Читать интересную книгу Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Театр - Илья Франк

with fat bellies, old harridans clinging desperately to their painted semblance of

youth. Some were in love, and some were jealous, and some were indifferent.

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Her steak arrived (подали бифштекс). It was cooked exactly as she liked it (он

был приготовлен именно так, как она любила), and the onions were crisp and

brown (и лук был хрустящим и румяным; brown — зд. поджаренный,

подрумяненный). She ate the fried potatoes delicately (она изящно ела

жаренный картофель), with her fingers (/держа/ его пальцами), savouring each

one (смакуя каждый кусочек) as though it were the passing moment that she

would bid delay (как если бы это было уходящим: «мимолетным» моментом,

который она бы попросила задержаться; to bid (bade, bidden) — предлагать

цену, приказывать).

"What is love beside steak and onions (что есть любовь по сравнению с

бифштексом с луком)?" she asked (спросила она). It was enchanting to be alone

(это было очаровательно — быть одной) and allow her mind to wander (и

позволить своим мыслям блуждать). She thought once more of Tom (она еще

раз подумала о Томе) and spiritually shrugged a humorous shoulder (и в душе

пожала смешливо плечами). "It was an amusing experience (это был забавный

опыт)."

onion ['Anjqn] delicately ['delIkItlI] savour ['seIvq]

Her steak arrived. It was cooked exactly as she liked it, and the onions were crisp

and brown. She ate the fried potatoes delicately, with her fingers, savouring each

one as though it were the passing moment that she would bid delay.

"What is love beside steak and onions?" she asked. It was enchanting to be alone

and allow her mind to wander. She thought once more of Tom and spiritually

shrugged a humorous shoulder. "It was an amusing experience."

It would certainly be useful to her one of these days (он обязательно будет ей

полезен, в ближайшем будущем: «на днях»). The sight of the dancers seen

through the archway (вид танцоров, которых было видно через сводчатые

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проходы) was so much like a scene in a play (был так похож на сцену из

спектакля) that she was reminded of a notion that she had first had in St. Malo

(что ей напомнило о той идее, которая пришла ей в голову впервые в Сен-

Мало). The agony that she had suffered when Tom deserted her (те муки,

которые она испытывала, когда Том бросил ее) recalled to her memory Racine's

Phиdre (вызвал в ее памяти «Федру» Расина) which she had studied as a girl

with old Jane Taitbout (которую она изучила, когда была девочкой, со старой

Жанной Тэбу). She read the play again (она перечитала пьесу снова). The

torments that afflicted Theseus' queen were the torments that afflicted her (те

самые муки, что приводили в отчаяние жену: «королеву» Тезея, были теми

же самыми муками, что привели ее в отчаяние), and she could not but think (и

она не могла не думать) that there was a striking similarity in their situations (что

была некая поразительная схожесть в их ситуациях). That was a part she could

act (это была роль, которую она могла сыграть); she knew what it felt like to be

turned down by a young man one had a fancy for (она знала, как это

/почувствовать/, что ты отвергнута молодым человеком, в которого

влюблена).

remind [rI'maInd] torment ['tO:ment] afflict [q'flIkt] similarity ["sImI'lxrItI]

It would certainly be useful to her one of these days. The sight of the dancers seen

through the archway was so much like a scene in a play that she was reminded of a

notion that she had first had in St. Malo. The agony that she had suffered when

Tom deserted her recalled to her memory Racine's Phиdre which she had studied

as a girl with old Jane Taitbout. She read the play again. The torments that afflicted

Theseus' queen were the torments that afflicted her, and she could not but think

that there was a striking similarity in their situations. That was a part she could act;

she knew what it felt like to be turned down by a young man one had a fancy for.

Gosh (ей-богу), what a performance she could give (какую игру может она

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показать)! She knew why in the spring she had acted so badly (она знала отчего

весной она играла настолько плохо) that Michael had preferred to close down

(что Майкл предпочел закрыть /спектакль/); it was because she was feeling the

emotions she portrayed (это было из-за того, что она чувствовала все те

эмоции, что она изображала). That was no good (а это ни куда не годится).

You had to have had the emotions (ты должен испытать эти эмоции), but you

could only play them when you had got over them (но ты сможешь сыграть их

только тогда, когда ты преодолел их). She remembered that Charles had once

said to her (она вспомнила, что однажды Чарльз сказал ей) that the origin of

poetry was emotion recollected in tranquillity (что источник поэзии — в

эмоциях, о которых вспоминаешь в спокойствии). She didn't know anything

about poetry (она ничего не знала о поэзии), but it was certainly true about

acting (но это было определенно правдой в отношении актерской игры).

origin ['OrIdZIn] tranquillity [trxN'kwIlItI] poetry ['pqVItrI]

Gosh, what a performance she could give! She knew why in the spring she had

acted so badly that Michael had preferred to close down; it was because she was

feeling the emotions she portrayed. That was no good. You had to have had the

emotions, but you could only play them when you had got over them. She

remembered that Charles had once said to her that the origin of poetry was emotion

recollected in tranquillity. She didn't know anything about poetry, but it was

certainly true about acting.

