Английский язык с Джеромом К. Джеромом Трое в лодке, не считая собаки jerome k. Jerome (Джером К. Джером) three men in a boat

scowled [skauld] annoyance [q`nOIqns]
I noticed, as the song progressed, that a good many other people seemed to have their eye fixed on the two young men, as well as myself. These other people also tittered when the young men tittered, and roared when the young men roared; and, as the two young men tittered and roared and exploded with laughter pretty continuously all through the song, it went exceedingly well.

And yet that German Professor did not seem happy. At first, when we began to laugh, the expression of his face was one of intense surprise, as if laughter were the very last thing he had expected to be greeted with. We thought this very funny: we said his earnest manner was half the humour. The slightest hint on his part that he knew how funny he was would have completely ruined it all. As we continued to laugh, his surprise gave way to an air of annoyance and indignation, and he scowled fiercely round upon us all (except upon the two young men who, being behind him, he could not see). That sent us into convulsions. We told each other that it would be the death of us, this thing. The words alone, we said, were enough to send us into fits, but added to his mock seriousness — oh, it was too much!

He finished amid a perfect shriek of laughter (он закончил среди всеобщего истерического смеха; perfect — совершенный, безупречный; shriek — пронзительный, резкий крик; визг; истерический, пронзительный хохот). We said it was the funniest thing we had ever heard in all our lives (мы сказали, что это самая смешная вещь, /какую/ мы когда-либо слышали за всю жизнь). We said how strange it was that, in the face of things like these (мы сказали, как странно, что, несмотря на подобные вещи = песни; in the face — несмотря на, вопреки; перед лицом), there should be a popular notion that the Germans hadn't any sense of humour (существует распространенное мнение, что у немцев отсутствует чувство юмора; popular — популярный; доступный, широко известный; notion — понятие, представление, точка зрения). And we asked the Professor why he didn't translate the song into English (мы спросили профессора, почему он не переведет эту песню на английский язык), so that the common people could understand it, and hear what a real comic song was like (чтобы простые люди могли понять ее и услышать = узнать, на что похожа настоящая комическая песня).

ferocity [fq`rOsItI] forewarned [fL`wLnd] weird [wIqd]
In the last verse, he surpassed himself. He glowered round upon us with a look of such concentrated ferocity that, but for our being forewarned as to the German method of comic singing, we should have been nervous; and he threw such a wailing note of agony into the weird music that, if we had not known it was a funny song, we might have wept.

He finished amid a perfect shriek of laughter. We said it was the funniest thing we had ever heard in all our lives. We said how strange it was that, in the face of things like these, there should be a popular notion that the Germans hadn't any sense of humour. And we asked the Professor why he didn't translate the song into English, so that the common people could understand it, and hear what a real comic song was like.

It appeared that the song was not a comic song at all (оказалось, что песня вообще не была комической). It was about a young girl who lived in the Hartz Mountains (она была о молодой девушке, которая жила в горах Гарц), and who had given up her life to save her lover's soul (и которая отказалась от своей жизни = пожертвовала жизнью, чтобы спасти душу своего возлюбленного; to give up); and he died, and met her spirit in the air (и он умер, и встретил ее дух/душу в воздухе); and then, in the last verse, he jilted her spirit (а потом, в последнем куплете, он бросил ее дух), and went on with another spirit (и улетел с другим духом) — I'm not quite sure of the details, but it was something very sad, I know (не совсем уверен в деталях, но, знаю, это было что-то очень печальное). Herr Boschen said he had sung it once before the German Emperor (спел однажды эту песню германскому императору), and he (the German Emperor) had sobbed like a little child (и он /император/ рыдал, как дитя). He (Herr Boschen) said it was generally acknowledged to be one of the most tragic and pathetic songs in the German language (он /господин Слоссен Бошен/ сказал, что эта песня считается одной из самых трагических и душераздирающих песен в немецком языке; generally acknowledged — общепризнанный).

mountain [`mauntIn] language [`lxNgwIG]
Then Herr Slossenn Boschen got up, and went on awful. He swore at us in German (which I should judge to be a singularly effective language for that purpose), and he danced, and shook his fists, and called us all the English he knew. He said he had never been so insulted in all his life.

It appeared that the song was not a comic song at all. It was about a young girl who lived in the Hartz Mountains, and who had given up her life to save her lover's soul; and he died, and met her spirit in the air; and then, in the last verse, he jilted her spirit, and went on with another spirit — I'm not quite sure of the details, but it was something very sad, I know. Herr Boschen said he had sung it once before the German Emperor, and he (the German Emperor) had sobbed like a little child. He (Herr Boschen) said it was generally acknowledged to be one of the most tragic and pathetic songs in the German language.

