神奇的火箭 The Remarkable Rocket

The King’s son was going to be married, so there were general rejoicings. He had waited a whole year for his bride, and at last she had arrived. She was a Russian Princess, and had driven all the way from Finland in a sledge drawn by six reindeer. The sledge was shaped like a great golden swan, and between the swan’s wings lay the little Princess herself. Her long ermine-cloak reached right down to her feet, on her head was a tiny cap of silver tissue, and she was as pale as the Snow Palace in which she had always lived. So pale was she that as she drove through the streets all the people wondered. “She is like a white rose!” they cried, and they threw down flowers on her from the balconies.

國王的兒子就要結婚了，所以要在舉國上下進行慶典。他為自己的新娘已經(jīng)等了整整一年，最后她還是趕來了。她是一位俄國公主，坐著由六只馴鹿拉的雪橇從芬蘭一路趕來的。雪橇看上去像一只巨大的金色天鵝，小公主就安臥在天鵬的兩只翅膀之間。那件長長的貂皮大衣一直垂到她的腳跟，她的頭上戴著一頂小巧的銀線帽子，她的膚色蒼白得就如同她一直居住的雪宮的顏色。她是如此的蒼白，在她駛過街道的時候，沿街的人們都驚訝地嘆道：“她就像一朵白玫瑰!”于是大家紛紛從陽臺上朝她拋下鮮花。

At the gate of the Castle the Prince was waiting to receive her. He had dreamy violet eyes, and his hair was like fine gold. When he saw her he sank upon one knee, and kissed her hand.

在城堡的門口王子正等著迎接她的到來。他有一雙夢幻般的紫色眼睛和一頭金黃色的頭發(fā)。一看見她來了，他就跪下一條腿，吻了她的手。

“Your picture was beautiful,” he murmured, “but you are more beautiful than your picture”; and the little Princess blushed.

“你的照片好漂亮，”他輕聲地說，“不過你比照片更漂亮。”小公主的臉一下子就紅了。

“She was like a white rose before,” said a young Page to his neighbour, “but she is like a red rose now”; and the whole Court was delighted.

“她先前像一朵白攻瑰，”一位年輕的侍衛(wèi)對身邊的人說，“可此刻卻像一朵紅玫瑰了。”整個宮里的人都快樂無比。

For the next three days everybody went about saying, “White rose, Red rose, Red rose, White rose”; and the King gave orders that the Page’s salary was to be doubled. As he received no salary at all this was not of much use to him, but it was considered a great honour, and was duly published in the Court Gazette.

這以后的三天中人人都說著：“白玫瑰，紅玫瑰;紅玫瑰，白玫瑰。”于是國王下令給那個侍衛(wèi)的薪金增加一倍。不過他根本就沒有拿薪水，因此這道加薪的命令對他沒有任何作用，然而這被視為一種莫大的榮譽，并按慣例在宮廷報紙上登出。

When the three days were over the marriage was celebrated. It was a magnificent ceremony, and the bride and bridegroom walked hand in hand under a canopy of purple velvet embroidered with little pearls. Then there was a State Banquet, which lasted for five hours. The Prince and Princess sat at the top of the Great Hall and drank out of a cup of clear crystal. Only true lovers could drink out of this cup, for if false lips touched it, it grew grey and dull and cloudy.

三天過后便舉行了婚禮慶典。這是一次盛大的儀式，新郎和新娘在一幅繡著小珍珠的紫色鵝絨華蓋下手牽著手走著。接著又舉行了國宴，持續(xù)了五個小時。王子和公主坐在大廳的首座上，用一只純清的水晶杯子飲酒。只有真誠的戀人才能用這只杯子喝酒，因為只要虛偽的嘴唇一挨上杯子，杯子就會變得灰暗無光。

“It’s quite clear that they love each other,” said the little Page, “as clear as crystal!” and the King doubled his salary a second time. “What an honour!” cried all the courtiers.

“一眼就能看出他們相親相愛，”那個小侍衛(wèi)說，“如同水晶一樣純潔!”為這句話國王再次下令給他加薪。“多么大的榮耀啊!”群臣們異口同聲地喊道。

After the banquet there was to be a Ball. The bride and bridegroom were to dance the Rose-dance together, and the King had promised to play the flute. He played very badly, but no-one had ever dared to tell him so, because he was the King. Indeed, he knew only two airs, and was never quite certain which one he was playing; but it made no matter, for, whatever he did, everybody cried out, “Charming! charming!”

