Лучшие рассказы О. Генри = The Best of O. Henry
“The Bishop of Long Island,” said Morley, “was to meet me here at 8 to dine with me at the Kingfishers’ Club. But I can’t leave the father of my friend Sol Smothers alone on the street. By St. Swithin, Mr. Smothers, we Wall Street men have to work! Tired is no name for it! I was about to step across to the other corner and have a glass of ginger ale with a dash of sherry when you approached me. You must let me take you to Sol’s house, Mr. Smothers. But, before we take the car I hope you will join me in” —
An hour later Morley seated himself on the end of a quiet bench in Madison Square, with a twenty-five-cent cigar between his lips and $140 in deeply creased bills in his inside pocket. Content, light-hearted, ironical, keenly philosophic, he watched the moon drifting in and out amidst a maze of flying clouds. An old, ragged man with a low-bowed head sat at the other end of the bench.
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Примечания
1
The Four Million – at the time when the stories were written, the population of New York City was 4 million people
2
Coney – Coney Island, an amusement area in New York City
3
County Sligo – a county in northeastern Ireland
4
Punch and Judy – popular characters in the Punch-and-Judy puppet show; Punch is brutal and deceitful, and Judy is his wife.
5
palmist – a person who reads character, fate and the future by the lines of the palm
6
segar = cigar
7
the Dagoes – a contemptuous name of the Italians, Spaniards and the Portuguese
8
meerschaum – white clay-like substance, and a pipe made of it
9
idiosyncrasies – idiosyncrasy is a way of behavior or thinking peculiar to a person
10
physiognomy – the study of psychological characters by the features of the face and body structure
11
the Queen of Sheba (10th century BC) – in the Old Testament, a ruler of the Kingdom of Saba in Arabia who visited the legendary King Solomon of Israel to test his wisdom, and brought a caravan of gold, jewels and spices with her
12
a mammoth task = a tremendous task
13
cosmopolite – a person with wide experience of the world, free from national prejudices
14
garçons = waiters (French)
15
mélange = mixture (French)
16
Würzburger – a sort of beer
17
Mauch Chunk – a town in the state of Pennsylvania
18
table d’hôte – here: a set meal with a fixed price
19
Hyderabad – a city in south-central India
20
Kanakas – the Kanaka people, the South Pacific islanders
21
Presto! = Quickly!
22
‘Dixie’ – a popular song written by Daniel Emmett (1815–1904) in 1859; during the American Civil War (1861–1865) it used to be the anthem of the Confederacy of the South.
23
hie = hurry (archaic)
24
Mosby – John Singleton Mosby (1833–1916), a Confederacy guerrilla band leader during the American Civil War
25
Upernavik – a town in Greenland
26
Cincinnati – a town in Ohio
27
Battle Creek – a town in the state of Michigan
28
Yokohama – a city and port southwest of Tokyo in Japan
29
Zulus – the largest ethnic group in South Africa, a branch of the Bantu people
30
Patagonians – residents of Patagonia, a region in southern Argentina
31
the Kaw River – a river in Vietnam
32
Titans – in Greek mythology, giants, the children of Heaven and Earth
33
Maine – the US state in the north-east of the country
34
answers to Lawson – here: court decisions
35
Bohemians – representatives of Bohemia, usually an artistic circle
36
faux pas = a false step, a mistake (French)
37
pounds – pound is a unit of weight equal to 0.4535 kg
38
Palm Beach – a famous resort on the Atlantic coast in Florida
39
cicerone – a guide who describes to sightseers the places of interest
40
Tuskageenial – the word invented by the author from Tuskagee, a city in central Alabama, and genial (kindly, sociable)
41
lambrequins – the Baroque style ornaments; originally the mantling on a helmet to shield the wearer from the sun’s rays.
42
tocsin = poisonous
43
goblin – in Western folklore, a mischievous and malicious spirit attached to a household
44
Stygian – here: terrible; from Styx, in Greek mythology, a river in the underworld.
45
epicedian tears – here: mournful tears
46
Falstaff – a fictional character in Shakespeare’s ‘Henry IV’
47
Momus – in Greek mythology, the god of mockery
48
Avaunt! = Go away! Off with you!
