Любовь к жизни 6 страница

infinite ['InfInIt], precaution [prI'kLSn], languor ['lxNgq]

He closed his eyes and composed himself with infinite precaution. He steeled himself to keep above the suffocating languor that lapped like a rising tide through all the wells of his being. It was very like a sea, this deadly languor, that rose and rose and drowned his consciousness bit by bit. Sometimes he was all but submerged, swimming through oblivion with a faltering stroke; and again, by some strange alchemy of soul, he would find another shred of will and strike out more strongly.

Without movement he lay on his back (неподвижно он лежал на спине), and he could hear (и слышал), slowly drawing near and nearer (медленно приближающееся ближе и ближе; to draw near — подходить, приближаться), the wheezing intake and output of the sick wolf's breath (свистящие вдохи и выдохи /дыхания/ больного волка). It drew closer, ever closer (он приблизился ближе, еще ближе), through an infinitude of time (сквозь бесконечность времени), and he did not move (а он не двигался). It was at his ear (он был у его уха). The harsh dry tongue grated like sandpaper against his cheek (шершавый сухой язык потерся, как наждачная бумага, о его щеку). His hands shot out (его руки вылетели = он выбросил вперед руки; to shoot out — выскакивать, вылетать) — or at least he willed them to shoot out (или, по крайней мере, он пожелал, чтобы они вылетели). The fingers were curved like talons (пальцы были изогнуты, как когти), but they closed on empty air (но они сомкнулись на пустом воздухе). Swiftness and certitude require strength (стремительность и уверенность требуют силы), and the man had not this strength (а у человека не было этой силы).

draw [drL], breath [breT], require [rI'kwaIq]

Without movement he lay on his back, and he could hear, slowly drawing near and nearer, the wheezing intake and output of the sick wolf's breath. It drew closer, ever closer, through an infinitude of time, and he did not move. It was at his ear. The harsh dry tongue grated like sandpaper against his cheek. His hands shot out — or at least he willed them to shoot out. The fingers were curved like talons, but they closed on empty air. Swiftness and certitude require strength, and the man had not this strength.

The patience of the wolf was terrible (терпение волка было громадным; terrible — внушающий страх, ужас; страшный, ужасный; громадный). The man's patience was no less terrible (терпение человека было не менее громадным). For half a day he lay motionless (полдня он лежал неподвижно), fighting off unconsciousness and waiting for the thing that was to feed upon him (отбиваясь от потери сознания и ожидая тварь, которая должна была съесть его; unconsciousness — патологическое оцепенение, бессознательное состояние; to feed upon — питаться чем-либо) and upon which he wished to feed (и которую желал съесть он). Sometimes the languid sea rose over him and he dreamed long dreams (иногда море апатии накатывало на него, и ему снились долгие сны; languid — слабый, ослабевший; вялый; апатичный, бездеятельный); but ever through it all, waking and dreaming (но постоянно на протяжении всего этого, бодрствующий и грезящий), he waited for the wheezing breath and the harsh caress of the tongue (он ожидал свистящего дыхания и шероховатой ласки языка).

motionless ['mquSqnlIs], unconsciousness [An'kOnSqsnIs], caress [kq'res]

The patience of the wolf was terrible. The man's patience was no less terrible. For half a day he lay motionless, fighting off unconsciousness and waiting for the thing that was to feed upon him and upon which he wished to feed. Sometimes the languid sea rose over him and he dreamed long dreams; but ever through it all, waking and dreaming, he waited for the wheezing breath and the harsh caress of the tongue.

He did not hear the breath (он не услышал дыхания), and he slipped slowly from some dream to the feel of the tongue along his hand (и он медленно и плавно перешел от какого-то сна к ощущению прикосновения языка на руке; to slip — скользить; плавно переходить /из одного состояния в другое, от одного к другому/; feel — ощущение от прикосновения). He waited (он подождал). The fangs pressed softly (клыки мягко нажали); the pressure increased (давление увеличилось); the wolf was exerting its last strength in an effort to sink teeth in the food (волк напрягал свои последние силы в попытке погрузить зубы в пищу) for which it had waited so long (которой он так долго дожидался). But the man had waited long (но человек долго дожидался /этого момента/), and the lacerated hand closed on the jaw (и истерзанная рука сомкнулась на челюсти). Slowly, while the wolf struggled feebly and the hand clutched feebly (медленно, пока волк слабо боролся, а рука слабо сжимала), the other hand crept across to a grip (другая рука подкралась к хватке = чтобы схватить; to creep — ползти). Five minutes later the whole weight of the man's body was on top of the wolf (пять минут спустя весь вес тела человека был = лежал поверх волка; on top of — поверх). The hands had not sufficient strength to choke the wolf (руки не имели = в руках не было достаточно силы, чтобы задушить волка), but the face of the man was pressed close to the throat of the wolf (но лицо человека было прижато близко = вплотную к горлу волка) and the mouth of the man was full of hair (и рот человека был полон шерсти). At the end of half an hour the man was aware of a warm trickle in his throat (по истечении получаса человек ощутил теплую струйку в горле). It was not pleasant (она была неприятной). It was like molten lead being forced into his stomach (она была словно расплавленный свинец, вливаемый ему в желудок; to melt — таять; плавить/ся/; to force — оказывать давление, заставлять, принуждать, запихивать, заталкивать; force — сила; насилие), and it was forced by his will alone (и ее вливали лишь по его воле). Later the man rolled over on his back and slept (позже мужчина перевернулся на спину и заснул).

