诗翁彼豆故事集 第2期:巫师和跳跳埚(2)

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号：tingroom，领取免费英语资料大礼包。

　　“Be still. Be silent!” shrieked⁴ the wizard, but not all his magical powers could quieten the warty⁵ pot, which hopped⁷ at his heels all day, braying⁸ and groaning⁹ and clanging, no matter where he went or what he did. “别动。安静！”巫师尖叫道，但是不管他用什么魔法，都不能使长满疣的坩埚安静下来。坩埚整天跟在他的身后挑来跳去，发出驴叫声、呻吟声和撞击声，不管他去什么地方，做什么事情。

　　That evening there came a third knock upon the door, and there on the threshold stood a young woman sobbing¹⁰ as though her heart would break. 那天傍晚，门外第三次传来敲门声，门槛外站着一个年轻的妇人，哭得伤心欲绝。

　　“My baby is grievously ill,” she said. “Won't you please help us? Your father bade me come if troubled –” “我的宝宝病得很重，”她说，“你能不能行行好帮帮我们？你父亲吩咐我有难处就过来——”

　　But the wizard slammed the door on her. 可是巫师当着她的面把门重重地关上了。

　　And now the tormenting¹¹ pot filled to the brim with salt water, and slopped tears all over the floor as it hopped, and brayed¹², and groaned¹³, and sprouted¹⁴ more warts¹⁵. 这一下，那口折磨人的坩埚里充满了盐水，它一边蹦跳着把泪水泼溅在地上，一边发出驴叫和呻吟，冒出更多的疣。

　　Though no more villagers came to seek help at the wizard's cottage for the rest of the week, the pot kept him informed of their many ills. 尽管在这个星期接下来的时间里，不再有村民到巫师家里来寻求帮助，但是坩埚仍然不停地把他们的病患告诉他。

　　Within a few days, it was not only braying and groaning and slopping and hopping¹⁶ and sprouting¹⁷ warts, it was also choking and retching, crying like a baby, whining¹⁸ like a dog, and spewing out bad cheese and sour milk and a plague of hungry slugs. 在短短的几天里，它不仅发出驴叫和呻吟，一边跳一边抛洒泪水，冒出疣，而且又是咳嗽又是干呕，像婴儿一样啼哭，像狗一样哀号，还吐出变质的奶酪和发酸的牛奶，以及数不清的饥饿的鼻涕虫。

　　The wizard could not sleep or eat with the pot beside him, but the pot refused to leave, and he could not silence it or force it to be still. 坩埚整天跟在巫师身边，折腾得他吃不下睡不着。可是坩埚就是不肯离开，巫师也无法使它安静下来，或强迫它静止不动。

　　At last the wizard could bear it no more. 最后，巫师再也忍受不住了。

　　“Bring me all your problems, all your troubles and your woes¹⁹!” he screamed, fleeing into the night, with the pot hopping behind him along the road into the village. “把你们所有的难处、所有的苦恼、所有的悲伤都拿给我吧！”他大喊一声，跑进了夜色中，顺着道路跑进村里，坩埚一跳一跳地也跟在他的身后，

　　“Come! Let me cure you, mend you and comfort you! “来吧！让我给你们治病，帮助你们，安慰你们吧！

　　I have my father's cooking pot, and I shall make you well!” 我有我父亲的坩埚，我会让你们都好起来的！”

　　And with the foul²⁰ pot still bounding along behind him, he ran up the street, casting spells in every direction. 他在街上奔跑着，把咒语射向四面八方，那令人恶心的坩埚仍然一跳一跳地跟在他身后。

　　Inside one house the little girl's warts vanished as she slept; 在一座房子里，那个熟睡的小姑娘身上的疣消失了；

　　The lost donkey was Summoned from a distant briar patch and set down softly in its stable; 那头丢失的驴子被魔法从远处的荆棘地里召唤回来了，悄悄地进了牲口棚；

　　The sick baby was doused²¹ in dittany and woke, well and rosy²². 那个病中的婴儿，身上撒了白藓水，健康地苏醒了，脸蛋红扑扑的。

　　At every house of sickness and sorrow, the wizard did his best, and gradually the cooking pot beside him stopped groaning and retching, and became quiet, shiny and clean. 在每一户有病痛和烦恼的人家，巫师都用尽全力去帮助他们，慢慢地，他身边的坩埚不再呻吟、干呕，而是变得安静、清爽、锃光瓦亮的了。

　　The pot burped out the single slipper²³ he had thrown into it, and permitted him to fit it on to the brass foot. 坩埚打了一个嗝儿，吐出了巫师扔进去的那只拖鞋，并允许巫师把它穿在那只黄铜脚上。

　　Together, they set off back to the wizard's house, the pot's footstep muffled²⁴ at last. 巫师和坩埚一起返回家里，坩埚的脚步声终于变得静悄悄了。

　　But from that day forward, the wizard helped the villagers like his father before him, lest the pot cast off its slipper, and begin to hop⁶ once more. 从那以后，巫师像他父亲生前一样帮助村民，生怕坩埚又脱掉鞋子，再次蹦蹦跳跳。

分享到：