動物莊園：Chapter 8

A few days later, when the terror caused by the executions had died down, some of the animals remembered--or thought they remembered--that the Sixth Commandment decreed "No animal shall kill any other animal." And though no one cared to mention it in the hearing of the pigs or the dogs, it was felt that the killings which had taken place did not square with this. Clover asked Benjamin to read her the Sixth Commandment, and when Benjamin, as usual, said that he refused to meddle in such matters, she fetched Muriel. Muriel read the Commandment for her. It ran: "No animal shall kill any other animal WITHOUT CAUSE." Somehow or other, the last two words had slipped out of the animals' memory. But they saw now that the Commandment had not been violated; for clearly there was good reason for killing the traitors who had leagued themselves with Snowball.

幾天以后，這次行刑引起的恐慌已經(jīng)平息下來后，有些動物才想起了第六條誡律中已經(jīng)規(guī)定：“任何動物不得傷害其他動物”，至少他們自以為記得有這條規(guī)定。盡管在提起這個話題時，誰也不愿讓豬和狗聽見，但他們還是覺得這次殺戮與這一條誡律不相符。克拉弗請求本杰明給她念一下第六條誡律，而本杰明卻像往常一樣說他不愿介入這類事情。她又找來穆麗爾。穆麗爾就給她念了，上面寫著：“任何動物不得傷害其他動物而無緣無故”。對后面這五個字，動物們不知怎么回事就是不記得了。但他們現(xiàn)在卻清楚地看到，殺掉那些與斯諾鮑串通一氣的叛徒是有充分根據(jù)的，它并沒有違犯誡律。

Throughout the year the animals worked even harder than they had worked in the previous year. To rebuild the windmill, with walls twice as thick as before, and to finish it by the appointed date, together with the regular work of the farm, was a tremendous labour. There were times when it seemed to the animals that they worked longer hours and fed no better than they had done in Jones's day. On Sunday mornings Squealer, holding down a long strip of paper with his trotter, would read out to them lists of figures proving that the production of every class of foodstuff had increased by two hundred per cent, three hundred per cent, or five hundred per cent, as the case might be. The animals saw no reason to disbelieve him, especially as they could no longer remember very clearly what conditions had been like before the Rebellion. All the same, there were days when they felt that they would sooner have had less figures and more food.

整整這一年，動物們比前些年干得更加賣力。重建風(fēng)車，不但要把墻筑得比上一次厚一倍，還要按預(yù)定日期完成;再加上莊園里那些日常性活計，這兩項合在一起，任務(wù)十分繁重。對動物來說，他們已經(jīng)不止一次感覺到，現(xiàn)在干活時間比瓊斯時期長，吃得卻并不比那時強。每到星期天早上，斯奎拉蹄子上就捏著一張長紙條，向他們發(fā)布各類食物產(chǎn)量增加的一系列數(shù)據(jù)，根據(jù)內(nèi)容分門別類，有的增加了百分之二百，有的增加了百分之三百或者百分之五百。動物們覺得沒有任何理由不相信他，尤其是因為他們再也記不清楚起義前的情形到底是什么樣了。不過，他們常常覺得，寧愿要這些數(shù)字少一些，而吃得更多些。

All orders were now issued through Squealer or one of the other pigs. Napoleon himself was not seen in public as often as once in a fortnight. When he did appear, he was attended not only by his retinue of dogs but by a black cockerel who marched in front of him and acted as a kind of trumpeter, letting out a loud "cock-a-doodle-doo" before Napoleon spoke. Even in the farmhouse, it was said, Napoleon inhabited separate apartments from the others. He took his meals alone, with two dogs to wait upon him, and always ate from the Crown Derby dinner service which had been in the glass cupboard in the drawing-room. It was also announced that the gun would be fired every year on Napoleon's birthday, as well as on the other two anniversaries.

現(xiàn)在所有的命令都是通過斯奎拉，或者另外一頭豬發(fā)布的。拿破侖自己則兩星期也難得露一次面。一旦他要出來了，他就不僅要帶著狗侍衛(wèi)，而且還要有一只黑色小公雞，象號手一樣在前面開道。在拿破侖講話之前，公雞先要響亮地啼叫一下“喔——喔——喔!”據(jù)說，這是在莊主院，拿破侖也和別的豬分開居住的。用他在兩頭狗的侍侯下獨自用餐，而且還總要德貝陶瓷餐具用餐，那些餐具原來陳列在客廳的玻璃櫥柜里。另外，有通告說，每年逢拿破侖生日也要鳴槍，就向其他兩個紀念日一樣。

Napoleon was now never spoken of simply as "Napoleon." He was always referred to in formal style as "our Leader, Comrade Napoleon," and this pigs liked to invent for him such titles as Father of All Animals, Terror of Mankind, Protector of the Sheep-fold, Ducklings' Friend, and the like. In his speeches, Squealer would talk with the tears rolling down his cheeks of Napoleon's wisdom the goodness of his heart, and the deep love he bore to all animals everywhere, even and especially the unhappy animals who still lived in ignorance and slavery on other farms. It had become usual to give Napoleon the credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune. You would often hear one hen remark to another, "Under the guidance of our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days"; or two cows, enjoying a drink at the pool, would exclaim, "Thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, how excellent this water tastes!" The general feeling on the farm was well expressed in a poem entitled Comrade Napoleon, which was composed by Minimus and which ran as follows:

