動物莊園：Chapter 9

Boxer's split hoof was a long time in healing. They had started the rebuilding of the windmill the day after the victory celebrations were ended. Boxer refused to take even a day off work, and made it a point of honour not to let it be seen that he was in pain. In the evenings he would admit privately to Clover that the hoof troubled him a great deal. Clover treated the hoof with poultices of herbs which she prepared by chewing them, and both she and Benjamin urged Boxer to work less hard. "A horse's lungs do not last for ever," she said to him. But Boxer would not listen. He had, he said, only one real ambition left--to see the windmill well under way before he reached the age for retirement.

鮑克瑟蹄掌上的裂口過了很長時間才痊愈。慶祝活動結(jié)束后第二天，動物們就開始第三次建造風(fēng)車了。對此，鮑克瑟哪里肯閑著，他一天不干活都不行，于是就忍住傷痛不讓他們有所察覺。到了晚上他悄悄告訴克拉弗，他的掌子疼得厲害。克拉弗就用嘴巴嚼著草藥給他敷上。她和本杰明一起懇求鮑克瑟干活輕一點。她對他說：“馬肺又不能永保不衰。”但鮑克瑟不聽，他說，他剩下的唯一一個心愿就是在他到退休年齡之前，能看到風(fēng)車建設(shè)順利進行。

At the beginning, when the laws of Animal Farm were first formulated, the retiring age had been fixed for horses and pigs at twelve, for cows at fourteen, for dogs at nine, for sheep at seven, and for hens and geese at five. Liberal old-age pensions had been agreed upon. As yet no animal had actually retired on pension, but of late the subject had been discussed more and more. Now that the small field beyond the orchard had been set aside for barley, it was rumoured that a corner of the large pasture was to be fenced off and turned into a grazing-ground for superannuated animals. For a horse, it was said, the pension would be five pounds of corn a day and, in winter, fifteen pounds of hay, with a carrot or possibly an apple on public holidays. Boxer's twelfth birthday was due in the late summer of the following year.

想當初，當動物莊園初次制定律法時，退休年齡分別規(guī)定為：馬和豬十二歲，牛十四歲，狗九歲，羊七歲，雞和鵝五歲，還允諾要發(fā)給充足的養(yǎng)老津貼。雖然至今還沒有一個動物真正領(lǐng)過養(yǎng)老津貼，但近來這個話題討論得越來越多了。眼下，因為蘋果園那邊的那塊小牧場已被留作大麥田，就又有小道消息說大牧場的一角要圍起來給退休動物留作牧場用。據(jù)說，每匹馬的養(yǎng)老津貼是每天五磅谷子，到冬天是每天十五磅干草，公共節(jié)假日里還發(fā)給一根胡蘿卜，或者盡量給一個蘋果。鮑克瑟的十二歲生日就在來年的夏末。

Meanwhile life was hard. The winter was as cold as the last one had been, and food was even shorter. Once again all rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs. A too rigid equality in rations, Squealer explained, would have been contrary to the principles of Animalism. In any case he had no difficulty in proving to the other animals that they were NOT in reality short of food, whatever the appearances might be. For the time being, certainly, it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations (Squealer always spoke of it as a "readjustment," never as a "reduction"), but in comparison with the days of Jones, the improvement was enormous. Reading out the figures in a shrill, rapid voice, he proved to them in detail that they had more oats, more hay, more turnips than they had had in Jones's day, that they worked shorter hours, that their drinking water was of better quality, that they lived longer, that a larger proportion of their young ones survived infancy, and that they had more straw in their stalls and suffered less from fleas. The animals believed every word of it. Truth to tell, Jones and all he stood for had almost faded out of their memories. They knew that life nowadays was harsh and bare, that they were often hungry and often cold, and that they were usually working when they were not asleep. But doubtless it had been worse in the old days. They were glad to believe so. Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they were free, and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not fail to point out.

這個時期的生活十分艱苦。冬天象去年一樣冷，食物也更少了。除了那些豬和狗以外，所有動物的飼料糧再次減少。斯奎拉解釋說，在定量上過于教條的平等是違背動物主義原則的。不論在什么情況下，他都毫不費力地向其他動物證明，無論表面現(xiàn)象是什么，他們事實上并不缺糧。當然，暫時有必要調(diào)整一下供應(yīng)量(斯奎拉總說這是“調(diào)整”，從不認為是“減少”)。但與瓊斯時代相比，進步是巨大的。為了向大家詳細說明這一點，斯奎拉用他那尖細的嗓音一口氣念了一大串數(shù)字。這些數(shù)字反映出，和瓊斯時代相比，他們現(xiàn)在有了更多的燕麥、干草、蘿卜，工作的時間更短，飲用的水質(zhì)更好，壽命延長了，年輕一代的存活率提高了，窩棚里有了更多的草墊，而且跳蚤少多了。動物們對他所說的每句話無不信以為真。說實話，在他們的記憶中，瓊斯及他所代表的一切幾乎已經(jīng)完全淡忘了。他們知道，近來的生活窘困而艱難，常常是饑寒交迫，醒著的時候就是干活，但毫無疑問，過去更糟糕。他們情愿相信這些。再說，那時他們是奴隸，現(xiàn)在卻享有自由。誠如斯奎拉那句總是掛在嘴上的話所說，這一點使一切都有了天壤之別。

