The Canterville Ghost
Шрифт:
disturb [dis`t:b] croak [krk] yew-tree [`ju:tri:]
At half-past ten he heard the family going to bed. For some time he was disturbed by wild shrieks of laughter from the twins, who, with the light-hearted gaiety of schoolboys, were evidently amusing themselves before they retired to rest, but at a quarter-past eleven all was still, and, as midnight sounded, he sallied forth. The owl beat against the window-panes, the raven croaked from the old yew-tree, and the wind wandered moaning round the house like a lost soul; but the Otis family slept unconscious of their doom, and high above the rain and storm he could hear the steady snoring of the Minister for the United States.
He stepped stealthily out of the wainscoting (он осторожно выступил из-за панели; stealthily — втихомолку, тайно, украдкой; to steal — красть; красться; stealth — кража; уловка), with an evil smile on his cruel, wrinkled mouth (со зловещей улыбкой на своем жестоком, морщинистом лице; mouth — рот; wrinkle — морщина; складка; to wrinkle — морщить), and the moon hid her face in a cloud (и
stealthily [`stelili] evil [i:vl] cruel [krl] blazon [bleizn]
He stepped stealthily out of the wainscoting, with an evil smile on his cruel, wrinkled mouth, and the moon hid her face in a cloud as he stole past the great oriel window, where his own arms and those of his murdered wife were blazoned in azure and gold. On and on he glided, like an evil shadow, the very darkness seeming to loathe him as he passed. Once he thought he heard something call, and stopped; but it was only the baying of a dog from the Red Farm, and he went on, muttering strange sixteenth-century curses, and ever and anon brandishing the rusty dagger in the midnight air.
Finally he reached the corner of the passage (наконец он достиг конца коридора), that led to luckless Washington's room (который вел к комнате несчастного Вашингтона; to lead). For a moment he paused there (на некоторое мгновение он остановился там), the wind blowing his long grey locks about his head (/и/ ветер развевал его длинные седые локоны вокруг его головы), and twisting into grotesque and fantastic folds the nameless horror of the dead man's shroud (и завертывал фантастическими складками /способный вызвать/ неописуемый ужас саван мертвеца). Then the clock struck the quarter (затем часы пробили четверть часа), and he felt the time was come (и он почувствовал, что время пришло). He chuckled to himself (он самодовольно хихикнул; to himself — «сам себе»), and turned the corner (и завернул за угол); but no sooner had he done so (но не успел он сделать это; no sooner — не раньше) than, with a piteous wail of terror (как, с жалким воем ужаса; pity — жалость), he fell back (он отшатнулся; to fall back — отступать), and hid his blanched face in his long, bony hands (и закрыл свое бледное лицо своими длинными, костлявыми руками; to hide — прятать).
shroud [rad] quarter [`kwo:t] piteous [`pitis]
Finally he reached the corner of the passage that led to luckless Washington's room. For a moment he paused there, the wind blowing his long grey locks about his head, and twisting into grotesque and fantastic folds the nameless horror of the dead man's shroud. Then the clock struck the quarter, and he felt the time was come. He chuckled to himself, and turned the corner; but no sooner had he done so than, with a piteous wail of terror, he fell back, and hid his blanched face in his long, bony hands.
Right in front of him was standing a horrible spectre (прямо перед ним стояло ужасное привидение), motionless as a carven image (неподвижное, как изваяние; carven — высеченный из мрамора; to carve — резать, вырезать /по дереву или кости/; гравировать; высекать /из камня/; image — образ, изображение; статуя, идол), and monstrous as a madman's dream (и кошмарное, как сон сумасшедшего; monstrous — чудовищный; уродливый, безобразный)! Its head was bald and burnished (его голова была лысой и блестящей; to burnish — шлифовать, полировать); its face round, and fat, and white (его лицо было круглым, толстым и бледным); and hideous laughter seemed to have writhed its features into an eternal grin (и казалось, жуткая улыбка искажала его черты в вечной ухмылке). From the eyes streamed rays of scarlet light (из его глаз лились лучи алого света), the mouth was a wide well of fire (изо рта он изрыгал пламя: «рот был широким колодцем огня»), and a hideous garment, like to his own (и
image [`imid] bald [bo:ld] hideous [`hidis] falchion [`fo:ltn]
Right in front of him was standing a horrible spectre, motionless as a carven image, and monstrous as a madman's dream! Its head was bald and burnished; its face round, and fat, and white; and hideous laughter seemed to have writhed its features into an eternal grin. From the eyes streamed rays of scarlet light, the mouth was a wide well of fire, and a hideous garment, like to his own, swathed with its silent snows the Titan form. On its breast was a placard with strange writing in antique characters, some scroll of shame it seemed, some record of wild sins, some awful calendar of crime, and, with its right hand, it bore aloft a falchion of gleaming steel.
