Mario Puzo - Крестный отец, часть 1. Английский язык с Марио Пьюзо.
When he had been made the acting Consigliori, the other powerful Sicilian families referred contemptuously (презрительно отзывались = стали называть; to refer [rıf∂:] – говорить, упоминать) to the Corleone family as the "Irish gang (ирландской бандой)." This had amused Hagen. It had also taught him (это заставило его понять) that he could never hope to succeed the Don as the head of the family business (что он не может надеяться стать когда-либо преемником Дона; to succeed [s∂k’si:d] – следовать за чем-либо, сменять; наследовать, быть преемником). But he was content. That had never been his goal (это никогда не было его целью, задачей), such an ambition would have been a "disrespect" to his benefactor (по отношению к его благодетелю [‘bænifækt∂]) and his benefactor's blood family.
After he passed the bar exam, Hagen married to start his own family. The bride was a young Italian girl from New Jersey, rare at that time for being a college graduate. After the wedding, which was of course held in the home of Don Corleone, the Don offered to support Hagen in any undertaking he desired, to send him law clients, furnish his office, start him in real estate.
Tom Hagen had bowed his head and said to the Don, "I would like to work for you."
The Don was surprised, yet pleased. "You know who I am?" he asked.
Hagen nodded. He hadn't really known the extent of the Don's power, not then. He did not really know in the ten years that followed until he was made the acting Consigliori after Genco Abbandando became ill. But he nodded and met the Don's eyes with his own. "I would work for you like your sons," Hagen said, meaning with complete loyalty, with complete acceptance of the Don's parental divinity. The Don, with that understanding which was even then building the legend of his greatness, showed the young man the first mark of fatherly affection since he had come into his household. He took Hagen into his arms for a quick embrace and afterward treated him more like a true son, though he would sometimes say, "Tom, never forget your parents," as if he were reminding himself as well as Hagen.
There was no chance that Hagen would forget. His mother had been near moronic and slovenly, so ridden by anemia she could not feel affection for her children or make a pretense of it. His father Hagen had hated. His mother's blindness before she died had terrified him and his own eye infection had been a stroke of doom. He had been sure he would go blind. When his father died, Tom Hagen's eleven-year-old mind had snapped in a curious way. He had roamed the streets like an animal waiting for death until the fateful day Sonny found him sleeping in the back of a hallway and brought him to his home. What had happened afterward was a miracle. But for years Hagen had had nightmares, dreaming he had grown to manhood blind, tapping a white cane, his blind children behind him tap-tapping with their little white canes as they begged in the streets. Some mornings when he woke the face of Don Corleone was imprinted on his brain in that first conscious moment and he would feel safe.
But the Don had insisted that he put in three years of general law practice in addition to his duties for the family business. This experience had proved invaluable later on, and also removed any doubts in Hagen's mind about working for Don Corleone. He had then spent two years of training in the offices of a top firm of criminal lawyers in which the Don had some influence. It was apparent to everyone that he had a flair for this branch of the law. He did well and when he went into the full-time service of the family business, Don Corleone had not been able to reproach him once in the six years that followed.
When he had been made the acting Consigliori, the other powerful Sicilian families referred contemptuously to the Corleone family as the "Irish gang." This had amused Hagen. It had also taught him that he could never hope to succeed the Don as the head of the family business. But he was content. That had never been his goal, such an ambition would have been a "disrespect" to his benefactor and his benefactor's blood family.
It was still dark (было все еще темно) when the plane landed in Los Angeles (приземлился). Hagen checked into his hotel (оформился в гостинице), showered and shaved (принял душ и побрился), and watched dawn (рассвет) come over the city. He ordered breakfast and newspapers to be sent up to his room (чтобы были присланы в номер) and relaxed until it was time for his ten A.M. appointment (пока не было пора отправляться на назначенную на десять утра встречу; to appoint [∂’poınt] – назначать) with Jack Woltz. The appointment had been surprisingly easy to make (удивительно = неожиданно легко было получить эту аудиенцию).
The day before (накануне), Hagen had called the most powerful man in the movie labor unions (в профсоюзах работников кино), a man named Billy Goff. Acting on instructions from Don Corleone, Hagen had told Goff to arrange an appointment (договориться о встрече; to arrange [∂’reındG] – приводить в порядок; устраивать) on the next day for Hagen to call on Jack Woltz, that he should hint to Woltz (намекнуть) that if Hagen was not made happy (если не будет удовлетворен: «сделан счастливым, довольным») by the results of the interview, there could be a labor strike at the movie studio (может быть забастовка). An hour later Hagen received a call from Goff. The appointment would be at ten A.M. Woltz had gotten the message about the possible labor strike (получил извещение о возможной забастовке) but hadn't seemed too impressed (но казался не слишком впечатленным), Goff said. He added, "If it really comes down to that (дойдет до этого), I gotta talk to the Don myself (= I got to talk – мне нужно будет поговорить)."
