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Notes from the Underground | Progressive Translation Books for Italian A1 Learners

Notes from the Underground | 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.

I
Iama
malato
sickman....
Iamaspiteful
uomo
man.
Iamanunattractive
uomo
man.
Ibelievemyliverisdiseased.
However,I
so
knownothingatallaboutmydisease,
e
anddonotknowforcertainwhatailsme.
Idon’tconsult
un
adoctorforit,andnever
ho
have,thoughIhavearespectformedicine
e
anddoctors.
Besides,Iamextremelysuperstitious,sufficientlysotorespectmedicine,anyway(Iamwell-educated
abbastanza
enoughnottobesuperstitious,
ma
butIamsuperstitious).
No,Irefusetoconsult
un
adoctorfromspite.
Thatyou
probabilmente
probablywillnotunderstand.
Well,I
capisco
understandit,though.
Ofcourse,Ican’texplainwhoitispreciselythatIammortifyingin
questo
thiscasebymyspite:
Iamperfectlywellaware
che
thatIcannot“payout”
i
thedoctorsbynotconsultingthem;
I
so
knowbetterthananyonethatby
tutto
allthisIamonlyinjuringmyself
e
andnooneelse.
Butstill,
se
ifIdon’tconsulta
dottore
doctoritisfromspite.
Myliveris
cattivo
bad,well—letitgetworse!
Ihavebeengoingonlikethatfora
molto tempo
longtime—twentyyears.
NowIamforty.
Iusedtobeinthegovernmentservice,
ma
butamnolonger.
Iwas
un
aspitefulofficial.
Iwasrude
e
andtookpleasureinbeingso.
Ididnot
preso
takebribes,yousee,soIwasboundto
trovare
findarecompenseinthat,at
almeno
least.
(Apoorjest,butIwillnotscratchitout.
Iwroteit
pensando
thinkingitwouldsoundverywitty;
ma
butnowthatIhave
visto
seenmyselfthatIonlywantedto
mostra
showoffinadespicable
modo
way,Iwillnotscratchitoutonpurpose!)
Quando
Whenpetitionersusedtocomeforinformationto
i
thetableatwhichI
sedevo
sat,Iusedtogrindmyteethat
loro
them,andfeltintenseenjoyment
quando
whenIsucceededinmaking
qualcuno
anybodyunhappy.
Ialmostdidsucceed.
For
la
themostparttheywere
tutti
alltimidpeople—ofcourse,theywerepetitioners.
Ma
Butoftheuppishonestherewas
un
oneofficerinparticularIcouldnotendure.
Hesimplywouldnotbehumble,
e
andclankedhisswordinadisgusting
modo
way.
Icarriedonafeudwithhimforeighteenmonthsoverthatsword.
AtlastIgotthebetterofhim.
Heleftoffclankingit.
That
successo
happenedinmyyouth,though.
Ma
Butdoyouknow,gentlemen,whatwas
il
thechiefpointaboutmyspite?
Why,thewhole
punto
point,therealstingofitlayinthe
fatto
factthatcontinually,eveninthe
momento
momentoftheacutestspleen,Iwasinwardlyconsciouswithshame
che
thatIwasnotonlynotaspiteful
ma
butnotevenanembittered
uomo
man,thatIwassimplyscaringsparrowsatrandom
e
andamusingmyselfbyit.
I
potrei
mightfoamatthemouth,
ma
butbringmeadollto
giocare
playwith,givemeacupofteawithsugarinit,
e
andmaybeIshouldbeappeased.
I
potrei
mightevenbegenuinelytouched,
anche se
thoughprobablyIshouldgrindmyteethatmyselfafterwards
e
andlieawakeatnightwithshameformonthsafter.
Thatwasmy
modo
way.
IwaslyingwhenI
detto
saidjustnowthatIwas
un
aspitefulofficial.
Iwas
mentendo
lyingfromspite.
Iwassimplyamusingmyselfwith
i
thepetitionersandwiththeofficer,
e
andinrealityInevercould
diventare
becomespiteful.
Iwasconscious
ogni
everymomentinmyselfof
molti
many,verymanyelementsabsolutelyoppositetothat.
