Чтение онлайн

recently ['rJsntlI], century ['senCurI], exist [Ig'zIst]

The world he had so recently left, with its busy nations and great enterprises, seemed very far away. Recollections occasionally obtruded, — recollections of marts and galleries and crowded thoroughfares, of evening dress and social functions, of good men and dear women he had known, — but they were dim memories of a life he had lived long centuries agone, on some other planet. This phantasm was the Reality. Standing beneath the wind-vane, his eyes fixed on the polar skies, he could not bring himself to realize that the Southland really existed, that at that very moment it was a-roar with life and action.

There was no Southland (не было никаких южных земель), no men being born of women (ни мужчин, рожденных от женщин), no giving and taking in marriage (ни вступления в брак: «ни выдавания и взятия замуж»). Beyond his bleak sky-line there stretched vast solitudes (за унылым горизонтом простирались безбрежные и безлюдные места; solitudes — уединенные, безлюдные места), and beyond these still vaster solitudes (а за ними еще более обширные и безлюдные места). There were no lands of sunshine (не было земель с солнечным светом), heavy with the perfume of flowers (насыщенных ароматом цветов; heavy with — насыщенный чем-либо). Such things were only old dreams of paradise (такие вещи = все такое было лишь прежними мечтами о рае). The sunlands of the West and the spicelands of the East (солнечные края Запада и благоухающие земли Востока), the smiling Arcadias and blissful Islands of the Blest (улыбающиеся Аркадии и блаженные Острова Благословенных), — ha! ha (ха! ха!)! His laughter split the void and shocked him with its unwonted sound (его хохот расколол пустоту и потряс его своим непривычным звучанием; to split — раскалывать/ся/; расщеплять/ся/). There was no sun (не было солнца). This was the Universe (это была Вселенная), dead and cold and dark (мертвая, холодная и темная), and he its only citizen (и он ее единственный гражданин). Weatherbee (Уэзерби)? At such moments Weatherbee did not count (в такие моменты Уэзерби не считался). He was a Caliban, a monstrous phantom (он был калибаном, [17] чудовищным призраком), fettered to him for untold ages (прикованным к нему на бесчисленные века), the penalty of some forgotten crime (наказание за какое-то забытое преступление).

perfume ['pWfjHm], paradise ['pxrqdaIs], laughter ['lRftq]

There was no Southland, no men being born of women, no giving and taking in marriage. Beyond his bleak sky-line there stretched vast solitudes, and beyond these still vaster solitudes. There were no lands of sunshine, heavy with the perfume of flowers. Such things were only old dreams of paradise. The sunlands of the West and the spicelands of the East, the smiling Arcadias and blissful Islands of the Blest, — ha! ha! His laughter split the void and shocked him with its unwonted sound. There was no sun. This was the Universe, dead and cold and dark, and he its only citizen. Weatherbee? At such moments Weatherbee did not count. He was a Caliban, a monstrous phantom, fettered to him for untold ages, the penalty of some forgotten crime.

He lived with Death among the dead (он жил со Смертью среди мертвых), emasculated by the sense of his own insignificance (ослабленный чувством собственной незначительности), crushed by the passive mastery of the slumbering ages (сокрушенный безразличной властью сонных эпох). The magnitude of all things appalled him (величие всего ужасало его). Everything partook of the superlative save himself (все напоминало о превосходной степени, кроме него самого; to partake of — иметь примесь /чего-либо/; отдавать /чем-либо/; напоминать /что-либо качествами, признаками и т. д./), — the perfect cessation of wind and motion (абсолютное прекращение ветра и движения), the immensity of the snow-covered wilderness (необъятность покрытой снегом дикой местности), the height of the sky and the depth of the silence (высота неба и глубина тишины). That wind-vane (этот флюгер), — if it would only move (если бы он только двинулся). If a thunderbolt would fall (если бы ударила молния: «удар молнии упал»), or the forest flare up in flame (или вспыхнул пламенем лес). The rolling up of the heavens as a scroll (свернулись бы небеса, как свиток [18] ), the crash of Doom (наступил бы конец света; crash — треск; крушение; doom — рок, судьба; гибель, кончина, смерть; Doomsday = day of Doom — день Cтрашного Cуда; Судный День; светопреставление, конец света) — anything, anything (что угодно, что угодно)! But no, nothing moved (но нет, ничто не двинулось); the Silence crowded in (Безмолвие захлестнуло; to crowd — давить, толкать; to crowd in — устремиться; нахлынуть, захлестнуть), and the Fear of the North laid icy fingers on his heart (и Страх перед Севером положил ледяные пальцы ему на сердце = охватил ледяными пальцами его сердце).

