Irish Tales / Ирландские сказки. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Kavin,’ says he, �that I’ve been discoursing all this time without knowing it,’ says he, �all as one as if he was a lump of a gossoon? – and so you’re a saint?’ says the king.

�I am,’ says St. Kavin.

�By Jabers, I thought I was only talking to a dacent boy,’ says the king.

�Well, you know the difference now,’ says the saint. �I’m St. Kavin,’ says he, �the greatest of all the saints.’

And so the king had his goose as good as new, to divert him as long as he lived and the saint supported him after he came into his property, as I told you, until the day of his death – and that was soon after; for the poor goose thought he was catching a trout one Friday; but, my jewel, it was a mistake he made – and instead of a trout, it was a thieving horse-eel; and instead of the goose killing a trout for the king’s supper – by dad, the eel killed the king’s goose – and small blame to him[22 - and small blame to him – (разг.

) и его нельзя за это винить]; but he didn’t ate her, because he darn’t ate what St. Kavin had laid his blessed hands on.

Jack and His Comrades

Once there was a poor widow, as often there has been, and she had one son. A very scarce summer[23 - A very scarce summer – (устар.) Очень засушливое лето] came, and they didn’t know how they’d live till the new potatoes would be fit for eating.

So Jack said to his mother one evening, �Mother, bake my cake, and kill my hen, till I go seek my fortune; and if I meet it, never fear but I’ll soon be back to share it with you.’

So she did as he asked her, and he set out at break of day on his journey. His mother came along with him to the yard gate, and says she, �Jack, which would you rather have, half the cake and half the hen with my blessing, or the whole of ’em with my curse?’

�O Musha, mother,’ says Jack, �why do you ax me that question? Sure you know I wouldn’t have your curse and Damer’s estate along with it.

’

�Well, then, Jack,’ says she, �here’s the whole lot of ’em, with my thousand blessings along with them.’ So she stood on the yard fence and blessed him as far as her eyes could see him.

Well, he went along and along till he was tired, and ne’er a farmer’s house he went into wanted a boy.