The Little Old Woman and Her Pig

One time a little old woman was sweeping her room, and she found in the corner a bright silver shilling. “There!” said the old woman, “Now I can buy that little pig I have been wanting for such a long time.”

从前有个小老太太正在打扫屋子，她在墙角发现了一枚亮闪闪的银币。“哎呀！”老太太说，“这下我可以买那头我盼了好久的小猪了。”

She finished her sweeping in a hurry and put on her bonnet and her shawl and started off to market to buy her pig, and she carried a tin pail with her so she could gather blackberries along the way.

她匆匆忙忙地打扫完，戴上帽子，披上披肩，便动身去集市买猪了，她还随身带了一个锡桶，好在路上顺便摘些黑莓。

The bushes were fairly loaded down with berries, so it did not take her long to fill her pail, and after that she got to market in no time.

灌木丛上结满了浆果，没多久她就把桶装满了，随后她很快就到了集市。

At first she could not find just the pig she wanted. Some were too little and some were too big; some were too fat and some were too thin. But at last she found just exactly the right pig; it was round and pink and it had one black ear, and the curliest tail there was in the market. She paid just exactly a shilling for it, and then she tied a rope around its hind leg and started home with it, driving it before her, and carrying the pail of blackberries on her arm.

一开始她怎么也找不到中意的猪。有的太小，有的太大；有的太肥，有的太瘦。可最后她终于找到了一头正合心意的猪：浑身圆滚滚、粉嘟嘟的，一只耳朵是黑色的，还有一条集市上最卷的尾巴。她刚好花了一先令买下了它，随后在它的后腿上系了根绳子，赶着它往家走，一手牵着猪，一手挎着装黑莓的桶。

At first all went well. The little pig trotted quietly along, and the sun shone, and the birds sang, and the little white clouds floated across the sky. But presently they came to a stile, and the pig did not want to go over it. Now, there was no way to go round, and no way to get home except over this stile.

起初一切都很顺利。小猪安安静静地小跑着，太阳照耀着，鸟儿歌唱着，天空中飘着白云朵朵。可不久她们来到一处台阶，小猪却不肯跨过去。眼下既没法绕道走，回家也没有别的路，只能翻过这道台阶。

“Go on, piggy,” said the old woman, shaking the rope. But piggy wouldn’t go on. The old woman tried to drive him, and he wouldn’t go, and then she tried to lead him, and then she coaxed him and talked to him, but he just _wouldn’t_ go over the stile.

“走呀，小猪，”老太太一边说一边拽着绳子。可小猪就是不肯走。老太太想赶它走，它不走；又想牵着它走，它也不走；她又是哄又是劝，可小猪就是不肯翻过那道台阶。

At last the old woman quite lost patience with him. She saw a dog trotting along the road, and she called to him. “Here! here, good dog; come and bite piggy, for I can’t make pig go over the stile, and at this rate I won’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”

老太太终于失去了耐心。她瞧见路上正跑来一条狗，便朝它喊道。“喂！好狗狗，快来咬咬这猪，我怎么也弄不动它翻过台阶，照这样下去，我这桶新鲜的熟黑莓都得等到半夜才能带回家了。”

The dog stopped and looked at her and looked at the pig, but he would not bite it.

狗停下脚步，看看她，又看看猪，可它就是不肯咬。

Close by a stick lay in the road, and the woman called to it (and she was quite cross by this time). “Stick, stick, beat dog; dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and at this rate I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”

路边正好躺着一根棍子，老太太便朝它喊道（这时她已经相当恼火了）。“棍子啊棍子，去打狗；狗不肯咬猪，猪不肯翻过台阶，照这样下去，我这桶新鲜的熟黑莓都得等到半夜才能带回家了。”

But the stick wouldn’t. It lay there quietly in the road just as though she hadn’t spoken to it.

