великолепно и странно это кажется) — I AM KING (я король)!'
Our friends threaded their way slowly (наши друзья прокладывали свой путь медленно) through the throngs upon the Bridge (сквозь толпы на мосту). This structure (эта постройка), which had stood for six hundred years (которая стояла шестьсот лет), and had been a noisy and populous thoroughfare (и была шумной и людной проезжей дорогой) all that time (все это время), was a curious affair (была любопытным делом), for a closely packed rank of stores and shops (ибо плотно набитый ряд лавок и магазинов), with family quarters overhead (с квартирами семей на втором этаже: «над головой»), stretched along (протянулся вдоль) both sides of it (обеих его сторон), from one bank of the river to the other (от одного берега реки до другого). The Bridge was a sort of town to itself (мост был чем-то вроде города сам по себе); it had its inn (он имел свой постоялый двор), its beerhouses (свои пивные), its bakeries (свои пекарни), its haberdasheries (свои мелочные лавки), its food markets (свои продуктовые рынки), its manufacturing industries (свои мануфактурные производства), and even its church (и даже свою церковь). It looked upon the two neighbors which it linked together (он смотрел на двух соседей, которые он соединял вместе) — London and Southwark (Лондон и Саутуорк) — as being well enough (как (на) бывшие вполне неплохими), as suburbs (как пригороды), but not otherwise particularly important (иначе же не особенно важные). It was a close corporation, so to speak (это была закрытая корпорация, так сказать); it was a narrow town (это был узкий город), of a single street a fifth of a mile long (из одной улицы длиной в пятую часть мили), its population was but a village population (его население было размером с деревню: «лишь деревенским населением»), and everybody in it knew all his fellow-townsmen intimately (и каждый в нем знал всех своих сограждан близко; to know — знать), and had known their fathers and mothers before them (и знал их отцов и матерей до них) — and all their little family affairs into the bargain (и все их маленькие семейные дела в придачу; bargain — сделка). It had its aristocracy (у него была своя аристократия), of course (конечно) — its fine old families of butchers (его прекрасные старые семьи мясников), and bakers (и пекарей), and what not (и так далее), who had occupied the same old premises (которые занимали те же самые старые помещения) for five or six hundred years (пятьсот или шестьсот лет), and knew the great history of the Bridge from beginning to end (и знали великую историю Моста от начала до конца), and all its strange legends (и все его странные легенды); and who always talked bridgy talk (и которые говорили на «мостовом» наречии), and thought bridgy thoughts (и думали «мостовые» мысли), and lied in a long, level, direct, substantial bridgy way (и врали длинным, одинаковым, уравновешенным, основательным «мостовым» образом). It was just the sort of population to be narrow and ignorant and self-conceited (это было как раз такое население, чтобы быть узколобым: «узким», и невежественным, и спесивым). Children were born on the Bridge (дети рождались на Мосту), were reared there (были воспитаны там), grew to old age and finally died (дорастали = доживали до старого возраста и наконец уирали) without ever having set a foot (так никогда и не опустив ногу) upon any part of the world but London Bridge alone (на какую-либо часть света, кроме одного Лондонского моста). Such people would naturally imagine (такие люди естественно воображали бы) that the mighty and interminable procession which moved through its street night and day (что могучая и нескончаемая процессия, которая двигалась через его улицу ночь и день), with its confused roar of shouts and cries (со своим беспорядочным гулом криков и возгласов), its neighings and bellowings and bleatings (своим ржанием коней, мычанием коров, блеянием овец) and its muffled thunder-tramp (и своим приглушенным громовым топотом), was the one great thing in this world (была единственной великой вещью в мире), and themselves somehow the proprietors of it (а сами они — каким-то образом владельцы ее). And so they were in effect (и так они были = и так они и делали в сущности) — at least they could exhibit it from their windows (по крайней мере, они могли выставить это из окон), and did (и делали /так/) — for a consideration (за вознаграждение) — whenever a returning king or hero gave it a fleeting splendor (каждый раз когда возвращающийся король или герой придавал ему мимолетное великолепие), for there was no place like it (потому что не было места как это = другого такого места) for affording (для позволения = где был бы возможно) a long, straight, uninterrupted view of marching columns (длинное, прямое, непрерывное зрелище марширующих колонн).