There were many more mouths to feed now. In the autumn the four sows had all littered about simultaneously, producing thirty-one young pigs between them. The young pigs were piebald, and as Napoleon was the only boar on the farm, it was possible to guess at their parentage. It was announced that later, when bricks and timber had been purchased, a schoolroom would be built in the farmhouse garden. For the time being, the young pigs were given their instruction by Napoleon himself in the farmhouse kitchen. They took their exercise in the garden, and were discouraged from playing with the other young animals. About this time, too, it was laid down as a rule that when a pig and any other animal met on the path, the other animal must stand aside: and also that all pigs, of whatever degree, were to have the privilege of wearing green ribbons on their tails on Sundays.

現(xiàn)在有更多的嘴要吃飯。這天，四頭母豬差不多同時都下小崽，共有三十一頭。他們生下來就帶著黑白條斑。誰是他們的父親呢?這并不難推測，因為拿破侖是莊園里唯一的種豬。有通告說，過些時候，等買好了磚頭和木材，就在莊主院花園里為他們蓋一間學(xué)堂。目前，暫時由拿破侖在莊主院的廚房里親自給他們上課。這些小豬平常是在花園里活動，而且不許他們和其他年幼的動物一起玩耍。大約與此同時，又頒布了一項規(guī)定，規(guī)定說當其他的動物在路上遇到豬時，他們就必須要站到路邊;另外，所有的豬，不論地位高低，均享有星期天在尾巴上戴飾帶的特權(quán)。

The farm had had a fairly successful year, but was still short of money. There were the bricks, sand, and lime for the schoolroom to be purchased, and it would also be necessary to begin saving up again for the machinery for the windmill. Then there were lamp oil and candles for the house, sugar for Napoleon's own table (he forbade this to the other pigs, on the ground that it made them fat), and all the usual replacements such as tools, nails, string, coal, wire, scrap-iron, and dog biscuits. A stump of hay and part of the potato crop were sold off, and the contract for eggs was increased to six hundred a week, so that that year the hens barely hatched enough chicks to keep their numbers at the same level. Rations, reduced in December, were reduced again in February, and lanterns in the stalls were forbidden to save oil. But the pigs seemed comfortable enough, and in fact were putting on weight if anything. One afternoon in late February a warm, rich, appetising scent, such as the animals had never smelt before, wafted itself across the yard from the little brew-house, which had been disused in Jones's time, and which stood beyond the kitchen. Someone said it was the smell of cooking barley. The animals sniffed the air hungrily and wondered whether a warm mash was being prepared for their supper. But no warm mash appeared, and on the following Sunday it was announced that from now onwards all barley would be reserved for the pigs. The field beyond the orchard had already been sown with barley. And the news soon leaked out that every pig was now receiving a ration of a pint of beer daily, with half a gallon for Napoleon himself, which was always served to him in the Crown Derby soup tureen.

莊園度過了相當順利的一年，但是，他們的錢還是不夠用。建學(xué)堂用的磚頭、沙子、石灰和風(fēng)車用的機器得花錢去買。莊主院需要的燈油和蠟燭，拿破侖食用的糖(他禁止其他豬吃糖，原因是吃糖會使他們發(fā)胖)，也得花錢去買。再加上所有日用的勤雜品，諸如工具、釘子、繩子、煤、鐵絲、鐵塊和狗食餅干等等，開銷不小。為此，又得重新攢錢。剩余的干草和部分土豆收成已經(jīng)賣掉，雞蛋合同又增加到每周六百個。因此在這一年中，孵出的小雞連起碼的數(shù)目都不夠，雞群幾乎沒法維持在過去的數(shù)目水平上。十二月份已經(jīng)減少的口糧，二月份又削減了一次，為了省油，窩棚里也禁止點燈。但是，豬好像倒很舒服，而且事實上，即使有上述情況存在，他們的體重仍有增加。二月末的一個下午，有一股動物們以前從沒有聞到過的新鮮、濃郁、令他們饞涎欲滴的香味，從廚房那一邊小釀造房里飄過院子來，那間小釀造房在瓊斯時期就已棄置不用了。有動物說，這是蒸煮大麥的味道。他們貪婪地嗅著香氣，心里都在暗自猜測：這是不是在為他們的晚餐準備熱乎乎的大麥糊糊。但是，晚飯時并沒有見到熱乎乎的大麥糊糊。而且在隨后的那個星期天，又宣布了一個通告，說是從今往后，所有的大麥要貯存給豬用。而在此之前，蘋果園那邊的田里就早已種上了大麥。不久，又傳出這樣一個消息，說是現(xiàn)在每頭豬每天都要領(lǐng)用一品脫啤酒，拿破侖則獨自領(lǐng)用半磅，通常都是盛在德貝郡出產(chǎn)的瓷制的帶蓋湯碗里。

