There was a person 有一个人 called Nana 叫做娜娜的， who ruled the nursery 她统治着这个儿童房. Sometimes 有时候 she 她 took no notice 毫不理会 of the playthings 玩具 lying about 散乱一地的 and sometimes 有时候, for no reason whatever 莫名其妙地, she went swooping about 她去一顿乱扫 like a great wind 就像一阵大风 and hustled them away 把他们都收走 in cupboards 塞进橱柜里. She called this 她把这种工作叫做 “tidying up 打扫,” and the playthings 玩具们 all hated it 都很讨厌这种行为, especially 尤其是 the tin ones 那些锡玩具. The Rabbit 兔子 didn’t mind it 不介意 so much 那么多, for wherever 因为不管哪里 he was thrown 他被扔进 he came down soft 他都是软乎乎地掉下来.
One evening 有天晚上, when the Boy 当那个男孩 was going to bed 打算上床的时候, he couldn’t find 他找不到 the china dog 那只瓷狗that always 那只总是 slept with him 和他一起 睡觉 的. Nana 娜娜 was in a hurry 有急事, and it was too much trouble 太麻烦了 to hunt for 去寻找 china dogs 瓷狗 at bedtime 在上床睡觉时间（娜娜急着去忙别的，在孩子上床睡觉的时间去找一只瓷狗实在太麻烦）, so she simply 所以她粗粗地 looked about her 找了她一会儿, and seeing 看见 that the toy cupboard door 玩具橱柜门 stood open 打开着, she made a swoop 她就随手一抓.
“Here 这里,” she said 她说, “take your old Bunny 拿着你的老兔子! He’ll do 他能凑合 to sleep with you 陪你睡觉!” And she dragged the Rabbit out 她把兔子扯了出来 by one ear 抓着他的一只耳朵, and put him into the Boy’s arms 把他放进男孩的胳膊里.
That night那天晚上, and for many nights after 以及接下来的很多个夜晚, the Velveteen Rabbit 绒兔 slept in the Boy’s bed 都睡在男孩的床上. At first 开始 he found 他发现 it rather uncomfortable 很不舒服, for the Boy 因为这个男孩 hugged him 抱他 very tight 非常紧, and sometimes 有时候 he rolled over on him 他会滚到他身上, and sometimes 有时候 he pushed him 他推他 so far 如此远 under the pillow 在枕头下 that the Rabbit 以至于兔子 could scarcely breathe 几乎没办法呼吸（有时候男孩会把兔子塞到枕头底下深处，让他没法呼吸）. And he missed 他想念, too 也, those long moonlight hours 那些长长的月下时光 in the nursery 呆在儿童房里, when all the house 当所有的房子 was silent 都变得安静, and his talks with the Skin Horse 还有与皮马的交谈（他很想念以前，当房子里变得很安静，月光洒满儿童房，他和皮马深夜长谈的日子）.
But very soon 但是很快 he grew to like it 他越来越喜欢它了, for the Boy 因为这个男孩 used to talk to him 经常和他说话, and made nice tunnels for him 为他 做了一个漂亮的洞 under the bedclothes 在被子底下 that he said 他说 were like the burrows 就像土洞 the real rabbits lived in 真正的兔子所居住的. And they had splendid games together 他们还一起玩了很多很棒的游戏, in whispers 轻声细语地, when Nana had gone away 当娜娜走开 to her supper 去吃她的晚餐 and left the nightlight burning 留下夜晚的油灯燃着 on the mantelpiece 放在壁炉架上. And when the Boy dropped off to sleep 当男孩入睡以后, the Rabbit 兔子 would snuggle down close under his little warm chin 就会缩在他温暖的下巴底下，and dream 进入梦乡, with the Boy’s hands 男孩的手 clasped close round him 紧紧握住他 all night long 整夜地.
And so time went on 时间如流水, and the little Rabbit 小兔子 was very happy 非常高兴—so happy 如此高兴 that 以至于 he never noticed 他一点没有注意到 how his beautiful velveteen fur 他的美丽的绒布绒毛 was getting shabbier and shabbier 正在变得越来越破败, and his tail 他的尾巴 coming unsewn 开始裂开, and all the pink 所有的粉红色 rubbed off his nose 都从鼻子上被磨掉了 where the Boy had kissed him 那里就是男孩亲他的地方.
Spring came 春天来了, and they had long days 他们整天 in the garden 呆在花园里.
The Velveteen Rabbit 绒兔 is happy 很快乐 and loved garden 很喜欢花园, for wherever the Boy went 不管男孩去哪里 the Rabbit went too 兔子也会去. He had rides in the wheelbarrow 他骑过独轮手推车, and picnics on the grass 在草地上参加过野餐, and lovely fairy huts built for him 还有人为他建了一个可爱的仙子小屋 under the raspberry canes behind the flower border 就在花坛边后面的覆盆子灌木丛下.
And once 有一次, when the Boy was called away suddenly 当男孩忽然被叫走 to go out to tea 出去喝茶, the Rabbit was left out 兔子被遗忘在外面 on the lawn 草地上 until long after dusk 直到天黑后很久, and Nana had to come 娜娜只得来 and look for him 找他 with the candle 拿着蜡烛 because the Boy 因为男孩 couldn’t go to sleep 不能入睡 unless he was there 除非他在那里. He was wet through 他周身湿透了 with the dew 因为露水 and quite earthy 浑身是土 from diving into the burrows 因为一次次钻进土洞 the Boy had made for him 男孩为他挖的 in the flower bed 在花坛里, and Nana grumbled 娜娜牢骚满腹 as she rubbed him off 当她给他擦干净时 with a corner of her apron 用围裙一角（绒兔身上湿漉漉的，是被晚上的露水打湿的，身上沾满了泥土，因为白天小男孩为他在地上挖了一个兔子洞，帮助假兔子钻进去。保姆娜娜必须在小男孩抱着他入睡之前把兔子擦干净）.
“You must have your old Bunny 你偏要你的老兔子!” she said 她说道. “Fancy all that fuss for a toy 看看为了一个玩具，带来的所有麻烦!”
The Boy sat up in bed 男孩坐在床上 and stretched out his hands 伸出他的双手.
“Give me my Bunny把我的兔子给我!” he said 他说. “You mustn’t say that 你不许那样说. He isn’t a toy 他不是一个玩具. He’s REAL 他是真实的!”
When the little Rabbit 当小兔子 heard that 听到那句话 he was happy 他很高兴, for he knew 因为他知道 that what the Skin Horse had said 皮马之前说的 was true at last 终于成了真的. The nursery magic 育儿房的魔法 had happened to him 发生在了他身上, and he was a toy no longer 他不再是一个玩具. He was Real 他是真实的. The Boy himself 男孩自己 had said it 说了.
That night 那个晚上 he was almost 他几乎 too happy to sleep 太兴奋了以至于无法入睡, and so much love 如此强烈的爱 stirred 冲撞着 in his little sawdust heart 他那个小小的木屑心 that it almost burst 以都要爆炸了. And into his boot-button eyes 在他那两只用靴子纽扣缝制的眼睛里, that had long ago lost their polish 很久以前就失去了光泽的, there came a look of wisdom and beauty 现在有一种智慧和美丽在闪现, so that even Nana noticed it 以至于娜娜都注意到了 next morning 第二天早上 when she picked him up 当她捡起他时, and said 说道, “I declare 我保证 if that old Bunny 那只老兔子 hasn’t got quite a knowing expression 脸上有一种好像明白事理的样子（我保证，老兔子脸上好像明事理的样子）!”