第6章 丑小鸭 The Ugly Duckling(6/9)

首发：~第6章 丑小鸭 The Ugly Duckling

傍晚时分，他来到一间破旧的小茅屋前，那茅屋似乎快要倒塌了，之所以还立在那儿，是因为它还没决定先往哪边倒。

towards evening, he reached a poor little cottage that seemed ready to fall, and only remained standing because it could not decide on which side to fall first

暴风雨依旧猛烈，小鸭子再也走不动了；他在茅屋旁坐下，这时他注意到由于一个铰链坏了，门没有完全关上。

the storm continued so violent, that the duckling could go no farther; he sat down by the cottage, and then he noticed that the door was not quite closed in consequence of one of the hinges having given way

因此，底部附近有一个窄窄的缝隙，足够他钻进去，他悄悄地钻了进去，在里面过夜。

there was therefore a narrow opening near the bottom large enough for him to slip through, which he did very quietly, and got a shelter for the night

这间茅屋里住着一个女人、一只雄猫和一只母鸡。

a woman, a tom cat, and a hen lived in this cottage

女主人称那只雄猫为 “我的小儿子”，它非常受宠；

the tom cat, whom the mistress called, “my little son,” was a great favorite;

它能弓起背，咕噜咕噜叫，如果逆着毛抚摸它，它甚至能从毛里迸出火星来。

he could raise his back, and purr, and could even throw out sparks from his fur if it were stroked the wrong way

那只母鸡腿很短，所以被叫做 “短腿鸡”。

the hen had very short legs, so she was called “chickie short legs”

她下的蛋很好，女主人很爱她，就像她是自己的孩子一样。

she laid good eggs, and her mistress loved her as if she had been her own child

早晨，这个陌生的访客被发现了，雄猫开始咕噜咕噜叫，母鸡开始咯咯叫。

in the morning, the strange visitor was discovered, and the tom cat began to purr, and the hen to cluck

“这吵闹声是怎么回事？”

“what is that noise about”

老妇人边说边环视房间，但是她的视力不太好；因此，当她看到小鸭子时，她以为那一定是一只迷路的肥鸭。

said the old woman, looking round the room, but her sight was not very good; therefore, when she saw the duckling she thought it must be a fat duck, that had strayed from home

“哦，多好的收获啊！” 她叫道，“我希望它不是一只公鸭，那样我就能得到一些鸭蛋了。我得等等看。”

“oh what a prize!” she exclaimed, “i hope it is not a drake, for then i shall have some duck’s eggs i must wait and see”

于是小鸭子被允许留下来试用三个星期，但是没有下蛋。

so the duckling was allowed to remain on trial for three weeks, but there were no eggs

现在雄猫是房子的主人，母鸡是女主人，他们总是说：“我们和这个世界”，因为他们认为自己就是半个世界，而且是更好的那一半。

now the tom cat was the master of the house, and the hen was mistress, and they always said, “we and the world,” for they believed themselves to be half the world, and the better half too

小鸭子认为其他人可能对这件事有不同的看法，但是母鸡不愿听这种怀疑的话。

the duckling thought that others might hold a different opinion on the subject, but the hen would not listen to such doubts

“你会下蛋吗？”

“can you lay eggs”

她问道。

she asked

“不会。”

“no”

“那就请你闭上嘴。”

“then have the goodness to hold your tongue”

“你能弓起背，咕噜咕噜叫，或者迸出火星吗？”

“can you raise your back, or purr, or throw out sparks”

雄猫说道。

said the tom cat

“不会。”

“no”

“那么当明智的人在说话的时候，你没有权利发表意见。”

“then you have no right to express an opinion when sensible people are speaking”

于是小鸭子坐在角落里，情绪非常低落，直到阳光和新鲜空气从敞开的门进入房间，然后他开始非常渴望到水里去游泳，忍不住告诉了母鸡。

so the duckling sat in a corner, feeling very low spirited, till the sunshine and the fresh air came into the room through the open door, and then he began to feel such a great longing for a swim on the water, that he could not help telling the hen