But if there were hardships to be borne, they were partly offset by the fact that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before. There were more songs, more speeches, more processions. Napoleon had commanded that once a week there should be held something called a Spontaneous Demonstration, the object of which was to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of Animal Farm. At the appointed time the animals would leave their work and march round the precincts of the farm in

但是，不管受了什么氣，不管日子多么難熬，只要一想到他們現(xiàn)在活得比從前體面，他們也就覺得還可以說得過去。現(xiàn)在歌聲多，演講多，活動多。拿破侖已經(jīng)指示，每周應(yīng)當舉行一次叫做“自發(fā)游行”的活動，目的在于慶祝動物莊園的奮斗成果和興旺景象。每到既定時刻，動物們便紛紛放下工作，列隊繞著莊園的邊界游行，豬帶頭，然后是馬、牛、羊，接著是家禽。狗在隊伍兩側(cè)，拿破侖的黑公雞走在隊伍的最前頭。鮑克瑟和克拉弗還總要扯著一面綠旗，旗上標著蹄掌和犄角，以及“拿破侖同志萬歲!”的標語。游行之后，是背誦贊頌?zāi)闷苼龅脑姷幕顒?，接著是演講，由斯奎拉報告飼料增產(chǎn)的最新數(shù)據(jù)。而且不時還要鳴槍慶賀。羊?qū)?ldquo;自發(fā)游行”活動最為熱心，如果哪個動物抱怨(個別動物有時趁豬和狗不在場就會發(fā)牢騷)說這是浪費時間，只不過意味著老是站在那里受凍，羊就肯定會起響亮地叫起“四條腿號，兩條腿壞”，頓時就叫得他們啞口無言。但大體上說，動物們搞這些慶?；顒舆€是興致勃勃的。歸根到底，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)正是在這些活動中，他們才感到他們真正是當家做主了，所做的一切都是在為自己謀福利，想到這些，他們也就心滿意足。因而，在歌聲中，在游戲中，在斯奎拉列舉的數(shù)字中，在鳴槍聲中，在黑公雞的啼叫聲中，在綠旗的飄揚中，他們就可以至少在部分時間里忘卻他們的肚子還是空蕩蕩的。

military formation, with the pigs leading, then the horses, then the cows, then the sheep, and then the poultry. The dogs flanked the procession and at the head of all marched Napoleon's black cockerel. Boxer and Clover always carried between them a green banner marked with the hoof and the horn and the caption, "Long live Comrade Napoleon!" Afterwards there were recitations of poems composed in Napoleon's honour, and a speech by Squealer giving particulars of the latest increases in the production of foodstuffs, and on occasion a shot was fired from the gun. The sheep were the greatest devotees of the Spontaneous Demonstration, and if anyone complained (as a few animals sometimes did, when no pigs or dogs were near) that they wasted time and meant a lot of standing about in the cold, the sheep were sure to silence him with a tremendous bleating of "Four legs good, two legs bad!" But by and large the animals enjoyed these celebrations. They found it comforting to be reminded that, after all, they were truly their own masters and that the work they did was for their own benefit. So that, what with the songs, the processions, Squealer's lists of figures, the thunder of the gun, the crowing of the cockerel, and the fluttering of the flag, they were able to forget that their bellies were empty, at least part of the time.

