Лучшие английские сказки. PreIntermediate

Адаптация текста, комментарии и словарь Д. Положенцевой

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The Ugly Duckling[1]
H.C. Andersen

It was so beautiful in the country, it was summer. The fields were golden and the grass was green. There were thick forests and a lot of lakes. Yes, it was indeed lovely out there in the country.

There stood an old house with a pond around it. A duck sat on her nest. She was hatching her ducklings. She was bored. The other ducks swam in the pond and no one came to see her.

But at last the eggs began to crack, one after another.

“Peep, peep!” said the little ducklings.

“Quack, quack!” said the duck. Quick as quick can be they all went out to look at the green world. Their mother let them look, because green is good for the eyes.

“How big the world is,” said all the young ducks.

“Do you think this is the whole world?” their mother asked. “No, it is bigger, to the other side of the garden and right on into the field. I hope you are all hatched[2],” she said and she got up. “No, not quite all. The biggest egg still lies here. How much longer is this going to take? I am really tired of it all,” she said. She sat back on her nest.

“Well, how does it go?” asked an old duck. She came to visit her friend.

“It takes a long time with this egg,” said the duck on the nest. “It won’t crack, but look at the others. They are cute little ducklings!”

“Let’s have a look at the egg that won’t crack,” the old duck said. “It’s a turkey egg, and you can take my word for it.[3] What trouble I had with those turkey children. They are afraid of the water. Let me see the egg… Yes, it’s a turkey egg. Let it lie, and go teach your ducklings to swim.”

“Oh, I’ll sit a little longer.”

“As you wish,” said the old duck, and she went away.

Finally the big egg cracked.

“Peep,” said the young one. But he was so big and ugly.

The duck looked at him.

“That’s a very big duckling,” she said. “He doesn’t look like the others. Can he really be a turkey baby? Well, well! We will see.”

Next day the weather was nice. The mother duck led her whole family down to the pond. Splash! she went to the water.

“Quack, quack,” said she, and one duckling after another jumped in. They were all in the water. Even the big, ugly gray duckling was swimming along.

“Hm, that’s no turkey,” she said. “See how nicely he swims. He’s my son after all. He’s nice. Quack, quack, come with me. Let’s go to the duck yard. But keep close to me. And watch out for the cat!”

It was very loud in the duck yard. Two families were fighting over the head of a fish. But the cat got it.

“You see, this is the world. Can you see that old duck over there? She’s the noblest of us all. That’s why she’s so fat. Don’t turn your toes in. A duckling turns his toes way out[4], just as his father and mother do. Now say quack!”

They did as she told them. But the other ducks around them looked on and said, “Look! What an ugly duckling he is!” One duck came up to him and bit his neck.

“Let him alone,” his mother cried.

“But he’s too big and strange,” said the duck.

“What nice children you have, Mother,” said the fattest duck. “They are all pretty. But this one is not. It’s a pity you can’t hatch him again[5].”

“Your ladyship,” said the mother. “He isn’t so pretty, but he’s a good duckling. He swims very well, even a little better than my other children do. It took too long for me to hatch him. That’s why he’s so big.”

“The other ducklings are pretty,” said the old duck. “If you find a fish’s head, you may bring it to me.”

The poor duckling was very unhappy. Why was he so ugly? He was pushed about and made fun of by the ducks, and the chickens as well.

“He’s too big and ugly,” said they all.

Even his own brothers and sisters made fun of him.

“Oh,” they would always say, “we wish the cat would catch you, you ugly duckling.”

And his mother said, “I wish you were away.”

Even the girl who fed them kicked him with her foot.

So he ran away and flew over the fence. “That’s because I’m so ugly,” he thought. He ran on until he reached the great marsh. There wild ducks lived. He lay under the bush there all night long.

When morning came, the wild ducks flew up to have a look at their new companion.

“What are you? You are so ugly! Go away,” they told him.

Poor duckling! All he wanted was to lie here and drink a little water from the marsh.

There he stayed for two days. Then he met two wild geese.

“Listen,” they said, “you’re so ugly that we feel sorry for you. Come with us. There are some wild geese in the marsh.”

Bing! Bang! Shots rang in the air, and these two geese fell dead. Bing! Bang! the shots rang. The hunters lay all around the marsh, and some even were on the branches of trees.[6]

The bird dogs came splash, splash! through the marsh. The poor duckling was very frightened that he wanted to hide his head under his wing. But at that very moment he saw a big dog right in front of him. It was very big with his long tongue, sharp teeth and wicked eyes. He opened his mouth, his teeth flashed, and – splash, splash – on he went. He didn’t touch the duckling.

“Thank heavens,” the duckling said, “I’m so ugly that the dog won’t even bite me.”

