Metod_Ili_Franka_G_Uellsom_-_Voyna_mirov

He gripped his knees and turned to look at me again (он обнял колени и,

повернувшись, снова взглянул не меня). For half a minute, perhaps, he stared silently (с полминуты, наверное, он молча вглядывался в меня).

“I was walking through the roads to clear my brain (я прогуливался по дороге,

чтобы освежить голову),” he said. “And suddenly — fire, earthquake, death (и

внезапно — огонь, землетрясение, смерть)!”

He relapsed into silence (он снова замолчал; to relapse — снова впадать в какое-л. состояние), with his chin now sunken almost to his knees (/при этом/

его подбородок опустился почти до колен; sunken — впалый, запавший;

опущенный; to sink — опускаться, погружаться).

extend [Ik'stend], earthquake ['q:TkweIk], throat [Trqut]

He extended a thin white hand and spoke in almost a complaining tone.

“Why are these things permitted? What sins have we done? The morning service was over, I was walking through the roads to clear my brain for the afternoon, and then — fire, earthquake, death! As if it were Sodom and Gomorrah! All our work undone, all the work — What are these Martians?”

“What are we?” I answered, clearing my throat.

He gripped his knees and turned to look at me again. For half a minute, perhaps, he stared silently.

“I was walking through the roads to clear my brain,” he said. “And suddenly — fire, earthquake, death!”

He relapsed into silence, with his chin now sunken almost to his knees.

Presently he began waving his hand (вскоре он начал размахивать рукой; to wave).

“All the work — all the Sunday schools (все труды, все воскресные школы) — What have we done — what has Weybridge done (что мы /такого/ сделали, что Уэйбридж сделал)? Everything gone — everything destroyed (все разорено, все

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разрушено; done — умерший, ушедший /из жизни/; разоренный). The church! We rebuilt it only three years ago (церковь! мы отстроили ее только три года назад). Gone! Swept out of existence! Why (разрушена! уничтожена до основания! почему = за что)?”

Another pause, and he broke out again like one demented (еще одна пауза, и он снова продолжал, как сумасшедший; to break out — выламывать;

разразиться).

“The smoke of her burning goeth up for ever and ever!” he shouted (дым от ее пожара да будет во веки веков возноситься вверх, — кричал он; -eth /суффикс/ — образует глагол третьего лица ед. числа настоящего неопределенного времени /уст./; for ever and ever — до бесконечности, вечно,

вовек).

His eyes flamed (глаза его горели), and he pointed a lean finger in the direction of Weybridge (и он указал худым пальцем в направлении Уэйбриджа).

By this time I was beginning to take his measure (к этому времени я /уже/

начинал кое о чем догадываться; to take smb.‟s measure — присматриваться,

приглядываться; раскусить /кого-л./). The tremendous tragedy in which he had been involved (ужасная трагедия, в которую он был вовлечен) — it was evident he was a fugitive from Weybridge (было очевидно, что он — беженец из Уэйбриджа) — had driven him to the very verge of his reason (довела его до безумия: «довела до самой грани здравомыслия»; reason — причина,

основание; разум, здравомыслие).

presently ['prez(q)ntlI], destroy [dIs'trOI], finger ['fINgq]

Presently he began waving his hand.

“All the work — all the Sunday schools — What have we done — what has Weybridge done? Everything gone — everything destroyed. The church! We rebuilt it only three years ago. Gone! Swept out of existence! Why?”

Another pause, and he broke out again like one demented.

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“The smoke of her burning goeth up for ever and ever!” he shouted.

His eyes flamed, and he pointed a lean finger in the direction of Weybridge.

By this time I was beginning to take his measure. The tremendous tragedy in which he had been involved — it was evident he was a fugitive from Weybridge — had driven him to the very verge of his reason.

“Are we far from Sunbury (мы далеко от Санбери)?” I said, in a matter-of-fact tone (спросил я обычным тоном = не подавая виду; matter-of-fact — сухой,

прозаичный).

“What are we to do?” he asked (что мы должны = что нам теперь делать). “Are these creatures everywhere (неужели эти существа повсюду)? Has the earth been given over to them (неужели Землю отдали им; to give over — передавать,

вручать)?”

“Are we far from Sunbury?”

“Only this morning I officiated at early celebration (только этим утром я отправлял раннюю службу) — ”

“Things have changed,” I said, quietly (обстоятельства = ситуация изменилась,

— тихо сказал я). “You must keep your head (вы не должны падать духом; to keep one‟s head — сохранять спокойствие, присутствие духа). There is still hope (еще есть надежда).”

“Hope (надежда)!”

“Yes. Plentiful hope — for all this destruction (да, сильная надежда, несмотря на все это разрушение; plentiful — богатый /чем-л./, обильный)!”

