Текст книги "Английские легенды / The English Legends"

Chapter 5,

in which Merlin found his end, King Arthur lost his scabbard, and a traitorous war was started

One time Merlin fell in love with one fair but cunning lady. He wouldn’t leave her alone, but would always be with her. She didn’t answer him, but asked Merlin to teach her his crafts. So he was teaching her, until she learned all she wanted, and then he wasn’t useful to her. Merlin came to King Arthur, and said: “Sir, soon I will be put in the earth, despite all my crafts. You will never see me again, so let me give you my last counsel.”

And he told the king many things to come[34]34
  Things to come – то, что случится


[Закрыть], and told him to always keep well his sword and the scabbard, because the scabbard would be stolen from him by a woman that he most trusted. He also told King Arthur that he will miss him[35]35
  Miss somebody – скучать по кому-либо


[Закрыть].

“You are wise,” said King Arthur, “Please, use your craft to live more, so that you won’t be put in the earth anytime soon, because I would miss you, too.”

“I cannot do so,” said Merlin. And he left.

The lady that he was in love with travelled a lot, and Merlin followed her everywhere. She wanted to get rid of him, so once, when Merlin showed her a wonderful cave with a big stone that could close the entrance. She asked Merlin to go into the cave, and then she used the crafts Merlin had taught her to move the stone to cover the entrance. She then enchanted the stone so that nobody could move it, and then she left, and Merlin was alone in a closed cave.

One time King Arthur decided to go for an adventure. Early in the morning he set out alone to visit his sister, Queen Morgana-le-Fay, who lived in a small castle on a distant marsh. It was a far and dangerous road. For many days he rode through the forests and across the meadows, until he came to a forest so dark and deep that he had to dismount and continue his way on foot, leading his horse by the rein. Soon, he was so deep in the forest that there was barely any light. Arthur continued through the darkness, and after some time he saw a small light at some distance away from him. He turned there and tried to reach the light, but the light was getting farther and farther away. Very soon Arthur had to tie his horse to a tree and continue alone, because the light got into the trees and bushes, where a horse couldn’t go.

Finally, Arthur came to a small clearing, and the light was blinking right in the middle of it. The king came closer, and then he saw lots of fireflies appear all around him, dancing in the air. They lit so bright, and there were so many of them, that Arthur couldn’t see the forest, or his horse, or anything. Then they disappeared all at once[36]36
  All at once – все одновременно


[Закрыть], and Arthur saw that he was on a small island in the middle of the marsh. There was nowhere to go, so Arthur lay down and went to sleep.

He saw a strange dream. He was in a small room in a castle, lit up by candles on the walls. Arthur wasn’t wearing any armour, but his sword and his scabbard were lying on a bed near one of the walls. He tried looking out the window, but it was too dark to see anything. Then a lady in grey silk came into the room, and as she opened the door, all the candles went dark. Arthur could barely see the lady, and he couldn’t see her face at all. She took him by the hand and led him to the bed. They lay together, and then the lady disappeared right from his arms.

Arthur was very surprised, but there was nothing he could do, and there was no light. He wanted to go to sleep, but then he remembered what Merlin had told him earlier. He took his sword by the handle with both his hands and went to sleep holding to it tightly.

He woke up in the same room, and it was morning on the marsh. He was still holding on to his sword, but now he remembered the second part of Merlin’s advice. The scabbard was gone, and only his sword Excalibur was left. “Alas!” said Arthur, “For I have lost my scabbard, despite what Merlin had told me. It was a good scabbard, and only my armour can protect me now. I wonder where it had gone.”

Arthur looked around and found a table with food and wine, so he ate and drank, and then he went to see if there was anybody else in the castle. But it was empty, and it looked like no one had lived there for a long time. Arthur found his horse in the stables, it was fed and cleaned.

“That is very strange,” said Arthur, “But I should be on my way now.” So he saddled his horse, mounted, and went from the castle. When he looked back, he thought that he had seen this castle before. “This is indeed the castle of my sister, Queen Morgana-le-Fay!” he exclaimed. “That is very strange.”

