Читать книгу Tricks of Madam Baba-Yaga - Сергей Чаров - Страница 3

Well, granny, will we stop over this ground?

Yes, let’s look around.

And what to look for? Dry land,

You need to pour it, that’s for what we stand.

Just, my granny, I always forget to ask,

Why did people stop loving us?

I do not understand what you mean.

How is it?

Well,

Here we are, we water and spray,

And they hide from us and run away.

No matter, whether it’s raining hard or not —

No joyful faces to be caught.

But before, you remember, they had a tradition

Their walks under rain were the best recognition.

Well, when they sleep at night – I understand,

Or when it’s autumn with cold breath and hand.

But in summer sunny days why don’t they want

To dance in the downpour pond?

Oh… You remembered the most ancient times…

They came here almost naked those times,

They didn’t wear expensive tissues

And were not afraid to tear them.

And now even at night, they dress with flirtation…

They call this to be civilization.

So they try not to get wet, when it’s raining,

And then they have to make clothes draining.

Why did they create those problems?

Because now who is who

They determine by clothes.

If they meet, as they say, a well-dressed person,

This human being by default is awesome.

And a person in a poor outfit or barefoot,

is considered, respectively, bad. Understood?

And such kind of relations

Is in all countries without exception?

No, of course.

Here are just now under us

Two states disclaiming these rules and fuss.

Here people do not notice the difference

In professions, or ranks, or significance.

Hear! Hear! I remember these places.

All people here have so sincere faces!

In other places, almost every day brings changes,

And here, as before, everything is changeless.

They go to each other’s place,

Give gifts, and smiling they embrace.

Only it’s not clear what can be so often gifted,

As it can make their well-being shifted!

Come on, granddaughter,

let’s do the work,

And only after that we’ll talk.

And I’ll explain to you the essence

of your confusion about presents…

Well, we worked hard and sound!

Look, how everything’s shining around!

It’s nice, when work brings you pleasure,

And its benefits for others can be measured.

After our abundant watering deeds

Everything got water that it needs

Everyone in need of life-giving water

was not missed; no one was forgotten.

Yes, my granny, everyone is pleased,

But you promised to explain about gifts.

Ah-ah… Then listen, my granddaughter

And catch what is important.

In the kingdom and the czardom different

matters are involved,

The division of labor it is called.

The King with the Queen like to go for mushrooms and berries,

And the Tsar with the Tsarina while fishing feel merry.

And most importantly, no one remembers, why

the Tailor lives on a low bank, and Shoemaker – on high one

And they began to live in countries with different view,

In the kingdom they began to make boots, and in the czardom to sew.

Well, I still don’t understand,

How does it with presents stand?

Strange… Somewhere you’re on the move,

And in such a simple matter your brain is removed.

Let’s take an example:

The King with the Queen made a visit.

What did they take? Make it explicit.

Pickles-jams of all sorts, forest gifts.

You are right.

And what is the czardom full of for a gift?

Open pies, kulebiakas…

Well, in general, fish pies are gifts.

Exactly.

And also they can take as a gift

Their craftsmen’s masterpiece.

King and Queen – clothes from their Tailor,

And the Tsar with the Tsarina – shoes from their Shoemaker.

Oh! Now I understand why they feel so free

To visit each other whenever they like and agree.

How interesting they veiled the natural exchange!

Finally understood! That’s it!

As they say about us, «thick as thieves»,

The same words are suitable for these people.

Only Babe Yaga, this wild creature

Can destroy this idyllic picture.

And maybe she will not come here at all,

As she had never been to this part of the world.

Unlikely.

Very few places remain on the ground,

Where her face was never found.

And besides, she has an eye for the kindness,

If there’s no evil, she always does not like this.

And how many misfortunes does she bring to people?

Case by case, because all people are different

And the ideas of life are so wide:

Where some people could laugh – others cried.

Desires and aspirations are also different,

In dreams, someone imagines a gray horse, and someone – red,

But who is grateful for what he has —

Their consciousness Baba-yaga will never possess.

