動物莊園：Chapter 1

Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes. With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots at the back door, drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery, and made his way up to bed, where Mrs. Jones was already snoring.

故事發(fā)生在曼納莊園里。這天晚上，莊園的主人瓊斯先生說是已經(jīng)鎖好了雞棚，但由于他喝得醉意十足，竟把里面的那些小門都忘了關(guān)上。他提著馬燈踉踉蹌蹌地穿過院子，馬燈光也跟著一直不停地晃來晃去，到了后門，他把靴子一腳一只踢了出去，又從洗碗間的酒桶里舀起最后一杯啤酒，一飲而盡，然后才上床休息。此時，床上的瓊斯夫人已是鼾聲如雷了。

As soon as the light in the bedroom went out there was a stirring and a fluttering all through the farm buildings. Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White boar, had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr. Jones was safely out of the way. Old Major (so he was always called, though the name under which he had been exhibited was Willingdon Beauty) was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour's sleep in order to hear what he had to say.

等那邊莊主院臥室里的燈光一熄滅，整個莊園窩棚里就泛起一陣撲撲騰騰的騷動。還在白天的時候，莊園里就風(fēng)傳著一件事，說是老麥哲，就是得過“中等白鬃毛”獎的那頭雄豬，在前一天晚上作了一個奇怪的夢，想要傳達給其他動物。老麥哲(他一直被這樣稱呼，盡管他在參加展覽時用的名字是“威靈頓美神”)在莊園了一直德高望重，所以動物們?yōu)榱笋雎犓胍v的事情，都十分樂意犧牲一小時的睡眠。當(dāng)時，大家都已經(jīng)同意，等瓊斯先生完全走開后，他們就到大谷倉內(nèi)集合。

At one end of the big barn, on a sort of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions. First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs, who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform. The hens perched themselves on the window-sills, the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters, the sheep and cows lay down behind the pigs and began to chew the cud. The two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover, came in together, walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs with great care lest there should be some small animal concealed in the straw. Clover was a stout motherly mare approaching middle life, who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal. Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence, but he was universally respected for his steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work. After the horses came Muriel, the white goat, and Benjamin, the donkey. Benjamin was the oldest animal on the farm, and the worst tempered. He seldom talked, and when he did, it was usually to make some cynical remark--for instance, he would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies. Alone among the animals on the farm he never laughed. If asked why, he would say that he saw nothing to laugh at. Nevertheless, without openly admitting it, he was devoted to Boxer; the two of them usually spent their Sundays together in the small paddock beyond the orchard, grazing side by side and never speaking.

在大谷倉一頭一個凸起的臺子上，麥哲已經(jīng)安穩(wěn)地坐在草墊子上了，在他頭頂上方的房梁上懸掛著一盞馬燈。他已經(jīng)十二歲了，近來長得有些發(fā)胖，但他依然儀表堂堂。盡管事實上他的犬牙從來沒有割剪過，這也并不妨礙他面帶著智慧和慈祥。不一會，動物們開始陸續(xù)趕來，并按各自不同的方式坐穩(wěn)了。最先到來的是三條狗，布魯拜爾、杰西和平徹，豬隨后走進來，并立即坐在臺子前面的稻草上。雞棲在窗臺上，鴿子撲騰上了房梁，羊和牛躺在豬身后并開始倒嚼起來。兩匹套四輪貨車的馬，鮑克瑟和克拉弗，一塊趕來，他們走進時走得很慢，每當(dāng)他們在落下那巨大的毛乎乎的蹄子時，總是小心翼翼，生怕草堆里藏著什么小動物。克拉弗是一匹粗壯而慈愛的母馬，接近中年。她在生了第四個小駒之后，體形再也沒有能恢復(fù)原樣。鮑克瑟身材高大，有近兩米高的個頭，強壯得賽過兩匹普通馬相加，不過，他臉上長了一道直到鼻子的白毛，多少顯得有些戇相。實際上，他確實不怎么聰明，但他堅韌不拔的個性和干活時那股十足的勁頭，使他贏得了普遍的尊敬。跟著馬后面到的是白山羊穆麗爾，還有那頭驢，本杰明。本杰明是莊園里年齡最老的動物，脾氣也最糟，他沉默寡言，不開口則已，一開口就少不了說一些風(fēng)涼話。譬如，他會說上帝給了他尾巴是為了驅(qū)趕蒼蠅，但他卻寧愿沒有尾巴也沒有蒼蠅。莊園里的動物中，唯有他從來沒有笑過，要問為什么，他會說他沒有看見什么值得好笑的。然而他對鮑克瑟卻是真誠相待，只不過沒有公開承認罷了。通常，他倆總是一起在果園那邊的小牧場上消磨星期天，肩并著肩，默默地吃草。

