Chapter 8 (2)

What was it like in those days? Were things better than they are now, or were they worse?'

Hurriedly, lest he should have time to become frightened, he descended the steps and crossed the narrow street. Apresuradamente, para que no tuviera tiempo de asustarse, bajó los escalones y cruzó la calle estrecha. Поспіхом, щоб не встигнути злякатися, він спустився сходами й перетнув вузьку вулицю. It was madness of course. As usual, there was no definite rule against talking to proles and frequenting their pubs, but it was far too unusual an action to pass unnoticed. Como de costumbre, no existía una regla definida contra hablar con proles y frecuentar sus pubs, pero era una acción demasiado inusual para pasar desapercibida. If the patrols appeared he might plead an attack of faintness, but it was not likely that they would believe him. Gdyby pojawiły się patrole, mógłby prosić o omdlenie, ale mało prawdopodobne, by mu uwierzyły. Якби з'явилися патрульні, він міг би зіслатися на напад непритомності, але навряд чи йому повірили. He pushed open the door, and a hideous cheesy smell of sour beer hit him in the face. As he entered the din of voices dropped to about half its volume. Cuando entró, el estruendo de voces se redujo a aproximadamente la mitad de su volumen. Behind his back he could feel everyone eyeing his blue overalls. A game of darts which was going on at the other end of the room interrupted itself for perhaps as much as thirty seconds. The old man whom he had followed was standing at the bar, having some kind of altercation with the barman, a large, stout, hook-nosed young man with enormous forearms. A knot of others, standing round with glasses in their hands, were watching the scene.

‘I arst you civil enough, didn't I?' —Al principio, eres lo suficientemente cortés, ¿no? — Я вважаю вас досить ввічливим, чи не так? said the old man, straightening his shoulders pugnaciously. — сказав старий, знущаючись, розправляючи плечі. ‘You telling me you ain't got a pint mug in the 'ole bleeding boozer?' "¿Me estás diciendo que no tienes una jarra de medio litro en el viejo borracho sangrante?" «Ви хочете сказати мені, що у вас немає півлітрового кухля в «старій випивці?»

‘And what in hell's name IS a pint?' '¿Y qué demonios es una pinta?' said the barman, leaning forward with the tips of his fingers on the counter.

‘‘Ark at 'im! -¡Arca hacia él! ''Ковчег на нього! Calls 'isself a barman and don't know what a pint is! ¡Se llama barman y no sé qué es una pinta! Називає себе барменом і не знає, що таке пінта! Why, a pint's the 'alf of a quart, and there's four quarts to the gallon. Una pinta es la mitad de un cuarto, y hay cuatro cuartos por galón. ‘Ave to teach you the A, B, C next.' 'Ave para enseñarte la A, B, C a continuación.'

‘Never heard of 'em,' said the barman shortly. ‘Litre and half litre — that's all we serve. There's the glasses on the shelf in front of you.'

‘I likes a pint,' persisted the old man. ‘You could 'a drawed me off a pint easy enough. "Podrías" sacarme una pinta con bastante facilidad. — Mógłbyś dość łatwo wyciągnąć mnie z kufla. «Ви могли б легко витягнути мене з півлітра. We didn't 'ave these bleeding litres when I was a young man.' No teníamos estos litros sangrantes cuando era joven.

‘When you were a young man we were all living in the treetops,' said the barman, with a glance at the other customers.

There was a shout of laughter, and the uneasiness caused by Winston's entry seemed to disappear. The old man's white- stubbled face had flushed pink. La cara de barba blanca del anciano se había sonrojado. Обличчя старого, покрите білою щетиною, почервоніло. He turned away, muttering to himself, and bumped into Winston. Winston caught him gently by the arm.

‘May I offer you a drink?' '¿Puedo ofrecerle una bebida?' he said.

‘You're a gent,' said the other, straightening his shoulders again. He appeared not to have noticed Winston's blue overalls. ‘Pint!' he added aggressively to the barman. ‘Pint of wallop.' Pinta de golpe. «Пінта валопа».

