Лингвострановедческий подход к отбору литературы

 

Главная цель лингвострановедения – обеспечение коммуникации прежде всего через адекватное восприятие речи собеседника и оригинальных текстов, рассчитанных на носителей языка. Лингвострановедение обеспечивает решение целого ряда проблем, в частности, главной филологической проблемы – адекватного понимания текста, поэтому оно выступает в качестве основы перевода. Ведь для того, чтобы переводить, надо прежде всего понять иноязычный текст со всеми нюансами, уже затем с учётом адресата подбирать соответствующие эквиваленты в языке перевода.

Основной объём страноведческого материала сосредоточен для домашнего чтения. Оно призвано сыграть ведущую роль в развитии умений и потребнойтей иноязычного чтения, формулировании у учащихся психофизиологических механизмов чтения как деятельности, а так же в совершенствовании устно-речевых навыков.

Важное значение имеет содержательная сторона учебных материалов, предназначенных для чтения. Именно содержание таит в себе положительную мотивацию, способность вызвать потребность в чтении на иностранном языке.

Этот вопрос тесно связан в задачей отбора текстов. Следует отметить, что прямая соотнесённость текстов для домашнего чтения в плане содержания иностранного языка с тематикой основного курса учебника в настоящем виде не обеспечивает должного успеха в достижении поставленных целей. Также тексты не воспринимаются учащимися как собственное чтение, как чтение для своего удовольствия и рассматриваются ими как своеобразный иллюстрированный материал для изучения той или иной темы, тех или иных языковых явлений. Вместе с тем домашнее чтение должно способствовать тому, чтобы чтение из учебной деятельности превратилось в увлекательное занятие, стало естественно-мотивированным, чтобы у учащихся формировалась привычка и потребность к самостоятельному чтению литературы на иностранном языке.

Представляется, что если в курсе углублённого изучения языка в основу отбора материала по домашнему чтению положить иной подход – литературно-страноведческий, то он во многом будет более эффективным как в плане обучения чтению и устной речи, так и в плане повышения культурно-образовательного уровня учащихся.

В основе данного подхода видится использование для домашнего чтения текстов художественной литературы страны изучаемого языка, в допустимых границах весь отбор должен создать системное представление об этой литературе с целью достижения максимально широкого (для данных условий обучения) знакомства с лучшими представителями художественной литературы.

Художественная литература является ценным источником страноведческих знаний. Страноведческую ценность должно представлять как отдельное художественное произведение, так и вся система предложенных для чтения произведений.

К страноведческому ценному содержанию относятся также: биография писателей, события, лежащие в основе литературного произведения, сама тематика, имеющая всегда культурно-историческую окраску, среда, в которую погружено действие, т.е. те знания, которые неизменно составляют страноведческий потенциал любого произведения высокого художественного уровня.

Художественные произведения богаты явлениями, в которых наиболее ярко проявляется взаимосвязь языка и культуры – реалиями.

Особое место в ряду реалий, имеющих общекультурную значимость (применительно к художественному произведению) занимают имена литературных персонажей. Помня классические слова В.Г. Белинского о том, что «искусство есть мышление в образах», можно сказать, что учащиеся в процессе чтения воссоздают в своём воображении литературный образ того или иного героя.

Каждый образ несёт в себе определённое количество информации, в том числе и национально-культурной, т.е. страноведческой, например, образ Шерлока Холмса или Эркюля Пуаро в произведениях А. Конан-Дойдя и Агаты Кристи.

Для того, чтобы имя литературного персонажа не ограничивалось номинативной функцией, а стало культурно-значимой реалией, необходимо, чтобы образ этого героя воспринимался учащимися адекватно тому, как он воспринимается носителями языка.

На это как раз и направлен принцип целостного подхода в презентации художественного произведения, реализующийся через набор текстовых документов, отражающих основные моменты развития сюжета, и важные этапы в развитии образа литературного героя.

Национально-культурный компонент присутствует и в топонимеческой лексике (географических названиях). Л.Н. Жернова в своём исследовании среди принципов отбора художественных произведений для чтения называет этнографический принцип, суть которого сводится к тому, что представленность в курсе чтения имён писателей не должна сочетаться с представленностью основных культурно-национальных регионов. Тем самым средствами аутентичного литературного текста учащиеся знакомятся с основными графическими районами страны, своеобразием черт характера, присущих жителям той или иной области, их правами и обычаями.

