mountain ['mauntIn] language ['l&NgwIdZ]
Then Herr Slossenn Boschen got up, and went on awful. He swore at us in German (which I should judge to be a singularly effective language for that purpose), and he danced, and shook his fists, and called us all the English he knew. He said he had never been so insulted in all his life.
It appeared that the song was not a comic song at all. It was about a young girl who lived in the Hartz Mountains, and who had given up her life to save her lover's soul; and he died, and met her spirit in the air; and then, in the last verse, he jilted her spirit, and went on with another spirit — I'm not quite sure of the details, but it was something very sad, I know. Herr Boschen said he had sung it once before the German Emperor, and he (the German Emperor) had sobbed like a little child. He (Herr Boschen) said it was generally acknowledged to be one of the most tragic and pathetic songs in the German language.
It was a trying situation for us — very trying (это было трудное положение для нас = мы находились в очень тяжелом положении). There seemed to be no answer (казалось, /у нас/ не было ответа). We looked around for the two young men who had done this thing (мы оглянулись на двоих молодых людей, которые сделали эту вещь = сыграли с нами злую шутку), but they had left the house in an unostentatious manner immediately after the end of the song (но они ушли из дома незаметно сразу же после окончания песни; unostentatious — ненавязчивый, не бросающийся в глаза).
That was the end of that party (таков был конец этого вечера). I never saw a party break up so quietly, and with so little fuss (никогда не видел, чтобы компания расходилась так тихо, без суеты: «с такой маленькой суетой»; to break up — разрушаться, распадаться; расходиться /о компании/). We never said good-night even to one another (мы не сказали «спокойной ночи» даже друг другу = даже не попрощались). We came downstairs one at a time, walking softly, and keeping the shady side (мы спустились /по лестнице/ по одному, ступая тихо и придерживаясь затененной стороны). We asked the servant for our hats and coats in whispers (мы просили шепотом слугу /подать/ наши шляпы и пальто), and opened the door for ourselves, and slipped out (и сами открывали дверь, и выскальзывали /незаметно/), and got round the corner quickly (и быстро сворачивали за угол), avoiding each other as much as possible (избегая/сторонясь друг друга насколько возможно).
I have never taken much interest in German songs since then (я никогда не проявлял большого интереса к немецким песням с тех пор).
We reached Sunbury Lock at half-past three (мы добрались до шлюза Санбери в половине четвертого). The river is sweetly pretty just there before you come to the gates (река очаровательна здесь, пока вы не подошли к воротам), and the backwater is charming (и бьеф /тоже/ прелестный; backwater — заводь, запруда; бьеф /часть водоема, реки или канала, примыкающая к плотине, шлюзу/); but don't attempt to row up it (но не пытайтесь подняться на веслах по нему).
unostentatious ['Vn,Osten'[email protected]] charming ['tSA:mIN]
It was a trying situation for us — very trying. There seemed to be no answer. We looked around for the two young men who had done this thing, but they had left the house in an unostentatious manner immediately after the end of the song.
That was the end of that party. I never saw a party break up so quietly, and with so little fuss. We never said good-night even to one another. We came downstairs one at a time, walking softly, and keeping the shady side. We asked the servant for our hats and coats in whispers, and opened the door for ourselves, and slipped out, and got round the corner quickly, avoiding each other as much as possible.
I have never taken much interest in German songs since then.
We reached Sunbury Lock at half-past three. The river is sweetly pretty just there before you come to the gates, and the backwater is charming; but don't attempt to row up it.
I tried to do so once (я попытался сделать это однажды). I was sculling, and asked the fellows who were steering if they thought it could be done (я сидел на веслах и спросил приятелей, которые правили рулем, как они думают, можно ли это сделать), and they said, oh, yes, they thought so, if I pulled hard (они сказали, думают, что да, если я навалюсь на весла). We were just under the little foot-bridge that crosses it between the two weirs, when they said this (мы были как раз под маленьким пешеходным мостиком, переброшенным между двумя дамбами, когда они это сказали; to cross — пересекать/ся/, перекрещивать/ся/; weir — плотина, запруда, дамба), and I bent down over the sculls, and set myself up, and pulled (и я наклонился над веслами, собрался с силами и /начал/ грести; to set up — настраивать, устанавливать; восстанавливать /силы, здоровье/).