The barman swished two half-litres of dark-brown beer into thick glasses which he had rinsed in a bucket under the counter. El camarero sirvió dos medio litro de cerveza marrón oscura en vasos gruesos que había enjuagado en un cubo debajo del mostrador. Beer was the only drink you could get in prole pubs. The proles were supposed not to drink gin, though in practice they could get hold of it easily enough. Se suponía que los proles no bebían ginebra, aunque en la práctica podían conseguirla con bastante facilidad. The game of darts was in full swing again, and the knot of men at the bar had begun talking about lottery tickets. Winston's presence was forgotten for a moment. There was a deal table under the window where he and the old man could talk without fear of being overheard. Había una mesa de negociaciones debajo de la ventana donde él y el anciano podían hablar sin temor a ser escuchados. Під вікном стояв стіл для угод, де вони зі старим могли поговорити, не боячись, що їх почують. It was horribly dangerous, but at any rate there was no telescreen in the room, a point he had made sure of as soon as he came in. Era terriblemente peligroso, pero de todos modos no había telepantalla en la habitación, un punto del que se había asegurado nada más entrar. Це було жахливо небезпечно, але в усякому разі в кімнаті не було телеекрану, у чому він переконався, щойно зайшов.

‘‘E could 'a drawed me off a pint,' grumbled the old man as he settled down behind a glass. —Podría "sacarme una pinta", refunfuñó el anciano mientras se sentaba detrás de un vaso. «Я міг би витягнути мене з пінти», — пробурчав старий, сідаючи за келих. ‘A 'alf litre ain't enough. Un litro no es suficiente. It don't satisfy. No satisface. And a 'ole litre's too much. Y un 'ole litre es demasiado. It starts my bladder running. Let alone the price.' Y mucho menos el precio.

‘You must have seen great changes since you were a young man,' said Winston tentatively.

The old man's pale blue eyes moved from the darts board to the bar, and from the bar to the door of the Gents, as though  it were in the bar-room that he expected the changes to have occurred. Los ojos azul pálido del anciano se movieron del tablero de dardos a la barra, y de la barra a la puerta de los Caballeros, como si fuera en el bar-salón donde esperaba que ocurrieran los cambios. Блідо-блакитні очі старого переходили з дошки для дартсу на бар і з бару на двері Gents, ніби він очікував, що зміни відбудуться саме в кімнаті бару.

‘The beer was better,' he said finally. ‘And cheaper! ¡Y más barato! When I was a young man, mild beer — wallop we used to call it — was fourpence a pint. Коли я був молодим хлопцем, м’яке пиво — ми звикли називати його — коштувало чотири пенси за пінту. That was before the war, of course.'

‘Which war was that?' ¿Qué guerra fue esa? said Winston.

‘It's all wars,' said the old man vaguely. —Todas son guerras —dijo vagamente el anciano—. He took up his glass, and his shoulders straightened again. ‘‘Ere's wishing you the very best of 'ealth!' '' ¡Ere te desea lo mejor de la 'salud'! ''Ере бажає тобі найкращого здоров'я!'

In his lean throat the sharp-pointed Adam's apple made a surprisingly rapid up-and-down movement, and the beer vanished. Winston went to the bar and came back with two more half-litres. Вінстон пішов до бару й повернувся з двома півлітрами. The old man appeared to have forgotten his prejudice against drinking a full litre.

‘You are very much older than I am,' said Winston. ‘You must have been a grown man before I was born. Debes haber sido un hombre adulto antes de que yo naciera. You can remember what it was like in the old days, before the Revolution. People of my age don't really know anything about those times. We can only read about them in books, and what it says in the books may not be true. I should like your opinion on that. Me gustaría conocer tu opinión al respecto. The history books say that life before the Revolution was completely different from what it is now. There was the most terrible oppression, injustice, poverty worse than anything we can imagine. Here in London, the great mass of the people never had enough to eat from birth to death. Half of them hadn't even boots on their feet. They worked twelve hours a day, they left school at nine, they slept ten in a room. Trabajaban doce horas al día, salían de la escuela a las nueve, dormían diez en una habitación. And at the same time there were a very few people, only a few thousands — the capitalists, they were called — who were rich and powerful. They owned everything that there was to own. Poseían todo lo que había para poseer. They lived in great gorgeous houses with thirty servants, they rode about in motor-cars and four-horse carriages, they drank champagne, they wore top hats ——'

The old man brightened suddenly. El anciano se iluminó de repente. Старий раптом пожвавішав.

‘Top 'ats!' he said.

