Imagery in Translation

Старик молча уклал пожитки, велел дочери накинутьшубняк и пустился в дорогу. Долго ли ехал, скоро ли доехал — не ведаю: скоро сказка сказывается, да не скоро дело дела­ется. Наконец, доехали они до бору, свернул старик с дороги, поставил лошадь под большой сосной велел дочери слезать, поставил под сосной коробейку и сказал: «Сиди и жди жени­ха, да мотри — принимай ласковее». А после заворотил ло­шадь — и домой.

Девушка сидит да дрожит: озноб ее пробирает. Хотела она выть, да сил не было: одни только зубы постукивают. Вдруг слышит: невдалеке Морозко на елке потрескивает, с елки на елку поскакивает да пощелкивает. Очутился он и на той сосне, под которой девица сидит, и сверху ей говорит: «Тепло ли те, девица?» — «Тепло, тепло, батюшко Морозуш­ко!» Морозко стал ниже спускаться, больше потрескивать и пощелкивать и спросил девушку: «Тепло ли те, девица? Теп­ло ли те, красная?» Девица чуть дух переводит, но еще гово­рит: «Тепло, Морозушко! Тепло, батюшко!» Мороз еще пуще затрещал и сильнее защелкал и девице говорит: «Тепло ли те, девица? Тепло ли те, красная? Тепло ли те, лапушка?» Девица окостеневала и чуть слышно сказала: «Ой, тепло, го­лубчик Морозушко!» Тут Морозко сжалился, окутал девицу шубами и отогрел одеялами.

Translated by Arthur Ransome:

FROST

Once upon a time there were an old man and an old wom­an. Now the old woman was the old man's second wife. His first wife died, and had left him with a little daughter: Martha she was called. Then he married again, and got a cross wife, and with her two more daughters.

The old woman loved her own daughters. But poor little Martha, the eldest, she got only what the others left. The step­mother made Martha do all the work of the house. She had to

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Практикум по художественному переводу

fetch the wood for the stove, and light it and keep it burning. She had to draw the water for her sisters. She had to make the clothes and wash them, and mend them. She had to cook the dinner, andclean the dishes after the others before having a bite for herself.

For all that the stepmother was never satisfied, and was for ever shouting at her: "Look, the kettle is in the wrong place"; "There is dust on the floor"; "You stupid, ugly, idle hussy." But Martha was not idle. She worked all day long, and got up before the sun. Her sisters saw how their mother treated poor Martha, and they did the same.

Her father saw everything, but he could not do anything, for the old woman was mistress at home, and he was terribly afraid of her.

Well, time went on, and the girls grew up, and it was time to marry them. So the old woman thought of a way to get rid of her stepdaughter as she was the prettiest girl in the village.

"See here, old man," says the old woman, "it is high time Martha was married and I have a bridegroom in mind for her." And the old woman put some cabbage soup, left from the day before, in a saucer, and said to Martha, "Eat this, my little pigeon, and get ready for the road, for I've got enough of you. And you, old fellow, harness the old mare to the sledge and go straight along, and then take the road to the right into the forest... you know... straight to the big fir tree that stands on a hillock, and there you will give Martha to her betrothed and leave her. He will be waiting for her, and his name is Frost."

The old man stared, opened his mouth, and stopped eating. The maid, who had heard the last words, began to cry.

"Now, what are you whimpering about?" screamed the old woman. "Frost is a rich bridegroom and a handsome one. See how much he owns. All the pines and firs are his, and the birch trees. Anyone would envy his possessions, and he himself is a very bogatir, a man of strength and power."

The old man said nothing in reply, packed up what was left of the black bread, told Martha to put on her sheepskin coat, set

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