彼得兔的故事

毕翠克丝·波特

Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their names were— Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail and Peter.

从前有四只小兔子, 他们的名字分别是—— 弗洛普希, 莫普希, 棉花尾和彼得.

They lived with their mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree.

他们同妈妈一起住在一棵大杉树树根下的沙堆中.

"Now, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, "You may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden. Your father had an accident there, he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor."

"好啦, 孩子们," 兔妈妈有一天早上这样说道, "你们可以去田野间或小路边玩耍了, 但是绝对不要去麦格雷戈先生的菜园啊! 你们的爸爸就是在那儿出事的, 他已经被麦格雷戈夫人做成馅饼了."

"Now run along and don't get into mischief. I am going out."

"现在, 去玩吧, 孩子们. 好好听话, 不要调皮捣蛋. 我要出门去买东西了."

Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella and went through the wood to the baker's. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.

之后, 兔妈妈便拿着她的篮子和雨伞, 去树林对面的面包店了. 她在那里买了一条棕面包和五个醋栗面包.

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail who were good little bunnies went down the lane together to gather blackberries.

弗洛普希, 莫普希和棉花尾都是听妈妈话的乖兔子, 他们一起去小路边摘黑莓了.

But Peter who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor's garden and squeezed under the gate!

但是彼得却非常的顽皮, 他直接跑向了麦格雷戈先生的菜园, 并从菜园的门口下挤了进去!

First he ate some lettuces and some French beans. And then he ate some radishes.

首先他吃了一些生菜和法国豆, 然后又他吃了一些小萝卜.

And then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley.

然后, 他觉得自己非常的反胃, 因此想要去找些香芹吃.

But round the end of a cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor!

但是香芹在黄瓜架的尽头附近, 要想去那儿肯定会碰到麦格雷戈先生的!

Mr. McGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages, but he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and calling out "Stop thief!"

麦格雷戈先生此时正跪在地里给甘蓝苗移秧呢, 突然, 他看到了彼得, 然后就立马站了起来, 开始追向彼得, 并在手里挥舞着耙子, 而且还在嘴里不停地喊着: "快停下, 你这个小偷!".

Peter was most dreadfully frightened, he rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate.

彼得害怕极了, 在菜园里到处乱跑着, 因为他不知道回大门的路去哪了.

He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes.

他在甘蓝地里丢了第一只鞋, 然后又在土豆地里丢了另一只鞋.

After losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster, so that I think he might have got away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net, and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket.

丢了鞋之后, 他用四条腿跑, 跑的更快了. 因此, 我认为, 如果不是他不小心闯进了醋栗网, 他很可能就已经成功的逃跑了. 但是, 他外套上的大纽扣被醋栗网勾住了, 因此他没能逃脱.

It was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new.

这是一件崭新的蓝色外套, 上面有很多黄铜纽扣.

Peter gave himself up for lost and shed big tears, but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement and implored him to exert himself.

彼得因为迷路而放弃了自己, 哭了起来. 但是一些友好的麻雀听见了他的啜泣声. 他们兴奋的飞向他, 并鼓励他要尽自己最大的努力.

Mr. McGregor came up with a sieve which he intended to pop on the top of Peter, but Peter wriggled out just in time. Leaving his jacket behind him.

这时麦格雷戈先生拿着一个筛子走了过来, 打算扣住彼得, 但是, 彼得及时的扭动了一下身体, 成功的逃脱了. 麦格雷戈先生只扣住了彼得的夹克.

And rushed into the tool-shed and jumped into a can. It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in, if it had not had so much water in it.

他冲进了工具棚, 跳进了一个喷水壶. 如果喷水壶里面没有太多的水的话, 那一定是个绝佳的藏身之处.

Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool-shed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower-pot.

麦格雷戈先生非常确定, 彼得就躲在工具棚里的某个地方, 也许就藏在某个花盆的下面.

He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each. Presently Peter sneezed "Kertyschoo!"

他开始小心翼翼地翻花盆, 一个一个的查看. 突然, 彼得打了一个喷嚏: "咳.. 球~!"

Mr. McGregor was after him in no time, and tried to put his foot upon Peter, who jumped out of a window, upsetting three plants.

麦格雷戈先生立刻就发现了他, 并试图用脚睬他, 但是彼得从窗户中跳了出去, 并打翻了三个花盆.

The window was too small for Mr. McGregor, and he was tired of running after Peter. He went back to his work.

