The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 2 — Page 14
This functionary grasped it in a perfect agony of joy, opened it with a trembling hand, cast a rapid glance at its contents, and then, scrambling and struggling to the door, rushed at length unceremoniously from the room and from the house, without having uttered a syllable since Dupin had requested him to fill up the check.
Quel funzionario lo afferrò in una perfetta agonia di gioia, lo aprì con mano tremante, gettò uno sguardo rapido al suo contenuto, e poi, arrampicandosi e dibattendosi verso la porta, si precipitò infine senza cerimonie fuori dalla stanza e dalla casa, senza aver proferito una sillaba da quando Dupin gli aveva chiesto di compilare l'assegno.
When he had gone, my friend entered into some explanations.
Quando se ne fu andato, il mio amico si avventurò in alcune spiegazioni.
"The Parisian police," he said, "are exceedingly able in their way.
«La polizia parigina,» disse, «è straordinariamente capace a modo suo.
They are persevering, ingenious, cunning, and thoroughly versed in the knowledge which their duties seem chiefly to demand.
Sono perseveranti, ingegnosi, astuti, e perfettamente versati nella conoscenza che i loro doveri sembrano principalmente richiedere.
Thus, when G—— detailed to us his mode of searching the premises at the Hotel D——, I felt entire confidence in his having made a satisfactory investigation—so far as his labors extended."
Così, quando G—— ci descrisse dettagliatamente il suo metodo di perquisire i locali dell'Hotel D——, riposi piena fiducia nel fatto che avesse condotto un'indagine soddisfacente — per quanto si estendessero le sue fatiche.»
"So far as his labors extended?" said I.
«Per quanto si estendessero le sue fatiche?» dissi io.
"Yes," said Dupin.
«Sì,» disse Dupin.
"The measures adopted were not only the best of their kind, but carried out to absolute perfection.
«Le misure adottate non erano soltanto le migliori nel loro genere, ma furono eseguite con assoluta perfezione.
Had the letter been deposited within the range of their search, these fellows would, beyond a question, have found it."
Se la lettera fosse stata depositata entro i limiti della loro ricerca, questi individui l'avrebbero trovata, senza alcun dubbio.»
I merely laughed—but he seemed quite serious in all that he said.
Mi limitai a ridere — ma lui sembrava del tutto serio in tutto ciò che diceva.
"The measures, then," he continued, "were good in their kind, and well executed; their defect lay in their being inapplicable to the case, and to the man.
«Le misure, dunque,» continuò, «erano buone nel loro genere, e ben eseguite; il loro difetto stava nell'essere inapplicabili al caso, e all'uomo.
A certain set of highly ingenious resources are, with the Prefect, a sort of Procrustean bed, to which he forcibly adapts his designs.
Un certo insieme di risorse altamente ingegnose rappresenta, per il Prefetto, una sorta di letto di Procuste, al quale egli adatta forzatamente i suoi piani.
Vocabulary
- Quel
- That; those (demonstrative adjective)
- funzionario
- Official; government employee or civil servant
- lo
- Him; it (direct object pronoun)
- afferrò
- He/she grasped or seized something
- in
- In; into (preposition)
- una
- A; one (feminine indefinite article)
- perfetta
- Perfect; flawless (feminine adjective)
- agonia
- Agony; intense pain or distress
- di
- Of; from (preposition)
- gioia
- Joy; happiness or delight
- aprì
- He/she opened something
- con
- With; alongside (preposition)
- mano
- Hand; arm from wrist to fingers
- tremante
- Trembling; shaking or quivering
- gettò
- He/she threw or cast something
- uno
- One; a (masculine indefinite article)
- sguardo
- Look; glance or gaze
- rapido
- Rapid; fast or quick
- al
- To the; at the (contraction)
- suo
- His; her; its (possessive adjective)
- contenuto
- Content; what something contains
- poi
- Then; afterward or later
- arrampicandosi
- Climbing; scrambling up something
- dibattendosi
- Struggling; fighting or thrashing about
- verso
- Toward; in direction of
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- porta
- Door; entrance to building or room
- si
- Himself; herself; oneself (reflexive pronoun)
- precipitò
- He/she threw down or rushed out
- infine
- Finally; in the end or conclusion
- senza
- Without; lacking something
- cerimonie
- Ceremonies; formal rites or procedures
- fuori
- Outside; out or beyond
- dalla
- From the (feminine contraction)
- stanza
- Room; chamber or space in building
- casa
- House; home or dwelling place
- aver
- To have (infinitive, contracted form)
- proferito
- Uttered; spoken or pronounced
- sillaba
- Syllable; unit of spoken word
- da
- From; since (preposition)
- quando
- When; at what time or moment
- gli
- Him; to him (indirect object pronoun)
- aveva
- Had; possessed (past tense)
- chiesto
- Asked; requested or inquired
- compilare
- To fill out or complete forms
- assegno
- Check; written order to pay money
- Quando
- When; at what time or moment
- se
- If; whether (conditional conjunction)
- ne
- Of it; some; about it (pronoun)
- fu
- Was; existed (past tense of essere)
- andato
- Gone; departed or left
- il
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- mio
- My; belonging to me
- amico
- Friend; person you like and trust
- avventurò
- He/she ventured or risked saying
- alcune
- Some; a few (feminine plural)
- spiegazioni
- Explanations; clarifications or accounts
- La
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- polizia
- Police; law enforcement organization
- parigina
- Parisian; from or relating to Paris
- disse
- Said; spoke or stated (past tense)
- straordinariamente
- Extraordinarily; remarkably or unusually
- capace
- Capable; able to do something
- modo
- Way; manner or method
- Sono
- They are; exist (present tense)
- perseveranti
- Persevering; persistent or determined
- ingegnosi
- Ingenious; clever or inventive
- astuti
- Astute; shrewd or clever in judgment
- perfettamente
- Perfectly; completely or entirely
- versati
- Versed; skilled or experienced in
- conoscenza
- Knowledge; information or understanding
- che
- That; which (relative pronoun)
- loro
- Their; belonging to them
- doveri
- Duties; obligations or responsibilities
- sembrano
- They seem; appear to be (present)
- principalmente
- Mainly; chiefly or principally
- richiedere
- To require; demand or need
- Così
- Thus; in this way or therefore
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