He then realized that the lady dressed in grey silk must have been his sister, and that it was her who took his scabbard. But the castle was empty when he left it, and he couldn’t remember how he or his horse got into the castle from the opening where he first fell asleep. So there was nothing to do for Arthur other than to return to his castle. Everything went like Merlin had told him, his scabbard was taken by the woman he trusted most.

Some time later a great war has started. A knight named Sir Mordred claimed to be the son of King Arthur and his sister, Queen Morgana-le-Fay, and since Arthur didn’t have an heir, Mordred wanted to take land from Arthur, and become king after Arthur’s death. Arthur disagreed, and Mordred was very angry about that. He told Arthur to prepare for war, and left.

He then went to every baron that was unhappy with King Arthur’s rule, and asked them to join him. He promised them great rewards and many lands if they fought for him. The barons that lived far from Arthur, and didn’t spend much time in London, were particularly angry. And some of the barons that didn’t want Arthur to be king long ago, joined Sir Mordred, too. Very soon Sir Mordred had a large army, and with it he went to battle with Arthur. He went through Arthur’s lands, and laid a siege to one of Arthur’s castles near the field of Camlann.

And there is where their big battle happened.

Excercises

1. Выберите верный вариант:

a) How did Merlin die?

1. Merlin fell in love with a lady, and died fighting for her with a knight.

2. Merlin was lost in the marshes and disappeared.

3. Merlin was killed by the bandits.

4. Merlin was left alone in a closed cave.

b) How did King Arthur lose his scabbard?

1. It was taken by Queen Morgana-le-Fay.

2. He dropped it somewhere in the woods.

3. It was stolen by the lady who trapped Merlin.

4. It was stolen by Sir Mordred.

c) Where did Queen Morgana-le-Fay live?

1. In a castle near London.

2. In a castle in a forest.

3. In a castle on a marsh.

4. In a small shack on a marsh.

d) How did Arthur get to Morgana’s castle?

1. He rode to it through the forest.

2. He fell asleep in the forest and woke up there.

3. He came there in a boat.

4. He walked there leading his horse by the rein.

e) How could the lady move the big stone?

1. She was very strong.

2. She had squires to help her.

3. She asked Merlin to do it.

4. She used magic that Merlin had taught her.

f) How did the woman he lay with look to Arthur?

1. She looked like Guenever wearing grey silk.

2. He didn’t know her face, and she was wearing grey silk.

3. He could see her face, and she was dressed in grey.

4. He couldn’t see her face, and she was dressed in grey.

Chapter 6,

in which the war was resolved, King Arthur fought with Sir Mordred, and Sir Bedivere did what he was asked for

So upon Trinity Sunday at night, King Arthur saw a wonderful dream. He sat in a chair that stood on a wheel, and he was dressed in the richest golden clothing that can be made. And under his feet there was a deep well, and in that well there was black water, and all kinds of serpents, and worms, and wild beasts, foul and horrible. And suddenly the wheel below Arthur’s chair moved, and Arthur fell from his chair into the black water, among the serpents. And every beast bit him, and the king cried as he lay in his bed sleeping, “Help!”

So the knights and squires woke up the king, and he was very surprised to see that that was a dream. Then the king started slumbering again, not sleeping, but not awaken either. He saw one of his fallen knights, Sir Gawaine, alive and with a number of fair ladies with him. And when King Arthur saw him, he said, “Welcome, my sister’s son. I thought you were dead, but I am glad to see that you are alive. Who are these ladies with you?”

“Sir,” said Sir Gawaine, “These ladies are all the ladies I fought for when I was alive. And because I battled for them in righteous quarrel, God has rewarded me, and I am amongst those ladies all the time now. But now God let me come here to warn you of your death. If you fight with Sir Mordred tomorrow, you will die, and many men on both parties will be killed. And for all the grace Jesus has for you, He let me come here to tell you this warning.”

“Do not fight with Sir Mordred tomorrow,” Sir Gawaine continued. “Instead, try to make peace with him for at least a month. Within a month Sir Launcelot will come with his noble knights, and then you will join with him and slay Sir Mordred.”

Then Sir Gawaine and all the ladies vanished. The king called his knights and squires and told them what Sir Gawaine had said to him. He then commanded Sir Lucan and his brother Sir Bedivere to take two bishops with them and go ask Sir Mordred for peace for a month, and to give him whatever he wants. So they departed, and came to the camp of Sir Mordred and his hundred thousand men. After a long negotiation, Sir Mordred agreed to a peace.

