Мюриэль Спарк - Английский язык с Мюриэль Спарк (рассказы)

How tedious I found these phrases (какими скучными казались мне эти фразы)! We had come to the lake (мы подошли к озеру). I stooped over it (я наклонилась над ним) and myself looked back at myself through the dark water (и я сама взглянула на себя из глубины: «через» темной воды). I looked at Dr. Gray's reflection and recognised her (я взглянула на отражение доктора Грей и узнала ее). I put on my dark glasses (я надела мои темные очки), then (тогда).

rhododendron ["rqVdq'dendrqn] duchess ['dACIs] breakdown ['breIkdaVn]

incurable [In'kjV(q)rqb(q)l] lucid ['lu: sId] Oedipus ['i: dIpqs]

After lunch, since the Eng. Lit. people had gone off to play tennis, she tacked on to me and we walked to the lake across the lawns, past the rhododendrons. This lake had once been the scene of a love-mad duchess's death.

"…during the war. Before that I was in general practice. It's strange," she said, "how I came to take up psychology. My second husband had a breakdown and was under a psychiatrist. Of course, he's incurable, but I decided… It's strange, but that's how I came to take it up. It saved my reason. My husband is still in a home. His sister, of course, became quite incurable. He has his lucid moments. I did not realise it, of course, when I married, but there was what I'd now call an Oedipus-transference on his part, and…"

How tedious I found these phrases! We had come to the lake. I stooped over it and myself looked back at myself through the dark water. I looked at Dr. Gray's reflection and recognised her. I put on my dark glasses, then.

"Am I boring you (я вас утомляю)?" she said.

"No, carry on (нет, продолжайте)."

"Must you wear those glasses (вам обязательно носить эти очки)? it is a modern psychological phenomenon (это современное психологическое явление) … the trend towards impersonalisation (тенденция к обезличиванию) … the modern Inquisitor (современный инквизитор)."

For a while (какое-то время), she watched her own footsteps (она осторожно ступала; towatchone’sfootstep— ступать осторожно, действовать осмотрительно, footstep— шаг, поступь), as we walked round the lake (пока мы шли вокруг озера). Then she continued her story (затем она продолжила свой рассказ).

"…an optician (оптик). His sister was blind-going when I first attended her (его сестра слепла, когда я в первый раз стала наблюдать ее). Only the one eye was affected (только один глаз был поражен). Then there was an accident (затем произошел несчастный случай), one of those psychological accidents (один из тех психологических несчастных случаев). She was a trained dispenser (она была квалифицированным фармацевтом), but she mixed herself the wrong eye-drops (но она приготовила для себя неверные глазные капли). Now it's very difficult to make a mistake like that, normally (в наше время: «сейчас» достаточно сложно допустить такую ошибку, в нормальном состоянии; normal— нормальный, обычный, обыкновенный). But subconsciously she wanted to, she wanted to (но подсознательно она хотела этого /сделать ошибку/, хотела этого). But she wasn't normal, she was not normal (потому, что она не была психически нормальной, не была нормальной)."

affect [q'fekt] subconsciously [sAb'kOnSqslI]

"Am I boring you?" she said.

"No, carry on."

"Must you wear those glasses? it is a modern psychological phenomenon … the trend towards impersonalisation … the modern Inquisitor."

For a while, she watched her own footsteps, as we walked round the lake. Then she continued her story.

"…an optician. His sister was blind-going when I first attended her. Only the one eye was affected. Then there was an accident, one of those psychological accidents. She was a trained dispenser, but she mixed herself the wrong eye-drops. Now it's very difficult to make a mistake like that, normally. But subconsciously she wanted to, she wanted to. But she wasn't normal, she was not normal."

"I'm not saying she was (я и не говорю, что она была)," I said.

"What did you say (что вы сказали)?"

"I'm sure she wasn't a normal person (я уверена, что она не была психически нормальным человеком)," I said, "if you say so (если вы говорите так)."

"It can all be explained psychologically (все может быть объяснено психологически), as we've tried to show to my husband (как мы пытались показать моему мужу). We've told him and told him (мы говорили и говорили ему), and given him every sort of treatment (и лечили его всеми возможными способами; treatment — обращение, лечение, уход) — shock, insulin, everything (шоком, инсулином, всем). And after all (и, в конце-то концов: «после всего»), the stuff didn't have any effect on his sister immediately (то средство /которое она использовала по ошибке/ не повлияло на нее немедленно), and when she did go blind (и когда она действительно ослепла) it was caused by acute glaucoma (то это /случилось/ из-за острой глаукомы; to cause — бытьпричиной). She would probably have lost her sight in any case (она, возможно, потеряла бы зрение в любом случае). Well, she went off her head completely (она совершенно потеряла голову) and accused her brother of having put the wrong drug in the bottle deliberately (и обвиняла своего брата в том, что он положил неверное лекарство в пузырек намеренно; to accuse — обвинять, винить, осуждать; a drug — лекарство, наркотик). This is the interesting part from the psychological point of view (это очень интересный момент с психологической точки зрения) — she said she had seen something that he didn't want her to see (она говорила, что она видела нечто такое, что он не хотел, чтобы она видела), something disreputable (нечто постыдное; (dis)reputable — (не)достойный). She said he wanted to blind the eye that saw it (она говорила, что он хочет ослепить глаз, который видел это). She said…"

We were walking round the lake for the second time (мы шли вокруг озера во второй раз). When we came to the spot where I had seen her face reflected (когда мы подошли к тому самому месту, где я впервые увидела ее лицо, отраженным /в озере/) I stopped and looked over the water (я остановилась и посмотрела на воду).

