Рифмы матушки Гусыни

Матушка Гусыня и ее веселые стишки

У английской детской поэзии очень долгая и богатая история. В разные эпохи появлялись стихотворения, как сочиненные взрослыми для детей, так и придуманные самими детьми для того, чтобы игры, в которые они играли, были веселее и увлекательнее.

К тому моменту, когда в печати вышло первое большое собрание детских английских стихов (XVIII век), таких произведений бытовало огромное множество. Супруги Оупи отобрали из этого гигантского количества наиболее интересные произведения и составили книгу, которую назвали «Рифмы матушки Гусыни» – по имени одного из популярных персонажей детских стихов. Разнообразие произведений, составивших этот сборник, поистине удивительно. Здесь есть и стихи, и песенки, и считалки, и дразнилки, и сказки, и колыбельные, и многое другое.

С тех пор сборник дополнялся, расширялся, корректировался и разошелся по всему миру в огромном количестве изданий. Пожалуй, нет ни одного ребенка в англоязычных странах, который бы не знал этой книги. Ее персонажи стали не только неотъемлемой частью культуры, но и вошли как действующие лица в произведения многих авторов. Самый яркий пример – знаменитые книги об Алисе Льюиса Кэролла, которые буквально «напичканы» цитатами из «Рифм матушки Гусыни». Это и Шалтай-Болтай, и неразлучные Твидлдум и Твидлди, и Дама Крестей, и многие другие.

Встречаются персонажи из «Рифм матушки Гусыни» и в хорошо известных нашему читателю книгах Памелы Трэверс о чудесной няне Мэри Поппинс, и в «Винни-Пухе» Александра Милна. Под ее влиянием оформилось творчество одного из величайших английских поэтов, родоначальника «поэзии абсурда» (или «нонсенса») Эдварда Лира, чьим, к слову сказать, последователем и почитателем был Льюис Кэрролл.

Переводить «Рифмы» на русский язык начали еще в XIX веке, но настоящее знакомство русского читателя с этими произведениями состоялось после появления переводов Корнея Чуковского и Самуила Маршака. Хотя они переводили лишь отдельные стихи из этой книги, переводы эти тут же завоевали большую популярность. О Шалтае-Болтае (Humpty-Dumpty) даже англичане писали, что Маршак своим переводом «сделал его русским». То же можно сказать о стихотворениях «Из чего только сделаны мальчики…», «Пудель» (пер. Маршака), «Жил на свете старичок скрюченные ножки…», «Барабек» (пер. Чуковского) и многих других.

Переводить стихотворения из сборника «Рифмы матушки Гусыни» довольно сложно: ведь при всей их внешней простоте нужно добиться такой же простоты по-русски. Да и чтобы смешно было, тоже не мешает. Все эти переводы делались мной на протяжении более чем 15 лет. Как это получилось – судить читателю. Кроме того, книга будет интересна не только тем, кто интересуется английской поэзией, но и тем, кто изучает английский язык.

И. Родин

1.
Old King Cole

 
Old King Cole
Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
 
 
Every fiddler, he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he.
Twee, tweedle, dee,
Tweedle, dee, dee,
Went the fiddlers.
Oh there’s none so rare
As can compare,
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.
 

2.
Hector Protector

 
Hector Protector was dressed all in green;
Hector Protector was sent to the Queen.
The Queen did not like him,
No more did the King;
So Hector Protector was sent back again.
 

3.
Sing a Song of Sixpence

 
Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four-and-twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
 
 
When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing.
Was not that a dainty dish
To set before the king?
 
 
The king was in his counting-house,
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlour,
Eating bread and honey.
 
 
The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes;
‘Long came a blackbird
And snapt off her nose.
 

4.
«A carrion crow sat on an oak…»

 
A carrion crow sat on an oak,
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding ho,
Watching a tailor shape his coat.
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding ho.
 
 
Wife, bring me my old bent bow,
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding ho,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow.
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding ho.
 
 
The tailor he shot and missed his mark,
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding ho,
And shot his own sow right through the heart.
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding ho.
 

5.
London Bridge

 
London Bridge is broken down,
Broken down, broken down,
London Bridge is broken down,
My fair lady.
 
 
Build it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay,
Build it up with wood and clay,
My fair lady.
 
 
Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away,
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair lady.
 
 
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
My fair lady.
 
 
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
Will not stay, will not stay,
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
My fair lady.
 
 
Build it up with iron and steel,
Iron and steel, iron and steel,
Build it up with iron and steel,
My fair lady.
 
 
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Bend and bow, bend and bow,
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
My fair lady.
 
 
Build it up with silver and gold,
Silver and gold, silver and gold,
Build it up with silver and gold,
My fair lady.
 
 
Silver and gold will be stolen away,
Stolen away, stolen away,
Silver and gold will be stolen away,
My fair lady.
 
 
Set a man to watch all night,
Watch all night, watch all night,
Set a man to watch all night,
My fair lady.
 
 
Suppose the man should fall asleep,
Fall asleep, fall asleep,
Suppose the man should fall asleep,
My fair lady.
 
 
Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
Smoke all night, smoke all night,
Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
My fair lady.
 

6.
A Farmer Went Trotting Upon His Gray Mare

 
A farmer went trotting upon his gray mare,
Bumpety, bumpety, bump,
With his daughter behind him, so rosy and fair,
Lumpety, lumpety, lump.
 
 
A raven cried “Croak,” and they all tumbled down,
Bumpety, bumpety, bump;
The mare broke her knees and the farmer his crown,
Lumpety, lumpety, lump.
 
 
The mischievous raven flew laughing away,
Bumpety, bumpety, bump,
And vowed he would serve them the same next day,
Lumpety, lumpety, lump.
 

7.
A Frog He Would A-wooing Go

 
A frog he would a-wooing go,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
A frog he would a-wooing go,
Whether his mother would let him or no.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
So off he set with his opera hat,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
So off he set with his opera hat,
And on the road he met with a rat,
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
Pray, Mr. Rat will you go with me?
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
Pray, Mr. Rat will you go with me,
Kind Mrs. Mousey for to see…
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
They came to the door of Mousey’s hall,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
They gave a loud knock, and they gave a loud call.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
Pray, Mrs. Mouse are you within?
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
Oh yes, kind sirs, I’m sitting to spin.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
Pray, Mrs. Mouse will you give us some beer?
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
For Froggy and I are fond of good cheer.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
Pray, Mr. Frog will you give us a song?
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
Let it be something that’s not very long.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
Indeed, Mrs. Mouse, replied Mr. Frog,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
A cold has made me as hoarse as a dog.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
Since you have a cold, Mr. Frog, Mousey said,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
I’ll sing you a song that I’ve just made.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
But while they were all a-merry-making
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
A cat and her kittens came tumbling in.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
The cat she seized the rat by the crown,
Heigh ho! says Rowley,
The kittens they pulled the little mouse down.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
This put Mr. Frog in a terrible fright,
Heigh ho! says Rowley.
He took up his hat and he wished them goodnight.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
But as Froggy was crossing over a brook,
Heigh ho! says Rowley.
A lily white duck came and gobbled him up.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.
 
 
So there was the end of one, two, three,
Heigh ho! says Rowley.
The rat, the mouse, and the little froggy.
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,
Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley.