Сравнительно недавно уважаемый Mac Tire выложил прекрасный перевод этих стихотворений на украинский. Здесь моя попытка перевода на русский. Киплинг, господа!
 

The Hyaenas (Rudyard Kipling)                                                                        Гиены (Радьярд Киплинг)


 
After the burrial parties leave                                                                    Разошелся народ с похорон,
And the baffled crows have fled                                                                 Над холмом ни орлов, ни ворон.
The wise hyenas come out at eve                                                              Лишь гиены собрались в ночи,
To take account of our dead.                                                                     Чтоб от смерти свое получить.
 
How he died and why he died                                                                    Как он умер, за что и когда,
Troubles them not a bit                                                                             Это, в общем, для них ерунда.
They snout the bushes and stones aside                                                    Они мордами землю скребут,        
And dig till they come to it                                                                         Их останки солдатские ждут.
 
They only are resolute they shall eat                                                          Нет прекраснее мяса, чем труп,
That they and their mates may thrive                                                         Будешь сыт, если только не глуп,
And they know that the dead are safer meat                                              И для своры заманчивей нет,
Than the weakest thing alive                                                                     Чем добыть себе вкусный обед.
 
For a goat may butt and a worm may sting                                                Рог козла и могуч и остер,
And a child may sometimes stand                                                             От ребенка получишь отпор,
But a poor dead soldier of some king                                                         Укусить может всякая тля,
Can never lift a hand                                                                                 Но недвижим солдат короля
 
They whoop and hollar and scatter the dirt                                                Лают, воют гиены, трудясь,
Until their fangs so white                                                                          Разгребают могильную грязь.
Take good hold in the army shirt                                                               И солдата, которого нет,
And tug the corpse to light                                                                        Волокут за одежду на свет.
 
And the pitiful face is shown again                                                            Вновь несчастное тело бойца,
For an instant before they close                                                                Но его не увидишь лица.
But it is not uncovered by living men                                                         Не дано это людям живым,        
Only to god and to those                                                                          Только Богу и мерзким, другим
 
Who, being soleless are free from shame                                                  Кто живет без души и стыда,
Whatever meat they may find                                                                   Для кого — это просто еда.
Nor do they defile the dead man's name                                                   Его имя нельзя осквернить -
That is reserved for his kind.                                                                    Здесь к потомкам протянута нить.
 
The Ladies (Rudiard Kipling)                                                                     Дамы (Радьярд Киплинг)
 

 
I've taken my fun where I've found it;                                                       С юных лет я прослыл сластолюбцем,
I've rouged an' I've ranged in my time;                                                     Плутовал я и шлялся в свой час;
I've 'ad my pickin' o' seethearts,                                                               Много женщин сердца мне отдали,
An' four o' the lot was prime.                                                                   Но четыре из них — высший класс:
One was an 'arf-caste widow,                                                                  Одна дама — вдова-полукровка,
One was awoman at Prome,                                                                    Одна леди из города Пром,
One was the wife of a jemadar-sais                                                         Жена толстосума — афганского грума,
An' one is a girl at 'ome.                                                                          И еще она  - та, где мой дом.
 
Now I aren't no 'and with the ladies,                                                        Я давно уж не тот, но имею
For, takin' 'em all along,                                                                          Я о женщине мненье свое.
You never can say till you've tried 'em,                                                    Лишь познав ее, вдруг понимаешь,
An' then you are like to be wrong.                                                           Что ты вовсе не знаешь ее.
There's times when you'll think that you mightn't,                                    Ты, возможно, подумаешь: «Вряд ли»,
There's times when you'll know that you might;                                       А, возможно, решишь: «Победил»,
But the things you will learn from the Yellow an' Brown,                           Но опыт любовный хоть с желтой, хоть с черной,
They'll 'elp you a lot with the White!                                                        Он и с белой придаст тебе сил.
 
