Текст книги "Лучшие английские сказки / Best english fairy tales"

The Princess and the Pea

Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.

One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.

It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious![14]14
  good gracious! – Господи!


[Закрыть] what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess.

Well, we’ll soon find that out, thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bedroom, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses.

On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.

‘Oh, very badly!’ said she. ‘I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue[15]15
  black and blue – в синяках


[Закрыть] all over my body. It’s horrible!’

Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.

Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.

So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.

There, that is a true story.

The Lion and the Mouse

Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. ‘Pardon, my King,’ cried the little Mouse: ‘forgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn[16]16
  to do a turn – вернуть долг, оказать ответную услугу


[Закрыть] some of these days?’ The Lion was so tickled at[17]17
  to be tickled at smth – по душе


[Закрыть] the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go.

Some time after the Lion was caught in a trap, and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on. Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed[18]18
  to gnaw away – прогрызать


[Закрыть] away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. ‘Was I not right?’ said the little Mouse.

The Small Red Feather

There once lived a man with his wife. They were very poor and always hungry. The man often went to the forest, but he was a bad hunter and sometimes brought home only a small bird.

One day he went to the forest again. But it was a very bad day for him: he did not find even a small bird. He was tired[19]19
  to be tired – устать


[Закрыть] and sad. He sat down to rest under a tree. Then he heard a sweet song of a bird.

He looked up and saw a very small bird whose feathers were red. The bird said, ‘I see that you are poor and hungry. I want to help you. I’ll give you one of my feathers. Take it home and cook it. You will have a good dinner. Come back tomorrow, and I’ll give you another feather.’

He thanked the bird and went home. He put the feather into a pot and told everything to his wife.

‘Silly, how can the feather become food?’ You must catch the bird and kill it. Then we can cook the bird and eat it.’

He did not answer, but looked into the pot and saw there a good dinner.

Every day he went to the forest, and every day the small bird gave him a red feather that made a dinner for the man and his wife.

But his wife was very greedy. Every day she said to the man, ‘We must not have only the little red feather. We must have the bird. Then we can cook two, three or four feathers every day and we shall have as much food as we like.’

‘But the little bird is my friend. I shall not kill it.’ One day the woman followed her husband into the forest, but he did not see her. The woman heard the sweet song of the little red bird. She took a stone and killed it. The bird fell down off the tree. The man was very sad, but the wife said, ‘Now we shall have much food every day.’

They went home. At home the woman pulled one red feather off the bird and put it into the hot water. She cooked and cooked it, but the feather was just a feather. And from that day on they were again always hungry.

Mr Fox

Lady Mary was young, and Lady Mary was beautiful. She had two brothers, and more admirers than she could count.

But of them all, the bravest and most gallant was a Mr Fox, whom she met when she was down at her father’s country house. No one knew who Mr Fox was; but he was certainty brave, and surely rich, and of all her lovers Lady Mary cared for him alone.

At last it was agreed upon between them that they should be married. Lady Mary asked Mr Fox where they should live, and he described to her his castle, and where it was; but, strange to say, did not ask her or her brothers to come and see it.

So one day, near the wedding day, when her brothers were out, and Mr Fox was away for a day or two on business, as he said, Lady Mary set out for Mr Fox’s castle.

And after many searchings, she came at last to it, and a fine strong house it was, with high walls and a deep moat.

And when she came up to the gateway she saw written on it:

Be bold, be bold.

But as the gate was open, she went through it, and found no one there.

So she went up to the doorway, and over it she found written:

Be bold, be bold, but not too bold.

Still she went on, till she came into the hall, and went up the broad stairs till she came to a door in the gallery, over which was written:

Be bold, be bold, but not too bold,

Lest that your heart’s blood should run cold.

But Lady Mary was a brave one, she was, and she opened the door, and what do you think she saw?

She saw skeletons of beautiful young ladies all stained with blood.

So Lady Mary thought it was high time to get out of that horrid place, and she closed the door, went through the gallery, and was just going down the stairs, and out of the hall, when who should she see through the window but Mr Fox dragging a beautiful young lady along from the gateway to the door.

Lady Mary rushed downstairs, and hid herself behind a cask, just in time, as Mr Fox came in with the poor young lady, who seemed to have fainted.

Just as he got near Lady Mary, Mr Fox saw a diamond ring[20]20
  diamond ring – кольцо с бриллиантом


[Закрыть] glittering on the finger of the young lady he was dragging, and he tried to pull it off.

