fascinating ['fæsIneItIŋ] thousands ['Tauz(q)nds] punctuating ['pAŋktu'eItIŋ]
Like Mary Poppins, Bertha also had a number of fascinating relatives whom she would visit. Pamela recalled: “She would come back and tell us wonderful stories… But no — she wouldn’t quite tell. She’d just hint: ‘If you could know what happened to me cousin’s brother-in-law…’ And when you’d opened your ears and your eyes — and your mouth — waiting for more, she would say: ‘Ah, well, then, it’s not for the ears of children…’ And I would wonder what were those things that were not for the ears of children.”
Some children’s writers — maybe because they worry about what is suitable for the ears of children — talk down to their readers. Not P. L.Travers. “Nobody writes for children really,” she’d say. “You’re writing to make yourself laugh, or yourself cry; if you write for children, you’ve lost them.” Her readers proved her right, and wrote to the author in their thousands, often asking the same questions: Where did Mary Poppins come from? Why did she go? and Where did she go?
From every point of the compass — and Mary Poppins knew all about compasses! — children would send their letters, carefully written in large, round writing, punctuating their demands for answers with words of praise and, occasionally, complaint. When, at the end of Mary Poppins Opens the Door, the heroine flew away for the third time, a boy (who wasn’t the world’s best speller) wrote mournfully: “You should not have done that, Madum, you have made the children cry.” Pamela treasured that letter, and replied: “I am not surprised. I cried myself, when I wrote it down.”
The only rule Pamela had about writing was that there were no set rules (единственное правило, которое было у Памелы насчет писательства — нет установленных правил). She wrote her stories (она писала свои рассказы/истории), she said (она говорила), “because they were there to be written (потому что они приходили сюда, чтобы их написали)”. The actual business of catching ideas and getting them on paper was a mysterious and lonely process (настоящее занятие добычи идей и нанесении их на бумагу было таинственным и уединенным процессом); and yet (и все же), as she would explain (как она объясняла), “you can do it anywhere, any time (ты можешь делать это где угодно, в любое время) — when you’re out at the shops buying a pound of butter (когда ты в магазине покупаешь фунт масла) — still it goes on (это все продолжается). Even if you forget your idea by the time you get home (даже если ты забыла свою мысль/идею к тому времени, как пришла домой), you wait a little (ты ждешь немного) and then it will come back if it wants to (а затем она вернется, если захочет).”
And the ideas did come back (и мысли действительно возвращались) — or maybe she had never forgotten them (или, может быть, она никогда не забывала их)? “Spit-spot into bed” was a favourite phrase of her mother’s («мигом в кровать» была любимой фразой ее матери), and other bits of Mary Poppins’ character were clearly inspired by Pamela’s spinster aunt, Christina Saraset (а другие черты характера Мэри Поппинс были явно навеяны тетей Памелы, старой девой Кристиной Сарасет), whom everybody called “Aunt Sass” (которую все называли «Тетя Сасс»). She was a crisp (она была живой/резкой; crisp — завитой, кудрявый; жесткий), no-nonsense woman with a sharp tongue and a heart of gold (не сумасбродной: «никакой чепухи /мне тут/» женщиной с острым языком и золотым сердцем) who, like Mary Poppins, was given to making “a curious convulsion in her nose that was something between a snort and a sniff” (которая, как и Мэри Поппинс, была склонна издавать «любопытные колебания в своем носу, которые были что-то между фырканьем и сопением»; begivento — быть склонным к /чему-либо/).
When Pamela once suggested to her aunt that she might write about her (когда Памела однажды намекнула ей, что она, возможно, напишет о ней), the elderly lady replied (пожилая леди ответила): “What (что)! You put me in a book (ты поместишь меня в книгу)! I trust you will never so far forget yourself (я верю, что ты никогда настолько не забудешься) as to do anything so vulgarly disgusting (чтобы совершить что-либо настолько вульгарно отвратительное)!”This indignant response was followed up with a contemptuous (за возмущенным ответом последовало пренебрежительное), “Sniff, sniff (фыр, фыр)!” Doesn’t this sound just like Mary Poppins speaking (не звучит ли это как раз, как разговаривала Мэри Поппинс)? Equally (в равной степени), it might have been P. L. Travers herself (это могла быть П. Треверс сама), who said something very similar to me (которая сказала что-то похожее мне) when I rashly suggested one day that I might write her life story (когда я опрометчиво/поспешно предложил/намекнул однажды, что я напишу ее историю жизни)!
