Чистый nonsense (сборник) - Эдвард Лир (1992, 2001)

'It can do no harm to try,

'I've as many legs as you,

'Why can't we walk on two?

III

So they both went slowly down,

And walked about the town

With a cheerful bumpy sound,

As they toddled round and round.

And everybody cried,

As they hastened to the side,

'See! the Table and the Chair

'Have come out to take the air!

IV

But in going down an alley,

To a castle in a valley,

They completely lost their way,

And wandered all the day,

Till, to see them safely back,

They paid a Ducky-quack,

And a Beetle, and a Mouse,

Who took them to their house.

V

Then they whispered to each other,

'O delightful little brother!

'What a lovely walk we've taken!

'Let us dine on Beans and Bacon!

So the Ducky and the leetle

Browny-Mousy and the Beetle

Dined and danced upon their heads

Till they toddled to their beds.

Стол и Стул

I

Стулу Стол признался как-то:

«От тебя не скрою факта:

Исстрадался от жары,

От мороза и хандры!

Вот бы погулять вдвоём,

Поболтать о том о сём!

Ах, пойдём скорей, молю!

И отказа не стерплю».

II

Стул Столу сказал в ответ:

«Знаешь ведь, что ходу нет!

Что же глупость городить:

Не умеем мы ходить!»

Стол, не подавляя вздоха:

«Всё ж попробовать неплохо,

Восемь ножек на двоих —

На двоих пошли своих?»

III

Вниз вразвалочку спустились

И по городу пустились —

Ножек гулкий перестук

Рассыпается вокруг.

Зря процессию такую,

Все бежали врассыпную:

«Ох, и чудные дела —

Мебель из дому ушла!»

IV

Продвигаясь по аллее

К замку белого белее,

Перепутали пути,

Сутки проплутав почти.

Глядь – навстречу Кря-утёнок,

Жу-жучок и Пи-мышонок,

Те, понятно, не бесплатно,

Отвели друзей обратно.

V

Дома Стол и Стул на ушки

Всё шептали дружка дружке:

«Как я рад, о милый брат!

Был прекрасен променад!»

И обед – бекон с бобами —

Разделив с тремя гостями,

В пляс пошли вниз головой

И в постель – на боковой.

Nonsense Stories

Бестолковые истории

The Story of the Four Little Children Who Went Round the World

Once upon a time, a long while ago, there were four little people whose names were Violet, Slingsby, Guy, and Lionel; and they all thought they should like to see the world. So they bought a large boat to sail quite round the world by sea, and then they were to come back on the other side by land. The boat was painted blue with green spots, and the sail was yellow with red stripes; and when they set off, they only took a small Cat to steer and look after the boat, besides an elderly Quangle-Wangle, who had to cook dinner and make the tea; for which purposes they took a large kettle.

For the first ten days they sailed on beautifully, and found plenty to eat, as there were lots of fish, and they only had to take them out of the sea with a long spoon, when the Quangle-Wangle instantly cooked them, and the Pussy-cat was fed with the bones, with which she expressed herself pleased on the whole, so that all the party were very happy.