Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. На окраине империи. Рассказы
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"And what happened to her in the end?" asked the skipper.
Neilson smiled bitterly.
"Oh, three years afterwards she took up with another white man."
The skipper gave a fat, cynical chuckle.
"That’s generally what happens to them," he said.
The Swede shot him a look of hatred. He did not know why that gross, obese man excited in him so violent a repulsion. But his thoughts wandered and he found his mind filled with memories of the past. He went back five and twenty years. It was when he first came to the island, weary of Apia, with its heavy drinking, its gambling and coarse sensuality, a sick man, trying to resign himself to the loss of the career which had fired his imagination with ambitious thought. He set behind him resolutely all his hopes of making a great name for himself and strove to content himself with the few poor months of careful life which was all that he could count on.
He was boarding with a half-caste trader (он проживал у торговца-метиса; to board — всходить на борт; останавливаться, жить у кого-либо; предоставлять жилье и питание за плату; half-caste — человек смешанной расы) who had a store a couple of miles along the coast (у которого был магазин в нескольких милях дальше по берегу) at the edge of a native village (на окраине туземной
"Do you think he’ll ever come back (/как/ вы думаете, он когда-нибудь вернется)?" asked Neilson.
"No fear (конечно нет). Why, it’ll be a couple of years before the ship is paid off (да пройдет пара лет, прежде чем команда: «корабль» получит расчет), and by then he’ll have forgotten all about her (и к тому времени он /уже/ совсем: «всё» забудет о ней). I bet he was pretty mad (держу пари, он был довольно взбешен) when he woke up and found he’d been shanghaied (когда он проснулся и обнаружил, /что/ с ним так поступили; to shanghai — опоив, отправить матросом в плавание), and I shouldn’t wonder but he wanted to fight somebody (и я бы не удивился, если он хотел подраться с кем-нибудь). But he’d got to grin and bear it (но ему пришлось смириться с этим; to grin and bear it — /устойчивое выражение/скрывать под улыбкой свои переживания; to grin — осклабиться, ухмыляться; bear — нести; выдерживать), and I guess in a month he was thinking it the best thing (и, полагаю, через месяц он /уже/ думал, /что/ это было самым лучшим) that had ever happened to him (что когда-либо случалось с ним) that he got away from the island (что он уехал с этого острова)."
half-caste [`hRfkRst], magnificent [mxg`nIfIsnt], shanghai [SxN`haI]
He was boarding with a half-caste trader who had a store a couple of miles along the coast at the edge of a native village; and one day, wandering aimlessly along the grassy paths of the coconut groves, he had come upon the hut in which Sally lived. The beauty of the spot had filled him with a rapture so great that it was almost painful, and then he had seen Sally. She was the loveliest creature he had ever seen, and the sadness in those dark, magnificent eyes of hers affected him strangely. The Kanakas were a handsome race, and beauty was not rare among them, but it was the beauty of shapely animals. It was empty. But those tragic eyes were dark with mystery, and you felt in them the bitter complexity of the groping, human soul. The trader told him the story and it moved him.
"Do you think he’ll ever come back?" asked Neilson.
"No fear. Why, it’ll be a couple of years before the ship is paid off, and by then he’ll have forgotten all about her. I bet he was pretty mad when he woke up and found he’d been shanghaied, and I shouldn’t wonder but he wanted to fight somebody. But he’d got to grin and bear it, and I guess in a month he was thinking it the best thing that had ever happened to him that he got away from the island."
But Neilson could not get the story out of his head (но Нилсон /никак/ не мог выбросить этот рассказ из головы). Perhaps because he was sick and weakly (может быть, потому, что он /сам/ был больным и хилым), the radiant health of Red appealed to his imagination (сияющее здоровье Рыжего = пышущий здоровьем Рыжий взывал к его воображению). Himself an ugly man (сам некрасивый человек), insignificant of appearance (неприметной внешности; insignificant — незначительный), he prized very highly comeliness in others (он ценил очень высоко привлекательность в других). He had never been passionately in love (он никогда /не/ был страстно влюблен), and certainly he had never been passionately loved (и, конечно, его никогда страстно /не/ любили). The mutual attraction of those two young things (взаимное притяжение тех двоих молодых существ) gave him a singular delight (доставляло ему своеобразное/необычайное удовольствие). It had the ineffable beauty of the Absolute (оно обладало неописуемой красотой Абсолюта). He went again to the little hut by the creek (он снова пошел к маленькой хижине у речки). He had a gift for languages (у него были способности к языкам) and an energetic mind, accustomed to work (и энергичный ум, привычный к работе), and he had already given much time to the study of the local tongue (и он посвятил: «отдал» уже много времени изучению местного языка). Old habit was strong in him (в нем была сильна старая привычка) and he was gathering together material for a paper on the Samoan speech (и он собирал материал для доклада по самоанскому языку; together — вместе, воедино; speech — речь; язык;произношение). The old crone who shared the hut with Sally (старая карга, которая жила в хижине /вместе/ с Салли; to share — делить; разделять) invited him to come in and sit down (пригласила его войти и присесть). She gave him kava to drink and cigarettes to smoke (она дала = угостила его кавой и сигаретами; kava — кустарник семейства перечных; алкогольный напиток, сделанный из ароматных корней этого кустарника; to drink — пить; to smoke — курить). She was glad to have someone to chat with (она была рада /хоть/ с кем-то поболтать; to have — иметь; получать) and while she talked he looked at Sally (и пока она говорила, он смотрел на Салли). She reminded him of the Psyche in the museum at Naples (она
It was not till he had seen her two or three times (не раньше чем = только лишь когда он увиделся с ней два или три раза) that he induced her to speak (он побудил ее заговорить). Then it was only to ask him (и то лишь /для того/, чтобы спросить его) if he had seen in Apia a man called Red (видел ли он в Апии человека по имени Рыжий). Two years had passed since his disappearance (два года прошло со /дня/ его исчезновения), but it was plain that she still thought of him incessantly (но было ясно, что она все еще думала о нем постоянно).
