Принцесса Кентербери и другие английские легенды / Princess of Canterbury (сборник) - Сергей Матвеев

“I knew you when you were a child,” said Hrothgar. “Your father was a brave warrior. Now his son has come for a friendly purpose. Your fame has come hither before you; seafarers have told me that you have the might of thirty men in your hand-grip. Great joy it is to know of your coming. If you succeed in killing Grendel, great treasures will I bestow upon you.”

Beowulf said, “I know that this monster does not use any weapons, so I shall fight with him with my hands, without armour. If he kills me, he will take my body to his home. Then I ask you to send my armour back to my country.”

The aged King Hrothgar, who had listened attentively while the hero spoke of his plans and of his possible fate, said, “I shall do what you ask. Grendel has caused us much sorrow with his hatred. I know you will kill the monster. Now let us sit down and have a feast.”

So a company of warriors sat down at the table and ate and drank, and the bards sang and it was merry again in the banquet hall. Thereupon room was made for the warriors on the long benches, and Beowulf sat in the place of honour opposite to the king: great respect was shown to him, and all men looked with wonder on this mighty hero. When evening came, Hrothgar rose to leave the hall with his men. Then the king said to Beowulf, “I trust this great hall of the Danes to you and your men. Have courage, watch for the enemy.[98] Every wish that you have shall be granted[99] if you kill the monster Grendel.”

Then Beowulf and his warriors were alone. Beowulf lay down on the floor and waited for Grendel. Then Grendel came from the moor, an awful light like fire came from his eyes. In the hall he saw a company of sleeping men and laughed loudly, as he expected to have a great meal before dawn. Grendel entered the hall and attacked, devouring one of Beowulf’s men. He stepped further into the hall and seized Beowulf, lying on the floor. Beowulf was sleeping and leaped up to clench Grendel’s hand.

The monster felt the strength of thirty men in that grip of Beowulf’s hands, and he was frightened. He wanted to escape and run away to the moor, but he could not free himself from Beowulf’s grip, and his bones cracked. Beowulf held the monster fast, and Grendel knew that his death was near.

Beowulf’s retainers drew their swords and rushed to his aid, but their blades could not pierce Grendel’s skin. The companions of Beowulf, with their swords, struck the monster on every side, but they did not know that no weapon could touch him, for he was a demon. But as much as he struggled,[100] he could not free himself from Beowulf’s grip. At last[101] Beowulf tore the arm out of Grendel’s body and a great wound appeared on the shoulder of the monster. Grendel ran to his home in the moor to die.

Everybody talked about the fame of Beowulf – that in all the world there was not a braver warrior than he. Then a famous bard composed a song about the killing of Grendel. The king greeted Beowulf and embraced him, and said, “We have suffered much from Grendel. Now you, Beowulf, the best of men, have done that which all of us could not do.[102] I wish to take you into my heart as a son. Your fame will live forever because of the deed which you have performed.”

The king and queen gave many precious gifts to Beowulf, beautiful horses and weapons and armour with precious jewels. Hrothgar did not forget Beowulf’s warriors, and gave to each a valuable reward for his loyalty and courage. He did not forget the warrior killed by Grendel and gave much gold to Beowulf for the man’s wife and children. The feasting stopped for a few moments[103] to honour the memory of that warrior.

They did not leave the hall when it became dark, for now they had nothing to fear. So there was music and singing and feasting far into the night.[104]

The next night, after celebrating Grendel’s defeat, Hrothgar and his men were sleeping in Heorot. Grendel had gone home to die, but his mother, a fiend scarcely less terrible than her son,[105] yet lived to avenge his death. She arose from her dwelling in the gloomy lake. Angered by the punishment of her son, Grendel’s mother appeared and attacked the hall. There was a horrible panic when her presence became known, and men ran hither and thither[106] vainly seeking to attack her. Grendel’s mother killed Hrothgar’s most trusted warrior, Aeschere,[107] in revenge for Grendel’s defeat. Then she ran away.

Hrothgar burst forth in uncontrollable emotion: “O Beowulf, help us if you can! Help is only to be found in you.[108] But yet you know not the dangerous place you must explore it if you seek the fiend in her den. I will richly reward your valour if you return alive from this hazardous journey.”

