Mario Puzo - Крестный отец, часть 1. Английский язык с Марио Пьюзо.
8 Hagen worked quickly and efficiently for the next three hours consolidating earning reports from the Don's real estate company, his olive oil importing business and his construction firm. None of them were doing well but with the war over they should all become rich producers. He had almost forgotten the Johnny Fontane problem when his secretary told him California was calling. He felt a little thrill of anticipation as he picked up the phone and said, "Hagen here."
9 The voice that came over the phone was unrecognizable with hate and passion. "You fucking bastard," Woltz screamed. "I'll have you all in jail for a hundred years. I'll spend every penny I have to get you. I'll get that Johnny Fontane's balls cut off, do you hear me, you guinea fuck?"
10 Hagen said kindly, "I'm German-Irish." There was a long pause and then a click of the phone being hung up. Hagen smiled. Not once had Woltz uttered a threat against Don Corleone himself. Genius had its rewards.
1 Jack Woltz always slept alone. He had a bed big enough for ten people and a bedroom large enough for a movie ballroom scene, but he had slept alone since the death of his first wife ten years before. This did not mean he no longer used women. He was physically a vigorous man (крепкий; vigorous – сильный, энергичный ['vıg∂r∂s]) despite his age (несмотря на свой возраст), but he could be aroused (возбужден) now only by very young girls and had learned that a few hours in the evening were all the youth of his body and his patience could tolerate (это все, что молодость /то, что от нее осталось/ его тела и его терпение могли вынести; to tolerate – терпеть, сносить).
2 On this Thursday morning, for some reason, he awoke early. The light of dawn (рассвета) made his huge bedroom as misty as a foggy meadowland (в дымке и в тумане: «дымчатой и туманной», как низинные луга; meadow [‘med∂u] – луг, низина, пойменная земля). Far down at the foot of his bed was a familiar shape and Woltz struggled up on his elbows (с трудом приподнялся на локтях) to get a clearer look. It had the shape of a horse's head. Still groggy (еще не придя в себя; groggy – любящий пропустить рюмочку, хмельной; шаткий, непрочный), Woltz reached (протянул руку) and flicked on the night table lamp (включил; to flick – слегка ударить /быстрым, легким движением; щелкнуть/).
3 The shock of what he saw made him physically ill. It seemed as if a great sledgehammer (кувалда: sledge – сани; кувалда + hammer – молот) had struck him on the chest (ударила его в грудь), his heartbeat jumped erratically (неравномерно; erratic [ı'rætık] – переменчивый, непостоянный: «блуждающий») and he became nauseous (его начало тошнить; nauseous ['no:sj∂s] – тошнотворный; nausea ['no:sj∂] – тошнота). His vomit (рвота ['vomıt]) spluttered on the thick flair rug (расплескалась, разбрызгалась по его толстому, стильному, шикарному ковру; flair – чутье; вкус; стиль).
4 Severed from its body (отделенная, отрезанная: to sever [‘sev∂]), the black silky head of the great horse Khartoum was stuck fast (крепко сидела, торчала, увязла; to stick – втыкать, насаживать) in a thick cake of blood. White, reedy tendons showed (виднелись белые, жесткие сухожилия; reed – камыш, тростник). Froth covered the muzzle (пена покрывала морду) and those apple-sized eyes that had glinted like gold, were mottled (были покрыты крапинками, испещрены; mottle – крапинка, пятнышко) the color of rotting fruit (цвета гниющих плодов) with dead, hemorrhaged blood. Woltz was struck by a purely animal terror (поражен чисто животным ужасом, страхом) and out of that terror he screamed for his servants and out of that terror he called Hagen to make his uncontrolled threats. His maniacal raving (бред, несвязная речь; to rave – говорить несвязно, слишком возбужденно) alarmed the butler (встревожила дворецкого), who called Woltz's personal physician (врача) and his second in command at the studio (и его заместителя). But Woltz regained his senses (пришел в себя: «обрел снова, вернул чувства») before they arrived.
