Neil Gaiman "American Gods", Chapter 1 (p.11)

Chapter 1 (p.11)

The man opened his eyes. There was something strange about his eyes, Shadow thought. One of them was a darker gray than the other. He looked at Shadow. “By the way,” he said, “I was sorry to hear about your wife, Shadow. A great loss.”

Shadow nearly hit the man, then. Instead he took a deep breath. (“Like I said, don't piss off those bitches in airports,” said Johnnie Larch, in the back of his mind, “or they'll haul your sorry ass back here before you can spit.”) He counted to five.

“So was I,” he said.

The man shook his head. “If it could but have been any other way,” he said, and sighed.

“She died in a car crash,” said Shadow. “It's a fast way to go. Other ways could have been worse.”

The man shook his head, slowly. For a moment it seemed to Shadow as if the man was insubstantial; as if the plane had suddenly become more real, while his neighbor had become less so.

“Shadow,” he said. “It's not a joke. It's not a trick. I can pay you better than any other job you'll find will pay you. You're an ex-con. There's not a long line of people elbowing each other out of the way to hire you.”

“Mister whoever-the-fuck-you-are,” said Shadow, just loud enough to be heard over the din of the engines, “there isn't enough money in the world.”

The grin got bigger. Shadow found himself remembering a PBS show he had seen as a teenager, about chimpanzees. The show claimed that when apes and chimps smile it's only to bare their teeth in a grimace of hate or aggression or terror. When a chimp grins, it's a threat. This grin was one of those.

“Sure there's money enough. And there are also bonuses. Work for me, and I'll tell you things. There may be a little risk, of course, but if you survive you can have whatever your heart desires. You could be the next king of America. Now,” said the man, “who else is going to pay you that well? Hmm?”

“Who are you?” asked Shadow.

“Ah, yes. The age of information—young lady, could you pour me another glass of Jack Daniel's? Easy on the ice—not, of course, that there has ever been any other kind of age. Information and knowledge: these are currencies that have never gone out of style.”

“I said, who are you?”

“Let's see. Well, seeing that today certainly is my day—why don't you call me Wednesday? Mister Wednesday. Although given the weather, it might as well be Thursday, eh?”

“What's your real name?”

“Work for me long enough and well enough,” said the man in the pale suit, “and I may even tell you that. There. Job offer. Think about it. No one expects you to say yes immediately, not knowing whether you're leaping into a piranha tank or a pit of bears. Take your time.” He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.

“I don't think so,” said Shadow. “I don't like you. I don't want to work with you.”

“Like I say,” said the man, without opening his eyes, “don't rush into it. Take your time.”

The plane landed with a bump, and a few passengers got off. Shadow looked out of the window: it was a little airport in the middle of nowhere, and there were still two little airports to go before Eagle Point. Shadow transferred his glance to the man in the pale suit—Mr. Wednesday? He seemed to be asleep.

Shadow stood up, grabbed his bag, and stepped off the plane, down the steps onto the slick wet tarmac, walking at an even pace toward the lights of the terminal. A light rain spattered his face.

Chapter 1 (p.11) Capítulo 1 (p.11) Capítulo 1 (p.11) Глава 1 (стр. 11) Bölüm 1 (s.11)

Shadow read the list of in-flight music channels available on transatlantic flights, and then he was looking at the map of the world with red lines on it that showed where the airline flew. ||||||||频道|||跨大西洋|航班||||||||||||||||||||||飞行 Тень прочел список музыкальных каналов, доступных на трансатлантических рейсах, а затем посмотрел на карту мира с красными линиями, показывающими, где летает авиакомпания. 影子读了一下跨大西洋航班上提供的飞行中音乐频道列表，然后他看了一下世界地图，上面有红线标出了该航空公司的飞行地点。 Then he had finished reading the magazine, and, reluctantly, he closed the cover, and slipped it into the pocket on the wall. ||||||||||||||放入|||||||墙上的 ||||||||||||||вклав||||||| Потом он дочитал журнал, неохотно закрыл обложку и сунул ее в карман на стене. 然后他读完了杂志，不情愿地合上封面，把它塞进墙上的口袋里。

The man opened his eyes. ||відкрив|| There was something strange about his eyes, Shadow thought. One of them was a darker gray than the other. |||||深灰色|||| Один из них был темнее, чем другой. He looked at Shadow. “By the way,” he said, “I was sorry to hear about your wife, Shadow. ||||||很||||||| A great loss.” ||损失 Большая потеря». 巨大的损失。”

