So they went away and lived happily ever afterward, Best Beloved. That is all.

Oh, now and then you will hear grown-ups say, ‘Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots?’ I don’t think even grown-ups would keep on saying such a silly thing if the Leopard and the Ethiopian hadn’t done it once — do you? But they will never do it again, Best Beloved. They are quite contented as they are.

I AMthe Most Wise Baviaan (я Самый Мудрый Павиан), saying in most wise tones (говорящий мудрейшим тоном),
‘Let us melt into the landscape (давай сольемся с пейзажем) — just us two by our lones[55] (только мы одни вдвоем).’
People have come — in a carriage — calling (приехали люди в экипаже — зовут). But Mummy is there (но там Мамочка)….
Yes, I can go if you take me (да, я могу пойти, если ты возьмешь меня) — Nurse says she don’t care (няня говорит, что ей все равно).
Let’s go up to the pig-sties and sit on the farmyard rails (пойдем к свинарнику и посидим на ограде двора фермы)!
Let’s say things to the bunnies (давай поговорим с кроликами), and watch ‘em skitter their tails (и понаблюдаем, как они подергивают своими хвостиками)!
Let’s — oh, anything (давай — ах, что угодно), daddy (папочка), so long as it’s you and me (пока мы с тобой вдвоем — ты и я),
And going truly exploring (и пойдем в настоящий исследовательский поход), and not being in till tea (и будем на улице до чая / ужина)!
Here’s your boots (вот твои ботинки) (I’ve brought ‘em (я принесла их)), and here’s your cap and stick (а вот твоя фуражка и трость).
And here’s your pipe and tobacco (а вот твоя трубка и табак). Oh, come along out of it — quick (ах, идем отсюда — скорей).

people [pJpl], carriage ['kxrIG], tobacco [tq'bxkqu]

I AM the Most Wise Baviaan, saying in most wise tones,
‘Let us melt into the landscape — just us two by our lones.’
People have come — in a carriage — calling. But Mummy is there….
Yes, I can go if you take me — Nurse says she don’t care.
Let’s go up to the pig-sties and sit on the farmyard rails!
Let’s say things to the bunnies, and watch ‘em skitter their tails!
Let’s — oh, anything, daddy, so long as it’s you and me,
And going truly exploring, and not being in till tea!
Here’s your boots (I’ve brought ‘em), and here’s your cap and stick.
And here’s your pipe and tobacco. Oh, come along out of it — quick.

This is Wise Baviaan (это Мудрый Павиан), the dog-headed Baboon (собакоголовый Бабуин), Who is Quite the Wisest Animal in All South Africa (Который Действительно Мудрейшее Животное во Всей Южной Африке). I have drawn him from a statue (я нарисовал его со статуи) that I made up out of my own head (которую я выдумал из моей собственной головы), and I have written his name on his belt (и я написал его имя на его поясе) and on his shoulder and on the thing he is sitting on (и на его плече и на штуковине, на которой он сидит). I have written it in what is not called Coptic and Hieroglyphic and Cuneiformic and Bengalic and Burmic and Hebric (я написал это не тем, что называется коптским языком, иероглифами, клинописью, бенгали, бирманским языком и ивритом) all because he is so wise (исключительно потому, что он так мудр). He is not beautiful (он не красив), but he is very wise (но он очень мудр); and I should like to paint him with paint-box colours (и я хотел бы раскрасить его красками из коробки красок), but I am not allowed (но мне не разрешают). The umbrellaish thing about his head is his Conventional Mane (зонтоподобная штука у его головы — это его Традиционная Грива; conventional — обычный, обыкновенный, традиционный, условный; umbrella — зонт).

statue ['stxtjH], colour ['kAlq], conventional [kqn'venSqnql]

This is Wise Baviaan, the dog-headed Baboon, Who is Quite the Wisest Animal in All South Africa. I have drawn him from a statue that I made up out of my own head, and I have written his name on his belt and on his shoulder and on the thing he is sitting on. I have written it in what is not called Coptic and Hieroglyphic and Cuneiformic and Bengalic and Burmic and Hebric, all because he is so wise. He is not beautiful, but he is very wise; and I should like to paint him with paint-box colours, but I am not allowed. The umbrellaish thing about his head is his Conventional Mane.

THIS is the picture, of the Leopard and the Ethiopian (это изображение Леопарда и Эфиопа) after they had taken Wise Baviaan’s advice (после того как они последовали совету Мудрого Павиана) and the Leopard had gone into other spots (и Леопард покрылся пятнами) and the Ethiopian had changed his skin (а Эфиоп сменил свою кожу). The Ethiopian was really a negro (Эфиоп был действительно негр), and so his name was Sambo (и поэтому его звали Самбо[56]). The Leopard was called Spots (Леопарда назвали Пятнистым), and he has been called Spots ever since (и с тех пор его всегда зовут Пятнистым). They are out hunting in the spickly-speckly forest (они вышли на охоту в пятнисто-пятнастом лесу), and they are looking for Mr. One-Two-Three-Where’s-your-Breakfast (и они ищут мистера Раз-два-три-Где-ваш-Завтрак-/посмотри/). If you look a little (если вы немного приглядитесь) you will see Mr. One-Two-Three not far away (недалеко вы увидите мистера Раз-два-три). The Ethiopian has hidden behind a splotchy-blotchy tree (Эфиоп спрятался за пятночно-мазочным деревом) because it matches his skin (потому что оно соответствует его коже), and the Leopard is lying beside a spickly-speckly bank of stones (а Леопард лежит возле пятнасто-пятнистого каменистого берега) because it matches his spots (потому что он подходит к его пятнам). Mr. One-Two-Three-Where’s-your-Breakfast is standing up eating leaves from a tall tree (мистер Раз-два-три-Где-ваш-Завтрак-посмотри стоит и объедает листья с высокого дерева). This is really a puzzle-picture like ‘Find the Cat’ (это действительно загадочная картинка, как «найди Кота»[57]).

negro ['nJgrqu], leave [lJv], puzzle [pAzl]

THIS is the picture, of the Leopard and the Ethiopian after they had taken Wise Baviaan’s advice and the Leopard had gone into other spots and the Ethiopian had changed his skin. The Ethiopian was really a negro, and so his name was Sambo. The Leopard was called Spots, and he has been called Spots ever since. They are out hunting in the spickly-speckly forest, and they are looking for Mr. One-Two-Three-Where’s-your-Breakfast. If you look a little you will see Mr. One-Two-Three not far away. The Ethiopian has hidden behind a splotchy-blotchy tree because it matches his skin, and the Leopard is lying beside a spickly-speckly bank of stones because it matches his spots. Mr. One-Two-Three-Where’s-your-Breakfast is standing up eating leaves from a tall tree. This is really a puzzle-picture like ‘Find the Cat.’

THE ELEPHANT’S CHILD