I was a young un at 'Oogli,                                                                      До того, как попал я на Хугли,
Shy as a girl to begin;                                                                              Я любовных не ведал утех.
Aggie de Castrer she made me,                                                               Тут взялась за меня Эгги Кастрер,
An' Aggie was clever as sin;                                                                     Изощреная Эгги, как грех.
Older than me, but my first un --                                                              Мне она, словно мать, помогала
More like a mother she were --                                                                Распалять мой любовный запал,
Showed me the way to promotion an' pay,                                               Учила любить, покорять и платить.
An' I learned about women from 'er!                                                        От нее я про женщин узнал.
 
Then I was ordered to Burma,                                                                 После я прослужил комендантом
Actin' in charge o' Bazar,                                                                         В небольшом городишке Базар,
An' I got me a tiddy live 'eathen                                                               Предложил мне отец свою дочку,
Through buyin' supplies off 'er pa.                                                            Когда мы покупали товар.
Funny an' yellow an' faithful --                                                                 Развеселая желтая кукла -
Doll in a teacup she were --                                                                    Я верней, чем она, не встречал.
But we lived on the square, like a true-married pair,                                 Семейною парой нас звали недаром.
An' I learned about women from 'er!                                                        От нее я про женщин узнал.
 
Then we was shifted to Neemuch                                                            А когда меня бросили в Нимач,
(Or I might ha' been keepin' 'er now),                                                      Мою с куклою связь разорвав.
An' I took with a shiny she-devil,                                                              Я с лоснящейся сладил чертовкой,
The wife of a nigger at Mhow;                                                                 Супругою негра из Мхау.
'Taught me the gipsy-folks' bolee;                                                            Она по-цыгански мне пела,
Kind o' volcano she were,                                                                        Когда же я в шутку сказал:
For she knifed me one night 'cause I wished she was white,                     «Была бы ты белой» - ножом мне по телу!
And I learned about women from 'er!                                                       От нее я про женщин узнал.
 
Then I come 'ome in a trooper,                                                                Я вернулся домой в эшелоне,
'Long of a kid o' sixteen --                                                                        Свою юность растратив зазря,
'Girl from a convent at Meerut,                                                                 Мне попалась навстречу девчонка
The straightest I ever 'ave seen.                                                             Из Миратского монастыря.
Love at first sight was 'er trouble,                                                            Она сразу меня полюбила,
She didn't know what it were;                                                                  Но нас ждал беспорочный финал
An' I wouldn't do such, 'cause I liked 'er too much,                                   Сдержал я свой пыл, так девчонку любил.
But -- I learned about women from 'er!                                                     От нее я про женщин узнал.
 
I've taken my fun where I've found it,                                                       С юных лет я прослыл сластолюбцем,
An' now I must pay for my fun,                                                                И плачу дорогою ценой,
For the more you 'ave known o' the others                                               Чем ты больше узнаешь от прочих,
The less will you settle to one;                                                                Тем ты меньше применишь к одной.
An' the end of it's sittin' and thinking',                                                      Вот итог моих долгих раздумий
An' dreamin' Hell-fires to see;                                                                  И мечтаний об адских огнях -
So be warned by my lot (which I know you will not),                                 Прими мой совет, знаю, скажешь ты: «Нет!»
An' learn about women from me!                                                             Все про женщин узнай от меня.
 
What did the Colonel's Lady think?                                                           Чего хочет  жена командира?
Nobody never knew.                                                                                Нет, она не раскроет секрет.
Somebody asked the Sergeant's Wife,                                                      А, спросите супругу сержанта,
An' she told 'em true!                                                                              И она вам - всю правду в ответ.
When you get to a man in the case,                                                         Коли дело коснется мужчины,
They're like as a row of pins --                                                                 Все они, как булавочки в ряд.
For the Colonel's Lady an' Judy O'Grady                                                    Ведь и гордая леди, и Джуди О'Грэйди
Are sisters under their skins!                                                                    В самом близком родстве состоят.