Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Театр

Франк Илья

them, and then throwing back her head, raised them, very slowly, to one side of her

neck. The attitude she reached was as lovely as the other, and it was the attitude

that suggested to her what she had to say. Her deep rich voice trembled a little with

emotion.

"I'm so glad when I look back to think that we have nothing to reproach ourselves

with. The bitterness of life is not death, the bitterness of life is that love dies.

(She'd heard something like that said in a play.) If we'd been lovers you'd have

grown tired of me long ago, and what should we have now to look back on but

regret for our own weakness? What was that line of Shelley's that you said just

now about fading?"

"Keats (/из/

Китса)," he corrected (поправил он)." 'She cannot fade (она не

может увянуть) though thou hast not thy bliss (хотя ты и не достиг

блаженства).'"

"That's it (вот именно). Go on (продолжай)."

She was playing for time (она пыталась выиграть время; to play for time —

оттягивать время).

'"For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair (навечно будет /длиться/ твоя любовь,

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

709

и она будет прекрасна)."

She threw her arms wide in a great open gesture (она раскинула руки широко

шикарным открытым жестом) and tossed her curly head (и встряхнула /своей/

кудрявой головкой). She'd got it (она добилась своего: «у нее это

получилось»).

"It's true, isn't it (это правда, не так ли)? 'For ever wilt thou love and I be fair.'

What fools we should have been (какими бы дураками мы были) if for a few

moments' madness (если бы ради нескольких мгновений безумия) we had

thrown away the wonderful happiness our friendship has brought us (мы бы

отбросили то удивительное счастье, что наша дружба доставила: «принесла»

нам). We have nothing to be ashamed of (нам нечего стыдиться). We're clean

(мы чисты). We can walk with our heads held high (мы можем идти с высоко

поднятыми головами; to hold (held) — держать, выдерживать) and look the

whole world in the face (и смотреть смело всему миру в лицо)."

She instinctively felt that this was an exit line (она инстинктивно почувствовала,

что это была заключительная реплика: «реплика на выход»; exit — выход,

уход, исчезновение), and suiting her movements to the words (и, соизмеряя

/свои/ движения со словами), with head held high (с высоко поднятой головой:

«с головой, держащейся высоко»), backed to the door and flung it open

(отступила

к двери и распахнула ее; to back — зд. двигаться в обратном

направлении, отводить, to fling (flung) — метать, бросать, зд. сделать что-

либо рывком). Her power was such (ее мощь, сила была таковой) that she

carried the feeling of the scene (что она пронесла чувство этой сцены) all the

way down the stairs with her (весь путь вниз по лестнице вместе с собой: «с

ней»).

curly ['kq:lI] exit ['egzIt, 'eksIt] high [haI]

"Keats," he corrected." 'She cannot fade though thou hast not thy bliss.'"

"That's it. Go on."

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

710

She was playing for time.

'"For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair.'"

She threw her arms wide in a great open gesture and tossed her curly head. She'd

got it.

"It's true, isn't it? 'For ever wilt thou love and I be fair.' What fools we should have

been if for a few moments' madness we had thrown away the wonderful happiness

our friendship has brought us. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We're clean. We

can walk with our heads held high and look the whole world in the face."

She instinctively felt that this was an exit line, and suiting her movements to the

words, with head held high, backed to the door and flung it open. Her power was

such that she carried the feeling of the scene all the way down the stairs with her.

Then she let it fall (затем она отбросила его /чувство/: «позволила ему

упасть») and with the utmost simplicity turned to Charles who had followed her

(и, с предельной простотой повернулась к Чарльзу, который следовал за ней).

"My cloak (моя накидка)."

"The car is there (там /моя/ машина)," he said as he wrapped it round her (сказал

он, накидывая /пальто/ на нее; to wrap — укутывать, обертывать). "I'll drive

you home (я отвезу тебя домой)."

"No, let me go alone (нет, позволь мне уехать одной). I want to stamp this hour