Jack London «Nam-Bok the Unveracious» (17/20)
t.me/english_frankДжек Лондон «Нам-Бок — лжец»
"Hadst thou made small notches (если бы ты делал маленькие зарубки)," Koogah reproved (упрекнул Куга), "thou mightst have brought report (ты мог бы привести /точный/ отчет)."
Nam-Bok whirled upon him in anger (Нам-Бок взвился на него в гневе; to whirl — бросать, кидать, швырять; нестись, мчаться). "Had I made small notches (если бы я делал маленькие зарубки)! Listen, Koogah, thou scratcher of bone (послушай, Куга, ты, косторез; to scratch — царапать; гравировать)! If I had made small notches (если бы я делал маленькие зарубки), neither the stick, nor twenty sticks, could have borne them (ни палка, ни двадцать палок не смогли бы поместить их на себе; to bear — носить; нести на себе, иметь) — nay, not all the driftwood of all the beaches between this village and the next (нет, ни весь плавучий лес на всех берегах между этим поселком и соседним). And if all of you (и если бы вас всех), the women and children as well (женщин и детей тоже), were twenty times as many (было в двадцать раз больше), and if you had twenty hands each (и если бы у вас было по двадцать рук), and in each hand a stick and a knife (а в каждой руке палка и нож), still the notches could not be cut for the people I saw (все равно невозможно было бы сделать зарубки на всех людей, которых я повидал), so many were they (так много их было) and so fast did they come and go (и так быстро они приходили и уходили = сновали во всех направлениях)."
"Hadst thou made small notches," Koogah reproved, "thou mightst have brought report."
Nam-Bok whirled upon him in anger. "Had I made small notches! Listen, Koogah, thou scratcher of bone! If I had made small notches, neither the stick, nor twenty sticks, could have borne them — nay, not all the driftwood of all the beaches between this village and the next. And if all of you, the women and children as well, were twenty times as many, and if you had twenty hands each, and in each hand a stick and a knife, still the notches could not be cut for the people I saw, so many were they and so fast did they come and go."
"There cannot be so many people in the world (не может быть столько людей в мире)," Opee-Kwan objected (возразил Опи-Кван), for he was stunned (ибо он был ошеломлен) and his mind could not grasp such magnitude of numbers (и его разум не мог постичь числа такой величины; magnitude — величина; значение /величины/).
"What cost thou know of all the world and how large it is (чего стоят твои знания о мире и о том, насколько он велик)?" Nam-Bok demanded (задал вопрос Нам-Бок).
"But there cannot be so many people in one place (но не может быть так много людей в одном месте)."
"Who art thou to say what can be and what cannot be (кто ты такой, чтобы говорить, что может быть, а чего не может быть)?"
"It stands to reason (совершенно очевидно; it stands to reason — само собой разумеется, спору нет, здравый смысл подсказывает) there cannot be so many people in one place (что не может быть так много людей в одном месте). Their canoes would clutter the sea (их каноэ загромоздили бы море; to clutter — загромождать, заполонять, заваливать) till there was no room (пока не осталось бы места). And they could empty the sea each day of its fish (и они могли бы опустошать = они опустошали бы море от рыбы каждый день), and they would not all be fed (и их всех не накормили бы/они бы не насытились все)."
"There cannot be so many people in the world," Opee-Kwan objected, for he was stunned and his mind could not grasp such magnitude of numbers.
"What cost thou know of all the world and how large it is?" Nam-Bok demanded.
"But there cannot be so many people in one place."
"Who art thou to say what can be and what cannot be?"
"It stands to reason there cannot be so many people in one place. Their canoes would clutter the sea till there was no room. And they could empty the sea each day of its fish, and they would not all be fed."
"So it would seem (казалось бы)," Nam-Bok made final answer (Нам-Бок дал окончательный ответ); "yet it was so (тем не менее, это было так). With my own eyes I saw (я увидел собственными глазами), and flung my stick away (и выбросил свою палку)." He yawned heavily and rose to his feet (он сильно зевнул и встал на ноги). "I have paddled far (я далеко = много греб). The day has been long (день был длинный), and I am tired (и я устал). Now I will sleep (сейчас я посплю), and to-morrow we will have further talk upon the things I have seen (а завтра мы еще побеседуем о том, что я видел)."
Bask-Wah-Wan, hobbling fearfully in advance (Баск-Уа-Уан, хромавшая испуганно впереди), proud indeed (несомненно гордая), yet awed by her wonderful son (и все-таки испуганная своим удивительным сыном; to awe — внушать страх, благоговение), led him to her igloo (повела его к своему иглу; igloo — иглу /эскимосская хижина из затвердевшего снега/) and stowed him away among the greasy, ill-smelling furs (и спрятала его среди засаленных, вонючих мехов; to stow away — прятать). But the men lingered by the fire (но мужчины задержались у костра; to linger — засиживаться, задерживаться), and a council was held (и был проведен совет; to hold — держать; проводить, устраивать) wherein was there much whispering and low voiced discussion (на котором много шептались и обсуждали, понизив голос).
"So it would seem," Nam-Bok made final answer; "yet it was so. With my own eyes I saw, and flung my stick away." He yawned heavily and rose to his feet. "I have paddled far. The day has been long, and I am tired. Now I will sleep, and to-morrow we will have further talk upon the things I have seen."
Bask-Wah-Wan, hobbling fearfully in advance, proud indeed, yet awed by her wonderful son, led him to her igloo and stowed him away among the greasy, ill-smelling furs. But the men lingered by the fire, and a council was held wherein was there much whispering and low voiced discussion.