Оскар Уайльд - Сказки / Fairy Tales

In the morning the Magician came to him, and said,

‘If today you don’t bring me the piece of yellow gold, I will surely keep you as my slave, and give you three hundred stripes.’

So the Star-Child went to the wood, and all day long he searched for the piece of yellow gold. But he could find it nowhere. At sunset he sat down and began to weep. Soon the little Hare came to him.

The Hare said to him,

‘Why do you weep? And what do you seek in the wood?’

The Star-Child answered,

‘I look for a piece of yellow gold. If I don’t find it my master will beat me, and keep me surely as a slave.’

‘Follow me,’ cried the Hare.

It ran through the wood till it came to a river. At the bottom of the river there was the piece of yellow gold.

‘How shall I thank you?’ said the Star-Child, ‘for lo! You succour me for the second time.’

‘But you had pity on me first,’ said the Hare, and ran away swiftly.

The Star-Child took the piece of yellow gold, and put it in his wallet, and hurried to the city. But the leper saw him again, and ran to meet him, and knelt down and cried,

‘Give me a piece of money or I shall die of hunger.’

The Star-Child said to him,

‘I have in my wallet but one piece of yellow gold. If I don’t bring it to my master he will beat me and keep me as his slave.’

But the leper entreated him sore, so that the Star-Child had pity on him, and gave him the piece of yellow gold.

When the Star-Child came to the Magician’s house, the Magician opened to him, and said to him,

‘Do you have the piece of yellow gold?’

And the Star-Child said to him,

‘No, I don’t have it.’

So the Magician beat him, and loaded him with chains, and cast him again into the dungeon.

In the morning the Magician came to him, and said,

‘If today you bring me the piece of red gold I will set you free [17] I will set you free – я освобожу тебя . But if you don’t bring it I will slay you.’

So the Star-Child went to the wood, and all day long he searched for the piece of red gold. But he could find it nowhere. At evening he sat down and wept. Again the little Hare came to him.

The Hare said to him,

‘The piece of red gold that you seek is in the cavern that is behind you. Therefore weep no more but be glad.’

‘How shall I reward you?’ cried the Star-Child, ‘for lo! You succour me for the third time.’

‘But you had pity on me first,’ said the Hare, and ran away swiftly.

The Star-Child entered the cavern, and in its farthest corner he found the piece of red gold. So he put it in his wallet, and hurried to the city. And the leper saw him again, stood in the centre of the road, and cried out, and said to him,

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once upon a time – однажды

Why doesn’t the Government look to it? – Куда только смотрит правительство?

I don’t care – меня не волнует

were quite stiff with rime – заиндевели

they did not mind – они не обращали внимания

let us leave it here – давай оставим его здесь

will have care of it – позаботится о нём

changeling – подкидыш

chain of amber – янтарное ожерелье

made jest of them – высмеивал их

they drove him out – они выгнали его

it does not matter – это не имеет значения

went down into the plain – пошёл по долине

halberds – алебарды

old and evil-visaged man – старик с дьявольским выражением лица

I will beat you with a hundred stripes – я дам тебе сотню ударов плетью

I will set you free – я освобожу тебя