Alice in Wonderland. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Lewis Carroll, 2020

«Алиса» для тех, кто учит английский язык или просто любит читать книги в оригинале. Суть наших книг – частичный перевод текста на русский язык и его комментарии от преподавателя английского языка Романа Зинзера. Оригинальный текст, рекомендуемый уровень знания английского языка – не ниже Pre-Intermediate.

Chapter III. A Caucus-Race Бег по кругу and a Long Tale

They were indeed a queer-looking party that assembled on the bank собрались на берегу — the birds with draggled feathers с взъерошенными перьями , the animals with their fur clinging прилипшим мехом close to them, and all dripping wet, cross промокшим, спутанным , and uncomfortable.

The first question of course was, how to get dry again: they had a consultation about this, and after a few minutes it seemed quite natural to Alice to find herself talking familiarly непринужденно общаясь with them, as if she had known them all her life. Indeed, she had quite a long argument with the Lory спор с попугаем Лори , who at last turned sulky в конце концов надулся , and would only say, “I am older than you, and must know better;” and this Alice would not allow буквально — не позволяла. Лучше — не принимала в расчет without knowing how old it was, and, as the Lory positively решительно refused to tell its age, there was no more to be said.

At last the Mouse, who seemed to be a person of authority авторитетной личностью among them, called out, “Sit down, all of you, and listen to me! I’ll soon make you dry enough!” They all sat down at once, in a large ring, with the Mouse in the middle. Alice kept her eyes anxiously fixed on it, for she felt sure she would catch a bad cold if she did not get dry высохнет very soon.

“Ahem!” звук откашливания said the Mouse with an important air, “are you all ready? This is the driest thing I know. Silence all round, if you please! ‘William the Conqueror, whose cause was favoured by the pope, was soon submitted to by the English, who wanted leaders, and had been of late much accustomed to usurpation and conquest Вильгельм Завоеватель с благословения Папы добился подчинения англичан, которые нуждались в лидерах, и были не понаслышке знакомы с узурпацией и завоеваниями . Edwin and Morcar, the earls графы of Mercia and Northumbria — ’”

“Ugh!” said the Lory, with a shiver с дрожью .

“I beg your pardon!” said the Mouse, frowning нахмурившись , but very politely: “Did you speak?”

“Not I!” said the Lory hastily.

“I thought you did,” said the Mouse. “ — I proceed продолжу . ‘Edwin and Morcar, the earls of Mercia and Northumbria, declared for him: and even Stigand, the patriotic archbishop of Canterbury, found it advisable нашел это благоразумным — ’”

“Found what?” said the Duck.

“Found it,” the Mouse replied rather crossly: “of course you know what ‘it’ means.”

“I know what ‘it’ means well enough, when I find a thing,” said the Duck: “it’s generally a frog or a worm. The question is, what did the archbishop find?”

The Mouse did not notice this question, but hurriedly спешно went on, “‘ — found it advisable to go with Edgar Atheling to meet William and offer him the crown. William’s conduct правление at first was moderate. But the insolence of his Normans Но наглость его воинов-норманнов — ’ How are you getting on now Как ты там? , my dear?” it continued, turning to Alice as it spoke.

“As wet as ever,” Промокшая как никогда said Alice in a melancholy tone: “it doesn’t seem to dry me at all.”

“In that case,” said the Dodo solemnly, rising to its feet, “I move that the meeting adjourn, for the immediate adoption of more energetic remedies Я предлагаю принять резолюцию о немедленном роспуске собрания в свете принятия наличия более важных… — ”

“Speak English!” said the Eaglet. “I don’t know the meaning of half those long words, and, what’s more, I don’t believe you do either тоже !” And the Eaglet bent down наклонил its head to hide a smile: some of the other birds tittered audibly захихикали вслух .

“What I was going to say,” said the Dodo in an offended tone, “was, that the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race.”

“What is a Caucus-race?” said Alice; not that she wanted much to know, but the Dodo had paused as if it thought как будто он подумал that somebody ought to speak, and no one else seemed inclined склонен to say anything.

“Why,” said the Dodo, “the best way to explain it is to do it.” (And, as you might like to try the thing yourself, some winter day, I will tell you how the Dodo managed it.)

First it marked out a race-course Во-первых он нарисовал маршрут , in a sort of что-то вроде circle, (“the exact shape doesn’t matter,” it said,) and then all the party were placed along the course по кругу , here and there. There was no “One, two, three, and away,” but they began running when they liked, and left off останавливались when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, and were quite dry again, the Dodo suddenly called out “The race is over!” and they all crowded round it собрались вокруг него , panting пыхтя , and asking, “But who has won?”

