The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck

What a funny sight it is to see a brood of ducklings with a hen!

看见一群小鸭子跟着一只母鸡走来走去，那模样可真是滑稽极了！

—Listen to the story of Jemima Puddle-duck, who was annoyed because the farmer's wife would not let her hatch her own eggs.

——听听洁米玛·水鸭太太的故事吧，她因为农场主的太太不许她自己孵蛋而闷闷不乐。

Her sister-in-law, Mrs. Rebeccah Puddle-duck, was perfectly willing to leave the hatching to some one else—"I have not the patience to sit on a nest for twenty-eight days; and no more have you, Jemima. You would let them go cold; you know you would!"

她的嫂子瑞贝卡·水鸭太太倒是十分乐意把孵蛋的事交给别人去做——“我可没那个耐心，一连二十八天蹲在窝里；你也一样，洁米玛。你肯定会让蛋都凉了的；你自己心里明白！”

"I wish to hatch my own eggs; I will hatch them all by myself," quacked Jemima Puddle-duck.

“我就是想自己孵自己的蛋；我要一个人把它们孵出来，”洁米玛·水鸭太太嘎嘎地说道。

She tried to hide her eggs; but they were always found and carried off.

她想方设法把蛋藏起来；可总是被人发现，拿走了。

Jemima Puddle-duck became quite desperate. She determined to make a nest right away from the farm.

洁米玛·水鸭太太变得十分绝望。她下定决心，要到离农场远远的地方去做一个窝。

She set off on a fine spring afternoon along the cart-road that leads over the hill.

在一个晴朗的春日午后，她动身沿着通向山顶的马车道走去。

She was wearing a shawl and a poke bonnet.

她披着一条披肩，戴着一顶尖顶软帽。

When she reached the top of the hill, she saw a wood in the distance.

等她走到山顶时，望见远处有一片树林。

She thought that it looked a safe quiet spot.

她想着那地方看起来倒是个安静又安全的好去处。

Jemima Puddle-duck was not much in the habit of flying. She ran downhill a few yards flapping her shawl, and then she jumped off into the air.

洁米玛·水鸭太太平日里不大习惯飞行。她沿着山坡往下跑了几码，一边扑打着披肩，接着便一跃跳上了半空。

She flew beautifully when she had got a good start.

只要起势起得好，她飞起来还真是漂亮极了。

She skimmed along over the tree-tops until she saw an open place in the middle of the wood, where the trees and brushwood had been cleared.

她掠过树梢一路飞去，直到瞧见林子中央有一块空地，那儿的树木和灌木丛都被清理干净了。

Jemima alighted rather heavily, and began to waddle about in search of a convenient dry nesting-place. She rather fancied a tree-stump amongst some tall fox-gloves.

洁米玛落地时落得颇为沉重，便摇摇摆摆地四处走动，寻找一处方便干燥的做窝的地方。她相中了一丛高高的毛地黄花中间的一截树桩。

But—seated upon the stump, she was startled to find an elegantly dressed gentleman reading a newspaper.

可是——她一走近那树桩，却惊讶地发现上头坐着一位衣着讲究的绅士，正在看报纸。

He had black prick ears and sandy coloured whiskers.

他生着一对竖起的黑耳朵，还有一圈沙黄色的胡须。

"Quack?" said Jemima Puddle-duck, with her head and her bonnet on one side—"Quack?"

“嘎？”洁米玛·水鸭太太侧着脑袋、连帽子也歪向一边地问道，“嘎？”

The gentleman raised his eyes above his newspaper and looked curiously at Jemima—

那位绅士从报纸上方抬起眼睛，好奇地打量着洁米玛——

"Madam, have you lost your way?" said he. He had a long bushy tail which he was sitting upon, as the stump was somewhat damp.

“夫人，您是迷路了吗？”他说道。他生着一条毛茸茸的长尾巴，此刻正垫在身下坐着，因为那树桩有些潮湿。

Jemima thought him mighty civil and handsome. She explained that she had not lost her way, but that she was trying to find a convenient dry nesting-place.

洁米玛觉得他彬彬有礼，仪表堂堂。她解释说自己并没有迷路，只是在寻找一处方便干燥的做窝地方。

"Ah! is that so? indeed!" said the gentleman with sandy whiskers, looking curiously at Jemima. He folded up the newspaper, and put it in his coat-tail pocket.

“啊！原来是这样！的确如此！”这位长着沙黄色胡须的绅士说道，好奇地打量着洁米玛。他把报纸折好，塞进了外套的后摆口袋里。

Jemima complained of the superfluous hen.

洁米玛便向他抱怨起那只多管闲事的母鸡来。

"Indeed! how interesting! I wish I could meet with that fowl. I would teach it to mind its own business!"