四月份，動物莊園宣告成為“動物共和國”，在所難免的是要選舉一位總統(tǒng)，可候選人只有一個，就是拿破侖，他被一致推舉就任總統(tǒng)。同一天，又公布了有關(guān)斯諾鮑和瓊斯串通一氣的新證據(jù)，其中涉及到很多詳細情況。這樣，現(xiàn)在看來，斯諾鮑不僅詭計多端地破壞“牛棚大戰(zhàn)”，這一點動物們以前已有印象了，而且是公開地為瓊斯作幫兇。事實上，正是他充當了那伙人的元兇，他在參加混戰(zhàn)之前，還高喊過“人類萬歲!”有些動物仍記得斯諾鮑背上帶了傷，但那實際上是拿破侖親自咬的。

In April, Animal Farm was proclaimed a Republic, and it became necessary to elect a President. There was only one candidate, Napoleon, who was elected unanimously. On the same day it was given out that fresh documents had been discovered which revealed further details about Snowball's complicity with Jones. It now appeared that Snowball had not, as the animals had previously imagined, merely attempted to lose the Battle of the Cowshed by means of a stratagem, but had been openly fighting on Jones's side. In fact, it was he who had actually been the leader of the human forces, and had charged into battle with the words "Long live Humanity!" on his lips. The wounds on Snowball's back, which a few of the animals still remembered to have seen, had been inflicted by Napoleon's teeth.

仲夏時節(jié)，烏鴉摩西在失蹤數(shù)年之后，突然又回到莊園。他幾乎沒有什么變化，照舊不干活，照舊口口聲聲地講著“蜜糖山”的老一套。誰要是愿意聽，他就拍打著黑翅膀飛到一根樹樁上，滔滔不絕地講起來：“在那里，同志們，”他一本正經(jīng)地講著，并用大嘴巴指著天空——“在那里，就在你們看到的那團烏云那邊——那兒有座‘蜜糖山’。那個幸福的國度將是我們可憐的動物擺脫了塵世之后的歸宿!”他甚至聲稱曾在一次高空飛行中到過那里，并看到了那里一望無際的苜蓿地，亞麻子餅和方糖就長在樹籬上。很多動物相信了他的話。他們推想，他們現(xiàn)在生活在饑餓和勞累之中，那么換一種情形，難道就不該合情合理地有一個好得多的世界嗎?難以談判的是豬對待摩西的態(tài)度，他們都輕蔑地稱他那些“蜜糖山”的說法全是謊言，可是仍然允許他留在莊園，允許他不干活，每天還給他一吉爾的啤酒作為補貼。

In the middle of the summer Moses the raven suddenly reappeared on the farm, after an absence of several years. He was quite unchanged, still did no work, and talked in the same strain as ever about Sugarcandy Mountain. He would perch on a stump, flap his black wings, and talk by the hour to anyone who would listen. "Up there, comrades," he would say solemnly, pointing to the sky with his large beak--"up there, just on the other side of that dark cloud that you can see--there it lies, Sugarcandy Mountain, that happy country where we poor animals shall rest for ever from our labours!" He even claimed to have been there on one of his higher flights, and to have seen the everlasting fields of clover and the linseed cake and lump sugar growing on the hedges. Many of the animals believed him. Their lives now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious; was it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere else? A thing that was difficult to determine was the attitude of the pigs towards Moses. They all declared contemptuously that his stories about Sugarcandy Mountain were lies, and yet they allowed him to remain on the farm, not working, with an allowance of a gill of beer a day.

鮑克瑟的蹄掌痊愈之后，他干活就更拼命了。其實，在這一年，所有的動物干起活來都象奴隸一般。莊園里除了那些常見的活和第三次建造風(fēng)車的事之外，還要給年幼的豬蓋學(xué)堂，這一工程是在三月份動工的。有時，在食不果腹的情況下長時間勞動是難以忍受的，但鮑克瑟從未退縮過。他的一言一行沒有任何跡象表明他的干勁不如過去，只是外貌上有點小小的變化：他的皮毛沒有以前那么光亮，粗壯的腰部似乎也有點萎縮。別的動物說：“等春草長上來時，鮑克瑟就會慢慢恢復(fù)過來”;但是，春天來了，鮑克瑟卻并沒有長胖。有時，當他在通往礦頂?shù)钠律?，用盡全身氣力頂著那些巨型圓石頭的重荷的時候，撐持他的力量仿佛唯有不懈的意志了。這種時候，他總是一聲不吭，但猛地看上去，似乎還隱約見到他口中念念有詞“我要更加努力工作”?？死ズ捅窘苊饔忠淮尉嫠斝纳眢w，但鮑克瑟不予理會。他的十二歲生日臨近了，但他沒有放在心上，而一心一意想的只是在領(lǐng)取養(yǎng)老津貼之前把石頭攢夠。

