木偶奇遇記：Chapter 20

Fancy the happiness of Pinocchio on finding himself free! Without saying yes or no, he fled from the city and set out on the road that was to take him back to the house of the lovely Fairy.

皮諾喬聽說釋放，他那份高興勁兒就可想而知了。他二話沒說，馬上出城，取道上仙女那座小房子去。

It had rained for many days, and the road was so muddy that, at times, Pinocchio sank down almost to his knees.

這是下雨天，整條路像個泥潭，走起來半條腿都沒到爛泥里。

But he kept on bravely.

可木偶一點不在乎。

Tormented by the wish to see his father and his fairy sister with azure hair, he raced like a greyhound. As he ran, he was splashed with mud even up to his cap.

他急著要重新看到他的爸爸，看到他天藍(lán)色頭發(fā)的姐姐。他蹦啊跳地跑得像條獵犬，泥漿濺到帽子上，他一面跑一面自言自語說：

"How unhappy I have been," he said to himself. "And yet I deserve everything, for I am certainly very stubborn and stupid! I will always have my own way. I won't listen to those who love me and who have more brains than I. But from now on, I'll be different and I'll try to become a most obedient boy. I have found out, beyond any doubt whatever, that disobedient boys are certainly far from happy, and that, in the long run, they always lose out. I wonder if Father is waiting for me. Will I find him at the Fairy's house? It is so long, poor man, since I have seen him, and I do so want his love and his kisses. And will the Fairy ever forgive me for all I have done? She who has been so good to me and to whom I owe my life! Can there be a worse or more heartless boy than I am anywhere?"

“我遭多少殃啊……這是活該，因為我是個犟頭倔腦的木頭人……我任意妄為，對于愛我和比我聰明千倍的人說的話，我一點都不聽!……可從今往后，我決心改邪歸正，做一個老實聽話的孩子……如今我看清楚了，不聽話的孩子要倒大霉，一事無成。我的爸爸在等我嗎?……我在仙女家會看到他嗎，可憐的爸爸，我多久沒見到他了，我現(xiàn)在只想沒完沒了地?fù)崦?，拼命地親吻他!仙女會原諒我的不好行為嗎?……只要想一想，我得到她的百般關(guān)心和親切治療……只要想一想，我今天還能活著，全虧的是她!……還有孩子比我更忘恩負(fù)義，更沒心肝的嗎?……”

As he spoke, he stopped suddenly, frozen with terror.

他正這么自言自語，一下子大吃一驚，停了下來，還倒退了四步。

What was the matter?

他看見什么啦?……

An immense Serpent lay stretched across the road -- a Serpent with a bright green skin, fiery eyes which glowed and burned, and a pointed tail that smoked like a chimney.

他看見了一條大蛇，直挺挺地橫躺在路上。這條蛇綠皮火眼，尾巴很尖，像是煙囪在冒煙。

How frightened was poor Pinocchio! He ran back wildly for half a mile, and at last settled himself atop a heap of stones to wait for the Serpent to go on his way and leave the road clear for him.

木偶害怕得無法形容。他離開它，跑了有半公里多，坐在一堆石頭上，只等這條蛇爬開，把路讓出來。

He waited an hour; two hours; three hours; but the Serpent was always there, and even from afar one could see the flash of his red eyes and the column of smoke which rose from his long, pointed tail.

他等了一個鐘頭，兩個鐘頭，三個鐘頭，可蛇還在那兒。雖然離得老遠(yuǎn)，還能看見它那雙火眼紅紅的，尾巴尖冒出一股一股煙柱。

Pinocchio, trying to feel very brave, walked straight up to him and said in a sweet, soothing voice:

最后皮諾喬鼓足了勇氣，走運那蛇，離開它幾步，用很甜很細(xì)的聲音討好地對它說：

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Serpent, would you be so kind as to step aside to let me pass?"

“對不起，蛇先生，請幫個忙，挪出點地方讓我過去，好嗎?”

He might as well have talked to a wall. The Serpent never moved.

可他這番話完全是白說。蛇一動也不動。

Once more, in the same sweet voice, he spoke:

木偶又用那很甜很細(xì)的聲音說：

"You must know, Mr. Serpent, that I am going home where my father is waiting for me. It is so long since I have seen him! Would you mind very much if I passed?"

“您得知道，蛇先生，我要回到那房子去，我爸爸在那兒等著我，我已經(jīng)很久很久沒見到他了!……您肯讓我繼續(xù)走我的路嗎?”

He waited for some sign of an answer to his questions, but the answer did not come. On the contrary, the green Serpent, who had seemed, until then, wide awake and full of life, became suddenly very quiet and still. His eyes closed and his tail stopped smoking.

他等著蛇作出個表示來回答他這個請求，可蛇沒有動靜。相反，它一直好像很生猛，這時倒變得僵直不動了。它的眼睛閉上，尾巴停止冒煙。

"Is he dead, I wonder?" said Pinocchio, rubbing his hands together happily. Without a moment's hesitation, he started to step over him, but he had just raised one leg when the Serpent shot up like a spring and the Marionette fell head over heels backward.

“它真的死了嗎?……”皮諾喬說著，高興得搓了搓手。他一點不耽擱，就要打它身上跳過去，跳到路的那一邊。可他腳還沒舉起，蛇忽然像進(jìn)起來的彈簧似地跳了起來。木偶大吃一驚，趕緊往后退，絆了一下，跌倒在地上。

He fell so awkwardly that his head stuck in the mud, and there he stood with his legs straight up in the air.

跌得也真不巧，他的腦袋插在路上的泥漿里，只剩兩條腿倒豎著。

At the sight of the Marionette kicking and squirming like a young whirlwind, the Serpent laughed so heartily and so long that at last he burst an artery and died on the spot.

蛇看見木偶頭朝下，兩腳用難以想象的速度踢來踢去，就扭啊扭地狂笑起來，笑啊，笑啊，笑啊，最后笑得太厲害，肚子上一根靜脈竟斷掉了：這回它真的死啦。

Pinocchio freed himself from his awkward position and once more began to run in order to reach the Fairy's house before dark. As he went, the pangs of hunger grew so strong that, unable to withstand them, he jumped into a field to pick a few grapes that tempted him. Woe to him!

于是皮諾喬重新跑起來，要在天黑之前趕到仙女的家。可路很長，肚子餓得慌。他再也忍耐不住，就跳進(jìn)一塊葡萄地，想采兩串膨香葡萄吃。唉，真不該跳進(jìn)去的!

No sooner had he reached the grapevine than -- crack! went his legs.

他一到葡萄藤底下，卡嗒……只覺得兩腳給兩塊很鋒利的鐵片一下夾住，痛得他眼冒金星。

The poor Marionette was caught in a trap set there by a Farmer for some Weasels which came every night to steal his chickens.

可憐的木偶是給一個捕獸夾夾住了。這種捕谷夾是農(nóng)民裝在那里捕捉大雞貂的。要知道，雞貂是附近所有雞塒的大災(zāi)星。