双语全文 ● 鲁迅——兔和猫

The Rabbits and the Cat

In summer， Third Mistress in our back courtyard bought a pair of white rabbits to amuse her children.

Apparently these two white rabbits had not left their mother long. Although a different species， their carefree innocence was evident. But they also raised their long， small crimson ears and wrinkled their noses， a very apprehensive look in their eyes. Probably， after all， they felt this place and the people here strange， and were less at ease here than in their old home. If you went to a temple fair yourself to buy creatures like these， they cost no more than two strings of cash apiece； but Third Mistress had spent a dollar，because she sent a servant to a shop to buy them.

The children， naturally， were overjoyed and crowded round boisterously to have a look. The grown-ups crowded round too. A puppy called S also came running over. Dashing up to sniff at them， he sneezed，then backed away a couple of paces. Third Mistress cried， “Listen， S！ you’re not to bite them！” Then she slapped his head， so that S ran off， and after that he never bit them.

These rabbits were kept most of the time in a small courtyard behind the back window. We were told this was because they were too fond of tearing the wall-paper and chewing the legs of furniture. In this little courtyard grew a wild mulberry tree. When the mulberries fell， these were what they liked eating most， and they would pass over the spinach given them. When crows and magpies wanted to fly down， they would hump their backs， stamp hard with their hind-legs on the ground and—whoosh！—bound straight up like flying snowballs. The frightened birds promptly took flight， and after several repetitions of this they no longer dared come near. Third Mistress said crows and magpies didn’t matter， at most they would just steal a little food； the real menace was a big black cat， which often watched malevolently from the top of the low wall—they must be on their guard against it. Fortunately， S and the cat were enemies， so perhaps there would be no trouble after all.

兔和猫

住在我们后进院子里的三太太，在夏间买了一对白兔，是给伊的孩子们看的。

这一对白兔，似乎离娘并不久，虽然是异类，也可以看出他们的天真烂熳来。但也竖直了小小的通红的长耳朵，动着鼻子，眼睛里颇现些惊疑的神色，大约究竟觉得人地生疏，没有在老家时候的安心了。这种东西，倘到庙会日期自己出去买，每个至多不过两吊钱，而三太太却花了一元，因为是叫小使上店买来的。

孩子们自然大得意了，嚷着围住了看；大人也都围着看；还有一匹小狗名叫S的也跑来，闯过去一嗅，打了一个喷嚏，退了几步。三太太吆喝着，“S，听着，不准你咬他！”于是在他头上打了一掌，S便退开了，从此并不咬。

这一对兔总是关在后窗后面的小院子里的时候多，听说是因为太喜欢撕壁纸，也常常啃木器脚。这小院子里有一株野桑树，桑子落地，他们最爱吃，便连喂他们的波菜也不吃了。乌鸦喜鹊想要下来时，他们便躬着身子用后脚在地上使劲的一弹，砉的一声直跳上来，像飞起了一团雪，鸦鹊吓得赶紧走，这样的几回，再也不敢近来了。三太太说，鸦鹊倒不打紧，至多也不过抢吃一点食料，可恶的是一匹大黑猫，常在矮墙上恶狠狠的看，这却要防的，幸而S和猫是对头，或者还不至于有什么罢。

The children often caught the rabbits to play with. They were very affable. Ears erect， their noses twitching， they stood meekly in the small hands encircling them； but as soon as they had a chance， they lolloped away. Their bed at night was a box， strewn with straw， under the eaves jutting over the back window.

After several months like this， they suddenly started burrowing，burrowing at top speed， fore-paws scrabbling， hind-legs kicking. In less than half a day they completed a deep burrow. Everybody marvelled， until a closer inspection revealed that one rabbit’s stomach was much bigger than the other’s. The next day， taking straw and leaves between their teeth， they busied themselves for hours moving these into the burrow.

Everybody was delighted， looking forward to another batch of small rabbits. Third Mistress strictly forbade the children to pick them up any more. My mother， too， was delighted by their family’s flourishing and said，once the litter was weaned， she would ask for a couple to keep outside her own window.

After this they lived in the underground home they had made，sometimes coming out to eat. Then they disappeared. There was no knowing whether they had taken food inside in advance， or had really given up eating. More than ten days later， Third Mistress told me that the two rabbits had come out again. Most likely all their baby rabbits had died，because the doe had copious milk but showed no sign of going in to suckle her children. She sounded most indignant， but there was nothing she could do about it.

One warm， sunny day， when there was no wind and not a leaf stirred on the trees， I heard a sudden chorus of laughter. Tracking down the sound，I discovered quite a crowd leaning out of Third Mistress’s back window to watch： a baby rabbit was frisking in the yard. He was much smaller than his parents had been when purchased. But already he could take off from the ground on his hind-legs and jump. The children eagerly told me that another little rabbit had peeked out of the burrow， but promptly drawn back his head. That must be his baby brother.

