Роберт Говард - Английский язык с Конаном-варваром

folk [fəuk], people [pi: pl], depth [depƟ]

Conan halted, brows knotted. Could this unknown ruin have been raised by the serpent folk of ancient Valusia? The day of that pre-human people lay an unthinkable interval in the past, before the dawn of man himself, in the dim mists of time when giant reptiles ruled the earth. Or ever the Seven Empires arose in the days before the Cataclysm — even before Atlantis arose from the depths of the Western Ocean — the serpent people had reigned. They had vanished long before the coming of man — but not entirely.

Around the campfires in the bleak hills of Cimmeria and again in the marbled courts of the temples of Nemedia, Conan had heard the legend of Kull, the Atlantean king of Valusia (вокруг лагерных костров на стылых холмах Киммерии и снова в мраморных дворах храмов Немедии Конан слышал легенду о Кулле, атлантическом короле Валузии). The snake people had survived here and there by means of their magic (змеиный народ выжил кое-где: «здесь и там» посредством своей магии), which enabled them to appear to others as ordinary human beings (которая позволяла им являться другим как = в облике обычных людей; human beings — человеческие существа, люди ). But Kull had stumbled upon their secret and had purged his realm clean of their taint, wiping them out with fire and sword (но Кулл наткнулся на их секрет и очистил свое королевство от их заразы, истребляя их огнем и мечом; to stumble upon — наткнуться на; to wipe out — истреблять, уничтожать ).

snake [sneɪk], secret [ˈsi: krɪt], taint [teɪnt]

Around the campfires in the bleak hills of Cimmeria and again in the marbled courts of the temples of Nemedia, Conan had heard the legend of Kull, the Atlantean king of Valusia. The snake people had survived here and there by means of their magic, which enabled them to appear to others as ordinary human beings. But Kull had stumbled upon their secret and had purged his realm clean of their taint, wiping them out with fire and sword.

Still, might not the black castle, with its alien architecture, be a relic of that remote era (однако, не может ли черный замок с его чуждой архитектурой быть реликтом той далекой эры), when men contended for the rule of the planet with these reptilian survivors of lost ages (когда люди спорили за правление планетой с этими выжившими рептилиями затерянных эпох)?

relic [ˈrelɪk], remote [rɪˈməut], era [ˈɪərə]

Still, might not the black castle, with its alien architecture, be a relic of that remote era, when men contended for the rule of the planet with these reptilian survivors of lost ages?

The first thunderstorm missed the black castle (первая гроза промахнулась = прошла мимо черного замка). There was a brief patter of raindrops on the crumbling stonework (был = раздался недолгий стук дождевых капель по осыпающейся каменной кладке) and a trickle of water through holes in the roof (и /потекла/ струйка воды через отверстия в крыше). Then the lightning and thunder diminished as the storm passed off to westward (потом молния и гром утихли, когда гроза прошла на запад), leaving the moon to shine unobstructed once more through the gaps in the stone (позволяя луне посветить беспрепятственно еще раз через щели в камне). But other storms followed, muttering and flickering out of the east (но другие грозы последовали /за первой/, грохоча и сверкая с востока).

roof [ru: f], pass [pɑ: s], east [i: st]

The first thunderstorm missed the black castle. There was a brief patter of raindrops on the crumbling stonework and a trickle of water through holes in the roof. Then the lightning and thunder diminished as the storm passed off to westward, leaving the moon to shine unobstructed once more through the gaps in the stone. But other storms followed, muttering and flickering out of the east.

Conan slept uneasily in a corner of the balcony above the great hall, tossing and turning (Конан спал беспокойно в углу балкона над большим залом, мечась и ворочаясь) like some wary animal that dimly senses the approach of danger (как какое-то осторожное животное, которое смутно чувствует приближение опасности). Caution had made him suspicious of sleeping in the hall before the wide-open doors (осторожность сделала его подозрительным ко сну в зале = спать в зале перед широко раскрытыми дверьми показалось ему небезопасным; suspicious of — относящийся с недоверием к ). Even though the circle of death seemed to bar the denizens of the plains, he did not trust the unseen force that held the beasts at bay (даже хотя круг смерти, казалось, преграждает путь обитателям равнин, он не доверял невидимой силе, которая удержала зверей от загнанной /в тупик/ жертвы).

slept [slept], open [ˈəupn], bay [beɪ]

Conan slept uneasily in a corner of the balcony above the great hall, tossing and turning like some wary animal that dimly senses the approach of danger. Caution had made him suspicious of sleeping in the hall before the wide-open doors. Even though the circle of death seemed to bar the denizens of the plains, he did not trust the unseen force that held the beasts at bay.

