格林童話：一群二流子(英)

　　Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

　　The rooster said to the hen, "Now is the time when the nuts are getting ripe. Let us go up the mountain together, and for once eat our fill, before the squirrel takes them all away."

　　"Yes," answered the hen. "Come, let us go and have some fun together.

　　Together they went up the mountain, and since it was a clear day, they stayed until evening.

　　Now I don't know whether it was because they had overeaten, or they were just in high spirits, but —— to make a long story short —— they did not want to go back home on foot, so the rooster had to make a little carriage out of nutshells.

　　When it was finished, the hen sat down in it and said to the rooster, "You can hitch yourself to it."

　　"You are dreaming!" said the rooster. "I would rather go home on foot than have myself hitched up. That was not our agreement. I want to be the coachman and sit in the driver's seat. I am not going to pull it."

　　While they were quarreling about this, a duck came quacking by. "You thieves, who invited you to my nut mountain? Wait! You'll be sorry!" And with an open beak she attacked the rooster.

　　The rooster did not take this lying down. Jumping furiously onto the duck, he hacked at her so fiercely with one of his spurs that she begged for mercy, and as punishment she had to accept being hitched to the carriage.

　　So the rooster sat in the driver's seat and was the coachman, and away they sped.

　　"Run, duck! Run as fast as you can!"

　　After they had traveled a little way they met two people on foot, a pin and a needle.

　　"Stop! Stop!" shouted the pin and the needle, saying that soon it would be pitch dark, and they would not be able to walk another step. Moreover, the road was very dirty. They asked if they would not be able to climb inside for a little way, explaining that they had been at the tailor's tavern just outside the town gate, and that they had sat there too long over their beer.

　　Seeing that they were thin people and would not take up much room, the rooster let them both climb in, although they did have to promise that they would not step on his or on the hen's feet.

　　Late that evening they came to an inn, where they turned in, not wanting to drive any further into the night. Furthermore, the duck's feet were not doing well, and she was waddling from one side to the other.

　　At first the innkeeper did not want to receive them. He said that his inn was already full, but he was also thinking that these were not very respectable people. They begged him with their kindest words, offering to give him the egg that the hen had laid on the way, and telling him that he could keep the duck, who laid an egg every day. Finally he said that they could spend the night there.

　　They ordered food and drink, and had a high time.

　　Early the next morning, just as it was getting light, and everyone was still asleep, the rooster woke up the hen. They got the egg, pecked it open, and ate it together, throwing the shells into the fireplace. Then they went to the needle, who was still asleep, grabbed it by the head, and stuck it into the innkeeper's seat cushion. They stuck the pin into his towel, and then without further ado they fled across the heath.

　　The duck, who preferred to sleep under the open sky, had spent the night in the courtyard, and she heard them sneaking away. She forced herself to wake up, found a brook, and swam away downstream, much faster than she had traveled in front of the carriage.

　　A few hours later the innkeeper climbed out of the feathers, washed himself, and started to dry off on the towel when the pin went across his face, leaving a red streak from one ear to the other. Then he went into the kitchen. He wanted to light his pipe, but as he approached the fireplace, the eggshells sprang into his eyes.

　　"Everything is after my head today," he said, sitting down crossly in the grandfather chair, but he jumped up immediately, shouting, "Ouch!" The needle had stuck him even worse, and not in the head.

　　Now he was totally angry. Suspecting the guests who had arrived so late yesterday evening, he went to look for them, but they were gone.

　　He then vowed never again to take in such a pack of scoundrels who eat and drink a lot, pay nothing, and for thanks play mean tricks.

