He was enjoying himself as much as he was able (он наслаждался /окружающим/ так сильно, как только мог). It is youth's felicity as well as its insufficiency (в том то и счастье и ущербность молодости; sufficiency — достаточность; sufficient — достаточный) that it can never live in the present (что она не умеет жить настоящим), but must always be measuring up the day against its own radiantly imagined future (но всегда должна соизмерять /нынешний/ день со своим лучезарным воображаемым будущем) — flowers and gold (цветы и золото), girls and stars (девушки и звезды), they are only prefigurations and prophecies of that incomparable, unattainable young dream (лишь прообразы и пророчества этой несравненной и недостижимой юношеской мечты).
wolfhound ['wVlfhaVnd], able [eIbl], present /сущ./ [prez(q)nt]
In some such cool hope he descended the marble steps, disturbing faintly the sleep of two silky Russian wolfhounds at the bottom, and set off along a walk of white and blue brick that seemed to lead in no particular direction.
He was enjoying himself as much as he was able. It is youth's felicity as well as its insufficiency that it can never live in the present, but must always be measuring up the day against its own radiantly imagined future — flowers and gold, girls and stars, they are only prefigurations and prophecies of that incomparable, unattainable young dream.
John rounded a soft corner (прошел: «обогнул» плавный поворот: «угол») where the massed rosebushes filled the air with heavy scent (где густые кусты роз наполняли воздух тяжелым ароматом), and struck off across a park toward a patch of moss under some trees (и зашагал через парк к мшистой лужайке: «клочку мха» под несколькими деревьями; to strike — ударяться; направляться, сворачивать). He had never lain upon moss (никогда не лежал на мху), and he wanted to see (и хотел проверить: «увидеть») whether it was really soft enough to justify the use of its name as an adjective (справедливо ли употребление сравнения со мхом, когда говорят о мягкости: «действительно ли он достаточно мягок, чтобы оправдать употребление его названия в качестве прилагательного»). Then he saw a girl coming toward him over the grass (и тут он вдруг увидел девушку, шедшую по траве в его сторону). She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen (она была самым красивым человеком из всех, что он видел).
She was dressed in a white little gown that came just below her knees (она была одета в легкое: «маленькое» белое платье чуть ниже колен), and a wreath of mignonettes clasped with blue slices of sapphire bound up her hair (и ее волосы стягивал веночек из резеды, перехваченный синими полосками: «дольками» сапфира: to bind /up/ — вязать; связывать). Her pink bare feet scattered the dew before them as she came (когда она шла = при ходьбе ее босые розовые ножки разбрызгивали перед собой росу). She was younger than John — not more than sixteen (она была моложе Джона — не старше: «больше» шестнадцати).
rosebush ['rqVzbVS], wreath [rJT], mignonette ["mInjq'net]
John rounded a soft corner where the massed rosebushes filled the air with heavy scent, and struck off across a park toward a patch of moss under some trees. He had never lain upon moss, and he wanted to see whether it was really soft enough to justify the use of its name as an adjective. Then he saw a girl coming toward him over the grass. She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.
She was dressed in a white little gown that came just below her knees, and a wreath of mignonettes clasped with blue slices of sapphire bound up her hair. Her pink bare feet scattered the dew before them as she came. She was younger than John — not more than sixteen.
"Hello," she cried softly, "I'm Kismine (здравствуй, — тихонько окликнула она его — я Кисмин; softly — мягко, нежно; тихо, спокойно; тихим голосом)."
She was much more than that to John already (но для Джона она была уже гораздо больше, чем это = чем просто Кисмин). He advanced toward her, scarcely moving as he drew near (он пошел ей навстречу, едва передвигая ноги: «двигаясь», когда был уже близко: «приближался»; to draw — тащить; медленно идти; to draw near — подходить, приближаться) lest he should tread on her bare toes (чтобы не = боясь наступить на ее босые пальчики).
"You haven't met me (ты меня еще не видел; to meet — встречать; встречаться, видеться)," said her soft voice (сказал ее нежный голос). Her blue eyes added, "Oh, but you've missed a great deal!" (ее синие/голубые глаза добавили: "И как же много ты потерял!"; deal — /некоторое/ количество)… "You met my sister, Jasmine, last night (прошлой ночью = вчера вечером ты видел мою сестру Жасмин). I was sick with lettuce poisoning (я вчера отравилась латуком; sick — больной; poisoning — отравление)," went on her soft voice (продолжал ее нежный голос), and her eyes continued (продолжили) "and when I'm sick I'm sweet — and when I'm well (а когда я больна, я очень мила, и когда здорова /— тоже/)."
already [Ll'redI], scarcely ['skFqslI], lettuce ['letIs]
"Hello," she cried softly, "I'm Kismine."
She was much more than that to John already. He advanced toward her, scarcely moving as he drew near lest he should tread on her bare toes.
"You haven't met me," said her soft voice. Her blue eyes added, "Oh, but you've missed a great deal!". . "You met my sister, Jasmine, last night. I was sick with lettuce poisoning," went on her soft voice, and her eyes continued, "and when I'm sick I'm sweet — and when I'm well."
