Febbraio - I ragazzi ciechi. 23, giovedì February|the|boys|blind|Thursday Februar - Die Blind Boys. 23., Donnerstag Febrero - The Blind Boys. 23, jueves Februari - The Blind Boys. 23e, donderdag Fevereiro - The Blind Boys. Dia 23, quinta-feira February - The blind boys. 23, Thursday

I ragazzi ciechi 23, giovedì the|boys|blind|Thursday The blind boys 23, Thursday Il maestro è molto malato e mandarono in vece sua quello della quarta, che è stato maestro nell’Istituto dei ciechi; il più vecchio di tutti, così bianco che par che abbia in capo una parrucca di cotone, e parla in un certo modo, come se cantasse una canzone malinconica; ma bene, e sa molto. the|teacher|he is|very|sick|and|they sent|in|place|his|the one|of the|fourth|who|he is|he has been|teacher|at the Institute|of the|blind|the|most|old|of|all|so|white|that|it seems|that||in|head|a|wig|of|cotton|and|he speaks|in|a|certain|way|as|if|he sang|a|song|melancholic|but|well|and|he knows|much El maestro está muy enfermo y han mandado en su lugar al de cuarto, que era maestro en el Instituto de Ciegos; el más viejo de todos, tan blanco que parece que lleva una peluca de algodón en la cabeza, y habla de cierta manera, como si cantara una canción melancólica; pero bueno, y sabe mucho. The teacher is very ill and sent in his place the one from the fourth grade, who has been a teacher at the Institute for the Blind; the oldest of all, so white that it looks like he has a cotton wig on his head, and he speaks in a certain way, as if he is singing a melancholic song; but well, and he knows a lot. Appena entrato nella scuola, vedendo un ragazzo con un occhio bendato, s’avvicinò al banco e gli domandò che cos’aveva. as soon as|entered|in the|school|seeing|a|boy|with|an|eye|bandaged|he approached|to the|desk|and|to him|he asked|what|he had As soon as he entered the school, seeing a boy with one eye bandaged, he approached the desk and asked him what was wrong. - Bada agli occhi, ragazzo, - gli disse. watch out|to the|eyes|boy|to him|he said - Watch your eyes, boy, - he told him. - E allora Derossi gli domandò: - È vero, signor maestro, che è stato maestro dei ciechi? and|then|Derossi|to him|he asked|it is|true|Mr|teacher|that|he is|has been|teacher|of the|blind - And then Derossi asked him: - Is it true, Mr. Teacher, that you were a teacher for the blind? - Sì, per vari anni, - rispose. Yes|for|various|years|he answered - Yes, for several years, - he replied. E Derossi disse a mezza voce: - Ci dica qualche cosa. and|Derossi|he said|at|half|voice|to us|he says|some|thing And Derossi said in a low voice: - Tell us something. Il maestro s’andò a sedere a tavolino. the|teacher|he went|to|to sit|at|small table The teacher went to sit at the table. Coretti disse forte: - L’istituto dei ciechi è in via Nizza. Coretti|he said|loudly|the institute|of the|blind|it is|on|street|Nizza Coretti said loudly: - The institute for the blind is on Nizza Street. - Voi dite ciechi, ciechi, - disse il maestro, - così, come direste malati e poveri o che so io. you|you say|blind|blind|he said|the|master|like this|as|you would say|sick|and|poor|or|that|I know|I - You say blind, blind, - said the master, - just as you would say sick and poor or whatever. Ma capite bene il significato di quella parola? But|you understand|well|the|meaning|of|that|word But do you understand the meaning of that word? Pensateci un poco. think about it|a|little Think about it for a moment. Ciechi! blind Blind! Non veder nulla, mai! not|to see|nothing|ever Not seeing anything, ever! Non distinguere il giorno dalla notte, non veder né il cielo né il sole né i propri parenti, nulla di tutto quello che s’ha intorno e che si tocca; essere immersi in una oscurità perpetua, e come sepolti nelle viscere della terra! not|to distinguish|the|day|from the|night||to see|neither|the|sky|neither||sun|neither|the|own|relatives|nothing|of|everything|that|that|one has|around|and|that|one|to touch|to be|immersed|in|a|darkness|perpetual|and|as|buried|in the|organs|of the|earth Not distinguishing day from night, not seeing either the sky or the sun or one's own relatives, nothing of all that surrounds and can be touched; being immersed in perpetual darkness, as if buried in the bowels of the earth! Provate un poco a chiudere gli occhi e a pensare di dover rimanere per