Эдвард Лир - Книга бессмыслицы

There was an Old Man of Melrose,

Who walked on the tips of his toes (ходил на цыпочках);

But they said, 'It ain't pleasant (это не приятно),

To see you at present (видеть Вас сейчас, в настоящее время),

You stupid Old Man of Melrose (глупый).

There was an Old Man of Melrose,

Who walked on the tips of his toes;

But they said, 'It ain't pleasant,

To see you at present,

You stupid Old Man of Melrose.

There was a Young Lady of Lucca ([город в Италии]),

Whose lovers completely forsook her (возлюбленные совершенно покинули ее; farsake — покидать, бросать, отвергать);

She ran up a tree (взабралась на дерево),

And said, 'Fiddle-de-dee! (Ерунда! Вздор!)

Which embarassed (что смутило) the people of Lucca.

There was a Young Lady of Lucca,

Whose lovers completely forsook her;

She ran up a tree,

And said, 'Fiddle-de-dee!

Which embarassed the people of Lucca.

There was an Old Man of Bohemia (из Богемии = из Чехии),

Whose daughter was christened (дочь нарекли) Euphemia (‘добрая слава’ — греч.),

Till one day, to his grief (пока в один день, к его горю),

She married a thief (она вышла замуж за вора),

Which grieved (что огорчило) that Old Man of Bohemia.

There was an Old Man of Bohemia,

Whose daughter was christened Euphemia,

Till one day, to his grief,

She married a thief,

Which grieved that Old Man of Bohemia.

There was an Old Man of Vesuvius,

Who studied the works of Vitruvius (изучал работы Виртувия /по архитектуре/);

When the flames burnt his book (когда языки пламени сожгли его книгу; burn — жечь, обжигать),

To drinking he took (пить он начал, запил),

That morbid Old Man of Vesuvius (болезненный, нездоровый, с отклонениями).

There was an Old Man of Vesuvius,

Who studied the works of Vitruvius;

When the flames burnt his book,

To drinking he took,

That morbid Old Man of Vesuvius.

There was an Old Man of Cape Horn (с Мыса Доброй Надежды),

Who wished he had never been born (желал, чтобы он никогда не был рожден);

So he sat on a chair (потому он сидел на стуле),

Till he died of despair (пока не умер от отчаяния),

That dolorous Man of Cape Horn (страдающий, унылый).

There was an Old Man of Cape Horn,

Who wished he had never been born;

So he sat on a chair,

Till he died of despair,

That dolorous Man of Cape Horn.

There was an Old Lady whose folly (чье сумасшествие, чья глупость),

Induced her to sit on a holly (побудила ее сидеть на остролисте);

Whereon by a thorn (на котором шипом),

Her dress being torn (ее платье было разорвано; tear— рвать),

She quickly became melancholy (она быстро стала подавленной;become — становиться).

There was an Old Lady whose folly,

Induced her to sit on a holly;

Whereon by a thorn,

Her dress being torn,

She quickly became melancholy.

There was an Old Man of Corfu,

Who never knew what he should do (никогда не знал, что ему следует делать);

So he rushed up and down (носился туда — сюда: «вверх и вниз»),

Till the sun made him brown (пока солнце не сделало его коричневым),

That bewildered Old Man of Corfu (сбитый с толку, озадаченный).

There was an Old Man of Corfu,

Who never knew what he should do;

So he rushed up and down,

Till the sun made him brown,

That bewildered Old Man of Corfu.

There was an Old Man of the South (с Юга),

Who had an immoderate mouth (чрезмерный рот);

But in swallowing a dish (глотая блюдо),

That was quite full of fish (которое было довольно полным рыбы),

He was choked (подавился), that Old Man of the South.

There was an Old Man of the South,

Who had an immoderate mouth;

But in swallowing a dish,

That was quite full of fish,

He was choked, that Old Man of the South.

There was an Old Man of the Nile (с Нила),

Who sharpened his nails with a file (затачивал ногти напильником),

Till he cut out his thumbs (пока не отрезал большие пальцы своих рук),

And said calmly (спокойно), 'This comes (это происходит = приходит)

Of sharpening one's nails with a file (из-за затачивания своих ногтей напильником)!

There was an Old Man of the Nile,

Who sharpened his nails with a file,

Till he cut out his thumbs,

And said calmly, 'This comes

Of sharpening one's nails with a file!

