Edgar Poe. The Black Cat (in English, adapted for upper-intermediate)

Короткий рассказ «The Black Cat» (Черный кот) известного американского писателя Эдгара По, рассказы которого относится к жанру horror stories. Это страшная история про кота, рассказанная от имени ожидающего смерти убийцы своей жены. История о том, как добрый человек, любивший животных, под влиянием алкоголя постепенно превращается в садиста, а затем убийцу. Этот рассказ  имеет сходство с другим рассказом Эдгара По «Сердце-обличитель», в котором человек, совершивший преступление, сам не позволяет себе остаться безнаказанным и в порыве безрассудства выдает себя. Рассказ «Черный кот»  предлагается для чтения на английском языке также и в более упрощенном варианте —Edgar Poe. The Black Cat (for pre-intermediate)

* * *

Edgar Poe. The Black Cat (in English, adapted for upper-intermediate)

Page 1. Words to know:

1. be fond of — любить
2. creature — существо
3. tender — нежный
4. playmate — товарищ по играм
5. suffer drom — страдать от
6. decease — заболевание
7. moody — склонный к переменам настроения
8. irritated — раздраженный
9. treat badly — обращаться плохо
10.  affection — привязанность
11.  ill temper — плохой характер
12. seize — схватить
13. violence — насилие
14. furious — взбешен
15. guilty — виновный
16. drown — утопить

I was a kind child. I was fond of animals and always had lot of them. With them I spent my time and felt happy. When I grew up I still had my love for the living creatures as it was deep in my tender heart.

I married early and was happy to find a woman who I could share my love for animals. We had a lot of pets: birds, gold-fish, a fine dog, rabbits, a small monkey and a cat.

The cat was a large and beautiful animal, all black. His name was Pluto. It was my favourite pet and a playmate. I fed my cat myself and he followed me everywhere about the house.

But years passed and my character changed because I suffered from a decease. The decease was drinking alcohol! Day by day I became more moody and more irritated. I did not care about the feeling of the others. I became rude with my wife. My pets, of course, felt the change in my character as I treated them badly if they came in my way. But I still had my affection for Pluto. But soon Pluto, who was old now ,— even Pluto began to suffer from my ill temper.

One night I came back home drunk. The cat got in my way and I seized him. He was frightened by my violence and bit my hand with his teeth. I got furious. It seemed as if my soul left my body and a demon got there instead. I took a pen-knife, opened it and cut one of his eyes from the socket!

When I got up in the morning and saw the poor thing, I felt half of guilty of the crime. To tell the truth, my soul became calm and soon I drowned in wine all memory of it.