The two horses had just lain down when a brood of ducklings, which had lost their mother, filed into the barn, cheeping feebly and wandering from side to side to find some place where they would not be trodden on. Clover made a sort of wall round them with her great foreleg, and the ducklings nestled down inside it and promptly fell asleep. At the last moment Mollie, the foolish, pretty white mare who drew Mr. Jones's trap, came mincing daintily in, chewing at a lump of sugar. She took a place near the front and began flirting her white mane, hoping to draw attention to the red ribbons it was plaited with. Last of all came the cat, who looked round, as usual, for the warmest place, and finally squeezed herself in between Boxer and Clover; there she purred contentedly throughout Major's speech without listening to a word of what he was saying.

這兩匹馬剛躺下，一群失去了媽媽的小鴨子排成一溜進了大谷倉，吱吱喳喳，東張西望，想找一處不會被踩上的地方?？死ビ盟謮训那巴认髩σ粯拥貒∷麄儯▲喿淤艘涝诶锩?，很快就入睡了。莫麗來得很晚，這個愚蠢的家伙，長著一身白生生的毛，是一匹套瓊斯先生座車的母馬。她扭扭捏捏地走進來，一顛一顛地，嘴里還嚼著一塊糖。她占了個靠前的位置，就開始抖動起她的白鬃毛，試圖炫耀一番那些扎在鬃毛上的紅飾帶。貓是最后一個來的，她象往常一樣，到處尋找最熱乎的地方，最后在鮑克瑟和克拉弗當(dāng)中擠了進去。在麥哲講演時，她在那兒自始至終都得意地發(fā)出“咕咕嚕嚕”的聲音，壓根兒沒聽進麥哲講的一個字。

All the animals were now present except Moses, the tame raven, who slept on a perch behind the back door. When Major saw that they had all made themselves comfortable and were waiting attentively, he cleared his throat and began:

那只馴順了的烏鴉摩西睡在莊主院后門背后的架子上，除他之外，所有的動物都已到場，看到他們都坐穩(wěn)了，并聚精會神地等待著，麥哲清了清喉嚨，開口說道：

"Comrades, you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night. But I will come to the dream later. I have something else to say first. I do not think, comrades, that I shall be with you for many months longer, and before I die, I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I have acquired. I have had a long life, I have had much time for thought as I lay alone in my stall, and I think I may say that I understand the nature of life on this earth as well as any animal now living. It is about this that I wish to speak to you.

“同志們，我昨晚做了一個奇怪的夢，這個你們都已經(jīng)聽說了，但我想等一會再提它。我想先說點別的事。同志們，我想我和你們在一起呆不了多久了。在我臨死之前，我覺得有責(zé)任把我已經(jīng)獲得的智慧傳授給你們。我活了一輩子，當(dāng)我獨自躺在圈中時，我總在思索，我想我敢說，如同任何一個健在的動物一樣，我悟出了一個道理，那就是活在世上是怎么回事。這就是我要給你們講的問題。

"Now, comrades, what is the nature of this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, we are given just so much food as will keep the breath in our bodies, and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal in England knows the meaning of happiness or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in England is free. The life of an animal is misery and slavery: that is the plain truth.