insignificant ["InsIg`nIfIkqnt], appearance [q`pIqr(q)ns], Psyche [`saIki(:)]
But Neilson could not get the story out of his head. Perhaps because he was sick and weakly, the radiant health of Red appealed to his imagination. Himself an ugly man, insignificant of appearance, he prized very highly comeliness in others. He had never been passionately in love, and certainly he had never been passionately loved. The mutual attraction of those two young things gave him a singular delight. It had the ineffable beauty of the Absolute. He went again to the little hut by the creek. He had a gift for languages and an energetic mind, accustomed to work, and he had already given much time to the study of the local tongue. Old habit was strong in him and he was gathering together material for a paper on the Samoan speech. The old crone who shared the hut with Sally invited him to come in and sit down. She gave him kava to drink and cigarettes to smoke. She was glad to have someone to chat with and while she talked he looked at Sally. She reminded him of the Psyche in the museum at Naples. Her features had the same clear purity of line, and though she had borne a child she had still a virginal aspect.
It was not till he had seen her two or three times that he induced her to speak. Then it was only to ask him if he had seen in Apia a man called Red. Two years had passed since his disappearance, but it was plain that she still thought of him incessantly.
It did not take Neilson long to discover (это не заняло /у/ Нилсона много времени: «долго», чтобы понять: «обнаружить») that he was in love with her (что он был влюблен в нее). It was only by an effort of will now (теперь только усилием воли) that he prevented himself from going every day to the creek (он не давал себе каждый день ходить к речке; to prevent — предотвращать;не допускать), and when he was not with Sally his thoughts were (и когда он не был с Салли, его мысли были /с ней/). At first, looking upon himself as a dying man (поначалу, считая себя умирающим человеком), he asked only to look at her (ему было нужно только /лишь/ смотреть на нее; to ask — спрашивать; требовать/ся/), and occasionally hear her speak (и изредка слышать, /как/ она говорит), and his love gave him a wonderful happiness (и его любовь дарила ему удивительное счастье). He exulted in its purity (он радовался ее чистоте). He wanted nothing from her (он /не/ хотел от нее ничего) but the opportunity to weave around her graceful person (кроме возможности сплести вокруг ее грациозной особы) a web of beautiful fancies (паутину из красивых фантазий). But the open air (но свежий: «открытый» воздух), the equable temperature (постоянная температура /воздуха/; equable — ровный; без перепадов), the rest (покой/отдых), the simple fare (простая пища), began to have an unexpected effect on his health (начали оказывать неожиданный эффект на его здоровье). His temperature did not soar at night to such alarming heights (его температура не поднималась по ночам до таких тревожных высот), he coughed less and began to put on weight (он меньше кашлял и начал набирать вес); six months passed without his having a haemorrhage (шесть месяцев прошло, а у него не было кровоизлияния/ кровотечения; without — без); and on a sudden he saw the possibility that he might live (и вдруг он увидел вероятность /того/, что он сможет жить). He had studied his disease carefully (он тщательно изучил свою болезнь), and the hope dawned upon him (и у него появилась: «забрезжила над ним» надежда) that with great care he might arrest its course (что соблюдая особую осторожность, он мог бы приостановить ее течение; with — с; great — большой). It exhilarated him to look forward once more to the future (это воодушевило его опять с нетерпением ожидать будущего; to look forward — предвкушать; once more — еще раз). He made plans (он строил планы). It was evident that any active life was out of the question (было очевидно, что о любой активной жизни не могло быть и речи; out — вне; question — /обсуждаемый/вопрос), but he could live on the islands (но он мог бы жить на этих островах), and the small income he had (и тот небольшой доход, /который/ он имел), insufficient elsewhere (недостаточный где-либо в другом месте), would be ample to keep him (был бы достаточным, чтобы обеспечивать его /здесь/). He could grow coconuts (он мог бы выращивать кокосы = кокосовые пальмы); that would give him an occupation (это дало бы ему какое-то занятие); and he would send for his books and a piano (и он бы послал за своими книгами и роялем); but his quick mind saw that in all this (но его живой ум видел, что за всем этим) he was merely trying to conceal from himself the desire (он просто пытается скрыть от себя самого то желание) which obsessed him (которое овладело им).
cough [kOf], disease [dI`zJz], exhilarate [Ig`zIlqreIt]
It did not take Neilson long to discover that he was in love with her. It was only by an effort of will now that he prevented himself from going every day to the creek, and when he was not with Sally his thoughts were. At first, looking upon himself as a dying man, he asked only to look at her, and occasionally hear her speak, and his love gave him a wonderful happiness. He exulted in its purity. He wanted nothing from her but the opportunity to weave around her graceful person a web of beautiful fancies. But the open air, the equable temperature, the rest, the simple fare, began to have an unexpected effect on his health. His temperature did not soar at night to such alarming heights, he coughed less and began to put on weight; six months passed without his having a haemorrhage; and on a sudden he saw the possibility that he might live. He had studied his disease carefully, and the hope dawned upon him that with great care he might arrest its course. It exhilarated him to look forward once more to the future. He made plans. It was evident that any active life was out of the question, but he could live on the islands, and the small income he had, insufficient elsewhere, would be ample to keep him. He could grow coconuts; that would give him an occupation; and he would send for his books and a piano; but his quick mind saw that in all this he was merely trying to conceal from himself the desire which obsessed him.