After his hoof had healed up, Boxer worked harder than ever. Indeed, all the animals worked like slaves that year. Apart from the regular work of the farm, and the rebuilding of the windmill, there was the schoolhouse for the young pigs, which was started in March. Sometimes the long hours on insufficient food were hard to bear, but Boxer never faltered. In nothing that he said or did was there any sign that his strength was not what it had been. It was only his appearance that was a little altered; his hide was less shiny than it had used to be, and his great haunches seemed to have shrunken. The others said, "Boxer will pick up when the spring grass comes on"; but the spring came and Boxer grew no fatter. Sometimes on the slope leading to the top of the quarry, when he braced his muscles against the weight of some vast boulder, it seemed that nothing kept him on his feet except the will to continue. At such times his lips were seen to form the words, "I will work harder"; he had no voice left. Once again Clover and Benjamin warned him to take care of his health, but Boxer paid no attention. His twelfth birthday was approaching. He did not care what happened so long as a good store of stone was accumulated before he went on pension. Late one evening in the summer, a sudden rumour ran round the farm that something had happened to Boxer. He had gone out alone to drag a load of stone down to the windmill. And sure enough, the rumour was true. A few minutes later two pigeons came racing in with the news; "Boxer has fallen! He is lying on his side and can't get up!"

夏天的一個傍晚，快到天黑的時候，有個突如其來的消息傳遍整個莊園，說鮑克瑟出了什么事。在這之前，他曾獨自外出，往風(fēng)車那里拉了一車石頭。果然，消息是真的。幾分鐘后兩只鴿子急速飛過來，帶來消息說：“鮑克瑟倒下去了!他現(xiàn)在正側(cè)著身體躺在那里，站不起來了!”

About half the animals on the farm rushed out to the knoll where the windmill stood. There lay Boxer, between the shafts of the cart, his neck stretched out, unable even to raise his head. His eyes were glazed, his sides matted with sweat. A thin stream of blood had trickled out of his mouth. Clover dropped to her knees at his side.

莊園里大約有一半動物沖了出去，趕到建風(fēng)車的小山包上。鮑克瑟就躺在那里。他在車轅中間伸著脖子，連頭也抬不起來，眼睛眨巴著，兩肋的毛被汗水粘得一團一團的，嘴里流出一股稀稀的鮮血?？死ス虻乖谒纳磉叀?/p>

"Boxer!" she cried, "how are you?"

“鮑克瑟!”她呼喊道，“你怎么啦?”

"It is my lung," said Boxer in a weak voice. "It does not matter. I think you will be able to finish the windmill without me. There is a pretty good store of stone accumulated. I had only another month to go in any case. To tell you the truth, I had been looking forward to my retirement. And perhaps, as Benjamin is growing old too, they will let him retire at the same time and be a companion to me."

“我的肺，”鮑克瑟用微弱的聲音說，“沒關(guān)系，我想沒有我你們也能建成風(fēng)車，備用的石頭已經(jīng)積攢夠了。我充其量只有一個月時間了。不瞞你說，我一直盼望著退休。眼看本杰明年老了，說不定他們會讓他同時退休，和我作個伴。”

"We must get help at once," said Clover. "Run, somebody, and tell Squealer what has happened."

“我們會得到幫助的，”克拉弗叫到，“快，誰跑去告訴斯奎拉出事啦。”

All the other animals immediately raced back to the farmhouse to give Squealer the news. Only Clover remained, and Benjamin who lay down at Boxer's side, and, without speaking, kept the flies off him with his long tail. After about a quarter of an hour Squealer appeared, full of sympathy and concern. He said that Comrade Napoleon had learned with the very deepest distress of this misfortune to one of the most loyal workers on the farm, and was already making arrangements to send Boxer to be treated in the hospital at Willingdon. The animals felt a little uneasy at this. Except for Mollie and Snowball, no other animal had ever left the farm, and they did not like to think of their sick comrade in the hands of human beings. However, Squealer easily convinced them that the veterinary surgeon in Willingdon could treat Boxer's case more satisfactorily than could be done on the farm. And about half an hour later, when Boxer had somewhat recovered, he was with difficulty got on to his feet, and managed to limp back to his stall, where Clover and Benjamin had prepared a good bed of straw for him.

其他動物全都立即跑回莊主院，向斯奎拉報告這一消息，只有克拉弗和本杰明留下來。本杰明躺在鮑克瑟旁邊，不聲不響地用他的長尾巴給鮑克瑟趕蒼蠅。大約過了一刻鐘，斯奎拉滿懷同情和關(guān)切趕到現(xiàn)場。他說拿破侖同志已得知此事，對莊園里這樣一位最忠誠的成員發(fā)生這種不幸感到十分悲傷，而且已在安排把鮑克瑟送往威靈頓的醫(yī)院治療。動物們對此感到有些不安，因為除了莫麗和斯諾鮑之外，其他動物從未離開過莊園，他們不愿想到把一位患病的同志交給人類。然而，斯奎拉毫不費力地說服了他們，他說在威靈頓的獸醫(yī)院比在莊園里能更好地治療鮑克瑟的病。大約過了半小時，鮑克瑟有些好轉(zhuǎn)了，他好不容易才站起來，一步一顫地回到他的廄棚，里面已經(jīng)由克拉弗和本杰明給他準備了一個舒適的稻草床。

