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绿野仙踪［美］莱·弗·鲍姆／原著
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

英文中文双语对照双语交替

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Chapter 21. The Lion Becomes the King of Beasts

第21章　狮子国王

After climbing down from the china wall the travelers found themselves in a disagreeable country, full of bogs and marshes and covered with tall, rank grass. It was difficult to walk without falling into muddy holes, for the grass was so thick that it hid them from sight. However, by carefully picking their way, they got safely along until they reached solid ground. But here the country seemed wilder than ever, and after a long and tiresome walk through the underbrush they entered another forest, where the trees were bigger and older than any they had ever seen.

从瓷墙上爬过来以后，这些旅行者们发觉他们到了一个令人厌恶的地方，到处是沼泽地，长长的丛草。草既密又厚，遮住了他们的视线，走路时难免掉入泥泞的水潭里。

"This forest is perfectly delightful," declared the Lion, looking around him with joy. "Never have I seen a more beautiful place."

虽然如此，他们还是小心地走着，最后平平安安地走到了有泥土的地上。但这地方似乎更荒凉了，他们带着疲倦走了很长一段路，穿过了矮丛林，又走入了一个森林中去，那里的树木，巨大而古老。他们以前都没有见到过。

"It seems gloomy," said the Scarecrow.

“这个森林真是太完美了，”狮子说了，快乐地仔细地望着四周；“我恐怕是看见过的最美丽的地方。”

"Not a bit of it," answered the Lion. "I should like to live here all my life. See how soft the dried leaves are under your feet and how rich and green the moss is that clings to these old trees. Surely no wild beast could wish a pleasanter home."

稻草人说：“我感觉这里很阴森。”

"Perhaps there are wild beasts in the forest now," said Dorothy.

“一点儿不，”狮子回答说；“我愿意一生都住在这里。看看这些干草柔软地在你的脚下，看看这些苔藓丰满和碧青地紧抱在老树上。显然，任何一只野兽都愿意有这么一个快乐的家乡了。”

"I suppose there are," returned the Lion, "but I do not see any of them about."

多萝茜说：“这森林里恐怕有许多野兽吧。”

They walked through the forest until it became too dark to go any farther. Dorothy and Toto and the Lion lay down to sleep, while the Woodman and the Scarecrow kept watch over them as usual.

“我相信有的，”狮子回答说；“但是我现在还没有看见它们。”

When morning came, they started again. Before they had gone far they heard a low rumble, as of the growling of many wild animals. Toto whimpered a little, but none of the others was frightened, and they kept along the well-trodden path until they came to an opening in the wood, in which were gathered hundreds of beasts of every variety. There were tigers and elephants and bears and wolves and foxes and all the others in the natural history, and for a moment Dorothy was afraid. But the Lion explained that the animals were holding a meeting, and he judged by their snarling and growling that they were in great trouble.

他们在森林中走着，天色暗得不能再向前走了。多萝茜和托托，还有狮子都困倦地睡去了，这时候铁皮人和稻草人，像平常一样地守在他们身边。

As he spoke several of the beasts caught sight of him, and at once the great assemblage hushed as if by magic. The biggest of the tigers came up to the Lion and bowed, saying:

第二天清晨，他们又出发。只走了一会儿，忽然听得一种低沉的隆隆的声音，似乎像许多野兽们的吼叫。

"Welcome, O King of Beasts! You have come in good time to fight our enemy and bring peace to all the animals of the forest once more."

托托一开始呜呜咽咽，其它人都毫不畏惧，他们仍旧在小径上向前走着，直走到森林中一个空旷的地方，看到那儿正聚集着数百只不同种类的野兽。有老虎、象、熊、狼和狐狸，以及动物史上其它的一切兽类。

"What is your trouble?" asked the Lion quietly.

多萝茜非常害怕。但是狮子说明这只是野兽们一次会议，它从它们的吼叫声和咆哮声中判断，它们可能是遇到了巨大的灾难。

"We are all threatened," answered the tiger, "by a fierce enemy which has lately come into this forest. It is a most tremendous monster, like a great spider, with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a tree trunk. It has eight of these long legs, and as the monster crawls through the forest he seizes an animal with a leg and drags it to his mouth, where he eats it as a spider does a fly. Not one of us is safe while this fierce creature is alive, and we had called a meeting to decide how to take care of ourselves when you came among us."