sempre così: subito vi prende un affanno, un terrore, vi pare che vi sarebbe impossibile di resistere, che vi mettereste a gridare, che impazzireste o morireste. try|a||to|to close|the|eyes|and|to|to think|to|to have to|to stay|for|always|like this|immediately|you|takes|a|breathlessness|a|terror|you|it seems|that|you|would be|impossible|to|to resist|that|you|you would put|to|to scream|that|you would go crazy|or|you would die Try for a moment to close your eyes and think that you must remain like this forever: immediately you feel a panic, a terror, it seems impossible to endure, you would start to scream, you would go mad or die. Eppure... poveri ragazzi, quando s’entra per la prima volta nell’Istituto dei ciechi, durante la ricreazione, a sentirli suonar violini e flauti da tutte le parti, e parlar forte e ridere, salendo e scendendo le scale a passi lesti, e girando liberamente per i corridoi e pei dormitori, non si direbbe mai che son quegli sventurati che sono. yet|poor|boys|when|one enters|for|the|first|time|in the Institute|of the|blind|during|the|recreation|to|to hear them||violins|and|flutes|from|all|the|sides|and|to talk|loudly|and|to laugh|going up|and|going down|the|stairs|at|steps|quick|and|turning|freely|through|the|hallways|and|the|dormitories|not|one|one would say|ever|that|they are|those|unfortunate|who|they are And yet... poor boys, when one enters the Institute for the Blind for the first time, during recreation, hearing them play violins and flutes from all sides, and speak loudly and laugh, going up and down the stairs with quick steps, and freely wandering through the corridors and dormitories, one would never say that they are those unfortunate ones. Bisogna osservarli bene. one must|to observe them|well One must observe them closely. C’è dei giovani di sedici o diciott’anni, robusti e allegri, che portano la cecità con una certa disinvoltura, con una certa baldanza quasi; ma si capisce dall’espressione risentita e fiera dei visi, che debbono aver sofferto tremendamente prima di rassegnarsi a quella sventura. there is|some|young people|of|sixteen|or||strong|and|cheerful|who|they carry|the|blindness|with|a|certain|nonchalance||||boldness|almost|but|one|understands|from the expression|resentful||proud|of the|faces|that|they must|to have|suffered|tremendously|before|to|to resign|to|that|misfortune There are young people of sixteen or eighteen years, strong and cheerful, who carry their blindness with a certain nonchalance, with a certain boldness almost; but it is clear from the resentful and proud expression on their faces that they must have suffered tremendously before resigning themselves to that misfortune. Ce n’è altri, dei visi pallidi e dolci, in cui si vede una grande rassegnazione; ma triste, e si capisce che qualche volta, in segreto, debbono piangere ancora. there|there is|others|of the|faces|pale|and|sweet|in|in which|one|sees|a|great|resignation|but|sad||one|understands|that|some|times|in|secret|they must|to cry|still There are others, with pale and sweet faces, in which a great resignation can be seen; but sad, and it is understood that sometimes, in secret, they must still cry. Ah! Ah! figliuoli miei. sons|my my children. Pensate che alcuni di essi hanno perduto la vista in pochi giorni, che altri l’han perduta dopo anni di martirio, e molte operazioni chirurgiche terribili, e che molti son nati così, nati in una notte che non ebbe mai alba per loro, entrati nel mondo come in una tomba immensa, e che non sanno come sia fatto il volto umano! think|that|some|of|they|they have|lost|the|sight|in|few|days|that||||||||and||||||that||||||||||not|||||||||how||||||||||it is|made|the|face|human Think that some of them lost their sight in just a few days, that others lost it after years of torment, and many were born this way, born in a night that never had dawn for them, entering the world as if into an immense tomb, and they do not know what the human face looks like! Immaginate quanto debbono aver sofferto e quanto debbono soffrire quando pensano così, confusamente, alla differenza tremenda che passa fra loro e quelli che ci vedono, e domandano a sé medesimi: - Perché questa differenza se non abbiamo alcuna colpa? imagine|how much|they must|to have|suffered|and|||to suffer|when|they think|like this|confusedly|to