Английский с Джеком Лондоном. Любовь к жизни / Jack London. Love of Live
Шрифт:
He came upon a valley where rock ptarmigan rose on whirring wings from the ledges and muskegs. Ker – ker – ker was the cry they made. He threw stones at them, but could not hit them. He placed his pack on the ground and stalked them as a cat stalks a sparrow. The sharp rocks cut through his pants’ legs till his knees left a trail of blood; but the hurt was lost in the hurt of his hunger. He squirmed over the wet moss, saturating his clothes and chilling his body; but he was not aware of it, so great was his fever for food. And always the ptarmigan rose, whirring, before him, till their ker – ker – ker became a mock to him, and he cursed them and cried aloud at them with their own cry.
Once he crawled upon one that must have been asleep (однажды он наткнулся на одну, которая, наверное, спала). He did not see it till it shot up in his face from its rocky nook (он не видел ее, пока она не взлетела ему в лицо из своего скального укрытия; to shoot up – вскочить, взлететь; nook – угол; укромный уголок, закоулок; глухое, удаленное
As the day wore along he came into valleys or swales (по мере продвижения дня он вступал в долины или болотистые низины; to wear – тянуться, проходить /о времени/) where game was more plentiful (где дичь была более обильна = которые более изобиловали дичью). A band of caribou passed by (стадо карибу прошло мимо), twenty and odd animals (двадцать с лишним животных), tantalizingly within rifle range (дразняще в пределах дальности /выстрела из/ ружья). He felt a wild desire to run after them (он почувствовал дикое желание побежать за ними), a certitude that he could run them down (уверенность, что он сможет догнать их; to run down – догнать, настигнуть). A black fox came toward him (черный песец бежал в его сторону), carrying a ptarmigan in his mouth (неся в пасти куропатку). The man shouted (человек закричал). It was a fearful cry (это был страшный крик), but the fox, leaping away in fright (но песец, отпрыгнув в испуге), did not drop the ptarmigan (не выронил куропатку).
Once he crawled upon one that must have been asleep. He did not see it till it shot up in his face from its rocky nook. He made a clutch as startled as was the rise of the ptarmigan, and there remained in his hand three tail-feathers. As he watched its flight he hated it, as though it had done him some terrible wrong. Then he returned and shouldered his pack.
As the day wore along he came into valleys or swales where game was more plentiful. A band of caribou passed by, twenty and odd animals, tantalizingly within rifle range. He felt a wild desire to run after them, a certitude that he could run them down. A black fox came toward him, carrying a ptarmigan in his mouth. The man shouted. It was a fearful cry, but the fox, leaping away in fright, did not drop the ptarmigan.
Late in the afternoon he followed a stream (в конце второй половины дня он пошел за ручьем), milky with lime (мутным от осадка; lime – известь; накипь, осадок, окалина /от жесткой воды/), which ran through sparse patches of rush-grass (который бежал через = среди редких участков тростника). Grasping these rushes firmly near the root (крепко схватив этот тростник у корня), he pulled up what resembled a young onion-sprout no larger than a shingle-nail (он вырвал то, что походило на молодой побег лука величиной не более гонтового гвоздя; to pull up – вытягивать, выдергивать наверх). It was tender (он был мягким; tender – мягкий, нежный), and his teeth sank into it with a crunch that promised deliciously of food (и его зубы погрузились в него с хрустом, который восхитительно сулил пищу; to promise – подавать надежды; сулить, предвещать; to sink – погружаться). But its fibers were tough (но его волокна были жесткими). It was composed of stringy filaments saturated with water (он состоял из жилистых волокон, насыщенных водой), like the berries (как ягоды), and devoid of nourishment (и /был/ лишен питательных веществ; devoid of – лишенный, не имеющий). He threw off his pack and went into the rush-grass on hands and knees (он сбросил тюк и влез в тростник на четвереньках: «на руках и коленях»), crunching and munching (хрустя и чавкая), like some bovine creature (как какая-то корова; bovine – коровий, бычий; creature – создание; животное, тварь; to create – творить).
Late in the afternoon he followed a stream, milky with lime, which ran through sparse patches of rush-grass. Grasping these rushes firmly near the root, he pulled up what resembled a young onion-sprout no larger than a shingle-nail. It was tender, and his teeth sank into it with a crunch that promised deliciously of food. But its fibers were tough. It was composed of stringy filaments saturated with water, like the berries, and devoid of nourishment. He threw off his pack and went into the rush-grass on hands and knees, crunching and munching, like some bovine creature.
