Чистый nonsense (сборник)

прежние дни,
Мгновенно лицо омрачила беда:
Все пальцы исчезли незнамо куда!

V

И тайны никто не прознал
С того и до этого дня,
Кто пальцы у Поббла отнял,
Глухое молчанье храня.
Креветок ли стая, рачок ли один,
А может, Русалки из тёмных глубин,
Не знает никто; только уж не сыскать
Тех пальцев украденных – дважды по пять!

VI

И Поббла без пальцев ног
На Барк мимошедший – шварк,
Водою и сушей в короткий срок
В Джобискин доставив Парк.
Та, нажарив племяннику рыбы с яйцом
И цветочной приправой, блеснула словцом:
«И целый мир отрицать бы не мог,
Что Побблы счастливей без пальцев ног».

The New Vestments

There lived an old man in the Kingdom of Tess,
Who invented a purely original dress;
And when it was perfectly made and complete,
He opened the door and walked into the street.

By way of a hat he'd a loaf of Brown Bread,
In the middle of which he inserted his head;
His Shirt was made up of no end of dead Mice,
The warmth of whose skins was quite fluffy and nice;
His Drawers were of Rabbit-skins, so were his Shoes;
His Stockings were skins, but it is not known whose;
His Waistcoat and Trowsers were made of Pork Chops;
His Buttons were Jujubes and Chocolate Drops;
His Coat was all Pancakes, with Jam for a border,
And a girdle of Biscuits to keep it in order;
And he wore over all, as a screen from bad weather,
A Cloak of green Cabbage-leaves stitched all together.

He had walked a short way, when he heard a great noise,
Of all sorts of Beasticles, Birdlings, and Boys;
And from every long street and dark lane in the town
Beasts, Birdies, and Boys in a tumult rushed down.
Two Cows and a Calf ate his Cabbage-leaf Cloak;
Four Apes seized his Girdle, which vanished like smoke;
Three Kids ate up half of his Pancaky Coat,
And the tails were devour'd by an ancient He Goat;
An army of Dogs in a twinkling tore up his
Pork Waistcoat and Trowsers to give to their Puppies;
And while they were growling, and mumbling the Chops,
Ten Boys prigged the Jujubes and Chocolate Drops.
He tried to run back to his house, but in vain,
For scores of fat Pigs came again and again:
They rushed out of stables and hovels and doors;
They tore off his stockings, his shoes, and his drawers;
And now from the housetops with screechings descend
Striped, spotted, white, black, and gray Cats without end:
They jumped on his shoulders and knocked off his hat,
When Crows, Ducks, and Hens made a mincemeat of that;
They speedily flew at his sleeves in a trice,
And utterly tore up his Shirt of dead Mice;
They swallowed the last of his Shirt with a squall, —
Whereon he ran home with no clothes on at all.

And he said to himself, as he bolted the door,
«I will not wear a similar dress any more,
Any more, any more, any more, never more!»

Новое одеянье

Жил один старичок в Королевстве Тестесс,
Он костюм сочинил – всех чуднее чудес;
Едва он одёжку дошил, довершил —
Как дверь отворил и пройтиться решил.

Убор головной – из Буханки Ржаной,
Другой не найдётся такой ни одной;
Рубаха – из тысяч покойных Мышей,
Нет меха приятней для спин и для шей;
Кальсоны – из Кролика, и Башмаки;
Из шкуры безвестного зверя – Чулки;
Жилет и Штоны – из Свиных Отбивных;
Застёжки – из Мятных Драже и иных;
Сюртук из Блинов, Джемом весь оторочен,
Бисквитным ремнём схвачен был и упрочен;
Ну а сверху, щитом от погоды ненастной, —
Плащ из листьев Капустных зелёно-прекрасный.

Сделав пару шагов, рёв услышал и вой:
И Зверьё, и Птичьё, и Детьё – злой толпой
Устремились из улиц и тёмных дворов,
Пронося полувой-полурык-полурёв.
Корова с Телком пол – сжевали – Плаща;
Четыре Макаки – Ремень сообща;
Козлята, ведомые старым Козлом,
Сжевали Сюртук в умышлении злом;
Свирепые Псы Отбивные срывали
Жилет и Штоны, и Щенятам давали;
Как Псы не щадили Котлет Отбивных,
Мальцы – Шоколадных Драже и иных;
Хотел воротиться домой, но вотще:
Отрезали Свиньи отход вообще,
Покинувши стойло, и хлев, и загон, —
Не стало Чулок, Башмаков и Кальсон;
Вопя, из подвалов и с крыш-чердаков
Неслись разномастные тьмы Кошаков:
На плечи вскочили, сбив Шляпу, её
Мгновенно всю-всю исклевало Птичьё;
И ворот порвали, и каждый рукав,
Рубаху на мелких Мышей разодрав;
Остатки Рубахи доели дотла —
Домой прибежал он в чём мать родила.

Дверь захлопнув, сказал: «Режь меня, если хошь, —
Не надену отныне подобных одёж
Никогда ни за что – ешь меня, если хошь!»

Mr. and Mrs. Discobbolos

I

Mr. and Mrs. Discobbolos
Climbed to the top of a wall.
And they sate to watch the sunset sky
And to hear the Nupiter Piffkin cry
And the Biscuit Buffalo call.
They took up a roll and some Camomile tea,
And both were as happy as happy could be —
Till Mrs. Discobbolos said, —
'Oh! W! X! Y! Z!
'It has just come into my head —
'Suppose we should happen to fall!!!!!
'Darling Mr. Discobbolos

II

'Suppose we should fall down flumpetty
'Just like pieces of stone!
'On the thorns, – or into the moat!
'What would become of your new green coat
'And might you not break a bone?
'It never occurred to me before —
'That perhaps we shall never go down any more!
And Mrs. Discobbolos said —
'Oh! W! X! Y! Z!
'What put it into your head
'To climb up this wall? – my own
'Darling Mr. Discobbolos?

III

Mr. Discobbolos answered, —
'At first it gave me pain, —
'And I felt my ears turn perfectly pink
'When your exclamation made me think
'We might never get down again!
'But now I believe it is wiser far
'To remain for ever just where we are. —
And Mr. Discobbolos said,
'Oh! W! X! Y! Z!
'It has just come into my head —
' – We shall