noble [noubl], grieve [gri: v], depopulate ["di:'pOpjuleIt]
Finally a lucky cut brought down a second guardsman and then, with only two opposing me, I changed my tactics and rushed them down after the fashion of my fighting that had won me many a victory. The third fell within ten seconds after the second, and the last lay dead upon the bloody floor a few moments later. They were brave men and noble fighters, and it grieved me that I had been forced to kill them, but I would have willingly depopulated all Barsoom could I have reached the side of my Dejah Thoris in no other way.
Sheathing my bloody blade (вложив свой окровавленный клинок в ножны; to sheathe — вкладывать в ножны; sheath — ножны) I advanced toward my Martian Princess (я подошел к своей марсианской принцессе), who still stood mutely gazing at me without sign of recognition (которая все еще стояла, безмолвно глядя на меня и не узнавая: «без признаков узнавания»; mute — немой).
"Who are you, Zodangan?" she whispered (кто ты, зодангец? — прошептала она). "Another enemy to harass me in my misery (еще один враг, чтобы мучить меня в моем горе; to harass — беспокоить, тревожить)?"
"I am a friend," I answered (я друг, — ответил я), "a once cherished friend (некогда высоко ценимый друг; to cherish — высоко ценить, дорожить)."
"No friend of Helium's princess wears that metal," she replied (ни один из друзей принцессы Гелиума не носит этого знака, — ответила она) — "and yet the voice (но этот голос)! I have heard it before (я слышала его раньше); it is not — it cannot be — no, for he is dead (это не — этого не может быть — нет, ведь он мертв)."
"It is, though, my Princess, none other than John Carter (и все же, моя принцесса, это не кто иной, как Джон Картер)," I said. "Do you not recognize (неужели ты не узнаешь), even through paint and strange metal (даже сквозь слой краски и непривычные знаки), the heart of your chieftain (сердце твоего вождя)?"
sheathing ['Si: DIN], cherish ['tSerIS]
Sheathing my bloody blade I advanced toward my Martian Princess, who still stood mutely gazing at me without sign of recognition.
"Who are you, Zodangan?" she whispered. "Another enemy to harass me in my misery?"
"I am a friend," I answered, "a once cherished friend."
"No friend of Helium's princess wears that metal," she replied, "and yet the voice! I have heard it before; it is not — it cannot be — no, for he is dead."
"It is, though, my Princess, none other than John Carter," I said. "Do you not recognize, even through paint and strange metal, the heart of your chieftain?"
As I came close to her (когда я подошел к ней вплотную) she swayed toward me with outstretched hands (она покачнулась ко мне с простертыми руками), but as I reached to take her in my arms (но когда я потянулся, чтобы обнять ее) she drew back with a shudder and a little moan of misery (она отшатнулась с дрожью и тихим стоном горя; to draw back — отступать, подаваться назад).
"Too late, too late," she grieved (слишком поздно, слишком поздно, — горевала = с горечью проговорила она). "O my chieftain that was, and whom I thought dead (о, мой вождь, который был и которого я считала мертвым), had you but returned one little hour before (о, если бы ты вернулся хотя бы на часок раньше) — but now it is too late, too late (но теперь уже слишком поздно, слишком поздно)!"
"What do you mean (что ты имеешь в виду), Dejah Thoris?" I cried (воскликнул я). "That you would not have promised yourself to the Zodangan prince (что ты не пообещала бы /отдать/ себя зодангианскому принцу) had you known that I lived (если бы знала, что я выжил)?"
sway [sweI], shudder ['SAdq], grieve [gri: v]
As I came close to her she swayed toward me with outstretched hands, but as I reached to take her in my arms she drew back with a shudder and a little moan of misery.
"Too late, too late," she grieved. "O my chieftain that was, and whom I thought dead, had you but returned one little hour before — but now it is too late, too late."
"What do you mean, Dejah Thoris?" I cried. "That you would not have promised yourself to the Zodangan prince had you known that I lived?"
"Think you, John Carter, that I would give my heart to you yesterday and today to another (ты думаешь, что я могла бы отдать свое сердце тебе — вчера, а сегодня — другому)? I thought that it lay buried with your ashes in the pits of Warhoon (я думала, что оно лежит, погребенное вместе с твоим прахом в темницах Ворхуна; pit — яма; темница), and so today I have promised my body to another (и поэтому сегодня я пообещала свое тело другому) to save my people from the curse of a victorious Zodangan army (чтобы спасти мой народ от погибели из-за победоносной зодангианской армии; curse — проклятие; бедствие)."
"But I am not dead, my princess (но я не умер, моя принцесса). I have come to claim you, and all Zodanga cannot prevent it (я пришел за тобой: «заявить на тебя права», и вся Зоданга не сможет помешать этому; to claim — заявлять права; to prevent — предотвращать)."
"It is too late, John Carter, my promise is given (слишком поздно, Джон Картер, мое обещание дано), and on Barsoom that is final (а на Барсуме это окончательно). The ceremonies which follow later (церемонии, которые последуют позже) are but meaningless formalities (это просто пустые формальности). They make the fact of marriage no more certain (они ничего не прибавляют к факту замужества: «не делают факт замужества более определенным») than does the funeral cortege of a jeddak again place the seal of death upon him (так же, как и похоронная процессия джеддака не налагает на него вновь печать смерти). I am as good as married (я все равно что замужем), John Carter. No longer may you call me your princess (ты больше не можешь называть меня своей принцессой). No longer are you my chieftain (ты больше не мой вождь)."
victorious [vIk'tO: rIqs], meaningless ['mi: nINlIs], formality [fO:'mxlItI]
"Think you, John Carter, that I would give my heart to you yesterday and today to another? I thought that it lay buried with your ashes in the pits of Warhoon, and so today I have promised my body to another to save my people from the curse of a victorious Zodangan army."
