I had arrived at that well-known portion of the story where Ethelred, the hero of the Trist, having sought in vain for peaceable admission into the dwelling of the hermit, proceeds to make good an entrance by force. Here, it will be remembered, the words of the narrative run thus:
“And Ethelred, who was by nature of a doughty heart (и Этельред, который был по природе /человеком/ отважного сердца), and who was now mighty withal, on account of the powerfulness of the wine which he had drunken (и который был теперь сильным вдобавок, по причине мощности того вина, которое он выпил), waited no longer to hold parley with the hermit (более не ждал держать речь
с отшельником), who, in sooth, was of an obstinate and maliceful turn (который, по правде, был упрямого и злобного нрава: «поворота»), but, feeling the rain upon his shoulders, and fearing the rising of the tempest, uplifted his mace outright (но, чувствуя дождь на своих плечах и страшась разгара: «подъема» бури, поднял свою булаву тотчас), and, with blows, made quickly room in the plankings of the door for his gauntleted hand (и ударами быстро сделал место = щель в обшивке двери для своей затянутой в перчатку руки); and now pulling there-with sturdily, he so cracked, and ripped, and tore all asunder (и вот, потянув посредством этого усердно, он так ломал, и вспарывал, и рвал все на части; to tear – рвать), that the noise of the dry and hollow-sounding wood alarumed and reverberated throughout the forest (что шум сухого и поло-звучащего дерева разносил тревогу и раздавался по всему лесу).
“And Ethelred, who was by nature of a doughty heart, and who was now mighty withal, on account of the powerfulness of the wine which he had drunken, waited no longer to hold parley with the hermit, who, in sooth, was of an obstinate and maliceful turn, but, feeling the rain upon his shoulders, and fearing the rising of the tempest, uplifted his mace outright, and, with blows, made quickly room in the plankings of the door for his gauntleted hand; and now pulling there-with sturdily, he so cracked, and ripped, and tore all asunder, that the noise of the dry and hollow-sounding wood alarumed and reverberated throughout the forest.
At the termination of this sentence I started, and for a moment, paused (по окончании этого предложения я вздрогнул и на секунду приостановился); for it appeared to me (although I at once concluded that my excited fancy had deceived me) (ибо мне показалось – хотя я тут же заключил, что мое взбудораженное воображение обмануло меня) – it appeared to me that, from some very remote portion of the mansion (мне показалось, что из какого-то очень отдаленного уголка дома), there came, indistinctly, to my ears, what might have been, in its exact similarity of character, the echo (донеслось, неразборчиво, до моих ушей то, что могло быть, в своем точном сходстве характера, отзвуком) (but a stifled and dull one certainly) (но приглушенным и неясным отзвуком, конечно) of the very cracking and ripping sound which Sir Launcelot had so particularly described (того самого трещащего и разрывающего звука, который сэр Ланселот так подробно описал).
At the termination of this sentence I started, and for a moment, paused; for it appeared to me (although I at once concluded that my excited fancy had deceived me) – it appeared to me that, from some very remote portion of the mansion, there came, indistinctly, to my ears, what might have been, in its exact similarity of character, the echo (but a stifled and dull one certainly) of the very cracking and ripping sound which Sir Launcelot had so particularly described.
It was, beyond doubt, the coincidence alone which had arrested my attention (вне сомнения, это одно лишь совпадение привлекло мое внимаине); for, amid the rattling of the sashes of the casements, and the ordinary commingled noises of the still increasing storm (ибо среди скрежета рам оконных створок и обычных перемешивающихся шумов все еще усиливающегося шторма), the sound, in itself, had nothing, surely, which should have interested or disturbed me (сам звук не имел ничего, точно, что бы меня заинтересовало или обеспокоило). I continued the story (я продолжил историю):
It was, beyond doubt, the coincidence alone which had arrested my attention; for, amid the rattling of the sashes of the casements, and the ordinary commingled noises of the still increasing storm, the sound, in itself, had nothing, surely, which should have interested or disturbed me. I continued the story:
“But the good champion Ethelred, now entering within the door, was sore enraged and amazed to perceive no signal of the maliceful hermit (но
добрый воин Этельред, войдя теперь в дверь, был ужасно: «болезненно» разъярен и поражен не обнаружить никакого признака злобного отшельника); but, in the stead thereof, a dragon of a scaly and prodigious demeanour, and of a fiery tongue (но, на месте оного, дракона чешуйчатого и внушительного вида и с огненным языком), which sat in guard before a palace of gold, with a floor of silver (который восседал на страже перед дворцом из золота с полом из серебра); and upon the wall there hung a shield of shining brass with this legend enwritten (а на стене висел щит из сияющей меди со следующим девизом, начертанным /на нем/; to enwrite) —
Who entereth herein, a conqueror hath bin (кто же войдет сюда, победителем оказался);
Who slayeth the dragon, the shield he shall win (кто убиет дракона, щит тот выиграет = получит; зд. употребляются старые формы: entereth вместо enters, slayeth вместо slays, hath bin вместо has been);
“But the good champion Ethelred, now entering within the door, was sore enraged and amazed to perceive no signal of the maliceful hermit; but, in the stead thereof, a dragon of a scaly and prodigious demeanour, and of a fiery tongue, which sat in guard before a palace of gold, with a floor of silver; and upon the wall there hung a shield of shining brass with this legend enwritten —
Who entereth herein, a conqueror hath bin;
Who slayeth the dragon, the shield he shall win;
And Ethelred uplifted his mace (и Этельред поднял свою булаву), and struck upon the head of the dragon (и ударил по голове дракона; to strike), which fell before him, and gave up his pesty breath (который рухнул перед ним и выпустил свое губительное дыхание; pest – /уст./ мор, чума), with a shriek so horrid and harsh, and withal so piercing (с воплем столь ужасающим и резким, и вдобавок столь пронзительным), that Ethelred had fain to close his ears with his hands against the dreadful noise of it (что Этельреду пришлось с готовностью закрыть уши руками против ужасного шума от этого), the like whereof was never before heard (подобный которому никогда дотоле не был слышан).”
And Ethelred uplifted his mace, and struck upon the head of the dragon, which fell before him, and gave up his pesty breath, with a shriek so horrid and harsh, and withal so piercing, that Ethelred had fain to close his ears with his hands against the dreadful noise of it, the like whereof was never before heard.”
Here again I paused abruptly, and now with a feeling of wild amazement (здесь снова я резко остановился, теперь – с чувством дикого = сильного изумления) – for there could be no doubt whatever that, in this instance, I did actually hear (although from what direction it proceeded I found it impossible to say) (ибо не могло быть никакого сомнения, что на этот раз я действительно слышал – хотя с какой стороны: «направления» он донесся, я нашел невозможным сказать) a low and apparently distant, but harsh, protracted, and most unusual screaming or grating sound (тихий и, по-видимому, отдаленный, но резкий, протяжный и крайне необычный кричащий или скребущий звук) – the exact counterpart of what my fancy had already conjured up for the dragon’s unnatural shriek (точная копия того, что моя фантазия уже сотворила в качестве неестественного вопля дракона) as described by the romancer (как /он был/ описан автором романа).
Here again I paused abruptly, and now with a feeling of wild amazement – for there could be no doubt whatever that, in this instance, I did actually hear (although from what direction it proceeded I found it impossible to say) a low and apparently distant, but harsh, protracted, and most unusual screaming or grating sound – the exact counterpart of what my fancy had already conjured up for the dragon’s unnatural shriek as described by the romancer.