　　有一次，公雞對母雞說：「現(xiàn)在正是核桃成熟的時候，我們要趁著松鼠還沒有把核桃全部吃完，趕緊進(jìn)山去吃個夠?！埂笇ρ?，」母雞答道，「走吧，我們可以好好地享受享受?！?fàn)瓊冹妒蔷蜕狭松?，而且因為天氣晴朗，一直在山上呆到天黑。不知道牠們究竟是因為吃多了撐著呢，還是因為牠們突然變得心高氣傲起來，牠們竟然不愿意步行回家。公雞用核桃殼做了一輛小車。車子做好后，小母雞坐了上去對公雞說：「你只管在前面拉車吧?！埂缸屛依?」公雞嚷了起來，「我寧愿步行回家也不愿意拉車。不行，我決不答應(yīng)!要我坐在車上當(dāng)個車伕還可以，可要我拉車，這根本不可能?！?/p>

　　就在牠們這樣爭論的時候，一只鴨子嘎嘎嘎地叫著對牠們說：「你們這兩個小偷，是誰同意你們上我的核桃山的?等著，我要讓你們吃點苦頭!」?fàn)f著便張開闊嘴，向公雞撲過去。但是公雞并非等閑之輩，毫不示弱地向鴨子反擊，對著鴨子猛踢猛蹬，弄得鴨子只好低頭求饒，并且愿意接受懲罰，給牠們拉車。小公雞坐在車伕的位子上，高高地叫了一聲：「鴨子，盡量給我跑快點!」小車便飛快地向前駛?cè)?。牠們走了一程后，遇到了兩個趕路的，一個是大頭針，一個是縫衣針?！竿Ｒ煌?，停一停!」它倆喊道。然后又說，天快要黑了，它們寸步難行，而且路上又髒得要命，所以問能不能搭一會兒車。它倆還說，它們在城門口裁縫們常去的酒店里喝啤酒，結(jié)果呆得太晚了。由於它倆都骨瘦如柴，佔不了多少位子，公雞便讓它們上了車，條件是要它們保證不踩到牠和母雞的腳。天黑了很久以后，牠們來到了一家旅店前。牠們不愿意在黑夜里繼續(xù)趕路，再加上鴨子的腳力又不行，跑起來已經(jīng)是左搖右擺，牠們便進(jìn)了店里。店主人起初提出了許多異議，說甚么店已經(jīng)住滿了，而且他覺得牠們不是甚么高貴的客人?？蔂瓊冋f了很多好話，說要把小母雞在路上生的雞蛋給他，還把每天能生一只蛋的鴨子留給他，他終於答應(yīng)讓牠們在店里過夜。

　　第二天清早，天剛濛濛亮，大家都還在睡夢中，公雞卻叫醒了母雞，取出那只雞蛋，把它啄破，和母雞一起把蛋吃進(jìn)了肚子，再把蛋殼扔進(jìn)火爐。然后，牠們來到還在沉睡的縫衣針旁，抓住它的腦袋，把它插進(jìn)店老闆椅子的坐墊中，又把大頭針插在店老闆的毛巾里。做完這些后，公雞和母雞便飛快地逃走了。鴨子因為喜歡睡在露天，所以晚上一直呆在院子里，沒有進(jìn)屋。牠聽到公雞和母雞逃跑了，心里萬分高興。牠找到一條小溪，順著它游了下去——這種旅行的方法當(dāng)然要比拉車快多了。

　　幾個小時之后，店老闆才起來。他洗了洗臉，準(zhǔn)備用毛巾擦一擦，結(jié)果大頭針從他的臉上劃過，在他的臉上留下了一道直至耳根的長長的血印。他走進(jìn)廚房，想點燃煙斗，可當(dāng)他走到火爐旁時，雞蛋殼從火爐里蹦了出來，碰到了他的眼睛?！附裉煸绯亢孟裆趺炊几疫^不去?！顾f，同時氣呼呼地在他爺爺留給他的椅子上坐了下來?？伤⒖逃痔似饋恚医兄骸赴?哎喲!」那縫衣針雖然沒有紮著他的臉，卻比大頭針扎得更厲害。他現(xiàn)在真的氣壞了，不由得懷疑起昨天很晚才住進(jìn)店來的那幫客人。他去找牠們，結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)牠們早已逃得無影無蹤了。他於是發(fā)誓說，他的店里今后決不再接待任何二流子，因為這幫傢伙吃得多，不付一分錢，而且還忘恩負(fù)義地對你做惡作劇。