Mario Puzo - Крестный отец, часть 1. Английский язык с Марио Пьюзо.

The groom, Carlo Rizzi, was a half-breed, born of a Sicilian father and the North Italian mother from whom he had inherited his blond hair and blue eyes. His parents lived in Nevada and Carlo had left that state because of a little trouble with the law. In New York he met Sonny Corleone and so met the sister. Don Corleone, of course, sent trusted friends to Nevada and they reported that Carlo's police trouble was a youthful indiscretion with a gun, not serious, that could easily be wiped off the books to leave the youth with a clean record. They also came back with detailed information on legal gambling in Nevada which greatly interested the Don and which he had been pondering over since. It was part of the Don's greatness that he profited from everything.

Connie Corleone was a not quite pretty girl, thin and nervous and certain to become shrewish later in life. But today, transformed by her white bridal gown and eager virginity, she was so radiant as to be almost beautiful. Beneath the wooden table her hand rested on the muscular thigh of her groom. Her Cupid-bow mouth pouted to give him an airy kiss.

She thought him incredibly handsome. Carlo Rizzi had worked in the open desert air while very young – heavy laborer's work. Now he had tremendous forearms and his shoulders bulged the jacket of his tux. He basked in the adoring eyes of his bride and filled her glass with wine. He was elaborately courteous to her as if they were both actors in a play. But his eyes kept flickering toward the huge silk purse the bride wore on her right shoulder and which was now stuffed full of money envelopes. How much did it hold? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand? Carlo Rizzi smiled. It was only the beginning. He had, after all, married into a royal family. They would have to take care of him.

In the crowd of guests a dapper (подвижный, проворный; щеголеватый, элегантный) young man with the sleek head of a ferret (с гладкой, прилизанной головой хорька) was also studying the silk purse. From sheer habit (чисто по привычке; sheer – абсолютный, полнейший) Paulie Gatto wondered just how he could go about hijacking (размышлял, как бы он мог похитить; to hijack [‘haıdGæk] – нападать с целью грабежа, похищать) that fat pocketbook (кошелек). The idea amused him. But he knew it was idle, innocent dreaming (праздное, невинное мечтание), as small children dream of knocking out tanks (подбивать танки, подбивания танков) with popguns (пугачами). He watched his boss, fat, middle-aged Peter Clemenza whirling (кружащего) young girls around the wooden dance floor in a rustic and lusty (в деревенской и чувственной, бойкой) Tarantella . Clemenza, immensely tall (очень высокий; immense [ı’mens] – безмерный, очень большой, огромный), immensely huge, danced with such skill (умением) and abandon (самозабвением, импульсивностью, страстностью; to abandon [∂'bænd∂n] – покидать, оставлять; отказываться, прекращать), his hard belly lecherously bumping («похотливо» ударялся; lecherous [‘let∫∂r∂s]) – распутный, развратный) the breasts of younger, tinier women (меньших /чем он/; tiny – очень маленький, крошечный), that all the guests were applauding him. Older women grabbed his arm (хватали) to become his next partner. The younger men respectfully cleared off the floor (освобождали место, расчищали /перед ним/ дорогу) and clapped their hands in time to the mandolin's wild strumming (в ритм бренчанию, треньканью). When Clemenza finally collapsed in a chair (плюхнулся, свалился), Paulie Gatto brought him a glass of icy black wine and wiped the perspiring Jovelike brow (потное юпитероподобное чело; brow – бровь; чело /высок./) with his silk handkerchief (платком ['hæŋk∂t∫ıf]). Clemenza was blowing like a whale (тяжело дышал: «дул», как кит) as he gulped down the wine (проглотил, хлебнул, хлебал). But instead of thanking Paulie he said curtly (коротко, резко, грубо), "Never mind being a dance judge («не беспокойся о том, чтобы быть танцевальным судьей» = нечего глазеть на танцы), do your job. Take a walk around the neighborhood (пройдись по окрестностям; neighborhood [‘neıb∂hud] – соседство, соседи; окрестности) and see everything is OK." Paulie slid away into the crowd (скользнул в толпу; to slide).

The band took a refreshment break (перерыв «для освежения»; refreshment – восстановление сил, отдых; refreshments – прохладительные напитки, закуска). A young man named Nino Valenti picked up a discarded mandolin (подобрал брошенную мандолину; to discard – отбрасывать что-то, избавляться от чего-либо), put his left foot up on a chair and began to sing a coarse (грубую [ko:s]) Sicilian love song. Nino Valenti's face was handsome though bloated by continual drinking (раздутое, опухшее от постоянного выпивания) and he was already a little drunk. He rolled his eyes (закатывал) as his tongue caressed the obscene lyrics (в то время как его язык ласкал непристойные стихи = слова песни [k∂'res]). The women shrieked with glee (визжали от восторга) and the men shouted the last word of each stanza (строфы [‘stænz∂]) with the singer.

