Мюриэль Спарк - Английский язык с Мюриэль Спарк (рассказы)

The nurses dispersed in a flurry (сиделки разбежались в суматохе; todisperse— рассеивать/ся/, расходиться ) as Raymond approached (когда подошел Раймонд). He looked hard at the baby (он не сводил глаз с ребенка). It looked back (а малышка смотрела на него: «в ответ назад») with its black button eyes (своими черными пуговками-глазками; abutton— пуговица, кнопка ). He saw the name-tab round its neck (он увидел именную метку на: «вокруг» ее шейки). "Dawn Mary Parker (Дон Мэри Паркер)."

He got hold of a nurse in the corridor (он набросился на: «схватил» сиделку в коридоре). "Look here (эй, послушайте), you just take that name Parker off that child's neck (немедленно уберите имя Паркер с метки: «шеи» того ребенка). The name's not Parker (/ее/ имя — не Паркер), it isn't my child (это не мой ребенок)."

upsetting [Ap'setIN] squall [skwO: l] baptize [bxp'taIz] godmother ['gOd" mADq]

"Was it Oxford St. John?" said Raymond.

"Raymond, the doctor told you not to come here upsetting me. I'm feeling terrible."

"Was it Oxford St. John?"

"Clear out of here, you swine, saying things like that." He demanded to be taken to see the baby, as he had done every day for a week. The nurses were gathered round it, neglecting the squalling whites in the other cots for the sight of their darling black. She was indeed quite black, with a woolly crop and tinynegroidnostrils. She had been baptized that morning, though not in her parents' presence. One of the nurses had stood as godmother.

The nurses dispersed in a flurry as Raymond approached. He looked hard at the baby. It looked back with its black button eyes. He saw the name-tab round its neck. "Dawn Mary Parker."

He got hold of a nurse in the corridor. "Look here, you just take that name Parker off that child's neck. The name's not Parker, it isn't my child."

The nurse said (няня ответила), "Get away (убирайтесь), we're busy (мы заняты)."

"There's just a chance (есть малейшая возможность: «шанс»), " said the doctor to Raymond (сказал доктор Раймонду), "that if there's ever been black blood in your family or your wife's (если когда-либо была черная кровь в вашей семье или /в семье/ вашей жены), it's coming out now (она проявляется сейчас; to come out — появляться, обнаруживаться ). It's a very long chance (/это/ очень небольшой: «длинный» шанс). I've never known it happen in my experience (в моей практике такого не случалось: «я никогда не знал, что это случается по своему опыту»), but I've heard of cases (но я слышал о /подобных/ случаях), I could read them up (я могу поднять литературу; toreadup— специально изучать, читать, подбирать литературу )."

"There's nothing like that in my family (ничего подобного /не было/ в моей семье)," said Raymond. He thought of Lou (он подумал о Лу), the obscure Liverpool antecedents (/ее/ неизвестных ливерпульских предках; obscure— неясный, смутный, малоизвестный ). The parents had died before he had met Lou (/ее/ родители умерли до того, как он встретил Лу; todie— умирать, пропадать ).

"It could be several generations back (это могло быть несколько поколений назад; generation— поколение, род, потомство )," said the doctor.

Raymond went home (Раймонд отправился домой), avoiding the neighbours (избегая соседей; to avoid— избегать, сторониться ) who would stop him to inquire after Lou (которые останавливали его, чтобы справиться о Лу). He rather regretted (он уже жалел; to regret— сожалеть, раскаиваться ) smashing up the cot (что разломал кроватку; to smash— разбить вдребезги, ломать ) in his first fury (в первом припадке ярости). That was something low coming out in him (нечто низменное: «подлое» исходило из него). But again (но снова), when he thought of (когда он думал о) the tiny black hands of the baby (крошечных черных ручках ребенка) with their pink fingernails (с розовыми ноготками; finger (палец) + nail (ноготь) ) he did not regret smashing the cot (он не жалел о том, что разнес кроватку).

chance [CQ: ns] experience [Ik'spI(q)rIqns] obscure [qb'skjVq]

antecedent ["xntI'si: d(q)nt]

The nurse said, "Get away, we're busy."

"There's just a chance," said the doctor to Raymond, "that if there's ever been black blood in your family or your wife's, it's coming out now. It's a very long chance. I've never known it happen in my experience, but I've heard of cases, I could read them up."

