to concern oneself with something — заниматься чем-либо, интересоваться чем-либо) instead of seeking after abstractions (вместо поиска абстракций; to seek after — добиваться чего-то, стремиться к чему-то).
Corum bowed his head (опустил голову; to bow — гнуть/ся/; наклонять голову).
alien [ˈeɪlɪən] proud [praud] instead [ɪnˈsted] bowed [baud]
`Five hundred miles? Have I come so far? The Giant of Laahr must have carried me much further than I suspected. That castle you mention, my lady, was our castle. The Mabden destroyed it. It will take me longer than I thought to return and find Earl Glandyth and his Denledhyssi.
Suddenly Corum realised just how alone he was. It was as if he had entered another plane of Earth where everything was alien to him. He knew nothing of this world. A world in which the Mabden ruled. How proud his race had been. How foolish. If only they had concerned themselves with knowledge of the world around them instead of seeking after abstractions.
Corum bowed his head.
The Margravine Rhalina seemed to understand his emotion (маркграфиня Ралина, казалось, поняла его чувство = душевное состояние). She lightly touched his arm (она легко коснулась его руки).
`Come, Prince of Vadhagh. You must eat (ты должен поесть).
He allowed her to lead him from the room and into another (он позволил ей вести себя = пошел покорно за ней из этой комнаты в другую) where a meal had been laid out for them both (где пища была выставлена /на столе/ = приготовлена для них обоих; to lay out — выкладывать, выставлять). The food — mainly fruit and forms of edible seaweed (пища — в основном фрукты и разновидности съедобных /морских/ водорослей; seaweed: sea — море; weed — сорная трава, сорняк) — was much closer to his taste (была намного ближе к его вкусу = больше подходила ему) than any Mabden food he had seen previously (чем любая мабденская еда, которую он видел раньше). He realised that he was very hungry and that he was deeply tired (он понял, что очень голоден и смертельно устал; deeply — глубоко; крайне, в высокой степени). His mind was confused (его душа была в смятении; mind — разум, ум; дух, душа; расположение духа; to confuse — смущать, приводить в беспорядок) and his only certainty was the hatred he still felt for Glandyth (и его единственной уверенностью было = он был уверен лишь в своей ненависти, /которую/ по-прежнему чувствовал к Гландиту) and the vengeance he intended to take as soon as possible (и в /жажде/ мести, /которую/ он намеревался осуществить как можно скорее).
edible [ˈedɪbl] confused [kənˈfju:zd] hatred [ˈheɪtrɪd] vengeance [ˈvenʤ (ə) ns]
The Margravine Rhalina seemed to understand his emotion. She lightly touched his arm.
`Come, Prince of Vadhagh. You must eat.
He allowed her to lead him from the room and into another where a meal had been laid out for them both. The food — mainly fruit and forms of edible seaweed — was much closer to his taste than any Mabden food he had seen previously. He realised that he was very hungry and that he was deeply tired. His mind was confused and his only certainty was the hatred he still felt for Glandyth and the vengeance he intended to take as soon as possible.
As they ate, they did not speak (когда они ели, они не разговаривали; to eat), but the Margravine watched his face the whole time (но маркграфиня смотрела ему в лицо все время) and once or twice she opened her lips as if to say something (и раз или два открывала губы, словно чтобы сказать что-то), but then seemed to decide against it (но потом, казалось, передумывала; to decide against — решить не делать что-то).
The room in which they ate was small (комната, в которой они ели, была небольшой) and hung with rich tapestries covered in fine embroidery (увешанной роскошными гобеленами с изящной/тонкой вышивкой; to cover — накрывать, покрывать; скрывать). As he finished his food and began to observe the details of the tapestry (когда он закончил с едой и начал рассматривать детали/элементы гобелена; to observe — наблюдать, вести /научные/ наблюдения; подмечать), the scenes thereon began to swim before his eyes (сцены, /изображенный/ на нем, стали расплываться у него перед глазами; thereon — на т ом, на этом; to swim — плавать, плыть; кружиться /о голове/). He looked questioningly at the Margravine, but her face was expressionless (он посмотрел вопросительно на маркграфиню, но ее лицо было спокойным; expressionless — невыразительный; expression — выражение). His head felt light and he had lost the use of his limbs (его голова ощущала легкость, а он потерял способность пользоваться своими конечностями = руки и ноги отказывались повиноваться; use — применение, /ис/пользование; способность или право пользования).
He tried to form words (он попытался произнести слова = заговорить; to form — придавать форму, строить, создавать), but they would not come (но слова не шли).