For the next two days Boxer remained in his stall. The pigs had sent out a large bottle of pink medicine which they had found in the medicine chest in the bathroom, and Clover administered it to Boxer twice a day after meals. In the evenings she lay in his stall and talked to him, while Benjamin kept the flies off him. Boxer professed not to be sorry for what had happened. If he made a good recovery, he might expect to live another three years, and he looked forward to the peaceful days that he would spend in the corner of the big pasture. It would be the first time that he had had leisure to study and improve his mind. He intended, he said, to devote the rest of his life to learning the remaining twenty-two letters of the alphabet.

此后兩天里，鮑克瑟就呆在他的廄棚里。豬送來了一大瓶紅色的藥，那是他們在衛(wèi)生間的藥柜里發(fā)現(xiàn)的，由克拉弗在飯后給鮑克瑟服用，每天用藥兩次。晚上，她躺在他的棚子里和他聊天，本杰明給他趕蒼蠅。鮑克瑟聲言對所發(fā)生的事并不后悔。如果他能徹底康復(fù)，他還希望自己能再活上三年。他盼望著能在大牧場的一角平平靜靜地住上一陣。那樣的話，他就能第一次騰出空來學(xué)習(xí)，以增長才智。他說，他打算利用全部余生去學(xué)習(xí)字母表上還剩下的二十二個字母。

However, Benjamin and Clover could only be with Boxer after working hours, and it was in the middle of the day when the van came to take him away. The animals were all at work weeding turnips under the supervision of a pig, when they were astonished to see Benjamin come galloping from the direction of the farm buildings, braying at the top of his voice. It was the first time that they had ever seen Benjamin excited--indeed, it was the first time that anyone had ever seen him gallop. "Quick, quick!" he shouted. "Come at once! They're taking Boxer away!" Without waiting for orders from the pig, the animals broke off work and raced back to the farm buildings. Sure enough, there in the yard was a large closed van, drawn by two horses, with lettering on its side and a sly-looking man in a low-crowned bowler hat sitting on the driver's seat. And Boxer's stall was empty.

然而，本杰明和克拉弗只有在收工之后才能和鮑克瑟在一起。而正是那一天中午，有一輛車來了，拉走了鮑克瑟。當時，動物們正在一頭豬的監(jiān)視下忙著在蘿卜地里除草，忽然，他們驚訝地看著本杰明從莊園窩棚那邊飛奔而來，一邊還扯著嗓子大叫著。這是他們第一次見到本杰明如此激動，事實上，也是第一次看到他奔跑。“快，快!”他大聲喊著，“快來呀!他們要拉走鮑克瑟!”沒等豬下命令，動物們?nèi)挤畔禄钣?，迅速跑回去了。果然，院子里停著一輛大篷車，由兩匹馬拉著，車邊上寫著字，駕車人的位置上坐著一個男人，陰沉著臉，頭戴一頂?shù)烷軋A禮帽。鮑克瑟的棚子空著。

The animals crowded round the van. "Good-bye, Boxer!" they chorused, "good-bye!"

動物們圍住車，異口同聲地說：“再見，鮑克瑟!再見!”

"Fools! Fools!" shouted Benjamin, prancing round them and stamping the earth with his small hoofs. "Fools! Do you not see what is written on the side of that van?"

“笨蛋!傻瓜!”本杰明喊著，繞著他們一邊跳，一邊用他的小蹄掌敲打著地面：“傻瓜!你們沒看見車邊上寫著什么嗎?”

That gave the animals pause, and there was a hush. Muriel began to spell out the words. But Benjamin pushed her aside and in the midst of a deadly silence he read:

這下子，動物們猶豫了，場面也靜了下來。穆麗爾開始拼讀那些字?？杀窘苊鲄s把她推到了一邊，他自己就在死一般的寂靜中念到：

"'Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied.' Do you not understand what that means? They are taking Boxer to the knacker's!"

“‘威靈頓，艾夫列·西蒙茲，屠馬商兼煮膠商，皮革商兼供應(yīng)狗食的骨粉商。’你們不明白這是什么意思嗎?他們要把鮑克瑟拉到在宰馬場去!”

