Treasure Island — Page 1

English → It PART ONE--The Old Buccaneer Level 6/10

The Old Sea-dog at the Admiral Benbow

Il Vecchio Lupo di Mare all'Admiral Benbow

Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17—, and go back to the time when my father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof.

Il signor Trelawney, il dottor Livesey e il resto di questi gentiluomini mi avendo chiesto di mettere per iscritto tutti i particolari riguardanti l'Isola del Tesoro, dall'inizio alla fine, senza tralasciare nulla eccetto la posizione dell'isola, e ciò solo perché vi è ancora del tesoro non ancora recuperato, prendo in mano la penna nell'anno di grazia 17—, e ritorno al tempo in cui mio padre gestiva la locanda dell'Admiral Benbow e il vecchio marinaio bruno con il taglio di sciabola prese per la prima volta alloggio sotto il nostro tetto.

I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow--a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man, his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulder of his soiled blue coat, his hands ragged and scarred, with black, broken nails, and the sabre cut across one cheek, a dirty, livid white.

Lo ricordo come se fosse ieri, mentre avanzava a passo pesante verso la porta della locanda, con il suo baule da marinaio che lo seguiva su una carriola a mano -- un uomo alto, robusto, massiccio, color nocciola scura, con il codino impiastricciato di catrame che gli ricadeva sulla spalla del logoro cappotto blu, le mani callose e piene di cicatrici, con unghie nere e spezzate, e il taglio di sciabola su una guancia, di un bianco sporco e livido.

I remember him looking round the cove and whistling to himself as he did so, and then breaking out in that old sea-song that he sang so often afterwards:

Lo ricordo mentre scrutava la baia fischiettando tra sé e sé, e poi intonava quella vecchia canzone di mare che cantò così spesso in seguito:

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest-- Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"

«Quindici uomini sul petto del morto-- Yo-ho-ho, e una bottiglia di rum!»

in the high, old tottering voice that seemed to have been tuned and broken at the capstan bars.

con quella voce alta, vecchia e tremante che sembrava essere stata accordata e spezzata alle barre del capstan.

Then he rapped on the door with a bit of stick like a handspike that he carried, and when my father appeared, called roughly for a glass of rum.

Poi bussò alla porta con un pezzo di legno simile a una leva che portava con sé, e quando mio padre apparve, chiese rozzamente un bicchiere di rum.

