Letter1
ToMrs.Saville,England.
St.
Petersburgh,Dec.11th,17—.
Youwillrejoiceto
услышать
hearthatnodisasterhasaccompaniedthecommencementofanпредприятия
enterprisewhichyouhaveregardedс
withsuchevilforebodings.Iarrived
сюда
hereyesterday,andmyfirstзадача
taskistoassuremydearsisterofmywelfareи
andincreasingconfidenceinthesuccessofmyundertaking.Iam
уже
alreadyfarnorthofLondon,и
andasIwalkinthestreetsofPetersburgh,Ifeelaхолодный
coldnorthernbreezeplayuponmycheeks,который
whichbracesmynervesandfillsmewithdelight.Doyouunderstand
это
thisfeeling?Thisbreeze,whichhastravelledfromtheregions
к
towardswhichIamadvancing,givesmeaforetasteofthoseicyclimes.Inspiritedbythiswindofpromise,mydaydreamsbecome
более
moreferventandvivid.Itryinvaintobepersuadedthatthe
полюс
poleistheseatoffrostи
anddesolation;iteverpresentsitselftomyimaginationasthe
область
regionofbeautyanddelight.Там
There,Margaret,thesunisforevervisible,itsширокий
broaddiskjustskirtingtheгоризонт
horizonanddiffusingaperpetualsplendour.There—for
с
withyourleave,mysister,Iwillputsomeдоверять
trustinprecedingnavigators—theresnowи
andfrostarebanished;and,sailingoveracalmsea,wemaybewaftedtoalandsurpassinginwonders
и
andinbeautyeveryregionhithertodiscoveredonthehabitableglobe.Itsproductions
и
andfeaturesmaybewithoutexample,asthephenomenaoftheheavenlybodiesнесомненно
undoubtedlyareinthoseundiscoveredsolitudes.Whatmaynotbeexpectedinacountryofeternallight?
I
может
maytherediscoverthewondrouspowerwhichattractstheneedleи
andmayregulateathousandcelestialobservationsкоторые
thatrequireonlythisvoyagetorendertheirseemingeccentricitiesconsistentforever.Ishallsatiatemyardent
любопытство
curiositywiththesightofapartoftheworldneverраньше
beforevisited,andmaytreadalandneverраньше
beforeimprintedbythefootofman.Thesearemyenticements,
и
andtheyaresufficienttoпобедить
conquerallfearofdangerили
ordeathandtoinducemetoначать
commencethislaboriousvoyagewiththejoyaребенок
childfeelswhenheembarksinalittleлодке
boat,withhisholidaymates,onanexpeditionofdiscoveryвверх
uphisnativeriver.Butsupposing
все
alltheseconjecturestobefalse,youcannotcontesttheinestimableпользу
benefitwhichIshallconferonвсе
allmankind,tothelastпоколения
generation,bydiscoveringapassagenearthepoletothosecountries,toreachчто
whichatpresentsomanymonthsarerequisite;или
orbyascertainingthesecretofthemagnet,что
which,ifatallpossible,может
canonlybeeffectedbyanundertakingsuchasmine.Эти
Thesereflectionshavedispelledtheagitationс
withwhichIbeganmyписьмо
letter,andIfeelmyсердце
heartglowwithanenthusiasmwhichelevatesmetoheaven,fornothingcontributessomuchtotranquillisetheум
mindasasteadypurpose—aточка
pointonwhichthesoulможет
mayfixitsintellectualeye.Эта
Thisexpeditionhasbeenthefavouritedreamofmyearlyyears.Ihaveread
с
withardourtheaccountsoftheразличных
variousvoyageswhichhavebeenmadeintheprospectofarrivingattheNorthТихого океана
PacificOceanthroughtheseaswhichsurroundtheполюс
pole.Youmayrememberthata
история
historyofallthevoyagesmadeforpurposesofdiscoverycomposedtheвсю
wholeofourgoodUncleThomas’library.My
образование
educationwasneglected,yetIwasстрастно
passionatelyfondofreading.Thesevolumesweremystudy
день
dayandnight,andmyfamiliarityс
withthemincreasedthatregretwhichIhadfelt,asachild,onlearningthatmyfather’sdyinginjunctionhadforbiddenmyuncletoallowmetoembarkinaseafaringжизнь
