"That is a long story," answered the Winged King, with a laugh; "but as we have a long journey before us, I will pass the time by telling you about it, if you wish."
"I shall be glad to hear it," she replied.
"Once
(когда-то)," began the leader (начал вожак), "we were a free people (мы были свободным народом;This was many years ago
(это было много лет тому назад), long before Oz came out of the clouds to rule over this land (задолго до того, как Оз прибыл из-за облаков, чтобы править этой страной).leader [ˈliːdə], free [friː], happily [ˈhæpɪlɪ], forest [ˈfɒrɪst], master [ˈmɑːstə], mischief [ˈmɪsʧɪf], cloud [klaud]
"Once," began the leader, "we were a free people, living happily in the great forest, flying from tree to tree, eating nuts and fruit, and doing just as we pleased without calling anybody master. Perhaps some of us were rather too full of mischief at times, flying down to pull the tails of the animals that had no wings, chasing birds, and throwing nuts at the people who walked in the forest. But we were careless and happy and full of fun, and enjoyed every minute of the day.
This was many years ago, long before Oz came out of the clouds to rule over this land.
"There lived here then, away at the North a beautiful princess
(в то время жила здесь, далеко на Севере, одна прекрасная принцесса), who was also a powerful sorceress (которая была могущественной волшебницей). All her magic was used to help the people (все ее волшебство использовалось для того, чтобы помогать ее народу), and she was never known to hurt anyone who was good (и никто никогда не слышал: «не знал», чтобы она причинила вред хорошему человеку: «кому-либо, кто был хорошим»).