There was an Old Person of Rheims ([город во Франции]),

Who was troubled with horrible dreams (обеспокоен, мучим ужасными снами);

So, to keep him awake (потому, чтобы держать его бодрствующим = не давать ему уснуть)

They fed him on cake (/они/ его кормили тортом),

Which amused (что забавляло) that Old Person of Rheims.

There was an Old Person of Rheims,

Who was troubled with horrible dreams;

So, to keep him awake

They fed him on cake,

Which amused that Old Person of Rheims.

There was an Old Person of Cromer,

Who stood on one leg to read Homer (стоял на одной ноге, чтобы читать Гомера);

When he found he grew stiff (когда он обнаружил, /что/ он стал окостеневшим, одеревеневшим = что нога затекла; find— находить; grow— расти; становиться),

He jumped over the cliff (спрыгнул с утеса),

Which concluded (прикончило) that Person of Cromer.

There was an Old Person of Cromer,

Who stood on one leg to read Homer;

When he found he grew stiff,

He jumped over the cliff,

Which concluded that Person of Cromer.

There was an old person of Troy,

Whose drink was warm brandy and soy (питьем которого были теплое бренди и соя),

Which he took with a spoon (которые он брал ложкой),

By the light of the moon (при свете луны),

In sight of the city of Troy (с видом на город).

There was an old person of Troy,

Whose drink was warm brandy and soy,

Which he took with a spoon,

By the light of the moon,

In sight of the city of Troy.

There was an Old Man of the Dee ([город в Шотландии]),

Who was sadly annoyed by a flea (досадно раздражен, раздражаем блохой = которому не давала покоя, надоедала блоха);

When he said, 'I will scratch it (расцарапаю это /блоху/),

They gave him a hatchet (дали топор),

Which grieved (что огорчило) that Old Man of the Dee.

There was an Old Man of the Dee,

Who was sadly annoyed by a flea;

When he said, 'I will scratch it,

They gave him a hatchet,

Which grieved that Old Man of the Dee.

There was an Old Man of Dundee ([город в Шотландии]),

Who frequented the top of a tree (часто посещал верхушку дерева);

When disturbed by the crows (когда был потревожен воронами),

He abruptly arose (внезапно поднялся; arise— подниматься),

And exclaimed, 'I'll return (воскликнул, я вернусь) to Dundee.

There was an Old Man of Dundee,

Who frequented the top of a tree;

When disturbed by the crows,

He abruptly arose,

And exclaimed, 'I'll return to Dundee.

There was an Old Person of Tring,

Who embellished his nose with a ring (украсил свой нос кольцом);

Ha gazed at the moon (пристально смотрел на луну)

Every evening in June (каждый вечер в июне),

That ecstatic (исступленный) Old Person in Tring.

There was an Old Person of Tring,

Who embellished his nose with a ring;

Ha gazed at the moon

Every evening in June,

That ecstatic Old Person in Tring.

There was an Old Man on some rocks (на одних скалах),

Who shut his wife up in a box (захлопнул его жену в коробке);

When she said, 'Let me out! (выпусти меня)

He exclaimed (воскликнул), 'Without doubt (без сомнения),

You will pass all your life (проведешь всю твою жизнь) in that box.

There was an Old Man on some rocks,

Who shut his wife up in a box;

When she said, 'Let me out!

He exclaimed, 'Without doubt,

You will pass all your life in that box.

There was an Old Man of Coblenz ([город в Германии]),

The length of whose legs was immense (длина ног которого была колоссальна: «неизмерима»);

He went with one prance (от шел с одним скачком)

From Turkey to France,

That surprising Old Man of Coblenz (удивительный).

There was an Old Man of Coblenz,

The length of whose legs was immense;

He went with one prance

From Turkey to France,

That surprising Old Man of Coblenz.

There was an Old Man of Calcutta,

Who perpetually ate bread and butter (беспрестанно ел хлеб и масло),

Till a great bit of muffin (пока огромный кусок сдобы),

On which he was stuffing (которым он запихивал /в себя/),

Choked (задушила) that horrid Old Man of Calcutta (ужасного, отвратительного).

There was an Old Man of Calcutta,

Who perpetually ate bread and butter,

Till a great bit of muffin,

On which he was stuffing,

Choked that horrid Old Man of Calcutta.

There was Old Man in a pew (в отгороженном месте в церкви, в кафедре),

Whose waistcoat was spotted with blue (жилетка «запятнана синим» = в синюю точку);

But he tore it in pieces (но он разорвал ее на куски)