Английский язык с Р. Э. Говардом
Шрифт:
violator ['valet], elephant ['elfnt], country ['kntr]
His sandaled feet made no sound on the gleaming pave. No watchmen passed, for even the thieves of the Maul shunned the temples, where strange dooms had been known to fall on violators. Ahead of him he saw, looming against the sky, The Tower of the Elephant. He mused, wondering why it was so named. No one seemed to know. He had never seen an elephant, but he vaguely understood that it was a monstrous animal, with a tail in front as well as behind. This a wandering Shemite had told him, swearing that he had seen such beasts by the thousands in the country of the Hyrkanians; but all men knew what liars were the men of Shem. At any rate, there were no elephants in Zamora.
The shimmering shaft of the tower rose frostily in the stars (мерцающая колонна башни неприветливо возвышалась среди звезд; shaft — древко копья; колонна, столб;to rise — подниматься, возвышаться). In the sunlight it shone so dazzlingly that few could bear its glare (в
shaft [:ft], height [hat], among ['m]
The shimmering shaft of the tower rose frostily in the stars. In the sunlight it shone so dazzlingly that few could bear its glare, and men said it was built of silver. It was round, a slim, perfect cylinder, a hundred and fifty feet in height, and its rim glittered in the starlight with the great jewels which crusted it. The tower stood among the waving, exotic trees of a garden raised high above the general level of the city. A high wall enclosed this garden, and outside the wall was a lower level, likewise enclosed by a wall. No lights shone forth; there seemed to be no windows in the tower — at least not above the level of the inner wall. Only the gems high above sparkled frostily in the starlight.
Shrubbery grew thick outside the lower, or outer wall (за более низкой или внешней стеной густо рос кустарник; to grow — расти; thick — толстый; густой). The Cimmerian crept close and stood beside the barrier (киммериец подкрался поближе и стал возле преграды; to creep — ползать; красться), measuring it with his eye (измеряя ее на глаз). It was high, but he could leap and catch the coping with his fingers (она была высокой, но он мог подпрыгнуть и ухватиться за парапет стены пальцами; coping — верхний, перекрывающий ряд кладки стены; парапетная плита; карниз; to catch — поймать; схватить; зацепиться). Then it would be child's play to swing himself up and over (потом было бы пустяковым делом подняться = подтянуться и перемахнуть через /парапет/; child's play — пустяковое дело, легкая задача; to swing up — поднять; to swing over — поднимать; перемахнуть), and he did not doubt that he could pass the inner wall in the same manner (и он не сомневался, что сможет перебраться через внутреннюю стену таким же способом). But he hesitated at the thought of the strange perils which were said to await within (но он заколебался при мысли о необычных опасностях, которые, говорили, ожидают внутри). These people were strange and mysterious to him (эти люди были чужды и непостижимы для него); they were not of his kind (они были не его рода; kind — сорт; род, племя) — not even of the same blood as the more westerly Brythunians, Nemedians, Kothians, and Aquilonians (даже не той же крови, что более западные бритунийцы, немедийцы, кофийцы и аквилонцы), he had heard of whose civilized mysteries in times past (о загадках цивилизаций которых в прошлые времена он слышал). The people of Zamora were very ancient and (люди Заморы были очень древними = древним народом и), from what he had seen of them, very evil (судя по тем, с которыми он встречался, очень злы и порочны; to see — видеть; понимать, знать; встречать; evil — злой; порочный).
measure ['me], blood [bld], ancient ['ennt]
Shrubbery grew thick outside the lower, or outer wall. The Cimmerian crept close and stood beside the barrier, measuring it with his eye. It was high, but he could leap and catch the coping with his fingers. Then it would be child's play to swing himself up and over, and he did not doubt that he could pass the inner wall in the same manner. But he hesitated at the thought of the strange perils which were said to await within. These people were strange and mysterious to him; they were not of his kind — not even of the same blood as the more westerly Brythunians, Nemedians, Kothians, and Aquilonians, he had heard of whose civilized mysteries in times past. The people of Zamora were very ancient and, from what he had seen of them, very evil.