宴會之后舉辦了舞會，新郎和新娘將要一塊兒跳舞，國王答應為他們吹笛子。他吹得很不好，可沒有人敢對他那么說，因為他是一國之君。說真的，他只會吹兩種調子，并且從來也沒有搞清楚他吹的是哪一種，不過也無關緊要，因為不管他吹的是什么，人們都會高喊狂叫：“棒極了!棒極了!”

The last item on the programme was a grand display of fireworks, to be let off exactly at midnight. The little Princess had never seen a firework in her life, so the King had given orders that the Royal Pyrotechnist should be in attendance on the day of her marriage.

這次節(jié)目的最后一個項目是施放盛大的煙花，燃放的時間正好定在午夜。小公主一生也沒有看過放煙花，因此國王下令皇家煙花手要親自出席當天的婚禮以便施放煙花。

“What are fireworks like?” she had asked the Prince, one morning, as she was walking on the terrace.

“煙花像什么樣子?”有一天早上，小公主在露天陽臺上散步時這樣問過王子。

“They are like the Aurora Borealis,” said the King, who always answered questions that were addressed to other people, “only much more natural. I prefer them to stars myself, as you always know when they are going to appear, and they are as delightful as my own flute-playing. You must certainly see them.”

“它們就像北極光，”國王說，他一貫喜歡替別人回答問題，“只是更自然罷了。我本人更喜歡煙花而不是星星，因為你一直都明白它們何時會出現(xiàn)，它們就如同我吹笛子一樣美妙。你一定要看看它們。”

So at the end of the King’s garden a great stand had been set up, and as soon as the Royal Pyrotechnist had put everything in its proper place, the fireworks began to talk to each other.

就這樣在皇家花園的盡頭搭起了一座大臺子。等皇家煙花手把一切都準備完畢，煙花們便相互交談起來。

“The world is certainly very beautiful,” cried a little Squib. “Just look at those yellow tulips. Why! if they were real crackers they could not be lovelier. I am very glad I have travelled. Travel improves the mind wonderfully, and does away with all one’s prejudices.”

“世界真是太美麗了，”一個小爆竹大聲喊道，“看看那些黃色的郁金香。啊!如果它們是真正的爆竹，它們會更逗人喜愛的。我很高興我參加過旅游。旅游大大提高見識，并能除去一切個人的偏見。”

“The King’s garden is not the world, you foolish squib,” said a big Roman Candle; “the world is an enormous place, and it would take you three days to see it thoroughly.”

“國王的花園不是世界，你這個傻爆竹，”一枚羅馬燭光彈說，“世界是一個大得很的地方，你要花三天時間才能看遍全世界。”

“Any place you love is the world to you,” exclaimed a pensive Catherine Wheel, who had been attached to an old deal box in early life, and prided herself on her broken heart; “but love is not fashionable any more, the poets have killed it. They wrote so much about it that nobody believed them, and I am not surprised. True love suffers, and is silent. I remember myself once–But it is no matter now. Romance is a thing of the past.”

“任何地方只要你愛它，它就是你的世界，”一枚深思熟慮的轉輪煙火激動地喊道。她早年曾戀上了一只舊的杉木箱子，并以這段傷心的經(jīng)歷而自豪。“不過愛情已不再時髦了，詩人們把它給扼殺了。他們對愛情抒發(fā)得太多，使人們不再相信那么回事。對此，我一點也不覺得吃驚。真正的愛情是痛苦的、是沉默的。我記得自己曾有過那么一回——可是現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)結束了。浪漫只屬于過去。”

“Nonsense!” said the Roman Candle, “Romance never dies. It is like the moon, and lives for ever. The bride and bridegroom, for instance, love each other very dearly. I heard all about them this morning from a brown-paper cartridge, who happened to be staying in the same drawer as myself, and knew the latest Court news.”

