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
sick
man....
Iamaspiteful
uomo
man
.
Iamanunattractive
uomo
man
.
Ibelievemyliverisdiseased.
However,I
so
know
nothingatallaboutmydisease,
e
and
donotknowforcertainwhatailsme.
Idon’tconsult
un
a
doctorforit,andnever
ho
have
,thoughIhavearespectformedicine
e
and
doctors.
Besides,Iamextremelysuperstitious,sufficientlysotorespectmedicine,anyway(Iamwell-educated
abbastanza
enough
nottobesuperstitious,
ma
but
Iamsuperstitious).
No,Irefusetoconsult
un
a
doctorfromspite.
Thatyou
probabilmente
probably
willnotunderstand.
Well,I
capisco
understand
it,though.
Ofcourse,Ican’texplainwhoitispreciselythatIammortifyingin
questo
this
casebymyspite:
Iamperfectlywellaware
che
that
Icannot“payout”
i
the
doctorsbynotconsultingthem;
I
so
know
betterthananyonethatby
tutto
all
thisIamonlyinjuringmyself
e
and
nooneelse.
Butstill,
se
if
Idon’tconsulta
dottore
doctor
itisfromspite.
Myliveris
cattivo
bad
,well—letitgetworse!
Ihavebeengoingonlikethatfora
molto tempo
long
time—twentyyears.
NowIamforty.
Iusedtobeinthegovernmentservice,
ma
but
amnolonger.
Iwas
un
a
spitefulofficial.
Iwasrude
e
and
tookpleasureinbeingso.
Ididnot
preso
take
bribes,yousee,soIwasboundto
trovare
find
arecompenseinthat,at
almeno
least
.
(Apoorjest,butIwillnotscratchitout.
Iwroteit
pensando
thinking
itwouldsoundverywitty;
ma
but
nowthatIhave
visto
seen
myselfthatIonlywantedto
mostra
show
offinadespicable
modo
way
,Iwillnotscratchitoutonpurpose!)
Quando
When
petitionersusedtocomeforinformationto
i
the
tableatwhichI
sedevo
sat
,Iusedtogrindmyteethat
loro
them
,andfeltintenseenjoyment
quando
when
Isucceededinmaking
qualcuno
anybody
unhappy.
Ialmostdidsucceed.
For
la
the
mostparttheywere
tutti
all
timidpeople—ofcourse,theywerepetitioners.
Ma
But
oftheuppishonestherewas
un
one
officerinparticularIcouldnotendure.
Hesimplywouldnotbehumble,
e
and
clankedhisswordinadisgusting
modo
way
.
Icarriedonafeudwithhimforeighteenmonthsoverthatsword.
AtlastIgotthebetterofhim.
Heleftoffclankingit.
That
successo
happened
inmyyouth,though.
Ma
But
doyouknow,gentlemen,whatwas
il
the
chiefpointaboutmyspite?
Why,thewhole
punto
point
,therealstingofitlayinthe
fatto
fact
thatcontinually,eveninthe
momento
moment
oftheacutestspleen,Iwasinwardlyconsciouswithshame
che
that
Iwasnotonlynotaspiteful
ma
but
notevenanembittered
uomo
man
,thatIwassimplyscaringsparrowsatrandom
e
and
amusingmyselfbyit.
I
potrei
might
foamatthemouth,
ma
but
bringmeadollto
giocare
play
with,givemeacupofteawithsugarinit,
e
and
maybeIshouldbeappeased.
I
potrei
might
evenbegenuinelytouched,
anche se
though
probablyIshouldgrindmyteethatmyselfafterwards
e
and
lieawakeatnightwithshameformonthsafter.
Thatwasmy
modo
way
.
IwaslyingwhenI
detto
said
justnowthatIwas
un
a
spitefulofficial.
Iwas
mentendo
lying
fromspite.
Iwassimplyamusingmyselfwith
i
the
petitionersandwiththeofficer,
e
and
inrealityInevercould
diventare
become
spiteful.
Iwasconscious
ogni
every
momentinmyselfof
molti
many
,verymanyelementsabsolutelyoppositetothat.
I
sentivo
felt
thempositivelyswarmingin
me
me
,theseoppositeelements.
