Самые лучшие английские сказки / The best english fairy tales: читать начало книги онлайн

The Golden Arm

Here was once a man who travelled the land all over[11] in search of a wife. He saw young and old, rich and poor, pretty and plain, and could not meet with one to his mind.[12] At last he found a woman, young, fair, and rich, who possessed a right arm of solid gold. He married her at once, and thought no man so fortunate as he was.[13] They lived happily together, but, though he wished people to think otherwise, he was fonder of the golden arm[14] than of all his wife’s gifts besides.

At last she died. The husband put on black clothes, and pulled the longest face at the funeral. But in the middle of the night, he dug up the body, and cut off the golden arm. He hurried home to hide his treasure, and thought no one would know.

The following night he put the golden arm under his pillow, and was just falling asleep, when the ghost of his dead wife glided into the room. Stalking up to the bedside it drew the curtain, and looked at him reproachfully. Pretending not to be afraid, he spoke to the ghost, and said, "What have you done with your red cheeks?"

"All withered and wasted away," replied the ghost, in a hollow tone.

"What have you done with your red rosy lips?"

"All withered and wasted away."

"What have you done with your golden hair?"

"All withered and wasted away."

"What have you done with your Golden Arm?"

"You have it!"

The Fish and the Ring

Once upon a time, there was a mighty Baron in the North Country who was a great magician and knew everything that would come to pass.[15] So one day, when his little boy was four years old, he looked into the Book of Fate[16] to see what would happen to him. And to his dismay, he found that his son would wed a lowly maid[17] that had just been born in a small house. Now the Baron knew the father of the little girl was very, very poor, and he had five children already. So he called for his horse, and rode to the father’s house, and saw him sitting by the door, sad and doleful. So he dismounted and went up to him and said, “What is the matter, my good man?” And the man said, “Well, your honour,[18] the fact is, I have five children already, and now the sixth one comes, a little girl, and where to get the bread from to fill their mouths, that’s more than I can say.”

“Don’t cry, my dear man,” said the Baron. “If that’s your trouble, I can help you. I’ll take away the last little one, and you won’t have to bother about her.”

“Thank you kindly, sir,” said the man; and he went in and brought out the little girl and gave her to the Baron, who mounted his horse and rode away with her. And when he got by the bank of the river, he threw the little girl into the river, and rode off to his castle.

But the little girl didn’t sink; her clothes kept her up for a time,[19] and she floated, and she floated, till she was cast ashore just in front of a fisherman’s hut. There the fisherman found her, and took pity on the poor little girl and took her into his house, and she lived there till she was fifteen years old. So she became a fine handsome girl.

One day it happened that the Baron went out hunting[20] with some companions along the banks of the river, and stopped at the fisherman’s hut to get a drink, and the girl came out to give it to them. They all noticed her beauty, and one of them said to the Baron, “You can read fates, Baron, whom will she marry, how do you think?”

“Oh! that’s easy to guess,” said the Baron; “some farmer or other. But I’ll cast her horoscope. Come here, girl, and tell me on what day you were born.”

“I don’t know, sir,” said the girl, “I was picked up just here. The river brought me down[21] about fifteen years ago.”

Then the Baron knew who she was, and when they went away, he rode back and said to the girl, “Listen to me, girl, I will make your fortune. Take this letter to my brother, and you will be settled for life.” And the girl took the letter and said she would go. Now this is what he had written in the letter:

So soon after the girl left, and slept for the night at a little inn. Now that very night[22] a band of robbers broke into the inn, and searched the girl, who had no money, and only the letter. So they opened this and read it. The captain of the robbers took a pen and paper and wrote this letter:

And then he gave it to the girl. So she went on to the Baron’s brother, a noble knight, with whom the Baron’s son was staying. When she gave the letter to his brother, he gave orders for the wedding to be prepared at once, and they were married that very day.[23]

Soon after, the Baron himself came to his brother’s castle, and what was his surprise! But he took the girl out for a walk, as he said, along the cliffs. And when he got her all alone, he took her by the arms, and was going to throw her over. But she begged hard for her life.[24] “I have not done anything,” she said, “please do not kill me, I will do whatever you wish. I will never see you or your son again till you desire it.” Then the Baron took off his gold ring and threw it into the sea, saying, “Never let me see your face till you can show me that ring”; and he let her go.[25]

The poor girl wandered on and on, till at last she came to a great noble’s castle,[26] and she said that she could do any work. So they gave her some kitchen work, and she began to cook food.

One day the Baron and his brother and his son, her husband, came up to the noble’s house. She didn’t know what to do; but thought they would not see her in the castle kitchen. So she went back to her work with a sigh, and set to cleaning a huge big fish that was to be boiled for their dinner. And, as she was cleaning it, she saw something shine inside it.[27] What do you think she found? Why, there was the Baron’s ring, the very one he had thrown over the cliff.[28] She was glad indeed to see it, you may be sure. Then she cooked the fish as nicely as she could, and served it up. Well, when the fish came on the table, the guests liked it so well that they asked the noble who cooked it. He said he didn’t know, but called to his servants, “Hey, there, send the cook who cooked that fine fish.” So they went down to the kitchen and told the girl she was wanted in the hall.

When the guests saw such a young and beautiful cook they were surprised. But the Baron was very angry. So the girl went up to him with her hand before her with the ring on it; and she put it down before him on the table. Then at last the Baron saw that no one could fight against Fate, and he handed her to a seat and announced to all the company that this was his son’s true wife. And he took her and his son home to his castle; and they all lived happy.

The Rose-tree

There was once upon a time a good man who had two children: a girl by a first wife,[29] and a boy by the second. The girl was as white as milk, and her lips were like cherries. Her hair was like golden silk, and it hung to the ground. Her brother loved her dearly, but her wicked stepmother hated her. “Child,” said the stepmother one day, “go to the grocer’s shop and buy me a pound of candles.” She gave her the money; and the little girl went, bought the candles, and started on her return.[30] But there was a stile on her way. How to cross it? She put down the candles while she got over the stile. Suddenly a dog came and ran off with the candles.

The girl went back to the grocer’s, and the grocer gave her a second bunch. She came to the stile, set down the candles, and began to climb it over. Again came the dog and ran off with the candles.

[11] who travelled the land all over – который изъездил весь свет

[12] could not meet with one to his mind – не мог себе найти никого по душе

[13] no man so fortunate as he was – никто не был столь удачлив, как он

[14] he was fonder of the golden arm – он больше любил золотую руку

[15] knew everything that would come to pass – знал всё, что произойдёт

[16] the Book of Fate – Книга Судеб

[17] a lowly maid – девушка из низшего сословия

[18] your honour – ваша часть

[19] kept her up for a time – держали её некоторое время на плаву

[20] went out hunting – отправился на охоту

[21] the river brought me down – река вынесла меня

[22] now that very night – и как раз в ту самую ночь

[23] that very day – в тот же день

[24] she begged hard for her life – она молила пощадить её жизнь

[25] and he let her go – и он отпустил её

[26] great noble’s castle – замок знатного господина

[27] she saw something shine inside it – она увидела, как что-то внутри неё блестит

[28] the very one he had thrown over the cliff – то самое, которое он бросил со скалы

[29] a girl by a first wife – девочка от первой жены

[30] and started on her return – пустилась в обратный путь