Mar 1, 2009 12:31
15 yrs ago
3 viewers *
Italian term
United Kingdom
una stella cometa
Italian to English
Other
Cinema, Film, TV, Drama
other
We are talking about the Three Wise Men here and the star they are following. Is it the star of Bethlehem or a falling star? My doubt arises as the story begins with "una stella nel cielo" being followed by three wise men. It goes... "There is a new star in the sky tonight. Una stella cometa, che attraversa il cielo d’Israele.
Una stella cometa giunta da lontano...." I'm not sure whether to just call it a star or to be specific and say "It is the star of Bethlehem, travelling through the night sky above Israel...
TIA
Una stella cometa giunta da lontano...." I'm not sure whether to just call it a star or to be specific and say "It is the star of Bethlehem, travelling through the night sky above Israel...
TIA
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +1 | guiding star |
moranna (X)
|
| 4 +5 | a guiding light |
Barbara Toffolon (X)
|
| 4 +3 | comet |
Cedric Randolph
|
| 4 +1 | a shooting star |
Tom in London
|
| 3 | wandering star |
forli
|
References
| was the Star of Bethlehem Halley's comet? |
SJLD
|
Proposed translations
+1
3 hrs
Selected
guiding star
Well as far as I know the three Magi studied the heavens, they were kind of astronomers and they followed a guiding star (the star of Bethlehem, Christmas star)
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+3
10 mins
Cedric Randolph
Italy
Italy
Native in Italian
&
English
Works in field
Italy
Reliable, punctual and accurate
Native in: English (Variants: US, UK) 
, Italian
Works in: Italian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
12
comet
"stella" is a reference to any bright celestial object, it could be a planet or a bright star or a comet or a meteor. In this case, and from what I recall of the scientific research in the field, there was a comet that appeared at that time and place to the east, which was also considered an omen of sorts. Of course this is my opinion and not supported by authoritative sources here, and it is your choice as to whether or not to accept my considerations.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Helena Grahn
7 mins
|
|
THANKS
|
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| neutral |
Jim Tucker (X)
: Yes, this is perfectly correct of course, but in the asker's context of an ancient (and quasi-magical) tale you might want to go with something less scientific, like "shooting star."
26 mins
|
| agree |
Francesca Tondi
1 hr
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| agree |
Michael Korovkin
: Resolve the question (see neutral comment) by putting "The" in front of "comet". .. and ...what shooting star??!!T'was hanging there all the time the wise trio was shopping for gifts and bringing them over!
8 hrs
|
+1
31 mins
Tom in London
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Architecture, design, technical, etc.
Native in: English (Variant: British) 
Works in: Italian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
94
a shooting star
given the general, colloquial tone that can be discerned from the context you gave, this might fit in and "go with the flow".
1 hr
wandering star
a suggestion. The star of Bethlehem was obviously not exclusive to Bethlehem if thought about logically. Comets are often seen as portents due to the time between their appearances.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
AeC2009
: "Wandering star" was a them in the soundtrack of a nice western musical played by Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin
10 mins
|
+5
2 hrs
a guiding light
In this context the reference is to a period when common people knew very little about the difference between a star, a comet or a falling star.....but in their superstition they understood "a guiding light".... This is my contribution :-)
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Barbara Carrara
: Agree! Barbara
6 mins
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Thank you :)
|
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| agree |
SJLD
: yes - one can hardly be guided by a shooting star which remains for only seconds
11 mins
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Thanks Doc. :-)
|
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| agree |
Umberto Cassano
2 hrs
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Grazie Umberto ;-)
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| agree |
Monia Di Martino
4 hrs
|
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Thank you :)
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| agree |
James (Jim) Davis
13 hrs
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Thank you Jim
|
Reference comments
4 mins
Reference:
was the Star of Bethlehem Halley's comet?
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40543
This is why the text mentions a comet (which is not a star).
A falling star is a meteorite, neither comet nor star.
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Note added at 12 mins (2009-03-01 12:43:49 GMT)
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An unusually bright star? - if you don't want to say the Star of Bethlehem.
This is why the text mentions a comet (which is not a star).
A falling star is a meteorite, neither comet nor star.
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Note added at 12 mins (2009-03-01 12:43:49 GMT)
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An unusually bright star? - if you don't want to say the Star of Bethlehem.
Discussion