如今，對拿破侖給不能簡單地直呼“拿破侖”了。提到他就要用正式的尊稱：“我們的領(lǐng)袖拿破侖同志”，而那些豬還喜歡給他冠以這樣一些頭銜，如“動物之父”，“人類克星”，“的羊保護神”，“鴨子的至親”等等。斯奎拉每次演講時，總要淚流滿面地大談一番拿破侖的智慧和他的好心腸，說他對普天之下的動物，尤其是對那些還不幸地生活在其它莊園里的受歧視和受奴役的動物，滿懷著深摯的愛等等。在莊園里，把每遇到一件幸運之事，每取得一項成就的榮譽歸于拿破侖已成了家常便飯。你會常常聽到一只雞對另一只雞這樣講道：“在我們的領(lǐng)袖拿破侖的指引下，我在六天之內(nèi)下了五只蛋”，或者兩頭正在飲水的牛聲稱：“多虧拿破侖同志的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，這水喝起來真甜!”莊園里的動物們的整個精神狀態(tài)，充分體現(xiàn)在一首名為“拿破侖同志”的詩中，詩是梅尼繆斯編寫的，全詩如下：

Friend of fatherless!

孤兒之至親!

Fountain of happiness!

辛福之源泉!

Lord of the swill-bucket! Oh, how my soul is on

賜給食料的的恩主!

Fire when I gaze at thy

您雙目堅毅沉靜

Calm and commanding eye,

如日當(dāng)空，

Like the sun in the sky,

仰著看您

Comrade Napoleon!

啊!我滿懷激情

Thou are the giver of

拿破侖同志!

All that thy creatures love,

是您賜予

Full belly twice a day, clean straw to roll upon;

您那眾生靈所期求之一切，

Every beast great or small

每日兩餐飽食，

Sleeps at peace in his stall,

還有那潔凈的草墊，

Thou watchest over all,

每個動物不論大小，

Comrade Napoleon!

都在窩棚中平靜歇睡，

Had I a sucking-pig,

因為有您在照看，

Ere he had grown as big

拿破侖同志!

Even as a pint bottle or as a rolling-pin,

我要是有頭幼崽，

He should have learned to be

在他長大以前，

Faithful and true to thee,

哪怕他小得像奶瓶、像小桶，

Yes, his first squeak should be

他也應(yīng)學(xué)會

"Comrade Napoleon!"

用忠誠和老實待您，

Napoleon approved of this poem and caused it to be inscribed on the wall of the big barn, at the opposite end from the Seven Commandments. It was surmounted by a portrait of Napoleon, in profile, executed by Squealer in white paint.

放心吧，

Meanwhile, through the agency of Whymper, Napoleon was engaged in complicated negotiations with Frederick and Pilkington. The pile of timber was still unsold. Of the two, Frederick was the more anxious to get hold of it, but he would not offer a reasonable price. At the same time there were renewed rumours that Frederick and his men were plotting to attack Animal Farm and to destroy the windmill, the building of which had aroused furious jealousy in him. Snowball was known to be still skulking on Pinchfield Farm. In the middle of the summer the animals were alarmed to hear that three hens had come forward and confessed that, inspired by Snowball, they had entered into a plot to murder Napoleon. They were executed immediately, and fresh precautions for Napoleon's safety were taken. Four dogs guarded his bed at night, one at each corner, and a young pig named Pinkeye was given the task of tasting all his food before he ate it, lest it should be poisoned.

他的第一聲尖叫肯定是

At about the same time it was given out that Napoleon had arranged to sell the pile of timber to Mr. Pilkington; he was also going to enter into a regular agreement for the exchange of certain products between Animal Farm and Foxwood. The relations between Napoleon and Pilkington, though they

“拿破侖同志!”

were only conducted through Whymper, were now almost friendly. The animals distrusted Pilkington, as a human being, but greatly preferred him to Frederick, whom they both feared and hated. As the summer wore on, and the windmill neared completion, the rumours of an impending treacherous attack grew stronger and stronger. Frederick, it was said, intended to bring against them twenty men all armed with guns, and he had already bribed the magistrates and police, so that if he could once get hold of the title-deeds of Animal Farm they would ask no questions. Moreover, terrible stories were leaking out from Pinchfield about the cruelties that Frederick practised upon his animals. He had flogged an old horse to death, he starved his cows, he had killed a dog by throwing it into the furnace, he amused himself in the evenings by making cocks fight with splinters of razor-blade tied to their spurs. The animals' blood boiled with rage when they heard of these things beingdone to their comrades, and sometimes they clamoured to be allowed to go out in a body and attack Pinchfield Farm, drive out the humans, and set the animals free. But Squealer counselled them to avoid rash actions and trust in Comrade Napoleon's strategy.

拿破侖對這首詩很滿意，并讓手下把它刻在大谷倉的墻上，位于與“七誡”相對的另一頭。詩的上方是拿破侖的一幅側(cè)身畫像，是斯奎拉用白漆畫成的。

Nevertheless, feeling against Frederick continued to run high. One Sunday morning Napoleon appeared in the barn and explained that he had never at any time contemplated selling the pile of timber to Frederick; he considered it beneath his dignity, he said, to have dealings with scoundrels of that description. The pigeons who were still sent out to spread tidings of the Rebellion were forbidden to set foot anywhere on Foxwood, and were also ordered to drop their former slogan of "Death to Humanity" in favour of "Death to Frederick." In the late summer yet another of Snowball's machinations was laid bare. The wheat crop was full of weeds, and it was discovered that on one of his nocturnal visits Snowball had mixed weed seeds with the seed corn. A gander who had been privy to the plot had confessed his guilt to Squealer and immediately committed suicide by swallowing deadly nightshade berries. The animals now also learned that Snowball had never--as many of them had believed hitherto--received the order of "Animal Hero, First Class." This was merely a legend which had been spread some time after the Battle of the Cowshed by Snowball himself. So far from being decorated, he had been censured for showing cowardice in the battle. Once again some of the animals heard this with a certain bewilderment, but Squealer was soon able to convince them that their memories had been at fault.