Условия обучения не позволяют в полной мере реализовать этот принцип отбора (так же, как и социально-исторический) системно в курсе углублённого преподавания иностранных языков в средней школе. Но при чтении художественных произведений важно сориентировать учащихся в месте и времени развёртывания события, чтобы у них сложилось представление о культурно-национальной специфике отдельных районов страны, а также о той исторической эпохе, на фоне которой развиваются события. При этом географические и исторические рамки должны быть снабжены притекстовым комментарием, чтобы восприятие учащимися историко-культурного фона произведения было достаточно глубоким.

Что же касается использования безэквивалентной лексики, то употребление в художественных текстах слов, не имеющих аналогии в родном языке или отличающихся своим фоном, предпочтительно в том случае, если они выступают в роли ключевых или непосредственно вплетены в ткань повествования. Тогда семантизация этой лексики будет заведомо полной и исчерпывающей.

Таким образом, в курсе обучения иностранным языкам в средней школе домашнее чтение целесообразно проводить на произведениях художественной литературы страны изучаемого языка.

Художественные произведения при таком подходе могут быть успешно использованы как в качестве учебного материала при работе над собственным уроком (главным образом его лексическим и устно-речевым аспектом), так и в качестве общекультурного страноведческого компонента, знакомящего учащихся с лучшими образцами художественно-литературного творчества страны, язык которой они изучают, а также реалиями и атрибутами внешней цивилизации.

Казалось бы, содержание страноведческих текстов должно содействовать формированию познавательного интереса у школьников, однако на практике учитель может столкнуться с парадоксом: этот материал по своему богатому содержанию способный обеспечивать развитие положительной мотивации, нередко утрачивает заложенные в нём возможности. Наблюдение за процессом работы над страноведческими текстами позволили выявить ряд отрицательных моментов на практике их использования: одни учащиеся, тщательно проработав над текстом, так и не могут полностью понять его, другие жалуются на трудности и большой объём затрачиваемой самостоятельной работы. В результате богатый учебный материал нередко вступает в роли тормоза при формировании положительного отношения к учебному процессу в целом.

Некоторые затруднения возникают у учителей в связи с тем, что слабо разработана процессуальная сторона из деятельности. Современная психолого-педагогическая наука утверждает, что операционная сторона обучения (умения, навыки) в ещё большей мере, чем предметная (содержательная), сопряжена с мотивационной. Именно из неё, из активных действий, из оперирования поступают импульсы, укрепляющие познавательный интерес.

Большинство учителей при знакомстве с экстралингвистическими данными, их закреплении и контролем за усвоением, пользуются теми же приёмами, что и при работе над обычными текстами, в то время как здесь нужна специальная система приёмов, упражнений, учитывающих специфику предлагаемого материала.

Для проведения занятий по домашнему чтению в VII-IX классе средней школы может быть использована книга Р.Л. Стивенсона «Treasure Island» в адаптации Г.И. Иткиса. Сюжет данной книги отвечает интересам школьников, т.к. «Остров сокровищ» - произведение приключенческого жанра, в нём присутствуют яркие образы и насыщенное действие; ситуации, которые могут побудить учащихся к обсуждению. К тому же, эта книга была переведена на русский язык, а результата анкетирования показывает, что школьникам интереснее было бы прочитать на иностранном языке те книги, которые они уже читали на родном языке, что значительно облегчает восприятие.

2) Rusty told her friends a lot about America.

What did she tell them about? Why?

What didn't she tell them about? Why not? (reading for detail)

"Tell us about America."

So Rusty told them about blueberry pie, and milk shakes with walnut syrup, and how she had seen a wonderful film called The Wizard of Oz and was in colour.

And she told them how they made Valentines and how she went through crazes of collecting things like coins.

And she told them how they sometimes had corn muffins for breakfast, and how one afternoon they'd been taken to see a brand-new musical called Oklahoma and there were cowboys dancing and singing. And how they'd make fudge (глупости) and listen to phonograph records.

