Английский язык с Джеромом К. Джеромом. Трое в лодке, не считая собаки - Jerome Jerome

disentangle [ˈdɪsɪnˈtæŋɡl] honourable [ˈɔn(ǝ)rǝbl] crochet [ˈkrǝuʃeɪ]

I do not wish to be insulting, but I firmly believe that if you took an average tow-line, and stretched it out straight across the middle of a field, and then turned your back on it for thirty seconds, that, when you looked round again, you would find that it had got itself altogether in a heap in the middle of the field, and had twisted itself up, and tied itself into knots, and lost its two ends, and become all loops; and it would take you a good half-hour, sitting down there on the grass and swearing all the while, to disentangle it again.

That is my opinion of tow-lines in general. Of course, there may be honourable exceptions; I do not say that there are not. There may be tow-lines that are a credit to their profession — conscientious, respectable tow-lines — tow-lines that do not imagine they are crochet-work, and try to knit themselves up into antimacassars the instant they are left to themselves. I say there may be such tow-lines; I sincerely hope there are. But I have not met with them.

This tow-line I had taken in myself just before we had got to the lock (этой бечевой я занялся сам, непосредственно перед тем, как мы добрались до шлюза). I would not let Harris touch it, because he is careless (я бы не позволил Гаррису прикасаться к ней, потому что он небрежен/невнимателен). I had looped it round slowly and cautiously (я смотал ее медленно и осторожно; to loop — делать петлю), and tied it up in the middle, and folded it in two (и перевязал посередине, и сложил вдвое), and laid it down gently at the bottom of the boat (и тихонько/осторожно положил на дно лодки). Harris had lifted it up scientifically, and had put it into George's hand (Гаррис поднял ее по всем правилам: «научно» и вложил в руку Джорджа). George had taken it firmly, and held it away from him (Джордж взял ее крепко, вытянул руку; to hold — держать; to hold away from — отдалять), and had begun to unravel it as if he were taking the swaddling clothes off a new-born infant (и начал распутывать ее, словно он снимал пеленки с новорожденного младенца = распеленывал новорожденного младенца); and, before he had unwound a dozen yards (и прежде, чем он размотал дюжину ярдов; to unwind; yard — ярд /91 см/), the thing was more like a badly-made door-mat than anything else (бечева была больше похожа на плохо сделанный коврик для ног, чем на что-либо еще).

It is always the same, and the same sort of thing always goes on in connection with it (всегда одно и то же, и то же самое всегда происходит в связи с этим). The man on the bank, who is trying to disentangle it (человек на берегу, который пытается распутать ее), thinks all the fault lies with the man who rolled it up (думает, что вся вина лежит на том, кто смотал ее); and when a man up the river thinks a thing, he says it (а когда человек на реке что-нибудь думает, он говорит это /прямо/).

cautiously [ˈkɔ:ʃǝslɪ] scientifically [,saɪǝnˈtɪfɪk(ǝ)lɪ]

This tow-line I had taken in myself just before we had got to the lock. I would not let Harris touch it, because he is careless. I had looped it round slowly and cautiously, and tied it up in the middle, and folded it in two, and laid it down gently at the bottom of the boat. Harris had lifted it up scientifically, and had put it into George's hand. George had taken it firmly, and held it away from him, and had begun to unravel it as if he were taking the swaddling clothes off a new-born infant; and, before he had unwound a dozen yards, the thing was more like a badly-made door-mat than anything else.

It is always the same, and the same sort of thing always goes on in connection with it. The man on the bank, who is trying to disentangle it, thinks all the fault lies with the man who rolled it up; and when a man up the river thinks a thing, he says it.

"What have you been trying to do with it, make a fishing-net of it (что ты пытаешься сделать с ней, — сделать из нее рыболовную сеть)? You've made a nice mess you have (ну и запутал же ты ее; to make a mess — устроить кавардак; заварить кашу; напутать); why couldn't you wind it up properly, you silly dummy (почему ты не мог смотать ее как полагается, глупый болван)?" he grunts from time to time as he struggles wildly with it (ворчит он время от времени, яростно сражаясь с бечевой), and lays it out flat on the tow-path (и растягивает ее на берегу; to lay out — выкладывать, выставлять; flat — плоский, ровный), and runs round and round it, trying to find the end (и бегает вокруг нее, пытаясь найти конец).

On the other hand, the man who wound it up (с другой стороны, человек, который смотал ее) thinks the whole cause of the muddle rests with the man who is trying to unwind it (думает, что вся причина = вина путаницы/неразберихи лежит на том, кто пытается распутать ее; to rest with — возлагать ответственность).

"It was all right when you took it (она была в порядке, когда ты взял ее)!" he exclaims indignantly (восклицает он негодующе). "Why don't you think what you are doing (почему ты не думаешь /о том/, что делаешь)? You go about things in such a slap-dash style (ты приступаешь к работе в такой небрежной манере = делаешь все кое-как). You'd get a scaffolding pole entangled, you would (ты бы и строительную балку запутал; scaffolding pole — стойка строительных лесов; scaffold — леса, подмостки; эшафот)!"

indignantly [ɪnˈdɪɡnǝntlɪ] cause [kɔ:z]

"What have you been trying to do with it, make a fishing-net of it? You've made a nice mess you have; why couldn't you wind it up properly, you silly dummy?" he grunts from time to time as he struggles wildly with it, and lays it out flat on the tow-path, and runs round and round it, trying to find the end.