pressure ['preSq], jaw [GL], lead [led]

He did not hear the breath, and he slipped slowly from some dream to the feel of the tongue along his hand. He waited. The fangs pressed softly; the pressure increased; the wolf was exerting its last strength in an effort to sink teeth in the food for which it had waited so long. But the man had waited long, and the lacerated hand closed on the jaw. Slowly, while the wolf struggled feebly and the hand clutched feebly, the other hand crept across to a grip. Five minutes later the whole weight of the man's body was on top of the wolf. The hands had not sufficient strength to choke the wolf, but the face of the man was pressed close to the throat of the wolf and the mouth of the man was full of hair. At the end of half an hour the man was aware of a warm trickle in his throat. It was not pleasant. It was like molten lead being forced into his stomach, and it was forced by his will alone. Later the man rolled over on his back and slept.

* * *

There were some members of a scientific expedition on the whale-ship Bedford (на китобойном судне «Бедфорд» было несколько членов научной экспедиции). From the deck they remarked a strange object on the shore (с палубы они заметили странный предмет на берегу). It was moving down the beach toward the water (он двигался вниз по берегу к воде). They were unable to classify it (они не смогли классифицировать его), and, being scientific men (и будучи учеными), they climbed into the whale-boat alongside and went ashore to see (они забрались в вельбот у борта и отправились на берег выяснить). And they saw something that was alive (и они увидели нечто, которое было живым = нечто живое) but which could hardly be called a man (но что едва ли можно было назвать человеком). It was blind, unconscious (оно было незрячим, без сознания). It squirmed along the ground like some monstrous worm (оно двигалось, извиваясь по земле, как какой-то гигантский червь). Most of its efforts were ineffectual (большинство его усилий были бесплодны), but it was persistent (но оно было настойчивым; to persist — настаивать), and it writhed and twisted and went ahead perhaps a score of feet an hour (и оно корчилось, и изгибалось, и двигалось вперед, возможно, /со скоростью/ двадцати футов в час).

scientific ["saIqn'tIfIk], shore [SL], climb [klaIm]

There were some members of a scientific expedition on the whale-ship Bedford. From the deck they remarked a strange object on the shore. It was moving down the beach toward the water. They were unable to classify it, and, being scientific men, they climbed into the whale-boat alongside and went ashore to see. And they saw something that was alive but which could hardly be called a man. It was blind, unconscious. It squirmed along the ground like some monstrous worm. Most of its efforts were ineffectual, but it was persistent, and it writhed and twisted and went ahead perhaps a score of feet an hour.

* * *

Three weeks afterward the man lay in a bunk on the whale-ship Bedford (три недели спустя человек лежал в койке на китобойном судне «Бедфорд»), and with tears streaming down his wasted cheeks told (и со слезами, стекающими по его исхудавшим щекам, рассказал) who he was and what he had undergone (кто он, и что он испытал; to undergo — испытывать, переносить). He also babbled incoherently of his mother (он также бессвязно бормотал о своей матери), of sunny Southern California (о солнечной Южной Калифорнии), and a home among the orange groves and flowers (и доме среди апельсиновых рощ и цветов).

The days were not many after that when he sat at table with the scientific men and ship's officers (было = прошло немного = несколько дней после этого, когда он /уже/ сидел за столом с учеными и офицерами корабля). He gloated over the spectacle of so much food (он пожирал глазами зрелище такого большого количества пищи; to gloat over — пожирать глазами), watching it anxiously as it went into the mouths of others (наблюдая за ней тревожно/с беспокойством, когда она отправлялась во рты других). With the disappearance of each mouthful an expression of deep regret came into his eyes (с исчезновением каждого куска в его глазах появлялось выражение глубокого сожаления). He was quite sane (он был совершенно в здравом уме; sane — нормальный, в своем уме, в здравом уме), yet he hated those men at meal-time (тем не менее, он ненавидел этих людей во время еды). He was haunted by a fear that the food would not last (его мучил страх, что еды не хватит; to haunt — мучить; не давать покоя; to last — продолжаться, длиться; хватать, быть достаточным). He inquired of the cook, the cabin-boy, the captain, concerning the food stores (он расспрашивал кока, юнгу, капитана о запасах еды). They reassured him countless times (бессчетное число раз они успокаивали его); but he could not believe them (но он не мог им поверить), and pried cunningly about the lazarette to see with his own eyes (и хитро с любопытством разглядывал кладовую, чтобы убедиться собственными глазами; to pry about — высматривать; с любопытством разглядывать; lazaretto — складское помещение /между палубами на судне/, кладовая).

