“如果我住在下面的房间里，”瓶子想，“我可能已经学会这种语言了！”
It was now washed and rinsed， which process was really quite necessary， and afterwards it looked clean and transparenttransparent adj.透明的， 显然的， 明晰的， and felt young again in its old age； but the paper which it had carried so faithfullyfaithfully adv.忠诚地， 如实地， 切实遵守地 was destroyed in the washing.
它现在被洗刷了一番。这的确是很必要的。它感到透亮和清爽，真是返老还童了。但是它那么忠实地带来的那张纸条，已经在洗刷中被毁掉了。
They filled the bottle with seeds， though it scarcely knew what had been placed in it. Then they corked it down tightly， and carefully wrapped it up. There not even the light of a torch or lantern could reach it， much less the brightness of the sun or moon. “And yet，” thought the bottle， “men go on a journey that they may see as much as possible， and I can see nothing.” However， it did something quite as important； it travelled to the place of its destinationdestination n.目的地， and was unpacked.
瓶子装满了种子：它不知道这是些什么种子。它被塞上了塞子，包起来。它既看不到灯笼，也看不到蜡烛，更谈不上月亮和太阳。但是它想：当一个人旅行的时候，应该看一些东西才是。但是它什么也没有看到，不过它总算做了一件最重要的事情——它旅行到了目的地，并且被人从包中取出来了。
“What trouble they have taken with that bottle over yonder！” said one， “and very likely it is broken after all.” But the bottle was not broken， and， better still， it understood every word that was said： this language it had heard at the furnaces and at the wine merchants； in the forest and on the ship，—it was the only good old language it could understand.
“那些外国人该是费了多少麻烦才把这瓶子包装好啊！”它听到人们讲；“它早就该损坏了。”但是它并没有损坏。瓶子现在懂得人们所讲的每一个字：这就是它在熔炉里、在酒商的店里、在树林里、在船上听到的、它能懂得的那种惟一的、亲爱的语言。
It had returned home， and the language was as a welcome greeting. For very joy， it felt ready to jump out of peoples hands， and scarcely noticed that its cork had been drawn， and its contents emptied out， till it found itself carried to a cellar， to be left there and forgotten. “Theres no place like home， even if its a cellarcellar n.地窖， 地下室， 酒窖， 藏酒量.” It never occurred to him to think that he might lie there for years， he felt so comfortable. For many long years he remained in the cellar， till at last some people came to carry away the bottles， and ours amongst the number.
它现在回到家乡来了，对它来说，这语言就是一种欢迎的表示。出于一时的高兴，它很想从人们手中跳出来。在它还没有觉得以前，塞子就被取出来了，里面的东西倒出来了，它自己被送到地下室去，扔在那儿，被人忘掉。“什么地方也没有家乡好，哪怕是待在地下室里！”瓶子从来没有想过自己在这儿待了多久：因为它在这儿感到很舒服，所以就在这儿躺了许多年。最后人们到地下室来，把瓶子都清除出去——包括这个瓶子在内。
Out in the garden there was a great festival. Brilliant lamps hung in festoons from tree to tree； and paper lanterns， through which the light shone till they looked like transparent tulips. It was a beautiful evening， and the weather mild and clear. The stars twinkled； and the new moon， in the form of a crescent， was surrounded by the shadowy disc of the whole moon， and looked like a gray globe with a golden rim： it was a beautiful sight for those who had good eyes.
花园里正在开一个盛大的庆祝会。闪耀的灯儿悬着，像花环一样；纸灯笼射出光辉，像大朵透明的郁金香。这是一个美丽的晚上，天气是晴朗的，星星在眨着眼睛。这正是上弦月的时候；但是事实上整个月亮都现出来了，像一个深灰色的圆盘，上面镶着半圈金色的框子——这对于眼睛好的人看起来，是一个美丽的景象。
The illuminationillumination n.照明， 阐明， 启发， 灯彩(通常用复数) extended even to the most retired of the garden walks， at least not so retired that any one need lose himself there. In the borders were placed bottles， each containing a light， and among them the bottle with which we are acquainted， and whose fate it was， one day， to be only a bottle neck， and to serve as a waterglass to a birdscage.
灯火甚至把花园里最隐蔽的小径都照到了：最低限度，照得可以使人找到路。篱笆上的树叶中间立着许多瓶子，每个瓶里有一个亮光。我们熟识的那个瓶子，也在这些瓶子中间。它命中注定有一天要变成一个瓶颈，一个供鸟儿吃水的小盅。
Everything here appeared lovely to our bottle， for it was again in the green wood， amidamid prep.在……中 joy and feasting； again it heard music and song， and the noise and murmur of a crowd， especially in that part of the garden where the lamps blazed， and the paper lanterns displayed their brilliant colors. It stood in a distant walk certainly， but a place pleasant for contemplation； and it carried a light； and was at once useful and ornamental. In such an hour it is easy to forget that one has spent twenty years in a loft， and a good thing it is to be able to do so.
不过对瓶子来说，它觉得一切都美丽无比：它又回到绿树林中，又在欣赏欢乐和庆祝的景象。它听到歌声和音乐，听到许多人的话声和低语声——特别是花园里点着玻璃灯和种种不同颜色的纸灯笼的那块地方。它远远地立在一条小径上，一点也不错，但这正是使人感到了不起的地方。瓶子里点着一个火，既实用，又美观。这当然是对的。这样的一个钟头可以使它忘记自己在顶楼上度过的20年光阴——把它忘掉也很好。
Close before the bottle passed a single pair， like the bridal pair—the mate and the furriers daughter—who had so long ago wandered in the wood. It seemed to the bottle as if he were living that time over again. Not only the guests but other people were walking in the garden， who were allowed to witness the splendorsplendor n.光彩， 壮观， 杰出 and the festivities.
有两个人在它旁边走过去了。他们手挽着手，像多少年以前在那个树林里的一对订了婚的恋人——水手和毛皮商人的女儿。瓶子似乎重新回到那个情景中去了。花园里不仅有客人在散步，而且还有许多别的人到这儿来参观这良辰美景。
Among the latter came an old maid， who seemed to be quite alone in the world. She was thinking， like the bottle， of the green wood， and of a young betrothed pair， who were closely connected with herself； she was thinking of that hour， the happiest of her life， in which she had taken part， when she had herself been one of that betrothed pair； such hours are never to be forgotten， let a maiden be as old as she may. But she did not recognize the bottle， neither did the bottle notice the old maid. And so we often pass each other in the world when we meet， as did these two， even while together in the same town.
在这些人中间有一位没有亲戚的老小姐，不过她并非没有朋友。像这瓶子一样，她也正在回忆那个绿树林，那对订了婚的年轻人。这对年轻人牵涉到她，跟她的关系很密切，因为她就是两人中的一个。那是她一生中最幸福的时刻——这种时刻，一个人是永远忘记不了的，即使变成了这么一个老小姐也忘记不了。但是她不认识这瓶子，而瓶子也不认识她；在这世界上我们就这样擦肩而过，又一次次地碰到一起。他们俩就是如此，他们现在又在同一个城市里面。