“原来如此！真是有意思！我倒真想见见那只母鸡呢。我会好好教教它，让它少管闲事！”

"But as to a nest—there is no difficulty: I have a sackful of feathers in my wood-shed. No, my dear madam, you will be in nobody's way. You may sit there as long as you like," said the bushy long-tailed gentleman.

“至于做窝的事——这可不难：我柴房里有一大袋羽毛呢。不，亲爱的夫人，您不会碍着任何人的事。您想在那儿待多久都行，”这位长着蓬松长尾巴的绅士说道。

He led the way to a very retired, dismal-looking house amongst the fox-gloves.

他领着路，走向毛地黄花丛中一座极为僻静、看起来阴森森的房子。

It was built of faggots and turf, and there were two broken pails, one on top of another, by way of a chimney.

那房子是用柴捆和草皮搭成的，两只破水桶一上一下地摞在一起，权当作烟囱用。

"This is my summer residence; you would not find my earth—my winter house—so convenient," said the hospitable gentleman.

“这是我的夏季寓所；我的洞穴——那冬天的家——可就没这么方便了，”这位好客的绅士说道。

There was a tumble-down shed at the back of the house, made of old soap-boxes. The gentleman opened the door, and showed Jemima in.

房子后头有一间摇摇欲坠的棚屋，是用旧肥皂箱搭成的。这位绅士打开了门，领着洁米玛走了进去。

The shed was almost quite full of feathers—it was almost suffocating; but it was comfortable and very soft.

棚屋里几乎堆满了羽毛——闷得几乎让人喘不过气来；不过倒是既舒适又松软。

Jemima Puddle-duck was rather surprised to find such a vast quantity of feathers. But it was very comfortable; and she made a nest without any trouble at all.

洁米玛·水鸭太太见了这么一大堆羽毛，颇感意外。不过这里确实很舒服；她毫不费力地便做好了一个窝。

When she came out, the sandy whiskered gentleman was sitting on a log reading the newspaper—at least he had it spread out, but he was looking over the top of it.

她出来的时候，那位沙黄胡须的绅士正坐在一根木头上看报纸——至少报纸是摊开着的，可他却在报纸上方偷偷张望。

He was so polite, that he seemed almost sorry to let Jemima go home for the night. He promised to take great care of her nest until she came back again next day.

他实在是太有礼貌了，看起来几乎舍不得让洁米玛晚上回家去。他答应会好好照看她的窝，一直等到她第二天再来。

He said he loved eggs and ducklings; he should be proud to see a fine nestful in his wood-shed.

他说他最爱蛋和小鸭子了；要是柴房里能有满满一窝漂亮的蛋，他一定引以为傲。

Jemima Puddle-duck came every afternoon; she laid nine eggs in the nest. They were greeny white and very large. The foxy gentleman admired them immensely. He used to turn them over and count them when Jemima was not there.

洁米玛·水鸭太太每天下午都来；她在窝里下了九个蛋。那些蛋是浅绿白色的，个头很大。这位狐脸绅士对这些蛋赞不绝口。每逢洁米玛不在的时候，他总会把蛋翻来翻去地数上一数。

At last Jemima told him that she intended to begin to sit next day—"and I will bring a bag of corn with me, so that I need never leave my nest until the eggs are hatched. They might catch cold," said the conscientious Jemima.

终于有一天，洁米玛告诉他，自己打算从第二天开始孵蛋了——“我会带一袋玉米来，这样在蛋孵出来之前，我就不必离开我的窝了。它们可能会着凉，”一向尽职尽责的洁米玛说道。

"Madam, I beg you not to trouble yourself with a bag; I will provide oats. But before you commence your tedious sitting, I intend to give you a treat. Let us have a dinner-party all to ourselves!

“夫人，请您不必费心带什么袋子；燕麦我来准备。不过在您开始这漫长辛苦的孵蛋之前，我打算先请您吃顿好的。咱们就自己办一个小小的晚宴吧！

"May I ask you to bring up some herbs from the farm-garden to make a savoury omelette? Sage and thyme, and mint and two onions, and some parsley. I will provide lard for the stuff—lard for the omelette," said the hospitable gentleman with sandy whiskers.

“我可否请您从农场的菜园里带些香草来，好做一份美味的煎蛋卷？鼠尾草、百里香、薄荷，再加两颗洋葱，还有一点欧芹。馅料的猪油——煎蛋卷用的猪油——我来准备，”这位好客的沙黄胡须绅士说道。

Jemima Puddle-duck was a simpleton: not even the mention of sage and onions made her suspicious.

