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

homesick ['houm" sIk], equally ['i: kwqlI], incongruity ["Inkqn'gru: ItI]

Not fit to polish the teeth of her grandmother's cat! I must rank pretty low in the consideration of Dejah Thoris, I thought; but I could not help laughing at the strange figure of speech, so homely and in this respect so earthly. It made me homesick, for it sounded very much like "not fit to polish her shoes." And then commenced a train of thought quite new to me. I began to wonder what my people at home were doing. I had not seen them for years. There was a family of Carters in Virginia who claimed close relationship with me; I was supposed to be a great uncle, or something of the kind equally foolish. I could pass anywhere for twenty-five to thirty years of age, and to be a great uncle always seemed the height of incongruity, for my thoughts and feelings were those of a boy.

There were two little kiddies in the Carter family (в семействе этих Картеров было двое детишек; kiddy — ребеночек ) whom I had loved and who had thought (которых я любил, и которые считали) there was no one on Earth like Uncle Jack (что на Земле не было никого, подобного дяде Джеку); I could see them just as plainly (я мог видеть их как воочию; plainly — ясно, отчетливо ), as I stood there under the moonlit skies of Barsoom (пока я стоял там под освещенными луной небесами Барсума), and I longed for them as I had never longed for any mortals before (и я стремился к ним так, как я никогда раньше не стремился ни к одному смертному = скучал/тосковал по ним так…). By nature a wanderer (будучи странником по своей природе), I had never known the true meaning of the word home (я никогда не понимал истинного значения слова «дом»), but the great hall of the Carters (но большая усадьба Картеров; hall — зал; помещичья усадьба ) had always stood for all that the word did mean to me (всегда воплощала весь /тот смысл/, который заключался для меня в этом слове; to stand for smth. — символизировать, воплощать что-либо ), and now my heart turned toward it (и теперь мое сердце обратилось к нему) from the cold and unfriendly peoples (от холодных и недружелюбных существ; people — народ; люди; существа ) I had been thrown amongst (к которым я был заброшен). For did not even Dejah Thoris despise me (ведь разве даже Дежа Торис не презирала меня)! I was a low creature (я был низшим созданием), so low in fact (на самом деле, настолько низким) that I was not even fit to polish the teeth of her grandmother's cat (что я был недостоин даже чистить зубы кошки ее бабушки); and then my saving sense of humor came to my rescue (и затем мое спасительное чувство юмора пришло мне на помощь; rescue — спасение, избавление; to come to rescue — приходить на помощь ), and laughing I turned into my silks and furs (и, рассмеявшись, я завернулся в свои шелка и меха) and slept upon the moon-haunted ground (и заснул на преследуемой луной Земле; to haunt — часто посещать, преследовать ) the sleep of a tired and healthy fighting man (сном усталого и здорового воина).

plainly ['pleInlI], unfriendly [An'frendlI], rescue ['reskju:]

There were two little kiddies in the Carter family whom I had loved and who had thought there was no one on Earth like Uncle Jack; I could see them just as plainly, as I stood there under the moonlit skies of Barsoom, and I longed for them as I had never longed for any mortals before. By nature a wanderer, I had never known the true meaning of the word home , but the great hall of the Carters had always stood for all that the word did mean to me, and now my heart turned toward it from the cold and unfriendly peoples I had been thrown amongst. For did not even Dejah Thoris despise me! I was a low creature, so low in fact that I was not even fit to polish the teeth of her grandmother's cat; and then my saving sense of humor came to my rescue, and laughing I turned into my silks and furs and slept upon the moon-haunted ground the sleep of a tired and healthy fighting man.

We broke camp the next day at an early hour (на следующий день мы рано снялись с лагеря; to break camp — сниматься с лагеря; at a nearly hour — рано ) and marched with only a single halt until just before dark (и шли только с одной остановкой до наступления темноты). Two incidents broke the tediousness of the march (два происшествия нарушили монотонность нашего марша; tedious — скучный, утомительный ). About noon we espied far to our right (около полудня мы заметили далеко справа от нас; to espy — увидеть, заметить издалека ) what was evidently an incubator (то, что, очевидно, было инкубатором), and Lorquas Ptomel directed Tars Tarkas to investigate it (и Лорквас Птомель приказал Тарсу Таркасу обследовать его). The latter took a dozen warriors, including myself (последний взял с собой дюжину воинов, включая меня), and we raced across the velvety carpeting of moss to the little enclosure (и мы помчались по бархатистому ковру из мха к небольшой ограде).

march [mQ: tS], tedious ['ti: djqs], enclosure [In'klouzq]

We broke camp the next day at an early hour and marched with only a single halt until just before dark. Two incidents broke the tediousness of the march. About noon we espied far to our right what was evidently an incubator, and Lorquas Ptomel directed Tars Tarkas to investigate it. The latter took a dozen warriors, including myself, and we raced across the velvety carpeting of moss to the little enclosure.

It was indeed an incubator (это и в самом деле был инкубатор), but the eggs were very small (но яйца были очень маленькими) in comparison with those I had seen hatching in ours (по сравнению с теми, которые я видел, как /они/ вылупливались, в наших) at the time of my arrival on Mars (во время моего прибытия на Марс).

Tars Tarkas dismounted and examined the enclosure minutely (Тарс Таркас спешился и тщательно исследовал огороженное строение; minutely — подробно, скрупулезно ), finally announcing that it belonged to the green men of Warhoon (и наконец объявил, что оно принадлежит зеленым людям Ворхуна) and that the cement was scarcely dry where it had been walled up (и что цемент едва успел высохнуть там, где была воздвигнута стена).