A dozen times he started awake, clutching at his sword and probing the soft shadows with his eyes, searching for whatever had aroused him (дюжину раз он просыпался, хватаясь за свой меч и исследуя размытые тени /своими/ глазами, ища = в поисках чего бы то ни было, что пробудило его; awake — бодрствующий, проснувшийся ). A dozen times he found nothing in the gloomy vastness of the ancient wreck (дюжину раз он ничего /не/ находил в мрачном пространстве древней развалины). Each time he composed himself for slumber again, however, dim shadows clustered around him, and he half-heard whispering voices (каждый раз он успокаивался для сна снова = готовился заснуть , однако, неясные тени собирались вокруг него, и он почти слышал шепчущие голоса; to compose oneself — успокаиваться, half — наполовину, не полностью, недостаточно, почти, уже почти ).

dozen [dʌzn], each [i: tʃ], slumber [ˈslʌmbə]

A dozen times he started awake, clutching at his sword and probing the soft shadows with his eyes, searching for whatever had aroused him. A dozen times he found nothing in the gloomy vastness of the ancient wreck. Each time he composed himself for slumber again, however, dim shadows clustered around him, and he half- heard whispering voices.

Growling a weary curse to his barbaric gods, the Cimmerian damned all shadows and echoes to the eleven scarlet Hells of his mythology and threw himself down again, striving to slumber (прорычав усталое проклятие его варварским богам, киммериец проклял все тени и эхо на одиннадцать алых Адов его мифологии и бросился вниз снова, стремясь ко сну; to throw — бросать ). At length he fell into a deep sleep (наконец, он погрузился в глубокий сон). And in that sleep there came upon him a strange dream (и в этом сне снизошло: «там пришло» на него странное сновидение). [21] Но самый простой вариант, так сказать, без поэтики: «ему приснился странный сон».

weary [ˈwɪərɪ], damn [dæm], sleep [sli: p]

Growling a weary curse to his barbaric gods, the Cimmerian damned all shadows and echoes to the eleven scarlet Hells of his mythology and threw himself down again, striving to slumber. At length he fell into a deep sleep. And in that sleep there came upon him a strange dream.

It seemed that, although his body slept, his spirit waked and was watchful (казалось, что, хотя его тело спало, его дух пробудился и был наблюдающим = наблюдал ). To the immaterial eyes of his ka, as the Stygians called it, the gloomy balcony was filled with a dim glow of blood-hued light from some unseen source (для нематериальных глаз его ка , как стигийцы называли это, мрачный балкон был наполнен неясным заревом кровавого света от некоего невидимого источника; hue — краска, оттенок, тон, цвет ). This was neither the silvery sheen of the moon, which cast slanting beams into the hall through gaps in the stone, nor the pallid flicker of distant lightning (это было ни серебристое сияние луны, которая отбрасывала косые лучи в зал через щели в камне, ни мертвенно-бледное мерцание далекой молнии). By this sanguine radiance, Conan's spirit could see drifting shadows (с помощью этого кроваво- красного сияния дух Конана мог видеть плывущие тени), which flitted like cloudy bats among the black marble columns (которые порхали, как туманные летучие мыши среди черных мраморных колонн) — shadows with glaring eyes filled with mindless hunger (тени с пылающими глазами, заполненные безумным голодом) — shadows that whispered in an all but inaudible cacophony of mocking laughter and bestial cries (тени, которые шептались в почти неслышимой какофонии насмешливого смеха и зверских криков).

watchful [ˈwɔtʃfʋl], lightning [ˈlaɪtnɪŋ], marble [mɑ: bl]

It seemed that, although his body slept, his spirit waked and was watchful. To the immaterial eyes of his ka, as the Stygians called it, the gloomy balcony was filled with a dim glow of blood-hued light from some unseen source. This was neither the silvery sheen of the moon, which cast slanting beams into the hall through gaps in the stone, nor the pallid flicker of distant lightning. By this sanguine radiance, Conan's spirit could see drifting shadows, which flitted like cloudy bats among the black marble columns — shadows with glaring eyes filled with mindless hunger — shadows that whispered in an all but inaudible cacophony of mocking laughter and bestial cries.