Английский язык с Крестным Отцом

There was no chance that Hagen would forget (да и как бы он смог забыть). His mother had been near moronic (почти идиотка = полусумасшедшая; moronic [mo:’ronık] – идиотский) and slovenly (и неряшливой; sloven [slLvn] – неряха, неопрятный, грязнуля), so ridden by anemia (настолько измученная анемией; to ride – ехать верхом, скакать; подавлять, угнетать) she could not feel affection for her children or make a pretense of it (или даже притвориться /любящей матерью/). His father Hagen had hated. His mother's blindness before she died had terrified him (пугала его, приводила в ужас; terror – ужас, страх) and his own eye infection had been a stroke of doom («ударом проклятия»; to strike – бить). He had been sure he would go blind (был уверен, что ослепнет). When his father died, Tom Hagen's eleven-year-old mind had snapped in a curious way (его ум, разум странным образом защелкнулся, захлопнулся = в его уме что-то оборвалось, перевернулось). He had roamed the streets (бродил по улицам) like an animal waiting for death until the fateful day Sonny found him sleeping in the back of a hallway and brought him to his home. What had happened afterward was a miracle (то, что случилось потом, было чудом ['mır∂kl]). But for years Hagen had had nightmares (много, несколько лет ему снились кошмары), dreaming he had grown to manhood blind (видя во сне, что он вырос и стал взрослым мужчиной – слепым; manhood – возмужалось, зрелый возраст), tapping a white cane (постукивающий белой тростью), his blind children behind him tap-tapping with their little white canes as they begged in the streets (просящие милостыню, побирающиеся; to beg). Some mornings when he woke (просыпался; to wake) the face of Don Corleone was imprinted on his brain (отпечатывался в его мозгу) in that first conscious moment (в этот первый сознательный момент; conscious ['kon∫∂s]) and he would feel safe (и он чувствовал себя в безопасности).

But the Don had insisted that he put in three years of general law practice in addition to his duties for the family business (в добавок к своим обязанностям; to add – прибавлять). This experience had proved invaluable later on (этот опыт оказался в дальнейшем неоценимым = который трудно переоценить; valuable [‘vælju∂bl]), and also removed any doubts in Hagen's mind («убрал какие-либо сомнения» = заставил отбросить все сомнения; to remove – перемещать; убирать) about working for Don Corleone. He had then spent two years of training in the offices of a top firm of criminal lawyers in which the Don had some influence (в которой Дон имел некоторое влияние ['ınflu∂ns]). It was apparent to everyone (всем: «каждому» было очевидно) that he had a flair for this branch of the law (/хороший/ нюх, чутье для этой области: «ветки, ответвления» юриспруденции). He did well (преуспевал) and when he went into the full-time service of the family business, Don Corleone had not been able to reproach him once in the six years that followed (не мог: «не был способен» ни разу ни в чем упрекнуть).

When he had been made the acting Consigliori, the other powerful Sicilian families referred contemptuously (презрительно отзывались = стали называть; to refer [rıf∂:] – говорить, упоминать) to the Corleone family as the "Irish gang (ирландской бандой)." This had amused Hagen. It had also taught him (это заставило его понять) that he could never hope to succeed the Don as the head of the family business (что он не может надеяться стать когда-либо преемником Дона; to succeed [s∂k’si:d] – следовать за чем-либо, сменять; наследовать, быть преемником). But he was content. That had never been his goal (это никогда не было его целью, задачей), such an ambition would have been a "disrespect" to his benefactor (по отношению к его благодетелю [‘bænifækt∂]) and his benefactor's blood family.

After he passed the bar exam, Hagen married to start his own family. The bride was a young Italian girl from New Jersey, rare at that time for being a college graduate. After the wedding, which was of course held in the home of Don Corleone, the Don offered to support Hagen in any undertaking he desired, to send him law clients, furnish his office, start him in real estate.

Tom Hagen had bowed his head and said to the Don, "I would like to work for you."

The Don was surprised, yet pleased. "You know who I am?" he asked.