After a long time (долгое время спустя) — things lived for ever so long in those days (в те дни существа жили всегда так долго) — they learned to avoid anything that looked like a Leopard or an Ethiopian (они научились избегать всего, что походило на Леопарда или Эфиопа); and bit by bit (и мало-помалу; bit — кусочек) — the Giraffe began it (это начал Жираф), because his legs were the longest (потому что его ноги были самые длинные) — they went away from the High Veldt (они ушли из Высокого Вельда). They scuttled for days and days and days till they came to a great forest (они поспешно удирали дни и дни = много дней, пока не пришли в огромный лес), ‘sclusively full of trees and bushes (‘сключительно полный деревьев и кустов; full — полный) and stripy, speckly, patchy-blatchy shadows (и полосатых, пятнистых, крапчатых теней; stripe — полоса; speck — пятно), and there they hid (и там они спрятались; to hide — прятаться): and after another long time (и спустя еще долгое время), what with standing half in the shade and half out of it (от стояния наполовину в тени, а наполовину вне ее), and what with the slippery-slidy shadows of the trees falling on them (и от скользящих теней деревьев, падающих на них), the Giraffe grew blotchy (Жираф стал пятнистым), and the Zebra grew stripy (а Зебра стала полосатой), and the Eland and the Koodoo grew darker (а Канна и Куду стали темнее), with little wavy grey lines on their backs like bark on a tree trunk (с маленькими волнистыми серыми линиями на их спинах, похожих на кору на древесном стволе); and so, though you could hear them and smell them (и таким образом, хотя вы могли услышать их и учуять их), you could very seldom see them (вы очень редко могли увидеть их), and then only when you knew precisely where to look (и только тогда, когда вы точно знали, куда смотреть).
giraffe [GI'rRf], shadow ['Sxdqu], half [hRf]
After a long time — things lived for ever so long in those days — they learned to avoid anything that looked like a Leopard or an Ethiopian; and bit by bit — the Giraffe began it, because his legs were the longest — they went away from the High Veldt. They scuttled for days and days and days till they came to a great forest, ‘sclusively full of trees and bushes and stripy, speckly, patchy-blatchy shadows, and there they hid: and after another long time, what with standing half in the shade and half out of it, and what with the slippery-slidy shadows of the trees falling on them, the Giraffe grew blotchy, and the Zebra grew stripy, and the Eland and the Koodoo grew darker, with little wavy grey lines on their backs like bark on a tree trunk; and so, though you could hear them and smell them, you could very seldom see them, and then only when you knew precisely where to look.
They had a beautiful time in the ‘sclusively speckly-spickly shadows of the forest (они прекрасно проводили время в ‘сключительно крапчато-рассыпчатых тенях леса), while the Leopard and the Ethiopian ran about over the ‘sclusively greyish-yellowish-reddish High Veldt outside (в то время как Леопард и Эфиоп бегали по ‘сключительно серовато-желтовато-рыжеватому Высокому Вельду), wondering where all their breakfasts and their dinners and their teas had gone (спрашивая себя, куда подевались все их завтраки, и обеды, и ужины). At last they were so hungry (наконец они так проголодались) that they ate rats and beetles and rock-rabbits (что они стали есть крыс, и жуков, и сеноставок[39]), the Leopard and the Ethiopian (Леопард и Эфиоп), and then they had the Big Tummy-ache, both together (а потом у них обоих вместе Сильно разболелись Животики); and then they met Baviaan — the dog-headed, barking Baboon (а потом они встретили Павиана — собакоголового лающего Бабуина), who is Quite the Wisest Animal in All South Africa (который Действительно Наимудрейшее Животное во Всей Южной Африке[40]).
beautiful ['bjHtIful], wonder ['wAndq], animal ['xnImql]
They had a beautiful time in the ‘sclusively speckly-spickly shadows of the forest, while the Leopard and the Ethiopian ran about over the ‘sclusively greyish-yellowish-reddish High Veldt outside, wondering where all their breakfasts and their dinners and their teas had gone. At last they were so hungry that they ate rats and beetles and rock-rabbits, the Leopard and the Ethiopian, and then they had the Big Tummy-ache, both together; and then they met Baviaan — the dog-headed, barking Baboon, who is Quite the Wisest Animal in All South Africa.