I began to explain my view of our position (я начал объяснять свой взгляд на наше положение). He listened at first (сначала он слушал), but as I went on (но по мере того, как я продолжал) the interest dawning in his eyes gave place to their former stare (интерес, появившийся было в его глазах, уступил место прежнему бессмысленному взгляду; to dawn — рассветать, брезжить;

пробуждаться, появляться; dawn — рассвет, утренняя заря), and his regard

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wandered from me (и он перестал обращать на меня внимание; to wander —

бродить, странствовать; отклоняться).

“This must be the beginning of the end (это, должно быть, начало конца),” he said, interrupting me (сказал он, прервав меня). “The end (конец)! The great and terrible day of the Lord (великий и ужасный День Господень)! When men shall call upon the mountains and the rocks (когда люди будут взывать к горам и скалам; to call upon — звать, призывать) to fall upon them and hide them (/чтобы те/ пали на них и укрыли их) — hide them from the face of Him (укрыли их от лица Того) that sitteth upon the throne (кто сидит на Престоле; throne — трон; престол)!”

everywhere ['evrIweq], celebration ["selI'breIS(q)n], throne

[Trqun]

“Are we far from Sunbury?” I said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

“What are we to do?” he asked. “Are these creatures everywhere? Has the earth been given over to them?”

“Are we far from Sunbury?”

“Only this morning I officiated at early celebration — ”

“Things have changed,” I said, quietly. “You must keep your head. There is still hope.”

“Hope!”

“Yes. Plentiful hope — for all this destruction!”

I began to explain my view of our position. He listened at first, but as I went on the interest dawning in his eyes gave place to their former stare, and his regard wandered from me.

“This must be the beginning of the end,” he said, interrupting me. “The end! The great and terrible day of the Lord! When men shall call upon the mountains and the rocks to fall upon them and hide them — hide them from the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne!”

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(нам довелось попасть в гущу /событий/; to chance — случаться),” said I, “and that is all (сказал я, — вот и все).”

religion [rI'lIdZ(q)n], calamity [kq'lxmItI], insurance

[In'Suqr(q)ns]

I began to understand the position. I ceased my laboured reasoning, struggled to my feet, and, standing over him, laid my hand on his shoulder.

“Be a man!” said I. “You are scared out of your wits! What good is religion if it collapses under calamity? Think of what earthquakes and floods, wars and volcanoes, have done before to men! Did you think God had exempted Weybridge?

He is not an insurance agent.”

For a time he sat in blank silence.

“But how can we escape?” he asked suddenly. “They are invulnerable, they are pitiless.”

“Neither the one nor, perhaps, the other,” I answered. “And the mightier they are the more sane and wary should we be. One of them was killed yonder not three hours ago.”

“Killed!” he said, staring about him. “How can God’s ministers be killed?”

“I saw it happen,” I proceeded to tell him. “We have chanced to come in for the thick of it,” said I, “and that is all.”

“What is that flicker in the sky?” he asked abruptly (что это за мигание в небе, —

вдруг спросил он).

I told him it was the heliograph signaling (я сказал ему, что это сигналы гелиографа) — that it was the sign of human help and effort in the sky (что этот знак в небесах /означает/ помощь и поддержку людей; effort — усилие,

напряжение; борьба /за что-л./).

“We are in the midst of it,” I said, “quiet as it is (мы в самом центре, — сказал я,

— а /вокруг/ все спокойно; as it is — и так, к тому же; в данной ситуации, в

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таких условиях). That flicker in the sky tells of the gathering storm (то мигание в небе предупреждает: «сообщает» о собирающейся грозе). Yonder, I take it are the Martians, and Londonward (вон там, я думаю, марсиане, а в стороне Лондона; to take it — полагать, предполагать), where those hills rise about Richmond and Kingston and the trees give cover (где начинаются вон те холмы возле Ричмонда и Кингстона и деревья служат укрытием: «дают укрытие»; to rise — подниматься; брать начало, начинаться /где-л./), earthworks are being thrown up and guns are being placed (возводятся укрепления и расставляются пушки; to throw up — подбрасывать; возводить, быстро строить). Presently the Martians will be coming this way again (скоро марсиане снова пойдут этой дорогой).”

And even as I spoke he sprang to his feet (и как раз когда я «это» говорил, он вскочил на ноги) and stopped me by a gesture (и остановил меня жестом).

“Listen (слушайте)!” he said.

flicker ['flIkq], effort ['efqt], gesture ['dZestSq]

“What is that flicker in the sky?” he asked abruptly.

I told him it was the heliograph signalling — that it was the sign of human help and effort in the sky.

“We are in the midst of it,” I said, “quiet as it is. That flicker in the sky tells of the gathering storm. Yonder, I take it are the Martians, and Londonward, where those hills rise about Richmond and Kingston and the trees give cover, earthworks are being thrown up and guns are being placed. Presently the Martians will be coming this way again.”

And even as I spoke he sprang to his feet and stopped me by a gesture.

“Listen!” he said.