"There's nothing like that in my family," said Raymond. He thought of Lou, the obscure Liverpool antecedents. The parents had died before he had met Lou.

"It could be several generations back," said the doctor.

Raymond went home, avoiding theneighbourswho would stop him to inquire after Lou. He rather regretted smashing up the cot in his first fury. That was something low coming out in him. But again, when he thought of the tiny black hands of the baby with their pink fingernails he did not regret smashing the cot.

He was successful (ему повезло: «он был удачлив») in tracing the whereabouts of Oxford St. John (установить местонахождение Оксфорд Сент-Джона). Even before he heard the result (даже до того, как он узнал: «услышал» результаты) of Oxford 's blood test (анализа крови Оксфорда) he said to Lou (он сказал Лу), "Write and ask your relations (напиши и спроси у своих родственников) if there's been any black blood in the family (была ли черная кровь в семье)."

"Write and ask yours (напиши и спроси у своих /родственников/)," she said.

She refused to look at the black baby (она отказывалась смотреть на черную малышку; torefuse— отказывать, отвергать ). The nurses fussed round it all day (няньки суетились вокруг нее целый день; tofussround— волноваться по пустякам, чрезмерно заботиться ), and came to report its progress to Lou (и приходили рассказать Лу о ее успехах: «развитии»).

"Pull yourself together (возьмите себя в руки), Mrs. Parker, she's a lovely child (миссис Паркер, она прекрасный ребенок)."

"You must care for your infant (ты должна заботиться о своем младенце)," said the priest (сказал священник).

"You don't know what I'm suffering (вы не имеете понятия: «не знаете», как я страдаю; tosuffer— страдать, испытывать, сносить )," Lou said.

"In the name of God (во имя Господа)," said the priest (сказал священник), "if you're a Catholic Christian (если ты католическая христианка) you've got to expect to suffer (ты должна ожидать страданий)."

"I can't go against my nature (я не могу противиться своей природе: «идти против»)," said Lou. "I can't be expected to (нельзя ожидать от меня, что) —

whereabouts ['we(q)rqbaVts] suffering ['sAf(q)rIN] nature ['neICq]

He was successful in tracing the whereabouts of Oxford St. John. Even before he heard the result of Oxford 's blood test he said to Lou, "Write and ask your relations if there's been any black blood in the family."

"Write and ask yours ," she said.

She refused to look at the black baby. The nurses fussed round it all day, and came to report its progress to Lou.

"Pull yourself together, Mrs. Parker, she's a lovely child."

"You must care for your infant," said the priest.

"You don't know what I'm suffering," Lou said.

"In the name of God," said the priest, "if you're a Catholic Christian you've got to expect to suffer."

"I can't go against my nature," said Lou. "I can't be expected to —

Raymond said to her one day in the following week (Раймонд сказал ей однажды на следующей неделе), "The blood tests are all right (анализ крови в порядке), the doctor says (/так/ доктор говорит)."

"What do you mean, all right (что ты имеешь в виду, в порядке)?"

" Oxford 's blood and the baby's don't tally, and (кровь Оксфорда и кровь ребенка не совпадают, и) —

"Oh, shut up (о, заткнись)," she said. "The baby's black (ребенок черный) and your blood tests can't make it white (и твои анализы крови не могут сделать его белым)."

"No," he said. He had fallen out with his mother (он поссорился со своей матерью; tofall— падать, выпадать, tofallout— поссориться, быть в плохих отношениях ), through his inquiries (из-за своих расспросов) whether there had been coloured blood in his family (о том, была ли кровь цветных: «цветная кровь» в их семье). "The doctor says," he said, "that these black mixtures sometimes occur (что подобные черные примеси: «смешения» иногда случаются) in seaport towns (в портовых городах). It might have been generations back (это могло случиться поколения назад)."

"One thing (единственно)," said Lou. "I'm not going to take that child back to the flat (я не собираюсь брать этого ребенка с собой: «назад» в квартиру)."

"You'll have to (но тебе придется)," he said.

tally ['txlI] mixture ['mIksCq] generation ["Genq'reIS(q)n]

Raymond said to her one day in the following week, "The blood tests are all right, the doctor says."

"What do you mean, all right?"