thither I knew not, nor could in the least imagine. But after innumerable fluttering thoughts, like a man perfectly confused and out of myself, I came home to my fortification, not feeling, as we say, the ground I went on, but terrified to the last degree, looking behind me at every two or three steps, mistaking every bush and tree, and fancying every stump at a distance to be a man. Nor is it possible to describe how many shapes affrighted imagination represented things to me in (1); how many wild ideas were every moment in my fancy, and what strange unaccountable whimsies came into my thoughts by the way.

When I came to my castle, for so I think I called it ever after this, I fled into it like one pursued. Whether I went over by the ladder at first contrived, or went in at the hole in the rock which I called a door, I cannot remember; no, nor could I remember the next morning; for never frighted hare fled to cover, or fox to earth, with more terror of mind than I to this retreat.

How strange a chequer-work (2) of Providence is the life of man and by what secret differing springs are the affections hurried about as differing circumstances present! (3) To-day we love what to-morrow we hate; to-day we seek what to-morrow we shun; to-day we desire what to-morrow we fear, nay, even tremble at the apprehensions of (4); this was exemplified in me, at this time, in the most lively manner imaginable; for I, whose only affliction was that I seemed banished from human society, was ready to sink into the ground at but the shadow or silent appearance of a man's having set his foot in the island.

(1) Ordina: in how many shapes affrighted imagination represented things to me, cioè: in quante forme la mia sgomenta fantasia mi rappresentava le cose.

(2) Scritto anche checker-work. significa tarsia.

(3) Traduci e da quali arcane e differenti molle scattano fuori in ressa i moti del nostro animo secondo che si presenta questa o quella contingenza. To present è qui per eccezione usato intransitivamente perchè di solito è transitivo.

(4) Traduci: e di cui anzi basterà il sospetto per farci tremare.

Crusoe descrive un terremoto,

:

?

The very next day after this wall (1) was finished, I had almost had (2) all my labour overthrown at once, and myself killed. The case was thus: As I was busy in the inside of it, behind my tent, just at the entrance into my cave, I was terribly frighted with a most dreadful surprising thing indeed; for, all on a sudden I found the earth come crumbling (3) down from the roof of my cave, and from the edge of the hill over my head, and two of the posts I had set up in the cave cracked in a frightful manner. I was heartily seared; but thought nothing of what was really the cause (4), only thinking that the top of my cave was falling in, as some of it had done before and for fear I should be buried in it, I ran forward to my ladder, and not thinking myself safe there neither, I got over my wall for fear of the pieces of the hill which I expected might roll down upon me. I was no sooner stepped down upon the firm ground, but I' plainly saw it was a terrible earthquake: for the ground I stood on shook three times at about eight minutes distance, with three such shocks as would have overturned the strongest building that could be supposed to have stood on the earth; and a great piece of the top of a rock, which stood about half a mile from me, next the sea, fell down, with such a terrible noise as I never heard in all my life. I perceived also the very sea was put into violent motion by it; and I believe the shocks were stronger under the water than on the island.

I was so much amazed with the thing itself, having never felt the like, nor discoursed with any one that had, that I

(1) Allude al muro che con gran fatica e stento aveva costruito intorno alla sua caverna.

(2) Parafrasa: poco mancò che non vedessi distrutta d'un tratto ogni mia fatica e restassi io stesso ucciso.

(3) To crumble significa cader giù in pezzetti o frantumi. Traduci quindi: perchè, improvvisamente, m'accorsi che dei pezzetti di terra cascavano giù dalla volta della caverna е dall'orlo del colle sovra

stante.

(4) Cioė: ma non pensai nè punto nè poco alla vera causa.

was like one dead or stupified; and the motion of the earth made my stomach sick, like one that was tossed at sea; but the noise of the falling of the rock awaked me, as it were, and rousing me from the stupified condition I was in, filled me with horror, and I thought of nothing then but the hill falling upon my tent and all my household goods, and burying all at once; and this sunk my very soul within me a second time.

After the third shock was over, and I felt no more for some time, I began to take courage (1); and yet I had not heart enough to go over my wall again, for fear of being buried alive, but sat still upon the ground greatly cast down, and disconsolate, not knowing what to do. All this while, I had not the least serious religious thought; nothing but the common Lord, have mercy upon me! and when it was over, that went away too (2).

While I sat thus, I found the air overcast, and grow cloudy, as if it would rain; soon after that the wind rose by little and little, so that in less than half an hour it blew a most dreadful hurricane: the sea was, all on a sudden, covered over with foam and froth (3); the shore was covered with the breach of the water; the trees were torn up by the roots; and a terrible storm it was. This held (4) about three hours, and then began to abate; and in two hours more it was stark calm, and then began to rain very hard. All this while I sat upon the ground, very much terrified and dejected; when on a sudden it came into my thoughts, that these

(1) Traduci passata la terza scossa, e non avvertendone per un pezzo nessun'altra, cominciai a riprendere coraggio.