I
sapevo
knew
thattheyhadbeenswarminginmeallmy
vita
life
andcravingsomeoutletfrom
me
me
,butIwouldnotlet
li
them
,wouldnotletthem,purposelywouldnotletthemcome
uscire
out
.
TheytormentedmetillIwasashamed:
theydrovemetoconvulsionsand—sickened
mi
me
,atlast,howtheysickened
mi
me
!
Now,arenotyoufancying,gentlemen,
che
that
Iamexpressingremorsefor
qualcosa
something
now,thatIam
chiedendo
asking
yourforgivenessforsomething?
Iam
sicuro
sure
youarefancyingthat...
However,IassureyouIdonotcare
se
if
youare....
Itwasnot
solo
only
thatIcouldnot
diventare
become
spiteful,Ididnot
sapevo
know
howtobecomeanything;
neitherspitefulnorkind,neitherarascalnoranhonestman,neitheraheronoraninsect.
Ora
Now
,Iamlivingoutmylifeinmycorner,tauntingmyselfwiththespiteful
e
and
uselessconsolationthatanintelligent
uomo
man
cannotbecomeanythingseriously,
e
and
itisonlythefoolwhobecomes
qualcosa
anything
.
Yes,amaninthenineteenthcentury
deve
must
andmorallyoughttobepre-eminentlyacharacterlesscreature;
a
uomo
man
ofcharacter,anactive
uomo
man
ispre-eminentlyalimitedcreature.
Thatismyconvictionoffortyyears.
Iamfortyyearsold
ora
now
,andyouknowfortyyearsis
un
a
wholelifetime;
youknowitisextremeoldage.
To
vivere
live
longerthanfortyyearsis
cattivo
bad
manners,isvulgar,immoral.
Chi
Who
doeslivebeyondforty?
Rispondi
Answer
that,sincerelyandhonestlyIwill
dirò
tell
youwhodo:
fools
e
and
worthlessfellows.
Itell
tutti
all
oldmenthattotheir
faccia
face
,allthesevenerableoldmen,
tutti
all
thesesilver-hairedandreverendseniors!
I
dico
tell
thewholeworldthattoits
faccia
face
!
Ihavearighttosayso,forIshallgoon
vivere
living
tosixtymyself.
Toseventy!
Toeighty!
Resta
Stay
,letmetakebreath...
Youimaginenodoubt,gentlemen,
che
that
Iwanttoamuseyou.
Youaremistakeninthat,too.
Iamby
non
no
meanssuchamirthfulpersonasyouimagine,
o
or
asyoumayimagine;
however,irritatedby
tutte
all
thisbabble(andIfeelthatyouareirritated)youthinkfittoaskmewhoIam—thenmy
risposta
answer
is,Iamacollegiateassessor.
IwasintheservicethatImight
avere
have
somethingtoeat(andsolelyforthatreason),
e
and
whenlastyearadistantrelation
lasciò
left
mesixthousandroublesinhiswillIimmediatelyretiredfromtheservice
e
and
settleddowninmycorner.
Iusedto
vivevo
live
inthiscornerbefore,
ma
but
nowIhavesettleddowninit.
Myroomisawretched,horridonein
la
the
outskirtsofthetown.
Myservantisanoldcountry-woman,ill-naturedfromstupidity,
e
and
,moreover,thereisalwaysanastysmell
su
about
her.
Iamtold
che
that
thePetersburgclimateis
cattivo
bad
forme,andthatwithmysmall
detto
means
itisveryexpensiveto
vivere
live
inPetersburg.
Iknow
tutti
all
thatbetterthanallthesesage
e
and
experiencedcounsellorsandmonitors....
Ma
But
IamremaininginPetersburg;
Iamnot
andrò
going
awayfromPetersburg!
Iamnot
vado
going
awaybecause...
ech!
Perché
Why
,itisabsolutelynomatterwhetherIam
vado
going
awayornotgoingaway.
Ma
But
whatcanadecent
uomo
man
speakofwithmostpleasure?
Risposta
Answer
:
Ofhimself.
II
Iwant
ora
now
totellyou,gentlemen,whetheryoucaretohearit
o
or
not,whyIcouldnot
nemmeno
even
becomeaninsect.
