Памела Треверс - Английский язык с Мэри Поппинс

So (так что), some parts of Mary Poppins came to Pamela from out of the blue (некоторые части рассказа о Мэри Поппинс пришли к Памеле из синевы = из неба = совершенно неожиданно; out of the blue — совершенно неожиданно, как гром среди ясного неба ); others were memories of her earlier life (другие были воспоминаниями о ее ранней жизни) when she was growing up on an Australian sugar plantation (когда она подрастала на Австралийской сахарной плантации). Bertha (or maybe she was called Bella — Pamela could never quite remember!) (Берта (или может быть ее звали Бэла — Памела не могла точно вспомнить)), one of the family’s Irish servants (одна из ирландских слуг семьи), was a marvellous character (была удивительным персонажем) whose pride and joy was a parrot-headed umbrella (чьей гордостью и радостью был зонтик с головой попугая). “Whenever Bertha was going out (когда бы Берта ни выходила из дома),” Pamela told me (Памела рассказвала мне), “the umbrella would be carefully taken out of tissue paper (зонтик должен был заботливо вынут из оберточной бумаги) and off she would go (и она уходила), looking terribly stylish (выглядя ужасно стильно). But, as soon as she came back (но, как только она возвращалась), the umbrella would be wrapped up in tissue paper once more (зонтик должен был упаковываться в оберточную бумагу еще раз = снова).”

Bertha ['bq:Tq] tissue ['tI∫u:] servants ['sq:v(q)nts]

That “somebody” blew into Pamela Travers’ imagination rather as Mary Poppins herself blew into Cherry Tree Lane. The author was staying in an old thatched manor in Sussex and was ill in bed. As she once described it to me: “The idea of this unusual person came to me and, in that halfway state between being well and ill, I began to write about her.”

So, some parts of Mary Poppins came to Pamela from out of the blue; others were memories of her earlier life when she was growing up on an Australian sugar plantation. Bertha (or maybe she was called Bella — Pamela could never quite remember!), one of the family’s Irish servants, was a marvellous character whose pride and joy was a parrot-headed umbrella. “Whenever Bertha was going out,” Pamela told me, “the umbrella would be carefully taken out of tissue paper and off she would go, looking terribly stylish. But, as soon as she came back, the umbrella would be wrapped up in tissue paper once more.”

Like Mary Poppins (подобно Мэри Поппинс), Bertha also had a number of fascinating relatives (Бэрта имела много очаровательных родственников) whom she would visit (которых она навещала). Pamela recalled (Памела вспоминала): “She would come back and tell us wonderful stories (она возвращалась и рассказывала удивительные истории)… But no (но нет) — she wouldn’t quite tell (она не совсем рассказывала). She’d just hint (она только намекала ) : ‘If you could know what happened to me cousin’s brother-in-law (если бы вы только знали, что случилось со моей кузины зятем)…’ And when you’d opened your ears and your eyes (и когда вы открывали свои уши и свои глаза) — and your mouth ( и ваш рот) — waiting for more (ожидая большего), she would say (она говорила): ‘Ah, well, then, it’s not for the ears of children (а, ну, это не для детских ушей)…’ And I would wonder (а я гадала) what were those things that were not for the ears of children (что же было тем, что не для детских ушей).”

Some children’s writers (некоторые детские писатели) — maybe because they worry about what is suitable for the ears of children (возможно, поскольку они беспокоятся о том, что подходит для детских ушей) — talk down to their readers (говорят свысока с читателями). Not P. L. Travers (но не П. Треверс). “Nobody writes for children really (никто не пишет для детей по-настоящему),” she’d say (она говорила). “You’re writing to make yourself laugh (вы пишите, чтобы себя рассмешить), or yourself cry (или заставить себя плакать); if you write for children, you’ve lost them (если вы будете писать для детей, вы их потеряли).” Her readers proved her right (ее читатели доказали ее правоту), and wrote to the author in their thousands (и писали автору тысячами), often asking the same questions (часто задавая одинаковые вопросы): Where did Mary Poppins come from (откуда пришла Мэри Поппинс)? Why did she go (почему она ушла)? and Where did she go (и куда она ушла)?

From every point of the compass (из любой точки компаса) — and Mary Poppins knew all about compasses (а Мэри Поппинс знала все о компасах)! — children would send their letters (дети посылали свои письма), carefully written in large, round writing (аккуратно написанные большим, круглым почерком), punctuating their demands for answers with words of praise and, occasionally, complaint (перемежая свои требования ответов со словами похвалы, а иногда, жалобы). When, at the end of Mary Poppins Opens the Door (когда, вконце «Мэри Поппинс открывает дверь» ) , the heroine flew away for the third time (персонаж улетает в третий раз), a boy (who wasn’t the world’s best speller) wrote mournfully (мальчик (который не был лучшим в мире знатоком орфографии) написал угрюмо): “You should not have done that, Madum (вам не следовало делать этого, мадам), you have made the children cry (вы заставили детей плакать).” Pamela treasured that letter (Памела высоко оценила это письмо), and replied (и ответила): “I am not surprised (я не удивлена). I cried myself, when I wrote it down (я сама плакала, когда писала его).”

fascinating ['fæsIneItIŋ] thousands ['Tauz(q)nds] punctuating ['pAŋktu'eItIŋ]

Like Mary Poppins, Bertha also had a number of fascinating relatives whom she would visit. Pamela recalled: “She would come back and tell us wonderful stories… But no — she wouldn’t quite tell. She’d just hint: ‘If you could know what happened to me cousin’s brother-in-law…’ And when you’d opened your ears and your eyes — and your mouth — waiting for more, she would say: ‘Ah, well, then, it’s not for the ears of children…’ And I would wonder what were those things that were not for the ears of children.”