МЛЕЧНЫЙ ПУТЬ №3, 2016(18) - Татьяна Васильевна Адаменко

There are dogs out of every nations,

The Irish, the Welsh and the Dane,

The Russian, the Dutch, the Dalmatian,

And even from China and Spain;

The Poodle, the Pom, the Alsatian

And the mastiff who walks on a chain.

And to those that are frisky and frollical

Let my meaning be perfectly plain:

That my name it is Little Tom Pollical –

And you’d better not do it again.

There are dogs that are sniffy and curious,

There are dogs that are drowsy and dumb;

There are dogs that are sleeky and spurious,

There are dogs that are mimsy and mum.

There are dogs that are frantic and furious –

And I say of such: let ‘em all come.

And to those that are rowdy and rollical

Let my meaning be perfectly plain:

That my name it is Little Tom Pollical –

And you’d better not do it again.

There are dogs that are frowsy and frumpious,

There are dogs that are freaky and frail;

There are dogs that are growly and grumpious,

There are dogs that are puny and pale.

But I say, if you’re surly and scrumpious,

Just you tread on the tip of my tail!

For my meaning is not amphibolical

And I’d like it to be very plain

That my name it is Little Tom Pollicle

And you’d better not do it again.

For my motto is still cave canem –

That’s the cry of the Pollicle Clan,

And our words we’ll not stop to explain ‘em,

But bark ‘em as loud as we can.

For the way to show how you disdain ‘em

Is to bark at dog, devil and man.

And be ye the most diabolical

Of what diabolic may be –

Yet my name it is Little Tom Pollical,

And WHA MAUN MEDDLE WI’ ME?

Жил у вдовы любимый кот,

Прелестное созданье;

Мышей и крыс он жрал и жрет,

Округлым стал его живот,

Лишь нрав – вдове страданье.

С лисою – не разлей вода,

Ни шагу друг без друга;

Ночами для ягнят – беда:

Шерсть – на базар, друзьям – еда,

И в страхе вся округа.

Он кружевной порвал чепец,

Когтей – дай Бог не ведать;

И петушку придет конец,

Не пискнет ни один птенец –

Лисе пора обедать.

Был мудр и прост вдовы указ:

Бесстыдник разыгрался!

Унять зачинщика проказ! –

Кот дерзостным набором фраз

На это отозвался:

«Ужель меня, презрев закон,

Сравнят с хорьком коварным?

Я сеял смерть, и рев, и стон,

Врагам устроил угомон –

Заморским и амбарным!

Как часто фрукты защищал

Твои в пылу сраженья?

А то, что чепчик разодрал,

Так то шутя, я ж не вандал,

Достоин уваженья».

Сказала тут вдова: «Постой!

Знавала пустозвонов!

Твой славный опыт боевой –

Повсюду учинять разбой

Под сению законов.

За это я тебя прощу.

Но как ты мог из крынки

Стащить сметанку – не шучу! –

И, уподобившись рвачу,

Продать ее на рынке?!

Какие наглость, и обман,

Нахальство, словоблудие!

Тебе нет веры, басурман,

Довольно! Ну-ка, Доберман,

Вершите правосудие!»

A widow kept a favourite cat,

At first a gentle creature;

But when he was grown sleek and fat,

With many a mouse, and many a rat,

Ye soon disclosed his nature.

The fox and he were friends of old,

Nor could they now be parted;

They nightly slunk to rob the fold,

Devoured the lambs, the fleeces sold,

And puss grew lion-hearted.

He scratched her maid, he stole the cream,

He tore her best laced pinner;

Nor Chanticleer upon the beam,

Nor chick, nor duckling 'scapes, when Grim

Invites the fox to dinner.

The dame full wisely did decree,

For fear he should dispatch more,

That the false wretch should worried be:

But in a saucy manner he

Thus speeched it like a Lechmere.

'Must I, against all right and law,

Like pole-cat vile be treated?

I! who so long with tooth and claw

Have kept domestic mice in awe,

And foreign foes defeated!

'Your golden pippins, and your pies,

How oft have I defended?

'Tis true, the pinner which you prize

I tore in frolic; to your eyes

I never harm intended.

'I am a cat of honor – ' 'Stay'

Quoth she, 'no