English Fairy Tales / Английские сказки. Elementary

Then the girl came to her stepmother crying, because she had spent all the money and had lost three bunches of candles.

The stepmother was angry, but she pretended not to mind the loss[129 - she pretended not to mind the loss – она притворилась, что не станет пенять за утрату]. She said to the child, “Come, lay your head on my lap that I may comb your hair.” So the little girl laid her head in the woman’s lap, who proceeded to comb the yellow hair. And when she combed, the hair fell over her knees and rolled right down to the ground.

Then the stepmother hated her more for the beauty of her hair, so she said to her, “I cannot part your hair on my knee; fetch a billet of wood.” So she fetched it. Then said the stepmother, “I cannot part your hair with a comb; fetch me an axe.” So she fetched it.

“Now,” said the wicked woman, “lay your head down on the billet while I part your hair.”

Well! she laid down her little golden head without fear, and whist![130 - whist! – вжик!]down came the axe[131 - down came the axe – топор опустился], and it was off[132 - it was off – она (голова) была отрублена]. So the mother wiped the axe and laughed.

Then she took the heart and liver of the little girl, and she stewed them and brought them into the house for supper. The husband tasted them and shook his head. He said they tasted very strangely. She gave some to the little boy, but he would not eat. She tried to force him, but he refused, ran out into the garden, took up his little sister, put her in a box and buried the box under a rose-tree; and every day he went to the tree and wept till his tears ran down on the box.

One day the rose-tree flowered. It was spring, and there among the flowers was a white bird. The bird sang, and sang and sang like an angel out of heaven. Then it flew away. It went to a cobbler’s shop and perched itself on a tree nearby, and thus it sang,

“My wicked mother slew me,
My dear father ate me,
My little brother whom I love
Sits below, and I sing above
Stick, stock, stone dead.”

“Sing again that beautiful song,” asked the shoemaker.

“Please give me those little red shoes that you are making.”

The cobbler gave the shoes, and the bird sang the song, then flew to a tree in front of a watchmaker’s[133 - watchmaker – часовых дел мастер] and sang:

“My wicked mother slew me,
My dear father ate me,
My little brother whom I love
Sits below, and I sing above
Stick, stock, stone dead.”

“Oh, a beautiful song! Sing it again, sweet bird,” asked the watchmaker.

“Please give me that gold watch and chain in your hand.” The watchmaker gave the watch and chain. The bird took it in one foot, the shoes in the other, and repeated the song. Then the bird flew away to where[134 - flew away to where – улетела туда, где] three millers were picking a millstone. The bird perched on a tree and sang:

“My wicked mother slew me,
My dear father ate me,
My little brother whom I love
Sits below, and I sing above
Stick!”

Then one of the men put down his tool and looked up from his work,

“Stock!”

Then the second miller’s man laid aside his tool and looked up,

“Stone!”

Then the third miller’s man laid down his tool and looked up,

“Dead!”

Then all three cried out with one voice: “Oh, what a beautiful song! Sing it, sweet bird, again.”

“Please put the millstone round my neck,” said the bird. The men did what the bird wanted, and away to the tree it flew with the millstone round its neck, the red shoes in one foot, and the gold watch and chain in the other. It sang the song and then flew home. It rattled the millstone against the eaves of the house, and the stepmother said, “It thunders.” Then the little boy ran out to see the thunder, and down dropped the red shoes at his feet.

It rattled the millstone against the eaves of the house once more, and the stepmother said again: “It thunders.” Then the father ran out, and down fell the chain about his neck.

Father and son came in, laughing and saying, “See, what fine things the thunder has brought us!” Then the bird rattled the millstone against the eaves of the house a third time, and the stepmother said, “It thunders again, perhaps the thunder has brought something for me,” and she ran out. But alas! When she stepped outside the door, the millstone fell down on her head, and so she died.

