War and Peace — Page 2
The aunt spoke to each of them in the same words, about their health and her own, and the health of Her Majesty, "who, thank God, was better today."
La zia parlò a ciascuno di loro con le stesse parole, della loro salute e della propria, e della salute di Sua Maestà, "che, grazie a Dio, stava meglio oggi".
And each visitor, though politeness prevented his showing impatience, left the old woman with a sense of relief at having performed a vexatious duty and did not return to her the whole evening.
E ogni visitatore, sebbene la cortesia gli impedisse di mostrare impazienza, lasciò la vecchia con un senso di sollievo per aver adempiuto a un fastidioso dovere e non tornò da lei per tutto il resto della serata.
The young Princess Bolkónskaya had brought some work in a gold-embroidered velvet bag.
La giovane principessa Bolkónskaya aveva portato del lavoro in una borsa di velluto ricamata in oro.
Her pretty little upper lip, on which a delicate dark down was just perceptible, was too short for her teeth, but it lifted all the more sweetly, and was especially charming when she occasionally drew it down to meet the lower lip.
Il suo grazioso labbro superiore, sul quale era appena percettibile una delicata peluria scura, era troppo corto rispetto ai denti, ma si sollevava con ancora maggiore dolcezza, ed era particolarmente incantevole quando lei lo abbassava di tanto in tanto per incontrare il labbro inferiore.
As is always the case with a thoroughly attractive woman, her defect—the shortness of her upper lip and her half-open mouth—seemed to be her own special and peculiar form of beauty.
Come accade sempre con una donna pienamente attraente, il suo difetto — la brevità del labbro superiore e la sua bocca semiaperta — sembrava essere la sua forma speciale e peculiare di bellezza.
Everyone brightened at the sight of this pretty young woman, so soon to become a mother, so full of life and health, and carrying her burden so lightly.
Tutti si illuminavano alla vista di questa graziosa giovane donna, che stava per diventare madre così presto, così piena di vita e di salute, e che portava il suo peso con tanta leggerezza.
Old men and dull dispirited young ones who looked at her, after being in her company and talking to her a little while, felt as if they too were becoming, like her, full of life and health.
I vecchi e i giovani spenti e abbattuti che la guardavano, dopo essere stati in sua compagnia e averle parlato per un po', sentivano come se anche loro stessero diventando, come lei, pieni di vita e di salute.
All who talked to her, and at each word saw her bright smile and the constant gleam of her white teeth, thought that they were in a specially amiable mood that day.
Tutti coloro che le parlavano, e a ogni parola vedevano il suo sorriso luminoso e il bagliore costante dei suoi denti bianchi, pensavano di essere in un umore particolarmente amabile quel giorno.
Vocabulary
- zia
- tsia — Female relative, sister of one's parent
- parlò
- parlò — She/he spoke, past tense of parlare
- ciascuno
- chaskunò — Each one, every single person individually
- stesse
- stesse — Same, identical, used for emphasis or agreement
- parole
- parole — Words, units of spoken or written language
- salute
- saluте — Health, physical or mental well-being of someone
- propria
- propria — Own, belonging specifically to oneself
- Maestà
- maesta — Majesty, formal title for royalty
- grazie
- gratsie — Thanks, expression of gratitude
- Dio
- dio — God, the supreme divine being
- stava
- stava — Was, imperfect tense of stare, indicating state
- meglio
- melyo — Better, comparative adverb of well
- oggi
- oggi — Today, the current day
- ogni
- onyi — Every, each, used before singular nouns
- visitatore
- visitatore — Visitor, person who comes to see someone
- sebbene
- sebbene — Although, even though, concessive conjunction
- cortesia
- kortesia — Courtesy, polite and considerate behavior toward others
- impedisse
- impedisse — Prevented, imperfect subjunctive of impedire
- mostrare
- mostrare — To show, to display or reveal something
- impazienza
- impatsientsa — Impatience, inability to wait calmly
- lasciò
- lashò — Left, allowed, past tense of lasciare
- vecchia
- vekkia — Old woman, elderly female person
- senso
- senso — Sense, feeling, meaning, or direction
- sollievo
- sollievo — Relief, feeling of comfort after anxiety
- adempiuto
- adempiuto — Fulfilled, completed an obligation or duty
- fastidioso
- fastidioso — Annoying, bothersome, causing irritation or discomfort
- dovere
- dovere — Duty, obligation, or the verb must
- tornò
- tornò — Returned, came back, past tense of tornare
- tutto
- tutto — All, entire, everything
- resto
- resto — Rest, remainder, what is left over
- serata
- serata — Evening, the whole course of an evening
- giovane
- giovane — Young, a person of youth
- principessa
- printshipessa — Princess, female member of royal family
- portato
- portato — Brought, carried, past participle of portare
- lavoro
- lavoro — Work, labor, or a piece of needlework
- borsa
- borsa — Bag, purse, or pouch for carrying things
- velluto