I
sentivo
feltthempositivelyswarmingin
me
me,theseoppositeelements.
I
sapevo
knewthattheyhadbeenswarminginmeallmy
vita
lifeandcravingsomeoutletfrom
me
me,butIwouldnotlet
li
them,wouldnotletthem,purposelywouldnotletthemcome
uscire
out.
TheytormentedmetillIwasashamed:
theydrovemetoconvulsionsand—sickened
mi
me,atlast,howtheysickened
mi
me!
Now,arenotyoufancying,gentlemen,
che
thatIamexpressingremorsefor
qualcosa
somethingnow,thatIam
chiedendo
askingyourforgivenessforsomething?
Iam
sicuro
sureyouarefancyingthat...
However,IassureyouIdonotcare
se
ifyouare....
Itwasnot
solo
onlythatIcouldnot
diventare
becomespiteful,Ididnot
sapevo
knowhowtobecomeanything;
neitherspitefulnorkind,neitherarascalnoranhonestman,neitheraheronoraninsect.
Ora
Now,Iamlivingoutmylifeinmycorner,tauntingmyselfwiththespiteful
e
anduselessconsolationthatanintelligent
uomo
mancannotbecomeanythingseriously,
e
anditisonlythefoolwhobecomes
qualcosa
anything.
Yes,amaninthenineteenthcentury
deve
mustandmorallyoughttobepre-eminentlyacharacterlesscreature;
a
uomo
manofcharacter,anactive
uomo
manispre-eminentlyalimitedcreature.
Thatismyconvictionoffortyyears.
Iamfortyyearsold
ora
now,andyouknowfortyyearsis
un
awholelifetime;
youknowitisextremeoldage.
To
vivere
livelongerthanfortyyearsis
cattivo
badmanners,isvulgar,immoral.
Chi
Whodoeslivebeyondforty?
Rispondi
Answerthat,sincerelyandhonestlyIwill
dirò
tellyouwhodo:
fools
e
andworthlessfellows.
Itell
tutti
alloldmenthattotheir
faccia
face,allthesevenerableoldmen,
tutti
allthesesilver-hairedandreverendseniors!
I
dico
tellthewholeworldthattoits
faccia
face!
Ihavearighttosayso,forIshallgoon
vivere
livingtosixtymyself.
Toseventy!
Toeighty!
Resta
Stay,letmetakebreath...
Youimaginenodoubt,gentlemen,
che
thatIwanttoamuseyou.
Youaremistakeninthat,too.
Iamby
non
nomeanssuchamirthfulpersonasyouimagine,
o
orasyoumayimagine;
however,irritatedby
tutte
allthisbabble(andIfeelthatyouareirritated)youthinkfittoaskmewhoIam—thenmy
risposta
answeris,Iamacollegiateassessor.
IwasintheservicethatImight
avere
havesomethingtoeat(andsolelyforthatreason),
e
andwhenlastyearadistantrelation
lasciò
leftmesixthousandroublesinhiswillIimmediatelyretiredfromtheservice
e
andsettleddowninmycorner.
Iusedto
vivevo
liveinthiscornerbefore,
ma
butnowIhavesettleddowninit.
Myroomisawretched,horridonein
la
theoutskirtsofthetown.
Myservantisanoldcountry-woman,ill-naturedfromstupidity,
e
and,moreover,thereisalwaysanastysmell
su
abouther.
Iamtold
che
thatthePetersburgclimateis
cattivo
badforme,andthatwithmysmall
detto
meansitisveryexpensiveto
vivere
liveinPetersburg.
Iknow
tutti
allthatbetterthanallthesesage
e
andexperiencedcounsellorsandmonitors....
Ma
ButIamremaininginPetersburg;
Iamnot
andrò
goingawayfromPetersburg!
Iamnot
vado
goingawaybecause...
ech!
Perché
Why,itisabsolutelynomatterwhetherIam
vado
goingawayornotgoingaway.
Ma
Butwhatcanadecent
uomo
manspeakofwithmostpleasure?
Risposta
Answer:
Ofhimself.
