×

We use cookies to help make LingQ better. By visiting the site, you agree to our cookie policy.


image

VOA Short Stories., The Open Boat

The Open Boat

BARBARA KLEIN: Now, the VOA Special English program AMERICAN STORIES.

(MUSIC)

Our story today is called “The Open Boat.” It was written by Stephen Crane and is based on what really happened to him in eighteen ninety-six.

Crane was traveling from the United States to Cuba as a newspaper reporter. One night, his ship hit a sandbar. It sank in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Florida. Most of the people on board got into lifeboats. Crane was among the last to leave. There were three others with him: the ship's captain, the cook, and a sailor. These four men climbed into the only remaining lifeboat. The boat was so small that no one believed it could stay afloat for very long. None of the four men thought he would ever reach the shore. But the men fought the seas bravely, with all their strength. Would they finally reach land? Here is Shep O'Neal with the first part of the story. (MUSIC)

SHEP O'NEAL: The small lifeboat bounced from wave to wave in the rough seas of the Atlantic. The four men in the boat could not see the sky. The waves rose too high.

The waves with their white tops pushed at the open boat with angry violence. Every man thought each wave would be his last. Surely, the boat would sink and he would drown. The men thought that most adults would need a bathtub larger than the boat they were sailing. The waves were huge, and each created a problem in guiding the direction of the boat.

For two days, since the ship sank, the four men had been struggling to reach land. But there was no land to be seen. All the men saw were violent waves which rose and came fiercely down on them.

The men sat in the boat, wondering if there was any hope for them. The ship's cook sat in the bottom of the boat. He kept looking at the fifteen centimeters which separated him from the ocean.

The boat had only two wooden oars. They were so thin – it seemed as if they would break against the waves. The sailor, named Billie, directed the boat's movement with one of the oars. The newspaper reporter pulled the second oar. He wondered why he was there in the boat.

The fourth man was the captain of the ship that had sunk. He lay in the front of the small boat. His arm and leg were hurt when the ship sank. The captain's face was sad. He had lost his ship and many of his sailors. But he looked carefully ahead, and he told Billie when to turn the boat.

“Keep her a little more south, Billie,” he said.

“A little more south, sir,” the sailor repeated.

Sitting in the boat was like sitting on a wild horse. As each wave came, the boat rose and fell, like a horse starting toward a fence too high to jump. The problem was that after successfully floating over one wave you find that there is another one behind it just as strong and ready to flood your boat.

As each wall of water came in, it hid everything else that the men could see. The waves came in silence; only their white tops made threatening noises.

In the weak light, the faces of the men must have looked gray. Their eyes must have shone in strange ways as they looked out at the sea. The sun rose slowly into the sky. The men knew it was the middle of the day because the color of the sea changed from slate gray to emerald green, with gold lights. And the white foam on the waves looked like falling snow.

(MUSIC)

SHEP O'NEAL: As the lifeboat bounced from the top of each wave, the wind tore through the hair of the men. As the boat dropped down again the water fell just past them. The top of each wave was a hill, from which the men could see, for a brief period, a wide area of shining sea.

The cook said the men were lucky because the wind was blowing toward the shore. If it started blowing the other way, they would never reach land. The reporter and the sailor agreed. But the captain laughed in a way that expressed humor and tragedy all in one. He asked: “Do you think we've got much of a chance now, boys?” This made the others stop talking. To express any hope at this time they felt to be childish and stupid. But they also did not want to suggest there was no hope. So they were silent.

“Oh, well,” said the captain, “We'll get ashore all right.” But there was something in his voice that made them think, as the sailor said: “Yes, if this wind holds!”

Seagulls flew near and far. Sometimes the birds sat down on the sea in groups, near brown seaweed that rolled on the waves. The anger of the sea was no more to them than it was to a group of chickens a thousand miles away on land. Often the seagulls came very close and stared at the men with black bead-like eyes. The men shouted angrily at them, telling them to be gone.

The sailor and the reporter kept rowing with the thin wooden oars. Sometimes they sat together, each using an oar. Sometimes one would pull on both oars while the other rested. Brown pieces of seaweed appeared from time to time. They were like islands, bits of earth that did not move. They showed the men in the boat that it was slowly making progress toward land.

