Dubliners | Progressive Translation Books for Italian A1 Learners

Dubliners | Progressive Translation Books for Italian A1 Learners

Unlock the potential of this modern translation approach, designed to enhance your language learning experience. By allowing you to choose your difficulty level, it guarantees a personalized challenge that's suited to your progress. This method promotes comprehension by encouraging you to infer the meaning of new words from context, rather than relying heavily on direct translations. Though some translations are obscured to stimulate guessing, it's perfectly fine to consult a dictionary when needed. This technique combines challenge and support, making language learning fun and effective. Explore these translated classics to enjoy literature while advancing your language skills.

THESISTERS
Therewas
non
no
hopeforhimthis
volta
time
:
itwasthethirdstroke.
Notte
Night
afternightIhadpassedthe
casa
house
(itwasvacationtime)
e
and
studiedthelightedsquareofwindow:
e
and
nightafternightIhadfounditlightedinthe
stesso
same
way,faintlyandevenly.
Se
If
hewasdead,I
pensai
thought
,Iwouldseethereflectionofcandleson
il
the
darkenedblindforI
sapevo
knew
thattwocandlesmustbesetat
il
the
headofacorpse.
He
aveva
had
oftensaidtome:
“Iamnot
lungo
long
forthisworld,”andI
avevo
had
thoughthiswordsidle.
Ora
Now
Iknewtheyweretrue.
Ogni
Every
nightasIgazedupat
la
the
windowIsaidsoftlytomyself
la
the
wordparalysis.
Ithad
sempre
always
soundedstrangelyinmyears,
come
like
thewordgnomonintheEuclid
e
and
thewordsimonyintheCatechism.
Ma
But
nowitsoundedtomelike
il
the
nameofsomemaleficent
e
and
sinfulbeing.
Itfilledmewithfear,
e
and
yetIlongedtobenearertoit
e
and
tolookuponitsdeadlywork.
Vecchio
Old
Cotterwassittingat
il
the
fire,smoking,whenIcamedownstairstosupper.
Mentre
While
myauntwasladling
fuori
out
mystirabouthesaid,as
se
if
returningtosomeformerremarkof
suo
his:
.
“No,Iwouldn’tsayhewas
esattamente
exactly
...
buttherewas
qualcosa
something
queer...
therewas
qualcosa
something
uncannyabouthim.
I’ll
dirò
tell
youmyopinion....”
Hebegantopuffathispipe,nodoubtarranginghisopinioninhis
mente
mind
.
Tiresomeoldfool!
Whenweknewhim
prima
first
heusedtoberatherinteresting,
parlava
talking
offaintsandworms;
ma
but
Isoongrewtiredofhim
e
and
hisendlessstoriesaboutthedistillery.
“I
ha
have
myowntheoryaboutit,”he
detto
said
.
“Ithinkitwas
uno
one
ofthose...
peculiarcases....
Ma
But
it’shardtosay....”
Hebegantopuff
di nuovo
again
athispipewithoutgivingushistheory.
My
zio
uncle
sawmestaringand
detto
said
tome:.
“Well,soyour
vecchio
old
friendisgone,you’llbesorrytohear.”
“Who?”
detto
said
I.
“FatherFlynn.”
“Ishedead?”
“MrCotterhere
ha
has
justtoldus.
Hewaspassingbythehouse.”
I
sapevo
knew
thatIwasunderobservationsoIcontinued
mangiare
eating
asifthenews
avessero
had
notinterestedme.
My
zio
uncle
explainedtooldCotter.
“Theyoungster
e
and
heweregreatfriends.
Il
The
oldchaptaughthimagreatdeal,mindyou;
e
and
theysayhehad
un
a
greatwishforhim.”
“God
abbia
have
mercyonhissoul,”
disse
said
myauntpiously.
OldCotter
guardato
looked
atmeforawhile.
I
sentivo
felt
thathislittlebeadyblackeyeswereexaminingme
ma
but
Iwouldnotsatisfyhimby
guardando
looking
upfrommyplate.
He
tornò
returned
tohispipeandfinallyspatrudelyintothegrate.