5 He had been profoundly (глубоко) shocked. What kind of man could destroy an animal (погубить: «разрушить») worth six hundred thousand dollars? Without a word of warning (предупреждения; to warn – предупреждать). Without any negotiation to have the act, its order, countermanded (не дав возможности, после переговоров, отменить, приостановить приказ). The ruthlessness (беспощадность; ruthless – безжалостный), the sheer disregard for any values (совершенное неуважение, непринятие во внимание каких-либо ценностей; sheer – абсолютный, полнейший), implied a man (предполагало, подразумевало; to imply) who considered himself completely his own law, even his own God. And a man who backed up (подкреплял, обеспечивал выполнение; to back up – поддерживать: «подпирать») this kind of will with the power and cunning (хитростью, коварством) that held his own stable security force of no account («считали за ничто его охрану» = перед которыми охрана его конюшен была просто ничто). For by this time Woltz had learned that the horse's body had obviously been heavily drugged (напичкано снотворным) before someone leisurely hacked the huge triangular head off with an ax (спокойно, не спеша оттяпал треугольную голову топором; leisure [‘leG∂] – досуг; triangle [‘traıæŋgl] – треугольник). The men on night duty (которые были на ночном дежурстве) claimed (заявляли, утверждали) that they had heard nothing. To Woltz this seemed impossible. They could be made to talk (их можно заставить говорить). They had been bought off (были подкуплены, от них откупились; to buy off – откупаться) and they could be made to tell who had done the buying.
1 Jack Woltz always slept alone. He had a bed big enough for ten people and a bedroom large enough for a movie ballroom scene, but he had slept alone since the death of his first wife ten years before. This did not mean he no longer used women. He was physically a vigorous man despite his age, but he could be aroused now only by very young girls and had learned that a few hours in the evening were all the youth of his body and his patience could tolerate.
2 On this Thursday morning, for some reason, he awoke early. The light of dawn made his huge bedroom as misty as a foggy meadowland. Far down at the foot of his bed was a familiar shape and Woltz struggled up on his elbows to get a clearer look. It had the shape of a horse's head. Still groggy, Woltz reached and flicked on the night table lamp.
3 The shock of what he saw made him physically ill. It seemed as if a great sledgehammer had struck him on the chest, his heartbeat jumped erratically and he became nauseous. His vomit spluttered on the thick flair rug.
4 Severed from its body, the black silky head of the great horse Khartoum was stuck fast in a thick cake of blood. White, reedy tendons showed. Froth covered the muzzle and those apple-sized eyes that had glinted like gold, were mottled the color of rotting fruit with dead, hemorrhaged blood. Woltz was struck by a purely animal terror and out of that terror he screamed for his servants and out of that terror he called Hagen to make his uncontrolled threats. His maniacal raving alarmed the butler, who called Woltz's personal physician and his second in command at the studio. But Woltz regained his senses before they arrived.
5 He had been profoundly shocked. What kind of man could destroy an animal worth six hundred thousand dollars? Without a word of warning. Without any negotiation to have the act, its order, countermanded. The ruthlessness, the sheer disregard for any values, implied a man who considered himself completely his own law, even his own God. And a man who backed up this kind of will with the power and cunning that held his own stable security force of no account. For by this time Woltz had learned that the horse's body had obviously been heavily drugged before someone leisurely hacked the huge triangular head off with an ax. The men on night duty claimed that they had heard nothing. To Woltz this seemed impossible. They could be made to talk. They had been bought off and they could be made to tell who had done the buying.
