Эдгар Берроуз - Английский язык с Э. Р. Берроузом. Принцесса Марса

opaque [ou'peIk], continue [kqn'tInju: ] diffuse [dI'fju: z], detonation ["detq'neIS(q)n], hieroglyphic ["haIqrqu'glIfIk]

"I knew that even though you became a member of the community you would not cease to be my friend; 'A warrior may change his metal, but not his heart,' as the saying is upon Barsoom."

"I think they have been trying to keep us apart," she continued, "for whenever you have been off duty one of the older women of Tars Tarkas' retinue has always arranged to trump up some excuse to get Sola and me out of sight. They have had me down in the pits below the buildings helping them mix their awful radium powder, and make their terrible projectiles. You know that these have to be manufactured by artificial light, as exposure to sunlight always results in an explosion. You have noticed that their bullets explode when they strike an object? Well, the opaque, outer coating is broken by the impact, exposing a glass cylinder, almost solid, in the forward end of which is a minute particle of radium powder. The moment the sunlight, even though diffused, strikes this powder it explodes with a violence which nothing can withstand. If you ever witness a night battle you will note the absence of these explosions, while the morning following the battle will be filled at sunrise with the sharp detonations of exploding missiles fired the preceding night. As a rule, however, non-exploding projectiles are used at night." [I have used the word radium in describing this powder because in the light of recent discoveries on Earth I believe it to be a mixture of which radium is the base. In Captain Carter's manuscript it is mentioned always by the name used in the written language of Helium and is spelled in hieroglyphics which it would be difficult and useless to reproduce.]

While I was much interested in Dejah Thoris' explanation of this wonderful adjunct to Martian warfare (хотя я с большим интересом слушал: «был сильно заинтересован» объяснения Дежи Торис об этой удивительной принадлежности марсианской войны; adjunct — приложение, дополнение; принадлежности ), I was more concerned by the immediate problem of their treatment of her (еще больше я был озабочен насущной проблемой их обращения с ней; immediate — непосредственный, прямой ). That they were keeping her away from me was not a matter for surprise (то, что они держали ее вдали от меня, было не удивительно: «не было поводом для удивления»), but that they should subject her to dangerous and arduous labor filled me with rage (но то, что они подвергали ее опасной и изнурительной работе, наполнило меня яростью; arduous — трудный; arduous labor — изнурительный труд ).

"Have they ever subjected you to cruelty and ignominy (терпела ли ты когда-нибудь от них грубость и унижения: «подвергали ли они тебя…»; ignominy — бесчестье, позор ), Dejah Thoris?" I asked, feeling the hot blood of my fighting ancestors leap in my veins as I awaited her reply (спросил я, чувствуя, как горячая кровь моих воинственных предков бурлит в моих жилах, пока я ожидал ее ответа; to leap — прыгать; биться /о пульсе/ )

adjunct ['xdZANkt], arduous ['Q: djuqs], ignominy ['IgnqmInI]

While I was much interested in Dejah Thoris' explanation of this wonderful adjunct to Martian warfare, I was more concerned by the immediate problem of their treatment of her. That they were keeping her away from me was not a matter for surprise, but that they should subject her to dangerous and arduous labor filled me with rage.

"Have they ever subjected you to cruelty and ignominy, Dejah Thoris?" I asked, feeling the hot blood of my fighting ancestors leap in my veins as I awaited her reply.

"Only in little ways (только в мелочах), John Carter," she answered. "Nothing that can harm me outside my pride (ничего, что могло бы ранить меня, за исключением моей гордости; outside — кроме, за исключением ). They know that I am the daughter of ten thousand jeddaks (они знают, что я — дочь десяти тысяч джеддаков), that I trace my ancestry straight back without a break to the builder of the first great waterway (что я прослеживаю свою родословную по прямой линии: «прямо назад», беспрерывно, к строителю первого великого канала; with out a break — беспрерывно ) and they, who do not even know their own mothers, are jealous of me (и они, те, кто не знает даже своих собственных матерей, завидуют мне). At heart they hate their horrid fates (в глубине души они ненавидят свою ужасную судьбу; at heart — в глубине души ), and so wreak their poor spite on me (и поэтому изливают на меня свою жалкую злобу; to wreak — давать выход, волю /чувству/; spite — злоба, злость; озлобленность; недоброжелательство ) who stand for everything they have not (на меня, которая воплощает все, чего они не имеют; to stand for smth. — символизировать; воплощать что-либо ), and for all they most crave and never can attain (и чего они страстно желают и никогда не могут получить; to attain — достигать; получать ). Let us pity them, my chieftain (пожалеем же их, мой вождь), for even though we die at their hands we can afford them pity (потому что, даже если мы умрем от их руки, мы можем подарить им жалость; to afford — предоставлять, давать ), since we are greater than they and they know it (потому что мы выше их, и они знают это)."

straight [streIt], horrid ['hOrId], wreak [ri: k]

"Only in little ways, John Carter," she answered. "Nothing that can harm me outside my pride. They know that I am the daughter of ten thousand jeddaks, that I trace my ancestry straight back without a break to the builder of the first great waterway, and they, who do not even know their own mothers, are jealous of me. At heart they hate their horrid fates, and so wreak their poor spite on me who stand for everything they have not, and for all they most crave and never can attain. Let us pity them, my chieftain, for even though we die at their hands we can afford them pity, since we are greater than they and they know it."

Had I known the significance of those words "my chieftain" (если бы я знал значение этих слов «мой вождь»), as applied by a red Martian woman to a man (/которые/ красная марсианская женщина применяет по отношению к мужчине), I should have had the surprise of my life (то это было бы самой большой неожиданностью в моей жизни), but I did not know at that time (но в то время я этого не знал), nor for many months thereafter (/и узнал/ лишь много месяцев спустя). Yes, I still had much to learn upon Barsoom (да, мне предстояло еще многое узнать на Барсуме).