He did not complain (он не жаловался). It was the way of life, and it was just (это было путем/манерой жизни, и это было справедливо). He had been born close to the earth (он родился близко к земле = на земле), close to the earth had he lived (на земле он жил), and the law thereof was not new to him (и этот закон ее не был новым для него). It was the law of all flesh (это был закон всего живого; all flesh — все живое: «вся плоть»
). Nature was not kindly to the flesh (природа не была добра к плоти). She had no concern for that concrete thing called the individual (она не имела интереса/заботы о том конкретном существе, называемом индивидуумом). Her interest lay in the species, the race (ее интерес состоит: «лежит» в виде, расе). This was the deepest abstraction old Koskoosh's barbaric mind was capable of (это была глубочайшая абстракция, /на которую/ примитивный ум старого Коскуша был способен), but he grasped it firmly (но он усвоил это твердо). He saw it exemplified in all life (он видел это, показанное на примере всей жизни; to exemplify — иллюстрировать, показывать на примере). The rise of the sap (подъем живительной силы /в растениях/; sap — сок /растений/), the bursting greenness of the willow bud (готовая распуститься зелень ивовой почки; to burst — лопаться; разрываться), the fall of the yellow leaf (опадание желтого листа) — in this alone was told the whole history (в этом одном была рассказана целая история). But one task did Nature set the individual (но одну задачу природа поставила перед живым существом). Did he not perform it, he died (/если/ оно не выполнило ее, оно умирало). Did he perform it, it was all the same, he died (/если/ выполнило ее — было то же самое — оно умирало). Nature did not care (природа была безразлична); there were plenty who were obedient (было множество /тех/, кто был послушен), and it was only the obedience in this matter (и только покорность в этом деле/вопросе: «материи»), not the obedient (а не /сами/ покорные), which lived and lived always (которая жила и жила всегда = и только покорность была вечной, а сами покорные умирали). The tribe of Koskoosh was very old (племя Коскуша было очень старым). The old men he had known when a boy (старики, которых он знал, когда /был/ мальчиком), had known old men before them (знали стариков до себя). Therefore it was true that the tribe lived (следовательно, это была правда, что племя жило), that it stood for the obedience of all its members (что оно означало покорность/подчинение всех своих членов; to stand for — поддерживать, стоять за; символизировать, означать, обозначать, значить), way down into the forgotten past (сколько бы ни отступать: «/весь/ путь вниз» в забытое прошлое), whose very resting-places were unremembered (чьи сами могилы = даже могилы которых были забыты). They did not count; they were episodes (они не в счет, они были эпизодами; to count — считать; иметь значение). They had passed away like clouds from a summer sky (они ушли, подобно облакам с летнего неба). He also was an episode, and would pass away (он также был эпизодом и уйдет /тоже/).
concern [kqn'sWn], barbaric [bR'bxrIk], obedience [q'bJdIqns]
He did not complain. It was the way of life, and it was just. He had been born close to the earth, close to the earth had he lived, and the law thereof was not new to him. It was the law of all flesh. Nature was not kindly to the flesh. She had no concern for that concrete thing called the individual. Her interest lay in the species, the race. This was the deepest abstraction old Koskoosh's barbaric mind was capable of, but he grasped it firmly. He saw it exemplified in all life. The rise of the sap, the bursting greenness of the willow bud, the fall of the yellow leaf — in this alone was told the whole history. But one task did Nature set the individual. Did he not perform it, he died. Did he perform it, it was all the same, he died. Nature did not care; there were plenty who were obedient, and it was only the obedience in this matter, not the obedient, which lived and lived always. The tribe of Koskoosh was very old. The old men he had known when a boy, had known old men before them. Therefore it was true that the tribe lived, that it stood for the obedience of all its members, way down into the forgotten past, whose very resting-places were unremembered. They did not count; they were episodes. They had passed away like clouds from a summer sky. He also was an episode, and would pass away.