Only in life of people sold on money-possession,

She takes frequent participation.

There are still, the moments for many around,

When Baba-yaga is wandering the nearby ground.

To surrender to her magic…

But this has no end, no start – it is tragic

Ah… What did I say! Do you hear?

Speak of the devil and he will appear!

Yes… It’s unlucky for the locals today,

Soon the problems will appear on their way.

I wonder, what do you think, who is the first

With whom will the disaster start to burst?

Quite possibly, with the King.

He always gets up with the first sunbeam.

I know. He is precise like clock,

Every day at dawn he goes for a walk.

Someone likes the evening darkness, another likes day light,

Someone likes to wander through alleys at night.

For me the best thing in the world – to leave in early morning,

To meet the sunrise, the awakening of the world.

Leave my footprint on the dewy grass,

As I, barefoot, through my land pass,

And listen as the sounds bound,

And see the joy that reigns around,

And fills my heart.

Eh! Well, how nice it’s to live in this world!

Only the sun today too brightly shines.

It has been raining for some time, and now it’s hot,

How hot will be further, if even now there’s no cold spot!

It’s time to rush into the river

And swim there until evening.

I’d like to drink something…

Oh! How nice that we left the compote here yesterday.

How skillful my Queen is —

A simple compote, but like nectar it seems!

May be… Indeed to call my wife

And go swimming with her and in the sun to lie.

Only in shallow water, where she chooses the place,

Always I’m bored with the limited space!

Oh… If only my beauty could swim…

We’d have so much fun, didn’t prim.

Who is faster we would like to peep

And would dive into depth from the steep.

May be, I’m a bad teacher with no strain,

I educated, and trained her, all in vain.

Neither breaststroke she can swim, nor the crawl…

And butterfly stroke all the more.

At first, she showed some kind of interest,

And then this wish was gone for some reason.

Though, maybe she’s just shy,

That what I show she can’t apply.

Hello, Petr Sergeevich!

Ah! Hello, hello, Evseich!

Why did you get up so early?

I heard

The queen yesterday drowned her shoes.

So I came early to find out,

Maybe we should like to have a new one?

Well, not shoes, only one shoe by the stream

Was thrown away when she set in the beams

on the bridge; then she got it herself…

How! Not knowing how to swim or dive?!

Oh! Yes, she did not even wet her dress,

When she went into water for the shoe access.

She reached almost the middle of the river,

took the shoe off the snag, and said with no shiver:

«With our growth, that we have with you,

Only in the sea you need swim skill to reach.

And passing our river by wading

Is the same as crossing it by bridge».

But there are just whirlpools all around!

Oh! Just do not say to her it out loud!

Knowing this is not so admirable…

And about the whirlpools it is, too, undesirable.

She’ll be afraid of water like the plague,

And why should I her worried make?

I know all the shallows in the river,

So I let her go alone with no shiver.

But how much joy she had in her eyes,

That she managed herself to get the shoe at once!

You have foreseen all in advance…

After all, one can drown in a bath.

Well, this is already

philosophy, on this topic

I will be happy in the evening to be talking,

And now, excuse me, I have to work, so bye.

Of course, Evseich, have a nice day, bye!

So… And now what is my beloved doing?

Ah! Probably, she is exploring her wardrobe.

Looking for a walk dress —

Is her daily stress.

Honey, where are you?

I’m here, darling!

I have such a trouble!

I feel so down…

Come here, my dear, calm down.

Strange people are these women: whatever happens,

Everything is breaking their balance.

And now, probably, nothing new,

Nonsense, I remember just a few.

Hmm, maybe half of the dresses roted…

And she just this event spotted,

She even didn’t wear most of dresses,

She puts on just new things and then displaces them.

Here, take a look at my cloth!

My whole mantle was eaten with a moth!

Well, probably, she did eat it…

Yeah, it ate it!

Look – not a single undamaged hair!