"I'm boring you (я вам надоела)."

"No, no."

"I wish you would take off those glasses (мне бы очень хотелось, что бы вы сняли эти: «те» очки)."

explain [Ik'spleIn] effect [I'fekt] glaucoma [glO:'kqVmq] drug [drAg]

deliberately [dI'lIb(q)rItlI] disreputable [dIs'repjVtqbl]

"I'm not saying she was," I said.

"What did you say?"

"I'm sure she wasn't a normal person," I said, "if you say so."

"It can all be explained psychologically, as we've tried to show to my husband. We've told him and told him, and given him every sort of treatment — shock, insulin, everything. And after all, the stuff didn't have any effect on his sister immediately, and when she did go blind it was caused by acute glaucoma. She would probably have lost her sight in any case. Well, she went off her head completely and accused her brother of having put the wrong drug in the bottle deliberately. This is the interesting part from the psychological point of view — she said she had seen something that he didn't want her to see, something disreputable. She said he wanted to blind the eye that saw it. She said…"

We were walking round the lake for the second time. When we came to the spot where I had seen her face reflected I stopped and looked over the water. "I'm boring you."

"No, no."

"I wish you would take off those glasses."

I took them off for a moment (я сняла их на мгновение). I rather liked her for her innocence in not recognising me (мне она даже понравилась за ее простодушие, что она не узнала меня), though she looked hard (она не сводила с меня глаз) and said, "There's a subconscious reason why you wear them (есть какая-то подсознательная причина, почему вы носите их)."

"Dark glasses hide dark thoughts (темные очки скрывают темные мысли; tohide— прятать, скрывать, не показывать)," I said.

"Is that a saying (это афоризм: «пословица»)?"

"Not that I've heard (я такого не слышала). But it is one now (но теперь, должно быть, афоризм, но теперь это стало афоризмом)."

innocence ['Inqs(q)ns] saying ['seIIN]

I took them off for a moment. I rather liked her for her innocence in not recognising me, though she looked hard and said, "There's a subconscious reason why you wear them."

"Dark glasses hide dark thoughts," I said.

"Is that a saying?"

"Not that I've heard. But it is one now."

She looked at me anew (она взглянула на меня заново). But she didn't recognise me (но она не узнала меня). These fishers of the mind (эти ловцы разума; fisher — рыбак, рыболов; fish — рыба) have no eye for outward things (никогда не видят окружающий мир; outward — внешний, наружный). Instead, she was "recognising" my mind (вместо этого, она ‘узнавала, разведовала’ мой разум): I daresay I came under some category of hers (я даже думаю, что я подпала под одну из ее категорий).

I had my glasses on again (я вновь надела очки), and was walking on (и продолжила прогулку).

"How did your husband react to his sister's accusations (как ваш муж реагировал на обвинения его сестры; to react — реагировать, отзываться, воздействовать)?" I said.

"He was remarkably kind (он был удивительно добр)."

"Kind?"

"Oh, yes, in the circumstances (о, да, при таких обстоятельствах). Because she started up a lot of gossip in the neighbourhood (потому что она начала сильно сплетничать в соседней округе; gossip— болтовня, разговоры, сплетни, слухи). It was only a small town (это был всего лишь маленький город). It was a long time before (прошло много времени прежде чем) I could persuade him to send her to a home for the blind (я смогла уговорить его отправить ее в дом для слепых; topersuade— убеждать, склонять, уговаривать) where she could be looked after (где за ней бы могли ухаживать; tolookafter— присматривать, ухаживать, заботиться). There was a terrible bond between them (была какая-то ужасная связь между ними; abond— узы, связь, обязательство). Unconscious incest (неосознанный инцест: «кровосмешение»)."

accusation ["xkjV'zeIS(q)n] circumstance ['sq: kqmstxns, 'sq: kqmstqns]

neighbourhood ['neIbqhVd] unconscious [An'kOnSqs]

She looked at me anew. But she didn't recognise me. These fishers of the mind have no eye for outward things. Instead, she was "recognising" my mind: I daresay I came under some category of hers.

I had my glasses on again, and was walking on.

"How did your husband react to his sister's accusations?" I said.

"He was remarkably kind."

"Kind?"

"Oh, yes, in the circumstances. Because she started up a lot of gossip in the neighbourhood. It was only a small town. It was a long time before I could persuade him to send her to a home for the blind where she could be looked after. There was a terrible bond between them. Unconscious incest."

"Didn’t you know that when you married him (разве вы этого не знали, когда выходили за него замуж)? I should have thought it would have been obvious (я думаю, это было очевидно; obvious — явный, очевидный)."

She looked at me again (она посмотрела на меня снова). "I had not studied psychology at that time (я не изучала психологию в то время)," she said.

I thought, neither had I (я подумала, что и я не изучала).

We were silent for the third turn about the lake (мы молчали: «были молчаливы» во время нашего третьего круга: «оборота» вокруг озера).