II
Iwant
ora
nowtotellyou,gentlemen,whetheryoucaretohearit
o
ornot,whyIcouldnot
nemmeno
evenbecomeaninsect.
I
dico
tellyousolemnly,thatI
ho
havemanytimestriedto
diventare
becomeaninsect.
ButIwasnotequal
nemmeno
eventothat.
Iswear,gentlemen,
che
thattobetooconsciousis
una
anillness—arealthorough-goingillness.
Forman’severydayneeds,itwould
avere
havebeenquiteenoughto
avere
havetheordinaryhumanconsciousness,thatis,
metà
halforaquarteroftheamountwhich
cade
fallstothelotofacultivated
uomo
manofourunhappynineteenthcentury,especiallyonewhohasthefatalill-lucktoinhabitPetersburg,the
più
mosttheoreticalandintentionaltownonthewholeterrestrialglobe.
(Thereareintentional
e
andunintentionaltowns.)
Itwould
avere
havebeenquiteenough,forinstance,to
avere
havetheconsciousnessbywhich
tutte
allso-calleddirectpersonsandmenofaction
vivono
live.
IbetyouthinkIam
scrivendo
writingallthisfromaffectation,tobewittyattheexpenseofmenofaction;
e
andwhatismore,thatfromill-bredaffectation,Iamclanking
una
aswordlikemyofficer.
Ma
But,gentlemen,whoevercanpridehimselfonhisdiseases
e
andevenswaggeroverthem?
Anche se
Though,afterall,everyonedoes
fanno
dothat;
peopledopridethemselvesontheirdiseases,
e
andIdo,maybe,more
di
thananyone.
Wewillnotdispute
lo
it;
mycontentionwasabsurd.
Ma
ButyetIamfirmlypersuaded
che
thatagreatdealofconsciousness,
ogni
everysortofconsciousness,in
realtà
fact,isadisease.
Isticktothat.
Lasciamo
Letusleavethat,too,for
un
aminute.
Tellmethis:
perché
whydoesithappenthatatthevery,
sì
yes,attheverymomentswhenIam
più
mostcapableoffeelingeveryrefinementof
tutto
allthatis“sublimeandbeautiful,”astheyusedto
diceva
sayatonetime,itwould,asthoughofdesign,happentomenot
solo
onlytofeelbutto
fare
dosuchuglythings,such
che
that...
Well,inshort,actions
che
thatall,perhaps,commit;
butwhich,asthoughpurposely,occurredtomeattheverytime
quando
whenIwasmostconsciousthattheyoughtnottobecommitted.
The
più
moreconsciousIwasofgoodness
e
andofallthatwas“sublime
e
andbeautiful,”themoredeeplyIsankintomymire
e
andthemorereadyIwastosinkinitaltogether.
Ma
Butthechiefpointwas
che
thatallthiswas,asitwere,notaccidentalin
me
me,butasthoughitwereboundtobeso.
Itwasasthoughitweremy
più
mostnormalcondition,andnotintheleastdisease
o
ordepravity,sothatatlast
tutto
alldesireinmetostruggle
contro
againstthisdepravitypassed.
Itendedbymy
quasi
almostbelieving(perhapsactuallybelieving)
che
thatthiswasperhapsmynormalcondition.
Ma
Butatfirst,inthebeginning,whatagoniesIenduredin
che
thatstruggle!
Ididnot
credevo
believeitwasthesame
di
withotherpeople,andallmy
vita
lifeIhidthisfactaboutmyselfas
un
asecret.
Iwasashamed(even
ora
now,perhaps,Iamashamed):
I
arrivato
gottothepointof
sentire
feelingasortofsecretabnormal,despicableenjoymentin
tornare
returninghometomycorneronsomedisgustingPetersburg
notte
night,acutelyconsciousthatthat
giorno
dayIhadcommittedaloathsomeaction
di nuovo
again,thatwhatwasdonecouldneverbeundone,
e
andsecretly,inwardlygnawing,gnawingatmyselfforit,tearing
e
andconsumingmyselftillatlastthebitternessturnedintoa
sorta
sortofshamefulaccursedsweetness,
e
andatlast—intopositiverealenjoyment!
