War and Peace — Page 1
"Well, Prince, so Genoa and Lucca are now just family estates of the Buonapartes.
«Ebbene, Principe, Genova e Lucca sono ormai semplici proprietà di famiglia dei Bonaparte.
But I warn you, if you don't tell me that this means war, if you still try to defend the infamies and horrors perpetrated by that Antichrist—I really believe he is Antichrist—I will have nothing more to do with you and you are no longer my friend, no longer my 'faithful slave,' as you call yourself!
Ma la avverto: se lei non mi dice che questo significa guerra, se continua a cercare di difendere le infamie e gli orrori perpetrati da quell'Anticristo — e io credo davvero che sia l'Anticristo — non vorrò più avere nulla a che fare con lei, e lei non sarà più mio amico, non sarà più il mio «fedele schiavo», come lei stesso si definisce!
But how do you do?
Ma come sta?
I see I have frightened you—sit down and tell me all the news."
Vedo che l'ho spaventata — si sieda e mi racconti tutte le novità.»
It was in July, 1805, and the speaker was the well-known Anna Pávlovna Schérer, maid of honor and favorite of the Empress Márya Fëdorovna.
Era il luglio del 1805, e chi parlava era la ben nota Anna Pávlovna Schérer, dama di corte e favorita dell'imperatrice Márya Fëdorovna.
With these words she greeted Prince Vasíli Kurágin, a man of high rank and importance, who was the first to arrive at her reception.
Con queste parole accolse il principe Vasíli Kurágin, un uomo di alto rango e di grande importanza, che era stato il primo ad arrivare al suo ricevimento.
Anna Pávlovna had had a cough for some days.
Anna Pávlovna aveva la tosse da alcuni giorni.
She was, as she said, suffering from la grippe; grippe being then a new word in St. Petersburg, used only by the elite.
Soffriva, come diceva lei stessa, di «la grippe»; grippe era allora una parola nuova a San Pietroburgo, usata soltanto dall'élite.
All her invitations without exception, written in French, and delivered by a scarlet-liveried footman that morning, ran as follows:
Tutti i suoi inviti senza eccezione, scritti in francese e recapitati quella mattina da un lacchè in livrea scarlatta, recitavano come segue:
"If you have nothing better to do, Count (or Prince), and if the prospect of spending an evening with a poor invalid is not too terrible, I shall be very charmed to see you tonight between 7 and 10—Annette Schérer."
«Se non ha nulla di meglio da fare, Conte (o Principe), e se la prospettiva di trascorrere una serata con una povera malata non è troppo terribile, sarò molto lieta di vederla questa sera tra le 7 e le 10 — Annette Schérer.»
"Heavens! what a virulent attack!" replied the prince, not in the least disconcerted by this reception.
«Cielo! che attacco virulento!» rispose il principe, per nulla sconcertato da questa accoglienza.
Vocabulary
- Ebbene
- Well then; used to introduce a statement or conclusion.
- Principe
- A male member of a royal family; prince.
- Genova
- Major port city in northwestern Italy; Genoa.
- e
- Conjunction meaning and, connecting words or clauses.
- Lucca
- Historic city in Tuscany, central Italy.
- sono
- Third person plural or first person singular of essere; are/am.
- ormai
- By now; at this point; used to indicate a current state.
- semplici
- Plural of semplice; simple, plain, or ordinary things.
- proprietà
- Ownership or property belonging to someone.
- di
- Preposition meaning of, from, or by.
- famiglia
- A group of people related by blood or marriage; family.
- dei
- Contraction of di and i; of the (masculine plural).
- Ma
- Conjunction meaning but, introducing a contrast or exception.
- la
- Definite article feminine singular; the, or direct object pronoun her.
- avverto
- First person singular of avvertire; I warn or notify someone.
- se
- Conjunction meaning if, introducing a conditional clause.
- lei
- Third person singular pronoun; she, her, or formal you.
- non
- Adverb of negation meaning not.
- mi
- First person singular object pronoun; me or to me.
- dice
- Third person singular of dire; he/she says or tells.
- che
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning that, which, or who.
