У Гомера иссякли чернила,
Когда он сочинял про Ахилла.
И сказал он тогда,
Вовсе то не беда:
Ведь я слеп – ну зачем мне чернила!
А. Дубровский, 2011
Homer ran out of ink when he was writing about Achilles. But he said: "This is no trouble - as I'm a blind man anyway!"(makeshift translation of A. Dubrovski's poem).
Знаменитый философ Сократ
Был любого умней во сто крат.
И за это народ
(Горсть углей ему рот!)
Повелел, чтобы умер Сократ.
А. Дубровский, 2011
Раздражение народа от поучений пытавшегося сделать его лучше Сократа вылилось в смертный приговор философу, по которому тот должен был выпить яд цикуты.
Prominent philosopher Socrates was smrter than anyone else. Because of that people ordered Socrates to die. (makeshift translation of A. Dubrovski's poem).
Архимеду в порту Сиракуз
Указали на стаи медуз,
Обещав, если он
Их не выгонит вон,
Самого изгнать из Сиракуз.
А. Дубровский, 2011
Archimedes was shown flocks of jellyfishes in Syracuse's port, and was told to take them away, otherwise they will take him away instead (makeshift translation of A. Dubrovski's poem).
There was an Old Person of Sparta,
Who had twenty-five sons and one daughter;
He fed them on snails,
And weighed them in scales,
That wonderful person of Sparta.
E.Lear, 1846
There was a Young Lady of Troy,
Whom several large flies did annoy;
Some she killed with a thump,
Some she drowned at the pump,
And some she took with her to Troy.
E.Lear, 1846
There was an Old Person of Troy,
Whose drink was warm brandy and soy;
Which he took with a spoon,
By the light of the moon,
In sight of the city of Troy.
E.Lear, 1846