Sì
Yes,intoenjoyment,intoenjoyment!
Iinsistuponthat.
I
ho
havespokenofthisbecauseIkeepwantingto
sapere
knowforafactwhetherother
persone
peoplefeelsuchenjoyment?
Iwillexplain;
il
theenjoymentwasjustfrom
il
thetoointenseconsciousnessofone’sowndegradation;
itwasfromfeelingoneself
che
thatonehadreachedthelastbarrier,
che
thatitwashorrible,but
che
thatitcouldnotbeotherwise;
che
thattherewasnoescapeforyou;
che
thatyounevercouldbecome
un
adifferentman;
thateven
se
iftimeandfaithwere
ancora
stillleftyoutochangeinto
qualcosa
somethingdifferentyouwouldmostlikelynotwishto
cambiare
change;
orifyoudidwishto,eventhenyou
volessi
woulddonothing;
becauseperhapsinrealitytherewas
niente
nothingforyoutochangeinto.
E
Andtheworstofitwas,
e
andtherootofit
tutto
all,thatitwasallinaccordwiththenormalfundamentallawsofover-acuteconsciousness,
e
andwiththeinertiathatwasthedirectresultofthoselaws,
e
andthatconsequentlyonewasnot
solo
onlyunabletochangebutcould
fare
doabsolutelynothing.
Thusitwould
seguirebbe
follow,astheresultofacuteconsciousness,
che
thatoneisnottoblameinbeingascoundrel;
asthough
che
thatwereanyconsolationto
il
thescoundreloncehehascometorealise
che
thatheactuallyisascoundrel.
Ma
Butenough....
Ech,Ihavetalked
un
alotofnonsense,butwhat
ho
haveIexplained?
Howisenjoymentin
questo
thistobeexplained?
ButIwillexplain
lo
it.
Iwillgetto
il
thebottomofit!
ThatiswhyI
ho
havetakenupmypen....
Ho
I,forinstance,havea
grande
greatdealofamourpropre.
Iamassuspicious
e
andpronetotakeoffenceas
un
ahumpbackoradwarf.
Ma
ButuponmywordI
a volte
sometimeshavehadmomentswhen
se
ifIhadhappenedtobeslappedinthe
faccia
faceIshould,perhaps,havebeenpositivelygladof
esso
it.
Isay,inearnest,
che
thatIshouldprobablyhavebeenabletodiscoverevenin
che
thatapeculiarsortofenjoyment—theenjoyment,ofcourse,ofdespair;
ma
butindespairthereare
i
themostintenseenjoyments,especially
quando
whenoneisveryacutelyconsciousof
i
thehopelessnessofone’sposition.
E
Andwhenoneisslappedin
la
theface—whythentheconsciousnessofbeingrubbedintoapulpwouldpositivelyoverwhelmone.
Il
Theworstofitis,
guarda
lookatitwhichwayonewill,it
ancora
stillturnsoutthatIwas
sempre
alwaysthemosttoblamein
tutto
everything.
Andwhatismosthumiliatingof
tutto
all,toblamefornofaultofmyown
ma
but,sotosay,through
le
thelawsofnature.
Inthe
primo
firstplace,toblamebecauseIamclevererthan
qualsiasi
anyofthepeoplesurroundingme.
(Ihave
sempre
alwaysconsideredmyselfclevererthan
qualsiasi
anyofthepeoplesurroundingme,
e
andsometimes,wouldyoubelieveit,havebeenpositivelyashamedofit.
At
ogni
anyrate,Ihaveallmy
vita
life,asitwere,turnedmyeyesaway
e
andnevercouldlookpeoplestraightintheface.)
Toblame,finally,
perché
becauseevenifIhadhadmagnanimity,Ishould
solo
onlyhavehadmoresufferingfrom
la
thesenseofitsuselessness.
Ishouldcertainly
avrebbe
haveneverbeenableto
fare
doanythingfrombeingmagnanimous—neithertoforgive,formyassailantwould
forse
perhapshaveslappedmefromthelawsofnature,
e
andonecannotforgivethelawsofnature;
norto
dimenticare
forget,forevenifitwereowingtothelawsofnature,itisinsultingallthesame.