49
Helen – Helen of Troy, a beauty, the cause of the Trojan War
50
Cassiopeia – a constellation in the Milky Way Galaxy
51
balustrade – a row of banisters to support a handrail on a balcony, staircase, etc.
52
Erebus – here: darkness; in Greek mythology, Erebus (Darkness) is the offspring of Chaos.
53
debility – weakness (of health)
54
Wagner – Richard Wagner (1813–1883), a German dramatic composer
55
Waldteufel – Emil Waldteufel (1887–1915), a French pianist and waltz composer
56
Oolong – a famous sort of Chinese tea
57
the Golden Gate – the strait in California between San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean
58
Hatteras – Cape Hatteras in North Carolina
59
Cape Horn – a rocky headland on the southern tip of South America in Chile
60
the Labrador – the Labrador current in North Atlantic Ocean, between Canada and Greenland
61
Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571) – a famous Florentine sculptor and goldsmith
62
inches – an inch is a unit of length equal to 2.54 cm
63
feet – pl. from foot; a unit of length equal to 30.48 cm
64
Astrakhan rug portieres – thick woolen curtains
65
Peoria – a city in central Illinois
66
parkscape – from park + landscape
67
the smile of the Cheshire cat – a very wide smile (idiom)
68
Paphian = sensual
69
typograph – a typewriter for the blind
70
the Battery – White Point Gardens in South Carolina with monuments and military relics
71
Gotham – a legendary village in Nottinghamshire in England; in English legend, Wise Men of Gotham were wise fools who pretended stupidity to avoid unwanted expenses.
72
Bellevue Hospital – a famous hospital in New York City
73
the Vesuvian Bay – the Bay of Naples in southern Italy with Vesuvius, an active volcano rising high above it
74
Boreas – in Greek mythology, the personification of the north wind
75
bluecoats – here: policemen
76
Blackwell’s – the name of the prison
77
the Riviera – the seacoast on the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France
78
Caesar (100 BC–44 BC) – a Roman ruler, general and dictator, assassinated by the group of conspirators
79
Brutus (85 BC–42 BC) – a Roman politician, one of the leaders in the conspiracy against Julius Caesar
80
Chablis – white wine of northern Burgundy in France, made of Chardonnay grapes
81
Camembert – cheese of Normandy, covered with white mold
82
Yale – a private university in New Haven, one of the oldest universities in the USA, founded in 1701
83
Hartford College – University of Hartford in Connecticut, founded in 1877
84
Arcadia – in Greek and Roman poetry and the Renaissance literature, the blessed country, paradise
85
Hendrik (Henry) Hudson (1565–1611) – an English navigator and explorer whose name was given to a river, a strait and a bay
86
Napoleon III (1808–1873) – president of the Second Republic of France, and since 1852 emperor of France
87
Minerva – in Roman religion, the goddess of handicrafts, profession and arts
88
the Palisades – high vertical rocks along the west side of the Hudson River
89
Yosemite – Yosemite Valley, a picturesque region in east-central California
90
Haydn – Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), a famous Austrian composer of the Classical style in music
91
Carnegie medal – the award given for heroic deeds, established by Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), a famous American industrialist and philanthropist
92
Morgan – John Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913), an American financier and industrialist
93
the Badgers – the nickname of the residents of Wisconsin, the US state in the Midwest
94
Chilcoot – a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains in Alaska; served as a way to the lands rich in gold.
95
Klondiker – here: a gold prospector; gold was found on the Klondike River in the late 1890s.
96
Pullmans – Pullman is a sleeping car designed by George Pullman (1831–1897), an American industrialist and inventor
97
Mount Saint Elias – a mountain range in the west of Alaska
98
Boadicea (1st century) – an ancient British queen who led the revolt against the Romans
99
the Bronx – the northern borough of the New York City
100
Mr. Kipling – Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936), an English writer and poet
101
Bryan – a city in east-central Texas, formally founded in 1855
102
Mont Pelée – an active volcano on one of the Caribbean islands
103
Bearoo – characters in Rudyard Kipling’s tales
104
Snakoo – characters in Rudyard Kipling’s tales
105
Tammanoo – characters in Rudyard Kipling’s tales
106
wootsey squidlums, etc. – pet names
107
Peau d’Espagne – a sort of soft cheese
108
Madison Square Garden – a sports arena in New York City, built in 1891
109
Mendelssohn – Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847), a German composer, conductor and pianist of the Romantic period
110
Epictetus (55–135) – a Greek philosopher; his teaching was later recorded by Arrian, his pupil.
