5 May. The Castle.—The grey of the morning has passed, and the sun is high over the distant horizon, which seems jagged, whether with trees or hills I know not, for it is so far off that big things and little are mixed. I am not sleepy, and, as I am not to be called till I awake, naturally I write till sleep comes. There are many odd things to put down, and, lest who reads them may fancy that I dined too well before I left Bistritz, let me put down my dinner exactly. I dined on what they called “robber steak”—bits of bacon, onion, and beef, seasoned with red pepper, and strung on sticks and roasted over the fire, in the simple style of the London cat’s meat! The wine was Golden Mediasch, which produces a queer sting on the tongue, which is, however, not disagreeable. I had only a couple of glasses of this, and nothing else.
When I got on the coach (Когда я поднялся в дилижанс; coach — дилижанс) the driver had not taken his seat, (кучер ещё не занял своё место; driver — кучер) and I saw him talking with the landlady. (и я увидел, что он разговаривает с хозяйкой постоялого двора; landlady — хозяйка) They were evidently talking of me, (Они, очевидно, говорили обо мне; evidently — явно) for every now and then they looked at me, (потому что время от времени они смотрели на меня; every now and then — время от времени) and some of the people who were sitting on the bench outside the door (и некоторые из людей, сидевших на скамье у двери; bench — скамья) —which they call by a name meaning “word-bearer”— (которую они называют словом, означающим «несущий слово») came and listened, and then looked at me, (подходили, слушали, а потом смотрели на меня) most of them pityingly. (большинство — с жалостью; pityingly — с жалостью) I could hear a lot of words often repeated, (Я слышал много слов, которые часто повторялись) queer words, (странных слов; queer — странный) for there were many nationalities in the crowd; (потому что в толпе было много национальностей) so I quietly got my polyglot dictionary from my bag (поэтому я тихо достал свой многоязычный словарь из сумки; polyglot — многоязычный) and looked them out. (и стал их искать; look out a word — искать слово) I must say they were not cheering to me, (Должен сказать, они меня нисколько не подбодрили; cheering — ободряющий) for amongst them were “Ordog”—Satan, (потому что среди них были «Ордог» — Сатана) “pokol”—hell, («покол» — ад) “stregoica”—witch, («стрегоица» — ведьма) “vrolok” and “vlkoslak”—both of which mean the same thing, («вролок» и «влкослак» — оба означают одно и то же) one being Slovak and the other Servian (одно — по-словацки, другое — по-сербски) for something that is either were-wolf or vampire. (для обозначения существа, которое является либо оборотнем, либо вампиром; were-wolf — оборотень, vampire — вампир) (Mem., I must ask the Count about these superstitions) (Памятка: я должен спросить Графа об этих суевериях)
When I got on the coach the driver had not taken his seat, and I saw him talking with the landlady. They were evidently talking of me, for every now and then they looked at me, and some of the people who were sitting on the bench outside the door—which they call by a name meaning “word-bearer”—came and listened, and then looked at me, most of them pityingly. I could hear a lot of words often repeated, queer words, for there were many nationalities in the crowd; so I quietly got my polyglot dictionary from my bag and looked them out. I must say they were not cheering to me, for amongst them were “Ordog”—Satan, “pokol”—hell, “stregoica”—witch, “vrolok” and “vlkoslak”—both of which mean the same thing, one being Slovak and the other Servian for something that is either were-wolf or vampire. (Mem., I must ask the Count about these superstitions)
When we started, (Когда мы тронулись) the crowd round the inn door, (толпа у двери гостиницы) which had by this time swelled to a considerable size, (которая к этому времени разрослась до значительных размеров; swelled — разрослась) all made the sign of the cross (все перекрестились; sign of the cross — крестное знамение) and pointed two fingers towards me. (и направили в мою сторону два пальца; pointed — указали) With some difficulty I got a fellow-passenger to tell me what they meant; (С трудом я заставил одного из попутчиков объяснить мне, что это значит; fellow-passenger — попутчик) he would not answer at first, (сначала он не хотел отвечать) but on learning that I was English, (но узнав, что я англичанин) he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye. (он объяснил, что это оберег или защита от сглаза; evil eye — сглаз) This was not very pleasant for me, (Мне это было не очень приятно) just starting for an unknown place (ведь я отправлялся в неизвестное место) to meet an unknown man; (чтобы встретиться с незнакомым человеком) but every one seemed so kind-hearted, (но все казались такими добродушными; kind-hearted — добросердечный) and so sorrowful, (и такими печальными; sorrowful — печальный) and so sympathetic (и такими сочувственными; sympathetic — сочувствующий) that I could not but be touched. (что я не мог не растрогаться; touched — тронутый)
When we started, the crowd round the inn door, which had by this time swelled to a considerable size, all made the sign of the cross and pointed two fingers towards me. With some difficulty I got a fellow-passenger to tell me what they meant; he would not answer at first, but on learning that I was English, he explained that it was a charm or guard against the evil eye. This was not very pleasant for me, just starting for an unknown place to meet an unknown man; but every one seemed so kind-hearted, and so sorrowful, and so sympathetic that I could not but be touched.