incoherently ["Inkqu'hIqrqntlI], orange ['OrInG], captain ['kxptIn]

Three weeks afterward the man lay in a bunk on the whale-ship Bedford, and with tears streaming down his wasted cheeks told who he was and what he had undergone. He also babbled incoherently of his mother, of sunny Southern California, and a home among the orange groves and flowers.

The days were not many after that when he sat at table with the scientific men and ship's officers. He gloated over the spectacle of so much food, watching it anxiously as it went into the mouths of others. With the disappearance of each mouthful an expression of deep regret came into his eyes. He was quite sane, yet he hated those men at meal-time. He was haunted by a fear that the food would not last. He inquired of the cook, the cabin-boy, the captain, concerning the food stores. They reassured him countless times; but he could not believe them, and pried cunningly about the lazarette to see with his own eyes.

It was noticed that the man was getting fat (было замечено, что человек толстеет). He grew stouter with each day (он становился тучнее с каждым днем). The scientific men shook their heads and theorized (ученые качали головами и теоретизировали). They limited the man at his meals (они ограничивали человека в еде), but still his girth increased and he swelled prodigiously under his shirt (но все равно объем его талии увеличивался, и он чрезмерно разбухал под рубахой; girth — подпруга; обхват; объем /талии, грудной клетки/).

The sailors grinned (матросы ухмылялись). They knew (они знали). And when the scientific men set a watch on the man (а когда ученые установили наблюдение за человеком), they knew too (они узнали тоже). They saw him slouch for'ard after breakfast (они увидели, как он побрел /своей неуклюжей походкой/ после завтрака; to slouch — сутулиться, горбиться; неуклюже держаться; to slouch about/around — слоняться, болтаться без дела; for'ard = forward — вперед), and, like a mendicant, with outstretched palm, accost a sailor (и, как попрошайка, с протянутой рукой пристал к матросу). The sailor grinned and passed him a fragment of sea biscuit (матрос ухмыльнулся и передал ему кусок галеты). He clutched it avariciously (он жадно схватил его), looked at it as a miser looks at gold (посмотрел на него, как скряга смотрит на золото), and thrust it into his shirt bosom (и запихнул его за пазуху /рубахи/). Similar were the donations from other grinning sailors (подобными были подаяния и от других ухмыляющихся матросов). The scientific men were discreet (ученые были тактичны; discreet — осмотрительный; тактичный). They let him alone (они оставили его в покое; to let alone — оставить в покое). But they privily examined his bunk (но они тайно осмотрели его койку). It was lined with hardtack (она была набита сухарями); the mattress was stuffed with hardtack (матрас был напичкан сухарями); every nook and cranny was filled with hardtack (каждый уголок и щель были заполнены сухарями). Yet he was sane (тем не менее, он был нормален). He was taking precautions against another possible famine (он принимал предосторожности от еще одного возможного голода) — that was all (и это все). He would recover from it (он оправится от этого), the scientific men said (сказали ученые); and he did (и он оправился), ere the Bedford' s anchor rumbled down in San Francisco Bay (прежде чем якорь «Бедфорда» прогрохотал вниз в заливе Сан-Франциско).

notice ['nqutIs], prodigious [prq'dIGqs], avaricious ["xvq'rISqs]

It was noticed that the man was getting fat. He grew stouter with each day. The scientific men shook their heads and theorized. They limited the man at his meals, but still his girth increased and he swelled prodigiously under his shirt.

The sailors grinned. They knew. And when the scientific men set a watch on the man, they knew too. They saw him slouch for'ard after breakfast, and, like a mendicant, with outstretched palm, accost a sailor. The sailor grinned and passed him a fragment of sea biscuit. He clutched it avariciously, looked at it as a miser looks at gold, and thrust it into his shirt bosom. Similar were the donations from other grinning sailors. The scientific men were discreet. They let him alone. But they privily examined his bunk. It was lined with hardtack; the mattress was stuffed with hardtack; every nook and cranny was filled with hardtack. Yet he was sane. He was taking precautions against another possible famine — that was all. He would recover from it, the scientific men said; and he did, ere the Bedford' s anchor rumbled down in San Francisco Bay.

Дата добавления: 2015-09-03