Английский язык с Джеромом К. Джеромом. Трое в лодке, не считая собаки
Шрифт:
It seemed a fascinating idea (это казалось прекрасной мыслью; fascinating — обворожительный, пленительный; захватывающий). George gathered wood and made a fire, and Harris and I started to peel the potatoes (Джордж собрал дров и развел костер, а мы с Гаррисом начали чистить картофель; to peel — снимать корку, кожицу, шелуху; очищать). I should never have thought that peeling potatoes was such an undertaking (никогда не думал, что чистка картофеля — такое /сложное/ занятие; undertaking — предприятие; дело, начинание). The job turned out to be the biggest thing of its kind that I had ever been in (это оказалось труднейшим делом /такого рода/, в каком я когда-либо принимал участие; big — большой; важный, значительный). We began cheerfully, one might almost say skittishly (мы начали весело, можно /почти/ сказать, легкомысленно/игриво), but our light-heartedness was gone by the time the first potato was finished (но
"Oh, that won't do (так дело не пойдет)! You're wasting them (вы /только/ зря расходуете их). You must scrape them (вы должны скоблить их; to scrape — скоблить, скрести, обдирать)."
gathered ['aedd] potato [p'tetu]
We roamed about sweet Sonning for an hour or so, and then, it being too late to push on past Reading, we decided to go back to one of the Shiplake islands, and put up there for the night. It was still early when we got settled, and George said that, as we had plenty of time, it would be a splendid opportunity to try a good, slap-up supper. He said he would show us what could be done up the river in the way of cooking, and suggested that, with the vegetables and the remains of the cold beef and general odds and ends, we should make an Irish stew.
It seemed a fascinating idea. George gathered wood and made a fire, and Harris and I started to peel the potatoes. I should never have thought that peeling potatoes was such an undertaking. The job turned out to be the biggest thing of its kind that I had ever been in. We began cheerfully, one might almost say skittishly, but our light-heartedness was gone by the time the first potato was finished. The more we peeled, the more peel there seemed to be left on; by the time we had got all the peel off and all the eyes out, there was no potato left — at least none worth speaking of. George came and had a look at it — it was about the size of a pea-nut. He said:
"Oh, that won't do! You're wasting them. You must scrape them."
So we scraped them, and that was harder work than peeling (и мы /принялись/ скоблить их, и это было более трудным занятием, чем чистка). They are such an extraordinary shape, potatoes — all bumps and warts and hollows (они такой удивительной формы, /эти/ картофелины — одни бугры, наросты и впадины; bump — шишка, выпуклость, вздутие). We worked steadily for five-and-twenty minutes, and did four potatoes (мы трудились непрерывно двадцать пять минут — и очистили четыре картофелины). Then we struck (потом мы забастовали; to strike — ударять/ся/, поражать; бастовать). We said we should require the rest of the evening for scraping ourselves (мы сказали, что нам потребуется остаток вечера, чтобы очиститься самим; to require — приказывать; требовать, нуждаться в чем-либо).
I never saw such a thing as potato-scraping for making a fellow in a mess (никогда не видел, чтобы что-нибудь так пачкало человека, как чистка картофеля; in a mess — в беспорядке, вверх дном; в грязи). It seemed difficult to believe that the potato-scrapings in which Harris and I stood, half smothered, could have come off four potatoes (было трудно поверить, что картофельные очистки, в которых мы с Гаррисом стояли, покрытые наполовину, получились с четырех картофелин; to come off — покидать; отрываться, отклеиваться, отваливаться от чего-либо; отделяться). It shows you what can be done with economy and care (это показывает, что можно достичь экономией и аккуратностью; care — забота; внимание, тщательность, осторожность).
George said it was absurd to have only four potatoes in an Irish stew (Джордж сказал, нелепо класть только четыре картофелины в ирландское рагу), so we washed half-a-dozen or so more, and put them in without peeling (поэтому
economy ['knm] overhauled [,uv'h:ld] remnant ['remnnt]
So we scraped them, and that was harder work than peeling. They are such an extraordinary shape, potatoes — all bumps and warts and hollows. We worked steadily for five-and-twenty minutes, and did four potatoes. Then we struck. We said we should require the rest of the evening for scraping ourselves.
I never saw such a thing as potato-scraping for making a fellow in a mess. It seemed difficult to believe that the potato-scrapings in which Harris and I stood, half smothered, could have come off four potatoes. It shows you what can be done with economy and care.
George said it was absurd to have only four potatoes in an Irish stew, so we washed half-a-dozen or so more, and put them in without peeling. We also put in a cabbage and about half a peck of peas. George stirred it all up, and then he said that there seemed to be a lot of room to spare, so we overhauled both the hampers, and picked out all the odds and ends and the remnants, and added them to the stew. There were half a pork pie and a bit of cold boiled bacon left, and we put them in. Then George found half a tin of potted salmon, and he emptied that into the pot.
He said that was the advantage of Irish stew (он сказал, это достоинство ирландского рагу): you got rid of such a lot of things (вы избавляетесь от массы вещей; to get rid of). I fished out a couple of eggs that had got cracked, and put those in (я выудил пару яиц, которые разбились, и положил их в котел). George said they would thicken the gravy (Джордж сказал, они сделают подливку гуще).
I forget the other ingredients, but I know nothing was wasted (я забыл другие ингредиенты, но знаю, что ничего не было потрачено впустую); and I remember that, towards the end, Montmorency, who had evinced great interest in the proceedings throughout (помню, что под конец Монморенси, который проявлял огромный интерес ко всему процессу; throughout — на всем протяжении, все время; во всех отношениях), strolled away with an earnest and thoughtful air (ушел с серьезным и задумчивым видом), reappearing, a few minutes afterwards, with a dead water-rat in his mouth (появившись снова через несколько минут, /неся/ дохлую водяную крысу во рту = в зубах), which he evidently wished to present as his contribution to the dinner (которую он, очевидно, хотел преподнести как свой вклад в обед; to present — преподносить, дарить; contribution — вклад, взнос, пожертвование); whether in a sarcastic spirit, or with a genuine desire to assist, I cannot say (/делал ли он это/ в саркастическом настроении или с искренним желанием помочь — не могу сказать).
ingredient [n'ri:dnt] evinced ['vnst] genuine ['enjun]
He said that was the advantage of Irish stew: you got rid of such a lot of things. I fished out a couple of eggs that had got cracked, and put those in. George said they would thicken the gravy.
I forget the other ingredients, but I know nothing was wasted; and I remember that, towards the end, Montmorency, who had evinced great interest in the proceedings throughout, strolled away with an earnest and thoughtful air, reappearing, a few minutes afterwards, with a dead water-rat in his mouth, which he evidently wished to present as his contribution to the dinner; whether in a sarcastic spirit, or with a genuine desire to assist, I cannot say.