All her days were exactly the same (все ее дни были в точности одинаковые). One Red Calf grew up (одна Рыжая Телочка вырастала) and went away (и уходила) and another came in its place (а другая приходила на ее место). And it was natural (и было естественно) that the Red Cow should imagine (что Рыжая Корова представляла) that her life would always be the same (что ее жизнь будет всегда одинаковой) as it had always been (какой всегда была) — indeed (в самом деле), she felt (она чувствовала) that she could ask for nothing better (что она не могла просить ничего лучше) than for all her days to be alike (чем то, что все свои дни были бы похожими) till she came to the end of them (пока она не придет к концу их).
But at the very moment she was thinking these thoughts (но в тот самый момент, когда она думала эти мысли), adventure (приключение), as she afterwards told my Mother (как она впоследствии рассказывала моей матери), was stalking her (подкралось к ней; tostalk — подкрадываться, выслеживать). It came upon her one night (оно напало на нее одной ночью; tocomeupon — охватывать, нападать) when the stars themselves looked like dandelions in the sky (когда звезды сами по себе выглядели, как одуванчики в небе) and the moon a great daisy among the stars (а луна — огромной ромашкой/маргариткой среди звезд).
bounded ['baundId] sour [sauq] adventure [qd'venʧq]
She had lived there always — she often told my Mother that she couldn’t remember the time when she hadn’t lived in that field. Her world was bounded by green hedges and the sky and she knew nothing of what lay beyond these.
The Red Cow was very respectable, she always behaved like a perfect lady and she knew What was What. To her a thing was either black or white — there was nothing in between. Dandelions were either sweet or sour — there were never any moderately nice ones.
She led a very busy life. Her mornings were taken up in giving lessons to the Red Calf, her daughter, and in the afternoon she taught the little one deportment and mooing and all the things a really well brought up calf should know. Then they had their supper, and the Red Cow showed the Red Calf how to select a good blade of grass from a bad one; and when her child had gone to sleep at night she would go into a corner of the field and chew the cud and think her own quiet thoughts.
All her days were exactly the same. One Red Calf grew up and went away and another came in its place. And it was natural that the Red Cow should imagine that her life would always be the same as it had always been — indeed, she felt that she could ask for nothing better than for all her days to be alike till she came to the end of them.
But at the very moment she was thinking these thoughts, adventure, as she afterwards told my Mother, was stalking her. It came upon her one night when the stars themselves looked like dandelions in the sky and the moon a great daisy among the stars.
On this night (в эту ночь), long after the Red Calf was asleep (давно после того, как Рыжая Телочка уснула), the Red Cow stood up suddenly and began to dance (Рыжая Корова встала неожиданно и начала танцевать). She danced wildly and beautifully and in perfect time (она танцевала неистово и красиво, и в идеальном ритме), though she had no music to go by (хотя у нее не было сопровождающей музыки). Sometimes it was a polka (иногда это была полька), sometimes a Highland Fling (иногда горский флинг; Highlandfling — шотландская удалая, флинг /танец, в котором совершаются энергичные движения рук и ног/; tofling — бросаться, кидаться, ринуться /энергично или поспешно двигаться по направлению к объекту или от него; стремительно или поспешно идти или бежать/) and sometimes a special dance (а иногда особенный танец) that she made up out of her own head (который она придумала из своей собственной головы). And in between these dances (и между этими танцами) she would curtsey (она делала реверансы) and make sweeping bows (и делала широкие/размашистые поклоны; tosweep — мести) and knock her head against the dandelions (и стукалась своей головой об одуванчики).
“Dear me (Боже мой)!” said the Red Cow to herself (сказала Рыжая корова себе), as she began on a Sailor’s Hornpipe (когда она начала матросский хорнпайп; hornpipe — хорнпайп, волынка /старинный духовой музыкальный инструмент/; хорнпайп /английский матросский танец, обычно сольный/). “What an extraordinary thing (какая необыкновенная вещь)! I always thought dancing improper (я всегда считала танцы чем-то неуместным/непристойным), but it can’t be (но этого не может быть) since I myself am dancing (с тех пор, как я сама танцую). For I am a model cow (ведь я образцовая корова).”