洁米玛·水鸭太太实在是个傻乎乎的姑娘：就连听到鼠尾草和洋葱这样的字眼，她也没起半点疑心。

She went round the farm-garden, nibbling off snippets of all the different sorts of herbs that are used for stuffing roast duck.

她在农场的菜园里转来转去，把各种平日里用来给烤鸭做馅的香草都啄了些下来。

And she waddled into the kitchen, and got two onions out of a basket.

接着她摇摇摆摆地走进厨房，从篮子里拿了两颗洋葱。

The collie-dog Kep met her coming out, "What are you doing with those onions? Where do you go every afternoon by yourself, Jemima Puddle-duck?"

牧羊犬凯普正巧碰见她出来，“你拿这些洋葱干什么用？你每天下午一个人跑到哪儿去了，洁米玛·水鸭太太？”

Jemima was rather in awe of the collie; she told him the whole story.

洁米玛对这只牧羊犬颇有几分敬畏；她便把整件事一五一十地告诉了他。

The collie listened, with his wise head on one side; he grinned when she described the polite gentleman with sandy whiskers.

牧羊犬听着，聪明的脑袋歪向一边；等她说到那位彬彬有礼、长着沙黄胡须的绅士时，他咧嘴笑了。

He asked several questions about the wood, and about the exact position of the house and shed.

他又问了好些关于那片树林、以及那房子和棚屋确切位置的问题。

Then he went out, and trotted down the village. He went to look for two fox-hound puppies who were out at walk with the butcher.

接着他便出了门，一路小跑到村子里去。他去找了两只正跟着屠夫出来散步的猎狐犬幼崽。

Jemima Puddle-duck went up the cart-road for the last time, on a sunny afternoon. She was rather burdened with bunches of herbs and two onions in a bag.

洁米玛·水鸭太太在一个阳光明媚的下午，最后一次沿着那条马车道走去。她身上带着一大捆香草，还有一袋子里装着的两颗洋葱，走起来颇有些吃力。

She flew over the wood, and alighted opposite the house of the bushy long-tailed gentleman.

她飞过树林，落在了那位蓬松长尾巴绅士家对面。

He was sitting on a log; he sniffed the air, and kept glancing uneasily round the wood. When Jemima alighted he quite jumped.

他正坐在一根木头上；他嗅了嗅空气，不安地不停朝林子四周张望。洁米玛一落地，他猛地吓了一跳。

"Come into the house as soon as you have looked at your eggs. Give me the herbs for the omelette. Be sharp!"

“先去瞧瞧你的蛋，然后就赶紧进屋来。把做煎蛋卷的香草给我。快点！”

He was rather abrupt. Jemima Puddle-duck had never heard him speak like that.

他的语气相当生硬。洁米玛·水鸭太太从没听过他这样说话。

She felt surprised, and uncomfortable.

她感到十分惊讶，心里也很不自在。

While she was inside she heard pattering feet round the back of the shed. Some one with a black nose sniffed at the bottom of the door, and then locked it.

她在屋里的时候，听见棚屋后面传来一阵急促的脚步声。有个长着黑鼻子的家伙在门底下嗅了嗅，接着便把门锁上了。

Jemima became much alarmed.

洁米玛顿时惊恐万分。

A moment afterwards there were most awful noises—barking, baying, growls and howls, squealing and groans.

片刻之后，传来一阵可怕至极的声响——狂吠声、嗥叫声、低吼声、哀号声，还有尖叫声和呻吟声。

And nothing more was ever seen of that foxy-whiskered gentleman.

从此以后，再也没有人见过那位狐脸胡须的绅士了。

Presently Kep opened the door of the shed, and let out Jemima Puddle-duck.

不一会儿，凯普打开了棚屋的门，把洁米玛·水鸭太太放了出来。

Unfortunately the puppies rushed in and gobbled up all the eggs before he could stop them.

不巧的是，那两只幼犬冲了进去，还没等凯普来得及阻止，就把所有的蛋都吞了个精光。

He had a bite on his ear and both the puppies were limping.

凯普的耳朵被咬了一口，两只幼犬也都一瘸一拐的。

Jemima Puddle-duck was escorted home in tears on account of those eggs.

洁米玛·水鸭太太为了那些蛋，一路哭哭啼啼地被护送回了家。

She laid some more in June, and she was permitted to keep them herself: but only four of them hatched.

六月里她又下了几个蛋，这一回，她被准许自己留着孵；可惜只孵出了四只小鸭子。

Jemima Puddle-duck said that it was because of her nerves; but she had always been a bad sitter.

洁米玛·水鸭太太说这是因为她的神经太紧张了；不过说实话，她向来就不是个善于孵蛋的好手。