Treasure Island — Page 11

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

It was a bitter cold winter, with long, hard frosts and heavy gales; and it was plain from the first that my poor father was little likely to see the spring.

Era un inverno di freddo pungente, con gelate lunghe e dure e forti burrasche; ed era chiaro fin dall'inizio che il mio povero padre difficilmente avrebbe visto la primavera.

He sank daily, and my mother and I had all the inn upon our hands, and were kept busy enough without paying much regard to our unpleasant guest.

Declinava di giorno in giorno, e mia madre ed io avevamo tutta la locanda sulle spalle, ed eravamo tenuti abbastanza occupati senza prestare molta attenzione al nostro sgradito ospite.

It was one January morning, very early--a pinching, frosty morning--the cove all grey with hoar-frost, the ripple lapping softly on the stones, the sun still low and only touching the hilltops and shining far to seaward.

Era una mattina di gennaio, molto presto -- una mattina pungente e gelida -- la baia tutta grigia di brina, il piccolo moto ondoso che lambiva dolcemente le pietre, il sole ancora basso e che sfiorava solo le cime delle colline e brillava lontano verso il mare.

The captain had risen earlier than usual and set out down the beach, his cutlass swinging under the broad skirts of the old blue coat, his brass telescope under his arm, his hat tilted back upon his head.

Il capitano si era alzato prima del solito ed era partito lungo la spiaggia, la sciabola che gli dondolava sotto le ampie falde del vecchio cappotto blu, il cannocchiale di ottone sotto il braccio, il cappello inclinato all'indietro sulla testa.

I remember his breath hanging like smoke in his wake as he strode off, and the last sound I heard of him as he turned the big rock was a loud snort of indignation, as though his mind was still running upon Dr. Livesey.

Ricordo il suo respiro che restava sospeso come fumo nella sua scia mentre si allontanava a grandi passi, e l'ultimo suono che sentii di lui mentre girava attorno alla grande roccia fu un forte sbuffo di indignazione, come se la sua mente stesse ancora rivolgendosi al dottor Livesey.

Well, mother was upstairs with father and I was laying the breakfast-table against the captain's return when the parlour door opened and a man stepped in on whom I had never set my eyes before.

Ebbene, la madre era di sopra con il padre ed io stavo apparecchiando la tavola per la colazione in attesa del ritorno del capitano quando la porta del salotto si aprì e un uomo entrò su cui non avevo mai posato gli occhi prima.

He was a pale, tallowy creature, wanting two fingers of the left hand, and though he wore a cutlass, he did not look much like a fighter.

Era una creatura pallida e cerulea, priva di due dita della mano sinistra, e sebbene portasse una sciabola, non sembrava granché un combattente.

