第11章 小不点或拇指姑娘 Little Tiny or Thumbelina(6/8)

首发：~第11章 小不点或拇指姑娘 Little Tiny or Thumbelina

she was quite frightened, for the bird was large, a great deal larger than herself, — she was only an inch high

但她鼓起勇气，把羊毛更厚地盖在可怜的燕子身上，然后拿了一片她自己当被子用的叶子，盖在这只可怜小鸟的头上。

but she took courage, laid the wool more thickly over the poor swallow, and then took a leaf which she had used for her own counterpane, and laid it over the head of the poor bird

第二天早晨，她又偷偷地出去看他。

the next morning she again stole out to see him

他还活着，但非常虚弱；

he was alive but very weak;

他只能睁开眼睛看了拇指姑娘一会儿，拇指姑娘站在旁边，手里拿着一块朽木，因为她没有别的灯笼。

he could only open his eyes for a moment to look at tiny, who stood by holding a piece of decayed wood in her hand, for she had no other lantern

“谢谢你，美丽的小姑娘，” 生病的燕子说；

“thank you, pretty little maiden,” said the sick swallow;

“我被照顾得很暖和，很快我就会恢复力气，又能在温暖的阳光下飞翔了。”

“i have been so nicely warmed, that i shall soon regain my strength, and be able to fly about again in the warm sunshine”

“哦，” 她说，“现在外面很冷；下雪又结冰。呆在你温暖的床上吧；我会照顾你的。”

“oh,” said she, “it is cold out of doors now; it snows and freezes stay in your warm bed; i will take care of you”

然后她用一片花瓣盛了些水给燕子，燕子喝完后告诉她，他在荆棘丛里弄伤了一只翅膀，不能像其他燕子飞得那么快，其他燕子很快就远远地朝着温暖的国度飞走了。

then she brought the swallow some water in a flower - leaf, and after he had drank, he told her that he had wounded one of his wings in a thorn - bush, and could not fly as fast as the others, who were soon far away on their journey to warm countries

最后他就掉到地上了，之后的事就不记得了，也不记得自己是怎么到她发现他的地方的。

then at last he had fallen to the earth, and could remember no more, nor how he came to be where she had found him

整个冬天燕子都呆在地下，拇指姑娘悉心地照料他。

the whole winter the swallow remained underground, and tiny nursed him with care and love

鼹鼠和田鼠对此一无所知，因为他们不喜欢燕子。

neither the mole nor the field - mouse knew anything about it, for they did not like swallows

很快春天就来了，太阳温暖着大地。

very soon the spring time came, and the sun warmed the earth

然后燕子向拇指姑娘告别，她打开了鼹鼠在天花板上挖的洞。

then the swallow bade farewell to tiny, and she opened the hole in the ceiling which the mole had made

阳光如此美丽地照在他们身上，燕子问她是否愿意和他一起走；他说她可以坐在他的背上，他会带着她飞到绿色的树林里去。

the sun shone in upon them so beautifully, that the swallow asked her if she would go with him; she could sit on his back, he said, and he would fly away with her into the green woods

但是拇指姑娘知道，如果她这样离开田鼠，会让田鼠非常伤心的，所以她说：“不，我不能。”

but tiny knew it would make the field - mouse very grieved if she left her in that manner, so she said, “no, i cannot”

“那么，再见了，再见了，你这个善良、美丽的小姑娘。” 燕子说；然后他飞到阳光里去了。

“farewell, then, farewell, you good, pretty little maiden,” said the swallow; and he flew out into the sunshine

拇指姑娘望着他的背影，眼里涌出了泪水。她非常喜欢这只可怜的燕子。

tiny looked after him, and the tears rose in her eyes she was very fond of the poor swallow

“叽叽，叽叽。” 鸟儿一边唱着，一边飞进绿色的树林，拇指姑娘感到非常难过。她不能到温暖的阳光下去。

“tweet, tweet,” sang the bird, as he flew out into the green woods, and tiny felt very sad she was not allowed to go out into the warm sunshine

长在田鼠屋子上面田野里的麦子已经长得很高，对只有一英寸高的拇指姑娘来说就像一片茂密的树林。

the corn which had been sown in the field over the house of the field - mouse had grown up high into the air, and formed a thick wood to tiny, who was only an inch in height

“你就要结婚了，拇指姑娘。” 田鼠说。

“you are going to be married, tiny,” said the field - mouse

“我的邻居向你求婚了。像你这样一个可怜的孩子，这是多么好的运气啊。现在我们要准备你的结婚礼服了。它们必须是羊毛和亚麻材质的。当你成为鼹鼠的妻子时，什么都不能缺。”

“my neighbor has asked for you what good fortune for a poor child like you now we will prepare your wedding clothes they must be both woollen and linen nothing must be wanting when you are the mole’s wife”

拇指姑娘不得不去纺线，田鼠雇了四只蜘蛛，它们要日夜纺织。

tiny had to turn the spindle, and the field - mouse hired four spiders, who were to weave day and night

每天晚上鼹鼠都会来拜访她，不停地说着夏天结束的时候。

every evening the mole visited her, and was continually speaking of the time when the summer would be over

到那时他就要和拇指姑娘举行婚礼；但现在太阳的热度非常大，把土地都烤焦了，让土地变得像石头一样坚硬。

then he would keep his wedding - day with tiny; but now the heat of the sun was so great that it burned the earth, and made it quite hard, like a stone

夏天一结束，婚礼就应该举行。

as soon, as the summer was over, the wedding should take place