孩子们时时捉他们来玩耍；他们很和气，竖起耳朵，动着鼻子，驯良的站在小手的圈子里，但一有空，却也就溜开去了。他们夜里的卧榻是一个小木箱，里面铺些稻草，就在后窗的房檐下。

这样的几个月之后，他们忽而自己掘土了，掘得非常快，前脚一抓，后脚一踢，不到半天，已经掘成一个深洞。大家都奇怪，后来仔细看时，原来一个的肚子比别一个的大得多了。他们第二天便将干草和树叶衔进洞里去，忙了大半天。

大家都高兴，说又有小兔可看了；三太太便对孩子们下了戒严令，从此不许再去捉。我的母亲也很喜欢他们家族的繁荣，还说待生下来的离了乳，也要去讨两匹养在自己的窗外面。

他们从此便住在自造的洞府里，有时也出来吃些食，后来不见了，可不知道他们是预先运粮存在里面呢还是竟不吃。过了十多天，三太太对我说，那两匹又出来了，大约小兔是生下来又都死掉了，因为雌的一匹的奶非常多，却并不见有进去哺养孩子的形迹。伊言语之间颇气愤，然而也没有法。

有一天，太阳很温暧，也没有风，树叶都不动，我忽听得许多人在那里笑，寻声看时，却见许多人都靠着三太太的后窗看：原来有一个小兔，在院子里跳跃了。这比他的父母买来的时候还小得远，但也已经能用后脚一弹地，迸跳起来了。孩子们争着告诉我说，还看见一个小兔到洞口来探一探头，但是即刻缩回去了，那该是他的弟弟罢。

The little rabbit also nibbled at grass and leaves， but apparently this was not allowed by his parents， who kept snatching them out of his mouth， yet didn’t eat them themselves. The children laughed so uproariously that finally the little rabbit took fright and hopped back to the burrow. The bigger ones followed him to the mouth of the burrow. With their fore-paws they pushed him inside， then scraped up earth to seal up the hole.

After that the little yard was livelier， there were often people at the window watching.

But then the rabbits， both small and big， disappeared. We were having a spell of dull weather. Once more Third Mistress worried that the malevolent black cat had done for them. I told her， no. Because it was cold，of course they were keeping under cover. Once the sun came out， they were sure to come out again.

The sun came out， but still no sign of them. Then everybody forgot them.

Only Third Mistress often thought of them， as she had been in the habit of feeding them spinach. Once， going into the small yard by the back window， she suddenly spotted another hole by the corner of the wall， and when she looked again at the old hole she saw a good many faint paw-prints round the entrance. Not even the big rabbits could have made such big prints. Once again her suspicion fell on the big black cat who was so often on the wall. Thereupon she felt impelled to dig up the burrow. She finally got out a hoe and dug down. Although fearing the worst， she hoped against hope to discover the small white rabbits； but a heap of mouldy grass and rabbit-fur， probably spread there for the doe’s confinement. Apart from that the place was bare， with not a trace of the snow-white little rabbit， or of his baby brother who had peeped out but not emerged from the burrow.

Anger， disappointment and grief impelled her to dig up the new burrow at the corner of the wall too. As soon as she started， out scuttled the two big rabbits. She was delighted， thinking they had moved house， but still she went on digging. When she reached the bottom， that too was strewn with grass， leaves and rabbit-fur， and on this were sleeping seven tiny rabbits， pink all over. A close look showed that they hadn’t yet opened their eyes.

那小的也检些草叶吃，然而大的似乎不许他，往往夹口的抢去了，而自己并不吃。孩子们笑得响，那小的终于吃惊了，便跳着钻进洞里去：大的也跟到洞门口，用前脚推着他的孩子的脊梁，推进之后，又爬开泥土来封了洞。

从此小院子里更热闹，窗口也时时有人窥探了。

然而竟又全不见了那小的和大的。这时是连日的阴天，三太太又虑到遭了那大黑猫的毒手的事去。我说不然，那是天气冷，当然都躲着，太阳一出，一定出来的。

太阳出来了，他们却都不见。于是大家就忘却了。

惟有三太太是常在那里喂他们波菜的，所以常想到。伊有一回走进窗后的小院子去，忽然在墙角上发见了一个别的洞，再看旧洞口，却依稀的还见有许多爪痕。这爪痕倘说是大兔的，爪该不会有这样大，伊又疑心到那常在墙上的大黑猫去了，伊于是也就不能不定下发掘的决心了。伊终于出来取了锄子，一路掘下去，虽然疑心，却也希望着意外的见了小白兔的，但是待到底，却只见一堆烂草夹些兔毛，怕还是临蓐时候所铺的罢，此外是冷清清的，全没有什么雪白的小兔的踪迹，以及他那只一探头未出洞外的弟弟了。

气愤和失望和凄凉，使伊不能不再掘那墙角上的新洞了。一动手，那大的两匹便先窜出洞外面。伊以为他们搬了家了，很高兴，然而仍然掘，待见底，那里面也铺着草叶和兔毛，而上面却睡着七个很小的兔，遍身肉红色，细看时，眼睛全都没有开。

All became clear. Third Mistress’s earlier guess had been correct. To forestall further danger， she put the litter of seven in a box， and moved it into her room. She put the doe in too， ordering her to suckle her little ones.