I
dico
tell
yousolemnly,thatI
ho
have
manytimestriedto
diventare
become
aninsect.
ButIwasnotequal
nemmeno
even
tothat.
Iswear,gentlemen,
che
that
tobetooconsciousis
una
an
illness—arealthorough-goingillness.
Forman’severydayneeds,itwould
avere
have
beenquiteenoughto
avere
have
theordinaryhumanconsciousness,thatis,
metà
half
oraquarteroftheamountwhich
cade
falls
tothelotofacultivated
uomo
man
ofourunhappynineteenthcentury,especiallyonewhohasthefatalill-lucktoinhabitPetersburg,the
più
most
theoreticalandintentionaltownonthewholeterrestrialglobe.
(Thereareintentional
e
and
unintentionaltowns.)
Itwould
avere
have
beenquiteenough,forinstance,to
avere
have
theconsciousnessbywhich
tutte
all
so-calleddirectpersonsandmenofaction
vivono
live
.
IbetyouthinkIam
scrivendo
writing
allthisfromaffectation,tobewittyattheexpenseofmenofaction;
e
and
whatismore,thatfromill-bredaffectation,Iamclanking
una
a
swordlikemyofficer.
Ma
But
,gentlemen,whoevercanpridehimselfonhisdiseases
e
and
evenswaggeroverthem?
Anche se
Though
,afterall,everyonedoes
fanno
do
that;
peopledopridethemselvesontheirdiseases,
e
and
Ido,maybe,more
di
than
anyone.
Wewillnotdispute
lo
it
;
mycontentionwasabsurd.
Ma
But
yetIamfirmlypersuaded
che
that
agreatdealofconsciousness,
ogni
every
sortofconsciousness,in
realtà
fact
,isadisease.
Isticktothat.
Lasciamo
Let
usleavethat,too,for
un
a
minute.
Tellmethis:
perché
why
doesithappenthatatthevery,
yes
,attheverymomentswhenIam
più
most
capableoffeelingeveryrefinementof
tutto
all
thatis“sublimeandbeautiful,”astheyusedto
diceva
say
atonetime,itwould,asthoughofdesign,happentomenot
solo
only
tofeelbutto
fare
do
suchuglythings,such
che
that
...
Well,inshort,actions
che
that
all,perhaps,commit;
butwhich,asthoughpurposely,occurredtomeattheverytime
quando
when
Iwasmostconsciousthattheyoughtnottobecommitted.
The
più
more
consciousIwasofgoodness
e
and
ofallthatwas“sublime
e
and
beautiful,”themoredeeplyIsankintomymire
e
and
themorereadyIwastosinkinitaltogether.
Ma
But
thechiefpointwas
che
that
allthiswas,asitwere,notaccidentalin
me
me
,butasthoughitwereboundtobeso.
Itwasasthoughitweremy
più
most
normalcondition,andnotintheleastdisease
o
or
depravity,sothatatlast
tutto
all
desireinmetostruggle
contro
against
thisdepravitypassed.
Itendedbymy
quasi
almost
believing(perhapsactuallybelieving)
che
that
thiswasperhapsmynormalcondition.
Ma
But
atfirst,inthebeginning,whatagoniesIenduredin
che
that
struggle!
Ididnot
credevo
believe
itwasthesame
di
with
otherpeople,andallmy
vita
life
Ihidthisfactaboutmyselfas
un
a
secret.
Iwasashamed(even
ora
now
,perhaps,Iamashamed):
I
arrivato
got
tothepointof
sentire
feeling
asortofsecretabnormal,despicableenjoymentin
tornare
returning
hometomycorneronsomedisgustingPetersburg
notte
night
,acutelyconsciousthatthat
giorno
day
Ihadcommittedaloathsomeaction
di nuovo
again
,thatwhatwasdonecouldneverbeundone,
e
and
secretly,inwardlygnawing,gnawingatmyselfforit,tearing
e
and
consumingmyselftillatlastthebitternessturnedintoa
sorta
sort
ofshamefulaccursedsweetness,
e
and
atlast—intopositiverealenjoyment!
