Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. На окраине империи. Рассказы
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On these words the Swede stopped with a certain sense of the dramatic. He took a sip of whisky.
"He was unique. There never was anyone more beautiful. There was no more reason for him than for a wonderful blossom to flower on a wild plant. He was a happy accident of nature.
"One day he landed at that cove (однажды он высадился в той бухте) into which you must have put this morning (в которую вы, должно быть, зашли сегодня утром; to put in — заходить в порт; вставать на рейде). He was an American sailor (он был американским матросом), and he had deserted from a man-of-war in Apia (и он дезертировал с военного корабля в Апии). He had induced some good-humoured native (он убедил какого-то добродушного туземца) to give him a passage on a cutter (подвезти его на катере; to give — давать; дарить; passage — проход; поездка/особенно по морю/) that happened to be sailing from Apia to Safoto (который как раз плыл из Апии в Сафото; to happen — случаться; случайно оказываться), and he had been put ashore here in a dugout (и здесь его отправили на берег в каком-то челноке; dugout — лодка, выдолбленная из бревна). I do not know why he deserted (я не знаю, почему он дезертировал). Perhaps life on a man-of-war with its restrictions irked him (может быть, жизнь на военном корабле с его ограничениями раздражала его), perhaps he was in trouble (может быть, у него были неприятности: «он был в беде»), and perhaps it was the South Seas and these romantic islands that got into his bones (а может быть, /просто/ Южные моря и эти романтические острова
ashore [q`SL], trouble [trAbl], fibre [`faIbq]
"One day he landed at that cove into which you must have put this morning. He was an American sailor, and he had deserted from a man-of-war in Apia. He had induced some good-humoured native to give him a passage on a cutter that happened to be sailing from Apia to Safoto, and he had been put ashore here in a dugout. I do not know why he deserted. Perhaps life on a man-of-war with its restrictions irked him, perhaps he was in trouble, and perhaps it was the South Seas and these romantic islands that got into his bones. Every now and then they take a man strangely, and he finds himself like a fly in a spider’s web. It may be that there was a softness of fibre in him, and these green hills with their soft airs, this blue sea, took the northern strength from him as Delilah took the Nazarite’s. Anyhow, he wanted to hide himself, and he thought he would be safe in this secluded nook till his ship had sailed from Samoa.
"There was a native hut at the cove (там была туземная хижина в этой бухте) and as he stood there (и пока он стоял там), wondering where exactly he should turn his steps (размышляя, куда именно ему направиться; to turn — поворачивать/ся/; step — шаг), a young girl came out and invited him to enter (какая-то молодая девушка вышла /из хижины/ и пригласила его войти). He knew scarcely two words of the native tongue (он знал от силы два слова на местном наречии; scarcely — едва, почти не) and she as little English (и она столь же мало по-английски). But he understood well enough (но он понял довольно хорошо) what her smiles meant (что означала ее улыбка), and her pretty gestures (и ее прелестные жесты), and he followed her (и он последовал /за/ ней). He sat down on a mat and she gave him slices of pineapple to eat (он сел на циновку, и она дала ему поесть ломтики ананаса). I can speak of Red only from hearsay (я могу говорить о Рыжем только с чужих слов), but I saw the girl three years after he first met her (но я видел эту девушку три года /спустя/, после /того как/ он впервые встретил ее), and she was scarcely nineteen then (и ей едва ли было девятнадцать тогда). You cannot imagine how exquisite she was (вы не можете представить себе, какой изящной она была). She had the passionate grace of the hibiscus and the rich colour (она обладала страстной грацией гибискуса и /у нее был/ румянец во всю щеку; rich— богатый; обильный;colour— цвет; цвет лица; румянец). She was rather tall (она была довольно высокой), slim (стройной), with the delicate features of her race (с тонкими чертами, присущими ее расе), and large eyes like pools of still water under the palm trees (и большими глазами, похожими на тихие заводи: «заводи с неподвижной водой» под пальмовыми деревьями); her hair, black and curling (ее волосы, черные и вьющиеся) fell down her back (ниспадали на спину), and she wore a wreath of scented flowers (и на ней был: «она носила» венок из благоухающих цветов). Her hands were lovely (ее руки были прелестны). They were so small (они были такие маленькие), so exquisitely formed (такой изящной формы), they gave your heart-strings a wrench (/что просто/ задевали струны твоей души: «сердечные струны»; to wrench— дергать). And in those days she laughed easily (и в те дни ее легко было рассмешить: «она смеялась легко»). Her smile was so delightful that it made your knees shake (ее улыбка была столь очаровательна, до дрожи в коленках: «что заставляла ваши колени трястись»). Her skin was like a field of ripe corn on a summer day (ее кожа была словно поле зрелой пшеницы летним днем). Good Heavens, how can I describe her (о Боже, как я могу описать ее)? She was too beautiful to be real (она была слишком красивой, чтобы быть реальной).