"If it comes to that he'll talk to you," Hagen said. By saying this he avoided making any promises (избежал делания каких-либо обещаний; to avoid [∂’voıd] – избегать, уклоняться; promise [‘promıs] – обещание). He was not surprised that Goff was so agreeable to the Don's wishes (такой согласный, податливый желаниям Дона; agreeable [∂’grı∂bl]; to agree – соглашаться). The family empire, technically, did not extend beyond the New York area (не простиралась за пределы Нью-Йоркской области; area [‘e∂rı∂]) but Don Corleone had first become strong by helping labor leaders (“впервые стал /по-настоящему/ сильным» = набрал истинную силу, /лишь/ помогая руководителям профсоюзов). Many of them still owed him debts of friendship (все еще были должны ему, обязаны ему долгом дружбы; debt [det] – долг).
But the ten A.M. appointment was a bad sign (плохой знак = дурная примета). It meant that he would be first on the appointment list, that he would not be invited to lunch (что он не будет приглашен на обед). It meant that Woltz held him in small worth (не придавал ему большого значения: «держал его в малой ценности»). Goff had not been threatening enough (не достаточно сильно угрожал: «был недостаточно угрожающ»; to threaten – [θretn]), probably (возможно) because Woltz had him on his graft payroll (в списке лиц, получающих взятки; graft [grα:ft] – взятка, подкуп, незаконные доходы; payroll – сумма, выплаченная служащим /за определенный период/). And sometimes the Don's success in keeping himself out of the limelight (то, что Дону так хорошо удавалось оставаться в тени; limelight – свет рампы) worked to the disadvantage of the family business (действовало во вред; advantage [æd’vα:ntıdG] – преимущество), in that his name did not mean anything to outside circles (тем, что его имя ничего не значило для «внешних кругов» = для непосвященных).
His analysis proved correct (его анализ оказался верным; analysis [∂’næl∂sıs]; to prove [pru:v] – доказывать, подтверждать). Woltz kept him waiting for a half hour past the appointed time (заставил его ждать более получаса /после назначенного времени/). Hagen didn't mind (не обиделся, ему было все равно). The reception room was very plush (роскошным, шикарным: «плюшевым»), very comfortable, and on a plum-colored couch (на темно-фиолетовой кушетке; plum – слива) opposite him (напротив него ['op∂zıt]) sat the most beautiful child Hagen had ever seen. She was no more than eleven or twelve, dressed in a very expensive but simple way as a grown woman. She had incredibly golden hair (невероятно золотистые волосы), huge deep sea-blue eyes and a fresh raspberry-red mouth (малинового цвета рот = губы; raspberry [‘rα:zb∂rı] – малина). She was guarded by a woman (сопровождалась: «охранялась»; to guard [gα:d]) obviously her mother (очевидно, ее матерью), who tried to stare Hagen down (которая старалась, пристально глядя на Хагена, заставить его потупиться; to stare down – смутить взглядом) with a cold arrogance (с холодным высокомерием ['ær∂g∂ns]; arrogant ['ær∂ug∂nt] – заносчивый, высокомерный) that made him want to punch her in the face (что вызывало у него желание двинуть ей кулаком в лицо; to punch – бить кулаком). The angel child and the dragon mother, Hagen thought, returning the mother's cold stare.
Finally an exquisitely dressed (изысканно одетая) but stout (полная) middle-aged woman came to lead him through a string of offices (через ряд офисов; string – веревка; последовательность) to the office-apartment of the movie producer. Hagen was impressed by the beauty of the offices and the people working in them. He smiled. They were all shrewdies (ловкачи, проныры: shrewdie; shrewd [∫ru:d] – пронизывающий, сильный /напр. о ветре/; сообразительный, быстро схватывающий), trying to get their foot in the movie door by taking office jobs, and most of them would work in these offices for the rest of their lives (всю оставшуюся жизнь) or until they accepted defeat (пока не признают: «примут» поражение; defeat [dı’fi:t]) and returned to their home towns.
It was still dark when the plane landed in Los Angeles. Hagen checked into his hotel, showered and shaved, and watched dawn come over the city. He ordered breakfast and newspapers to be sent up to his room and relaxed until it was time for his ten A.M. appointment with Jack Woltz. The appointment had been surprisingly easy to make.