“胡說!”羅馬燭光彈說，“浪漫永遠不會消亡，它猶如月亮一樣，永遠活著。比如，新郎和新娘彼此愛得多么熱烈。關于他們的故事我是今天早晨從一枚棕色紙做的爆竹那兒聽來的，他碰巧跟我同在一個抽屜里面，并且知道最新的宮中消息。”

But the Catherine Wheel shook her head. “Romance is dead, Romance is dead, Romance is dead,” she murmured. She was one of those people who think that, if you say the same thing over and over a great many times, it becomes true in the end.

可是只見轉輪煙火搖搖頭，喃喃地說，“浪漫已經(jīng)消亡了，浪漫已經(jīng)消亡了，已經(jīng)消亡了。”她和其他許多人一樣，相信假如你把同一件事情反復說上許多次，最后假的也會變成真的了。

Suddenly, a sharp, dry cough was heard, and they all looked round.

突然，傳來一聲尖尖的干咳聲，他們都轉頭四下張望。

It came from a tall, supercilious-looking Rocket, who was tied to the end of a long stick. He always coughed before he made any observation, so as to attract attention.

這聲音來自一個高大的，模樣傲慢的火箭，它被綁在一根長木桿的頂端。它在發(fā)表言論之前，總要先咳上幾聲，好引起人們的注意。

“Ahem! ahem!” he said, and everybody listened except the poor Catherine Wheel, who was still shaking her head, and murmuring, “Romance is dead.”

“啊咳!啊咳!”他咳嗽著。大家都認真地聽著，只有可憐的轉輪煙火仍舊搖著頭，喃喃地說，“浪漫已經(jīng)消亡了。”

“Order! order!” cried out a Cracker. He was something of a politician, and had always taken a prominent part in the local elections, so he knew the proper Parliamentary expressions to use.

“肅靜!肅靜!”一只爆竹大聲嚷道。他是個政客似的人物，在本地的選舉中總能獨占鰲頭，因此他深知如何使用恰當?shù)恼涡g語。

“Quite dead,” whispered the Catherine Wheel, and she went off to sleep.

“死光了，”轉輪煙火低聲耳語道，說完她就去睡覺了。

As soon as there was perfect silence, the Rocket coughed a third time and began. He spoke with a very slow, distinct voice, as if he was dictating his memoirs, and always looked over the shoulder of the person to whom he was talking. In fact, he had a most distinguished manner.

等到周圍完全安靜下來時，火箭發(fā)出第三次咳嗽聲，并開始了發(fā)言。他的語調既緩慢又清晰，好像是在背誦自己的記錄本一樣，對他的聽眾他從來不正眼去看。說實在的，他的風度是非常出眾的。

“How fortunate it is for the King’s son,” he remarked, “that he is to be married on the very day on which I am to be let off. Really, if it had been arranged beforehand, it could not have turned out better for him; but, Princes are always lucky.”

“國王的兒子真是幸運啊，”他說道，“他結婚的日子正好是我要升天燃放的時候。真是的，就算是事先安排好的，對他來說也沒有比這更好的了;但話又說回來，王子們總是交好運的。”

“Dear me!” said the little Squib, “I thought it was quite the other way, and that we were to be let off in the Prince’s honour.”

“我的媽呀!”小爆竹說，“我的想法卻正好相反，我想我們是為了王子的榮譽而升天燃放的。”

“It may be so with you,” he answered; “indeed, I have no doubt that it is, but with me it is different. I am a very remarkable Rocket, and come of remarkable parents. My mother was the most celebrated Catherine Wheel of her day, and was renowned for her graceful dancing. When she made her great public appearance she spun round nineteen times before she went out, and each time that she did so she threw into the air seven pink stars. She was three feet and a half in diameter, and made of the very best gunpowder. My father was a Rocket like myself, and of French extraction. He flew so high that the people were afraid that he would never come down again. He did, though, for he was of a kindly disposition, and he made a most brilliant descent in a shower of golden rain. The newspapers wrote about his performance in very flattering terms. Indeed, the Court Gazette called him a triumph of Pylotechnic art.”