Vocabulary

Vecchio: Old; an elderly person or thing.
Lupo: Wolf; a wild carnivorous mammal.
Mare: The sea; a large body of saltwater.
signor: Mister; a formal title for a man.
dottor: Doctor; title for a medical or academic professional.
resto: The rest, remainder; what is left over.
questi: These; plural demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
gentiluomini: Gentlemen; polite term for distinguished men.
avendo: Having; gerund form of the verb 'avere'.
chiesto: Asked, requested; past participle of 'chiedere'.
mettere: To put, to place; a common Italian verb.
iscritto: Written; past participle used in 'per iscritto' (in writing).
tutti: All, everyone; indicates totality of a group.
particolari: Details, particulars; specific facts or elements.
riguardanti: Concerning, regarding; relating to something.
Isola: Island; a piece of land surrounded by water.
Tesoro: Treasure; hidden wealth or precious objects.
inizio: Beginning, start; the first part of something.
fine: End; the conclusion or finishing point.
senza: Without; indicating the absence of something.
tralasciare: To omit, to leave out; to skip over something.
nulla: Nothing; the complete absence of anything.
eccetto: Except, apart from; used to indicate an exclusion.
posizione: Position, location; the place where something is.
isola: Island; a land mass surrounded by water.
ciò: That, this; a demonstrative pronoun referring to something.
solo: Only, alone; indicating exclusivity or solitude.
perché: Because, why; used for cause or question.
vi: There, you (plural); pronoun or adverb of place.
ancora: Still, yet, again; indicates continuation or repetition.
tesoro: Treasure; hidden or precious valuable objects.
recuperato: Recovered, retrieved; past participle of 'recuperare'.
prendo: I take; first-person singular of 'prendere'.
mano: Hand; the body part at the end of the arm.
penna: Pen; a writing instrument using ink.
anno: Year; a period of twelve calendar months.
grazia: Grace; elegance or divine favor; used in dates.
ritorno: Return; the act of going back to a past time.
tempo: Time; a period or moment in history.
cui: Which, whom; a relative pronoun after a preposition.
padre: Father; a male parent.
gestiva: Managed, ran; imperfect tense of 'gestire'.
locanda: Inn; a small lodging place for travelers.
vecchio: Old; aged or of long existence.
marinaio: Sailor; a person who works on a ship.
bruno: Brown, dark; referring to dark complexion or color.
taglio: Cut, slash; a wound or incision on the skin.
sciabola: Saber; a curved sword used historically.
prese: Took; third-person singular past of 'prendere'.
prima: First, before; indicating priority or earlier time.
volta: Time, turn; an occurrence or instance of something.
alloggio: Lodging, accommodation; a place to stay overnight.
sotto: Under, below; a preposition of position.
nostro: Our; first-person plural possessive adjective.
tetto: Roof; the top covering of a building.
ricordo: I remember; memory or recollection of something.
come: How, as, like; used for comparison or manner.
se: If, as if; a conditional or comparative conjunction.
fosse: Were; imperfect subjunctive of 'essere'.
ieri: Yesterday; the day before today.
mentre: While, whereas; indicating simultaneous actions.
avanzava: Was advancing; imperfect of 'avanzare', to move forward.
passo: Step, pace; a single movement of the foot.
pesante: Heavy; having great weight or feeling burdensome.
verso: Toward; indicating direction of movement.
porta: Door; an entrance to a building or room.
baule: Trunk, chest; a large box for storing belongings.
seguiva: Was following; imperfect tense of 'seguire'.
carriola: Wheelbarrow; a one-wheeled cart for carrying loads.
uomo: Man; an adult male human being.
alto: Tall, high; of great height or stature.
robusto: Sturdy, robust; physically strong and solidly built.
massiccio: Massive, bulky; large and heavy in build.
color: Color of; used before a noun to describe shade.
nocciola: Hazelnut; also a brown color resembling the nut.
scura: Dark; of a deep or dim shade of color.
codino: Pigtail; a small braid or ponytail of hair.
impiastricciato: Smeared, daubed; coated messily with a substance.
catrame: Tar; a dark sticky substance used on ships.
ricadeva: Was falling back; imperfect of 'ricadere'.
spalla: Shoulder; the joint connecting arm to torso.
logoro: Worn out, shabby; threadbare from long use.
cappotto: Coat; an outer garment worn for warmth.
blu: Blue; the color of the sky or sea.
mani: Hands; the plural of 'mano'.
callose: Calloused; having hardened skin from rough work.
piene: Full; filled with something completely.
cicatrici: Scars; marks left on skin after wounds heal.
unghie: Nails, fingernails; the hard covering on fingertips.
nere: Black; dark in color (feminine plural form).
spezzate: Broken; snapped or cracked (feminine plural).
guancia: Cheek; the fleshy side of the face.
bianco: White; the lightest color, absence of darkness.
sporco: Dirty, soiled; not clean or unclean.
livido: Bruise; a blue-black mark from injury on skin.
scrutava: Was scrutinizing; imperfect of 'scrutare', to scan.
baia: Bay; a curved inlet of sea along the coast.
fischiettando: Whistling softly; gerund of 'fischiettare'.
tra: Between, among; a preposition of position.
sé: Himself, herself, itself; reflexive pronoun.
poi: Then, afterward; indicating a subsequent action.
intonava: Was singing, intoning; imperfect of 'intonare'.
quella: That; feminine singular demonstrative adjective.
canzone: Song; a musical piece with words and melody.
cantò: Sang; third-person singular past of 'cantare'.
così: So, thus, like this; in this manner.
spesso: Often, frequently; happening many times.
seguito: Followed; past participle, or 'in seguito' meaning afterward.
Quindici: Fifteen; the number 15.
uomini: Men; plural of 'uomo', adult male humans.
petto: Chest; the front part of the torso.
morto: Dead; no longer living; past participle of 'morire'.
bottiglia: Bottle; a container for liquids with a narrow neck.
rum: Rum; a strong alcoholic spirit made from sugarcane.
voce: Voice; the sound produced by a person speaking or singing.
alta: High, loud; of great volume or pitch (feminine).
tremante: Trembling, shaking; vibrating with emotion or age.
sembrava: Seemed; imperfect tense of 'sembrare'.
essere: To be; the infinitive of the verb 'essere'.
accordata: Tuned; adjusted to a particular pitch or tone.
barre: Bars; plural of 'barra', a rod or railing.
Poi: Then, afterward; indicating a following action.
bussò: Knocked; third-person singular past of 'bussare'.
pezzo: Piece; a portion or fragment of something larger.
legno: Wood; the hard material from tree trunks.
simile: Similar, like; resembling something else.
leva: Lever; a bar used to exert mechanical force.
portava: Was carrying; imperfect tense of 'portare'.
quando: When; a temporal conjunction or adverb.
apparve: Appeared; third-person singular past of 'apparire'.
chiese: Asked; third-person singular past of 'chiedere'.
rozzamente: Roughly, rudely; in a coarse or blunt manner.
bicchiere: Glass; a drinking vessel for liquids.

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