famine ['fxmIn], authority [L'TOrItI], syllable ['sIlqbl]

And while they centred their looks on him, and in grim anticipation enjoyed the penalty he was to pay, Imber looked at them, and mused on their ways, and on their Law that never slept, but went on unceasing, in good times and bad, in flood and famine, through trouble and terror and death, and which would go on unceasing, it seemed to him, to the end of time. A man rapped sharply on a table, and the conversation droned away into silence. Imber looked at the man. He seemed one in authority, yet Imber divined the square-browed man who sat by a desk farther back to be the one chief over them all and over the man who had rapped. Another man by the same table uprose and began to read aloud from many fine sheets of paper. At the top of each sheet he cleared his throat, at the bottom moistened his fingers. Imber did not understand his speech, but the others did, and he knew that it made them angry. Sometimes it made them very angry, and once a man cursed him, in single syllables, stinging and tense, till a man at the table rapped him to silence.

For an interminable period the man read (мужчина читал бесконечное время = бесконечно долго). His monotonous, sing-song utterance lured Imber to dreaming (его монотонная, однообразная манера речи завлекла Имбера в мир грез; utterance — выражение в словах; манера говорить; to utter — издавать звук; произносить; излагать, выражать словами; to lure — завлекать, соблазнять; to dream — мечтать, грезить; быть в сонном состоянии), and he was dreaming deeply when the man ceased (и он глубоко дремал, когда мужчина закончил; to cease — переставать /делать что-либо/, прекращать/ся/). A voice spoke to him in his own Whitefish tongue (с ним на его собственном языке /племени/ Белой Рыбы заговорил голос), and he roused up (и он проснулся; to rouse up — пробуждаться, просыпаться), without surprise, to look upon the face of his sister's son (чтобы без удивления посмотреть на лицо сына его сестры), a young man who had wandered away years agone to make his dwelling with the whites (молодого человека, который ушел годы назад, чтобы жить с белыми).

"Thou dost not remember me (ты не помнишь меня)," he said greeting (в качестве = вместо приветствия сказал он; by way of — в виде, в качестве).

"Nay (нет, /помню/)," Imber answered (ответил Имбер). "Thou art Howkan who went away (ты Хаукан, который ушел). Thy mother be dead (твоя мать умерла)."

"She was an old woman (она была старая женщина)," said Howkan.

But Imber did not hear (но Имбер не слышал), and Howkan, with hand upon his shoulder, roused him again (и Хаукан, /положив/ руку ему на плечо, разбудил его снова).

period ['pIqrIqd], [pI'rJqd], monotonous [mq'nOtnqs], surprise [sq'praIz]

For an interminable period the man read. His monotonous, sing-song utterance lured Imber to dreaming, and he was dreaming deeply when the man ceased. A voice spoke to him in his own Whitefish tongue, and he roused up, without surprise, to look upon the face of his sister's son, a young man who had wandered away years agone to make his dwelling with the whites.

"Thou dost not remember me," he said by way of greeting.

"Nay," Imber answered. "Thou art Howkan who went away. Thy mother be dead."

"She was an old woman," said Howkan.

But Imber did not hear, and Howkan, with hand upon his shoulder, roused him again.

"I shall speak to thee what the man has spoken (я расскажу тебе, что сказал тот человек), which is the tale of the troubles thou hast done (что является перечнем бед, которые ты натворил; tale — счет, подсчет; количество) and which thou hast told (и которые ты поведал), O fool (о глупец), to the Captain Alexander (капитану Александеру). And thou shalt understand and say (а ты должен понять и сказать) if it be true talk or talk not true (правда этот рассказ или неправда; talk — рассказ, история). It is so commanded (так требуется; to command — требовать)."

Howkan had fallen among the mission folk (Хаукан попал к миссионерам; to fall among — попасть в какое-либо /обыкн. дурное/ общество; folk — люди, определенная группа людей) and been taught by them to read and write (и они научили его читать и писать; to teach — учить, обучать). In his hands he held the many fine sheets (в руках он держал то множество тонких листов; to hold — держать) from which the man had read aloud (которые читал вслух мужчина), and which had been taken down by a clerk (и которые были исписаны клерком; to take down — записывать) when Imber first made confession (когда Имбер впервые сделал признание), through the mouth of Jimmy (устами Джимми), to Captain Alexander (капитану Александеру). Howkan began to read (Хаукан начал читать). Imber listened for a space (Имбер слушал некоторое время), when a wonderment rose up in his face and he broke in abruptly (когда на его лице появилось изумление, и он вдруг прервал /Хаукана/; to break in — вмешаться /в разговор и т. п./; прервать /разговор/).

true [trH], folk [fquk], clerk [klRk]

"I shall speak to thee what the man has spoken, which is the tale of the troubles thou hast done and which thou hast told, O fool, to the Captain Alexander. And thou shalt understand and say if it be true talk or talk not true. It is so commanded."

Howkan had fallen among the mission folk and been taught by them to read and write. In his hands he held the many fine sheets from which the man had read aloud, and which had been taken down by a clerk when Imber first made confession, through the mouth of Jimmy, to Captain Alexander. Howkan began to read. Imber listened for a space, when a wonderment rose up in his face and he broke in abruptly.

"That be my talk, Howkan (это мой рассказ, Хаукан). Yet from thy lips it comes (однако он слетает с твоих губ) when thy ears have not heard (хотя твои уши не слышали; when — хотя, несмотря на, тогда как)."

Howkan smirked with self-appreciation (Хаукан самодовольно ухмыльнулся; appreciation — оценка /любая оценка как выражение мнения о достоинствах чего-либо или кого-либо/; высокая или положительная оценка). His hair was parted in the middle (его волосы были разделены посредине = были расчесаны на пробор). "Nay, from the paper it comes, O Imber (нет, о Имбер, это исходит из бумаги). Never have my ears heard (мои уши никогда не слышали /это/). From the paper it comes, through my eyes, into my head, and out of my mouth to thee (это идет с бумаги через мои глаза в голову, а из уст к тебе). Thus it comes (так это получается; to come — происходить; получаться)."

"Thus it comes (так это получается)? It be there in the paper (это там на бумаге)?" Imber's voice sank in whisperful awe (голос Имбера понизился до благоговейного шепота) as he crackled the sheets 'twixt[7] thumb and finger and stared at the charactery scrawled thereon (когда он похрустел листами между большим пальцем и указательным и вгляделся в символы, наспех написанные на нем; finger — палец на руке; charactery — символика, система знаков, символов; to scrawl — писать наспех). "It be a great medicine, Howkan (это — великое колдовство, Хаукан), and thou art a worker of wonders (а ты чудотворец; to work wonders — делать, демонстрировать чудеса)."

appreciation [q" prJSI'eISqn], thumb [TAm], charactery ['kxrqktqrI]