“Fish on a little table (рыба на маленьком столике), man at table sitting on a stool (человек за столом, сидящий на табурете), the cat has the bones (и кошке достались кости) ” — that of course is the answer (это, конечно, ответ), and Gollum soon gave it (и Голлум вскоре дал его). Then he thought (потом он подумал) the time had come (что пришло время) to ask something hard and horrible (загадать нечто трудное и ужасное). This is what he said (вот что он сказал):
This thing all things devours (это существо все существа пожирает):
Birds (птиц), beasts (зверей), trees (деревья), flowers (цветы);
Gnaws iron (разъедает железо; to gnaw — грызть, глодать), bites steel (и крушит сталь; to bite — кусать, жалить);
Grinds hard stones to meal (мелет тяжелые камни в муку);
Slays king (разит короля; to slay — убивать, уничтожать, лишать жизни), ruins town (разрушает город),
And beats high mountain down (и разбивает/обрушивает высокую гору).
disappointed [ˌdɪsǝˈpɔɪntɪd] hurry [ˈhʌrɪ] devour [dɪˈvaʋǝ] grind [ɡraɪnd]
Gollum was dreadfully disappointed; but Bilbo asked another riddle as quick as ever be could, so that Gollum had to get back into his boat and think.
No-legs lay on one-leg,
two-legs sat near on three-legs,
four-legs got some.
It was not really the right time for this riddle, but Bilbo was in a hurry. Gollum might have had some trouble guessing it, if he had asked it at another time. As it was, talking of fish, “no-legs” was not so very difficult, and after that the rest was easy.
“Fish on a little table, man at table sitting on a stool, the cat has the bones” — that of course is the answer, and Gollum soon gave it. Then he thought the time had come to ask something hard and horrible. This is what he said:
This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down.
Poor Bilbo sat in the dark (бедняжка Бильбо сидел в темноте) thinking of all the horrible names (думая обо всех ужасных именах) of all the giants and ogres (всех тех великанов и людоедов) he had ever heard told of in tales (о каких он когда-либо слышал в сказках), but not one of them had done all these things (но ни один из них не сделал все эти вещи). He had a feeling (у него было такое чувство) that the answer was quite different (что ответ был совершенно другим) and that he ought to know it (и что ему следовало бы знать его), but he could not think of it (но он не мог подумать что это было: «о нем»). He began to get frightened (он уже начал пугаться), and that is bad for thinking (а это плохо для размышлений). Gollum began to get out of his boat (Голлум начал вылезать из своей лодки). He flapped into the water (он шлепнулся в воду) and paddled to the bank (и стал медленно грести к берегу); Bilbo could see his eyes coming towards him (Бильбо мог видеть как его глаза приближаются к нему). His tongue seemed to stick in his mouth (его язык, казалось, прилип к горлу: «в его рту»); he wanted to shout out (он хотел закричать): “Give me more time (дай мне еще времени)! Give me time (дай мне время)!”
But all that came out (но все, что раздалось) with a sudden squeal was (с внезапным воплем, было):
“Time (время)! Time!”
Bilbo was saved by pure luck (Бильбо был спасен по чистому /= чистой воды/ везенью). For that of course was the answer (так как это, конечно, был ответ).
giant [ˈdʒaɪǝnt] ogre [ˈǝʋɡǝ] squeal [skwi: l]
Poor Bilbo sat in the dark thinking of all the horrible names of all the giants and ogres he had ever heard told of in tales, but not one of them had done all these things. He had a feeling that the answer was quite different and that he ought to know it, but he could not think of it. He began to get frightened, and that is bad for thinking. Gollum began to get out of his boat. He flapped into the water and paddled to the bank; Bilbo could see his eyes coming towards him. His tongue seemed to stick in his mouth; he wanted to shout out: “Give me more time! Give me time!” But all that came out with a sudden squeal was:
“Time! Time!”
Bilbo was saved by pure luck. For that of course was the answer.
