吹小號的天鵝 第17期 路易斯

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第五章 路易斯

One evening a few weeks later, when the cygnetswere asleep, the swan said to the cob,

幾周后的一個晚上，當小天鵝們還在睡著的時候，雌天鵝對雄天鵝說：

"Have you noticed anything different about one ofour children, the one we call Louis?"

“你注意到他和別的孩子有什么不同了嗎，就是我們叫路易斯的那個?”

"Different?" replied the cob.

“不同?”雄天鵝說，

"In what way is Louis different from his brothers and sisters? Louis looks all right to me.

“路易斯和他的哥哥姐姐們有什么不同?我覺得路易斯看上去哪兒都很好嘛。

He is growing well; he swims and dives beautifully.

他長得很快;游泳和潛水的姿勢都很漂亮。

He eats well. He will soon have his flight feathers."

他的胃口也不錯。他很快就要長出他的飛羽了。”

"Oh, he looks all right," said the swan. "And heaven knows he eats enough.

“噢，他看上去是很好，”雌天鵝說，“老天知道，他吃得已經(jīng)夠多的了。

He's healthy and bright and a great swimmer.

他健康活潑，還是個了不起的游泳家。

But have you ever heard Louis make any sound, as the others do?

但你曾聽過他發(fā)什么聲嗎，就像別的孩子一樣?

Have you ever heard him use his voice or say anything? Have you ever heard him utter a singlebeep or a single burble?"

你曾聽他親口說過什么嗎?你曾聽他發(fā)過‘嗶’聲或者嘀咕過嗎?”

"Come to think of it, I never have," replied the cob, who was beginning to look worried.

“這么想來，我還真的從沒聽過呢。”雄天鵝回答。他開始擔心了。

"Have you ever heard Louis say good night to us, as the others do?

“你聽過路易斯對我們道晚安嗎，就像別的孩子們一樣?

Have you ever heard him say good morning, as the others do in their charming little way,burbling and beeping?"

你聽過他說早安嗎，就像別的孩子們一樣，用他們那可愛的方式嗶嗶嘰嘰地說?”

"Now that you mention it, I never have," said the cob.

“正像你此刻提到的，我從沒聽過，”雄天鵝說，

"Goodness! What are you getting at? Do you wish me to believe that I have a son who isdefective in any way?

“老天!你到底是什么意思?難道你希望我相信我有一個有缺陷的兒子?

Such a revelation would distress me greatly.

這種意外會讓我痛苦萬分的。

I want everything to go smoothly in my family life so that I can glide gracefully andserenely, now in the prime of my life, without being haunted by worry or disappointment.

我要我的家庭生活事事順利，這樣我才能滑翔得優(yōu)美而又安閑，現(xiàn)在我正處在生命的全盛時期，絕不該被憂愁和失望所困擾。

Fatherhood is quite a burden, at best. I do not want the added strain of having a defectivechild, a child that has something the matter with him."

最后還有一點，做父親本來就是個很大的負擔。我不想再為有了一個有缺陷的孩子，一個有某種麻煩的孩子這件事而勞神了。”

"Well," said the wife, "I've been watching Louis lately.

“哦，”妻子說，“最近我一直在觀察路易斯。

It is my opinion the little fellow can't talk. I've never heard him make one sound.

我認為這個小家伙不會說話。我從沒聽他發(fā)過聲。

I think he came into the world lacking a voice.

我想他到這個世界里來的時候就沒有嗓子。

If he had a voice, he'd use it, same as the others do."

如果他有嗓子，他早就出聲了，就像其他的孩子一樣。”

"Why, this is terrible!" said the cob. "This is distressing beyond words. This is a very seriousmatter."

“為什么，這真太可怕了!”雄天鵝說，“這是任何語言都難以形容的痛苦。這是一件非常嚴重的事情。”