And she told them they had been spending time at their summer cottage on Lake Champlain. She loved it there, no matter what time of the year it was. Sometimes, even in the winter, she and Skeet would go and stay with them and camp out in the cottage, and they'd go ice-boating and skating on the frozen lake.

Rusty was absolutely the centre of attention. Everyone was listening, wideeyed, to her. She left out the fact that she had to save up all her money and do odd (случайный) jobs so that she could go to the cinema and buy milk shakes and roller-skates.

Работа с данным текстом бала проведена в 10 классе средней школы. Объём текста недостаточен для оформления работы в отдельный урок, так что беседа по тексту заняла часть урока в рамках страноведческой темы.

Ученики получили задание прочитать текст дома и ответить на предтекстовые вопросы.

На занятии с ними была проведена беседа, в ходе которой им было предложено ответить на следующие вопросы:

1. Did you like the story?

2. What did Rusty tell her friends about American meals?

3. What film had she seen? Was it in color or black-and-white?

4. Did she collect anything? What was it?

5. What musical had she been taken to see?

6. Where did she go for summer?

7. How did she spend the winters?

8. What didn’t Rusty tell her friends about? Why?

9. What did you like best in her story?

Также ученикам было предложено дополнить предложения.

1. Rusty had seen a wonderful film… and it was…

2. She went through crazes of…

3. One afternoon they’d been taken to see… and there were…

4. Sometimes she and Sheet would… , and they’d…

5. She left out the fact that… so that she could…

Благодаря небольшому формату текста, пересказ может быть проведён в форме «снежного кома», когда один ученик произносит одно предложение следующий повторяет это предложение и продолжает пересказ своим, третий повторяет первые два предложения и добавляет третье и т.д. Таким образом, в пересказе будет задействовано максимальное количество учеников, причём начать такой пересказ должен самый слабый из них, а заканчивать – самый сильный.

Библиография

 

1. Аракин В.Д. Методика преподавания английского языка в VIII-X классах. М.: Издательство академии педагогических наук РСФСР, 1958.

2. Возрастная и педагогическая психология / Под ред. А.В. Петровского. – М.: Просвещение, 1979.

3. Жирнова Л.Н. Лингвострановедческий подход при работе над текстом художественной литературы в языковом ВУЗе // Автореф. дис. канд. пед. наук. – М., 1980.

4. Ивенская Д.С. Синтетическое чтение в средней школе. В сб. «Вопросы методики обучения иностранным языкам в средней школе». М.: Учнедиез, 1956.

5. Кипчникова З.И. Психологические особенности обучения чтению на иностранном языке. – М., 1973.

6. Леонтьев А.А. Пособия по методике преподавания русского языка как иностранного для студентов-нефилологов - М., 1984.

7. Рогова Г.В., Ловцевич Г.Н. Личностное чтение // Иностранные языки в школе. – 1994 - №1.

8. Саместар И.Д. Очерки методов обучения иностранным языкам. – М.: Высшая школа, 1966.

9. Щеголева В.А. Роль текстов в процессе обучения иностранным языкам в школе и основные требования к текстам для аналитического чтения. – В сборнике «Вопросы методики обучения иностранным языкам в средней школе». – М.: Учнедиез, 1956.

Приложения

Приложение 1

Treasure Island

(after R.L.Stivenson)

PART I The Old Pirate

CHAPTER 1 The Old Sea-dog at the "Admiral Benbow"

I take my pen to write this story about Treasure Island in the year 17— and go back to the time when my father kept the "Admiral Benbow" inn, and to the day when the old seamen with a seaman's chest came to our inn.

I remember the day very well. The old seaman came up to the door of our inn. He was a tall, strong man in a blue old seaman's coat. He had a cutlass at his side. His face was brown, and there was a big scar on his cheek. He looked at the inn for some time and whistled to himself; then he suddenly began to sing that old song which we all knew very well later:

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest —

Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"[1]

When my father came out of the inn to meet him, and asked him what he wanted, he only said': "A glass of rum."

My father brought him a glass of rum. The seaman drank it slowly, and looked around at the inn and at the sea.

"This is a nice place," he said then. "A good place for an inn. Do many people come and stay here?"

"No," said my father. "Not many, I'm sorry to say.”

