Ulysses — Page 1
Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed.
Solenne e corpulento, Buck Mulligan venne dalla cima delle scale, portando una ciotola di schiuma da barba su cui giacevano incrociati uno specchio e un rasoio.
A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him on the mild morning air.
Una vestaglia gialla, slacciata, era sorretta dolcemente dietro di lui dall'aria mite del mattino.
He held the bowl aloft and intoned:
Tenne la ciotola in alto e intonò:
—_Introibo ad altare Dei_.
—_Introibo ad altare Dei_.
Halted, he peered down the dark winding stairs and called out coarsely:
Fermatosi, scrutò in basso lungo le scale buie e tortuose e gridò rozzamente:
—Come up, Kinch! Come up, you fearful jesuit!
—Sali, Kinch! Sali, terribile gesuita!
Solemnly he came forward and mounted the round gunrest.
Solennemente si fece avanti e salì sul supporto circolare del cannone.
He faced about and blessed gravely thrice the tower, the surrounding land and the awaking mountains.
Si voltò e benedì gravemente per tre volte la torre, la terra circostante e le montagne che si destava no.
Then, catching sight of Stephen Dedalus, he bent towards him and made rapid crosses in the air, gurgling in his throat and shaking his head.
Poi, scorgendo Stephen Dedalus, si chinò verso di lui e tracciò rapide croci nell'aria, gorgogliando in gola e scuotendo la testa.
Stephen Dedalus, displeased and sleepy, leaned his arms on the top of the staircase and looked coldly at the shaking gurgling face that blessed him, equine in its length, and at the light untonsured hair, grained and hued like pale oak.
Stephen Dedalus, scontento e assonnato, appoggiò le braccia in cima alla scala e guardò freddamente il viso tremante e gorgogliante che lo benediceva, equino nella sua lunghezza, e i capelli chiari non tonsurati, venati e colorati come rovere pallido.
Buck Mulligan peeped an instant under the mirror and then covered the bowl smartly.
Buck Mulligan sbirciò un istante sotto lo specchio e poi coprì la ciotola con un gesto svelto.
—Back to barracks!
—Tornate in caserma!
Vocabulary
- Solenne
- Serious and formal in manner or ceremony
- e
- Basic conjunction meaning 'and'
- corpulento
- Having a large, heavy, or stout body
- venne
- Past tense of venire, meaning 'came'
- dalla
- Contraction of 'da' and 'la', meaning 'from the'
- cima
- Top or summit of something
- delle
- Contraction meaning 'of the' (plural feminine)
- scale
- Stairs or staircase in a building
- portando
- Present participle of portare, meaning 'carrying'
- una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- ciotola
- A small bowl used for food or liquid
- di
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
- schiuma
- Foam or lather, as in shaving cream
- da
- Preposition meaning 'from', 'by', or 'since'
- barba
- Beard, or facial hair on a man's face
- su
- Preposition meaning 'on' or 'upon'
- cui
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'whom'
- giacevano
- Imperfect tense of giacere, meaning 'were lying'
- incrociati
- Crossed or placed crosswise over each other
- uno
- Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- specchio
- A mirror used for reflection
- un
- Masculine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- rasoio
- A razor used for shaving
- Una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- vestaglia
- A dressing gown or robe worn at home
- gialla
- Feminine adjective meaning 'yellow' in color
- slacciata
- Unfastened or untied, loosely open
- era
- Imperfect tense of essere, meaning 'was'
- sorretta
- Supported or held up from below gently
- dolcemente
- Softly or gently in a sweet manner
- dietro
- Preposition meaning 'behind' or 'in back of'
- lui
- Third person singular pronoun meaning 'him' or 'he'
- dall'
- Contraction of 'da' and 'l'', meaning 'from the'
- aria
- Air or atmosphere surrounding a person or place
- mite
- Mild, gentle, or calm in nature
- del
- Contraction of 'di' and 'il', meaning 'of the'
- mattino
- The morning, early part of the day
- Tenne
- Past tense of tenere, meaning 'held'
- la
- Feminine definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'it'
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'into'
- alto
- High up, raised in position or pitch
- intonò
- Past tense of intonare, began to sing or chant
- altare
- Altar, sacred table used in religious worship
- Fermatosi
- Having stopped himself, reflexive past participle of fermarsi
- scrutò
- Past tense of scrutare, meaning 'he scrutinized'
- basso
- Low in position, pitch, or height
- lungo
- Long in space or time; also 'along'
