Won from the Waves — Page 9
That the ship had struck and was in dire distress there could be no doubt, but when they gazed at the dark, heaving waves which rolled in crested with foam, and just discernible in the fast waning twilight, and felt the fierce blast against which even they could scarcely stand upright on the slippery pier, hardy and bold as they were, they hesitated about venturing forth to the rescue of the hapless crew.
Che la nave avesse urtato e si trovasse in grave pericolo non poteva esserci alcun dubbio, ma quando fissarono le onde scure e agitate che si rovesciavano increspate di schiuma, appena distinguibili nel crepuscolo che rapidamente svaniva, e sentirono il violento colpo di vento contro cui persino loro riuscivano a malapena a stare in piedi sul molo scivoloso, robusti e audaci come erano, esitarono all'idea di avventurarsi fuori per soccorrere lo sventurato equipaggio.
Long before they could reach the wreck darkness would be resting on the troubled ocean; they doubted, indeed, whether they could force their boat out in the teeth of the fierce gale.
Molto prima che potessero raggiungere il relitto, l'oscurità si sarebbe posata sull'oceano in tempesta; dubitavano, in effetti, di riuscire a spingere la loro barca contro il furioso uragano.
Adam took a turn on the pier.
Adam fece un giro sul molo.
His heart was greatly troubled.
Il suo cuore era profondamente turbato.
He had never failed, if a boat could live, to be among the first to dash out to the rescue of his fellow-creatures when a ship had been cast on those treacherous sandbanks.
Non aveva mai mancato, se una barca poteva reggere, di essere tra i primi a lanciarsi in soccorso dei suoi simili quando una nave era stata scaraventata su quei traditori banchi di sabbia.
The hazard was great.
Il rischio era grande.
He knew that with the strength of his crew exhausted the boat might be hurled back amid the breakers, to be dashed on the shore; or, should they even succeed in reaching the neighbourhood of the wreck, where the greatest danger was to be encountered, they might fail in getting near enough to save any of the people.
Sapeva che con le forze del suo equipaggio esaurite, la barca avrebbe potuto essere rigettata indietro tra i frangenti, per essere scaraventata sulla riva; oppure, anche se fossero riusciti a raggiungere le vicinanze del relitto, dove il pericolo maggiore era da affrontare, avrebbero potuto non riuscire ad avvicinarsi abbastanza per salvare nessuno delle persone.
Every moment of delay increased the risk which must be run.
Ogni momento di ritardo aumentava il rischio che doveva essere corso.
Vocabulary
- Che
- That; which (relative pronoun)
- la
- The (feminine singular article)
- nave
- Ship; vessel for maritime transport
- avesse
- Had (past subjunctive of avere)
- urtato
- Hit; struck; collided with
- si
- Oneself; himself; herself; itself (reflexive)
- trovasse
- Found itself; was (past subjunctive of trovarsi)
- in
- In; within; inside (preposition)
- grave
- Serious; severe; grave (adjective)
- pericolo
- Danger; peril; risk of harm
- non
- Not; negation particle
- poteva
- Could; was able to (imperfect of potere)
- esserci
- To exist; to be there (infinitive)
- alcun
- Any; some (indefinite adjective/pronoun)
- dubbio
- Doubt; uncertainty; hesitation
- ma
- But; yet (conjunction)
- quando
- When; at what time (conjunction)
- fissarono
- Fixed; stared at (past tense of fissare)
- le
- The (feminine plural article)
- onde
- Waves; undulations of water surface
- scure
- Dark; dim; obscure (adjective)
- agitate
- Agitated; disturbed; shaken (adjective)
- rovesciavano
- Overturned; poured out (imperfect of rovesciare)
- increspate
- Rippled; wrinkled; creased (adjective)
- di
- Of; from (preposition)
- schiuma
- Foam; froth; bubbles on water
- appena
- Barely; scarcely; hardly (adverb)
- distinguibili
- Distinguishable; able to be seen clearly
- nel
- In the (contraction of in + il)
- crepuscolo
- Twilight; dusk; dim light at sunset
- rapidamente
- Rapidly; quickly; swiftly (adverb)
- svaniva
- Faded; vanished; disappeared (imperfect of svanire)
- sentirono
- Felt; heard; perceived (past tense of sentire)
- il
- The (masculine singular article)
- violento
- Violent; forceful; intense (adjective)
- colpo
- Blow; strike; gust (of wind)
- vento
- Wind; moving air current
- contro
- Against; opposite to (preposition)
- cui
- Which; whom; that (relative pronoun)
- persino
- Even; including; up to (adverb)
- loro
- Their; them (pronoun)
- riuscivano
- Managed; succeeded; were able (imperfect of riuscire)
- malapena
- Barely; scarcely; with difficulty (adverb)
- stare
- To stand; to remain; to stay
- piedi
- Feet (plural of piede)
- sul
- On the (contraction of su + il)
- molo
- Pier; wharf; dock for ships
- scivoloso
- Slippery; slick; smooth and slippery
- robusti
- Robust; strong; sturdy (adjective)
- audaci
- Bold; daring; courageous (adjective)
- come
- As; like; how (adverb/conjunction)
- erano
- Were (imperfect of essere)
- esitarono
- Hesitated; wavered; paused (past tense of esitare)
- idea
- Idea; thought; concept; notion
- avventurarsi
- To venture; to risk oneself; to dare
- fuori
- Outside; out; outward (adverb)
- per
- For; in order to; by means of
- soccorrere
- To help; to rescue; to assist
- lo
- The; him (masculine singular article/pronoun)
- sventurato
- Unfortunate; unlucky; wretched (adjective)
- equipaggio
- Crew; team of sailors on ship
- Molto
- Much; many; very (adjective/adverb)
- prima
- Before; previously; prior (adverb)
- potessero
- Could; might (past subjunctive of potere)
- raggiungere
- To reach; to arrive at; to attain
- relitto
- Wreck; shipwreck; debris of ship
- oscurità
- Darkness; obscurity; lack of light
- sarebbe
- Would be (conditional of essere)
- oceano
- Ocean; vast body of saltwater
- tempesta
- Storm; tempest; severe weather
- dubitavano
- Doubted; were uncertain (imperfect of dubitare)
- effetti
- Effects; results; consequences (plural of effetto)
- riuscire
- To succeed; to manage; to accomplish
- spingere
- To push; to propel; to drive
- barca
- Boat; small vessel for water travel
- furioso
- Furious; raging; violent; wild (adjective)
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