magnitude ['mxgnItjHd], superlative [sjH'pWlqtIv], height [haIt]

He lived with Death among the dead, emasculated by the sense of his own insignificance, crushed by the passive mastery of the slumbering ages. The magnitude of all things appalled him. Everything partook of the superlative save himself, — the perfect cessation of wind and motion, the immensity of the snow-covered wilderness, the height of the sky and the depth of the silence. That wind-vane, — if it would only move. If a thunderbolt would fall, or the forest flare up in flame. The rolling up of the heavens as a scroll, the crash of Doom — anything, anything! But no, nothing moved; the Silence crowded in, and the Fear of the North laid icy fingers on his heart.

Once, like another Crusoe (однажды, как еще один /Робинзон/ Крузо), by the edge of the river he came upon a track (у берега реки он наткнулся на след), — the faint tracery of a snowshoe rabbit on the delicate snow-crust (слабый узор следов кролика в /своих природных/ снегоступах на нежном снежном насте). It was a revelation (это было откровение). There was life in the Northland (на Севере была жизнь). He would follow it (он пойдет за ним), look upon it (посмотрит на него), gloat over it (будет пожирать его глазами; to gloat — пожирать глазами). He forgot his swollen muscles (он забыл о распухших мускулах; to swell), plunging through the deep snow in an ecstasy of anticipation (устремляясь через глубокий снег в экстазе предвкушения). The forest swallowed him up (лес поглотил его), and the brief midday twilight vanished (и пропали короткие полуденные сумерки); but he pursued his quest till exhausted nature asserted itself (но он продолжал свой поиск, пока не заявило о себе изможденное естество; nature — физические силы, жизненные силы организма; натура, естество) and laid him helpless in the snow (и не уложило его беспомощным в снег). There he groaned and cursed his folly (там он стонал и проклинал свое безрассудное поведение; folly — глупость; недомыслие; безрассудный поступок или поведение), and knew the track to be the fancy of his brain (и понял, что след — это фантазия его мозга); and late that night he dragged himself into the cabin on hands and knees (и поздно той ночью он притащился в хижину на четвереньках), his cheeks frozen and a strange numbness about his feet (c отмороженными щеками и странной нечувствительностью в ногах). Weatherbee grinned malevolently (Уэзерби злобно ухмыльнулся), but made no offer to help him (но не предложил ему помощь). He thrust needles into his toes and thawed them out by the stove (он колол иглами пальцы ног и отогревал их у печки; to thaw — таять; размораживать; согреваться). A week later mortification set in (неделю спустя началось омертвение; mortification — омертвение; гангрена; to set in — начинаться, наступать).

delicate ['delIkIt], malevolent [mq'levqlqnt], mortification ["mLtIfI'keISn]

Once, like another Crusoe, by the edge of the river he came upon a track, — the faint tracery of a snowshoe rabbit on the delicate snow-crust. It was a revelation. There was life in the Northland. He would follow it, look upon it, gloat over it. He forgot his swollen muscles, plunging through the deep snow in an ecstasy of anticipation. The forest swallowed him up, and the brief midday twilight vanished; but he pursued his quest till exhausted nature asserted itself and laid him helpless in the snow. There he groaned and cursed his folly, and knew the track to be the fancy of his brain; and late that night he dragged himself into the cabin on hands and knees, his cheeks frozen and a strange numbness about his feet. Weatherbee grinned malevolently, but made no offer to help him. He thrust needles into his toes and thawed them out by the stove. A week later mortification set in.