He had been drugged (его отравили; to drug — подмешивать яд или наркотики в пищу; давать наркотики).
embroidery [ɪmˈbrɔɪd (ə) rɪ] scene [si:n] questioningly [ˈkwesʧ (ə) nɪŋlɪ] limb [lɪm]
As they ate, they did not speak, but the Margravine watched his face the whole time and once or twice she opened her lips as if to say something, but then seemed to decide against it.
The room in which they ate was small and hung with rich tapestries covered in fine embroidery. As he finished his food and began to observe the details of the tapestry, the scenes thereon began to swim before his eyes. He looked questioningly at the Margravine, but her face was expressionless. His head felt light and he had lost the use of his limbs.
He tried to form words, but they would not come.
He had been drugged.
The woman had poisoned his food (женщина отравила его пищу).
Once again he had allowed himself to become a victim of the Mabden (снова он позволил себе стать жертвой мабденов). He rested his head on his arms (он положил голову на руки; to rest — покоиться, лежать; класть, прислонять) and fell, unwillingly, into a deep sleep (и погрузился, не желая того, в глубокий сон; unwillingly — неохотно, против воли).
Corum dreamed again (Корум снова увидел сон).
He saw Castle Erorn as he had left it when he had first ridden out (он видел замок Эрорн /таким/, каким он покинул его, когда впервые выехал = отправился в путь). He saw his father's wise face speaking (он увидел мудрое лицо отца, говорившего /что-то/) and strained to hear the words, but could not (и напряг /слух/, чтобы услышать слова, но не смог; to strain — напрягать/ся/). He saw his mother at work (он увидел свою мать за работой), writing her latest treatise on mathematics (писавшую свой последний труд по математике; treatise — трактат, научный труд). He saw his sisters dancing to his uncle's new music (он увидел своих сестер, танцевавших под новую музыку его дяди).
The atmosphere was joyful (атмосфера была радостной/счастливой).
treatise [ˈtri:tɪz] mathematics [, mæƟɪˈmætɪks] uncle [ʌŋkl] atmosphere [ˈætməsfɪə]
The woman had poisoned his food.
Once again he had allowed himself to become a victim of the Mabden. He rested his head on his arms and fell, unwillingly, into a deep sleep.
Corum dreamed again.
He saw Castle Erorn as he had left it when he had first ridden out. He saw his father's wise face speaking and strained to hear the words, but could not. He saw his mother at work, writing her latest treatise on mathematics. He saw his sisters dancing to his uncle's new music.
The atmosphere was joyful.
But now he realised that he could not understand their activities (но теперь он осознал, что не может понять их занятий). They seemed strange and pointless to him (они = их занятия казались ему странными и бессмысленными). They were like children playing, unaware that a savage beast stalked them (они были, словно играющие дети, не подозревающие, что дикий/свирепый зверь подкрался к ним; to stalk — подкрадываться; скрыто преследовать).
He tried to cry out — to warn them — but he had no voice (он попытался закричать — чтобы предупредить их — но у него не было голоса).
He saw fires begin to spring up in rooms (он видел, как огни = языки пламени начинают охватывать комнаты; to spring up — возникать; быстро расти) — saw Mabden warriors who had entered the unprotected gates (видел мабденских воинов, которые вошли через незащищенные ворота) without the inhabitants being in the least aware of their presence (без обитателей, хоть немного осознающих их присутствие = никто в замке ни о чем не подозревал; to be aware of — знать о, осознавать). Laughing among themselves (посмеиваясь /между собой/), the Mabden put the silk hangings and the furnishings to the torch (мабдены поджигали шелковые портьеры и мебель /факелом/; to put to the torch — предать огню; furnishings — предметы мебели, домашние принадлежности).
Now he saw his kinfolk again (теперь он увидел своих родных снова). They had become aware of the fires and were rushing to seek their source (они поняли, что /в замке/ пожар и бросились искать его источник; to become aware — ощущать; осознавать, понимать; to rush — бросаться, устремляться).
savage [ˈsævɪʤ] stalked [stɔ:kt] presence [ˈprez (ə) ns] source [sɔ:s]
But now he realised that he could not understand their activities. They seemed strange and pointless to him. They were like children playing, unaware that a savage beast stalked them.
He tried to cry out — to warn them — but he had no voice.
He saw fires begin to spring up in rooms — saw Mabden warriors who had entered the unprotected gates without the inhabitants being in the least aware of their presence. Laughing among themselves, the Mabden put the silk hangings and the furnishings to the torch.