"You have made an enormous impression on me (ты произвела на меня огромное впечатление)," said John's eyes, "and I'm not so slow myself (и я сам не такой уж бестолковый /вижу, какая ты/; slow — медленный; тупой, несообразительный)" — "How do you do?" said his voice (здравствуй, — сказал его голос). "I hope you're better this morning (надеюсь, сегодня ты уже здорова; better — лучше)." — "You darling," added his eyes tremulously (ты /просто/ прелесть, — трепетно добавили его глаза).
John observed that they had been walking along the path (заметил, что они идут по тропинке). On her suggestion they sat down together upon the moss (по ее предложению они вместе = оба уселись на мох), the softness of which he failed to determine (на мягкость которого он не обратил внимания: «мягкость которого ему не удалось определить»; to fail — не исполнить, не сделать; подвести).
He was critical about women (он был придирчив к женщинам). A single defect (/одного/ единственного недостатка) — a thick ankle (толстой щиколотки), a hoarse voice (хрипловатого голоса), a glass eye (стеклянного = неподвижного взгляда) — was enough to make him utterly indifferent (было достаточно, чтобы сделать его совершенно равнодушным). And here for the first time in his life he was beside a girl (и вот впервые за свою жизнь он находился рядом с девушкой) who seemed to him the incarnation of physical perfection (которая казалась ему воплощением физического совершенства).
tremulously ['tremjVlqslI], women ['wImIn], hoarse [hLs]
"You have made an enormous impression on me," said John's eyes, "and I'm not so slow myself" — "How do you do?" said his voice. "I hope you're better this morning." — "You darling," added his eyes tremulously.
John observed that they had been walking along the path. On her suggestion they sat down together upon the moss, the softness of which he failed to determine.
He was critical about women. A single defect — a thick ankle, a hoarse voice, a glass eye — was enough to make him utterly indifferent. And here for the first time in his life he was beside a girl who seemed to him the incarnation of physical perfection.
"Are you from the East?" asked Kismine with charming interest (ты с Востока = из восточных штатов? — спросила Кисмин с очаровательной заинтересованностью /в голосе/).
"No," answered John simply (ответил Джон просто). "I'm from Hades."
Either she had never heard of Hades (или она никогда не слыхала о Гадесе), or she could think of no pleasant comment to make upon it (или не смогла придумать никакого приятного замечания по этому поводу), for she did not discuss it further (так как = но она не стала развивать эту тему: «обсуждать это дальше»).
"I'm going East to school this fall (я поеду этой осенью в школу на Восток)," she said. "D'you think I'll like it? I'm going to New York to Miss Bulge's (/как/ ты думаешь, мне понравится там? Я поеду в Нью-Йорк, в пансион мисс Балдж). It's very strict (там очень строго = строгие правила), but you see over the weekends I'm going to live at home with the family in our New York house (но выходные/уикэнды я все-таки буду проводить дома с семьей, в нашем нью-йоркском доме; you see — видишь ли, знаешь ли), because father heard that the girls had to go walking two by two (потому что = а то отец слыхал, что девочки /там/ должны прогуливаться парами)."
either ['aIDq], answer ['Rnsq], upon [q'pOn]
"Are you from the East?" asked Kismine with charming interest.
"No," answered John simply. "I'm from Hades."
Either she had never heard of Hades, or she could think of no pleasant comment to make upon it, for she did not discuss it further.
"I'm going East to school this fall," she said. "D'you think I'll like it? I'm going to New York to Miss Bulge's. It's very strict, but you see over the weekends I'm going to live at home with the family in our New York house, because father heard that the girls had to go walking two by two."
"Your father wants you to be proud," observed John (отец хочет, чтобы вы были гордыми, — заметил Джон; proud — гордый; обладающий чувством собственного достоинства; неприступный).
"We are (мы /такие и/ есть)," she answered, her eyes shining with dignity (мы /такие и/ есть, — ответила она, гордо сверкнув глазами; dignity — достоинство, гордость; чувство собственного достоинства). "None of us has ever been punished (никого из нас ни разу не наказывали). Father said we never should be (сказал, что нас никогда нельзя /наказывать/). Once when my sister Jasmine was a little girl (однажды, когда моя сестра Жасмин была маленькой) she pushed him down-stairs (она столкнула его с лестницы; stairs — лестница) and he just got up and limped away (а он просто встал и, хромая, ушел: «похромал прочь»; to get up — вставать).
"Mother was — well, a little startled," continued Kismine (мама… э… несколько опешила, — продолжала Кисмин; to startle — удивить/поразить и слегка испугать), "when she heard that you were from — from where you are from, you know (когда услыхала, что ты из… — ну, оттуда, откуда ты есть, понимаешь). She said that when she was a young girl (сказала, что когда она была молодой…) — but then, you see, she's a Spaniard and old-fashioned (но, знаешь, она вообще-то испанка и у нее старомодные взгляды)."
punish ['pAnIS], once [wAns], push [pVS]
"Your father wants you to be proud," observed John.
"We are," she answered, her eyes shining with dignity. "None of us has ever been punished. Father said we never should be. Once when my sister Jasmine was a little girl she pushed him down-stairs and he just got up and limped away.
"Mother was — well, a little startled," continued Kismine, "when she heard that you were from — from where you are from, you know. She said that when she was a young girl — but then, you see, she's a Spaniard and old-fashioned."