- questo
- Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning this.
- significa
- Third person singular of significare; it means or signifies.
- guerra
- Armed conflict between nations or groups; war.
- continua
- Third person singular of continuare; continues or keeps going.
- a
- Preposition meaning to, at, or in.
- cercare
- To look for, search for, or try to find.
- difendere
- To protect, defend, or stand up for something.
- le
- Definite article feminine plural; the, or indirect object pronoun her.
- infamie
- Plural of infamia; disgraceful, shameful, or wicked acts.
- gli
- Definite article masculine plural or indirect object pronoun him.
- orrori
- Plural of orrore; horrifying or terrifying things; horrors.
- perpetrati
- Past participle of perpetrare; committed (crimes or atrocities).
- quell'
- Contracted form of quello/quella; that (before a vowel).
- Anticristo
- The Antichrist; a figure of supreme evil opposing Christ.
- io
- First person singular subject pronoun; I.
- credo
- First person singular of credere; I believe or think.
- davvero
- Adverb meaning really, truly, or indeed.
- sia
- Subjunctive form of essere; be (used in subordinate clauses).
- l'
- Contracted definite article or object pronoun before a vowel.
- vorrò
- First person singular future of volere; I will want.
- più
- Adverb meaning more, or no longer when used with non.
- avere
- To have; also used as an auxiliary verb in Italian.
- nulla
- Pronoun or noun meaning nothing, not anything at all.
- fare
- To do or to make; a very common Italian verb.
- con
- Preposition meaning with, together with someone or something.
- sarà
- Third person singular future of essere; he/she/it will be.
- mio
- First person singular possessive adjective; my.
- amico
- A male friend or companion; friendly acquaintance.
- il
- Definite article masculine singular; the.
- fedele
- Loyal, faithful, or devoted to someone or something.
- schiavo
- A person owned by another; slave or servant.
- come
- Adverb or conjunction meaning how, as, or like.
- stesso
- Adjective or pronoun meaning same, himself, or very.
- si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning himself, herself, itself, or oneself.
- definisce
- Third person singular of definire; he/she defines or describes.
- sta
- Third person singular of stare; he/she/it is or stays.
- Vedo
- First person singular of vedere; I see or notice.
- ho
- First person singular of avere; I have.
- spaventata
- Past participle of spaventare (feminine); frightened or scared.
- sieda
- Subjunctive/imperative of sedersi; sit down (polite command).
- racconti
- Imperative or subjunctive of raccontare; tell or recount (politely).
- tutte
- Feminine plural of tutto; all, every one of them.
- novità
- News, novelty, or something new and noteworthy.
- Era
- Third person singular imperfect of essere; it/he/she was.
- luglio
- The seventh month of the year; July.
- del
- Contraction of di and il; of the (masculine singular).
- chi
- Interrogative or relative pronoun meaning who or whoever.
- parlava
- Third person singular imperfect of parlare; was speaking.
- ben
- Shortened form of bene; well, very, or quite.
- nota
- Feminine adjective meaning well-known, famous, or noted.
- dama
- A lady of high social standing or noble rank.
- corte
- The household and attendants of a royal monarch; court.
- favorita
- Feminine adjective; favored, preferred, or a favorite person.
- dell'
- Contraction of di and l'; of the (before a vowel).
- imperatrice
- A female ruler of an empire; empress.
- Con
- Preposition meaning with; used to express accompaniment.
- queste
- Feminine plural demonstrative adjective; these.
- parole
- Plural of parola; words or spoken utterances.
- accolse
- Third person singular past of accogliere; he/she welcomed or received.
- principe
- A male of royal or noble rank; prince.
- un
- Indefinite article masculine singular; a or an.
- uomo
- An adult male human being; man.
- alto
- Adjective meaning tall in stature or high in position.
- rango
- Social or official position; rank or status.
- grande
- Adjective meaning large, great, or important in degree.
- importanza
- The quality of being significant or noteworthy; importance.
- stato
- Past participle of essere; been, or noun meaning state.
- primo
- Ordinal adjective meaning first in order or rank.