在這期間，由溫普爾牽線，拿破侖正著手與弗雷德里克及皮爾金頓進行一系列繁冗的談判。那堆木材至今還沒有賣掉。在這兩個人中，弗雷德里克更急著要買，但他又不愿意出一個公道的價錢。與此同時，有一個過時的消息重新開始流傳，說弗雷德里克和他的伙計們正在密謀襲擊動物莊園，并想把那個他嫉恨已久的風(fēng)車毀掉，據(jù)說斯諾鮑就藏在平徹菲爾德莊園。仲夏時節(jié)，動物們又驚訝地聽說，另外有三只雞也主動坦白交待，說他們曾受斯諾鮑的煽動，參與過一起刺殺拿破侖的陰謀。那三只雞立即被處決了，隨后，為了拿破侖的安全起見，又采取了新的戒備措施，夜間有四條狗守衛(wèi)著他的床，每個床腳一條狗，一頭名叫平克埃的豬，接受了在拿破侖吃飯前品嘗他的食物的任務(wù)，以防食物有毒。

In the autumn, by a tremendous, exhausting effort--for the harvest had to be gathered at almost the same time--the windmill was finished. The machinery had still to be installed, and Whymper was negotiating the purchase of it, but the structure was completed. In the teeth of every difficulty, in spite of inexperience, of primitive implements, of bad luck and of Snowball's treachery, the work had been finished punctually to the very day! Tired out but proud, the animals walked round and round their masterpiece, which appeared even more beautiful in their eyes than when it had been built the first time. Moreover, the walls were twice as thick as before. Nothing short of explosives would lay them low this time! And when they thought of how they had laboured, what discouragements they had overcome, and the enormous difference that would be made in their lives when the sails were turning and the dynamos running--when they thought of all this, their tiredness forsook them and they gambolled round and round the windmill, uttering cries of triumph. Napoleon himself, attended by his dogs and his cockerel, came down to inspect the completed work; he personally congratulated the animals on their achievement, and announced that the mill would be named Napoleon Mill.

差不多同時，有通知說拿破侖決定把那堆木材賣給皮爾金頓先生;他還擬訂一項關(guān)于動物莊園和福克斯伍德莊園交換某些產(chǎn)品的長期協(xié)議。盡管是通過溫普爾牽線，但拿破侖和皮爾金頓現(xiàn)在的關(guān)系可以說是相當(dāng)不錯的。對于皮爾金頓這個人，動物們并不信任。但他們更不信任弗雷德里克，他們對他又怕又恨。夏天過去了，風(fēng)車即將竣工，那個關(guān)于弗雷德里克將要襲擊莊園的風(fēng)聲也越來越緊。據(jù)說危險已經(jīng)迫在眉睫，而且，弗雷德里克打算帶二十個全副武裝的人來，還說他已經(jīng)買通了地方官員和警察，這樣，一旦他能把動物莊園的地契弄到手，就會得到他們的認可。更有甚者，從平徹菲爾德莊園透露出許多可怕的消息，說弗雷德里克正用他的動物進行殘酷無情的演習(xí)。他用鞭子抽死了一匹老馬，餓他的牛，還把一條狗扔到爐子里燒死了，到了晚上，他就把刮臉刀碎片綁在雞爪子上看斗雞取樂。聽到這些正加害在他們同志身上的事，動物們?nèi)呵榧?，熱血沸騰，他們不時叫嚷著要一起去進攻平徹菲爾德莊園，趕走那里的人，解放那里的動物。但斯奎拉告誡動物們，要避免草率行動，要相信拿破侖的戰(zhàn)略布署。

Two days later the animals were called together for a special meeting in the barn. They were struck dumb with surprise when Napoleon announced that he had sold the pile of timber to Frederick. Tomorrow Frederick's wagons would arrive and begin carting it away. Throughout the whole period of his seeming friendship with Pilkington, Napoleon had really been in secret agreement with Frederick.

盡管如此，反對弗雷德里克的情緒還是越來越高漲。在一個星期天早上，拿破侖來到大谷倉，他解釋說他從來未打算把那堆木料賣給弗雷德里克。他說，和那個惡棍打交道有辱他的身份。為了向外傳播起義消息而放出去的鴿子，以后不準(zhǔn)在福克斯伍德莊園落腳。他還下令，把他們以前的口號“打倒人類”換成“打倒弗雷德里克”。夏末，斯諾鮑的另一個陰謀又被揭露了，麥田里長滿了雜草，原來發(fā)現(xiàn)是他在某個夜晚潛入莊園后，往糧種里拌了草籽。一只與此事件有牽連的雄雞向斯奎拉坦白了這一罪行，隨后，他就吞食了劇毒草莓自盡了。動物們現(xiàn)在還得知，和他們一直想像的情況正相反，斯諾鮑從來都沒有受到過“一級動物英雄”嘉獎。受獎的事只不過是在牛棚大戰(zhàn)后，斯諾鮑自己散布的一個神話。根本就沒有給他授勛這回事，倒是因為他在戰(zhàn)斗中表現(xiàn)怯懦而早就受到譴責(zé)。有些動物又一次感到不好接受，但斯奎拉很快就使他們相信是他們記錯了。