That was the end of that party (таков был конец этого вечера). I never saw a party break up so quietly, and with so little fuss (никогда не видел, чтобы компания расходилась так тихо, без суеты: «с такой маленькой суетой»; to break up — разрушаться, распадаться; расходиться /о компании/). We never said good-night even to one another (мы не сказали «спокойной ночи» даже друг другу = даже не попрощались). We came downstairs one at a time, walking softly, and keeping the shady side (мы спустились /по лестнице/ по одному, ступая тихо и придерживаясь затененной стороны). We asked the servant for our hats and coats in whispers (мы просили шепотом слугу /подать/ наши шляпы и пальто), and opened the door for ourselves, and slipped out (и сами открывали дверь, и выскальзывали /незаметно/), and got round the corner quickly (и быстро сворачивали за угол), avoiding each other as much as possible (избегая/сторонясь друг друга насколько возможно).

I have never taken much interest in German songs since then (я никогда не проявлял большого интереса к немецким песням с тех пор).

We reached Sunbury Lock at half-past three (мы добрались до шлюза Санбери в половине четвертого). The river is sweetly pretty just there before you come to the gates (река очаровательна здесь, пока вы не подошли к воротам), and the backwater is charming (и бьеф /тоже/ прелестный; backwater — заводь, запруда; бьеф /часть водоема, реки или канала, примыкающая к плотине, шлюзу/); but don't attempt to row up it (но не пытайтесь подняться на веслах по нему).

unostentatious [`An,Osten`teISqs] charming [`CRmIN]
It was a trying situation for us — very trying. There seemed to be no answer. We looked around for the two young men who had done this thing, but they had left the house in an unostentatious manner immediately after the end of the song.

That was the end of that party. I never saw a party break up so quietly, and with so little fuss. We never said good-night even to one another. We came downstairs one at a time, walking softly, and keeping the shady side. We asked the servant for our hats and coats in whispers, and opened the door for ourselves, and slipped out, and got round the corner quickly, avoiding each other as much as possible.

I have never taken much interest in German songs since then.

We reached Sunbury Lock at half-past three. The river is sweetly pretty just there before you come to the gates, and the backwater is charming; but don't attempt to row up it.

I pulled splendidly (я греб великолепно). I got well into a steady rhythmical swing (я выработал постоянный ритмичный взмах /веслами/; to get into — войти; приобретать, появляться /о привычках/; попадать в какое-либо положение, состояние; swing — качание, колебание, взмах). I put my arms, and my legs, and my back into it (я действовал руками, ногами и спиной; to put in — вкладывать, вводить /в действие/). I set myself a good, quick, dashing stroke, and worked in really grand style (я греб хорошо, быстро, энергично, и работал в великолепном стиле). My two friends said it was a pleasure to watch me (двое моих приятелей сказали, что наблюдать за мной — /одно/ удовольствие). At the end of five minutes, I thought we ought to be pretty near the weir, and I looked up (через пять минут: «в конце пяти минут» я подумал, что мы должны быть довольно близко от запруды, и поднял глаза). We were under the bridge, in exactly the same spot that we were when I began (мы были под мостом, на том же самом месте, где мы находились, когда я начал), and there were those two idiots, injuring themselves by violent laughing (а те два идиота вредили себе неистовым смехом = смеялись до колик; to injure — ранить, ушибить; вредить). I had been grinding away like mad to keep that boat stuck still under that bridge (я греб, как сумасшедший, чтобы удержать лодку на месте, под тем мостом; to grind away — усердно работать; to keep still — не шевелиться; не шуметь; to stick — приклеивать/ся/, завязнуть). I let other people pull up backwaters against strong streams now (я оставил другим людям = пусть теперь другие /попробуют/ пойти на веслах по бьефам/каналам против сильного течения).

weir [wIq] rhythmical [`rIDmIk(q)l] injuring [`InGqrIN]
I tried to do so once. I was sculling, and asked the fellows who were steering if they thought it could be done, and they said, oh, yes, they thought so, if I pulled hard. We were just under the little foot-bridge that crosses it between the two weirs, when they said this, and I bent down over the sculls, and set myself up, and pulled.

I pulled splendidly. I got well into a steady rhythmical swing. I put my arms, and my legs, and my back into it. I set myself a good, quick, dashing stroke, and worked in really grand style. My two friends said it was a pleasure to watch me. At the end of five minutes, I thought we ought to be pretty near the weir, and I looked up. We were under the bridge, in exactly the same spot that we were when I began, and there were those two idiots, injuring themselves by violent laughing. I had been grinding away like mad to keep that boat stuck still under that bridge. I let other people pull up backwaters against strong streams now.