"But I am not dead, my princess. I have come to claim you, and all Zodanga cannot prevent it."
"It is too late, John Carter, my promise is given, and on Barsoom that is final. The ceremonies which follow later are but meaningless formalities. They make the fact of marriage no more certain than does the funeral cortege of a jeddak again place the seal of death upon him. I am as good as married, John Carter. No longer may you call me your princess. No longer are you my chieftain."
"I know but little of your customs here upon Barsoom (я мало знаю ваши обычаи здесь, на Барсуме), Dejah Thoris, but I do know that I love you (но я знаю, что люблю тебя), and if you meant the last words you spoke to me (и если ты /действительно/ подразумевала те слова, сказанные мне в последний раз; to mean — подразумевать, иметь в виду) that day as the hordes of Warhoon were charging down upon us (в тот день, когда орды Ворхунов напали на нас), no other man shall ever claim you as his bride (то ни один мужчина не смеет называть тебя своей невестой). You meant them then, my princess (ты думала так, моя принцесса), and you mean them still (и ты по-прежнему так думаешь)! Say that it is true (скажи, что это правда)."
meant [ment], horde [hO: d], charge [tSQ: dZ]
"I know but little of your customs here upon Barsoom, Dejah Thoris, but I do know that I love you, and if you meant the last words you spoke to me that day as the hordes of Warhoon were charging down upon us, no other man shall ever claim you as his bride. You meant them then, my princess, and you mean them still! Say that it is true."
"I meant them, John Carter," she whispered (я так думала, — прошептала она). "I cannot repeat them now (я не могу повторить их теперь) for I have given myself to another (потому что я отдала себя другому). Ah, if you had only known our ways, my friend (ах, если бы ты только знал наши обычаи, мой друг)," she continued, half to herself (продолжила она почти про себя), "the promise would have been yours long months ago (ты получил бы мое обещание много месяцев тому назад), and you could have claimed me before all others (и ты мог бы претендовать на меня перед всеми). It might have meant the fall of Helium (и пусть пал бы весь Гелиум: «это могло бы означать падение Гелиума»), but I would have given my empire for my Tharkian chief (но я отдала бы все свое царство за моего таркианского вождя)."
whisper ['wIspq], repeat [rI'pi: t], continue [kqn'tInju:]
"I meant them, John Carter," she whispered. "I cannot repeat them now for I have given myself to another. Ah, if you had only known our ways, my friend," she continued, half to herself, "the promise would have been yours long months ago, and you could have claimed me before all others. It might have meant the fall of Helium, but I would have given my empire for my Tharkian chief."
Then aloud she said (затем она сказала вслух): "Do you remember the night (ты помнишь ту ночь) when you offended me (когда ты обидел меня)? You called me your princess without having asked my hand of me (ты назвал меня своей принцессой, не попросив у меня моей руки), and then you boasted that you had fought for me (а потом ты хвастался, что сражался за меня; to fight). You did not know, and I should not have been offended (ты не знал, и я не должна была обижаться); I see that now (я понимаю это теперь). But there was no one to tell you (но не было никого, кто сказал бы тебе) what I could not (то, чего я не могла), that upon Barsoom there are two kinds of women in the cities of the red men (что на Барсуме есть два типа женщин в городах красных людей). The one they fight for that they may ask them in marriage (за одних они сражаются, чтобы иметь возможность попросить их руки); the other kind they fight for also, but never ask their hands (за других они также сражаются, но никогда не просят их руки). When a man has won a woman (когда мужчина завоевывает женщину) he may address her as his princess (он может называть ее своей принцессой), or in any of the several terms which signify possession (или несколькими другими определениями, означающими /ее/ принадлежность /ему/). You had fought for me (ты сражался за меня), but had never asked me in marriage (но так и не попросил моей руки), and so when you called me your princess (и поэтому, когда ты назвал меня своей принцессой), you see," she faltered, "I was hurt (ты понимаешь, — она заколебалась, — я была оскорблена; to falter — говорить неуверенно; колебаться), but even then, John Carter, I did not repulse you (но даже тогда я не оттолкнула тебя; to repulse — отвергать, отталкивать), as I should have done (как я должна была сделать), until you made it doubly worse (пока ты не сделал вдвое хуже) by taunting me with having won me through combat (когда насмехался надо мной, /говоря/, что выиграл меня в сражении; to taunt — насмехаться, дразнить)."
offendedly [q'fendIdlI], possession [pq'zeS(q)n], marriage ['mxrIdZ], repulse [rI'pAls]
Then aloud she said: "Do you remember the night when you offended me? You called me your princess without having asked my hand of me, and then you boasted that you had fought for me. You did not know, and I should not have been offended; I see that now. But there was no one to tell you what I could not, that upon Barsoom there are two kinds of women in the cities of the red men. The one they fight for that they may ask them in marriage; the other kind they fight for also, but never ask their hands. When a man has won a woman he may address her as his princess, or in any of the several terms which signify possession. You had fought for me, but had never asked me in marriage, and so when you called me your princess, you see," she faltered, "I was hurt, but even then, John Carter, I did not repulse you, as I should have done, until you made it doubly worse by taunting me with having won me through combat."