He lay still and shot after shot was fired. It was late in the day when it became quiet again. The poor duckling was afraid to move. He waited. Then he got up and ran as fast as he could. He ran across the fields and marshes.

Late in the evening he came to a little house. The wind was so strong and the poor little duckling was so weak. He noticed a crack in the door and squeezed into the room.

Here lived an old woman with her cat and her hen. The cat called Sonny could purr, and even make sparks, for that you had to stroke his fur the wrong way. The hen had short little legs, so she was called Chickey Shortleg. She laid good eggs, and the old woman loved her.

In the morning they saw the duckling.

“Oh, it’s a duck!” The old woman had bad eyes, and she thought the duckling was a fat duck. “It’s good,” she said. “Now I shall have duck eggs.”

So the duckling was there for three weeks, but he didn’t lay any eggs.

In this house the cat was master and the hen was mistress. They always said, “We and the world,” they thought they were half of the world. The duckling thought that they were wrong, but the hen didn’t want to hear about it.

“Can you lay eggs?” she asked.

“No.”

“Then be nice and do what we say.”

The cat asked, “Can you purr or make sparks?”

“No.”

“Then keep your opinion to yourself.”

The duckling sat in a corner, feeling sad. Then he remembered the fresh air and the sunlight. He wanted to go outside and swim in the pond. He told the hen about it.

“What a silly thing to say!” the hen cried. “Lay an egg or learn to purr.”

“But I’d like to swim… It’s so nice in the water,” said the duckling.

“You’re crazy!” said the hen.

So the duckling went away. He swam on the water and dived down in it. But he still was very ugly for all the other animals.

Autumn came on. The leaves in the forest were yellow and brown. It was getting very cold. Pity the poor little duckling!

One evening, the duckling saw very beautiful birds in the sky. They were white, with long thin necks. They were swans, flying away from this cold land, away to warmer countries. The ugly little duckling watched them. He went around and round in the water. Oh! He could not forget those happy birds. He did not know what birds they were but he loved them.

The winter grew colder. The duckling had to swim in the water to keep the pond from freezing over. But the hole in which he swam was getting smaller and smaller. One day he was so cold and tired that he got frozen fast in the ice.

Early that morning a farmer came by, and he saw the duckling in the pond. He broke the ice with his wooden shoe and carried the duckling home to his wife. After some time the duckling felt better. When the children wished to play with him, he fell down into the milk bowl then he flew into the butter bowl. Imagine what he looked like now! The children tried to catch him, they laughed and they shouted. Luckily the door was open, and the duckling escaped through it into the bushes.

The winter was very cruel to the little duckling. But the weather started changing, the duckling was still alive. The birds began to sing again. It was beautiful springtime.

One day the duckling understood that his wings were strong. He could fly! Before he knew what was happening, he was high in the sky. Then he saw a great garden with apple trees. There were beautiful sweet flowers. Oh, it was wonderful here!

Then the duckling saw three lovely white swans. They swam slowly in the river. The duckling remembered these noble birds. He became very sad.

“I can’t fly near these noble birds, they will peck me because I am so very ugly. But I don’t care. Better be killed by them than to be pecked by the ducks, hens, kicked by the hen-yard girl, or to be frozen in winter.”

So he flew into the water and swam to the beautiful swans. They saw him.

“Kill me!” cried the poor duckling, and he bowed his head down over the water. But what did he see there, mirrored in the clear river? It was no longer a dirty, gray duckling. He was a swan!

He felt happy because now he knew who he was. He was born in the duck’s yard but from a swan’s egg. The great swans swam all around him and stroked him with their wings.

Some little children came into the garden. The smallest child cried, “Here’s a new one,” and the others said, “yes, a new swan has come.” They clapped their hands, danced around, and ran to their father and mother.

They threw bread and cake upon the water, and they all said, “The new one is the most beautiful of all. He’s so young and so lovely” The old swans bowed.

Then he felt very shy and hid his head under his wing. He did not know what this was all about. He felt so very happy, but he wasn’t at all proud. A good heart never grows proud. He thought about how unhappy he was when he was a duckling. And now they all called him the most beautiful of all beautiful birds. The sun was so warm. He held his neck high and he cried out loudly: “I never dreamed I could be so happy, when I was the ugly duckling[7]!”

The Well of the World’S End[8]

Once upon a time, there was a girl whose mother had died, and her father married again. Her stepmother hated her because she was more beautiful than herself, and she was very cruel to her. She used to make her do all the servant’s work. At last, one day, the stepmother thought to get rid of her[9]. So she gave her a sieve and said to her: “Go, fill it at the Well of the World’s End and bring it home to me full.”

She thought the girl would not find the Well of the World’ s End. And if she did, how could she bring home a sieve full of water?