- velluto — Velvet, soft luxurious fabric with dense pile
- ricamata
- rikamata — Embroidered, decorated with needlework patterns
- oro
- oro — Gold, precious yellow metal or color
- grazioso
- gratsioso — Graceful, charming, pleasing in appearance
- labbro
- labbro — Lip, either of the two fleshy mouth edges
- superiore
- superiore — Upper, higher in position or rank
- quale
- kwale — Which, that, used as relative pronoun
- appena
- appena — Barely, just, hardly, scarcely visible or audible
- percettibile
- pertshettibile — Perceptible, barely noticeable, able to be sensed
- delicata
- delikata — Delicate, fine, subtle, requiring gentle handling
- peluria
- peluria — Fine hair, soft down on skin or face
- scura
- skura — Dark, of a deep or dim color
- troppo
- troppo — Too, too much, excessively
- corto
- korto — Short, not long in length or height
- rispetto
- rispetto — Respect, regard, also used in rispetto a meaning compared to
- denti
- denti — Teeth, hard structures in the mouth for chewing
- sollevava
- sollevava — Lifted, raised, imperfect tense of sollevare
- ancora
- ankora — Still, yet, again, or even more
- maggiore
- maggiore — Greater, larger, more significant or intense
- dolcezza
- doltsettsa — Sweetness, gentleness, tenderness of character
- particolarmente
- partikolamente — Particularly, especially, to a notable degree
- incantevole
- inkantevole — Enchanting, charming, delightfully attractive
- quando
- kwando — When, at the time that
- abbassava
- abbassava — Lowered, brought down, imperfect of abbassare
- tanto
- tanto — So much, so, to such a degree
- incontrare
- inkontare — To meet, to encounter, to come together with
- inferiore
- inferiore — Lower, beneath, inferior in position
- accade
- akkade — Happens, occurs, takes place usually
- sempre
- sempre — Always, at all times, constantly
- donna
- donna — Woman, adult female person
- pienamente
- pienamente — Fully, completely, in a total manner
- attraente
- attraente — Attractive, appealing in appearance or personality
- difetto
- difetto — Defect, flaw, imperfection in something
- brevità
- brevita — Brevity, shortness in length or duration
- bocca
- bokka — Mouth, the opening in the face for eating
- semiaperta
- semiaperta — Half-open, partially opened, not fully closed
- sembrava
- sembrava — Seemed, appeared, imperfect tense of sembrare
- forma
- forma — Form, shape, particular way something appears
- speciale
- spetshale — Special, particular, distinctive from ordinary things
- peculiare
- pekuliare — Peculiar, distinctive, characteristic of a specific thing
- bellezza
- bellettsa — Beauty, quality of being visually attractive
- Tutti
- tutti — Everyone, all people, without exception
- illuminavano
- illuminavano — Lit up, brightened, imperfect of illuminare
- vista
- vista — Sight, view, the act of seeing
- graziosa
- gratsiosa — Graceful, charming, pleasing in manner or look
- diventare
- diventare — To become, to turn into something different
- madre
- madre — Mother, female parent
- così
- kozi — So, thus, in this way
- presto
- presto — Soon, quickly, early
- piena
- piena — Full, filled completely, abundant
- vita
- vita — Life, existence, way of living
- portava
- portava — Carried, bore, imperfect tense of portare
- peso
- peso — Weight, heaviness, burden to carry
- tanta
- tanta — So much, such a great amount of
- leggerezza
- leddgerrettsa — Lightness, ease, lack of heaviness or seriousness
- vecchi
- vekki — Old people, elderly individuals, plural of vecchio
- giovani
- giovani — Young people, youths, plural of giovane
- spenti
- spenti — Dull, extinguished, lacking vitality or energy
- abbattuti
- abbattuti — Dejected, downcast, discouraged, in low spirits
- guardavano
- guardavano — Were looking, watched, imperfect of guardare
- dopo
- dopo — After, afterward, following in time
- compagnia
- kompania — Company, group of people together socially
- parlato
- parlato — Spoken, talked, past participle of parlare
- po'
- po' — A little, a bit, small amount
- sentivano
- sentivano — Felt, perceived, imperfect tense of sentire
- anche
- anke — Also, too, even, as well
- stessero
- stessero — Were, imperfect subjunctive plural of stare
- diventando
- diventando — Becoming, present participle of diventare
- pieni
- pieni — Full, filled, plural of pieno
- coloro
- koloro — Those, those people, demonstrative pronoun
- parlavano
- parlavano — Were speaking, imperfect tense of parlare
- parola
- parola — Word, single unit of spoken language
- vedevano
- vedevano — Were seeing, imperfect tense of vedere
- sorriso
- sorriso — Smile, pleasant facial expression of happiness
- luminoso
- luminoso — Luminous, bright, full of light or radiance
- bagliore
- baliore — Glare, gleam, a flash of bright light
- costante
- kostante — Constant, steady, unchanging over time
- bianchi
- bianki — White ones, plural of bianco, white teeth
- pensavano
- pensavano — Were thinking, thought, imperfect of pensare
- umore
- umore — Mood, humor, state of mind
- amabile
- amabile — Amiable, lovable, pleasantly agreeable in manner
- giorno
- giorno — Day, a period of twenty-four hours
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