the|difference|terrible|that|passes|between|them|and|those|who|us|they see|and|they ask|to|themselves|same|Why|this|difference|if|not|we have|any|blame Imagine how much they must have suffered and how much they must suffer when they think, confusedly, about the tremendous difference that exists between them and those who can see, and they ask themselves: - Why this difference if we have no fault? - Io che son stato vari anni fra loro, quando mi ricordo quella classe, tutti quegli occhi suggellati per sempre, tutte quelle pupille senza sguardo e senza vita, e poi guardo voi altri... mi pare impossibile che non siate tutti felici. I|who|I am|been|several|years|among|them|when|I|I remember|that|class|all|those|eyes|sealed|for|always|all||pupils|without|look|and||||then|I look|you|others|it|it seems|impossible|that|not|you are|all|happy - I, who have been among them for several years, when I remember that class, all those eyes sealed forever, all those pupils without gaze and without life, and then I look at you all... it seems impossible to me that you are not all happy. Pensate: ci sono circa ventisei mila ciechi in Italia! Think|there|there are|about|sixteen|thousand|blind|in|Italy Think: there are about twenty-six thousand blind people in Italy! Ventisei mila persone che non vedono luce, capite; un esercito che c’impiegherebbe quattro ore a sfilare sotto le nostre finestre! twenty-six|thousand|people|who|not|they see|light|understand|a|army||it would take us|four|hours|to|to parade|under|the|our|windows Twenty-six thousand people who do not see light, you understand; an army that would take us four hours to pass under our windows! Il maestro tacque; non si sentiva un alito nella scuola. the|teacher|he was silent|not|one|he heard|a|breath|in the|school The teacher fell silent; not a breath could be heard in the school. Derossi domandò se era vero che i ciechi hanno il tatto più fino di noi. Derossi|he asked|if|it was|true|that|the|blind|they have|the||more|fine|than|us Derossi asked if it was true that the blind have a finer sense of touch than we do. Il maestro disse: - È vero. the|teacher|he said|it is|true The teacher said: - It's true. Tutti gli altri sensi si raffinano in loro, appunto perché, dovendo supplire fra tutti a quello della vista, sono più e meglio esercitati di quello che non siano da chi ci vede. all|the|others|senses|they|refine|in|them|precisely|because|having to|to supplement|among|all|to|that|of the|sight|they are|more|and|better|exercised|than|that|who|not|they are|by|who|us|sees All the other senses refine in them, precisely because, having to compensate for the sense of sight, they are exercised more and better than those who can see. La mattina, nei dormitori, l’uno domanda all’altro: - C’è il sole? the|morning|in the|dormitories|one|asks|the other|Is there|the|sun In the morning, in the dormitories, one asks the other: - Is the sun out? - e chi è più lesto a vestirsi scappa subito nel cortile ad agitar le mani per aria, per sentire se c’è il tepore del sole, e corre a dar la buona notizia: - C’è il sole! and|who|he is|more|quick|to|to dress|he runs away|immediately|in the|courtyard|to|to wave|the|hands|to|air||to feel|if|there is|the|||sun|||||||||| - and whoever is quickest to get dressed immediately runs to the courtyard to wave their hands in the air, to feel if there is warmth from the sun, and rushes to give the good news: - The sun is out! - Dalla voce d’una persona si fanno un’idea della statura; noi giudichiamo l’animo d’un uomo dall’occhio, essi dalla voce; ricordano le intonazioni e gli accenti per anni. from the|voice|of a|person|one|they make||of the|stature|we|we judge|the soul|of a|man|from the eye|they|||they remember|the|intonations|and|the|accents|for|years - From a person's voice, they form an idea of their stature; we judge a man's spirit by his eyes, they by his voice; they remember intonations and accents for years. S’accorgono se in una stanza c’è più d’una persona, anche se una sola parla, e le altre restano immobili. they notice|if|in|a|room|there is|more|than one|person|also|if|a|alone|she speaks||the|others|they remain|still They notice if there is more than one person in a room, even if only one is speaking, and the others remain still. Al tatto s’accorgono se un cucchiaio è poco o molto