動物農(nóng)場Animal Farm 第2章(7)

All were agreed that no animal must ever live there.

大家全都贊成：任何動物都不得在此居住。

The animals had their breakfast, and then Snowball and Napoleon called them together again.

動物們用完早餐，斯諾鮑和拿破侖再次召集起他們。

"Comrades," said Snowball, "it is half-past six and we have a long day before us.

“同志們”，斯諾鮑說道，“現(xiàn)在是六點半，下面還有整整一天。

Today we begin the hay harvest. But there is another matter that must be attended to first."

今天我們開始收割牧草，不過，還有另外一件事情得先商量一下。”

The pigs now revealed that during the past three months they had taught themselves to read and write from an old spelling book

這時，大家才知道豬在過去的三個月中，從一本舊的拼讀書本上自學(xué)了閱讀和書寫。

which had belonged to Mr. Jones's children and which had been thrown on the rubbish heap.

那本書曾是瓊斯先生的孩子的，早先被扔到垃圾堆里。

Napoleon sent for pots of black and white paint and led the way down to the five-barred gate that gave on to the main road.

拿破侖叫拿來幾桶黑漆和白漆，帶領(lǐng)大家來到朝著大路的五柵門。

Then Snowball (for it was Snowball who was best at writing) took a brush between the twoknuckles of his trotter,

接著，斯諾鮑(正是他才最擅長書寫)用蹄子的雙趾捏起一支刷子，

painted out MANOR FARM from the top bar of the gate and in its place painted ANIMAL FARM.

涂掉了柵欄頂?shù)哪九粕系?ldquo;曼納莊園”幾個字，又在那上面寫上“動物莊園”。

This was to be the name of the farm from now onwards.

這就是莊園以后的名字。

After this they went back to the farm buildings, where Snowball and Napoleon sent for a ladder which they caused to be set against the end wall of the big barn.

寫完后，他們又回到窩棚那里，斯諾鮑和拿破侖又叫拿來一架梯子，并讓把梯子支在大谷倉的墻頭。

They explained that by their studies of the past three months the pigs had succeeded in reducing the principles of Animalism to Seven Commandments.

他們解釋說，經(jīng)過過去三個月的研討，他們已經(jīng)成功地把動物主義的原則簡化為“七戒”。

These Seven Commandments would now be inscribed on the wall.

這“七戒”將要題寫在墻上。

They would form an unalterable law by which all the animals on Animal Farm must live for ever after.

它們將成為不可更改的法律，所有動物莊園的動物都必須永遠遵循它生活。

With some difficulty (for it is not easy for a pig to balance himself on a ladder)

斯諾鮑好不容易才爬了上去(因為豬不易在梯子上保持平衡)

Snowball climbed up and set to work, with Squealer a few rungs below him holding the paint-pot.

并開始忙活起來，斯奎拉在比他低幾格的地方端著油漆桶。

The Commandments were written on the tarred wall in great white letters that could be read thirty yards away.

在刷過柏油的墻上，用巨大的字體寫著“七誡”。字是白色的，在三十碼以外清晰可辨。

They ran thus: THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS

它們是這樣寫的：七誡

1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.

1. 凡靠兩條腿行走者皆為仇敵;