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

ingenuous [In`Genjuqs], bathe [beID], possession [pq`zeS(q)n]

"And even now after all these years, when I think of these two, so young, so fair, so simple, and of their love, I feel a pang. It tears my heart just as my heart is torn when on certain nights I watch the full moon shining on the lagoon from an unclouded sky. There is always pain in the contemplation of perfect beauty.

"They were children. She was good and sweet and kind. I know nothing of him, and I like to think that then at all events he was ingenuous and frank. I like to think that his soul was as comely as his body. But I daresay he had no more soul than the creatures of the woods and forests who made pipes from reeds and bathed in the mountain streams when the world was young, and you might catch sight of little fauns galloping through the glade on the back of a bearded centaur. A soul is a troublesome possession and when man developed it he lost the Garden of Eden.

"Well, when Red came to the island (ну, когда Рыжий прибыл на этот остров) it had recently been visited by one of those epidemics (тот незадолго до этого пострадал от одной из тех эпидемий; to visit — посещать ) which the white man brought to the South Seas (которые белый человек привез /с собой/ на Южные моря), and one third of the inhabitants had died (и третья часть: «одна треть» обитателей /острова/ умерла). It seems that the girl had lost all her near kin (по-видимому, девушка потеряла всех своих близких родственников) and she lived now in the house of distant cousins (и жила теперь в доме дальней родни; cousin — кузен, кузина; родственник ). The household consisted of two ancient crones, bowed and wrinkled (семейство состояло из двух древних старух, сгорбленных и морщинистых; crone — карга ), two younger women (двух женщин помоложе), and a man and a boy (а также мужчины и мальчика). For a few days he stayed there (несколько дней он оставался там). But perhaps he felt himself too near the shore (но, возможно, ему было не по себе от близости берега: «он чувствовал себя слишком близко к берегу»), with the possibility that he might fall in with white men (и вероятности /того/, что он мог бы столкнуться с белыми) who would reveal his hiding-place (которые бы выдали его убежище); perhaps the lovers could not bear that the company of others (возможно, влюбленные не могли смириться /с тем/, что остальные; company — любая группа/обычно людей/ ) should rob them for an instant of the delight of being together (лишат их /даже/ на миг удовольствия быть вместе). One morning they set out, the pair of them (однажды утром они вместе отправились /в путь/; pair — пара ), with the few things that belonged to the girl (с теми немногими вещами, что принадлежали девушке), and walked along a grassy path under the coconuts (и пошли по заросшей травой тропинке под кокосовыми пальмами: «кокосами»), till they came to the creek you see (пока /не/ дошли до той /самой/ речки, /которую/ вы видите). They had to cross the bridge you crossed (им пришлось перейти через тот мост, /который/ вы переходили), and the girl laughed gleefully because he was afraid (и девушка смеялась весело, потому что он боялся). She held his hand till they came to the end of the first tree (она держала его за руку, пока они /не/ дошли до конца первого дерева), and then his courage failed him and he had to go back (а потом его смелость покинула его и ему пришлось возвратиться назад; to fail — не хватать, истощаться ). He was obliged to take off all his clothes (он был вынужден снять /с себя/ всю одежду) before he could risk it (прежде чем он смог рискнуть /пройти снова/), and she carried them over for him on her head (и она перенесла ее за него на своей голове). They settled down in the empty hut that stood there (они устроились в пустующей хижине, что стояла там). Whether she had any rights over it (то ли она имела на нее какие-то права) (land tenure is a complicated business in the islands (/правила/ владения землей на этих островах /такие/ запутанные; business — дело, занятие )), or whether the owner had died during the epidemic, I do not know (то ли хозяин /хижины/ умер во время эпидемии, я не знаю), but anyhow no one questioned them (но, во всяком случае, никто их /ни о чем не/ расспрашивал), and they took possession (и они завладели /хижиной/). Their furniture consisted of a couple of grass-mats on which they slept (/вся/ их мебель состояла из пары травяных циновок, на которых они спали), a fragment of looking-glass (осколка зеркала), and a bowl or two (и одной-двух мисок). In this pleasant land that is enough to start housekeeping on (на этой благодатной земле этого достаточно, чтобы начать вести домашнее хозяйство).

cousin [kAzn], wrinkle [rINkl], business [`bIznIs]

"Well, when Red came to the island it had recently been visited by one of those epidemics which the white man brought to the South Seas, and one third of the inhabitants had died. It seems that the girl had lost all her near kin and she lived now in the house of distant cousins. The household consisted of two ancient crones, bowed and wrinkled, two younger women, and a man and a boy. For a few days he stayed there. But perhaps he felt himself too near the shore, with the possibility that he might fall in with white men who would reveal his hiding-place; perhaps the lovers could not bear that the company of others should rob them for an instant of the delight of being together. One morning they set out, the pair of them, with the few things that belonged to the girl, and walked along a grassy path under the coconuts, till they came to the creek you see. They had to cross the bridge you crossed, and the girl laughed gleefully because he was afraid. She held his hand till they came to the end of the first tree, and then his courage failed him and he had to go back. He was obliged to take off all his clothes before he could risk it, and she carried them over for him on her head. They settled down in the empty hut that stood there. Whether she had any rights over it (land tenure is a complicated business in the islands), or whether the owner had died during the epidemic, I do not know, but anyhow no one questioned them, and they took possession. Their furniture consisted of a couple of grass-mats on which they slept, a fragment of looking-glass, and a bowl or two. In this pleasant land that is enough to start housekeeping on.