Уильям Моэм - Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. На окраине империи. Рассказы

"You were too busy keeping your balance to notice (вы были слишком заняты поддержанием своего равновесия, чтобы заметить; to keep— держать; сохранять ), when you crossed the bridge (когда вы переходили по мосту), but this spot is generally considered rather pretty (но это место вообще считается очень/довольно красивым)."

ironical [aI`rOnIk(q)l], perhaps [pq`hxps], pretty [`prItI]

The skipper finished his whisky, and Neilson pushed the bottle towards him.

"Help yourself."

The skipper leaned forward and with his great hand seized it.

"And how come you in these parts anyways?" he said.

"Oh, I came out to the islands for my health. My lungs were bad and they said I hadn’t a year to live. You see they were wrong."

"I meant, how come you to settle down right here?"

"I am a sentimentalist."

"Oh!"

Neilson knew that the skipper had not an idea what he meant, and he looked at him with an ironical twinkle in his dark eyes. Perhaps just because the skipper was so gross and dull a man the whim seized him to talk further.

"You were too busy keeping your balance to notice, when you crossed the bridge, but this spot is generally considered rather pretty."

"It’s a cute little house you’ve got here (/какой/ прелестный домик у вас тут)."

"Ah, that wasn’t here when I first came (а, его здесь не было, когда я впервые попал: «пришел» /сюда/). There was a native hut (здесь была туземная хижина), with its beehive roof and its pillars (с ее крышей, похожей на улей, и столбами; beehive— улей;to pillar— подпирать, поддерживать ), overshadowed by a great tree with red flowers (/она стояла/ под тенью огромного дерева с красными цветами; to over shadow— затемнять; отбрасывать тень ); and the croton bushes (и кусты кротона), their leaves yellow and red and golden (/с/ их желтыми, красными и золотистыми листьями), made a pied fence around it (создавали пеструю изгородь вокруг нее). And then all about were the coconut trees (и потом повсюду были кокосовые пальмы), as fanciful as women, and as vain (такие же капризные как женщины и такие же самовлюбленные). They stood at the water’s edge (они стояли у кромки воды) and spent all day looking at their reflections (и проводили весь день, глядя на свои отражения). I was a young man then (я был молод: «молодым человеком» тогда) — Good Heavens, it’s a quarter of a century ago (Боже мой, это /было/ четверть века тому назад) — and I wanted to enjoy all the loveliness of the world (и я хотел насладиться всей красотой этого мира) in the short time allotted to me (за то короткое время, предоставленное мне) before I passed into the darkness (до того как я уйду во мрак). I thought it was the most beautiful spot I had ever seen (я думал, /что/ это было самое красивое место, /которое/ я когда-либо видел). The first time I saw it (как только: «/в/ первый раз /когда/» я его увидел) I had a catch at my heart (у меня защемило сердце; to catch — ловить; зацепить, задеть ), and I was afraid I was going to cry (и я боялся, /что/ расплачусь; to be going — собираться; также придает последующему глаголу значение действия в ближайшем будущем ). I wasn’t more than twenty-five (мне было не больше двадцати пяти), and though I put the best face I could on it (и хоть я и храбрился как мог; to put on a face — делать вид; best — наилучший ), I didn’t want to die (я не хотел умирать). And somehow it seemed to me (и почему-то показалось мне) that the very beauty of this place (что сама красота этого места) made it easier for me to accept my fate (сделала легче = помогла мне принять свою судьбу). I felt when I came here (я почувствовал, когда я пришел сюда) that all my past life had fallen away (что вся моя прошлая жизнь /куда-то/ исчезла), Stockholm and its University (Стокгольм и его университет), and then Bonn (и затем Бонн): it all seemed the life of somebody else (это все, казалось, было в жизни: «казалось жизнью» кого-то другого), as though now at last I had achieved the reality (как будто теперь, наконец, я познал эту реальность; to achieve — достигать ) which our doctors of philosophy (которую наши доктора философии) — I am one myself, you know (знаете, я /ведь и/ сам один /из них/) — had discussed so much (так много обсуждали). ‘A year,’ I cried to myself (один год, крикнул я себе). ‘I have a year (у меня есть один год). I will spend it here and then I am content to die (я проведу его здесь, а потом я согласен умереть; content — довольный; голосующий «за» ).’

beehive [`bJhaIv], beauty [`bjHtI], philosophy [fI`lOsqfI]

"It’s a cute little house you’ve got here."

"Ah, that wasn’t here when I first came. There was a native hut, with its beehive roof and its pillars, overshadowed by a great tree with red flowers; and the croton bushes, their leaves yellow and red and golden, made a pied fence around it. And then all about were the coconut trees, as fanciful as women, and as vain. They stood at the water’s edge and spent all day looking at their reflections. I was a young man then — Good Heavens, it’s a quarter of a century ago — and I wanted to enjoy all the loveliness of the world in the short time allotted to me before I passed into the darkness. I thought it was the most beautiful spot I had ever seen. The first time I saw it I had a catch at my heart, and I was afraid I was going to cry. I wasn’t more than twenty-five, and though I put the best face I could on it, I didn’t want to die. And somehow it seemed to me that the very beauty of this place made it easier for me to accept my fate. I felt when I came here that all my past life had fallen away, Stockholm and its University, and then Bonn: it all seemed the life of somebody else, as though now at last I had achieved the reality which our doctors of philosophy — I am one myself, you know — had discussed so much. ‘A year,’ I cried to myself. ‘I have a year. I will spend it here and then I am content to die.’

"We are foolish and sentimental and melodramatic at twenty-five (мы глупы, сентиментальны и мелодраматичны в двадцать пять /лет/), but if we weren’t (но если бы мы не были /такими/) perhaps we should be less wise at fifty (может быть, мы были бы не так мудры в пятьдесят; less — менее ).