Treasure Island — Page 3
The man who came with the barrow told us the mail had set him down the morning before at the Royal George, that he had inquired what inns there were along the coast, and hearing ours well spoken of, I suppose, and described as lonely, had chosen it from the others for his place of residence.
L'uomo che era venuto con la carriola ci disse che la diligenza lo aveva lasciato la mattina precedente al Royal George, che aveva chiesto quali locande ci fossero lungo la costa, e avendo sentito parlare bene della nostra, suppongo, e descritta come solitaria, l'aveva scelta tra le altre come suo luogo di residenza.
And that was all we could learn of our guest.
E questo era tutto ciò che riuscimmo a sapere del nostro ospite.
He was a very silent man by custom.
Era un uomo di poche parole per abitudine.
All day he hung round the cove or upon the cliffs with a brass telescope; all evening he sat in a corner of the parlour next the fire and drank rum and water very strong.
Tutto il giorno se ne stava in giro per la cala o sulle scogliere con un cannocchiale di ottone; tutta la sera sedeva in un angolo del salotto vicino al fuoco e beveva rum e acqua molto forti.
Mostly he would not speak when spoken to, only look up sudden and fierce and blow through his nose like a fog-horn; and we and the people who came about our house soon learned to let him be.
Per lo più non rispondeva quando gli si rivolgeva la parola, si limitava ad alzare lo sguardo di scatto con aria feroce e a soffiare dal naso come una sirena da nebbia; e noi e le persone che venivano a casa nostra imparammo presto a lasciarlo stare.
Every day when he came back from his stroll he would ask if any seafaring men had gone by along the road.
Ogni giorno, quando tornava dalla sua passeggiata, chiedeva se qualche marinaio fosse passato lungo la strada.
At first we thought it was the want of company of his own kind that made him ask this question, but at last we began to see he was desirous to avoid them.
All'inizio pensavamo che fosse il desiderio di compagnia dei suoi simili a fargli porre questa domanda, ma alla fine cominciammo a capire che desiderava evitarli.
Vocabulary
- uomo
- A male adult human being
- che
- Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning 'that' or 'who'
- era
- Third person singular imperfect of 'essere' (to be)
- venuto
- Past participle of 'venire'; arrived or come
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- carriola
- A small one-wheeled cart for carrying loads
- ci
- Pronoun meaning 'us' or 'to us'
- disse
- Third person singular past of 'dire'; said or told
- diligenza
- A horse-drawn stagecoach used for public transport
- lo
- Masculine singular definite article or object pronoun
- aveva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'avere'; had
- lasciato
- Past participle of 'lasciare'; left or abandoned
- mattina
- The morning part of the day
- precedente
- Coming before in time; previous or prior
- al
- Contraction of 'a' and 'il' meaning 'at the'
- chiesto
- Past participle of 'chiedere'; asked or requested
- quali
- Interrogative or relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'what'
- locande
- Simple inns or taverns offering lodging and meals
- fossero
- Third person plural imperfect subjunctive of 'essere'
- lungo
- Preposition meaning 'along'; also adjective meaning 'long'
- costa
- The coastline or shore along the sea
- avendo
- Gerund of 'avere'; having done something
- sentito
- Past participle of 'sentire'; heard or felt
- parlare
- To speak or talk to someone
- bene
- Adverb meaning 'well' or 'good'
- nostra
- Feminine possessive adjective meaning 'our'
- suppongo
- First person singular of 'supporre'; I suppose or assume
- descritta
- Past participle of 'descrivere'; described or depicted
- come
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'as' or 'how'
- solitaria
- Isolated, lonely, or remote in character
- scelta
- A choice or selection made among options
- tra
- Preposition meaning 'among' or 'between'
- altre
- Feminine plural of 'altro'; other or different ones
- suo
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'
- luogo
- A place or location where something occurs
- residenza
- A place where someone lives; residence or dwelling
- questo
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this'
- tutto
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'everything'
- ciò
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this thing'
- riuscimmo
- First person plural past of 'riuscire'; we managed or succeeded
- sapere
- To know a fact or piece of information
- nostro
- Masculine possessive adjective meaning 'our'
