Английский язык с М. Муркоком - Майкл Муркок

weapon [ˈwepən] seize [si:z] quiver [ˈkwɪvə] straightening [ˈstreɪtnɪŋ]

Desperately Corum tried to turn the boat away from the cliffs. His six-fingered left hand gripped the tiller and his right hand tugged at the sail. Then there was a grinding sound. A shudder ran through the metal boat and it began to keel over. Corum grabbed at his weapons and managed to seize them before he was flung overboard and carried on by the wash. He gasped as water filled his mouth. He felt his body scrape on shingle and he tried to stagger upright as the current began to retreat. He saw a rock and grasped it, dropping his bow and his quiver of arrows which were instantly swept away.

The sea retreated. He looked back and saw that his upturned boat had gone with it. He let go of the rock and climbed to his feet, buckling his sword-belt around his waist, straightening his helmet on his head, a sense of failure gradually creeping through him.

He walked a few paces up the beach and sat down beneath the tall, black cliff (он прошел несколько шагов по берегу и сел под высоким черным утесом). He was stranded on a strange shore, his boat was gone (его выбросило на странный берег, его лодка пропала) and his goal now lay on the other side of an ocean (а его цель теперь находилась на другой стороне океана).

At that moment Corum did not care (в ту минуту Коруму было все равно). Thoughts of love, of hatred, of vengeance disappeared (мысли о любви, о ненависти, о мести исчезли). He felt that he had left them all behind in the dream-world that was Svi-an-Fanla-Brool (он почувствовал, что оставил их все в мире грез, которым был Сви-ан-Фанла-Брул). All he had left of that world was the six fingered hand and the jewelled eye (все, что у него осталось от того мира — шестипалая рука и украшенный самоцветами глаз).

Reminded of the eye and what it had witnessed, he shivered (вспомнив о глазе и о том, что он увидел, Корум вздрогнул; to remind — напоминать). He reached up and touched the patch that covered it (он протянул руку и коснулся повязки, что прикрывала его).

And then he knew that by accepting Shool's gifts, he had accepted the logic of Shool's world (потом он понял, что, приняв дары Шула, он принял логику мира Шула). He could not escape from it now (он не мог теперь уйти от этого).

vengeance [ˈvenʤ (ə) ns] accepted [əkˈseptɪd] logic [ˈlɔʤɪk]

He walked a few paces up the beach and sat down beneath the tall, black cliff. He was stranded on a strange shore, his boat was gone and his goal now lay on the other side of an ocean.

At that moment Corum did not care. Thoughts of love, of hatred, of vengeance disappeared. He felt that he had left them all behind in the dream-world that was Svi-an-Fanla-Brool. All he had left of that world was the six fingered hand and the jewelled eye.

Reminded of the eye and what it had witnessed, he shivered. He reached up and touched the patch that covered it.

And then he knew that by accepting Shool's gifts, he had accepted the logic of Shool's world. He could not escape from it now.

Sighing, he got up and peered at the cliff (вздохнув, он встал и внимательно осмотрел утес). It was unscaleable (на него нельзя было взобраться; to scale — подниматься, взбираться; scale — градация, шкала; иерархия, лестница). He began to walk along the grey shingle, hoping to discover a place (он принялся ходить по серой гальке, надеясь отыскать место) where he could climb to the top of the cliff and inspect the land in which he found himself (где сможет вскарабкаться на вершину утеса и рассмотреть землю, в которой он оказался: «обнаружил себя»).

He took a gauntlet given him by Shool and drew it over his hand (он взял латную перчатку, /которую/ ему дал Шул, и надел ее на руку). He remembered what Shool had told him, before he left, about the powers of the hand (Корум вспомнил, что Шул говорил ему, прежде чем он покинул /остров/, о могуществе этой руки). He still only half believed Shool's words and he was unwilling to test their veracity (он по-прежнему лишь наполовину верил словам Шула и не желал проверить их правдивость). For more than an hour he trudged along the shore until he moved round a headland and saw a bay (более часа он устало шел вдоль берега, пока не обогнул мыс и не увидел бухту), whose sides sloped gently upward and would be easily scaled (склоны которой отлого поднимались, и на них легко можно было взобраться; to slope — опускаться или подниматься наклонно; gently — мягко, нежно; умеренно). The tide was beginning to come in and would soon cover the beach (начинался прилив, и он скоро покроет берег). He began to run (Корум побежал). He reached the slopes and paused, panting (он достиг склонов и остановился, тяжело дыша). He had found safety in time (он нашел безопасность = безопасное время вовремя). The sea had already covered the largest part of the beach (море уже залило большую часть берега). He climbed to the top of the slope and he saw the city (он вскарабкался на вершину склона и увидел город).

