От переводчика

Все дети, которые начинали говорить на английском или французском языках с первых дней своей жизни почти всегда знали о Матушке Гусыне. Эта особа знала невероятное количество забавных песенок и сказок и даже помогала малышам учить английскую азбуку. Хотя сама была малограмотной, потому её сказки и песенки позже были записаны ставшими впоследствии известными писателями. Сказки матушки Гусыни на французском пересказал когда-то известный сказочник Шарль Перро. На английском были больше известны песенки и азбука матушки Гусыни, но один молодой сказочник, который потом придумал целую волшебную страну с Изумрудным городом, рассказал и английские сказки матушки Гусыни. Потом даже прибавил к ним сказки батюшки Гусака. Конечно же, матушка Гусыня не в одиночку детей воспитывала. Итак, вот некоторые из английских сказок матушки Гусыни.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the King’s horses

And all the King’s men

Cannot put Humpty together again

AT the very top of the hay-mow in the barn, the Speckled Hen had made her nest, and each day for twelve days she had laid in it a pretty white egg. The Speckled Hen had made her nest in this out-of-the-way place so that no one would come to disturb her, as it was her intention to sit upon the eggs until they were hatched into chickens.

Each day, as she laid her eggs, she would cackle to herself, saying, «This will in time be a beautiful chick, with soft, fluffy down all over its body and bright little eyes that will look at the world in amazement. It will be one of my children, and I shall love it dearly.»

She named each egg, as she laid it, by the name she should call it when a chick, the first one being «Cluckety-Cluck,» and the next «Cadaw-Cut,» and so on; and when she came to the twelfth egg she called it «Humpty Dumpty.»

This twelfth egg was remarkably big and white and of a very pretty shape, and as the nest was now so full she laid it quite near the edge. And then the Speckled Hen, after looking proudly at her work, went off to the barn-yard, clucking joyfully, in search of something to eat.

When she had gone, Cluckety-Cluck, who was in the middle of the nest and the oldest egg of all, called out, angrily,

«It’s getting crowded in this nest; move up there, some of you fellows!» And then he gave Cadaw-Cut, who was above him, a kick.

«I can’t move unless the others do; they’re crowding me down!» said Cadaw-Cut; and he kicked the egg next above him. And so they continued kicking one another and rolling around in the nest until one kicked Humpty Dumpty, and as he lay on the edge of the nest he was kicked out and rolled down the hay-mow until he came to a stop near the very bottom.

Humpty did not like this very well, but he was a bright egg for one so young, and after he had recovered from his shaking up he began to look about to see where he was. The barn door was open, and he caught a glimpse of trees and hedges, and green grass with a silvery brook running through it. And he saw the waving grain and the tasselled maize and the sunshine flooding it all.

The scene was very enticing to the young egg, and Humpty at once resolved to see something of this great world before going back to the nest.

He began to make his way carefully through the hay, and was getting along fairly well when he heard a voice say,

«Where are you going?»

Humpty looked around and found he was beside a pretty little nest in which was one brown egg.

«Did you speak?» he asked.

«Yes,» replied the brown egg; «I asked where you were going.»

«Who are you?» enquired Humpty; «do you belong in our nest?»

«Oh, no!» answered the brown egg; «my name is Coutchie-Coulou, and the Black Bantam laid me about an hour ago.»

«Oh,» said Humpty, proudly; «I belong to the Speckled Hen, myself.»

«Do you, indeed!» returned Coutchie-Coulou. «I saw her go by a little while ago, and she’s much bigger than the Black Bantam.»

«Yes, and I’m much bigger than you,» replied Humpty. «But I’m going out to see the world, and if you like to go with me I’ll take good care of you.»

«Isn’