| There are forests along the Oka, from Kasimov to Mouron, and there are forests on the Volga, too, stretching as far as the Urals. | На Оке леса - от Касимова до Мурома, али - за Волгой лес, до Урала идёт, да! |
| Yes; it is all so boundless and wonderful." | Всё это безмерно и пречудесно... |
| Grandmother looked at him askance, and winked at me, and he, stumbling over the hillocks, let fall some disjointed, dry words that have remained forever fixed in my memory. | Бабушка смотрит на него искоса и подмигивает мне, а он, спотыкаясь о кочки, дробно сыплет сухонькие слова, засевая ими мою память. |
| "We were taking some empty oil-casks from Saratov to Makara on the Yamarka, and we had with us as skipper Kyril of Poreshka. The mate was a Tatar -Asaph, or some such name. | - Вели мы из Саратова расшиву с маслом к Макарию на ярмарку, и был у нас приказчик Кирилло, из Пуреха, а водоливом - татарин касимовский, Асаф, что ли... |
| When we reached Jegulia the wind was right in our faces, blowing with all its force; and as it remained in the same quarter and tossed us about, we went on shore to cook some food for ourselves. | Дошли до Жигуля, а хватил ветер верховой в глаза нам - выбились из силушки, встали на мёртвую, закачались, - сошли на берег кашу варить. |
| It was Maytime. The sea lay smooth around the land, and the waves just floated on her, like a flock of birds - like thousands of swans which sport on the Caspian Sea. | А - май на земле, Волга-то морем лежит, и волна по ней стайно гуляет, будто лебеди, тысячами, в Каспий плывут. |
| The hills of Jegulia are green in the springtime; the sun floods the earth with gold. | Горы-то Жигули, зелёные по-вешнему, в небо взмахнули, в небушке облака белые пасутся, солнце тает на землю золотом. |
| We rested; we became friendly; we seemed to be drawn to one another. It was gray and cold on the river, but on shore it was warm and fragrant. | Отдыхаем, любуемся, подобрели все друг ко другу; на реке-то сиверко, холодно, а на берегу -тепло, душисто! |
| At eventide our Kyril - he was a harsh man and well on in years - stood up, took off his cap, and said: | Под вечер Кирилло наш суровый был мужчина и в летах - встал на ноги, шапку снял, да и говорит: |
| 'Well, children, I am no longer either chief or servant. Go away by yourselves, and I will go to the forest.' | "Ну, ребята, я вам боле не начальник, не слуга, идите - сами, а я в леса отойду!" |
| We were all startled. What was it that he was saying? | Мы все встряхнулись - как да что? |
| We ought not to be left without some one responsible to be master. You see, people can't get on without a head, although it is only on the Volga, which is like a straight road. It is possible to lose one's way, for people alone are only like a senseless beast, and who cares what becomes of them? | Нам ведь без ответного перед хозяином человека нельзя - без головы люди не ходят! Оно хоть и Волга, а и на прямом пути сбиться можно. Народ - зверь безумный, ему - чего жалко? |
| We were frightened; but he - he had made up his mind. | Испугались. А он - своё: |
| T have no desire to go on living as your shepherd; I am going into the forest.' | "Не хочу боле этак жить, пастухом вашим, уйду в леса!" |
| Some of us had half a mind to seize and keep him by force, but the others said, | Мы было - которые - собрались бить его да вязать, а - которые задумались о нём, кричат: |
| 1 Wait!' | "Стойте!" |
| Then the Tatar mate set up a cry: T shall go, too!' | А водолив-татарин тоже кричит: "И я ухожу!" |
| It was very bad luck. | Совсем беда. |