life.ThesevisionsfadedwhenIperused,forthe
впервые
firsttime,thosepoetswhoseeffusionsentrancedmysoulи
andliftedittoheaven.I
также
alsobecameapoetandforoneyearlivedinaparadiseofmyowncreation;Iimagined
что
thatIalsomightobtainanicheinthetempleгде
wherethenamesofHomerи
andShakespeareareconsecrated.Youare
хорошо
wellacquaintedwithmyfailureи
andhowheavilyIboretheразочарование
disappointment.ButjustatthattimeIinheritedthe
состояние
fortuneofmycousin,andmythoughtswereturnedintotheканал
channeloftheirearlierbent.Шесть
SixyearshavepassedsinceIresolvedonmypresentundertaking.Ican,
даже
evennow,rememberthehourfromwhichIdedicatedmyselftothisgreatenterprise.Icommencedbyinuringmy
тело
bodytohardship.Iaccompaniedthewhale-fishersonseveralexpeditionstotheNorth
Море
Sea;Ivoluntarilyenduredcold,
голод
famine,thirst,andwantofсна
sleep;Ioftenworkedharder
чем
thanthecommonsailorsduringthedayи
anddevotedmynightstothestudyofmathematics,thetheoryofмедицины
medicine,andthosebranchesofphysicalsciencefromwhichanavaladventurermightderivetheнаибольшее
greatestpracticaladvantage.TwiceIactuallyhiredmyselfasanunder-mateinaGreenlandwhaler,
и
andacquittedmyselftoadmiration.I
должен
mustownIfeltaнемного
littleproudwhenmycaptainofferedmetheseconddignityinthevesselи
andentreatedmetoremainс
withthegreatestearnestness,sovaluabledidheconsidermyservices.And
теперь
now,dearMargaret,doInotdeservetoдостичь
accomplishsomegreatpurpose?My
жизнь
lifemighthavebeenpassedineaseи
andluxury,butIpreferredglorytoeveryenticementthatбогатство
wealthplacedinmypath.Oh,thatsomeencouraging
голос
voicewouldanswerintheутвердительно
affirmative!Mycourageandmyresolutionisfirm;
но
butmyhopesfluctuate,andmyspiritsareчасто
oftendepressed.Iamabouttoproceedona
долгое
longanddifficultvoyage,theemergenciesofwhichwilldemandallmyfortitude:Iamrequirednot
только
onlytoraisethespiritsofothers,но
butsometimestosustainmyсобственный
own,whentheirsarefailing.Это
Thisisthemostfavourableпериод
periodfortravellinginRussia.Theyfly
быстро
quicklyoverthesnowintheirsledges;the
движение
motionispleasant,and,inmyopinion,гораздо
farmoreagreeablethanthatofanEnglishstagecoach.The
холод
coldisnotexcessive,ifyouarewrappedinfurs—aплатье
dresswhichIhavealreadyadopted,forthereisagreatразница
differencebetweenwalkingthedeckи
andremainingseatedmotionlessforhours,когда
whennoexercisepreventstheкрови
bloodfromactuallyfreezinginyourveins.I
у
havenoambitiontolosemyжизнь
lifeonthepost-roadbetweenSt.Petersburghи
andArchangel.Ishalldepartforthe
последний
lattertowninafortnightили
orthreeweeks;andmyintentionistohirea
корабль
shipthere,whichcaneasilybedonebypayingtheinsurancefortheowner,и
andtoengageasmanysailorsasIthinknecessaryamongтех
thosewhoareaccustomedtothewhale-fishing.Idonotintendtosailuntilthemonthof
Июня
June;andwhenshallIreturn?
Ah,dear
сестра
sister,howcanIanswerэтот
thisquestion?IfIsucceed,
много
many,manymonths,perhapsyears,willpassпрежде чем
beforeyouandImayвстретиться
meet.IfIfail,youwillseeme
снова
againsoon,ornever.Farewell,mydear,excellentMargaret.
Небеса
Heavenshowerdownblessingsonyou,и
andsaveme,thatImayснова
againandagaintestifymygratitudeforallyourлюбовь
loveandkindness.Letter2
ToMrs.Saville,England.
