Английский язык с Джеромом К. Джеромом. Трое в лодке, не считая собаки
Шрифт:
"I can't," I shouted back.
"But you don't try," they answered.
I explained the matter to them when I got nearer, and they caught me and lent me a pole. The weir was just fifty yards below. I am glad they happened to be there.
The first time I went punting was in company with three other fellows; they were going to show me how to do it. We could not all start together, so I said I would go down first and get out the punt, and then I could potter about and practice a bit until they came.
I could not get a punt out that afternoon, they were all engaged (я не смог взять плоскодонку в тот день, они все были заняты; to engage — нанимать/ся/; быть занятым); so I had nothing else to do but to sit down on the bank (поэтому мне не оставалось ничего другого, как сесть
I had not been sitting there long before my attention became attracted to a man in a punt (я не сидел там долго = вскоре мое внимание привлек человек в плоскодонке) who, I noticed with some surprise, wore a jacket and cap exactly like mine (который, /как/ я заметил с /некоторым/ удивлением, носил куртку и кепку, как у меня; to wear). He was evidently a novice at punting, and his performance was most interesting (он очевидно был новичком в плавании с шестом, и его действия были очень интересными; performance — исполнение, деятельность). You never knew what was going to happen when he put the pole in (нельзя было знать, что произойдет, когда он опустит шест; to put in — вставлять, всовывать); he evidently did not know himself (он, очевидно, и сам не знал). Sometimes he shot up stream and sometimes he shot down stream (иногда он устремлялся вверх по течению, а иногда вниз; to shoot up — вскочить, взлететь, взмыть), and at other times he simply spun round and came up the other side of the pole (а порой просто крутился на месте и объезжал вокруг шеста: «появлялся с другой стороны шеста»; to spin — прясть; крутиться, вертеться, выписывать круги). And with every result he seemed equally surprised and annoyed (и каждым результатом он, казалось, был одинаково удивлен и раздосадован).
evidently ['evdntl] performance [p'f:mns]
I could not get a punt out that afternoon, they were all engaged; so I had nothing else to do but to sit down on the bank, watching the river, and waiting for my friends.
I had not been sitting there long before my attention became attracted to a man in a punt who, I noticed with some surprise, wore a jacket and cap exactly like mine. He was evidently a novice at punting, and his performance was most interesting. You never knew what was going to happen when he put the pole in; he evidently did not know himself. Sometimes he shot up stream and sometimes he shot down stream, and at other times he simply spun round and came up the other side of the pole. And with every result he seemed equally surprised and annoyed.
The people about the river began to get quite absorbed in him after a while (люди у реки начали с немалым интересом наблюдать за ним через некоторое время; to absorb in — завладевать /вниманием и т. п./; поглощать, занимать /время, внимание/), and to make bets with one another as to what would be the outcome of his next push (и заключать пари друг с другом по поводу того, каким будет результат его следующего толчка; outcome — исход, итог, результат).
In the course of time my friends arrived on the opposite bank (скоро мои приятели пришли на противоположный берег; in the course of time — с течением времени), and they stopped and watched him too (остановились и тоже /стали/ наблюдать за ним). His back was towards them, and they only saw his jacket and cap (его спина была /повернута/ к ним = он стоял к ним спиной, и они видели лишь его куртку и кепку). From this they immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was I, their beloved companion (на основании этого/поэтому они сейчас же сделали вывод, что это я, их любимый товарищ; to jump — прыгать; поспешно, необдуманно приходить к /заключению, выводу и т. п./), who was making an exhibition of himself, and their delight knew no bounds (выставляющий себя на посмешище, и их радость не знала границ; exhibition — выставка, показ; delight — удовольствие, восхищение, наслаждение). They commenced to chaff him unmercifully (они начали дразнить его немилосердно; to chaff — рубить, резать /сено, солому/; подшучивать, дразнить, смеяться).
conclusion [kn'klu:n] exhibition [,eks'bn]
The people about the river began to get quite absorbed in him after a while, and to make bets with one another as to what would be the outcome of his next push.
In the course of time my friends arrived on the opposite bank, and they stopped and watched him too. His back was towards them, and they only saw his jacket and cap. From this they immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was I, their beloved companion, who was making an exhibition of himself, and their delight knew no bounds. They commenced to chaff him unmercifully.
I did not grasp their mistake at first, and I thought (я
Oh, how they enjoyed themselves, ridiculing that young man (о, как они наслаждались, высмеивая этого молодого человека)! For five good minutes they stood there, shouting ribaldry at him (добрых пять минут они стояли там и кричали грубости ему; ribaldry —грубость, непристойность, сквернословие; ribald — неприличный; похабный; грубый, непристойный; оскорбительный), deriding him (насмехались над ним), mocking him (издевались), jeering at him (глумились над ним). They peppered him with stale jokes, they even made a few new ones and threw at him (они осыпали его старыми шутками, и даже придумали несколько новых и /тоже/ бросили в него = крикнули их ему; to pepper — перчить; осыпать, забрасывать /вопросами, репликами и т. д./; stale — черствый; избитый, выдохшийся). They hurled at him all the private family jokes belonging to our set (они осыпали его: «швыряли в него» всеми семейными шутками, употреблявшимися в нашем кругу; private — частный, личный; не подлежащий огласке; to belong — принадлежать, относиться к), and which must have been perfectly unintelligible to him (которые, должно быть, являлись совершенно ему непонятными). And then, unable to stand their brutal jibes any longer (затем, не в силах больше выносить их грубые насмешки), he turned round on them, and they saw his face (он повернулся к ним, и они увидели его лицо)!
ribaldry ['rbldr] unintelligible [,nn'telbl]
I did not grasp their mistake at first, and I thought, "How rude of them to go on like that, with a perfect stranger, too!" But before I could call out and reprove them, the explanation of the matter occurred to me, and I withdrew behind a tree.
Oh, how they enjoyed themselves, ridiculing that young man! For five good minutes they stood there, shouting ribaldry at him, deriding him, mocking him, jeering at him. They peppered him with stale jokes, they even made a few new ones and threw at him. They hurled at him all the private family jokes belonging to our set, and which must have been perfectly unintelligible to him. And then, unable to stand their brutal jibes any longer, he turned round on them, and they saw his face!
I was glad to notice that they had sufficient decency left in them to look very foolish (я был рад отметить, что у них достаточно вежливости /оставшейся в них/, чтобы почувствовать себя в очень глупом положении; decency — благопристойность, приличие; порядочность; to look foolish — выглядеть нелепо, глупо; оказаться в глупом положении). They explained to him that they had thought he was some one they knew (они объяснили юноше, что думали, будто он был одним из тех, кого они знают = что приняли его за знакомого). They said they hoped he would not deem them capable of so insulting any one except a personal friend of their own (сказали, что надеются, он не считает их способными так оскорблять кого-либо, кроме близкого друга).