Just So Stories for Little Children / Просто сказки. Книга для чтения на английском языке
Underneath the truly picture are the shadows of African animals walking into an African ark. There are two lions, two ostriches, two oxen, two camels, two sheep, and two other things that look like rats, but I think they are rock-rabbits. They don't mean anything. I put them in because I thought they looked pretty. They would look very fine if I were allowed to paint them.
‘’Vantage number two!’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake. ‘You couldn’t have done that with a mere-smear nose. Don’t you think the sun is very hot here?’
‘It is,’ said the Elephant’s Child, and before he thought what he was doing he schlooped up a schloop of mud from the banks of great grey-green, greasy Limpopo, and slapped it on his head, where it made a cool scoopy-sloshy mud-cap all trickly behind his ears.
‘’Vantage number three!’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake. ‘You couldn’t have done that with a mere-smear nose. Now how do you feel about being spanked again?’
‘’Scuse me,‘ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘but I should not like it at all.’
‘How would you like to spank somebody?’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake.
‘I should like it very much indeed,‘ said the Elephant’s Child.
‘Well,’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, ‘you will find that new nose of yours very useful to spank people with.’
‘Thank you,‘ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘I’ll remember that; and now I think I’ll go home to all my dear families and try.’
So the Elephant’s Child went home across Africa frisking and whisking his trunk. When he wanted fruit to eat he pulled fruit down from a tree, instead of[121] waiting for it to fall as he used to do. When he wanted grass he plucked grass up from the ground, instead of going on his knees as he used to do[122]. When the flies bit him he broke off the branch of a tree and used it as a fly-whisk; and he made himself a new, cool, slushy-squishy mud-cap whenever the sun was hot. When he felt lonely walking through Africa he sang to himself down his trunk, and the noise was louder that several brass bands. He went specially out of his way to find a broad Hippopotamus (she was no relation of his), and he spanked her very hard, to make sure[123] that the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake had spoken the truth about his new trunk. The rest of the time he picked up the melon-rinds that he had dropped on his way to the Limpopo for he was a Tidy Pachy-derm.
One dark evening he came back to all his dear families, and he coiled up his trunk and said, ‘How do you do?’ They were very glad to see him, and immediately said, ‘Come here and be spanked for your satiable curtiosity.’
‘Pooh,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘I don’t think you peoples know anything about spanking; but I do, and I’ll show you.’
Then he uncurled his trunk and knocked two of his dear brothers head over heels.
‘O Bananas!’ said they, ‘where did you learn that trick, and what have you done to your nose?’
‘I got a new one from the Crocodile on the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River,’ said the Elephant’s Child. ‘I asked him what he had for dinner, and he gave me this to keep.’
‘It looks very ugly,’ said his hairy uncle, the Baboon.
‘It does,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘But it’s very useful,’ and he picked up his hairy uncle, the Baboon, by one hairy leg, and hove him into a hornets’ nest[124].
Then that bad Elephant’s Child spanked all his dear families for a long time, till they were very warm and greatly astonished. He pulled out his tall Ostrich aunt’s tail-feathers; and he caught his tall uncle, the Giraffe, by the hind-leg, and dragged him through a thorn-bush; and he shouted at his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, and blew bubbles into her ear when she was sleeping in the water after meals; but he never let any one touch Kolokolo Bird.
At last things grew so exciting that his dear families went off one by one in a hurry to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, to borrow[125] new noses from the Crocodile. When they came back nobody spanked anybody anymore; and ever since that day, O Best Beloved, all the Elephants you will ever see, besides all those that you won’t, have trunks precisely like the trunk of the ‘satiable Elephant’s Child.
This is just a picture of the Elephant’s Child going to pull bananas off a banana-tree after he had got his fine new long trunk. I don’t think it is a very nice picture; but I couldn’t make any better, because elephants and bananas are hard to draw. The streaky things behind the Elephant’s Child mean squoggy marshy country somewhere in Africa. The Elephant’s Child made most of his mud-cakes out of the mud that he found there. I think it would look better if you painted the banana-tree green and the Elephant’s Child red.
Questions and tasks
1. What questions did the Elephant’s Child ask the animals? Why?
2. What did the Elephant’s Child want to find out when he set off to the Limpopo River?
3. What question did the Elephant’s Child ask the Crocodile when he saw him for the first time? What did the Crocodile answer?
4. What advantages did the Elephant’s Child get thanks to his curtiosity?
5. Describe how the family met the Elelphant's Child and what happened then.
6. Make up the plan of the story and retell it.
The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo[128]
Not always was the Kangaroo as now we do ehold him[129], but a Different Animal with four short legs. He was grey and he was woolly, and his pride was inordinate: he danced on an outcrop in the middle of Australia, and he went to the Little God Nqa.