All relations with Foxwood had been broken off; insulting messages had been sent to Pilkington. The pigeons had been told to avoid Pinchfield Farm and to alter their slogan from "Death to Frederick" to "Death to Pilkington." At the same time Napoleon assured the animals that the stories of an impending attack on Animal Farm were completely untrue, and that the tales about Frederick's cruelty to his own animals had been greatly exaggerated. All these rumours had probably originated with Snowball and his agents. It now appeared that Snowball was not, after all, hiding on Pinchfield Farm, and in fact had never been there in his life: he was living--in considerable luxury, so it was said--at Foxwood, and had in reality been a pensioner of Pilkington for years past.

到了秋天，動物們在保證完成收割的情況下，竭盡全力，終于使風(fēng)車竣工了，而且?guī)缀跏呛褪崭钔瑫r完成的。接下來還得安裝機器，溫普爾正在為購買機器的事而奔忙，但是到此為止，風(fēng)車主體已經(jīng)建成。且不說他們經(jīng)歷的每一步如何困難，不管他們的經(jīng)驗多么不足，工具多么原始，運氣多么不佳，斯諾鮑的詭計多么陰險，整個工程到此已經(jīng)一絲不差按時竣工了!動物們精疲力盡，但卻倍感自豪，他們繞著他們自己的這一杰作不停地轉(zhuǎn)來轉(zhuǎn)去。在他們眼里，風(fēng)車比第一次筑得漂亮多了，另外，墻座也比第一次的厚一倍。這一次，除了炸藥，什么東西都休想摧毀它們!回想起來，他們?yōu)榇瞬恢鬟^多少血和汗，又克服了不知多少個困難，但是一想到一旦當(dāng)風(fēng)車的翼板轉(zhuǎn)動就能帶動發(fā)電機，就會給他們的生活帶來巨大的改觀，——想到這前前后后的一切，他們于是就忘卻了疲勞，而且還一邊得意地狂呼著，一邊圍著風(fēng)車雀躍不已。拿破侖在狗和公雞的前呼后擁下，親自蒞臨視察，并親自對動物們的成功表示祝賀，還宣布，這個風(fēng)車要命名為“拿破侖風(fēng)車”。

The pigs were in ecstasies over Napoleon's cunning. By seeming to be friendly with Pilkington he had forced Frederick to raise his price by twelve pounds. But the superior quality of Napoleon's mind, said Squealer, was shown in the fact that he trusted nobody, not even Frederick. Frederick had wanted to pay for the timber with something called a cheque, which, it seemed, was a piece of paper with a promise to pay written upon it. But Napoleon was too clever for him. He had demanded payment in real five-pound notes, which were to be handed over before the timber was removed. Already Frederick had paid up; and the sum he had paid was just enough to buy the machinery for the windmill.

兩天后，動物們被召集到大谷倉召開一次特別會議。拿破侖宣布，他已經(jīng)把那堆木料賣給了弗雷德里克，再過一天，弗雷德里克就要來拉貨。頓時，動物們一個個都驚得目瞪口呆。在整個這段時間里，拿破侖只是與皮爾金頓表面上友好而已，實際上他已和弗雷德里克達成了秘密協(xié)議。

Meanwhile the timber was being carted away at high speed. When it was all gone, another special meeting was held in the barn for the animals to inspect Frederick's bank-notes. Smiling beatifically, and wearing both his decorations, Napoleon reposed on a bed of straw on the platform, with the money at his side, neatly piled on a china dish from the farmhouse kitchen. The animals filed slowly past, and each gazed his fill. And Boxer put out his nose to sniff at the bank-notes, and the flimsy white things stirred and rustled in his breath.

與?？怂刮榈虑f園的關(guān)系已經(jīng)完全破裂了，他們就向皮爾金頓發(fā)出了侮辱信，并通知鴿子以后要避開平徹菲爾德莊園，還把“打倒弗雷德里克”的口號改為“打倒皮爾金頓”。同時，拿破侖斷然地告訴動物們說，所謂動物莊園面臨著一個迫在眉睫的襲擊的說法是徹頭徹尾的謊言，還有，有關(guān)弗雷德里克虐待他的動物的謠傳，也是被嚴重地夸張了的。所有的謠言都極可能來自斯諾鮑及其同伙。總之，現(xiàn)在看來斯諾鮑并沒有藏在平徹菲爾德莊園。事實上他生平從來沒有到過那兒，他正住在?？怂刮榈虑f園，據(jù)說生活得相當(dāng)奢侈。而且多年來，他一直就是皮爾金頓門下的一個地地道道的食客。

Three days later there was a terrible hullabaloo. Whymper, his face deadly pale, came racing up the path on his bicycle, flung it down in the yard and rushed straight into the farmhouse. The next moment a choking roar of rage sounded from Napoleon's apartments. The news of what had happened sped round the farm like wildfire. The banknotes were forgeries! Frederick had got the timber for nothing!

