精靈鼠小弟 第7期:家庭話題禁忌老鼠

"I don't want Stuart to get a lot of notions in his head," said Mr. Little.

"我不想讓斯圖亞特因此而想得太多，"利特爾先生說(shuō)。

I should feel badly to have my son grow up fearing that a farmer's wife was going to cut off his tail with a carving knife.

如果我的兒子長(zhǎng)大以后害怕會(huì)有一個(gè)農(nóng)夫的妻子來(lái)用切肉刀把他的尾巴割下來(lái)，我會(huì)很難過(guò)的。

It is such things that make children dream bad dreams when they go to bed at night.

這念頭會(huì)使在夜里睡著的孩子做噩夢(mèng)的。

"Yes," replied Mrs. Little, and I think we had better start thinking about the poem:

"是的，"利特爾太太回答，我想我們也應(yīng)該想到那首詩(shī)：

Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

這是圣誕的前夜，房子里沒有一個(gè)動(dòng)物在亂跑，甚至是一只老鼠。

I think it might embarrass Stuart to hear mice mentioned in such a belittling manner.

我想斯圖亞特要是聽到有人用這么輕蔑的口氣來(lái)說(shuō)老鼠，他可能會(huì)感到很窘的。

"That's right," said her husband, "but what shall we say when we come to that line in the poem? "

"就是，"她的丈夫說(shuō)，"可是當(dāng)我們讀到這一行詩(shī)時(shí)，該怎么說(shuō)呢?”

We'll have to say something. We can't just say ： Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house not a creature was stirring;

我們不得不說(shuō)些什么吧。我們不能只說(shuō)：這是圣誕的前夜，房子里沒有一個(gè)動(dòng)物在亂跑'吧，那樣聽起來(lái)就不完整了;

That doesn't sound complete; it needs a word to rhyme with house.

那時(shí)就需要說(shuō)一個(gè)能與'房子'押韻的詞。

"What about louse?" asked Mrs. Little.

"虱子怎么樣?"利特爾太太問(wèn)。

"Or grouse," said Mr. Little.

"或是松雞。"利特爾先生說(shuō)。

"I suggest souse," remarked George, who had been listening to the conversation from across the room.

"我建議用酒鬼。"恰好從房間里走出來(lái)并聽到這些談話的喬治提醒道。