Оскар Уайльд - Английский с Оскаром Уайльдом. Кентервильское привидение / Oscar Wilde. The Canterville Ghost

On reaching a small secret chamber in the left wing, he leaned up against a moonbeam to recover his breath, and began to try and realize his position. Never, in a brilliant and uninterrupted career of three hundred years, had he been so grossly insulted. He thought of the Dowager Duchess, whom he had frightened into a fit as she stood before the glass in her lace and diamonds; of the four housemaids, who had gone into hysterics when he merely grinned at them through the curtains on one of the spare bedrooms; of the rector of the parish, whose candle he had blown out as he was coming late one night from the library, and who had been under the care of Sir William Gull ever since, a perfect martyr to nervous disorders; and of old Madame de Tremouillac, who, having wakened up one morning early and seen a skeleton seated in an armchair by the fire reading her diary, had been confined to her bed for six weeks with an attack of brain fever, and, on her recovery, had become reconciled to the Church, and broken off her connection with that notorious sceptic, Monsieur de Voltaire.

He remembered the terrible night(он вспомнил ту ужасную ночь) when the wicked Lord Canterville was found choking in his dressing-room(когда нечестивый лорд Кентервиль был найден задыхающимся в своей комнате) , with the knave of diamonds half-way down his throat(с бубновым валетом, застрявшим в его горле; half-way – на полпути ) , and confessed, just before he died(и который сознался перед самой своей смертью) , that he had cheated Charles James Fox out of £50,000 at Crockford’s [12] by means of that very card(что он надул Чарльза Джеймса Фокса на пятьдесят тысяч фунтов в Крокфорде с помощью этой самой карты) , and swore that the ghost had made him swallow it(и поклялся, что привидение заставило его проглотить ее; to swear ) . All his great achievements came back to him again(все его великие достижения припомнились ему снова; to come back – вернуться: «прийти назад» ) , from the butler who had shot himself in the pantry(от дворецкого, который застрелился в кладовой; to shoot – стрелять ) because he had seen a green hand tapping at the window-pane(потому что он увидел зеленую руку, постучавшую через оконное стекло) to the beautiful Lady Stutfield(до красавицы леди Статфильд) , who was always obliged to wear a black velvet band round her throat(которой постоянно приходилось носить черную бархотку на шее) to hide the mark of five fingers burnt upon her white skin(чтобы скрыть следы пяти пальцев, оставленные на ее белой коже; to burn – гореть; жечь, обжигать ) , and who drowned herself at last in the carp-pond at the end of the King’s Walk(и которая в конце концов утопилась в пруду с карпами в конце Королевской аллеи).

He remembered the terrible night when the wicked Lord Canterville was found choking in his dressing-room, with the knave of diamonds half-way down his throat, and confessed, just before he died, that he had cheated Charles James Fox out of £50,000 at Crockford’s by means of that very card, and swore that the ghost had made him swallow it. All his great achievements came back to him again, from the butler who had shot himself in the pantry because he had seen a green hand tapping at the window-pane, to the beautiful Lady Stutfield, who was always obliged to wear a black velvet band round her throat to hide the mark of five fingers burnt upon her white skin, and who drowned herself at last in the carp-pond at the end of the King’s Walk.

With the enthusiastic egotism of the true artist(с эгоистическим энтузиазмом подлинного художника) , he went over his most celebrated performances(он вспомнил свои наиболее знаменитые выступления; to go over smth. – рассматривать ) , and smiled bitterly to himself(и горько улыбнулся сам себе) as he recalled to mind his last appearance as “Red Reuben, or the Strangled Babe”(когда он вспомнил свое последнее появление в качестве «Рыжего Рубена или Задушенного Младенца») ,” his début as “Guant Gibeon, the Blood-sucker of Bexley Moor(свой дебют /франц./ в «Тощем Гибеоне, Кровопийце из Бексли-Мур») ,” and the furore he had excited one lovely June evening(и тот фурор, /который/ он произвел в один прекрасный июньский вечер) by merely playing ninepins with his own bones upon the lawn-tennis ground(всего лишь играя в кегли своими собственными костями на лужайке для тенниса) . And after all this(и после всего этого) some wretched modern Americans were to come(должны были появиться какие-то жуткие современные американцы) and offer him the Rising Sun Lubricator(и предложить ему машинное масло «Встающее солнце») , and throw pillows at his head(и бросать подушки ему в голову; to throw ) ! It was quite unbearable(это было совершенно невыносимо) . Besides, no ghost in history had ever been treated in this manner(кроме того, ни с одним привидением за всю историю не обращались таким образом) . Accordingly, he determined to have vengeance(соответственно, он решил отомстить) , and remained till daylight in an attitude of deep thought(и до восхода солнца находился в состоянии глубокого раздумья).

With the enthusiastic egotism of the true artist, he went over his most celebrated performances, and smiled bitterly to himself as he recalled to mind his last appearance as “Red Reuben, or the Strangled Babe,” his début as “Guant Gibeon, the Blood-sucker of Bexley Moor,” and the furore he had excited one lovely June evening by merely playing ninepins with his own bones upon the lawn-tennis ground. And after all this some wretched modern Americans were to come and offer him the Rising Sun Lubricator, and throw pillows at his head! It was quite unbearable. Besides, no ghost in history had ever been treated in this manner. Accordingly, he determined to have vengeance, and remained till daylight in an attitude of deep thought.

The next morning, when the Otis family met at breakfast(на другое утро, когда семья Отисов встретилась за завтраком; to meet ) , they discussed the ghost at some length(они некоторое время обсуждали привидение; at length – наконец; подробно; length – длина ) . The United States Minister was naturally a little annoyed(посол Соединенных штатов был, конечно, несколько раздосадован) to find that his present had not been accepted(обнаружив, что его подарок не был принят) . “I have no wish(у меня нет желания) ,” he said, “to do the ghost any personal injury(наносить привидению какое-либо личное оскорбление) , and I must say(но я должен сказать) , that considering the length of time he has been in the house(что, принимая во внимание все то время, которое он находится в доме; length of time – продолжительность времени ) , I don’t think it is at all polite to throw pillows at him(я думаю, что вовсе не вежливо бросаться в него подушками) ”, – a very just remark(очень справедливое замечание) , at which, I am sorry to say(при котором, я должен с сожалением сказать) , the twins burst into shouts of laughter(близнецы громко расхохотались; to burst into laughter – расхохотаться: «разразиться смехом»; to burst – лопнуть; разразиться; laughter – смех; shout – возглас, крик ) . “Upon the other hand,” he continued(с другой стороны, продолжал он) , “if he really declines to use the Rising Sun Lubricator(если оно на самом деле отказывается использовать машинное масло «Восходящее Солнце») , we shall have to take his chains from him(нам придется снять с него цепи) . It would be quite impossible to sleep(было бы невозможно спать) , with such a noise going on outside the bedrooms(/когда / такой шум раздается рядом со спальнями) .”

The next morning, when the Otis family met at breakfast, they discussed the ghost at some length. The United States Minister was naturally a little annoyed to find that his present had not been accepted. “I have no wish,” he said, “to do the ghost any personal injury, and I must say that, considering the length of time he has been in the house, I don’t think it is at all polite to throw pillows at him,” – a very just remark, at which, I am sorry to say, the twins burst into shouts of laughter. “Upon the other hand,” he continued, “if he really declines to use the Rising Sun Lubricator, we shall have to take his chains from him. It would be quite impossible to sleep, with such a noise going on outside the bedrooms.”