Archangel,28th
Марта
March,17—.Howslowlythe
время
timepasseshere,encompassedasIambyfrostи
andsnow!Yetasecond
шаг
stepistakentowardsmyпредприятия
enterprise.Ihavehireda
судно
vesselandamoccupiedincollectingmysailors;те
thosewhomIhavealreadyengagedappeartobemenonwhomIcandependи
andarecertainlypossessedofdauntlesscourage.ButIhaveonewantwhichIhaveneveryetbeenableto
удовлетворить
satisfy,andtheabsenceoftheобъекта
objectofwhichInowfeelasamostsevereзло
evil,Ihavenofriend,Margaret:когда
whenIamglowingwiththeenthusiasmofsuccess,thereбудет
willbenonetoparticipatemyjoy;если
ifIamassailedbydisappointment,не
noonewillendeavourtosustainmeindejection.Ishallcommitmythoughtstopaper,itistrue;
но
butthatisapoormediumfortheобщения
communicationoffeeling.Idesirethe
компании
companyofamanwhocouldsympathisewithme,чьи
whoseeyeswouldreplytomine.Youmaydeemmeromantic,mydear
сестра
sister,butIbitterlyfeelthewantofafriend.I
у
havenoonenearme,gentleно
yetcourageous,possessedofacultivatedaswellasofacapaciousmind,чьи
whosetastesarelikemyown,toодобрить
approveoramendmyplans.Как
Howwouldsuchafriendrepairthefaultsofyourpoorbrother!Iam
слишком
tooardentinexecutionandслишком
tooimpatientofdifficulties.Butitisastillgreater
зло
eviltomethatIamself-educated:forthefirstfourteenyearsofmy
жизни
lifeIranwildonacommonи
andreadnothingbutourUncleThomas’booksofvoyages.AtthatageIbecameacquainted
с
withthecelebratedpoetsofourownстраны
country;butitwasonly
когда
whenithadceasedtobeinmypowertoderiveitsmostimportantbenefitsfromsuchaconvictionthatIperceivedthenecessityofbecomingacquaintedwithmorelanguagesthanthatofmyродной
nativecountry.NowIamtwenty-eight
и
andaminrealitymoreilliterateчем
thanmanyschoolboysoffifteen.ItistruethatIhavethoughtmore
и
andthatmydaydreamsaremoreextendedи
andmagnificent,buttheywant(asthepainterscallit)keeping;и
andIgreatlyneedaдруг
friendwhowouldhavesenseдостаточно
enoughnottodespisemeasromantic,и
andaffectionenoughformetoendeavourtoрегулировать
regulatemymind.Well,theseareuselesscomplaints;
Ishall
конечно
certainlyfindnofriendonthewideocean,ни
norevenhereinArchangel,среди
amongmerchantsandseamen.Yet
некоторые
somefeelings,unalliedtothedrossofhumannature,beatдаже
evenintheseruggedbosoms.My
лейтенант
lieutenant,forinstance,isamanofwonderfulcourageи
andenterprise;heismadlydesirousofglory,
или
orrather,towordmyphraseболее
morecharacteristically,ofadvancementinhisпрофессии
profession.HeisanEnglishman,
и
andinthemidstofnationalи
andprofessionalprejudices,unsoftenedbycultivation,retainsнекоторые
someofthenoblestendowmentsofчеловечества
humanity.Ifirstbecameacquainted
с
withhimonboardawhalevessel;finding
что
thathewasunemployedinthiscity,Iлегко
easilyengagedhimtoassistinmyenterprise.Themasterisapersonofanexcellentdisposition
и
andisremarkableintheshipforhisgentlenessи
andthemildnessofhisдисциплины
discipline.Thiscircumstance,addedtohiswell-knownintegrity
и
anddauntlesscourage,mademeочень
verydesiroustoengagehim.Ayouthpassedinsolitude,my
лучшие
bestyearsspentunderyourgentleи
andfemininefosterage,hassorefinedthegroundworkofmycharacterчто
thatIcannotovercomeanintensedistastetotheusualbrutalityexercisedonборту
boardship:Ihaveneverbelievedittobenecessary,
и
andwhenIheardofamarinerстоль же