Beowulf was touched by the sorrow of the grey-haired king, and replied, “Arise, my lord; let us scan the track left by the monster, for I promise you I will never lose it, wheresoever it may lead me.” So Hrothgar, Beowulf and their men tracked Grendel’s mother to her lair under a lake.[109] Beowulf prepared himself for battle, and went into the lake. He was swiftly detected and attacked by Grendel’s mother. However, she was unable to harm Beowulf through his armour and dragged him to the bottom of the lake. In a cavern containing Grendel’s body and the remains of men that the two had killed, Grendel’s mother and Beowulf engaged in fierce combat.

At first, Grendel’s mother appeared to prevail. Beowulf, finding that his sword could not harm his foe, discarded it in fury. But Grendel’s mother had a magic sword which she kept in that cavern. Beowulf grabbed the magical sword, and with it won her. Travelling further into the lair, Beowulf discovered Grendel’s dying body and severed its head. The blade of the magic sword melted like ice when it touched Grendel’s toxic blood, until only the hilt was left. This hilt was the only treasure that Beowulf carried out of cavern, which he presented to Hrothgar upon his return[110] to Heorot. Hrothgar gave Beowulf many gifts, including the magic sword, his family’s heirloom.[111]

Beowulf returned home and eventually became king of his own people. He ruled the kingdom for many years. During that time he performed many great deeds.

One day, fifty years after Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother, a slave stole a golden cup from the lair of a dragon. When the dragon saw that the cup had been stolen, it left its cave in a rage, burning everything in sight. Beowulf and his warriors came to fight the dragon, but Beowulf told his men that he would fight the dragon alone and that they should wait on the barrow. Beowulf descended to do battle with the dragon but found himself outmatched. His men, upon seeing this display and fearing for their lives, crept back into the woods. One of his men, however, Wiglaf,[112] who found great distress in seeing Beowulf’s plight, came to Beowulf’s aid. The two killed the dragon, but Beowulf was mortally wounded.

Beowulf was buried on a cliff. The dragon’s treasure was buried with him, in accordance with Beowulf’s wishes,[113] rather than distributed to his people, and there is a curse associated with the hoard to ensure that Beowulf’s wish is kept.

Упражнения

1. Выберите правильный вариант:

1. Scyld Scefing had come to Denmark in a boat loaded with bottles of rum.

2. Scyld Scefing had come to England in a vessel loaded with treasures.

3. Scyld Scefing had come to Denmark in a vessel loaded with treasures.

4. Scyld Scefing had come to Denmark in a big ship.

2. What colour was the banner which Scyld’s men put over his head when he died?

1. red.

2. black.

3. white.

4. golden.

3. Who (or what) is Heorot?

1. a mighty warrior.

2. the great hall.

3. a conqueror.

4. a king.

4. A goblin is

1. a legendary evil or mischievous grotesque dwarf-like creature.

2. a legendary creature with magic powers and supernatural beauty.

3. a big and ugly creature that dwells in isolated rocks.

4. a small, humanoid creature that lives underground.

5. What did Cain do?

1. Cain created his brother from one of his ribs.

2. Cain ate fruit from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden.

3. Cain created the world.

4. Cain committed the first murder by killing his brother.

6. Выберите правильный вариант:

1. The feasting stopped for a few moments to honour the memory of the warrior.

2. The feasting stopped for few moments to honour the memory of the warrior.

3. The feasting stopped for a little moments to honour the memory of the warrior.

4. The feasting stopped for little moments to honour the memory of the warrior.

7. О ком здесь говорится:

Terrible was he, dangerous to men, of extraordinary strength, human in shape but gigantic of stature, covered with a green horny skin

1. Hrothgar

2. Wiglaf

3. Grendel

4. Aeschere

8. Выберите нужный глагол:

The monster _____________ the strength of thirty men in the grip of Beowulf’s hands, and he was frightened.

1. The monster will feel the strength of thirty men in the grip of Beowulf’s hands, and he was frightened.

2. The monster feeling the strength of thirty men in the grip of Beowulf’s hands, and he was frightened.

3. The monster felt the strength of thirty men in the grip of Beowulf’s hands, and he was frightened.

4. The monster feet the strength of thirty men in the grip of Beowulf’s hands, and he was frightened.

9. Выберите нужные глаголы:

If you _____________ in killing Grendel, great treasures will I _____________ upon you.

