The hobbit jumped nearly out of his skin when the hiss came in his ears, and he suddenly saw the pale eyes sticking out at him. “Who are you?” he said, thrusting his dagger in front of him.

“What iss he, my preciouss?” whispered Gollum (who always spoke to himself through never having anyone else to speak to). This is what he had come to find out, for he was not really very hungry at the moment, only curious; otherwise he would have grabbed first and whispered afterwards. “I am Mr. Bilbo Baggins. I have lost the dwarves and I have lost the wizard, and I don’t know where I am; and “I don’t want to know, if only I can get,away.”

“What’s he got in his handses?” said Gollum, looking at the sword, which he did not quite like.

“A sword, a blade which came out of Gondolin!”

 

“Sssss (ссссс),” said Gollum, and became quite polite (сказал Голлум, и стал очень вежливым). “Praps ye sits here (возможно ты присядешь здесь; praps = perhaps) and chats with it a bitsy (и поболтаешь с ним чуток), my preciousss (мой драгоценный). It like riddles, praps it does, does it (ему нравятся загадки, возможно нравятся, так ведь)?” He was anxious to appear friendly (ему очень хотелось выглядеть дружелюбным), at any rate for the moment (во всяком случае, в этот момент), and until he found out more about the sword and the hobbit (и до тех пор, пока он не узнает больше об этом мече и о хоббите), whether he was quite alone really (и действительно ли он был совершенно один), whether he was good to eat (и был ли он съедобен: «хорош, чтобы быть съеденным»), and whether Gollum was really hungry (и был ли сам Голлум действительно голоден). Riddles were all he could think of (загадки — вот единственное: «все» о чем он мог подумать = смог придумать). Asking them (загадывать их), and sometimes guessing them (и иногда отгадывать их), had been the only game he had ever played (это была единственная игра, в которую он когда-либо играл) with other funny creatures (с другими забавными существами) sitting in their holes in the long, long ago (сидящими в своих норках очень, очень давно), before he lost all his friends (до того, как он потерял всех своих друзей) and was driven away (и был изгнан; to drive), alone (в одиночестве), and crept down, down, into the dark under the mountains (и заполз вниз, вниз в тьму под горами).

“Very well (очень хорошо),” said Bilbo, who was anxious to agree (которому очень хотелось согласиться), until he found out more about the creature (до тех пор, пока он не выяснит больше об этом существе), whether he was quite alone (был ли тот действительно совершенно один), whether he was fierce or hungry (и был ли он свирепым или голодным), and whether he was a friend of the goblins (и был ли он другом гоблинов).

 

polite [pq'laIt] riddle ['rIdl] anxious ['xNkSqs]

 

“Sssss,” said Gollum, and became quite polite. “Praps ye sits here and chats with it a bitsy, my preciousss. It like riddles, praps it does, does it?” He was anxious to appear friendly, at any rate for the moment, and until he found out more about the sword and the hobbit, whether he was quite alone really, whether he was good to eat, and whether Gollum was really hungry. Riddles were all he could think of. Asking them, and sometimes guessing them, had been the only game he had ever played with other funny creatures sitting in their holes in the long, long ago, before he lost all his friends and was driven away, alone, and crept down, down, into the dark under the mountains. “Very well,” said Bilbo, who was anxious to agree, until he found out more about the creature, whether he was quite alone, whether he was fierce or hungry, and whether he was a friend of the goblins.

 

“You ask first (ты загадываешь первым),” he said, because he had not had time to think of a riddle (потому что у него не было времени подумать о какой-нибудь загадке).

So Gollum hissed (тогда Голлум прошипел):

 

What has roots as nobody sees (у чего есть корни, которых никто не видит),

Is taller than trees (и выше чем деревья),

Up, up it goes (вверх и вверх оно идет),

And yet never grows (и все же никогда не растет)?

 

“Easy (легко)!” said Bilbo (сказал Бильбо). “Mountain, I suppose (гора, я полагаю).”

“Does it guess easy (что, так легко догадаться)? It must have a competition with us (он должен соревноваться с нами), my preciouss (мой драгоценный)! If precious asks (если драгоценный спрашивает), and it doesn’t answer (и тот не отвечает), we eats it (мы съедим его), my preciousss (мой драгоценный). If it asks us (если он спрашивает нас), and we doesn’t answer (и мы не отвечаем), then we does what it wants, eh (тогда мы сделаем то, что он хочет, а)? We shows it the way out, yes (мы покажем ему дорогу отсюда, да)!”

“All right (хорошо)!” said Bilbo, not daring to disagree (не осмеливаясь не согласиться), and nearly bursting his brain (и его мозги чуть не лопнули) to think of riddles (придумывая загадки) that could save him from being eaten (которые могли бы спасти его от /возможности/ быть съеденным).

 

mountain ['maVntIn] competition [kOmpI'tIS(q)n] bursting ['bq:stIN]

 

“You ask first,” he said, because he had not had time to think of a riddle.

So Gollum hissed: