評論
打印
HOW PETER FOOLED THE CHILDREN
彼得是怎樣愚弄孩子們的
It was about the middle of the morning when Peter heard the merry laughter and shouting of children. From the sound he knew that the children were at the other end of the Old Pasture. When their voices told him that they were coming close to where he was sitting, he thought he would find out who they were and what they were doing.
當(dāng)彼得聽到孩子們愉快的笑聲和叫喊聲時，已經(jīng)過了大半個上午了。他知道孩子們在老牧場的另一端。他們的聲音告訴他，他們正走近他坐的地方時，他認為應(yīng)該弄清楚他們是誰以及他們在干什么。
Peeping out from beneath the briars, Peter saw two boys and a girl. In their hands were flowers, and Peter saw that the children were looking for more flowers. He heard the little girl give a cry of delight when she found a patch of beautiful arbutus. From where Peter sat, he saw her pull it up, roots and all, and then break off some of the roots.
彼得從荊棘里探出頭來，看到兩個男孩和一個女孩。他看到他們手里拿著花，孩子們正在尋找更多的花。當(dāng)小女孩發(fā)現(xiàn)一片美麗的藤地莓時，他聽到她高興的叫喊聲。彼得從坐的地方看到她把它拉起來，連根拔起，然后折掉了一些根。
Peter was very angry. He knew that the little girl was just thoughtless, but soon there would be no arbutus left, if everyone were thoughtless. Later he saw one of the boys do just what the little girl had done.
彼得很生氣。他知道那個小女孩只是粗心大意，但如果每個人都粗心大意的話，這里很快就不會有藤地莓了。后來，他看到一個男孩做了和小女孩一樣的事情。
Then he noticed that some of the flowers in their hands were badly wilted. Peter knew how lovely the growing flowers had been, and he could not understand why the children should want these sickly, wilted blossoms. But they seemed to want them and to want more, too, for they were hunting everywhere.
然后他注意到他們手里的一些花枯萎了。彼得知道花長得有多可愛，他不明白孩子們?yōu)槭裁聪胍@些枯萎的花。但他們似乎想要它們，而且還想要更多，因為他們在到處尋找。
Then, Peter suddenly remembered the columbine blossoms. The children would be sure to find them, and take not only the blossoms, but the whole plants. He must do something about it, and do it quickly. But what could he do?
這時，彼得突然想起了耬斗菜的花。孩子們一定會找到它們的，并拿走整株植物，而不單單是花。他必須做點兒什么，并且迅速行動。但是他能做什么呢？
All of a sudden Peter remembered how often he had been chased by boys. "I'll have to use my long legs to save the columbine." he said.
突然，彼得想起他經(jīng)常被男孩子追趕。“我必須用我的長腿來拯救耬斗菜。”他說。
Quickly he jumped out into one of the winding paths, and up this path he hopped. Just ahead of him he saw one of the boys. Peter stopped. Then he thumped the ground with his long hind feet. The boy heard the thump and turned.
他迅速跳到一條彎曲的小路上，并沿著這條小路跳下去。直到看見前面的一個男孩，他才停了下來。然后他用自己的后長腿重重地踩在地上。那男孩聽到重擊聲，轉(zhuǎn)過身來。
Of course he saw Peter at once. Right then and there he forgot all about the flowers. "A rabbit!" he shouted. "Here's a rabbit!"
當(dāng)然，他馬上看見了彼得。這時，他把花忘得一干二凈。“一只兔子，”他喊道，“這里有只兔子。”
Then the other little boy and the little girl came runing. Peter hopped into the bushes at one side and, a little later, ran out of them. Away he went down the path, and hopped into a briar bush. After him raced the children. They saw him in the bush and tried to drive him out. When he saw a good chance, away he went again, lipperty-lip, for another briar bush.
隨后，另一個小男孩和小女孩跑了過來。彼得跳到了一邊的灌木叢中，過了一會兒，他們跑了出來。他沿著小路跳下去，跳進了一叢荊棘中。孩子們在后面追著他。他們在灌木叢中看見了他，想把他趕出來。他看到一個好機會，再次離開，跳進了另一叢荊棘中。
The excited children followed, but Peter wasn't at all afraid. It was just a game to him, a game he had often played before.
孩子們興奮地跟著，但彼得一點兒也不害怕。這對他來說只是一場游戲，他以前經(jīng)常玩得游戲。
And so, little by little, the rabbit led the children far away from where the columbine was growing. Then, when they were quite tired out, Peter hopped back to the little briar bush to watch the columbine blossoms. "Of course you don't know it," he said to them, "but I saved you with my long heels. Why, oh, why, do people want to destroy such beautiful things?"
所以，漸漸地，彼得領(lǐng)著孩子們遠離了耬斗菜的生長地。然后，當(dāng)他們筋疲力盡的時候，彼得跳回了小灌木叢中，去看耬斗菜的花。“你們當(dāng)然不知道，”他對它們說，“但我用長腿救了你們。為什么，噢，為什么人們要破壞這么漂亮的花呢？”