“Iwouldn’t
come
like
childrenofmine,”hesaid,“tohavetoomuchto
dire
say
toamanlikethat.”
“Howdoyou
dire
mean
,MrCotter?”
askedmyaunt.
“WhatImeanis,”said
vecchio
old
Cotter,“it’sbadfor
bambini
children
.
Myideais:
let
un
a
youngladrunabout
e
and
playwithyoungladsofhisownage
e
and
notbe....
AmIright,Jack?”
“That’smyprinciple,too,”
disse
said
myuncle.
“Lethim
impari
learn
toboxhiscorner.
That’swhatI’m
sempre
always
sayingtothatRosicrucianthere:
takeexercise.
Why,
quando
when
Iwasanipper
ogni
every
morningofmylifeIhad
un
a
coldbath,winterandsummer.
E
And
that’swhatstandstome
ora
now
.
Educationisallveryfine
e
and
large....
MrCottermight
prendere
take
apickofthatlegmutton,”headdedtomyaunt.
“No,
non
no
,notforme,”said
vecchio
old
Cotter.
Myauntbrought
il
the
dishfromthesafe
e
and
putitonthetable.
“Butwhydoyou
pensa
think
it’snotgoodfor
bambini
children
,MrCotter?”
sheasked.
“It’s
male
bad
forchildren,”saidoldCotter,“becausetheirmindsaresoimpressionable.
Quando
When
childrenseethingslikethat,you
sapete
know
,ithasaneffect....”
IcrammedmymouthwithstiraboutforfearI
potessi
might
giveutterancetomyanger.
Tiresome
vecchio
old
red-nosedimbecile!
Itwas
tardi
late
whenIfellasleep.
ThoughIwasangrywith
vecchio
old
Cotterforalludingtomeasa
bambino
child
,Ipuzzledmyheadtoextract
significato
meaning
fromhisunfinishedsentences.
In
la
the
darkofmyroomIimaginedthatI
vedere
saw
againtheheavygrey
faccia
face
oftheparalytic.
Idrewtheblanketsovermy
testa
head
andtriedtothinkofChristmas.
Ma
But
thegreyfacestill
seguiva
followed
me.
Itmurmured;
andI
capito
understood
thatitdesiredtoconfess
qualcosa
something
.
Ifeltmysoulrecedingintosomepleasant
e
and
viciousregion;
andthere
di nuovo
again
Ifounditwaitingforme.
Itbegantoconfesstomein
una
a
murmuringvoiceandIwondered
perché
why
itsmiledcontinuallyand
perché
why
thelipsweresomoistwithspittle.
Ma
But
thenIrememberedthatithad
morto
died
ofparalysisandI
sentii
felt
thatItoowassmilingfeeblyas
se
if
toabsolvethesimoniacofhissin.
La
The
nextmorningafterbreakfastIwentdowntolookat
la
the
littlehouseinGreatBritainStreet.
Itwas
un
an
unassumingshop,registeredunder
il
the
vaguenameofDrapery.
I
The
draperyconsistedmainlyofchildren’sbootees
e
and
umbrellas;
andonordinarydays
un
a
noticeusedtohanginthewindow,
diceva
saying
:
UmbrellasRe-covered.
Nonoticewasvisible
ora
now
fortheshutterswereup.
Un
A
crapebouquetwastiedtothedoor-knockerwithribbon.
Due
Two
poorwomenandatelegramboywere
leggendo
reading
thecardpinnedon
la
the
crape.
Ialsoapproached
e
and
read:.
July1st,1895
Il
The
Rev.JamesFlynn(formerlyofS.Catherine’sChurch,MeathStreet),agedsixty-fiveyears.R.I.P.
La
The
readingofthecardpersuadedme
che
that
hewasdeadandIwasdisturbedtofindmyselfat
controllo
check
.
Hadhenotbeen
morto
dead
Iwouldhavegoneinto
il
the
littledarkroombehind
il
the
shoptofindhim
seduto
sitting
inhisarm-chairby
il
the
fire,nearlysmotheredinhisgreat-coat.
Forse
Perhaps
myauntwouldhave
dato
given
meapacketofHighToastforhim
e
and
thispresentwouldhaverousedhimfromhisstupefieddoze.
