Italian · Intermediate
Adapted from The Tinderbox
A soldier finds a magical tinderbox that summons three powerful dogs.
Read and listen in Italian, with English alongside.
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Scene 1 · Intermediate
Un soldato tornava a casa dopo la guerra. Marciava lungo la strada principale con lo zaino sulle spalle e la spada al fianco, tenendo il passo: «Sinistra, destra; sinistra, destra».
A soldier was returning home after the war. He marched along the main road with his backpack on his shoulders and his sword at his side, keeping time: “Left, right; left, right.”
Lungo la strada ha incontrato una vecchia strega dall'aspetto spaventoso: il labbro inferiore le arrivava fino al petto. La strega si è fermata davanti a lui.
Along the road, he met an old witch with a frightening appearance: her lower lip reached down to her chest. The witch stopped in front of him.
«Buonasera, soldato. Hai una bella spada e un grande zaino: sei proprio un vero soldato! Per questo avrai tutto il denaro che desideri».
“Good evening, soldier. You have a fine sword and a big backpack: you’re a real soldier! For that, you’ll have all the money you want.”
«Grazie, vecchia strega», ha risposto lui.
“Thank you, old witch,” he replied.
La strega ha indicato un grande albero accanto a loro.
The witch pointed to a large tree beside them.
«Vedi quell'albero? Il tronco è completamente vuoto all'interno. Arrampicati fino in cima: troverai un'apertura da cui potrai scendere molto in profondità. Ti legherò una corda intorno al corpo, così, quando mi chiamerai, potrò tirarti fuori».
“Do you see that tree? The trunk is completely hollow inside. Climb to the top: you’ll find an opening you can climb down through, deep into the tree. I’ll tie a rope around your body so that when you call to me, I can pull you out.”
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