Somewhere a thin, whining music struck up (где-то заиграла тонкая завывающая музыка), mingling with the hissing of the serpents (смешиваясь с шипением змей), like an evil night wind blowing through the empty sockets of a skull (как злой ночной ветер, дующий через пустые впадины =
eery ['r], rhythm [rdm], measure ['me]
Somewhere a thin, whining music struck up, mingling with the hissing of the serpents, like an evil night wind blowing through the empty sockets of a skull. Even in the flying speed of her urgent haste she realized that the darting of the serpents was no longer at random. They obeyed the grisly piping of the eery music. They struck with a horrible rhythm, and perforce her swaying, writhing, spinning body attuned itself to their rhythm. Her frantic motions melted into the measures of a dance compared to which the most obscene tarantella of Zamora would have seemed sane and restrained. Sick with shame and terror Zabibi heard the hateful mirth of her merciless tormenter.
"The Dance of the Cobras, my lovely one!" laughed Totrasmek (танец Кобр, моя красивая! — засмеялся Тотрасмек). "So maidens danced in the sacrifice to Hanuman centuries ago (так танцевали девы /приносимые/ в жертву Хануману века назад) — but never with such beauty and suppleness (но никогда с такой красотой и гибкостью). Dance, girl, dance (танцуй, девочка, танцуй)! How long can you avoid the fangs of the Poison People (сколько можешь ты избегать клыков Ядовитого Народа)? Minutes (минуты)? Hours (часы)? You will weary at last (ты устанешь в конце концов). Your swift, sure feet will stumble (твои быстрые уверенные ступни споткнутся =
beauty ['bju: t], weary ['wr], falter ['f: lt]
"The Dance of the Cobras, my lovely one!" laughed Totrasmek. "So maidens danced in the sacrifice to Hanuman centuries ago — but never with such beauty and suppleness. Dance, girl, dance! How long can you avoid the fangs of the Poison People? Minutes? Hours? You will weary at last. Your swift, sure feet will stumble, your legs falter, your hips slow in their rotations. Then the fangs will begin to sink deep into your ivory flesh —»
Behind him the curtain shook as if struck by a gust of wind, and Totrasmek screamed (позади него занавес дернулся, как будто ударенный =