英译现代散文●寓言三则 ◎ 施蛰存

寓言三则

Three Fables

◎　施蛰存

◎　Shi Zhecun

稻草人和饿了的刺猬

The Scarecrow and the Hungry Hedgehogs

瓜、豆和茄子种满着的园里，矗立着一个人。

In a vegetable garden thickly planted with melons, beans and eggplants, stood a tall, upright man.

第一夜，小心的刺猬们都从它们的土穴里探出来找寻食物。四面窥望，瓜、豆和茄子，是丰盛的筵席。但是，在茄子畦边，站着一个守夜的人。被人的威严慑伏了，恍惚耳朵里听见了叱骂声，它们忍耐着饥饿退缩进它低窄而潮湿的地下室去。

On the first night, the timid hedgehogs popped their heads out of the holes in the ground to see if there was any food available. They looked around and found they could enjoy a big dinner with the vegetables growing in the garden. But the trouble was there was a night watchman standing beside the eggplant patch. And they seemed to hear him bawling out a string of curses at them. So all they could do was shrink back to their narrow, damp cellar on an empty stomach.

第二夜，腹中雷鸣着的刺猬们再偷偷地出来。瓜、豆和茄子，越发丰肥得可口了，它们都流着口涎。肚子里越响了。但是守夜人还在着。它们互相推挽着，想悄悄地走向距离最近的那个瓜棚。忽然吹起了一阵风，那个守夜人，在手里挥动着蒲扇向前走来。各自身上打了一个寒噤，它们全都逃避了回去。

On the second night, the hedgehogs came out stealthily again, their stomachs rumbling with hunger. They started drooling at the sight of the ripening melons, beans and eggplants. The tempting vegetables made their stomachs rumble even more loudly. But the watchman was still there. They pushed and shoved one another, trying furtively to get to the melon awning — a place nearest to them. Then, at a sudden gust of wind, the watchman stirred waving the fan in his hand. Shivering with fear, the hedgehogs all scurried back to their cellar.

第三夜，全体的刺猬都瘦了。饥饿使它们在地下室里开会。

On the third night, all the hedgehogs looked emaciated. Starvation impelled them to hold a meeting in the cellar.

甲说：与其饿，不如死。

Hedgehog A cried out,“Rather die than go hungry.”

乙说：与其饿，不如死。

Hedgehog B cried out,“Rather die than go hungry.”

丙说：与其饿，不如死。

Hedgehog C cried out,“Rather die than go hungry.”

这个会就是这样地决议了。它们全体出发，怀了必死的心。在朦胧的月光下，守夜人还装着威严矗立着手里挥动着扇子，这依旧使它们退缩在土穴的门口。

A resolution was adopted. They all set out, ready to risk death. In the dim moonlight, however, the watchman stood waving his fan with feigned impressiveness. So the hedgehogs cowered and stuck closely to their holes.

“与其饿，不如死。”一个奇怪的声音在它们每个刚毛的耳朵里突然响亮着。

“Rather die than go hungry,”a strange voice suddenly began to ring in their little ears.

“去呀!”

“Let's go!”

在每个刺猬的胃里装满了瓜、豆和茄子的时候，稻草的守夜人是显得更无用了。

When each hedgehog had eaten his fill of the melons, beans and eggplants, the watchman seemed all the more helpless.

在地下室里，刺猬们开着庆祝会。

Down in the cellar, the hedgehogs held a meeting to celebrate their victory.

甲说：不要怕无用的威权。

Hedgehog A exclaimed,“Never fear worthless bigwigs!”

乙说：胜利是属于饿夫的。

Hedgehog B exclaimed,“Victory to the starvelings!”

丙说：饿夫是不会死的。不啊!永远存在的。

Hedgehog C exclaimed,“Starvelings will never die. No, never. They live forever.”

于是，全体欢呼了。

Thereupon, the crowd broke into an ovation.

寒暑计

The Thermometer

壁上挂着寒暑计。天冷了，里面的水银下降;暖了，它上升。没有差错。

There was a thermometer hanging on the wall. The mercury dropped when it got cold, and rose when it got warm. It was operating with unerring accuracy.

人说它是一个好的寒暑计。

People called it a good thermometer.

一天，它怀疑了它的生活：“我为什么要随着气候行动呢。我愿意向上，就向上;我愿意向下，就向下。甚至我愿意休息，休息就得了。我似乎应当尊重自己的趣味。”

One day, however, it became skeptical of its own lifestyle.“Why should I act by always keeping pace with weather?”it thought aloud.“I'll rise or drop as I please. I'll take a rest whenever I want to. It seems I should follow my own inclination.”

它决定了这样的自己尊重，不再留意着外面的空气了。

So it decided on acting on its own, and no longer paid attention to weather.

它在壁上自由行动。

It became a maverick on the wall.

于是人说它是一个废物，把它摔在地上了。

Consequently, people called it trash and threw it away to the ground.

风·火·煤·山

Wind · Fire · Coal · Mountain

山脚下，住着一个铁匠。他天天生旺了铁炉工作着。

There lived a blacksmith at the foot of a mountain. Every day he would stand working beside his blazing furnace.

有一天早晨，小学生张和赵上学去，走过铁匠的家。他正在用风箱扇旺炉里的火。炽红的火焰都从煤块底下猛力地透上来。

One morning, when primary school pupils Zhang and Zhao were walking past the smithy on their way to school, they saw the blacksmith pumping a bellows to urge the fire in his furnace and blazing flames shooting up vigorously from under the coals.

张的小脑袋里忽然想起了一个问题：

A question popped into Zhang's little brain.

“为什么要拉这个风箱?”他问。

“Why is he using the bellows?”he asked.

赵说：“你笨，不扇风，火怎么会旺?”

Zhao asked in reply,“You silly, how could he make the fire burn better without using the bellows?”

于是他们争执着一个问题：风和火谁的能为大?没有风，火不会旺，没有火，风便吹了个空。

Then they started quarrelling over this question: Which was more capable, wind or fire? Without wind, fire could not burn nicely. Without fire, wind would be blowing for nothing.

他们解决不了，要铁匠下一个判断。

Unable to settle the quarrel, they asked the blacksmith to draw a conclusion.

“要是炉子里的煤不燃着火，风也没用，火也没用。所以这是煤的能为大。可是那边的山如果不几百年几千年的把那些树干兽骨重重地压在地下，我们也一辈子不会有这炉子里的煤。所以，你们去想，谁的能为大。”

“Neither wind nor fire would be any good if coals in the furnace didn't burn,”said the blacksmith.“So coal has greater capability. But we would never have coal had it not been for the tree trunks and animal skeletons buried deep under mountains for hundreds or thousands of years. Now think it over and see which has greater capability.”

这两个孩子就是这样学会了这个故事。他们微笑着上路，望着那个蠢笨的山。

Having heard out the story, the two kids walked away smilingly and gazed at the yonder bulky mountain.

“你的能为大。你再压出几千吨煤块来，让我们燃烧，让我们用风吹。”张说。

“You're more capable,”Zhang addressed the mountain.“Give us more coal from your deposits so that we can burn it with the help of wind.”

“让我们看再美丽的火花。”赵说。

“Let's enjoy seeing still more brilliant sparks flying out of the furnace,”said Zhao.

《寓言三则》是施蛰存先生写于1928年的一篇短文。