Уильям Моэм - Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. На окраине империи. Рассказы

"I had a man called Foreman then, the best valet I ever had, and why do you think he gave me notice? You know in the Housekeeper`s Room the ladies` maids and the gentlemen`s gentlemen sit according to the precedence of their masters. He told me he was sick of going to party after party at which I was the only commoner. It meant that he always had to sit at the bottom of the table, and all the best bits were taken before a dish reached him. I told the story to the old Duke of Hereford, and he roared. `By God, Sir,` he said, `if I were King of England, I`d make you a viscount just to give your man a chance.` `Take him yourself, Duke,` I said, `He`s the best valet I`ve ever had.` `Well, Warburton,` he said, `if he`s good enough for you he`s good enough for me. Send him along."

Then there was Monte Carlo where Mr. Warburton and the Grand Duke Fyodor, playing in partnership, had broken the bank one evening; and there was Marienbad (затем было Монте-Карло, где мистер Уорбертон с великим герцогом: «князем» Федором, совместно = вместе играя, одним вечером сорвали банк, а потом был Мариенбад). At Marienbad Mr. Warburton had played baccarat with Edward VII (в Мариенбаде мистер Уорбертон играл в баккара с Эдуардом VII).

"He was only Prince of Wales then, of course (тогда он, конечно, был еще только принцем Уэльским). I remember him saying to me (я помню, он сказал мне), `George, if you draw on a five you`ll lose your shirt (Джордж, если вы прикупите к пятерке, вы спустите все до нитки: «лишитесь /даже/ своей рубашки»).` He was right (он был прав); I don`t think he ever said a truer word in his life (я не думаю, что он когда-либо сказал более правдивое слово = произнес что-то более справедливое в своей жизни). He was a wonderful man (он был удивительным человеком). I always said he was the greatest diplomatist in Europe (я всегда говорил, что он величайший дипломат в Европе). But I was a young fool in those days, I hadn`t the sense to take his advice (но я в те дни = тогда был молодым глупцом, у меня не хватило ума последовать его совету: «взять его совет»). If I had, if I`d never drawn on a five, I daresay I shouldn`t be here to-day (если бы я послушался: «у меня был /ум/», если бы я не прикупил к пятерке, я полагаю, я не был бы здесь сегодня)."

draw [drO: ], baccarat ['bxkqrQ: ], Europe ['juqrqp]

Then there was Monte Carlo where Mr. Warburton and the Grand Duke Fyodor, playing in partnership, had broken the bank one evening; and there was Marienbad. At Marienbad Mr. Warburton had played baccarat with Edward VII.

"He was only Prince of Wales then, of course. I remember him saying to me, `George, if you draw on a five you`ll lose your shirt.` He was right; I don`t think he ever said a truer word in his life. He was a wonderful man. I always said he was the greatest diplomatist in Europe. But I was a young fool in those days, I hadn`t the sense to take his advice. If I had, if I`d never drawn on a five, I daresay I shouldn`t be here to-day."

Cooper was watching him (Купер наблюдал за ним). His brown eyes, deep in their sockets, were hard and supercilious, and on his lips was a mocking smile (его карие глаза, глубоко посаженные: «глубоко в их гнездах», были = смотрели жестко и надменно/презрительно, а на его губах была насмешка: «насмешливая улыбка»; to mock — высмеивание, осмеяние; насмешка ), he had heard a good deal about Mr. Warburton in Kuala Solor (он наслушался достаточно: «много» о мистере Уорбертоне в Куала-Солор; a good deal/a great deal — много, множество; сильно ), not a bad sort, and he ran his district like clockwork, they said, but by heaven, what a snob (неплохой человек: «тип человека», и управлял своим округом, словно часовой механизм, как говорили, но, ей-богу, какой сноб; sort — вид, род, сорт, тип; тип человека; by heaven! — ей-богу: /клянусь/небом! )! They laughed at him good-naturedly, for it was impossible to dislike a man who was so generous and so kindly (над ним смеялись добродушно, ибо невозможно не любить человека, который был столь щедр и доброжелателен), and Cooper had already heard the story of the Prince of Wales and the game of baccarat (и Купер уже раньше слышал историю о принце Уэльском и об игре в баккара). But Cooper listened without indulgence (но Купер слушал без потворства; indulgence— снисхождение, снисходительность, терпимость; потворство ). From the beginning he had resented the Resident`s manner (с /самого/ начала он был возмущен поведением резидента).