“對于你來說可能是這樣的，”他回答說，“事實上這一點是肯定無疑的。不過對我而言事情就不一祥了。我是一枚非常神奇的火箭，出身于一個了不起的家庭。我母親是她那個時代最出名的轉輪煙火，并以她優(yōu)美的舞姿而著稱。只要她一出場亮相，她要旋轉十九次才會飛出去，每轉上一次，她就會向空中拋撒七顆粉紅的彩星。她的直徑有三英尺半，是用最好的火藥制成的。我的父親像我一樣也是火箭，他來自法蘭西。他飛得可真高，人們都擔心他不會下來了。盡管如此，他還是下來了，因為他性格善良。他化作一陣金色的雨，非常耀眼地落了下來。報紙用足吹棒的詞句描述他的表演。的確，宮廷的報紙把他稱為煙花藝術的一個偉大成就。”

“Pyrotechnic, Pyrotechnic, you mean,” said a Bengal Light; “I know it is Pyrotechnic, for I saw it written on my own canister.”

“煙花，煙花，你是指它嗎，”一枚孟加拉煙火說，“我知道它是煙花，因為我看見我的匣子上寫著呢。”

“Well, I said Pylotechnic,” answered the Rocket, in a severe tone of voice, and the Bengal Light felt so crushed that he began at once to bully the little squibs, in order to show that he was still a person of some importance.

“噢，我說的是火炮，”火箭語調嚴肅地回答說。孟加拉煙火感到自己受到極大的欺壓，并立即去欺負那些小爆竹了，目的是為了表明自己依舊是個重要的角色。

“I was saying,” continued the Rocket, “I was saying–What was I saying?”

“我是說，”火箭繼續(xù)說，“我是說——我說的是什么?”

“You were talking about yourself,” replied the Roman Candle.

“你在說你自己，”羅馬燭光彈回答說。

“Of course; I knew I was discussing some interesting subject when I was so rudely interrupted. I hate rudeness and bad manners of every kind, for I am extremely sensitive. No-one in the whole world is so sensitive as I am, I am quite sure of that.”

“的確，我知道我正在討論某個有趣的話題，卻被人給粗暴地打斷了。我討厭各種粗魯?shù)呐e止和不良行為，因為我是個非常敏感的人。全世界沒有哪個人比我更敏感了，對此我深信不疑。”

“What is a sensitive person?” said the Cracker to the Roman Candle.

“一個敏感的人是指什么?”爆竹對羅馬燭光彈問道。

“A person who, because he has corns himself, always treads on other people’s toes,” answered the Roman Candle in a low whisper; and the Cracker nearly exploded with laughter.

“一個人因為自己腳上生雞眼，便總想著踩別人的腳趾頭，”羅馬燭光彈低聲耳語道。爆竹差一點沒笑破肚皮。

“Pray, what are you laughing at?” inquired the Rocket; “I am not laughing.”

“請問你笑什么呀?”火箭開口問道，“我就一點沒有笑。”

“I am laughing because I am happy,” replied the Cracker.

“我笑是因為我高興，”爆竹回答說。

“That is a very selfish reason,” said the Rocket angrily. “What right have you to be happy? You should be thinking about others. In fact, you should be thinking about me. I am always thinking about myself, and I expect everybody else to do the same. That is what is called sympathy. It is a beautiful virtue, and I possess it in a high degree. Suppose, for instance, anything happened to me to-night, what a misfortune that would be for every one! The Prince and Princess would never be happy again, their whole married life would be spoiled; and as for the King, I know he would not get over it. Really, when I begin to reflect on the importance of my position, I am almost moved to tears.”

“這理由太自私了，”火箭臉帶怒色地說，“你有什么權利高興?你應該為別人想想。實際上，你應該為我想想。我總是想著我自己，我也希望別人都會這么做。這就是所謂的同情。這是個可愛的美德，我這方面的德性就很高。例如，假定今天夜里我出了什么事，那么對每一個人來說會是多么的不幸!王子和公主再也不會開心了，他們的婚后生活將會被毀掉;至于國王，他或許經(jīng)不住這場打擊。真的，我一想起自己所處的重要地位，我?guī)缀醺袆拥昧飨卵蹨I。”

“If you want to give pleasure to others,” cried the Roman Candle, “you had better keep yourself dry.”

“如果你想給別人帶來快樂，”羅馬燭光彈說，“那么你最好先不要把自己弄得濕乎乎的。”

“Certainly,” exclaimed the Bengal Light, who was now in better spirits; “that is only common sense.”

