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

'Sir William (сэр Уильям)!'

After a moment (через мгновение):

'Ho, Sir William Herbert (эй, сэр Уильям Герберт)! Hie thee hither (поспеши сюда — устар.), and list to the strangest dream that ever (и послушай самый странный сон, который когда-либо; to list вместо to listen — слушать)... Sir William (сэр Уильям)! Dost hear (ты слышишь)? Man, I did think me changed to a pauper (Господи, я думал (что) меня превратили в нищего: «я полагал себя превращенным…»), and (и)... Ho there (эй там)! Guards (стража)! Sir William (сэр Уильям)! What (как)! is there no groom of the chamber in waiting (неужели нет ожидающего лакея)? Alack it shall go hard with (увы, случится тяжелое с = кому-то придется туго) —'

'What aileth thee (что у тебя болит — устар.; to ail — болеть; thee — тебе)?' asked a whisper near him (спросил шепот рядом с ним). 'Who art thou calling (кого ты зовешь)?'

'Sir William Herbert (сэра Уильяма Герберта). Who art thou (кто ты)?'

'I (я)? Who should I be, but thy sister Nan (кем мне быть, как не твоей сестрой Нэн)? Oh, Tom, I had forgot (ох, Том, я забыла)! Thou'rt mad yet (ты безумен еще) — poor lad thou'rt mad yet (бедный мальчик, ты безумен еще), would I had never woke to know it again (чтобы мне не проснуться чтобы узнать это)! But, prithee (но прошу тебя), master thy tongue (держи свой язык за зубами: «владей своим языком»), lest we be all beaten till we die (чтобы мы не были забиты до смерти: «пока мы не умрем»)!'

The startled prince sprang partly up (испуганный принц вскочил частично), but a sharp reminder from his stiffened bruises brought him to himself (но резкое напоминание от его болящих синяков вернуло его к себе = привело его в сознание; to stiffen — затвердевать) and he sunk back among his foul straw with a moan and the ejaculation (и он упал обратно среди своей зловонной соломы со стоном и восклицанием):

'Alas (увы), it was no dream, then (это был не сон, тогда = в таком случае)!'

In a moment all the heavy sorrow and misery which sleep had banished were upon him again (через мгновение вся тяжелая грусть и страдание, которые сон прогнал, были на нем опять), and he realized that he was no longer a petted prince in a palace (и он осознал, что он не был больше обласканным принцем во дворце), with the adoring eyes of a nation upon him (под обожающим взглядом народа: «с обожающими глазами нации на нем»), but a pauper (но нищим), an outcast (изгоем), clothed in rags (одетым в лохмотья), prisoner in a den fit only for beasts (узником в конуре, подходящей только для зверей), and consorting with beggars and thieves (и якшающимся с попрошайками и ворами).

scarcely [`skeəslı], bruise [bru:z], failure [`feıljə]

By this time she had crept to the slumbering boy's side, with the candle shaded in her hand. She bent heedfully and warily over him, scarcely breathing, in her suppressed excitement, and suddenly flashed the light in his face and struck the floor by his ear with her knuckles. The sleeper's eyes sprung wide open, and he cast a startled stare about him — but he made no special movement with his hands.

The poor woman was smitten almost helpless with surprise and grief; but she contrived to hide her emotions, and to soothe the boy to sleep again; then she crept apart and communed miserably with herself upon the disastrous result of her experiment. She tried to believe that her Tom's madness had banished this habitual gesture of his; but she could not do it. 'No,' she said, 'his hands are not mad, they could not unlearn so old a habit in so brief a time. Oh, this is a heavy day for me!'

Still, hope was as stubborn now as doubt had been before; she could not bring herself to accept the verdict of the test; she must try the thing again — the failure must have been only an accident; so she startled the boy out of his sleep a second and a third time, at intervals — with the same result which had marked the first test — then she dragged herself to bed, and fell sorrowfully asleep, saying, 'But I cannot give him up — oh, no, I cannot — he must be my boy!'

The poor mother's interruptions having ceased, and the prince's pains having gradually lost their power to disturb him, utter weariness at last sealed his eyes in a profound and restful sleep. Hour after hour slipped away, and still he slept like the dead. Thus four or five hours passed. Then his stupor began to lighten. Presently, while half asleep and half awake, he murmured:

'Sir William!'

After a moment:

'Ho, Sir William Herbert! Hie thee hither, and list to the strangest dream that ever.... Sir William! Dost hear? Man, I did think me changed to a pauper, and... Ho there! Guards! Sir William! What! is there no groom of the chamber in waiting? Alack it shall go hard with —'

'What aileth thee?' asked a whisper near him. 'Who art thou calling?'

'Sir William Herbert. Who art thou?'

'I? Who should I be, but thy sister Nan? Oh, Tom, I had forgot! Tbou'rt mad yet — poor lad thou'rt mad yet, would I had never woke to know it again! But, prithee, master thy tongue, lest we be all beaten till we die!'

The startled prince sprang partly up, but a sharp reminder from his stiffened bruises brought him to himself, and he sunk back among his foul straw with a moan and the ejaculation:

'Alas, it was no dream, then!'

In a moment all the heavy sorrow and misery which sleep had banished were upon him again, and he realized that he was no longer a petted prince in a palace, with the adoring eyes of a nation upon him, but a pauper, an outcast, clothed in rags, prisoner in a den fit only for beasts, and consorting with beggars and thieves.

In the midst of his grief he began to be conscious of hilarious noises and shoutings (в середине своего горя = охваченный горем он начал замечать буйные шумы и крики; conscious — сознающий), apparently but a block or two away (по-видимому, лишь домом-другим: «или двумя» дальше). The next moment there were several sharp raps at the door (в следующий момент были = раздались несколько резких ударов в дверь); John Canty ceased from snoring and said (Джон Кэнти прекратил храпеть и сказал; to snore):

'Who knocketh (кто стучит)? What wilt thou (чего ты хочешь)?'

A voice answered (голос ответил):

'Know'st thou who it was thou laid thy cudgel on (знаешь ты, кто это был, на кого ты положил дубину = кого ты прибил дубиной)?'