extreme discomfort (с трудом Корум сумел вскочить в узкое седло и сесть, ощущая крайнее неудобство;
`Hoj! The leader waved to his men and turned his mount back towards the city (главный махнул рукой своим людям и повернул свое животное обратно к городу;
`Hoj — ala!
The beasts jogged off, leaving the remaining warrior to make his way back to the city on foot (животные побежали трусцой, заставляя оставшегося воина идти обратно в город пешком;
The city was surrounded by a high wall patterned with many geometric designs of a thousand colours (город был окружен высокой стеной, украшенной многочисленными геометрическими рисунками тысячи цветов). They entered it through a tall, narrow gate (они вошли в него через высокие узкие ворота), moved through a series of walls that were probably designed as a simple maze (преодолели множество стен, которые, вероятно, были расположены как простой лабиринт;
discomfort [dIs`kAmfqt] thousand [`Tauz (q) nd] avenue [`xvInjH] palace [`pxlIs]
With some difficulty, Corum managed to swing himself into the narrow saddle and sit there, feeling extreme discomfort.
`Hoj! The leader waved to his men and turned his mount back towards the city.
`Hoj — ala!
The beasts jogged off, leaving the remaining warrior to make his way back to the city on foot.
The city was surrounded by a high wall patterned with many geometric designs of a thousand colours. They entered it through a tall, narrow gate, moved through a series of walls that were probably designed as a simple maze, and began to ride along a broad avenue of blooming trees towards a palace that lay at the centre of the city.
Reaching the gates of the palace, they all dismounted (подъезжая к воротам дворца, они все спешились) and servants, as thin and tall as the warriors, with the same astonished round faces, took away the mounts (и слуги, такие же тощие и высокие, как воины, с теми же удивленными круглыми лицами, увели седловых животных). Corum was led through the gates, up a staircase of more than a hundred steps, into an enclave (Корума повели через ворота, вверх по лестнице из более, чем сотни ступеней, в зал;
They crossed the enclave and entered a courtyard that was surrounded by an enclosed walk and had a fountain in its centre (они пересекли зал и вошли во внутренний двор, который был окружен крытой галереей, а в центре находился фонтан).
enclave [`enkleIv] beautiful [`bjHtIful] courtyard [`kLtjRd] fountain [`fauntIn]
Reaching the gates of the palace, they all dismounted and servants, as thin and tall as the warriors, with the same astonished round faces, took away the mounts. Corum was led through the gates, up a staircase of more than a hundred steps, into an enclave. The designs on the walls of the palace were less colourful but more elaborate than those on the outer walls of the city. These were chiefly in gold, white and pale blue. Although faintly barbaric, the workmanship was beautiful and Corum admired it.
They crossed the enclave and entered a courtyard that was surrounded by an enclosed walk and had a fountain in its centre.
Under an awning was a large chair with a tapering back (под навесом находился большой трон с суживающейся кверху спинкой;
The leader of the warriors and his monarch conversed briefly in their own language (командир воинов и его повелитель поговорили немного на своем языке;
At length the two creatures stopped conversing (наконец эти два существа прекратили разговор). The monarch addressed Corum (правитель обратился к Коруму). He seemed to speak several different tongues until at length Corum heard him say, in a strange accent (видимо, он говорил на нескольких языках, пока наконец Корум не услышал, как тот сказал со странным акцентом):
rubies [`rHbIz] interior [In`tI (q) rIq] feather [`feDq] throne [Trqun] monarch [`mOnqk]
Under an awning was a large chair with a tapering back. The chair was made of gold and a design was picked out upon it in rubies. The warriors escorting Corum came to a halt and almost immediately a figure emerged from the interior. He had a huge, high head-dress of peacock feathers, a great cloak, also of many brilliant feathers, and a kilt of thin gold cloth. He took his place on the throne. This, then, was the ruler of the city.
The leader of the warriors and his monarch conversed briefly in their own language and Corum waited patiently, not wishing to behave in any way that these people would judge to be unfriendly.
At length the two creatures stopped conversing. The monarch addressed Corum. He seemed to speak several different tongues until at length Corum heard him say, in a strange accent:
`Are you of the Mabden race (ты из народа мабденов)?
It was of the old speech of the Nhadragh, which Corum had learned as a child (это был старый язык надрагов, который Корум учил в детстве: «/будучи/ ребенком»).
`I am not (нет), he replied haltingly (ответил он, запинаясь).
`But you are not Nhedregh (но ты и не недрег).
`Yes — I am not — 'Nhedregh (да, я не «недрег») '. `You know of that folk (ты знаешь об этом народе)?
`Two of them lived among us some centuries since (двое из них жили среди нас несколько столетий назад). What race are you (/из/ какого народа ты)?