"Well, then," the seaman said. "This is a good place for me. I'll stay here for some time. Rum and bacon and eggs is all I want.[2] You want to know my name? You may call me captain. Yes, call me captain."

My father looked at him and didn't say anything.

"Oh, I understand," the man said. "Money? I can pay." He took three or four gold piecesout of his pocket and threw them on the ground in front of my father. "Tell me when I must give you more"

That was how the old seaman with the scar on his right cheek came to stay at our inn. So you see how little we knew about him. He did not like to talk much. All day he walked by the sea. He had a telescope and he looked into the sea as if he wanted to find something there. All evening he sat in the parlour of the inn in a corner by the fire and drank rum and water very strong.

The people who came to the inn for a drink in the evening were afraid of him. When somebody spoke to him, he didn't usually answer, and soon enough they learned to leave him alone. [3]

Every day, when he came from his walk by the sea, he asked one of us, "Have you seen any seaman on the road here today?"

At first we thought he wanted to see and speak to other seamen; but later we began to understand that it wasn't so, that he didn't want to see any seamen, that he was afraid of them/ If a seaman came to stay at the inn, the captain stood behind the curtain on the door of the parlour and looked at him for a long time before he came. Nobody understood why he did that. Only I knew something, but not very much.

This is what I knew.

One day the captain came up to me and said, "Jim, I'll give you a silver fourpenny on the first day of every month if you look well at the people who come to this place. If a seaman with one leg ever comes here, you must come and tell me at once.”

When the first day of the month came, he didn't forget to give me the silver fourpenny and to repeat, "Jim, remem­ber what I said about the man with one leg "

But I must tell you I paid very dear for my fourpenny. Who was that man with one leg? Why was the captain afraid of him? I thought about it day and night. 1 saw him in my dreams. I knew the man with one leg was a terrible man and the captain's enemy. I began to think that he was my enemy too. Sometimes I dreamed that he ran after me on his one leg. But though I was terribly afraid of the seamen with one leg, 1 was less afraid of the captain than the people who came to the inn in the evening.

There were nights when the captain drank much more rum and water than usual, and when he was already drunk, he sang his wild old sea-songs very loudly. Sometimes he called for glasses round[4] and then he made the people in the par­lour listen to his terrible stories; he made them sing his songs with him; and under his terrible look each man tried to sing louder than the others.

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest— Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"

The men all sang, and the captain didn't let anybody leave the parlour. He made them stay at the inn till he fell asleep. But most of all it was his stories that frightened people Those stories were terrible: about storms at sea, about pirates and fights, about hanging people and about walking the plank.[5] Some of the people from the village stopped c6mmg to the inn in the evening.

"What shall we do?" my father asked. "I'm afraid that soon nobody will come to stay here. The captain frightens people, and they Won't come and stay here.

But I saw that though the captain frightened them, many people still caffi6. The inn parlour was always full of people in the evenings now. Life was not very interesting 1Й our little village, and people liked to come and listen to those terrible stories. The younger men called the captain a "sea-dog", and said that men like the captain made England terrible at sea.[6]

Time passed. The captain stayed at the "Admiral Benbow" week after week and month after month. The money which he gave my father was coming to an end.[7] But my father hasn't brave enough to ask him either to pay of to leave the inn. Later, when my father told him one day, that he must pay for his room and the food, the captain gave him such a terrible look that my father hurried out of the room.

My father wasn't a strong man. At that time his health was poor. It was difficult for him to get up in the morning, and soon after that talk with the captain he felt so bad that he had to stay in bed all the time. Our doctor» Dr. Livesey, came to see him from time to time.

One late afternoon Dr. Livesey came to see my father The doctor took some dinner from my mother, and after that he sat smoking in the parlour and talking to some of the people there. The captain was also sitting in the parlour with his arms on the table. He was already very drunk. Suddenly he-the captain—began singing his wild old sea-song:

“Fifteen men on the dead man's chest - Yo ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”

It was the first time the doctor heard the song. The captain sang very loudly, and I saw that the doctor didn't like it. He turned to see who was singing. At that moment the captain struck the table with his hand. The people knew what it meant: all talk stopped at once. Only the doctor went on talking

"Silence!" shouted the captain.

The doctor turned and looked at the captain.