Shadow nearly hit the man, then. Тогда Тень чуть не ударил мужчину. Instead he took a deep breath. Вместо этого он глубоко вздохнул. (“Like I said, don’t piss off those bitches in airports,” said Johnnie Larch, in the back of his mind, “or they’ll haul your sorry ass back here before you can spit.”) He counted to five. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||数到|| («Как я уже сказал, не зли этих сучек в аэропортах, — сказал Джонни Кедр мысленно, — или они притащат твою жалкую задницу сюда, прежде чем ты успеешь плюнуть».) Он сосчитал до пяти. . （“就像我说的，别惹恼机场里的那些婊子，”约翰尼·拉奇在心里说道，“否则他们会在你吐痰之前把你拖回来。”）他数到五。

“So was I,” he said. — Я тоже, — сказал он. “我也是，”他说。

The man shook his head. Мужчина покачал головой. “If it could but have been any other way,” he said, and sighed. -- Если бы это могло быть иначе, -- сказал он и вздохнул. “如果可以的话就另当别论了，”他叹了口气说道。

“She died in a car crash,” said Shadow. “It’s a fast way to go. «Это быстрый путь. “这是一种快捷的方法。 Other ways could have been worse.” Другие пути могли быть хуже». 其他方式可能会更糟。”

The man shook his head, slowly. Мужчина медленно покачал головой. For a moment it seemed to Shadow as if the man was insubstantial; as if the plane had suddenly become more real, while his neighbor had become less so. ||||||||||||||||||||||||邻居|||不那么| ||||||||||||unbedeutend|||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||not solid|||||||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||сусід|||| На мгновение Тени показалось, что этот человек был бесплотным; как будто самолет вдруг стал более реальным, а его сосед стал менее реальным. 有一瞬间，Shadow 觉得这个人好像是虚幻的；好像那架飞机突然变得更加真实，而他的邻居却变得不那么真实了。

“Shadow,” he said. “It’s not a joke. |||жарт It’s not a trick. |||把戏 |||трюк Это не уловка. I can pay you better than any other job you’ll find will pay you. Я могу платить вам больше, чем любая другая работа, которую вы найдете. You’re an ex-con. |||前囚 Ты бывший заключенный. Ви колишній в'язень. 你是个有前科的人。 There’s not a long line of people elbowing each other out of the way to hire you.” |||||||||||||||雇用| ||||черга|||||||||||| Там нет длинной очереди людей, которые толкают друг друга локтями, чтобы нанять вас». Не так вже й багато людей, які штовхаються один з одним, щоб найняти вас. 不会有一大群人排着长队互相推挤着来雇用你。”

“Mister whoever-the-fuck-you-are,” said Shadow, just loud enough to be heard over the din of the engines, “there isn’t enough money in the world.” 先生||||||||||||||||轰鸣声|||||||||| |||||||||||||||||||двигуни||||||| — Мистер, кто бы вы ни были, — сказал Тень достаточно громко, чтобы его было слышно сквозь грохот двигателей, — в мире не хватает денег. «Містер хто-будь-си-ви-єте», - сказав Шедоу так голосно, щоб його почули серед гулу двигунів, - «на світі немає достатньо грошей». “先生，不管你他妈的是谁，”影子说道，声音刚好盖过发动机的轰鸣声，“世界上的钱不够用。”

The grin got bigger. |||більший Ухмылка стала больше. Shadow found himself remembering a PBS show he had seen as a teenager, about chimpanzees. |||||公共广播电台||||||||| ||||||||||||||great apes ||||||||||||підліток|| Тень поймал себя на том, что вспомнил передачу PBS о шимпанзе, которую он видел еще подростком. The show claimed that when apes and chimps smile it’s only to bare their teeth in a grimace of hate or aggression or terror. |||||猿|||||||露出|||||露齿而笑||仇恨||攻击||恐惧 ||стверджав|||||||||||||||гримаса||||||терор В сериале утверждалось, что когда обезьяны и шимпанзе улыбаются, они лишь скалят зубы в гримасе ненависти, агрессии или ужаса. When a chimp grins, it’s a threat. |||露齿而笑|||威胁 |||посмішка мавпи||| Когда шимпанзе ухмыляется, это угроза. This grin was one of those. Эта улыбка была одной из таких. 这个笑容就是其中之一。

“Sure there’s money enough. |||досить “钱当然够了。 And there are also bonuses. ||||奖金 Work for me, and I’ll tell you things. 为我工作，我就会告诉你事情。 There may be a little risk, of course, but if you survive you can have whatever your heart desires. |||||||||||||||任何你|||渴望 |||||ризик||||||||||||| Конечно, может быть небольшой риск, но если вы выживете, вы сможете получить все, что душе угодно. You could be the next king of America. |||||король|| Now,” said the man, “who else is going to pay you that well? Теперь, — сказал мужчина, — кто еще заплатит вам так хорошо? 现在，”那人说道，“还有谁会给你这么好的报酬？ Hmm?” 嗯 Хм?"

