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

“I am so sorry I cried so much! I will be drowned[34] I will be drowned – Я утону in my own tears! That WILL be strange! However everything is strange today!”

Just then[35] Just then – И в тот момент she heard something splashing about in the pool and swam nearer to see what it was. At first she thought it was a walrus or a hippo but then she remembered how small she was now and understood that it was only a mouse.

“ Shall I speak to this mouse?[36] Shall I speak to this mouse? – Поговорить ли мне с этой мышью? ” thought Alice. “I believe it can talk. I think I will try.” So she began: “O Mouse, do you know the way out of this pool? I am very tired of swimming here!” But the mouse said nothing.

“Perhaps it doesn’t understand English,” thought Alice; “Maybe it’s a French mouse.” So she began again this time with the first sentence in her French lesson-book: “ Où est ma chatte?[37] “Où est ma chatte?” – фр . Где моя кошка? ” The Mouse jumped up out of the water in horror. “Oh, I beg your pardon![38] I beg your pardon! – Я прошу прощения! ” cried Alice, “I forgot you didn’t like cats.”

“Not like cats!” cried the Mouse. “ Would YOU like cats if you were me?[39] Would YOU like cats if you were me? – А вы бы любили кошек на моем месте? ”

“Well, perhaps not,” said Alice; “don’t be angry about it. But I would like you to see[40] I would like you to see – Мне бы хотелось, чтобы Вы увидели our cat Dinah. I think you would start liking cats if you could see her. [41] you would start liking cats if you could see her – Вы бы полюбили кошек, если бы могли увидеть ее. She is such a nice quiet thing.”

“No! Our family always HATED cats: nasty things! I don’t want to hear this name again!” the Mouse was trembling down to the end of its tail.

“I am sorry!” said Alice in a great hurry to change the subject of conversation. [42] to change the subject of conversation – сменить тему разговора “Are you … are you fond… of… of[43] Are you fond of…? – Вы любите…? dogs?” The Mouse didn’t answer so Alice continued speaking about dogs. But the Mouse was swimming away from her.

“Mouse dear! Come back again and we won’t talk about cats or dogs if you don’t like them!” Alice called softly. When the Mouse heard this it turned round and swam slowly back to her. “ Let us[44] Let us… – Давайте… get to the shore and I’ll tell you my story and you’ll understand why I hate cats and dogs,” it said.

It was high time[45] It was high time – Давно было пора to go because more and more animals were swimming in the pool: there were a Duck and a Dodo, [46] A Dodo – дронт ( не умевшая летать вымершая птица отряда голубеобразных, обитавшая на островах Индийского океана и истребленная в XVII–XVIII вв. завезенными туда свиньями ) a Lory and an Eaglet and several other creatures. Alice swam to the shore and everybody swam after her.

The group looked very strange: the birds and the animals were all wet, angry and unhappy. The first question of course was how to get dry again: they discussed it and at last the Mouse said: “Sit down, all of you, and listen to me! I’ll soon make you dry enough![48] I’ll soon make you dry enough! – Я вас быстренько высушу! ” They all sat down at once, in a large ring with the Mouse in the middle.

“Are you all ready?” asked the mouse with an important look, “This is the driest thing I know. Silence, please!” and the Mouse began speaking about the history of England. After some time it asked turning to Alice: “How are you now, my dear?”

“ As wet as ever, [49] As wet as ever – Мокрая, как никогда. ” answered Alice sadly.

“In that case,” said the Dodo, rising to its feet, “the best thing to get dry would be a Caucus-race.” “And the best way to explain it is to do it. [50] the best way to explain it is to do it – самый быстрый способ объяснить это – сделать это. ” It added.

First it marked out[51] marked out – разметил a race-course in a circle and then all the party stood along the course. And they began running when they liked and stopped when they liked so it was not easy to know when the race was over. However after half an hour of running the Dodo suddenly cried: “The race is over!” and they all crowded around it asking: “But who has won?”

The Dodo couldn’t answer this question at once so it sat for a long time thinking while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said: “EVERYBODY has won, and all must have prizes.”

“But who will give us the prizes?” The voices asked.

“Well, SHE, of course,” said the Dodo, pointing at Alice with one finger; and everybody at once crowded around her crying: “Prizes! Prizes!”

Alice had no idea what to do, and in despair she put her hand into her pocket, and took out a box of comfits, (luckily the salt water had not got into it), and gave them to everybody as prizes.

“But she must have a prize herself,” said the Mouse.

“Of course,” the Dodo answered seriously. “What else have you got in your pocket?” he asked, turning to Alice.

“Only a thimble,” said Alice sadly.

“Give it to me,” it said.

Then they all crowded round her again, while the Dodo solemnly presented the thimble, saying “We beg you to accept this elegant thimble”; and, when it finished this short speech, they all cheered.

Alice thought the whole thing very absurd, but they all looked so serious that she couldn’t laugh; and she bowed, and took the thimble, looking as solemn as she could.

After they had eaten the comfits they sat down again in a ring and asked the Mouse to tell them something more.

“You promised to tell me your story,” said Alice, “and why you hate – C and D,” she added in a whisper.

“My tale[52] tale – рассказ (созвучно с tail – хвост) is long and sad!” said the Mouse sighing.

“It IS a long tail of course!” said Alice looking down at the Mouse’s tail with wonder. “But why do you call it sad?” And she continued thinking about it while the Mouse was speaking.

“You are not listening!” cried the Mouse to Alice angrily. “What are you thinking of?”

“ I beg your pardon, [53] I beg your pardon – Прошу прощения! ” said Alice very politely: “you had come to the fifth point, I think?”

“I had NOT!” cried the Mouse very angrily.

“A knot!” said Alice looking around. “Oh, let me help you to undo it!”