1984 di George Orwell
E jere une zornade di Avrîl, frede e lusinte. I orlois a batevin la une. Winston Smith, il barbuç striçât sul pet a frontâ un aiar vilan, al sbrissà vie di corse pes puartis di veri dai Apartaments de Vitorie, ancje se no avonde a la svelte di evitâ che un mulignel di polvar al jentràs dentri cun lui. Il coridôr d’ingrès al nulive di verzis lessadis e di tapêts vecjos e ruvinâts.
Insom, di une bande, un poster colorât, masse grant par jessi picjât dentri, al jere stât inclaudât tal mûr. Al pandeve une muse enorme, largje plui di un metri: la muse di un om di cirche cuarantecinc agns, cun mostacjis neris pesantis e trats ruvits ma biei. Winston s’invià pes scjalis. Inutil tentâ cul assensôr. Ancje tai dîs miôr al funzionave da râr, e cumò a vevin dutcâs taiade la curint dilunc il dì. Al faseve part dal progjet economic in preparazion de Setemane dal Odi.
L’apartament al jere siet plans plui sù, e Winston, che al veve trentenûf agns e une ulçare parsore de cjavile diestre, al lave sù planc, fermantsi dispès par polsâ. A ogni plan, juste di front de puarte dal assensôr, il poster cu la muse enorme al cjalave dal mûr. E jere une di chês imagjinis fatis in mût che i vôi ti vignissin daûr ogni volte che tu ti movevis. IL GRANT FRADI TI STA CJALANT, e diseve la scrite ch’e coreve sot.
Dentri tal apartament une vôs flautade e stave leint une liste di numars che a vevin di vê alc a ce fâ cu la produzion di ghise. La vôs e vignive fûr di une lungje plache di metal, une sorte di spieli opac, ch’e faseve part de parêt di diestre. Winston al zirà un cric e la vôs si sbassà un pôc, ancje se lis peraulis si podevin capî ancjemò ben. L’argagn (lu clamavin schermi televisîf) al podeve jessi sbassât, ma nol jere mût di distudâlu dal dut. [Traduzion di Luca De Clara. La Patrie dal Friûl: «Scomençâts par furlan»]
Understand the Friulian
une zornade di Avrîl, an April day; frêt e lusint, cold and bright; un orloi, clock; bati la une, to strike one; il barbuç, chin; striçât sul pet, nuzzled into one's breast; frontâ un aiar vilan, to confront a vile wind; sbrissâ vie, to slip away; di corse, quickly, runningly; pes puartis di veri, through the glass doors; i Apartaments de Vitorie, Victory Flats [Victory Mansions]; ancje se, though, even if; no avonde, not enough; a la svelte, quickly; evitâ, to avoid, to prevent; un mulignel di polvar, a swirl of dust; jentrâ dentri, to enter inside; evitâ che un mulignel di polvar al jentràs dentri cun lui, to prevent that a swirl of dust might enter with him; un coridôr, corridor, hallway; un ingrès, entrance; nulî di, to smell of; une verze, cabbage; lessât, boiled; un tapêt vecjo e ruvinât, an old and ruined mat.
insom, at the end; di une bande, on the one side; un poster colorât, a coloured poster; masse grant par jessi picjât dentri, too large to be hung inside; inclaudât tal mûr, nailed into the wall; pandi une muse enorme, to display an enormous face; larc plui di un metri, more than a metre wide; di un om, of a man; di cirche cuarantecinc agns, of about forty-five years {of age}; cun mostacjis neris pesantis, with a heavy black moustache; trats ruvits ma biei, rugged but handsome features; inviâsi pes scjalis, to make for the stairs; inutil tentâ, it was no use trying; un assensôr, lift; ancje tai dîs miôr, even on the best of days; funzionâ, to work, to operate; da râr, seldom; e cumò, and now; dutcâs, at any rate; taiâ la curint, to cut the current; dilunc il dì, during the day; fâ part dal progjet economic, to be part of the economic project; in preparazion di, in preparation for; la Setemane dal Odi, Hate Week.
un apartament, flat; siet plans plui sù, seven floors farther up; che al veve trentenûf agns, who was thirty-nine years old; une ulçare, ulcer; parsore de cjavile diestre, above the right ankle; lâ sù, to go up, to ascend; al lave sù planc, he ascended slowly; fermâsi, to stop {oneself}; fermantsi dispès par polsâ, stopping often to rest; a ogni plan, at each floor; juste di front de puarte dal assensôr, right in front of the door of the lift; enormi, enormous; il poster cu la muse enorme, poster with the enormous face; cjalâ dal mûr, to gaze from the wall; une di chês imagjinis, one of those images; fat in mût che, made in such a way that; un voli, eye; i vôi, eyes; vignîti daûr, to follow you; ogni volte che, whenever; movisi, to move about; il Grant Fradi ti sta cjalant, Big Brother is watching you; cjalâti, to watch you; dî, to say; une scrite, inscription, caption; cori sot, to run below.
dentri tal apartament, inside the flat; une vôs flautade, a fluted voice; lei, to read; une vôs e stave leint, a voice was reading; une liste di numars, a list of numbers; vê alc a ce fâ cun, to have something to do with; che a vevin di vê alc a ce fâ cun, that must have had something to do with; la produzion di ghise, the production of pig iron; vignî fûr di, to come out of; une lungje plache di metal, a long metal plaque; une sorte di, a sort of; un spieli opac, an opaque mirror; fâ part de parêt di diestre, to be part of the right-hand wall; zirâ un cric, to turn a switch; sbassâsi un pôc, to be lowered somewhat; ancje se, though, even if; une peraule, word; si podevin capî ancjemò ben, they could still be understood well; un argagn, device; lu clamavin, they called it [it was called]; un schermi televisîf, telescreen; sbassât, lowered; ma nol jere mût di, there was no way to; distudâ, to shut off; dal dut, completely.
Original version in English
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him. The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats.
At one end of it a coloured poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a metre wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week.
The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing, opposite the lift-shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran.
Inside the flat a fruity voice was reading out a list of figures which had something to do with the production of pig-iron. The voice came from an oblong metal plaque like a dulled mirror which formed part of the surface of the right-hand wall. Winston turned a switch and the voice sank somewhat, though the words were still distinguishable. The instrument (the telescreen, it was called) could be dimmed, but there was no way of shutting it off completely.
