Чарльз Диккенс. Повесть о двух городах
| A TALE OF TWO CITIES A STORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION By Charles Dickens | Чарльз Диккенс ПОВЕСТЬ О ДВУХ ГОРОДАХ |
| Book the First-Recalled to Life I. The Period | КНИГА ПЕРВАЯ "ВОЗВРАЩЕН К ЖИЗНИ" Глава I То время |
| It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. | Это было самое прекрасное время, это было самое злосчастное время, - век мудрости, век безумия, дни веры, дни безверия, пора света, пора тьмы, весна надежд, стужа отчаяния, у нас было все впереди, у нас впереди ничего не было, мы то витали в небесах, то вдруг обрушивались в преисподнюю, - словом, время это было очень похоже на нынешнее, и самые горластые его представители уже и тогда требовали, чтобы о нем - будь то в хорошем или в дурном смысле -говорили не иначе, как в превосходной степени. |
| There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face, on the throne of England; there were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face, on the throne of France. | В то время на английском престоле сидел король с тяжелой челюстью и некрасивая королева[3]; король с тяжелой челюстью и красивая королева сидели на французском престоле[4]. |
| In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes, that things in general were settled for ever. | И в той и в другой стране лорды, хранители земных благ, считали незыблемой истиной, что существующий порядок вещей установлен раз навсегда, на веки вечные. |
| It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five. | Стояло лето господне тысяча семьсот семьдесят пятое. |
| Spiritual revelations were conceded to England at that favoured period, as at this. | В ту благословенную пору Англия, как и ныне, сподобилась откровения свыше. |
| Mrs. Southcott had recently attained her five-and-twentieth blessed birthday, of whom a prophetic private in the Life Guards had heralded the sublime appearance by announcing that arrangements were made for the swallowing up of London and Westminster. |
