书城教材教辅新课标英语学习资源库-幸福的家庭
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第6章 The Toad(4)

癞蛤蟆没有再听下去,他们的话她连一半都听不懂。这两位朋友继续谈论着,癞蛤蟆逃开了,摆脱了被泡到酒精里的命运。

“Those two also were speaking of the jewel.”said the Toad to herself.“What a good thing that I have not got it!I might have been in a very disagreeable position.”

“他们也在谈论着宝石!”癞蛤蟆说。“幸好我身上没有这东西!不然的话,我可要倒霉了。”

Now there was a clapping on the roof of the farmhouse.FatherStork was making a speech to his family,and his family was glancing down at the two young men in the kitchen garden.

农舍的屋顶上又发出叽哩咕噜的声音。原来是鹳鸟爸爸在对他家里的训话。他们都侧着脑袋看着菜园里的这两个年轻人。

“Man is the most conceited creature!”said the Stork.“Listen how their jaws are wagging,and for all that they cant clap properly.They boast of their gifts of eloquence and their language!Yes,a fine language truly!Why,it changes in every days journey we make.One of them doesnt understand another.Now,we can speak our language over the whole earth—up in the North and in Egypt.And then men are not able to fly,moreover.They rush along by means of an invention they call‘railway,but they often break their necks over it.It makes my beak turn cold when I think of it.The world could get on without men.We could do without them very well,so long as we only keep frogs and earthworms.”

“人是最自命不凡的动物!”鹳鸟说,“你们听他们讲话的这副神气!他们连一个像样的‘嘎嘎’声都发不出来,而却以为自己讲话的本领和语言非常了不起。他们的语言倒是世界上少有的。我们每完成一天路程,语言就变了。一个人听不懂另一个人的话。但我们的语言在全世界都通行——在丹麦跟在埃及一样容易懂。而且人还不会飞呢!他们发明一种东西来帮助他们旅行——把这叫做‘铁路’。不过他们常常在铁路上跌断脖子。一想到这事情我就不禁连嘴都要哆嗦起来。没有人世界还是一样。我们没有他们也可以活下去!我们只要有青蛙和蚯蚓就得了!”

“That was a powerful speech.”thought the little Toad.“What a great man that is yonder!and how high he sits!Higher than ever I saw any one sit yet,and how he can swim!”she cried,as the Stork soared away through the air with outspread pinion(spinion n.翼,(人的)臂膀,小齿轮).

“多么了不起的演说!”小癞蛤蟆想。“他是个多么伟大的人!他坐得多么高——我从来没有看见过有人坐得这样高!他游得多好啊!”当鹳鸟展开翅膀,从空中飞过去的时候,癞蛤蟆大叫了一声。

And the MotherStork began talking in the nest,and told about Egypt and the waters of the Nile,and the incomparable mud that was to be found in that strange land,and all this sounded new and very charming to the little Toad.

鹳鸟妈妈在窝里谈论着。她谈着关于埃及、尼罗河的水和外国大地上的美妙的泥巴。对于小癞蛤蟆而言这是非常新奇和有趣的故事。

“I must go to Egypt!”said she.“If the Stork or one of his young ones would only take me!I would oblige him in return.Yes,I shall get to Egypt,for I feel so happy!All the longing and all the pleasure that I feel is much better than having a jewel in ones head.”

“我也得到埃及去,”他说,“只要鹳鸟或者他的一个孩子愿意带我去的话。作为回报,我会送给他一点什么东西。是的,我一定会到埃及去的,因为我是一个非常幸运的人!我心中的这种渴望和愉快,比头上有一颗宝石要强烈得多。”

And it was just she who had the jewel.That jewel was the continual striving and desire to go upward—ever upward.It gleamed in her head,gleamed in joy,beamed brightly in her longing.

她正是有这样一颗宝石,叫做:永恒的渴望和追求。向上——不断地向上。这颗宝石在她的身体里发出光来——发出快乐和渴望的光。

Then,suddenly,up came the Stork.He had seen the Toad in the grass,and stooped down and seized the little creature anything but gently.The Storks beak pinched her,and the wind whistled,it was not exactly agreeable,but she was going upward—upward towards Egyptand she knew it,and that was why her eyes gleamed,and a spark seemed to fly out of them.“Quunk!—Ah!”

正在这时候,鹳鸟突然飞来了。他看到草里的这只癞蛤蟆。他扑下来,使劲地啄住这只癞蛤蟆。嘴衔得很紧,风呼啸而过。这种感受让人很不愉快,但癞蛤蟆却在向上飞,而且她知道是在向埃及飞。因此她的眼睛在发着光,好像里面有火星迸出来似的:“呱!哎呀!”

The body was dead—the Toad was killed!But the spark that had shot forth from her eyes,what became of that?The sunbeam took it up,the sunbeam carried the jewel from the head of the toad.Whither?

她的躯体死了,癞蛤蟆被掐死了。但是她的眼睛里迸出的火花变成了什么呢?太阳光把它吸收去了。太阳带走了癞蛤蟆头上的那颗宝石。但带到什么地方去了呢?

Ask not the naturalist,rather ask the poet.He will tell it thee under the guise(guise n.外观,姿态,装束,伪装v.伪装)of a fairy tale,and the Caterpillar on the cabbage,and the Stork family belong to the story.Think!the Caterpillar is changed,and turns into a beautiful butterfly,the Stork family flies over mountains and seas,to the distant Africa,and yet finds the shortest way home to the same country—to the same roof.Nay,that is almost too improbable,and yet it is true.You may ask the naturalist,he will confess it is so,and you know it yourself,for you have seen it.

与其去问那位博物学家,倒不如去问那位诗人。他可以把这故事以一个童话告诉你。这童话里面还有那条毛虫,也有鹳鸟这一家人。想想看吧,毛虫变了形,变成了一只美丽的蝴蝶!鹳鸟家庭飞过高山和大海,到不遥远的非洲。但是它们仍然能够找到最短的捷径,飞回到丹麦来——飞到同样的地方,同样的屋顶上来。是的,这向简直太像一个童话了,但这是真的!你不妨问问博物学家吧。他承认这个事实。你自己也知道,因为你曾经看到过全部的经过。

But the jewel in the head of the toad?Seek it in the sun,see it there if you can.The brightness is too dazzling there.We have not yet such eyes as can see into the glories which God has created,but we shall receive them byandby,and that will be the most beautiful story of all,and we shall all have our share in it.

不过怎样才能看到癞蛤蟆头上的宝石呢?你到太阳里去找吧。如果可以的话,去瞧瞧吧!太阳光是很强的。我们的眼睛还没有能力正视上帝创造的一切光辉,但是终有一天我们会有这种能力的。那时这个童话将会非常精彩,因为我们自己也将会成为这个童话的一部分。