pulito. At the|touch|they notice|if|a|spoon|it is|not much|or|very|clean By touch, they can tell if a spoon is slightly or very clean. Le bimbe distinguono la lana tinta da quella di color naturale. the|girls|they distinguish|the|wool|dye|from|that|of|color|natural The girls can distinguish dyed wool from natural-colored wool. Passando a due a due per le strade, riconoscono quasi tutte le botteghe all’odore, anche quelle in cui noi non sentiamo odori. passing|at|two|at|two|through|the|streets|they recognize|almost|all|the|shops|by the smell|even|those|where|which|we||we smell|smells Walking two by two down the streets, they can recognize almost all the shops by smell, even those where we do not detect any odors. Tirano la trottola, e a sentire il ronzìo che fa girando, vanno diritti a pigliarla senza sbagliare. they pull|the|top|and|to|to hear|the|hum|that|it makes|spinning|they go|straight|to|to catch it|without|to miss They spin the top, and by hearing the buzzing it makes while spinning, they go straight to pick it up without missing. Fanno correre il cerchio, giocano ai birilli, saltano con la funicella, fabbricano casette coi sassi, colgono le viole come se le vedessero, fanno stuoie e canestrini intrecciando paglia di vari colori, speditamente e bene; tanto hanno il tatto esercitato! they do|to run|the|circle|they play|to the|pins|they jump|with|the|string|they build|little houses|with the|stones|they pick|the|violets|as|if|the|they saw|they make|mats|and|||||||||well|so much|they have|the||trained They run the hoop, play ninepins, jump with the skipping rope, make little houses with stones, pick violets as if they could see them, make mats and small baskets by weaving straw of various colors, quickly and well; they have their sense of touch well trained! Il tatto è la loro vista, è uno dei più grandi piaceri per loro quello di toccare, di stringere, d’indovinare la forma delle cose tastandole. the|touch|it is||their|vision||one|of the|more|greatest|pleasures|for||that|to|to touch||to squeeze|to guess||shape|of the|things|by feeling them Touch is their sight, one of their greatest pleasures is to touch, to grasp, to guess the shape of things by feeling them. È commovente vederli, quando li conducono al museo industriale, dove li lascian toccare quello che vogliono, veder con che festa si gettano sui corpi geometrici, sui modellini di case, sugli strumenti, con che gioia palpano, stropicciano, rivoltano fra le mani tutte le cose, per vedere come son fatte. it is|touching|to see them|when|them|they lead|to the|museum|industrial|where||they let|to touch|what|that|they want|to see|with|that|celebration|they|they throw|on the|bodies|geometric|on the|miniature|of|houses|on the|tools|with|that|joy|they feel|they crumple|they turn over|between|the|hands|all|the|things|to|to see|how|they are|made It is moving to see them when they are taken to the industrial museum, where they are allowed to touch whatever they want, to see how joyfully they throw themselves onto geometric shapes, model houses, tools, how happily they feel, rub, and turn all the objects in their hands to see how they are made. Essi dicono vedere ! they|they say|to see They say they see! Garoffi interruppe il maestro per domandargli se era vero che i ragazzi ciechi imparano a far di conto meglio degli altri. Garoffi|interrupted|the|teacher|to|to ask him|if|it was|true|that|the|boys|blind|they learn|to|to do|of|account|better|than the|others Garoffi interrupted the teacher to ask him if it was true that blind children learn to do arithmetic better than others. Il maestro rispose: - È vero. the|teacher|he answered|it is|true The teacher replied: - It's true. Imparano a far di conto e a leggere. they learn|to|to do|of|accounting|and|to|to read They learn to do arithmetic and to read. Hanno dei libri fatti apposta, coi caratteri rilevati; ci passano le dita sopra, riconoscon le lettere, e dicon le parole; leggono corrente. they have|some|books|made|for this purpose|with the|characters|raised|they|they pass|the|fingers|on top|they recognize|the|letters|and|they say|the|words|they read|fluently They have special books, with raised letters; they run their fingers over them, recognize the letters, and say the words; they read fluently. E bisogna vedere, poveretti, come arrossiscono quando