“And Ethelred, who was by nature of a doughty heart, and who was now mighty withal, on account of the powerfulness of the wine which he had drunken, waited no longer to hold parley with the hermit, who, in sooth, was of an obstinate and maliceful turn, but, feeling the rain upon his shoulders, and fearing the rising of the tempest, uplifted his mace outright, and, with blows, made quickly room in the plankings of the door for his gauntleted hand; and now pulling there-with sturdily, he so cracked, and ripped, and tore all asunder, that the noise of the dry and hollow-sounding wood alarumed and reverberated throughout the forest.
At the termination of this sentence I started, and for a moment, paused (по окончании этого предложения я вздрогнул и на секунду приостановился); for it appeared to me (although I at once concluded that my excited fancy had deceived me) (ибо мне показалось – хотя я тут же заключил, что мое взбудораженное воображение обмануло меня) – it appeared to me that, from some very remote portion of the mansion (мне показалось, что из какого-то очень отдаленного уголка дома), there came, indistinctly, to my ears, what might have been, in its exact similarity of character, the echo (донеслось, неразборчиво, до моих ушей то, что могло быть, в своем точном сходстве характера, отзвуком) (but a stifled and dull one certainly) (но приглушенным и неясным отзвуком, конечно) of the very cracking and ripping sound which Sir Launcelot had so particularly described (того самого трещащего и разрывающего звука, который сэр Ланселот так подробно описал).
At the termination of this sentence I started, and for a moment, paused; for it appeared to me (although I at once concluded that my excited fancy had deceived me) – it appeared to me that, from some very remote portion of the mansion, there came, indistinctly, to my ears, what might have been, in its exact similarity of character, the echo (but a stifled and dull one certainly) of the very cracking and ripping sound which Sir Launcelot had so particularly described.
It was, beyond doubt, the coincidence alone which had arrested my attention (вне сомнения, это одно лишь совпадение привлекло мое внимаине); for, amid the rattling of the sashes of the casements, and the ordinary commingled noises of the still increasing storm (ибо среди скрежета рам оконных створок и обычных перемешивающихся шумов все еще усиливающегося шторма), the sound, in itself, had nothing, surely, which should have interested or disturbed me (сам звук не имел ничего, точно, что бы меня заинтересовало или обеспокоило). I continued the story (я продолжил историю):
It was, beyond doubt, the coincidence alone which had arrested my attention; for, amid the rattling of the sashes of the casements, and the ordinary commingled noises of the still increasing storm, the sound, in itself, had nothing, surely, which should have interested or disturbed me. I continued the story:
“But the good champion Ethelred, now entering within the door, was sore enraged and amazed to perceive no signal of the maliceful hermit (но добрый воин Этельред, войдя теперь в дверь, был ужасно: «болезненно» разъярен и поражен не обнаружить никакого признака злобного отшельника); but, in the stead thereof, a dragon of a scaly and prodigious demeanour, and of a fiery tongue (но, на месте оного, дракона чешуйчатого и внушительного вида и с огненным языком), which sat in guard before a palace of gold, with a floor of silver (который восседал на страже перед дворцом из золота с полом из серебра); and upon the wall there hung a shield of shining brass with this legend enwritten (а на стене висел щит из сияющей меди со следующим девизом, начертанным /на нем/; to enwrite) —
Who entereth herein, a conqueror hath bin (кто же войдет сюда, победителем оказался);
Who slayeth the dragon, the shield he shall win (кто убиет дракона, щит тот выиграет = получит; зд. употребляются старые формы: entereth вместо enters, slayeth вместо slays, hath bin вместо has been);
“But the good champion Ethelred, now entering within the door, was sore enraged and amazed to perceive no signal of the maliceful hermit; but, in the stead thereof, a dragon of a scaly and prodigious demeanour, and of a fiery tongue, which sat in guard before a palace of gold, with a floor of silver; and upon the wall there hung a shield of shining brass with this legend enwritten —
Who entereth herein, a conqueror hath bin;
Who slayeth the dragon, the shield he shall win;
And Ethelred uplifted his mace (и Этельред поднял свою булаву), and struck upon the head of the dragon (и ударил по голове дракона; to strike), which fell before him, and gave up his pesty breath (который рухнул перед ним и выпустил свое губительное дыхание; pest – /уст./ мор, чума), with a shriek so horrid and harsh, and withal so piercing (с воплем столь ужасающим и резким, и вдобавок столь пронзительным), that Ethelred had fain to close his ears with his hands against the dreadful noise of it (что Этельреду пришлось с готовностью закрыть уши руками против ужасного шума от этого), the like whereof was never before heard (подобный которому никогда дотоле не был слышан).”
And Ethelred uplifted his mace, and struck upon the head of the dragon, which fell before him, and gave up his pesty breath, with a shriek so horrid and harsh, and withal so piercing, that Ethelred had fain to close his ears with his hands against the dreadful noise of it, the like whereof was never before heard.”
