White nights, and other stories — Page 9
But the moment passes, and next day you meet, maybe, the same pensive and preoccupied look as before, the same pale face, the same meek and timid movements, and even signs of remorse, traces of a mortal anguish and regret for the fleeting distraction....
Ma il momento passa, e il giorno dopo si ritrova, forse, lo stesso sguardo pensieroso e preoccupato di prima, lo stesso viso pallido, gli stessi movimenti mansueti e timidi, e persino segni di rimorso, tracce di un'angoscia mortale e rimpianto per la fugace distrazione....
And you grieve that the momentary beauty has faded so soon never to return, that it flashed upon you so treacherously, so vainly, grieve because you had not even time to love her....
E si soffre perché la bellezza momentanea è svanita così presto senza mai tornare, perché vi è apparsa così perfidamente, così vanamente, si soffre perché non si è avuto nemmeno il tempo di amarla....
And yet my night was better than my day! This was how it happened.
Eppure la mia notte fu migliore del mio giorno! Ecco come andarono le cose.
I came back to the town very late, and it had struck ten as I was going towards my lodgings.
Tornai in città molto tardi, e avevano già suonato le dieci quando mi stavo dirigendo verso il mio alloggio.
My way lay along the canal embankment, where at that hour you never meet a soul.
Il mio cammino si snodava lungo l'argine del canale, dove a quell'ora non si incontra mai anima viva.
It is true that I live in a very remote part of the town.
È vero che abito in una zona molto remota della città.
I walked along singing, for when I am happy I am always humming to myself like every happy man who has no friend or acquaintance with whom to share his joy.
Camminavo cantando, poiché quando sono felice canticchio sempre tra me e me come ogni uomo felice che non ha amici o conoscenti con cui condividere la propria gioia.
Suddenly I had a most unexpected adventure.
All'improvviso mi capitò un'avventura del tutto inaspettata.
Leaning on the canal railing stood a woman with her elbows on the rail, she was apparently looking with great attention at the muddy water of the canal.
Appoggiata alla ringhiera del canale stava una donna con i gomiti sul parapetto, e sembrava guardare con grande attenzione l'acqua torbida del canale.
She was wearing a very charming yellow hat and a jaunty little black mantle.
Indossava un graziosissimo cappello giallo e un vivace mantellino nero.
"She's a girl, and I am sure she is dark," I thought.
«È una ragazza, e sono sicuro che è bruna», pensai.
Vocabulary
- momento
- A moment or brief period of time.
- passa
- Third person singular of 'passare'; passes or goes by.
- giorno
- The word for 'day', a 24-hour period.
- dopo
- Preposition or adverb meaning 'after' or 'later'.
- si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'himself/herself'.
- ritrova
- Finds again or rediscovers oneself in a situation.
- forse
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'.
- lo
- Masculine singular direct object pronoun meaning 'him/it'.
- stesso
- Adjective meaning 'same' or 'himself/itself'.
- sguardo
- A look or gaze directed at something or someone.
- pensieroso
- Adjective meaning thoughtful, pensive, or lost in thought.
- preoccupato
- Adjective meaning worried or anxious about something.
- prima
- Adverb meaning 'before' or 'previously'; earlier.
- viso
- The face of a person; facial appearance.
- pallido
- Adjective meaning pale or lacking color in the face.
- stessi
- Plural form of 'stesso'; the same ones.
- movimenti
- Plural of 'movimento'; movements or physical gestures.
- mansueti
- Adjective meaning gentle, meek, or docile in manner.
- timidi
- Adjective meaning shy or timid; lacking confidence.
- persino
- Adverb meaning 'even', emphasizing an extreme or unexpected case.
- segni
- Plural of 'segno'; signs, marks, or traces.
- rimorso
- Remorse or deep regret for one's past actions.
- tracce
- Plural of 'traccia'; traces, marks, or remnants left behind.
- angoscia
- Intense anguish, distress, or deep emotional suffering.
- mortale
- Adjective meaning deadly, mortal, or fatal; also 'mortal being'.
- rimpianto
- Regret or longing for something lost or missed.
- fugace
- Adjective meaning fleeting, transient, or passing quickly.
- distrazione
- Distraction or a moment of inattention and absent-mindedness.
- soffre
- Third person singular of 'soffrire'; suffers or endures pain.
- perché
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'because' or 'why'.
- bellezza
- Beauty; the quality of being pleasing to the senses.
- momentanea
- Adjective meaning momentary or lasting only a brief time.
- svanita
- Past participle of 'svanire'; vanished or faded away completely.
- così
- Adverb meaning 'so', 'thus', or 'in this way'.
- presto
- Adverb meaning 'soon' or 'quickly'; in a short time.
- senza
- Preposition meaning 'without'; lacking something.
- mai
- Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever' depending on context.
- tornare
- Infinitive verb meaning to return or come back.
- vi
- Pronoun meaning 'there', 'you' (plural), or reflexive 'yourselves'.
- apparsa
- Past participle of 'apparire'; appeared or came into view.
- perfidamente
- Adverb meaning perfidiously, treacherously, or deceitfully.
- vanamente
- Adverb meaning vainly, uselessly, or without any result.
- avuto
- Past participle of 'avere'; had or possessed something.
- nemmeno
- Adverb meaning 'not even'; used to intensify negation.
- tempo
- Time; also weather depending on context.