Well, the girl started her journey. She asked everyone she met to tell her where the Well of the World’s End was. But nobody knew, and she didn’t know what to do. One day a little old woman told her where it was. Finally she reached the Well of the World’s End. But when she dipped the sieve in the cold, cold water, it all ran out again. She tried and tried again. She sat down and cried as if her heart could break.

Suddenly she heard a croaking voice, and she looked up. She saw a great frog with large eyes looking at her and speaking to her.

“What’s the matter, girl?” it said.

“Oh, dear, oh dear,” she said, “my stepmother has sent me all this long way to fill this sieve with water from the Well of the World’s End, and I can’t fill it.”

“Well,” said the frog, “do whatever I ask you for a whole night long, I’ll tell you how to fill it.”

So the girl agreed, and the frog said:

“Stop it with moss and put some clay, And then it will carry the water away”; and then it jumped into the Well of the World’s End.

So the girl found some moss, and she put some clay. Then she dipped it once again into the Well of the World’s End. This time, the water didn’t run out, and she turned to go away.

Just then the frog popped up its head out of the Well of the World’s End, and said: “Remember your promise.”

“All right,” said the girl, “What can a frog do to me?”

So she went back to her stepmother, and brought the sieve full of water from the Well of the World’s End. The stepmother was angry, but she said nothing at all.

That very evening they heard something tap-tapping at the door low down, and a voice cried out:

“Open the door,
     my heart,
Open the door,
     my darling;
Mind you the words
     that you and I spoke,
Down in the meadow,
at the World’s End Well.”

“What is it?” cried out the stepmother, and the girl told her everything, and what she had promised the frog.

“Girls must keep their promises[10],” said the stepmother. “Go and open the door!” She was glad the girl would serve a nasty frog.

So the girl went and opened the door, and there was the frog from the Well of the World’s End. And it jumped and reached the girl, and then it said:

“Lift me to your knee,
     my heart;
Lift me to your knee,
     my darling;
Remember the words
you and I spoke,
     By the World’s
     End Well.”

But the girl didn’t like to do it. Her stepmother said: “Lift it up! Girls must keep their promises!”

So finally she lifted the frog up on to her lap, and it lay there for a time. At last it said:

“Give me some supper,
     my heart,
Give me some supper,
     my darling;
Remember the words
you and I spoke,
By the Well
     of the World’s End.”

Well, she didn’t mind doing that, so she got it a bowl of milk and bread. She fed the frog well. And when the frog finished, it said:

“Go with me to bed,
     my heart,
Go with me to bed,
     my darling;
Mind you the words
     you spoke to me,
Down by the cold well,
     so weary.”

But that the girl didn’t want to do that. But her stepmother said: “Do what you promised, girl! Girls must keep their promises.”

So the girl took the frog with her to bed, and kept it as far away from her as she could. In the morning, the frog said:

“Chop off my head,
     my heart,
Chop off my head,
     my darling;
Remember the promise
     you made to me,
Down by the cold well,
     so weary.”

At first the girl wouldn’t do that. She felt sorry for the frog. It helped her at the Well of the World’s End and was not a bad frog at all. But when the frog said the words over again she went and took an axe and chopped off its head, and oh! there stood before her a young prince. He told her his story. He had been enchanted by a wicked magician, and he could never be unspelled till some girl would do what he asked for a whole night, and chop off his head at the end of it.

The stepmother was surprised when she found the young prince instead of the ugly frog. And she wasn’t best pleased, when the prince told her that he was going to marry her stepdaughter. They got married, went to live in the castle of the king, his father.

The Fish and the Ring

Once upon a time, there was a mighty Baron in the North Country who was a great magician and knew everything that would come to pass[11]. So one day, when his little boy was four years old, he looked into the Book of Fate[12] to see what would happen to him. And to his dismay, he found that his son would wed a lowly maid[13] that had just been born in a small house. Now the Baron knew the father of the little girl was very, very poor, and he had five children already. So he called for his horse and rode to the father’s house and saw him sitting by the door, sad and doleful. So he dismounted and went up to him and said, “What is the matter, my good man?” And the man said, “Well, your honour[14], the fact is, I have five children already, and now the sixth one comes, a little girl, and where to get the bread from to fill their mouths, that’s more than I can say.”

“Don’t cry, my dear man,” said the Baron. “If that’s your trouble, I can help you. I’ll take away the last little one, and you won’t have to bother about her.”

“Thank you kindly, sir,” said the man, and he went in and brought out the little girl and gave her to the Baron, who mounted his horse and rode away with her. And when he got by the bank of the river, he threw the little girl into the river and rode off to his castle.

But the little girl didn’t sink; her clothes kept her up for a time[15], and she floated, and she floated, till she was cast ashore just in front of a fisherman’s hut. There the fisherman found her, and took pity on the poor little girl and took her into his house, and she lived there till she was fifteen years old. So she became a fine handsome girl.

