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The Endless Tale
"бесконечный" - "endless"
"сказка" - "tale"
"дворец" - "palace"
"король" - "king"
"принцесса" - "princess"
"стража" - "guard"
"диванная подушка" - "cushion"
"зал" - "hall"
"рядом" - "near by"
"принц" - "prince"
"жениться" - "to marry"
"пауза" - "pause"
"продолжать" - "to go on"
"короткий" - "short"
"длинный" - "long"
"отрубить" - "to cut off"
"схватить" - "to seize"
"щадить" - "to spare"
"впускать" - "to admit"
"кланяться" - "to bow"
"длиться" - "to last"
"потерпеть неудачу" - "to fail"
"помнить" - "to remember"
"некий" - "certain"
"кукуруза" - "corn"
"страна" - "country"
"хранить" - "to store"
"прочный" - "strong"
"рой" - "swarm"
"саранча" - "locust"
"земля" - "land"
"трещина" - "crack"
"южный" - "south"
"сторона" - "side"
"за раз" - "at a time"
"зерно" - "grain"
"перебивать" - "to interrupt"
"подчиняться" - "to obey"

Augusta Stevenson

The Endless Tale

TIME: a long time ago.
PLACE: the King's palace.

KING.
PRINCESS.
FIRST STORY-TELLER.
SECOND STORY-TELLER.
LORDS AND LADIES. (Лорды и леди)
GUARDS.

[The KING sits on a cushion in the great hall. The PRINCESS sits on a cushion by him. In front of them sits the FIRST STORY-TELLER. The LORDS and LADIES sit near by.]

STORY-TELLER. Then the prince married the princess and they were happy forever and ever.

[There is a pause.]

KING. Go on!

(The Story-Teller hangs his head.)

Go on, I say!

STORY-TELLER. That is all, your Majesty (ваше Величество).

KING. All!

STORY-TELLER. The prince married the princess. There is nothing more to tell.

KING. I cannot bear so short a story!

PRINCESS. Why, father; for three months we have listened to it!

KING. Tis short, I say! I bid (уст. приказывать) you make it longer, sir!

STORY-TELLER. I cannot, Sire (ваше Величество, сир). The prince married the princess. There is nothing—

KING. Throw him out of the palace, guards! Cut off his head!

[Guards seize the Story-Teller.]

PRINCESS. Father!

LORDS. Your Majesty!

LADIES. Sire!

PRINCESS. Spare his life!

STORY-TELLER. Let me keep my head, Sire!

KING. Why should you keep it? You do not use it.

STORY-TELLER. For three months I have used it, Sire!

KING. Your story is too short, I say! Away with him, guards! Away!

(Guards take out the First Story-Teller.)

Bid another Story-Teller come!

(A guard admits the SECOND STORY-TELLER, who bows before the King and Princess.)

Sir, hear me. You must tell a story that will last forever.

SECOND STORY-TELLER. I hear, O King!

KING. If you can do this, you shall marry my daughter and be king after me.

SECOND STORY-TELLER. I hear, O King!

KING. If you fail, you shall lose your head. Begin! And remember, the story must go on forever. Now again I say, begin!

SECOND STORY-TELLER. Once upon a time a certain king seized upon all the corn in his country. He had it stored in a strong granary (амбар для хранения зерна, зернохранилище). Then came a swarm of locusts over the land. Soon they found a crack in the south side of the granary. Now the crack was just large enough for one locust to pass through at a time. So one locust went in and carried away a grain of corn. Then another locust went in and carried away a grain of corn. Then another locust went in and carried away a grain of corn. Then -

KING (interrupting). Yes, yes! Now go on with the story.

SECOND STORY-TELLER. The story shall go on, O King! Then another locust went in and carried away another grain of corn. Then another locust -

KING (interrupting). I tell you to go on with the story!

SECOND STORY-TELLER. I obey, great King. Then another locust went in and carried away another grain of corn. Then another -

KING. The story! The story, I tell you!

SECOND STORY-TELLER. This is the story, O King! Then another locust went in and carried away another grain of corn. Then -

KING. I cannot stand it! How long will it take the locusts to carry away all the grain?

SECOND STORY-TELLER. One thousand years, O King! Then another locust went in and

KING. Stop! Stop! Take my daughter! Be king after me! Be king now! Anything to stop the locusts!