- amarla
- Infinitive 'amare' plus pronoun 'la'; to love her.
- Eppure
- Conjunction meaning 'and yet' or 'nevertheless'; however.
- notte
- The word for 'night'; the dark period after sunset.
- fu
- Third person singular past tense of 'essere'; was.
- migliore
- Comparative adjective meaning 'better' or 'best'.
- Ecco
- Exclamation meaning 'here is', 'there', or 'look'.
- come
- Adverb meaning 'how' or 'as'; used in comparisons.
- andarono
- Third person plural simple past of 'andare'; they went.
- cose
- Plural of 'cosa'; things or matters.
- Tornai
- First person singular simple past of 'tornare'; I returned.
- città
- The word for 'city' or 'town'; an urban settlement.
- molto
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'very', 'much', or 'a lot'.
- tardi
- Adverb meaning 'late'; after the expected or usual time.
- avevano
- Third person plural imperfect of 'avere'; they had.
- già
- Adverb meaning 'already'; prior to a specified time.
- suonato
- Past participle of 'suonare'; played or rung (a bell/instrument).
- dieci
- The number ten; used here for ten o'clock.
- quando
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'.
- stavo
- First person singular imperfect of 'stare'; I was (doing).
- dirigendo
- Gerund of 'dirigere'; directing or heading toward something.
- verso
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'in the direction of'.
- alloggio
- Lodging, accommodation, or a place to stay.
- cammino
- Path, road, or journey; the act of walking.
- snodava
- Imperfect of 'snodare'; wound or unfolded along a route.
- lungo
- Preposition meaning 'along'; also adjective meaning 'long'.
- argine
- An embankment or levee alongside a river or canal.
- canale
- A canal or channel for water; also a TV channel.
- dove
- Adverb meaning 'where'; indicates a place or location.
- quell'
- Demonstrative adjective 'that' before a vowel-starting noun.
- ora
- Hour or time; also adverb meaning 'now'.
- incontra
- Third person singular of 'incontrare'; meets or encounters.
- anima
- Soul or spirit; the inner essence of a person.
- viva
- Adjective meaning alive or living; also an exclamation of praise.
- vero
- Adjective meaning true or real; honest or genuine.
- abito
- First person singular of 'abitare'; I live or reside somewhere.
- zona
- Zone, area, or district of a town or region.
- remota
- Adjective meaning remote, isolated, or far from the center.
- Camminavo
- First person singular imperfect of 'camminare'; I was walking.
- cantando
- Gerund of 'cantare'; singing while doing something else.
- poiché
- Conjunction meaning 'since' or 'because'; giving a reason.
- felice
- Adjective meaning happy or joyful.
- canticchio
- First person singular of 'canticchiare'; I hum or sing softly.
- sempre
- Adverb meaning 'always' or 'still'.
- tra
- Preposition meaning 'between', 'among', or 'within'.
- ogni
- Adjective meaning 'every' or 'each'.
- uomo
- The word for 'man' or 'human being'.
- amici
- Plural of 'amico'; friends or close companions.
- conoscenti
- Plural of 'conoscente'; acquaintances; people one knows casually.
- cui
- Relative pronoun meaning 'whom', 'which', or 'whose'.
- condividere
- Infinitive meaning to share something with someone else.
- propria
- Feminine possessive adjective meaning 'one's own'.
- gioia
- Joy or happiness; a feeling of great pleasure.
- improvviso
- Sudden or unexpected; 'all'improvviso' means 'suddenly'.
- capitò
- Third person singular simple past of 'capitare'; it happened.
- avventura
- An adventure or unexpected event; an exciting experience.
- tutto
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all', 'everything', or 'whole'.
- inaspettata
- Adjective meaning unexpected or not anticipated at all.
- Appoggiata
- Past participle of 'appoggiarsi'; leaning or resting against something.
- ringhiera
- A railing or banister, typically on a bridge or staircase.
- stava
- Third person singular imperfect of 'stare'; was standing/staying.
- donna
- The word for 'woman'; an adult female person.
- gomiti
- Plural of 'gomito'; elbows; joints of the arm.
- parapetto
- A parapet or low protective wall along a bridge or edge.
- sembrava
- Third person singular imperfect of 'sembrare'; seemed or appeared.
- guardare
- Infinitive meaning to look at or watch something.
- grande
- Adjective meaning big, large, or great in size or importance.
- attenzione
- Attention or care; the act of focusing on something closely.
- acqua
- The word for 'water'; a clear liquid essential to life.
- torbida
- Adjective meaning murky, turbid, or cloudy (of water).
- Indossava
- Third person singular imperfect of 'indossare'; was wearing clothing.
- graziosissimo
- Superlative of 'grazioso'; extremely pretty or charming.
- cappello
- A hat; a head covering worn for fashion or protection.
- giallo
- Adjective meaning yellow; the color of the sun.
- vivace
- Adjective meaning lively, vivid, or bright in color or manner.
- mantellino
- A small cape or short cloak worn over the shoulders.
- nero
- Adjective meaning black; the darkest color.
- ragazza
- A girl or young woman; a female youth.
- sicuro
- Adjective meaning sure, certain, or safe.
- bruna
- Adjective meaning dark-haired or brunette; a dark-complexioned woman.
- pensai
- First person singular simple past of 'pensare'; I thought.
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