This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought буквально — без большого количества мысли. Лучше — без того, чтобы хорошенько подумать , and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead приложив палец ко лбу (the position in which you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of him), while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said, “Everybody has won, and all must have prizes.”

“But who is to give the prizes?” quite a chorus of voices asked.

“Why, she, of course,” said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one finger; and the whole party at once сразу же crowded round her, calling out in a confused way наперебой , “Prizes! Prizes!”

Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair в отчаянии she put her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a box of comfits конфетами , (luckily the salt water had not got into it), and handed them round as prizes. There was exactly one a-piece, all round.

“But she must have a prize herself, you know,” said the Mouse.

“Of course,” the Dodo replied very gravely серьезно . “What else have you got in your pocket?” he went on, turning to Alice.

“Only a thimble наперсток ,” said Alice sadly.

“Hand it over here,” Передай сюда said the Dodo.

Then they all crowded round her once more, while the Dodo solemnly торжественно presented the thimble, saying “We beg your acceptance Мы просим принять of this elegant thimble;” and, when it had finished this short speech, they all cheered.

Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so grave that she did not dare to laugh; and, as she could not think of anything to say, she simply bowed поклонилась , and took the thimble, looking as solemn as she could.

The next thing was to eat the comfits: this caused some noise and confusion, as the large birds complained that they could not taste theirs, and the small ones choked поперхнулись and had to be patted надо было похлопать on the back. However, it was over at last, and they sat down again in a ring, and begged the Mouse to tell them something more.

“You promised to tell me your history, you know,” said Alice, “and why it is you hate — C and D Алиса имеет в виду кошек и собак ,” she added in a whisper, half afraid that it would be offended again.

“Mine is a long and a sad tale история !” said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing.

“It is a long tail хвост. Игра слов a tale и a tail , certainly,” said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; “but why do you call it sad?” And she kept on puzzling долго удивлялась about it while the Mouse was speaking, so that her idea of the tale was something like this:

“Fury здесь — пушистый said to a

mouse, That he

met in the

house,

‘Let us

both go to

law поступим по закону : I will

prosecute засужу

you. — Come,

I’ll take no

Denial Я не приму «нет» за ответ ; We

must have a

trial: For

really this

morning I’ve

nothing

to do.’

Said the

mouse to the

cur дворняжке , ‘Such

a trial,

dear sir,

With

no jury присяжных

or judge,

would be

wasting

our

breath.’

‘I’ll be

judge, I’ll

be jury,’

Said

cunning хитрый

old Fury:

‘I’ll

try the

whole

cause Я проведу все дело сам ,

and

condemn приговорю

you

to

death.’”

“You are not attending здесь — слушаешь !” said the Mouse to Alice severely. “What are you thinking of?”

“I beg your pardon,” said Alice very humbly: “you had got to the fifth bend вы уже дошли до пятого изгиба? Алиса имеет в виду изгибы хвоста, о которых якобы говорит Мышь , I think?”

“I had not!” cried the Mouse, sharply and very angrily.

“A knot!” Опять игра слов. I had not — я не дошла — кричит Мышь, а Алиса слышит: “I had a knot” — у меня был узел said Alice, always ready to make herself useful, and looking anxiously about her. “Oh, do let me help to undo it распутать его !”

“I shall do nothing of the sort,” said the Mouse, getting up and walking away. “You insult me by talking such nonsense оскорбляешь… чепухой !”

“I didn’t mean it!” pleaded poor Alice. “But you’re so easily offended, you know!”

The Mouse only growled заворчала in reply.

“Please come back and finish your story!” Alice called after it; and the others all joined in chorus, “Yes, please do!” but the Mouse only shook its head impatiently, and walked a little quicker.

“What a pity it wouldn’t stay!” sighed the Lory, as soon as it was quite out of sight; and an old Crab took the opportunity of saying to her daughter “Ah, my dear! Let this be a lesson to you never to lose your temper выходить из себя !” “Hold your tongue Придержи язык , Ma!” said the young Crab, a little snappishly раздраженно . “You’re enough to try the patience испытать терпение of an oyster!”

“I wish I had our Dinah here, I know I do!” said Alice aloud, addressing nobody in particular. “She’d soon fetch поймала и притащила it back!”

“And who is Dinah, if I might venture если я посмею to ask the question?” said the Lory.

Alice replied eagerly с готовностью , for she was always ready to talk about her pet: “Dinah’s our cat. And she’s such a capital one for catching mice you can’t think! And oh, I wish you could see her after как она ловит the birds! Why, she’ll eat a little bird as soon as look at it!”

This speech caused a remarkable sensation among the party. Some of the birds hurried off at once: one old Magpie сорока began wrapping itself up закутываться very carefully, remarking, “I really must be getting home; the night-air doesn’t suit my throat!” and a Canary

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