“當然了，”孟加拉煙火說，他現(xiàn)在的精神好多了，“這是個簡單的常識。”

“Common sense, indeed!” said the Rocket indignantly; “you forget that I am very uncommon, and very remarkable. Why, anybody can have common sense, provided that they have no imagination. But I have imagination, for I never think of things as they really are; I always think of them as being quite different. As for keeping myself dry, there is evidently no one here who can at all appreciate an emotional nature. Fortunately for myself, I don’t care. The only thing that sustains one through life is the consciousness of the immense inferiority of everybody else, and this is a feeling that I have always cultivated. But none of you have any hearts. Here you are laughing and making merry just as if the Prince and Princess had not just been married.”

“常識，一點不假!”火箭憤憤不平地說，“可你忘了我是很不尋常的，而且非常了不起。啊，任何人如若沒有想象力的話，也會具備常識的。然而我有想象力，因為我從沒有把事物按照它們實際的情況去考慮，我總是把它們想象成另外一回事。至于要我本人不要流淚，很顯然在場的各位沒人能夠欣賞多情的品性。所幸的是我本人并不介意。能夠讓我維持一生的唯一一件事就是想到自己要比別人優(yōu)越得多，這也是我一貫培養(yǎng)的感覺。你們這些人都是沒有情感的。你們只會傻笑或開玩笑，好像王子和公主不是剛剛結婚似的。”

“Well, really,” exclaimed a small Fire-balloon, “why not? It is a most joyful occasion, and when I soar up into the air I intend to tell the stars all about it. You will see them twinkle when I talk to them about the pretty bride.”

“啊，正是，”一枚小火球動情地叫道，“難道不行嗎?這是一件多大的喜事呀，我只要一飛到天上去，我就會把這一切都講給星星聽。等我給它們講起美麗的公主，你會看見星星們在眨眼睛。”

“Ah! what a trivial view of life!” said the Rocket; “but it is only what I expected. There is nothing in you; you are hollow and empty. Why, perhaps the Prince and Princess may go to live in a country where there is a deep river, and perhaps they may have one only son, a little fair-haired boy with violet eyes like the Prince himself; and perhaps some day he may go out to walk with his nurse; and perhaps the nurse may go to sleep under a great elder-tree; and perhaps the little boy may fall into the deep river and be drowned. What a terrible misfortune! Poor people, to lose their only son! It is really too dreadful! I shall never get over it.”

“啊!多么渺小的人生觀!”火箭說，“然而這正是我所預料的。你們胸無大志;你們既淺薄又無知。噢，或許王子和公主會到有條深深河流的鄉(xiāng)村去住;或許他們只有一個兒子，那個小男孩他王子一樣有一頭金發(fā)和紫色眼晴;或許有一天小男孩會跟保姆一起出去散步;或許保姆會在一株古老的大樹下睡覺;或許小男孩會掉進深深的流水中淹死了。多么可怕的災難啊!可憐的人兒，失去了他們唯一的兒子!這真是太可怕了!我永遠也忘不了。”

“But they have not lost their only son,” said the Roman Candle; “no misfortune has happened to them at all.”

“但是他們并沒有失去他們的獨子呀，”羅馬燭光彈說，“根本就沒有任何不幸發(fā)主在他們身上。”

“I never said that they had,” replied the Rocket; “I said that they might. If they had lost their only son there would be no use in saying anything more about the matter. I hate people who cry over spilt milk. But when I think that they might lose their only son, I certainly am very much affected.”

“我從沒說過他們會發(fā)生不幸，”火箭回答說，“我只是說他們可能會。如果他們已經(jīng)失去了獨生子，那么再談此事還有什么意思。我討厭那些事后反悔的人。不過一想到他們可能會失去獨子，我就會非常難過。”

“You certainly are!” cried the Bengal Light. “In fact, you are the most affected person I ever met.”

“你當然會的!”孟加拉煙火大聲嚷道，“實際上，你是我所遇到的最感情用事的人。”

“You are the rudest person I ever met,” said the Rocket, “and you cannot understand my friendship for the Prince.”

“你是我所遇到的最粗俗的人，”火箭反駁說，“你是無法理解我對王子的友情的。”

“Why, you don’t even know him,” growled the Roman Candle.

