Английский язык с Ф. Скоттом Фитцджеральдом. Алмаз величиной в отель «Риц» / Francis Scott Fitzgerald. The Diamond As Big As The Ritz

After breakfast, John found his way out the great marble entrance, and looked curiously at the scene before him. The whole valley, from the diamond mountain to the steep granite cliff five miles away, still gave off a breath of golden haze which hovered idly above the fine sweep of lawns and lakes and gardens. Here and there clusters of elms made delicate groves of shade, contrasting strangely with the tough masses of pine forest that held the hills in a grip of dark-blue green. Even as John looked he saw three fawns in single file patter out from one clump about a half mile away and disappear with awkward gayety into the black-ribbed half-light of another. John would not have been surprised to see a goat-foot piping his way among the trees or to catch a glimpse of pink nymph-skin and flying yellow hair between the greenest of the green leaves.

In some such cool hope he descended the marble steps (с подобной дерзкой надеждой /в душе/ он спустился по мраморным ступеням; cool — прохладный; невозмутимый; наглый, нахальный), disturbing faintly the sleep of two silky Russian wolfhounds at the bottom (слегка потревожив сон двух русских борзых с шелковистой шерстью /лежавших/ внизу; silk — шелк), and set off along a walk of white and blue brick (и пошел по дорожке из белого и синего кирпича) that seemed to lead in no particular direction (которая вела неведомо куда: «казалось, не вела ни в каком определенном направлении»).

He was enjoying himself as much as he was able (он наслаждался /окружающим/ так сильно, как только мог). It is youth's felicity as well as its insufficiency (в том то и счастье и ущербность молодости; sufficiency — достаточность; sufficient — достаточный) that it can never live in the present (что она не умеет жить настоящим), but must always be measuring up the day against its own radiantly imagined future (но всегда должна соизмерять /нынешний/ день со своим лучезарным воображаемым будущем) — flowers and gold (цветы и золото), girls and stars (девушки и звезды), they are only prefigurations and prophecies of that incomparable, unattainable young dream (лишь прообразы и пророчества этой несравненной и недостижимой юношеской мечты).

wolfhound ['wVlfhaVnd], able [eIbl], present /сущ./ [prez(q)nt]

In some such cool hope he descended the marble steps, disturbing faintly the sleep of two silky Russian wolfhounds at the bottom, and set off along a walk of white and blue brick that seemed to lead in no particular direction.

He was enjoying himself as much as he was able. It is youth's felicity as well as its insufficiency that it can never live in the present, but must always be measuring up the day against its own radiantly imagined future — flowers and gold, girls and stars, they are only prefigurations and prophecies of that incomparable, unattainable young dream.

John rounded a soft corner (прошел: «обогнул» плавный поворот: «угол») where the massed rosebushes filled the air with heavy scent (где густые кусты роз наполняли воздух тяжелым ароматом), and struck off across a park toward a patch of moss under some trees (и зашагал через парк к мшистой лужайке: «клочку мха» под несколькими деревьями; to strike — ударяться; направляться, сворачивать). He had never lain upon moss (никогда не лежал на мху), and he wanted to see (и хотел проверить: «увидеть») whether it was really soft enough to justify the use of its name as an adjective (справедливо ли употребление сравнения со мхом, когда говорят о мягкости: «действительно ли он достаточно мягок, чтобы оправдать употребление его названия в качестве прилагательного»). Then he saw a girl coming toward him over the grass (и тут он вдруг увидел девушку, шедшую по траве в его сторону). She was the most beautiful person he had ever seen (она была самым красивым человеком из всех, что он видел).

She was dressed in a white little gown that came just below her knees (она была одета в легкое: «маленькое» белое платье чуть ниже колен), and a wreath of mignonettes clasped with blue slices of sapphire bound up her hair (и ее волосы стягивал веночек из резеды, перехваченный синими полосками: «дольками» сапфира: to bind /up/ — вязать; связывать). Her pink bare feet scattered the dew before them as she came (когда она шла = при ходьбе ее босые розовые ножки разбрызгивали перед собой росу). She was younger than John — not more than sixteen (она была моложе Джона — не старше: «больше» шестнадцати).

rosebush ['rqVzbVS], wreath [rJT], mignonette ["mInjq'net]