Gollum was disappointed once more (Голлум был еще раз разочарован); and now he was getting angry (а теперь он еще и начинал сердиться), and also tired of the game (а также устал от игры). It had made him very hungry indeed (от нее он действительно проголодался). This time (на этот раз) he did not go back to the boat (он не вернулся в лодку). He sat down in the dark by Bilbo (он сел в темноте рядом с Бильбо). That made the hobbit most dreadfully uncomfortable (это заставило хоббита почувствовать себя более чем ужасно неуютно) and scattered his wits (и совершенно затуманило его разум; toscatter — разбрасывать, рассеивать).
“It’s got to ask uss a quesstion, my preciouss, yes, yess, yesss (он должен задать нам вопрос, мой драгоценный, да, да, да). Jusst one more quesstion to guess, yes, yess (только еще один вопрос угадать, да, да), ” said Gollum. But Bilbo simply could not think of any question (но Бильбо попросту не мог подумать ни о каком вопросе) with that nasty wet cold thing sitting next to him (когда это отвратительное, мокрое, холодное существо сидело рядом с ним), and pawing (и трогало его лапой) and poking him (и пихало его). He scratched himself (он царапал себя), he pinched himself (он щипал себя); still he could not think of anything (и все же он не мог не о чем подумать).
“Ask us (спрашивай нас)! ask us!” said Gollum.
hungry [ˈhʌŋɡrɪ] paw [pɔ: ] scattered [ˈskætǝd]
Gollum was disappointed once more; and now he was getting angry, and also tired of the game. It had made him very hungry indeed. This time he did not go back to the boat. He sat down in the dark by Bilbo. That made the hobbit most dreadfully uncomfortable and scattered his wits.
“It’s got to ask uss a quesstion, my preciouss, yes, yess, yesss. Jusst one more
quesstion to guess, yes, yess, ” said Gollum. But Bilbo simply could not think of any question with that nasty wet cold thing sitting next to him, and pawing and poking him. He scratched himself, he pinched himself; still he could not think of anything.
“Ask us! ask us!” said Gollum.
Bilbo pinched himself and slapped himself (Бильбо ущипнул себя и шлепнул себя); he gripped on his little sword (он крепко сжал свой маленький меч); he even felt in his pocket (и даже пошарил: «пощупал» в своем кармане) with his other hand (своей другой рукой). There he found the ring (там он нашел то самое колечко) he had picked up in the passage (что он подобрал в проходе) and forgotten about (и забыл о нем).
“What have I got in my pocket (что у меня в кармане)?” he said aloud (спросил он вслух). He was talking to himself (он говорил сам с собой), but Gollum thought it was a riddle (но Голлум подумал, что это была загадка), and he was frightfully upset (и он был ужасно расстроен).
“Not fair (не честно)! not fair!” he hissed (зашипел он). “It isn’t fair, my precious, is it (это не честно, мой драгоценный, так ведь), to ask us what it’s got in its nassty little pocketses (спрашивать нас, что же у него в его противных маленьких кармашках)?”
Bilbo seeing what had happened (Бильбо увидел, что произошло) and having nothing better to ask (и не имея ничего лучше чего спросить) stuck to his question (упорно повторил свой вопрос; tostick (stuck) tosmth — придерживаться чего-либо, быть верным чему-либо).
“What have I got in my pocket (что у меня в кармане)?” he said louder (сказал он громче).
“S-s-s-s-s (с-с-с-с-с), ” hissed Gollum (прошипел Голлум). “It must give us three guesseses (он должен дать нам три попытки; guess—догадка, предположение), my preciouss (мой драгоценный), three guesseses (три попытки). ”
“Very well (очень хорошо)! Guess away (отгадывай)!” said Bilbo. “Handses (руки)!” said Gollum.
“Wrong (неправильно), ” said Bilbo, who had luckily just taken his hand out again (который, к счастью, только что достал свою руку из /кармана/ снова). “Guess again (отгадывай снова)!”
pocket [ˈpɔkɪt] forgotten [fǝˈɡɔtn] fair [feǝ] luckily [ˈlʌkɪlɪ]
Bilbo pinched himself and slapped himself; he gripped on his little sword; he even felt in his pocket with his other hand. There he found the ring he had picked up in the passage and forgotten about.
“What have I got in my pocket?” he said aloud. He was talking to himself, but Gollum thought it was a riddle, and he was frightfully upset.
