Orwell: Animal farm – 2 (MP3)

At one end of the big barn, on a sort of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions. First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs, who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform. The hens perched themselves on the window-sills, the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters, the sheep and cows lay down behind the pigs and began to chew the cud. The two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover, came in together, walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs with great care lest there should be some small animal concealed in the straw. Clover was a stout motherly mare approaching middle life, who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal. Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence, but he was universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work. After the horses came Muriel, the white goat, and Benjamin, the donkey. Benjamin was the oldest animal on the farm, and the worst tempered. He seldom talked, and when he did, it was usually to make some cynical remark-for instance, he would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies. Alone among the animals on the farm he never laughed. If asked why, he would say that he saw nothing to laugh at. Nevertheless, without openly admitting it, he was devoted to Boxer; the two of them usually spent their Sundays together in the small paddock beyond the orchard, grazing side by side and never speaking.

 

barn stodoła
on a raised platform na podwyższeniu
ensconced usadowiony
straw słoma
beam belka
stout gruby, tęgi
wise mądry
benevolent życzliwy, dobroduszny
appearance wygląd
in spite of the fact pomimo faktu
tushes kły
before long wkrótce
to settle down usiąść, usadowić się
after different fashions na rożne sposoby
hen kura
to perche usiąść
window-sill parapet
pigeon gołąb
rafter krokiew
sheep owca
cow krowa
to chew rzuć
cud kęs pokarmu
cart-horse stępak (koń pociągowy)
to come in wejść
walking very slowly idąc bardzo wolno
vast hairy hoof ogromne włochate kopyto
with a great care ostrożnie
lest aby nie
to conceal przemilczeć, chować
stout klacz
motherly mare o matczynym wyglądzie
to approach zbliżać się
middle life średni wiek
foal źrebak
beast zwierzę, bestia
as strong as two ordinary horses put together tak silny jak dwa normalne konie wzięte razem
hand jednostka pomiaru wysokości konia
stripe pasek, wstążka
somewhat w pewnym stopniu, nieco
stupid appearance głupawy wygląd
to be not of first intelligence nie być zbytnio inteligentnym, nie grzeszyć mądrością
to be universally respected for … być powszechnie szanowanym za …
steadiness of character niezłomność charakteru
tremendous powers of work olbrzymia siła
goat kozioł (także. ofiarny)
donkey osioł
temper usposobienie
seldom rzadko
cynical remark cyniczna uwaga
for instance na przykład
tail ogon
to keep the flies off aby przeganiać muchy
among the animals pośród (wszystkich) zwierząt
to laugh at śmiać się z
nevertheless mimo to, pomimo
to admit sth. openly wpuścić, dopuścić
to devote poświęcać
the two of them oboje
paddock wybieg dla koni
beyond the orchard za sadem
to graze skupać trawę, paść się
side by side ramię w ramię