But it was tightly fixed, and would not come off, so Mr Fox drew his sword, raised it, and brought it down upon the hand of the poor lady.

The sword cut off the hand, which jumped up into the air, and fell of all places in the world into Lady Mary’s hands.

Mr Fox looked about a bit, but did not think of looking behind the cask, so at last he went on dragging the young lady up the stairs.

As soon as she heard him pass through the gallery, Lady Mary crept out of the door, down through the gateway, and ran home as fast as she could.

Now it happened that the very next day the marriage contract of Lady Mary and Mr Fox was to be signed, and there was a splendid breakfast before that.

And when Mr Fox was seated at table opposite Lady Mary, he looked at her.

‘How pale you are this morning, my dear.’

‘Yes,’ said she, ‘I had a bad night’s rest last night. I had horrible dreams.’

‘Dreams go by contraries,[21]21
  dreams go by contraries – дурной сон может предвещать хорошее и наоборот


[Закрыть]’ said Mr Fox; ‘but tell us your dream, and your sweet voice will make the time pass till the happy hour comes.’

‘I dreamed,’ said Lady Mary, ‘that I went to your castle, and I found it in the woods, with high walls, and a deep moat, and over the gateway was written:

Be bold, be bold.’

‘But it is not so, nor it was not so,’ said Mr Fox.

‘And when I came to the doorway, over it was written:

Be bold, be bold, but not too bold.’

‘It is not so, nor it was not so,’ said Mr Fox.

‘And then I went upstairs, and came to a gallery, at the end of which was a door, on which was written:

‘Be bold, be bold, but not too bold,

Lest that your heart’s blood should run cold.’

‘It is not so, nor it was not so,’ said Mr Fox.

‘And then – and then I opened the door, and the room was filled[22]22
  to be filled with – быть наполненным чем-либо


[Закрыть] with skeletons of poor dead women!’

‘It is not so, nor it was not so. And God forbid[23]23
  God forbid – не дай Бог


[Закрыть] it should be so,’ said Mr Fox.

‘I then dreamed that I rushed down the gallery, and just as I was going down the stairs I saw you, Mr Fox, coming up to the hall door, dragging after you a poor young lady, rich and beautiful.’

‘It is not so, nor it was not so. And God forbid it should be so,’ said Mr Fox.

‘I rushed downstairs, just in time to hide myself behind a cask, when you, Mr Fox, came in dragging the young lady by the arm.

And, as you passed me, Mr Fox, I thought I saw you try and get off her diamond ring, and when you could not, Mr Fox, it seemed to me in my dream, that you out with your sword and hacked off the poor lady’s hand to get the ring.’

‘It is not so, nor it was not so. And God forbid it should be so,’ said Mr Fox, and was going to say something else as he rose from his seat, when Lady Mary cried out:

‘But it is so, and it was so. Here’s hand and ring I have to show,’ and pulled out the lady’s hand from her dress, and pointed it straight at Mr Fox.

At once her brothers and her friends drew their swords and cut Mr Fox into a thousand pieces.

The Useful Dragon

Once upon a time there lived a dragon whose name was Komodo. He could breathe fire,[24]24
  to breathe fire – извергать огонь


[Закрыть] and all the people who lived nearby were afraid of him. When they heard him or saw him, they ran away and hid. They could always hear him because he had six feet, and wore three pairs of shoes, and each of his shoes creaked.

One day he met a little girl who wasn’t afraid of him. ‘Why are you so fierce?’ she asked. ‘Why do you breathe fire when you see anybody?’

‘Well,’ said Komodo, ‘I never really thought about it. Shall I stop it?’

‘Yes, please,’ said the little girl whose name was Susie.

‘All right,’ said Komodo, ‘I’ll try.’

They said good-bye to each other, and Susie went home. It was beginning to get dark. Susie was surprised[25]25
  to be surprised – удивиться


[Закрыть] because all the lamps in the town were not lit. She found out[26]26
  to find out (found out) – узнать, обнаружить


[Закрыть] that it was because of the lamplighter, whose name was Charlie.

Charlie hadn’t lit[27]27
  to be lit – зд. гореть


[Закрыть] – the street lamps[28]28
  street lamps – уличные фонари


[Закрыть] because he was still in bed. He was tired after lighting the lamps the night before.

The mayor of the town was very angry with[29]29
  to be angry with – сердиться на


[Закрыть] Charlie. ‘What must I do about that?’ he thought.

Then Susie had an idea. She ran to Komodo’s cave, brought him to the town. Komodo breathed fire on each lamp and lit it.

How glad the people were! Now they were not afraid of the dragon.[30]30
  to be afraid of the dragon – бояться дракона


[Закрыть] They could see he was a friendly animal. And after that Komodo came and lit the lamps every time when Charlie had his holiday.

A Horse and a Dog

Once upon a time there was a horse whose name was Reginald. Every morning he was delivering milk, he usually met his friend Blackie, who was a little black dog.

Reginald didn’t want to be a milkman’s horse. He wanted to be a racehorse and win the Derbi. And Blackie, who had rather short legs, wanted to be able to run very fast, like a hound.

One afternoon they were sitting in Reginald’s stable. Suddenly Blackie said that he had an idea.

‘Why do we not eat coal?’ he said. ‘Trains eat coal and run fast.’

They thought about this for a long time, and at last Reginald said: ‘Let’s try it.’

So they went down to the coal cellar. They were going to take some coal, when Mrs Marry, the landlady, came in.

‘What! You are stealing my coal!’ – she began to cry, and she picked up a piece of coal and threw it at them. They ran away. They had never run so fast in their lives before.[31]31
  They had never run so fast in their lives before. – Они никогда не бегали так быстро прежде.


[Закрыть]

Just then the Mayor was looking out of the window.

‘Oh, that horse can run fast I’m sure it can win the Derby,[32]32
  to win the Derby – выиграть Дерби (ежегодные скачки, проводящиеся неподалеку от Лондона)


[Закрыть] look at the dog; it’s a real hound I’ll give them each a medal.’ And he did.

Why Parrots Repeat Words

Long time ago all the birds could talk like people. Most of all the birds, people liked the talkative parrot, because this honest bird always told the truth.

He lived with a dishonest cruel man. One night the man killed his friend’s cow. When the friend came to look for it in the morning, he asked the dishonest cruel man, ‘Did you kill my cow yesterday?’

‘No, I didn’t,’ said the man.

‘Is that the truth? Let’s ask the parrot, because he always tells the truth.’

‘Yes, he did. This dishonest cruel man killed the cow,’ answered the parrot.

When night came, the man had an idea. He put a great cup on the parrot’s head. Then he poured a lot of water on the cup.

In the morning his friend and some other people came to his house again.

‘I know that this dishonest cruel man killed my cow. The parrot says that he did.’

‘You are wrong! That parrot tells lies. He will not tell the truth even about what happened last night. Ask him if there was the moon in the sky yesterday.’

‘No,’ said the parrot. ‘There was no moon, it was raining all night.’

‘It is impossible! This bird tells lies! What shall we do?’ the people said. ‘Fly away! You can’t live with us!’

So the parrot flew away unhappily into the forest where he met a mocking-bird[33]33
  mocking-bird – пересмешник


[Закрыть] and told him his story.

‘Why did you not repeat words as I do?’ asked the mocking-bird. ‘Men always think their words are clever.’

‘But the man told lies and he was not intelligent,’ said the parrot.

‘That is nothing,’ answered the mocking-bird. ‘Say what they say, and they will think you are a wonderful and polite bird.’

‘Yes, I see,’ said the parrot, ‘from now on, I will only repeat their words.’

The Frog Prince

One fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to a cool spring of water with a rose in the middle of it, she sat down to rest a while. Now she had a golden ball in her hand, which was her favorite toy; and she was always playing with it.

After a time she threw it up so high that she missed catching it as it fell; and the ball rolled along on the ground, until it fell down into the spring. The princess looked into the spring, but it was very deep, so deep that she could not see the bottom of it. She began to cry, and said, ‘If I could only get my ball again, I would give all my fine clothes and jewels, and everything that I have in the world.’

While she was speaking, a frog put its head out of the water, and said, ‘Princess, why do you cry?’

‘Oh!’ said she, ‘what can you do for me, you nasty frog? My golden ball has fallen into the spring.’

The frog said, ‘I do not want your pearls, and jewels, and fine clothes; but if you will love me, and let me live with you and eat from your golden plate, and sleep on your bed, I will bring you your ball again.’

‘What nonsense,’ thought the princess, ‘this silly frog is talking! He can never even get out[34]34
  to get out of smth – выбраться


[Закрыть] of the spring to visit me, though he may be able to get my ball for me, and therefore I will tell him he shall have what he asks.’