He went to Nqa at six before breakfast, saying, ‘Make me different from all other animals by five this afternoon.’
Up jumped Nqa from his seat on the sand-flat and shouted, ‘Go away!’
He was grey and he was woolly, and his pride was inordinate; he danced on a rock-ledge in the middle of Australia, and he went to the Middle God Nquing.
He went to Nquing at eight after breakfast saying, ‘Make me different from other animals; make me, also, wonderfully popular by five this afternoon.’
Up jumped Nquing from his burrow in the spinifex[130] and shouted, ‘Go away!’
He was grey and he was woolly, and his pride was inordinate; he danced on a sandbank in the middle of Australia, and he went to the Big God Nqong.
He went to Nqong at ten before dinner-time, saying, ‘Make me different from all other animals; make me popular and wonderfully run after by five this afternoon.’
Up jumped Nqong from his bath in the saltpan and shouted, ‘Yes, I will!’
Nqong called Dingo – Yellow-Dog Dingo – always hungry, dusty in the sunshine, and showed him Kangaroo. Nqong said, ‘Dingo! Wake up, Dingo! Do you see that gentlemen dancing on an ashpit? He wants to be popular and very truly run after. Dingo, make him so!’
This is the picture of Old Man Kangaroo when he was the Different Animal with four short legs. I have drawn him grey and woolly, and you can see that he is very proud because he has a wreath of flowers in his hair. He is dancing on an outcrop (that means a ledge of rock) in the middle of Australia at six o'clock before breakfast. You can see that it is six o'clock because the sun is just getting up. The thing with the ears and the open mouth is Little God Nqa. Nqa is very much surprised, because he has never seen a Kangaroo dance like that before. Little God Nqa is just saying, ‘Go away,’ but the Kangaroo is so busy dancing that he has not heard him yet.
The Kangaroo hasn’t any real name except Boomer[131]. He lost it because he was so proud.
Up jumped Dingo – Yellow-Dog Dingo – and said, ‘What, that cat-rabbit?’
Off ran Dingo – Yellow-Dog Dingo – always hungry, grinning[132] like a coal-scuttle, – ran after Kangaroo.
Off went the proud Kangaroo on his four little legs like a bunny.
This, O Beloved of mine, ends the first part the tale!
He ran through the desert; he ran through the mountains; he ran through the salt-pans; he ran through the reed-beds[133]; he ran through the blue gums; he ran through the spinifex; he ran till his front legs ached.
He had to[134]!
Still ran Dingo – Yellow-Dog Dingo – always hungry, grinning like a rat-trap, never getting nearer, never getting farther, – ran after Kangaroo.
He had to!
Still ran Kangaroo – Old Man Kangaroo. He ran through the ti-trees; he ran through the mulga; he ran through the long grass; he ran through the short grass; he ran through the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer[135]; he ran till his hind legs ached.
He had to!
Still ran Dingo – Yellow-Dog Dingo – hungrier and hungrier, grinning like a horse-collar[136], never getting nearer, never getting farther; and they came to the Wollgong River.
Now, there wasn’t any bridge, and there wasn’t any ferry-boat[137], and Kangaroo didn’t know how to get over; so he stood on his legs and hopped.
He had to!
He hopped through the Flinders[138], he hopped through the Cinders[139], he hopped through deserts in the middle of Australia. He hopped like a Kangaroo.
First he hopped one yard; then he hopped three yards; then he hopped five yards; his legs growing stronger; his legs growing longer. He hadn’t any time for rest or refreshment, and he wanted them very much.
Still ran Dingo – Yellow-Dog Dingo – very much bewildered[140], very much hungry, and wondering what in the world or out of it made Old Man Kangaroo hop.
For he hopped like a cricket; like a pea in a saucepan; or a new rubber ball on a nursery floor.
He had to!
He tucked up his front legs; he hopped on his hind legs; he stuck out his tail for a balance weight behind him; and he hopped through the Darling Downs.
He had to!
Still ran Dingo – Tired-Dog Dingo – hungrier and hungrier, very much bewildered, and wondering when in the world or out of it would Old Man Kangaroo stop.
Then came Nqong from his bath in the saltpan, and said, ‘It’s five o’clock.’
Down sat Dingo – Poor-Dog Dingo – always hungry, dusty in the sunshine; hung out his tongue and howled.
Down sat Kangaroo – Old Man Kangaroo – stuck out[141] his tail like a milking-stool behind him and said, ‘Thank goodness that’s finished!’
Then said Nqong, who is always a gentleman, ‘Why aren’t you grateful to Yellow-Dog Dingo? Why don’t you thank him for all he has done for you?’
Then said Kangaroo – Tired Old Kangaroo – ‘He’s chased me out of the homes of my childhood[142]; he’s chased me out of my regular mealtimes; he’s altered my shape so I’ll never get it back; and he’s played Old Scratch with my legs.’