scarcely [`skFqslI], gesture [`GesCq], palm [pRm]
"There was a native hut at the cove and as he stood there, wondering where exactly he should turn his steps, a young girl came out and invited him to enter. He knew scarcely two words of the native tongue and she as little English. But he understood well enough what her smiles meant, and her pretty gestures, and he followed her. He sat down on a mat and she gave him slices of pineapple to eat. I can speak of Red only from hearsay, but I saw the girl three years after he first met her, and she was scarcely nineteen then. You cannot imagine how exquisite she was. She had the passionate grace of the hibiscus and the rich colour. She was rather tall, slim, with the delicate features of her race, and large eyes like pools of still water under the palm trees; her hair, black and curling, fell down her back, and she wore a wreath of scented flowers. Her hands were lovely. They were so small, so exquisitely formed, they gave your heart-strings a wrench. And in those days she laughed easily. Her smile was so delightful that it made your knees shake. Her skin was like a field of ripe corn on a summer day. Good Heavens, how can I describe her? She was too beautiful to be real.
"And these two young things (и эти два юных существа), she was sixteen and he was twenty (ей было шестнадцать, а ему двадцать), fell in love with one another at first sight (полюбили друг друга с первого взгляда; to fall — падать). That is the real love (то /была/ настоящая любовь), not the love that comes from sympathy (не та любовь, которая возникает: «происходит» из сочувствия/симпатии), common interests (общих интересов), or intellectual community (или схожести взглядов и убеждений; intellectual — интеллектуальный, мыслительный; community — общность), but love pure and simple (но любовь чистая и простая =в чистом виде). That is the love that Adam felt for Eve (это /такая/ любовь, которую Адам почувствовал к Еве) when he awoke and found her in the garden (когда он проснулся и нашел ее в саду) gazing at him with dewy eyes (смотрящей на него наивными глазами; to gaze — пристально глядеть, вглядываться; dewy — росистый; чистый, простодушный). That is the love that draws the beasts to one another (это /такая/ любовь, которая притягивает друг к другу животных), and the Gods (и богов). That is the love that makes the world a miracle (это /такая/ любовь, которая превращает мир в чудо). That is the love which gives life its pregnant meaning (это /такая/ любовь, которая придает жизни глубокий смысл; pregnant — беременная; содержательный). You have never heard of the wise, cynical French duke (вы никогда не слышали о мудром, циничном французском герцоге /де Ларошфуко/) who said that with two lovers (который сказал,
community [kq`mjHnItI], dewy [`djHI], resign [rI`zaIn]
"And these two young things, she was sixteen and he was twenty, fell in love with one another at first sight. That is the real love, not the love that comes from sympathy, common interests, or intellectual community, but love pure and simple. That is the love that Adam felt for Eve when he awoke and found her in the garden gazing at him with dewy eyes. That is the love that draws the beasts to one another, and the Gods. That is the love that makes the world a miracle. That is the love which gives life its pregnant meaning. You have never heard of the wise, cynical French duke who said that with two lovers there is always one who loves and one who lets himself be loved; it is bitter truth to which most of us have to resign ourselves; but now and then there are two who love and two who let themselves be loved. Then one might fancy that the sun stands still as it stood when Joshua prayed to the God of Israel.
"And even now after all these years (и даже сейчас после стольких: «всех этих» лет), when I think of these two (когда я думаю об этих двоих), so young (таких молодых), so fair (таких прекрасных), so simple (таких простых), and of their love (и об их любви), I feel a pang (я чувствую острую боль). It tears my heart (она разрывает мое сердца) just as my heart is torn (также как мое сердце разрывается) when on certain nights I watch the full moon (когда иногда по ночам я смотрю на полную луну; certain — определенный; некий) shining on the lagoon from an unclouded sky (освещающую лагуну с безоблачного неба). There is always pain in the contemplation of perfect beauty (всегда чувствуешь: «есть» боль при созерцании совершенной красоты).