Now King Arthur and Sir Mordred needed to meet to sign the peace treaty. They agreed to meet the next day between the two armies, having only fourteen men with each of them as guards.

The next day came. Before leaving to sign the treaty, Arthur warned his fourteen knights: “We go to make peace, but I do not trust Sir Mordred. If you see any sword drawn, that means treason, so you should battle and slay as many enemies as you can.”

Sir Mordred also warned his fourteen knights: “I do not trust King Arthur, because he will want to take revenge on me. If you see any sword drawn, there will be no peace, and we will battle.”

So the two parties met in the middle of the field, and drank wine, and negotiated, and agreed with each other. But before they signed the treaty, one of the knights felt that something bit him on the foot. He looked down and saw a snake that came out of a bush. The knight drew his sword and killed the snake. But when the others saw a sword drawn, everybody yelled “Treason! Treason!” and blew trumpets and horns, and shouted.

King Arthur took his horse, and said “Alas! This unhappy day!” and rode back to his army. And Sir Mordred did the same. And never was there seen a more glorious and horrible battle in no Christian land. There was rushing and riding, striking and beating, and many men were slain that day. Many times did King Arthur ride through the field of battle, striking his enemies to the right and to the left and doing great deeds of arms. And so did Sir Mordred.

Many fair knights got deadly strokes that day. The battle went on from the early morning till almost night, and by that time a hundred thousand laid dead on the field. Arthur was very mournful to see so many of his people die.

By the end of the battle Arhur was left with only two knights, Sir Lucan and his brother Sir Bedivere, and they were both wounded. “Jesus, have mercy,” said the king, “Where have all my knights gone? Alas that I ever should see this horrible day, I must be coming to my end. I wish I could find that traitor Sir Mordred, to take revenge for all the evil that he has done.”

At that time Arthur saw Sir Mordred standing in the field.

“Now, give me my spear,” said Arthur to Sir Lucan, “I see the traitor, and I want to slay him.”

“My lord, remember what Sir Gawaine told you last night,” said Sir Lucan. “Please, do not fight Sir Mordred. You have won the field, because there are three of us, and Sir Mordred is alone. God has granted you victory, and kept you alive, what else do you want? You will die if you fight him tonight, and we will lose our good king for nothing.”

“Tide me death, betide me life[37]37
  Tide me death, betide me life – смерть ли, жизнь ли будет мне уделом (устар.)


[Закрыть],” said King Arthur, “I see the traitor alone in the field, and I must slay him. Now, give me my spear.”

“God help you[38]38
  God help you – да поможет вам Господь


[Закрыть],” said Sir Lucan, and gave Arthur his spear.

“Traitor, I come for you!”, Arthur yelled, and charged to strike Sir Mordred with his spear. Sir Mordred heard Sir Arthur, so he turned to him with a sword in his hand. Arthur ran to Mordred and hit him with his spear, under the shield. The spear went through Sir Mordred’s armour and throughout his body, and Arthur kept pushing it[39]39
  Keep doing something – продолжать делать что-либо


[Закрыть], so he came close to Sir Mordred. Sir Mordred then stroke Sir Arthur with his sword, and the sword pierced Arthur’s helm and his skull.

Both the king and the traitor fell to the ground, Sir Mordred dead, and Arthur gravely wounded. Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere helped Arthur stand up and led him from the field. Then they heard people cry loudly in the field, because robbers came to kill the wounded and rob the dead from their valuables.

“Now go back to the field,” said the king to Sir Lucan, “And drive the bandits away.”

Sir Lucan departed.

“Alas!” said King Arthur, “I am dying, as Sir Gawaine has told me. I have one last debt to pay, before I can die. I need to return my sword Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. Sir Bedivere, take it, go to the Lake, throw the sword into the water, and then come back.”

“My lord, I will do that,” said Sir Bedivere. He then took the sword and went to the Lake. But then he looked at the sword, and said to himself: “This sword is very good, and its hilt has many precious stones. If I throw it into the water, all of it will go to waste.”

So he hid the sword in the grass near the lake, and hurried back to Arthur.