"Clever of poor old Charles (умно со стороны старого бедного Чарльза) to get

hold of an original idea like that (додуматься до такой оригинальной идеи; to

get hold of smth. — ухватить, добыть, завладеть, узнать что-либо). It shows

how wrong it is to judge people hastily (это показывает, как неверно судить о

людях опрометчиво). One thinks the aristocracy are a bunch of nitwits (принято

думать, что аристократия — это кучка кретинов), and then one of them

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suddenly comes out with something like that (и затем, один из них выступает с

какой-нибудь /идеей/ вроде этого) that's so damned good it takes your breath

away (которая настолько чертовски хороша, что у тебя даже дух

захватывает)."

But Julia had always felt that Racine had made a great mistake (но Джулия всегда

чувствовала, что Расин допустил большую ошибку) in not bringing on his

heroine till the third act (не выпуская: «не вводя» свою героиню /на сцену/ до

третьего акта).

"Of course I wouldn't have any nonsense like that if I played it (конечно же, я бы

не потерпела такой ерунды, если бы я играла в этом /спектакле/). Half an act

to prepare my entrance if you like, but that's ample (половина акта, чтобы

подготовить мой выход, если вам так угодно, но и этого более чем

достаточно; ample — просторный, обширный)."

judge [dZAdZ] aristocracy ["xrI'stOkrqsI] nitwit ['nIt"wIt] heroine ['herqVIn]

"Clever of poor old Charles to get hold of an original idea like that. It shows how

wrong it is to judge people hastily. One thinks the aristocracy are a bunch of

nitwits, and then one of them suddenly comes out with something like that that's so

damned good it takes your breath away."

But Julia had always felt that Racine had made a great mistake in not bringing on

his heroine till the third act.

"Of course I wouldn't have any nonsense like that if I played it. Half an act to

prepare my entrance if you like, but that's ample."

There was no reason why she should not get some dramatist (не было никакой

причины, что бы она не смогла достать какого-нибудь драматурга) to write

her a play on the subject (чтобы он написал ей пьесу на эту тему), either in

prose or in short lines of verse (либо в прозе, или в стихах, но из коротких

строф) with rhymes at not too frequent intervals (с рифмами, не на очень частых

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интервалах). She could manage that, and effectively (она могла бы с этим

справиться, и очень эффектно). It was a good idea (это была хорошая идея),

there was no doubt about it (нет никакого сомнения в этом), and she knew the

clothes she would wear (и она знала, какие костюмы она будет носить), not

those flowing draperies in which Sarah swathed herself (не те ниспадающие

одежды, в которые закутывала себя Сара /Бернар/), but the short Greek tunic

that (а в короткую греческую тунику, которую) she had seen on a bas-relief

when she went to the British Museum with Charles (она видела на каком-то

барельефе, когда она ходила с Чарльзом в Британский музей).

"How funny things are (как все-таки забавно)! You go to those museums and

galleries (ты идешь во все эти музеи и галереи) and think what a damned bore

they are (и думаешь, какие они все-таки скучные) and then, when you least

expect it (и затем, когда ты меньше всего этого ожидаешь), you find that

something you've seen comes in useful (ты обнаруживаешь, что нечто, что ты

видел там, оказывается полезным; to come in useful — пригодиться, прийтись

кстати). It shows art and all that isn't really waste of time (это доказывает:

«показывает», что искусство и все такое, на самом-то деле не такая уж и

пустая трата времени)."

dramatist ['drxmqtIst] rhyme [raIm] drapery ['dreIp(q)rI]

frequent ['fri:kwqnt] swathe [sweID] tunic ['tju:nIk]

There was no reason why she should not get some dramatist to write her a play on

the subject, either in prose or in short lines of verse with rhymes at not too frequent

intervals. She could manage that, and effectively. It was a good idea, there was no

doubt about it, and she knew the clothes she would wear, not those flowing

draperies in which Sarah swathed herself, but the short Greek tunic that she had

seen on a bas-relief when she went to the British Museum with Charles.

"How funny things are! You go to those museums and galleries and think what a

damned bore they are and then, when you least expect it, you find that something

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you've seen comes in useful. It shows art and all that isn't really waste of time."

Of course she had the legs for a tunic (конечно же, у нее ноги /подходящие/ для

туники), but could one be tragic in one (но можно ли быть трагичным в