(2) CRUSOE accenna al sentimento religioso debole in lui da principio e che solo lunghi anni di solitudine e di meditazione dovevano sviluppare e rafforzare: « durante tutto questo tempo non ebbi il minimo pensiero religioso che potesse dirsi veramente serio: ripetevo soltanto la solita frase: Signore abbi pietà di me, e quando il pericolo fu passato, anche quella dileguò ».

(3) Tra foam e froth qui non c'è differenza di significato; traduci quindi: il mare in un subito si copri tutto di spuma e la spiaggia di acqua franta e schiumosa. La parola breach designa appunto il rompersi dei flutti sugli scogli e la costa sì che poi l'acqua si spande bianca e effer

vescente.

(4) To hold ha qui il significato di resistere, tener duro, durare.

winds and rain being the consequences of the earthquake, the earthquake itself was spent and over, and I might venture into my cave again.

Tutto quello che occorre per produrre
un pezzo di pane.

It is a little wonderful, and what believe few people have thought much upon, viz. the strange multitude of little things necessary in the providing, producing, curing, dressing, making, and finishing this one article of bread (1).

I, that was reduced to a mere state of nature, found this (2) to my daily discouragement, and was made more sensible of it every hour, even after I had got the first handful of seed-corn, which, as I have said, came up unexpectedly, and indeed to a surprise.

First, I had no plough to turn up the earth, no spade or shovel to dig it. Well, this I conquered by making a wooden spade, as I observed before, but this did my work but in a wooden manner (3), and though it cost me a great many days to make it, yet, for want of iron, it not only wore out the sooner, but made my work the harder, and made it be performed much worse. However, this I bore with (4), and was content to work it out with patience, and bear with

(1) È istruttivo vedere come questo periodo tradotto letteralmente in italiano, suoni mostruoso: « è un po' maraviglioso ed è ciò su cui credo poca gente ha pensato molto, cioè la strana moltitudine di piccole cose occorrenti a preparare, produrre, curare, vagliare, confezionare e finire questo unico articolo del pane ». Eppure, il primo lavoro di chi traduce deve essere sempre quello di sostituire esattamente parola a parola, dall'informe versione capire bene il senso e finalmente trovare nella propria lingua l'espressione equivalente chiara e spigliata. Ecco dunque come si potrebbe rendere italianamente quel periodo: «sa di maraviglioso, ed è un fatto sul quale pochi a parer mio hanno ben riflettuto, cioè quante mai piccole cose occorrano a preparare, produrre, curare, purificare, confezionare e finire una semplice pagnotta ».

(2) Cioè: toccai questo con mano con mio. ...

(3) Cioè: essa vanga di legno compiva il lavoro come può compierlo del legno.

(4) To bear with significa sopportare, pazientare. Si può tradurre: tuttavia, feci di necessità virtù.

Letture inglesi.

the badness of the performance. When the corn was sown, I had no harrow, but was forced to go over it myself, and drag a great heavy bough of a tree over it, to scratch it, as it may be called, rather than rake or harrow it. When it was growing and grown, I have observed already how many things I wanted to fence it, secure it, mow or reap it, cure and carry it home, thrash, part it from the chaff, and save it. Then I wanted a mill to grind it, sieves to dress it, yeast and salt to make it into bread, and an oven to bake it, and yet all these things I did without, as shall be observed.

I cannibali e come Crusoe li giudica (1).

When I was come down the hill to the shore, as I said above, being the S. W. point of the island, I was perfectly confounded and amazed; nor is it possible for me to express the horror of my mind, at seeing the shore spread with skulls, hands, feet, and other bones of human bodies; and particularly, I observed a place where there had been a fire made, and a circle dug in the earth, like a cock-pit (2), where it is supposed the savage wretches had sat down to their inhuman feastings upon the bodies of their fellow creatures.

I was so astonished with the sight of these things, that I entertained no notions of any danger to myself from it for a long while: all my apprehensions were buried in the thoughts of such a pitch of inhuman, hellish brutality, and the horror of the degeneracy of human nature, which, though. I had heard of often, yet never had so near a view of before (3): in short, I turned away my face from the horrid spectacle; my stomach grew sick (4), and I was just at the point of

(1) L' A. tocca qui una gravissima questione etica, quella cioè della irresponsabilità dell' uomo nato ed elevato in ambienti privi di senso morale. Non senza ragione dicevamo che il ROBINSON CRUSOE può essere letto con profitto non pure dai giovinetti, ma anche dagli adulti.

(2) Il recinto in cui si fanno azzuffare i galli per divertimento del. pubblico si chiama ckocpit. I combattimenti dei galli erano per gl' inglesi quello che ancora sono per gli spagnuoli le corride dei tori.

(3) Traduci: della quale sebbene avessi sovente udito parlare, non ne avevo tuttavia mai avuto prima una prova visiva tanto prossima. (4) Cioè: fui preso da un travaglio di stomaco.