Льюис Кэрролл - Алиса в Стране чудес / Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Алиса в Зазеркалье / Through the Looking-glass, and What Alice Found There

‘Do they answer to their names?’ the Gnat asked.

‘I don’t know…’

‘What’s the use of having names [199] What’s the use of having names – В чем же смысл имен ’ the Gnat said, ‘if they won’t answer to them?’

‘It’s useful to the people who name them. If not, why do things have names at all?’

‘I can’t say,’ the Gnat said. ‘Here they’ve got no names… however, go on with your list of insects: you’re wasting time. [200] you’re wasting time – ты теряешь время ’

‘Well, there’s the Horse-fly, [201] horse-fly – слепень ’ Alice began.

‘All right,’ said the Gnat: ‘here you’ll see a Rocking-horse-fly, [202] rocking-horse-fly – зд . игра слов: rocking horse – конь-качалка if you look. It’s made of wood.’

‘What does it eat?’ Alice asked with curiosity.

‘ Sawdust, [203] sawdust – опилки ’ said the Gnat. ‘Go on with the list.’

Alice looked at the Rocking-horse-fly with great interest, then she went on.

‘And then there’s the Butterfly,’ Alice said.

‘At your feet,’ said the Gnat, ‘you’ll see a Bread-and-Butterfly. Its wings are thin slices of bread-and-butter, its body is a crust, and its head is a lump of sugar.’

‘And what does it eat?’

‘Weak tea with cream.’

After this, Alice was silent for a minute or two. The Gnat asked, ‘I think you don’t want to lose your name.’

‘No, I don’t,’ Alice said. She was a little nervous.

‘And I don’t know,’ the Gnat went on: ‘only think how convenient it would be if you could go home without a name! For example, if the governess wanted to call you to your lessons, she would say “come here…,” and there she would have to stop, because she didn’t know your name, and of course you wouldn’t have to go, you know.’

‘That would never happen, I’m sure,’ said Alice: ‘If she couldn’t remember my name, she’d call me “Miss!”.’

‘Well, if she said “Miss,” and didn’t say anything more,’ the Gnat said, ‘of course you’d miss [204] miss – слово-омоним: Мисс (как обращение), пропускать ( зд . игра слов) your lessons. That’s a joke.’

‘It’s a bad joke,’ said Alice.

But the Gnat only sighed, and two large tears came rolling down its cheeks.

‘You shouldn’t make jokes,’ Alice said, ‘if it makes you so unhappy.’

Alice looked up, but the Gnat wasn’t there! Alice got up and walked on.

Soon she came to an open field, with a wood on the other side: it looked much darker than the last wood, and Alice was a little afraid. However, she decided to go on: ‘I certainly won’t go back’, she thought to herself, ‘and this was the only way to the Eighth Square.’

‘Maybe this is the wood’, she said to herself, ‘where things have no names. I wonder what’ll become of my name when I go in? I don’t want to lose it… because someone will give me another, and it would be ugly, of course.’

She reached the wood: it was very cool there. ‘Well, anyway it’s good,’ she said and stopped under the trees, ‘not to be so hot, to get into the… into what?’ she went on, she was very much surprised because she couldn’t think of the word. ‘I mean to get under the… under the… under this!’ she touched trunk of the tree.

She stood silent for a minute, thinking: then she suddenly said, ‘Then it really has happened! And now, who am I? I can’t remember!’

Just then a Fawn [205] f awn – лань came out: it looked at Alice with its large gentle eyes. It wasn’t frightened. ‘Here then! Here then!’ Alice said, she raised her hand and tried to stroke it.

‘What’s your name?’ the Fawn said at last. Such a soft sweet voice it had!

‘I wish I knew!’ thought poor Alice. She answered, rather sadly, ‘I don’t know.’

‘Think again,’ it said, ‘ that won’t do. [206] that won’t do – так дело не пойдет ’

Alice thought, but nothing came of it. ‘Please, would you tell me what is your name?’ she said. ‘I think it can help me.’

‘I’ll tell you, but not here,’ the Fawn said. ‘I can’t remember.’

So they walked on together through the wood. They came out into another field, and here the Fawn said, ‘I’m a Fawn! And you’re a human child!’ and in another moment it ran away.

Alice stood looking after it, she was ready to cry because she lost her dear friend so suddenly. ‘However, I know my name now.’ she said, ‘Alice… Alice… I won’t forget it again! And now, which way should I go?’

It was not very difficult, because there was only one road through the wood. She went on and on, but then she saw two finger-posts [207] finger-posts – дорожные указатели which were pointing the same way, one was marked ‘To Tweedledum’s house and the other ‘To the house of Tweedledee. ‘I think,’ said Alice at last, ‘that they live in the same house! But I can’t stay there very long. I’ll just call [208] I’ll just call – Я просто забегу ненадолго and say “how do you do?” and ask them which way I should go. If I could only get the Eighth Square before it gets dark! [209] before it gets dark – прежде чем стемнеет ’ So she went on, till she saw two fat little men. It was so suddenly! But in another moment she understood that they were Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

They were standing under a tree, each with an arm round the other’s neck. Alice knew which was which, because one of them had ‘ dum ’ on his collar, and the other ‘ dee ’. ‘I think they’ve got ‘ Tweedle ’ at the back of the collar,’ she said to herself.

They stood so still that she forgot that they were alive. She wanted to look if the word ‘ Tweedle ’ was written at the back of each collar, when one, who had ‘ dum ’, said, ‘If you think we’re wax-works, you should pay!’

‘ Contrariwise, [210] Contrariwise – Наоборот ’ added the one, who had ‘ dee ’, ‘if you think we’re alive, you should speak.’

‘I’m very sorry,’ said Alice. The words of the old song kept ringing through her head like the ticking of a clock: