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

The voice was become strong and confident. This was no forlorn supplication. If anything, there was in it a quality of monstrous condescension.

"You there —"

Words, too quickly uttered to be understood, flowing one into the other…. John listened breathlessly, catching a phrase here and there, while the voice broke off, resumed, broke off again — now strong and argumentative, now colored with a slow, puzzled impatience. Then a conviction commenced to dawn on the single listener, and as realization crept over him a spray of quick blood rushed through his arteries. Braddock Washington was offering a bribe to God!

That was it — there was no doubt. The diamond in the arms of his slaves was some advance sample, a promise of more to follow.

That, John perceived after a time (это, /как/ Джон понял через некоторое время), was the thread running through his sentences (была нить, пробегавшая через все его фразы). Prometheus Enriched was calling to witness forgotten sacrifices (Прометей Разбогатевший ссылался на забытые жертвоприношения), forgotten rituals (забытые ритуалы), prayers obsolete before the birth of Christ (молитвы, исчезнувшие /еще/ до рождения Христа; obsolete — устарелый; вышедший из употребления). For a while his discourse took the form of reminding God of this gift or that (на какое-то время его разглагольствования приняли форму напоминаний Богу о тех или иных дарах; discourse — /серьезный/ разговор, беседа; трактат; рассуждение; речь) which Divinity had deigned to accept from men (которые Божество соблаговолило принять от людей) — great churches if he would rescue cities from the plague (великие храмы, если он спасет города от чумы), gifts of myrrh and gold (дары мирра и золота), of human lives and beautiful women and captive armies (человеческих жизней, прекрасных женщин и плененных армий), of children and queens (детей и королев/цариц), of beasts of the forest and field (зверей лесных и полевых), sheep and goats (овец и коз), harvests and cities (урожаев и городов), whole conquered lands (целые покоренные страны) that had been offered up in lust or blood for His appeasal (которые преподносились в похоти или крови ради Его умилостивления; to appease — успокаивать; умиротворять; ублажать), buying a meed's worth of alleviation from the Divine wrath (/ради/ приобретения: «покупки» достойного жертвы смягчения божественного гнева; meed — /поэт./ награда, вознаграждение) — and now he, Braddock Washington, Emperor of Diamonds (а ныне он, Брэддок Вашингтон, император алмазов), king and priest of the age of gold (царь и жрец золотого века), arbiter of splendor and luxury (властитель великолепия и роскоши), would offer up a treasure such as princes before him had never dreamed of (преподнесет сокровище, о котором принцы/властители прошлого: «до него» даже не мечтали), offer it up not in suppliance, but in pride (преподнесет не с мольбой, но в гордости).

thread [Tred], deign [deIn], myrrh [mW]

That, John perceived after a time, was the thread running through his sentences. Prometheus Enriched was calling to witness forgotten sacrifices, forgotten rituals, prayers obsolete before the birth of Christ. For a while his discourse took the form of reminding God of this gift or that which Divinity had deigned to accept from men — great churches if he would rescue cities from the plague, gifts of myrrh and gold, of human lives and beautiful women and captive armies, of children and queens, of beasts of the forest and field, sheep and goats, harvests and cities, whole conquered lands that had been offered up in lust or blood for His appeasal, buying a meed's worth of alleviation from the Divine wrath — and now he, Braddock Washington, Emperor of Diamonds, king and priest of the age of gold, arbiter of splendor and luxury, would offer up a treasure such as princes before him had never dreamed of, offer it up not in suppliance, but in pride.