Don Corleone, notoriously (как всем было известно; notorious [n∂u'to:rı∂s] – известный, общеизвестный) straitlaced in such matters, («узко зашнурованный» = строгий в подобных вещах; lace – шнурок, тесьма; to lace – шнуровать), though his stout wife (дородная, полная) was screaming joyfully with the others, disappeared tactfully (тактично искрылся: «исчез») into the house. Seeing this, Sonny Corleone made his way (пробрался) to the bride's table and sat down beside young Lucy Mancini, the maid of honor. They were safe (они были в безопасности = дело было в шляпе, дело было верное). His wife was in the kitchen putting the last touches (последние штрихи) on the serving of the wedding cake. Sonny whispered (прошептал) a few words in the young girl's ear and she rose (поднялась, встала: to rise). Sonny waited a few minutes and then casually (как бы невзначай; casually [‘kæG(j)u:∂lı] – случайно, ненароком) followed her, stopping to talk with a guest here and there as he worked his way (пробирался, пробивался) through the crowd.

All eyes followed them. The maid of honor, thoroughly Americanized (полностью, совершенно, основательно американизированная; thoroughly ['θLr∂lı]) by three years of college, was a ripe girl (зрелой) who already had a "reputation." All through the marriage rehearsals she had flirted with Sonny Corleone in a teasing, joking way (дразнящим, игривым образом) she thought was permitted (который, как она полагала, был допустим; to permit [‘p∂:mıt] – позволять, разрешать) because he was the best man and her wedding partner. Now holding her pink gown up off the ground, Lucy Mancini went into the house, smiling with false innocence («с фальшивой невинностью» = с притворно-невинным выражением лица), ran lightly up the stairs to the bathroom. She stayed there for a few moments. When she came out Sonny Corleone was on the landing above (на верхней площадке), beckoning her upward (маня ее вверх, делая ей знак рукой, чтобы поднялась; to beckon [‘bek∂n] – манить, делать знак /рукой, пальцем/).

In the crowd of guests a dapper young man with the sleek head of a ferret was also studying the silk purse. From sheer habit Paulie Gatto wondered just how he could go about hijacking that fat pocketbook. The idea amused him. But he knew it was idle, innocent dreaming, as small children dream of knocking out tanks with popguns. He watched his boss, fat, middle-aged Peter Clemenza whirling young girls around the wooden dance floor in a rustic and lusty Tarantella . Clemenza, immensely tall, immensely huge, danced with such skill and abandon, his hard belly lecherously bumping the breasts of younger, tinier women, that all the guests were applauding him. Older women grabbed his arm to become his next partner. The younger men respectfully cleared off the floor and clapped their hands in time to the mandolin's wild strumming. When Clemenza finally collapsed in a chair, Paulie Gatto brought him a glass of icy black wine and wiped the perspiring Jovelike brow with his silk handkerchief. Clemenza was blowing like a whale as he gulped down the wine. But instead of thanking Paulie he said curtly, "Never mind being a dance judge, do your job. Take a walk around the neighborhood and see everything is OK." Paulie slid away into the crowd.

The band took a refreshment break. A young man named Nino Valenti picked up a discarded mandolin, put his left foot up on a chair and began to sing a coarse Sicilian love song. Nino Valenti's face was handsome though bloated by continual drinking and he was already a little drunk. He rolled his eyes as his tongue caressed the obscene lyrics. The women shrieked with glee and the men shouted the last word of each stanza with the singer.

Don Corleone, notoriously straitlaced in such matters, though his stout wife was screaming joyfully with the others, disappeared tactfully into the house. Seeing this, Sonny Corleone made his way to the bride's table and sat down beside young Lucy Mancini, the maid of honor. They were safe. His wife was in the kitchen putting the last touches on the serving of the wedding cake. Sonny whispered a few words in the young girl's ear and she rose. Sonny waited a few minutes and then casually followed her, stopping to talk with a guest here and there as he worked his way through the crowd.

All eyes followed them. The maid of honor, thoroughly Americanized by three years of college, was a ripe girl who already had a "reputation." All through the marriage rehearsals she had flirted with Sonny Corleone in a teasing, joking way she thought was permitted because he was the best man and her wedding partner. Now holding her pink gown up off the ground, Lucy Mancini went into the house, smiling with false innocence, ran lightly up the stairs to the bathroom. She stayed there for a few moments. When she came out Sonny Corleone was on the landing above, beckoning her upward.

From behind the closed window of Don Corleone's "office," a slightly raised corner room (cлегка приподнятой угловой комнаты), Thomas Hagen watched the wedding party in the festooned garden. The walls behind him were stacked with law books (были уставлены юридическими книгами; to stack – складывать в стог; stack – куча, груда; law – закон). Hagen was the Don's lawyer (адвокат) and acting consigliori (исполняющим обязанности консильори /советника – итал ./), or counselor, and as such held the most vital subordinate position (и в качестве такового занимал наиболее важную: «жизненную» подчиненную должность) in the family business. He and the Don had solved many a knotty problem (разрешили немало запутанных проблем; knot – узел) in this room, and so when he saw the Godfather leave the festivities and enter the house, he knew, wedding or no (свадьба свадьбой, несмотря на свадьбу), there would be a little work this day. The Don would be coming to see him. Then Hagen saw Sonny Corleone whisper in Lucy Mancini's ear and their little comedy as he followed her into the house. Hagen grimaced (to grimace [grı'meıs]), debated whether to inform the Don (поразмыслил, сообщить ли), and decided against it. He went to the desk and picked up a handwritten list of the people who had been granted permission (которым было позволено: «предоставлено разрешение»; to grant – дарить, даровать; предоставлять) to see Don Corleone privately. When the Don entered the room, Hagen handed him the list. Don Corleone nodded (кивнул) and said, "Leave Bonasera to the end (оставь на конец, напоследок)."