H.G. Wells «The Star» (16/17)
@english_frankГерберт Джордж Уэллс «Звезда»
Over Asia it was the star had begun to fall behind the movement of the sky (именно над Азией звезда начала замедлять движение по небу; to fall behind — отставать; становиться хуже, снижать качество; запаздывать), and then suddenly, as it hung over India, its light had been veiled (и потом вдруг, когда она висела над Индией, ее свет подернулся пеленой; to veil — закрывать покрывалом, вуалью; носить покрывало, вуаль, паранджу; скрывать, прикрывать; маскировать, прятать). All the plain of India from the mouth of the Indus to the mouths of the Ganges was a shallow waste of shining water that night (в ту ночь вся равнина Индии от устья Инда до устьев Ганга была мелким пустынным пространством сверкающей воды), out of which rose temples and palaces, mounds and hills, black with people (из которой поднимались храмы и дворцы, курганы и холмы, черные от людей). Every minaret was a clustering mass of people (каждый минарет был теснившейся массой людей = люди висели, как гроздья, на минаретах; cluster — кисть, пучок, гроздь; to cluster — собираться группами, толпиться, тесниться), who fell one by one into the turbid waters (которые падали один за другим в мутные воды), as heat and terror overcame them (когда жара и ужас изнуряли их; to overcome — охватить, обуять; овладевать; истощать, ослаблять; изнурять). The whole land seemed a-wailing and suddenly there swept a shadow across that furnace of despair (вся суша, казалось, стенала, и вдруг через это пекло отчаяния пронеслась тень), and a breath of cold wind, and a gathering of clouds, out of the cooling air (и дуновение холодного ветра, и скопление туч из остывающего воздуха). Men looking up, near blinded, at the star (люди, смотревшие вверх на звезду, почти ослепленные), saw that a black disc was creeping across the light (увидели, что черный диск наползает на свет). It was the moon, coming between the star and the earth (это была луна, проходящая между звездой и землей). And even as men cried to God at this respite (и когда люди воззвали к Богу при этой передышке), out of the East with a strange inexplicable swiftness sprang the sun (с Востока с необычной необъяснимой быстротой взошло солнце). And then star, sun and moon rushed together across the heavens (а потом звезда, солнце и луна понеслись вместе через небеса).
Over Asia it was the star had begun to fall behind the movement of the sky, and then suddenly, as it hung over India, its light had been veiled. All the plain of India from the mouth of the Indus to the mouths of the Ganges was a shallow waste of shining water that night, out of which rose temples and palaces, mounds and hills, black with people. Every minaret was a clustering mass of people, who fell one by one into the turbid waters, as heat and terror overcame them. The whole land seemed a-wailing and suddenly there swept a shadow across that furnace of despair, and a breath of cold wind, and a gathering of clouds, out of the cooling air. Men looking up, near blinded, at the star, saw that a black disc was creeping across the light. It was the moon, coming between the star and the earth. And even as men cried to God at this respite, out of the East with a strange inexplicable swiftness sprang the sun. And then star, sun and moon rushed together across the heavens.
So it was that presently, to the European watchers, star and sun rose close upon each other (так это было = получилось, что через некоторое время для европейских наблюдателей звезда и солнце поднялись возле друг друга), drove headlong for a space and then slower (мчались некоторое время стремительно, а потом медленнее; for a space — какое-то время), and at last came to rest (и наконец остановились; to come to rest — остановиться), star and sun merged into one glare of flame at the zenith of the sky (звезда и солнце слились в одно сияние пламени в зените неба). The moon no longer eclipsed the star but was lost to sight in the brilliance of the sky (луна больше не затемняла звезду, а пропала из виду в свечении неба). And though those who were still alive regarded it for the most part with that dull stupidity (и хотя те, кто был еще жив, смотрели на него /небо/ в основном с тем вялым отупением; dull — понурый, унылый, безрадостный, грустный; вялый; тупой, притупленный) that hunger, fatigue, heat and despair engender (которое порождают голод, усталость и отчаяние), there were still men who could perceive the meaning of these signs (были все-таки люди, которые смогли постигнуть смысл этих знамений). Star and earth had been at their nearest, had swung about one another, and the star had passed (звезда и земля уже были ближе всего /друг к другу/, качнулись друг возле друга, и звезда прошла мимо). Already it was receding, swifter and swifter (она уже удалялась, быстрее и быстрее), in the last stage of its headlong journey downward into the sun (на последней стадии ее безудержного путешествия по нисходящей линии к солнцу).
So it was that presently, to the European watchers, star and sun rose close upon each other, drove headlong for a space and then slower, and at last came to rest, star and sun merged into one glare of flame at the zenith of the sky. The moon no longer eclipsed the star but was lost to sight in the brilliance of the sky. And though those who were still alive regarded it for the most part with that dull stupidity that hunger, fatigue, heat and despair engender, there were still men who could perceive the meaning of these signs. Star and earth had been at their nearest, had swung about one another, and the star had passed. Already it was receding, swifter and swifter, in the last stage of its headlong journey downward into the sun.
And then the clouds gathered (а потом собрались тучи), blotting out the vision of the sky (закрывая вид неба; to blot out — закрывать, скрывать, покрывать), the thunder and lightning wove a garment round the world (гром и молния ткали покров вокруг мира; to weave — ткать, плести); all over the earth was such a downpour of rain as men had never before seen (по всей земле был такой ливень, какого люди не видели никогда прежде), and where the volcanoes flared red against the cloud canopy there descended torrents of mud (а там, где вулканы вспыхивали красным цветом на фоне облачного балдахина, спускались потоки грязи). Everywhere the waters were pouring off the land (повсюду воды стекали с суши), leaving mud-silted ruins (оставляя заваленные илом руины; to silt — засоряться илом), and the earth littered like a storm-worn beach with all that had floated (а землю заваленную мусором, будто какое-нибудь побережье после шторма всем, что всплыло), and the dead bodies of the men and brutes, its children (и мертвыми телами людей и животных, ее /земли/ детьми). For days the water streamed off the land (многие дни вода стекала с суши), sweeping away soil and trees and houses in the way (размывая почву, деревья и дома на пути), and piling huge dykes and scooping out titanic gullies over the country side (наваливая огромные дамбы и выкапывая гигантские рвы по сельской местности; titanic — колоссальный, титанический). Those were the days of darkness that followed the star and the heat (за звездой и жарой последовали дни тьмы). All through them, and for many weeks and months, the earthquakes continued (до конца их, и многие недели и месяцы продолжались землетрясения; all through — всё целиком, до конца).
And then the clouds gathered, blotting out the vision of the sky, the thunder and lightning wove a garment round the world; all over the earth was such a downpour of rain as men had never before seen, and where the volcanoes flared red against the cloud canopy there descended torrents of mud. Everywhere the waters were pouring off the land, leaving mud-silted ruins, and the earth littered like a storm-worn beach with all that had floated, and the dead bodies of the men and brutes, its children. For days the water streamed off the land, sweeping away soil and trees and houses in the way, and piling huge dykes and scooping out titanic gullies over the country side. Those were the days of darkness that followed the star and the heat. All through them, and for many weeks and months, the earthquakes continued.