Английский язык с Джеромом К. Джеромом. Трое в лодке, не считая собаки (ASCII-IPA)

buried ['berId] borough ['bVr@] courtier ['kO:tI@] palfrey ['pO:lfrI] spacious ['speIS@s] doublet ['dVblIt] stomacher ['stVm@k@]

Years later, to the crash of battle-music, Saxon kings and Saxon revelry were buried side by side, and Kingston's greatness passed away for a time, to rise once more when Hampton Court became the palace of the Tudors and the Stuarts, and the royal barges strained at their moorings on the river's bank, and bright-cloaked gallants swaggered down the water-steps to cry: "What Ferry, ho! Gadzooks, gramercy."

Many of the old houses, round about, speak very plainly of those days when Kingston was a royal borough, and nobles and courtiers lived there, near their King, and the long road to the palace gates was gay all day with clanking steel and prancing palfreys, and rustling silks and velvets, and fair faces. The large and spacious houses, with their oriel, latticed windows, their huge fireplaces, and their gabled roofs, breathe of the days of hose and doublet, of pearl-embroidered stomachers, and complicated oaths. They were upraised in the days "when men knew how to build." The hard red bricks have only grown more firmly set with time, and their oak stairs do not creak and grunt when you try to go down them quietly.

Speaking of oak staircases reminds me (говоря о дубовых лестницах = этот разговор напоминает мне) that there is a magnificent carved oak staircase in one of the houses in Kingston (что великолепная резная дубовая лестница есть в одном доме в Кингстоне). It is a shop now, in the market-place (теперь это лавка на рыночной площади), but it was evidently once the mansion of some great personage (но некогда, очевидно, это был особняк какого-нибудь вельможи; personage — выдающаяся личность; важная персона). A friend of mine, who lives at Kingston, went in there to buy a hat one day (мой приятель, который живет в Кингстоне, зашел туда купить шляпу однажды: «в один день»), and, in a thoughtless moment, put his hand in his pocket and paid for it then and there (и в невнимательную минуту = задумавшись, опустил руку в карман и заплатил за нее тут же, на месте).

The shopman (he knows my friend) was naturally a little staggered at first (лавочник /он знает моего приятеля/ был, конечно, немного потрясен сначала; to stagger — шататься, идти шатаясь; поражать, ошеломлять); but, quickly recovering himself, and feeling (но, быстро приходя в себя и чувствуя) that something ought to be done to encourage this sort of thing (что что-то нужно сделать, чтобы поддержать такую вещь = это стремление; to encourage — ободрять; поощрять, поддерживать), asked our hero if he would like to see some fine old carved oak (спросил нашего героя, не желает ли он посмотреть превосходный старый резной дуб). My friend said he would, and the shopman, thereupon, took him through the shop (мой приятель сказал, что желает, и лавочник поэтому провел его через лавку; thereupon — на том, на этом, вследствие того), and up the staircase of the house (и вверх по лестнице дома). The balusters were a superb piece of workmanship (перила представляли собой роскошное/замечательное произведение искусства; baluster — балясина /точеный столбик перил/; workmanship — искусство, мастерство), and the wall all the way up was oak-panelled (а стена полностью была покрыта дубовыми панелями; to panel — обшивать панелями), with carving that would have done credit to a palace (с резьбой, которая сделала бы честь дворцу; to do credit).

magnificent [m&g'nIfIs(@)nt] mansion ['m&nS(@)n] baluster ['b&l@st@]

Speaking of oak staircases reminds me that there is a magnificent carved oak staircase in one of the houses in Kingston. It is a shop now, in the market-place, but it was evidently once the mansion of some great personage. A friend of mine, who lives at Kingston, went in there to buy a hat one day, and, in a thoughtless moment, put his hand in his pocket and paid for it then and there.

The shopman (he knows my friend) was naturally a little staggered at first; but, quickly recovering himself, and feeling that something ought to be done to encourage this sort of thing, asked our hero if he would like to see some fine old carved oak. My friend said he would, and the shopman, thereupon, took him through the shop, and up the staircase of the house. The balusters were a superb piece of workmanship, and the wall all the way up was oak-panelled, with carving that would have done credit to a palace.

