The Italian reading room
One sentence of «Le arance d’oro»
Lo scacciai anche di lì, e appena cessava di cantare, il mio sonno svaniva.
I drove it off from there too, and as soon as it stopped singing my sleepiness vanished.
Where it stands
The sentences either side of it, each with its own page.
Lo scacciai da quel ramo, ma andò a posarsi sopra un altro.
I drove it off that branch, but it went and perched on another.
Canta, canta, canta, non mi reggevo dal sonno.
It sang and sang and sang, and I could not hold myself up for sleep.
Ma si posò in cima all’albero, e canta, canta, canta…, ho dormito finora!
But it perched at the top of the tree, and sang and sang and sang…, and I have slept until now!”
Every word in it
| As printed | Dictionary form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Lo | lo | him, it (object); the (m. before s + consonant, z) (pron.) |
| scacciai | scacciare | to drive away, to chase off (v.) |
| anche | anche | also, too, even (adv.) |
| di | di | of, from; than (also di’ — the imperative of dire, printed with an apostrophe) (prep.) |
| lì | lì | there; di lì a poco — shortly after (adv.) |
| e | e | and (ed before a vowel) (conj.) |
| appena | appena | as soon as; barely, only just (adv.) |
| cessava | cessare | to cease, to stop (v.) |
| cantare | cantare | to sing; cantare in culla — to foretell at the cradle (v.) |
| il | il | the (masculine singular) (art.) |
| mio | mio | my, mine; i miei — my own (adj.) |
| sonno | sonno | sleep, sleepiness (n., m.) |
| svaniva | svanire | to vanish, to fade away (v.) |
Read «Le arance d’oro» in the room Every word glossed where it stands, the English a tap away. This scene asks for no account.