Vocabulary

Era: Third person singular past tense of 'essere' (to be)
un: Indefinite article, masculine singular: 'a' or 'an'
inverno: The season of winter
di: Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
freddo: Cold temperature or cold weather
pungente: Biting, sharp, or piercing (of cold or sensation)
con: Preposition meaning 'with'
gelate: Frosts or freezes; periods of freezing temperatures
lunghe: Long, feminine plural form of 'lungo'
e: Conjunction meaning 'and'
dure: Hard, harsh, or tough; feminine plural of 'duro'
forti: Strong or intense; plural of 'forte'
burrasche: Storms or squalls, especially at sea
ed: Conjunction 'and', used before vowels
era: Third person singular imperfect of 'essere': 'was'
chiaro: Clear, evident, or bright
fin: Shortened form of 'fino': 'as far as' or 'since'
dall': Contraction of 'da' and 'l'': 'from the'
inizio: The beginning or start of something
che: Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'
il: Definite article, masculine singular: 'the'
mio: Possessive adjective meaning 'my', masculine singular
povero: Poor, wretched, or unfortunate
padre: Father, male parent
difficilmente: With difficulty; unlikely or barely
avrebbe: Third person singular conditional of 'avere': 'would have'
visto: Past participle of 'vedere': 'seen'
la: Definite article, feminine singular: 'the'
primavera: The season of spring
Declinava: Was declining, weakening, or fading away
giorno: Day, a unit of time
in: Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'
mia: Possessive adjective meaning 'my', feminine singular
madre: Mother, female parent
io: First person singular pronoun: 'I'
avevamo: First person plural imperfect of 'avere': 'we had'
tutta: All or entire; feminine singular of 'tutto'
locanda: Inn or small lodging establishment
sulle: Contraction of 'su' and 'le': 'on the' (feminine plural)
spalle: Shoulders; plural of 'spalla'
eravamo: First person plural imperfect of 'essere': 'we were'
tenuti: Kept or held; past participle of 'tenere', masculine plural
abbastanza: Enough or quite; moderately
occupati: Busy or occupied; past participle of 'occupare', plural
senza: Preposition meaning 'without'
prestare: To pay (attention) or to lend
molta: Much or a lot of; feminine singular of 'molto'
attenzione: Attention or care paid to something
al: Contraction of 'a' and 'il': 'to the' (masculine singular)
nostro: Possessive adjective meaning 'our', masculine singular
sgradito: Unwelcome or unpleasant guest or thing
ospite: Guest or host, depending on context
una: Indefinite article, feminine singular: 'a' or 'an'
mattina: Morning, the early part of the day
gennaio: January, the first month of the year
molto: Very or much; adverb of degree
presto: Early or soon; quickly
gelida: Icy cold or freezing; feminine of 'gelido'
baia: Bay, a curved inlet of the sea
grigia: Grey or dull in color; feminine of 'grigio'
brina: Frost or hoarfrost on surfaces
piccolo: Small or little in size
moto: Motion, movement, or small wave
ondoso: Wavy or undulating; relating to waves
lambiva: Lapped gently; imperfect of 'lambire'
dolcemente: Gently or sweetly; in a soft manner
le: Definite article or pronoun, feminine plural: 'the'
pietre: Stones or rocks; plural of 'pietra'
sole: The sun
ancora: Still, yet, or again
basso: Low in position or height
sfiorava: Grazed or barely touched; imperfect of 'sfiorare'
solo: Only or alone; just
cime: Peaks or tops; plural of 'cima'
delle: Contraction of 'di' and 'le': 'of the' (feminine plural)
colline: Hills; plural of 'collina'
brillava: Was shining or sparkling; imperfect of 'brillare'
lontano: Far away or distant
verso: Towards or in the direction of
mare: The sea or ocean
Il: Definite article, masculine singular: 'the'
capitano: Captain, leader of a ship or group
si: Reflexive pronoun: 'himself', 'herself', or 'itself'
alzato: Risen or gotten up; past participle of 'alzarsi'
prima: Before or earlier in time
del: Contraction of 'di' and 'il': 'of the' (masculine singular)
solito: Usual or customary; as in 'del solito' (than usual)
partito: Departed or left; past participle of 'partire'
lungo: Along or long; preposition indicating direction
spiaggia: Beach or sandy shore
gli: Definite article or pronoun, masculine plural: 'the' or 'him'
dondolava: Was swinging or dangling; imperfect of 'dondolare'
sotto: Under or beneath
ampie: Wide or ample; feminine plural of 'ampio'
vecchio: Old or aged
cappotto: Overcoat or heavy coat
blu: Blue, the color
braccio: Arm, the upper limb of the body
cappello: Hat or cap worn on the head
inclinato: Tilted or inclined; past participle of 'inclinare'
all': Contraction of 'a' and 'l'': 'to the' before vowel
indietro: Backwards or behind
sulla: Contraction of 'su' and 'la': 'on the' (feminine singular)
testa: Head, the uppermost part of the body
Ricordo: I remember; or a memory, souvenir
suo: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'
respiro: Breath or breathing
restava: Was remaining or staying; imperfect of 'restare'
sospeso: Suspended or hanging in the air
come: Like, as, or how
fumo: Smoke or vapor
nella: Contraction of 'in' and 'la': 'in the' (feminine singular)
sua: Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her'; feminine singular
scia: Wake or trail left behind while moving
mentre: While or whereas; temporal conjunction
allontanava: Was moving away; imperfect of 'allontanarsi'
a: Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'
grandi: Large or great; plural of 'grande'
passi: Steps or strides; plural of 'passo'
l': Definite article contracted before a vowel: 'the'
ultimo: Last or final; most recent
suono: Sound or noise
sentii: I heard or felt; first person singular passato remoto of 'sentire'
lui: Third person singular pronoun: 'he' or 'him'
girava: Was turning or going around; imperfect of 'girare'
attorno: Around or surrounding something
alla: Contraction of 'a' and 'la': 'to the' (feminine singular)
grande: Large, big, or great
roccia: Rock or cliff, a large mass of stone
fu: Third person singular passato remoto of 'essere': 'was'
forte: Strong, loud, or intense
sbuffo: Snort, puff, or huff of air or irritation
indignazione: Indignation or righteous anger
se: Conjunction meaning 'if' or reflexive pronoun 'himself'
mente: Mind or intellect
stesse: Imperfect subjunctive of 'stare': 'were' in hypothetical sense
rivolgendosi: Addressing or turning to someone; gerund of 'rivolgersi'
dottor: Doctor, abbreviated title used before a name
Ebbene: Well then or so; interjection marking a transition
sopra: Above or on top of
stavo: I was; first person singular imperfect of 'stare'
apparecchiando: Setting (a table); gerund of 'apparecchiare'
tavola: Table, especially a dining table
per: Preposition meaning 'for', 'through', or 'in order to'
colazione: Breakfast or light meal
attesa: Waiting or expectation
ritorno: Return or coming back
quando: When; temporal conjunction
porta: Door or gate
salotto: Living room or parlor
aprì: Opened; third person singular passato remoto of 'aprire'
uomo: Man or human being
entrò: Entered; third person singular passato remoto of 'entrare'
su: Preposition meaning 'on', 'upon', or 'up'
cui: Relative pronoun meaning 'whom', 'which', or 'whose'
non: Negation adverb meaning 'not'
avevo: I had; first person singular imperfect of 'avere'
mai: Never or ever
posato: Placed or rested; past participle of 'posare'
occhi: Eyes; plural of 'occhio'
creatura: Creature or being
pallida: Pale or pallid; feminine of 'pallido'
priva: Lacking or deprived of; feminine of 'privo'
due: Two, the number 2
dita: Fingers; plural of 'dito'
della: Contraction of 'di' and 'la': 'of the' (feminine singular)
mano: Hand, the body part
sinistra: Left side or left hand
sebbene: Although or even though; concessive conjunction
portasse: Were carrying or wearing; imperfect subjunctive of 'portare'
sembrava: Seemed or appeared; imperfect of 'sembrare'
granché: Much or great deal; often used in negation
combattente: Fighter or combatant, one who fights

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