From that day on Third Mistress not only hated the black cat， but took a very dim view of the mother rabbit. She said， before the first two babies were killed， others must have died， because each litter was certainly more than two； but because of unequal suckling， those deprived of milk had starved. This sounded plausible， for two of the present litter of seven were very puny. So whenever Third Mistress had time， she would catch the mother rabbit and put the babies one by one on her belly to drink milk， no matter how long this took her.

My mother remarked to me that， in all her life， she had never so much as heard to so much trouble taken over raising rabbits. It deserved to be included in the Register of Eccentrics.

The rabbit family was more flourishing than ever. Everybody was happy again.

But after that I kept feeling disconsolate. In the middle of the night，sitting under the lamp， I would think of those two little lives which had been lost none knows when， unnoticed by men or spirits， leaving no trace in the history of living creatures. Not even S had barked. This brought back old memories of when I was staying in our provincial hostel. Getting up early one day I saw beneath the big locust tree some scattered pigeon feathers，obviously let fall by a hawk. In the morning the attendant came to sweep up，and nothing was left of them. Who would have known that a life had been cut off here？ Another time， passing the Xisi Archway， I saw a puppy dying，run over by a horsecart. On my return it had gone， someone had removed it，and which of the passers-by would have known that a life had been cut off here？ On summer nights， outside the window， I often heard the long drawnout drone of flies which must have been caught by a spider， but I never paid any attention， and other people did not even hear....

一切都明白了，三太太先前的预料果不错。伊为预防危险起见，便将七个小的都装在木箱中，搬进自己的房里，又将大的也捺进箱里面，勒令伊去哺乳。

三太太从此不但深恨黑猫，而且颇不以大兔为然了。据说当初那两个被害之先，死掉的该还有，因为他们生一回，决不至于只两个，但为了哺乳不匀，不能争食的就先死了。这大概也不错的，现在七个之中，就有两个很痩弱。所以三太太一有闲空，便捉住母兔，将小兔一个一个轮流的摆在肚子上来喝奶，不准有多少。

母亲对我说，那样麻烦的养兔法，伊历来连听也未曾听到过，恐怕是可以收入《无双谱》的。

白兔的家庭更繁荣；大家也又都高兴了。

但自此之后，我总觉得凄凉。夜半在灯下坐着想，那两条小性命，竟是人不知鬼不觉的早在不知什么时候丧失了，生物史上不着一些痕迹，并S也不叫一声。我于是记起旧事来，先前我住在会馆里，清早起身，只见大槐树下一片散乱的鸽子毛，这明明是膏于鹰吻的了，上午长班来一打扫，便什么都不见，谁知道曾有一个生命断送在这里呢？我又曾路过西四牌楼，看见一匹小狗被马车轧得快死，待回来时，什么也不见了，搬掉了罢，过往行人憧憧的走着，谁知道曾有一个生命断送在这里呢？夏夜，窗外面，常听到苍蝇的悠长的吱吱的叫声，这一定是给蝇虎咬住了；然而我向来无所容心于其间，而别人并且不听到……

If it is possible to blame the Creator， then I think he really creates life too much at random， and destroys it too much at random.

A yowl—two cats are fighting outside the window again.

“Xun！ Are you beating cats again there？”

“No， they’re biting each other. Why should I beat them？”

My mother has always disapproved of my cruelty to cats. Now doubtless suspecting me of employing sinister tactics to avenge the little rabbits， she had questioned me. Indeed， I was the byword of the whole household for my enmity to cats. I had killed cats， and often beat them，especially during the mating season. I beat them， however， not because they are mating， but because their caterwauling stops me from sleeping. I see no need for all that yowling when they mate.

Besides， since the black cat had killed the little rabbits， I had a more righteous cause for which to fight. Mother， I felt， was really too soft-hearted. That was why I made such an evasive， almost disapproving， answer.

The Creator goes too far. I cannot but oppose him， although this may be abetting him instead. That black cat must not be allowed to lord it much longer on the low wall， I resolved. Then， involuntarily， my eye fell on a bottle of potassium cyanide tucked away in my case of books.

Oct-22

假使造物也可以责备，那么，我以为他实在将生命造得太滥，毁得太滥了。

嗥的一声，又是两条猫在窗外打起架来。

“迅儿！你又在那里打猫了？”

“不，他们自己咬。他那里会给我打呢。”

我的母亲是素来很不以我的虐待猫为然的。现在大约疑心我要替小兔抱不平，下什么辣手，便起来探问了。而我在全家的口碑上，却的确算一个猫敌。我曾经害过猫，平时也常打猫，尤其是在他们配合的时候，但我之所以打的原因并非因为他们配合，是因为他们嚷，嚷到使我睡不着，我以为配合是不必这样大嚷而特嚷的。

况且黑猫害了小兔，我更是“师出有名”的了。我觉得母亲实在太修善，于是不由的就说出模棱的近乎不以为然的答话来。

造物太胡闹，我不能不反抗他了，虽然也许是倒是帮他的忙……

那黑猫是不能久在矮墙上高视阔步的了，我决定的想，于是又不由的一瞥那藏在书箱里的一瓶青酸钾。

一九二二年十月。