Английский язык с Э. Р. Берроузом. Принцесса Марса
Шрифт:
meant [ment], horde [hO: d], charge [tSQ: dZ]
"I know but little of your customs here upon Barsoom, Dejah Thoris, but I do know that I love you, and if you meant the last words you spoke to me that day as the hordes of Warhoon were charging down upon us, no other man shall ever claim you as his bride. You meant them then, my princess, and you mean them still! Say that it is true."
"I meant them, John Carter," she whispered (я так думала, — прошептала она). "I cannot repeat them now (я не могу повторить их теперь) for I have given myself to another (потому что я отдала себя другому). Ah, if you had only known our ways, my friend (ах, если бы ты только знал наши обычаи, мой друг)," she continued, half to herself (продолжила она почти про себя), "the promise would have been yours long months ago (ты получил
whisper ['wIspq], repeat [rI'pi: t], continue [kqn'tInju:]
"I meant them, John Carter," she whispered. "I cannot repeat them now for I have given myself to another. Ah, if you had only known our ways, my friend," she continued, half to herself, "the promise would have been yours long months ago, and you could have claimed me before all others. It might have meant the fall of Helium, but I would have given my empire for my Tharkian chief."
Then aloud she said (затем она сказала вслух): "Do you remember the night (ты помнишь ту ночь) when you offended me (когда ты обидел меня)? You called me your princess without having asked my hand of me (ты назвал меня своей принцессой, не попросив у меня моей руки), and then you boasted that you had fought for me (а потом ты хвастался, что сражался за меня; to fight). You did not know, and I should not have been offended (ты не знал, и я не должна была обижаться); I see that now (я понимаю это теперь). But there was no one to tell you (но не было никого, кто сказал бы тебе) what I could not (то, чего я не могла), that upon Barsoom there are two kinds of women in the cities of the red men (что на Барсуме есть два типа женщин в городах красных людей). The one they fight for that they may ask them in marriage (за одних они сражаются, чтобы иметь возможность попросить их руки); the other kind they fight for also, but never ask their hands (за других они также сражаются, но никогда не просят их руки). When a man has won a woman (когда мужчина завоевывает женщину) he may address her as his princess (он может называть ее своей принцессой), or in any of the several terms which signify possession (или несколькими другими определениями, означающими /ее/ принадлежность /ему/). You had fought for me (ты сражался за меня), but had never asked me in marriage (но так и не попросил моей руки), and so when you called me your princess (и поэтому, когда ты назвал меня своей принцессой), you see," she faltered, "I was hurt (ты понимаешь, — она заколебалась, — я была оскорблена; to falter — говорить неуверенно; колебаться), but even then, John Carter, I did not repulse you (но даже тогда я не оттолкнула тебя; to repulse — отвергать, отталкивать), as I should have done (как я должна была сделать), until you made it doubly worse (пока ты не сделал вдвое хуже) by taunting me with having won me through combat (когда насмехался надо мной, /говоря/, что выиграл меня в сражении; to taunt — насмехаться, дразнить)."
offendedly [q'fendIdlI], possession [pq'zeS(q)n], marriage ['mxrIdZ], repulse [rI'pAls]
Then aloud she said: "Do you remember the night when you offended me? You called me your princess without having asked my hand of me, and then you boasted that you had fought for me. You did not know, and I should not have been offended; I see that now. But there was no one to tell you what I could not, that upon Barsoom there are two kinds of women in the cities of the red men. The one they fight for that they may ask them in marriage; the other kind they fight for also, but never ask their hands. When a man has won a woman he may address her as his princess, or in any of the several terms which signify possession. You had fought for me, but had never asked me in marriage, and so when you called me your princess, you see," she faltered, "I was hurt, but even then, John Carter, I did not repulse you, as I should have done, until you made it doubly worse by taunting me with having won me through combat."