Itwas
sempre
always
Iwhoemptiedthepacketintohis
nero
black
snuff-boxforhishandstrembledtoomuchtoallowhimtodothis
senza
without
spillinghalfthesnuffaboutthefloor.
Evenasheraisedhislargetremblinghandtohisnoselittlecloudsofsmokedribbledthroughhisfingersoverthe
anteriore
front
ofhiscoat.
Itmay
hanno
have
beentheseconstantshowersofsnuffwhich
dato
gave
hisancientpriestlygarmentstheirgreenfaded
cercava
look
fortheredhandkerchief,blackened,asit
sempre
always
was,withthesnuff-stainsof
una
a
week,withwhichhetriedtobrushawaythe
caduti
fallen
grains,wasquiteinefficacious.
Iwishedtogoin
e
and
lookathimbutI
avevo
had
notthecouragetoknock.
Iwalkedawayslowly
lungo
along
thesunnysideofthe
strada
street
,readingallthetheatricaladvertisementsintheshop-windowsasI
andavo
went
.
Ifounditstrange
che
that
neitherInorthe
giorno
day
seemedinamourningmood
e
and
Ifeltevenannoyedatdiscoveringinmyself
una
a
sensationoffreedomas
se
if
Ihadbeenfreedfrom
qualcosa
something
byhisdeath.
Iwonderedat
questo
this
for,asmyuncle
aveva
had
saidthenightbefore,he
aveva
had
taughtmeagreatdeal.
He
aveva
had
studiedintheIrishcollegeinRome
e
and
hehadtaughtmetopronounceLatinproperly.
He
aveva
had
toldmestoriesabout
il
the
catacombsandaboutNapoleonBonaparte,
e
and
hehadexplainedtome
il
the
meaningofthedifferentceremoniesof
il
the
Massandofthedifferentvestmentswornby
il
the
priest.
Sometimeshehadamusedhimselfbyputtingdifficultquestionstome,askingmewhatone
dovrebbe
should
doincertaincircumstances
o
or
whethersuchandsuchsinsweremortal
o
or
venialoronlyimperfections.
Hisquestions
mostravano
showed
mehowcomplexandmysteriouswerecertaininstitutionsof
le
the
ChurchwhichIhad
sempre
always
regardedasthesimplestacts.
ThedutiesofthepriesttowardstheEucharist
e
and
towardsthesecrecyoftheconfessionalseemedsogravetome
che
that
Iwonderedhowanybody
avesse
had
everfoundinhimselfthecouragetoundertakethem;
e
and
Iwasnotsurprised
quando
when
hetoldmethatthefathersoftheChurch
avevano
had
writtenbooksasthickasthePostOfficeDirectory
e
and
ascloselyprintedasthe
legge
law
noticesinthenewspaper,elucidating
tutte
all
theseintricatequestions.
Often
quando
when
IthoughtofthisIcouldmake
non
no
answeroronlyaveryfoolish
e
and
haltingoneuponwhichheusedtosmile
e
and
nodhisheadtwice
o
or
thrice.
Sometimesheusedtoputmethrough
le
the
responsesoftheMass
che
which
hehadmademe
imparare
learn
byheart;
and,asIpattered,heusedtosmilepensively
e
and
nodhishead,now
e
and
thenpushinghugepinchesofsnuff
fino a
up
eachnostrilalternately.
Whenhesmiledheusedtouncoverhisbigdiscolouredteeth
e
and
lethistonguelieuponhislowerlip—ahabit
che
which
hadmademefeeluneasyinthebeginningofouracquaintance
prima
before
Iknewhimwell.
AsI
camminavo
walked
alonginthesunIremembered
vecchio
old
Cotter’swordsandtriedto
ricordare
remember
whathadhappenedafterwardsin
le
the
dream.
IrememberedthatIhadnoticedlongvelvetcurtains
e
and
aswinginglampofantiquefashion.
I
sentivo
felt
thatIhadbeenveryfaraway,insomeland
dove
where
thecustomswerestrange—inPersia,I
pensavo
thought...
.
ButIcouldnot
ricordare
remember
theendofthe
sogno
dream
.
Intheeveningmyaunttookmewithhertovisit
la
the
houseofmourning.
