Мюриэль Спарк - Английский язык с Мюриэль Спарк (рассказы)

"I'm boring you (я вам надоела)."

"No, no."

"I wish you would take off those glasses (мне бы очень хотелось, что бы вы сняли эти: «те» очки)."

explain [Ik'spleIn] effect [I'fekt] glaucoma [glO:'kqVmq] drug [drAg]

deliberately [dI'lIb(q)rItlI] disreputable [dIs'repjVtqbl]

"I'm not saying she was," I said.

"What did you say?"

"I'm sure she wasn't a normal person," I said, "if you say so."

"It can all be explained psychologically, as we've tried to show to my husband. We've told him and told him, and given him every sort of treatment — shock, insulin, everything. And after all, the stuff didn't have any effect on his sister immediately, and when she did go blind it was caused by acute glaucoma. She would probably have lost her sight in any case. Well, she went off her head completely and accused her brother of having put the wrong drug in the bottle deliberately. This is the interesting part from the psychological point of view — she said she had seen something that he didn't want her to see, something disreputable. She said he wanted to blind the eye that saw it. She said…"

We were walking round the lake for the second time. When we came to the spot where I had seen her face reflected I stopped and looked over the water. "I'm boring you."

"No, no."

"I wish you would take off those glasses."

I took them off for a moment (я сняла их на мгновение). I rather liked her for her innocence in not recognising me (мне она даже понравилась за ее простодушие, что она не узнала меня), though she looked hard (она не сводила с меня глаз) and said, "There's a subconscious reason why you wear them (есть какая-то подсознательная причина, почему вы носите их)."

"Dark glasses hide dark thoughts (темные очки скрывают темные мысли; tohide— прятать, скрывать, не показывать )," I said.

"Is that a saying (это афоризм: «пословица»)?"

"Not that I've heard (я такого не слышала). But it is one now (но теперь, должно быть, афоризм, но теперь это стало афоризмом)."

innocence ['Inqs(q)ns] saying ['seIIN]

I took them off for a moment. I rather liked her for her innocence in not recognising me, though she looked hard and said, "There's a subconscious reason why you wear them."

"Dark glasses hide dark thoughts," I said.

"Is that a saying?"

"Not that I've heard. But it is one now."

She looked at me anew (она взглянула на меня заново). But she didn't recognise me (но она не узнала меня). These fishers of the mind (эти ловцы разума; fisher — рыбак, рыболов; fish — рыба ) have no eye for outward things (никогда не видят окружающий мир; outward — внешний, наружный ). Instead, she was "recognising" my mind (вместо этого, она ‘узнавала, разведовала’ мой разум): I daresay I came under some category of hers (я даже думаю, что я подпала под одну из ее категорий).

I had my glasses on again (я вновь надела очки), and was walking on (и продолжила прогулку).

"How did your husband react to his sister's accusations (как ваш муж реагировал на обвинения его сестры; to react — реагировать, отзываться, воздействовать )?" I said.

"He was remarkably kind (он был удивительно добр)."

"Kind?"

"Oh, yes, in the circumstances (о, да, при таких обстоятельствах). Because she started up a lot of gossip in the neighbourhood (потому что она начала сильно сплетничать в соседней округе; gossip— болтовня, разговоры, сплетни, слухи ). It was only a small town (это был всего лишь маленький город). It was a long time before (прошло много времени прежде чем) I could persuade him to send her to a home for the blind (я смогла уговорить его отправить ее в дом для слепых; topersuade— убеждать, склонять, уговаривать ) where she could be looked after (где за ней бы могли ухаживать; tolookafter— присматривать, ухаживать, заботиться ). There was a terrible bond between them (была какая-то ужасная связь между ними; abond— узы, связь, обязательство) . Unconscious incest (неосознанный инцест: «кровосмешение»)."

accusation ["xkjV'zeIS(q)n] circumstance ['sq: kqmstxns, 'sq: kqmstqns]

neighbourhood ['neIbqhVd] unconscious [An'kOnSqs]

She looked at me anew. But she didn't recognise me. These fishers of the mind have no eye for outward things. Instead, she was "recognising" my mind: I daresay I came under some category of hers.

I had my glasses on again, and was walking on.

"How did your husband react to his sister's accusations?" I said.

"He was remarkably kind."

"Kind?"

"Oh, yes, in the circumstances. Because she started up a lot of gossip in the neighbourhood. It was only a small town. It was a long time before I could persuade him to send her to a home for the blind where she could be looked after. There was a terrible bond between them. Unconscious incest."

"Didn’t you know that when you married him (разве вы этого не знали, когда выходили за него замуж)? I should have thought it would have been obvious (я думаю, это было очевидно; obvious — явный, очевидный )."

She looked at me again (она посмотрела на меня снова). "I had not studied psychology at that time (я не изучала психологию в то время)," she said.

I thought, neither had I (я подумала, что и я не изучала).

We were silent for the third turn about the lake (мы молчали: «были молчаливы» во время нашего третьего круга: «оборота» вокруг озера).

Then she said (затем она сказала), "Well, I was telling you how I came to study psychology and practise it (ну, я говорила вам, как я начала изучать психологию и стала практиковать). My husband had this breakdown (у моего мужа был тот упадок сил) after his sister went away (после того, как уехала его сестра). He had delusions (у него были галлюцинации; delusion— обман, иллюзия, мания, бред ). He kept imagining he saw eyes (он продолжал воображать, что видит глаза) looking at him everywhere (смотрящие на него везде). He still sees them from time to time (он до сих пор видит их, время от времени). But eyes, you see (но именно глаза, вы понимаете). That's significant (это очень важно; significant— знаменательный, важный, показательный) . Unconsciously he felt he had blinded his sister (подсознательно он чувствовал, что он ослепил свою сестру). Because unconsciously he wanted to do so (потому, что бессознательно он хотел сделать это). He keeps confessing that he did so (он продолжает признаваться, что он сделал это; toconfess— признавать, сознаваться, исповедоваться )."