One day, it happened that the Baron went out hunting[16] with some companions along the banks of the river and stopped at the fisherman’s hut to get a drink, and the girl came out to give it to them. They all noticed her beauty, and one of them said to the Baron, “You can read fates, Baron, whom will she marry, how do you think?”

“Oh! that’s easy to guess,” said the Baron; “some farmer or other. But I’ll cast her horoscope. Come here, girl, and tell me on what day you were born.”

“I don’t know, sir,” said the girl, “I was picked up just here. The river brought me down[17] about fifteen years ago.”

Then the Baron knew who she was, and when they went away, he rode back and said to the girl, “Listen to me, girl, I will make your fortune. Take this letter to my brother, and you will be settled for life.” And the girl took the letter and said she would go. Now this is what he had written in the letter:

“Dear brother,

Take the bearer and put her to death immediately.”

So soon after, the girl left and slept for the night at a little inn. Now that very night[18] a band of robbers broke into the inn and searched the girl, who had no money and only the letter. So they opened this and read it. The captain of the robbers took a pen and paper and wrote this letter:

“Dear brother,

Take the bearer and marry her to my son immediately.”

And then he gave it to the girl. So she went on to the Baron’s brother, a noble knight, with whom the Baron’s son was staying. When she gave the letter to his brother, he gave orders for the wedding to be prepared at once, and they were married that very day[19].

Soon after, the Baron himself came to his brother’s castle, and what was his surprise! But he took the girl out for a walk, as he said, along the cliffs. And when he got her all alone, he took her by the arms and was going to throw her over. But she begged hard for her life[20]. “I have not done anything,” she said, “please do not kill me; I will do whatever you wish. I will never see you or your son again till you desire it.” Then the Baron took off his gold ring and threw it into the sea, saying, “Never let me see your face till you can show me that ring”, and he let her go[21].

When the guests saw such a young and beautiful cook, they were surprised. But the Baron was very angry. So the girl went up to him with her hand before her with the ring on it, and she put it down before him on the table. Then at last, the Baron saw that no one could fight against Fate, and he handed her to a seat and announced to all the company that this was his son’s true wife. And he took her and his son home to his castle, and they all lived happy.

Tom Thumb [22]
Grimm Brothers

One night a poor woodman sat in his cottage, his wife sat by his side spinning.

“How lonely it is, wife,” said he, “for you and me to sit here by ourselves, without any children to play about. Other people seem so happy with their children!”

“Agree,” said the wife, “how happy would I be if I had one child! If it were no bigger than my thumb, I would love it!”

Not long afterwards her dream came true. She had a little boy, who was healthy and strong. But he was not much bigger than her thumb. So she said, “Well, now we have got what we wished for, and, little as he is, we will love him!” And they called him Thomas Thumb.

The husband and his wife fed him well, but he never grew bigger. His eyes were smart and he was a clever little fellow.

One day, as the woodman was getting ready to go into the wood to cut fuel, he said,

“I wish I had someone to bring the cart after me.”

“Oh, father,” cried Tom, “I will take care of that; the cart will be in the wood by the time you want it.”

The woodman laughed, and said,

“How can that be? You can’t reach up to the horse.”

“Never mind that, father,” said Tom, “I will get into his ear and tell him which way to go.”

“Well,” said the father, “we will try then.”

His mother put Tom into the horse’s ear. The little man told the horse how to go, crying out, “Go on!” and “Stop!”. The horse went on just as well as if the woodman had driven it himself into the wood[23]. The horse was going a little too fast, and Tom was calling out, “Gently! gently!” when two strangers came up.

“Strange”!’ said one: “there is a cart going along, and I hear someone talking to the horse, but I can see no one.”

“Strange, indeed,” said the other; “let us follow the cart, and see where it goes.”

So they went on into the wood and came to the place where the woodman was.

Then Tom Thumb, seeing his father, cried out, “See, father, here I am with the cart, all right and safe!”

The two strangers did not know what to say. At last one said,

“That little boy will make us rich if we get him, and carry him about from town to town as a show. We must buy him!” So they went up to the woodman, and asked him what he would take for the little man.

“I won’t sell him at all,” said the father, “my own flesh and blood is dearer to me than all the silver and gold in the world.”

But Tom had a plan. He jumped to his father’s shoulder and whispered in his ear,

“Take the money, father, and let them have me. I’ll soon come back to you.”

At last the woodman said he would sell Tom to the strangers for a large piece of gold, and they paid the price.

“Where would you like to sit?” asked one of the strangers.

‘Oh, put me on your hat. I can walk about there and see the country as we go along.”

So they did as he wished.

They started their journey. When it was getting dark, then the little man said, “Let me get down, I’m tired.”

