| "Your royal Highness," he said. | - Ваше высочество, - сказал он. |
| "I am most truly sorry that things have come to this extremity. | - Мне очень жаль, что дошло до этого. |
| Your Highness will bear witness that it was none of our doing. | Вы сами знаете, что мы тут ни при чем. |
| And of course we shall be delighted to provide your Highness with shipping back to Tashbaan for the - er - treatment which Aslan has prescribed. | Не сомневайтесь, мы переправим вас в Ташбаан, чтобы вас там... э-э... вылечили. |
| You shall have every comfort which your Highness's situation allows: the best of the cattleboats - the freshest carrots and thistles -" | Сейчас вам дадут самых свежих репейников и морковки... |
| But a deafening bray from the Donkey and a well-aimed kick at one of the guards made it clear that these kindly offers were ungratefully received. And here, to get him out of the way, I'd better finish off the story of Rabadash. He (or it) was duly sent back by boat to Tashbaan and brought into the temple of Tash at the great Autumn Festival, and then he became a man again. | Неблагодарный осел дико взревел, лягнул одного из лордов, и на этом мы кончим рассказ о царевиче Рабадаше; но мне хотелось бы сообщить, что его со всей почтительностью отвезли в Ташбаан, и привели в храм богини на осенний праздник, и тут он снова обрел человеческий облик. |
| But of course four or five thousand people had seen the transformation and the affair could not possibly be hushed up. And after the old Tisroc's death when Rabadash became Tisroc in his place he turned out the most peaceable Tisroc Calormen had ever known. | Множество народу - тысяч пять - видели это, но что поделаешь; а когда умер Тисрок, в стране наступила вполне сносная жизнь. |
| This was because, not daring to go more than ten miles from Tashbaan, he could never go on a war himself: and he didn't want his Tarkaans to win fame in the wars at his expense, for that is the way Tisrocs get overthrown. But though his reasons were selfish, it made things much more comfortable for all the smaller countries round Calormen. His own people never forgot that he had been a donkey. | Произошло это по двум причинам: Рабадаш не вел никаких войн, ибо знал, что отпускать войско без себя очень опасно (полководцы нередко свергают потом царей), а, кроме того, народ помнил, что он некогда был ослом. |
| During his reign, and to his face, he was called Rabadash the Peacemaker, but after his death and behind his back he was called Rabadash the Ridiculous, and if you look him up in a good History of Calormen (try the local library) you will find him under that name. | В лицо его называли Ра-бадашем Миротворцем, а за глаза - Рабадашем Вислоухим. И если вы заглянете в историю его страны (спросите ее в городской библиотеке), он значится там именно так. |
| And to this day in Calormene schools, if you do anything unusually stupid, you are very likely to be called "a second Rabadash". | Даже теперь в тархистанских школах говорят про глупого ученика: "Второй Рабадаш!" |
| Meanwhile at Anvard everyone was very glad that he had been disposed of before the real fun began, which was a grand feast held that evening on the lawn before the castle, with dozens of lanterns to help the moonlight. | Когда осла увезли, в замке Лума начался пир. |
| And the wine flowed and tales were told and jokes were cracked, and then silence was made and the King's poet with two fiddlers stepped out into the middle of the circle. | Вино лилось рекой, сверкали огни, звенел смех, а потом наступило молчание и на середину луга вышел певец с двумя музыкантами. |