(MUSIC)

SHEP O'NEAL: Hours passed. Then, as the boat was carried to the top of a great wave, the captain looked across the water.

He said that he saw the lighthouse at Mosquito Inlet. The cook also said he saw it. The reporter searched the western sky.

“See it?” said the captain.

“No,” said the reporter slowly, “I don't see anything.” “Look again,” said the captain. He pointed. “It's exactly in that direction.” This time the reporter saw a small thing on the edge of the moving horizon. It was exactly like the point of a pin.

“Think we'll make it, captain?” he asked. “If this wind holds and the boat doesn't flood, we can't do much else,” said the captain. (MUSIC)

SHEP O'NEAL: It would be difficult to describe the brotherhood of men that was here established on the sea. Each man felt it warmed him. They were a captain, a sailor, a cook and a reporter. And they were friends. The reporter knew even at the time that this friendship was the best experience of his life.

All obeyed the captain. He was a good leader. He always spoke in a low voice and calmly.

“I wish we had a sail,” he said, “to give you two boys a chance to rest.” So they used his coat and one of the oars to make a sail and the boat moved much more quickly.

The lighthouse had been slowly growing larger. At last, from the top of each wave the men in the boat could see land. Slowly, the land seemed to rise from the sea. Soon, the men could see two lines, one black and one white.

They knew that the black line was formed by trees, and the white line was the sand. At last, the captain saw a house on the shore. And the lighthouse became even larger.

“The keeper of the lighthouse should be able to see us now,” said the captain. “He'll notify the life-saving people.” Slowly and beautifully, the land rose from the sea. The wind came again. Finally, the men heard a new sound – the sound of waves breaking and crashing on the shore.

“We'll never be able to make the lighthouse now,” said the captain. “Swing her head a little more north, Billie.”

“A little more north, sir,” said the sailor.

The men watched the shore grow larger. They became hopeful. In an hour, perhaps, they would be on land. The men struggled to keep the boat from turning over.

They were used to balancing in the boat. Now they rode this wild horse of a boat like circus men. The water poured over them.

The reporter thought he was now wet to the skin. But he felt in the top pocket of his coat and found eight cigars. Four were wet, but four were still dry. One of the men found some dry matches. Each man lit a cigar. The four men sailed in their boat with the belief of a rescue shining in their eyes. They smoked their big cigars and took a drink of water.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN:

You have been listening to the first part of the American short story, “The Open Boat,” by Stephen Crane. This program was adapted for Special English by Shelley Gollust and produced by Lawan Davis. Your storyteller was Shep O'Neal. Join us again next week when we tell you the second and last part of the story. You can read and listen to other AMERICAN STORIES on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Barbara Klein.

The Open Boat Le bateau ouvert オープン・ボート Otwarta łódź O barco aberto Açık Tekne Відкритий човен 敞篷船 敞篷船

BARBARA KLEIN: Now, the VOA Special English program AMERICAN STORIES. BARBARA KLEIN:さて、VOAスペシャルイングリッシュプログラムAMERICANSTORIES。

(MUSIC)

Our story today is called “The Open Boat.”  It was written by Stephen Crane and is based on what really happened to him in eighteen ninety-six. 今日の私たちの物語は「オープンボート」と呼ばれています。それはスティーブンクレインによって書かれ、1896年に彼に実際に起こったことに基づいています。