equallynotedforhiskindlinessofheartи
andtherespectandobediencepaidtohimbyhiscrew,Ifeltmyselfpeculiarlyсчастливым
fortunateinbeingabletosecurehisservices.Iheardofhim
впервые
firstinratheraromanticманере
manner,fromaladywhoowestohimthehappinessofherжизни
life.This,briefly,ishis
история
story.SomeyearsagohelovedayoungRussianladyofmoderatefortune,
и
andhavingamassedaconsiderablesuminprize-money,theотец
fatherofthegirlconsentedtothematch.Hesawhismistress
однажды
oncebeforethedestinedceremony;но
butshewasbathedintears,и
andthrowingherselfathisfeet,entreatedhimtoпощадить
spareher,confessingattheже
sametimethatshelovedanother,но
butthathewaspoor,и
andthatherfatherwouldneverconsenttotheunion.My
щедрый
generousfriendreassuredthesuppliant,и
andonbeinginformedoftheимени
nameofherlover,instantlyabandonedhisпреследования
pursuit.Hehadalreadyboughtafarmwithhis
деньги
money,onwhichhehaddesignedtopasstheостаток
remainderofhislife;buthebestowedthewholeonhisrival,
вместе
togetherwiththeremainsofhisprize-moneytopurchasestock,andthenhimselfsolicitedtheмолодой
youngwoman’sfathertoconsenttoherбрак
marriagewithherlover.Buttheoldmandecidedlyrefused,thinkinghimselfboundinhonourtomyfriend,
который
who,whenhefoundtheотца
fatherinexorable,quittedhiscountry,norreturneduntilheheardчто
thathisformermistresswasmarriedсоответствии
accordingtoherinclinations.“Whata
благородный
noblefellow!”youwillexclaim.
Heisso;
но
butthenheiswhollyuneducated:heisassilentasaTurk,
и
andakindofignorantcarelessnessattendshim,which,whileitrendershisповедение
conductthemoreastonishing,detractsfromtheinterestи
andsympathywhichotherwisehewouldcommand.Но
Yetdonotsuppose,becauseIcomplainaнемного
littleorbecauseIcanconceiveaутешение
consolationformytoilswhichImayneverknow,thatIamwaveringinmyresolutions.Thoseareasfixedasfate,
и
andmyvoyageisonlyсейчас
nowdelayeduntiltheweathershallpermitmyembarkation.The
зима
winterhasbeendreadfullysevere,но
butthespringpromiseswell,и
anditisconsideredasaremarkablyearlyseason,soчто
thatperhapsImaysailsoonerчем
thanIexpected.Ishall
делать
donothingrashly:youknowme
достаточно
sufficientlytoconfideinmyprudenceи
andconsideratenesswheneverthesafetyofothersiscommittedtomycare.Icannot
описать
describetoyoumysensationsonthenearprospectofmyundertaking.Itis
невозможно
impossibletocommunicatetoyouaconceptionofthetremblingощущение
sensation,halfpleasurableandhalffearful,с
withwhichIampreparingtodepart.Iamgoingtounexploredregions,to“thelandofmist
и
andsnow,”butIshallубью
killnoalbatross;thereforedonotbealarmedformy
безопасность
safetyorifIshouldcomebacktoyouaswornи
andwoefulasthe“AncientMariner.”Youwillsmileatmyallusion,
но
butIwilldiscloseaсекрет
secret.Ihaveoftenattributedmyattachment
к
to,mypassionateenthusiasmfor,thedangerousmysteriesofoceantothatproductionofthemostimaginativeofmodernpoets.Thereis
то
somethingatworkinmysoulчто
whichIdonotunderstand.Iam
практически
practicallyindustrious—painstaking,aworkmantoexecuteс
withperseveranceandlabour—butbesidesthisесть
thereisaloveforthemarvellous,aвера
beliefinthemarvellous,intertwinedinallmyprojects,whichhurriesmeoutofthecommonpathwaysofmen,даже
eventothewildseaи
andunvisitedregionsIamabouttoисследовать
explore.Buttoreturntodearerconsiderations.