- le
- Feminine plural definite article meaning 'the'
- buie
- Dark or unlit, feminine plural of buio
- tortuose
- Winding or twisting, not straight in path
- gridò
- Past tense of gridare, meaning 'he shouted'
- rozzamente
- Rudely or roughly, in a coarse manner
- Sali
- Imperative of salire, meaning 'come up' or 'climb'
- terribile
- Terrible or dreadful, causing fear or awe
- gesuita
- A Jesuit, member of the Society of Jesus
- Solennemente
- Solemnly, in a serious and ceremonious manner
- si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself', 'herself', or 'oneself'
- fece
- Past tense of fare, meaning 'he made' or 'did'
- avanti
- Forward or ahead in direction or position
- salì
- Past tense of salire, meaning 'he climbed up'
- sul
- Contraction of 'su' and 'il', meaning 'on the'
- supporto
- A support structure or platform to stand on
- circolare
- Circular or round in shape
- cannone
- A cannon, large artillery weapon firing projectiles
- Si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself' or 'oneself'
- voltò
- Past tense of voltarsi, meaning 'he turned around'
- benedì
- Past tense of benedire, meaning 'he blessed'
- gravemente
- Gravely or solemnly, with great seriousness
- per
- Preposition meaning 'for', 'through', or 'by'
- tre
- The number three
- volte
- Times, as in occurrences or instances
- torre
- A tower or tall narrow building structure
- terra
- Earth, ground, or land below one's feet
- circostante
- Surrounding or encompassing the area nearby
- montagne
- Mountains, large natural elevations of earth
- che
- Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning 'that' or 'which'
- destavano
- Imperfect of destare, meaning 'they were awakening'
- Poi
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'afterwards'
- scorgendo
- Present participle of scorgere, meaning 'catching sight of'
- chinò
- Past tense of chinare, meaning 'he bent down'
- verso
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'
- tracciò
- Past tense of tracciare, meaning 'he traced or drew'
- rapide
- Rapid or quick, done with speed
- croci
- Crosses, plural of croce, religious or crossing symbols
- nell'
- Contraction of 'in' and 'l'', meaning 'in the'
- gorgogliando
- Gurgling or bubbling, making a throaty sound
- gola
- Throat or gullet inside the neck
- scuotendo
- Present participle of scuotere, meaning 'shaking'
- testa
- Head, the uppermost part of the body
- scontento
- Discontented or dissatisfied with something
- assonnato
- Sleepy or drowsy, feeling the need to sleep
- appoggiò
- Past tense of appoggiarsi, meaning 'he leaned'
- braccia
- Arms, plural of braccio, upper limbs of the body
- alla
- Contraction of 'a' and 'la', meaning 'at the'
- scala
- A staircase or ladder used for climbing
- guardò
- Past tense of guardare, meaning 'he looked at'
- freddamente
- Coldly or indifferently, without warmth or emotion
- il
- Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'
- viso
- Face, the front part of a person's head
- tremante
- Trembling or shaking with movement or emotion
- gorgogliante
- Gurgling, making bubbling or throaty sounds
- lo
- Masculine singular direct object pronoun meaning 'him' or 'it'
- benediceva
- Imperfect of benedire, meaning 'was blessing'
- equino
- Equine or horse-like in appearance or nature
- nella
- Contraction of 'in' and 'la', meaning 'in the'
- sua
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'
- lunghezza
- Length or extent of something from end to end
- i
- Masculine plural definite article meaning 'the'
- capelli
- Hair on a person's head
- chiari
- Light or fair in color, clear or bright
- non
- Negation adverb meaning 'not'
- venati
- Veined or streaked with fine lines or markings
- colorati
- Colored or tinted with a particular hue
- come
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'like' or 'as'
- rovere
- Oak tree or its wood, typically reddish-brown
- pallido
- Pale or lacking strong color, wan
- sbirciò
- Past tense of sbirciare, meaning 'he peeked'
- istante
- An instant or very brief moment in time
- sotto
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'below'
- poi
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'afterwards'
- coprì
- Past tense of coprire, meaning 'he covered'
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- gesto
- A gesture or movement of the hand or body
- svelto
- Quick or swift in movement or action
- Tornate
- Imperative plural of tornare, meaning 'return' or 'go back'
- caserma
- Barracks, military lodging building for soldiers
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