Crane was traveling from the United States to Cuba as a newspaper reporter. Crane cestoval ze Spojených států na Kubu jako reportér novin. クレーンは新聞記者として米国からキューバに旅行していた。 One night, his ship hit a sandbar. Jednou v noci jeho loď zasáhla pískoviště. ある夜、彼の船は砂州にぶつかった。 Однажды ночью его корабль врезался в отмель. It sank in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Florida. Potopilo se v Atlantském oceánu, na pobřeží Floridy. フロリダ沖の大西洋に沈みました。 Most of the people on board got into lifeboats. Většina lidí na palubě se dostala do záchranných člunů. 乗船したほとんどの人が救命ボートに乗り込みました。 Crane was among the last to leave. Crane byl mezi posledními, kdo odešel. クレーンは最後に去った。 There were three others with him: the ship's captain, the cook, and a sailor. Byli s ním další tři: kapitán lodi, kuchař a námořník. 彼と一緒にいたのは、船の船長、料理人、船員の3人でした。 These four men climbed into the only remaining lifeboat. Tito čtyři muži vylezli do jediného zbývajícího záchranného člunu. これらの4人の男性は唯一残っている救命ボートに乗り込みました。 The boat was so small that no one believed it could stay afloat for very long. Loď byla tak malá, že nikdo nevěřil, že může zůstat nad vodou velmi dlouho. ボートはとても小さかったので、誰もそれが非常に長く浮かんでいることができるとは信じていませんでした。 None of the four men thought he would ever reach the shore. Žádný ze čtyř mužů si nemyslel, že by někdy dosáhl na břeh. 4人の男性は誰も彼がこれまでに海岸に到達するとは思っていませんでした。 But the men fought the seas bravely, with all their strength. Ale muži bojovali statečně se všemi silami. しかし、男たちは力を尽くして勇敢に海と戦いました。 Would they finally reach land? Dostanou se konečně do země? 彼らはついに土地に到達するだろうか? Here is Shep O'Neal with the first part of the story. Zde je Shep O'Neal s první částí příběhu. ストーリーの最初の部分であるシェップ・オニールはここにあります。 (MUSIC)

SHEP O'NEAL:  The small lifeboat bounced from wave to wave in the rough seas of the Atlantic. SHEP O'NEAL: Malý záchranný člun se odrazil od vlny k vlně v rozbouřeném moři Atlantiku. SHEP O'NEAL:小さな救命ボートが大西洋の荒れた海で波から波へと跳ね返った。 The four men in the boat could not see the sky. Čtyři muži v lodi neviděli oblohu. ボートに乗った4人の男は空を見ることができなかった。 The waves rose too high. Vlny stouply příliš vysoko. 波が高くなりすぎた。

The waves with their white tops pushed at the open boat with angry violence. Vlny s bílými vrcholy tlačily na otevřenou loď rozzlobeným násilím. 白いトップの波が怒りの暴力でオープンボートに押し付けられた。 Every man thought each wave would be his last. Každý muž si myslel, že každá vlna bude jeho poslední. すべての人は、それぞれの波が彼の最後になると思っていました。 Surely, the boat would sink and he would drown. Loď se určitě potápí a on se utopí. 確かに、ボートは沈み、彼は溺れるでしょう。 The men thought that most adults would need a bathtub larger than the boat they were sailing. Muži si mysleli, že většina dospělých bude potřebovat vanu větší než loď, kterou plavili. 男性は、ほとんどの大人は彼らが航行していたボートよりも大きな浴槽が必要になると考えていました。 The waves were huge, and each created a problem in guiding the direction of the boat. Vlny byly obrovské a každá z nich vyvolala problém při vedení směru lodi. 波は巨大で、それぞれがボートの方向を案内する際に問題を引き起こしました。

For two days, since the ship sank, the four men had been struggling to reach land. Dva dny, co se loď potopila, se tito muži snažili dostat na pevninu. 船が沈没してから2日間、4人の男は着陸するのに苦労していました。 But there was no land to be seen. Nebyla však vidět žádná země. しかし、目に見える土地はありませんでした。 All the men saw were violent waves which rose and came fiercely down on them. Všichni muži viděli násilné vlny, které se zvedaly a prudce na ně padaly. すべての男性が見たのは激しい波であり、それは彼らに激しく降りてきました。

The men sat in the boat, wondering if there was any hope for them. Muži seděli v lodi a přemýšleli, jestli pro ně není naděje. 男たちはボートに座って、彼らに希望があるかどうか疑問に思いました。 The ship's cook sat in the bottom of the boat. Na dně lodi seděl kuchař lodi. 船のコックは船の底に座っていました。 He kept looking at the fifteen centimeters which separated him from the ocean. Stále se díval na patnáct centimetrů, které ho oddělily od oceánu. 彼は海から彼を隔てている15センチメートルを見続けました。

