Майкл Муркок - Английский язык с М. Муркоком

He stood in a tunnel of silver and gold. There was a door at the end and he could hear movement behind it.

Sword in hand, he stepped through.

Strange, desperate laughter filled the immense gallery in which he found himself.

He knew that he had reached the Court of the Knight of the Swords.

feaster — организатор или участник пира; feast — пир; торжество

Corum was dwarfed by the hugeness of the hall (Корум казался маленьким из-за громадности зала; to dwarf — останавливать рост; подчеркивать малые размеры или незначительность по контрасту ). Suddenly he saw his past adventures, his emotions, his desires, his guilts as utterly inconsequential and feeble (внезапно он увидел = ему показались его былые приключения, его чувства, желания, чувство вины чрезвычайно незначительными и ничтожными). This mood was increased by the fact that he had expected to confront Arioch the moment he reached his court (это настроение = такие мысли усилились из-за того, что он ожидал встречи с Ариохом в тот момент, когда достиг его двора).

But Corum had entered the palace completely unnoticed (но Корум проник во дворец совершенно незамеченным). The laughter came from a gallery high above where two scaled demons with long horns and longer tails were fighting (смех исходил из галереи высоко наверху, где дрались два покрытых чешуей демона с длинными рогами и еще более длинными хвостами). As they fought, they laughed, though both seemed plainly near death (когда они дрались = во время драки они смеялись, хотя оба, казалось, вот-вот умрут; to be near death — быть при смерти ). It was on this fight that Arioch's attention seemed fixed (видимо, их драка поглотила внимание Ариоха: «это именно на их драке было сосредоточено внимание Ариоха»).

dwarfed [dwɔ:ft] inconsequential [ɪn, kɔnsɪˈkwenʃ (ə) l]

Corum was dwarfed by the hugeness of the hall. Suddenly he saw his past adventures, his emotions, his desires, his guilts as utterly inconsequential and feeble. This mood was increased by the fact that he had expected to confront Arioch the moment he reached his court.

But Corum had entered the palace completely unnoticed. The laughter came from a gallery high above where two scaled demons with long horns and longer tails were fighting. As they fought, they laughed, though both seemed plainly near death. It was on this fight that Arioch's attention seemed fixed.

The Knight of the Swords — the Duke of Chaos — lay in a heap of filth and quaffed some ill-smelling stuff from a dirty goblet (лежал на куче отбросов и пил большими глотками какую-то отвратительно пахнувшую жидкость из грязного кубка; filth — отбросы, грязь; to quaff — пить большими глотками, осушать залпом; goblet — бокал; кубок ). He was enormously fat and the flesh trembled on him as he laughed (он был чрезвычайно толст, и его плоть тряслась: «и плоть на нем тряслась», когда он смеялся). He was completely naked and formed in all details like a Mabden (он был совершенно наг, и во всех деталях был сложен = выглядел в точности, как мабден). There seemed to be scabs and sores on his body, particularly near his pelvis (парша и язвы виднелись на его теле, особенно возле пупка; sore — болячка, рана, язва; pelvis — таз ). His face was flushed and it was ugly and his teeth, when he opened his mouth, seemed decayed (его лицо было покрасневшим, уродливым, а его зубы, когда он открывал рот, были гнилыми; to flush — хлынуть; приливать к какой-либо части тела /особенно о крови к лицу/; decayed — испорченный, гнилой, разрушенный ).

Corum would not have known he was the God at all if it had not been for his size (Корум не понял бы, что это вообще бог, если бы не его величина), for Arioch was as large as a castle and his sword, the symbol of his power (потому что Ариох был большим, словно замок, а его меч, символ власти/могущества), would have stood as high as the tallest tower of Castle Erorn, if it had been placed upright (стоял бы так высоко, как = был бы таким же высоким, как самая высокая башня замка Эрорн, если бы его поставили вертикально).

naked [ˈneɪkɪd] particularly [pəˈtɪkjuləlɪ] symbol [ˈsɪmb (ə) l]

The Knight of the Swords — the Duke of Chaos — lay in a heap of filth and quaffed some ill-smelling stuff from a dirty goblet. He was enormously fat and the flesh trembled on him as he laughed. He was completely naked and formed in all details like a Mabden. There seemed to be scabs and sores on his body, particularly near his pelvis. His face was flushed and it was ugly and his teeth, when he opened his mouth, seemed decayed.

