木偶奇遇記：Chapter 12

The next day Fire Eater called Pinocchio aside and asked him:

第二天早晨，吃火人把皮諾喬叫到一旁，問他說：

"What is your father's name?"

“你父親叫什么名字?”

"Geppetto."

“叫杰佩托。”

"And what is his trade?"

“他是干什么的，”

"He's a wood carver."

“他很窮。”

"Does he earn much?"

“他賺的錢多嗎?”

"He earns so much that he never has a penny in his pockets. Just think that, in order to buy me an A-B-C book for school, he had to sell the only coat he owned, a coat so full of darns and patches that it was a pity."

“要問他賺的錢，從不見他口袋里有一個子兒。請想象一下吧，為了買一本識字課本給我上學(xué)，他得賣掉身上僅有的一件短上衣。這件短上衣完全是補丁，沒一處好的。”

"Poor fellow! I feel sorry for him. Here, take these five gold pieces. Go, give them to him with my kindest regards."

“可憐的人!我很同情他。這里是五個金幣。馬上帶回去給他，并且替我問他好。”

Pinocchio, as may easily be imagined, thanked him a thousand times. He kissed each Marionette in turn, even the officers, and, beside himself with joy, set out on his homeward journey. He had gone barely half a mile when he met a lame Fox and a blind Cat, walking together like two good friends. The lame Fox leaned on the Cat, and the blind Cat let the Fox lead him along.

不用說，皮諾喬向木偶戲班班主千謝萬謝，他把戲班里所有的木偶一個個擁抱過，包括兩個守衛(wèi)，然后歡天喜地回家去了?？蛇€沒有走上半公里路，他就在路上碰到一只瘸腿狐貍和一只瞎眼貓。它倆一路上相互攙扶，似是兩個患難朋友。瘸腿狐貍靠在貓身上，瞎眼貓由狐貍領(lǐng)著路。

"Good morning, Pinocchio," said the Fox, greeting him courteously.

“早上好，皮諾喬，”狐貍向他恭恭敬敬問好說。

"How do you know my name?" asked the Marionette.

“你怎么知道我的名字?”木偶問它。

"I know your father well."

“我跟你爸爸挺熟。”

"Where have you seen him?"

“你在哪兒見過他?”

"I saw him yesterday standing at the door of his house."

“昨天在他家門口見過。”

"And what was he doing?"

“他在干什么?”

"He was in his shirt sleeves trembling with cold."

“他穿著一件襯衫，冷得直打哆嗦。”

"Poor Father! But, after today, God willing, he will suffer no longer."

“可憐的爸爸!可是謝謝老天爺，從今往后，他就不用再打哆嗦了!……”

"Why?"

“為什么?”

"Because I have become a rich man."

“因為我變成個體面先生啦。”

"You, a rich man?" said the Fox, and he began to laugh out loud. The Cat was laughing also, but tried to hide it by stroking his long whiskers.

“你是個體面先生?”狐貍說著，放肆地大笑，貓也跟著笑，可為了不讓皮諾喬看見，用兩個前爪子假裝在理著胡子。

"There is nothing to laugh at," cried Pinocchio angrily. "I am very sorry to make your mouth water, but these, as you know, are five new gold pieces."

“沒什么可笑的，”皮諾喬生氣地叫道，“我真不想叫你們流口水，可這兒，要是你們想知道的話，這兒有五個呱呱叫的金幣。”

And he pulled out the gold pieces which Fire Eater had given him.

他說著掏出吃火人送他的錢。

At the cheerful tinkle of the gold, the Fox unconsciously held out his paw that was supposed to be lame, and the Cat opened wide his two eyes till they looked like live coals, but he closed them again so quickly that Pinocchio did not notice.

一聽到金幣丁丁當(dāng)當(dāng)響，狐貍不由自主地伸出了它那只好像瘸了的爪子，貓也張大了它那兩只眼睛。這兩只眼睛綠幽幽的像兩盞燈，不過它們馬上又閉上了，皮諾喬當(dāng)然一點沒看見。

"And may I ask," inquired the Fox, "what you are going to do with all that money?"

“現(xiàn)在，”狐貍問他，“你拿這些錢想干什么呢?”

