He went into the shady lobby and from a peg in the wall took down his veil, put it on, and with his hands deep in his pockets entered the fenced-in apiary where – standing in regular rows and tied with bast to stakes – in the middle of a space where the grass had been mown stood the old beehives, [Hollowed-out stumps of trees placed upright.] every one familiar to him, and each with a history of its own, while along the wattle fence stood the new hives with the swarms hived that year.
Entrato nell’ingresso ombroso, tolse dal muro la maschera appesa a un gancio e, messala e ficcate le mani in tasca, entrò nell’arniaio recinto. Qua, in file regolari, legate con rami di tiglio ai pali, stavano, in mezzo al luogo falciato, le vecchie arnie, ognuna con la propria storia, e lungo le pareti della siepe le nuove, messe lì quell’anno.