So the man took off his hat, and put him down. But Tom ran to an old mouse-hole and hid himself.

“Good night, my masters!” said he, “I’m off[24]! Look better after me the next time.”

The strangers tried to get him out of the mouse-hole, but they couldn’t. Tom only crawled farther and farther in. And at last it became quite dark, so that they went their way without their prize.

When Tom found they were gone, he came out of his hiding place.

“What dangerous walking it is,” said he.

At last he found a large empty snail-shell.

“This is lucky,” said he, “I can sleep here very well.”

Just as he was falling asleep, he heard two men talking to each other. And one said to the other, “How can we rob that rich man’s house?”

“I’ll tell you!” cried Tom.

“What is it?” said the thief, frightened, “I’m sure I heard someone speaking.”

They stood still listening, and Tom said,

“Take me with you, and I’ll show you how to get the money.”

“But where are you?” asked they.

“Look about on the ground,” answered he.

At last the thieves found him out, and lifted him up in their hands.

“You’re so small!” they said, “what can you do for us?”

“I can get into the house, and throw you out whatever you want.”

“Hm,” said the thieves; “yes, you can help us, come along.”

When they came to the rich man’s house, Tom slipped through the window-bars into the room. And then he cried loudly, “Will you have all that is here?”

The thieves were frightened, because Tom was very loud. He said, “Quiet! They may wake up!” But Tom cried out again,

“How much will you have? Shall I throw it all out?”

The cook woke up in the next room and listened. The thieves were frightened, but they said, “Stop making jokes, throw us out some money.”

Then Tom cried out as loud as he could, “Very well! Hold your hands! Here it comes.”

The cook heard it, so she jumped out of bed, and ran to open the door. The thieves ran off as if a wolf was at their tails. The cook found nothing, and she went to bed. She thought she had a dream with her eyes open.

The little man found a nice place in the hay to finish his night’s rest. He wanted to have a good sleep and then find his way home to his father and mother.

The cook woke up early to feed the cows and took a large bundle of hay[25], with the little man in the middle of it. He still slept on, and woke up only when he was in the mouth of the cow.

“It is very dark,” said he; “they forgot to build windows in this room to let the sun in.”

He was already in the cow’s stomach, and more and more hay was always coming down. And he didn’t have enough space, it became smaller and smaller. At last he cried out as loud as he could, “Don’t bring me any more hay! Don’t bring me any more hay!”

The cook heard someone speak. She was sure it was the same voice that she had heard in the night. She was so frightened that she ran off as fast as she could to her master, and said,

“Sir, sir, the cow is talking!”

But the master said, “Woman, you’re mad!”

However, he went with her into the cow-house, to see what was the matter.

At the moment they came in, Tom cried out, “Don’t bring me any more hay!”

The master was very frightened. And thinking the cow went mad he told his man to kill her. So the cow was killed, and thrown out upon a dunghill.

Tom tried to get out from the cow’s stomach, but that at that moment a hungry wolf jumped out, and swallowed up the whole stomach, with Tom in it and ran away.

Tom cried out, “My good friend, I can show you where you can eat well.”

“Where’s that?” said the wolf.

“In the house of a woodman,” said Tom, describing his father’s house. “You can get into the kitchen and then into the pantry. There you will find cakes, ham, beef, cold chicken, pig, apple-dumplings[26], and everything that your heart can wish.”

The wolf did not want to be asked twice[27]. So that very night he went to the house and got into the kitchen, and then into the pantry[28]. He ate and drank there a lot to the moment when he could not move.

This was just what Tom wanted. He began to cry and shout, making all the noise he could.

“Quiet!” said the wolf, “you’ll wake everybody up in the house.”

“What’s that to me?” said the little man; “you have eaten well, now I want be merry myself”; and he began, singing and shouting as loud as he could.

The woodman and his wife woke up and came closer to the pantry. They saw a wolf was there, and the woodman ran for his axe, and gave his wife a big knife.

“Stay behind,” said the woodman, “and when I have knocked him on the head you must rip him up with the knife.”

Tom heard all this, and cried out, “Father, father! I am here, the wolf has swallowed me.”

And his father said, “Heaven be praised! We have found our dear child again”. The woodman hit the wolf on the head, and killed him on the spot. They cut his body, and set Tom free.

“Ah!” said the father, “what fears we have had for you![29]”

“Yes, father,” answered he, “I have travelled all over the world, I think, in one way or other, since we parted; and now I am very glad to come home and get fresh air again.”

“Why, where have you been?” said his father.

“I have been in a mouse-hole, and in a snail-shell, and down a cow’s stomach, and in the wolf’s belly. And now here I am again, safe and sound[30].”

“Well,” said they, “You came back and we will not sell you again for all the riches in the world.”