‘Funny you should mention 'em. The same thing come into my 'ead only yesterday, I dono why. Lo mismo me vino a la cabeza ayer, no sé por qué. I was jest thinking, I ain't seen a top 'at in years. Estaba pensando en broma, no he visto un top en años. Gorn right out, they 'ave. Gorn de inmediato, lo han hecho. The last time I wore one was at my sister-in-law's funeral. La última vez que usé uno fue en el funeral de mi cuñada. And that was — well, I couldn't give you the date, but it must'a been fifty years ago. Y eso fue ... bueno, no podría darte la fecha, pero debe haber sido hace cincuenta años. Of course it was only 'ired for the occasion, you understand.' Por supuesto, solo fue 'disparado para la ocasión, ¿comprende?'. Звичайно, це було лише «з нагоди, ви розумієте».

‘It isn't very important about the top hats,' said Winston patiently. —Los sombreros de copa no son muy importantes —dijo Winston con paciencia—. ‘The point is, these capitalists — they and a few lawyers and priests and so forth who lived on them — were the lords of the earth. El punto es que estos capitalistas, ellos y unos pocos abogados, sacerdotes y demás que vivían en ellos, eran los señores de la tierra. Everything existed for their benefit. You — the ordinary people, the workers — were their slaves. They could do what they liked with you. Podrían hacer lo que quisieran contigo. They could ship you off to Canada like cattle. They could sleep with your daughters if they chose. They could order you to be flogged with something called a cat-o'-nine tails. Podrían ordenarte que te azoten con algo llamado gato de nueve colas. You had to take your cap off when you passed them. Tuviste que quitarte la gorra cuando los pasaste. Every capitalist went about with a gang of lackeys who ——'

The old man brightened again.

‘Lackeys!' he said.

‘Now there's a word I ain't 'eard since ever so long. Lackeys! That reg'lar takes me back, that does. Ese reg'lar me lleva de regreso, eso lo hace. Цей reg'lar повертає мене назад, це так. I recollect Я пригадую

oh, donkey's years ago — I used to sometimes go to ‘Yde Park of a Sunday afternoon to 'ear the blokes making speeches. oh, hace años de burro. Solía ir a veces a 'Yde Park un domingo por la tarde' para escuchar a los tipos haciendo discursos. Salvation Army, Roman Catholics, Jews, Indians  — all sorts  there  was. Ejército de Salvación, católicos romanos, judíos, indios, de todo tipo. And there was one bloke — well, I couldn't give you 'is name, but a real powerful speaker 'e was. 'E didn't 'alf give it 'em! ¡No se los dio! Я їм не дав! “Lackeys!” 'e says, “lackeys of the bourgeoisie! "¡Lacayos!" Dice: “¡Lacayos de la burguesía! Flunkies of the ruling class!” Parasites ¡Lacayos de la clase dominante! " Parásitos

that was another of them. ese era otro de ellos. And 'yenas —'e definitely called 'em 'yenas. Y 'yenas - definitivamente los llamaba' em 'yenas. І «єни» — ми точно називали їх «єнами». Of course 'e was referring to the Labour Party, you understand.' Por supuesto que se refería al Partido Laborista, ¿comprende? Winston had the feeling that they were talking at cross- purposes. Winston tuvo la sensación de que estaban hablando con propósitos contrarios. Вінстон мав відчуття, що вони розмовляли протилежно.

‘What I really wanted to know was this,' he said. "Lo que realmente quería saber era esto", dijo. ‘Do you feel that you have more freedom now than you had in those days? Are you treated more like a human being? ¿Te tratan más como a un ser humano? In the old days, the rich people, the people at the top ——'

‘The ‘Ouse of Lords,' put in the old man reminiscently. —El "Ouse of Lords", intervino el anciano con reminiscencias.

‘The House of Lords, if you like. What I am asking is, were these people able to treat you as an inferior, simply because they were rich and you were poor? Is it a fact, for instance, that you had to call them “Sir” and take off your cap when you passed them?'

The old man appeared to think deeply. He drank off about a quarter of his beer before answering.

‘Yes,' he said. ‘They liked you to touch your cap to 'em. Les gustaba que les tocara la gorra. It showed respect, like. Mostró respeto, como. I didn't agree with it, myself, but I done it often enough. Yo no estaba de acuerdo con eso, pero lo hice con bastante frecuencia. Had to, as you might say.' Tenía que hacerlo, como podría decirse. Довелося, як можна сказати».

‘And was it usual — I'm only quoting what I've read in history books — was it usual for these people and their servants to push you off the pavement into the gutter?' —¿Y era habitual, sólo cito lo que he leído en los libros de historia, era habitual que estas personas y sus sirvientes te empujaran de la acera a la cuneta?