“Who are you?” asked Shadow.

“Ah, yes. The age of information—young lady, could you pour me another glass of Jack Daniel’s? |信息的时代||信息时代||||||||||| Век информации — юная леди, не могли бы вы налить мне еще стаканчик Джека Дэниела? 信息时代——年轻的女士，您可以再给我倒一杯杰克丹尼吗？ Easy on the ice—not, of course, that there has ever been any other kind of age. ||||||||||||||||年龄 Легко на льду — конечно, не то, чтобы был какой-то другой возраст. 在冰上轻松自在——当然，从来没有过其他类型的年龄。 Information and knowledge: these are currencies that have never gone out of style.” |||||货币||||||| інформація|||||||||||| Информация и знания: это валюты, которые никогда не выходили из моды».

“I said, who are you?”

“Let’s see. Well, seeing that today certainly is my day—why don’t you call me Wednesday? |||||||||||||星期三 |||||||||||||середа Ну, раз уж сегодня определенно мой день, почему бы тебе не позвонить мне в среду? Mister Wednesday. |星期三 Although given the weather, it might as well be Thursday, eh?” ||||||||||吧 |||||||||Четвер| Хотя, учитывая погоду, вполне может быть и четверг, а?

“What’s your real name?”

“Work for me long enough and well enough,” said the man in the pale suit, “and I may even tell you that. ||||досить довго||||||||||||||||| «Работайте на меня достаточно долго и достаточно хорошо, — сказал человек в бледном костюме, — и я даже могу вам это сказать. “为我工作的时间够长、工作质量够高了，”穿苍白色西装的男人说道，“我甚至可以告诉你这一点。 There. Там. Job offer. |пропозиція роботи Think about it. No one expects you to say yes immediately, not knowing whether you’re leaping into a piranha tank or a pit of bears. ||期望|||||||||||||食人鱼||||||熊 pit |||||||одразу||||||||||||яма||ведмеді Никто не ожидает, что вы немедленно скажете «да», не зная, прыгаете ли вы в аквариум с пираньями или в яму с медведями. 没人指望你会立刻答应，因为他们不知道你是跳进了食人鱼缸还是熊坑。 Take your time.” He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat. ||||||||靠在|||| Не торопись." Он закрыл глаза и откинулся на спинку сиденья.

“I don’t think so,” said Shadow. “I don’t like you. I don’t want to work with you.” ||не хочу||||

“Like I say,” said the man, without opening his eyes, “don’t rush into it. |||||||||||匆忙|| |||||||||||поспішати|| Take your time.”

The plane landed with a bump, and a few passengers got off. ||着陆|||||||乘客|| |||||удар|||||| Самолет приземлился с ударом, и несколько пассажиров вышли. 飞机颠簸着降落，几名乘客下了飞机。 Shadow looked out of the window: it was a little airport in the middle of nowhere, and there were still two little airports to go before Eagle Point. |||||||||||||||荒无人烟||||仍然|||||||| |||||||||||||середині нікуди|||||||||||||| Тень выглянул в окно: это был маленький аэропорт в глуши, и до Игл-Пойнта оставалось еще два маленьких аэропорта. 影子向窗外望去：这是一座茫茫荒野中的小机场，距离鹰角还有两个小机场要经过。 Shadow transferred his glance to the man in the pale suit—Mr. |||目光|||||||| |переніс|||||||||| Wednesday? середа He seemed to be asleep. ||||спить

Shadow stood up, grabbed his bag, and stepped off the plane, down the steps onto the slick wet tarmac, walking at an even pace toward the lights of the terminal. |||||||走下|||||||||||停机坪||||||||||| ||||||||||||||||||runway surface||||||||||| |||||||||||||сходи|||||||||||||вогні терміналу||| Тень встал, схватил свою сумку и вышел из самолета, спустился по ступенькам на скользкий мокрый асфальт, ровной походкой направляясь к огням терминала. 影子站起来，抓起包，走下飞机，走下台阶，踏上湿滑的停机坪，迈着均匀的步伐朝着航站楼的灯光走去。 A light rain spattered his face. |||溅到|| В лицо хлестал мелкий дождь. 细雨溅在他的脸上。