Here again I paused abruptly, and now with a feeling of wild amazement (здесь снова я резко остановился, теперь – с чувством дикого = сильного изумления) – for there could be no doubt whatever that, in this instance, I did actually hear (although from what direction it proceeded I found it impossible to say) (ибо не могло быть никакого сомнения, что на этот раз я действительно слышал – хотя с какой стороны: «направления» он донесся, я нашел невозможным сказать) a low and apparently distant, but harsh, protracted, and most unusual screaming or grating sound (тихий и, по-видимому, отдаленный, но резкий, протяжный и крайне необычный кричащий или скребущий звук) – the exact counterpart of what my fancy had already conjured up for the dragon’s unnatural shriek (точная копия того, что моя фантазия уже сотворила в качестве неестественного вопля дракона) as described by the romancer (как /он был/ описан автором романа).
Here again I paused abruptly, and now with a feeling of wild amazement – for there could be no doubt whatever that, in this instance, I did actually hear (although from what direction it proceeded I found it impossible to say) a low and apparently distant, but harsh, protracted, and most unusual screaming or grating sound – the exact counterpart of what my fancy had already conjured up for the dragon’s unnatural shriek as described by the romancer.
Oppressed, as I certainly was, upon the occurrence of the second and most extraordinary coincidence, by a thousand conflicting sensations (подавленный, каким я точно был = как я ни был подавлен при случае второго и крайне необычного совпадения, тысячью противоречащих друг другу чувств), in which wonder and extreme terror were predominant (в которой = среди которых удивление и крайний ужас были главенствующими), I still retained sufficient presence of mind to avoid exciting, by any observation, the sensitive nervousness of my companion (я все же удержал = сохранил достаточное присутствие духа, чтобы избежать /того, чтобы/ взбудоражить каким-либо замечанием чувствительную нервозность моего товарища).
Oppressed, as I certainly was, upon the occurrence of the second and most extraordinary coincidence, by a thousand conflicting sensations, in which wonder and extreme terror were predominant, I still retained sufficient presence of mind to avoid exciting, by any observation, the sensitive nervousness of my companion.
I was by no means certain that he had noticed the sounds in question (я никоим образом не был уверен, что он заметил те самые звуки: «звуки в вопросе» = обсуждаемые звуки); although, assuredly, a strange alteration had, during the last few minutes, taken place in his demeanour (хотя, несомненно, странная перемена в течение последних нескольких минут произошла в его поведении; to take place – происходить, иметь место). From a position fronting my own (из положения напротив меня: «смотрящего лицом на меня»), he had gradually brought round his chair, so as to sit with his face to the door of the chamber (он постепенно развернул свой стул, чтобы сидеть лицом к двери комнаты; to bring – приносить, приводить; round – вокруг); and thus I could but partially perceive his features, although I saw that his lips trembled as if he were murmuring inaudibly (и таким образом я мог лишь частично наблюдать его черты, хотя я видел, что его губы дрожали, как если бы он бормотал неслышно).
I was by no means certain that he had noticed the sounds in question; although, assuredly, a strange alteration had, during the last few minutes, taken place in his demeanour. From a position fronting my own, he had gradually brought round his chair, so as to sit with his face to the door of the chamber; and thus I could but partially perceive his features, although I saw that his lips trembled as if he were murmuring inaudibly.
His head had dropped upon his breast (его голова упала ему на грудь) – yet I knew that he was not asleep, from the wide and rigid opening of the eye (но я знал, что он не был спящим, из широкого и неподвижного открытия глаза = так как его глаза были широко открыты и неподвижны) as I caught a glance of it in profile (как я увидел их в профиль; glance – короткий взгляд; to catch – ловить). The motion of his body, too, was at variance with this idea (движение его тела также было в разногласии с этой идеей = предположением) – for he rocked from side to side with a gentle yet constant and uniform sway (ибо он раскачивался из стороны в сторону слабым, но постоянным и однообразным колебанием). Having rapidly taken notice of all this (быстро заметив все это: «взяв заметку»), I resumed the narrative of Sir Launcelot, which thus proceeded (я возобновил рассказ о сэре Ланселоте, который так продолжался):
His head had dropped upon his breast – yet I knew that he was not asleep, from the wide and rigid opening of the eye as I caught a glance of it in profile. The motion of his body, too, was at variance with this idea – for he rocked from side to side with a gentle yet constant and uniform sway. Having rapidly taken notice of all this, I resumed the narrative of Sir Launcelot, which thus proceeded:
“And now, the champion, having escaped from the terrible fury of the dragon (и вот герой, избежав ужасной ярости дракона), bethinking himself of the brazen shield, and of the breaking up of the enchantment which was upon it (напомнив себе = вспомнив о медном щите и о снятии заклятия, которое было на нем), removed the carcass from out of the way before him (убрал труп с дороги перед собой), and approached valorously over the silver pavement of the castle to where the shield was upon the wall (и приблизился доблестно по серебряной мостовой замка /туда/, где щит был на стене); which in sooth tarried not for his full coming (который поистине не замедлил появиться: «со своим полным появлением»), but fell down at his feet upon the silver floor, with a mighty great and terrible ringing sound (но упал к его ногам на серебряный пол с очень сильным и ужасным звенящим звуком; mighty – могущественный).”