“那么，同志們，我們又是怎么生活的呢?讓我們來看一看吧：我們的一生是短暫的，卻是凄慘而艱辛。一生下來，我們得到的食物不過僅僅使我們茍延殘喘而已，但是，只要我們還能動一下，我們便會被驅(qū)趕著去干活，直到用盡最后一絲力氣，一旦我們的油水被榨干，我們就會在難以置信的殘忍下被宰殺。在英格蘭的動物中，沒有一個動物在一歲之后懂得什么是幸?；蚩臻e的涵意。沒有一個是自由的。顯而易見，動物的一生是痛苦的、備受奴役的一生。

"But is this simply part of the order of nature? Is it because this land of ours is so poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those who dwell upon it? No, comrades, a thousand times no! The soil of England is fertile, its climate is good, it is capable of affording food in abundance to an enormously greater number of animals than now inhabit it. This single farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds of sheep--and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond our imagining. Why then do we continue in this miserable condition? Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us by human beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word--Man. Man is the only real enemy we have. Remove Man from the scene, and the root cause of hunger and overwork is abolished for ever.

“但是，這真的是命中注定的嗎?那些生長在這里的動物之所以不能過上舒適的生活，難道是因為我們這塊土地太貧瘠了嗎?不!同志們!一千個不!英格蘭土地肥沃，氣候適宜，它可以提供豐富的食物，可以養(yǎng)活為數(shù)比現(xiàn)在多得多的動物。拿我們這一個莊園來說，就足以養(yǎng)活十二匹馬、二十頭牛和數(shù)百只羊，而且我們甚至無法想象，他們會過得多么舒適，活得多么體面。那么，為什么我們的悲慘境況沒有得到改變呢?這是因為，幾乎我們的全部勞動所得都被人類竊取走了。同志們，有一個答案可以解答我們的所以問題，我可以把它總結(jié)為一個字——人，人就是我們唯一真正的仇敵。把人從我們的生活中消除掉，饑餓與過度勞累的根子就會永遠拔掉。

"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals. He sets them to work, he gives back to them the bare minimum that will prevent them from starving, and the rest he keeps for himself. Our labour tills the soil, our dung fertilises it, and yet there is not one of us that owns more than his bare skin. You cows that I see before me, how many thousands of gallons of milk have you given during this last year? And what has happened to that milk which should have been breeding up sturdy calves? Every drop of it has gone down the throats of our enemies. And you hens, how many eggs have you laid in this last year, and how many of those eggs ever hatched into chickens? The rest have all gone to market to bring in money for Jones and his men. And you, Clover, where are those four foals you bore, who should have been the support and pleasure of your old age? Each was sold at a year old--you will never see one of them again. In return for your four confinements and all your labour in the fields, what have you ever had except your bare rations and a stall?

“人是一種最可憐的家伙，什么都產(chǎn)不了，只會揮霍。那些家伙產(chǎn)不了奶，也下不了蛋，瘦弱得拉不動犁，跑起來也是慢吞吞的，連個兔子都逮不住?？赡羌一飬s是所有動物的主宰，他驅(qū)使他們?nèi)ジ苫?，給他們報償卻只是一點少得不能再少的草料，僅夠他們糊口而已。而他們勞動所得的其余的一切則都被他據(jù)為己有。是我們流血流汗在耕耘這塊土地，是我們的糞便使它肥沃，可我們自己除了這一副空皮囊之外，又得到了什么呢!你們這些坐在我面前的牛，去年一年里，你們已產(chǎn)過多少加侖的奶呢!那些本來可以喂養(yǎng)出許多強壯的牛犢的奶又到哪兒去了呢?每一滴都流進了我們仇敵的喉嚨里。還有你們這些雞、這一年里你們已下了多少只蛋呢?可又有多少孵成了小雞?那些沒有孵化的雞蛋都被拿到市場上為瓊斯和他的伙計們換成了鈔票!你呢，克拉弗，你的四匹小馬駒到哪兒去了?他們本來是你晚年的安慰和寄托!而他們卻都在一歲時給賣掉了，你永遠也無法再見到他們了。補償給你這四次坐月子和在地里勞作的，除了那點可憐的飼料和一間馬廄外，還有什么呢?

