Ogden Nash (1902-1971)

- was born in Rye, New York. After school he studied at Harvard, but left it at the end of his freshman year. He first tried teaching at school. Then he worked as a bond salesman on Wall Street and sold only one bond— to his godmother. Then he worked at the advertising department of a publishing house. In 1931 he joined the editorial staff of The New Yorker. The same year his first collection of verses was published. The success of the book was immediate and since then Ogden Nash devoted his entire time to writing.

He is the master of surprising words which don't seem to rhyme and yet they do, words which do not exist in the English language, still everybody easily recognizes and understands them.
His mad, sad, funny and brilliant verses are popular with children and with grown-ups.

THE OCTOPUS
Tell me О Octopus, I begs,
Is those things arms, or is they legs?
I marvel at thee, Octopus:
If I were thou, I'd call me Us.
Что такое осьминог —
Восемь рук или восемь ног?
Я б на месте осьминога
Называл себя НАСМНОГО.
Перевод Х. Варденга

The trouble with the kitten is that
Eventually it becomes a cat!!!
Мы любим котят. Только жаль, что потом
Каждый котёнок станет котом.
Перевод Х. Варденга

The FLY.
God in his wisdom made the FLY
And then forgot to tell us why.
Господь доказал сотворением мухи,
Что даже боги бывают не в духе.
Перевод Х. Варденга

The PIG.
The pig, if I am not mistaken,
Supplies us sausage, ham and bacon.
Let others say his heart is big —
I call it stupid of the pig.
Мы со свиньей ведем себя по-свински:
Она ест отруби, а мы едим сосиски.
Свинья добра, конечно, это верно,
Но даже доброта глупа, когда чрезмерна.
Перевод Х. Варденга

Попробуйте
перевести на русский язык
стихи Огдена Нэша
THE CAMEL
The camel has a single hump:
The dromedary, two;
Or else the other way around.
I'm never sure. Are you?

The panther.
The panther is like a leopard,
Except it hasn't been peppered.
Should you behold a panther crouch
Prepare to say Ouch.
Better yet, if called by a panther,
Don't anther.