Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience — Page 10
Age is no better, hardly so well, qualified for an instructor as youth, for it has not profited so much as it has lost.
L'età non è migliore, a malapena altrettanto qualificata come la giovinezza per fare da istruttore, poiché non ha guadagnato tanto quanto ha perso.
One may almost doubt if the wisest man has learned any thing of absolute value by living.
Si potrebbe quasi dubitare che l'uomo più saggio abbia imparato qualcosa di valore assoluto vivendo.
Practically, the old have no very important advice to give the young, their own experience has been so partial, and their lives have been such miserable failures, for private reasons, as they must believe; and it may be that they have some faith left which belies that experience, and they are only less young than they were.
In pratica, i vecchi non hanno consigli molto importanti da dare ai giovani, la loro esperienza è stata così parziale, e le loro vite sono state dei fallimenti così miserabili, per ragioni private, come devono credere; e può darsi che abbiano ancora qualche fede che smentisce quell'esperienza, e che siano solo meno giovani di quanto fossero.
I have lived some thirty years on this planet, and I have yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors.
Ho vissuto circa trent'anni su questo pianeta, e devo ancora sentire la prima sillaba di un consiglio prezioso o anche solo sincero dai miei superiori.
They have told me nothing, and probably cannot tell me any thing to the purpose.
Non mi hanno detto nulla, e probabilmente non possono dirmi nulla di utile.
Here is life, an experiment to a great extent untried by me; but it does not avail me that they have tried it.
Ecco la vita, un esperimento in gran parte ancora inesplorato da me; ma non mi giova nulla che loro lo abbiano sperimentato.
If I have any experience which I think valuable, I am sure to reflect that this my Mentors said nothing about.
Se ho qualche esperienza che ritengo preziosa, sono certo di riflettere che i miei Mentori non hanno detto nulla al riguardo.
One farmer says to me, "You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make bones with;" and so he religiously devotes a part of his day to supplying his system with the raw material of bones; walking all the while he talks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plough along in spite of every obstacle.
Un contadino mi dice: «Non puoi vivere di solo cibo vegetale, poiché non fornisce nulla con cui formare le ossa;» e così dedica religiosamente una parte della sua giornata a rifornire il suo organismo della materia prima delle ossa; camminando tutto il tempo che parla dietro ai suoi buoi, i quali, con ossa fatte di vegetali, trascinano lui e il suo pesante aratro avanti nonostante ogni ostacolo.
Vocabulary
- età
- Age; a period of life or history
- migliore
- Better or best; superior in quality or ability
- malapena
- Hardly, barely; with great difficulty or effort
- altrettanto
- Just as much; equally, the same amount
- qualificata
- Qualified; having necessary skills or credentials
- giovinezza
- Youth; the period of being young
- istruttore
- Instructor; person who teaches or trains others
- poiché
- Since, because; conjunction introducing a reason
- guadagnato
- Gained, earned; past participle of 'guadagnare'
- tanto
- So much, as much; indicating a large quantity
- quanto
- As much as, how much; used in comparisons
- perso
- Lost; past participle of 'perdere'
- potrebbe
- Could, might; conditional of 'potere'
- quasi
- Almost, nearly; indicating approximation
- dubitare
- To doubt; to be uncertain or skeptical about something
- saggio
- Wise; having wisdom and good judgment
- abbia
- Has; present subjunctive of 'avere'
- imparato
- Learned; past participle of 'imparare'
- qualcosa
- Something; an unspecified thing or matter
- valore
- Value, worth; importance or usefulness of something
- assoluto
- Absolute; total, unconditional, without exception
- vivendo
- Living; gerund of 'vivere', by living
- pratica
- Practice; practical application or experience
- vecchi
- Old people, elders; plural of 'vecchio'
- consigli
- Advice, tips; plural of 'consiglio'
- giovani
- Young people; plural of 'giovane'
- esperienza
- Experience; knowledge gained through personal involvement
- stata
- Been; past participle of 'essere', feminine form
- parziale
- Partial; incomplete or biased
- vite
- Lives; plural of 'vita'