From the stairs, they went into the drawing-room (с лестницы они вошли в гостиную), which was a large, bright room (которая была большой светлой комнатой; bright — яркий, ясный), decorated with a somewhat startling though cheerful paper of a blue ground (оклеенной несколько удивительными, однако веселыми обоями голубого /цвета/; to decorate — украшать, отделывать; startling — изумительный, поразительный, потрясающий, удивительный; ground — грунт, грунтовка, фон). There was nothing, however, remarkable about the apartment (там, тем не менее, не было ничего замечательного), and my friend wondered why he had been brought there (и мой приятель удивился, зачем его привели сюда; to bring). The proprietor went up to the paper, and tapped it (хозяин /лавки/ подошел к обоям и постучал по ним). It gave forth a wooden sound (они издали деревянный звук; to give forth).

"Oak (дуб)," he explained (объяснил он). "All carved oak, right up to the ceiling (везде резной дуб, вплоть до потолка), just the same as you saw on the staircase (такой же, что вы видели на лестнице)."

"But, great Caesar (но, Бог мой: «великий Цезарь»)! man," expostulated my friend (возмутился мой приятель; to expostulate — дружески пенять; противиться, протестовать); "you don't mean to say you have covered over carved oak with blue wall-paper (не хотите ли вы сказать, что оклеили резной дуб голубыми обоями; to cover a wall with paper — оклеивать стену обоями)?"

"Yes," was the reply (был ответ): "it was expensive work (это обошлось недешево: «было дорогой работой»). Had to match-board it all over first, of course (пришлось обшить все досками сначала, конечно). But the room looks cheerful now (но комната выглядит теперь веселой). It was awful gloomy before (она была ужасно мрачной раньше)."

apartment [@'pA:tm@nt] proprietor [pr@'praI@t@] ceiling ['si:lIN]

From the stairs, they went into the drawing-room, which was a large, bright room, decorated with a somewhat startling though cheerful paper of a blue ground. There was nothing, however, remarkable about the apartment, and my friend wondered why he had been brought there. The proprietor went up to the paper, and tapped it. It gave forth a wooden sound.

"Oak," he explained. "All carved oak, right up to the ceiling, just the same as you saw on the staircase."

"But, great Caesar! man," expostulated my friend; "you don't mean to say you have covered over carved oak with blue wall-paper?"

"Yes," was the reply: "it was expensive work. Had to match-board it all over first, of course. But the room looks cheerful now. It was awful gloomy before."

I can't say I altogether blame the man (не могу сказать, что я вообще виню этого человека; altogether — вполне, совершенно; в общем) (which is doubtless a great relief to his mind) (что, несомненно, большое облегчение для его разума = для него). From his point of view, which would be that of the average householder (с его точки зрения, которая является точкой зрения среднего домовладельца; to hold — держать, владеть, быть обладателем), desiring to take life as lightly as possible (желающего воспринимать жизнь так легко, как /только/ возможно = относиться к жизни проще; lightly — легко, беспечно, несерьезно), and not that of the old-curiosity-shop maniac (а не /точка зрения/ помешанного на старине; old-curiosity-shop — антикварный магазин; curiosity — любопытство, любознательность; диковина, редкость), there is reason on his side (здравый смысл присутствует в его позиции = его поступок не лишен смысла; reason — разум, рассудок; здравый смысл; side — сторона, бок; позиция, точка зрения). Carved oak is very pleasant to look at, and to have a little of (на резной дуб приятно смотреть и иметь немного /его дома/), but it is no doubt somewhat depressing to live in (но, без сомнения, довольно угнетающе жить, окруженным им: «в нем»), for those whose fancy does not lie that way (для тех, чей вкус не лежит к этому = кто к этому не расположен; fancy — воображение; склонность, вкус к чему-либо; to have a fancy for — любить, увлекаться чем-либо). It would be like living in a church (это все равно что жить в церкви).