Английский язык с Р. Э. Говардом
Шрифт:
"Then they carried me on and on through winding tunnels and up stone stairways into this chamber (затем они понесли меня дальше и дальше через извилистые туннели и вверх по каменным лестницам в эту комнату; on — указывает на продвижение вперед в пространстве: дальше, вперед), where they chained me on the knees of this abominable idol (где они приковали меня цепью на коленях этого гнусного идола; to chain — приковывать цепью), and then they went away (а потом они ушли; to go away — уходить). Oh, Conan, what are they (ах, Конан, кто они)?"
nearly ['nl], once [wns], abominable ['bmnbl]
"Oh, I nearly fainted when I saw! They are not humans! They are gray, hairy devils that walk like men and speak a gibberish no human could understand. They stood there and seemed to be waiting, and once I thought I heard somebody trying the door. Then one of the things pulled a metal lever in the wall, and something crashed on the other side of the door.
"Then they carried me on and on through winding tunnels and up stone stairways into this chamber, where they chained me on the knees of this abominable idol, and then they went away. Oh, Conan, what are they?"
"Servants of Bit-Yakin (слуги
manuscript ['maenjuskrpt], even [i:vn], goddess ['ds]
"Servants of Bit-Yakin," he grunted. "I found a manuscript that told me a number of things, and then stumbled upon some frescoes that told me the rest. Bit-Yakin was a Pelishti who wandered into the valley with his servants after the people of Alkmeenon had deserted it. He found the body of Princess Yelaya, and discovered that the priests returned from time to time to make offerings to her, for even then she was worshipped as a goddess.
"He made an oracle of her (он сделал из нее оракула), and he was the voice of the oracle (и он был голосом оракула), speaking from a niche he cut in the wall behind the ivory dais (говорившим из ниши, которую он вырубил в стене за помостом из слоновой кости). The priests never suspected (жрецы никогда не подозревали /об этом/), never saw him or his servants (никогда не видели его или его слуг), for they always hid themselves when the men came (ибо они всегда прятались, когда приходили люди; to hide oneself — прятаться). Bit-Yakin lived and died here without ever being discovered by the priests (Бит-Якин жил и умер здесь, не будучи никогда обнаруженным жрецами). Crom knows how long he dwelt here (Кром /его/ знает, сколько он жил здесь; to dwell), but it must have been for centuries (но, должно быть, несколько веков). The wise men of the Pelishti know how to increase the span of their lives for hundreds of years (мудрецы пелиштийцев знают, как увеличить время своей жизни на сотни лет; span — пядь; жизнь, время жизни человека). I've seen some of them myself (я сам видел некоторых из них). Why he lived here alone, and why he played the part of oracle no ordinary human can guess (почему он жил здесь один, и почему он играл роль предсказателя, не может догадаться ни один обычный человек; part — доля; роль), but I believe the oracle part was to keep the city inviolate and sacred (но я полагаю, что роль оракула была для того, чтобы сохранить город нетронутым и священным; to believe — верить; полагать; to keep — держать; сохранить), so he could remain undisturbed (чтобы он мог оставаться непотревоженным = чтобы его не тревожили). He ate the food the priests brought as an offering to Yelaya (он ел пищу, которую жрецы приносили в качестве жертвоприношения Елае; to eat — есть; offering — предложение; жертвоприношение), and his servants ate other things (а его слуги ели другое: «другие вещи») — I've always known there was a subterranean river flowing away from the lake (я всегда знал, что была подземная река, вытекающая из озера) where the people of the Puntish highlands throw their dead (в которое народ пунтийских нагорий бросает своих мертвецов). That river runs under this palace (эта река протекает под этим дворцом; to run — бежать; течь). They have ladders hung over the water (у них над водой подвешены лестницы; to hang) where they can hang and fish for the corpses that come floating through (с
ordinary [':dnr], inviolate [n'valt], record [r'k:d]
"He made an oracle of her, and he was the voice of the oracle, speaking from a niche he cut in the wall behind the ivory dais. The priests never suspected, never saw him or his servants, for they always hid themselves when the men came. Bit-Yakin lived and died here without ever being discovered by the priests. Crom knows how long he dwelt here, but it must have been for centuries. The wise men of the Pelishti know how to increase the span of their lives for hundreds of years. I've seen some of them myself. Why he lived here alone, and why he played the part of oracle no ordinary human can guess, but I believe the oracle part was to keep the city inviolate and sacred, so he could remain undisturbed. He ate the food the priests brought as an offering to Yelaya, and his servants ate other things — I've always known there was a subterranean river flowing away from the lake where the people of the Puntish highlands throw their dead. That river runs under this palace. They have ladders hung over the water where they can hang and fish for the corpses that come floating through. Bit-Yakin recorded everything on parchment and painted walls.
"But he died at last (но в конце концов он умер; at last — наконец, в конце концов), and his servants mummified him according to instructions he gave them before his death (и его слуги мумифицировали его согласно его указаниям, которые он дал им перед смертью; instruction — обучение; указание), and stuck him in a cave in the cliffs (и поместили его в пещеру на утесах; to stick — втыкать; класть, ставить). The rest is easy to guess (об остальном легко догадаться). His servants, who were even more nearly immortal than he (его прислужники, которые были еще более /почти/ бессмертны, чем он; even — даже; /даже/ еще /при сравнении/), kept on dwelling here (продолжали жить здесь; to keep on — продолжать), but the next time a high priest came to consult the oracle (но в следующий раз, когда верховный жрец пришел за советом к оракулу), not having a master to restrain them (не имея хозяина, который бы сдерживал их), they tore him to pieces (они разорвали его на куски; to tear — рвать). So since then — until Gorulga (поэтому с тех пор, до Горулги) — nobody came to talk to the oracle (никто не приходил беседовать с оракулом).
mummify ['mmfa], immortal ['m:tl], piece [pi:s]
"But he died at last, and his servants mummified him according to instructions he gave them before his death, and stuck him in a cave in the cliffs. The rest is easy to guess. His servants, who were even more nearly immortal than he, kept on dwelling here, but the next time a high priest came to consult the oracle, not having a master to restrain them, they tore him to pieces. So since then — until Gorulga — nobody came to talk to the oracle.
"It's obvious they've been renewing the garments and ornaments of the goddess (очевидно, они обновляют одежду и украшения богини), as they'd seen Bit-Yakin do (как они видели, делал это Бит-Якин). Doubtless there's a sealed chamber somewhere where the silks are kept from decay (несомненно, есть где-то герметичная комната, где шелка хранятся от тления; to keep — держать; хранить). They clothed the goddess and brought her back to the oracle room after Zargheba had stolen her (они одели богиню и принесли ее обратно в комнату оракула, после того как Зархеба похитил ее; to steal). And, oh, by the way, they took off Zargheba's head and hung it up in a thicket (и, ах, кстати, они снесли Зархебе голову и повесили ее в зарослях; by the way — кстати, между прочим; to take off — снимать; удалять, ампутировать;to hang up — повесить)."
She shivered, yet at the same time breathed a sigh of relief (она затряслась, но в то же время вздохнула с облегчением; to breathe a sigh of relief — вздохнуть с облегчением).
"He'll never whip me again (он никогда больше не будет меня сечь)."
obvious ['bvs], sigh [sa], relief [r'li:f]
"It's obvious they've been renewing the garments and ornaments of the goddess, as they'd seen Bit-Yakin do. Doubtless there's a sealed chamber somewhere where the silks are kept from decay. They clothed the goddess and brought her back to the oracle room after Zargheba had stolen her. And, oh, by the way, they took off Zargheba's head and hung it up in a thicket."