- state
- Been; past participle of 'essere', feminine plural
- fallimenti
- Failures; plural of 'fallimento', lack of success
- miserabili
- Miserable, wretched; very unhappy or unsuccessful
- ragioni
- Reasons; plural of 'ragione', cause or motive
- private
- Private; personal, not public or shared
- devono
- Must, have to; third person plural of 'dovere'
- credere
- To believe; to accept something as true
- darsi
- It may be; reflexive form expressing possibility
- abbiano
- Have; present subjunctive plural of 'avere'
- ancora
- Still, yet, again; indicating continuation or repetition
- qualche
- Some, a few; indicating an unspecified small number
- fede
- Faith, belief; trust or religious conviction
- smentisce
- Disproves, contradicts; third person singular of 'smentire'
- quell'
- That; demonstrative adjective before vowel
- siano
- Are; present subjunctive of 'essere'
- meno
- Less, fewer; indicating a smaller degree or amount
- fossero
- Were; imperfect subjunctive plural of 'essere'
- vissuto
- Lived; past participle of 'vivere'
- circa
- About, approximately; indicating an approximate number
- trent'
- Thirty; cardinal number before a vowel
- pianeta
- Planet; a celestial body orbiting a star
- devo
- I must, I have to; first person of 'dovere'
- sentire
- To hear, to feel; perceiving sound or sensation
- prima
- First, before; indicating precedence or earlier time
- sillaba
- Syllable; a unit of pronunciation in a word
- consiglio
- Advice, tip; a recommendation or suggestion
- prezioso
- Precious, valuable; of great worth or importance
- sincero
- Sincere, honest; genuine and free from deceit
- superiori
- Superiors, elders; those of higher rank or age
- detto
- Said, told; past participle of 'dire'
- nulla
- Nothing; not anything at all
- probabilmente
- Probably; in all likelihood, with high probability
- possono
- Can, are able to; third person plural of 'potere'
- dirmi
- Tell me; infinitive 'dire' with clitic 'mi'
- utile
- Useful; beneficial or serving a practical purpose
- Ecco
- Here is, there is; used to present or point out
- esperimento
- Experiment; a test conducted to discover something
- gran
- Great, large; shortened form of 'grande'
- parte
- Part, portion; a section or share of something
- inesplorato
- Unexplored; not yet investigated or discovered
- giova
- Benefits, helps; third person singular of 'giovare'
- sperimentato
- Experienced, tested; past participle of 'sperimentare'
- ritengo
- I consider, I believe; first person of 'ritenere'
- preziosa
- Precious, valuable; feminine form of 'prezioso'
- certo
- Certainly, sure; expressing certainty or agreement
- riflettere
- To reflect, to think; to consider carefully
- Mentori
- Mentors; experienced advisors who guide others
- riguardo
- Regard, respect; concern or reference to something
- contadino
- Farmer, peasant; person who works the land
- vivere
- To live; to be alive or to reside somewhere
- cibo
- Food; nourishment consumed for sustenance
- vegetale
- Vegetable, plant-based; relating to plants
- fornisce
- Provides, supplies; third person of 'fornire'
- cui
- Which, whom; relative pronoun used with preposition
- formare
- To form, to shape; to create or develop something
- ossa
- Bones; plural of 'osso', skeletal body structures
- dedica
- Dedicates, devotes; third person of 'dedicare'
- religiosamente
- Religiously, faithfully; with great dedication and regularity
- giornata
- Day; the full span of a day's activities
- rifornire
- To resupply, to replenish; to provide again
- organismo
- Organism, body; a living system or physical body
- materia
- Matter, material; physical substance or subject matter
- camminando
- Walking; gerund of 'camminare', while walking
- dietro
- Behind, after; indicating position at the back
- buoi
- Oxen; plural of 'bue', large work animals
- quali
- Which, who; plural relative or interrogative pronoun
- fatte
- Made, done; past participle of 'fare', feminine plural
- vegetali
- Vegetables, plants; plural of 'vegetale'
- trascinano
- Drag, pull; third person plural of 'trascinare'
- pesante
- Heavy; having great weight or burden
- aratro
- Plow; a farm tool used to till the soil
- avanti
- Forward, ahead; in front or moving forward
- nonostante
- Despite, notwithstanding; in spite of obstacles
- ogni
- Every, each; referring to all members of a group
- ostacolo
- Obstacle; something that blocks or hinders progress
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