"I do not need ask your forgiveness now, Dejah Thoris," I cried (мне нет нужды теперь просить у тебя прощения). "You must know that my fault was of ignorance of your Barsoomian customs (ты должна знать, что моя вина состояла в незнании обычаев Барсума). What I failed to do, through implicit belief (то,
"No, John Carter, it is useless," she cried, hopelessly (нет, это бесполезно, — воскликнула она безнадежно), "I may never be yours while Sab Than lives (я никогда не могу быть твоей, пока Саб Тан жив)."
forgiveness [fq'gIvnIs], implicit [Im'plIsIt], presumptuous [prI'zAmptjuqs]
"I do not need ask your forgiveness now, Dejah Thoris," I cried. "You must know that my fault was of ignorance of your Barsoomian customs. What I failed to do, through implicit belief that my petition would be presumptuous and unwelcome, I do now, Dejah Thoris; I ask you to be my wife, and by all the Virginian fighting blood that flows in my veins you shall be."
"No, John Carter, it is useless," she cried, hopelessly, "I may never be yours while Sab Than lives."
"You have sealed his death warrant, my princess — Sab Than dies (ты подписала его смертный приговор, моя принцесса — Саб Тан умрет)."
"Nor that either," she hastened to explain (только не это, — поспешила она объяснить). "I may not wed the man who slays my husband (я не могу выйти замуж за человека, который убьет моего мужа), even in self-defense (даже при самозащите). It is custom (таков обычай). We are ruled by custom upon Barsoom (обычаи правят нами здесь, на Барсуме). It is useless, my friend (это бесполезно, мой друг). You must bear the sorrow with me (ты должен переносить это горе со мной). That at least we may share in common (это, по крайней мере, мы можем разделить вместе; in common — сообща, вместе). That, and the memory of the brief days among the Tharks (это — и воспоминание о коротких днях среди тарков). You must go now (теперь ты должен уйти), nor ever see me again (и никогда не встречаться со мной больше). Good-bye, my chieftain that was (прощай, мой былой вождь).
warrant ['wOrqnt], husband ['hAzbqnd], brief [bri: f], useless ['ju: slIs], sorrow ['sOrou]
"You have sealed his death warrant, my princess — Sab Than dies."
"Nor that either," she hastened to explain. "I may not wed the man who slays my husband, even in self-defense. It is custom. We are ruled by custom upon Barsoom. It is useless, my friend. You must bear the sorrow with me. That at least we may share in common. That, and the memory of the brief days among the Tharks. You must go now, nor ever see me again. Good-bye, my chieftain that was."
Disheartened and dejected, I withdrew from the room (с разбитым сердцем и удрученный, я вышел из комнаты; to deject — подавлять, угнетать, расстраивать, удручать, приводить в уныние; to dishearten — приводить в уныние, сломить волю, дух, расхолаживать), but I was not entirely discouraged (не я не был полностью обескуражен; to discourage — приводить в уныние, обескураживать), nor would I admit that Dejah Thoris was lost to me (и я не хотел допускать, что Дежа Торис потеряна для меня) until the ceremony had actually been performed (пока церемония на самом деле не совершилась).
As I wandered along the corridors (пока я блуждал по коридорам), I was as absolutely lost in the mazes of winding passageways (я совершенно заблудился в лабиринте извилистых переходов) as I had been before I discovered Dejah Thoris' apartments (как это было перед тем, как я нашел апартаменты Дежи Торис).
I knew that my only hope lay in escape from the city of Zodanga (я знал, что моя единственная надежда на спасение заключалась в бегстве из города Зоданги), for the matter of the four dead guardsmen would have to be explained (так как вопрос о четырех мертвых стражниках потребует разъяснений), and as I could never reach my original post without a guide (а так как я никак не смогу добраться до своего первоначального поста без проводника), suspicion would surely rest on me (подозрение обязательно падет на меня; to rest on — возлагать, покоиться) so soon as I was discovered wandering aimlessly through the palace (как только меня обнаружат бесцельно слоняющимся по дворцу).