第6章 丑小鸭 The Ugly Duckling【3 / 7】

“哦，” 鸭妈妈说，“那不是火鸡；

“oh,” said the mother, “that is not a turkey;

他的腿用得多好啊，站得多直啊！他是我的亲生孩子，要是你好好看看他，他其实也不是那么丑。

how well he uses his legs, and how upright he holds himself! he is my own child, and he is not so very ugly after all if you look at him properly

嘎嘎，嘎嘎！现在跟我来，我要带你们进入上流社会，把你们介绍到农家院子里，但你们必须紧跟着我，不然可能会被踩到；

quack, quack! e with me now, i will take you into grand society, and introduce you to the farmyard, but you must keep close to me or you may be trodden upon;

而且，最重要的是，要小心猫。”

and, above all, beware of the cat”

当它们到达农家院子时，一阵大乱，两家人正在为一个鳗鱼头争斗，最后鳗鱼头被猫抢走了。

when they reached the farmyard, there was a great disturbance, two families were fighting for an eel’s head, which, after all, was carried off by the cat

“看，孩子们，这就是世道。” 鸭妈妈磨着嘴说道，因为她自己也很想要那个鳗鱼头。

“see, children, that is the way of the world,” said the mother duck, whetting her beak, for she would have liked the eel’s head herself

“来吧，现在，动一动你们的腿，让我看看你们表现得有多好。

“e, now, use your legs, and let me see how well you can behave

你们必须很有礼貌地向那边的老鸭鞠躬；

you must bow your heads prettily to that old duck yonder;

她是这里出身最高贵的，有西班牙血统，所以她很富有。

she is the highest born of them all, and has spanish blood, therefore, she is well off

你们没看到她腿上系着一面红旗吗，这是非常了不起的东西，对一只鸭子来说是极大的荣耀；

don’t you see she has a red flag tied to her leg, which is something very grand, and a great honor for a duck;

这表明每个人都很担心失去她，因为人和动物都能认出她来。

it shows that every one is anxious not to lose her, as she can be recognized both by man and beast

来吧，现在，不要把脚趾向内弯，一只有教养的小鸭子要像他的爸爸妈妈那样把脚张得大大的；

e, now, don’t turn your toes, a well - bred duckling spreads his feet wide apart, just like his father and mother, in this way;

现在弯下你们的脖子，说‘嘎嘎’。”

now bend your neck, and say ‘quack’”

小鸭子们照吩咐做了，但另一只鸭子盯着它们说：“看，又来了一窝，好像我们已经够多的了！而且其中一个长得多奇怪啊；

the ducklings did as they were bid, but the other duck stared, and said, “look, here es another brood, as if there were not enough of us already! and what a queer looking object one of them is;

我们不想让他待在这里，” 然后一只鸭子飞出来咬他的脖子。

we don’t want him here,” and then one flew out and bit him in the neck

“别管他，” 鸭妈妈说；

“let him alone,” said the mother;

“他又没做什么坏事。”

“he is not doing any harm”

“是的，但是他又大又丑，” 那只恶毒的鸭子说，“所以必须把他赶走。”

“yes, but he is so big and ugly,” said the spiteful duck “and therefore he must be turned out”

“其他的都是非常可爱的孩子，” 腿上系着破布的老鸭说，“除了那一个；

“the others are very pretty children,” said the old duck, with the rag on her leg, “all but that one;

我希望他妈妈能把他改造得好一点。”

i wish his mother could improve him a little”

“那是不可能的，夫人，” 鸭妈妈回答说；

“that is impossible, your grace,” replied the mother;

“他是不漂亮；但他脾气很好，游泳和其他小鸭子一样好，甚至更好。

“he is not pretty; but he has a very good disposition, and swims as well or even better than the others

我想他长大后会变漂亮的，也许还会变小；

i think he will grow up pretty, and perhaps be smaller;

他在蛋里待的时间太长了，所以他的体型没有发育好；”

he has remained too long in the egg, and therefore his figure is not properly formed;”

然后她抚摸着他的脖子，理顺羽毛，说道：“他是只公鸭，所以没那么重要。

and then she stroked his neck and smoothed the feathers, saying, “it is a drake, and therefore not of so much consequence

我想他会茁壮成长，并且能够照顾自己。”

i think he will grow up strong, and able to take care of himself”

“其他小鸭子够优雅的了，” 老鸭说。

“the other ducklings are graceful enough,” said the old duck

“现在就像在自己家一样，如果你们能找到鳗鱼头，可以带给我。”

“now make yourself at home, and if you can find an eel’s head, you can bring it to me”

于是他们就自在起来；但那只最后从蛋壳里爬出来、长得很丑的可怜小鸭子，不仅被鸭子们咬、推搡、取笑，而且还被所有的家禽欺负。

and so they made themselves fortable; but the poor duckling, who had crept out of his shell last of all, and looked so ugly, was bitten and pushed and made fun of, not only by the ducks, but by all the poultry

“他太大了，” 他们都说，那只生来就长着距的雄火鸡，自认为自己真的是个皇帝，像满帆的船一样鼓起身子，向小鸭子扑来，气得脑袋通红，可怜的小家伙不知道该去哪里，因为自己长得丑又被整个农家院子嘲笑，非常痛苦。

“he is too big,” they all said, and the turkey cock, who had been born into the world with spurs, and fancied himself really an emperor, puffed himself out like a vessel in full sail, and flew at the duckling, and became quite red in the head with passion, so that the poor little thing did not know where to go, and was quite miserable because he was so ugly and laughed at by the whole farmyard

就这样一天天地过去，情况越来越糟。