Jack London «Nam-Bok the Unveracious» (14/20)

Jack London «Nam-Bok the Unveracious» (14/20)


Джек Лондон «Нам-Бок — лжец»

"When day came (когда наступил день), there being nothing of the schooner (/и/ от шхуны ничего не было = не осталось), I turned my face to the land and journeyed into it (я направился на сушу и пошел вглубь ее; to turn ones face to — направиться, отправиться /куда-либо/; to journey — путешествовать; journey — путешествие /обычно сухопутное/) that I might get food and look upon the faces of the people (чтобы /я мог/ добыть пищу и посмотреть на лица людей). And when I came to a house (а когда я пришел к одному дому) I was taken in and given to eat (меня приютили и накормили; to take in — принимать /гостя/; предоставлять приют), for I had learned their speech (ибо я выучил их речь), and the white men are ever kindly (а белые люди всегда добрые). And it was a house bigger than all the houses built by us and our fathers before us (и это был дом, больше всех домов, построенных нами и нашими отцами до нас)."

"It was a mighty house (это был громадный дом)," Koogah said, masking his unbelief with wonder (маскируя свое недоверие удивлением; belief — вера; доверие).

"And many trees went into the making of such a house (и на изготовление такого дома пошло много деревьев)," Opee-Kwan added (добавил Опи-Кван), taking the cue (поняв намек; to take — брать, взять; понимать, воспринимать, схватывать).

 

"When day came, there being nothing of the schooner, I turned my face to the land and journeyed into it that I might get food and look upon the faces of the people. And when I came to a house I was taken in and given to eat, for I had learned their speech, and the white men are ever kindly. And it was a house bigger than all the houses built by us and our fathers before us."

"It was a mighty house," Koogah said, masking his unbelief with wonder.

"And many trees went into the making of such a house," Opee-Kwan added, taking the cue.


"That is nothing (это пустяки)." Nam-Bok shrugged his shoulders in belittling fashion (Нам-Бок пренебрежительно пожал плечами). "As our houses are to that house (каковы наши дома по сравнению с тем домом), so that house was to the houses I was yet to see (таким был и тот дом по сравнению с домами, которые мне еще предстояло увидеть)."

"And they are not big men (и они не великаны)?"

"Nay; mere men like you and me (нет, просто люди, как ты и я; mere — простой, не более чем, всего лишь)," Nam-Bok answered (ответил Нам-Бок). "I had cut a stick that I might walk in comfort (я вырезал палку, чтобы ходить с удобством), and remembering that I was to bring report to you, my brothers (и помня, что мне предстоит привезти вам рассказ, мои братья), I cut a notch in the stick for each person who lived in that house (я вырезал = делал по одной зарубке на каждого человека, который жил в том доме). And I stayed there many days, and worked (и я жил там много дней и работал), for which they gave me money (за что мне давали деньги) — a thing of which you know nothing (штука, о которой вы ничего не знаете), but which is very good (но она очень полезная).

 

"That is nothing." Nam-Bok shrugged his shoulders in belittling fashion. "As our houses are to that house, so that house was to the houses I was yet to see."

"And they are not big men ?"

"Nay; mere men like you and me," Nam-Bok answered. "I had cut a stick that I might walk in comfort, and remembering that I was to bring report to you, my brothers, I cut a notch in the stick for each person who lived in that house. And I stayed there many days, and worked, for which they gave me moneya thing of which you know nothing, but which is very good.


"And one day I departed from that place to go farther into the land (и однажды я ушел из того места, чтобы отправиться дальше вглубь суши). And as I walked I met many people (и по мере того как я шел, я встречал много людей), and I cut smaller notches in the stick (и я стал делать на палке зарубки поменьше), that there might be room for all (чтобы хватило места для всех). Then I came upon a strange thing (потом я наткнулся на странную вещь). On the ground before me was a bar of iron (на земле передо мной лежала полоса железа), as big in thickness as my arm (толщиной с мою руку), and a long step away was another bar of iron (а на расстоянии длинного шага от него лежала еще одна железная полоса) — "

"Then wert thou a rich man (тогда ты был богач = стал богачом)," Opee-Kwan asserted (заявил Опи-Кван); "for iron be worth more than anything else in the world (ведь железо стоит больше, чем что-либо еще в мире = ведь железо дороже всего в мире; worth — стоящий /сколько-либо/). It would have made many knives (из него получилось бы много ножей)."

 

"And one day I departed from that place to go farther into the land. And as I walked I met many people, and I cut smaller notches in the stick, that there might be room for all. Then I came upon a strange thing. On the ground before me was a bar of iron, as big in thickness as my arm, and a long step away was another bar of iron — "

"Then wert thou a rich man," Opee-Kwan asserted; "for iron be worth more than anything else in the world. It would have made many knives."