1. succeed, bestow

2. succeeded, bestow

3. succeed, bestowed

4. succeeding, bestow

10. Выберите нужный предлог:

Many mighty warriors lost their lives _____________ a vain struggle against Grendel.

1. on

2. at

3. in

4. by

11. Заполните таблицу:

1. Scyld Scefing had come to Denmark in a vessel loaded with treasures.

2. golden.

3. the great hall.

4. A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous grotesque dwarf-like creature

5. Cain committed the first murder by killing his brother.

6. The feasting stopped for a few moments to honour the memory of the warrior.

7. Grendel

8. felt: The monster felt the strength of thirty men in the grip of Beowulf’s hands, and he was frightened.

9. succeed, bestow: If you succeed in killing Grendel, great treasures will I bestow upon you.

10. in: Many mighty warriors lost their lives in a vain struggle against Grendel.

11.

Catskin[114]

There was once a princess[115] whose mother died when she was born. She grew up very beautiful, with lovely golden hair. Her father wanted her to marry against her will.[116] So she thought of a plan to put off the wedding.[117] She asked to make her three new dresses. One was to be[118] golden like the sun, the second was to be silver like the moon, and the third must sparkle like the stars. She also asked for a fur cloak with a hood made of a thousand different skins from a thousand different animals. The princess said to herself, “It will be very difficult to make these clothes, and the wedding will be put off for a long time.”

But her father set all his best workers to make the three dresses, and his hunters took a tiny piece from the fur of a thousand different animals and a cloak with a hood was made. So the dresses and the cloak were soon ready and the wedding could not be put off much longer.[119]

At night the princess got up secretly and took from her jewel box a gold ring, a gold necklace and a gold brooch.

Then she took the golden dress like the sun and the silver dress like the moon and the dress that sparkled like the stars, and folded them. They were so light and so magic that she could pack all three into a nutshell.[120] She put on her fur cloak and pulled the hood over her golden hair, and rubbed soot on her face and hands so that no one would know who she was.[121] Then she left her father’s palace. She walked till she was tired, and when she came to a hollow tree she crept inside and fell asleep.

Next day the king of the neighbouring country was hunting, and his hunters found the girl in her fur cloak, asleep in the tree. When the dogs barked, she woke up and was very frightened. She said, “I am a poor girl and I have no parents. Please take me with you.”

“Yes, Miss Catskin,” said the hunters. “We shall take you with us and you can work in the kitchen.”

And they took her to the palace and showed her a little dark room under the stairs and said, “You can sleep there, Catskin.”

They thought it was quite a good room for a girl who had sooty hands[122] and a sooty face.

She had to work very hard in the kitchen. She fetched water and wood, looked after the fires and raked out the ashes. At night she often cried in her little dark room.

One day there was a feast in the king’s palace and she asked the cook, “May I go and watch the fine ladies and gentlemen?”

“You can go for just half-an-hour,” said the cook, “and then you must come back and rake out the ashes.”

So Catskin washed the soot off her face and hands, and went into her little room. She opened the nutshell, shook out her golden dress, and put it on. She went to the party and no one knew who she was. The king thought she was very beautiful and danced with her himself.

When the dance was over, she slipped away to her tiny bedroom, took off her golden dress, put on her fur cloak, and blackened her hands and face with soot. She began to rake out the ashes, but the cook, who wanted to have a look at the fine people herself, said:

“Heat up the king’s soup and don’t let even a hair fall in it[123] or you’ll be in trouble.”

So Catskin heated up the king’s soup, fetched her gold ring and put it at the bottom of the bowl.

When the king ate the soup, he liked it very much. Then he was surprised to find the gold ring lying at the bottom. He asked who made the soup.

“I did,” said the cook.

“That is not true,” said the king. “It tasted better than the soup you make.”

Then the cook said it was Catskin who had made the soup. So the king sent for Catskin and asked her who she was.

Catskin only answered that she was a poor orphan and was good for nothing but[124] to do dirty jobs in the kitchen.