木偶奇遇記：Chapter 4

The story of Pinocchio and the Talking Cricket, in which one sees that bad children do not like to be corrected by those who know more than they do Very little time did it take to get poor old Geppetto toprison. In the meantime that rascal, Pinocchio, free nowfrom the clutches of the Carabineer, was running wildly across fields and meadows, taking one short cut after another toward home. In his wild flight, he leaped over brambles and bushes, and across brooks and ponds, as ifhe were a goat or a hare chased by hounds.

好，小朋友們，現(xiàn)在我來告訴大家，當(dāng)可憐的杰佩托平白無辜地給送進(jìn)監(jiān)獄的時候，皮諾喬這小壞蛋看見自己逃脫了警察的手，馬上撒腿就跑，穿過田野，抄近路回家。他拼命地跑啊跑啊，跳過一個個很高很高的土墩和荊棘叢，跳過一條條水溝，像只被獵人追趕的小山羊或者小野兔。

On reaching home, he found the house door half open. He slipped into the room, locked the door, and threw himself on the floor, happy at his escape.

他跑到房子前面，看見朝街的門半掩著，就推門進(jìn)去，他放下門臼，卜通坐到地上，得意洋洋地吐了一口長氣。

But his happiness lasted only a short time, for just then he heard someone saying:

可他得意了也只有一眨眼的工夫，因為他聽見屋子里有聲音叫：

"Cri-cri-cri!"

“唧唧，唧唧!”

"Who is calling me?" asked Pinocchio, greatly frightened.

“誰在叫我啊?”皮諾喬嚇壞了說。

"I am!"

“是我!”

Pinocchio turned and saw a large cricket crawling slowly up the wall.

皮諾喬轉(zhuǎn)過臉，看見一只大蟋蟀在墻上，正慢騰騰地往上爬。

"Tell me, Cricket, who are you?"

“告訴我，蟋蟀，你是誰。”

"I am the Talking Cricket and I have been living in this room for more than one hundred years."

“我是會說話的蟋蟀，在這屋子里已經(jīng)住了百把年啦。”

"Today, however, this room is mine," said the Marionette,"and if you wish to do me a favor, get out now, and don't turn around even once."

“這屋子今天是我的了，”木偶說，“如果您真肯行行好，讓我高興高興，就請頭也別回，馬上走吧。”

"I refuse to leave this spot," answered the Cricket," until I have told you a great truth."

“要讓我走，”蟋蟀回答說，“可得讓我在走以前先告訴你一個大道理。”

"Tell it, then, and hurry."

“那就說吧，快點，”

"Woe to boys who refuse to obey their parents and run away from home! They will never be happy in this world,and when they are older they will be very sorry for it."

“孩子不聽父母的話，任意離開家，到頭來決不會有好結(jié)果!他們在這個世界上要倒霉，遲早會后悔的，”

"Sing on, Cricket mine, as you please. What I know is,that tomorrow, at dawn, I leave this place forever. If I stay here the same thing will happen to me which happens to all other boys and girls. They are sent to school, and whether they want to or not, they must study. As for me,let me tell you, I hate to study! It's much more fun, I think,to chase after butterflies, climb trees, and steal birds' nests."

“您高興唱就下去吧，我的蟋蟀，可我明天天不亮，一準(zhǔn)就離開這里，我要是呆在這里，就逃不出所有孩子都會遇到的事情：把我送去上學(xué)，不是軟騙就是硬來，逼著我讀書。跟您說句心里話，我一點不想讀書，我更愛追蝴蝶，爬樹掏鳥窩。”

"Poor little silly! Don't you know that if you go on like that, you will grow into a perfect donkey and that you'll be the laughingstock of everyone?"

“可憐的小傻瓜!可你不知道嗎，這樣你會變成一頭大蠢驢，所有的人都要拿你開玩笑的?”

"Keep still, you ugly Cricket!" cried Pinocchio.

“閉口吧你，你這不吉利的壞蟋蟀!”皮諾喬叫道。

But the Cricket, who was a wise old philosopher,instead of being offended at Pinocchio's impudence,continued in the same tone:

可蟋蟀又耐心又有智慧，木偶這樣粗暴無禮，它一點不生氣、還是用它原來的聲調(diào)說：

"If you do not like going to school, why don't you at least learn a trade, so that you can earn an honest living?"

“你要是不愛上學(xué)，那為什么不學(xué)個什么行當(dāng)，好正正直直地給自己掙塊面包呢?”

"Shall I tell you something?" asked Pinocchio, who was beginning to lose patience. "Of all the trades in the world, there is only one that really suits me."

“你要我告訴你嗎?”皮諾喬開始不耐煩了，回答說，“世界上所有的行當(dāng)當(dāng)中，只有—個行當(dāng)真正合我的心意。”

"And what can that be?"

“什么行當(dāng)?”

"That of eating, drinking, sleeping, playing, and wandering around from morning till night."

“就是吃、喝、睡覺，玩兒，從早逛到晚。”

"Let me tell you, for your own good, Pinocchio," said the Talking Cricket in his calm voice, "that those who follow that trade always end up in the hospital or in prison."

“告訴你，”會說話的蟋蟀還是那么心平行和地說，“凡是干這種行當(dāng)?shù)?，最后幾乎不是進(jìn)醫(yī)院就是進(jìn)監(jiān)牢。”

"Careful, ugly Cricket! If you make me angry, you'll be sorry!"

“當(dāng)心點，不吉利的壞蟋蟀!……你惹我生氣了可要倒霉!”

"Poor Pinocchio, I am sorry for you."

“可憐的皮諾喬!你真叫我可憐!……”

"Why?"

“我為什么叫你可憐?”

"Because you are a Marionette and, what is much worse, you have a wooden head."

“因為你是—個木偶，更糟的是，因為你有一個木頭腦袋。”

At these last words, Pinocchio jumped up in a fury, took a hammer from the bench, and threw it with all his strength at the Talking Cricket.

聽了最后這句話，皮諾喬火冒三丈，猛地跳起來，打工作臺上抓一個木頭槌子，就向會說話的蟋蟀扔過去。

Perhaps he did not think he would strike it. But, sad to relate, my dear children, he did hit the Cricket, straight on its head. With a last weak "cri-cri-cri" the poor Cricket fell from the wall, dead!

他也許根本不想打中它，可是真不巧，正好打中了它的頭，可憐的蟋蟀只來得及叫一聲唧唧，就給打死了，貼在墻上。