Never having seen a ghost before (никогда раньше не видевший призрака), he naturally was terribly frightened (он, естественно, был ужасно напуган), and, after a second hasty glance at the awful phantom (и, после второго, торопливого взгляда в сторону ужасного фантома), he fled back to his room (он убежал назад в свою комнату; to flee), tripping up in his long winding-sheet as he sped down the corridor (наступая на свой длинный саван и падая, в то время как он мчался вниз по коридору; to trip — спотыкаться, падать; to speed — двигаться поспешно; мчаться), and finally dropping the rusty dagger into the Minister's jack-boots (и, наконец, уронил ржавый кинжал в сапог посла; jack-boots — военные жесткие сапоги выше колен), where it was found in the morning by the butler (где он был найден утром дворецким). Once in the privacy of his own apartment (оказавшись наконец в уединении своей собственной комнаты), he flung himself down on a small pallet-bed (он упал на маленький соломенный тюфяк; to fling oneself — броситься; to fling — бросать, швырять), and hid his face under the clothes (и спрятал лицо под одеждой). After a time, however (однако через некоторое время), the brave old Cantervill spirit asserted itself (храбрый дух старого Кентервиля вновь заявил о себе), and he determined to go and speak to the other ghost (и он решил пойти и поговорить с другим призраком), as soon as it was daylight (как только появится дневной свет).
hasty [`heisti] privacy [`praivsi] clothes [kldz]
Never having seen a ghost before, he naturally was terribly frightened, and, after a second hasty glance at the awful phantom, he fled back to his room, tripping up in his long winding-sheet as he sped down the corridor, and finally dropping the rusty dagger into the Minister's jack-boots, where it was found in the morning by the butler. Once in the privacy of his own apartment, he flung himself down on a small pallet-bed, and hid his face under the clothes. After a time, however, the brave old Canterville spirit asserted itself, and he determined to go and speak to the other ghost as soon as it was daylight.
Accordingly, just as the dawn was touching the hills with silver (соответственно, как только рассвет осветил холмы серебристым светом; to touch — касаться, притрагиваться), he returned towards the spot (он вернулся к тому месту) where he had first laid eyes on the grisly phantom (где он впервые увидел зловещий фантом; to lay — класть; to lay eyes on smth. — увидеть что-л.), feeling that, after all, two ghosts were better than one (почувствовав, что два привидения в конце концов было бы лучше, чем одно), and that, by the aid of his new friend (и что с помощью своего нового друга) he might safely grapple with the twins (он мог бы спокойно справиться с близнецами; safely — безопасно; благополучно; не рискуя; безошибочно). On reaching the spot, however (однако, /когда он/ достиг того места), a terrible sight met his gaze (его взору открылся ужасный вид: «ужасный вид встретил его взор»). Something had evidently happened to the spectre (что-то очевидно случилось с привидением), for the light had entirely faded from its hollow eyes (так как свет совершенно исчез из его ввалившихся глаз; to fade — вянуть, увядать /о растениях и т. п./; выгорать, выцветать, блекнуть, тускнеть и т. п. /о цвете, красках или любом предмете, способном терять яркость, становиться тусклым/; hollow — пустой, полый), the gleaming falchion had fallen from its hand (светящийся/мерцающий меч выпал из его руки), and it was leaning up against the wall in a strained and uncomfortable attitude (и он был прислонен к стене в странной и неудобной позе).