Английский язык с Р. Э. Говардом
Шрифт:
The wall was high but not impossible to negotiate (стена была высока, но ее можно: «не невозможно» было преодолеть; to negotiate — вести переговоры; преодолеть препятствие). Nabonidus did not put his trust in mere barriers of stone (Набонидус полагался не только на каменные ограды; to put trust in smb. — доверять кому-л.). It was what was inside the wall that was to be feared (бояться нужно было того, что находилось за стеной внутри; to fear — бояться). What these things were Murilo did not know precisely (что это были за твари, Мурило точно не знал; thing — вещь; существо). He knew there was at least a huge savage dog that roamed the gardens (он знал, что была, по крайней мере, одна громадная свирепая собака, которая бродила по парку; to know — знать; savage — дикий; свирепый) and had on occasion torn an intruder to pieces as a hound rends a rabbit (и при случае разрывала непрошенного гостя на куски, как гончая раздирает кролика; on occasion —
negotiate [n'u et], occasion ['ken], allow ['lau], legitimate [l'tmt]
The wall was high but not impossible to negotiate. Nabonidus did not put his trust in mere barriers of stone. It was what was inside the wall that was to be feared. What these things were Murilo did not know precisely. He knew there was at least a huge savage dog that roamed the gardens and had on occasion torn an intruder to pieces as a hound rends a rabbit. What else there might be he did not care to conjecture. Men who had been allowed to enter the house on brief, legitimate business, reported that Nabonidus dwelt among rich furnishings, yet simply, attended by a surprisingly small number of servants.
Indeed, they mentioned only one as having been visible (действительно, они упоминали лишь одного, которого видели) — a tall, silent man called Joka (высокого, молчаливого мужчину по имени Джока). Some one else, presumably a slave, had been heard moving about in the recesses of the house (слышали, как кто-то еще, предположительно раб, двигался в отдаленных уголках дома; recess — перерыв в работе; уединенное, укромное место; тихий уголок; окраина; углубление; ниша), but this person no one had ever seen (но этого человека никогда никто не видел). The greatest mystery of the mysterious house was Nabonidus himself (величайшей тайной этого таинственного дома был сам Набонидус), whose power of intrigue and grasp on international politics had made him the strongest man in the kingdom (умение которого /плести/ интриги и управлять международной политикой сделали его самым сильным человеком в королевстве; power — сила; способность; intrigue — интрига; плетение интриг; grasp on — управление, контроль за). People, chancellor and king moved puppetlike on the strings he worked (народ, канцлер и король двигались как марионетки на ниточках, которыми он управлял; to work — работать; управлять, осуществлять управление).
presumably [pr'zju:mbl], intrigue ['ntri:], chancellor [':nsl]
Indeed, they mentioned only one as having been visible — a tall, silent man called Joka. Some one else, presumably a slave, had been heard moving about in the recesses of the house, but this person no one had ever seen. The greatest mystery of the mysterious house was Nabonidus himself, whose power of intrigue and grasp on international politics had made him the strongest man in the kingdom. People, chancellor and king moved puppetlike on the strings he worked.
Murilo scaled the wall and dropped down into the gardens (Мурило взобрался по стене и спустился в парк; to scale — определять масштаб; подниматься, взбираться; to drop — ронять; спускаться), which were expanses of shadow (который был /обширным/ пространством тени), darkened by clumps of shrubbery and waving foliage (затемненным зарослями кустарников и колышущейся листвы). No light shone in the windows of the house (ни один огонек не светился в окнах дома; light — свет; огонь;to shine — светиться), which loomed so blackly among the trees (который вырисовывался так мрачно/гнетуще среди деревьев). The young nobleman stole stealthily yet swiftly through the shrubs (молодой аристократ крался бесшумно, но проворно через кусты; to steal — красть; красться). Momentarily he expected to hear the baying of the great dog and to see its giant body hurtle through the shadows (ежеминутно он ожидал услышать лай огромного пса и увидеть, как его гигантское тело несется с шумом среди теней; momentarily — моментально; ежеминутно;to hurtle — сталкивать; нестись, мчаться с шумом). He doubted the effectiveness of his sword against such an attack (он сомневался в эффективности своего меча против такой атаки), but he did not hesitate (но он не колебался). As well die beneath the fangs of a beast as of the headsman (что умереть в клыках зверя, что в крючьях палача; as well — с таким же успехом;fang — клык; крюк, захват).