The boat had only two wooden oars. ボートには木製のオールが2つしかありませんでした。 They were so thin – it seemed as if they would break against the waves. Byli tak tencí - vypadalo to, jako by se prorazili proti vlnám. 彼らはとても薄かった-まるで彼らが波に逆らうように見えた。 The sailor, named Billie, directed the boat's movement with one of the oars. Námořník jménem Billie řídil pohyb lodi jedním z vesel. ビリーという名前の船乗りは、オールの1つでボートの動きを指示しました。 The newspaper reporter pulled the second oar. Reportér novin vytáhl druhé veslo. 新聞記者は2番目のオールを引っ張った。 He wondered why he was there in the boat. Přemýšlel, proč je v lodi. 彼はなぜボートに乗っているのか疑問に思いました。

The fourth man was the captain of the ship that had sunk. Čtvrtý muž byl kapitán lodi, která se potopila. 4人目は沈没した船の船長でした。 He lay in the front of the small boat. Ležel v přední části malé lodi. 彼は小さなボートの前に横になった。 His arm and leg were hurt when the ship sank. Když se loď potopila, byl zraněn jeho ruka a noha. 船が沈んだとき、彼の腕と脚は怪我をした。 The captain's face was sad. 船長の顔は悲しかった。 He had lost his ship and many of his sailors. Ztratil svou loď a mnoho svých námořníků. 彼は彼の船と彼の船員の多くを失いました。 But he looked carefully ahead, and he told Billie when to turn the boat. Ale pozorně se podíval dopředu a řekl Billie, kdy otočit loď. しかし、彼は注意深く先を見据え、ビリーにいつボートを向けるべきかを話しました。

“Keep her a little more south, Billie,” he said. "Udržujte ji trochu víc na jihu, Billie," řekl. 「彼女をもう少し南に置いてください、ビリー」と彼は言った。

“A little more south, sir,” the sailor repeated. "Trochu více na jih, pane," opakoval námořník. 「もう少し南に、サー」と船員は繰り返した。

Sitting in the boat was like sitting on a wild horse. Sedět v lodi bylo jako sedět na divokém koni. ボートに座っているのは、野生の馬に座っているようなものでした。 As each wave came, the boat rose and fell, like a horse starting toward a fence too high to jump. Když každá vlna přišla, loď stoupala a klesala jako kůň začínající k plotu příliš vysokému na to, aby skočil. それぞれの波が来ると、馬が高すぎてジャンプできないフェンスに向かって出発するように、ボートは上下しました。 The problem was that after successfully floating over one wave you find that there is another one behind it just as strong and ready to flood your boat. Problém byl v tom, že po úspěšném vzletu nad jednou vlnou zjistíte, že za ní je další, stejně silný a připraven zaplavit vaši loď. 問題は、1つの波にうまく浮かんだ後、その波の後ろに同じくらい強く、あなたのボートを氾濫させる準備ができていることがわかるということでした。

As each wall of water came in, it hid everything else that the men could see. Když přicházela každá vodní stěna, schovala všechno ostatní, co muži viděli. 水の各壁が入ってきたとき、それは男性が見ることができる他のすべてを隠しました。 The waves came in silence; only their white tops made threatening noises. Vlny ztichly; pouze jejich bílé vrcholy vydávaly hrozivé zvuky. 波は沈黙した。彼らの白いトップだけが恐ろしい音を立てました。

In the weak light, the faces of the men must have looked gray. Ve slabém světle musely tváře mužů vypadat šedě. 弱い光の中で、男性の顔は灰色に見えたに違いありません。 Their eyes must have shone in strange ways as they looked out at the sea. Jejich oči musely zářit zvláštním způsobem, když se dívali na moře. 彼らが海を見ていると、彼らの目は奇妙な方法で輝いていたに違いありません。 Их глаза, должно быть, странно блестели, когда они смотрели на море. The sun rose slowly into the sky. Slunce pomalu stoupalo k obloze. 太陽はゆっくりと空に昇った。 The men knew it was the middle of the day because the color of the sea changed from slate gray to emerald green, with gold lights. Muži věděli, že je to uprostřed dne, protože barva moře se změnila z břidlicové šedé na smaragdově zelenou se zlatými světly. 海の色がスレートグレーから金色のライトのあるエメラルドグリーンに変わったので、男性たちはそれが真昼であることを知っていました。 And the white foam on the waves looked like falling snow. A bílá pěna na vlnách vypadala jako padající sníh. そして波の上の白い泡は雪が降っているように見えました。