ShallImeetyou
снова
again,afterhavingtraversedimmenseseas,и
andreturnedbythemostsouthernмыс
capeofAfricaorAmerica?Idarenot
ожидать
expectsuchsuccess,yetIcannotbeartoсмотреть
lookonthereverseofthepicture.Continueforthepresentto
писать
writetomebyeveryopportunity:Imay
получать
receiveyourlettersonsomeoccasionsкогда
whenIneedthemmosttosupportmyspirits.I
люблю
loveyouverytenderly.Remembermewithaffection,shouldyouneverhearfrommeagain.
Письмо
Letter3ToMrs.Saville,England.
Июля
July7th,17—.Mydear
Сестра
Sister,.Iwriteafewlinesinhasteto
сказать
saythatIamsafe—andхорошо
welladvancedonmyvoyage.Это
ThisletterwillreachEnglandbyв
amerchantmannowonitshomewardvoyagefromArchangel;morefortunate
чем
thanI,whomaynotвидеть
seemynativeland,perhaps,formanyyears.Iam,however,ingoodspirits:
mymenarebold
и
andapparentlyfirmofpurpose,nordothefloatingsheetsoficeкоторые
thatcontinuallypassus,indicatingthedangersoftheрегионе
regiontowardswhichweareadvancing,appeartodismayих
them.Wehavealreadyreacheda
очень
veryhighlatitude;butitistheheightofsummer,
и
andalthoughnotsowarmasinEngland,thesoutherngales,whichblowusspeedilytowardsthoseshoreswhichIsoardentlydesiretoattain,breatheadegreeofrenovatingтепло
warmthwhichIhadnotexpected.Не
Noincidentshavehithertobefallenusчто
thatwouldmakeafigureinaletter.Один
Oneortwostiffgalesи
andthespringingofaутечки
leakareaccidentswhichexperiencednavigatorsедва
scarcelyremembertorecord,andIshallbewellcontentесли
ifnothingworsehappentousво время
duringourvoyage.Adieu,mydearMargaret.
Beassured
что
thatformyownsake,aswellasyours,Iwillnotrashlyencounterdanger.Iwillbecool,persevering,
и
andprudent.Butsuccessshallcrownmyendeavours.
Whereforenot?
ThusfarIhavegone,tracinga
безопасный
securewayoverthepathlessseas,theverystarsthemselvesbeingwitnessesи
andtestimoniesofmytriumph.Почему
Whynotstillproceedovertheuntamedно
yetobedientelement?Whatcan
остановить
stopthedeterminedheartandresolvedwillofman?Myswelling
сердце
heartinvoluntarilypoursitselfoutthus.Но
ButImustfinish.Heavenblessmybelovedsister!
Письмо
Letter4ToMrs.Saville,England.
Августа
August5th,17—.Sostrangeanaccidenthashappenedtous
что
thatIcannotforbearrecordingit,althoughitisочень
veryprobablethatyouwillseemebeforeэти
thesepaperscancomeintoyourpossession.Last
Понедельник
Monday(July31st)wewereпочти
nearlysurroundedbyice,whichclosedintheкорабль
shiponallsides,scarcelyleavingherthesea-roominкоторый
whichshefloated.Oursituationwassomewhatdangerous,
особенно
especiallyaswewerecompassedroundbyaочень
verythickfog.Weaccordinglylayto,hoping
что
thatsomechangewouldtakeplaceintheatmosphereи
andweather.Abouttwoo’clockthe
туман
mistclearedaway,andwebeheld,stretchedoutineverydirection,обширные
vastandirregularplainsofльда
ice,whichseemedtohaveне
noend.Someofmycomradesgroaned,
и
andmyownmindbegantogrowwatchfulwithanxiousthoughts,когда
whenastrangesightsuddenlyattractedourвнимание
attentionanddivertedoursolicitudefromourсобственный
ownsituation.Weperceivedalowcarriage,fixedonasledge
и
anddrawnbydogs,passonк
towardsthenorth,atthedistanceofhalfamile;abeingwhichhadtheshapeofaman,
но
butapparentlyofgiganticstature,satinthesledgeи
andguidedthedogs.Wewatchedtherapidprogressofthetraveller
с
withourtelescopesuntilhewaslostсреди
amongthedistantinequalitiesoftheльда
ice.Thisappearanceexcitedourunqualifiedwonder.