blur [blə:], butcher [`butSə], exhibit [ıg`zıbıt]
AS soon as Miles Hendon and the little prince were clear of the mob, they struck down through back lanes and alleys toward the river. Their way was unobstructed until they approached London Bridge; then they plowed into the multitude again, Hendon keeping a fast grip upon the prince's — no, the king's — wrist. The tremendous news was already abroad, and the boy learned it from a thousand voices at once — 'The king is dead!' The tidings struck a chill to the heart of the poor little waif, and sent a shudder through his frame. He realized the greatness of his loss, and was filled with a bitter grief; for the grim tyrant who had been such a terror to others had always been gentle with him. The tears sprung to his eyes and blurred all objects. For an instant he felt himself the most forlorn, outcast, and forsaken of God's creatures — then another cry shook the night with its far-reaching thunders: 'Long live King Edward the Sixth!' and this made his eyes kindle, and thrilled him with pride to his fingers' ends. 'Ah,' he thought, 'how grand and strange it seems — I AM KING!'
Our friends threaded their way slowly through the throngs upon the Bridge. This structure, which had stood for six hundred years, and had been a noisy and populous thoroughfare all that time, was a curious affair, for a closely packed rank of stores and shops, with family quarters overhead, stretched along both sides of it, from one bank of the river to the other. The Bridge was a sort of town to itself; it had its inn, its beerhouses, its bakeries, its haberdasheries, its food markets, its manufacturing industries, and even its church. It looked upon the two neighbors which it linked together — London and Southwark — as being well enough, as suburbs, but not otherwise particularly important. It was a close corporation, so to speak; it was a narrow town, of a single street a fifth of a mile long, its population was but a village population, and everybody in it knew all his fellow-townsmen intimately, and had known their fathers and mothers before them — and all their little family affairs into the bargain. It had its aristocracy, of course — its fine old families of butchers, and bakers, and what not, who had occupied the same old premises for five or six hundred years, and knew the great history of the Bridge from beginning to end, and all its strange legends; and who always talked bridgy talk, and thought bridgy thoughts, and lied in a long, level, direct, substantial bridgy way. It was just the sort of population to be narrow and ignorant and self-conceited. Children were born on the Bridge, were reared there, grew to old age and finally died without ever having set a foot upon any part of the world but London Bridge alone. Such people would naturally imagine that the mighty and interminable procession which moved through its street night and day, with its confused roar of shouts and cries, its neighings and bellowings and bleatings and its muffled thunder-tramp, was the one great thing in this world, and themselves somehow the proprietors of it. And so they were in effect — at least they could exhibit it from their windows, and did — for a consideration — whenever a returning king or hero gave it a fleeting splendor, for there was no place like it for affording a long, straight, uninterrupted view of marching columns.
Men born and reared upon the Bridge (люди, родившиеся и воспитанные на мосту) found life unendurably dull and inane elsewhere (находили жизнь невыносимо скучной и пустой в других местах). History tells of one of these (история рассказывает об одном из них) who left the Bridge at the age of seventy-one (который покинул Мост в возрасте 71 года; to leave — покидать) and retired to the country (и ушел на покой в деревню). But he could only fret and toss (но он мог только мучаться и ворочаться) in his bed (в своей постели); he could not go to sleep (он не мог заснуть), the deep stillness was so painful, so awful, so oppressive (глубокая тишина была такой болезненной, такой ужасной, такой давящей). When he was worn out with it (когда он был измотан этим; to wear — носить), at last (наконец), he fled back to his old home (он убежал назад в свой старый дом; to flee — спасаться бегством), a lean and haggard specter (худой и изможденный призрак), and fell peacefully (и упал мирно) to rest and pleasant dreams (на покой = упокоился и приятные сны) under the lulling music (под убаюкивающую музыку) of the lashing waters (плескающихся вод) and the boom and crash and thunder of London Bridge (и шум, грохот и гром Лондонского моста).
In the times of which we are writing (во времена, о которых мы пишем), the Bridge furnished 'object lessons' (Мост поставлял «предметные уроки» = наглядные пособия) in English history (по английской истории), for its children (для своих детей) — namely, the livid and decaying heads of renowned men impaled upon iron spikes atop of its gateways (а именно посиневшие и разлагающиеся головы знаменитых людей, надетые на железные палки, которые торчали над воротами моста). But we digress (но мы отклоняемся от темы).