Золушка / Cinderella
Шрифт:
The fourth sister was more timid. She remained in the midst of the sea, but she said it was quite as beautiful there as nearer the land. She could see for so many miles around her, and the sky above looked like a bell of glass [54] . She saw ships, but at such a great distance that they looked like seagulls.
The fifth sister’s birthday was in the winter, so she saw what the others could not see the first time they went up. The sea looked green, and large icebergs were floating about. They glittered like diamonds. Towards the evening, as the sun went down, dark clouds covered the sky, the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed, while she sat calmly on the floating iceberg.
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a bell of glass – стеклянный
When the sisters grew up, they became indifferent about the surface [55] . Now they said it was much more beautiful down below, at home. Yet often, in the evening hours, they all would swim to the surface to sing, for they all had beautiful voices.
At last the youngest sister reached her fifteenth year and rose to the surface of the water. The sun had just set; the clouds were tinted with red and gold. The sea was calm, and the air was mild and fresh. A large ship was slowly sailing nearby. There was music and songs on board; and, as darkness came on, a hundred colored lanterns were lighted [56] . The little mermaid swam close to the cabin windows. Now and then, she could look in and see a number of well-dressed people within. Among them was a young prince, the most beautiful of all. He was sixteen years of age, and it was his birthday.
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they became indifferent about the surface – они перестали думать о поверхности
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a hundred colored lanterns were lighted – зажгли сотню разноцветных фонариков
It was very late; yet the little mermaid could not take her eyes from the ship, or from the beautiful prince. The sea became restless; still the little mermaid remained by the cabin window. The ship continued sailing; but soon the waves rose higher, the clouds became darker, and lightning appeared in the distance. A storm was approaching; the waves rose mountains high [57] . The main mast snapped and the ship turned to its side. The water rushed in. The little mermaid saw that the crew was in danger; she could see everyone on board, except the prince. In the next moment, she saw him sink into the deep waves. She swam to the young prince. He was tired and almost dead, but she held his head above the water, and let the waves drift them away.
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the waves rose mountains high – волны поднимались выше гор
In the morning the storm was gone. The sun rose up. Prince’s eyes remained closed. The mermaid kissed his forehead, and stroked back his wet hair. He looked like the marble statue in her little garden. Then she saw land; the sea here formed a little bay, in which the water was still, but very deep. She swam with the prince to the beach. Then bells sounded in the large white building nearby. The little mermaid swam out farther from the shore [58] and hid behind some high rocks. She saw one of the girls approach the spot where the prince lay. She seemed frightened at first, but only for a moment; then she called more people. The prince came to life again, and smiled at the people around him. He didn’t know that the mermaid saved him. This made her very unhappy.
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swam out farther from the shore – отплыла подальше от берега
When the little mermaid returned home, she was very quiet. Her sisters asked her about the surface, but she told them nothing.
Many times she swam to the place where she left the prince. But she never saw him again. So she would sit in her garden near the beautiful marble statue which looked like him; but she gave up tending her flowers [59] , and that the whole place became dark and gloomy. Then, she could not bear it any longer and told one of her sisters all about it. Then the others heard the secret. Soon it became known to a mermaid that knew who the prince was.
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she gave up tending her flowers –
Her sisters took the little mermaid to his palace. It was built of bright yellow stone, with long flights of marble steps, one of which reached down to the sea. It was very beautiful. Now that the mermaid knew where he lived, she spent many evenings and nights near the palace. She would swim much nearer the shore than any of the others. Here she would sit and watch the young prince. She grew more and more fond of humans, and wished more and more to be able to walk among them.
One day, there was a ball at the palace of the Sea King. Mermaids danced and sang to the music. The little mermaid sang more sweetly than them all. The whole court applauded her. For a moment she felt happy. But she soon thought again of the world above her, and the charming prince. She thought: “My wishes depend on him and I will be happy with him. I will go to the sea witch and ask her for help.”
And then the little mermaid went out from her garden, and took the road to the witches’ house. She had never been that way before [60] . The house stood in the centre of a strange forest. The little mermaid was scared and wanted to go back. But then she thought of the prince and her courage returned.
The house was built with the bones of shipwrecked human beings. And inside it sat the sea witch. “I know what you want,” said the sea witch; “it is very stupid of you, but you shall have your way [61] . You want to get rid of your fish’s tail, and to have legs instead of it, so that the young prince may fall in love with you. I will prepare a potion for you. You must swim with it to land tomorrow before sunrise, and sit down on the shore and drink it. Your tail will disappear, and you will get legs. You will feel great pain; your every step will feel as if you were walking on sharp knives. If you will bear all this, I will help you.”
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had never been that way before – никогда раньше здесь не была
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you shall have your way – будь по-твоему
“Yes, I will,” said the little princess in a trembling voice.
“But think again,” said the witch; “for when you become human, you can no more be a mermaid [62] . You will never return to your sisters, or to your father’s palace again. And if you do not win the love of the prince, and he marries another, your heart will break, and you will become sea foam.”
“I will do it,” said the little mermaid.
“And as payment for my help, I’ll take your voice.”
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you can no more be a mermaid – ты больше не сможешь стать русалкой
“But if you take away my voice,” said the little mermaid, “what is left for me?”
“You are beautiful; surely you can enchain a man’s heart. Well, have you lost your courage?”
“Alright,” said the little mermaid.
Then the witch placed her cauldron on the fire, and prepared the magic potion. When at last it was ready, it looked like the clearest water. “There it is for you,” said the witch. Then she cut off the mermaid’s tongue, so that she would never again speak or sing.
The mermaid left and quickly went back to the palace. She went into the garden, took one last look at her home and then swam to the surface. When she got to the prince’s palace, it was night. She swam to the marble steps and drank the potion. She felt pain and fainted. When the sun arose, she recovered, and saw the prince near her. She looked down and saw that her fish’s tail was gone, and that she had a pair of legs. The prince asked her who she was, and where she came from, but she could not speak. He took her to the palace. Every step she took hurt and she felt like she was walking on needles. But she stepped lightly and the prince wondered at her graceful movements [63] . She was very soon given a few beautiful dresses and she became the most beautiful creature in the palace.
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the prince wondered at her graceful movements – принц дивился её грациозным движениям