Finally,even
se
ifIhadwantedtobeanythingbutmagnanimous,haddesiredonthecontrarytorevengemyselfonmyassailant,Icouldnothaverevengedmyselfonanyoneforanything
perché
becauseIshouldcertainlyneverhave
fare
madeupmymindto
fare
doanything,evenifIhadbeenableto.
WhyshouldInot
avrei
havemadeupmymind?
III
With
persone
peoplewhoknowhowtorevengethemselves
e
andtostandupforthemselvesingeneral,
come
howisitdone?
Why,
quando
whentheyarepossessed,letussuppose,by
il
thefeelingofrevenge,thenfor
il
thetimethereisnothingelsebut
che
thatfeelingleftintheirwholebeing.
Tale
Suchagentlemansimplydashesstraightforhisobject
come
likeaninfuriatedbullwithitshornsdown,
e
andnothingbutawallwill
fermerà
stophim.
(Bytheway:
facing
le
thewall,suchgentlemen—thatis,
le
the“direct”personsandmenofaction—aregenuinelynonplussed.
Forthemawallisnotanevasion,asforus
persone
peoplewhothinkandconsequently
facciamo
donothing;
itisnotan
scusa
excuseforturningaside,an
scusa
excuseforwhichweare
sempre
alwaysveryglad,thoughwescarcely
crediamo
believeinitourselves,asarule.
No,theyarenonplussedinallsincerity.
Il
Thewallhasforthem
qualcosa
somethingtranquillising,morallysoothing,final—maybeeven
qualcosa
somethingmysterious...
butofthewalllater.)
Well,such
una
adirectpersonIregardasthe
vero
realnormalman,ashistender
madre
mothernaturewishedtoseehim
quando
whenshegraciouslybroughthimintobeingonthe
terra
earth.
Ienvysucha
uomo
mantillIamgreenin
la
theface.
Heisstupid.
Iamnotdisputingthat,
ma
butperhapsthenormalman
dovrebbe
shouldbestupid,howdoyouknow?
Forse
Perhapsitisverybeautiful,infact.
E
AndIamthemorepersuadedofthatsuspicion,
se
ifonecancallitso,bythe
fatto
factthatifyoutake,forinstance,theantithesisofthenormal
uomo
man,thatis,themanofacuteconsciousness,whohas
venuto
come,ofcourse,notoutofthelapofnature
ma
butoutofaretort
Questo
(thisisalmostmysticism,gentlemen,
ma
butIsuspectthis,too),
questo
thisretort-mademanissometimessononplussedinthepresenceofhisantithesisthatwithallhisexaggeratedconsciousnesshegenuinely
pensa
thinksofhimselfasamouse
e
andnotaman.
Itmaybeanacutelyconsciousmouse,yetitisamouse,
mentre
whiletheotherisa
uomo
man,andtherefore,etcaetera,etcaetera.
E
Andtheworstofit
è
is,hehimself,hisveryownself,looksonhimselfas
un
amouse;
nooneaskshimtodoso;
e
andthatisanimportant
punto
point.
Nowletuslookat
questo
thismouseinaction.
Letussuppose,forinstance,
che
thatitfeelsinsulted,too
E
(anditalmostalwaysdoesfeelinsulted),
e
andwantstorevengeitself,too.
Theremayevenbe
un
agreateraccumulationofspiteinitthaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
Il
Thebaseandnastydesiretoventthatspiteonitsassailantrankles
forse
perhapsevenmorenastilyinitthaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
For
attraverso
throughhisinnatestupiditythelatterlooksuponhisrevengeasjusticepure
e
andsimple;
whileinconsequenceofhisacuteconsciousness
il
themousedoesnotbelievein
il
thejusticeofit.
Tocomeatlasttothedeeditself,totheveryactofrevenge.
