彼得·潘 作者:[英]詹姆斯·巴里 翻译:杨静远
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Chapter 9 THE NEVER BIRD
| 第九章 永无鸟
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The last sound Peter heard before he was quite alone were the mermaids retiring one by one to their bedchambers under the sea. He was too far away to hear their doors shut; but every door in the coral caves where they live rings a tiny bell when it opens or closes (as in all the nicest houses on the mainland), and he heard the bells.
| 礁湖上只剩下彼得一人了,在这之前,他最后听到的声音,是人鱼回到海底寝室时的响动。因为距离太远,他听不到关门的声音。不过,她们居住的珊瑚窟,门上都有小铃,开门关门时都要发出叮当声(恰像英国本土最讲究的房子那样),这铃声彼得听到了。
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Steadily the waters rose till they were nibbling at his feet; and to pass the time until they made their final gulp, he watched the only thing on the lagoon. He thought it was a piece of floating paper, perhaps part of the kite, and wondered idly how long it would take to drift ashore.
| 海水渐渐涨上来了,正一小口一小口地吞噬彼得的脚;在海水把他整个吞没以前,为了消磨时间,他凝视着漂游在礁湖上的唯一一件东西。他想那大概是一张漂浮着的纸片,或许是那风筝的一部分。他闲得无聊,估算着那东西漂到岸边需要多少时间。
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Presently he noticed as an odd thing that it was undoubtedly out upon the lagoon with some definite purpose, for it was fighting the tide, and sometimes winning; and when it won, Peter, always sympathetic to the weaker side, could not help clapping; it was such a gallant piece of paper.
| 忽然,他发现这东西有点异乎寻常,它来到湖上肯定是带有某种目的的,因为,它正在逆浪而行,有时战胜了海浪。每次它战胜时,总是同情弱者的彼得,就忍不住拍起手来;好勇敢的一张纸片。
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It was not really a piece of paper; it was the Never bird, making desperate efforts to reach Peter on the nest. By working her wings, in a way she had learned since the nest fell into the water, she was able to some extent to guide her strange craft, but by the time Peter recognised her she was very exhausted. She had come to save him, to give him her nest, though there were eggs in it. I rather wonder at the bird, for though he had been nice to her, he had also sometimes tormented her. I can suppose only that, like Mrs. Darling and the rest of them, she was melted because he had all his first teeth.
| 其实,那不是一张纸片,那是永无鸟。她正坐在巢上拼命努力向彼得划来。自打她落到水上以后,她就学会了用翅膀划水,居然也能勉强行驶她那只奇异的小船了。可是,在彼得认出她来时,她已经非常疲乏了。她是来救彼得的,她要把巢让给他,尽管巢里头有卵。这鸟是有点怪;因为,彼得虽然待她好,可有时也折磨她。我只能猜想,这鸟大概也像达林太太等女人一样,看到彼得一口乳牙未换,就动了慈悲心吧。
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She called out to him what she had come for, and he called out to her what she was doing there; but of course neither of them understood the other's language. In fanciful stories people can talk to the birds freely, and I wish for the moment I could pretend that this were such a story, and say that Peter replied intelligently to the Never bird; but truth is best, and I want to tell you only what really happened. Well, not only could they not understand each other, but they forgot their manners.
| 那鸟向彼得大声说,她来是为了什么;彼得也大声问那鸟,她在那儿干什么;不过,当然他们彼此都听不懂对方的话。在幻想故事里,人可以和鸟自由交谈。我真愿设想,在这个故事里,事情正是这样:彼得可以和永无鸟随意问答。但最好还是实话实说,我只想说实际上发生的事情。那就是,他们不但彼此听不懂,连礼貌都忘记了。
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"I -- want -- you -- to -- get -- into -- the -- nest," the bird called, speaking as slowly and distinctly as possible, "and -- then -- you -- can -- drift -- ashore, but -- I -- am -- too - - tired -- to -- bring -- it -- any -- nearer -- so -- you -- must -- try -- to -- swim -- to -- it."
| “我——要——你——到——巢——里——来,”那鸟叫道,尽量说得慢些,清楚些,“那——样,你——就——可——以——漂——到——岸——上——去……可——是——我——太——累——了 , 不——能——再——靠——拢——你 ,你——得——想——法——自——己——游——过——来。”
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"What are you quacking about?" Peter answered. "Why don't you let the nest drift as usual?"
| “你叽叽喳喳地叫些什么呀?”彼得回答说,“你为什么不像往常一样,让你的巢随风漂流?”
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"I -- want -- you -- " the bird said, and repeated it all over.
| “我——要——你——”鸟说,又重复了一遍刚才的话。
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Then Peter tried slow and distinct.
| 接着,彼得也又慢又清楚地说:
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"What -- are -- you -- quacking -- about?" and so on.
| “你——叽——叽——喳——喳——地——叫——些——什——么——呀?”等等。
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The Never bird became irritated; they have very short tempers.
| 永无鸟烦躁起来了,这种鸟脾气是很急的。
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"You dunderheaded little jay," she screamed, "Why don't you do as I tell you?"
| “你这个呆头呆脑、罗里罗嗦的小傻瓜,”她尖声叫道,“你为什么不照我的吩咐去做?”
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Peter felt that she was calling him names, and at a venture he retorted hotly:
| 彼得觉出了她是在骂自己,于是他气冲冲地回敬了她一句:
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"So are you!"
| “骂你自己呢!”
