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

‘Now you know the words,’ she added and put her head down on Alice’s other shoulder, ‘just sing it. I’m sleepy, too.’ In another moment both Queens were asleep, and snoring loud.

‘What should I do? said Alice, ‘I don’t think it happened before, that any one had to take care of two Queens asleep at once! No… it couldn’t, you know, because there was never more than one Queen at a time. Wake up, you heavy things!’ she went on, but there was no answer but a gentle snoring.

Suddenly the two Queens disappeared, and Alice saw that she was standing before the door over which were the words “QUEEN ALICE” in large letters, and on each side there was a bell-handle; one was marked ‘Visitors’ Bell,’ and the other ‘Servants’ Bell.’

‘Which bell should I ring?’ she said. ‘I’m not a visitor, and I’m not a servant. There should be one, marked “Queen”.’

Just then the door opened, and a creature with a long beak put its head out for a moment and said ‘ No entry [280] no entry – входа нет till the next week!’ and shut the door.

Alice knocked and rang for a long time, but at last, a very old Frog, who was sitting under a tree, got up and came slowly to her. He was dressed in bright yellow, and had large boots.

‘What is it?’ the Frog whispered.

Alice turned round. ‘Where’s the servant who answers the door?’ she began angrily.

‘Which door?’ said the Frog.

‘This door, of course!’ Alice said.

The Frog looked at the door with his large dull eyes for a minute: then he went nearer, then he looked at Alice.

‘To answer the door?’ he said. ‘Who asks it?’

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she said.

‘I talk English, don’t I?’ the Frog went on. ‘Or are you deaf? What did it ask you?’

‘Nothing!’ Alice said. ‘I’ve knocked at it!’

‘You shouldn’t do that…’ the Frog said. Then he went up and kicked the door with one of his great feet. ‘ Let it alone, [281] Let it alone – Оставь ее (дверь) в покое ’ he said, ‘and it’ll let you alone.’

At this moment the door opened, and Alice heard a song:

Alice thought to herself ‘Thirty times three makes ninety. Can anybody count here? I think I’ll go in.’ There was silence when she appeared.

Alice walked into a large hall with a table and noticed that there were about fifty guests. Some were animals, some birds, and there were even a few flowers among them. ‘I’m glad they’ve come without invitation,’ she thought: ‘I didn’t know who to invite!’

There were three chairs at the head of the table. The Red and White Queens had already taken two of them, but the middle chair was empty. Alice sat down in silence.

At last the Red Queen began. ‘You’ve missed the soup and fish,’ she said. ‘Bring the meat!’ And the waiters brought a leg of mutton. [283] a leg of mutton – бараний окорок Alice looked very nervous, because she had never carved mutton leg before.

‘You look shy; let me introduce you to [284] let me introduce you to – позволь представить тебя… that leg of mutton,’ said the Red Queen. ‘Alice – Mutton; Mutton – Alice.’ The leg of mutton got up in the dish and bowed to Alice. And she bowed too, she didn’t know whether she should be frightened or amused.

‘May I give you a slice?’ Alice said and took the knife and fork. She looked from one Queen to the other.

‘Certainly not,’ the Red Queen: ‘it isn’t polite to cut any one so soon after you’ve been introduced. Remove the mutton leg’

The waiters removed it and brought a large plum-pudding.

‘I don’t want to be introduced to the pudding, please,’ Alice said, ‘May I give you some?’

But the Red Queen looked angrily and cried ‘Pudding – Alice; Alice – Pudding. Remove the pudding!’ and the waiters took it very quickly.

‘The Red Queen is the only one who gives orders!’ thought Alice to herself. As an experiment, she called ‘Waiter! Bring back the pudding!’ and here it was again. It was so large that she felt really a little shy with it. However, she cut a slice and handed it to the Red Queen.

‘How rude!’ cried the Pudding. ‘I wonder how you’d like it, if I cut a slice out of you, you creature!’

Alice was so amazed that she couldn’t say a word: she could only sit and look at it.

‘Say something,’ said the Red Queen: ‘The pudding speaks and you don’t!’

‘Do you know, I’ve heard a lot poetry today…’ Alice began. Everybody stopped talking and looked at her. ‘And it’s very curious, I think… every poem was about fish. Why do they like fish so much?’

‘As for fishes,’ the Red Queen put her mouth close to Alice’s ear, ‘her White Majesty knows a nice riddle… about fish. May she repeat it?’

‘Her Red Majesty’s very kind,’ the White Queen said into Alice’s other ear. ‘It would be great! May I?’

‘Please do,’ Alice said very politely.

The White Queen laughed and stroked Alice’s cheek. Then she began:

‘Take a minute to think about it, and then guess,’ said the Red Queen.

‘Now we’ll drink your health [285] to drink one’s health – выпить за чье-либо здоровье … Queen Alice’s health!’ she cried and all the guests began drinking. Some of them put their glasses on their heads and drank all that went down their faces. Others broke the glasses and drank the wine from the table.

‘Just like pigs!’ thought Alice.