So she said to the frog, ‘Well, if you will bring me my ball, I will do all you ask.’

Then the frog put his head down, and dived deep under the water; and after a little while he came up again, with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the edge of the spring.

As soon as the young princess saw her ball, she ran to pick it up; and she was so happy to have it in her hand again, that she never thought of the frog, but ran home with it as fast as she could.

The frog called after her, ‘Stay, princess, and take me with you as you promised,’

But she did not stop.

The next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner, she heard a strange noise – tap, tap – plash, plash – as if something was coming up the marble staircase, and soon afterwards there was a knock at the door, and a little voice cried out and said:

‘Open the door, my princess dear,

Open the door to your true love here!

And mind the words that you and I said

By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’

Then the princess ran to the door and opened it, and there she saw the frog, whom she had forgotten. She shut the door as fast as she could and came back to her seat.

The king, her father, saw that something had frightened her and asked her what the matter was.

‘There is a nasty frog,’ said she, ‘at the door, that lifted my ball for me out of the spring this morning. I told him that he should live with me here, thinking that he could never get out of the spring; but there he is at the door, and he wants to come in.’

While she was speaking the frog knocked again at the door, and said:

‘Open the door, my princess dear,

Open the door to your true love here!

And mind the words that you and I said

By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’

Then the king said to the young princess, ‘As you have given your word you must keep it; so go and let him in.’

She opened the door, and the frog hopped into the room, and then straight on – tap, tap – plash, plash – from the bottom of the room to the top, till he came up close to the table where the princess sat.

‘Give me a chair,’ said he to the princess, ‘and let me sit next to you.’

As soon as she had done this, the frog said, ‘Put your plate nearer to me, that I may eat out of it.’

This she did, and when he had eaten as much as he could, he said, ‘Now I am tired; carry me upstairs, and put me into your bed.’ And the princess, though very unwilling, took him up in her hand, and put him upon the pillow of her own bed, where he slept all night long.

As soon as it was light the frog jumped up, hopped downstairs, and went out of the house.

‘Now, then,’ thought the princess, ‘at last he is gone, and I will not be bothered by him.’

But she was mistaken; for when night came again she heard the same tapping at the door; and the frog came once more, and said:

‘Open the door, my princess dear,

Open the door to your true love here!

And mind the words that you and I said

By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.’

And when the princess opened the door the frog came in, and slept on her pillow. And the third night he did the same. But when the princess awoke on the following morning she was astonished[35]35
  to be astonished – быть пораженным/ой


[Закрыть] to see, instead of the frog, a handsome prince with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.

He told her that he had been enchanted[36]36
  to be enchanted – быть заколдованным


[Закрыть] by a witch, who had changed him into a frog; and that he had been fated[37]37
  to be fated – быть обреченным


[Закрыть] to be a frog till some princess should take him out of the spring, and let him eat from her plate, and sleep on her bed for three nights.

‘You,’ said the prince, ‘have broken his cruel charm, and now I have nothing to wish for but that you should go with me into my father’s kingdom, where I will marry you, and love you as long as you live.’

Then they went together to the prince’s kingdom and there they lived happily ever after.

The Wind and the Sun

The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger. Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun said, ‘I see a way to decide our dispute.[38]38
  to decide a dispute – разрешить спор


[Закрыть] Whichever of us can cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the stronger. You begin.’ So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller. But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair. Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.

The Old Witch

Once upon a time there were two girls who lived with their mother and father.

Their father had no work, and the girls wanted to go away and seek their fortunes.

Now one girl wanted to go to service, and her mother said she might if she could find a place.

Well, she went all about the town, but no one wanted a girl like her.

So she went on farther into the country, and she came to the place where there was an oven where there was lots of bread baking.

And the bread said, ‘Little girl, little girl, take us out, take us out.

We have been baking seven years, and no one has come to take us out.’

So the girl took out the bread, laid it on the ground and went on her way.

Then she met a cow, and the cow said, ‘Little girl, little girl, milk me, milk me! Seven years have I been waiting, and no one has come to milk me.’

The girl milked the cow into the pails that stood by.

As she was thirsty she drank some, and left the rest in the pails by the cow.

Then she went on a little farther, and came to an apple-tree, so loaded with fruit that its branches were breaking down, and the tree said, ‘Little girl, little girl, help me shake my fruit. My branches are breaking, it is so heavy.’