1 Woltz was not a stupid man, he was merely a supremely egotistical one (только крайне: «в высшей степени» эгоистичный; supreme [sju'pri:m] – высший, высочайший). He had mistaken the power he wielded in his world to be more potent than the power of Don Corleone. He had merely needed some proof (доказательство) that this was not true. He understood this message. That despite all his wealth, despite all his contacts with the President of the United States, despite all his claims of friendship with the director of the FBI, an obscure importer of Italian olive oil (obscure [∂b’skju∂] – темный, тусклый, плохо освещенный; незаметный, никому не известный) would have him killed (мог бы его убить). Would actually have him killed! Because he wouldn't give Johnny Fontane a movie part he wanted. It was incredible. People didn't have any right to act that way. There couldn't be any kind of world if people acted that way. It was insane (безумно, абсурдно [ın'seın]). It meant you couldn't do what you wanted with your own money, with the companies you owned, the power you had to give orders. It was ten times worse than communism. It had to be smashed (это должно бы быть сокрушено). It must never be allowed (это никогда, вовсе не должно быть позволено).
2 Woltz let the doctor give him a very mild sedation (легкое успокоительное; mild [maıld] – мягкий, спокойный; неострый, некрепкий). It helped him calm down again (успокоиться) and to think sensibly (разумно). What really shocked him was the casualness (легкость /поступка/; casually – ненароком, мимоходом) with which this man Corleone had ordered the destruction of a world-famous horse worth six hundred thousand dollars. Six hundred thousand dollars! And that was just for openers (только начало; opener – начальное событие /в серии событий/; for openers – для начала). Woltz shuddered (содрогнулся). He thought of this life he had built up. He was rich. He could have the most beautiful women in the world by crooking his finger (поманив пальцем: «согнув палец») and promising a contract. He was received by kings and queens. He lived a life as perfect as money and power could make it. It was crazy to risk all this because of a whim (из-за каприза). Maybe he could get to Corleone. What was the legal penalty for killing a race-horse? He laughed wildly and his doctor and servants watched him with nervous anxiety (с беспокойством, тревогой [æŋg’zaı∂tı]). Another thought occurred to him (пришла: «случилась» ему в голову). He would be the laughingstock (посмешищем) of California merely because someone had contemptuously defied his power (презрительно бросил вызов его власти; to defy [dı’faı] – вызывать, бросать вызов) in such arrogant fashion (таким высокомерным, наглым образом). That decided him (это решило дело, заставило его принять решение). That and the thought that maybe, maybe they wouldn't kill him. That they had something much more clever and painful in reserve (хитрое и болезненное в запасе).
3 Woltz gave the necessary orders. His personal confidential staff swung into action (его личная доверенная команда бросилась выполнять). The servants and the doctor were sworn to secrecy (поклялись хранить тайну, принесли присягу о соблюдении секретности) on pain of incurring the studio's and Woltz's undying enmity (под угрозой навлечения на себя вечной вражды; to incur [ın’k∂:] – подвергаться, навлекать на себя). Word was given to the press that the racehorse Khartoum had died of an illness contracted during his shipment from England (от болезни, полученной при его переправке). Orders were given to bury the remains (захоронить останки) in a secret place on the estate (на территории имения).
4 Six hours later Johnny Fontane received a phone call from the executive producer (от исполнительного директора) of the film telling him to report for work (явиться на работу; to report – сообщать; докладывать; являться, представать) the following Monday.
1 Woltz was not a stupid man, he was merely a supremely egotistical one. He had mistaken the power he wielded in his world to be more potent than the power of Don Corleone. He had merely needed some proof that this was not true. He understood this message. That despite all his wealth, despite all his contacts with the President of the United States, despite all his claims of friendship with the director of the FBI, an obscure importer of Italian olive oil would have him killed. Would actually have him killed! Because he wouldn't give Johnny Fontane a movie part he wanted. It was incredible. People didn't have any right to act that way. There couldn't be any kind of world if people acted that way. It was insane. It meant you couldn't do what you wanted with your own money, with the companies you owned, the power you had to give orders. It was ten times worse than communism. It had to be smashed. It must never be allowed.