But the clerk had his own troubles (а у клерка были свои проблемы). The dead men came out of their graves more frequently now (теперь мертвецы чаще выходили из могил), and rarely left him (и редко покидали его), waking or sleeping (бодрствовал /он/ или спал). He grew to wait and dread their coming (он стал ждать и бояться их прихода), never passing the twin cairns without a shudder (никогда не проходя без содрогания мимо двух каменных пирамид; cairn — пирамида из камней /как условный знак/). One night they came to him in his sleep and led him forth to an appointed task (однажды ночью они пришли к нему во сне и повели его наружу на порученное задание; forth — вперед; наружу; to appoint — назначать; поручать; to appoint smb. а task — поручить кому-либо задание). Frightened into inarticulate horror (перепуганный до бессловесного ужаса = до потери речи; inarticulate — невнятный; немой, онемевший), he awoke between the heaps of stones and fled wildly to the cabin (он проснулся между каменных куч и дико убежал в хижину). But he had lain there for some time (но он пролежал там некоторое время; to lie — лежать), for his feet and cheeks were also frozen (ибо его ступни и щеки тоже были отморожены).

frequent ['frJkwqnt], cairn [keqn], horror ['hOrq]

But the clerk had his own troubles. The dead men came out of their graves more frequently now, and rarely left him, waking or sleeping. He grew to wait and dread their coming, never passing the twin cairns without a shudder. One night they came to him in his sleep and led him forth to an appointed task. Frightened into inarticulate horror, he awoke between the heaps of stones and fled wildly to the cabin. But he had lain there for some time, for his feet and cheeks were also frozen.

Sometimes he became frantic at their insistent presence (временами он становился безумным от их настойчивого присутствия), and danced about the cabin (и скакал по хижине), cutting the empty air with an axe (разрубая пустой воздух топором), and smashing everything within reach (и сокрушая все в пределах досягаемости). During these ghostly encounters (во время этих схваток с привидениями), Cuthfert huddled into his blankets (Катферт сжимался в одеялах; to huddle — толпиться, жаться; съёживаться) and followed the madman about with a cocked revolver (и следил за безумцем со взведенным револьвером), ready to shoot him if he came too near (готовый выстрелить в него, если он подойдет слишком близко). But, recovering from one of these spells (но, придя в себя от одного из этих приступов), the clerk noticed the weapon trained upon him (конторщик заметил оружие, наведенное на него). His suspicions were aroused (его подозрения пробудились), and thenceforth he, too, lived in fear of his life (и с этого времени он тоже жил в страхе за свою жизнь). They watched each other closely after that (они внимательно наблюдали друг за другом после этого), and faced about in startled fright (и поворачивались кругом, вздрагивая от страха; to face about — поворачиваться кругом; to startle — испугать; поразить; вздрагивать) whenever either passed behind the other's back (всякий раз, когда один из них проходил за спиной другого). This apprehensiveness became a mania which controlled them even in their sleep (этот страх стал манией, которая господствовала над ними даже во сне; apprehensive — испытывающий тревогу, полный страха). Through mutual fear they tacitly let the slush-lamp burn all night (из-за взаимной боязни они молчаливо оставляли лампу на жиру гореть всю ночь; to let — позволять, разрешать /кому-либо что-либо/), and saw to a plentiful supply of bacon-grease before retiring (и заботились об обильном запасе свиного жира, прежде чем отойти ко сну; to see to — присматривать за чем-либо, кем-либо, заботиться о чем-либо, ком-либо; to retire — ложиться спать). The slightest movement on the part of one was sufficient to arouse the other (малейшего движения со стороны одного было достаточно, чтобы разбудить другого), and many a still watch their gazes countered (и много раз их пристальные взгляды натыкались на молчаливое пристальное наблюдение /со стороны другого/; to counter — противостоять; нанести встречный удар) as they shook beneath their blankets with fingers on the trigger-guards (когда они тряслись под одеялами с пальцами на спусковых курках; guard — предохранитель).

axe [xks], weapon ['wepqn], sufficient [sq'fISqnt]

Sometimes he became frantic at their insistent presence, and danced about the cabin, cutting the empty air with an axe, and smashing everything within reach. During these ghostly encounters, Cuthfert huddled into his blankets and followed the madman about with a cocked revolver, ready to shoot him if he came too near. But, recovering from one of these spells, the clerk noticed the weapon trained upon him. His suspicions were aroused, and thenceforth he, too, lived in fear of his life. They watched each other closely after that, and faced about in startled fright whenever either passed behind the other's back. This apprehensiveness became a mania which controlled them even in their sleep. Through mutual fear they tacitly let the slush-lamp burn all night, and saw to a plentiful supply of bacon-grease before retiring. The slightest movement on the part of one was sufficient to arouse the other, and many a still watch their gazes countered as they shook beneath their blankets with fingers on the trigger-guards.