"Are you speaking to me, sir?" the doctor asked.

"Silence!” the captain shouted louder.

^“I have only one thing to say to you,” the doctor said. "If you don't stop drinking rum, there will soon be one dirty scoundrel less m the world."[8]

The captain jumped up from his chair with a terrible look. He took a sailor's knife out of his pocket, opened it and ran to the doctor with the knife in his hand. The doctor didn't move. He didn't even stand up. He only turned his head a little. He spoke louder now, and all the people in the parlour could hear him well:

"If you do not put that knife this moment in your pocket, I tell you, upon my honour, you shall very soon hang."[9]

The captain stopped, and for some time they looked at each other in silence. And the doctor won. The captain put the knife in his pocket and went back to his place like a beaten dog.[10]

"And now," the doctor said, “ I know there is a man like you here, and I’ll have an eye on you day and night.[11] I'm not a doctor only; I'm a magistrate; and if anybody tells me something bad about you, I'll know what to do. Remember that!"

The doctor soon went away, and the captain sat quietly in his place by the fire that evening and many other evenings, too.

[12]
CHAPTER 2 Black Dog Appears and Disappears

 

Soon after this a strange event happened, but at that time we did not understand what that event meant.

It happened in winter. One very cold January morning the captain got up earlier than usual and went for a walk to the sea in his old blue coat and hat. His telescope was under his arm.

All that winter my father was in very poor health. He was slowly dying. My mother and I had to do all the work in the inn. That morning Mother was with Father in his room and I was preparing breakfast for the people who stayed at the "Admiral Benbow". Suddenly the parlour door opened, and a man came in. I did not know that man. He had a cut­lass at his side, but he didn't look like a sailor. You remember that at that time I always had my eyes open for seamen, with one leg or two. I looked at the man to decide if he was a seaman or not. I asked him if he wanted anything. He said he wanted a glass of rum. As I was going out of the room for the rum, he sat down at a table and asked me to come nearer.

"Come here, sonny," he said, "come nearer here."

I came up nearer to him.

"Is this table for my friend Bill?" he asked.

I told him I didn't know his friend Bill. I said that the table was for a man who stayed in our inn, and that we called him captain.

"Well," he said, "my friend Bill may like the name of captain. He has a scar on his cheek, hasn't he? That scar is on the right cheek, isn't it? Well, this is certainly my friend Bill. Tell me, sonny, is my friend Bill in this house now?"

I told him the captain was walking by the sea.

"Which way,1 sonny? Which way did he go?"

When I told him where the captain liked to walk and when he usually came back for breakfast, and answered a few other questions, the man said:

"I'll wait for him. I think he will be happy to see me."

I didn't like the look in his eyes as he said that.

The stranger waited in the parlour. Sometimes he went out into the road and then came back into the house. I also went out into the road to see if the captain was coming, but he at once called me back into the house. As I did not come back quickly enough, he gave me a terrible look and with an oath he shouted "Back into the housel" so loudly that it made me Jump. I hurried into the house and when I was back in the parlour again, he told me I was a good boy and became nice again.

At last the captain appeared in the road. When the stranger saw him he said:

"And there at last is my friend Bill. Oh, he is walking with a telescope under his arm. Now, sonny, you and 1 will go back into the parlour again, and we'll give my friend Bill a little surprise." Saying that the man made me go back with him into the parlour at once and put me behind him in the corner, behind the open door.

"Bill will not see us here when he comes in, sonny," he said in a low voice.

I did not like that voice. I did not know what to do. I stood behind the man in the corner. I was afraid of him now, and I saw that he was frightened of something, too. His hand was on his cutlass.

So we stood there in silence.

At last the captain came into the parlour and shut the door. He didn't see us and walked straight to the table where his breakfast was waiting for him.

"Bill," the .stranger said loudly.

The captain turned round quickly and saw us. His face became white at once. I was very sorry for him, he looked so old and ill now.

"Look here. Bill," the man said, "you know me. You know an old shipmate, don't you, Bill?"

"Black Dog!" the captain said in a very low voice.

"Yes," said the other. "Black Dog they call me. And I'm here to see my old shipmate Bill at the "Admiral Benbow" inn. Oh, Bill, Bill, we have seen something in life, you and me, haven't we?"