commettono uno sbaglio. and|it is necessary|to see|poor things|how|they blush|when|they commit|a|mistake And you should see, poor things, how they blush when they make a mistake. E scrivono pure, senza inchiostro. and|they write|also|without|ink And they also write, without ink. Scrivono sur una carta spessa e dura con un punteruolo di metallo che fa tanti punticini incavati e aggrappati secondo un alfabeto speciale; i quali punticini riescono in rilievo sul rovescio della carta per modo che voltando il foglio e strisciando le dita su quei rilievi, essi possono leggere quello che hanno scritto, ed anche la scrittura d’altri, e così fanno delle composizioni, e si scrivono delle lettere fra loro. they write|on|a|paper|thick|and|hard|with|a|stylus|of|metal|which|it makes|many|dots|depressed|and|attached|according to|an|alphabet|special|the|which|dots|they succeed|in|relief|on the|reverse|of the|paper|so that|way|that|turning|the|sheet|and|sliding|the|fingers|on|those|reliefs|they|they can|to read|what|that|they have|written|and|also|the|writing|of others|and|so|they make|some|compositions|and|she|they write|some|letters|between|them They write on thick and hard paper with a metal stylus that makes many small indented dots arranged according to a special alphabet; these dots protrude on the back of the paper so that by turning the sheet and running their fingers over those raised points, they can read what they have written, as well as the writing of others, and thus they create compositions and write letters to each other. Nella stessa maniera scrivono i numeri e fanno i calcoli. in the|same|way|they write|the|numbers|and|they do|the|calculations In the same way, they write numbers and do calculations. E calcolano a mente con una facilità incredibile, non essendo divagati dalla vista delle cose, come siamo noi. and|they calculate|at|mind|with|a|ease|incredible|not|being|distracted|by the|view|of the|things|like|we are|us And they calculate mentally with incredible ease, not being distracted by the sight of things, as we are. E se vedeste come sono appassionati per sentir leggere, come stanno attenti, come ricordano tutto, come discutono fra loro, anche i piccoli, di cose di storia e di lingua, seduti quattro o cinque sulla stessa panca, senza voltarsi l’un verso l’altro, e conversando il primo col terzo, il secondo col quarto, ad alta voce e tutti insieme, senza perdere una sola parola, da tanto che han l’orecchio acuto e pronto! and|if|you saw|how|they are|passionate|to|to hear|to read||they are|attentive||they remember|everything||they discuss|between|them|also|the|small|of|things||history|||language|sitting|four|or|five|on|same|bench|without|to turn|one|towards|the other||conversing||first|with|third||second||fourth|at|high|voice||all|together||to lose|a|single|word|by|so much|that|they have|the ear|sharp||ready And if you could see how passionate they are about listening to reading, how attentive they are, how they remember everything, how they discuss among themselves, even the little ones, about history and language, sitting four or five on the same bench, without turning to each other, and conversing the first with the third, the second with the fourth, out loud and all together, without missing a single word, because they have such sharp and ready ears! E danno più importanza di voi altri agli esami, ve lo assicuro, e s’affezionano di più ai loro maestri. and|they give|more|importance|than|you|others|to the|exams|to you|it|I assure|and|they become attached|to|more|to the|their|teachers And they place more importance on exams than you do, I assure you, and they become more attached to their teachers. Riconoscono il maestro al passo e all’odore; s’accorgono se è di buono o cattivo umore, se sta bene o male, nient’altro che dal suono d’una sua parola; vogliono che il maestro li tocchi, quando gli incoraggia e li loda, e gli palpan le mani e le braccia per esprimergli la loro gratitudine. they recognize|the|master|at the|step|and|by the smell|they notice|if|he is|of|good|or|bad|mood||he is|well|or|bad|nothing else|that|by the|sound|of a|his|word|they want|that|the|master|them|he touches|when|to him|he encourages|and|them|he praises|and|to him|they feel|the|hands|and|the|arms|to|to express to him|the|their|gratitude They recognize the teacher