Said Leopard to Baviaan (спросил Леопард Павиана) (and it was a very hot day (а это был очень жаркий день)), ‘Where has all the game gone (куда делась вся дичь)?’
And Baviaan winked (а Павиан подмигнул). He knew (он знал).
Said the Ethiopian to Baviaan (спросил Эфиоп Павиана), ‘Can you tell me the present habitat of the aboriginal Fauna (ты можешь сообщить мне нынешнее место распространения туземной Фауны)?’ (That meant just the same thing (это означало то же самое; to mean — значить, означать), but the Ethiopian always used long words (но Эфиоп всегда пользовался длинными словами). He was a grown-up (он был взрослый).)
And Baviaan winked (а Павиан подмигнул). He knew (он знал).
knew [njH], habitat ['hxbItxt], fauna ['fLnq]
Said Leopard to Baviaan (and it was a very hot day), ‘Where has all the game gone?’
And Baviaan winked. He knew.
Said the Ethiopian to Baviaan, ‘Can you tell me the present habitat of the aboriginal Fauna?’ (That meant just the same thing, but the Ethiopian always used long words. He was a grown-up.)
And Baviaan winked. He knew.
Then said Baviaan (тогда сказал Павиан), ‘The game has gone into other spots (дичь ушла в другие места[41] /поиграть в пятнашки/); and my advice to you, Leopard (и мой совет тебе, Леопард), is to go into other spots as soon as you can (уйти в другие места /поиграть в пятнашки/, как можно скорее).’
And the Ethiopian said (а Эфиоп сказал), ‘That is all very fine (все это очень хорошо), but I wish to know (но я желаю знать) whither the aboriginal Fauna has migrated (куда мигрировала туземная Фауна).’
Then said Baviaan (тогда Павиан сказал), ‘The aboriginal Fauna has joined the aboriginal Flora (туземная Фауна присоединилась к туземной Флоре) because it was high time for a change (потому что было уже давно пора для перемены = измениться); and my advice to you, Ethiopian (и мой совет тебе, Эфиоп), is to change as soon as you can (измениться как можно быстрее; to change — изменяться; переодеваться).’
advice [qd'vaIs], whither ['wIDq], aboriginal ["xbq'rIGnql]
Then said Baviaan, ‘The game has gone into other spots; and my advice to you, Leopard, is to go into other spots as soon as you can.’
And the Ethiopian said, ‘That is all very fine, but I wish to know whither the aboriginal Fauna has migrated.’
Then said Baviaan, ‘The aboriginal Fauna has joined the aboriginal Flora because it was high time for a change; and my advice to you. Ethiopian, is to change as soon as you can.’
That puzzled the Leopard and the Ethiopian (это озадачило Леопарда и Эфиопа), but they set off to look for the aboriginal Flora (но они отправились на поиски туземной Флоры), and presently, after ever so many days (и некоторое время спустя, через много-много дней), they saw a great, high, tall forest (они увидели огромный, высокий лес) full of tree trunks all ‘sclusively speckled and sprottled and spottled (полный древесных стволов — все ‘сключительно пятнистые, и пятновые, и пятнастые), dotted and splashed and slashed and hatched and cross-hatched with shadows (в точечку и в пестринку, и в косую черточку, и в штрихах, и в поперечных штрихах от теней). (Say that quickly aloud (скажи это быстро вслух), and you will see how very shadowy the forest must have been (и ты увидишь, насколько очень призрачным, наверное, был лес; shadowy — затененный, неотчетливый, туманный, неясный, смутный; призрачный).)
puzzle [pAzl], quickly ['kwIklI], aloud [q'laud]
That puzzled the Leopard and the Ethiopian, but they set off to look for the aboriginal Flora, and presently, after ever so many days, they saw a great, high, tall forest full of tree trunks all ‘sclusively speckled and sprottled and spottled, dotted and splashed and slashed and hatched and cross-hatched with shadows. (Say that quickly aloud, and you will see how very shadowy the forest must have been.)
