Читать интересную книгу Английский язык с Джеромом К. Джеромом. Трое в лодке, не считая собаки - Jerome Jerome

scenery [ˈsi:nǝrɪ] cousin [ˈkʌz(ǝ)n]

We all wished, however, afterward that we had stopped at Penton Hook. Three or four miles up stream is a trifle, early in the morning, but it is a weary pull at the end of a long day. You take no interest in the scenery during these last few miles. You do not chat and laugh. Every half-mile you cover seems like two. You can hardly believe you are only where you are, and you are convinced that the map must be wrong; and, when you have trudged along for what seems to you at least ten miles, and still the lock is not in sight, you begin to seriously fear that somebody must have sneaked it, and run off with it.

I remember being terribly upset once up the river (in a figurative sense, I mean). I was out with a young lady — cousin on my mother's side — and we were pulling down to Goring. It was rather late, and we were anxious to get in — at least she was anxious to get in. It was half-past six when we reached Benson's lock, and dusk was drawing on, and she began to get excited then. She said she must be in to supper. I said it was a thing I felt I wanted to be in at, too; and I drew out a map I had with me to see exactly how far it was. I saw it was just a mile and a half to the next lock — Wallingford — and five on from there to Cleeve.

"Oh, it's all right!" I said. "We'll be through the next lock before seven (мы пройдем следующий шлюз до семи), and then there is only one more (а потом останется еще только один);" and I settled down and pulled steadily away (и я уселся и налег на весла; to pull away — грести без остановки; steady — устойчивый; прочный, твердый; равномерный, ровный).

We passed the bridge, and soon after that I asked if she saw the lock (мы миновали мост и вскоре после этого я спросил, видит ли она шлюз). She said no, she did not see any lock (она сказала, что нет, не видит никакого шлюза); and I said, "Oh!" and pulled on (и продолжал грести). Another five minutes went by, and then I asked her to look again (прошло еще пять минут, и я попросил ее посмотреть снова).

"No," she said; "I can't see any signs of a lock (не вижу никаких признаков шлюза)."

"You — you are sure you know a lock, when you do see one (ты… ты уверена, что узнаешь, шлюз, когда увидишь его)?" I asked hesitatingly, not wishing to offend her (спросил я нерешительно, не желая обидеть ее).

hesitatingly [ˈhezɪteɪtɪŋlɪ] offend [ǝˈfend]

"Oh, it's all right!" I said. "We'll be through the next lock before seven, and then there is only one more;" and I settled down and pulled steadily away.

We passed the bridge, and soon after that I asked if she saw the lock. She said no, she did not see any lock; and I said, "Oh!" and pulled on. Another five minutes went by, and then I asked her to look again.

"No," she said; "I can't see any signs of a lock."

"You — you are sure you know a lock, when you do see one?" I asked hesitatingly, not wishing to offend her.

The question did offend her, however (вопрос действительно обидел ее), and she suggested that I had better look for myself (и она высказала мысль, что мне лучше самому посмотреть); so I laid down the sculls, and took a view (так что я положил весла и осмотрелся). The river stretched out straight before us in the twilight for about a mile (река тянулась перед нами в сумерках примерно на милю); not a ghost of a lock was to be seen (не было видно ничего похожего на шлюз; ghost — привидение, призрак; тень, отдаленное напоминание о чем-либо).

"You don't think we have lost our way, do you (ты ведь не думаешь, что мы заблудились, да; to lose one`s way — заблудиться, потерять путь)?" asked my companion (спросила моя спутница).

I did not see how that was possible (я не представлял, как такое возможно); though, as I suggested, we might have somehow got into the weir stream, and be making for the falls (хотя, как я предположил, мы могли каким-то образом попасть в боковое русло и /теперь/ направляемся к водопаду; weir — плотина, запруда, дамба).

This idea did not comfort her in the least, and she began to cry (эта мысль нисколько не утешила ее, и она начала плакать). She said we should both be drowned (она сказала, что мы оба утонем), and that it was a judgment on her for coming out with me (и что это наказание ей за то, что она отправилась со мной; judgment — приговор, решение суда; наказание, кара).

twilight [ˈtwaɪlaɪt] drowned [draund]

The question did offend her, however, and she suggested that I had better look for myself; so I laid down the sculls, and took a view. The river stretched out straight before us in the twilight for about a mile; not a ghost of a lock was to be seen.

"You don't think we have lost our way, do you?" asked my companion.

I did not see how that was possible; though, as I suggested, we might have somehow got into the weir stream, and be making for the falls.

This idea did not comfort her in the least, and she began to cry. She said we should both be drowned, and that it was a judgment on her for coming out with me.

It seemed an excessive punishment, I thought (я посчитал это чрезмерно /строгим/ наказанием); but my cousin thought not, and hoped it would all soon be over (но моя кузина так не считала, и надеялась, что все скоро кончится).

I tried to reassure her, and to make light of the whole affair (я попытался успокоить ее и доказать, что дело не так плохо; to make light of — относиться несерьезно, небрежно к чему-либо, не придавать значения; преуменьшать). I said that the fact evidently was that I was not rowing as fast as I fancied I was (я сказал, дело, очевидно, в том, что я не гребу так быстро, как мне кажется), but that we should soon reach the lock now (что мы теперь скоро доберемся до шлюза); and I pulled on for another mile (и прогреб еще милю).

