中文(简体)
T
"Two Timid Persons Meet"
《两个胆小的人相遇》
Thus always you will meet life’s test
因此,你总是会遇到生活的考验——
To do the thing you can do best.
去做你能做的最好的事情。
Whitefoot.
——白脚。
Jumper the Hare sat crouched at the foot of a tree in the Green Forest.
野兔跳跳蹲坐在绿森林里一棵树的脚下。
Had you happened along there, you would not have seen him.
如果你碰巧经过那里,你是不会看到他的。
At least, I doubt if you would.
至少,我怀疑你是否会看到他。
If you had seen him, you probably wouldn’t have known it.
如果你看到了他,你可能也不会知道那是他。
You see, in his white coat Jumper was so exactly the color of the snow that he looked like nothing more than a little heap of snow.
你看,跳跳穿着白色的外套,和雪的颜色一模一样,他看起来就像一小堆雪。
Just in front of Jumper was a little round hole.
就在跳跳前面有一个小圆洞。
He gave it no attention.
他没有注意到它。
It didn’t interest him in the least.
它一点也不引起他的兴趣。
All through the Green Forest were little holes in the snow.
整个绿森林里,雪地上都有一些小洞。
Jumper was so used to them that he seldom noticed them.
蹦跳者对它们太习惯了,以至于他很少注意到它们。
So he took no notice of this one until something moved down in that hole.
所以他没有注意到这个洞,直到有什么东西在洞里动了一下。
Jumper’s eyes opened a little wider and he watched.
蹦跳者的眼睛睁得稍微大了一点,他注视着。
A sharp little face with very bright eyes filled that little round hole.
一张尖小的脸,有着非常明亮的眼睛,填满了那个小圆洞。
Jumper moved just the tiniest bit, and in a flash that sharp little face with the bright eyes disappeared.
蹦跳者只动了一点点,那张尖小的脸和明亮的眼睛就一闪而过消失了。
Jumper sat still and waited.
蹦跳者静静地坐着等待。
After a long wait the sharp little face with bright eyes appeared again.
经过漫长的等待,那张长着明亮眼睛的尖尖小脸再次出现。
Don’t be frightened, Whitefoot, said Jumper softly.
“别害怕,白脚,”蹦跳者轻声说。
At the first word the sharp little face disappeared, but in a moment it was back, and the sharp little eyes were fixed on Jumper suspiciously.
听到第一个字,那张尖尖的小脸就消失了,但一会儿又回来了,那双尖尖的小眼睛怀疑地盯着蹦跳者。
After a long stare the suspicion left them, and out of the little round hole came trim little Whitefoot in a soft brown coat with white waistcoat and with white feet and a long, slim tail.
经过长时间的凝视,怀疑离开了它们,从那个小圆洞里出来了整洁的小白脚,穿着柔软的棕色外套,白色马甲,白色的脚和一条细长的尾巴。
This winter he was not living in Farmer Brown’s sugarhouse.
这个冬天他没有住在布朗农夫的糖屋里。
Gracious, Jumper, how you did scare me! said he.
“天哪,跳跃者,你真把我吓坏了!”他说。
Jumper chuckled. Whitefoot, I believe you are more timid than I am, he replied.
跳跃者轻笑了一声。“小白脚,我相信你比我更胆小,”他回答道。
Why shouldn’t I be? I’m ever so much smaller, and I have more enemies, retorted Whitefoot.
“我为什么不应该呢?我比你小得多,而且我有更多的敌人,”小白脚反驳道。
It is true you are smaller, but I am not so sure that you have more enemies, replied Jumper thoughtfully. It sometimes seems to me that I couldn’t have more, especially in winter.
“你确实比较小,但我不确定你是否有更多的敌人,”跳跃者若有所思地回答。“有时我觉得我不可能有更多的敌人,尤其是在冬天。”
Name them, commanded Whitefoot.
“说出他们的名字,”小白脚命令道。
Hooty the Great Horned Owl, Yowler the Bob Cat, Old Man Coyote, Reddy Fox, Terror the Goshawk, Shadow the Weasel, Billy Mink. Jumper paused.
“大角猫头鹰胡蒂,鲍勃猫约勒,郊狼老狼,狐狸瑞迪,苍鹰恐怖,黄鼠狼影子,水貂比利。”跳跃者停顿了一下。
Is that all? demanded Whitefoot.
“就这些吗?”白脚问道。
Isn’t that enough? retorted Jumper rather sharply.
“这还不够吗?”蹦跳者相当尖锐地反驳道。
I have all of those and Blacky the Crow and Butcher the Shrike and Sammy Jay in winter, and Buster Hear and Jimmy Skunk and several of the Snake family in summer, replied Whitefoot.
“我有所有这些,还有乌鸦布莱克、伯劳鸟屠夫和夏天的杰米臭鼬、巴斯特熊和蛇家族的几个成员,”白脚回答道。
It seems to me sometimes as if I need eyes and ears all over me.
“有时在我看来,我好像需要全身都长眼睛和耳朵。
Night and day there is always some one hunting for poor little me.
白天黑夜,总是有人在寻找可怜的小我。
And then some folks wonder why I am so timid.
然后有些人会奇怪我为什么这么胆小。”
If I were not as timid as I am, I wouldn’t be alive now; I would have been caught long ago.
如果我不是像现在这样胆小,我现在就不会活着了;我早就被抓住了。
Folks may laugh at me for being so easily frightened, but I don’t care.
人们可能会嘲笑我这么容易被吓到,但我不在乎。
That is what saves my life a dozen times a day.
这就是我一天能救自己十几次的原因。”
Jumper looked interested.
跳跃者看起来很感兴趣。
I hadn’t thought of that, said he.
“我没想到这一点,”他说。
I’m a very timid person myself, and sometimes I have been ashamed of being so easily frightened.
“我自己也是一个非常胆小的人,有时我会因为这么容易被吓到而感到羞愧。”
But come to think of it, I guess you are right; the more timid I am, the longer I am likely to live.
但想想看,我猜你是对的;我越胆小,我可能活得就越长。”
Whitefoot suddenly darted into his hole.
白脚突然冲进他的洞里。
Jumper didn’t move, but his eyes widened with fear.
蹦跳者没有动,但他的眼睛因恐惧而睁大。
A great white bird had just alighted on a stump a short distance away.
一只大白鸟刚刚落在不远处的一个树桩上。
It was Whitey the Snowy Owl, down from the Far North.
那是白雪猫头鹰小白,从遥远的北方下来的。
There is another enemy we both forgot, thought Jumper, and tried not to shiver.
“还有一个敌人我们都忘了,”蹦跳者想,尽量不发抖。
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