The day before, Hagen had called the most powerful man in the movie labor unions, a man named Billy Goff. Acting on instructions from Don Corleone, Hagen had told Goff to arrange an appointment on the next day for Hagen to call on Jack Woltz, that he should hint to Woltz that if Hagen was not made happy by the results of the interview, there could be a labor strike at the movie studio. An hour later Hagen received a call from Goff. The appointment would be at ten A.M. Woltz had gotten the message about the possible labor strike but hadn't seemed too impressed, Goff said. He added, "If it really comes down to that, I gotta talk to the Don myself."
"If it comes to that he'll talk to you," Hagen said. By saying this he avoided making any promises. He was not surprised that Goff was so agreeable to the Don's wishes. The family empire, technically, did not extend beyond the New York area but Don Corleone had first become strong by helping labor leaders. Many of them still owed him debts of friendship.
But the ten A.M. appointment was a bad sign. It meant that he would be first on the appointment list, that he would not be invited to lunch. It meant that Woltz held him in small worth. Goff had not been threatening enough, probably because Woltz had him on his graft payroll. And sometimes the Don's success in keeping himself out of the limelight worked to the disadvantage of the family business, in that his name did not mean anything to outside circles.
His analysis proved correct. Woltz kept him waiting for a half hour past the appointed time. Hagen didn't mind. The reception room was very plush, very comfortable, and on a plum-colored couch opposite him sat the most beautiful child Hagen had ever seen. She was no more than eleven or twelve, dressed in a very expensive but simple way as a grown woman. She had incredibly golden hair, huge deep sea-blue eyes and a fresh raspberry-red mouth. She was guarded by a woman obviously her mother, who tried to stare Hagen down with a cold arrogance that made him want to punch her in the face. The angel child and the dragon mother, Hagen thought, returning the mother's cold stare.
Finally an exquisitely dressed but stout middle-aged woman came to lead him through a string of offices to the office-apartment of the movie producer. Hagen was impressed by the beauty of the offices and the people working in them. He smiled. They were all shrewdies, trying to get their foot in the movie door by taking office jobs, and most of them would work in these offices for the rest of their lives or until they accepted defeat and returned to their home towns.
Jack Woltz was a tall, powerfully built man (крепко: «мощно» скроенный, сложенный) with a heavy paunch (с «тяжелым» брюхом [po:nt∫]) almost concealed (почти скрытым) by his perfectly tailored suit (его превосходно сшитым костюмом [sju:t]). Hagen knew his history. At ten years of age Woltz had hustled empty beer kegs (катал бочки из-под пива; keg – бочонок /до 10 галлонов/; hustle [hLsl] – толкать, пихать, гнать вперед) and pushcarts (тележки: to push – толкать + cart – телега, повозка) on the East Side. At twenty he helped his father sweat garment workers (выжимать соки: «пот» из рабочих швейной промышленности; garment – одежда, предмет одежды). At thirty he had left New York and moved West, invested in the nickelodeon (вложил деньги в один из первых кинотеатров; nickelodeon – так назывались первые кинотеатры, в которых фильмы были лишь частью общего шоу и входная цена была 1 nickel = 5 cents) and pioneered motion pictures (и запустил кинопромышленность, стал одним из ее основателей). At forty-eight he had been the most powerful movie magnate in Hollywood, still rough-spoken (грубый в обращении), rapaciously amorous (алчный в любви; rapacious [r∂’peı∫∂s] – жадный, алчный; amorous [‘æm∂r∂s] – влюбчивый), a raging wolf (свирепствующий волк) ravaging helpless flocks of young starlets (пожирающий беззащитные стада молоденьких звездочек; to ravage ['rævıdG] – разорять, опустошать; грабить). At fifty he transformed himself (переменился). He took speech lessons (брал уроки дикции), learned how to dress from an English valet (у лакея, камердинера ['vælıt]) and how to behave socially (как вести себя в обществе: «общественно») from an English butler (у дворецкого, старшего лакея). When his first wife died he married a world-famous (на всемирно знаменитой) and beautiful actress who didn't like acting (которой не нравилось играть, сниматься). Now at the age of sixty he collected old master paintings (шедевры живописи), was a member of the President's Advisory Committee, and had set up a multimillion-dollar foundation (фонд) in his name to promote art in motion pictures (чтобы содействовать искусству в кино; to promote – выдвигать, продвигать; способствовать). His daughter had married an English lord, his son an Italian princess.