 "Look here, you," said the captain. "You have found me;

here I am. Now say what you want?"

"We'll talk, Billy," the man answered. I’ll have a glass of rum from this dear child," he looked at me, "and we'll sit down and talk like old shipmates "

When I came back with the rum, they sat at the captain's table talking. Black Dog told me to go away and to leave the door open. "But don't try to listen to our talk," he said.

I left them together and went to the kitchen. For a long time I tried to listen to their talk, but they were speaking in low voices, and for a long time I could hear nothing. Then suddenly they began talking louder and louder and now I heard something that they were saying, but it was almost all oaths.

"No, no, no, no," repeated the captain, "If it comes to hanging, we'll all hang,2 I say."

Then suddenly there was a terrible noise—the table and chairs fell down. I heard a loud cry and saw Black Dog running to the door.3 Blood ran from a wound in his left arm. The captain was running after Black Dog with his cutlass- in his hand. At the door the captain was already very near him, but Black Dog ran out into the road. He ran so fast that soon disappeared. The captain stood by the door for a long time, silent. At last he turned back into the house.

"Jim,” he said, "rum!” He almost fell as he spoke. His face was all blue and red.

"Are you wounded?" I cried.

"Rum I" he repeated. "I must run away from here. Rum! Rum!"

I ran for the rum, but before I could get it I heard a loud fall in the parlour. I ran back into the room and saw the captain lying on the floor. At the same moment my mother who was frightened by the cries, ran into the parlour fo help me

The captain's eyes were closed, and his face was a terrible colour. My mother and I did not know what to do. We thought that he was wounded. I tried to make him drink some rum, but his teeth were shut, and we could not open his mouth We were happy when the door suddenly opened, and Dr. Livesey appeared in the parlour. He was going to see my father; but when he saw the captain lying on the floor, he at once came up to him.

“Oh, doctor/' we cried, "what shall we do? Where is he wounded?"

"Wounded?" said the doctor, "He is до more wounded than you or I. The man has had a stroke4, just as I told him. New you, Mrs. Hawkins," he said to my mother, "you go upstairs to your husband and tell him nothing about this. I'll try to save this man's life, and Jim will help me. Are you afraid of blood, Jim?" he asked me.

"No, I'm not,” I answered.

"We must take sane blood from his arm," the doctor said.The captain's arm was tattooed in many places with pictures and writing. We read: "Here's luck", “A fair wind”, "Billy Bones his fancy". 5

"And now, Mr. Billy Воnеs, if this is your name, we 11 see the colour of your blood. Hold his arm, Jim."

The doctor opened a vein.6 A lot of blood was taken, and at last the captain opened his eyes. He locked at the doctor and then at me; we saw he did not understand what was happening. Then suddenly he remembered everything, and at once tried to get up.

"Where's Black Dog?" he cried.

"There is no Black Dog here," said the doctor. "You have drunk too much rum, and you have had a stroke, just as I told you, and I have brought you back to life. And now, Mr. Billy Bones —"

"That's not my name," said the captain.

"I don't care7 whether it's your name or not. I only want to repeat that you must stop drinking. If you don't stop drinking rum, you will very soon die. Now try to get up and go to your bed. Jim and I will help you."

The captain was very weak. He was a tall man, and it was difficult even for the two of us to take him upstairs and put him on his bed.

"Now remember what I have said. If you don't stop drink­ing rum, it will kill you," the doctor repeated.

He took me by the arm. "The man isn't dying now," he said at the door. "We have taken enough blood. He must-lie in bed for a week, — that is the best thing for him and you. One glass of rum will not kill him when he is well again. But if he doesn't stop drinking, another stroke will kill him."

Then the doctor went to see my father.

[13]
CHAPTER 3 The Black Spot1

 

A few hours later I stopped at the captain's door with some medicines. He was lying in the same position, and I saw that he was very weak.

"Jim," he said as he saw me, "you are a good boy, and you know I have always been good to you. Every month I've given you a silver fourpenny for yourself. And now you see, Jim, I am so weak and ill. You'll bring me one glass of rum, Jim, won't you?"

"But the doctor —" I began.

He stopped me at once when he heard the word "doctor".

