There, round the long table, sat half a dozen farmers and half a dozen of the more eminent pigs,
屋子里面,在那張長長的桌子周圍,坐著六個莊園主和六頭最有名望的豬,
Napoleon himself occupying the seat of honor at the head of the table.
拿破侖自己坐在桌子上首的東道主席位上。
The pigs appeared completely at ease in their chairs.
豬在椅子上顯出一副舒適自在的樣子。
The company had been enjoying a game of cards but had broken off for the moment, evidently in order to drink a toast.
賓主一直都在津津有味地玩撲克牌,但是在中間停了一會,顯然是為了準備干杯。
A large jug was circulating, and the mugs were being refilled with beer.
有一個很大的罐子在他們中間傳來傳去,杯子里又添滿了啤酒。
No one noticed the wondering faces of the animals that gazed in at the window.
他們都沒注意到窗戶上有很多詫異的面孔正在凝視著里面。
Mr. Pilkington, of Foxwood, had stood up, his mug in his hand.
福克斯伍德莊園的皮爾金頓先生舉著杯子站了起來。
In a moment, he said, he would ask the present company to drink a toast.
他說道,稍等片刻,他要請在場的諸位干杯。
But before doing so, there were a few words that he felt it incumbent upon him to say.
在此之前,他感到有幾句話得先講一下。
It was a source of great satisfaction to him,
這是一種極大的滿足,
he said--and, he was sure, to all others present--to feel that a long period of mistrust and misunderstanding had now come to an end.
他說,他相信,他還有其他在場的各位都感到十分喜悅的是,持續已久的猜疑和誤解時代已經結束了。
There had been a time--not that he, or any of the present company, had shared such sentiments,
曾有這樣一個時期,無論是他自己,還是在座的諸君,都沒有今天這種感受,
but there had been a time when the respected proprietors of Animal Farm had been regarded,
當時,可敬的動物莊園的所有者,曾受到他們的人類鄰居的關注,
he would not say with hostility, but perhaps with a certain measure of misgiving, by their human neighbors.
他情愿說這關注多半是出于一定程度上的焦慮,而不是帶著敵意。
Unfortunate incidents had occurred, mistaken ideas had been current.
不幸的事件曾發生過,錯誤的觀念也曾流行過。
It had been felt that the existence of a farm owned and operated by pigs was somehow abnormal and was liable to have an unsettling effect in the neighborhood.
一個由豬所有并由豬管理經營的莊園也曾讓人覺得有些名不正言不順,而且有容易給鄰近莊園帶來擾亂因素的可能。
Too many farmers had assumed, without due inquiry, that on such a farm a spirit of license and indiscipline would prevail.
相當多的莊園主沒有做適當的調查就信口推斷說,在這樣的莊園里,肯定會有一種放蕩不羈的歪風邪氣在到處蔓延。
They had been nervous about the effects upon their own animals, or even upon their human employees.
他們擔心這種狀況會影響到他們自己的動物,甚至影響他們的雇員。
But all such doubts were now dispelled.
但現在,所有這種懷疑都已煙消云散了。
Today he and his friends had visited Animal Farm and inspected every inch of it with their own eyes, and what did they find?
今天,他和他的朋友們拜訪了動物莊園,用他們自己的眼睛觀察了莊園的每一個角落。他們發現了什么呢?
Not only the most up-to-date methods, but a discipline and an orderliness which should be an example to all farmers everywhere.
這里不僅有最先進的方法,而且紀律嚴明,有條不紊,這應該是各地莊園主學習的榜樣。