by his gait and smell; they notice if he is in a good or bad mood, if he is well or unwell, nothing more than by the sound of his word; they want the teacher to touch them when he encourages and praises them, and they feel his hands and arms to express their gratitude. E si voglion bene anche fra loro, sono buoni compagni. and|they|they want|well|also|between|them|they are|good|companions And they care for each other as well, they are good companions. Nel tempo della ricreazione sono quasi sempre insieme quei soliti. In the|time|of the|recreation|they are|almost|always|together|those|usual During recess, those usual ones are almost always together. Nella sezione delle ragazze, per esempio, formano tanti gruppi, secondo lo strumento che suonano, le violiniste, le pianiste, le suonatrici di flauto, e non si scompagnano mai. In the|section|of the|girls|for|example|they form|many|groups|according to|the|instrument|that|they play|the|violinists||pianists||players|of|flute|and|not|she|they separate|ever In the girls' section, for example, they form many groups, according to the instrument they play, the violinists, the pianists, the flutists, and they never separate. Quando hanno posto affetto a uno, è difficile che se ne stacchino. when|they have|placed|affection|to|one|it is|difficult|that|they|it|they detach When they have affection for someone, it is difficult for them to detach from him. Trovano un gran conforto nell’amicizia. they find|a|great|comfort|in friendship They find great comfort in friendship. Si giudicano rettamente, fra loro. one|they judge|correctly|among|them They judge each other rightly. Hanno un concetto chiaro e profondo del bene e del male. they have|a|concept|clear|and|deep|of the|good|||evil They have a clear and deep concept of good and evil. Nessuno s’esalta come loro al racconto d’un’azione generosa o d’un fatto grande. no one|gets excited|like|them|at the|story||generous|or|of a|fact|great No one gets as excited as they do at the telling of a generous act or a great deed. Votini domandò se suonano bene. Votini|he asked|if|they play|well Votini asked if they play well. - Amano la musica ardentemente, - rispose il maestro. they love|the|music|ardently|he replied|the|master - They love music passionately, - replied the teacher. - È la loro gioia, è la loro vita la musica. it is|the|their|joy||||life||music - It is their joy, it is their life, music. Dei ciechi bambini, appena entrati nell’Istituto, son capaci di star tre ore immobili in piedi a sentir sonare. of the|blind|children|just|entered|in the Institute|they are|able|to|to stand|three|hours|still|standing|feet|to|to hear|to sound Blind children, just entered the Institute, are capable of standing still for three hours to listen to music. Imparano facilmente, suonano con passione. they learn|easily|they play|with|passion They learn easily, they play with passion. Quando il maestro dice a uno che non ha disposizione alla musica, quegli ne prova un grande dolore, ma si mette a studiare disperatamente. when|the|teacher|he says|to|one|who|not|he has|aptitude|to the|music|he|of it|he feels|a|great|pain|but|he|he starts|to|to study|desperately When the teacher tells someone who has no aptitude for music, they feel great pain, but they start studying desperately. Ah! Ah Ah! se udiste la musica là dentro se li vedeste quando suonano colla fronte alta col sorriso sulle labbra, accesi nel viso, tremanti dalla commozione, estatici quasi ad ascoltar quell’armonia che rispandono nell’oscurità infinita che li circonda, come sentireste che è una consolazione divina la musica! if||the|music|there|inside|if|them|you saw|when|they play|with the|forehead|high|with|smile|on the|lips|lit|in the|face|trembling|from the|emotion|ecstatic|almost|to|to listen||that|they spread||infinite|that|them|surrounds|like|you would feel|that|it is|a|consolation|divine|the|music If you heard the music in there, if you saw them when they play with their heads held high, smiles on their lips, glowing in their faces, trembling with emotion, almost ecstatic listening to that harmony they spread in the infinite darkness surrounding them, how would you feel that music is a divine consolation! E giubilano, brillano di felicità quando un maestro dice loro: - Tu diventerai un artista. and|they rejoice|they