英譯現(xiàn)代散文●寓言三則 ◎ 施蟄存

寓言三則

Three Fables

◎　施蟄存

◎　Shi Zhecun

稻草人和餓了的刺猬

The Scarecrow and the Hungry Hedgehogs

瓜、豆和茄子種滿著的園里，矗立著一個人。

In a vegetable garden thickly planted with melons, beans and eggplants, stood a tall, upright man.

第一夜，小心的刺猬們都從它們的土穴里探出來找尋食物。四面窺望，瓜、豆和茄子，是豐盛的筵席。但是，在茄子畦邊，站著一個守夜的人。被人的威嚴懾伏了，恍惚耳朵里聽見了叱罵聲，它們?nèi)棠椭囸I退縮進它低窄而潮濕的地下室去。

On the first night, the timid hedgehogs popped their heads out of the holes in the ground to see if there was any food available. They looked around and found they could enjoy a big dinner with the vegetables growing in the garden. But the trouble was there was a night watchman standing beside the eggplant patch. And they seemed to hear him bawling out a string of curses at them. So all they could do was shrink back to their narrow, damp cellar on an empty stomach.

第二夜，腹中雷鳴著的刺猬們再偷偷地出來。瓜、豆和茄子，越發(fā)豐肥得可口了，它們都流著口涎。肚子里越響了。但是守夜人還在著。它們互相推挽著，想悄悄地走向距離最近的那個瓜棚。忽然吹起了一陣風，那個守夜人，在手里揮動著蒲扇向前走來。各自身上打了一個寒噤，它們?nèi)继颖芰嘶厝ァ?/p>

On the second night, the hedgehogs came out stealthily again, their stomachs rumbling with hunger. They started drooling at the sight of the ripening melons, beans and eggplants. The tempting vegetables made their stomachs rumble even more loudly. But the watchman was still there. They pushed and shoved one another, trying furtively to get to the melon awning — a place nearest to them. Then, at a sudden gust of wind, the watchman stirred waving the fan in his hand. Shivering with fear, the hedgehogs all scurried back to their cellar.

第三夜，全體的刺猬都瘦了。饑餓使它們在地下室里開會。

On the third night, all the hedgehogs looked emaciated. Starvation impelled them to hold a meeting in the cellar.

甲說：與其餓，不如死。

Hedgehog A cried out,“Rather die than go hungry.”

乙說：與其餓，不如死。

Hedgehog B cried out,“Rather die than go hungry.”

丙說：與其餓，不如死。

Hedgehog C cried out,“Rather die than go hungry.”

這個會就是這樣地決議了。它們?nèi)w出發(fā)，懷了必死的心。在朦朧的月光下，守夜人還裝著威嚴矗立著手里揮動著扇子，這依舊使它們退縮在土穴的門口。

A resolution was adopted. They all set out, ready to risk death. In the dim moonlight, however, the watchman stood waving his fan with feigned impressiveness. So the hedgehogs cowered and stuck closely to their holes.

“與其餓，不如死。”一個奇怪的聲音在它們每個剛毛的耳朵里突然響亮著。

“Rather die than go hungry,”a strange voice suddenly began to ring in their little ears.

“去呀!”

“Let's go!”

在每個刺猬的胃里裝滿了瓜、豆和茄子的時候，稻草的守夜人是顯得更無用了。

When each hedgehog had eaten his fill of the melons, beans and eggplants, the watchman seemed all the more helpless.

在地下室里，刺猬們開著慶祝會。

Down in the cellar, the hedgehogs held a meeting to celebrate their victory.

甲說：不要怕無用的威權(quán)。

Hedgehog A exclaimed,“Never fear worthless bigwigs!”

乙說：勝利是屬于餓夫的。

Hedgehog B exclaimed,“Victory to the starvelings!”

丙說：餓夫是不會死的。不啊!永遠存在的。

Hedgehog C exclaimed,“Starvelings will never die. No, never. They live forever.”

于是，全體歡呼了。

Thereupon, the crowd broke into an ovation.

寒暑計

The Thermometer

壁上掛著寒暑計。天冷了，里面的水銀下降;暖了，它上升。沒有差錯。

There was a thermometer hanging on the wall. The mercury dropped when it got cold, and rose when it got warm. It was operating with unerring accuracy.

人說它是一個好的寒暑計。

People called it a good thermometer.

一天，它懷疑了它的生活：“我為什么要隨著氣候行動呢。我愿意向上，就向上;我愿意向下，就向下。甚至我愿意休息，休息就得了。我似乎應(yīng)當尊重自己的趣味。”

One day, however, it became skeptical of its own lifestyle.“Why should I act by always keeping pace with weather?”it thought aloud.“I'll rise or drop as I please. I'll take a rest whenever I want to. It seems I should follow my own inclination.”

它決定了這樣的自己尊重，不再留意著外面的空氣了。

So it decided on acting on its own, and no longer paid attention to weather.

它在壁上自由行動。

It became a maverick on the wall.

于是人說它是一個廢物，把它摔在地上了。

Consequently, people called it trash and threw it away to the ground.

風·火·煤·山

Wind · Fire · Coal · Mountain

山腳下，住著一個鐵匠。他天天生旺了鐵爐工作著。

There lived a blacksmith at the foot of a mountain. Every day he would stand working beside his blazing furnace.

有一天早晨，小學生張和趙上學去，走過鐵匠的家。他正在用風箱扇旺爐里的火。熾紅的火焰都從煤塊底下猛力地透上來。

One morning, when primary school pupils Zhang and Zhao were walking past the smithy on their way to school, they saw the blacksmith pumping a bellows to urge the fire in his furnace and blazing flames shooting up vigorously from under the coals.

張的小腦袋里忽然想起了一個問題：

A question popped into Zhang's little brain.

“為什么要拉這個風箱?”他問。

“Why is he using the bellows?”he asked.

趙說：“你笨，不扇風，火怎么會旺?”

Zhao asked in reply,“You silly, how could he make the fire burn better without using the bellows?”

于是他們爭執(zhí)著一個問題：風和火誰的能為大?沒有風，火不會旺，沒有火，風便吹了個空。

Then they started quarrelling over this question: Which was more capable, wind or fire? Without wind, fire could not burn nicely. Without fire, wind would be blowing for nothing.

他們解決不了，要鐵匠下一個判斷。

Unable to settle the quarrel, they asked the blacksmith to draw a conclusion.

“要是爐子里的煤不燃著火，風也沒用，火也沒用。所以這是煤的能為大?？墒悄沁叺纳饺绻粠装倌陰浊甑陌涯切涓色F骨重重地壓在地下，我們也一輩子不會有這爐子里的煤。所以，你們?nèi)ハ?，誰的能為大。”

“Neither wind nor fire would be any good if coals in the furnace didn't burn,”said the blacksmith.“So coal has greater capability. But we would never have coal had it not been for the tree trunks and animal skeletons buried deep under mountains for hundreds or thousands of years. Now think it over and see which has greater capability.”

這兩個孩子就是這樣學會了這個故事。他們微笑著上路，望著那個蠢笨的山。

Having heard out the story, the two kids walked away smilingly and gazed at the yonder bulky mountain.

“你的能為大。你再壓出幾千噸煤塊來，讓我們?nèi)紵?，讓我們用風吹。”張說。

“You're more capable,”Zhang addressed the mountain.“Give us more coal from your deposits so that we can burn it with the help of wind.”

“讓我們看再美麗的火花。”趙說。

“Let's enjoy seeing still more brilliant sparks flying out of the furnace,”said Zhao.

《寓言三則》是施蟄存先生寫于1928年的一篇短文。