Francis Scott Fitzgerald «The diamond as big as the Ritz» — Ch. IX (4/11)
english-frank.ruФрэнсис Скотт Фицджеральд «Алмаз величиной в отель "Риц"» — Глава IX
That, John perceived after a time (это, /как/ Джон понял через некоторое время), was the thread running through his sentences (была нить, пробегавшая через все его фразы). Prometheus Enriched was calling to witness forgotten sacrifices (Прометей Разбогатевший ссылался на забытые жертвоприношения), forgotten rituals (забытые ритуалы), prayers obsolete before the birth of Christ (молитвы, исчезнувшие /еще/ до рождения Христа; obsolete — устарелый; вышедший из употребления). For a while his discourse took the form of reminding God of this gift or that (на какое-то время его разглагольствования приняли форму напоминаний Богу о тех или иных дарах; discourse — /серьезный/ разговор, беседа; трактат; рассуждение; речь) which Divinity had deigned to accept from men (которые Божество соблаговолило принять от людей) — great churches if he would rescue cities from the plague (великие храмы, если он спасет города от чумы), gifts of myrrh and gold (дары мирра и золота), of human lives and beautiful women and captive armies (человеческих жизней, прекрасных женщин и плененных армий), of children and queens (детей и королев/цариц), of beasts of the forest and field (зверей лесных и полевых), sheep and goats (овец и коз), harvests and cities (урожаев и городов), whole conquered lands (целые покоренные страны) that had been offered up in lust or blood for His appeasal (которые преподносились в похоти или крови ради Его умилостивления; to appease — успокаивать; умиротворять; ублажать), buying a meed's worth of alleviation from the Divine wrath (/ради/ приобретения: «покупки» достойного жертвы смягчения божественного гнева; meed — /поэт./ награда, вознаграждение) — and now he, Braddock Washington, Emperor of Diamonds (а ныне он, Брэддок Вашингтон, император алмазов), king and priest of the age of gold (царь и жрец золотого века), arbiter of splendor and luxury (властитель великолепия и роскоши), would offer up a treasure such as princes before him had never dreamed of (преподнесет сокровище, о котором принцы/властители прошлого: «до него» даже не мечтали), offer it up not in suppliance, but in pride (преподнесет не с мольбой, но в гордости).
That, John perceived after a time, was the thread running through his sentences. Prometheus Enriched was calling to witness forgotten sacrifices, forgotten rituals, prayers obsolete before the birth of Christ. For a while his discourse took the form of reminding God of this gift or that which Divinity had deigned to accept from men — great churches if he would rescue cities from the plague, gifts of myrrh and gold, of human lives and beautiful women and captive armies, of children and queens, of beasts of the forest and field, sheep and goats, harvests and cities, whole conquered lands that had been offered up in lust or blood for His appeasal, buying a meed's worth of alleviation from the Divine wrath — and now he, Braddock Washington, Emperor of Diamonds, king and priest of the age of gold, arbiter of splendor and luxury, would offer up a treasure such as princes before him had never dreamed of, offer it up not in suppliance, but in pride.
He would give to God, he continued, getting down to specifications (он даст Богу, продолжал он, переходя к подробностям), the greatest diamond in the world (величайший алмаз в мире). This diamond would be cut with many more thousand facets than there were leaves on a tree (алмаз будет вырезан с намного большими тысячами граней, чем есть листьев на дереве), and yet the whole diamond would be shaped with the perfection of a stone no bigger than a fly (и все же весь алмаз будет обработан так же безукоризненно, как камень величиной не больше мухи: «с совершенством камня…»; to shape — придавать форму). Many men would work upon it for many years (множество людей будут трудиться над ним много лет). It would be set in a great dome of beaten gold (он будет помещен в дворец чеканного золота; dome — купол; /арх./ величественное здание), wonderfully carved (с дивной резьбой: «дивно изрезанный/резной») and equipped with gates of opal and crusted sapphire (снабженный воротами из опала, инкрустированными сапфирами; crust — корка). In the middle would be hollowed out a chapel (в середине будет выдолблена молельня; hollow — полость, пустое пространство; to hollow — выкапывать, выдалбливать) presided over by an altar (возглавляемая алтарем = господствующей частью которой станет алтарь) of iridescent, decomposing, ever-changing radium (из сияющего, распадающегося, вечно изменчивого радия) which would burn out the eyes of any worshipper (который выжжет глаза всякому: «любого молящегося/верующего») who lifted up his head from prayer (кто оторвется: «поднимет свою голову от молитвы») — and on this altar there would be slain for the amusement of the Divine Benefactor any victim (на этом алтаре будет умерщвлена для развлечения Божественного Благодетеля любая жертва; to slay) He should choose (какую Он изберет), even though it should be the greatest and most powerful man alive (даже если это будет величайший и могущественнейший человек из живущих /на земле/).
He would give to God, he continued, getting down to specifications, the greatest diamond in the world. This diamond would be cut with many more thousand facets than there were leaves on a tree, and yet the whole diamond would be shaped with the perfection of a stone no bigger than a fly. Many men would work upon it for many years. It would be set in a great dome of beaten gold, wonderfully carved and equipped with gates of opal and crusted sapphire. In the middle would be hollowed out a chapel presided over by an altar of iridescent, decomposing, ever-changing radium which would burn out the eyes of any worshipper who lifted up his head from prayer — and on this altar there would be slain for the amusement of the Divine Benefactor any victim He should choose, even though it should be the greatest and most powerful man alive.