On the other hand, the man who wound it up thinks the whole cause of the muddle rests with the man who is trying to unwind it.

"It was all right when you took it!" he exclaims indignantly. "Why don't you think what you are doing? You go about things in such a slap-dash style. You'd get a scaffolding pole entangled, you would!"

And they feel so angry with one another (и они так сердятся /друг на друга/) that they would like to hang each other with the thing (что хотели бы повесить друг друга на этой штуке = на бечеве).

Ten minutes go by, and the first man gives a yell and goes mad (десять минут проходит, и первый человек вскрикивает и начинает беситься), and dances on the rope, and tries to pull it straight by seizing hold of the first piece that comes to his hand and hauling at it (и прыгает/пляшет на ней, и пытается распрямить ее, схватив первую часть, что попадается под руку, и тянет за нее). Of course, this only gets it into a tighter tangle than ever (конечно, от этого она только спутывается в еще более плотный клубок = еще сильнее). Then the second man climbs out of the boat and comes to help him (потом второй человек выбирается из лодки и приходит ему на помощь), and they get in each other's way, and hinder one another (и они попадаются друг другу под руку, и мешают друг другу; to get in one`s way — загораживать дорогу, мешать, стоять на пути). They both get hold of the same bit of line (оба хватаются за один и тот же кусок каната), and pull at it in opposite directions (и тянут в противоположных направлениях), and wonder where it is caught (и спрашивают /себя/, где он зацепился; to catch). In the end, they do get it clear (в конце концов они распутывают бечеву), and then turn round and find that the boat has drifted off (а потом оборачиваются и обнаруживают, что лодку отнесло; to drift — сноситься, смещаться, сдвигаться по ветру, по течению, дрейфовать), and is making straight for the weir (и несет прямо к дамбе; to make for — направляться).

seizing [ˈsi:zɪŋ] opposite [ˈɔpǝzɪt]

And they feel so angry with one another that they would like to hang each other with the thing.

Ten minutes go by, and the first man gives a yell and goes mad, and dances on the rope, and tries to pull it straight by seizing hold of the first piece that comes to his hand and hauling at it. Of course, this only gets it into a tighter tangle than ever. Then the second man climbs out of the boat and comes to help him, and they get in each other's way, and hinder one another. They both get hold of the same bit of line, and pull at it in opposite directions, and wonder where it is caught. In the end, they do get it clear, and then turn round and find that the boat has drifted off, and is making straight for the weir.

This really happened once to my own knowledge (это действительно произошло однажды; knowledge — знание, осведомленность; to my knowledge — насколько мне известно). It was up by Boveney, one rather windy morning (это случилось у Бовени, в одно довольно ветреное утро). We were pulling down stream, and, as we came round the bend (мы шли на веслах вниз по течению, и, проходя излучину; to come round — объезжать, обходить; поворачивать), we noticed a couple of men on the bank (мы заметили пару человек на берегу). They were looking at each other with as bewildered and helplessly miserable expression (они смотрели друг на друга с таким растерянным и беспомощно несчастным выражением) as I have ever witnessed on any human countenance before or since (какого я не видел на человеческом лице ни прежде, ни с тех пор; countenance — выражение /лица, глаз/; лицо, лик), and they held a long tow-line between them (и держали длинный буксирный канат между собой; to hold). It was clear that something had happened (было ясно, что что-то случилось), so we eased up and asked them what was the matter (поэтому мы замедлили ход и спросили их, в чем дело).

"Why, our boat's gone off (ну, нашу лодку унесло; to go off — уходить, уезжать, отправляться куда-либо; сбегать)!" they replied in an indignant tone (ответили они негодующим тоном). "We just got out to disentangle the tow-line (мы только вышли, чтобы распутать канат), and when we looked round, it was gone (а когда оглянулись, она исчезла)!"

And they seemed hurt at what they evidently regarded as a mean and ungrateful act on the part of the boat (и они казались оскорбленными тем, что они, очевидно, расценили как подлый и неблагодарный поступок со стороны лодки; to regard as — рассматривать в качестве, смотреть как на).

countenance [ˈkauntɪnǝns] regarded [rɪˈɡɑ:dɪd]

This really happened once to my own knowledge. It was up by Boveney, one rather windy morning. We were pulling down stream, and, as we came round the bend, we noticed a couple of men on the bank. They were looking at each other with as bewildered and helplessly miserable expression as I have ever witnessed on any human countenance before or since, and they held a long tow-line between them. It was clear that something had happened, so we eased up and asked them what was the matter.

"Why, our boat's gone off!" they replied in an indignant tone. "We just got out to disentangle the tow-line, and when we looked round, it was gone!"

And they seemed hurt at what they evidently regarded as a mean and ungrateful act on the part of the boat.

We found the truant for them half a mile further down, held by some rushes (мы нашли беглянку для них на полмили ниже, удерживаемую камышом = застрявшую в камышах; truant — прогульщик; школьник, прогуливающий уроки; лентяй), and we brought it back to them (и вернули ее им; to bring back). I bet they did not give that boat another chance for a week (бьюсь об заклад, они не давали той лодке целую неделю еще одной возможности /поплавать/).