Английские легенды / The English Legends

children – дети

finger – палец

forty – сорок

grand-children – внуки

ring – кольцо

snow – снег

still – ещё

time – время

wish – желание

yet – пока

* * *

The years went by, their children grew up, but the farmer still kept his wish. Sometimes his wife spoke to him about it, but he always answered,

“No, no, my dear. We have still a lot of time. We must not use our wishing ring yet.”

At last she saw that she couldn't make him use the ring and gave up speaking about it. Though the farmer often looked at his ring and even turned it on his finger, he never said a wish. Thirty, forty years went by. The farmer and his wife grew old, their hair was white as snow.

And so they lived happily on till one day, when they both died together, at the same time. Their children and grand-children stood around them and cried.

* * *

Младший сын wanted снять кольцо с пальца отца as a remembrance, но старший сын сказал:

«Нет, не забирай ring. Пусть наш дорогой отец keep его. Оно ему так нравилось. И мама тоже часто looked на него. Возможно, она once подарила его отцу, когда они были young».

Поэтому они оставили кольцо на пальце old фермера, который всегда думал, что это кольцо исполнения желаний, хотя это было не так. И всё же кольцо принесло ему столько happiness, сколько только мог пожелать человек. Действительно, плохая thing в хороших руках лучше, чем хорошая thing в плохих руках.

as a remembrance – на память

happiness – счастье

keep – хранить

look – смотреть, поглядывать

old – старый

once – однажды

ring – кольцо

thing – вещь

want – хотеть

young – молодой

* * *

The youngest son wanted to take the ring from the father's finger as a remembrance; but the eldest son said,

“No, don't take the ring. Let our dear Father keep it. He liked it so much. And Mother also often looked at it. Perhaps she once gave it to Father, when they were young.”

So they left the ring on the finger of the old farmer, who always thought it was a wishing ring, though it was not. And yet the ring had brought him as much happiness as a man could wish. Indeed, a bad thing in good hands is better than a good thing in bad hands.

Леди Годива

Около 900 лет назад в Рыночный день в английском городе Ковентри, расположенном в центре графства Мидлендс, произошло extraordinary событие.

Леди Годива была wife графа Леофрика Мерсийского, одного из самых powerful людей в Англии. Граф Леофрик был одним из all-powerful лордов, правивших Англией при датском короле Кануте. Леди Годива была wealthy и влиятельной женщиной. Она сама по себе была богатой landowner, и одним из её самых valuable владений был Ковентри. Леофрик был тираном, он tyrannised Церковь и не придерживался тех же религиозных convictions, что его жена.

all-powerful – всемогущий

convictions – убеждения

extraordinary – необычайный

landowner – землевладелица

powerful – могущественный

tyrannise – тиранить, притеснять

valuable – ценный

wealthy – богатый

wife – жена

Lady Godiva

Some 900 years ago an extraordinary occurrence took place on Market Day in the English midlands town of Coventry.

Lady Godiva was the wife of Earl Leofric of Mercia, one of the most powerful men in England. Earl Leofric was one of the all-powerful lords who ruled England under the Danish King Canute. Lady Godiva was a wealthy and powerful woman. She was a rich landowner in her own right and one of her most valuable properties was Coventry.

Leofric was a tyrant, he tyrannised the Church and did not hold the same religious convictions as his wife.

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