豬無不為拿破侖的老練欣喜若狂。他表面上與皮爾金頓友好，這就迫使弗雷德里克把價錢提高了十二英鎊。斯奎拉說，拿破侖思想上的卓越之處，實際上就體現(xiàn)在他對任何人都不信任上，即使對弗雷德里克也是如此。弗雷德里克曾打算用一種叫做支票的東西支付木料錢，那玩意兒差不多只是一張紙，只不過寫著保證支付之類的諾言而已，但拿破侖根本不是他能糊弄得了的，他要求用真正的五英鎊票子付款，而且要在運木料之前交付。弗雷德里克已經(jīng)如數(shù)付清，所付的數(shù)目剛好夠為大風(fēng)車買機器用。

Napoleon called the animals together immediately and in a terrible voice pronounced the death sentence upon Frederick. When captured, he said, Frederick should be boiled alive. At the same time he warned them that after this treacherous deed the worst was to be expected. Frederick and his men might make their long-expected attack at any moment. Sentinels were placed at all the approaches to the farm. In addition, four pigeons were sent to Foxwood with a conciliatory message, which it was hoped might re-establish good relations with Pilkington.

這期間，木料很快就被拉走了，等全部拉完之后，在大谷倉里又召開了一次特別會議，讓動物們觀賞弗雷德里克付給的鈔票。拿破侖笑逐顏開，心花怒放，他戴著他的兩枚勛章，端坐在那個凸出的草墊子上，錢就在他身邊，整齊地堆放在從莊主院廚房里拿來的瓷盤子上。動物們排成一行慢慢走過，無不大飽眼福。鮑克瑟還伸出鼻子嗅了嗅那鈔票，隨著他的呼吸，還激起了一股稀稀的白末屑和嘶嘶作響聲。

The very next morning the attack came. The animals were at breakfast when the look-outs came racing in with the news that Frederick and his followers had already come through the five-barred gate. Boldly enough the animals sallied forth to meet them, but this time they did not have the easy victory that they had had in the Battle of the Cowshed. There were fifteen men, with half a dozen guns between them, and they opened fire as soon as they got within fifty yards. The animals could not face the terrible explosions and the stinging pellets, and in spite of the efforts of Napoleon and Boxer to rally them, they were soon driven back. A number of them were already wounded. They took refuge in the farm buildings and peeped cautiously out from chinks and knot-holes. The whole of the big pasture, including the windmill, was in the hands of the enemy. For the moment even Napoleon seemed at a loss. He paced up and down without a word, his tail rigid and twitching. Wistful glances were sent in the direction of Foxwood. If Pilkington and his men would help them, the day might yet be won. But at this moment the four pigeons, who had been sent out on the day before, returned, one of them bearing a scrap of paper from Pilkington. On it was pencilled the words: "Serves you right."

三天以后，在一陣震耳的嘈雜聲中，只見溫普爾騎著自行車飛快趕來，面色如死人一般蒼白。他把自行車在院子里就地一扔，就徑直沖進莊主院。過來一會，就在拿破侖的房間里響起一陣哽噎著嗓子的怒吼聲。出事了，這消息象野火一般傳遍整個莊園。鈔票是假的!弗雷德里克白白地拉走了木料!

Meanwhile Frederick and his men had halted about the windmill. The animals watched them, and a murmur of dismay went round. Two of the men had produced a crowbar and a sledge hammer. They were going to knock the windmill down.

拿破侖立即把所有動物召集在一起，咬牙切齒地宣布，判處弗雷德里克死刑。他說，要是抓住這家伙，就要把他活活煮死。同時他告誡他們，繼這個陰險的背信棄義的行動之后，最糟糕的事情也就會一觸即發(fā)了。弗雷德里克和他的同伙隨時都可能發(fā)動他們蓄謀已久的襲擊。因此，已在所有通向莊園的路口安裝了崗哨。另外，四只鴿子給?？怂刮榈虑f園送去和好的信件，希望與皮爾金頓重修舊好。

"Impossible!" cried Napoleon. "We have built the walls far too thick for that. They could not knock it down in a week. Courage, comrades!"

就在第二天早晨，敵人開始襲擊了。當(dāng)時動物們正在吃早飯，哨兵飛奔來報，說弗雷德里克及其隨從已經(jīng)走進了五柵門。動物們勇氣十足，立刻就向敵人迎頭出擊，但這一回他們可沒有像牛棚大戰(zhàn)那樣輕易取勝。敵方這一次共有十五個人，六條槍，他們一走到距離五十碼處就立刻開火。可怕的槍聲和惡毒的子彈使動物們無法抵擋，雖然拿破侖和鮑克瑟好不容易才把他們集結(jié)起來，可不一會兒他們就又被打退了回來。很多動物已經(jīng)負傷。于是他們紛紛逃進莊園的窩棚里躲了起來，小心翼翼地透過墻縫，透過木板上的節(jié)疤孔往外窺探。只見整個大牧場，還有風(fēng)車，都已落到敵人手中。此時就連拿破侖似乎也已不知所措了。他一言不發(fā)，走來走去，尾巴變得僵硬，而且還不停抽搐著。他不時朝著福克斯伍德莊園方向瞥去渴望的眼光。如果皮爾金頓和他手下的人幫他們一把的話，這場拼斗還可以打勝。但正在此刻，前一天派出的四只鴿子返回來了，其中有一只帶著皮爾金頓的一張小紙片。紙上用鉛筆寫著：“你們活該。”

But Benjamin was watching the movements of the men intently. The two with the hammer and the crowbar were drilling a hole near the base of the windmill. Slowly, and with an air almost of amusement, Benjamin nodded his long muzzle.