Itwas
dopo
after
sunset;
butthewindow-panesof
i
the
housesthatlookedto
i
the
westreflectedthetawnygoldof
un
a
greatbankofclouds.
Nanniereceivedusinthehall;
e
and
,asitwouldhavebeenunseemlyto
ha
have
shoutedather,myauntshookhandswithherfor
tutti
all
.
Theoldwomanpointedupwardsinterrogatively
e
and
,onmyaunt’snodding,proceededtotoilup
la
the
narrowstaircasebeforeus,herbowed
testa
head
beingscarcelyabovethelevelof
la
the
banister-rail.
Atthefirstlandingshe
fermò
stopped
andbeckonedusforwardencouraginglytowards
la
the
opendoorofthedead-room.
Myauntwentin
e
and
theoldwoman,seeing
che
that
Ihesitatedtoenter,begantobeckontome
di nuovo
again
repeatedlywithherhand.
Iwentinontiptoe.
Theroom
attraverso
through
thelaceendoftheblindwassuffusedwithduskygolden
luce
light
amidwhichthecandleslookedlikepalethinflames.
Hehadbeencoffined.
Nannie
dato
gave
theleadandwe
tre
three
kneltdownatthefootof
la
the
bed.
Ipretendedtopray
ma
but
Icouldnotgathermythoughts
perché
because
theoldwoman’smutteringsdistractedme.
Inoticed
come
how
clumsilyherskirtwashookedattheback
e
and
howtheheelsofherclothbootsweretroddendown
tutti
all
tooneside.
Thefancy
venne
came
tomethatthe
vecchio
old
priestwassmilingashe
mente
lay
thereinhiscoffin.
Ma
But
no.Whenwerose
e
and
wentuptothe
testa
head
ofthebedI
visto
saw
thathewasnotsmiling.
Therehelay,solemn
e
and
copious,vestedasfor
le
the
altar,hislargehandslooselyretaining
un
a
chalice.
Hisfacewasverytruculent,grey
e
and
massive,withblackcavernousnostrils
e
and
circledbyascantywhitefur.
Therewas
un
a
heavyodourintheroom—theflowers.
Weblessedourselves
e
and
cameaway.
Inthelittleroomdownstairswe
trovato
found
Elizaseatedinhisarm-chairinstate.
Igropedmywaytowardsmyusualchairinthecorner
mentre
while
Nanniewenttothesideboard
e
and
broughtoutadecanterofsherry
e
and
somewine-glasses.
Shesettheseonthetable
e
and
invitedustotake
un
a
littleglassofwine.
Then,athersister’sbidding,shefilledoutthesherryintotheglasses
e
and
passedthemtous.
Shepressedmeto
prendere
take
somecreamcrackersalso
ma
but
IdeclinedbecauseI
pensavo
thought
Iwouldmaketoomuchnoiseeatingthem.
Sheseemedtobesomewhatdisappointedatmyrefusal
e
and
wentoverquietlytothesofa
dove
where
shesatdownbehindher
sorella
sister
.
Noonespoke:
we
tutti
all
gazedattheemptyfireplace.
Myaunt
aspettato
waited
untilElizasighedandthen
detto
said:
.
“Ah,well,he’sgoneto
un
a
betterworld.”
Elizasighed
di nuovo
again
andbowedherheadinassent.
Myauntfingered
il
the
stemofherwine-glassbeforesipping
un
a
little.
“Didhe...
peacefully?”
she
chiesto
asked
.
“Oh,quitepeacefully,ma’am,”
disse
said
Eliza.
“Youcouldn’ttell
quando
when
thebreathwentoutof
gli
him
.
Hehadabeautiful
morte
death
,Godbepraised.”
“Andeverything...?”
“FatherO’Rourkewasinwithhim
un
a
Tuesdayandanointedhim
e
and
preparedhimandall.”
“He
sapeva
knew
then?”
“Hewasquiteresigned.”
“Helooks
piuttosto
quite
resigned,”saidmyaunt.
“That’swhat
la
the
womanwehadintowashhim
detto
said
.
Shesaidhejustlookedasifhewasasleep,helooked
che
that
peacefulandresigned.