Wewere,aswebelieved,
много
manyhundredmilesfromanyземли
land;butthisapparitionseemedtodenotethatitwasnot,in
самом деле
reality,sodistantaswehadsupposed.Shutin,however,byice,itwas
невозможно
impossibletofollowhistrack,whichwehadobservedс
withthegreatestattention.About
два
twohoursafterthisoccurrenceweheardthegroundморе
sea,andbeforenighttheлед
icebrokeandfreedourкорабль
ship.We,however,laytountilthemorning,fearingtoencounterinthe
темноте
darkthoselargeloosemasseswhichfloataboutпосле
afterthebreakingupoftheльда
ice.Iprofitedofthistimeto
отдохнуть
restforafewhours.Inthemorning,however,as
только
soonasitwaslight,Iwentupondeckи
andfoundallthesailorsbusyononeстороне
sideofthevessel,apparentlytalkingtoкем
someoneinthesea.Itwas,in
самом деле
fact,asledge,likethatwehadseenраньше
before,whichhaddriftedtowardsusintheночь
nightonalargefragmentofльда
ice.Onlyonedogremainedalive;
но
buttherewasahumanbeingwithinitwhomthesailorswerepersuadingtoвойти
enterthevessel.Hewasnot,asthe
другой
othertravellerseemedtobe,asavageinhabitantofsomeundiscoveredisland,но
butaEuropean.WhenIappearedon
палубе
deckthemastersaid,“Hereisourкапитан
captain,andhewillnotallowyoutoпогибнуть
perishontheopensea.”Onperceiving
меня
me,thestrangeraddressedmeinEnglish,althoughс
withaforeignaccent.“BeforeIcomeon
борт
boardyourvessel,”saidhe,“willyouhavethekindnesstoinformmewhitheryouarebound?”Youmayconceivemyastonishmentonhearing
такой
suchaquestionaddressedtomefromamanontheграни
brinkofdestructionandtowhomIдолжен
shouldhavesupposedthatmyсосуд
vesselwouldhavebeenaresourcewhichhewouldnothaveexchangedforthemostpreciousбогатство
wealththeearthcanafford.Ireplied,however,
что
thatwewereonavoyageofdiscoverytowardsthenorthernpole.Uponhearing
это
thisheappearedsatisfiedandconsentedtocomeonборт
board.GoodGod!
Margaret,ifyouhadseentheman
который
whothuscapitulatedforhisбезопасности
safety,yoursurprisewouldhavebeenboundless.Hislimbswere
почти
nearlyfrozen,andhisbodydreadfullyemaciatedbyfatigueи
andsuffering.Ineversawamaninsowretchedacondition.
Weattemptedtocarryhimintothecabin,
но
butassoonashehadquittedtheсвежий
freshairhefainted.Weaccordinglybroughthim
обратно
backtothedeckandrestoredhimtoanimationbyrubbinghimwithbrandyи
andforcinghimtoswallowasmallколичество
quantity.Assoonasheshowedsignsof
жизни
lifewewrappedhimupinblanketsи
andplacedhimnearthechimneyofthekitchenstove.Byslowdegreesherecovered
и
andatealittlesoup,который
whichrestoredhimwonderfully.Twodayspassedinthismanner
прежде чем
beforehewasabletospeak,и
andIoftenfearedthathissufferingshaddeprivedhimofunderstanding.Когда
Whenhehadinsomemeasurerecovered,Iremovedhimtomyowncabinи
andattendedonhimasmuchasmyдолг
dutywouldpermit.Ineversawa
более
moreinterestingcreature:hiseyeshave
как правило
generallyanexpressionofwildness,и
andevenmadness,buttherearemomentsкогда
when,ifanyoneperformsanакт
actofkindnesstowardshimили
ordoeshimanythemosttriflingservice,hiswholecountenanceislightedup,asitwere,с
withabeamofbenevolenceи
andsweetnessthatIneversawequalled.Но
Butheisgenerallymelancholyи
anddespairing,andsometimeshegnasheshisteeth,asifimpatientoftheweightofwoesкоторые
thatoppresseshim.Whenmy
гость
guestwasalittlerecoveredIhadgreattroubletokeepoffthemen,которые
whowishedtoaskhimathousandquestions;