Книга бессмыслицы

8

There was an Old Man with a gong (с гонгом),

Who bumped at it all day long (ударял по нему весь день);

But they called out (но они /люди, кто-то/ закричали), 'O law (О, силы: «закон»)!

You're a horrid old bore (ужасный /противный/ старый зануда)!

So they smashed (и потому они разбили /в лепешку, вдребезги/) that Old Man with a gong.

There was an Old Man with a gong,

Who bumped at it all day long;

But they called out, 'O law!

You're a horrid old bore!

So they smashed that Old Man with a gong.

9

There was an Old Lady of Chertsey,

Who made a remarkable curtsey (которая сделала удивительный: «примечательный» реверанс);

She twirled round and round (завертелась вокруг и вокруг),

Till she sunk underground ([до тех пор] пока [не] погрузилась под землю; sink — погружаться, тонуть),

Which distressed all the people (что /крайне/ огорчило всех людей) of Chertsey.

There was an Old Lady of Chertsey,

Who made a remarkable curtsey;

She twirled round and round,

Till she sunk underground,

Which distressed all the people of Chertsey.

10

There was an Old Man in a tree (в /на/ дереве),

Who was horribly (ужасно) bored by a Bee («наскучен пчелой» = которому ужасно надоедала, к которому страшнот приставала пчела);

When they said (когда сказали = спросили), 'Does it buzz? (она жужжит?)

He replied (он ответил), 'Yes, it does (да, жужжит)! :

'It's a regular brute of a Bee (это зверь-пчела: «настоящая грубая скотина»)!

There was an Old Man in a tree,

Who was horribly bored by a Bee;

When they said, 'Does it buzz?

He replied, 'Yes, it does!

'It's a regular brute of a Bee!

11

There was an Old Man with a flute (с флейтой),

A sarpint ran into his boot (змий вполз в его ботинок; sarpint (устар.) = serpent; run — бежать);

But he played day and night (играл день и ночь),

Till the sarpint took flight (обратился в бегство; take — брать),

And avoided (избегал) that man with a flute.

There was an Old Man with a flute,

A sarpint ran into his boot;

But he played daay and night,

Till the sarpint took flight,

And avoided that man with a flute.

12

There was a Young Lady whose chin (чей подбородок),

Resembled the point of a pin (напоминал кончик булавки);

So she had it made sharp (так что = поэтому она сделала его острым, заострила),

And purchased a harp (приобрела арфу),

And played several tunes (играла несколько /целый ряд/ мелодий) with her chin (своим подбородком).

There was a Young Lady whose chin,

Resembled the point of a pin;

So she had it made sharp,

And purchased a harp,

And played several tunes with her chin.

13

There was an Old Man of Kilkenny (город в Северной Ирландии),

Who never had more than a penny (никогда не имел больше, чем пенни);

He spent all that money (потратил все те деньги),

In onions and honey (на лук и мёд),

That wayward (своенравный) Old Man of Kilkenny.

There was an Old Man of Kilkenny,

Who never had more than a penny;

He spent all that money,

In onions and honey,

That wayward Old Man of Kilkenny.

14

There was an Old Person of Ischia (город в Италии),

Whose conduct grew friskier and friskier (поведение становилось все игривее, резвее; grow — расти, увеличиваться; frisk — прыжок, скачок);

He danced hornpipes and jigs (танцевал хорнпайпы и джиги; hornpipe: «рожковыйсвисток, дудка» — волынка; английскийматросскийтанец),

And ate thousands of figs (ел тысячи фиг; eat — есть, кушать),

That lively (полный жизни, энергичный) Old Person of Ischia.

There was an Old Person of Ischia,

Whose conduct grew friskier and friskier;

He danced hornpipes and jigs,

And ate thousands of figs,

That lively Old Person of Ischia.

15

There was an Old Man in a boat (в лодке),