Then they hugged and kissed their dear little son. They gave him a lot to eat and drink, because he was very hungry. So Master Thumb stayed at home with his father and mother. He was a traveler, and had done and seen so many fine things, and liked telling the whole story. He always agreed that, after all, there’s no place like HOME!

The Nightingale and yhe Rose
O. Wilde

“She said that she would dance with me if I brought her red roses,” cried the young Student; “but in all my garden there is no red rose.”

From her nest in the oak tree the Nightingale heard him. She looked out through the leaves, and wondered.

“No red rose in all my garden!” he cried, and his beautiful eyes filled with tears. “I have read all the books, and I know all the secrets of philosophy. But it is only the red rose that matters.”

“He is a true lover,” said the Nightingale. “Every night I sing songs about love and lovers and now I can see one of them. His hair is dark, and his lips are red, his face is pale.”

“The Prince gives a ball tomorrow night,” said the young Student, “and my love will be there. If I bring her a red rose she will dance with me. If I bring her a red rose, I will hold her in my arms. But there is no red rose in my garden, so I will sit lonely, and she will pass me by. And my heart will break.”

“He is the true lover,” said the Nightingale. “What is joy to me, to him is pain. Surely Love is a wonderful thing. It is dearer than fine opals.”

“The musicians will play their instruments,” said the young Student, “and my love will dance to the sound of the harp and the violin. But no, she will not dance, because I have no red rose to give her”; and he closed his eyes with his hands and cried and cried.

“Why is he crying?” asked a little Green Lizard.

“Why, indeed?” said a Butterfly.

“Why, indeed?” whispered a Daisy.

“He is crying for a red rose,” said the Nightingale.

“For a red rose?” they cried; “how very ridiculous!”

But the Nightingale understood the secret of the Student’s sadness. She sat in the oak-tree, and thought about the mystery of Love.

Suddenly she spread her wings, and flew to the garden.

There was a beautiful Rose-tree, and when she saw it she flew over to it.

“Give me a red rose,” she cried, “and I will sing you my sweetest song.”

But the Tree shook its head.

“My roses are white,” it answered; “as white as the snow upon the mountain. But go to my brother who grows near the river, and maybe he will give you what you want.”

So the Nightingale flew over to the Rose-tree.

“Give me a red rose,” she cried, “and I will sing you my sweetest song.”

But the Tree shook its head.

“My roses are yellow,” it answered; “as yellow as the flowers on the field. But go to my brother who grows near the Student’s window, and maybe he will give you what you want.”

So the Nightingale flew over to the Rose-tree that was growing near the Student’s window.

“Give me a red rose,” she cried, “and I will sing you my sweetest song.”

But the Tree shook its head.

“My roses are red,” it answered, “as red as the coral. But the storm has broken my branches, and I will have no roses at all this year.”

“One red rose is all I want,” cried the Nightingale, “only one red rose! Is there no way by which I can get it?”

“There is a way,” answered the Tree; “but it is so terrible that I can’t tell it to you.”

“Tell it to me,” said the Nightingale, “I am not afraid.”

“If you want a red rose,” said the Tree, “you must create it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with your own heart’s-blood. All night long you must sing to me, and the thorn must pierce your heart. Your life-blood must flow into my veins, and become mine.”

“I will die to pay a price for a red rose,” cried the Nightingale, “I love Life. I love sitting in the green wood, and to watch the Sun and the Moon. But Love is better than Life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to[31] the heart of a man?”

So she spread her wings and flew to the Student.

The young Student was still lying on the grass and crying.

“Be happy,” cried the Nightingale, “be happy! You will have your red rose. I will create it out of music by moonlight, and stain it with my own heart’s-blood. All that I ask of you is that you will be a true lover. Love is wiser than Philosophy.”

The Student looked up, and listened, but he could not understand what the Nightingale was saying to him. He only knew the things from the books.

The Oak-tree understood, and felt sad. He loved the little Nightingale.

“Sing me one last song,” he whispered; “I will feel very lonely when you are gone.”

So the Nightingale sang to the Oak-tree, and her voice was wonderful.

“She sings well,” the Student said to himself, “but has she got feeling? I am afraid not. She thinks only about music, she has some beautiful notes in her voice. What a pity[32] it is that they do not mean anything.” And he went into his room, and lay down on his little bed, and began to think of his love. After a time, he fell asleep.

When the Nightingale saw the Moon in the sky, she flew to the Rose-tree, and set her breast against the thorn. All night long she sang with her heart against the thorn. All night long she sang, and the thorn went deeper and deeper into her breast.

She sang first about love in the heart of a boy and a girl. And there came a wonderful rose on the top of the Rose-tree. The rose was pale.

The Tree cried to the Nightingale, “Press closer, little Nightingale or the Day will come before the rose is finished.”