I pulled splendidly (я греб великолепно). I got well into a steady rhythmical swing (я выработал постоянный ритмичный взмах /веслами/; to get into — войти; приобретать, появляться /о привычках/; попадать в какое-либо положение, состояние; swing — качание, колебание, взмах). I put my arms, and my legs, and my back into it (я действовал руками, ногами и спиной; to put in — вкладывать, вводить /в действие/). I set myself a good, quick, dashing stroke, and worked in really grand style (я греб хорошо, быстро, энергично, и работал в великолепном стиле). My two friends said it was a pleasure to watch me (двое моих приятелей сказали, что наблюдать за мной — /одно/ удовольствие). At the end of five minutes, I thought we ought to be pretty near the weir, and I looked up (через пять минут: «в конце пяти минут» я подумал, что мы должны быть довольно близко от запруды, и поднял глаза). We were under the bridge, in exactly the same spot that we were when I began (мы были под мостом, на том же самом месте, где мы находились, когда я начал), and there were those two idiots, injuring themselves by violent laughing (а те два идиота вредили себе неистовым смехом = смеялись до колик; to injure — ранить, ушибить; вредить). I had been grinding away like mad to keep that boat stuck still under that bridge (я греб, как сумасшедший, чтобы удержать лодку на месте, под тем мостом; to grind away — усердно работать; to keep still — не шевелиться; не шуметь; to stick — приклеивать/ся/, завязнуть). I let other people pull up backwaters against strong streams now (я оставил другим людям = пусть теперь другие /попробуют/ пойти на веслах по бьефам/каналам против сильного течения).
weir [[email protected]] rhythmical ['rIDmIk(@)l] injuring ['[email protected]]
I tried to do so once. I was sculling, and asked the fellows who were steering if they thought it could be done, and they said, oh, yes, they thought so, if I pulled hard. We were just under the little foot-bridge that crosses it between the two weirs, when they said this, and I bent down over the sculls, and set myself up, and pulled.
I pulled splendidly. I got well into a steady rhythmical swing. I put my arms, and my legs, and my back into it. I set myself a good, quick, dashing stroke, and worked in really grand style. My two friends said it was a pleasure to watch me. At the end of five minutes, I thought we ought to be pretty near the weir, and I looked up. We were under the bridge, in exactly the same spot that we were when I began, and there were those two idiots, injuring themselves by violent laughing. I had been grinding away like mad to keep that boat stuck still under that bridge. I let other people pull up backwaters against strong streams now.
We sculled up to Walton, a rather large place for a riverside town (мы прошли на веслах вверх до Уолтона, довольно большого местечка для прибрежного города). As with all riverside places, only the tiniest corner of it comes down to the water (как и во всех прибрежных городах, только крошечный уголок его спускается к воде), so that from the boat you might fancy it was a village of some half-dozen houses, all told (так что из лодки можно подумать, что это деревушка в полдюжины домов; all told — в общей сложности, включая всех). Windsor and Abingdon are the only towns between London and Oxford (Виндзор и Абингдон — единственные города между Лондоном и Оксфордом) that you can really see anything of from the stream (которые действительно можно увидеть с реки). All the others hide round corners, and merely peep at the river down one street (все остальные прячутся за углами и лишь выглядывают на реку одной улицей): my thanks to them for being so considerate (спасибо им за то, что они так деликатны/внимательны к другим), and leaving the river-banks to woods and fields and water-works (и предоставляют берега реки лесам, полям и водопроводным станциям).
Even Reading, though it does its best to spoil and sully and make hideous as much of the river as it can reach (даже Рэдинг, хотя и старается изо всех сил испортить, загрязнить и обезобразить столько реки, сколько может достать = как можно больше; hideous — отвратительный, безобразный, ужасный), is good-natured enough to keep its ugly face a good deal out of sight (достаточно добродушен, чтобы спрятать значительную часть своего уродливого лица: «держать вне поля зрения»).
dozen ['dVz(@)n] hideous ['[email protected]]
We sculled up to Walton, a rather large place for a riverside town. As with all riverside places, only the tiniest corner of it comes down to the water, so that from the boat you might fancy it was a village of some half-dozen houses, all told. Windsor and Abingdon are the only towns between London and Oxford that you can really see anything of from the stream. All the others hide round corners, and merely peep at the river down one street: my thanks to them for being so considerate, and leaving the river-banks to woods and fields and water-works.
Even Reading, though it does its best to spoil and sully and make hideous as much of the river as it can reach, is good-natured enough to keep its ugly face a good deal out of sight.
Caesar, of course, had a little place at Walton (у Цезаря, конечно, была небольшая резиденция в Уолтоне; place — место; город, селение; усадьба, загородный дом; резиденция) — a camp, or an entrenchment, or something of that sort (лагерь, или укрепление, или что-то в этом роде). Caesar was a regular up-river man (был настоящим любителем рек; regular — регулярный, постоянный; настоящий, сущий; up-river — находящийся в верховьях реки, ведущий к верховью реки). Also Queen Elizabeth, she was there, too (и королева Елизавета тоже бывала здесь). You can never get away from that woman, go where you will (вы никогда не уйдете от этой женщины, куда бы ни пошли = от нее нигде не скрыться). Cromwell and Bradshaw (not the guide man, but the King Charles's head man) likewise sojourned here (Кромвель и Брадшо /не автор справочника, а палач короля Карла/ также останавливались; Bradshaw — «Брадшо», известный справочник расписания движения на всех железных дорогах Великобритании /по фамилии первого издателя Дж. Брадшо/; headman — глава, начальник; вождь; палач; to sojourn — временно жить, оставаться непродолжительное время). They must have been quite a pleasant little party, altogether (они, должно быть, были довольно милой маленькой компанией; altogether — вполне, совершенно, в общем).