"And even the miserable lives we lead are not allowed to reach their natural span. For myself I do not grumble, for I am one of the lucky ones. I am twelve years old and have had over four hundred children. Such is the natural life of a pig. But no animal escapes the cruel knife in the end. You young porkers who are sitting in front of me, every one of you will scream your lives out at the block within a year. To that horror we all must come--cows, pigs, hens, sheep, everyone. Even the horses and the dogs have no better fate. You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds. As for the dogs, when they grow old and toothless, Jones ties a brick round their necks and drowns them in the nearest pond.

“就是過著這樣悲慘的生活，我們也不能被允許享盡天年。拿我自己來說，我無可抱怨，因為我算是幸運的。我十二歲了，已有四百多個孩子，這對一個豬來說就是應(yīng)有的生活了。但是，到頭來沒有一個動物能逃過那殘忍的一刀。你們這些坐在我面前的小肉豬們，不出一年，你們都將在刀架上嚎叫著斷送性命。這恐怖就是我們——牛、豬、雞、羊等等每一位都難逃的結(jié)局。就是馬和狗的命運也好不了多少。你，鮑克瑟，有朝一日你那強健的肌肉失去了力氣，瓊斯就會把你賣給屠馬商，屠馬商會割斷你的喉嚨，把你煮了給獵狗吃。而狗呢，等他們老了，牙也掉光了，瓊斯就會就近找個池塘，弄塊磚頭拴再他們的脖子上，把他們沉到水底。

"Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life of ours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnight we could become rich and free. What then must we do? Why, work night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion! I do not know when that Rebellion will come, it might be in a week or in a hundred years, but I know, as surely as I see this straw beneath my feet, that sooner or later justice will be done. Fix your eyes on that, comrades, throughout the short remainder of your lives! And above all, pass on this message of mine to those who come after you, so that future generations shall carry on the struggle until it is victorious.

“那么，同志們，我們這種生活的禍根來自暴虐的人類，這一點難道不是一清二楚的嗎?只要驅(qū)除了人，我們的勞動所得就會全歸我們自己，而且?guī)缀踉谝灰怪g，我們就會變得富裕而自由。那么我們應(yīng)該為此做些什么呢?毫無疑問，奮斗!為了消除人類，全力以赴，不分晝夜地奮斗!同志們，我要告訴你們的就是這個：造反!老實說，我也不知道造反會在何時發(fā)生，或許近在一周之內(nèi)，或許遠在百年之后。但我確信，就象看到我蹄子底下的稻草一樣確鑿無疑，總有一天，正義要申張。同志們，在你們整個短暫的余生中，不要偏離這個目標!尤其是，把我說的福音傳給你們的后代，這樣，未來的一代一代動物就會繼續(xù)這一斗爭，直到取得最后勝利。

"And remember, comrades, your resolution must never falter. No argument must lead you astray. Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest, that the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the others. It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no creature except himself. And among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades."

“記住，同志們，你們的誓愿決不可動搖，你們決不要讓任何甜言蜜語把你們引入歧途。當(dāng)他們告訴你們什么人與動物有著共同利益，什么一方的興衰就是另一方的興衰，千萬不要聽信那種話，那全是徹頭徹尾的謊言。人心里想的事情只有他自己的利益，此外別無他有。讓我們在斗爭中協(xié)調(diào)一致，情同手足。所以的人都是仇敵，所有的動物都是同志”。

At this moment there was a tremendous uproar. While Major was speaking four large rats had crept out of their holes and were sitting on their hindquarters, listening to him. The dogs had suddenly caught sight of them, and it was only by a swift dash for their holes that the rats saved their lives. Major raised his trotter for silence.