“噢，你甚至還不認識他呢，”羅馬燭光彈怒吼道。

“I never said I knew him,” answered the Rocket. “I dare say that if I knew him I should not be his friend at all. It is a very dangerous thing to know one’s friends.”

“我從未說過我認識他，”火箭回答說，“我敢說，如果我認識他，我是不會成為他的朋友的。認識好多朋友，是件非常危險的事。”

“You had really better keep yourself dry,” said the Fire-balloon. “That is the important thing.”

“說真的你最好還是不要流眼淚，”火球說，“這可是件要緊的事。”

“Very important for you, I have no doubt,” answered the Rocket, “but I shall weep if I choose”; and he actually burst into real tears, which flowed down his stick like rain-drops, and nearly drowned two little beetles, who were just thinking of setting up house together, and were looking for a nice dry spot to live in.

“我敢肯定，對你是非常要緊，”火箭回答說，“可我想哭就得哭。”說先他還真的哭了起來，后水像雨點一樣從桿子上流下來，差一點淹死兩只正在尋找一塊干燥的好地方做窩的小甲蟲。

“He must have a truly romantic nature,” said the Catherine Wheel, “for he weeps when there is nothing at all to weep about”; and she heaved a deep sigh, and thought about the deal box.

“他必定有真正的浪漫品質，”轉輪煙花說，“根本就沒有什么可哭的，他卻能哭得起來。”接著她長嘆一日氣，又想起了那個杉木箱子。

But the Roman Candle and the Bengal Light were quite indignant, and kept saying, “Humbug! humbug!” at the top of their voices. They were extremely practical, and whenever they objected to anything they called it humbug.

不過羅馬燭光彈和孟加拉煙火卻是老大不樂意，他們不停地說著：“胡扯!胡扯!”那聲音可真夠大的。他們是非常講實際的，只要是他們反對的東西，他們就會說是胡扯。

Then the moon rose like a wonderful silver shield; and the stars began to shine, and a sound of music came from the palace.

這時明月像一面銀色的盾牌冉冉升起;繁星開始閃爍，音樂聲從宮中傳來。

The Prince and Princess were leading the dance. They danced so beautifully that the tall white lilies peeped in at the window and watched them, and the great red poppies nodded their heads and beat time.

王子和公主正在領舞。他們跳得可真美，就連那些亭亭玉立的白蓮花也透過窗戶偷看他倆，大朵的紅色罌粟花頻頻點頭，并打著節(jié)拍。

Then ten o’clock struck, and then eleven, and then twelve, and at the last stroke of midnight every one came out on the terrace, and the King sent for the Royal Pyrotechnist.

隨后十點的鐘聲敲響了，接著十一點的鐘聲敲響了，然后是十二點。當午夜最后一下鐘聲敲響時，所有的人都來到了露天陽臺上，國王派人去叫皇家煙花手。

“Let the fireworks begin,” said the King; and the Royal Pyrotechnist made a low bow, and marched down to the end of the garden. He had six attendants with him, each of whom carried a lighted torch at the end of a long pole.

“開始放煙花吧，”國王宣布說?；始覠熁ㄊ稚钌畹鼐狭艘还⑦~步向下走到花園的盡頭。他帶了六個助手，每個助手都本著一根竿子，竿子的頂頭捆著一個點燃的火把。

It was certainly a magnificent display.

這的確是一場空前盛大的表演。

Whizz! Whizz! went the Catherine Wheel, as she spun round and round. Boom! Boom! went the Roman Candle. Then the Squibs danced all over the place, and the Bengal Lights made everything look scarlet. “Good-bye,” cried the Fire-balloon, as he soared away, dropping tiny blue sparks. Bang! Bang! answered the Crackers, who were enjoying themselves immensely. Every one was a great success except the Remarkable Rocket. He was so damp with crying that he could not go off at all. The best thing in him was the gunpowder, and that was so wet with tears that it was of no use. All his poor relations, to whom he would never speak, except with a sneer, shot up into the sky like wonderful golden flowers with blossoms of fire. Huzza! Huzza! cried the Court; and the little Princess laughed with pleasure.

