Чистый nonsense

There was an Old Man who felt pert
When he wore a pale rose-coloured shirt.
When they said, ‘Is it pleasant?’
He cried, ‘Not at present —
It’s a leetle too short – is my shirt!’

Проявлявший дурные замашки,

Был старик в розоватой рубашке.
На вопрос: «Как одёжка?»
«Мала вата немножко!» —
Горлопанничал старец в рубашке.
* * *
There was an Old Person of Paxo,
Which complained when the fleas bit his back so;
But they gave him a chair,
And impelled him to swear,
Which relieved that Old Person of Paxo.

Блохи мучили старца на Паксо.

Как истошно вопил старый плакса!
Стул ему предложили
И совет: «Обложи их!»
Полегчало страдальцу на Паксо.
* * *
There lived a Small Puppy at Narkunda,
Who sought for the best tree to bark under,
Which he found, and said, ‘Now,
I can call out Bow Wow,
Underneath the best cedar in Narkunda.’

Обыскался щенок из Наркунды

Деревца, чтобы лаять оттунды,
И сказал, отыскав:
«Буду делать гав-гав
Из-под лучшего кедра Наркунды».
* * *
There was an Old Man of Narkunda,
Whose voice was like peals of loud thunder.
It shivered the hills
Into Colocynth Pills,
And destroyed half the trees of Narkunda.

Был старик-громоглас из Наркунды,

Он молчком не сидел ни секунды.
Гласом горы дробил
И под корень срубил
Половину деревьев Наркунды.
* * *
There was a Small Child at Narkunda,
Who said, ‘Don’t you hear, that is Thunder!’
But they said, ‘It’s the Bonzes
A-making responses
In a temple eight miles from Narkunda.’

Говорил мальчуган из Наркунды:

«Гром гремит!» А ему: «В храме Будды
Это местные бонзы
Лупят в гонги из бронзы
Милях этак в восьми от Наркунды».

An unfinished limerick

There was an Old Man who said, ‘Now
I’ll sit on the horns of that cow.’[4]

Неоконченный лимерик

Был старик, и сказал он сурово:
«Посижу на рогах у коровы».[5]

The Pobble Who Has No Toes (alternative version) [6]

I

The Pobble who has no toes
Had once as many as we;
When they said, ‘Some day you may lose them all;’
He replied, ‘Fish fiddle de-dee!’
And his Aunt Jobiska made him drink
Lavender water tinged with pink;
For she said, ‘The World in general knows
There's nothing so good for a Pobble's toes!’

II

The Pobble who has no toes,
Swam across the Bristol Channel;
But before he set out he wrapped his nose
In a piece of scarlet flannel.
For his Aunt Jobiska said, ‘No harm
Can come to his toes if his nose is warm;
And it's perfectly known that a Pobble's toes
Are safe – provided he minds his nose.’

III