(MUSIC)

SHEP O'NEAL:  As the lifeboat bounced from the top of each wave, the wind tore through the hair of the men. SHEP O'NEAL: Když se záchranný člun odrazil od horní části každé vlny, vítr se trhal vlasy mužů. シェップ・オニール:救命艇が波の頂上から跳ね返ると、風が男性の髪を引き裂きました。 As the boat dropped down again the water fell just past them. Když loď znovu klesla, voda těsně za nimi padla. ボートが再び落下したとき、水はそれらをちょうど通り過ぎました。 The top of each wave was a hill, from which the men could see, for a brief period, a wide area of shining sea. Vrcholem každé vlny byl kopec, ze kterého muži mohli na krátkou dobu vidět širokou oblast zářícího moře. それぞれの波の頂上は丘で、そこから男性は短い期間、輝く海の広い領域を見ることができました。

The cook said the men were lucky because the wind was blowing toward the shore. Kuchař řekl, že muži měli štěstí, protože vítr foukal směrem k pobřeží. コックは、風が岸に向かって吹いていたので、男性は幸運だったと言いました。 If it started blowing the other way, they would never reach land. Kdyby to začalo foukat opačně, nikdy by nedosáhli země. それが逆に吹き始めた場合、彼らは決して土地に到達しません。 The reporter and the sailor agreed. Reportér a námořník souhlasili. 記者と船員は同意した。 But the captain laughed in a way that expressed humor and tragedy all in one. Ale kapitán se zasmál takovým způsobem, který vyjadřoval humor a tragédii v jednom. しかし、船長はユーモアと悲劇をひとつにまとめて笑った。 He asked: “Do you think we've got much of a chance now, boys?” Zeptal se: „Myslíš si, že máme teď hodně šancí, chlapci?“ 彼は尋ねました:「あなたは私たちが今多くのチャンスを持っていると思いますか、男の子?」 This made the others stop talking. To přimělo ostatní přestat mluvit. これは他の人が話すのをやめさせました。 To express any hope at this time they felt to be childish and stupid. Aby vyjádřili naději v tuto chvíli, cítili se jako dětinští a hloupí. 現時点で希望を表明するために、彼らは子供っぽくて愚かであると感じました。 But they also did not want to suggest there was no hope. Ale také nechtěli naznačovat, že neexistuje naděje. しかし彼らはまた、希望はないと示唆したくなかった。 So they were silent. Takže mlčeli. それで彼らは黙っていた。

“Oh, well,” said the captain, “We'll get ashore all right.” "Ach, dobře," řekl kapitán, "dostaneme se na břeh v pořádku." 「ああ、まあ」と船長は言った、「私たちは大丈夫上陸します。」 But there was something in his voice that made them think, as the sailor said: “Yes, if this wind holds!” Ale v jeho hlase bylo něco, co je přimělo myslet, jak řekl námořník: „Ano, pokud tento vítr drží!“ しかし、船乗りが言ったように、彼の声には彼らに考えさせる何かがありました:「はい、この風が続くなら!」

Seagulls flew near and far. Rackové letěli blízko a daleko. カモメは近くと遠くを飛んだ。 Sometimes the birds sat down on the sea in groups, near brown seaweed that rolled on the waves. Někdy se ptáci posadili na moře ve skupinách, poblíž hnědé mořské řasy, které se valily na vlnách. The anger of the sea was no more to them than it was to a group of chickens a thousand miles away on land. Hněv nad nimi nebyl ničím víc než skupinou kuřat tisíce kilometrů daleko po souši. 海の怒りは彼らにとって、千マイルも離れた陸上の鶏のグループに対するものでした。 Гнев моря был для них не больше, чем для группы цыплят за тысячу миль на суше. Often the seagulls came very close and stared at the men with black bead-like eyes. Rackové se často dostali velmi blízko a zírali na muže černými korálky jako oči. The men shouted angrily at them, telling them to be gone. Muži na ně rozzlobeně křičeli a řekli jim, aby odešli.