‘What is this (что это такое),’ said the Leopard (спросил Леопард), ‘that is so ‘sclusively dark (что так ‘сключительно темно), and yet so full of little pieces of light (и тем не менее такое полное = так много маленьких кусочков света = световых пятен)?’
‘I don’t know (/я/ не знаю),’ said the Ethiopian (сказал Эфиоп), ‘but it ought to be the aboriginal Flora (но это должно быть туземной Флорой). I can smell Giraffe (я чую Жирафа), and I can hear Giraffe (и я слышу Жирафа), but I can’t see Giraffe (но я не вижу Жирафа).’
‘That’s curious (это любопытно),’ said the Leopard (сказал Леопард). ‘I suppose it is because we have just come in out of the sunshine (я полагаю, что это из-за того, что мы только что вошли с солнечного света). I can smell Zebra (я чую Зебру), and I can hear Zebra (и я слышу Зебру), but I can’t see Zebra (но я не вижу Зебры).’
piece [pJs], light [laIt], curious ['kjuqrIqs]
‘What is this,’ said the Leopard, ‘that is so ‘sclusively dark, and yet so full of little pieces of light?’
‘I don’t know,’ said the Ethiopian, ‘but it ought to be the aboriginal Flora. I can smell Giraffe, and I can hear Giraffe, but I can’t see Giraffe.’
‘That’s curious,’ said the Leopard. ‘I suppose it is because we have just come in out of the sunshine. I can smell Zebra, and I can hear Zebra, but I can’t see Zebra.’
‘Wait a bit (подожди чуток),’ said the Ethiopian (сказал Эфиоп). ‘It’s a long time since we’ve hunted ‘em[42] (прошло много времени с тех пор, как мы охотились на них). Perhaps we’ve forgotten what they were like (возможно, мы забыли, как они выглядят).’
‘Fiddle!’ said the Leopard (чепуха! — сказал Леопард; fiddle /разг./ скрипка; вздор, чепуха). ‘I remember them perfectly on the High Veldt (я прекрасно помню их на Высоком Вельде), especially their marrow-bones (особенно их мозговые косточки). Giraffe is about seventeen feet high (Жираф около пяти метров[43] высотой), of a ‘sclusively fulvous golden-yellow from head to heel (‘сключительно бурого золотисто-желтого /цвета/ с головы до пят); and Zebra is about four and a half feet high (а Зебра около четырех с половиной футов[44] высоты), of a ‘sclusively grey-fawn colour from head to heel (‘сключительно серо-желтовато-коричневого цвета с головы до пят).’
forgotten [fq'gOtqn], perfectly ['pWfIktlI], especially [Is'peSqlI]
‘Wait a bit,’ said the Ethiopian. ‘It’s a long time since we’ve hunted ‘em. Perhaps we’ve forgotten what they were like.’
‘Fiddle!’ said the Leopard. ‘I remember them perfectly on the High Veldt, especially their marrow-bones. Giraffe is about seventeen feet high, of a ‘sclusively fulvous golden-yellow from head to heel; and Zebra is about four and a half feet high, of a ‘sclusively grey-fawn colour from head to heel.’
‘Umm,’ said the Ethiopian (м-да, — сказал Эфиоп), looking into the speckly-spickly shadows of the aboriginal Flora-forest (вглядываясь в пятнисто-пятнашные тени леса с туземной Флорой). ‘Then they ought to show up in this dark place like ripe bananas in a smoke-house (тогда они должны бросаться в глаза в этом темном месте, как спелые бананы в коптильне; to show up — четко выделяться).’