‘One of 'em pushed me once,' said the old man. —Uno de ellos me empujó una vez —dijo el anciano. ‘I recollect it as if it was yesterday. Lo recuerdo como si fuera ayer. It was Boat Race night — terribly rowdy they used to get on Boat Race night — and I bumps into a young bloke on Shaftesbury Avenue. Era la noche de la carrera de botes, terriblemente ruidosos que solían ser la noche de la carrera de botes, y me encuentro con un joven en Shaftesbury Avenue. Quite a gent, 'e was — dress shirt, top 'at, black overcoat. Todo un caballero, era: camisa de vestir, top, abrigo negro. ‘E was kind of zig-zagging across the pavement, and I bumps into 'im accidental-like. Estaba como zigzagueando por la acera, y me tropiezo con él como si fuera un accidente. ‘E says, “Why can't you look where you're going?” 'e says. I say, “Ju think you've bought the bleeding pavement?” ‘E says, “I'll twist your bloody 'ead off if you get fresh with me.” I says, “You're drunk. Yo digo: "¿Crees que has comprado el pavimento sangrante?" 'E dice: "Voy a torcer tu maldita cabeza si te refrescas conmigo". Le digo: “Estás borracho. I'll give you in charge in 'alf a minute,” I says. Te daré el mando en medio minuto —digo. Я доручу тобі за півхвилини, — кажу я. An' if you'll believe me, 'e puts 'is 'and on my chest and gives me a shove as pretty near sent me under the wheels of a bus. Y 'si me creen', me pone 'es' y en mi pecho y me da un empujón que casi me manda debajo de las ruedas de un autobús. Well, I was young in them days, and I was going to 'ave fetched 'im one, only ——' Bueno, yo era joven en esos días e iba a buscarle uno, solo ... Ну, я був молодим у ті дні, і я збирався "принести" собі одного, тільки...

A sense of helplessness took hold of Winston. Una sensación de impotencia se apoderó de Winston. The old man's memory was nothing but a rubbish-heap of details. La memoria del anciano no era más que un montón de detalles. Пам'ять старого була лише купою сміття деталей. One could question him all day without getting any real information. The party histories might still be true, after a fashion: they might even be completely true. Las historias del partido podrían seguir siendo ciertas, en cierto modo: incluso podrían ser completamente ciertas. Партійні історії все ще можуть бути правдивими, певним чином: вони можуть бути навіть повністю правдивими. He made a last attempt. Hizo un último intento.

‘Perhaps I have not made myself clear,' he said. ‘What I'm trying to say is this. You have been alive a very long time; you lived half your life before the Revolution. In 1925, for instance, you were already grown up. Would you say from what you can remember, that life in 1925 was better than it is now, or worse? If you could choose, would you prefer to live then or now?'

The old man looked meditatively at the darts board. He finished up his beer, more slowly than before. When he spoke it was with a tolerant philosophical air, as though the beer had mellowed him. Cuando habló lo hizo con un aire filosófico tolerante, como si la cerveza lo hubiera suavizado.

‘I know what you expect me to say,' he said. "Sé lo que esperas que diga", dijo. ‘You expect me to say as I'd sooner be young again. Esperas que te diga que antes sería joven de nuevo. Most people'd say they'd sooner be young, if you arst 'em. La mayoría de la gente diría que preferirían ser jóvenes, si los tuvieras. Більшість людей сказали б, що вони скоріше були б молодими, якщо їх захопити. You got your 'ealth and strength when you're young. When you get to my time of life you ain't never well. Коли ти потрапляєш у мій період життя, тобі ніколи не буває добре. I suffer something wicked from my feet, and my bladder's jest terrible. Sufro algo perverso de mis pies, y la broma de mi vejiga terrible. Я терплю щось зло від своїх ніг, і мій сечовий міхур жахливий. Six and seven times a night it 'as me out of bed. Seis y siete veces por noche me levanto de la cama. On the other 'and, there's great advantages in being a old man. You ain't got the same worries. No tienes las mismas preocupaciones. No truck with women, and that's a great thing. Nada de camiones con mujeres, y eso es genial. I ain't 'ad a woman for near on thirty year, if you'd credit it. No soy una mujer desde hace casi treinta años, si me lo reconocen. Nor wanted to, what's more.' Tampoco quería, además.

Winston sat back against the window-sill. It was no use going on. No servía de nada continuar. He was about to buy some more beer when the old man suddenly got up and shuffled rapidly into the stinking urinal at the side of the room. The extra half-litre was already working on him.