The sailor and the reporter kept rowing with the thin wooden oars. Námořník a reportér se veslovali s tenkými dřevěnými vesly. Sometimes they sat together, each using an oar. Někdy seděli spolu, každý pomocí vesla. Sometimes one would pull on both oars while the other rested. Někdy by jeden zatáhl za obě vesla, zatímco druhý odpočíval. Brown pieces of seaweed appeared from time to time. Čas od času se objevily hnědé kousky mořských řas. 時々茶色の海苔が出てきました。 They were like islands, bits of earth that did not move. Byli jako ostrovy, kousky Země, které se nepohybovaly. 彼らは島のようで、動かない地球のかけらでした。 They showed the men in the boat that it was slowly making progress toward land. Ukázali mužům v lodi, že pomalu postupuje směrem k zemi.

(MUSIC)

SHEP O'NEAL:  Hours passed. SHEP O'NEAL: Uplynuly hodiny. Then, as the boat was carried to the top of a great wave, the captain looked across the water. Poté, co byla loď nesena na vrchol velké vlny, se kapitán podíval přes vodu.

He said that he saw the lighthouse at Mosquito Inlet. Řekl, že viděl maják na Mosquito Inlet. 彼は蚊の入口の灯台を見たと言った。 The cook also said he saw it. Kuchař také řekl, že to viděl. The reporter searched the western sky. Reportér prohledal západní oblohu.

“See it?” said the captain. "Vidíš to?" Řekl kapitán.

“No,” said the reporter slowly, “I don't see anything.” "Ne," řekl reportér pomalu, "nic nevidím." “Look again,” said the captain. "Podívejte se znovu," řekl kapitán. He pointed. Ukázal. “It's exactly in that direction.” "Je to přesně tímto směrem." This time the reporter saw a small thing on the edge of the moving horizon. Tentokrát reportér viděl na okraji pohybujícího se obzoru malou věc. It was exactly like the point of a pin. Bylo to přesně jako špendlík.

“Think we'll make it, captain?” he asked. "Myslíš, že to zvládneme, kapitáne?" Zeptal se. “If this wind holds and the boat doesn't flood, we can't do much else,” said the captain. "Pokud tento vítr drží a loď nezaplaví, nemůžeme udělat nic jiného," řekl kapitán. (MUSIC)

SHEP O'NEAL:  It would be difficult to describe the brotherhood of men that was here established on the sea. SHEP O'NEAL: Bylo by obtížné popsat bratrství mužů, které bylo zde založeno na moři. シェップ・オニール:ここに海上で確立された男性の兄弟愛を説明するのは難しいでしょう。 ШЕП О'НИЛ: Было бы трудно описать братство людей, которое было основано здесь, на море. Each man felt it warmed him. Každý muž cítil, že ho to zahřívá. Каждый чувствовал, что это согревает его. They were a captain, a sailor, a cook and a reporter. Byli to kapitáni, námořníci, kuchaři a reportéři. And they were friends. A byli to přátelé. The reporter knew even at the time that this friendship was the best experience of his life. Reportér dokonce v té době věděl, že toto přátelství je nejlepší zkušeností jeho života.

All obeyed the captain. Všichni poslouchali kapitána. Все подчинились капитану. He was a good leader. Byl to dobrý vůdce. He always spoke in a low voice and calmly. Vždy mluvil tichým hlasem a klidně.

“I wish we had a sail,” he said, “to give you two boys a chance to rest.”  So they used his coat and one of the oars to make a sail and the boat moved much more quickly. „Přál bych si, abychom měli plachtu,“ řekl, „abychom ti dva kluci mohli odpočinout.“ Takže použili kabát a jeden z vesel k plachtění a loď se pohybovala mnohem rychleji. «Хотелось бы, чтобы у нас был парус, — сказал он, — чтобы дать вам двум мальчикам возможность отдохнуть». Поэтому они использовали его пальто и одно из весел, чтобы сделать парус, и лодка двигалась намного быстрее.

