They make no beautiful things (они не создают никаких прекрасных вещей), but they make many clever ones (но они делают много ловких вещей). They can tunnel and mine (они могут прокладывать туннели и добывать руду) as well as any (не хуже любых /гномов/: «также хорошо, как и любые /гномы/»; any — в утвердительных предложениях — всякий, любой) but the most skilled dwarves (исключая лишь наиболее искусных гномов; but — за исключением, кроме), when they take the trouble (когда они постараются), though they are usually untidy and dirty (хотя, они обычно неопрятные и грязные). Hammers (молоты), axes (секиры), swords (мечи), daggers (кинжалы), pickaxes (киркомотыги), tongs (щипцы), and also instruments of torture (а также орудия пыток), they make very well (они делают очень хорошо), or get other people to make (или заставляют других людей делать их) to their design (по их чертежам), prisoners and slaves (узников и рабов) that have to work (которые вынуждены работать) till they die for want of air and light (до тех пор, пока они не умрут от нехватки воздуха и света). It is not unlikely (весьма возможно: «не невероятно») that they invented (что они изобрели) some of the machines (некоторые из машин) that have since troubled the world (которые с тех пор доставляли проблемы всему миру), especially the ingenious devices (особенно те изобретательные приспособления) for killing large numbers of people at once (для умерщвления большого числа людей одновременно), for wheels (так как механизмы; wheel — колесо) and engines (и орудия) and explosions (и взрывы) always delighted them (всегда восхищали их), and also not working with their own hands (а также /желание/ не работать своими собственными руками) more than they could help (больше, чем требуется: «чем они могли бы помочь /этому/»); but in those days (но в те дни) and those wild parts (и в тех диких краях) they had not advanced (они еще не развились; to advance — продвигаться, делать успехи) (as it is called (как это называется)) so far (так далеко = настолько).
tremendous [tr'mends] axe [aeks] axes ['aeksi: z] pickaxe ['pkaeks] torture ['t: t] ingenious [n'di: ns] explosion [k'spl n]
There in the shadows on a large flat stone sat a tremendous goblin with a huge head, and armed goblins were standing round him carrying the axes and the bent swords that they use. Now goblins are cruel, wicked, and bad — hearted.
They make no beautiful things, but they make many clever ones. They can tunnel and mine as well as any but the most skilled dwarves, when they take the trouble, though they are usually untidy and dirty. Hammers, axes, swords, daggers, pickaxes, tongs, and also instruments of torture, they make very well, or get other people to make to their design, prisoners and slaves that have to work till they die for want of air and light. It is not unlikely that they invented some of the machines that have since troubled the world, especially the ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people at once, for wheels and engines and explosions always delighted them, and also not working with their own hands more than they could help; but in those days and those wild parts they had not advanced (as it is called) so far.