"First of all," answered the Marionette, "I want to buy a fine new coat for my father, a coat of gold and silver with diamond buttons; after that, I'll buy an A-B-C book for myself."

“第一，”皮諾喬回答說，“我要給我爸爸買一件漂亮的新上衣，金絲銀線織的，鈕扣是寶石做的，第二、我要給自己買一本識字課本。”

"For yourself?"

“給你自己?”

"For myself. I want to go to school and study hard."

“還用說，我要去上學(xué)好好讀書嘛。”

"Look at me," said the Fox. "For the silly reason of wanting to study, I have lost a paw."

“你瞧瞧我吧，”狐貍說，“我就為了愚蠢得竟想去讀書，結(jié)果把一條腿都弄瘸了。”

"Look at me," said the Cat. "For the same foolish reason, I have lost the sight of both eyes."

“你瞧瞧我吧，”貓說了，“我就為了愚蠢得竟想去讀書，把兩只眼睛都搞瞎了。”

At that moment, a Blackbird, perched on the fence along the road, called out sharp and clear:

正在這時候，一只白椋鳥蹲在路邊樹叢上唱起它的老調(diào)，說：

"Pinocchio, do not listen to bad advice. If you do, you'll be sorry!"

“皮諾喬，別聽壞朋友的話，要不，你要后悔的!”

Poor little Blackbird! If he had only kept his words to himself! In the twinkling of an eyelid, the Cat leaped on him, and ate him, feathers and all.

可憐的椋鳥沒來得及把話說完!貓猛地一跳，跳得半天高，一把抓住椋鳥，林鳥連叫一聲“唉喲”的工夫也沒有，就已經(jīng)連毛一起進(jìn)入了貓的大嘴巴，

After eating the bird, he cleaned his whiskers, closed his eyes, and became blind once more.

貓吃掉椋鳥，擦過嘴巴，重新閉上兩只眼睛，又照舊裝瞎子。

"Poor Blackbird!" said Pinocchio to the Cat. "Why did you kill him?"

“可憐的椋鳥!”皮諾喬對貓說，“你為什么對它這么狠呢?”

"I killed him to teach him a lesson. He talks too much. Next time he will keep his words to himself."

“我這樣做是為了教訓(xùn)教訓(xùn)它，這樣一來，下次它可就學(xué)乖，別人說話不會插嘴了。”

By this time the three companions had walked a long distance. Suddenly, the Fox stopped in his tracks and, turning to the Marionette, said to him:

他們走到半路，狐貍忽然停下，對木偶說：

"Do you want to double your gold pieces?"

“你想讓你的金幣加個倍嗎?”

"What do you mean?"

“你這話什么意思?”

"Do you want one hundred, a thousand, two thousand gold pieces for your miserable five?"

“你只有那么五個金幣，你想讓它們變成一百個，一千個，兩千個嗎?”

"Yes, but how?"

“那還用說!可怎么變呢?”

"The way is very easy. Instead of returning home, come with us."

“簡單極了。你先別回家，跟我們走。”

"And where will you take me?"

“你們帶我上哪兒去?”

"To the City of Simple Simons."

“到傻瓜城去。”

Pinocchio thought a while and then said firmly:

皮諾喬想了想，接著拿定主意說：

"No, I don't want to go. Home is near, and I'm going where Father is waiting for me. How unhappy he must be that I have not yet returned! I have been a bad son, and the Talking Cricket was right when he said that a disobedient boy cannot be happy in this world. I have learned this at my own expense. Even last night in the theater, when Fire Eater. . . Brrrr!!!!! . . . The shivers run up and down my back at the mere thought of it."

“不要，我不去，這會兒就到家了，我要回家，我爸爸在等著，可憐的老人家昨兒沒見我回去，誰知道他有多么焦急呀!真倒霉，我是這么個壞孩子，還是會說話的蟋蟀說得對：‘不聽話的孩子在這個世界上沒有好結(jié)果。’我從自己的教訓(xùn)懂得了這一點，因為我遭了許多殃，昨兒晚上在吃火人那里，我差點兒連命都送掉了……啊!我一想起都要發(fā)抖!”