“I have done as you told me,” he said. “I threw the sword into the Lake.” “What did you see when you threw it?” Arthur asked.

“I saw nothing, but waves.” Sir Bedivere answered.

“No,” said Arthur, “You didn’t do as I asked. Now go there again, and throw the sword into the water.”

So Sir Bedivere went to the Lake again, and took the sword, but then he thought: “It is a sin and shame to throw away such a good sword.” So he hid it in the grass again, and came back to Arthur.

“I have done as you told me,” he said. “I threw it into the water.”

“What did you see when you did it?” Arthur asked.

“Only waves and circles on the water.” Sir Bedivere answered.

“Alas!” said Arthur, “Now you have betrayed me twice. Was I not good to you? You are called an honourable knight, but you value a precious sword more than your king’s words? Now go again, and go fast, because I feel cold already. But if you betray me again, I swear I will slay you myself.”

So for the third time Sir Bedivere went to the Lake. He took the sword by the hilt with both his hands, and threw it far into the lake. Then a hand appeared from the water, caught the sword by the handle, and went back down. Sir Bedivere went back to Arthur.

“I have done what you told me,” he said.

“What did you see this time?” Arthur asked.

“I saw a hand catch the sword by the handle and drag in under water.” Sir Bedivere said.

“Finally, you were loyal to me,” said Arthur. “I am dying, so carry me to the Lake now.”

Then Sir Bedivere took the king on his back, and went with him to the Lake. When they came close, they saw a barge near the bank, and on that barge were many fair ladies in black hoods, and among them all was a queen, and all the ladies wept when they saw King Arthur.

“Now put me in the barge,” said the king.

Sir Bedivere did that, softly, and the ladies took him, and set him down, and in one of their laps[40]40
  In somebody’s lap – зд. – на чьи-либо колени


[Закрыть] King Arthur laid his head. And the ladies rowed from the land, and Sir Bedivere looked at all those ladies going from him.

Then he cried: “Ah my lord Arthur, what will happen to me, now that you go from me and leave me here among my enemies?”

“It is all right,” said the king, “Do whatever you like. I cannot help you anymore, because I need to go to the vale of Avalon to heal my grievous wound. And if you never hear of me again, pray for my soul.”

But when he was saying that, the queens and ladies wept, and it was pity to hear. And soon Sir Bedivere lost the sight of the barge, and he wept, and went to the forest.

That is all there is to know[41]41
  All there is to know – всё, что известно


[Закрыть] about King Arthur, his glorious deeds, his battles, and his knights of Table Round. And this is where our tale ends.

Excercises

I. Выберите верный вариант:

a) What did Sir Bedivere do with the sword the first time Arthur asked him to throw it into the water?

1. He hid it in the grass.

2. He took it for himself.

3. He threw it in the water.

4. He gave it to the Lady of the Lake.

b) Why did the battle get started?

1. Arthur decided to fight instead of negotiating.

2. Sir Mordred decided to fight instead of negotiating.

3. One of the knights attacked another knight.

4. One of the knights drew his sword to kill a snake, and everybody thought there was treason.

c) What happened after Sir Bedivere threw the sword into the water?

1. It drowned.

2. A lady in a boat came and took it.

3. A hand from the water caught it by the handles.

4. A hand from the water caught it by the blade.

d) How did Arthur get fatally wounded?

1. Sir Mordred put his sword through his skull.

2. Sir Mordred pierced him with his spear.

3. Sir Mordred put his sword through his chest.

4. Sir Mordred hit him with an axe.

e) What did Sir Gawaine tell Arthur?

1. To settle for a peace with Sir Mordred.

2. To fight Sir Mordred and his army.

3. To make Sir Mordred the king.

4. To fight for the ladies, so that God would reward him.

f) What did King Arthur say to Sir Bedivere when he was lying in the barge?

1. To get in the barge and go with him.

2. To go to the field and see who is making the noise.

3. To make sure Sir Mordred is dead.

4. To do whatever he wants.

g) Where did Arthur say he was going in the barge?

1. To the vale of Avalon.

2. To the island of Avalon.

3. To his castle Camelot.

4. Back to London.

Keys to Excercises

Chapter 1

I.

a) 2, b) 1, c) 1, d) 2, e) 4, f) 1, g) 4

Chapter 2

I.

a) 1, b) 3, c) 3, d) 2, e) 4, f) 1, g) 4

II.

