第6章 丑小鸭 The Ugly Duckling(7/8)

首发：~第6章 丑小鸭 The Ugly Duckling

于是小鸭子离开了茅屋，很快就找到了可以游泳和潜水的水域，但因为它丑陋的外表，所有其他动物都避开它。

so the duckling left the cottage, and soon found water on which it could swim and dive, but was avoided by all other animals, because of its ugly appearance

秋天来了，森林里的树叶变成了橙色和金色。

autumn came, and the leaves in the forest turned to orange and gold

然后，随着冬天临近，树叶飘落时被风卷起，在寒冷的空气中打转。

then, as winter approached, the wind caught them as they fell and whirled them in the cold air

乌云密布，饱含冰雹和雪花，低低地悬在天空，乌鸦站在蕨类植物上叫着：“呱呱，呱呱。”

the clouds, heavy with hail and snow - flakes, hung low in the sky, and the raven stood on the ferns crying, “croak, croak”

看到它让人冷得发抖。

it made one shiver with cold to look at him

这一切对可怜的小鸭子来说非常悲伤。

all this was very sad for the poor little duckling

一天傍晚，就在太阳在绚丽的云彩中落下的时候，从灌木丛中飞来了一大群美丽的鸟儿。

one evening, just as the sun set amid radiant clouds, there came a large flock of beautiful birds out of the bushes

小鸭子以前从未见过像它们这样的鸟儿。

the duckling had never seen any like them before

它们是天鹅，它们优雅地弯曲着脖子，柔软的羽毛闪耀着耀眼的白色。

they were swans, and they curved their graceful necks, while their soft plumage shown with dazzling whiteness

它们展开华丽的翅膀，发出一种奇特的叫声，然后飞离这些寒冷的地区，前往海外更温暖的国家。

they uttered a singular cry, as they spread their glorious wings and flew away from those cold regions to warmer countries across the sea

当它们在空中越飞越高时，丑陋的小鸭子看着它们，有一种非常奇特的感觉。

as they mounted higher and higher in the air, the ugly little duckling felt quite a strange sensation as he watched them

他在水里像轮子一样打转，向它们伸长脖子，发出一种非常奇怪的叫声，连他自己都被吓到了。

he whirled himself in the water like a wheel, stretched out his neck towards them, and uttered a cry so strange that it frightened himself

他能忘记那些美丽、快乐的鸟儿吗？当它们终于消失在他的视线之外时，他潜入水中，然后又兴奋得几乎发狂地浮出水面。

could he ever forget those beautiful, happy birds; and when at last they were out of his sight, he dived under the water, and rose again almost beside himself with excitement

他不知道这些鸟的名字，也不知道它们飞到哪里去了，但他对它们的感觉是他对世界上任何其他鸟从未有过的。

he knew not the names of these birds, nor where they had flown, but he felt towards them as he had never felt for any other bird in the world

他并不嫉妒这些美丽的生物，而是希望自己能和它们一样可爱。

he was not envious of these beautiful creatures, but wished to be as lovely as they

可怜的丑家伙啊，只要鸭子们给他一点鼓励，他是多么乐意和它们生活在一起啊。

poor ugly creature, how gladly he would have lived even with the ducks had they only given him encouragement

冬天变得越来越冷；他不得不一直在水上游动，以免水结冰，但他每晚游动的水面变得越来越小。

the winter grew colder and colder; he was obliged to swim about on the water to keep it from freezing, but every night the space on which he swam became smaller and smaller

最后，冰结得非常坚硬，他游动时水里的冰嘎嘎作响，小鸭子不得不尽力用腿划水，以免水面完全冻结。

at length it froze so hard that the ice in the water crackled as he moved, and the duckling had to paddle with his legs as well as he could, to keep the space from closing up

他最后筋疲力尽了，静静地躺着，无助地被冻在冰里。

he became exhausted at last, and lay still and helpless, frozen fast in the ice

清晨，一个路过的农民看到了发生的事情。

early in the morning, a peasant, who was passing by, saw what had happened

他用木鞋把冰敲碎，把小鸭子带回家交给他的妻子。

he broke the ice in pieces with his wooden shoe, and carried the duckling home to his wife

温暖使这个可怜的小生命苏醒过来；但当孩子们想和他玩耍时，小鸭子以为他们会伤害他；

the warmth revived the poor little creature; but when the children wanted to play with him, the duckling thought they would do him some harm;

于是他惊恐地跳起来，扑进牛奶罐里，把牛奶溅得满屋子都是。

so he started up in terror, fluttered into the milk - pan, and splashed the milk about the room

然后那个女人拍手，这让他更害怕了。

then the woman clapped her hands, which frightened him still more

他先飞进黄油桶，然后飞进面粉桶，又飞了出来。

he flew first into the butter - cask, then into the meal - tub, and out again

他的处境多么糟糕啊！女人尖叫起来，用钳子打他；

what a condition he was in! the woman screamed, and struck at him with the tongs;

孩子们笑着、叫着，你推我搡地，都想抓住他；但幸运的是他逃脱了。

the children laughed and screamed, and tumbled over each other, in their efforts to catch him; but luckily he escaped