And she went on dancing (и она продолжала танцевать), and thoroughly enjoying herself (и вполне наслаждалась, получала удовольствие; joy — радость). At last (наконец), however (тем не менее), she grew tired (она устала: «стала уставшей») and decided (и решила) that she had danced enough (что она протанцевала достаточно) and that she would go to sleep (и что она пойдет спать). But, to her great surprise (но, к ее большому удивлению), she found (она обнаружила) that she could not stop dancing (что она не может перестать танцевать). When she went to lie down beside the Red Calf (когда она пошла лечь рядом с Рыжей Телочкой), her legs would not let her (ее ноги не позволили ей). They went on capering and prancing (они продолжали пританцовывать и скакать; to prance — становиться на дыбы; танцевать; прыгать, скакать; резвиться) and, of course, carrying her with them (и, конечно, нести ее с ними = с собой). Round and round the field she went (кругом по полю она двигалась), leaping and waltzing and stepping on tiptoe (прыгая и вальсируя, и ступая на носочках).
“Dear me (Боже мой)!” she murmured at intervals with a ladylike accent (она бормотала в интервалах с акцентом, как у леди; ladylike — обладающаяманерамиледи). “How very peculiar (как очень своеобразно/необычно/эксцентрично)!” But she couldn’t stop (но она не могла остановиться).
Hornpipe ['hO:npaIp] great [greIt] peculiar [pI'kju:ljq]
On this night, long after the Red Calf was asleep, the Red Cow stood up suddenly and began to dance. She danced wildly and beautifully and in perfect time, though she had no music to go by. Sometimes it was a polka, sometimes a Highland Fling and sometimes a special dance that she made up out of her own head. And in between these dances she would curtsey and make sweeping bows and knock her head against the dandelions.
“Dear me!” said the Red Cow to herself, as she began on a Sailor’s Hornpipe. “What an extraordinary thing! I always thought dancing improper, but it can’t be since I myself am dancing. For I am a model cow.”
And she went on dancing, and thoroughly enjoying herself. At last, however, she grew tired and decided that she had danced enough and that she would go to sleep. But, to her great surprise, she found that she could not stop dancing. When she went to lie down beside the Red Calf, her legs would not let her. They went on capering and prancing and, of course, carrying her with them. Round and round the field she went, leaping and waltzing and stepping on tiptoe.
“Dear me!” she murmured at intervals with a ladylike accent. “How very peculiar!” But she couldn’t stop.
In the morning she was still dancing (утром она все еще танцевала) and the Red Calf had to take its breakfast of dandelions all by itself (и Рыжей Телочке пришлось взять свой завтрак из одуванчиков самой = позавтракать одуванчиками совершенно самостоятельно) because the Red Cow could not remain still enough to eat (потому что Рыжая Корова не могла оставаться неподвижной достаточно, чтобы поесть).
All through the day she danced (на протяжении всего дня: «через весь день» она танцевала), up and down the meadow (вверх и вниз по лугу) and round and round the meadow (и кругом, и кругом по лугу), with the Red Calf mooing piteously behind her (с Рыжей Телочкой, мычащей жалобно позади нее; pity — жалость). When the second night came (когда вторая ночь пришла), and she was still at it (и она была все еще при этом /занятии/ = все еще танцевала) and still could not stop (и все еще не могла остановиться), she grew very worried (она стала очень обеспокоенной). And at the end of a week of dancing (и в конце недели танца) she was nearly distracted (она была почти отчаявшейся/обезумевшей).
“I must go and see the King about it (я должна пойти и увидеться/встретиться с королем насчет этого),” she decided (она решила), shaking her head (тряся своей головой).
So she kissed her Red Calf (итак, она поцеловала Рыжую Телочку) and told it to be good (и сказала ей быть хорошей). Then she turned and danced out of the meadow (затем она повернулась и потанцевала прочь с луга) and went to tell the King (и отправилась рассказать королю).
She danced all the way (она танцевала всю дорогу), snatching little sprays of green food from the hedges (вырывая маленькие побеги зеленой еды с изгородей) as she went (в то время, как она шла = по дороге), and every eye that saw her (и каждый глаз, который видел ее) stared with astonishment (вглядывался/пристально глядел с удивлением). But none of them were more astonished (но никто из них не был более изумлен) than the Red Cow herself (чем Рыжая Корова сама).
meadow ['medqu] piteously ['pItIqslI] worried ['wArId]
In the morning she was still dancing and the Red Calf had to take its breakfast of dandelions all by itself because the Red Cow could not remain still enough to eat.
All through the day she danced, up and down the meadow and round and round the meadow, with the Red Calf mooing piteously behind her. When the second night came, and she was still at it and still could not stop, she grew very worried. And at the end of a week of dancing she was nearly distracted.