麦格雷戈先生无法从窗户中通过, 并且他也厌烦了到处追着彼得跑. 于是他接着干他的活去了.

Peter sat down to rest, he was out of breath and trembling with fright, and he had not the least idea which way to go. Also he was very damp with sitting in that can.

彼得坐了下来休息, 气喘吁吁地, 害怕的直发抖, 他确实不知道该怎么走了. 而且他身上湿乎乎的, 因为之前藏在那个水壶中的缘故.

After a time he began to wander about, going lippity— lippity— not very fast, and looking all around.

过了一会儿, 他又开始四处蹦跶, 蹦的不是很快, 并且还在不停的四处张望着.

He found a door in a wall, but it was locked and there was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath.

他在墙上找到了一扇上了锁的门, 门下的空间很小, 彼得根本无法挤过去.

An old mouse was running in and out over the stone doorstep, carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood. Peter asked her the way to the gate but she had such a large pea in her mouth she could not answer. She only shook her head at him. Peter began to cry.

一只老鼠在石阶上进进出出, 正在给她树林里的家人送豆子. 彼得问她去大门的路怎么走, 但她的嘴里咬着豌豆, 无法回答. 她只是对他摇了摇头. 然后, 彼得哭了.

Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became more and more puzzled. Presently he came to a pond where Mr. McGregor filled his water-cans. A white cat was staring at some gold-fish, she sat very, very still, but now and then the tip of her tail twitched as if it were alive. Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to her.

之后, 他试图找到穿过菜园的路, 但是他越来越是困惑. 现在, 他来到了一处池塘, 麦格雷戈先生正在那给水壶装水. 一只白色的猫正在非常安静地坐着, 盯着一些金鱼, 但是她的尾巴时不时的扭动着, 看起来好像只有她的尾巴是活的一样. 彼得认为自己最好还是不要跟她说话, 于是就走开了.

He had heard about cats from his cousin, little Benjamin Bunny.

他从表哥本杰明兔子那里听说过猫这种动物.

He went back towards the tool-shed, but suddenly, quite close to him, he heard the noise of a hoe— scr-r-ritch, scratch, scratch, scritch.

他又回到了工具棚, 但是突然, 在他附近, 他听到了些刮擦, 刮擦, 乱挠的声音.

Peter scuttered underneath the bushes, but presently as nothing happened, he came out and climbed upon a wheelbarrow and peeped over.

彼得吓得跑进了灌木丛, 但是什么事也没有发生. 他从灌木丛中出来后, 爬进了一个手推车, 偷偷的往外看去.

The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions. His back was turned towards Peter and beyond him was the gate!

他看到麦格雷戈先生正在背对着他刨洋葱, 然后在麦格雷戈先生的远处, 他看到了他进来时的大门!

Peter got down very quietly off the wheel-barrow and started running as fast as he could go, along a straight walk behind some black currant bushes.

彼得非常小心的下了手推车, 沿着黑醋栗灌木丛后面的一条小路, 开始拼命的跑.

Mr. McGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not care. He slipped underneath the gate and was safe at last in the wood outside the garden.

麦格雷戈先生在拐角处看见了他, 但彼得并不关心. 他随后就从大门下钻了出去, 最终安全地跑进了菜园之外的树林中.

Mr. McGregor hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a scare-crow to frighten the blackbirds.

麦格雷戈先生用彼得的小外套和小鞋子做了一个"稻草人", 以此用来吓唬那些黑鹂.

Peter never stopped running or looked behind him, till he got home to the big fir-tree.

彼得不停地奔跑, 全然不顾他的身后, 直到他回到了那棵大枞树下, 他才停了下来休息.

He was so tired that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand on the floor of the rabbit hole, and shut his eyes. His mother was busy cooking, she wondered what he had done with his clothes.

他太累了, 一屁股坐在了柔软的土堆上, 然后闭上了他的眼睛. 他的母亲正在忙着做饭, 她很好奇他对他的衣服做了什么.

It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight!

这已经是彼得在两周内丢掉的第二件小外套和第二双小鞋子了!

I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed and made some camomile tea, and she gave a dose of it to Peter! "One teaspoonful to be taken at bedtime."

我很抱歉这么说, 晚上的时候彼得并不怎么舒服. 他的妈妈把他放到床上, 并煮了些甘菊茶, 然后给他喂了一剂, 并说: "吃了药就要乖乖睡觉觉."

But Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.

但是弗洛普希, 莫普希, 棉花尾则在晚餐的时候吃了面包, 牛奶, 还有黑莓.