Джеймс Болдуин – Английский язык с Робинзоном Крузо (в пересказе для детей) (ASCII-IPA) (страница 24)

How was I to get my canoe into the water (как я смогу доставить мое каноэ на воду: «в воду»)?

It lay not more than three hundred feet from the little river (оно лежало не более чем в трехстах футах от речки; to lie — лежать; находиться) where I had first landed with my raft (где я впервые причалил с моим плотом).

But how was I to move it three hundred feet, or even one foot (но как я должен был сдвинуть его на триста футов, или даже на один фут)? It was so heavy that I could not even roll it over (оно было таким тяжелым, что я не мог даже перевернуть: «перекатить» его; to roll — катить).

I thought of several plans (я придумал несколько планов). But when I came to reckon the time and the labor (но когда я подошел к подсчету времени и труда), I found that even by the easiest plan it would take twenty years to get the canoe into the water (я обнаружил, что даже при самом простом плане потребовалось бы двадцать лет, чтобы спустить каноэ на воду).

What could I do but leave it in the woods where it lay (что мог я сделать, кроме как оставить его в лесу, где оно лежало)?

How foolish I had been (каким глупым/неразумным я был)! Why had I not thought of the weight of the canoe before going to the labor of making it (почему я не подумал о весе каноэ, перед тем как начать работу по созданию его)?

The wise man will always look before he leaps (мудрый человек всегда посмотрит, прежде чем прыгнет). I certainly had not acted wisely (я определенно не действовал мудро = сделал глупость).

I went back to my castle (я вернулся в мой замок), feeling sad and thoughtful (чувствуя себе грустным и задумчивым).

Why should I be discontented and unhappy (почему я должен быть неудовлетворенным и несчастным)?

I was the master of all that I saw (я был владельцем всего, что я видел). I might call myself the king of the island (я мог назвать себя королем острова).

I had all the comforts of life (у меня были все удобства жизни).

I had food in plenty (у меня была еда в изобилии).

I might raise shiploads of grain (я мог бы вырастить корабли зерна; shipload — судовой груз), but there was no market for it (но для него не было рынка).

I had thousands of trees for timber and fuel (у меня были тысячи деревьев для древесины топлива), but no one wished to buy (но никто не хотел покупать).

I counted the money which I had brought from the ship (я пересчитал деньги, которые я принес с корабля). There were above a hundred pieces of gold and silver (свыше ста монет золота и серебра); but of what use were they (но какая польза от них)?

I would have given all for a handful of peas or beans to plant (я отдал бы все за горсть гороха и бобов /которые можно было бы/ посеять). I would have given all for a bottle of ink (я отдал бы все за бутылку чернил).

escape [Is'keIp], reach [ri:tS], distant ['dIst(@)nt], danger ['deIndZ@], enough [I'nVf], canoe [k@'nu:], chisel ['tSIz(@)l], discontented [,dIsk@n'tentId], market ['mA:kIt], fuel ['fju:@l]

WHILE I was doing these things I was always trying to think of some way to escape from the island. True, I was living there with much comfort. I was happier than I had ever been while sailing the seas.

But I longed to see other men. I longed for home and friends.

You will remember that when I was over at the farther side of the island I had seen land in the distance. Fifty or sixty miles of water lay between me and that land. Yet I was always wishing that I could reach it.

It was a foolish wish. For there was no telling what I might find on that distant shore.

Perhaps it was a far worse place than my little island. Perhaps there were savage beasts there. Perhaps wild men lived there who would kill me and eat me.

I thought of all these things; but I was willing to risk every kind of danger rather than stay where I was.

At last I made up my mind to build a boat. It should be large enough to carry me and all that belonged to me. It should be strong enough to stand a long voyage over stormy seas.

I had seen the great canoes which Indians sometimes make of the trunks of trees. I would make one of the same kind.

In the woods I found a cedar tree which I thought was just the right thing for my canoe.

It was a huge tree. Its trunk was more than five feet through at the bottom.

I chopped and hewed many days before it fell to the ground. It took two weeks to cut a log of the right length from it.

Then I went to work on the log. I chop and hewed and shaped the outside into the form of a canoe. With hatchet and chisel I hollowed out the inside.

