«For life is a little matter,
And death is nought to the young;
And I dare not sell my honour
Under the eye of my son.
Take him, O king, and bind him,
And cast him far in the deep;
And it’s I will tell the secret
That I have sworn to keep.»
They took the son and bound him,
Neck and heels in a thong,
And a lad took him and swung him,
And flung him far and strong,
And the sea swallowed his body,
Like that of a child of ten; —
And there on the cliff stood the father,
Last of the dwarfish men.
«True was the word I told you:
Only my son I feared;
For I doubt the sapling courage
That goes without the beard.
But now in vain is the torture,
Fire shall never avail:
Here dies in my bosom
The secret of Heather Ale.»
Подстрочник:
RG From the bonny bells of heather They brewed a drink long-syne,
Из цветущих колокольчиков вереска Они варили питье очень давно
RG Was sweeter far than honey, Was stronger far than wine.
Было слаще намного чем мед, Было крепче намного, чем вино
RG They brewed it and they drank it, And lay in a blessed swound
Они варили его и они пили его, И лежали счастливой толпой
RG For days and days together In their dwellings underground.
Дни и дни вместе В своих жилищах под землей.
RG There rose a king in Scotland, A fell man to his foes,
И вот пришел к власти король Шотландии, Беспощадный человек к своим врагам,
RG He smote the Picts in battle, He hunted them like roes.
Он разбил пиктов в сражении, Он охотился на них как на косуль.
RG Over miles of the red mountain He hunted as they fled,
Мили по красным горам Он преследовал их, убегающих,
RG And strewed the dwarfish bodies Of the dying and the dead.
И устилали [упомянутые горы] карликовые тела Умиравших и мертвых.
RG Summer came in the country, Red was the heather bell;
Лето в стране настало, Красен был вересковый колокольчик,
RG But the manner of the brewing Was none alive to tell.
Hо рецепт варения никто не остался в живых, чтобы рассказать.
RG In graves that were like children's On many a mountain head,
В могилах, которые были как детские, Hа утесах отрогах гор,