颼颼!颼颼!轉輪煙花飛了上去，一邊飛一邊旋轉著。轟隆!轟隆!羅馬燭光彈又飛了上去。然后爆竹們便到處狂舞起來，接著孟加拉煙火把一切都映成了紅彤彤的。“再見了，”火球喊了一聲就騰空而去，拋下無數(shù)藍色的小火星。啪啪!啦啦!大爆竹們也跟著響了，他們真是痛快無比。他們個個都非常成功，只剩下神奇的火箭了。他渾身哭得濕乎乎的，根本就無法升空上天。他身上最好的東西只有火藥，火藥被淚水打濕后，就什么用場也派不上了。他的那些窮親戚們，平時他從未打過招呼，只是偶爾譏諷一下，此刻個個都像盛開著的燃燒的全色花朵，飛到天空中去了。好哇!好哇!宮廷的人們都歡呼起來;小公主高興地笑了起來。

“I suppose they are reserving me for some grand occasion,” said the Rocket; “no doubt that is what it means,” and he looked more supercilious than ever.

“我猜想他們留著我是為了某個更盛大的慶典時用，”火箭說，“毫無疑問就是這個意思。”他看上去比以前還要傲慢。

The next day the workmen came to put everything tidy. “This is evidently a deputation,” said the Rocket; “I will receive them with becoming dignity” so he put his nose in the air, and began to frown severely as if he were thinking about some very important subject. But they took no notice of him at all till they were just going away. Then one of them caught sight of him. “Hallo!” he cried, “what a bad rocket!” and he threw him over the wall into the ditch.

第二天工人們來打歸清理。“這些人一看就是代表團的，”火箭說，“我要帶著尊嚴來迎接他們。”于是他就擺出一幅威嚴的樣子，莊重地皺著眉頭，仿佛在思考什么雪要的問題似的?？墒撬麄円稽c也沒有理睬他，直到要離開的時候，他們中的一人碰巧看見了他。“嘿!”他大喊了一聲，“這么破舊的一枚火箭!”說完他便把火箭丟到墻外的陰溝里去了。

“BAD Rocket? BAD Rocket?” he said, as he whirled through the air; “impossible! GRAND Rocket, that is what the man said. BAD and GRAND sound very much the same, indeed they often are the same”; and he fell into the mud.

“破舊火箭?破舊火箭?”他在空中一邊翻滾著一邊說，“不可能!大火箭，那個人就是這么說的。破舊和大這兩個發(fā)音是非常接近的，的確它們常常是一樣的發(fā)音。”接著他就掉進了陰溝里。

“It is not comfortable here,” he remarked, “but no doubt it is some fashionable watering-place, and they have sent me away to recruit my health. My nerves are certainly very much shattered, and I require rest.”

“這里并不舒服，”他說，“可沒準是個時髦的浴場，他們送我來是為了要我恢復健康。我的神經(jīng)的確受到極大的傷害，我也需要休息了。”

Then a little Frog, with bright jewelled eyes, and a green mottled coat, swam up to him.

這時一只小青蛙朝他游了過來，他有一雙明亮閃光的寶石眼睛，和一件綠色斑紋的外衣。

“A new arrival, I see!” said the Frog. “Well, after all there is nothing like mud. Give me rainy weather and a ditch, and I am quite happy. Do you think it will be a wet afternoon? I am sure I hope so, but the sky is quite blue and cloudless. What a pity!”

“看來，是個新到的!”青蛙說，“啊，畢竟跟稀泥巴不一樣。我只要能享受雨天和一條陰溝，我便會十分幸福。你認為下午會下雨嗎?我真希望如此，可你看這藍藍的天空，萬里無云，多么可惜啊!”

“Ahem! ahem!” said the Rocket, and he began to cough.

“啊咳!啊咳!”火箭說著便咳了起來。

“What a delightful voice you have!” cried the Frog. “Really it is quite like a croak, and croaking is of course the most musical sound in the world. You will hear our glee-club this evening. We sit in the old duck pond close by the farmer’s house, and as soon as the moon rises we begin. It is so entrancing that everybody lies awake to listen to us. In fact, it was only yesterday that I heard the farmer’s wife say to her mother that she could not get a wink of sleep at night on account of us. It is most gratifying to find oneself so popular.”

