appear [q`pIq], comely [`kAmlI], suave [swRv]
Neilson, smoking a cigar, leaned back in his chair and looked vacantly at the ring of smoke which floated in the still air. A smile played on his lips, but his eyes were grave. Then he looked at the captain. There was in his gross obesity something extraordinarily repellent. He had the plethoric self-satisfaction of the very fat. It was an outrage. It set Nelson’s nerves on edge. But the contrast between the man before him and the man he had in mind was pleasant.
"It appears that Red was the most comely thing you ever saw. I’ve talked to quite a number of people who knew him in those days, white men, and they all agree that the first time you saw him his beauty just took your breath away. They called him Red on account of his flaming hair. It had a natural wave and he wore it long. It must have been of that wonderful colour that the pre-Raphaelites raved over. I don’t think he was vain of it, he was much too ingenuous for that, but no one could have blamed him if he had been. He was tall, six feet and an inch or two — in the native house that used to stand here was the mark of his height cut with a knife on the central trunk that supported the roof — and he was made like a Greek god, broad in the shoulders and thin in the flanks; he was like Apollo, with just that soft roundness which Praxiteles gave him, and that suave, feminine grace which has in it something troubling and mysterious. His skin was dazzling white, milky, like satin; his skin was like a woman’s."
"I had kind of a white skin myself when I was a kiddie (/да/ у меня самого была вроде как белая кожа, когда я был ребенком; kind of — что-то вроде)," said the skipper, with a twinkle in his bloodshot eyes (сказал шкипер, и его налитые кровью глаза сверкнули; with — с; twinkle — блеск).
But Neilson paid no attention to him (но Нилсон не обратил на него внимание). He was telling his story now (он сейчас рассказывал свою историю) and interruption made him impatient (и он не терпел заминок; to interrupt — обрывать; вмешиваться/в разговор и т. п./; to make — делать; impatient — нетерпеливый; нетерпимый).
"And his face was just as beautiful as his body (а лицо его было таким же красивым, как его тело). He had large blue eyes (у него были большие синие глаза), very dark (такие темные; very — очень), so that some say they were black (что некоторые /даже/ говорят, /что/ они были черными), and unlike most red-haired people (и в отличие от большинства рыжеволосых людей) he had dark eyebrows and long dark lashes (у него были темные брови и длинные темные ресницы). His features were perfectly regular (черты его лица были безукоризненно правильными) and his mouth was like a scarlet wound (а его рот был словно алая рана). He was twenty (ему было двадцать /лет/)."
On these words the Swede stopped with a certain sense of the dramatic (при этих словах швед сделал определенно драматическую паузу; to stop— останавливаться;certain— определенный; некий;sense— чувство; смысл). He took a sip of whisky (он сделал маленький глоток виски).
"He was unique (он был единственным в своем роде). There never was anyone more beautiful (никогда /не/ было человека: «кого-нибудь» красивее /его/). There was no more reason for him (для его появления: «для него» было не больше основания) than for a wonderful blossom to flower on a wild plant (чем для прекрасного цветка появиться: «расцвести» на дикорастущем растении). He was a happy accident of nature (он был счастливой случайностью природы).
interruption ["Intq`rApS(q)n], impatient [Im`peIS(q)nt], unique [jH`nJk]
"I had kind of a white skin myself when I was a kiddie," said the skipper, with a twinkle in his bloodshot eyes.
But Neilson paid no attention to him. He was telling his story now and interruption made him impatient.
"And his face was just as beautiful as his body. He had large blue eyes, very dark, so that some say they were black, and unlike most red-haired people he had dark eyebrows and long dark lashes. His features were perfectly regular and his mouth was like a scarlet wound. He was twenty."
On these words the Swede stopped with a certain sense of the dramatic. He took a sip of whisky.
"He was unique. There never was anyone more beautiful. There was no more reason for him than for a wonderful blossom to flower on a wild plant. He was a happy accident of nature.
