Английский язык с Р. Киплингом. Истории просто так
Шрифт:
But I remember Tegumai Bopsulai, and Taffimai Metallumai and Teshumai Tewindrow, her dear Mummy (но я помню Тегумая Бопсулая и Тэффимай Металлумай, и Тешумай Тевиндроу, ее дорогую Мамочку), and all the days gone by (и все минувшие дни). And it was so (и это было так) — just so (вот так) — a little time ago (недавно) — on the banks of the big Wagai (на берегах большой /реки/ Вагай)!
remember [rI'membq], gone [gOn], ago [q'gqu]
But I remember Tegumai Bopsulai, and Taffimai Metallumai and Teshumai Tewindrow, her dear Mummy, and all the days gone by. And it was so — just so — a little time ago — on the banks of the big Wagai!
ONE of the first things (одним
precious ['preSqs], order ['Ldq], wire [waIq]
ONE of the first things that Tegumai Bopsulai did after Taffy and he had made the Alphabet was to make a magic Alphabet-necklace of all the letters, so that it could be put in the Temple of Tegumai and kept for ever and ever. All the Tribe of Tegumai brought their most precious beads and beautiful things, and Taffy and Tegumai spent five whole years getting the necklace in order. This is a picture of the magic Alphabet-necklace. The string was made of the finest and strongest reindeer-sinew, bound round with thin copper wire.
Beginning at the top (начиная сверху), the first bead is an old silver one (первая бусина — старая серебряная бусина) that belonged to the Head Priest of the Tribe of Tegumai (которая принадлежала Главному Жрецу Племени Тегумая); then come three black mussel-pearls (затем идут три черных жемчужины мидий); next is a clay bead (blue and gray) (следующая — глиняная бусина (сине-серая); next a nubbly gold bead (затем — шишковатая золотая бусина) sent as a present by a tribe (присланная в подарок племенем) who got it from Africa (которое получило ее из Африки) (but it must have been Indian really (но на самом деле она, наверное, была индийская)); the next is a long flat-sided glass bead from Africa (следующая — длинная стеклянная бусина с плоскими сторонами из Африки; flat — плоский, ровный) (the Tribe of Tegumai took it in a fight (Племя Тегумая захватило ее в бою)); then come two clay beads (white and green) (затем идут две глиняные бусины (белая и зеленая), with dots on one (с точками на одной), and dots and bands on the other (и с точками и полосками на другой); next are three rather chipped amber beads (следующие — три довольно обколотых янтарных бусины); then three clay beads (red and white) (затем три глиняных бусины (красно-белые)), two with dots (две с точками), and the big one in the middle with a toothed pattern (а большая посредине с зубчатым узором). Then the letters begin (потом начинаются буквы), and between each letter is a little whitish clay bead (а между /всеми/ буквами — маленькие беловатые глиняные бусины) with the letter repeated small (с повтором буквы маленькой = с уменьшенной копией буквы). Here are the letters (вот буквы) —
priest [prJst], pearl [pWl], glass [glRs]
Beginning at the top, the first bead is an old silver one that belonged to the Head Priest of the Tribe of Tegumai; then come three black mussel-pearls; next is a clay bead (blue and gray); next a nubbly gold bead sent as a present by a tribe who got it from Africa (but it must have been Indian really); the next is a long flat-sided glass bead from Africa (the Tribe of Tegumai took it in a fight); then come two clay beads (white and green), with dots on one, and dots and bands on the other; next are three rather chipped amber beads; then three clay beads (red and white), two with dots, and the big one in the middle with a toothed pattern. Then the letters begin, and between each letter is a little whitish clay bead with the letter repeated small. Here are the letters —
A is scratched on a tooth (A
oyster ['OIstq], mussel ['mAs(q)l], remain [rI'meIn]
A is scratched on a tooth — an elk-tusk I think. B is the Sacred Beaver of Tegumai on a bit of old glory. C is a pearly oyster-shell — inside front. D must be a sort of mussel-shell — outside front. E is a twist of silver wire. F is broken, but what remains of it is a bit of stag’s horn.
G is painted black on a piece of wood (G нарисовано черной краской на кусочке дерева). (The bead after G is a small shell (бусина после G — маленькая раковина), and not a clay bead (а не глиняная бусина). I don’t know why they did that (я не знаю, почему они сделали так).) H is a kind of a big brown cowrie-shell (Н — разновидность большой коричневой раковины каури; cowrie — раковина каури, заменяющая деньги в некоторых частях Азии и Африки). I is the inside part of a long shell ground down by hand (I — внутренняя часть длинной раковины, отшлифованной вручную). (It took Tegumai three months to grind it down (у Тегумая ушло три месяца на шлифовку).) J is a fish hook in mother-of-pearl (J — рыболовный крючок из перламутра). L is the broken spear in silver (L — сломанная острога из серебра). (K ought to follow J of course (К должна, конечно, следовать за J), but the necklace was broken once and they mended it wrong (но однажды ожерелье поломалось, и его неправильно починили). K is a thin slice of bone scratched and rubbed in black (К — тонкая часть кости, отшлифованная и натертая черной краской; to scratch — царапать; скрести).
cowrie ['kaurI], month [mAnT], grind [graInd]
G is painted black on a piece of wood. (The bead after G is a small shell, and not a clay bead). I don’t know why they did that.) H is a kind of a big brown cowrie-shell. I is the inside part of a long shell ground down by hand. (It took Tegumai three months to grind it down.) J is a fish hook in mother-of-pearl. L is the broken spear in silver. (K ought to follow J of course, but the necklace was broken once and they mended it wrong.) K is a thin slice of bone scratched and rubbed in black.
M is on a pale gray shell (М — на бледной серой раковине). N is a piece of what is called porphyry with a nose scratched on it (N — кусочек того, что называется порфиром с носом, нацарапанным на нем) (Tegumai spent five months polishing this stone (Тегумай потратил пять месяцев, полируя этот камень; to spend — тратить; проводить /время/).) O is a piece of oyster-shell with a hole in the middle (О — кусочек раковины устрицы с отверстием посредине). P and Q are missing ( Р и Q отсутствуют). They were lost a long time ago (они потерялись давно), in a great war (в большой войне), and the tribe mended the necklace with the dried rattles of a rattlesnake (и племя починило ожерелье с помощью высушенных колец на хвосте гремучей змеи), but no one ever found P and Q (но никто никогда не находил P и Q). That is how the saying began (вот так появилась поговорка), ‘You must mind your P’s and Q’s (ты должен присматривать за P и Q [128] ).’ R is, of course, just a shark’s tooth (R, конечно, просто акулий зуб). S is a little silver snake (S — маленькая серебряная змейка). T is the end of a small bone, polished and shiny (Т — кончик маленькой косточки, отполированный и блестящий).
128
Истинный смысл этой поговорки: соблюдай осторожность, будь осторожен. Это выражение может иметь несколько иной подтекст: не суй нос не в свое дело. Короче, следи за своими PuQами и не нарывайся на PQ (пи-ку).
war [wL], polish ['pOlIS], saying ['seIIN]
M is on a pale gray shell. N is a piece of what is called porphyry with a nose scratched on it (Tegumai spent five months polishing this stone.) O is a piece of oyster-shell with a hole in the middle. P and Q are missing. They were lost a long time ago, in a great war, and the tribe mended the necklace with the dried rattles of a rattlesnake, but no one ever found P and Q. That is how the saying began, ‘You must mind your P’s and Q’s.’ R is, of course, just a shark’s tooth. S is a little silver snake. T is the end of a small bone, polished and shiny.