Corum would not have known he was the God at all if it had not been for his size, for Arioch was as large as a castle and his sword, the symbol of his power, would have stood as high as the tallest tower of Castle Erorn, if it had been placed upright.

The sides of the hall were tiered (по сторонам зала располагались ярусы; tiered — расположенный ярусами; tier — ряд; ярус ). Uncountable tiers stretched high towards the distant dome of the ceiling which, itself, was wreathed in greasy smoke (бесчисленные ряды поднимались вверх к далекому своду потолка, который был черным от дыма; tier — ряд; ярус; to wreathe — обвивать, покрывать; клубиться /о дыме/; greasy — сальный, жирный; грязный ). These tiers were occupied, mainly with Mabden of all ages (эти ряды были заняты в основном мабденами всех возрастов). Corum saw that most were naked (Корум увидел, что большинство были обнаженными). In many of the tiers they were copulating, fighting, torturing each other (на многих рядах они совокуплялись, дрались, мучили друг друга; to torture — пытать; мучить, терзать ). Elsewhere were other beings — mainly scaly Shefanhow somewhat smaller than the two who were fighting together (кое-где были другие существа — в основном покрытые чешуей шефанхау = демоны, немного поменьше, чем те двое, которые дрались друг с другом).

The sword was jet black and carved with many peculiar patterns (меч /Ариоха/ был черным как уголь, и украшен многочисленными причудливыми узорами; to carve — резать, вырезать /по дереву или кости/; высекать /из камня/ ). Mabden were at work on the sword (мабдены трудились над мечом; at work — в действии, за работой ). They knelt on the blade and polished part of a design (они = одни стояли на коленях на клинке и полировали часть рисунка), or they climbed the hilt and washed it (другие вскарабкались на эфес и мыли его), or they sat astride the handgrip and mended the gold wire which bound it (или уселись верхом на рукоять и чинили золотую проволоку, которая оплетала ее; to mend — чинить, ремонтировать ).

ceiling [ˈsi:lɪŋ] copulating [ˈkɔpjuleɪtɪŋ] design [dɪˈzaɪn]

The sides of the hall were tiered. Uncountable tiers stretched high towards the distant dome of the ceiling which, itself, was wreathed in greasy smoke. These tiers were occupied, mainly with Mabden of all ages. Corum saw that most were naked. In many of the tiers they were copulating, fighting, torturing each other. Elsewhere were other beings — mainly scaly Shefanhow somewhat smaller than the two who were fighting together.

The sword was jet black and carved with many peculiar patterns. Mabden were at work on the sword. They knelt on the blade and polished part of a design, or they climbed the hilt and washed it, or they sat astride the handgrip and mended the gold wire which bound it.

And other beings were busy, too (другие существа тоже суетились; busy — деятельный, занятой; суетливым ). Like lice, they scampered and crawled over the God's huge bulk (как вши, они носились и ползали по огромной туше бога), picking at his skin, feeding off his blood and his flesh (они впивались в его кожу, пили его кровь и жрали плоть; to pick — клевать; есть, отщипывать; to feed — кормить/ся/, питать/ся/ ). Of all these activities, Arioch seemed oblivious (на все эти действия Ариох, казалось, не обращал внимания; oblivious — забывчивый, непомнящий; не замечающий ). His interest continued to be the fight to the death in the gallery above (его интересом продолжал оставаться бой на смерть на галерее вверху).

Was this, then, the all-powerful Arioch, living like a drunken farmer in a pigsty (значит, это и был всемогущий Ариох, который живет, как пьяный фермер в свинарнике)? Was this the malevolent creature which had destroyed whole nations (неужели это и есть злобное создание, которое уничтожило целые народы), which pursued a vendetta upon all the races to spring up on the Earth before his coming (которое осуществляло кровную месть = мстило всем расам, что возникли на Земле до его прихода)?

Arioch's laughter shook the floor (смех Ариоха сотряс пол). Some of the parasitic Mabden fell off his body (некоторые мабдены-паразиты отвалились от его тела; parasitic — паразитический; вредный ). A few were unhurt, while others lay with their backs or their limbs broken, unable to move (/лишь/ немногие были невредимы, в то время как остальные лежали со сломанными спинами и конечностями, неспособные двигаться). Their comrades ignored their plight and patiently climbed again upon the God's body (их товарищи = соплеменники не обратили внимания на их беду и снова терпеливо взбирались на тело бога; plight — положение /обычно затруднительное, бедственное/ ), tearing tiny pieces from him with their teeth (отрывая зубами от него крохотные кусочки).