And while everyone was wondering where they had seen ears like that before, Rabadash's face began to change too. It grew longer, and thicker at the top and larger eyed, and the nose sank back into the face (or else the face swelled out and became all nose) and there was hair all over it. And his arms grew longer and came down in front of him till his hands were resting on the ground: only they weren't hands, now, they were hoofs. |
Пока все думали, где же они видели такие уши, у него уже были копыта и на ногах, и на руках, а вскоре появился и хвост. Глаза стали больше, лицо - уже, оно как бы все превратилось в нос. |
And he was standing on all fours, and his clothes disappeared, and everyone laughed louder and louder (because they couldn't help it) for now what had been Rabadash was, simply and unmistakably, a donkey. The terrible thing was that his human speech lasted just a moment longer than his human shape, so that when he realized the change that was coming over him, he screamed out: |
Он опустился на четвереньки, одежда исчезла, а смешней (и страшнее) всего было, что последним он утратил дар слова, и успел отчаянно прокричать: |
"Oh, not a Donkey! Mercy! |
- Только не в осла! |
If it were even a horse - e'en - a hor - eeh - auh, eeh-auh." And so the words died away into a donkey's bray. |
Хоть в коня... в коня-а-э-а-ио-о-о! |
"Now hear me, Rabadash," said Aslan. |
- Слушай меня, Рабадаш, - сказал Аслан. |
"Justice shall be mixed with mercy. |
- Справедливость смягчится милостью. |
You shall not always be an Ass." |
Ты не всегда будешь ослом. |
At this of course the Donkey twitched its ears forward and that also was so funny that everybody laughed all the more. They tried not to, but they tried in vain. |
Осел задвигал ушами, и все, как ни старались, захохотали снова. |
"You have appealed to Tash," said Aslan. |
- Ты поминал богиню Таш, - продолжал Аслан. |
"And in the temple of Tash you shall be healed. |
- В ее храме ты обретешь человеческий облик. |
You must stand before the altar of Tash in Tashbaan at the great Autumn Feast this year and there, in the sight of all Tashbaan, your ass's shape will fall from you and all men will know you for Prince Rabadash. |
На осеннем празднике, в этом году, ты встанешь пред ее алтарем, и, при всем народе, с тебя спадет ослиное обличье. |
But as long as you live, if ever you go more than ten miles away from the great temple in Tashbaan you shall instantly become again as you now are. And from that second change there will be no return." There was a short silence and then they all stirred and looked at one another as if they were waking from sleep. |
Но если ты когда-нибудь удалишься от этого храма больше, чем на десять миль, ты опять станешь ослом, уже навсегда. |
Aslan was gone. |
Сказав это, Аслан тихо ушел. |
But there was a brightness in the air and on the grass, and a joy in their hearts, which assured them that he had been no dream: and anyway, there was the donkey in front of them. |
Все как бы очнулись, но сиянье зелени, и свежесть воздуха, и радость в сердце доказывали, что это не был сон. Кроме того, осел стоял перед ними. |
King Lune was the kindest-hearted of men and on seeing his enemy in this regrettable condition he forgot all his anger. |
Король Лум был очень добрым, и, увидев врага в столь плачевном положении, сразу забыл свой гнев. |
"Your royal Highness," he said. |
- Ваше высочество, - сказал он. |
"I am most truly sorry that things have come to this extremity. |
- Мне очень жаль, что дошло до этого. |
Your Highness will bear witness that it was none of our doing. |
Вы сами знаете, что мы тут ни при чем. |
And of course we shall be delighted to provide your Highness with shipping back to Tashbaan for the - er - treatment which Aslan has prescribed. |
Не сомневайтесь, мы переправим вас в Ташбаан, чтобы вас там... э-э... вылечили. |
You shall have every comfort which your Highness's situation allows: the best of the cattleboats - the freshest carrots and thistles -" |
Сейчас вам дадут самых свежих репейников и морковки... |
But a deafening bray from the Donkey and a well-aimed kick at one of the guards made it clear that these kindly offers were ungratefully received. And here, to get him out of the way, I'd better finish off the story of Rabadash. He (or it) was duly sent back by boat to Tashbaan and brought into the temple of Tash at the great Autumn Festival, and then he became a man again. |
Неблагодарный осел дико взревел, лягнул одного из лордов, и на этом мы кончим рассказ о царевиче Рабадаше; но мне хотелось бы сообщить, что его со всей почтительностью отвезли в Ташбаан, и привели в храм богини на осенний праздник, и тут он снова обрел человеческий облик. |
But of course four or five thousand people had seen the transformation and the affair could not possibly be hushed up. And after the old Tisroc's death when Rabadash became Tisroc in his place he turned out the most peaceable Tisroc Calormen had ever known. |
Множество народу - тысяч пять - видели это, но что поделаешь; а когда умер Тисрок, в стране наступила вполне сносная жизнь. |
This was because, not daring to go more than ten miles from Tashbaan, he could never go on a war himself: and he didn't want his Tarkaans to win fame in the wars at his expense, for that is the way Tisrocs get overthrown. But though his reasons were selfish, it made things much more comfortable for all the smaller countries round Calormen. His own people never forgot that he had been a donkey. |
Произошло это по двум причинам: Рабадаш не вел никаких войн, ибо знал, что отпускать войско без себя очень опасно (полководцы нередко свергают потом царей), а, кроме того, народ помнил, что он некогда был ослом. |
During his reign, and to his face, he was called Rabadash the Peacemaker, but after his death and behind his back he was called Rabadash the Ridiculous, and if you look him up in a good History of Calormen (try the local library) you will find him under that name. |
В лицо его называли Ра-бадашем Миротворцем, а за глаза - Рабадашем Вислоухим. И если вы заглянете в историю его страны (спросите ее в городской библиотеке), он значится там именно так. |
And to this day in Calormene schools, if you do anything unusually stupid, you are very likely to be called "a second Rabadash". |
Даже теперь в тархистанских школах говорят про глупого ученика: "Второй Рабадаш!" |
Meanwhile at Anvard everyone was very glad that he had been disposed of before the real fun began, which was a grand feast held that evening on the lawn before the castle, with dozens of lanterns to help the moonlight. |
Когда осла увезли, в замке Лума начался пир. |
And the wine flowed and tales were told and jokes were cracked, and then silence was made and the King's poet with two fiddlers stepped out into the middle of the circle. |
Вино лилось рекой, сверкали огни, звенел смех, а потом наступило молчание и на середину луга вышел певец с двумя музыкантами. |