person who visits a place.
profondamente: Deeply; in a profound or intense manner.
divertito: Amused; entertained and finding something funny.
voi: You; second person plural pronoun in Italian.
finirete: You will end up; future tense of finire.
per: For; by; through; Italian preposition with multiple uses.
farmi: To make me; infinitive fare with me clitic.
morire: To die; to cease living.
dal: From the; contraction of da and il.
ridere: To laugh; to express amusement audibly.
E: And; coordinating conjunction linking words or clauses.
qual: What; which; short form of quale.
è: Is; third person singular of essere, to be.
dopotutto: After all; when everything is considered.
la: The; definite article for feminine singular nouns.
questione: Question; matter or issue under discussion.
in: In; at; Italian preposition indicating location or state.
ballo: Play; at stake; literally dance or ball.
chiesi: I asked; first person past tense of chiedere.
Ebbene: Well then; used to introduce a response.
ve: You; indirect object pronoun used before lo/la.
lo: It; him; direct object pronoun masculine singular.
dirò: I will tell; future tense of dire.
rispose: Replied; third person past tense of rispondere.
Prefetto: Prefect; a senior administrative or police official.
mentre: While; whereas; conjunction indicating simultaneous actions.
tirava: Was drawing; past continuous tense of tirare.
lunga: Long; adjective describing great length or duration.
lenta: Slow; adjective describing something not moving fast.
e: And; coordinating conjunction linking words or clauses.
meditabonda: Pensive; lost in deep thought or meditation.
boccata: Puff; a mouthful of smoke from a pipe.
si: Himself; herself; reflexive pronoun in Italian.
sistemava: Was settling; past continuous of sistemarsi.
sulla: On the; contraction of su and la.
sedia: Chair; a piece of furniture for sitting.
Ve: You; indirect object pronoun before lo/la.
poche: Few; a small number of things or people.
parole: Words; units of language used in communication.
ma: But; conjunction indicating contrast or exception.
prima: Before; first; indicating precedence in time.
cominciare: To begin; to start doing something.
permettetemi: Allow me; imperative of permettere with me.
avvertirvi: To warn you; infinitive avvertire with you clitic.
che: That; which; who; conjunction or relative pronoun.
tratta: It concerns; it deals with; third person singular.
faccenda: Matter; affair; a business or situation to handle.
richiede: Requires; demands; third person singular of richiedere.
massimo: Maximum; utmost; the greatest possible degree.
riserbo: Discretion; reserve; keeping something secret or confidential.
probabilmente: Probably; most likely; with a high degree of likelihood.
perderei: I would lose; conditional tense of perdere.
posizione: Position; a job role or place someone occupies.
attualmente: Currently; at the present time or moment.
occupo: I hold; I occupy; first person of occupare.
se: If; conditional conjunction introducing a hypothetical clause.
sapesse: Knew; subjunctive past tense of sapere.
ne: Of it; about it; Italian partitive or pronoun.
ho: I have; first person singular of avere.
fatto: Done; made; past participle of fare.
parola: Word; a unit of spoken or written language.
con: With; preposition indicating accompaniment or association.
qualcuno: Someone; anybody; an unspecified person.
Procedete: Proceed; go ahead; imperative of procedere.
dissi: I said; first person past tense of dire.
O: Or; either; coordinating disjunctive conjunction.
non: Not; negation particle in Italian sentences.
procedete: Proceed; imperative or present tense of procedere.
disse: Said; third person past tense of dire.
ricevuto: Received; past participle of ricevere.
informazioni: Information; facts or data provided about something.
personali: Personal; relating to a specific individual.
da: From; by; since; Italian preposition with multiple uses.
fonte: Source; origin or spring of information.
assai: Very; quite; rather; an intensifying adverb.
elevata: High; elevated; of superior rank or status.
un: A; indefinite article for masculine singular nouns.
certo: A certain; particular; used before a noun.
documento: Document; an official or important written paper.
della: Of the; contraction of di and la.
massima: Utmost; maximum; feminine form of massimo.
importanza: Importance; the quality of being significant.
stato: Been; past participle of essere; also state.
sottratto: Stolen; taken away; past participle of sottrarre.
dagli: From the; contraction of da and gli.
appartamenti: Apartments; rooms; private residential or royal quarters.
reali: Royal; real; pertaining to a king or queen.
L': The; elided definite article before a vowel.
individuo: Individual; person; a single human being.
noto: Known; well-known; familiar to many people.
ciò: This; that; demonstrative pronoun referring to something.
fuori: Beyond; outside; out of doubt or place.
ogni: Every; each; used before singular nouns.
dubbio: Doubt; uncertainty about something being true.
fu: Was; third person singular past tense of essere.
visto: Seen; past participle of vedere, to see.
prendere: To take; to grab; to pick something up.
È: Is; third person singular of essere, to be.
inoltre: Furthermore; moreover; in addition to what was said.
ancora: Still; yet; again; indicates continuation or repetition.
suo: His; her; its; possessive adjective third person singular.
possesso: Possession; the state of having or owning something.
Come: How; as; used in questions and comparisons.
sa: Knows; third person singular of sapere.
chiese: Asked; third person past tense of chiedere.
Lo: It; him; direct object pronoun masculine singular.
deduce: Deduces; infers; third person singular of dedurre.
chiaramente: Clearly; in a clear and evident manner.
dalla: From the; contraction of da and la.
natura: Nature; the intrinsic character of something.
del: Of the; contraction of di and il.
mancato: Failed; missed; past participle of mancare.
verificarsi: Occurring; happening; reflexive infinitive of verificarsi.
certi: Certain; some; particular unspecified plural things.
risultati: Results; outcomes; consequences of an action.
scaturirebbero: Would follow; would spring from; conditional of scaturire.
immediatamente: Immediately; at once; without any delay.
esso: It; third person singular neuter pronoun.
uscisse: Left; came out; subjunctive past of uscire.
ladro: Thief; a person who steals property.
vale: It means; it is worth; from valere.
a: To; at; Italian preposition indicating direction or place.
dire: To say; to tell; to express in words.
egli: He; third person masculine singular subject pronoun.
impiegasse: Used; employed; subjunctive past of impiegare.
come: As; how; in the manner of something.
deve: Must; has to; third person singular of dovere.
avere: To have; auxiliary verb used in compound tenses.
intenzione: Intention; a plan or aim to do something.
impiegarlo: To use it; infinitive impiegare with lo attached.
alla: To the; at the; contraction of a and la.
fine: End; goal; the conclusion or purpose of something.

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