The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse and Timmy Willie Country – Mouse

by Beatrix Potter

城市老鼠强尼Johnny Town-mouse was born 出生在 in a cupboard一个橱柜里。 Timmy Willie 替米威力was born 出生在 in a garden 一个菜园里. Timmy Willie was a little country mouse 是一只小乡下老鼠 who went to town 去到了城里 by mistake 误打误撞 in a hamper在一个大菜篓子里. The gardener 菜园主人 sent vegetables 送蔬菜 to town 去城里 once a week 每周一次 by carrier 用马车; he packed them 他把它们 in a big hamper 都放在一个大篓子里.

The gardener 菜园主人 left the hamper 把篓子放在 by the garden gate 菜园门旁边, so that the carrier 所以马车夫 could pick it up 可以把它搬上车 when he passed 当他经过的时候. Timmy Willie crept in 爬了进去 through a hole 通过一个孔 in the wicker-work 在这个柳条做的篓子上, and after eating some peas 在吃了一些豆子后—Timmy Willie fell fast asleep 沉沉地睡着了.

He awoke in a fright 他忽然被惊醒过来, while the hamper 当那个篓子 was being lifted into 被搬上 the carrier’s cart 马车厢的时候. Then there was a jolting 然后马车开始颠簸, and a clattering of horse’s feet 只听到马蹄哒哒响; other packages 陆续有其他包裹和篮子were thrown in被扔了进来; for miles and miles 走了一里又一里—jolt—jolt—jolt 不断颠簸而行! and Timmy Willie trembled 浑身发抖 amongst the jumbled up vegetables 在那些滚来滚去的蔬菜堆里.

At last 最终the cart 马车 stopped at a house 停在了一栋房子前, where the hamper 在那里，菜篓子 was taken out 被拿出来, carried in 抬进去, and set down 放下来. The cook 厨师 gave the carrier 给了马车夫 six pence 六个便士; the back door 后门 banged 关上, and the cart 马车 rumbled away 慢慢走了. But 但是 there was no quiet 并没有变安静; there seemed to be 好像有 hundreds of 几百辆 carts passing 马车经过. Dogs barked 有狗在叫唤; boys whistled 男孩子们在吹口哨 in the street 在街上; the cook laughed 厨子在大笑, the parlour maid 售货员姑娘 ran up and down-stairs 在楼梯间跑上跑下; and a canary 有一只金丝雀 sang 在唱歌 like a steam engine 就像一台蒸汽引擎一样起劲.

Timmy Willie, who had lived all his life 一辈子生活 in a garden 在一个花园里, was almost frightened to death 吓得要死. Presently 很快 the cook 厨子 opened the hamper 打开了菜篓子 and began to 开始 unpack the vegetables 将里面的菜拿出来. Out sprang 跳了出来 the terrified 吓坏的 Timmy Willie.

Up jumped 往上跳 the cook 厨子 on a chair 在一张椅子上（厨子吓了一跳，坐在了椅子上）, exclaiming惊呼 “A mouse! a mouse 一只老鼠! Call the cat 赶快找猫过来! Fetch me 拿给我 the poker 拨火棍, Sarah萨拉!” Timmy Willie did not wait for Sarah 没有等萨拉 with the poker 拿着拨火棍; he rushed 他飞快地跑开 along the skirting board 沿着壁脚板 till he came to 直到他看到 a little hole 一个小洞, and in he popped 他赶紧钻了进去.

He dropped half a foot 他往下掉了差不多半英尺, and crashed into 闯进了 the middle 中央 of a mouse dinner party 一个老鼠晚餐宴会, breaking three glasses 打破了三个玻璃酒杯.—”Who in the world is this 这到底是谁?” inquired 问道 Johnny Town-mouse 城市老鼠强尼. But 但是 after the first exclamation of surprise 在第一声惊呼过后， he instantly 他马上 recovered his manners 恢复了他的风度.

With the utmost politeness 非常礼貌地 he introduced 他介绍 Timmy Willie to nine 给九只 other mice 其他老鼠, all 所有的 with long tails 都带有长尾巴 and white neckties （脖子下围着）白色餐巾. Timmy Willie’s own tail 自己的尾巴 was insignificant 很短. Johnny Town-mouse 城市老鼠强尼 and his friends 和他的朋友们 noticed it 都注意到了这点; but they were 但是他们 too well bred 都很有教养 to make personal remarks 所以不做个人评价; only 只有 one of them 其中一只 asked 问 Timmy Willie if he had ever been 是否曾经 in a trap 在一个老鼠夹子里（被老鼠夹子夹断了尾巴）?

The dinner 晚餐 was of eight courses 有八道菜; not much of anything 不是很稀罕的菜, but truly elegant 但是很精致. All the dishes 所有的菜 were unknown 都是不认识的 to Timmy Willie 对替米来说, who would have been a little afraid 他本来有一点害怕 of tasting them 去尝试它们的味道; only he was very hungry 但是他很饿, and very anxious 又很急着 to behave 显得 with company manners 合群.

