Loe raamatut: «Кельтские сумерки. Уровень 1 / The Celtic Twilight»

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Дизайн обложки Анастасии Орловой

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THE HOSTING OF THE SIDHE¹

The host is riding fromKnocknarea²,
And over the grave ofClooth-na-bare³;
Caolte⁴ tossing his burning hair,
AndNiamh⁵ calling, “Away, come away;
Empty your heart of its mortal dream.
The winds awaken, the leaves spin around,
Our cheeks are pale, ourhair is unbound⁶,
Our chests are moving, our eyes are shining,
Our arms are waving, our lips are apart,
And if anyone looks at our rushing band,
We come between him and thedeed⁷ of his hand,
We come between him and the hope of his heart.”
The host is rushing between night and day;
And where is there hope or deed as fair?
Caolte tossing his burning hair,
And Niamh calling, “Away, come away.”

THIS BOOK

Time drops in decay
Like a candle burnt out.
And the mountains and woods
Have their day, have their day;
But, kindly old rout
Of the fire-born moods,
You pass not away.

I wanted to create a small world from the beautiful and meaningful things in thisimperfect⁸ world, and to show a little piece of Ireland to my own people. I have written down what I have heard and seen. I haven’t separated my beliefs from those of the common people. I have let my characters, including ghosts and fairies, go their own way. The things a person experiences are life’s memories, and anyone can interpret⁹ them as they please. I have also interpreted them in my own way, but I will be happy as long as my interpretation suits me.

1893.
W. B. YEATS.

A TELLER OF TALES

Paddy Flynn told me many of the tales in this book. He lived in a small andleaky¹⁰ cabin in Ballisodare¹¹ village. He described it as the most peaceful place in County Sligo. This place is filled with fairies. The first time I saw him, he was cooking mushrooms. The next time, he was sleeping under a hedge¹² with a smile on his face. He was always happy. But I could sense a hint of sadness in his eyes.

And yet there was much in his life todepress¹³ him, for his age, eccentricity, and deafness, and the children were constantly bothering him. Probably that’s why he always advised to be happy and hope for the best.

I wrote down Paddy Flynn’s stories and words in my notebook after meeting him. I feel sad looking at the empty pages at the end that will never be filled. Paddy Flynnpassed away¹⁴. A friend of mine gave him a big bottle of whiskey, and even though he was usually not a heavy drinker¹⁵, he got really excited from this gift, and he didn’t stop drinking for a few days until he passed away. His body was tired from old age and difficult times, and it couldn’t handle the alcohol like it did when he was young.

1.sidhe – феи, волшебный народ Ирландии в гэльском фольклоре

2.Knocknarea – большой холм к западу от города Слайго в графстве Слайго, Ирландия

3.Clooth-na-bare – фея, которая искала смерти в самом глубоком озере в мире, которое она нашла в Слайго;

4.Caolte – в написании Йейтса, Кейл мак Ронайн, воин и член племени фианна в фенианском цикле ирландской мифологии.

5.Niamh – Ниав, В ирландской мифологии – дочь богов моря Мананнана мак Лира и одна из королев Тир-на-Ног, страны вечной молодости.

6.hair is unbound – волосы распущены

7.deed – дело, поступок, свершение

8.imperfect – несовершенный

9.interpret – толковать, объяснять, интерпретировать

10.leaky – дырявый, протекающий

11.Ballisodare – Баллисадэр, деревня в Ирландии в графстве Слайго

12.hedge – изгородь