Книга бессмыслиц

by Edward Lear
translated by Mark Freidkin
foreword by Nina Demurova

In the first post-Soviet year, when we had no money and were surviving being permanently drunk on new, as we thought, freedom, I bought this book from a rickety stall somewhere in the vicinity of Park Kultury metro station. I loved it so much that I kept returning to that stall, so many of my friends and colleagues have got it as a gift. Some of its limericks (or parts thereof), in Russian translation, became our cultural references that stood the test of time.

A few years later, already in Leeds, I got hold of Edward Lear’s Complete Nonsense, a gorgeous edition by the Folio Society, with a preface by Quentin Blake. I just took this volume down from the shelf for a reference. To my surprise, I discovered inside a receipt from the now-defunct Austicks book shop where I, apparently, purchased this book on 21 January 1997 for a princely sum of £9.

Another amazing find, this time thanks to Wikipedia: the translator, Mark Freidkin (Марк Иехиельевич Фрейдкин, 1953—2014), turned out to be the Mark Freidkin, a bard whose songs I’ve been enjoying since 2000^*. Now, for the first time (!) looking at those limericks side by side, I have to say that I prefer some of Freidkin’s translations to the originals. For instance:

There was a Young Lady of Sweden, Who went by the slow rain to Weedon; When they cried, ‘Weedon Station!’ She made no observation But thought she should go back to Sweden.	Молодая особа из Итона Села в поезд, идущий до Видона. Но приехавши в Видон, Поняла, что на вид он Очень мало отличен от Итона.

The translator does away with Sweden and rhymes Weedon not only with Eaton but also with на вид он, “it looks like”. Sending the Young Lady back where she came from is not really funny: after all, Lear does that to many of his characters. Instead, Freidkin creates his own punchline: Weedon isn’t much different from Eaton. Just another bloody English town.

Here are some more:

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.	Музыкальный старик на Меконге Без конца упражнялся на гонге. Все кричат: «Где закон, Чтоб такие, как он, День и ночь не играли на гонге?»
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.	Непутёвый старик из Килкенни Зарабатывал в день по два пенни. Этот скромный доход Лишь на лук и на мёд Тратил вздорный старик из Килкенни.
There was a Young Lady of Portugal, Whose ideas were excessively nautical: She climbed up a tree, To examine the sea, But declared she would never leave Portugal.	Молодая особа из Фриско По натуре была маринистка. Взгромоздясь на сосну, Знай глядит на волну, Но не хочет уехать из Фриско.
There was an Old Person of Dover, Who rushed through a field of blue Clover; But some very large bees, Stung his nose and his knees, So he very soon went back to Dover.	Прыткий джентльмен, приехавший с севера, Побежал через заросли клевера, Но отнюдь не учёл Агрессивности пчёл, Оказавшихся в зарослях клевера.
There was an Old Person of Philæ, Whose conduct was scroobious and wily; He rushed up a Palm, When the weather was calm, And observed all the ruins of Philæ.	Скрупулительный джентльмен из Фила Вел себя непонятно, но мило. Он взбирался на пальму И, сколь можно, детально Изучал все окрестности Фила.
There was an Old Man who said, ‘Hush! I perceive a young bird in this bush!’ When they said, ‘Is it small?’ He replied, ‘Not at all! It is four times as big as the bush!’	«Тише! — крикнул старик из Кордобы, — Там щебечет птенец средь чащобы!» «Он совсем ещё мал?» «Я бы так не сказал! Он раз в пять больше этой чащобы!»
There was an old person of Wick, Who said, ‘Tick-a-Tick, Tick-a-Tick; Chickabee, Chickabaw,’ And he said nothing more, That laconic old person of Wick.	Лаконичный старик из-под Ниццы Произнес: «Ламца-ца́, дри́ца, дри́ца. Ламцаца́, дрицаца́», И с тех пор ни словца Не промолвил старик из-под Ниццы.
There was an old person of Filey, Of whom his acquaintance spoke highly; He danced perfectly well, To the sound of a bell, And delighted the people of Filey.	Обаятельный джентльмен с Тортуги Широко был известен в округе. Он под «дон-диги-дон» Мог сплясать ригодон, Чем пленял населенье Тортуги.
There was an old person of Ware, Who rode on the back of a bear: When they ask’d, — ‘Does it trot?’ — He said ‘Certainly not! He’s a Moppsikon Floppsikon bear!’	Рассудительный джентльмен в Майнхеде Разъезжал на косматом медведе. Все кричат: «Вы б, ей-Богу, Не пускались в дорогу На таком масипастом медведе!»
There was an old person of Pinner, As thin as a lath, if not thinner; They dressed him in white, And roll’d him up tight, That elastic old person of Pinner.	Эластичный старик из Эстонии Тонок был, как доска, коль не тонее. Ему дали лимон, И скатали в рулон, И послали обратно в Эстонию.

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*	In retrospect, I should have guessed — there are not that many Freidkins in the world. And only a true wordsmith would come up with gems such as «он шёл по жизни напролом с раскрытым Мандельштамом» or «надо экстренно послать Израиль Нетаньяху». Genius.