The continual noise 持续的噪音 upstairs 在楼上的 made him so nervous 让他如此紧张, that he dropped 以至于他掉了 a plate 一个盘子.

“Never mind 别介意, they don’t belong to他们不属于 us 我们,” said Johnny 强尼说道.

“Why don’t 为什么不 those youngsters 那些年轻人 come back 回来 with the dessert 带着点心?”

It should be explained 这里要解释一下 that two young mice 有两只年轻老鼠, who were waiting on the others 在等其他人, went skirmishing upstairs 去楼上侦查 to the kitchen 到厨房里 between courses 在两道菜之间. Several times 有几次 they had come tumbling in 他们踉踉跄跄地回来了, squeaking 唧唧叫着 and laughing 笑着; Timmy Willie learnt with horror 惊恐地听到他们说 that they were being chased 他们刚才被追着 by the cat 被那只猫.

His appetite 他的胃口 failed 全消, he felt 他感觉 faint 头晕.

“Try some jelly 试着吃点果冻?” said Johnny Town-mouse 强尼问.

“No 不要? Would you rather 你要不要 go to bed 上床睡觉? I will show you 我会给你看 a most comfortable 一个最舒适的 sofa pillow 沙发枕头.”

The sofa pillow 沙发枕头 had a hole 有一个破洞 in it 在上面. Johnny Town-mouse 老鼠强尼 quite honestly 很诚实地 recommended it 推荐它 as the best bed 说是最好的床, kept exclusively 这个只是 for visitors 给客人睡的. But the sofa 但是沙发 smelt of cat 有猫的气味. Timmy Willie 替米 preferred 宁愿 to spend a miserable night 度过不舒服的一晚 under the fender 在楼梯踏板下面.

It was just the same 仍然一样 next day 第二天. An excellent breakfast 一顿非常丰盛的早餐 was provided 被供应—for mice 因为老鼠们 accustomed 习惯 to eat bacon 吃培根; but Timmy Willie 但是替米 had been reared 一直吃 on roots 植物的根 and salad 和沙拉. Johnny Town-mouse 强尼 and his friends 和他的朋友 racketted about 噼噼啪啪弄响 under the floors 在地板下, and came boldly out 还胆大包天地钻出来 all over the house 满屋子窜 in the evening 在晚上. One particularly loud crash 有一声特别响的破碎声 had been caused 被产生 by Sarah 被萨拉姑娘 tumbling downstairs 她下楼的时候摔倒了with the tea-tray 手上端着茶盘; there were crumbs 有点心 and sugar 和糖 and smears of jam 还有到处都是果酱 to be collected 需要收集, in spite of the cat 哪怕有猫在.

Timmy Willie 替米 longed to be 特别想 at home 在家里 in his peaceful nest 在他安稳的窝里 in a sunny bank 在一个阳光灿烂的河岸上. （但是）The food 食物 disagreed with him让他闹肚子; the noise 噪音 prevented him 阻止他 from sleeping 继续睡觉.

In a few days 在几天之内 he grew so thin 他变得如此瘦 that Johnny Town-mouse 以至于强尼 noticed it 注意到了, and questioned him并且询问怎么回事. He listened to 他听了 Timmy Willie’s story 替米的故事 and inquired about the garden 询问了花园的事. “It sounds 听上去好像 rather a dull place 一个挺无聊的地方? What do you do 你会干些什么 when it rains 当下雨的时候?”

“When it rains 下雨时, I sit in my little sandy burrow 我 就坐在我那个沙土地洞里 and shell corn and seeds 给玉米和种子剥壳 from my Autumn store 从我的秋天储藏里. I peep out at我会观察外面的 the throstles 画眉鸟 and blackbirds 百舌鸟 on the lawn 在草地上, and my friend 还有我的朋友 Cock Robin. And when the sun 当太阳 comes out again 又出来时, you should see 你会看到 my garden 我的花园 and the flowers 和鲜花—roses 玫瑰 and pinks 粉红花 and pansies 和紫罗兰—no noise 没有噪音 except the birds 除了鸟叫 and bees 和蜜蜂, and the lambs 还有羊羔 in the meadows 在草地上.”

“There goes that cat again 猫又来了!” exclaimed Johnny Town-mouse 强尼大喊. When they had taken refuge 当他们躲藏好 in the coal-cellar 在燃煤储藏间里 he resumed the conversation 他恢复了谈话; “I confess 我承认 I am a little disappointed 我有点失望; we have endeavoured 我们已经尽力 to entertain you 让你高兴, Timothy William 替米.”

“Oh yes, yes 是的是的, you have been most kind 你们对我太好了; but I do feel 但是我的确感觉 so ill 很不舒服,” said Timmy Willie 替米说.