就在這時刻，響起了一陣刺耳的嘈雜聲。原來，在麥哲講話時，有四只個頭挺大的耗子爬出洞口，蹲坐在后腿上聽他演講，突然間被狗瞧見，幸虧他們迅速竄回洞內(nèi)，才免遭一死。麥哲抬起前蹄，平靜了一下氣氛：

"Comrades," he said, "here is a point that must be settled. The wild creatures, such as rats and rabbits -- are they our friends or our enemies? Let us put it to the vote. I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?"

“同志們”，他說，“這里有一點必須澄清。野生的生靈，比如耗子和兔子，是我們的親友呢還是仇敵?讓我們表決一下吧，我向會議提出這個議題：耗子是同志嗎?”

The vote was taken at once, and it was agreed by an overwhelming majority that rats were comrades. There were only four dissentients, the three dogs and the cat, who was afterwards discovered to have voted on both sides. Major continued:

表決立即進行，壓倒多數(shù)的動物同意耗子是同志。有四個投了反對票，是三條狗和一只貓。后來才發(fā)現(xiàn)他們其實投了兩次票，包括反對票和贊成票。麥哲繼續(xù)說道：

"I have little more to say. I merely repeat, remember always your duty of enmity towards Man and all his ways. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. And remember also that in fighting against Man, we must not come to resemble him. Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices. No animal must ever live in a house, or sleep in a bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade. All the habits of Man are evil. And, above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers. No animal must ever kill any other animal. All animals are equal.

“我還有一點要補充。我只是重申一下，永遠記住你們的責(zé)任是與人類及其習(xí)慣勢不兩立。所有靠兩條腿行走的都是仇敵，所有靠四肢行走的，或者有翅膀的，都是親友。還有記住：在同人類作斗爭的過程中，我們就不要模仿他們。即使征服了他們，也決不沿用他們的惡習(xí)。是動物就決不住在房屋里，決不睡在床上，決不穿衣、喝酒、抽煙，決不接觸鈔票，從事交易。凡是人的習(xí)慣都是邪惡的。而且，千萬要注意，任何動物都不能欺壓自己的同類。不論是瘦弱的還是強壯的;不論是聰明的還是遲鈍的，我們都是兄弟。任何動物都不得傷害其他動物。所有的動物一律平等。

"And now, comrades, I will tell you about my dream of last night. I cannot describe that dream to you. It was a dream of the earth as it will be when Man has vanished. But it reminded me of something that I had long forgotten. Many years ago, when I was a little pig, my mother and the other sows used to sing an old song of which they knew only the tune and the first three words. I had known that tune in my infancy, but it had long since passed out of my mind. Last night, however, it came back to me in my dream. And what is more, the words of the song also came back-words, I am certain, which were sung by the animals of long ago and have been lost to memory for generations. I will sing you that song now, comrades. I am old and my voice is hoarse, but when I have taught you the tune, you can sing it better for yourselves. It is called 'Beasts of England'."

“現(xiàn)在，同志們，我來談?wù)勱P(guān)于昨晚那個夢的事。那是一個在消滅了人類之后的未來世界的夢想，我無法把它描述出來。但它提醒了我一些早已忘卻的事情。很多年以前，當(dāng)我還是頭小豬時，我母親和其他母豬經(jīng)常唱一只古老的歌，那支歌，連她們也只記得個曲調(diào)和頭三句歌詞。我很小的時候就對那曲調(diào)熟悉了。但我也忘了很久了。然而昨天晚上，我又在夢中回想起來了，更妙的是，歌詞也在夢中出現(xiàn)，這歌詞，我敢肯定，就是很久以前的動物唱的、并且失傳很多代的那首歌詞。現(xiàn)在我就想唱給你們聽聽，同志們，我老了，嗓音也沙啞了，但等我把你們教會了，你們會唱得更好的。他叫‘英格蘭獸’。”

Old Major cleared his throat and began to sing. As he had said, his voice was hoarse, but he sang well enough, and it was a stirring tune, something between 'Clementine' and 'La Cucaracha'. The words ran:

老麥哲清了清嗓子就開始唱了起來，正如他說的那樣，他聲音沙啞，但唱得很不錯。那首歌曲調(diào)慷慨激昂，旋律有點介于“Clementine”和“La Cucuracha”之間。歌詞是這樣的：

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

英格蘭獸，愛爾蘭獸，

Beasts of every land and clime,

普天之下的獸，

Hearken to my joyful tidings

傾聽我喜悅的佳音，

Of the golden future time.