unscaleable [, ʌnˈskeɪləbl] climb [klaɪm] inspect [ɪnˈspekt] gauntlet [ˈɡɔ:ntlɪt] veracity [vəˈræsɪtɪ] city [ˈsɪtɪ]

Sighing, he got up and peered at the cliff. It was unscaleable. He began to walk along the grey shingle, hoping to discover a place where he could climb to the top of the cliff and inspect the land in which he found himself.

He took a gauntlet given him by Shool and drew it over his hand. He remembered what Shool had told him, before he left, about the powers of the hand. He still only half believed Shool's words and he was unwilling to test their veracity. For more than an hour he trudged along the shore until he moved round a headland and saw a bay whose sides sloped gently upward and would be easily scaled. The tide was beginning to come in and would soon cover the beach. He began to run. He reached the slopes and paused, panting. He had found safety in time. The sea had already covered the largest part of the beach. He climbed to the top of the slope and he saw the city.

It was a city of domes and minarets that blazed white in the light of the sun (это был город из куполов и минаретов, которые белели: «сверкали белым» в свете солнца), but as he inspected it more closely Corum saw that the towers and domes were not white, but comprised of a multicoloured mosaic (но когда Корум рассмотрел его тщательнее, он увидел, что башни и купола не белые, а облицованы разноцветной мозаикой; to comprise — включать в себя, содержать). He had seen nothing like it (/никогда/ он не видел ничего подобного).

He debated whether to avoid the city or approach it (он раздумывал, обойти город или войти в него; to debate — обсуждать, спорить; думать, размышлять; to avoid — избежать, уклониться; to approach — приближаться, подходить). If the people of the city were friendly, he might be able to get their help to find another boat (если жители города дружелюбны, ему, возможно, удастся с их помощью найти другую лодку). If they were Mabden, then they were probably unfriendly (если они мабдены, тогда они, вероятно, недружелюбны).

Were these the Ragha-da-Kheta people mentioned on his maps (были ли они ли народом рага-да-кета, упоминаемым на его картах)? He felt for his pouch, but the maps had gone with the boat, as had his lodestone (он поискал свою сумку, но карты исчезли вместе с лодкой, как и его магнит; to feel for — нащупывать, искать ощупью; pouch — сумка, мешок). Despair returned (отчаяние вернулось).

He set off towards the city (он направился к городу).

mosaic [mə (u) ˈzeɪɪk] debated [dɪˈbeɪtɪd] pouch [pauʧ]

It was a city of domes and minarets that blazed white in the light of the sun, but as he inspected it more closely Corum saw that the towers and domes were not white, but comprised of a multicoloured mosaic. He had seen nothing like it.

He debated whether to avoid the city or approach it. If the people of the city were friendly, he might be able to get their help to find another boat. If they were Mabden, then they were probably unfriendly.

Were these the Ragha-da-Kheta people mentioned on his maps? He felt for his pouch, but the maps had gone with the boat, as had his lodestone. Despair returned.

He set off towards the city.

Corum had travelled less than a mile before the bizarre cavalry came racing towards him (Корум прошел менее мили, когда причудливая конница понеслась к нему) — warriors mounted on long-necked speckled beasts with curling horns and wattles like those of a lizard (воины, сидевшие верхом на длинношеих пятнистых животных с закрученными рогами и сережками, как у ящерицы; wattle — сережка /у птиц/, бородка /у индюка, петуха/). The spindly legs moved swiftly, however (длинные тонкие ноги двигались, впрочем, быстро), and soon Corum could see that the warriors were also very tall and extremely thin (и вскоре Корум мог видеть, что воины тоже очень долговязые и чрезвычайно худые), but with small, rounded heads and round eyes (но с маленькими округлыми головами и круглыми глазами). These were not Mabden, but they were like no race he had ever heard of (они не были мабденами, но они /также/ не были похожи ни на один народ, о котором Корум когда-либо слышал).