Apartfromtheonefundamentalnastinessthelucklessmousesucceedsincreating
attorno
arounditsomanyothernastinessesintheformofdoubts
e
andquestions,addstotheone
domanda
questionsomanyunsettledquestionsthatthereinevitablyworksup
attorno
arounditasortoffatalbrew,astinkingmess,madeupofitsdoubts,emotions,
e
andofthecontemptspatuponitbythedirectmenofactionwho
stanno
standsolemnlyaboutitasjudges
e
andarbitrators,laughingatittilltheirhealthysidesache.
Ofcoursetheonly
cosa
thingleftforitistodismiss
tutto
allthatwithawaveofitspaw,
e
and,withasmileofassumedcontemptinwhichitdoesnot
nemmeno
evenitselfbelieve,creepignominiouslyintoitsmouse-hole.
Thereinitsnasty,stinking,underground
casa
homeourinsulted,crushedandridiculedmousepromptly
diventa
becomesabsorbedincold,malignant
e
and,aboveall,everlastingspite.
Forfortyyears
insieme
togetheritwillrememberitsinjurydowntothesmallest,mostignominiousdetails,
e
andeverytimewilladd,ofitself,details
ancora
stillmoreignominious,spitefullyteasing
e
andtormentingitselfwithitsownimagination.
Itwillitselfbeashamedofitsimaginings,
ma
butyetitwillrecallit
tutto
all,itwillgoover
e
andovereverydetail,itwillinventunheardofthings
contro
againstitself,pretendingthatthosethings
possano
mighthappen,andwillforgive
nulla
nothing.
Maybeitwillbegintorevengeitself,too,
ma
but,asitwere,piecemeal,intrivialways,from
dietro
behindthestove,incognito,without
credere
believingeitherinitsown
diritto
righttovengeance,orinthesuccessofitsrevenge,
sapendo
knowingthatfromallitseffortsatrevengeitwillsufferahundredtimes
più
morethanheonwhomitrevengesitself,
mentre
whilehe,Idaresay,willnot
nemmeno
evenscratchhimself.
Onitsdeathbeditwillrecallitallover
di nuovo
again,withinterestaccumulatedoveralltheyears
e
and...
Butitis
proprio
justinthatcold,abominable
metà
halfdespair,halfbelief,inthatconsciousburyingoneselfaliveforgriefin
il
theunderworldforfortyyears,inthatacutelyrecognised
e
andyetpartlydoubtfulhopelessnessofone’sposition,inthathellofunsatisfieddesiresturnedinward,inthatfeverofoscillations,ofresolutionsdeterminedforever
e
andrepentedofagaina
minuto
minutelater—thatthesavourofthatstrangeenjoymentofwhichI
ho
havespokenlies.
Itissosubtle,sodifficultofanalysis,that
persone
personswhoarealittlelimited,
o
orevensimplypersonsofstrongnerves,willnot
capiranno
understandasingleatomofit.
“Possibly,”youwilladdonyourownaccountwithagrin,“peoplewillnotunderstanditeitherwhohaveneverreceivedaslapintheface,”
e
andinthatwayyouwillpolitelyhinttomethatI,too,perhaps,havehadtheexperienceofaslapinthe
faccia
faceinmylife,andsoI
parlo
speakasonewhoknows.
Ibet
che
thatyouarethinkingthat.
Ma
Butsetyourmindsat
state
rest,gentlemen,Ihavenotreceived
una
aslapintheface,
anche se
thoughitisabsolutelya
questione
matterofindifferencetomewhatyoumay
pensare
thinkaboutit.
Possibly,Ievenregret,myself,thatIhave
dato
givensofewslapsin
la
thefaceduringmylife.
Ma
Butenough...
notanother
parola
wordonthatsubjectof
tale
suchextremeinteresttoyou.
Iwillcontinuecalmlyconcerning
persone
personswithstrongnerveswhodonot
capiscono
understandacertainrefinementofenjoyment.
Thoughincertaincircumstancesthesegentlemenbellowtheirloudestlikebulls,though
questo
this,letussuppose,doesthem
il
thegreatestcredit,yet,asI
ho
havesaidalready,confrontedwith
il
theimpossibletheysubsideatonce.
Il
Theimpossiblemeansthestonewall!
Whatstonewall?
Perché
Why,ofcourse,thelawsofnature,thedeductionsofnaturalscience,mathematics.