Mark Twain - Английский язык с Марком Твеном. Принц и нищий (Mark Twain. The Prince and the Pauper)

Mere acquaintances hugged and kissed each other and cried. Everybody took a holiday, and high and low, rich and poor, feasted and danced and sang, and got very mellow; and they kept this up for days and nights together. By day, London was a sight to see, with gay banners waving from every balcony and housetop, and splendid pageants marching along.

By night, it was again a sight to see, with its great bonfires at every corner, and its troops of revelers making merry around them.

There was no talk in all England but of the new baby, Edward Tudor, Prince of Wales, who lay lapped in silks and satins, unconscious of all this fuss, and not knowing that great lords and ladies were tending him and watching over him — and not caring, either.

But there was no talk about the other baby, Tom Canty, lapped in his poor rags, except among the family of paupers whom he had just come to trouble with his presence.

LET us skip a number of years (позволим нам перепрыгнуть = давайте пропустим некоторое число = несколько лет).

London was fifteen hundred years old (Лондону было полторы тысячи: «15 сотен» лет), and was a great town (и был огромным городом) — for that day (для того дня = времени). It had a hundred thousand inhabitants (он имел сотню тысяч жителей) — some think double as many (некоторые думают (что) в два раза больше: «дважды так много»). The streets (улицы) were very narrow (были очень узкие), and crooked (и кривые), and dirty (и грязные), especially in the part where (особенно в той части где) Tom Canty lived (жил Том Кэнти), which was not far from (что было не далеко от) London Bridge (Лондонского моста).

The houses were of wood (дома были из дерева), with the second story projecting over the first (со вторым этажом, выступавшим над первым), and the third sticking its elbows out beyond the second (и третьим, выставлявшим свои локти над вторым; beyond — вне, за пределами). The higher the houses grew (чем выше дома становились; to grow — расти), the broader (тем шире) they grew (они становились). They were skeletons of strong crisscross beams (они были скелетами из крепких крест-накрест балок), with solid material between (с твердым материалом между /ними/), coated with plaster (покрытых штукатуркой). The beams were painted red (балки были покрашены красным) or blue (или синим) or black (или черным), according to the owner's taste (в соответствии со вкусом хозяина; owner — владелец; to own — владеть), and this gave the houses a very picturesque look (и это придавало домам очень живописный вид). The windows were small (окна были маленькие), glazed with little diamond-shaped panes (застекленные маленькими ромбовидными стеклами; diamond — бриллиант, ромб; shape — форма) and they opened outward (и они открывались вперед = наружу), on hinges (на петлях), like doors (как двери).

The house which Tom's father lived in (дом, в котором жил отец Тома) was in a foul little pocket (был в вонючем маленьком закоулке: «кармане») called Offal Court (называвшемся Тупиком Отбросов; court — двор), out of Pudding Lane (рядом с (улицей) Пудинг-лейн; out — из). It was small, decayed (он был маленький, обветшалый; to decay — разлагаться, приходить в упадок), and rickety (и расшатанный), but it was packed full (но он был набит полностью) of wretchedly poor families (жалкими: «/самым/ жалким образом» бедными семьями = бедными до убожества семьями). Canty's tribe occupied (род Кэнти занимал; tribe — племя) a room on the third floor (комнату на четвертом: «третьем» этаже). The mother and father had a sort of bedstead (мать и отец имели подобие кровати) in the corner (в углу); but Tom (но Том), his grandmother (его бабушка), and his two sisters, Bet and Nan (и его две сестры, Бет и Нэн), were not restricted (не были ограничены) — they had all the floor to themselves (весь пол для себя), and might sleep where they chose (и могли спать где они выбирали = где хотели; to chose — выбирать). There were the remains of a blanket or two (были остатки одеяла или двух = нескольких одеял), and some bundles of ancient and dirty straw (и несколько охапок древней и грязной соломы), but these could not rightly be called beds (но эти = они не могли быть правильно быть названы кроватями), for they were not organized (так как они не были организованы = устроены); they were kicked into a general pile (они /небрежно/ складывались в общую кучу; to kick — пинать) mornings (по утрам: «утра»), and selections were made from the mass at night (и выбор делался из этой массы по вечерам).

especially [ıs`peSəlı], material [mə`tıərıəl], ancient [`eınSənt]

LET us skip a number of years.

London was fifteen hundred years old, and was a great town — for that day. It had a hundred thousand inhabitants — some think double as many. The streets were very narrow, and crooked, and dirty, especially in the part where Tom Canty lived, which was not far from London Bridge.

The houses were of wood, with the second story projecting over the first, and the third sticking its elbows out beyond the second. The higher the houses grew, the broader they grew. They were skeletons of strong crisscross beams, with solid material between, coated with plaster. The beams were painted red or blue or black, according to the owner's taste, and this gave the houses a very picturesque look. The windows were small, glazed with little diamond-shaped panes, and they opened outward, on hinges, like doors.

The house which Tom's father lived in was up a foul little pocket called Offal Court, out of Pudding Lane. It was small, decayed, and rickety, but it was packed full of wretchedly poor families. Canty's tribe occupied a room on the third floor. The mother and father had a sort of bedstead in the corner; but Tom, his grandmother, and his two sisters, Bet and Nan, were not restricted — they had all the floor to themselves, and might sleep where they chose. There were the remains of a blanket or two, and some bundles of ancient and dirty straw, but these could not rightly be called beds, for they were not organized; they were kicked into a general pile mornings, and selections made from the mass at night.