"Don't speak about doctors," he said in a weak voice. “And that doctor there, what does he know about seamen? I've been to such places, and I've seen so many countries and so many seas, and I've seen people dying around me—what does your doctor know about all that? — and I lived on rum,2 I tell you. And if I don't have my glass of rum now, I am a poor old ship on a shore,3 and my blood will be on you,4 Jim, and on that doctor. That doctor doesn't understand anything, I tell you. He himself said one glass of rum will not kill me. I heard him. I'll give you some more money, Jim."

He began talking quicker, and louder. I was afraid he was going to shout at me, and I did not want my father to hear. The doctor said my father was in very, very poor health. And I also remembered the doctor's words about the glass of rum.

"I don't want any of your money," said I, "but you must pay us for your room and food. I'll get you a glass of rum," I said at last.

When I brought it to him, he drank it all at once.

"Well," he said, "now that's better. And now, Jim, did the doctor say how long I must lie here in this old bed?"

"No less than a week," said I.

"A week!" he cried. "A week! I can't do that. They will have the black spot on me5 if I don't run away. Those people know where I am, and they may come any minute now. They have spent all the money they had, and now they want to have mine. But I'll fool them again. I'm not afraid of them. I’ll run away, Jim, I'll disappear, and I'll fool them all."

As he said this, he put his hand on my shoulder and got up. He was very weak. He sat on the bed for a minute and then he lay down again.

"Jim," he said at last, "Did you see that seaman today?"

"Black Dog?" I asked.

"Yes, Black Dog," said he. "He's a bad man. But those people who sent him here are still worse. Well, if I can't run away, and they have the black spot on me, remember, Jim, it is my old sea-chest that they want to get. You get on a horse6 — you can, can't you? Well, you get on a horse and hurry to that doctor, the magistrate — he is the magistrate here, isn't he? — and tell hint to take all his men and arrest those people at the "Admiral Benbow", all of them at once — all old Flint's crew. I was his first mate. Captain Flint's first mate. I know the place, only I. They don't know it. Captain Flint gave me the map of the place when he was dying — the place on that island where the treasure is. But you do what I am telling you now only if they have the black spot on me or if you see that Black Dog again, or a seaman with one leg, Jim. That man with one leg is the worst of them."

"But what is the black spot, captain?" I asked.

"It's a summons,7 boy. I'll tell you if they have the black spot on me. But you look well, Jim, and do as I tell you, and I'll give you half the treasure, I will, Jim, upon my honour."8

He went on talking, but his voice became weaker and weaker, and when he took the medicine, he closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

 "What must I do? What must I do now?" I asked myself. “Must I go and tell the doctor everything?" I did not know. 1 could not decide.

It so happened that my poor father died suddenly that evening, and I forgot all about the captain's story: I had to think of my mother and the people from the village who came to visit her, to help with the funeral,9 and do all the work of the inn. I had no time to think of the captain and his story.

The next morning the captain got up and came to have his breakfast as usual. Though he ate little, he drank a lot of rum. I did not give it to him. He took it himself and nobody tried to stop him. On the night before the funeral he was drunk. He forgot that my poor father was lying dead in the house and sang his terrible old sea-song. Though he was very weak, we were all afraid of him, and nobody was brave enough to tell him to stop. Only the doctor could do that, and he was away at another village.

On the day after the funeral, at three o'clock, I was standing at the door of the inn for a moment, thinking about my father, when I saw a stranger walking slowly along the road. "He must be blind," I thought. He was tap-tapping before him with a stick.10 He was dressed in a very old sea-cloak. I never saw in my life a more dreadful-looking man.11 He stopped not far from the inn and spoke in the voice all blind people have when they want to know something.

"Will any kind friend tell a poor blind man, who has lost his eyes in defence of his country, England, — where or in what part of this country he may now be?" he said.

"You are at the "Admiral Benbow" inn, Black Hill" Cove, my good man," said I.

"I hear a voice," said he, "a young voice. Will you give me your hand, my kind friend, and take me into the inn?"

I gave him my hand, and the blind man gripped it like a vice12 I tried to have my hand back, but it was too late.

"Now, boy," he said, "take me to the captain."

"Sir," said I, "I can't. I am afraid..."

