Чистый nonsense

There was an Old Man of Aosta,Who possessed a large Cow, but he lost her;But they said, 'Don't you seeShe has rushed up a tree?You invidious Old Man of Aosta!Был покинут старик из АостыКоровёнкой своей вертихвостой;Все кричат: «Старина!Ведь на древе она!Иль не видишь, нахал из Аосты!»

There was an Old Man, on whose noseMost birds of the air could repose;But they all flew awayAt the closing of day,Which relieved that Old Man and his nose.На носу старика-долгоностаПомещалось легко пташек до ста;Но когда эти стаи

На ночлег улетали,Облегченье испытывал нос-то.

There was a Young Lady of Clare,Who was sadly pursued by a Bear;When she found she was tired,She abruptly expired,That unfortunate Lady of Clare.Убегала девица из КлeраОт медведя большого размера;Испытала усталостьИ внезапно скончаласьРазнесчастная дева из Клeра.

There was an Old Man of Kildare,Who climbed into a very high chair;When he said, 'Here I staysTill the end of my days,

That immovable Man of Kildare.Говорил старичок из Килдера,Сидя в кресле высотном сверх меры:«Не покину сей тронДо скончанья времён!»Недвижимый старик из Килдера.

There was an Old Man of New York,Who murdered himself with a fork;But nobody cried,Though he very soon died,For that silly Old Man of New York.Был один старичок из Нью-Йорка;Он пырнул себя вилкой, но горькоТам никто не рыдал,Хоть тотчас дуба далТот чудной старичок из Нью-Йорка.

There was an Old Sailor of Compton,Whose vessel a rock it once bump'd on;The shock was so great,That it damaged the pateOf that singular Sailor of Compton.Жил-был старый моряк, житель Комптона,О скалу его судно раскокано;А удар был такой —Повредился башкойТот моряк небывалый из Комптона.

Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany, and Alphabets, 1871

Бестолковые песни, истории, ботаника и азбуки, 1871

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat

I

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to seaIn a beautiful pea-green boat,They took some honey, and plenty of money,Wrapped up in a five pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,And sang to a small guitar,'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,What a beautiful Pussy you are,You are,You are!What a beautiful Pussy you are!

II

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!How charmingly sweet you sing!O let us be married! too long we have tarried:But what shall we do for a ring?They sailed away, for a year and a day,To the land where the Bong-tree grows;And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood,With a ring at the end of his nose,His nose,His nose,With a ring at the end of his nose.

III