Even Reading, though it does its best to spoil and sully and make hideous as much of the river as it can reach (даже Рэдинг, хотя и старается изо всех сил испортить, загрязнить и обезобразить столько реки, сколько может достать = как можно больше; hideous — отвратительный, безобразный, ужасный), is good-natured enough to keep its ugly face a good deal out of sight (достаточно добродушен, чтобы спрятать значительную часть своего уродливого лица: «держать вне поля зрения»).

dozen [`dAz(q)n] hideous [`hIdIqs]
We sculled up to Walton, a rather large place for a riverside town. As with all riverside places, only the tiniest corner of it comes down to the water, so that from the boat you might fancy it was a village of some half-dozen houses, all told. Windsor and Abingdon are the only towns between London and Oxford that you can really see anything of from the stream. All the others hide round corners, and merely peep at the river down one street: my thanks to them for being so considerate, and leaving the river-banks to woods and fields and water-works.

Even Reading, though it does its best to spoil and sully and make hideous as much of the river as it can reach, is good-natured enough to keep its ugly face a good deal out of sight.

There is an iron "scold's bridle" in Walton Church (в Уолтонской церкви находится железная «узда для сварливых»; scold's bridle — кляп). They used these things in ancient days for curbing women's tongues (эти вещи использовали в стародавние времена: «древние дни», чтобы обуздать женские языки). They have given up the attempt now (теперь отказались от таких попыток). I suppose iron was getting scarce, and nothing else would be strong enough (полагаю, железа становилось меньше, а ничто другое не было бы достаточно крепким; scarce — недостаточный, дефицитный).

sojourned [`sOGq:nd] iron [`aIqn] ancient [`eInS(q)nt]
Caesar, of course, had a little place at Walton — a camp, or an entrenchment, or something of that sort. Caesar was a regular up-river man. Also Queen Elizabeth, she was there, too. You can never get away from that woman, go where you will. Cromwell and Bradshaw (not the guide man, but the King Charles's head man) likewise sojourned here. They must have been quite a pleasant little party, altogether.

There is an iron "scold's bridle" in Walton Church. They used these things in ancient days for curbing women's tongues. They have given up the attempt now. I suppose iron was getting scarce, and nothing else would be strong enough.

You pass Oatlands Park on the right bank here (вы проходите мимо Оутлэндс-парка, /расположенного/ на правом берегу). It is a famous old place (это знаменитая старинная усадьба). Henry VIII. stole it from some one or the other, I forget whom now, and lived in it (Генрих VIII украл ее у кого-то, я забыл, у кого, и жил в ней; to steal). There is a grotto in the park which you can see for a fee (в парке есть грот, который можно посмотреть за плату), and which is supposed to be very wonderful (и который считается очень удивительным); but I cannot see much in it myself (но сам я не могу увидеть много = что-то особенное в нем). The late Duchess of York, who lived at Oatlands (покойная герцогиня Йоркская, которая жила в Оутлэндсе), was very fond of dogs, and kept an immense number (очень любила собак и держала /их/ огромное число). She had a special graveyard made, in which to bury them when they died (она устроила особое кладбище, чтобы хоронить их там, когда они околеют), and there they lie, about fifty of them, with a tombstone over each, and an epitaph inscribed thereon (и их там лежит около пятидесяти, с надгробным камнем над каждой, и на них написаны эпитафии; thereon — на том, на этом).

Well, I dare say they deserve it quite as much as the average Christian does (что ж, полагаю/осмелюсь сказать, они заслуживают этого в такой же мере, как и обычный христианин; average — средний; нормальный, обычный).

picturesque [,pIkCq`resk] immense [I`mens] average [`xv(q)rIG]

You pass Oatlands Park on the right bank here. It is a famous old place. Henry VIII. stole it from some one or the other, I forget whom now, and lived in it. There is a grotto in the park which you can see for a fee, and which is supposed to be very wonderful; but I cannot see much in it myself. The late Duchess of York, who lived at Oatlands, was very fond of dogs, and kept an immense number. She had a special graveyard made, in which to bury them when they died, and there they lie, about fifty of them, with a tombstone over each, and an epitaph inscribed thereon.

Well, I dare say they deserve it quite as much as the average Christian does.
At "Corway Stakes" — the first bend above Walton Bridge (у Коруэй-Стейкса, первой излучине выше Уолтонского моста) — was fought a battle between Caesar and Cassivelaunus (произошла битва между Цезарем и Кассивелауном; to fight — сражаться). Cassivelaunus had prepared the river for Caesar (Кассивелаун приготовил реку к /приходу/ Цезаря), by planting it full of stakes (and had, no doubt, put up a notice-board) (усеяв /дно/ кольями /и, несомненно, повесил доску с предупреждающей надписью/; to plant — сажать; втыкать, устанавливать). But Caesar crossed in spite of this (но Цезарь переправился /на другой берег/, несмотря на это). You couldn't choke Caesar off that river (Цезаря нельзя было отогнать от этой реки; to choke off — заставить отказаться /от попытки, намерения/; устранить кого-либо). He is the sort of man we want round the backwaters now (он такой человек, который нам нужен = пригодился бы теперь на заводях).