So the Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and sang louder and louder. She sang about love in the soul of a man and a woman.

The rose was now pink, like the lips of a girl.

And the Tree cried to the Nightingale, “Press closer, little Nightingale, or the Day will come before the rose is finished.”

So the Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and the thorn touched her heart. She was in pain, and wilder and wilder grew her song about Love and Death.

And the wonderful rose became crimson, like the rose of the eastern sky. But the Nightingale’s voice grew weaker, and her little wings began to beat. Then she gave one last burst of music. The red rose heard it, and opened its petals to the cold morning air.

“Look, look!” cried the Tree, “the rose is finished now”; but the Nightingale made no answer. She was lying dead in the long grass, with the thorn in her heart.

And the Student opened his window and looked out.

“Oh!” he cried; “here is a red rose! I have never seen any rose like it in all my life. It is so beautiful that I am sure it has a long Latin name!”

He plucked it and ran up to the Professor’s house with the rose in his hand.

The daughter of the Professor was sitting next to the window, and her little dog was lying at her feet.

“You said that you would dance with me if I brought you a red rose,” cried the Student. “Here is the reddest rose in all the world. You will wear it tonight next your heart, and as we dance together it will tell you how I love you.”

But the girl was not satisfied.

“I am afraid it will not go with my dress,” she answered; “and, besides, the Officer’s nephew has sent me some real jewels. Everybody knows that jewels cost far more than flowers.”

“Well, upon my word, you are very ungrateful,” said the Student angrily. He threw the rose into the street, where it fell into the gutter, and a cart-wheel went over it.

“Ungrateful!” said the girl. “And you are very rude. Who are you? Only a Student. Why, I don’t believe you have even got silver buckles to your shoes as the Officer’s nephew has!”

She got up from her chair and went into the house.

“What a silly thing Love is,” said the Student as he walked away. “It does not prove anything, I will go back to Philosophy and study Metaphysics.”

So he returned to his room and pulled out a dusty book, and began to read.

The Daughter of the Skies
J. F. Campbell

There was a farmer, and he had daughters. He also had cattle and sheep. One day they all disappeared, and he couldn’t find them. Suddenly he saw a dog next to the house.

“What will you give me,” said the dog, “if I find your cattle and sheep?”

“I don’t know myself”, answered the farmer.

“Will you let me marry your daughter?” asked the dog.

“I will give her to you,” said he, “if she agrees.”

They went home. The farmer asked his daughters to marry the dog. The eldest daughter and the second daughter said they would not take the dog. He asked the youngest one. And she said, that she would marry him. They married, and her sisters were making fun of her.

He took her with him home, where he grew into a splendid man. They lived together for a time. Soon she said she wanted to see her father. He agreed, but she could stay there until her child was born. He gave her a horse.

She did as he asked her. She was not long at her father’s house when she fell ill. And her child was born. That night men were together at the fire to watch. Music came in the night, putting everyone else to sleep, and a man came in and took her child and went away. The music stopped, everyone woke up but they couldn’t find the child.

The woman took her horse and came back home. Her husband said nothing to her.

After some time she said again, “I want see my father.”

He said that she couldn’t stay there for a long time. She took the horse and went to her father’s place.

That very night a child was born. He came as he did before, with music; every one slept, and he took with him the child. When the music stopped they all woke up. Her father was very angry, because his daughter didn’t want to tell him anything. When she felt better, she took herself away home. When she arrived he said nothing. After some time she said again, “I want to see my father.”

“Do,” said he, “but be careful.”

She reached her father’s house, and that very night a child was born. The music came as was usual, and the man took the child away. Her father was very angry. He was going to kill her, if she would not tell what was happening to the children. She told everything to him. When she felt better, she wanted to go home, but she couldn’t find her horse. She went out on foot. At home she found only an old woman, his mother.

“Be quick and you will find him,” said she.

She started her journey. After some time she saw a house. When she went in, she saw a woman. “Come up,” said the housewife, “I know everything. But he is going to marry the daughter of the King of the Skies.”

“He is!” said she.

The housewife gave her something to eat, and let her sleep. In the morning she said, “You will be in the house of my middle sister tonight.” And she gave her the scissors.

She was going, and going, till the night came on her. She saw a house. When she went in the house, the housewife was spinning at the end of the fire. “Come up,” said the housewife.

She made meat for her, she set on water, she washed her feet, and she let her sleep. In the morning the housewife said “You will be in the house of my youngest sister tonight,” said she. And she gave her the needle.

She was going, and going. She saw a house. When she went in, the housewife was spinning at the end of the fire.

“Come up,” said she. She made meat for her, she set on water, she washed her feet, and she let her sleep. In the morning she gave her some thread. The thread would go into the needle by itself and as the shears would cut, and the needle sew.

