Английский с Эдгаром По. Падение дома Ашеров / Edgar Allan Poe. The Fall of the House of Usher

One favourite volume was a small octavo edition of the Directorium Inquisitorum, by the Dominican Eymeric de Gironne; and there were passages in Pomponius Mela, about the old African Satyrs and AEgipans, over which Usher would sit dreaming for hours. His chief delight, however, was found in the perusal of an exceedingly rare and curious book in quarto Gothic – the manual of a forgotten church – the Vigilae Mortuorum secundum Chorum Ecclesiae Maguntinae.

I could not help thinking of the wild ritual of this work (я не мог не думать о безумном ритуале этих трудов; to help – помогать; cannot help doing something – не мочь не делать чего-либо), and of its probable influence upon the hypochondriac (и о его возможном влиянии на ипохондрика), when, one evening, having informed me abruptly that the lady Madeline was no more (когда одним = однажды вечером, сообщив мне коротко, что леди Маделин больше не: «что она не была больше»), he stated his intention of preserving her corpse for a fortnight, (previously to its final interment,) in one of the numerous vaults within the main walls of the building (он заявил о своем намерении хранить ее труп в течение двух недель, перед его окончательным погребением, в одной из многочисленных подземелий в главных стенах здания; fortnight – две недели). The worldly reason, however, assigned for this singular proceeding (практическая причина, однако, приведенная для этой необычной процедуры), was one which I did not feel at liberty to dispute (была такая, которую я не чувствовал себя вольным оспаривать; liberty – свобода; at liberty – свободный).

I could not help thinking of the wild ritual of this work, and of its probable influence upon the hypochondriac, when, one evening, having informed me abruptly that the lady Madeline was no more, he stated his intention of preserving her corpse for a fortnight, (previously to its final interment,) in one of the numerous vaults within the main walls of the building. The worldly reason, however, assigned for this singular proceeding, was one which I did not feel at liberty to dispute.

The brother had been led to his resolution (so he told me) by consideration of the unusual character of the malady of the deceased (брат был подведен к своему решению, так он сказал мне, соображением о необычном характере болезни покойной; to lead – вести), of certain obtrusive and eager inquiries on the part of her medical men (о некоторых назойливых и энергичных расспросах со стороны ее врачей: «медицинских людей»), and of the remote and exposed situation of the burial-ground of the family (и о далеком и открытом всем ветрам положении семейного кладбища; to expose – выставлять; burial – погребение; ground – земля; burial-ground – кладбище).