 “Oh, you can’t, can you? Take me to the captain this moment, or I’ll break your arm."

"Sir," said I,"I am not afraid for myself, I am afraid for you. The captain may kill you, sir. Another man —"

"Come now, march!"13 he did not listen to me. "Now take me straight to him," said the blind man, "and when he can see me, cry out in a loud voice: here's a friend for you, Bill. If you don't do what I tell you, I'll break your arm."

I never heard a voice so cold and terrible as that blind man's. It frightened me so much that I walked with him straight through the door of the inn and into the parlour the captain sat quite drunk.

I was so much afraid of the blind man now that I had to do what he said. When I cried out: "Here's a friend for you, Bill," the captain looked up at us, and at once the rum went out of him. His face lost colour. He tried to get up, but he was too weak.

"Now, Bill, sit where you are," said the blind man. "I'm blind and I can't see, but I can hear very well. And I shall do what I must. Boy," he said to me, "take his right arm and bring his right hand near to my right."

When I did that, the blind man put something into the captain's hand; then the captain's hand closed quickly.

"Now that is done," said the blind man. He let my hand go14 and quickly, very quickly for a blind man, left the parlour and went out into the road. Then I heard his stick tap-tapping as he walked away.

For some time neither I nor the captain could move. I was still holding his arm. When at last I let it go, he opened his hand and looked at what was in it.

"Ten o'clock!" he cried. "Six hours. But we still have some time!" and he jumped to his feet. But at the same moment he fell face down on the floor.

I called to my mother and ran up to him. She came at once, but we could not do anything. The captain was dead.[14]

[1] Слова из старой пиратской песни: «Пятнадцать человек на сундук мертвеца, Йо-хо-хо, и бутылка рому».

[2] Rum and bacon and eggs is all I want.-Ром и яичница с ветчиной – вот всё, что мне нужно.

[3] to leave him alone-оставлять его в покое

[4] called for glasses round-угощал всех присутствующих вином.

[5] to wak the plank-ходить по доске (Вид казни.Осуждённого заставляли идти по неприбитой доске, один конец которой выдавался в море.)

[6] made England terrible at sea- Превратили Англию в грозу морей.

[7] The maney…was coming to an end-Деньги… подходили к концу. ( Здесь и ниже используется Past Continuous Tense. Это время употребляется для того, чтобы выразить действие, протекающее в какой-то момент прошлого. При этом вспомогательный глагол to be стоит в Past Indefinite)

[8] There will soon be one dirty scoundrel less in the world- Одним гнусным мерзавцем станет меньше на земле

[9] .upon my honour, you shall very soon hang- Клянусь честью, вас скоро повесят.

[10] like a beaten dog-как побитый пес

[11] I’ll have an eye on you day and night – Я буду неустанно следить завами днём и ночью.

 

1 Which way - По какой дороге

2 If it comes to hanging, we’ll all hang – Если уж дело дойдёт до виселицы, то пусть болтаются все.

3 saw Black dog running to the door – увидел, как Чёрный Пёс побежал к двери.

4 The man has had a stroke – С ним случился удар.

5 ”Here’s luck”, ”A fair wind”, “Billy Bones his fancy” – «На счастье», «Попутного ветра», «Пусть сбудутся мечты Билли Бонcа».

6 The doctor opened a vein – Доктор вскрыл (капитану) вену.

7 I don’t care – Мне безразлично.

 

1 The Black Spot – Чёрная метка.

2 I lived on rum – Я на одном роме только и держался.

3 a poor old ship on a shore – разбитый старый корабль выброшенный на берег

4 my blood will be on you – ты будешь виновен в моей смерти

5 They will have the black spot on me – Они вручат мне чёрную метку.

6 get on a horse – садись на лошадь

7 a summons – повестка, вызов (получив такой вызов от пиратов, человек обязан был явиться на их суд в указанное место и время)

8 upon my honour – клянусь честью

9 to help with the funeral – помочь в устройстве похорон

10 He was tap-tapping before him with a stick. – Он постукивал перед собой палкой.

11 a more dreadful-looking man – человека с ещё более ужасной внешностью

12 gripped it like a vice – сдавил её будто клещами

13 Come now,march! – Давай, шагай!

14 He let my hand go – Он отпустил мою руку.