For full three months I worked on that cedar log. I was both proud and glad when the canoe was finished. I had never seen so big a boat made from a single tree.

It was well shaped and handsome. More than twenty men might find room to sit in it.

But now the hardest question of all must answered.

How was I to get my canoe into the water?

It lay not more than three hundred feet from the little river where I had first landed with my raft.

But how was I to move it three hundred feet, or even one foot? It was so heavy that I could not even roll it over.

I thought of several plans. But when I came to reckon the time and the labor, I found that even by the easiest plan it would take twenty years to get the canoe into the water.

What could I do but leave it in the woods where it lay?

How foolish I had been! Why had I not thought of the weight of the canoe before going to the labor of making it?

The wise man will always look before he leaps. I certainly had not acted wisely.

I went back to my castle, feeling sad and thoughtful.

Why should I be discontented and unhappy?

I was the master of all that I saw. I might call myself the king of the island.

I had all the comforts of life.

I had food in plenty.

I might raise shiploads of grain, but there was no market for it.

I had thousands of trees for timber and fuel, but no one wished to buy.

I counted the money which I had brought from the ship. There were above a hundred pieces of gold and silver; but of what use were they?

I would have given all for a handful of peas or beans to plant. I would have given all for a bottle of ink.

I MAKE AN UMBRELLA

(я делаю зонтик)

AS the years went by (пока проходили годы) the things which I had brought from the ship were used up or worn out (вещи, которые я принес с корабля, использовались /до конца/ и износились; to wear — носить /обувь, одежду/; to wear out — изнашивать).

My biscuits lasted more than a year (моего печенья хватило более чем на год); for I ate only one cake each day (так как я ел только одно печенье каждый день; cake — кекс; пирожное; торт).

My ink soon gave out (чернила вскоре иссякли; to give out — иссякать, кончаться /о запасах, силах и т. п./), and then I had no more use for pens or paper (и затем = в дальнейшем я не мог больше использовать перья и бумагу).

At last my clothes were all worn out (наконец, одежда моя была вся изношена).

The weather was always warm on my island (погода была всегда/постоянно теплой на моем острове) and there was little need for clothes (и была малая необходимость в одежде). But I could not go without them (но я не мог обходиться без нее; to go without smth. — обходиться без /чего-л./, мириться с отсутствием /чего-л./).

It so happened that I had saved the skins of all the animals I had killed (так случилось, что я сохранял шкуры всех животных, /которых/ я убил).

I stretched every skin on a framework of sticks (я растягивал каждую шкуру на каркасе из палок) and hung it up in the sun to dry (и вешал на солнце сушиться).

In time I had a great many of these skins (со временем у меня было = скопилось очень много этих шкур). Some were coarse (некоторые были грубыми) and stiff (и жесткими; stiff — тугой, негибкий, неэластичный, жесткий) and fit for nothing (и не подходили ни для чего; fit — подходящий, годный, пригодный). Others were soft to the touch and very pretty to look at (другие были мягкие на ощупь и приятные глазу: «и очень симпатичные, чтобы смотреть на них»).

One day I took one of the finest and made me a cap of it (однажды я взял одну из лучших и сделал себе шапочку из нее). I left all the hair on the outside (я оставил всю шерсть: «волосы» снаружи: «на наружней стороне»), so as to shoot off the rain (так, чтобы сбрасывать дождь = защищаться от дождя).

It was not very pretty (она была не очень красивой); but it was of great use (но была очень полезна: «была большой пользы»), and what more did I want (а чего же больше мне было желать)?

I did so well with the cap that I thought I would try something else (у меня получилось так хорошо с шапочкой, что я подумал, что я бы попытался что-нибудь еще /сделать/). So, after a great deal of trouble (после многих мучений/трудностей), I made me a whole suit (я сделал себе целый костюм).

I made me a waistcoat (я сделал жилет) and a pair of knee breeches (и пару бриджей; knee — колено; breeches — штаны, брюки). I wanted them to keep me cool rather than warm (я хотел, чтобы они «держали» меня скорее в прохладе, чем в тепле). So I made them quite loose (поэтому я сделал их довольно свободными; loose — свободный; непривязанный, неприкрепленный; просторный, широкий /об одежде/).