თუ გახსოვთ "Степка-Растрепка" იყო წიგნი, საბჭოთა ბავშობაში. გადმოკატავებული იყო ჰოფმანის "Struwwelpeter", პატარ პატარა ცვლილებებით და ცენზურით. მაგარი "ზღაპრები" და "შავი პედაგოგიკა", ბოჟიი დარ
The Story of the Inky Boys
As he had often done before,
The woolly-headed black-a-moor
One nice fine summer's day went out
To see the shops and walk about;
And as he found it hot, poor fellow,
He took with him his green umbrella
Then Edward, little noisy wag,
Ran out and laugh'd, and waved his flag,
And William came in jacket trim,
And brought his woollen hoop with him;
And Caspar, too, snatch'd up his toys
And joined the other naughty boys;
So one and all set up a roar,
And laughed and hooted more and more,
And kept on singing,--only think!--
"Ohl Blacky, you're as black as ink"
Now Saint Nicholas lieved close by,--
So tall he almost touched the sky;
He had a mighty inkstand too,
In which a great goose feather grew;
He call'd out in an angry tone,
"Boys, leave the black-a-moor alone!
For if he tries with all his might,
He cannot change from black to white."
But ah! they did not mind a bit
What Saint Nicholas said of it;
But went on laughing, as before,
And hooting at the black-a-moor.
Then Saint Nicholas foams with rage:
Look at him on this very page!
He seizes Caspar, seizes Ned,
Takes William by his little head;
And they may scream, and kick, and call,
But into the ink he dips them all;
Into the inkstand, one, two, three,
Till they are black, as black can be;
Turn over now and you shall see.
See, there they are, and there they run!
The black-a-moor enjoys the fun.
They have been made as black as crows,
Quite black all over, eyes and nose,
And legs, and arms, and heads, and toes.
And trowsers, pinafores, and toys,--
The silly little inky boys!
Because they set up such a roar,
And teas'd the harmless black-a-moor.
* * *
აი რუსული ვარიანტი :
Арап, как уголь черный, раз
Пошел, не то чтоб на показ,
А так, как мы, ни дать, ни взять,
Ну, просто за город гулять.
Раскрыл зеленый зонтик свой:
Боялся, чтобы солнца зной
В головке мозг не растопил.
Он долго весело бродил.
Откуда ни возьмись, и тут
Со знаменем Павлуша-плут;
Бежит и Вася впопыхах
С своим обручиком в руках;
Ванюша с кренделем большим
Тож подоспел к друзьям своим.
Все подняли престрашный смех,
Как будто бы арапа грех,
Что он, как уголь, черен был,
Ну, точно вылез из чернил.
Но тут бродил же той порой
С чернильницей большой-большой
Какой-то страшный чародей,
И видел шалости детей.
«Молчать, – вскричал в сердцах старик, –
Ну, что за хохот, что за крик»
Арап тому ли виноват,
Что он чернее, чем наш брат?»
Но умолку мальчишкам нет,
И громкий смех их был ответ.
Тут в злости великан свой
Схватил негодных тех детей.
Того за волосы, а двух
В охапку – и в чернила бух!
Как ни ревели, ни рвались,
А все чернил-то напились!
Вот, видите богатырей?
Они арапчика черней.
Идет по солнышку арап,
За ним чернушки тяп, тяп, тяп.
За все проказы, шум и крик
Так наказал их злой старик.
Heinrich Hoffmann
