《自私的巨人》

自私的巨人

The Selfish Giant

每天下午放学的时候，孩子们常常会去巨人的花园里玩耍。

Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant’s garden.

那是一个又大又可爱的花园，长着柔软的绿草。

It was a large lovely garden, with soft green grass.

草地上东一处西一处盛开着美丽的花朵，就像星星一样。园里还有十二棵桃树，在春天开出粉红和珍珠般娇嫩的花朵，到了秋天就结出丰硕的果实。

Here and there over the grass stood beautiful flowers like stars, and there were twelve peach-trees that in the spring-time broke out into delicate blossoms of pink and pearl, and in the autumn bore rich fruit.

鸟儿停在树上，唱得那么动听，孩子们常常停下游戏来听它们唱歌。“我们在这里多么快乐啊！”他们互相喊着说。

The birds sat on the trees and sang so sweetly that the children used to stop their games in order to listen to them. “How happy we are here!” they cried to each other.

有一天，巨人回来了。他之前去拜访他的朋友康沃尔食人魔，并在那里住了七年。

One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years.

七年过去后，他把该说的话都说完了，因为他的话题本来就不多，于是他决定回到自己的城堡。当他到达时，他看到孩子们正在花园里玩耍。

After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.

“你们在这里做什么？”他用非常粗暴的声音喊道，孩子们都吓跑了。

“What are you doing here?” he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.

“我自己的花园就是我自己的花园，”巨人说，“谁都明白这个道理，除了我自己，我不准任何人在里面玩。”于是他在花园周围筑起了一道高墙，并立起了一块告示牌。

“My own garden is my own garden,” said the Giant; “any one can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself.” So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.

禁止擅入

TRESPASSERS

违者

WILL BE

依法严惩

PROSECUTED

他真是一个非常自私的巨人。

He was a very selfish Giant.

可怜的孩子们现在没有地方玩了。他们试着在路上玩，但是路上尘土飞扬，满是坚硬的石头，他们不喜欢那里。

The poor children had now nowhere to play. They tried to play on the road, but the road was very dusty and full of hard stones, and they did not like it.