傾聽那金色的未來。

Soon or late the day is coming,

那一天遲早要到來，

Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown,

暴虐的人類終將消滅，

And the fruitful fields of England

富饒的英格蘭大地，

Shall be trod by beasts alone.

將只留下我們的足跡。

Rings shall vanish from our noses,

我們的鼻中不再扣環(huán)，

And the harness from our back,

我們的背上不再配鞍，

Bit and spur shall rust forever,

蹶子、馬刺會永遠銹蝕

Cruel whips no more shall crack.

不再有殘酷的鞭子噼啪抽閃。

Riches more than mind can picture,

那難以想象的富裕生活，

Wheat and barley, oats and hay,

小麥、大麥、干草、燕麥

Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels

苜宿、大豆還有甜菜，

Shall be ours upon that day.

那一天將全歸我儕。

Bright will shine the fields of England,

那一天我們將自由解放，

Purer shall its waters be,

陽光普照英格蘭大地，

Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes

水會更純凈，

On the day that sets us free.

風(fēng)也更柔逸。

For that day we all must labour,

哪怕我們活不到那一天，

Though we die before it break;

但為了那一天我們豈能等閑，

Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,

牛、馬、鵝、雞

All must toil for freedom's sake.

為自由務(wù)須流血汗。

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

英格蘭獸、愛爾蘭獸，

Beasts of every land and clime,

普天之下的獸，

Hearken well and spread my tidings

傾聽我喜悅的佳音，

Of the golden future time.

傾聽那金色的未來。

The singing of this song threw the animals into the wildest excitement. Almost before Major had reached the end, they had begun singing it for themselves. Even the stupidest of them had already picked up the tune and a few of the words, and as for the clever ones, such as the pigs and dogs, they had the entire song by heart within a few minutes. And then, after a few preliminary tries, the whole farm burst out into 'Beasts of England' in tremendous unison. The cows lowed it, the dogs whined it, the sheep bleated it, the horses whinnied it, the ducks quacked it. They were so delighted with the song that they sang it right through five times in succession, and might have continued singing it all night if they had not been interrupted.

唱著這支歌，動物們陷入了情不自禁的亢奮之中。幾乎還沒有等麥哲唱完，他們已經(jīng)開始自己唱了。連最遲鈍的動物也已經(jīng)學(xué)會了曲調(diào)和個別歌詞了。聰明一些的，如豬和狗，幾分鐘內(nèi)就全部記住了整首歌。然后，他們稍加幾次嘗試，就突然間齊聲合唱起來，整個莊園頓時回蕩著這震天動地的歌聲。牛哞哞地叫，狗汪汪地吠，羊咩咩地喊，馬嘶嘶地鳴，鴨子嘎嘎地喚。唱著這首歌，他們是多么地興奮，以至于整整連著唱了五遍，要不是中途被打斷，他們真有可能唱個通宵。

Unfortunately, the uproar awoke Mr. Jones, who sprang out of bed, making sure that there was a fox in the yard. He seized the gun which always stood in a corner of his bedroom, and let fly a charge of number 6 shot into the darkness. The pellets buried themselves in the wall of the barn and the meeting broke up hurriedly. Everyone fled to his own sleeping-place. The birds jumped on to their perches, the animals settled down in the straw, and the whole farm was asleep in a moment.

不巧，喧囂聲吵醒了瓊斯先生，他自以為是院子中來了狐貍，便跳下床，操起那支總是放在臥室墻角的獵槍，用裝在膛里的六號子彈對著黑暗處開了一槍，彈粒射進大谷倉的墻里。會議就此匆匆解散。動物們紛紛溜回自己的窩棚。家禽跳上了他們的架子，家畜臥到了草堆里，頃刻之間，莊園便沉寂下來。