Wuthering Heights — Page 5
Meanwhile, the young man had slung on to his person a decidedly shabby upper garment, and, erecting himself before the blaze, looked down on me from the corner of his eyes, for all the world as if there were some mortal feud unavenged between us.
Nel frattempo, il giovane si era gettato addosso un indumento superiore decisamente logoro, e, ergendosi davanti alle fiamme, mi guardava dall'angolo degli occhi, esattamente come se ci fosse tra noi qualche faida mortale non ancora vendicata.
I began to doubt whether he were a servant or not: his dress and speech were both rude, entirely devoid of the superiority observable in Mr. and Mrs. Heathcliff; his thick brown curls were rough and uncultivated, his whiskers encroached bearishly over his cheeks, and his hands were embrowned like those of a common labourer: still his bearing was free, almost haughty, and he showed none of a domestic's assiduity in attending on the lady of the house.
Cominciai a dubitare che fosse un servo o no: il suo abbigliamento e il suo modo di parlare erano entrambi rozzi, del tutto privi della superiorità osservabile nel signor e nella signora Heathcliff; i suoi folti riccioli castani erano ispidi e incolti, le sue basette invadevano burbere le sue guance, e le sue mani erano abbronzate come quelle di un comune operaio: eppure il suo portamento era libero, quasi altero, e non mostrava nulla dell'assiduità di un domestico nell'assistere la padrona di casa.
In the absence of clear proofs of his condition, I deemed it best to abstain from noticing his curious conduct; and, five minutes afterwards, the entrance of Heathcliff relieved me, in some measure, from my uncomfortable state.
In assenza di prove chiare riguardo alla sua condizione, ritenni opportuno astenermi dal notare la sua curiosa condotta; e, cinque minuti dopo, l'ingresso di Heathcliff mi sollevò, in qualche misura, dal mio stato di disagio.
"You see, sir, I am come, according to promise!" I exclaimed, assuming the cheerful; "and I fear I shall be weather-bound for half an hour, if you can afford me shelter during that space."
«Vede, signore, sono venuto, come promesso!» esclamai, assumendo un tono allegro; «e temo che sarò bloccato dal maltempo per mezz'ora, se può offrirmi riparo per tutto questo tempo.»
"Half an hour?" he said, shaking the white flakes from his clothes; "I wonder you should select the thick of a snow-storm to ramble about in.
«Mezz'ora?» disse, scrollando i bianchi fiocchi dai suoi abiti; «Mi sorprende che abbiate scelto il pieno di una tormenta di neve per andare a spasso.
Do you know that you run a risk of being lost in the marshes?
Sa che corre il rischio di perdersi nelle paludi?
Vocabulary
- frattempo
- frat-TEM-po — Meanwhile; in the intervening time
- giovane
- JO-va-ne — Young person; adjective meaning young
- gettato
- jet-TA-to — Thrown; past participle of 'gettare'
- addosso
- ad-DOS-so — On oneself; onto one's body
- indumento
- in-du-MEN-to — Garment; article of clothing
- superiore
- su-pe-ri-O-re — Upper; superior; higher in position or quality
- decisamente
- de-ci-za-MEN-te — Decidedly; clearly; in a definite manner
- logoro
- LO-go-ro — Worn out; threadbare; shabby from use
- ergendosi
- er-JEN-do-si — Rising up; drawing oneself up; standing tall
- davanti
- da-VAN-ti — In front of; before; facing
- fiamme
- FJAM-me — Flames; fires; burning tongues of fire
- angolo
- AN-go-lo — Corner; angle; edge of a space
- occhi
- OK-ki — Eyes; plural of occhio
- esattamente
- e-zat-ta-MEN-te — Exactly; precisely; in a perfectly accurate manner
- faida
- FAI-da — Feud; long-standing bitter conflict between parties
- mortale
- mor-TA-le — Mortal; deadly; relating to or causing death
- vendicata
- ven-di-KA-ta — Avenged; past participle of 'vendicare'
- Cominciai
- co-min-CHAI — I began; first person past of 'cominciare'
- dubitare
- du-bi-TA-re — To doubt; to question the truth of something
- servo
- SER-vo — Servant; serf; person employed in domestic service
- abbigliamento
- ab-bi-lja-MEN-to — Clothing; attire; the way someone is dressed
