动物农场 Animal Farm 第1章(1)

Animal Farm by George Orwell

动物庄园 乔治·奥威尔

Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes.

故事发生在曼纳庄园里。这天晚上，庄园的主人琼斯先生说是已经锁好了鸡棚，由于他喝得醉意十足，竟把里面的那些小门都忘了关上。

With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots at the back door,

他提着马灯踉踉跄跄地穿过院子，马灯光也跟着一直不停地晃来晃去，到了后门，他把靴子一脚一只踢了出去，

drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery, and made his way up to bed, where Mrs. Jones was already snoring.

又从洗碗间的酒桶里舀起最后一杯啤酒，一饮而尽，然后才上床休息。此时，床上的琼斯夫人已是鼾声如雷了。

As soon as the light in the bedroom went out there was a stirring and a fluttering all through the farm buildings.

等那边庄主院卧室里的灯光一熄灭，整个庄园窝棚里就泛起一阵扑扑腾腾的骚动。

Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White boar,

还在白天的时候，庄园里就风传着一件事，说是老麦哲，就是得过“中等白鬃毛”奖的那头雄猪，

had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals.

在前一天晚上作了一个奇怪的梦，想要传达给其他动物。

It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr. Jones was safely out of the way.

当时，大家都已经同意，等琼斯先生完全走开后，他们就到大谷仓内集合。

Old Major (so he was always called, though the name under which he had been exhibited was Willingdon Beauty)

老麦哲(他一直被这样称呼，尽管他在参加展览时用的名字是“威灵顿美神”)

was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour's sleep in order to hear what he had to say.

在庄园里一直德高望重，所以动物们为了聆听他想要讲的事情，都十分乐意牺牲一小时的睡眠。

At one end of the big barn, on a sort of raised platform, Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam.

在大谷仓一头一个凸起的台子上，麦哲已经安稳地坐在草垫子上了，在他头顶上方的房梁上悬挂着一盏马灯。

He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig,

他已经十二岁了，近来长得有些发胖，但他依然仪表堂堂。

with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut.

尽管事实上他的犬牙从来没有割剪过，这也并不妨碍他面带着智慧和慈祥。

Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions.

不一会，动物们开始陆续赶来，并按各自不同的方式坐稳了。

First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs,

最先到来的是三条狗，布鲁拜尔、杰西和平彻，猪随后走进来，

who settled down in the straw immediately in front of the platform.

并立即坐在台子前面的稻草上。

The hens perched themselves on the window-sills, the pigeons fluttered up to the rafters,

鸡栖在窗台上，鸽子扑腾上了房梁，

the sheep and cows lay down behind the pigs and began to chew the cud.

羊和牛躺在猪身后并开始倒嚼起来。

The two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover, came in together,

两匹套四轮货车的马，鲍克瑟和克拉弗，一块赶来，

walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs with great care lest there should be some small animal concealed in the straw.

他们走进时走得很慢，每当他们在落下那巨大的毛乎乎的蹄子时，总是小心翼翼，生怕草堆里藏着什么小动物。

Clover was a stout motherly mare approaching middle life, who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth foal.

克拉弗是一匹粗壮而慈爱的母马，接近中年。她在生了第四个小驹之后，体形再也没有能恢复原样。