Yes
,intoenjoyment,intoenjoyment!
Iinsistuponthat.
I
ho
have
spokenofthisbecauseIkeepwantingto
sapere
know
forafactwhetherother
persone
people
feelsuchenjoyment?
Iwillexplain;
il
the
enjoymentwasjustfrom
il
the
toointenseconsciousnessofone’sowndegradation;
itwasfromfeelingoneself
che
that
onehadreachedthelastbarrier,
che
that
itwashorrible,but
che
that
itcouldnotbeotherwise;
che
that
therewasnoescapeforyou;
che
that
younevercouldbecome
un
a
differentman;
thateven
se
if
timeandfaithwere
ancora
still
leftyoutochangeinto
qualcosa
something
differentyouwouldmostlikelynotwishto
cambiare
change
;
orifyoudidwishto,eventhenyou
volessi
would
donothing;
becauseperhapsinrealitytherewas
niente
nothing
foryoutochangeinto.
E
And
theworstofitwas,
e
and
therootofit
tutto
all
,thatitwasallinaccordwiththenormalfundamentallawsofover-acuteconsciousness,
e
and
withtheinertiathatwasthedirectresultofthoselaws,
e
and
thatconsequentlyonewasnot
solo
only
unabletochangebutcould
fare
do
absolutelynothing.
Thusitwould
seguirebbe
follow
,astheresultofacuteconsciousness,
che
that
oneisnottoblameinbeingascoundrel;
asthough
che
that
wereanyconsolationto
il
the
scoundreloncehehascometorealise
che
that
heactuallyisascoundrel.
Ma
But
enough....
Ech,Ihavetalked
un
a
lotofnonsense,butwhat
ho
have
Iexplained?
Howisenjoymentin
questo
this
tobeexplained?
ButIwillexplain
lo
it
.
Iwillgetto
il
the
bottomofit!
ThatiswhyI
ho
have
takenupmypen....
Ho
I
,forinstance,havea
grande
great
dealofamourpropre.
Iamassuspicious
e
and
pronetotakeoffenceas
un
a
humpbackoradwarf.
Ma
But
uponmywordI
a volte
sometimes
havehadmomentswhen
se
if
Ihadhappenedtobeslappedinthe
faccia
face
Ishould,perhaps,havebeenpositivelygladof
esso
it
.
Isay,inearnest,
che
that
Ishouldprobablyhavebeenabletodiscoverevenin
che
that
apeculiarsortofenjoyment—theenjoyment,ofcourse,ofdespair;
ma
but
indespairthereare
i
the
mostintenseenjoyments,especially
quando
when
oneisveryacutelyconsciousof
i
the
hopelessnessofone’sposition.
E
And
whenoneisslappedin
la
the
face—whythentheconsciousnessofbeingrubbedintoapulpwouldpositivelyoverwhelmone.
Il
The
worstofitis,
guarda
look
atitwhichwayonewill,it
ancora
still
turnsoutthatIwas
sempre
always
themosttoblamein
tutto
everything
.
Andwhatismosthumiliatingof
tutto
all
,toblamefornofaultofmyown
ma
but
,sotosay,through
le
the
lawsofnature.
Inthe
primo
first
place,toblamebecauseIamclevererthan
qualsiasi
any
ofthepeoplesurroundingme.
(Ihave
sempre
always
consideredmyselfclevererthan
qualsiasi
any
ofthepeoplesurroundingme,
e
and
sometimes,wouldyoubelieveit,havebeenpositivelyashamedofit.
At
ogni
any
rate,Ihaveallmy
vita
life
,asitwere,turnedmyeyesaway
e
and
nevercouldlookpeoplestraightintheface.)
Toblame,finally,
perché
because
evenifIhadhadmagnanimity,Ishould
solo
only
havehadmoresufferingfrom
la
the
senseofitsuselessness.
Ishouldcertainly
avrebbe
have
neverbeenableto
fare
do
anythingfrombeingmagnanimous—neithertoforgive,formyassailantwould
forse
perhaps
haveslappedmefromthelawsofnature,
e
and
onecannotforgivethelawsofnature;
norto
dimenticare
forget
,forevenifitwereowingtothelawsofnature,itisinsultingallthesame.