I shall never forget the last glimpse which I had of the inn-yard (Я никогда не забуду последний взгляд на гостиничный двор; glimpse — мимолётный взгляд) and its crowd of picturesque figures, (и на его толпу живописных фигур; picturesque — живописный) all crossing themselves, (все перекрещивавшихся) as they stood round the wide archway, (когда они стояли вокруг широкого арочного входа) with its background of rich foliage of oleander and orange trees (на фоне пышной листвы олеандров и апельсиновых деревьев; foliage — листва) in green tubs clustered in the centre of the yard. (в зелёных кадках, сгруппированных в центре двора; clustered — сгруппированных) Then our driver, (Затем наш кучер) whose wide linen drawers covered the whole front of the box-seat (чьи широкие льняные шаровары закрывали всю переднюю часть сиденья; drawers — длинные штаны, шаровары) —“gotza” they call them— (— «гоца», как они их называют —) cracked his big whip over his four small horses, (щёлкнул своим большим кнутом над четырьмя маленькими лошадьми; cracked — щёлкнул) which ran abreast, (которые бежали в ряд; abreast — бок о бок) and we set off on our journey. (и мы отправились в путь; set off — отправиться)
I shall never forget the last glimpse which I had of the inn-yard and its crowd of picturesque figures, all crossing themselves, as they stood round the wide archway, with its background of rich foliage of oleander and orange trees in green tubs clustered in the centre of the yard. Then our driver, whose wide linen drawers covered the whole front of the box-seat—“gotza” they call them—cracked his big whip over his four small horses, which ran abreast, and we set off on our journey.
I soon lost sight and recollection of ghostly fears (Вскоре я перестал замечать и вспоминать свои призрачные страхи; ghostly — призрачный, recollection — воспоминание) in the beauty of the scene as we drove along, (глядя на красоту пейзажа по мере того, как мы ехали; scene — вид, пейзаж) although had I known the language, or rather languages, (хотя, знай я язык — или скорее языки; rather — точнее) which my fellow-passengers were speaking, (на которых говорили мои попутчики) I might not have been able to throw them off so easily. (я, возможно, не сумел бы так легко отбросить эти страхи; throw off — отбросить, избавиться) Before us lay a green sloping land (Перед нами простиралась зелёная наклонная равнина; sloping — покатая) full of forests and woods, (полная лесов и рощ; woods — рощи) with here and there steep hills, (с перепадами крутых холмов; steep — крутой) crowned with clumps of trees (увенчанных зарослями деревьев; clumps — группы, заросли) or with farmhouses, (или с фермерскими домами) the blank gable end to the road. (глухим торцом обращёнными к дороге; gable end — торцевая стена под двускатной крышей; blank — глухой, без окон)
I soon lost sight and recollection of ghostly fears in the beauty of the scene as we drove along, although had I known the language, or rather languages, which my fellow-passengers were speaking, I might not have been able to throw them off so easily. Before us lay a green sloping land full of forests and woods, with here and there steep hills, crowned with clumps of trees or with farmhouses, the blank gable end to the road.