shine|of|happiness|when|a|teacher|he says|to them|you|you will become|a|artist And they rejoice, they shine with happiness when a master tells them: - You will become an artist. - Per essi il primo nella musica, quello che riesce meglio di tutti al pianoforte o al violino, è come un re; lo amano, lo venerano. for|they|the|first|in the|music|the one|who|he succeeds|better|than|everyone|at the|piano|or|at the|violin|he is|like|a|king|him|they love|him|they venerate For them, the best in music, the one who excels at the piano or violin, is like a king; they love him, they worship him. Se nasce un litigio fra due di loro, vanno da lui; se due amici si guastano, è lui che li riconcilia. if|born|a|dispute|between|two|of|them|they go|to|him|if|two|friends|they|they spoil|he is|him|who|them|he reconciles If a quarrel arises between two of them, they go to him; if two friends fall out, it is he who reconciles them. I più piccini, a cui egli insegna a sonare, lo tengono come un padre. the|most|youngest|to|whom|he|teaches|to|to play|him|they hold|as|a|father The little ones, to whom he teaches to play, regard him as a father. Prima d’andare a dormire, vanno tutti a dargli la buona notte. Before|to go|to|to sleep|they go|everyone|to|to give him|the|good|night Before going to bed, they all go to wish him good night. E parlano continuamente di musica. and|they talk|continuously|about|music And they constantly talk about music. Sono già a letto, la sera tardi, quasi tutti stanchi dallo studio e dal lavoro, e mezzo insonniti; e ancora discorrono a bassa voce di opere, di maestri, di strumenti, d’orchestre. I am|already|at|bed|the|evening|late|almost|everyone|tired|from the|study|and|from the|work||half|sleepy||still|they talk|at|low|voice|of|works||masters||tools| They are already in bed, late at night, almost all tired from studying and working, and half asleep; and they still quietly discuss operas, masters, instruments, and orchestras. Ed è un castigo così grande per essi l’esser privati della lettura o della lezione di musica, ne soffrono tanto dolore, che non s’ha quasi mai il coraggio di castigarli in quel modo. And|it is|a|punishment|so|big|for|they|the being|deprived|of the|reading|or||lesson|of|music|they|they suffer|much|pain|that|not|one has|almost|ever|the|courage|to|to punish them|in|that|way And it is such a great punishment for them to be deprived of reading or music lessons, they suffer so much pain from it, that one hardly ever has the courage to punish them in that way. Quello che la luce è per i nostri occhi, la musica è per il loro cuore. that|which|the|light|it is|for|our|our|eyes||music||||their|heart What light is to our eyes, music is to their heart. Derossi domandò se non si poteva andarli a vedere. Derossi|he asked|if|not|one|he could|to go to see them|to|to see Derossi asked if they could go see them. - Si può, - rispose il maestro; - ma voi, ragazzi, non ci dovete andare per ora. it|can|he answered|the|teacher|but|you|boys|not|there|you must|to go|for|now - You can, - replied the teacher; - but you, boys, must not go there for now. Ci andrete più tardi, quando sarete in grado di capire tutta la grandezza di quella sventura, e di sentire tutta la pietà che essa merita. we|you will go|more|later|when|you will be|to|able|to|to understand|all|the|greatness|of|that|misfortune|and||to feel|||compassion|that|it|deserves You will go later, when you are able to understand the full magnitude of that misfortune, and to feel all the pity it deserves. È uno spettacolo triste, figliuoli. it is|a|show|sad|children It is a sad spectacle, children. Voi vedete là qualche volta dei ragazzi seduti di contro a una finestra spalancata, a godere l’aria fresca, col viso immobile, che par che guardino la grande pianura verde e le belle montagne azzurre che vedete voi...; e a pensare che non vedon nulla, che non vedranno mai nulla di tutta quella immensa bellezza, vi si stringe l’anima come se fossero diventati ciechi in quel punto. you|you see|there|some|times|of the|boys|sitting|against|against|to|a|window|open|to|to enjoy|the air|fresh|with the|face|still|that|it seems|that|they look|the|big|plain|green|and|||||that||||||that|not||nothing||||||of|all|that|immense|beauty|to you|it|clenches|soul|as|if|they were|become|blind|in|that|point You see sometimes