From beyond the low hills across the water (из-за низких холмов по ту сторону реки; water — вода; озеро, река) came the dull resonance of distant guns

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(донеслись далекие, глухие выстрелы орудий; resonance — резонанс; отклик,

отголосок) and a remote weird crying (и далекий странный крик; weird —

странный, жуткий, непонятный; причудливый, фантастический). Then everything was still (затем все смолкло: «все стало тихо»). A cockchafer came droning over the hedge and past us (над изгородью мимо нас пролетел, жужжа,

майский жук). High in the west the crescent moon hung faint and pale (высоко на западе повис тусклый и бледный месяц) above the smoke of Weybridge and Shepperton (над дымом от Уэйбриджа и Шеппертона) and the hot, still splendour of the sunset (и над ярким неподвижным блеском заката).

“We had better follow this path,” I said, “northward (нам лучше пойти по этой тропе на север).”

resonance ['reznqns], weird [wIqd], cockchafer ['kOk"tSeIfq]

From beyond the low hills across the water came the dull resonance of distant guns and a remote weird crying. Then everything was still. A cockchafer came droning over the hedge and past us. High in the west the crescent moon hung faint and pale above the smoke of Weybridge and Shepperton and the hot, still splendour of the sunset.

“We had better follow this path,” I said, “northward.”

Chapter Fourteen

In London

(В Лондоне)

My younger brother was in London (мой младший брат находился в Лондоне) when the Martians fell at Woking (когда /снаряд/ марсиан упал в Уокинге). He was a medical student working for an imminent examination (он был студентом-

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медиком и готовился к предстоящему экзамену; to work — работать,

трудиться), and he heard nothing of the arrival until Saturday morning (и он ничего не слыхал о прибытии /марсиан/ до субботнего утра). The morning papers on Saturday contained (в субботу утренние газеты поместили; to contain

— содержать /в себе/, вмещать), in addition to lengthy special articles on the planet Mars (в дополнение к очень длинным специальным статьям о планете Марс), on life in the planets, and so forth (о жизни на этой планете и так далее), a brief and vaguely worded telegram (короткую и не ясно сформулированную телеграмму), all the more striking for its brevity (особенно поражающую своей лаконичностью; to strike — ударять, бить; поражать, производить впечатление; brevity — краткость, немногословие).

The Martians, alarmed by the approach of a crowd (марсиане, обеспокоенные приближением толпы), had killed a number of people with a quick-firing gun (убили много людей из скорострельной пушки), so the story ran (так сообщалось в газетах; story — повесть, рассказ; газетный материал,

сообщение в печати; to run — бежать; гласить /о документе, тексте/). The telegram concluded with the words (телеграмма заканчивалась словами):

“Formidable as they seem to be (кажущиеся с виду грозными), the Martians have not moved from the pit (марсиане не выбрались из ямы) into which they have fallen (в которую они упали = упал их корабль), and, indeed, seem incapable of doing so (и, кажется, не способны этого сделать). Probably this is due to the relative strength of the earth’s gravitational energy (возможно, это /происходит/

благодаря соответствующей силе гравитационной энергии Земли; relative —

относительный; соответственный, соответствующий).” On that last text their leader-writer expanded very comfortingly (в этой последней статье:

«тексте» автор изложил все очень утешительно; leader-writer — автор передовиц; to expand — растягиваться, расширяться; излагать, раскрывать суть дела).

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examination [Ig"zxmI'neIS(q)n], number ['nAmbq], gravitational

["grxvI'teIS(q)nql]

My younger brother was in London when the Martians fell at Woking. He was a medical student working for an imminent examination, and he heard nothing of the arrival until Saturday morning. The morning papers on Saturday contained, in addition to lengthy special articles on the planet Mars, on life in the planets, and so forth, a brief and vaguely worded telegram, all the more striking for its brevity. The Martians, alarmed by the approach of a crowd, had killed a number of people with a quick-firing gun, so the story ran. The telegram concluded with the words:

“Formidable as they seem to be, the Martians have not moved from the pit into which they have fallen, and, indeed, seem incapable of doing so. Probably this is due to the relative strength of the earth’s gravitational energy.” On that last text their leader-writer expanded very comfortingly.

Of course all the students in the crammer’s biology class (конечно же, все студенты подготовительных курсов по биологии; crammer — краткосрочные курсы для подготовки к сдаче экзаменов; class — класс, разряд; занятия,

курс обучения), to which my brother went that day (на которые пошел в тот день мой брат), were intensely interested (крайне /этим/ заинтересовались), but there were no signs of any unusual excitement in the streets (но на улицах не было /заметно/ признаков какого-либо необычного волнения). The afternoon papers puffed scraps of news under big headlines (дневные /выпуски/ газет пестрели новостями под крупно /набранными/ заголовками; to puff — дуть порывами; раздуваться). They had nothing to tell beyond the movements of troops about the common (им /больше/ не о чем было сообщить, кроме как о передвижении войск вокруг пустоши), and the burning of the pine woods between Woking and Weybridge, until eight (и о пожарах в сосновых лесах между Уокингом и Уэйбриджем, до восьми часов). Then the St. James‟s

Gazette, in an extra-special edition (потом “Сент-Джеймс Газетт” в экстренном

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