He was very weary and often wished to rest (он очень устал и часто хотел отдохнуть) – to lie down and sleep (лечь и поспать); but he was continually driven on (но его постоянно гнало вперед; driven – гонимый; to drive – гнать) – not so much by his desire to gain the land of little sticks as by his hunger (не
столько желание добраться до земли «прутиков», сколько голод). He searched little ponds for frogs (он обыскивал маленькие запруды в поисках лягушек) and dug up the earth with his nails for worms (и рыл землю ногтями в поисках червей; to dig up – выкапывать, вырывать), though he knew in spite that neither frogs nor worms existed so far north (несмотря на то, что он знал, что ни лягушки, ни червяки не живут так далеко на севере; in spite of – несмотря на; to exist – существовать; иметься в природе, жить).He looked into every pool of water vainly (он тщетно заглядывал в каждую лужу воды), until, as the long twilight came on (пока с приближением долгих сумерек; to come on – наступать, приближаться /о времени дня или года/), he discovered a solitary fish (он не обнаружил одинокую рыбку), the size of a minnow, in such a pool (размером с гольяна, в такой луже). He plunged his arm in up to the shoulder (он погрузил руку до плеча; to plunge in – погружать/ся/, окунать/ся/), but it eluded him (но она ускользнула от него; to elude – избежать, спастись; избавиться; выскользнуть). He reached for it with both hands (он потянулся за ней обеими руками; to reach for – тянуться за) and stirred up the milky mud at the bottom (и взбаламутил мутный ил на дне; to stir up – хорошенько размешивать, взбалтывать; трясти; сотрясать; вспенивать). In his excitement he fell in (в возбуждении он упал в /воду/; to fall in – падать в /что-либо/), wetting himself to the waist (промокнув: «намочив себя» до пояса; to wet – промокнуть, вымокнуть). Then the water was too muddy to admit of his seeing the fish (потом вода стала слишком мутной, чтобы позволить ему видеть рыбу), and he was compelled to wait until the sediment had settled (и он был вынужден подождать, пока не уляжется осадок; to settle – отстаиваться, оседать; to compel – заставлять, вынуждать).
He was very weary and often wished to rest – to lie down and sleep; but he was continually driven on – not so much by his desire to gain the land of little sticks as by his hunger. He searched little ponds for frogs and dug up the earth with his nails for worms, though he knew in spite that neither frogs nor worms existed so far north.
He looked into every pool of water vainly, until, as the long twilight came on, he discovered a solitary fish, the size of a minnow, in such a pool. He plunged his arm in up to the shoulder, but it eluded him. He reached for it with both hands and stirred up the milky mud at the bottom. In his excitement he fell in, wetting himself to the waist. Then the water was too muddy to admit of his seeing the fish, and he was compelled to wait until the sediment had settled.
The pursuit was renewed (преследование было возобновлено = возобновилось), till the water was again muddied (пока вода снова не замутилась; mud – грязь, слякоть; ил, тина; muddy – грязный). But he could not wait (но он не мог ждать). He unstrapped the tin bucket and began to bale the pool (он отвязал оловянное ведро и начал вычерпывать лужу). He baled wildly at first (сначала он вычерпывал исступленно; wild – дикий), splashing himself and flinging the water so short a distance (забрызгивая себя и выплескивая воду на таком близком расстоянии) that it ran back into the pool (что она стекала обратно в лужу). He worked more carefully (он заработал более осторожно), striving to be cool (стремясь сохранять хладнокровие; cool – прохладный; невозмутимый, хладнокровный; неторопливый, спокойный /о человеке и его действиях/), though his heart was pounding against his chest and his hands were trembling (хотя его сердце сильно билось в груди, а руки дрожали). At the end of half an hour the pool was nearly dry (в конце = по истечении получаса лужа была почти сухой). Not a cupful of water remained (не осталось и чашки воды). And there was no fish (но не было и рыбы). He found a hidden crevice among the stones (он нашел скрытую расщелину среди камней) through which it had escaped to the adjoining and larger pool (через которую она ускользнула в прилегающую и б'oльшую заводь; to escape – бежать, совершать побег; ускользать, избегать) – a pool which he could not empty in a night and a day (заводь, которую он не смог бы осушить за сутки: «за ночь и день»). Had he known of the crevice (если бы он знал об этой расщелине), he could have closed it with a rock at the beginning (он мог бы перекрыть ее камнем в /самом/ начале) and the fish would have been his (и рыба была бы его = и рыба досталась бы ему).
The pursuit was renewed, till the water was again muddied. But he could not wait. He unstrapped the tin bucket and began to bale the pool. He baled wildly at first, splashing himself and flinging the water so short a distance that it ran back into the pool. He worked more carefully, striving to be cool, though his heart was pounding against his chest and his hands were trembling. At the end of half an hour the pool was nearly dry. Not a cupful of water remained. And there was no fish. He found a hidden crevice among the stones through which it had escaped to the adjoining and larger pool – a pool which he could not empty in a night and a day. Had he known of the crevice, he could have closed it with a rock at the beginning and the fish would have been his.