foliage ['ful], stealthily ['stell], doubt [daut]
Murilo scaled the wall and dropped down into the gardens, which were expanses of shadow, darkened by clumps of shrubbery and waving foliage. No light shone in the windows of the house, which loomed so blackly among the trees. The young nobleman stole stealthily yet swiftly through the shrubs. Momentarily he expected to hear the baying of the great dog and to see its giant body hurtle through the shadows. He doubted the effectiveness of his sword against such an attack, but he did not hesitate. As well die beneath the fangs of a beast as of the headsman.
He stumbled over something bulky and yielding (он
yield [ji:ld], being ['bi:], done [dn]
He stumbled over something bulky and yielding. Bending close in the dim starlight, he made out a limp shape on the ground. It was the dog that guarded the gardens, and it was dead. Its neck was broken and it bore what seemed to be the marks of great fangs. Murilo felt that no human being had done this. The beast had met a monster more savage than itself. Murilo glared nervously at the cryptic masses of bush and shrub; then with a shrug of his shoulders, he approached the silent house.
The first door he tried proved to be unlocked (первая дверь, которую он проверил, оказалась незапертой). He entered warily, sword in hand (он осторожно вошел с мечом в руке), and found himself in a long, shadowy hallway (и очутился в длинном, темном коридоре; to find oneself — оказаться, очутиться) dimly illuminated by a light that gleamed through the hangings at the other end (тускло освещенном лампой, которая мерцала через портьеры на другом конце; light — свет; лампа; hangings — драпировки, портьеры; гардины). Complete silence hung over the whole house (абсолютная тишина нависла над всем домом; to hang — висеть, нависать; complete — полный; абсолютный). Murilo glided along the hall and halted to peer through the hangings (Мурило скользнул по прихожей и остановился, чтобы посмотреть сквозь гардины). He looked into a lighted room (он заглянул в освещенную комнату), over the windows of which velvet curtains were drawn so closely as to allow no beam to shine through (на окнах которой бархатные шторы были задернуты так плотно, чтобы не пропустить ни лучика света: «чтобы позволить никакому лучу светить сквозь»; to draw — чертить; задергивать /шторы/). The room was empty (комната была пуста), in so far as human life was concerned (насколько это касается человеческой жизни), but it had a grisly occupant, nevertheless (но, тем не менее, в ней был обитатель, вызывающий суеверный страх). In the midst of a wreckage of furniture and torn hangings that told of a fearful struggle, lay the body of a man (среди обломков мебели и разорванных драпировок, которые свидетельствовали о страшной борьбе, лежало тело человека; to lie — лежать). The form lay on its belly (фигура лежала на животе; form — форма; фигура), but the head was twisted about so that the chin rested behind a shoulder (но голова была вывернута так, что подбородок покоился за плечом; to rest — отдыхать; покоиться). The features, contorted into an awful grin, seemed to leer at the horrified nobleman (черты лица, искаженные ужасным оскалом, казалось, злобно зыркают на испуганного дворянина; feature — особенность; черта лица; to leer — смотреть искоса; смотреть злобно).
complete [km'pli:t], furniture ['f:n], feature ['fi:]
The first door he tried proved to be unlocked. He entered warily, sword in hand, and found himself in a long, shadowy hallway dimly illuminated by a light that gleamed through the hangings at the other end. Complete silence hung over the whole house. Murilo glided along the hall and halted to peer through the hangings. He looked into a lighted room, over the windows of which velvet curtains were drawn so closely as to allow no beam to shine through. The room was empty, in so far as human life was concerned, but it had a grisly occupant, nevertheless. In the midst of a wreckage of furniture and torn hangings that told of a fearful struggle, lay the body of a man. The form lay on its belly, but the head was twisted about so that the chin rested behind a shoulder. The features, contorted into an awful grin, seemed to leer at the horrified nobleman.