- entrambi
- en-TRAM-bi — Both; referring to two things together
- rozzi
- ROT-tsi — Coarse; rough; crude in manner or appearance
- privi
- PRI-vi — Lacking; devoid of; without a quality
- superiorità
- su-pe-rio-ri-TA — Superiority; quality of being higher or better
- osservabile
- os-ser-VA-bi-le — Observable; noticeable; able to be perceived
- folti
- FOL-ti — Thick; dense; abundant (of hair or foliage)
- riccioli
- rit-CHO-li — Curls; ringlets; locks of curly hair
- castani
- cas-TA-ni — Chestnut brown; dark brown (hair color)
- ispidi
- IS-pi-di — Bristly; rough; unkempt and stiff in texture
- incolti
- in-KOL-ti — Unkempt; uncultivated; not groomed or tended
- basette
- ba-ZET-te — Sideburns; side whiskers on a man's face
- invadevano
- in-va-DE-va-no — They were invading; encroaching upon a space
- burbere
- BUR-be-re — Gruff; surly; having a rough unfriendly manner
- guance
- GWAN-che — Cheeks; the fleshy sides of the face
- abbronzate
- ab-bron-ZA-te — Tanned; bronzed; darkened by sun exposure
- comune
- co-MU-ne — Common; ordinary; shared or typical
- operaio
- o-pe-RA-io — Worker; laborer; manual working-class person
- eppure
- ep-PU-re — And yet; nevertheless; despite that fact
- portamento
- por-ta-MEN-to — Bearing; posture; the way someone carries themselves
- libero
- LI-be-ro — Free; unrestrained; independent in manner
- altero
- al-TE-ro — Haughty; proud; arrogant in bearing
- assiduità
- as-si-dui-TA — Diligence; assiduousness; devoted attentive service
- domestico
- do-MES-ti-co — Domestic servant; relating to the household
- assistere
- as-sis-TE-re — To assist; to serve; to attend to someone
- padrona
- pa-DRO-na — Mistress of the house; female owner or employer
- assenza
- as-SEN-tsa — Absence; lack; the state of being without something
- prove
- PRO-ve — Proofs; evidence; tests confirming something
- chiare
- KJA-re — Clear; evident; easy to understand or see
- riguardo
- ri-GWAR-do — Regard; concerning; with respect to something
- condizione
- con-di-TSJO-ne — Condition; status; social position of a person
- ritenni
- ri-TEN-ni — I considered; I deemed; past of 'ritenere'
- opportuno
- op-por-TU-no — Appropriate; fitting; opportune at a given moment
- astenermi
- as-te-NER-mi — To refrain myself; to abstain from doing something
- notare
- no-TA-re — To note; to notice; to draw attention to something
- curiosa
- cu-RJO-za — Curious; strange; arousing interest or attention
- condotta
- con-DOT-ta — Conduct; behavior; way of acting or behaving
- ingresso
- in-GRES-so — Entrance; entry; the act of entering a place
- sollevò
- sol-le-VO — Raised; lifted; alleviated a feeling or burden
- disagio
- di-ZA-jo — Discomfort; unease; feeling of awkward embarrassment
- esclamai
- es-kla-MAI — I exclaimed; cried out; said with emphasis
- assumendo
- as-su-MEN-do — Assuming; adopting; taking on a tone or manner
- tono
- TO-no — Tone; manner of speaking; quality of voice
- allegro
- al-LE-gro — Cheerful; lively; merry in mood or expression
- bloccato
- blok-KA-to — Blocked; stuck; unable to move or proceed
- maltempo
- mal-TEM-po — Bad weather; stormy or unpleasant meteorological conditions
- riparo
- ri-PA-ro — Shelter; refuge; protection from weather or danger
- scrollando
- skrol-LAN-do — Shaking off; brushing away; removing with a shake
- fiocchi
- FJOK-ki — Flakes; tufts; snowflakes or clusters of material
- sorprende
- sor-PREN-de — Surprises; astonishes; causes wonder or amazement
- scelto
- SHEL-to — Chosen; selected; past participle of 'scegliere'
- pieno
- PJE-no — Full; in the midst of; complete
- tormenta
- tor-MEN-ta — Blizzard; snowstorm; violent windswept snow
- neve
- NE-ve — Snow; frozen precipitation falling from clouds
- spasso
- SPAS-so — Fun; amusement; going for a stroll or outing
- rischio
- RIS-kjo — Risk; danger; chance of harm or negative outcome
- perdersi
- PER-der-si — To get lost; to lose oneself in a place
- paludi
- pa-LU-di — Marshes; swamps; boggy waterlogged areas of land
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