动物农场Animal Farm 第4章(2)

This was what came of rebelling against the laws of Nature, Frederick and Pilkington said.

弗雷德里克和皮尔金顿说，正是在这一点上，造反是悖于天理的。

However, these stories were never fully believed.

然而，谁也没有完全听信这些说法。

Rumors of a wonderful farm, where the human beings had been turned out and the animals managed their own affairs,

小道消息继续以各种形式流传，说有一座奇妙的庄园，

continued to circulate in vague and distorted forms.

在那儿人被撵走，动物们掌管自己的事务。

And throughout that year a wave of rebelliousness ran through the countryside.

整个那一年，在全国范围内造反之波此起彼伏。

Bulls which had always been tractable suddenly turned savage.

一向温顺的公牛突然变野了。

Sheep broke down hedges and devoured the clover.

羊毁坏了树篱，糟踏了苜蓿。

Cows kicked the pail over.

母牛蹄翻了奶桶。

Hunters refused their fences and shot their riders on to the other side.

猎马不肯越过围栏而把背上的骑手甩到了另一边。

Above all, the tune and even the words of 'Beasts of England' were known everywhere.

更有甚者，“英格兰兽”的曲子甚至还有歌词已经无处不知。

It had spread with astonishing speed.

它以惊异的速度流传着。

The human beings could not contain their rage when they heard this song, though they pretended to think it merely ridiculous.

尽管人们故意装作不屑一顾，认为它滑稽可笑，但是，当他们听到了这支歌，便怒不可遏。

They could not understand, they said, how even animals could bring themselves to sing suchcontemptible rubbish.

他们说，他们简直弄不明白，怎么就连畜牲们也竟能唱这样无耻的下流小调。

Any animal caught singing it was given a flogging on the spot.

那些因为唱这支歌而被逮住的动物，当场就会被责以鞭笞。

And yet the song was irrepressible.

可这支歌还是压抑不住的。

The blackbirds whistled it in the hedges.

乌鸦在树篱上啭鸣着唱它。

The pigeons cooed it in the elms.

鸽子在榆树上咕咕着唱它。

It got into the din of the smithies and the tune of the church bells.

歌声渗进铁匠铺的喧声，渗进教堂的钟声。

And when the human beings listened to it, they secretly trembled, hearing in it a prophecy of their future doom.

它预示着人所面临的厄运，因而，他们听到这些便暗自发抖。

Early in October, when the corn was cut and stacked and some of it was already threshed,

十月初，玉米收割完毕并且堆放好了，其中有些已经脱了粒。

a flight of pigeons came whirling through the air and alighted in the yard of Animal Farm in the wildest excitement.

有一天，一群鸽子从空中急速飞回，兴高采烈地落在动物庄园的院子里。

Jones and all his men, with half a dozen others from Foxwood and Pinchfield,

原来琼斯和他的所有伙计们，以及另外六个来自福克斯伍德庄园和平彻菲尔德庄园的人，

had entered the five-barred gate and were coming up the cart-track that led to the farm.

已经进了五栅门，正沿着庄园的车道向这走来。

They were all carrying sticks, except Jones, who was marching ahead with a gun in his hands.

除了一马当先的琼斯先生手里握着一支枪外，他们全都带着棍棒。

Obviously they were going to attempt the recapture of the farm.

显然，他们企图夺回这座庄园。

This had long been expected, and all preparations had been made.

这是早就预料到了的，所有相应的准备工作也已经就绪。

Snowball, who had studied an old book of Julius Caesar's campaigns which he had found in thefarmhouse, was in charge of the defensive operations.

斯诺鲍负责这次防御战，他曾在庄主院的屋子里找到一本谈论儒略?凯撒征战的旧书，并且钻研过。

He gave his orders quickly, and in a couple of minutes every animal was at his post.

此时，他迅速下令，不出两分钟，动物们已经各就各位。