"They were children (они были /еще/ детьми). She was good and sweet and kind (она была хорошей, милой и доброй). I know nothing of him (я ничего /не/ знаю о нем), and I like to think (и мне хотелось бы думать) that then at all events he was ingenuous and frank (что, во всяком случае, в ту пору он был простым и искренним). I like to think that his soul was as comely as his body (мне хотелось бы думать, что его душа была также красива, как его тело). But I daresay he had no more soul than the creatures of the woods and forests (но полагаю, /что/ у него было не больше души, чем у тех лесных созданий; woods,forest— лес) who made pipes from reeds (которые делали свирели из тростника) and bathed in the mountain streams (и купались в горных ручьях) when the world was young (когда этот мир был молод), and you might catch sight of little fauns (и можно было заметить: «поймать вид» маленьких фавнов) galloping through the glade on the back of a bearded centaur (скачущих галопом по поляне верхом на бородатом кентавре; through— через;back— спина). A soul is a troublesome possession (иметь душу — дело трудное; possession— владение, обладание) and when man developed it he lost the Garden of Eden (и когда человек приобрел ее, он потерял рай; to develop— развивать/ся/; проявлять/ся/; приобретать;garden— сад;Eden— Эдем).
ingenuous [In`Genjuqs], bathe [beID], possession [pq`zeS(q)n]
"And even now after all these years, when I think of these two, so young, so fair, so simple, and of their love, I feel a pang. It tears my heart just as my heart is torn when on certain nights I watch the full moon shining on the lagoon from an unclouded sky. There is always pain in the contemplation of perfect beauty.
"They were children. She was good and sweet and kind. I know nothing of him, and I like to think that then at all events he was ingenuous and frank. I like to think that his soul was as comely as his body. But I daresay he had no more soul than the creatures of the woods and forests who made pipes from reeds and bathed in the mountain streams when the world was young, and you might catch sight of little fauns galloping through the glade on the back of a bearded centaur. A soul is a troublesome possession and when man developed it he lost the Garden of Eden.
"Well, when Red came to the island (ну, когда Рыжий прибыл на этот остров) it had recently been visited by one of those epidemics (тот незадолго до этого пострадал от одной из тех эпидемий; to visit — посещать) which the white man brought to the South Seas (которые белый человек привез /с собой/ на Южные моря), and one third of the inhabitants had died (и третья часть: «одна треть» обитателей /острова/ умерла). It seems that the girl had lost all her near kin (по-видимому, девушка потеряла всех своих близких родственников) and she lived now in the house of distant cousins (и жила теперь в доме дальней родни; cousin — кузен, кузина; родственник). The household consisted of two ancient crones, bowed and wrinkled (семейство состояло из двух древних старух, сгорбленных и морщинистых; crone — карга), two younger women (двух женщин помоложе), and a man and a boy (а также мужчины и мальчика). For a few days he stayed there (несколько дней он оставался там). But perhaps he felt himself too near the shore (но, возможно, ему было не по себе от близости берега: «он чувствовал себя слишком близко к берегу»), with the possibility that he might fall in with white men (и вероятности /того/, что он мог бы столкнуться с белыми) who would reveal his hiding-place (которые бы выдали его убежище); perhaps the lovers could not bear that the company of others (возможно, влюбленные не могли смириться /с тем/, что остальные; company — любая группа/обычно людей/) should rob them for an instant of the delight of being together (лишат их /даже/ на миг удовольствия быть вместе). One morning they set out, the pair of them (однажды утром они вместе отправились /в путь/; pair — пара), with the few things that belonged to the girl (с теми немногими вещами, что принадлежали девушке), and walked along a grassy path under the coconuts (и пошли по заросшей травой тропинке под кокосовыми пальмами: «кокосами»), till they came to the creek you see (пока /не/ дошли до той /самой/ речки, /которую/ вы видите). They had to cross the bridge you crossed (им пришлось перейти через тот мост, /который/ вы переходили), and the girl laughed gleefully because he was afraid (и девушка смеялась весело, потому что он боялся). She held his hand till they came to the end of the first tree (она держала его за руку, пока они /не/ дошли до конца первого дерева), and then his courage failed him and he had to go back (а потом его смелость покинула его и ему пришлось возвратиться назад; to fail — не хватать, истощаться). He was obliged to take off all his clothes (он был вынужден снять /с себя/ всю одежду) before he could risk it (прежде чем он смог рискнуть /пройти снова/), and she carried them over for him on her head (и она перенесла ее за него на своей голове). They settled down in the empty hut that stood there (они устроились в пустующей хижине, что стояла там). Whether she had any rights over it (то ли она имела на нее какие-то права) (land tenure is a complicated business in the islands (/правила/ владения землей на этих островах /такие/ запутанные; business — дело, занятие)), or whether the owner had died during the epidemic, I do not know (то ли хозяин /хижины/ умер во время эпидемии, я не знаю), but anyhow no one questioned them (но, во всяком случае, никто их /ни о чем не/ расспрашивал), and they took possession (и они завладели /хижиной/). Their furniture consisted of a couple of grass-mats on which they slept (/вся/ их мебель состояла из пары травяных циновок, на которых они спали), a fragment of looking-glass (осколка зеркала), and a bowl or two (и одной-двух мисок). In this pleasant land that is enough to start housekeeping on (на этой благодатной земле этого достаточно, чтобы начать вести домашнее хозяйство).