Then said Nqong, ‘Perhaps I’m mistaken[143], but didn’t you ask me to make you different from all other animals, as well as to make you very truly sought after[144]? And now it is five o’clock.’
This is the picture of Old Man Kangaroo at five in the afternoon, when he had got his beautiful hind legs just as Big God Nqong had promised. You can see that it is five o’clock, because Big God Nqong’s pet time clock says so. That is Nqong, in his bath, sticking his feet out. Old Man Kangaroo is being rude to Yellow-Dog Dingo. Yellow-Dog Dingo has been trying to catch Kangaroo all across Australia. You can see the marks of Kangaroo's big new feet running ever so far back over the bare hills. Yellow-Dog Dingo is drawn black, because I am not allowed to paint these pictures with real colours out of my paint-box; and besides, Yellow-Dog Dingo got dreadfully black and dusty after running through the Flinders and the Cinders.
I don’t know the names of the flowers growing round Nqong’s bath. The two little squatty[145] things out in the desert are the other two gods that Old Man Kangaroo spoke to early in the morning. That thing with the letters on it is Old Man Kangaroo’s pouch. He had to have a pouch just as he had to have legs.
‘Yes,’ said Kangaroo. ‘I wish that I hadn’t[146]. I thought you would do it by charms and incantations, but this is a practical joke.’
‘Joke!’ said Nqong, from his bath in the blue gums. ‘Say that again and I’ll whistle up Dingo and run your hind legs off.’
‘No,’ said the Kangaroo. ‘I must apologize. Legs are legs, and you needn’t alter ‘em so far as I am concerned. I only meant to explain to Your Lordliness that I’ve had nothing to eat since morning, and I’m very empty[147] indeed.’
‘Yes,’ said Dingo – Yellow-Dog Dingo, – ‘I am just in the same situation. I’ve made him different from all other animals; but what may I have for my tea?’
Then said Nqong from his bath in the salt-pan, ‘Come and ask me about it tomorrow, because I’m going to wash.’
So they were left in the middle of Australia, Old Man Kangaroo and Yellow-Dog Dingo, and each said, ‘that’s your fault.[148] ‘
This is the mouth-filling songOf the race that was run[149] by a Boomer,Run in the single burst – only event of its kind —Started by Big God Nqong from Warrigaborrigarooma,Old Man Kangaroo first: Yellow-Dog Dingo behind.Kangaroo bounded away[150],His back-legs working like pistons – Bounded from morning till dark,Twenty-five feet to a bound.Yellow-Dog Dingo layLike a yellow cloud in the distance –Much too busy to bark[151].My! but they covered the ground!Nobody knows where they went,Or followed the track that they flew in,For that ContinentHadn’t been given a name.They ran thirty degrees,From Torres Straits to the Leeuwin(Look at the Atlas, please),And they ran back as they came.S’posing[152] you could trotFrom Adelaide to the Pacific,For an afternoon’s run —Half what these gentlemen did —You would feel rather hot,But your legs would develop terrific —Yes, my importunate[153] son,You’d be a Marvellous Kid!Questions and tasks
1. Why did the Kangaroo go to the different Gods?
2. How did Nqong make the Kangaroo’s wish come true?
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
Примечания
1
whale – кит
2
’Stute = Astute Fish – Мудрая Рыба
3
in astute voice – лукавым голосом
4
What is it like? – Какой он? На что он похож?
5
to swallow – глотать, проглатывать (т.ж. to swallow down)
6
he made the sea froth up with his tail – море вспе-нилось под его хвостом. to make smb do smth – застав-лять/побуждать кого/что-либо сделать что-л.
7
latitude Fifty North, longitude Forty West – пятьдесят градусов север-ной широты, сорок градусов восточной долготы
8
with nothing on but a pair of blue canvas breeches, a pair of suspenders – на нем были толь-ко холщевые голубые брюки и пара подтяжек (на нем не было ничего, кроме холщевых голубых брюк и пары подтяжек)
9
jack-knife – большой складной нож
10
man-of-infinite-resource-and-sagacity – прони-цательный человек с безграничными возможностями; a man of a great sagacity [– очень проница-тельный человек
11
He had his Mummy’s leave to paddle – Мама разрешила ему плавать на лодке; to have leave to do smth – иметь разрешение делать что-либо; to ask leave to do smth – просить позволения сделать что-либо
12
to stump – тяжело ступать, ковылять; to jump – прыгать; to thump – наносить тяжелый удар, стучать; to bump – толкать, пихать (очень сильно); to prance – прыгать, скакать, резвиться; to dance – танцевать; to bang – грохотать, колотить, стучать; to clang – брен-чать, звенеть; to hit – ударять(ся); to bite – кусать(ся); to leap – прыгать, вскакивать; to creep – ползать; to prowl – бродить, идти крадучись; to howl – выть, реветь; to hop – прыгать, скакать на одной ноге; to drop – зд. падать, валиться; to cry – кричать; to sigh – вздыхать; to crawl – ползать; to bawl – орать во всю глотку; to step – шагать; делать па (в танце); to lep – проказничать; to dance hornpipe – танцевать хорнпайп (английский матросский танец, обычно сольный)
13
he is making me hiccough [́– из-за него я икаю (букв: он заставляет меня икать)
14
I ought to have warned you – Я должен был тебя предупредить.