111
prestidigitator = juggler
112
the Campbells – Campbell is the name of the company producing foodstuff
113
sulphur-coloured = yellow
114
bonbon – a sweet
115
laudanum – sedative drug
116
paregoric – analgesic drug
117
glacé = icy, with frozen heart (French)
118
menstruum = solvent
119
socotrine aloes – different medicines
120
valerianate of ammonia – different medicines
121
gum benzoin – different medicines
122
Lochinvar – the main character of Walter Scott’s ballade who stole his beloved one on the very day of her wedding
123
Morpheus – in Greco-Roman mythology, the god of sleep
124
Elysium – in Greek mythology, the paradise to which immortal heroes were sent
125
Mammon – the god of wealth and greed
126
Eureka – here: a brand of soap
127
the Rambler – the name of a ship
128
the Bahamas – an archipelago of nearly 700 islands to the north of Cuba
129
Larchmont – a town in the state of New York
130
Wallack’s – a theatre in New York City, founded in 1852 by James William Wallack (1795–1864), a leading American actor and theatre manager.
131
Mazuma – here: Mammon
132
Greely – Adolphus Washington Greely (1844–1935), an American explorer of the Arctic
133
à la carte = for choice, at smb’s option
134
Hackett – a theatre in New York City, named for James Henry Hackett (1800–1871), a famous American actor.
135
per diem = a day (Latin)
136
entrées = the main course (French)
137
dimuendo con amore = gently dying away (Latin)
138
thanatopsis – here: drowsiness, laziness, lethargy
139
lethean = granting forgetfulness
140
Mukden – a city in northeastern China, the scene of the famous Battle of Mukden in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese war of 1904–1905
141
‘The Cloister and the Hearth’ – a historical novel by Charles Reade (1814–1884), an English novelist, dramatist and theatre manager
142
the Prodigal Son – a biblical character of the Old Testament
143
Crusades – participants of the Crusades, military expeditions of the 11th–13th centuries to the Holy Land, organized by the Catholic Church
144
Palisades – here: sward-bearers
145
the Sidereal System = the Star System, the Galaxy
146
Rudolf Steiner – the name of the main character coincides with the name of the famous Austrian spiritualist and the founder of antroposophy (the philosophy based on the ability of human intellect to contact spiritual worlds) Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925)
147
table d’hôte – here: a cheap restaurant with set meals for a fixed price
148
Miss Libbey – Lora Jean Libbey (1862–1924), an American writer, the author of sentimental novels
149
babel = noise
150
Himmel! = Heavens! (German)
151
Jehu – a commander of chariots, and later, in 842 BC–815 BC, the king of Israel
152
Jupiter – in Roman mythology, the chief god
153
hymeneal – adj wedding; Hymen, in Greek mythology, was the god of marriage.
154
Steeple Jack = steeplejack
155
hansom – a two-wheeled closed carriage with an elevated driver’s seat, designed by Joseph Hansom in 1834
156
foulard – light silk fabric, originally made in the Far East
157
al fresco = in the open air (Italian)
158
Tophet – an ancient ritual burial site in the eastern Mediterranean
159
radium – a radioactive silvery white metal
160
Gabriel – one of the archangels, the messenger of God; Archangel Gabriel is revered in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
161
black and collars that buttoned behind – attire of the Protestant clergymen
162
in the ledger kept by G – here: in the book of God
163
Reverend Doctor – ‘the Reverend’ is the title of a clergyman in the Western Churches.
164
medulla oblongata – the lowest part of the brain at the base of the scull (Latin)
165
General Kitchener – Horatio Herbert Kitchener (1850–1916), a British field marshal and administrator; Kitchener became a symbol of national military victories.