1. Sir Kay: seneschal of England.

2. Sir Baudwin: constable.

3. Sir Ulfius: chamberlain.

4. Sir Brastias: warden of the north passes.

Chapter 3

I.

a) 1, b) 4, c) 1, d) 4, e) 2, f) 2, g) 1

II.

1. You should attack them fiercely.

2. The kings retreated their forces slowly.

3. He claimed the throne rightfully.

4. Go out and speak to them boldly.

III.

1. Arthur is a rightful heir.

2. Guenever was a fair lady.

3. The lords were angry to see Arthur as their king.

4. They went to live in a strong tower.

Chapter 4

I.

a) 3, b) 1, c) 2, d) 1, e) 2, f) 4, g) 4, h) 1

II.

1. They rode through the forest.

2. They came to a broad lake.

3. They went into the boat.

4. Arthur took it by the handles.

Chapter 5

I.

a) 4, b) 1, c) 3, d) 2, e) 4, f) 3

Chapter 6

I.

a) 1, b) 4, c) 3, d) 1, e) 1, f) 4, g) 1

Other English Legends

The Wishing Ring[42]42
  The Wishing Ring – Кольцо, исполняющее желания


[Закрыть]

Once upon a time there lived a young farmer. He worked very hard, and yet he was quite poor. One day he ploughed his field. Suddenly a strange woman appeared before him. And this is what she said to him:

“Why are you working so hard, and all for nothing[43]43
  and all for nothing – и всё без толку


[Закрыть]? Listen to me. Go straight on for two days until you come to a great oak. This oak stands by itself[44]44
  stands by itself – стоит в стороне


[Закрыть] and is higher than all the other trees. Fell it, and your fortune is made[45]45
  your fortune is made – найдёшь свою удачу


[Закрыть].” And she disappeared as suddenly as she appeared.

The farmer took his axe and started on his way. He went straight on for two days. At the end of the two days he came to a place where he saw a great oak which stood by itself and was higher than the other trees.

“Now I see that the woman told me the truth,” said the farmer to himself. “I must do what she said.” And he began to fell the tree at once.

When the tree came down, a bird’s nest fell on the ground. Two little eggs in the nest were broken. From one of them came a gold ring, from the other a wonderful bird. The bird grew and grew until it was very large. It became so large that the farmer was frightened. But the wonderful bird spoke to him in a very kind voice.

“You have set me free[46]46
  you have set me free – ты освободил меня


[Закрыть],” said the bird, “and I want to thank you for it. I shall give you the ring that was in the other egg. It isn’t an ordinary ring. It is a wishing ring. If you turn it on your finger, and say to yourself a wish, your wish will come true[47]47
  your wish will come true – твое желание исполнится


[Закрыть]. But you can only have one wish. After that the wishing ring will become an ordinary ring. So you must think carefully before you say your wish.”

And with these words the bird flew away. The farmer put the ring on his finger and started on the way home. In the evening he came to a town and went to a goldsmith who had many gold rings in his shop. The farmer showed him the ring and asked what it was worth.

“Next to nothing[48]48
  next to nothing – почти ничего


[Закрыть],” answered the goldsmith.

The farmer laughed aloud and said, “You don’t understand anything. It is a wishing ring. It is worth more than all the rings in your shop put together.”

That goldsmith became silent; he was greedy enough. Though he was very rich, he always wanted to have more money. So he asked the farmer to stay at his house for the night.

“It will bring me good fortune[49]49
  good fortune – удача


[Закрыть],” he said, “if a man with such a wonderful ring spends the night here.”

The goldsmith gave the farmer some bottles of wine to drink and talked to him like a friend. But he was a false friend, indeed! At night, when the farmer was fast asleep, he took the ring from his finger, and put another one in its place, which looked just like the wishing ring.

In the morning the goldsmith could hardly wait[50]50
  could hardly wait – не мог никак дождаться


[Закрыть] until his guest left his house. As soon as the farmer went away, he hurried to his shop, closed the shutters, locked the door, turned the ring on his finger and said, “I wish to have a hundred thousand sovereigns[51]51
  hundred thousand sovereigns – сто тысяч соверенов (соверен – золотая монета в 1 фунт стерлингов)


[Закрыть].”