可棍子却不肯。它静静地躺在路上，仿佛她根本没跟它说过话似的。

Over in the field a fire was burning, and the old woman called to it, “Fire, fire, burn stick; stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and at this rate I won’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”

田野那边正燃着一堆火，老太太便朝它喊道，“火啊火，去烧棍子；棍子不肯打狗，狗不肯咬猪，猪不肯翻过台阶，照这样下去，我都得等到半夜才能带着这桶新鲜的熟黑莓回家了。”

But the fire wouldn’t.

可火却不肯。

Then the old woman called to a brook near by, “Water, water, quench fire; fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”

于是老太太又朝附近的一条小溪喊道，“水啊水，去浇灭火；火不肯烧棍子，棍子不肯打狗，狗不肯咬猪，猪不肯翻过台阶，我都得等到半夜才能带着这桶新鲜的熟黑莓回家了。”

But the brook wouldn’t.

可小溪却不肯。

She saw an ox over in the field. “Ox, ox,” she cried, “drink water; water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”

她瞧见田野那边有头牛。“牛啊牛，”她喊道，“去喝水；水不肯浇灭火，火不肯烧棍子，棍子不肯打狗，狗不肯咬猪，猪不肯翻过台阶，我都得等到半夜才能带着这桶新鲜的熟黑莓回家了。”

But the ox wouldn’t.

可牛却不肯。

She saw a butcher riding along the road, and she called to him “Butcher, butcher, kill ox; ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I won’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”

她瞧见一个屠夫正骑马沿路而来，便朝他喊道，“屠夫啊屠夫，去杀牛；牛不肯喝水，水不肯浇灭火，火不肯烧棍子，棍子不肯打狗，狗不肯咬猪，猪不肯翻过台阶，我都得等到半夜才能带着这桶新鲜的熟黑莓回家了。”

But the butcher wouldn’t.

可屠夫却不肯。

There was a piece of rope twisted about the fence. “Rope, rope,” she cried, “hang butcher; butcher won’t kill ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”

篱笆上正缠着一段绳子。“绳子啊绳子，”她喊道，“去吊死屠夫；屠夫不肯杀牛，牛不肯喝水，水不肯浇灭火，火不肯烧棍子，棍子不肯打狗，狗不肯咬猪，猪不肯翻过台阶，我都得等到半夜才能带着这桶新鲜的熟黑莓回家了。”

But the rope wouldn’t.

可绳子却不肯。

Then she called to a rat that lived in a hole under the stile, “Rat, rat, gnaw rope; rope won’t hang butcher, butcher won’t kill ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, pig won’t go over the stile, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”

于是她又朝住在台阶下洞里的一只老鼠喊道，“老鼠啊老鼠，去啃绳子；绳子不肯吊死屠夫，屠夫不肯杀牛，牛不肯喝水，水不肯浇灭火，火不肯烧棍子，棍子不肯打狗，狗不肯咬猪，猪不肯翻过台阶，我都得等到半夜才能带着这桶新鲜的熟黑莓回家了。”

But the rat wouldn’t.

可老鼠却不肯。

A cat was sitting on a gate-post. “Puss, puss, catch rat,” called the old woman. “Rat won’t gnaw rope, rope won’t hang butcher, butcher won’t kill ox, ox won’t drink water, water won’t quench fire, fire won’t burn stick, stick won’t beat dog, dog won’t bite pig, and I shan’t get home till midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”

一只猫正蹲坐在门柱上。“咪咪，咪咪，去抓老鼠，”老太太喊道。“老鼠不肯啃绳子，绳子不肯吊死屠夫，屠夫不肯杀牛，牛不肯喝水，水不肯浇灭火，火不肯烧棍子，棍子不肯打狗，狗不肯咬猪，我都得等到半夜才能带着这桶新鲜的熟黑莓回家了。”

“No,” answered puss, “I am very comfortable sitting here. Why should I disturb myself just to please you. But if you will get the red cow to give you a saucerful of milk for me then I will catch the rat.”

“不行，”猫答道，“我坐在这儿舒舒服服的，何必为了讨你欢心就折腾自己呢。不过要是你能让那头红牛给我一碟牛奶，我就去抓老鼠。”

So the little old woman tied the pig to the stile, and then she climbed over the fence into the field where the red cow was standing.