convulsion [kqn'vAl∫(q)n] suggested [sq'GestId] vulgarly ['vAlgqlI]
The only rule Pamela had about writing was that there were no set rules. She wrote her stories, she said, “because they were there to be written”. The actual business of catching ideas and getting them on paper was a mysterious and lonely process; and yet, as she would explain, “you can do it anywhere, any time — when you’re out at the shops buying a pound of butter — still it goes on. Even if you forget your idea by the time you get home, you wait a little and then it will come back if it wants to.”
And the ideas did come back — or maybe she had never forgotten them? “Spit-spot into bed” was a favourite phrase of her mother’s, and other bits of Mary Poppins’ character were clearly inspired by Pamela’s spinster aunt, Christina Saraset, whom everybody called “Aunt Sass”. She was a crisp, no-nonsense woman with a sharp tongue and a heart of gold who, like Mary Poppins, was given to making “a curious convulsion in her nose that was something between a snort and a sniff”.
When Pamela once suggested to her aunt that she might write about her, the elderly lady replied: “What! You put me in a book! I trust you will never so far forget yourself as to do anything so vulgarly disgusting!”This indignant response was followed up with a contemptuous, “Sniff, sniff!” Doesn’t this sound just like Mary Poppins speaking? Equally, it might have been P. L. Travers herself, who said something very similar to me when I rashly suggested one day that I might write her life story!
I received a similar reaction (я получил подобную реакцию) — the severe look and the sniff (суровый взгляд и фырканье)! — when I once wondered aloud whether Mary Poppins was based on a real person (когда я однажды поинтересовался вслух, была ли Мэри Поппинс основана на реальном человеке). After all (в конце концов), the character is very real to a great many people (персонаж очень реален для огромного количества людей). Pamela herself had once told me (сама Памела однажды сказала мне) how a harassed mother of three had written to ask for Mary Poppins’s address (как измученная мать троих детей написала, чтобы попросить адрес Мэри Поппинс), adding (добавив): “Because if she has really left the Banks family (потому что если она действительно ушла из семьи Бэнксов), couldn’t she come to me (не могла ли она прийти ко мне)?” In reply to my question, however, all Pamela would say was (в ответ на мой вопрос, тем не менее, все, что сказала Памела, было), “Well (ну)? Have you ever met anyone like Mary Poppins (вы когда-либо встречали кого-либо, похожего на Мэри Поппинс)?” Taken aback by her brusque tone (пораженный ее отрывистым/резким тоном; totakeaback — захватить врасплох, поразить), I was silent for a moment (я замолчал на мгновенье), then summoned up my courage (затем собрал все свое мужество) and said that I hadn’t but that I rather wished I had (и сказал, что я не встречал, но очень хотел встретить).
What I should have said was what I knew in my heart, which was (что мне следовало сказать было то, что я знаю в своем сердце, а именно), “Yes, I have met someone very like Mary Poppins (да, я встречал кое-кого, очень похожую на Мэри Поппинс) — and she is you (и она — это вы)…”
severe [sI'vIq] brusque [brAsk] summoned ['sAmqnt]
I received a similar reaction — the severe look and the sniff! — when I once wondered aloud whether Mary Poppins was based on a real person. After all, the character is very real to a great many people. Pamela herself had once told me how a harassed mother of three had written to ask for Mary Poppins’s address, adding: “Because if she has really left the Banks family, couldn’t she come to me?” In reply to my question, however, all Pamela would say was, “Well? Have you ever met anyone like Mary Poppins?” Taken aback by her brusque tone, I was silent for a moment, then summoned up my courage and said that I hadn’t but that I rather wished I had.
What I should have said was what I knew in my heart, which was, “Yes, I have met someone very like Mary Poppins — and she is you…”
BRIAN SIBLEY (Брайан Сибли)
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