As soon as he said these words the sovereigns began to come raining down[52]52
  the sovereigns began to come raining down – соверены посыпались дождём


[Закрыть]. The sovereigns fell on his head, his shoulders, his arms; they fell all over his body. He tried to get to the door, but the rain of gold made it impossible. Soon the gold covered all his body. He couldn’t move, and it still rained. At last the floor could bear the weight no longer, and the goldsmith and the gold fell into the cellar.

When the neighbours heard the terrible noise, they came running and broke open the door. But they were too late. The greedy goldsmith was already dead.

So they sighed and said, “What a misfortune it is to have so much money!” And they all put in their pockets as much money as they could carry and went away.

Meanwhile the farmer came home and showed the ring to his wife.

“We are lucky people,” he said, “our fortune is made. But we must be careful. We must choose the right wish.”

His wife was delighted.

“Let’s wish for some more land,” she said. “There is a nice bit of land between two of our fields. What do you say to that? I think it’s the best wish we can have.”

But the farmer answered, “I am sure we can wish for something better than that. If we work hard for a year, we shall perhaps be able to buy this bit of land.”

So they worked very hard for a year and as the harvest was good, they had enough money to buy that bit of land easily.

“You see,” said the farmer to his wife with a smile, “we have that bit of land now, and we still have our wish.”

“Then perhaps we shall wish for a cow and a horse?” offered his wife. “Our life will be easier then. We shall not have to work so much.”

“My good wife,” said the farmer, “let’s not waste our wish, just for nothing[53]53
  just for nothing – просто так, впустую


[Закрыть]. I think we shall get a horse and a cow even without it.”

So they again worked day and night for a year and the harvest was good again. At the end of the second year they had enough money to buy a horse and a cow. The farmer was very pleased and said, “Again we have got what we wanted, and we still have our wish. What lucky people we are!”

But his wife did not agree with him. She was very angry with her husband.

“You cant’ say that!” she cried. “I really can’t understand you. I wonder at you. You always complained that we had to work so much. You always wanted to have many nice and useful things. And now when you can have anything you desire, you work from morning till night and make me work as much[54]54
  and make me work as much – и меня заставляешь тоже усердно работать


[Закрыть]. We work and work and work. All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.[55]55
  All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. – сравни Работа утомляет.


[Закрыть] And the best years of our lives go by. You might be a great man – a king I dare say! You might have your cellars full of silver and gold. And you are nothing, just because you cannot decide what to wish and cannot use your wishing ring.”

“Stop worrying about this wish,” the farmer answered firmly. “We are both still young, and life is long. Remember there is only one wish in the ring. It is very easy to make a mistake. And if we make a mistake, we shall be so unhappy. We shall never forgive ourselves. No, no! We must keep our wishing ring. It has already brought us good fortune. We must not use it yet. Be reasonable, my dear. Cheer up and try to choose the best wish.”

What the farmer said was true. The ring really brought them good fortune. But they both still worked hard all day. And in the evening the farmer usually sat on the steps, smoked his pipe and talked with his neighbours.

The years went by, their children grew up, but the farmer still kept his wish. Sometimes his wife spoke to him about it, but he always answered,

“No, no, my dear. We have still a lot of time. We must not use our wishing ring yet.”

At last she saw that she couldn’t make him use the ring and gave up speaking about it[56]56
  and gave up speaking about it – и прекратила всякие разговоры о нём


[Закрыть]. Though the farmer often looked at his ring and even turned it on his finger, he never said a wish. Thirty, forty years went by. The farmer and his wife grew old, their hair was white as snow.

And so they lived happily on till one day, when they both died together, at the same time. Their children and grand-children stood around them and cried. The youngest son wanted to take the ring from the father’s finger as a remembrance; but the eldest son said,

“No, don’t take the ring. Let our dear Father keep it. He liked it so much. And Mother also often looked at it. Perhaps she once gave it to Father, when they were young.”

So they left the ring on the finger of the old farmer, who always thought it was a wishing ring, though it was not. And yet the ring had brought him as much happiness as a man could wish. Indeed, a bad thing in good hands is better than a good thing in bad hands.