- ospite
- A guest staying at someone's home or inn
- Era
- Third person singular imperfect of 'essere'; was
- poche
- Feminine plural of 'poco'; few or not many
- parole
- Plural of 'parola'; words or spoken expressions
- abitudine
- A habitual behavior or custom done routinely
- Tutto
- Adjective meaning 'all' or 'the entire'
- giorno
- A single day or daytime period
- se
- Reflexive pronoun or conditional conjunction 'if'
- ne
- Pronoun meaning 'of it', 'about it', or 'from there'
- stava
- Third person singular imperfect of 'stare'; was staying
- giro
- A walk, tour, or circular movement around
- cala
- A small sheltered bay or inlet along a coast
- o
- Conjunction meaning 'or' between alternatives
- scogliere
- Plural of 'scogliera'; rocky cliffs or reefs by sea
- cannocchiale
- A telescope or spyglass used for viewing distant objects
- ottone
- Brass, a yellowish metal alloy of copper and zinc
- tutta
- Feminine form of 'tutto'; all or the entire
- sera
- The evening time of day
- sedeva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'sedere'; was sitting
- angolo
- A corner or angle of a room or space
- salotto
- A sitting room or parlor in a house
- vicino
- Near or close to something or someone
- fuoco
- Fire or flame used for warmth or light
- beveva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'bere'; was drinking
- acqua
- Water, the essential clear liquid for drinking
- molto
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'very' or 'much'
- forti
- Plural of 'forte'; strong or powerful in intensity
- più
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'no longer'
- rispondeva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'rispondere'; was answering
- quando
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'
- gli
- Indirect object pronoun meaning 'to him' or 'to them'
- si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'each other'
- rivolgeva
- Imperfect of 'rivolgere'; was directing speech to someone
- parola
- A word or spoken address to someone
- limitava
- Imperfect of 'limitare'; was limiting or restricting oneself
- alzare
- To raise or lift something upward
- sguardo
- A look or glance directed at someone or something
- scatto
- A sudden sharp movement or snap
- aria
- An expression or manner; also literally 'air'
- feroce
- Fierce, savage, or extremely aggressive in manner
- soffiare
- To blow air through the mouth or nose
- naso
- The nose, the facial organ for smelling
- sirena
- A foghorn or siren that emits a loud sound
- nebbia
- Fog or mist that reduces visibility outdoors
- noi
- Personal pronoun meaning 'we' or 'us'
- persone
- Plural of 'persona'; people or individuals
- venivano
- Third person plural imperfect of 'venire'; were coming
- casa
- A home or house where people live
- imparammo
- First person plural past of 'imparare'; we learned
- presto
- Adverb meaning 'soon' or 'quickly'
- lasciarlo
- Infinitive plus pronoun; to leave him alone
- stare
- To stay, remain, or be in a state
- Ogni
- Adjective meaning 'every' or 'each'
- tornava
- Third person singular imperfect of 'tornare'; was returning
- sua
- Feminine possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', 'its'
- passeggiata
- A walk or stroll taken for leisure
- chiedeva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'chiedere'; was asking
- qualche
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'some' or 'any'
- marinaio
- A sailor or seaman who works on ships
- fosse
- Third person singular imperfect subjunctive of 'essere'
- passato
- Past participle of 'passare'; passed by or gone through
- strada
- A road or street for travel
- inizio
- The beginning or start of something
- pensavamo
- First person plural imperfect of 'pensare'; we thought
- desiderio
- A wish, longing, or strong desire for something
- compagnia
- Company or companionship; being together with others
- suoi
- Plural possessive meaning 'his', 'her', or 'their own'
- simili
- Plural of 'simile'; fellow beings or similar people
- fargli
- Infinitive plus pronoun; to make him do something
- porre
- To pose or put forward a question or issue
- questa
- Feminine demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'this'
- domanda
- A question or inquiry directed to someone
- ma
- Conjunction meaning 'but' introducing a contrast
- fine
- The end or conclusion of something
- cominciammo
- First person plural past of 'cominciare'; we began
- capire
- To understand or grasp the meaning of something
- desiderava
- Third person singular imperfect of 'desiderare'; desired or wanted
- evitarli
- Infinitive plus pronoun; to avoid them
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