小象的故事

小象的故事

The Elephant’s Child

在很久很久以前，我最亲爱的宝贝，大象是没有长鼻子的。他只有一只黑乎乎的凸鼻子，像靴子那么大。那只鼻子只能左右晃动，却什么东西也捡不起来。

In the High and Far-Off Times the Elephant, O Best Beloved, had no trunk. He had only a blackish, bulgy nose, as big as a boot, that he could wriggle about from side to side; but he couldn’t pick up things with it.

不过有一只象——一只新来的象——也就是小象。他满脑子都是强烈的好奇心，这意味着他总会问特别多的问题。他住在非洲，他的好奇心也传遍了整个非洲。

But there was one Elephant—a new Elephant—an Elephant’s Child—who was full of ‘satiable curtiosity, and that means he asked ever so many questions. And he lived in Africa, and he filled all Africa with his ‘satiable curtiosities.

他问高个子的姑姑鸵鸟，为什么她的尾巴毛会长成那个样子。高个子的姑姑鸵鸟就用坚硬的爪子狠狠揍了他一顿。

He asked his tall aunt, the Ostrich, why her tail-feathers grew just so, and his tall aunt the Ostrich spanked him with her hard, hard claw.

他问高个子的叔叔长颈鹿，是什么让他的皮肤长满了斑点。高个子的叔叔长颈鹿就用坚硬的蹄子狠狠揍了他一顿。可他依然满脑子都是好奇心！

He asked his tall uncle, the Giraffe, what made his skin spotty, and his tall uncle, the Giraffe, spanked him with his hard, hard hoof. And still he was full of ‘satiable curtiosity!

他问体型宽大的婶婶河马，为什么她的眼睛是红红的。体型宽大的婶婶河马就用宽宽的蹄子狠狠揍了他一顿。他又问毛茸茸的叔叔狒狒，为什么甜瓜会是那种味道。毛茸茸的叔叔狒狒就用毛茸茸的爪子狠狠揍了他一顿。

He asked his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, why her eyes were red, and his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, spanked him with her broad, broad hoof; and he asked his hairy uncle, the Baboon, why melons tasted just so, and his hairy uncle, the Baboon, spanked him with his hairy, hairy paw.

可他依然满脑子都是好奇心！凡是他看到的、听到的、感觉到的、闻到的或者摸到的东西，他都要问个不停，所有的叔叔婶婶也都揍过他。但他还是充满了好奇心！

And still he was full of ‘satiable curtiosity! He asked questions about everything that he saw, or heard, or felt, or smelt, or touched, and all his uncles and his aunts spanked him. And still he was full of ‘satiable curtiosity!

春分时节的一个晴朗早晨，这只好奇的小象问了一个以前从未提过的新问题。他问：“鳄鱼晚餐吃什么呀？”大家一听，全都喊道：“嘘！”

One fine morning in the middle of the Precession of the Equinoxes this ‘satiable Elephant’s Child asked a new fine question that he had never asked before. He asked, ‘What does the Crocodile have for dinner?’ Then everybody said, ‘Hush!’

声音又响亮又可怕。接着，他们立刻动手，不停地揍了他好长一阵子。

in a loud and dretful tone, and they spanked him immediately and directly, without stopping, for a long time.

后来，等挨完了打，他遇到了正停在刺灌木丛中间的科洛科洛鸟。小象对他说：“我爸爸揍了我，我妈妈揍了我；所有的叔叔婶婶都因为我的好奇心揍了我；可我还是想知道鳄鱼晚餐到底吃什么！”

By and by, when that was finished, he came upon Kolokolo Bird sitting in the middle of a wait-a-bit thorn-bush, and he said, ‘My father has spanked me, and my mother has spanked me; all my aunts and uncles have spanked me for my ‘satiable curtiosity; and still I want to know what the Crocodile has for dinner!’

科洛科洛鸟发出一声悲伤的叫声，对他说：“去那条又大又灰绿、油汪汪的林波波河边吧，那里四周长满了金合欢树。你去那里找找答案吧。”

Then Kolokolo Bird said, with a mournful cry, ‘Go to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, and find out.’

第二天一早，节气刚刚过去，这只好奇的小象带了一百磅香蕉（那种短短红红的），一百磅甘蔗（那种长长紫紫的），还有十七个甜瓜（那种绿皮带脆纹的），对亲爱的家人们说：“再见啦。

That very next morning, when there was nothing left of the Equinoxes, because the Precession had preceded according to precedent, this ‘satiable Elephant’s Child took a hundred pounds of bananas (the little short red kind), and a hundred pounds of sugar-cane (the long purple kind), and seventeen melons (the greeny-crackly kind), and said to all his dear families, ‘Goodbye.

我要去那条又大又灰绿、油汪汪的林波波河，那里四周长满了金合欢树，我要去查明白鳄鱼晚餐吃什么。”大家为了给他带去好运，又把他揍了一顿，尽管他非常有礼貌地请大家停手。

I am going to the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, to find out what the Crocodile has for dinner.’ And they all spanked him once more for luck, though he asked them most politely to stop.

然后他就出发了。虽然身上有点发热，但他一点也不惊讶。他一边走一边吃甜瓜，因为捡不起瓜皮，就随手扔在路边。

Then he went away, a little warm, but not at all astonished, eating melons, and throwing the rind about, because he could not pick it up.