"One day he landed at that cove (однажды он высадился в той бухте) into which you must have put this morning (в которую вы, должно быть, зашли сегодня утром; to put in — заходить в порт; вставать на рейде). He was an American sailor (он был американским матросом), and he had deserted from a man-of-war in Apia (и он дезертировал с военного корабля в Апии). He had induced some good-humoured native (он убедил какого-то добродушного туземца) to give him a passage on a cutter (подвезти его на катере; to give — давать; дарить; passage — проход; поездка/особенно по морю/) that happened to be sailing from Apia to Safoto (который как раз плыл из Апии в Сафото; to happen — случаться; случайно оказываться), and he had been put ashore here in a dugout (и здесь его отправили на берег в каком-то челноке; dugout — лодка, выдолбленная из бревна). I do not know why he deserted (я не знаю, почему он дезертировал). Perhaps life on a man-of-war with its restrictions irked him (может быть, жизнь на военном корабле с его ограничениями раздражала его), perhaps he was in trouble (может быть, у него были неприятности: «он был в беде»), and perhaps it was the South Seas and these romantic islands that got into his bones (а может быть, /просто/ Южные моря и эти романтические острова запали ему в душу: «проникли в его кости»). Every now and then (порой) they take a man strangely (они странным образом очаровывают человека; to take — брать; захватывать), and he finds himself like a fly in a spider’s web (и он оказывается /пойманным/ словно муха в паутине: «паучьей сети»). It may be that there was a softness of fibre in him (может быть, была в нем мягкость характера; fibre — фибра; склад характера), and these green hills with their soft airs (и эти зеленые холмы с их мягким климатом; air — воздух; атмосфера), this blue sea (это синее море), took the northern strength from him (забрали у него нордическую: «северную» силу) as Delilah took the Nazarite’s (как Далила забрала /силу/ Самсона; Nazarite — древний израильтянин, связанный определенными строгими религиозными обетами/обычно на ограниченное время/,среди тех троих, кто связал себя этими обетами на пожизненный срок, был Самсон). Anyhow, he wanted to hide himself (во всяком случае, он хотел скрыться), and he thought he would be safe in this secluded nook (и он думал, /что/ будет в безопасности в этом укромном уголке) till his ship had sailed from Samoa (до тех пор пока его корабль /не/ уплывет с Самоа).
ashore [q`SL], trouble [trAbl], fibre [`faIbq]
"One day he landed at that cove into which you must have put this morning. He was an American sailor, and he had deserted from a man-of-war in Apia. He had induced some good-humoured native to give him a passage on a cutter that happened to be sailing from Apia to Safoto, and he had been put ashore here in a dugout. I do not know why he deserted. Perhaps life on a man-of-war with its restrictions irked him, perhaps he was in trouble, and perhaps it was the South Seas and these romantic islands that got into his bones. Every now and then they take a man strangely, and he finds himself like a fly in a spider’s web. It may be that there was a softness of fibre in him, and these green hills with their soft airs, this blue sea, took the northern strength from him as Delilah took the Nazarite’s. Anyhow, he wanted to hide himself, and he thought he would be safe in this secluded nook till his ship had sailed from Samoa.
"There was a native hut at the cove (там была туземная хижина в этой бухте) and as he stood there (и пока он стоял там), wondering where exactly he should turn his steps (размышляя, куда именно ему направиться; to turn — поворачивать/ся/; step — шаг), a young girl came out and invited him to enter (какая-то молодая девушка вышла /из хижины/ и пригласила его войти). He knew scarcely two words of the native tongue (он знал от силы два слова на местном наречии; scarcely — едва, почти не) and she as little English (и она столь же мало по-английски). But he understood well enough (но он понял довольно хорошо) what her smiles meant (что означала ее улыбка), and her pretty gestures (и ее прелестные жесты), and he followed her (и он последовал /за/ ней). He sat down on a mat and she gave him slices of pineapple to eat (он сел на циновку, и она дала ему поесть ломтики ананаса). I can speak of Red only from hearsay (я могу говорить о Рыжем только с чужих слов), but I saw the girl three years after he first met her (но я видел эту девушку три года /спустя/, после /того как/ он впервые встретил ее), and she was scarcely nineteen then (и ей едва ли было девятнадцать тогда). You cannot imagine how exquisite she was (вы не можете представить себе, какой изящной она была). She had the passionate grace of the hibiscus and the rich colour (она обладала страстной грацией гибискуса и /у нее был/ румянец во всю щеку; rich— богатый; обильный;colour— цвет; цвет лица; румянец). She was rather tall (она была довольно высокой), slim (стройной), with the delicate features of her race (с тонкими чертами, присущими ее расе), and large eyes like pools of still water under the palm trees (и большими глазами, похожими на тихие заводи: «заводи с неподвижной водой» под пальмовыми деревьями); her hair, black and curling (ее волосы, черные и вьющиеся) fell down her back (ниспадали на спину), and she wore a wreath of scented flowers (и на ней был: «она носила» венок из благоухающих цветов). Her hands were lovely (ее руки были прелестны). They were so small (они были такие маленькие), so exquisitely formed (такой изящной формы), they gave your heart-strings a wrench (/что просто/ задевали струны твоей души: «сердечные струны»; to wrench— дергать). And in those days she laughed easily (и в те дни ее легко было рассмешить: «она смеялась легко»). Her smile was so delightful that it made your knees shake (ее улыбка была столь очаровательна, до дрожи в коленках: «что заставляла ваши колени трястись»). Her skin was like a field of ripe corn on a summer day (ее кожа была словно поле зрелой пшеницы летним днем). Good Heavens, how can I describe her (о Боже, как я могу описать ее)? She was too beautiful to be real (она была слишком красивой, чтобы быть реальной).