就在这时，那些野兽看见了它，这个会议马上像中了魔法似地，寂静无声。

The Lion thought for a moment.

老虎最大的一只，向狮子这边跑来，鞠着躬说道：“欢迎，啊，尊敬的万兽之王！你驾临得正是时候，快去战胜我们的敌人，让和平降临这森林吧。”

"Are there any other lions in this forest?" he asked.

狮子镇静地问道：“你们遇到什么麻烦？”

"No; there were some, but the monster has eaten them all. And, besides, they were none of them nearly so large and brave as you."

“我们都被新来到这森林中的一只可怕的敌人威胁着，”

"If I put an end to your enemy, will you bow down to me and obey me as King of the Forest?" inquired the Lion.

老虎回答说，“它是一个巨大的可怕的怪物，像一个大蜘蛛，身体却有大象那么大，脚有一棵树干那么长。这样长的脚有八只，当这个怪物爬过这森林时，随意地用一只脚捉住一只野兽，塞到嘴里去，像一只蜘蛛吃着苍蝇般那么容易。只要这个凶猛的怪物活着，我们的安全都无法保证，所以当你来到这里时，我们正在召开一个会议，决定对付那个可怕的家伙。”

"We will do that gladly," returned the tiger; and all the other beasts roared with a mighty roar: "We will!"

狮子想了一会儿，它问道：“在这个森林里，还有狮子吗？”

"Where is this great spider of yours now?" asked the Lion.

“没有，曾经有过几只，但是全被怪物吃掉了。而且，它们中没有一个像你样强壮而勇敢的。”

"Yonder, among the oak trees," said the tiger, pointing with his forefoot.

狮子问道：“如果我杀死了怪物，你们会不会佩服我，并且像对一个森林之王一般地听从我？”

"Take good care of these friends of mine," said the Lion, "and I will go at once to fight the monster."

老虎回答说：“我们都愿意听从你。”

He bade his comrades good-bye and marched proudly away to do battle with the enemy.

空旷地上响起了所有野兽们一阵有力的吼声：“我们愿意！”

The great spider was lying asleep when the Lion found him, and it looked so ugly that its foe turned up his nose in disgust. Its legs were quite as long as the tiger had said, and its body covered with coarse black hair. It had a great mouth, with a row of sharp teeth a foot long; but its head was joined to the pudgy body by a neck as slender as a wasp's waist. This gave the Lion a hint of the best way to attack the creature, and as he knew it was easier to fight it asleep than awake, he gave a great spring and landed directly upon the monster's back. Then, with one blow of his heavy paw, all armed with sharp claws, he knocked the spider's head from its body. Jumping down, he watched it until the long legs stopped wiggling, when he knew it was quite dead.

狮子问：“现在那个大蜘蛛在哪里？”

The Lion went back to the opening where the beasts of the forest were waiting for him and said proudly:

“在那边栎树林中，”老虎说着，并用它的前脚指引着。

"You need fear your enemy no longer."

狮子说：“你照顾好我的朋友们，我立刻去找那个怪物决斗。”

Then the beasts bowed down to the Lion as their King, and he promised to come back and rule over them as soon as Dorothy was safely on her way to Kansas.

它向朋友们说声再会，昂首朝栎树林里走去，去向那个怪物挑战。

当狮子发现它时，这个大蜘蛛正在酣睡中，那样子是凶恶而丑陋，使得狮子因为厌恶而掩着自己的鼻子。

它的几只脚，就像老虎所描述的，身上覆盖着粗糙的黑色的毛发。它的嘴很大，有一排一尺长的尖利的牙齿；但是它的头，却和一条像一只黄蜂的腰似的细弱颈项连接着。

这就狮子有了攻击它的办法，知道在它睡着时攻击它，比较它醒来时更出其不意。于是狮子对准那个怪物的背，跳了一下，就扑了上去。随后，用沉重的脚掌一击，使出了所有的利爪，打击着蜘蛛的头，使它身体和头都分离开来。

最后它所有的长脚都不动了，狮子知道它已经死去了，才跳了下来。

狮子又回到空旷的地方来，在森林中的野兽们正等着它，它骄傲地说道：“你们再也不用怕那怪物了。”

于是野兽们像向着它们的王一样地拜倒在狮子脚下；狮子便答应在多萝茜平安地走上了到堪萨斯州去的道路后，一定回来管理它们。