And the girl said, ‘Of course I will, you poor tree.’

So she shook the fruit all off, propped up the branches, and left the fruit on the ground under the tree.

Then she went on again till she came to a house.

Now in this house there lived a witch, and this witch took girls into her house as servants.

And when she heard that this girl had left her home to seek service, she said that she would try her, and give her good wages. The witch told the girl what work she was to do.

‘You must keep the house clean and tidy, sweep the floor and the fireplace; but there is one thing you must never do. You must never look up the chimney, or something bad will befall you.’

So the girl promised to do as she was told, but one morning as she was cleaning, and the witch was out, she forgot what the witch said, and looked up the chimney.

When she did this a great bag of money fell down in her lap.[39]39
  fell in her lap – упал(а) ей прямо в руки


[Закрыть]

This happened again and again.

So the girl started to go off home.[40]40
  to send off home – отправить домой, восвояси


[Закрыть] When she had gone some way she heard the witch coming after her.

So she ran to the apple-tree and cried:

‘Apple-tree, apple-tree, hide me,

So the old witch can’t find me;

If she does she’ll pick my bones,

And bury me under the marble stones.’

So the apple-tree hid her.

When the witch came up she said:

‘Tree of mine, tree of mine,

Have you seen a girl

With a willy-willy wag, and a long-tailed bag,

Who’s stole my money, all I had?’

And the apple-tree said, ‘No, mother; not for seven years.’

When the witch had gone down another way, the girl went on again, and just as she got to the cow heard the witch coming after her again, so she ran to the cow and cried:

‘Cow, cow, hide me,

So the old witch can’t find me;

If she does she’ll pick my bones,

And bury me under the marble stones.’

So the cow hid her. When the old witch came up, she looked about and said to the cow:

‘Cow of mine, cow of mine,

Have you seen a girl

With a willy-willy wag, and a long-tailed bag,

Who’s stole my money, all I had?’

And the cow said, ‘No, mother, not for seven years.’

When the witch had gone off another way, the little girl went on again, and when she was near the oven she heard the witch coming after her again, so she ran to the oven and cried:

‘Oven, oven, hide me,

So the old witch can’t find me;

If she does she’ll pick my bones,

And bury me under the marble stones.’

And the oven said, ‘I’ve no room, ask the baker,’ and the baker hid her behind the oven.

When the witch came up she looked here and there and everywhere, and then said to the baker:

‘Man of mine, man of mine,

Have you seen a girl,

With a willy-willy wag, and a long-tailed bag,

Who’s stole my money, all I had?’

So the baker said, ‘Look in the oven.’

The old witch went to look, and the oven said, ‘Get in and look in the furthest corner.’

The witch did so, and when she was inside the oven shut her door, and the witch was kept there for a very long time.

The girl then went off again, and reached her home with her money bags, married a rich man, and lived happy ever afterwards.

The other sister then thought she would go and do the same.

And she went the same way.

But when she reached the oven, and the bread said, ‘Little girl, little girl, take us out. Seven years have we been baking, and no one has come to take us out’, the girl said, ‘No, I don’t want to burn my fingers.’

So she went on till she met the cow, and the cow said, ‘Little girl, little girl, milk me, milk me, do. Seven years have I been waiting, and no one has come to milk me.’

But the girl said, ‘No, I can’t milk you, I’m in a hurry,’ and went on faster.

Then she came to the apple-tree, and the apple-tree asked her to help shake the fruit.

‘No, I can’t; another day perhaps I may,’ and went on till she came to the witch’s house.

Well, it happened to her just the same as to the other girl – she forgot what she was told, and, one day when the witch was out, looked up the chimney, and down fell a bag of money. Well, she thought she would be off at once. When she reached the apple-tree, she heard the witch coming after her, and she cried:

‘Apple-tree, apple-tree, hide me,

So the old witch can’t find me;

If she does she’ll pick my bones,

And bury me under the marble stones.’

But the tree didn’t answer, and she ran on further.

Presently the witch came up and said:

‘Tree of mine, tree of mine,

Have you seen a girl,

With a willy-willy wag, and a long-tailed bag,

Who’s stole my money, all I had?’

The tree said, ‘Yes, mother; she’s gone down that way.’

So the old witch went after her and caught her; she took all the money away from her, beat her, and sent her off home just as she was.