“It may be 可能是 that your teeth 你的牙齿 and digestion 和消化系统 are unaccustomed 不适应 to our food 我们的食物; perhaps 可能 it might be wiser 更明智 for you to return in the hamper 你回到那个大篓子里去.”

“Oh? Oh!” cried Timmy Willie 替米叫了出来.

“Why of course 当然 for the matter of that 事实上 we could have 我们本来可以 sent you back 送你回去 last week 上周,” said Johnny rather huffily 强尼很生气地说道 —”did you not know 你难道不知道 that the hamper 菜篓子 goes back 回去 empty 是空着的 on Saturdays 每个周六?”

So Timmy Willie 所以替米 said good-bye 说了再见 to his new friends 对他的新朋友, and hid in the hamper 躲在菜篓子里 with a crumb of cake 带着一点蛋糕 and a withered 还有一片枯萎的 cabbage leaf 包菜叶子; and after much jolting 在颠簸了好半天之后, he was set down 他被放下来 safely 安全地 in his own garden 在自己的花园里.

Sometimes 有时候 on Saturdays 在某个周六 he went to look at 他会去看 the hamper 那个菜篓子 lying by the gate 靠着菜园门放着的, but he knew 但是他知道 better than to get in again 不能再进去了. And nobody got out 同时也从来没有看到谁出来, though 虽然 Johnny Town-mouse 老鼠强尼 had half promised 半真半假地承诺过 a visit 一次登门拜访.

The winter passed 冬天过去了; the sun 太阳 came out again 又出来了; Timmy Willie 替米 sat by his burrow 靠着他的地洞坐着 warming his little fur coat 晒着他的皮毛 and sniffing the smell 嗅着味道 of violets 紫罗兰的 and spring grass 还有春天的青草. He had nearly forgotten 他几乎忘记了 his visit 他的那次拜访 to town 对城市. When up the sandy path 在沙地小径上 all spick and span 一身棕色浅棕色皮毛 with a brown leather bag 还拿着一个棕色皮包 came Johnny Town-mouse 来了城市老鼠强尼!

Timmy Willie 替米 received him 迎接他 with open arms 张开双臂. “You have come 你来 at the best of all the year 是一年中最好的季节, we will have herb pudding 我们可以享用香草布丁 and sit in the sun 晒太阳.”

“H’m’m嗯! it is a little damp 这里有点湿,” said Johnny Town-mouse 强尼说道, who was carrying his tail 他把尾巴under his arm夹在胳膊下, out of the mud从烂泥巴里提出来.

“What is that fearful noise 那个可怕的噪音是什么东西?” he started violently 他忽然恐惧地问道.

“That 那个?” said Timmy Willie 替米说, “that is only a cow 那只是一只奶牛; I will beg 我去讨 a little milk 一点牛奶, they are quite harmless 他们很和善, unless they 除非他们 happen to 碰巧 lie down upon you 压在你身上. How are all our friends 其他朋友都好吗?”

Johnny’s account was rather middling 强尼的表情很严肃. He explained 他解释why he was paying his visit 为什么他会来拜访 so early 这么早 in the season 在这个季节; the family 那一家子 had gone to the sea-side 都去了海边 for Easter 过复活节; the cook 厨子was doing spring cleaning 在做春季大扫除, on board wages拿着基本工资, with particular instructions （老板的）特别指示是 to clear out the mice 要除掉所有老鼠.

There were four kittens （因为）有四只小奶猫, and the cat （所以）那只猫had killed the canary 就杀死了金丝雀（吃掉了金丝雀）.

“They say 他们说 we did it 是我们干的; but I know better 但是我知道事实,” said Johnny Town-mouse 强尼说. “Whatever is that fearful racket 那个可怕的拍子是啥玩意?”

“That is only 那只是 the lawn-mower 割草机; I will fetch 我去拿 some of the grass clippings 一些剪碎的草叶 presently 很快 to make your bed 给你做一个床. I am sure 我肯定 you had better 你最好 settle 安家 in the country 在乡下, Johnny.”

“H’m’m 嗯—we shall see 我们先不急 by Tuesday week 周二再说; the hamper 菜篓子 is stopped 停止了 while they are 当他们 at the sea-side 在海边的时候.”

“I am sure 我肯定 you will never 你永远不会 want to live 想住在 in town 城市里 again 再一次,” said Timmy Willie 替米说.

But he did 但是他想. He went back 他回去了 in the very next 就在下一个 hamper of vegetables 装满蔬菜的篓子里; he said 他 说道 it was too quiet （这里实在）太安静了!!

One place 一个地方 suits 适应 one person 一个人, another place 另一个地方 suits another person 适应另一个人. For my part 对我来说 I prefer to 我更喜欢 live in the country 住在乡下, like Timmy Willie 就像替米.