To muse for long unwearied hours, with my attention riveted to some frivolous device on the margin, or in the typography of a book; to become absorbed, for the better part of a summer’s day, in a quaint shadow falling aslant upon the tapestry or upon the floor; to lose myself, for an entire night, in watching the steady flame of a lamp, or the embers of a fire; to dream away whole days over the perfume of a flower; to repeat, monotonously, some common word, until the sound, by dint of frequent repetition, ceased to convey any idea whatever to the mind; to lose all sense of motion or physical existence, by means of absolute bodily quiescence long and obstinately persevered in: such were a few of the most common and least pernicious vagaries induced by a condition of the mental faculties, not, indeed, altogether unparalleled, but certainly bidding defiance to anything like analysis or explanation.

Yet let me not be misapprehended (и все же не дайте мне быть неправильно понятым = не хочу…; to let – давать, позволять; to misapprehend – неправильно понимать). The undue, earnest, and morbid attention thus excited by objects in their own nature frivolous (недолжное, серьезное и болезненное внимание, таким образом возбуждаемое предметами, по своей природе пустячными), must not be confounded in character with that ruminating propensity common to all mankind (не должно быть спутано по /своим/ свойствам с той склонностью к размышлениям, общей для всего человечества; propensity – склонность; to ruminate – размышлять), and more especially indulged in by persons of ardent imagination (и которой особенно предаются люди с пылким воображением; to indulge in smth – предаваться чему-либо). It was not even, as might be at first supposed, an extreme condition (это не было даже, как может быть сперва предположено, крайним состоянием), or exaggeration of such propensity (или преувеличением такой склонности), but primarily and essentially distinct and different (но изначально и по существу отдельное и отличное /явление/).

Yet let me not be misapprehended. The undue, earnest, and morbid attention thus excited by objects in their own nature frivolous, must not be confounded in character with that ruminating propensity common to all mankind, and more especially indulged in by persons of ardent imagination. It was not even, as might be at first supposed, an extreme condition, or exaggeration of such propensity, but primarily and essentially distinct and different.

In the one instance (в одном = первом случае), the dreamer, or enthusiast, being interested by an object usually not frivolous (мечтатель или энтузиаст, будучи заинтересован предметом, обычно не пустячным), imperceptibly loses sight of this object in a wilderness of deductions and suggestions issuing therefrom (незаметно теряет вид этого предмета = теряет этот предмет из вида в дебрях умозаключений и предположений, исходящих из него), until, at the conclusion of a day dream often replete with luxury (пока, при завершении мечты, часто исполненной наслаждения), he finds the incitamentum, or first cause of his musings, entirely vanished and forgotten (он не находит incitamentum, или первопричину своих размышлений, совершенно исчезнувшей и забытой; to forget – забывать).

In the one instance, the dreamer, or enthusiast, being interested by an object usually not frivolous, imperceptibly loses sight of this object in a wilderness of deductions and suggestions issuing therefrom, until, at the conclusion of a day dream often replete with luxury, he finds the incitamentum, or first cause of his musings, entirely vanished and forgotten.

In my case, the primary object was invariably frivolous (в моем случае первоначальный объект был неизменно незначителен), although assuming, through the medium of my distempered vision (хотя и принимавшим, через посредство моего расстроенного видения), a refracted and unreal importance (искаженную и ненастоящую важность). Few deductions, if any, were made (мало умозаключений, если /вообще/ какие-либо, были делаемы); and those few pertinaciously returning in upon the original object as a centre (да и те немногие /сделанные умозаключения/ – упорно возвращавшиеся к изначальному объекту как к центру /размышлений/).

In my case, the primary object was invariably frivolous, although assuming, through the medium of my distempered vision, a refracted and unreal importance. Few deductions, if any, were made; and those few pertinaciously returning in upon the original object as a centre.

The meditations were never pleasurable (эти размышления никогда не были приятными); and, at the termination of the reverie (и при окончании забытья), the first cause, so far from being out of sight, had attained that supernaturally exaggerated interest (/его/ первопричина – столь далеко от того, чтобы быть = пропадать из вида – приобретала тот сверхъестественно преувеличенный интерес) which was the prevailing feature of the disease (который был преобладающей чертой этой болезни). In a word, the powers of mind more particularly exercised (одним словом, силы разума, особенно задействованные) were, with me, as I have said before, the attentive (были у меня, как я сказал прежде, внимательными = способностью ко вниманию), and are, with the day-dreamer, the speculative (а у мечтателя – рассудительными = способностью к рассуждению).

The meditations were never pleasurable; and, at the termination of the reverie, the first cause, so far from being out of sight, had attained that supernaturally exaggerated interest which was the prevailing feature of the disease. In a word, the powers of mind more particularly exercised were, with me, as I have said before, the attentive, and are, with the day-dreamer, the speculative.