166
William Muldoon (1852–1933) – an American wrestling and boxing champion and trainer
167
the Duchess of Marlborough – Sarah Jennings (1660–1744), the wife of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and a close friend of Queen Ann of Great Britain (1669–1714)
168
oleograph – a colour lithograph, a most popular method of colour reproduction in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries
169
caliph – a ruler of a Muslim country, usually powerful and rich
170
Cupid – in Roman mythology, the god of love
171
fauns – in Roman mythology, half-men and half-goats, gods of the woods and the fields
172
hamadryads – nymphs living inside trees and dying with them
173
Philomel – the brand name of a hand organ, the musical instrument generating sounds
174
acres – acre is a square measure equal to 4050 square metres
175
Croesus (6th century BC) – the last king of Lydia, an ancient country on the Aegean Sea, known for his great wealth
176
Eden – in the Old Testament, the biblical paradise on the Earth where the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, lived
177
incog. = incognito – with concealed identity, under an assumed name
178
bunco steerer – here: swindler
179
Fortunatus – Venantius Fortunatus (540–600), a French bishop and poet, the author of Latin poems and hymns
180
horologue = chronograph, a device for measuring time
181
Rubberneck Auto – a tour bus for sightseers; rubberneck means to drive slowly to be able to see the places of interest.
182
Russell Sage (1816–1906) – an American financier who took part in organizing the US railroad and telegraph
183
the Rialto – Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal in Venice, built in the 16th century, with a broad deck carrying two arcades of shops
184
the Harlem River – a river in Harlem, the district in central New York City, with no fixed boundaries
185
H. P. = horse power
186
Epictetian philosophy – in Greek and Roman history, the philosophy of stoicism characterized by tranquility of mind and the mode of life based on certain moral principles
187
cardiaphone – the device for listening to the work of a human heart and other most subtle sounds
188
Bluebeard – a fictional character in European, Eastern and African folklore and Charles Perrault’s tale; he killed everybody who risked to enter the locked and forbidden room.
189
mfg. = manufacturing
190
wot = know (obsolete)
191
anthropology – the science which studies humanity in different aspects: biological, historical, cultural, evolutional, etc.
192
harlequin – one of the main characters in the Italian comedy of arts, a witty manservant
193
sacque = sack – here: a wide coat
194
Patrolman – a patrol policeman
195
a plain clothes man – an agent or detective (not wearing uniform)
196
hall bedroom – a one-room flat
197
the Flatrion Building – a famous skyscraper in Broadway, built in 1902
198
the great cathedral in Milan – Cathedral of Milan, a fine example of Gothic architecture, one of the largest churches in Europe, built in the 14th–15th centuries
199
regalia – emblems or decorations used at some occasions
200
début – the first appearance in society
201
bon vivants – people leading a merry life and enjoying it
202
habitués – usual customers or visitors
203
tulle – a party dress made of tulle, an extremely fine and soft fabric
204
vespertine – adj evening
205
cheviot – woolen fabric, slightly rough and heavy
206
beau monde – the best society, the elite
207
cotillions – cotillion is the 18th–19th century French court dance
208
wigwams – wigwam is a North American Indian dwelling consisting of a dome-shaped framework covered with mats
209
the tribe of the Manhattans – a North American Indian tribe that used to inhabit the island until 1626 when Manhattan was sold to the Dutch
210
the highway of Mammon and the auxiliary gods – here: the place where the rich live; Mammon is an ancient god of wealth.
211
to do de Johny act – here: to chase after a woman, to misbehave
212
diaphanous = semitransparent, translucent
213
troubadour – a lyric poet in Italy, France and Spain in the 11th–13th centuries
214
conservatory – a hot-house with glass roof and walls to protect plants from cold
215
impresario – a manager or sponsor of an actor, singer, etc. or an entertainment
216
calico – cotton fabric with plain designs, originated in Calicut, India, in the 11th century
217
ragtime – a musical style predominant in American popular music in the late 19th – early 20th century
218
lares et penates = native home (French)
219
polychromatic = multi-coloured
220
Huguenot – the French Protestant in the 16th–17th centuries
221
Psyche = Soul (Greek) – the personification of a human soul; in Greco-Roman mythology, a beautiful princess who aroused Cupid’s love.
222
Amazonian – from Amazon, in Greek mythology, a representative of the race of woman warriors who lived in the Black Sea area