于是小老太太把猪拴在台阶上，翻过篱笆，走进那头红牛所在的田野。

“Please, good cow, give me a saucerful of milk for puss,” she said, “so that puss will catch the rat that won’t gnaw the rope that won’t hang the butcher who won’t kill the ox that won’t drink the water that won’t quench the fire that won’t burn the stick that won’t beat the dog that won’t bite the pig that won’t go over the stile so that I can get home before midnight with my pail of fine ripe blackberries.”

“求求你，好心的牛啊，给我一碟牛奶给猫吧，”她说，“这样猫才肯去抓那只不肯啃绳子的老鼠，绳子才肯去吊死那不肯杀牛的屠夫，牛才肯去喝那不肯浇灭火的水，水才肯去浇灭那不肯烧棍子的火，棍子才肯去打那不肯咬猪的狗，狗才肯去咬那不肯翻过台阶的猪，好让我能在半夜之前带着这桶新鲜的熟黑莓回家。”

Said the cow, “If you will go over yonder to where the haymakers are working and fetch me a wisp of hay to eat, then I will give you the milk.”

牛说，“要是你肯到那边去，找正在干活的割草人要一把干草给我吃，我就给你牛奶。”

So the little old woman went over to the haymakers and said, “Please, good kind haymakers, give me a wisp of hay to give to the cow so that she may give me some milk to give to the cat.”

于是小老太太走到割草人那儿，说，“求求你们，好心的割草人啊，给我一把干草，好拿去给牛吃，这样牛才肯给我些牛奶，拿去给猫喝。”

The haymakers were very hot and thirsty and they said, “Very well; if you will go down to the stream and fetch us a pailful of water we will give you the hay.”

割草人们又热又渴，便说，“好吧，要是你肯到小溪那儿给我们打一桶水来，我们就给你干草。”

So the little old woman emptied out her blackberries on the ground very carefully and then she hurried down to the stream and brought back to the haymakers a pailful of fresh cool water.

于是小老太太小心翼翼地把黑莓倒在地上，急急忙忙跑到小溪边，给割草人们打回来一桶清凉的溪水。

The haymakers drank deep of it and then they gave the little old woman all the hay she wanted. She put the blackberries back in the pail and hurried back to the cow with the hay.

割草人们痛痛快快地喝了个够，便给了小老太太她要的所有干草。她把黑莓重新装回桶里，拿着干草匆匆赶回牛那儿。

The cow gladly gave her a saucerful of milk in return for the hay.

牛很高兴地用一碟牛奶换了这把干草。

The old woman took the milk to the cat, and while puss was drinking it the old woman untied the rope that fastened the pig to the stile.

老太太把牛奶端给猫，趁猫喝牛奶的工夫，她解开了拴在台阶上的那根绳子。

Puss finished the milk and licked up the last drop of it, and then she bounded down beside the stile and began to catch the rat.

猫喝完了牛奶，连最后一滴也舔干净了，随后便跳到台阶旁，开始去抓老鼠。

The rat squeaked with terror and began to gnaw the rope.

老鼠吓得吱吱直叫，开始啃起绳子来。

The rope began to hang the butcher, the butcher began to kill the ox, the ox began to drink the water, the water began to quench the fire, the fire began to burn the stick, the stick began to beat the dog, the dog began to bite the pig, and the pig squealed at the top of its lungs and scrambled over the stile and ran for home so fast that the little old woman could hardly keep up with it.

绳子开始去吊死屠夫，屠夫开始去杀牛，牛开始去喝水，水开始去浇灭火，火开始去烧棍子，棍子开始去打狗，狗开始去咬猪，猪扯着嗓子尖叫起来，一下子蹿过了台阶，撒开腿就往家跑，跑得那么快，小老太太都差点跟不上它。

They got home in less than no time; it wasn’t even midday, and the little old woman had her blackberries for dinner, and what was left over she gave to the pig.

她们没花多长时间就到家了，甚至还不到中午呢，小老太太便用这些黑莓当作晚饭，剩下的都给了小猪。