Английский язык с У. С. Моэмом. Театр
Шрифт:
"The poor lamb's as thin as a rail, Michael."
"I don't not eat bread because I'm afraid of getting fat. I don't eat it because I
see no point in it. After all, with the exercise I take I can eat anything I like."
He still had at fifty-two a very good figure. As a young man, with a great mass
of curling chestnut hair, with a wonderful skin and large deep blue eyes, a
straight nose and small ears, he had been the best-looking actor on the English
stage.
The only thing that slightly spoiled him (единственное:
которая» что слегка портило его; to spoil — портить) was the thinness of his
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mouth (так это /был/ тонкий рот: «тонкость его рта»). He was just six foot tall
(он был всего шести футов ростом; foot — зд. фут — мера длины, равная
30,48 см) and he had a gallant bearing (и у него была великолепная осанка;
bearing — поведение, манера держаться, осанка, выправка). It was his
obvious beauty (именно его очевидная красота) that had engaged him to go on
the stage (побудила его пойти в актеры: «пойти на сцену»; to engage — зд.
разг. побеждать, убеждать, склонять) rather than to become a soldier (вместо
того, что бы стать военным: «солдатом») like his father (как его отец). Now his
chestnut hair was very grey (сейчас его каштановые волосы были совершенно:
«очень» седыми; grey — серый, седой, землистого цвета), and he wore it much
shorter (и он носил их гораздо короче); his face had broadened (его лицо
расширилось = расплылось) and was a good deal lined (и было достаточно
сильно покрыто морщинами); his skin no longer had the soft bloom of a peach
(его кожа больше не напоминала мягкий плод персика; bloom — цветение,
цветок, пушок на плодах; здоровый румянец) and his colour was high (и лицо
его было красным; high color — яркий румянец, краснота). But with his
splendid eyes (но, с его великолепными глазами) and his fine figure (и его
прекрасной фигурой) he was still a very handsome man (он все еще оставался
очень красивым мужчиной). Since his five years at the war (со
времени /его/пяти лет /проведенных/ на войне) he had adopted a military bearing (он
приобрел военную выправку; to adopt — усыновлять, удочерять;
перенимать, усваивать), so that if you had not known who he was (так, что
если вы не знали, кем: «кто» он был) (which was scarcely possible (что /было/
вряд ли возможно), for in one way and another (так как по тому или иному
поводу: «одним путем или другим») his photograph was always appearing in the
illustrated papers (его фотография всегда появлялась в иллюстрированных
изданиях: «газетах»; to appear — появляться, показываться)) you might have
taken him (вы могли бы принять его; to take smb. for smb — принимать кого-
либо за кого-либо) for an officer of high rank (за офицера высокого чина). He
boasted (он хвастался /тем/) that his weight (что его вес) had not changed since
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he was twenty (не изменился с того момента, когда ему было двадцать /лет/),
and for years (и многие годы), wet or fine (/неважно/, в мокрую или ясную
/погоду/), he had got up every morning at eight (он вставал каждое утро в
восемь часов) to put on shorts and a sweater (чтобы надеть шорты и свитер) and
have a run round Regent's Park (и пробежаться вокруг Риджент Парка).
gallant ['gxlqnt] obvious ['ObvIqs] scarcely ['skqslI] weight [weIt]
sweater ['swetq]
The only thing that slightly spoiled him was the thinness of his mouth. He was
just six foot tall and he had a gallant bearing. It was his obvious beauty that
had engaged him to go on the stage rather than to become a soldier like his
father. Now his chestnut hair was very grey, and he wore it much shorter; his
face had broadened and was a good deal lined; his skin no longer had the soft
bloom of a peach and his colour was high. But with his splendid eyes and his
fine figure he was still a very handsome man. Since his five years at the war he
had adopted a military bearing, so that if you had not known who he was
(which was scarcely possible, for in one way and another his photograph was
always appearing in the illustrated papers) you might have taken him for an
officer of high rank. He boasted that his weight had not changed since he was