Finally,even
se
if
Ihadwantedtobeanythingbutmagnanimous,haddesiredonthecontrarytorevengemyselfonmyassailant,Icouldnothaverevengedmyselfonanyoneforanything
perché
because
Ishouldcertainlyneverhave
fare
made
upmymindto
fare
do
anything,evenifIhadbeenableto.
WhyshouldInot
avrei
have
madeupmymind?
III
With
persone
people
whoknowhowtorevengethemselves
e
and
tostandupforthemselvesingeneral,
come
how
isitdone?
Why,
quando
when
theyarepossessed,letussuppose,by
il
the
feelingofrevenge,thenfor
il
the
timethereisnothingelsebut
che
that
feelingleftintheirwholebeing.
Tale
Such
agentlemansimplydashesstraightforhisobject
come
like
aninfuriatedbullwithitshornsdown,
e
and
nothingbutawallwill
fermerà
stop
him.
(Bytheway:
facing
le
the
wall,suchgentlemen—thatis,
le
the
“direct”personsandmenofaction—aregenuinelynonplussed.
Forthemawallisnotanevasion,asforus
persone
people
whothinkandconsequently
facciamo
do
nothing;
itisnotan
scusa
excuse
forturningaside,an
scusa
excuse
forwhichweare
sempre
always
veryglad,thoughwescarcely
crediamo
believe
initourselves,asarule.
No,theyarenonplussedinallsincerity.
Il
The
wallhasforthem
qualcosa
something
tranquillising,morallysoothing,final—maybeeven
qualcosa
something
mysterious...
butofthewalllater.)
Well,such
una
a
directpersonIregardasthe
vero
real
normalman,ashistender
madre
mother
naturewishedtoseehim
quando
when
shegraciouslybroughthimintobeingonthe
terra
earth
.
Ienvysucha
uomo
man
tillIamgreenin
la
the
face.
Heisstupid.
Iamnotdisputingthat,
ma
but
perhapsthenormalman
dovrebbe
should
bestupid,howdoyouknow?
Forse
Perhaps
itisverybeautiful,infact.
E
And
Iamthemorepersuadedofthatsuspicion,
se
if
onecancallitso,bythe
fatto
fact
thatifyoutake,forinstance,theantithesisofthenormal
uomo
man
,thatis,themanofacuteconsciousness,whohas
venuto
come
,ofcourse,notoutofthelapofnature
ma
but
outofaretort
Questo
(this
isalmostmysticism,gentlemen,
ma
but
Isuspectthis,too),
questo
this
retort-mademanissometimessononplussedinthepresenceofhisantithesisthatwithallhisexaggeratedconsciousnesshegenuinely
pensa
thinks
ofhimselfasamouse
e
and
notaman.
Itmaybeanacutelyconsciousmouse,yetitisamouse,
mentre
while
theotherisa
uomo
man
,andtherefore,etcaetera,etcaetera.
E
And
theworstofit
è
is
,hehimself,hisveryownself,looksonhimselfas
un
a
mouse;
nooneaskshimtodoso;
e
and
thatisanimportant
punto
point
.
Nowletuslookat
questo
this
mouseinaction.
Letussuppose,forinstance,
che
that
itfeelsinsulted,too
E
(and
italmostalwaysdoesfeelinsulted),
e
and
wantstorevengeitself,too.
Theremayevenbe
un
a
greateraccumulationofspiteinitthaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
Il
The
baseandnastydesiretoventthatspiteonitsassailantrankles
forse
perhaps
evenmorenastilyinitthaninl’hommedelanatureetdelavérité.
For
attraverso
through
hisinnatestupiditythelatterlooksuponhisrevengeasjusticepure
e
and
simple;
whileinconsequenceofhisacuteconsciousness
il
the
mousedoesnotbelievein
il
the
justiceofit.
Tocomeatlasttothedeeditself,totheveryactofrevenge.
Apartfromtheonefundamentalnastinessthelucklessmousesucceedsincreating
attorno
around
itsomanyothernastinessesintheformofdoubts
e
and
questions,addstotheone
domanda
question
somanyunsettledquestionsthatthereinevitablyworksup
attorno
around
itasortoffatalbrew,astinkingmess,madeupofitsdoubts,emotions,
e
and
ofthecontemptspatuponitbythedirectmenofactionwho
stanno
stand
solemnlyaboutitasjudges
e
and
arbitrators,laughingatittilltheirhealthysidesache.