這時，弗雷德里克一伙人已停在風(fēng)車周圍。動物們一邊窺視著他們，一邊惶恐不安地嘀咕起來，有兩個人拿出一根鋼釬和一把大鐵錘，他們準(zhǔn)備拆除風(fēng)車。

"I thought so," he said. "Do you not see what they are doing? In another moment they are going to pack blasting powder into that hole."

“不可能!”拿破侖喊道，“我們已把墻筑得那么厚。他們休想在一星期內(nèi)拆除。不要怕，同志們!”

Terrified, the animals waited. It was impossible now to venture out of the shelter of the buildings. After a few minutes the men were seen to be running in all directions. Then there was a deafening roar. The pigeons swirled into the air, and all the animals, except Napoleon, flung themselves flat on their bellies and hid their faces. When they got up again, a huge cloud of black smoke was hanging where the windmill had been. Slowly the breeze drifted it away. The windmill had ceased to exist!

但本杰明仍在急切地注視著那些人的活動。拿著鋼釬和大鐵錘的兩個人，正在風(fēng)車的地基附近打孔。最后，本杰明帶著幾乎是戲謔的神情，慢騰騰地呶了呶他那長長的嘴巴。

At this sight the animals' courage returned to them. The fear and despair they had felt a moment earlier were drowned in their rage against this vile, contemptible act. A mighty cry for vengeance went up, and without waiting for further orders they charged forth in a body and made straight for the enemy. This time they did not heed the cruel pellets that swept over them like hail. It was a savage, bitter battle. The men fired again and again, and, when the animals got to close quarters, lashed out with their sticks and their heavy boots. A cow, three sheep, and two geese were killed, and nearly everyone was wounded. Even Napoleon, who was directing operations from the rear, had the tip of his tail chipped by a pellet. But the men did not go unscathed either. Three of them had their heads broken by blows from Boxer's hoofs; another was gored in the belly by a cow's horn; another had his trousers nearly torn off by Jessie and Bluebell. And when the nine dogs of Napoleon's own bodyguard, whom he had instructed to make a detour under cover of the hedge, suddenly appeared on the men's flank, baying ferociously, panic overtook them. They saw that they were in danger of being surrounded. Frederick shouted to his men to get out while the going was good, and the next moment the cowardly enemy was running for dear life. The animals chased them right down to the bottom of the field, and got in some last kicks at them as they forced their way through the thorn hedge.

“我看是這樣”他說，“你們沒看見他們在干什么嗎?過一會兒，他們就要往打好的孔里裝炸藥。”

They had won, but they were weary and bleeding. Slowly they began to limp back towards the farm. The sight of their dead comrades stretched upon the grass moved some of them to tears. And for a little while they halted in sorrowful silence at the place where the windmill had once stood. Yes, it was gone; almost the last trace of their labour was gone! Even the foundations were partially destroyed. And in rebuilding it they could not this time, as before, make use of the fallen stones. This time the stones had vanished too. The force of the explosion had flung them to distances of hundreds of yards. It was as though the windmill had never been.

太可怕了。但此時此刻，動物們不敢冒險沖出窩棚，他們只好等待著。過了幾分鐘，眼看著那些人朝四下散開，接著，就是一聲震耳欲聾的爆炸聲。頓時，鴿子就立刻飛到空中，其它動物，除了拿破侖外，全都轉(zhuǎn)過臉去，猛地趴倒在地。他們起來后，風(fēng)車上空飄蕩著一團巨大的黑色煙云。微風(fēng)慢慢吹散了煙云：風(fēng)車已蕩然無存!

As they approached the farm Squealer, who had unaccountably been absent during the fighting, came skipping towards them, whisking his tail and beaming with satisfaction. And the animals heard, from the direction of the farm buildings, the solemn booming of a gun.

看到這情景，動物們又重新鼓起勇氣。他們在片刻之前所感到的膽怯和恐懼，此刻便被這種可恥卑鄙的行為所激起的狂怒淹沒了。他們發(fā)出一陣強烈的復(fù)仇吶喊，不等下一步的命令，便一齊向敵人沖去。這一次，他們顧不上留意那如冰雹一般掃射而來的殘忍的子彈了。這是一場殘酷、激烈的戰(zhàn)斗。那幫人在不斷地射擊，等到動物們接近他們時，他們就又用棍棒和那沉重的靴子大打出手。一頭牛、三只羊、兩只鵝被殺害了，幾乎每個動物都受了傷。就連一直在后面指揮作戰(zhàn)的拿破侖也被子彈削去了尾巴尖。但人也并非沒有傷亡。三個人的頭被鮑克瑟的蹄掌打破;另一個人的肚子被一頭牛的犄角刺破;還有一個人，褲子幾乎被杰西和布魯拜爾撕掉，給拿破侖作貼身警衛(wèi)的那九條狗，奉他的命令在樹籬的遮掩下迂回過去，突然出現(xiàn)在敵人的側(cè)翼，兇猛地吼叫起來，把那幫人嚇壞了。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)有被包圍的危險，弗雷德里克趁退路未斷便喊他的同伙撤出去，不一會兒，那些貪生怕死的敵人便沒命似地逃了。動物們一直把他們追到莊園邊上，在他們從那片樹籬中擠出去時，還踢了他們最后幾下。

"What is that gun firing for?" said Boxer.