Noone
sarebbe
would
thinkhe’dmakesucha
bello
beautiful
corpse.”
“Yes,indeed,”saidmyaunt.
Shesipped
un
a
littlemorefromherglass
e
and
said:.
“Well,MissFlynn,at
ogni
any
rateitmustbe
un
a
greatcomfortforyouto
sapere
know
thatyoudidallyoucouldfor
lui
him
.
Youwerebothverykindto
lui
him
,Imustsay.”
Elizasmoothedherdressoverherknees.
“Ah,
povero
poor
James!”
shesaid.
“God
sa
knows
wedoneallwecould,aspoorasweare—wewouldn’t
visto
see
himwantanythingwhilehewasinit.”
Nannie
aveva
had
leanedherheadagainstthesofa-pillow
e
and
seemedabouttofallasleep.
“There’spoorNannie,”
disse
said
Eliza,lookingather,“she’sworeout.
Tutto
All
theworkwehad,she
e
and
me,gettinginthe
donna
woman
towashhimandthenlayinghim
fuori
out
andthenthecoffin
e
and
thenarrangingabouttheMassinthechapel.
Solo
Only
forFatherO’RourkeIdon’t
so
know
whatwe’dhavedoneatall.
Itwashimbroughtus
tutti
all
themflowersandthem
due
two
candlesticksoutofthechapel
e
and
wroteoutthenoticefortheFreeman’sGeneral
e
and
tookchargeofallthepapersforthecemetery
e
and
poorJames’sinsurance.”
“Wasn’tthatgoodofhim?”
detto
said
myaunt.
Elizaclosedhereyes
e
and
shookherheadslowly.
“Ah,there’s
non
no
friendsliketheoldfriends,”shesaid,“when
tutto
all
issaidanddone,
non
no
friendsthatabodycantrust.”
“Indeed,that’strue,”
disse
said
myaunt.
“AndI’m
sicuro
sure
nowthathe’sgonetohiseternalrewardhewon’t
dimenticherà
forget
youandallyourkindnesstohim.”
“Ah,
povero
poor
James!”
saidEliza.
“Hewas
non
no
greattroubletous.
Youwouldn’t
sentito
hear
himinthehouseanymorethan
ora
now
.
Still,Iknowhe’s
andato
gone
andalltothat....”
“It’s
quando
when
it’salloverthatyou’llmisshim,”
disse
said
myaunt.
“Iknowthat,”
disse
said
Eliza.
“Iwon’tbe
porterò
bringing
himinhiscupofbeef-teaany
più
more
,noryou,ma’am,sendinghimhissnuff.
Ah,
povero
poor
James!”
Shestopped,as
se
if
shewerecommuningwith
il
the
pastandthensaidshrewdly:.
“Mindyou,Inoticedtherewas
qualcosa
something
queercomingoverhimlatterly.
WheneverI’d
portavo
bring
inhissouptohimthereI’d
trovavo
find
himwithhisbreviary
caduto
fallen
tothefloor,lyingbackinthechair
e
and
hismouthopen.”
Shelaid
un
a
fingeragainsthernose
e
and
frowned:
thenshecontinued:.
“Butstill
e
and
allhekepton
dire
saying
thatbeforethesummerwasoverhe’dgo
uscito
out
foradriveonefine
giorno
day
justtoseetheold
casa
house
againwherewewere
tutti
all
borndowninIrishtown
e
and
takemeandNanniewithhim.
Se
If
wecouldonlygetoneofthemnew-fangledcarriages
che
that
makesnonoisethat
Padre
Father
O’Rourketoldhimabout,themwiththerheumaticwheels,forthe
giorno
day
cheap—hesaid,atJohnnyRush’soverthewaythere
e
and
driveoutthethreeofus
insieme
together
ofaSundayevening.
He
aveva
had
hismindsetonthat....
Povero
Poor
James!”
“TheLordhavemercyonhissoul!”
detto
said
myaunt.
Elizatook
fuori
out
herhandkerchiefandwipedhereyeswith
esso
it
.
Thensheputitbackagaininherpocket
e
and
gazedintotheemptygrateforsome
tempo
time
withoutspeaking.