some boys sitting against an open window, enjoying the fresh air, with their faces motionless, as if they are looking at the great green plain and the beautiful blue mountains that you see...; and thinking that they see nothing, that they will never see any of that immense beauty, it tightens your soul as if they had become blind at that moment. E ancora i ciechi nati, che non avendo mai visto il mondo, non rimpiangono nulla, perché hanno l’immagine d’alcuna cosa, fanno meno compassione. and|still|the|blind|born|who|not|having|ever|seen|the|world||they regret|nothing|because|they have|the image|of any|thing|they make|less|compassion And then there are the born blind, who having never seen the world, do not regret anything, because they have no image of anything, they evoke less compassion. Ma c’è dei ragazzi ciechi da pochi mesi, che si ricordano ancora di tutto, che comprendono bene tutto quello che han perduto, e questi hanno di più il dolore di sentirsi oscurare nella mente, un poco ogni giorno, le immagini più care, di sentirsi come morire nella memoria le persone più amate. but|there is|some|boys|blind|for|few|months|who|they|they remember|still|of|everything||they understand|well||that||they have|lost|and|these|they have|of|more|the|pain|to|to feel|to darken|in the|mind|a|a little|every|day|the|images|most|||||||||||beloved But there are boys who have been blind for only a few months, who still remember everything, who understand well everything they have lost, and these feel more the pain of seeing the most cherished images darken in their minds, a little every day, feeling as if they are dying in memory of the most beloved people. Uno di questi ragazzi mi diceva un giorno con una tristezza inesprimibile: - Vorrei ancora aver la vista d’una volta, appena un momento, per rivedere il viso della mamma, che non lo ricordo più - E quando la mamma va a trovarli, le mettono le mani sul viso, la toccano bene dalla fronte al mento e alle orecchie, per sentir com’è fatta, e quasi non si persuadono di non poterla vedere, e la chiamano per nome molte volte come per pregarla che si lasci, che si faccia vedere una volta. one|of|these|boys|to me|he was saying|a|day|with|a|sadness|unspeakable|I would like|still|to have|the|vision|of one|once|just||moment|to|to see again||face|of the|mom|that|not|it|I remember|more|And|when|||she goes|to|to find them|to her|they put||hands|on the||||well|from the|forehead|to the|chin|||ears|to|to feel|how it is|made||almost||to|||||to see||||||||||||||||||a|once One of these boys told me one day with an unspeakable sadness: - I would like to have the sight of once again, just for a moment, to see my mother's face, which I no longer remember - And when the mother goes to visit them, they put their hands on her face, they touch her well from forehead to chin and to ears, to feel what she is like, and they almost cannot convince themselves that they cannot see her, and they call her by name many times as if to beg her to show herself, to let herself be seen just once. Quanti escono di là piangendo, anche uomini di cuor duro! how many|they go out|of|there|crying|also|men|of|heart|hard How many come out of there crying, even hard-hearted men! E quando s’esce, ci pare un’eccezione la nostra, un privilegio quasi non meritato di veder la gente, le case, il cielo. and|when|one goes out|to us|it seems||the|our|one|privilege|almost|not|earned|to|to see|the|people|the|houses|the|sky And when we go out, it seems to us an exception, a privilege almost undeserved to see the people, the houses, the sky. Oh! Oh! non c’è nessuno di voi, ne son certo, che uscendo di là non sarebbe disposto a privarsi d’un po' della propria vista per darne un barlume almeno a tutti quei poveri fanciulli, per i quali il sole non ha luce e la madre non ha viso! not|there is|anyone|of|you|not even|I am|certain|who|going out|of|there|not|would be|ready|to|to deprive oneself|of a|a little|of the|own|sight|to|to give it|a|glimmer|at least|to|all|those|poor|children|for|the|whom|the|sun|not|has|light||the|mother||has|face There is no one among you, I am sure, who upon leaving there would not be willing to deprive themselves of a bit of their own sight to at least give a glimmer to all those poor children, for whom the sun has no light and the mother has no face!