The Nightingale and the Rose.Part 2

Слова и выражения:

o like a shadow — кактень

o builditoutofmysong — создать из мелодии своей песни

o crimson — окрасить в темно-красный цвет

o fellasleep — заснул

o appeared — появилась

o I haveneverseen — Я никогда еще не видел

So she flew into the air. She flew over the garden like a shadow and like a shadow she flew through the wood.

The young student was still lying on the grass where she left him, and his beautiful eyes were still full of tears.

«Be happy,» cried the Nightingale, «be happy. You will have your red rose. I will build it out of my song by moonlight, and crimson it with my own heart’s blood. I only ask you to be a true lover, for love is wiser than philosophy.»

The student looked up and lis­tened, but he could not understand what the Nightingale was saying to him.

But the oak-tree understood, and felt sad, for he was very fond of the little Nightingale who lived in his branches. «Sing me one last song,» he whispered, «I will feel lonely without you.» So the Nightingale sang to the oak-tree.

When she finished her song, the student stood up and went through the wood to the house, lay down on his bed, and began to think of his love: «She is so beautiful,» he said to himself, «but has she got feeling? I must say that sometimes she has some selfish notes in her voice.» And then he fell asleep.

When the moon was in the sky, the Night­ingale flew to the rose-tree, and pressed her breast against the thorn. All night long she sang, and the thorn went deeper and deeper into her breast and her blood flowed out.

She sang of the birth of love in the heart of a boy and a girl. And on the top of the rose-tree appeared a beautiful rose. Pale it was at first. But the rose-tree cried to the Nightingale, «Press closer, little Nightingale, or the day will come be­fore the rose is finished.»

So the Nightingale pressed closer and closer against the thorn, and louder and louder grew her song, for she sang of the birth of passion in the soul of a man and a maiden.

The leaves of the rose became faintly pink. But the thorn had not yet reached the Nightingale’s heart, so the rose’s heart was white, for only a Nightingale’s blood can crimson the heart of a rose.

So the Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and the thorn touched her heart, and she felt a sharp pain. Bitter, bitter was the pain, and wilder and wilder grew her song, for she sang about the love that never dies.

And the beautiful rose became crimson. But the Nightingale’s voice grew weaker and her little wings began to beat. She gave one last burst of mu­sic. The red rose heard it and opened to the cold morning air.

«Look, look!» cried the rose-tree. «The rose is fin­ished now!» But the Nightingale did not answer for she was lying dead in the long grass, with the thorn in her heart.

And at noon the student opened his window and looked out. «How wonderful!» he cried. «Here is a red rose! I have never seen any rose like this in all my life. It is so beautiful,» and he picked it with joy in his heart. Then he ran to the Profes­sor’s house with the rose in his hand.

The daughter of the Professor was sitting in the doorway and her little dog was lying at her feet. «Will you dance with me? Because I brought you a red rose,» cried the student. «Here is the red­dest rose in all the world. You will wear it on your dress next to your heart. We will dance together and I will tell you how I love you.»

But the girl answered, «I am afraid it will not go with my dress, and, be­sides, another man sent me some real jewels, and everybody knows that jewels are better than flowers.»

«Well, you are very ungrateful,» said the young student angrily and he threw the rose into the street.

«Ungrateful!» said the girl. «I’ll tell you what, you are rude; and, after all, who are you? Only a poor student!» and she stood up from her chair and went into the house.

«What a silly thing love is,» said the student as he went away. «It is about things that are not true. In fact, it is quite unpractical. In this age to be practical is everything, so I will go back and study philosophy.»

Нe came back to his room, took out a dusty book, and began to read.

The End

 

William Shakespeare. King Lear

Part One

Once upon a time there lived an old king of Britain. His name was Lear. He had three daughters: Goneril, Regan and Cordelia.

One day King Lear called his daughters and said to them: «I am very old and tired. I cannot be the king of Britain any more. I want to divide the country into three parts and give one part to each of you. Each of you will be the queen of her part of the country. But first you must tell me how much you love me. Then I shall know which of you must get the better part.»

Goneril and Regan were not good daughters. They did not love their father. But they were very greedy. They wanted to become queens very much. They were glad to hear that their father wanted to divide his country into three parts. They only thought how to get the larger and better part of the country.

So Goneril said: «Dear Father, I love you very much. I love you more than my eyes, more than my beauty, more than my life. No child loves his father more than I love you.»

Regan said the same, but in different words. King Lear was very glad. Then he asked his youngest daughter Cordelia to speak. She was his favourite daughter.

Cordelia knew that her sisters were bad daughters. She loved her father very much, but she did not want to repeat the words of her sisters. So she said nothing. Only when King Lear told her angrily that she must speak, she said: «I don’t understand why my sisters say that they love you more, than anything else. They are married. Don’t they love their husbands? You are my father, and of course I love you. But when I marry, I shall love my husband, too.»

King Lear did not like Cordelia’s words. He shouted at her and said that he did not want to have such a daughter. He divided the country between Goneril and Regan and gave Cordelia nothing.

 

* * *

King Lear. Part Two

Cordelia went to France and married the French king, who loved her very much.

Old King Lear had nothing now. He wanted to rest. So he went to Goneril’s castle to stay there. But he did not stay long there. As we know, Goneril did not really love her father, and soon he understood it.

Goneril did not speak with him and was not kind to him. At last she said she was tired of him.

So King Lear decided to leave his eldest daughter’s castle and go to his other daughter, Regan. He wanted to tell her how bad her sister was, and to stay in her castle.

But Regan was no better than Goneril. King Lear and his followers had to stand at the gates of the castle and wait for a long time. At last he saw Regan, but she was not glad to meet her father. She asked him to return to Goneril’s castle.

The old king did not know what to do. He just stayed at the gates of the castle. Soon Goneril came to Regan’s castle, and the king saw his two elder daughters again. He tried to speak to them, but they did not let him speak. They laughed at him and called him an old fool. Nearly all his knights and his servants left him.

Lear felt very sad. He could not stay there any more and he left Regan’s castle. He was homeless now.

One night there was a terrible storm. The rain beat in the old man’s face. A strong wind was blowing. It was dark and cold, and Lear had no roof over his poor old head. He was all wet and cold. Sad and unhappy, cold and wet, Lear became mad.

A brave knight Kent remained true to the old king and was with him. Kent sent a man to France with a letter for Cordelia. In the letter he told her everything. When Cordelia read the letter, she quickly gathered an army and went to Britain to fight her sisters’ armies and make Lear king of Britain again. When Cordelia found her father, the old king was very happy and soon came to himself again. Now he understood who was his best daughter. But it was too late.

Goneril and Regan sent a great army to fight Cordelia’s soldiers. The French army was beaten. Lear and Cordelia became prisoners.

But Goneril and Regan were not happy. They were so wicked that they simply could not be happy. They had many enemies and were afraid of many people. They hated each other and there was a secret struggle between them. Finally Goneril poisoned Regan. Soon after that she killed herself with a knife.

Cordelia was hanged in prison.

When King Lear saw the death of Cordelia, his heart broke and he died too.