He thought of Yara, the high priest (он вспомнил о Яре, верховном жреце; to think of — думать о; вспоминать о), who worked strange dooms from this jeweled tower (который вершил чужими судьбами с этой украшенной самоцветами башни; to work — работать; влиять; управлять), and the Cimmerian's hair prickled as he remembered a tale told by a drunken page of the court (и у киммерийца волосы встали дыбом, когда он вспомнил историю, рассказанную захмелевшим придворным пажем; to prickle — колоть; торчать как иголки) — how Yara had laughed in the face of a hostile prince (как Яра рассмеялся в лицо враждебному принцу), and held up a gleaming, evil gem before him (и выставил перед ним мерцающий, зловещий камень; to hold up — выставлять), and how rays shot blindingly from that unholy jewel, to envelop the prince (и как лучи ослепительно вылетели из этого нечестивого камня, чтобы окутать принца; to shoot — стрелять; внезапно появиться; to shoot out — выскакивать, вылетать), who screamed and fell down (который завизжал и пал ниц; to fall down — пасть ниц), and shrank to a withered blackened lump (и съежился в сморщенный почерневший комок; to shrink — уменьшать; сжиматься, съеживаться) that changed to a black spider (превратившийся в черного паука; to change — изменять/ся/; превращаться) which scampered wildly about the chamber (который стал дико носиться по комнате) until Yara set his heel upon it (пока Яра не наступил на него каблуком; to set — ставить).
court [k:t], laugh [l:f], envelop [n'velp]
He thought of Yara, the high priest, who worked strange dooms from this jeweled tower, and the Cimmerian's hair prickled as he remembered a tale told by a drunken page of the court — how Yara had laughed in the face of a hostile prince, and held up a gleaming, evil gem before him, and how rays shot blindingly from that unholy jewel, to envelop the prince, who screamed and fell down, and shrank to a withered blackened lump that changed to a black spider which scampered wildly about the chamber until Yara set his heel upon it.
Yara came not often from his tower of magic (не часто сходил Яра со своей колдовской башни), and always to work evil on some man or some nation (и всегда для того, чтобы творить зло какому-нибудь человеку или народу). The king of Zamora feared him more than he feared death (король Заморы боялся его пуще смерти: «чем он боялся смерти»), and kept himself drunk all the time (и все время поддерживал себя в подпитии; to keep — держать; держаться, сохраняться, оставаться /в известном положении, состоянии/; drunk — пьяный) because that fear was more than he could endure sober (потому что этот страх был больше того, что он мог выдержать трезвым). Yara was very old (Яра был очень стар) — centuries old, men said (/ему было/ несколько сот лет, говорили люди; century — столетие), and added that he would live forever because of the magic of his gem (и добавляли, что он будет жить вечно благодаря волшебству его драгоценного камня; because of — из-за, вследствие), which men called the Heart of the Elephant (который люди называли Сердцем Слона); for no better reason than this they named his hold the Elephant's Tower (не было более убедительной причины, чем эта, что они назвали его оплот Слоновьей Башней; good reason — убедительная причина; hold — захват; убежище, укрытие; крепость).
death [de], endure [n'dju], century ['senur]
Yara came not often from his tower of magic, and always to work evil on some man or some nation. The king of Zamora feared him more than he feared death, and kept himself drunk all the time because that fear was more than he could endure sober. Yara was very old — centuries old, men said, and added that he would live forever because of the magic of his gem, which men called the Heart of the Elephant; for no better reason than this they named his hold the Elephant's Tower.
The Cimmerian, engrossed in these thoughts (киммериец, поглощенный этими мыслями), shrank quickly against the wall (быстро прижался к стене; to shrink — уменьшаться; сжиматься; отскочить; отпрянуть, отшатнуться). Within the garden someone was passing (внутри сада проходил кто-то), who walked with a measured stride (шедший размеренным шагом). The listener heard the clink of steel (слушатель = прислушивавшийся услыхал звяканье стали; to listen — слушать; прислушиваться). So, after all, a guard did pace those gardens (значит, все же, какой-то страж расхаживал по этому парку; so — так; значит; after all — в конце концов; все же). The Cimmerian waited, expecting to hear him pass again on the next round (киммериец подождал, надеясь услышать, как тот пройдет опять на следующем кругу/при следующем обходе; to expect — ожидать; надеяться; round — круг; обход); but silence rested over the mysterious gardens (но тишина оставалась неподвижной над таинственным парком; to rest — оставаться неподвижным; оставаться без изменений).