木偶奇遇記：Chapter 16

If the poor Marionette had dangled there much longer, all hope would have been lost. Luckily for him, the Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair once again looked out of her window. Filled with pity at the sight of the poor little fellow being knocked helplessly about by the wind, she clapped her hands sharply together three times.

正當可憐的皮諾喬給兩個殺人強盜吊在大橡樹枝頭上，覺得這會兒死多活少的時候，天藍色頭發(fā)的美麗小女孩重新在窗口出現(xiàn)了，她看見木偶給套著脖子吊著，讓北風吹得搖來搖去，太不幸了，不由得很可憐他，于是輕輕拍了三下手掌。

At the signal, a loud whirr of wings in quick flight was heard and a large Falcon came and settled itself on the window ledge.

這三下手掌一拍，就聽到很響的拍翅膀聲，一只大老鷹風馳電掣地飛來，停在窗臺上，

"What do you command, my charming Fairy?" asked the Falcon, bending his beak in deep reverence (for it must be known that, after all, the Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair was none other than a very kind Fairy who had lived, for more than a thousand years, in the vicinity of the forest).

“有什么吩咐啊，我仁慈的仙女?”老鷹說著，垂下鳥嘴致敬(因為要知道，這天藍色頭發(fā)的小女孩不是別人，正是最善良的仙女，她在這樹林附近已住了一千多年了)。

"Do you see that Marionette hanging from the limb of that giant oak tree?"

“你看見那木偶嗎，給吊在大橡樹樹枝上的?”

"I see him."

“看見了。”

"Very well. Fly immediately to him. With your strong beak, break the knot which holds him tied, take him down, and lay him softly on the grass at the foot of the oak."

“那好。馬上飛到那里，用你那有力的尖嘴解開那個吊著他的繩套，把他輕輕放在橡樹下的草地。”

The Falcon flew away and after two minutes returned, saying, "I have done what you have commanded."

老鷹飛走了，兩分鐘就回來了，說：“吩咐我做的都給做好了。”

"How did you find him? Alive or dead?"

“你覺得他怎么樣?活著還是死了?”

"At first glance, I thought he was dead. But I found I was wrong, for as soon as I loosened the knot around his neck, he gave a long sigh and mumbled with a faint voice, 'Now I feel better!'"

“我看他好像死了，可還沒全死，因為我一松開套在他喉嚨的繩套，他嘆了一口氣，嘟囔了一聲：‘這會兒我覺得好多了!’”

The Fairy clapped her hands twice. A magnificent Poodle appeared, walking on his hind legs just like a man.

仙女于是又輕輕拍了兩下手掌，來了一只很漂亮的卷毛狗。它像人那樣用后腿直立走道。

He was dressed in court livery. A tricorn trimmed with gold lace was set at a rakish angle over a wig of white curls that dropped down to his waist. He wore a jaunty coat of chocolate-colored velvet, with diamond buttons, and with two huge pockets which were always filled with bones, dropped there at dinner by his loving mistress. Breeches of crimson velvet, silk stockings, and low, silver-buckled slippers completed his costume. His tail was encased in a blue silk covering, which was to protect it from the rain.

這只卷毛狗身穿車夫的禮服，頭戴金邊小三角帽，白色假卷發(fā)垂到脖子上。巧克力色的上衣上釘著寶石鈕扣，兩邊有兩個大口袋，放主人吃飯時賞它的肉骨頭。下身穿一條大紅天鵝絨褲子、一雙絲襪、一雙開口軟鞋。后面還有一樣東西，很像雨傘稍，藍綢子做的。下雨的時候用來藏它的尾巴。

"Come, Medoro," said the Fairy to him. "Get my best coach ready and set out toward the forest. On reaching the oak tree, you will find a poor, half-dead Marionette stretched out on the grass. Lift him up tenderly, place him on the silken cushions of the coach, and bring him here to me."

“做件好事，梅多羅!”仙女對卷毛狗說，“馬上到我的廄房里，趕一輛最好的車子上樹林子去。你到了大橡樹底下，就會找到已經(jīng)半死的可憐木偶直挺挺地躺在草地上。你把他抱起來，很小心很小心地放在車子坐墊上，把他送到這兒來。明白了嗎，”

The Poodle, to show that he understood, wagged his silk-covered tail two or three times and set off at a quick pace.

卷毛狗把后面那個藍綢子尾巴套搖了三四次，表示它明白了，然后像閃電似地跑掉了。

In a few minutes, a lovely little coach, made of glass, with lining as soft as whipped cream and chocolate pudding, and stuffed with canary feathers, pulled out of the stable. It was drawn by one hundred pairs of white mice, and the Poodle sat on the coachman's seat and snapped his whip gayly in the air, as if he were a real coachman in a hurry to get to his destination.