A cry of horror burst from all the animals. At this moment the man on the box whipped up his horses and the van moved out of the yard at a smart trot. All the animals followed, crying out at the tops of their voices. Clover forced her way to the front. The van began to gather speed. Clover tried to stir her stout limbs to a gallop, and achieved a canter. "Boxer!" she cried. "Boxer! Boxer! Boxer!" And just at this moment, as though he had heard the uproar outside, Boxer's face, with the white stripe down his nose, appeared at the small window at the back of the van.

聽到這些，所有的動物都突然迸發(fā)出一陣恐懼的哭嚎。就在這時，坐在車上的那個人揚鞭催馬，馬車在一溜小跑中離開大院。所有的動物都跟在后面，拼命地叫喊著。克拉弗硬擠到最前面。這時，馬車開始加速，克拉弗也試圖加快她那粗壯的四肢趕上去，并且越跑越快，“鮑克瑟!”她哭喊道，“鮑克瑟!鮑克瑟!鮑克瑟!”恰在這時，好像鮑克瑟聽到了外面的喧囂聲，他的面孔，帶著一道直通鼻子的白毛，出現(xiàn)在車后的小窗子里。

"Boxer!" cried Clover in a terrible voice. "Boxer! Get out! Get out quickly! They're taking you to your death!"

“鮑克瑟!”克拉弗凄厲地哭喊道，“鮑克瑟!出來!快出來!他們要送你去死!”

All the animals took up the cry of "Get out, Boxer, get out!" But the van was already gathering speed and drawing away from them. It was uncertain whether Boxer had understood what Clover had said. But a moment later his face disappeared from the window and there was the sound of a tremendous drumming of hoofs inside the van. He was trying to kick his way out. The time had been when a few kicks from Boxer's hoofs would have smashed the van to matchwood. But alas! his strength had left him; and in a few moments the sound of drumming hoofs grew fainter and died away. In desperation the animals began appealing to the two horses which drew the van to stop. "Comrades, comrades!" they shouted. "Don't take your own brother to his death! "But the stupid brutes, too ignorant to realise what was happening, merely set back their ears and quickened their pace. Boxer's face did not reappear at the window. Too late, someone thought of racing ahead and shutting the five-barred gate; but in another moment the van was through it and rapidly disappearing down the road. Boxer was never seen again.

所有的動物一齊跟著哭喊起來，“出來，鮑克瑟，快出來!”但馬車已經(jīng)加速，離他們越來越遠了。說不準鮑克瑟到底是不是聽清了克拉弗喊的那些話。但不一會，他的臉從窗上消失了，接著車內(nèi)響起一陣巨大的馬蹄踢蹬聲。他是在試圖踹開車子出來。按說只要幾下，鮑克瑟就能把車廂踢個粉碎?？墒翘彀?時過境遷，他已沒有力氣起了;一忽兒，馬蹄的踢蹬聲漸漸變?nèi)踔敝料Я恕^不顧身的動物便開始懇求拉車的兩匹馬停下來，“朋友，朋友!”他們大聲呼喊，“別把你們的親兄弟拉去送死!”但是那兩匹愚蠢的畜牲，竟然傻得不知道這是怎么回事，只管豎起耳朵加速奔跑。鮑克瑟的面孔再也沒有出現(xiàn)在窗子上。有的動物想跑到前面關(guān)上五柵門，但是太晚了，一瞬間，馬車就已沖出大門，飛快地消失在大路上。再也見不到鮑克瑟了。

Three days later it was announced that he had died in the hospital at Willingdon, in spite of receiving every attention a horse could have. Squealer came to announce the news to the others. He had, he said, been present during Boxer's last hours.

三天之后，據(jù)說他已死在威靈頓的醫(yī)院里，但是，作為一匹馬，他已經(jīng)得到了無微不至的照顧。這個消息是由斯奎拉當眾宣布的，他說，在鮑克瑟生前的最后幾小時里，他一直守候在場。

"It was the most affecting sight I have ever seen!" said Squealer, lifting his trotter and wiping away a tear. "I was at his bedside at the very last. And at the end, almost too weak to speak, he whispered in my ear that his sole sorrow was to have passed on before the windmill was finished. 'Forward, comrades!' he whispered. 'Forward in the name of the Rebellion. Long live Animal Farm! Long live Comrade Napoleon! Napoleon is always right.' Those were his very last words, comrades."

“那是我見到過的最受感動的場面!”他一邊說，一邊抬起蹄子抹去一滴淚水，“在最后一刻我守在他床邊。臨終前，他幾乎衰弱得說不出話來，他湊在我的耳邊輕聲說，他唯一遺憾的是在風(fēng)車建成之前死去。他低聲說：‘同志們，前進!以起義的名義前進，動物莊園萬歲!拿破侖同志萬歲!拿破侖永遠正確。’同志們，這些就是他的臨終遺言。”

Here Squealer's demeanour suddenly changed. He fell silent for a moment, and his little eyes darted suspicious glances from side to side before he proceeded.