“You will be in the town tonight,” said the housewife.

She reached the town in the evening. She went into the house of the king’s hen wife, she was warming herself at the fire. She asked the old woman to give her work. The woman said:

“The king’s daughter is marrying the next day and no one is working.”

She gave her shirts to make; she took the shears from her pocket, and she set it to work; she set the needle to work after it; as the shears would cut, the needle would sew, and the thread would go into the needle by itself.

A royal serving-maid saw and told the king’s daughter.

“Well,” said the king’s daughter, “ask her, what she will take for the shears.”

In the morning she went over, and she said to her that the king’s daughter was asking what would she take for the shears. “Nothing I asked,” said she, “but to sleep in your bedroom.”

“Go,” said the king’s daughter, “and say to her that she will get that.”

She gave the shears to the king’s daughter. When they were going to sleep, the king’s daughter gave him a sleep drink. He did not wake for the whole night. The king’s daughter came in the morning to throw her out.

Later the woman was working with the needle, and cutting with other shears. The king’s daughter sent her maid servant over, and she asked “what would she take for the needle?”

She said she would sleep in her bedroom again. The maid servant told this to the king’s daughter.

“She will get that,” said the king’s daughter. The maid servant told that she would get that, and she got the needle. When they were going to sleep, the king’s daughter gave him a sleep drink, and he did not wake that night. The eldest son he had was lying in a bed beside them. He heard how she said to him that she was the mother of his three children.

Later his son told everything to his father. This day the king’s daughter sent the servant maid to ask what she would take for the clue of thread. And she said she would sleep in her bedroom.

“She will get that,” said the king’s daughter.

This night when the man got the sleep drink, he did not drink it at all. The woman said to him that he was the father of her three sons. In the morning, they went away to go home. They came home; the spells went off him, they planted together and I left them, and they left me.

Princess Finola and the Dwarf
E. Leamy

A long, long time ago there lived in a little house an old woman and a young girl. The house was in the lonely moor. The old woman was ugly and dumb. The young girl was pretty and sweet.

In the centre of the house, there was a fire. There were two beds. A wooden bed was for the old woman, the other was Finola’s. It was of oak, very beautiful with flowers and birds. This bed was for a princess, and a princess Finola was. But she did not know it herself.

The only other person beside the old woman Finola ever saw was a dumb dwarf. He came once a month to the house, bringing with him corn for the old woman and Finola. He couldn’t speak to her, but Finola was always happy to see the dwarf and his old horse. The dwarf was in love with her.

One day he came and she did not come out to greet him. He made signs to the old woman, but she took up a stick and hit him, and drove him away. But then he saw Finola at the door of the house, and saw that she was crying. He was very sad about it and couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Suddenly he heard a voice: “It is time for you to come.”

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Примечания

1

The Ugly Duckling – Гадкий утенок

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2

I hope you are all hatched – Надеюсь, вы все вылупились.

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3

take my word for it – помяни моё слово

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4

A duckling turns his toes way out – Утенок должен выворачивать лапки наружу

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5

It’s a pity you can’t hatch him again – Жаль, что его уже не переделать

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6

Shots rang in the air, and these two geese fell dead – Раздались выстрелы, и два гуся упали замертво

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7

I never dreamed I could be so happy, when I was the ugly duckling – О таком счастье я и не мечтал, когда был гадким утенком!

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8

The Well of the World’s End – Колодец на краю света

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9

the stepmother thought to get rid of her – мачеха задумала избавиться от нее.

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10

Girls must keep their promises – Девочки должны сдерживать свои обещания

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11

knew everything that would come to pass – знал всё, что произойдёт

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12

the Book of Fate – Книга Судеб

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13

a lowly maid – девушка из низшего сословия

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14

your honour – ваша часть

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15

kept her up for a time – держали её некоторое время на плаву

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16

went out hunting – отправился на охоту

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17

The river brought me down – Река вынесла меня

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18

Now that very night – И как раз в ту самую ночь

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19

that very day – в тот же день

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20

she begged hard for her life – она молила пощадить её жизнь

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21

and he let her go – и он отпустил её

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22

Tom Thumb – Мальчик-с-пальчик

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23

The horse went on just as well as if the woodman had driven it himself into the wood – Лошадь шла почти также хорошо, как если бы ею управлял сам дровосек.

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24

I’m off – Я вне игры!

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25

bundle of hay – вязанка сена

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26

apple-dumplings – яблоки, запеченные в тесте

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27

The wolf did not want to be asked twice – Волка не надо было просить дважды.

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28

pantry – кладовая для продуктов

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29

what fears we have had for you! – Мы так боялись за тебя

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30

safe and sound – целый и невредимый

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31

compared to – в сравнении с

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32

What a pity – Какая жалость

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