supercilious [sju: pq'sIlIqs], generous ['dZenqrqs], indulgence [In'dAldZqns]

Cooper was watching him. His brown eyes, deep in their sockets, were hard and supercilious, and on his lips was a mocking smile, he had heard a good deal about Mr. Warburton in Kuala Solor, not a bad sort, and he ran his district like clockwork, they said, but by heaven, what a snob! They laughed at him good-naturedly, for it was impossible to dislike a man who was so generous and so kindly, and Cooper had already heard the story of the Prince of Wales and the game of baccarat. But Cooper listened without indulgence. From the beginning he had resented the Resident`s manner.

He was very sensitive, and he writhed under Mr. Warburton`s polite sarcasms (он был очень впечатлительным, и он тяжело переносил вежливый сарказм мистера Уорбертона; sensitive — чувствительный; сенсорный;впечатлительный, чуткий; ранимый; to writhe — скручивать, сплетать; корчиться /от боли/; to writhe under sth. — терзаться чем-либо ). Mr. Warburton had a knack of receiving a remark of which he disapproved with a devastating silence (у мистера Уорбертона было умение получать замечание/высказывание, которое он не одобрял, с опустошающим = убийственным молчанием; knack — умение, сноровка; ирон. склонность, "особый талант" ). Cooper had lived little in England and he had a peculiar dislike of the English (Купер мало жил в Англии и у него была особая неприязнь к англичанам). He resented especially the public-school boy since he always feared that he was going to patronise him (он обижался в особенности на учеников привилегированных школ, так как всегда боялся, что они будут смотреть на него свысока: «собираются относиться к нему свысока»; to patronize— заботиться, опекать, покровительствовать; относиться свысока ). He was so much afraid of others putting on airs with him that (он так сильно боялся, чтобы другие не задирали перед ним нос, что; putting on airs— важничать, зазнаваться, кичиться; задирать нос, напускать на себя важность ), in order as it were to get in first (словно для того, чтобы опередить их), he put on such airs as to make everyone think him insufferably conceited (он напускал на себя такую важность, чтобы заставить каждого = всех считать его несносно самодовольным).

sarcasm ['sQ: kxzm], writhe [rQIр], insufferably [In'sAfqrqblI], conceited [kqn'si: tId]

He was very sensitive, and he writhed under Mr. Warburton`s polite sarcasms. Mr. Warburton had a knack of receiving a remark of which he disapproved with a devastating silence. Cooper had lived little in England and he had a peculiar dislike of the English. He resented especially the public-school boy since he always feared that he was going to patronise him. He was so much afraid of others putting on airs with him that, in order as it were to get in first, he put on such airs as to make everyone think him insufferably conceited.

"Well, at all events the war has done one good thing for us (ну, во всяком случае, война сделала одну хорошую вещь для нас; at all events — во всяком случае )," he said at last (произнес он наконец). "It`s smashed up the power of the aristocracy (она разгромила власть аристократии; to smash up — разбивать вдребезги; ломать;разгромить ). The Boer War started it, and 1914 put the lid on (бурская война начала это, а 1914 /год/ положил /ей/ конец; to put the lid on — довершить дело, положить конец;lid — крышка )."

"The great families of England are doomed (знатные семейства Англии обречены)," said Mr. Warburton with the complacent melancholy of an йmigrй (сказал = произнес мистер Уорбертон с самодовольной меланхолией/грустью эмигранта) who remembered the court of Louis XV (который вспоминал о дворе Людовика XV). "They cannot afford any longer to live in their splendid palaces (они больше не могут позволить себе жить в своих роскошных дворцах) and their princely hospitality will soon be nothing but a memory (и их княжеское гостеприимство скоро превратится в воспоминания: «будет ничем, кроме воспоминаний»)."

"And a damned good job too in my opinion (и /это/ чертовски хорошая работа = хорошее дело, по-моему)."

complacent [kqm'pleIsqnt], melancholy ['melqnkqlI], emigre ['emIgreI]

"Well, at all events the war has done one good thing for us," he said at last. "It`s smashed up the power of the aristocracy. The Boer War started it, and 1914 put the lid on."

"The great families of England are doomed," said Mr. Warburton with the complacent melancholy of an йmigrй who remembered the court of Louis XV. "They cannot afford any longer to live in their splendid palaces and their princely hospitality will soon be nothing but a memory."