講到這里，斯奎拉忽然變了臉色，他沉默一會，用他那雙小眼睛射出的疑神疑鬼的目光掃視了一下會場，才繼續(xù)講下去。

It had come to his knowledge, he said, that a foolish and wicked rumour had been circulated at the time of Boxer's removal. Some of the animals had noticed that the van which took Boxer away was marked "Horse Slaughterer," and had actually jumped to the conclusion that Boxer was being sent to the knacker's. It was almost unbelievable, said Squealer, that any animal could be so stupid. Surely, he cried indignantly, whisking his tail and skipping from side to side, surely they knew their beloved Leader, Comrade Napoleon, better than that? But the explanation was really very simple. The van had previously been the property of the knacker, and had been bought by the veterinary surgeon, who had not yet painted the old name out. That was how the mistake had arisen.

他說，據(jù)他所知，鮑克瑟給拉走后，莊園上流傳著一個愚蠢的、不懷好意的謠言。有的動物注意到，拉走鮑克瑟的馬車上有“屠馬商”的標記，就信口開河地說，鮑克瑟被送到宰馬場了。他說，幾乎難以置信竟有這么傻的動物。他擺著尾巴左右蹦跳著，憤憤地責(zé)問，從這一點來看，他們真的很了解敬愛的領(lǐng)袖拿破侖同志嗎?其實，答案十分簡單，那輛車以前曾歸一個屠馬商所有，但獸醫(yī)院已買下了它，不過他們還沒有來得及把舊名字涂掉。正是因為這一點，才引起大家的誤會。

The animals were enormously relieved to hear this. And when Squealer went on to give further graphic details of Boxer's death-bed, the admirable care he had received, and the expensive medicines for which Napoleon had paid without a thought as to the cost, their last doubts disappeared and the sorrow that they felt for their comrade's death was tempered by the thought that at least he had died happy.

動物們聽到這里，都大大地松了一口氣。接著斯奎拉繼續(xù)繪聲繪色地描述著鮑克瑟的靈床和他所受到的優(yōu)待，還有拿破侖為他不惜一切代價購置的貴重藥品等等細節(jié)。于是他們打消了最后一絲疑慮，想到他們的同志在幸福中死去，他們的悲哀也消解了。

Napoleon himself appeared at the meeting on the following Sunday morning and pronounced a short oration in Boxer's honour. It had not been possible, he said, to bring back their lamented comrade's remains for interment on the farm, but he had ordered a large wreath to be made from the laurels in the farmhouse garden and sent down to be placed on Boxer's grave. And in a few days' time the pigs intended to hold a memorial banquet in Boxer's honour. Napoleon ended his speech with a reminder of Boxer's two favourite maxims, "I will work harder" and "Comrade Napoleon is always right"--maxims, he said, which every animal would do well to adopt as his own.

在接下來那個星期天早晨的會議上，拿破侖親自到會，為向鮑克瑟致敬宣讀了一篇簡短的悼辭。他說，已經(jīng)不可能把他們亡故的同志的遺體拉回來并埋葬在莊園里了。但他已指示，用莊主院花園里的月桂花做一個大花圈，送到鮑克瑟的墓前。并且，幾天之后，豬還打算為向鮑克瑟致哀舉行一追悼宴會。最后，拿破侖以“我要更加努力工作”和“拿破侖同志永遠正確”這兩句鮑克瑟心愛的格言結(jié)束了他的講話。在提到這兩句格言時，他說，每個動物都應(yīng)該把這兩句格言作為自己的借鑒，并認真地貫徹到實際行動中去。

On the day appointed for the banquet, a grocer's van drove up from Willingdon and delivered a large wooden crate at the farmhouse. That night there was the sound of uproarious singing, which was followed by what sounded like a violent quarrel and ended at about eleven o'clock with a tremendous crash of glass. No one stirred in the farmhouse before noon on the following day, and the word went round that from somewhere or other the pigs had acquired the money to buy themselves another case of whisky.

到了確定為宴會的那一天，一輛雜貨商的馬車從威靈頓駛來，在莊主院交付了一只大木箱。當天晚上，莊主院里傳來一陣鼓噪的歌聲，在此之后，又響起了另外一種聲音，聽上去象是在激烈地吵鬧，這吵鬧聲直到十一點左右的時候，在一陣打碎了玻璃的巨響聲中才靜了下來。直到第二天中午之前，莊主院不見任何動靜。同時，又流傳著這樣一個小道消息，說豬先前不知從哪里搞到了一筆錢，并給他們又買了一箱威士忌。