The lighthouse had been slowly growing larger. Maják pomalu rostl. At last, from the top of each wave the men in the boat could see land. Konečně, od vrcholu každé vlny mohli muži na lodi vidět zemi. Slowly, the land seemed to rise from the sea. Zdálo se, že země pomalu stoupá z moře. Soon, the men could see two lines, one black and one white. Muži brzy uviděli dvě linie, jednu černou a jednu bílou.

They knew that the black line was formed by trees, and the white line was the sand. Věděli, že černá čára je tvořena stromy a bílá čára je písek. At last, the captain saw a house on the shore. Nakonec kapitán viděl na břehu dům. And the lighthouse became even larger. A maják se ještě zvětšil.

“The keeper of the lighthouse should be able to see us now,” said the captain. "Strážce majáku by nás teď měl vidět," řekl kapitán. “He'll notify the life-saving people.” "Oznámí to lidem zachraňujícím život." Slowly and beautifully, the land rose from the sea. Pomalu a krásně se země zvedla z moře. The wind came again. Vítr znovu přišel. Finally, the men heard a new sound – the sound of waves breaking and crashing on the shore. Nakonec muži slyšeli nový zvuk - zvuk vln, které se rozbíhaly a shazovaly na pobřeží.

“We'll never be able to make the lighthouse now,” said the captain. "Už nikdy nebudeme moci udělat maják," řekl kapitán. «Теперь мы никогда не сможем построить маяк», — сказал капитан. “Swing her head a little more north, Billie.” "Otočte hlavu trochu více na sever, Billie." — Поверни ее голову немного севернее, Билли.

“A little more north, sir,” said the sailor. "Trochu víc na sever, pane," řekl námořník.

The men watched the shore grow larger. Muži sledovali, jak se břeh zvětšuje. They became hopeful. Stali se nadějní. In an hour, perhaps, they would be on land. Asi za hodinu by byli na souši. The men struggled to keep the boat from turning over. Muži se snažili zabránit tomu, aby se loď otočila. Мужчины изо всех сил пытались удержать лодку от опрокидывания.

They were used to balancing in the boat. Byli zvyklí na vyvažování v lodi. Они привыкли балансировать в лодке. Now they rode this wild horse of a boat like circus men. Nyní jeli tohoto divokého koně z lodi jako cirkusoví muži. Теперь они скакали на этом диком коне лодки, как циркачи. The water poured over them. Voda na ně nalila. Вода лилась на них.

The reporter thought he was now wet to the skin. Reportér si myslel, že je teď na kůži mokrý. Репортер подумал, что теперь он промок до нитки. But he felt in the top pocket of his coat and found eight cigars. Cítil se však v horní kapse kabátu a našel osm doutníků. Но он порылся в верхнем кармане своего пальто и нашел восемь сигар. Four were wet, but four were still dry. Čtyři byly mokré, ale čtyři byly stále suché. One of the men found some dry matches. Jeden z mužů našel nějaké suché zápasy. Each man lit a cigar. Každý muž zapálil doutník. The four men sailed in their boat with the belief of a rescue shining in their eyes. Čtyři muži se plavili v jejich člunu s vírou, že v jejich očích svítí záchrana. They smoked their big cigars and took a drink of water. Kouřili své velké doutníky a napili se vody.

(MUSIC)

BARBARA KLEIN:

You have been listening to the first part of the American short story, “The Open Boat,” by Stephen Crane. Poslouchali jste první část americké povídky „Otevřená loď“ od Stephena Crane. This program was adapted for Special English by Shelley Gollust and produced by Lawan Davis. Tento program byl upraven pro speciální angličtinu Shelley Gollust a produkoval Lawan Davis. Your storyteller was Shep O'Neal. Join us again next week when we tell you the second and last part of the story. You can read and listen to other AMERICAN STORIES on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Barbara Klein.