Jack and His Golden Snuff-Box[135 - Snuff-Box – табакерка]

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman. They had one son, and they lived in a great forest. And their son never saw any other people in his life, but he knew that there were some more in the world besides his own father and mother because he had lots of books, and he read them every day. And when he read about pretty young women, he wanted to see some of them. One day, when his father was out cutting wood, he told his mother that he wished to go away to look for his living in some other country and to see some other people besides them two. And he said, “I see nothing at all here but great trees around me. If I stay here, maybe I shall go mad[136 - maybe I shall go mad – возможно, я сойду с ума] before I see anything.” The young man’s father was out all this time when this talk was going on between him and his poor old mother.

The old woman says to her son before leaving, “Well, well, my poor boy, if you want to go, it’s better for you to go, and God be with you[137 - and God be with you – и пребудет с тобой Бог].” (The old woman thought for the best when she said that.) “But stop a bit before you go. Which would you like best for me to make you, a little cake and bless you, or a big cake and curse you?”

“Dear, dear!” said he, “make me a big cake. Maybe I shall be hungry on the road.”

The old woman made the big cake, and she went on top of the house, and she cursed him as far as she could see him.

He presently meets with his father, and the old man says to him, “Where are you going, my poor boy?”

And he said, “I see nothing at all here but great trees around me. If I stay here, maybe I shall go mad before I see anything.”

“Well,” says his father, “I’m sorry to see you going away[138 - I’m sorry to see you going away – мне жаль видеть, что ты уходишь], but if you decided to go, it’s better for you to go.”

The poor lad had not gone far when his father called him back. Then the old man drew out of his pocket a golden snuff-box, and said to him, “Here, take this little box and put it in your pocket and be sure not to open it[139 - and be sure not to open it – и не открывай её (коробочку)] till you are near your death.”

And away went poor Jack upon his road[140 - away went poor Jack upon his road – бедолага Джек зашагал по дороге] and walked till he was tired and hungry, for he had eaten all his cake upon the road. By this time night was upon him, so he could hardly see his way before him. He could see some light a long way before him, and he came to it. He found the back door and knocked at it, till one of the maid-servants came and asked him what he wanted. He said that night was on him and he wanted to get some place to sleep. The maidservant called him in to the fire and gave him plenty to eat, good meat and bread and beer. While he was eating his food by the fire, there came the young lady to look at him, and she loved him well[141 - and she loved him well – и она влюбилась в него], and he loved her. And the young lady ran to tell her father and said there was a pretty young man in the back kitchen. Immediately, the gentleman came to him and questioned him and asked what work he could do. Jack said, the silly fellow, that he could do anything.

“Well,” says the gentleman to him, “if you can do anything, at eight o’clock in the morning, I must have a great lake and some big ships sailing before my mansion. And one of the largest ships must fire a royal salute[142 - must fire a royal salute – должен дать королевский салют], and the last round must break the leg of the bed where my young daughter is sleeping. And if you don’t do that, you will have to forfeit your life[143 - you will have to forfeit your life – ты поплатишься своей жизнью].”

“All right,” said Jack, and away he went to his bed. He said his prayers quietly and slept till it was near eight o’clock. He had hardly any time to think what he was to do when suddenly he remembered about the little golden box that his father gave him. And he said to himself, “Well, well, I never was so near my death as I am now,” and then he felt in his pocket and drew the little box out.

When he opened it, out there hopped[144 - out there hopped – оттуда выпрыгнули] three little red men and asked Jack, “What is your will with us?[145 - What is your will with us? – Чего ты от нас хочешь?]”

“Well,” said Jack, “I want a great lake and the biggest ships in the world before this mansion. And one of the largest ships must fire a royal salute, and the last round must break one of the legs of the bed where this young lady is sleeping.”

“All right,” said the little men, “go to sleep.”

It struck eight o’clock when Jack jumped out of bed to look through the window. He saw the biggest ships in the world! It was a wonderful sight for him to see, after being so long[146 - after being so long – после столь долгого пребывания] with his father and mother living in a wood. Bang! Bang! he heard the largest ships fire a royal salute. The last round broke one of the legs of the bed where the young lady was sleeping.