他們勝利了，但他們都已是疲憊不堪，鮮血淋漓。它們一瘸一拐地朝莊園緩緩地走回?？吹綑M在草地上的同志們的尸體，有的動物悲傷得眼淚汪汪。他們在那個曾矗立著風(fēng)車的地方肅穆地站了好長時間。的的確確，風(fēng)車沒了;他們勞動的最后一點印跡幾乎也沒了!甚至地基也有一部分被炸毀，而且這一下，要想再建風(fēng)車，也非同上一次可比了。上一次還可以利用剩下的石頭。可這一次連石頭也不見了。爆炸的威力把石頭拋到了幾百碼以外。好像這兒從未有過風(fēng)車一樣。

"To celebrate our victory!" cried Squealer.

當(dāng)他們走近莊園，斯奎拉朝他們蹦蹦跳跳地走過來，他一直莫名其妙地沒有參加戰(zhàn)斗，而此時卻高興得搖頭擺尾。就在這時，動物們聽到從莊園的窩棚那邊傳來祭典的鳴槍聲。

"What victory?" said Boxer. His knees were bleeding, he had lost a shoe and split his hoof, and a dozen pellets had lodged themselves in his hind leg.

“干嘛要開槍?”鮑克瑟問。

"What victory, comrade? Have we not driven the enemy off our soil--the sacred soil of Animal Farm?"

“慶祝我們的勝利!”斯奎拉囔道。

"But they have destroyed the windmill. And we had worked on it for two years!"

“什么勝利?”鮑克瑟問。他的膝蓋還在流血，又丟了一只蹄鐵，蹄子也綻裂了，另外還有十二顆子彈擊中了他的后腿。

"What matter? We will build another windmill. We will build six windmills if we feel like it. You do not appreciate, comrade, the mighty thing that we have done. The enemy was in occupation of this very ground that we stand upon. And now--thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon--we have won every inch of it back again!"

“什么勝利?同志們，難道我們沒有從我們的領(lǐng)土上——從神圣的動物莊園的領(lǐng)土上趕跑敵人嗎?”

"Then we have won back what we had before," said Boxer.

“但他們毀了風(fēng)車，而我們卻為建風(fēng)車干了兩年!”

"That is our victory," said Squealer.

“那有什么?我們將另建一座。我們高興的話就建它六座風(fēng)車。同志們，你們不了解，我們已經(jīng)干了一件多么了不起的事。敵人曾占領(lǐng)了我們腳下這塊土地。而現(xiàn)在呢，多虧拿破侖同志的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)，我們重新奪回了每一吋土地!”

They limped into the yard. The pellets under the skin of Boxer's leg smarted painfully. He saw ahead of him the heavy labour of rebuilding the windmill from the foundations, and already in imagination he braced himself for the task. But for the first time it occurred to him that he was eleven years old and that perhaps his great muscles were not quite what they had once been.

“然而我們奪回的只是我們本來就有的，”鮑克瑟又說道。

But when the animals saw the green flag flying, and heard the gun firing again--seven times it was fired in all--and heard the speech that Napoleon made, congratulating them on their conduct, it did seem to them after all that they had won a great victory. The animals slain in the battle were given a solemn funeral. Boxer and Clover pulled the wagon which served as a hearse, and Napoleon himself walked at the head of the procession. Two whole days were given over to celebrations. There were songs, speeches, and more firing of the gun, and a special gift of an apple was bestowed on every animal, with two ounces of corn for each bird and three biscuits for each dog. It was announced that the battle would be called the Battle of the Windmill, and that Napoleon had created a new decoration, the Order of the Green Banner, which he had conferred upon himself. In the general rejoicings the unfortunate affair of the banknotes was forgotten.

“這就是我們的勝利，”斯奎拉說。

It was a few days later than this that the pigs came upon a case of whisky in the cellars of the farmhouse. It had been overlooked at the time when the house was first occupied. That night there came from the farmhouse the sound of loud singing, in which, to everyone's surprise, the strains of

他們一瘸一拐地走進大院。鮑克瑟腿皮下的子彈使他疼痛難忍。他知道，擺在他面前的工作，將是一項從地基開始再建風(fēng)車的沉重勞動，他還想像他自己已經(jīng)為這項任務(wù)振作了起來。但是，他第一次想到，他已十一歲了。他那強壯的肌體也許是今非昔比了。

'Beasts of England' were mixed up. At about half past nine Napoleon, wearing an old bowler hat of Mr. Jones's, was distinctly seen to emerge from the back door, gallop rapidly round the yard, and disappear indoors again. But in the morning a deep silence hung over the farmhouse. Not a pig appeared to be stirring. It was nearly nine o'clock when Squealer made his appearance, walking slowly and dejectedly, his eyes dull, his tail hanging limply behind him, and with every appearance of being seriously ill. He called the animals together and told them that he had a terrible piece of news to impart. Comrade Napoleon was dying!

但當(dāng)動物們看到那面綠旗在飄揚，聽到再次鳴槍——共響了七下，聽到拿破侖的講話，聽到他對他們的行動的祝賀，他們似乎覺得，歸根到底，他們?nèi)〉昧司薮蟮膭倮４蠹覟樵趹?zhàn)斗中死難的動物安排了一個隆重的葬禮。鮑克瑟和克拉弗拉著靈車，拿破侖親自走在隊列的前頭。整整兩天用來舉行慶祝活動，有唱歌，有演講，還少不了鳴槍，每一個牲口都得了一只作為特殊紀念物的蘋果，每只家禽得到了二盎司谷子，每條狗有三塊餅干。有通知說，這場戰(zhàn)斗將命名為風(fēng)車戰(zhàn)役，拿破侖還設(shè)立了一個新勛章“綠旗勛章”，并授予了他自己。在這一片歡天喜地之中，那個不幸的鈔票事件也就被忘掉了。

A cry of lamentation went up. Straw was laid down outside the doors of the farmhouse, and the animals walked on tiptoe. With tears in their eyes they asked one another what they should do if their Leader were taken away from them. A rumour went round that Snowball had after all contrived to introduce poison into Napoleon's food. At eleven o'clock Squealer came out to make another announcement. As his last act upon earth, Comrade Napoleon had pronounced a solemn decree: the drinking of alcohol was to be punished by death.