一轉(zhuǎn)眼工夫，只見廄房里出來了一輛天藍色的票亮小轎車，外面裝飾著金絲雀羽毛，里面裱糊得象摜奶油和奶油蛋糕那樣。車子用一百對白老鼠來拉，卷毛狗坐在駕車臺上，左右地抽著鞭子，車夫趕路的時候都是這樣的。

In a quarter of an hour the coach was back. The Fairy, who was waiting at the door of the house, lifted the poor little Marionette in her arms, took him to a dainty room with mother-of-pearl walls, put him to bed, and sent immediately for the most famous doctors of the neighborhood to come to her.

一刻鐘不到，這輛小轎車就回來了。等在門口的仙女抱起可憐的木偶，把他抱進一間墻上鑲嵌著珍珠的小臥室，馬上請來附近最有名的大夫。

One after another the doctors came, a Crow, and Owl, and a Talking Cricket.

三位大夫馬上接連來了，一位是烏鴉，一位是貓頭鷹，一位是會說話的蟋蟀。

"I should like to know, signori," said the Fairy, turning to the three doctors gathered about Pinocchio's bed, "I should like to know if this poor Marionette is dead or alive."

“我想請諸位先生看看，”仙女對圍在皮諾喬床邊的三位大夫說，“我想請諸位先生看看，這不幸的木偶是死了還是活著……”

At this invitation, the Crow stepped out and felt Pinocchio's pulse, his nose, his little toe. Then he solemnly pronounced the following words:

聽了仙女的請求，烏鴉第一位給皮諾喬摸脈，接著摸鼻子，接著摸小腳趾。等到都摸過了，它極其嚴肅地說了這一番話：

"To my mind this Marionette is dead and gone; but if, by any evil chance, he were not, then that would be a sure sign that he is still alive!"

“我認為木偶完全死了，但萬一他沒有死，那就有可靠的跡像表明，他完全活著!”

"I am sorry," said the Owl, "to have to contradict the Crow, my famous friend and colleague. To my mind this Marionette is alive; but if, by any evil chance, he were not, then that would be a sure sign that he is wholly dead!"

“我很抱歉，”貓頭鷹說，“我必須表示，我的看法跟我這位有名的朋友和同行烏鴉大夫正好相反。我認為，木偶完全活著，但萬一他不幸沒有活著，那就有可靠的跡像表明，他的確死了!”

"And do you hold any opinion?" the Fairy asked the Talking Cricket.

“您說哩，”仙女問會說話的蟋蟀。

"I say that a wise doctor, when he does not know what he is talking about, should know enough to keep his mouth shut. However, that Marionette is not a stranger to me. I have known him a long time!"

“我要說的是，一位小心謹慎的大夫在不知道他所要說的事情時，最好是不開口。再說，這位木偶對我來說不是陌生面孔，我認識他有好些日子了!……”

Pinocchio, who until then had been very quiet, shuddered so hard that the bed shook.

皮諾喬本來一直躺著不動，像段真正的木頭，可這會兒一下子猛烈顫抖，弄得整張床都搖動起來。

"That Marionette," continued the Talking Cricket, "is a rascal of the worst kind."

“這個木偶，”會說話的蟋蟀往下說，“是個大壞蛋……”

Pinocchio opened his eyes and closed them again.

皮諾喬張開眼睛看看，馬上又閉上。

"He is rude, lazy, a runaway." Pinocchio hid his face under the sheets.

“是個無賴，是個二流子，是個流氓……”，皮諾喬把臉縮到被單底下。

"That Marionette is a disobedient son who is breaking his father's heart!"

“這木偶是個不聽話的壞孩子，他要把他可憐的爸爸氣死!……”

Long shuddering sobs were heard, cries, and deep sighs. Think how surprised everyone was when, on raising the sheets, they discovered Pinocchio half melted in tears!

它說到這里，只聽見屋子里有壓抑著的哭聲和哽咽聲。諸位想象一下大伙兒有多么驚奇吧，因為他們把被單掀起一點，就看到是皮諾喬在哭，在哽咽。

"When the dead weep, they are beginning to recover," said the Crow solemnly.

“死人會哭，就表明他正在好起來，”烏鴉嚴肅地說。

"I am sorry to contradict my famous friend and colleague," said the Owl, "but as far as I'm concerned, I think that when the dead weep, it means they do not want to die."

“我只好表示我的看法跟我這位有名的朋友和同行正好相反，”貓頭鷹跟著說，“依我看，死人會哭，就表明他不想死。”