swan [swɒn], hasten [‘heɪsən]
And the princess floated down the mill-stream, sometimes swimming and sometimes sinking, till she came near the mill. Now, the miller’s daughter was cooking that day, and needed water for her cooking. And as she went to draw it from the stream, she saw something floating towards the mill-dam, and she called out, ‘Father! father! draw your dam. There’s something white – a merrymaid or a milk-white swan – coming down the stream.’ So the miller hastened to the dam and stopped the heavy, cruel mill-wheels. And then they took out the princess and laid her on the bank.
Fair and beautiful (светлой и прекрасной; fair – красивый, прекрасный /обычно о женщинах/; светлый, белокурый) she looked as she lay there (она выглядела, пока она лежала = лежа там; to lie – лежать). In her golden hair were pearls and precious stones (в ее золотых волосах были жемчуга и драгоценные камни); you could not see her waist for her golden girdle (ты не мог = невозможно было видеть ее талию за ее золотым поясом), and the golden fringe of her white dress (и золотая кайма ее белого платья) came down over her lily feet (спускалась над ее лилейными ножками; foot – нога /ступня/). But she was drowned, drowned (но она была утонувшая, утонувшая)!
And as she lay there in her beauty (и когда она лежала там в своей красоте) a famous harper passed by the mill-dam of Binnorie (знаменитый арфист проходил мимо мельничной запруды Биннори), and saw her sweet pale face (и увидел ее нежное, бледное лицо). And though he travelled on far away (и хотя он продолжал путешествовать очень далеко: «далеко прочь»), he never forgot that face (он никогда/вовсе не забыл это лицо), and after many days he came back to the bonny mill-stream of Binnorie (и после многих дней = много дней спустя он вернулся к прекрасному мельничному потоку Биннори). But then all he could find of her (но тогда все, что он мог найти от нее) where they had put her to rest (где они положили ее на покой) were her bones and her golden hair (были ее кости и ее золотые волосы).
precious [‘preʃəs], girdle [‘ɡɜ:dl], fringe [frɪnʤ]
Fair and beautiful she looked as she lay there. In her golden hair were pearls and precious stones; you could not see her waist for her golden girdle, and the golden fringe of her white dress came down over her lily feet. But she was drowned, drowned!
And as she lay there in her beauty a famous harper passed by the mill-dam of Binnorie, and saw her sweet pale face. And though he travelled on far away, he never forgot that face, and after many days he came back to the bonny mill-stream of Binnorie. But then all he could find of her where they had put her to rest were her bones and her golden hair.
So he made a harp out of her breast-bone and her hair (так что он сделал арфу из ее грудной кости и ее волос), and travelled on (и отправился дальше) up the hill from the mill-dam of Binnorie (вверх по холму от мельничной запруды Биннори) till he came to the castle of the king her father (пока он не пришел к замку короля, ее отца).
That night they were all gathered (той ночью они все собрались: «были все собраны») in the castle hall (в замковом зале) to hear the great harper (чтобы услышать великого арфиста) – king and queen, their daughter and son, Sir William, and all their Court (король и королева, их дочь и сын, сэр Уильям и весь их двор). And first the harper sang to his old harp (и сперва арфист пел под свою старую арфу), making them joy and be glad (заставляя их радоваться и быть довольными), or sorrow and weep (или печалиться и рыдать), just as he liked (прямо как он хотел = по своей воле). But while he sang (но пока он пел), he put the harp he had made that day (он поставил арфу, которую он сделал в тот день) on a stone in the hall (на камень в зале). And presently it began to sing by itself (и некоторое время спустя она начала петь сама собой), low and clear (тихо и ясно), and the harper stopped and all were hushed (и арфист остановился, и все замолкли: «были заставлены замолчать»).
breast [brest], gather [‘ɡæðǝ], presently [‘prezǝntlɪ]
So he made a harp out of her breast-bone and her hair, and travelled on up the hill from the mill-dam of Binnorie till he came to the castle of the king her father.
That night they were all gathered in the castle hall to hear the great harper – king and queen, their daughter and son, Sir William, and all their Court. And first the harper sang to his old harp, making them joy and be glad, or sorrow and weep, just as he liked. But while he sang, he put the harp he had made that day on a stone in the hall. And presently it began to sing by itself, low and clear, and the harper stopped and all were hushed.
And this is what the harp sang (и вот что пела арфа):
‘O yonder sits my father, the king (о, там сидит мой отец, король),
Binnorie, O Binnorie;
And yonder sits my mother, the queen (а там сидит моя мать, королева);
By the bonny mill-dams o’ Binnorie (у прекрасных мельничных запруд Биннори).
‘And yonder stands my brother Hugh (а там стоит мой брат Хью),
Binnorie, O Binnorie;
And by him my William, false and true (и подле него мой Уильям, неверный и верный);
By the bonny mill-dams o’ Binnorie.’
Hugh [hju:], false [fɔ:ls]
And this is what the harp sang:
‘O yonder sits my father, the king,
Binnorie, O Binnorie;
And yonder sits my mother, the queen;
By the bonny mill-dams o’ Binnorie.
‘And yonder stands my brother Hugh,
Binnorie, O Binnorie;
And by him my William, false and true;
By the bonny mill-dams o’ Binnorie.’
Then they all wondered (тогда они все удивились), and the harper told them how he had seen (и арфист сказал им, как он раньше видел; Past Perfect) the princess lying drowned on the bank (принцессу, лежащую утонувшей на берегу) near the bonny mill-dams o’ Binnorie (близ прекрасных мельничных запруд Биннори), and how he had afterwards made his harp out of her hair and breast-bone (и как он впоследствии сделал свою арфу из ее волос и грудной кости). Just then the harp began singing again (прямо тогда арфа начала петь снова), and this is what it sang out loud and clear (и вот что она пропела громко и ясно):
‘And there sits my sister who drowned me (а там сидит моя сестра, которая утопила меня)
By the bonny mill-dams o’ Binnorie.’
And the harp snapped and broke, and never sang more (и /тут/ арфа треснула и разбилась, и никогда/вовсе не пела больше; to break – разбиться).
broke [brəʋk] от break [breɪk], afterwards [‘ɑ:ftǝwǝdz]
Then they all wondered, and the harper told them how he had seen the princess lying drowned on the bank near the bonny mill-dams o’ Binnorie, and how he had afterwards made his harp out of her hair and breast-bone. Just then the harp began singing again, and this is what it sang out loud and clear:
‘And there sits my sister who drowned me
By the bonny mill-dams o’ Binnorie.’
And the harp snapped and broke, and never sang more.