慶祝活動過后幾天，豬偶然在莊主院的地下室里，發(fā)現(xiàn)了一箱威士忌，這在他們剛住進這里時沒注意到。當(dāng)天晚上，從莊主院那邊傳出一陣響亮的歌聲，令動物們驚奇的是，中間還夾雜著“英格蘭獸”的旋律。大約在九點半左右，只見拿破侖戴著一頂瓊斯先生的舊圓頂禮帽，從后門出來，在院子里飛快地跑了一圈，又閃進門不見了。但在第二天早晨，莊主院內(nèi)卻是一片沉寂，看不到一頭豬走動，快到九點鐘時，斯奎拉出來了，遲緩而沮喪地走著，目光呆滯，尾巴無力地掉在身后，渾身上下病怏怏的。他把動物們叫到一起，說還要傳達一個沉痛的消息：拿破侖同志病危!

By the evening, however, Napoleon appeared to be somewhat better, and the following morning Squealer was able to tell them that he was well on the way to recovery. By the evening of that day Napoleon was back at work, and on the next day it was learned that he had instructed Whymper to purchase in Willingdon some booklets on brewing and distilling. A week later Napoleon gave orders that the small paddock beyond the orchard, which it had previously been intended to set aside as a grazing-ground for animals who were past work, was to be ploughed up. It was given out that the

一陣哀嚎油然而起。莊主院門外鋪著草甸，于是，動物們踮著蹄尖從那兒走過。他們眼中含著熱淚，相互之間總是詢問：要是他們的領(lǐng)袖拿破侖離開了，他們可該怎么辦。莊園里此刻到處都在風(fēng)傳，說斯諾鮑最終還是設(shè)法把毒藥摻到拿破侖的食物中了。十一點，斯奎拉出來發(fā)布另一項公告，說是拿破侖同志在彌留之際宣布了一項神圣的法令：飲酒者要處死刑。

pasture was exhausted and needed re-seeding; but it soon became known that Napoleon intended to sow it with barley.

可是到了傍晚，拿破侖顯得有些好轉(zhuǎn)，次日早上，斯奎拉就告訴他們說拿破侖正在順利康復(fù)。即日夜晚，拿破侖又重新開始工作了。又過了一天，動物們才知道，他早先讓溫普爾在威靈頓買了一些有關(guān)蒸餾及釀造酒類方面的小冊子。一周后，拿破侖下令，叫把蘋果園那邊的小牧場耕鋤掉。那牧場原先是打算為退休動物留作草場用的，現(xiàn)在卻說牧草已耗盡，需要重新耕種;但不久以后便真相大白了，拿破侖準(zhǔn)備在那兒播種大麥。

About this time there occurred a strange incident which hardly anyone was able to understand. One night at about twelve o'clock there was a loud crash in the yard, and the animals rushed out of their stalls. It was a moonlit night. At the foot of the end wall of the big barn, where the Seven Commandments were written, there lay a ladder broken in two pieces. Squealer, temporarily stunned, was sprawling beside it, and near at hand there lay a lantern, a paint-brush, and an overturned pot of white paint. The dogs immediately made a ring round Squealer, and escorted him back to the farmhouse as soon as he was able to walk. None of the animals could form any idea as to what this meant, except old Benjamin, who nodded his muzzle with a knowing air, and seemed to understand, but would say nothing.

大概就在這時，發(fā)生了一件奇怪的事情，幾乎每個動物都百思不得其解。這事發(fā)生在一天夜里十二點鐘左右，當(dāng)時，院子里傳來一聲巨大的跌撞聲，動物們都立刻沖出窩棚去看。那個夜晚月光皎潔，在大谷倉一頭寫著“七誡”的墻角下，橫著一架斷為兩截的梯子。斯奎拉平躺在梯子邊上，一時昏迷不醒。他手邊有一盞馬燈，一把漆刷子，一只打翻的白漆桶。狗當(dāng)即就把斯奎拉圍了起來，待他剛剛蘇醒過來，馬上就護送他回到了莊主院。除了本杰明以外，動物們都想不通這是怎么回事。本杰明呶了呶他那長嘴巴，露出一副會意了的神情，似乎看出點眉目來了，但卻啥也沒說。

But a few days later Muriel, reading over the Seven Commandments to herself, noticed that there was yet another of them which the animals had remembered wrong. They had thought the Fifth Commandment was "No animal shall drink alcohol," but there were two words that they had forgotten. Actually the Commandment read: "No animal shall drink alcohol TO EXCESS."

但是幾天后，穆麗爾自己在看到七誡時注意到，又有另外一條誡律動物們都記錯了，他們本來以為，第五條誡律是“任何動物不得飲酒”，但有兩個字他們都忘了，實際上那條誡律是“任何動物不得飲酒過度”。