Ofcoursetheonly
cosa
thing
leftforitistodismiss
tutto
all
thatwithawaveofitspaw,
e
and
,withasmileofassumedcontemptinwhichitdoesnot
nemmeno
even
itselfbelieve,creepignominiouslyintoitsmouse-hole.
Thereinitsnasty,stinking,underground
casa
home
ourinsulted,crushedandridiculedmousepromptly
diventa
becomes
absorbedincold,malignant
e
and
,aboveall,everlastingspite.
Forfortyyears
insieme
together
itwillrememberitsinjurydowntothesmallest,mostignominiousdetails,
e
and
everytimewilladd,ofitself,details
ancora
still
moreignominious,spitefullyteasing
e
and
tormentingitselfwithitsownimagination.
Itwillitselfbeashamedofitsimaginings,
ma
but
yetitwillrecallit
tutto
all
,itwillgoover
e
and
overeverydetail,itwillinventunheardofthings
contro
against
itself,pretendingthatthosethings
possano
might
happen,andwillforgive
nulla
nothing
.
Maybeitwillbegintorevengeitself,too,
ma
but
,asitwere,piecemeal,intrivialways,from
dietro
behind
thestove,incognito,without
credere
believing
eitherinitsown
diritto
right
tovengeance,orinthesuccessofitsrevenge,
sapendo
knowing
thatfromallitseffortsatrevengeitwillsufferahundredtimes
più
more
thanheonwhomitrevengesitself,
mentre
while
he,Idaresay,willnot
nemmeno
even
scratchhimself.
Onitsdeathbeditwillrecallitallover
di nuovo
again
,withinterestaccumulatedoveralltheyears
e
and
...
Butitis
proprio
just
inthatcold,abominable
metà
half
despair,halfbelief,inthatconsciousburyingoneselfaliveforgriefin
il
the
underworldforfortyyears,inthatacutelyrecognised
e
and
yetpartlydoubtfulhopelessnessofone’sposition,inthathellofunsatisfieddesiresturnedinward,inthatfeverofoscillations,ofresolutionsdeterminedforever
e
and
repentedofagaina
minuto
minute
later—thatthesavourofthatstrangeenjoymentofwhichI
ho
have
spokenlies.
Itissosubtle,sodifficultofanalysis,that
persone
persons
whoarealittlelimited,
o
or
evensimplypersonsofstrongnerves,willnot
capiranno
understand
asingleatomofit.
“Possibly,”youwilladdonyourownaccountwithagrin,“peoplewillnotunderstanditeitherwhohaveneverreceivedaslapintheface,”
e
and
inthatwayyouwillpolitelyhinttomethatI,too,perhaps,havehadtheexperienceofaslapinthe
faccia
face
inmylife,andsoI
parlo
speak
asonewhoknows.
Ibet
che
that
youarethinkingthat.
Ma
But
setyourmindsat
state
rest
,gentlemen,Ihavenotreceived
una
a
slapintheface,
anche se
though
itisabsolutelya
questione
matter
ofindifferencetomewhatyoumay
pensare
think
aboutit.
Possibly,Ievenregret,myself,thatIhave
dato
given
sofewslapsin
la
the
faceduringmylife.
Ma
But
enough...
notanother
parola
word
onthatsubjectof
tale
such
extremeinteresttoyou.
Iwillcontinuecalmlyconcerning
persone
persons
withstrongnerveswhodonot
capiscono
understand
acertainrefinementofenjoyment.
Thoughincertaincircumstancesthesegentlemenbellowtheirloudestlikebulls,though
questo
this
,letussuppose,doesthem
il
the
greatestcredit,yet,asI
ho
have
saidalready,confrontedwith
il
the
impossibletheysubsideatonce.
Il
The
impossiblemeansthestonewall!
Whatstonewall?
Perché
Why
,ofcourse,thelawsofnature,thedeductionsofnaturalscience,mathematics.