
I found the first half translated by Mikalai Khilo, from the official English edition, - posting it here for comparison:
"No, there're no mountains. We have forests. Rivers and lakes, the most beautiful lakes," he said, yielding to memories in spite of himself. "There're two lakes right near my village, Tsyareshki. Look at them on a quiet evening, and they are absolutely still. Like a mirror. And the forest hanging upside down is like a painting. The only ripples are from the fish. The pike are this big! Your mountains are a joke." Ivan had said too much in one breath for his reserved personality. Immediately sensing that, he dropped silent. However, his agitated thoughts and fantasies had already taken him back to his distant homeland. And now, in that wild jumble of rocks, he started to feel unbearably lonely, the way he had not felt for a long time in captivity".