"Well, then," said the Fox, "if you really want to go home, go ahead, but you'll be sorry."

“這么說，”狐貍說道，“你真想回家?那你就回家吧、反正是你自己吃虧!”

"You'll be sorry," repeated the Cat.

“是你自已吃虧!”貓跟著又說了一遍。

"Think well, Pinocchio, you are turning your back on Dame Fortune."

“你好好想想，皮諾喬，因為你有福不享。”

"On Dame Fortune," repeated the Cat.

“有福不享!”貓跟著又說了一遍。

"Tomorrow your five gold pieces will be two thousand!"

“你的五個金幣到明天要變成兩千個了。”

"Two thousand!" repeated the Cat.

“兩千個了!”貓跟著又說一遍。

"But how can they possibly become so many?" asked Pinocchio wonderingly.

“可怎么會變那么多呢?”皮諾喬問道，驚奇得嘴都合不攏了。

"I'll explain," said the Fox. "You must know that, just outside the City of Simple Simons, there is a blessed field called the Field of Wonders. In this field you dig a hole and in the hole you bury a gold piece. After covering up the hole with earth you water it well, sprinkle a bit of salt on it, and go to bed. During the night, the gold piece sprouts, grows, blossoms, and next morning you find a beautiful tree, that is loaded with gold pieces."

“我這就告訴你，”狐貍說，“你要知道，傻瓜城有塊福地，大家叫它‘奇跡寶地’。你在這塊地上挖一個小窟窿，然后放進(jìn)去，比方說吧，放進(jìn)去一個金幣。然后你在窟窿上撒點土，重新蓋起來，澆上兩鍋泉水，再撒上一撮鹽，晚上你安安穩(wěn)穩(wěn)上床睡大覺好了，一夜工夫，這個金幣生長開花。第二天早晨你起床回到地里一看，你想你會看到什么呢，你會看到一棵漂亮的樹，長滿了金幣，多得就像六月里一串豐滿的麥穗上的麥粒。”

"So that if I were to bury my five gold pieces," cried Pinocchio with growing wonder, "next morning I should find -- how many?"

“這么說，”皮諾喬完全入迷了，說道：“要是我把我那五個金幣種在那塊地上，第二天早晨我可以有多少個金幣呢?”

"It is very simple to figure out," answered the Fox. "Why, you can figure it on your fingers! Granted that each piece gives you five hundred, multiply five hundred by five. Next morning you will find twenty-five hundred new, sparkling gold pieces."

“容易算極了，”狐貍回答說，“用指頭尖一算就算得出來，比方說，每個金幣長出五百個，五百乘五，第二天早晨你口袋里就可以有兩千五百個閃閃發(fā)光、丁丁當(dāng)當(dāng)響的金幣。”

"Fine! Fine!" cried Pinocchio, dancing about with joy. "And as soon as I have them, I shall keep two thousand for myself and the other five hundred I'll give to you two."

“噢，那多美呀!”皮諾喬大叫，高興得跳起來，“等我把這些金幣都采下來，我拿兩千，還有五百個我送給你們倆。”

"A gift for us?" cried the Fox, pretending to be insulted. "Why, of course not!"

“送給我們?”狐貍像給得罪了，生氣地叫道，“上帝免了你這份禮吧!”

"Of course not!" repeated the Cat.

“免了你這份禮!”貓跟著又說了一遍。

"We do not work for gain," answered the Fox. "We work only to enrich others."

“我們這么起勁，可不是為了卑鄙的利益，”狐貍回答說，“我們起勁只是為了讓別人發(fā)財致富。”

"To enrich others!" repeated the Cat.

“讓別人發(fā)財致富。”貓跟著又說了一遍，

"What good people," thought Pinocchio to himself. And forgetting his father, the new coat, the A-B-C book, and all his good resolutions, he said to the Fox and to the Cat:

“多好的人啊!”皮諾喬心里說，他一下子忘掉了他的爸爸，忘掉了新上衣，忘掉了識字課本，忘掉了一切好的打算，卻對狐貍和貓說：

"Let us go. I am with you."

“那咱們走吧。我跟你們?nèi)ァ?rdquo;