Walt Whitman
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- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
- Member Type
- English Teacher
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- Italian
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- Italy
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- Italy
Source: from Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (chapter 10)
Context: Heathcliff has been staying at Wuthering Heights since his return after three years’ absence. This is astonishing because everybody knows that Heathcliff has hated Hindley, the owner of the Heights, since their childhood. The truth is that Heathcliff, now filthy rich, is planning to destroy Hindley, who sits up all night gambling and losing. He, therefore, has to borrow money from his bitter enemy. It’s Joseph, the old servant at the Heights, who tells Ellen all this.
(a) He [Heathcliff] can bare his teeth in a laugh as well as anybody at a right devil’s jest. [...]
(b) While this is going on, he [Heathcliff] tells Dame Catherine [Hindley’s sister] how her father’s gold runs into his pockets, and her father’s son gallops down the Broad road, while he flies ahead to open the gates.
Joseph speaks Yorkshire dialect, which is not easy to understand, even for most English people. The above translation is taken from: “The Annotated Wuthering Heights”, edited by Janet Gezari, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2014.
I’m not sure if I understand the underlined parts correctly:
(a) I’m afraid I don’t understand this one, although it is a translation which tries to tone down Joseph's dialect.
(b) Hindley gallops down the (dishonest, unprincipled) wide road, while Heathcliff runs fast in front of him (happy) to open the gates (to hell).
Thanks a lot for your help.
WW
Context: Heathcliff has been staying at Wuthering Heights since his return after three years’ absence. This is astonishing because everybody knows that Heathcliff has hated Hindley, the owner of the Heights, since their childhood. The truth is that Heathcliff, now filthy rich, is planning to destroy Hindley, who sits up all night gambling and losing. He, therefore, has to borrow money from his bitter enemy. It’s Joseph, the old servant at the Heights, who tells Ellen all this.
(a) He [Heathcliff] can bare his teeth in a laugh as well as anybody at a right devil’s jest. [...]
(b) While this is going on, he [Heathcliff] tells Dame Catherine [Hindley’s sister] how her father’s gold runs into his pockets, and her father’s son gallops down the Broad road, while he flies ahead to open the gates.
Joseph speaks Yorkshire dialect, which is not easy to understand, even for most English people. The above translation is taken from: “The Annotated Wuthering Heights”, edited by Janet Gezari, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2014.
I’m not sure if I understand the underlined parts correctly:
(a) I’m afraid I don’t understand this one, although it is a translation which tries to tone down Joseph's dialect.
(b) Hindley gallops down the (dishonest, unprincipled) wide road, while Heathcliff runs fast in front of him (happy) to open the gates (to hell).
Thanks a lot for your help.
WW