- ad
- Variant of a used before vowels; to or at.
- arrivare
- To arrive or to reach a destination.
- al
- Contraction of a and il; to the or at the.
- suo
- Third person singular possessive adjective; his, her, or its.
- ricevimento
- A social gathering hosted to receive and welcome guests.
- aveva
- Third person singular imperfect of avere; he/she/it had.
- tosse
- A respiratory reflex producing a sharp sound; cough.
- alcuni
- Masculine plural indefinite adjective; some or a few.
- giorni
- Plural of giorno; days of the week or calendar.
- Soffriva
- Third person singular imperfect of soffrire; was suffering.
- diceva
- Third person singular imperfect of dire; was saying.
- stessa
- Feminine form of stesso; same, herself, or very.
- grippe
- French-origin word for influenza; the flu.
- allora
- Adverb meaning then, at that time, or so.
- una
- Indefinite article feminine singular; a or an.
- parola
- A single unit of language; word.
- nuova
- Feminine adjective meaning new, recent, or novel.
- San
- Shortened form of Santo; saint, used before names.
- Pietroburgo
- Italian name for Saint Petersburg, a Russian city.
- usata
- Feminine past participle of usare; used or employed.
- soltanto
- Adverb meaning only, just, or exclusively.
- élite
- A select group considered superior or most privileged.
- Tutti
- Masculine plural of tutto; all, everyone, or everything.
- i
- Definite article masculine plural; the.
- suoi
- Masculine plural possessive adjective; his, her, or its.
- inviti
- Plural of invito; written or spoken invitations to attend.
- senza
- Preposition meaning without, lacking something or someone.
- eccezione
- Something excluded from a general rule; exception.
- scritti
- Plural past participle of scrivere; written documents or texts.
- in
- Preposition meaning in, into, or within a place.
- francese
- Adjective or noun relating to France or its language.
- recapitati
- Past participle of recapitare; delivered to a recipient.
- quella
- Feminine singular demonstrative adjective; that.
- mattina
- The early part of the day; morning.
- lacchè
- A male servant or footman; a lackey.
- livrea
- A distinctive uniform worn by servants or footmen.
- scarlatta
- Feminine adjective meaning scarlet or bright red in color.
- recitavano
- Third person plural imperfect of recitare; they read aloud or recited.
- segue
- Third person singular of seguire; follows; as follows.
- Se
- Conjunction meaning if, introducing a conditional clause.
- ha
- Third person singular of avere; he/she/it has.
- meglio
- Comparative adverb or adjective meaning better.
- Conte
- A nobleman ranking below a marquis; count or earl.
- o
- Conjunction meaning or, presenting an alternative choice.
- prospettiva
- A future possibility or outlook; prospect or perspective.
- trascorrere
- To spend or pass time doing something.
- serata
- An evening or an evening social event or gathering.
- povera
- Feminine adjective meaning poor, unfortunate, or pitiable.
- malata
- Feminine adjective meaning ill, sick, or unwell.
- è
- Third person singular of essere; he/she/it is.
- troppo
- Adverb or adjective meaning too much or too many.
- terribile
- Adjective meaning terrible, dreadful, or extremely unpleasant.
- sarò
- First person singular future of essere; I will be.
- molto
- Adverb or adjective meaning very, much, or a lot.
- lieta
- Feminine adjective meaning glad, happy, or pleased.
- vederla
- Infinitive vedere plus la; to see her or you (formal).
- questa
- Feminine singular demonstrative adjective; this.
- sera
- The part of the day after afternoon; evening.
- tra
- Preposition meaning between, among, or within a time frame.
- Cielo
- The sky or heaven; also used as an exclamation meaning heavens.
- attacco
- A sudden onset of illness or a hostile action; attack.
- virulento
- Adjective meaning extremely severe, aggressive, or virulent.
- rispose
- Third person singular past of rispondere; he/she replied or answered.
- per
- Preposition meaning for, through, or by reason of.
- sconcertato
- Past participle of sconcertare; disconcerted, bewildered, or thrown off.
- accoglienza
- The manner of receiving guests; welcome or reception.
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