scarcely [`skFqslI], gesture [`GesCq], palm [pRm]
"There was a native hut at the cove and as he stood there, wondering where exactly he should turn his steps, a young girl came out and invited him to enter. He knew scarcely two words of the native tongue and she as little English. But he understood well enough what her smiles meant, and her pretty gestures, and he followed her. He sat down on a mat and she gave him slices of pineapple to eat. I can speak of Red only from hearsay, but I saw the girl three years after he first met her, and she was scarcely nineteen then. You cannot imagine how exquisite she was. She had the passionate grace of the hibiscus and the rich colour. She was rather tall, slim, with the delicate features of her race, and large eyes like pools of still water under the palm trees; her hair, black and curling, fell down her back, and she wore a wreath of scented flowers. Her hands were lovely. They were so small, so exquisitely formed, they gave your heart-strings a wrench. And in those days she laughed easily. Her smile was so delightful that it made your knees shake. Her skin was like a field of ripe corn on a summer day. Good Heavens, how can I describe her? She was too beautiful to be real.
"And these two young things (и эти два юных существа), she was sixteen and he was twenty (ей было шестнадцать, а ему двадцать), fell in love with one another at first sight (полюбили друг друга с первого взгляда; to fall — падать). That is the real love (то /была/ настоящая любовь), not the love that comes from sympathy (не та любовь, которая возникает: «происходит» из сочувствия/симпатии), common interests (общих интересов), or intellectual community (или схожести взглядов и убеждений; intellectual — интеллектуальный, мыслительный; community — общность), but love pure and simple (но любовь чистая и простая =в чистом виде). That is the love that Adam felt for Eve (это /такая/ любовь, которую Адам почувствовал к Еве) when he awoke and found her in the garden (когда он проснулся и нашел ее в саду) gazing at him with dewy eyes (смотрящей на него наивными глазами; to gaze — пристально глядеть, вглядываться; dewy — росистый; чистый, простодушный). That is the love that draws the beasts to one another (это /такая/ любовь, которая притягивает друг к другу животных), and the Gods (и богов). That is the love that makes the world a miracle (это /такая/ любовь, которая превращает мир в чудо). That is the love which gives life its pregnant meaning (это /такая/ любовь, которая придает жизни глубокий смысл; pregnant — беременная; содержательный). You have never heard of the wise, cynical French duke (вы никогда не слышали о мудром, циничном французском герцоге /де Ларошфуко/) who said that with two lovers (который сказал, что среди двух влюбленных) there is always one who loves and one who lets himself be loved (всегда есть тот, кто любит, и тот, кто позволяет себя любить); it is bitter truth to which most of us have to resign ourselves (это горькая правда, с которой большинству из нас приходится мириться); but now and then there are two who love (но порой находятся: «имеются» двое, которые любят) and two who let themselves be loved (и двое, которые позволяют себя любить). Then one might fancy (/и/ тогда можно было бы предположить; one — один; также употребляется вне определенно-личных предложениях) that the sun stands still (что солнце останавливается: «стоит неподвижно») as it stood when Joshua prayed to the God of Israel (как оно остановилось, когда Иисус Навин молился Богу Израиля).
