Dark Avenues / Темные аллеи. Книга для чтения на английском языке

) Живущий под кровом всевышнего под сенью всемогущего покоится… На аспида и василиска наступишь, попрешь льва и дракона…]

At the last words she quietly but firmly raised her voice and pronounced them with conviction: trample upon the lion and the dragon. Then she paused and, after slowly sighing, spoke thus, as if conversing with somebody:

“For every beast of the forest is his, and the cattle upon a thousand hills…”[25 - For every beast… on a thousand hills: Psalms 50:10 (slightly inaccurate: the word “his” replacing “mine”).

(прим. перев.)]

I peeped into the hallway: she was sitting on the chest with her little, woollen-stockinged feet hanging down from it evenly and holding her arms crossed at her breast. She was looking straight ahead, not seeing me. Then she raised her eyes to the ceiling and uttered distinctly:

“And thou, beast of God, the Lord’s wolf, pray for us to the Queen of Heaven.

”

I approached and said softly:

“Mashenka, don’t be afraid, it’s me.”

She let her arms drop, stood up, gave a low bow:

“Hello, sir. No, sir, I’m not afraid. What have I got to be afraid of now? It was in my youth I was silly, afraid of everything. The dark-eyed demon troubled me.”

“Please sit down,” I said.

“No, sir,” she replied. “I’ll stand, sir.”

I put my hand on her bony little shoulder with its big collarbone, made her sit down, and then sat down next to her:

“Sit still, or else I’ll leave.

Tell me, who was it you were praying to? Is there really such a holy one – the Lord’s wolf?”

Again she tried to get up. Again I restrained her:

“Ah, just look at you! And there you are, saying you’re not afraid of anything! I’m asking you: is it true that there’s such a holy one?”

She had a think. Then she replied seriously:

“There must be, sir. There is the beast Tiger-Euphrates,[26 - Tiger-Euphrates: The Russian word for the river Tigris is the same as the word for “tiger”.

(прим. перев.) Тигр и Евфрат – названия двух основных рек Месопотамии и Ближнего Востока.] after all. And if it’s painted in a church, there must be. I saw it myself, sir.”

“How do you mean, you saw it? Where? When?”

“Long ago, sir, in a time beyond memory.