15
But while the Whale had been swimming, the Mariner … had taken his jack-knife – Но пока Кит плыл, моряк взял свой большой складной нож
16
grating – решетка, сетка
17
Sloka – шлока (слока) – жанр поэзии, двусти-шие или трехстишие
18
to proceed to do smth – зд. приступать, перехо-дить к чему-либо, приняться за что-либо
19
he could neither cough up nor swallow down – он не мог ни выплюнуть, ни проглотить.
20
soup-tureen – супница
21
trunks – во мн. ч. короткие штаны, спортивные трусы
22
hump – горб
23
scruciating = excruciating – мучи-тельный, ужасный; idler – лентяй, лежебока
24
Humph! – Гм!
25
bit – зд. удила
26
in charge of – ответственный за
27
to trot – cпешить, торопиться; …trot like the rest of us – …поспеши, как остальные (как мы)
28
to plough – пахать
29
to hold a palaver – вести длительные перего-воры
30
indaba – встреча; punchayet – панчает (совет, собрание в Южной Азии); pow-wow – знахарь; цере-мония заклинания; сборище, совет; ярмарка
31
twig of acacia – веточка акации
32
He hasn’t done a stroke of work – Он палец о па-лец не ударил; to do some work – выполнять работу
33
He won't trot – Он не пошевелится.
34
I shouldn’t say that again if I were you. – На твоем месте я бы больше этого не говорил.
35
I want you to work – Я хочу, чтобы ты работал.
36
but no sooner had he said it than he saw his back, that he was so proud of, puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping humph – но, как только он это ска-зал, он увидел, что на его спине, которой он так гордил-ся, мгновенно вздулся огромный горб; to lollop – букв. бежать вприпрыжку
37
he has never yet caught up with the three days – он так и не наверстал три дня…
38
ugly – безобразный, мерзкий
39
frowzy – растрепанный
40
to shiver – дрожать, трепетать; to scowl – хму-риться; to grunt —ворчать; to growl at – брюзжать, жаловаться на что-то/кого-то
41
to perspire – потеть
42
Rhinoceros – носорог
43
splendour – блеск, великолепие, роскошь. По-добные слова, оканчивающиеся на -our в британском варианте английского языка, в американской орфо-графии пишутся без буквы u и оканчиваются на -or: splendour (GB) – splendor (US), labour (GB) – labor (US), armour (GB) – armor (US), colour (GB) – color (US) и др.
44
two feet across and three feet thick – два фута в ширину (от края до края) и три фута в толщину
45
smelt most sentimental – очень сильно (ощути-мо) пах
46
and few manners – и с плохими манерами (плохо воспитанный); manner – мн. ч. хорошие манеры, уме-ние себя вести
47
In those days the Rhinoceros’s skin fitted him quite tight. – В те дни шкура на Носороге сидела очень плотно. to fit – букв. быть в пору, хорошо сидеть; tight – букв. плотно прилегающий, тесный
48
He looked exactly like… – Он был очень похож на… (Он выглядел в точности, как…)
49
to button up – закрыть(ся), застегнуть на все пу-говицы
50
currant – зд. коринка, сабза (сорта бессемянного изюма)
51
he went away, waving his tail, to the desolate and Exclusively Uninhabited Interior which abuts on the islands of Mazanderan, Socotra, and the Promontories of Larger Equinox – крутя хвостом, он ушел в глубь заброшенного и совершенно необита-емого острова, который примыкает к островам Ма-задеран, Сокотра и мысам Великого Равноденствия; interior – букв. внутренний, расположенный в глуби-не (страны, острова)
52
…than you would think – …чем ты мог себе пред-ставить (… чем ты думал)
53
heat-wave – период сильной жары
54
then, since, or henceforward – тогда, с тех пор или впредь
55
to rub one’s hands – потирать руки (в знак одо-брения, удовлетворения и т. д.)
56
underneath – зд. под
57
…waited for the Rhinoceros to come out of the water and put it on – … ждал, когда Носорог выйдет из воды и наденет ее.
58
to rub against smth – тереться обо что-либо
59
where the buttons used to be – где раньше были пуговицы