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Then rather curiously they both snapped out the same remark:
| 然后说也奇怪,他们竟互相对骂起同一句话来:
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"Shut up!"
| “闭嘴!”
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"Shut up!"
| “闭嘴!”
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Nevertheless the bird was determined to save him if she could, and by one last mighty effort she propelled the nest against the rock. Then up she flew; deserting her eggs, so as to make her meaning clear.
| 不过,这鸟决心尽力救彼得,她作了一次最后的努力,终于使巢靠上了岩石。然后她飞了起来,丢下了她的卵,为的是使她的用意明了。
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Then at last he understood, and clutched the nest and waved his thanks to the bird as she fluttered overhead. It was not to receive his thanks, however, that she hung there in the sky; it was not even to watch him get into the nest; it was to see what he did with her eggs.
| 彼得终于明白了,他抓住了鸟巢,向空中飞着的鸟挥手表示谢意。永无鸟在空中飞来飞去不是为了领受他的谢意,也不是要看他怎样爬进巢里,她是要看看他怎样对待她的卵。
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There were two large white eggs, and Peter lifted them up and reflected. The bird covered her face with her wings, so as not to see the last of them; but she could not help peeping between the feathers.
| 巢里有两只大白卵,彼得把它们捧了起来,心里盘算着。那鸟用翅膀捂住了脸,不敢看她的卵的下场,可她还是忍不住从羽毛缝里窥望。
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I forget whether I have told you that there was a stave on the rock, driven into it by some buccaneers of long ago to mark the site of buried treasure. The children had discovered the glittering hoard, and when in a mischievous mood used to fling showers of moidores, diamonds, pearls and pieces of eight to the gulls, who pounced upon them for food, and then flew away, raging at the scurvy trick that had been played upon them. The stave was still there, and on it Starkey had hung his hat, a deep tarpaulin, watertight, with a broad brim. Peter put the eggs into this hat and set it on the lagoon. It floated beautifully.
| 我不记得告诉过你们没有,岩石上有一块木板,是很久以前海盗钉在那儿,用来标志埋藏财宝的位置的。孩子们发现了这堆闪闪发光的宝藏,有时淘气劲儿上来,就抓起一把把的金币、钻石、珍珠等等,抛向海鸥;海鸥以为是食物,扑过来啄食,对这种卑鄙的恶作剧非常恼怒,气得飞走了。木板还在那儿,斯塔奇把他的帽子挂在了上面,那是一顶宽边的、高高的防水油布帽。彼得把卵放在帽子里,把帽子放在水上,它就平平稳稳地漂起来了。
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The Never bird saw at once what he was up to, and screamed her admiration of him; and, alas, Peter crowed his agreement with her. Then he got into the nest, reared the stave in it as a mast, and hung up his shirt for a sail. At the same moment the bird fluttered down upon the hat and once more sat snugly on her eggs. She drifted in one direction, and he was borne off in another, both cheering.
| 永无鸟立刻看清了彼得的妙策,高声欢叫,向他表示钦佩;彼得也应声欢呼起来。然后他跨进巢去,把木板竖起来当桅杆,又把他的衬衣挂在上面当帆。同时,那鸟飞落到帽子上,又安安逸逸地孵起卵来。鸟向这边漂去,彼得向那边漂去,皆大欢喜。
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Of course when Peter landed he beached his barque (small ship, actually the Never Bird's nest in this particular case in point) in a place where the bird would easily find it; but the hat was such a great success that she abandoned the nest. It drifted about till it went to pieces, and often Starkey came to the shore of the lagoon, and with many bitter feelings watched the bird sitting on his hat. As we shall not see her again, it may be worth mentioning here that all Never birds now build in that shape of nest, with a broad brim on which the youngsters take an airing.
| 彼得上岸以后,自然是把他曾坐过的鸟巢放在一处鸟容易看见的地方;可是,那顶帽子太可心了,那鸟竟放弃了这个巢。巢漂来漂去,直到完全散架;后来,斯塔奇每次来到湖上,总看见那鸟孵在他的帽子上,心里好不恼怒。由于我们以后不再见到永无鸟了,在这里值得一提,所有的永无鸟现在都把巢筑成这个样子,有一道宽边,幼雏可以在那上面溜达散心。
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Great were the rejoicings when Peter reached the home under the ground almost as soon as Wendy, who had been carried hither and thither by the kite. Every boy had adventures to tell; but perhaps the biggest adventure of all was that they were several hours late for bed. This so inflated them that they did various dodgy things to get staying up still longer, such as demanding bandages; but Wendy, though glorying in having them all home again safe and sound, was scandalised by the lateness of the hour, and cried, "To bed, to bed," in a voice that had to be obeyed. Next day, however, she was awfully tender, and gave out bandages to every one, and they played till bed-time at limping about and carrying their arms in slings.
| 彼得回到地下的家时,被风筝拽着东飘西荡的温迪,也差不多刚到家。大家全都兴高采烈,每个孩子都有一段冒险故事可讲;可是最大的一件事,或许是他们已经迟睡了好几个小时。这件事使他们非常得意,他们磨磨蹭蹭,像要求包扎伤口什么的,好更加推迟上床的时间;温迪呢,虽然看到他们一个个平平安安地回了家,满心欢喜,可是,时间实在晚得不像话了,于是她喊道:“全都给我上床去!”声调使人不能不服从。不过到了第二天,她又变得异常温柔,给每个孩子都包扎了绷带;于是他们有的跛着脚,有的吊着胳臂,一直玩到上床睡觉。
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