Sonny Corleone pressed close to the window. What he saw made him move

quickly toward the door, a delighted smile on his face. "It's Johnny, he came to

the wedding, what did I tell you?" Hagen moved to the window. "It's really your

godson," he said to Don Corleone. "Shall I bring him here?"

19 "No," the Don said. "Let the people enjoy him. Let him come to me when he is

ready." He smiled at Hagen. "You see? He is a good godson."

20 Hagen felt a twinge of jealousy. He said dryly, "It's been two years. He's

probably in trouble again and wants you to help."

21 "And who should he come to if not his godfather?" asked Don Corleone.

 

 

1 The first one to see Johnny Fontane enter the garden was Connie Corleone. She

forgot her bridal dignity (достоинство, важность) and screamed, "Johneee." Then she

ran into his arms. He hugged her tight (крепко обнял ее; to hug – крепко обнимать,

сжимать в объятиях) and kissed her on the mouth, kept his arm around her as others

came up to greet him. They were all his old friends, people he had grown up with on the

West Side. Then Connie was dragging him (тащила = тянула) to her new husband.

Johnny saw with amusement that the blond young man looked a little sour (выглядел

 

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

кислым = мрачным, угрюмым [sau∂]) at no longer being the star of the day (из-за того,

что он больше не центр внимания, что перестал быть центром внимания, гвоздем

программы). He turned on all his charm («включил» весь свой шарм), shaking the

groom's hand, toasting him with a glass of wine.

2 A familiar voice called from the bandstand, "How about giving us a song, Johnny?"

He looked up and saw Nino Valenti smiling down at him. Johnny Fontane jumped up on

the bandstand (запрыгнул на сцену) and threw his arms around Nino. They had been

inseparable (неразлучны: «неразлучимы» [ın'sep∂r∂bl]), singing together, going out

with girls together, until Johnny had started to become famous and sing on the radio.

When he had gone to Hollywood to make movies Johnny had phoned Nino a couple of

times just to talk and had promised to get him a club singing date (прослушивание).

But he had never done so. Seeing Nino now, his cheerful (радостную, веселую,

неунывающую [t∫ı∂ful]; to cheer – cоздавать хорошее настроение, подбадривать;

приветствовать громкими возгласами), mocking (насмешливую), drunken grin

(пьяную улыбку, усмешку), all the affection returned (вся привязанность, все теплые

чувства вернулись).

3 Nino began strumming on the mandolin (бренчать, тренькать). Johnny Fontane put

his hand on Nino's shoulder. "This is for the bride," he said, and stamping his foot

(топая, притаптывая), chanted the words (пропел слова) to an obscene Sicilian love

song. As he sang, Nino made suggestive motions with his body (непристойные

движения; suggestive [s∂’dGestıv] – внушающий какие-либо мысли; намекающий на

что-либо непристойное; to suggest – предлагать, советовать; вызывать, намекать).

The bride blushed proudly (покраснела гордо), the throng of guests (толпа) roared its

approval. Before the song ended they were all stamping with their feet and roaring out

the sly, double-meaning tag line (выкрикивая лукавую заключительную реплику с

двойственным смыслом) that finished each stanza (куплет, строфу). At the end they

would not stop applauding until Johnny cleared his throat (прочистил горло) to sing

another song.

4 They were all proud of him. He was of them and he had become a famous singer, a

movie star who slept with the most desired women in the world. And yet he had shown

proper respect for his Godfather by traveling three thousand miles to attend this

wedding. He still loved old friends like Nino Valenti. Many of the people there had seen

Johnny and Nino singing together when they were just boys, when no one dreamed that

Johnny Fontane would grow up to hold the hearts of fifty million women in his hands.

 

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5 Johnny Fontane reached down and lifted the bride up on to the bandstand so that

Connie stood between him and Nino. Both men crouched down (согнулись,

пригнулись), facing each other, Nino plucking the mandolin for a few harsh chords (с

силой перебирая струны, взяв несколько мощных аккордов; to pluck – срывать

/цветок/; пощипывать, перебирать /струны/; chord [ko:d] – струна; harsh – жесткий,

твердый; резкий). It was an old routine of theirs, a mock battle and wooing (шутливое

= в шутку сражение и ухажерство; to woo – ухаживать, добиваться), using their

voices like swords, each shouting a chorus in turn (выкрикивая припев по очереди

[‘ko:r∂s]). With the most delicate courtesy (вежливостью, учтивостью ['k∂tısı]), Johnny

let Nino's voice overwhelm his own (позволил, дал одолеть, подавить свой

собственный голос), let Nino take the bride from his arm, let Nino swing into the last

victorious stanza while his own voice died away (замер, стих). The whole wedding

party broke into shouts of applause, the three of them embraced each other at the end.

The guests begged for another song.

6 Only Don Corleone, standing in the comer entrance of the house, sensed something

amiss (почувствовал, что что-то не так). Cheerily, with bluff good humor (с

наигранным /ср. «блеф»/ хорошим настроением), careful not to give offense to his

guests (стараясь не обидеть, боясь обидеть), he called out, "My godson has come

three thousand miles to do us honor and no one thinks to wet his throat?" At once a

dozen full wine glasses were thrust at Johnny Fontane. He took a sip from all and

rushed to embrace his Godfather (бросился обнять). As he did so he whispered

something into the older man's ear. Don Corleone led him into the house.