John Steinbeck |
Джон Стейнбек |
Of Mice and Men A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan Mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees - willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool. On the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp that a lizard makes a great skittering if he runs among them. Rabbits come out of the brush to sit on the sand in the evening, and the damp flats are covered with the night tracks of 'coons, and with the spreadpads of dogs from the ranches, and with the split-wedge tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark. There is a path through the willows and among the sycamores, a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle-up near water. In front of the low horizontal limb of a giant sycamore there is an ash pile made by many fires; the limb is worn smooth by men who have sat on it. |
О мышах и людях |
Evening of a hot day started the little wind to moving among the leaves. |
К вечеру, после жаркого дня, поднялся ветерок и тихо шелестел в листве. |
The shade climbed up the hills toward the top. |
Вверх по склонам гор поползли тени. |
On the sand banks the rabbits sat as quietly as little gray sculptured stones. |
Кролики сидели на песке неподвижно, словно серые изваяния. |
And then from the direction of the state highway came the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves. |
А потом со стороны шоссе раздались шаги -кто-то шел по хрустким палым листьям сикоморов. |
The rabbits hurried noiselessly for cover. |
Зайцы бесшумно попрятались. |
A stilted heron labored up into the air and pounded down river. |
Горделивая цапля тяжело поднялась в воздух и полетела над водой к низовьям. |
For a moment the place was lifeless, and then two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool. They had walked in single file down the path, and even in the open one stayed behind the other. |
На миг все замерло, а потом по тропе на поляну с заводи вышли двое мужчин, один - позади другого, и здесь, на поляне, он тоже держался позади. |
Both were dressed in denim trousers and in denim coats with brass buttons. |
Оба были в холщовых штанах и таких же куртках с медными пуговицами. |
Both wore black, shapeless hats and both carried tight blanket rolls slung over their shoulders. |
На обоих - черные измятые шляпы, а через плечо перекинуты туго свернутые одеяла. |
The first man was small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp, strong features. |
Первый - маленький, живой, смуглолицый, с беспокойными глазами и строгим решительным лицом. |
Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose. |
Все в нем было выразительно: маленькие сильные руки, узкие плечи, тонкий прямой нос. |
Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, and wide, sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. |
А второй, шедший позади, - большой, рослый, с плоским лицом и пустыми глазами; шагал он косолапо, как медведь, тяжело волоча ноги. |
His arms did not swing at his sides, but hung loosely. |
Руками на ходу не размахивал, они висели вдоль тела. |
The first man stopped short in the clearing, and the follower nearly ran over him. |
Первый так резко остановился на поляне, что второй чуть не наскочил на него. |
He took off his hat and wiped the sweat-band with his forefinger and snapped the moisture off. |
Первый снял шляпу, указательным пальцем вытер кожаную ленту внутри и стряхнул капельки пота. |
His huge companion dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse. |
Его дюжий спутник сбросил свернутые одеяла, опустился на землю, припал к зеленоватой воде и стал пить; он пил большими глотками, фыркая в воду, как лошадь. |
The small man stepped nervously beside him. |
Маленький забеспокоился и подошел к нему сзади. |
"Lennie!" he said sharply. "Lennie, for God' sakes don't drink so much." |
- Ленни! - сказал он. - Ленни, бога ради, не пей столько. |
Lennie continued to snort into the pool. |
Ленни продолжал фыркать. |
The small man leaned over and shook him by the shoulder. |
Маленький нагнулся и тряхнул его за плечо. |
"Lennie. You gonna be sick like you was last night." |
- Ленни, тебе же опять будет плохо, как вчера вечером. |
Lennie dipped his whole head under, hat and all, and then he sat up on the bank and his hat dripped down on his blue coat and ran down his back. |
Ленни окунул голову в реку, уселся на берегу, и струйки воды, стекая со шляпы на голубую куртку, бежали у него по спине. |
"That's good," he said. "You drink some, George. |
- Эх, славно, - сказал он. - Попей и ты, Джордж. |
You take a good big drink." |
Вволю попей. |
He smiled happily. |
И он блаженно улыбнулся. |
George unslung his bindle and dropped it gently on the bank. |
Джордж снял одеяла с плеча и осторожно положил их на землю. |
"I ain't sure it's good water," he said. "Looks kinda scummy." |
- Вода небось грязная, - сказал он. - Больно много пены. |
Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so the water arose in little splashes; rings widened across the pool to the other side and came back again. |
Ленни шлепнул по воде огромной ручищей и пошевелил пальцами, так что вода пошла мелкой рябью; круги, расширяясь, побежали по заводи к другому берегу и снова назад. |
Lennie watched them go. |
Ленни смотрел на них не отрываясь. |
"Look, George. |
- Гляди, Джордж. |