Then I began to get nervous myself (потом я сам начал нервничать). I looked again at the map (я снова посмотрел на карту). There was Wallingford lock, clearly marked, a mile and a half below Benson's (на ней был Уоллингфордский шлюз, ясно отмеченный, в полутора милях ниже Бенсонского). It was a good, reliable map (это была хорошая, надежная карта); and, besides, I recollected the lock myself (и, кроме того, я сам помнил этот шлюз; to recollect — вспоминать, припоминать; помнить). I had been through it twice (я проходил его дважды). Where were we (где мы находимся)? What had happened to us (что с нами случилось)? I began to think it must be all a dream (я начал думать, что все это, должно быть, сон), and that I was really asleep in bed (что я на самом деле сплю в постели), and should wake up in a minute, and be told it was past ten (и проснусь через минуту, и мне скажут, что /уже/ одиннадцатый час: «после десяти»).

excessive [ɪkˈsesɪv] reliable [rɪˈlaɪǝbl]

It seemed an excessive punishment, I thought; but my cousin thought not, and hoped it would all soon be over.

I tried to reassure her, and to make light of the whole affair. I said that the fact evidently was that I was not rowing as fast as I fancied I was, but that we should soon reach the lock now; and I pulled on for another mile.

Then I began to get nervous myself. I looked again at the map. There was Wallingford lock, clearly marked, a mile and a half below Benson's. It was a good, reliable map; and, besides, I recollected the lock myself. I had been through it twice. Where were we? What had happened to us? I began to think it must be all a dream, and that I was really asleep in bed, and should wake up in a minute, and be told it was past ten.

I asked my cousin if she thought it could be a dream (я спросил мою кузину, не думает ли она, что это сон), and she replied that she was just about to ask me the same question (она ответила, что как раз собиралась задать мне тот же вопрос); and then we both wondered if we were both asleep (потом мы оба задались вопросом, уж не спим ли мы), and if so, who was the real one that was dreaming (и если так, кто же действительно видит сон), and who was the one that was only a dream (а кто — только сон); it got quite interesting (это стало довольно занимательно).

I still went on pulling, however, and still no lock came in sight (я по-прежнему продолжал грести, и все же никакой шлюз не появлялся), and the river grew more and more gloomy and mysterious under the gathering shadows of night (а река становилась все более мрачной и таинственной под сгущающимися тенями ночи; to grow; to gather — собирать/ся/, скапливать/ся/), and things seemed to be getting weird and uncanny (и предметы, казалось, становились причудливыми и загадочными; weird — потусторонний, сверхъестественный; непонятный, причудливый). I thought of hobgoblins and banshees, and will-o'-the-wisps (я подумал о леших, и о привидениях, и о блуждающих огоньках; hobgoblin — домовой; чертенок; леший; дух-проказник; banshee — привидение-плакальщица, дух, стоны которого предвещают смерть), and those wicked girls who sit up all night on rocks (и о тех злых/гибельных девушках, которые сидят всю ночь на скалах), and lure people into whirl-pools and things (и заманивают людей в водовороты, и тому подобном); and I wished I had been a better man, and knew more hymns (я жалел, что не вел себя лучше: «хотел бы, чтобы я был более хорошим», и знал больше псалмов = молитв); and in the middle of these reflections I heard the blessed strains of "He's got `em on (посреди этих размышлений я услышал благословенные звуки /песни/ «Он их надел»; strain — тон /речи/; напев, мелодия; стихи)," played, badly, on a concertina, and knew that we were saved (исполняемой на гармонике, и я знал, что мы спасены; concertina — концертина /гармоника шестиугольной формы/).

weird [wɪǝd] banshee [bænˈʃi:]

I asked my cousin if she thought it could be a dream, and she replied that she was just about to ask me the same question; and then we both wondered if we were both asleep, and if so, who was the real one that was dreaming, and who was the one that was only a dream; it got quite interesting.

I still went on pulling, however, and still no lock came in sight, and the river grew more and more gloomy and mysterious under the gathering shadows of night, and things seemed to be getting weird and uncanny. I thought of hobgoblins and banshees, and will-o'-the-wisps, and those wicked girls who sit up all night on rocks, and lure people into whirl-pools and things; and I wished I had been a better man, and knew more hymns; and in the middle of these reflections I heard the blessed strains of "He's got `em on," played, badly, on a concertina, and knew that we were saved.

I do not admire the tones of a concertina, as a rule (я не восхищаюсь звуками гармоники, как правило); but, oh! how beautiful the music seemed to us both then (но насколько прекрасной показалась тогда эта музыка нам обоим) — far, far more beautiful than the voice of Orpheus or the lute of Apollo (намного, намного прекрасней, чем голос Орфея или лютня Аполлона), or anything of that sort could have sounded (или чем что-нибудь подобное могло звучать). Heavenly melody, in our then state of mind (небесная мелодия, при нашем тогдашнем состоянии духа), would only have still further harrowed us (лишь еще больше расстроила бы нас; to harrow — мучить, терзать). A soul-moving harmony, correctly performed (благозвучную мелодию, правильно исполненную; soul — душа; moving — движущий/ся/, перемещающий/ся/; волнующий, трогательный; harmony — гармония, созвучие, благозвучие), we should have taken as a spirit-warning, and have given up all hope (мы бы сочли предостережением духов = из потустороннего мира и оставили бы всякую надежду). But about the strains of "He's got `em on," jerked spasmodically (но в звуках /песни/ «Он их надел», вылетавших отрывисто/нестройно; to jerk — резко толкать, дергаться; говорить отрывисто), and with involuntary variations (и с непроизвольными вариациями), out of a wheezy accordion (из хриплой гармоники), there was something singularly human and reassuring (было что-то необыкновенно человеческое и утешительное).