“你的聲音多好聽啊!”青蛙大聲叫道.“真像是青蛙的呱呱叫聲，這種呱呱聲當然是世界上最美好的音樂了。今天晚上你可以來聽聽我們合唱隊的演出。我們都在農(nóng)夫房屋旁的老鴨池中，月亮一升起我們便開始表演。那可太迷人了，人人都睜著雙眼躺著聽我們唱。其實，就在昨天我還聽農(nóng)夫的妻子對她的母親說，就是因為我們的存在，使她整夜一點兒也睡不著。能受到這么多人的歡迎，真是謝天謝地。”

“Ahem! ahem!” said the Rocket angrily. He was very much annoyed that he could not get a word in.

“啊咳!啊咳!”火箭生氣地說。由于連一句話也插不進去，他感到非常惱火。

“A delightful voice, certainly,” continued the Frog; “I hope you will come over to the duck-pond. I am off to look for my daughters. I have six beautiful daughters, and I am so afraid the Pike may meet them. He is a perfect monster, and would have no hesitation in breakfasting off them. Well, good-bye: I have enjoyed our conversation very much, I assure you.”

“當然了，美妙的音樂，”青蛙繼續(xù)說，“我希望你能到鴨池來。我要去看我的女兒們了。我有六個漂亮的女兒，我很擔心梭魚會遇到她們。他是個地道的怪物，會毫不猶豫地拿她們當早餐吃掉的。好了，再見，我們的談話真讓我開心，我信得過你。”

“Conversation, indeed!” said the Rocket. “You have talked the whole time yourself. That is not conversation.”

“談話，一點不假!”火箭說，“都是你一個人在說話，那不算談話。”

“Somebody must listen,” answered the Frog, “and I like to do all the talking myself. It saves time, and prevents arguments.”

“總得要人聽啊，”青蛙回答說，“我也喜歡一個人談話。這節(jié)省時間，且避免爭吵。”

“But I like arguments,” said the Rocket.

“可我卻喜歡爭吵，”火箭說。

“I hope not,” said the Frog complacently. “Arguments are extremely vulgar, for everybody in good society holds exactly the same opinions. Good-bye a second time; I see my daughters in the distance and the little Frog swam away.

“我不希望這樣，”青蛙得意地說，“爭吵太粗俗了，因為在好的社會中，人人都會持有完全一致的意見。再一次告別了，我看見我的女兒在那邊。”說完小青蛙就游走了。

“You are a very irritating person,” said the Rocket, “and very ill- bred. I hate people who talk about themselves, as you do, when one wants to talk about oneself, as I do. It is what I call selfishness, and selfishness is a most detestable thing, especially to any one of my temperament, for I am well known for my sympathetic nature. In fact, you should take example by me; you could not possibly have a better model. Now that you have the chance you had better avail yourself of it, for I am going back to Court almost immediately. I am a great favourite at Court; in fact, the Prince and Princess were married yesterday in my honour. Of course you know nothing of these matters, for you are a provincial.”

“你是個非常討厭的家伙，”火箭說，“且教養(yǎng)又很差。我討厭人們只顧談論自己，就跟你這樣，要知道此時別人也想說說話，就像我這樣。這就是我所說的自私，自私是十分可惡的事，特別是對于我這種品性的人來說，因為我是以同情心而出了名的。說實在的，你應該以我為學習榜樣，你或許找不到比我更好的榜樣了。既然你還有機會，你最好把握住，因為我差不多馬上就要返回宮中去了。我在宮中是個大寵兒;其實，王子和公主在昨天就為慶祝我而舉辦了婚禮。當然，這些事你是一無所知的，因為你是個鄉(xiāng)巴佬。”

“There is no good talking to him,” said a Dragon-fly, who was sitting on the top of a large brown bulrush; “no good at all, for he has gone away.”

“跟他講話沒有任何益處，”一只蜻蜓開口說，他此刻正坐在一株棕色的香蒲頂上。“沒有任何益處，因為他已經(jīng)走開了。”

“Well, that is his loss, not mine,” answered the Rocket. “I am not going to stop talking to him merely because he pays no attention. I like hearing myself talk. It is one of my greatest pleasures. I often have long conversations all by myself, and I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.”

“嗯，那是他的損失，不是我的，”火箭回答說。“我不會僅僅因為他不理會我，就停止對他說話。我喜歡聽自己講話，這是我最大的樂趣之一。我常常一個人講上一大堆話，我可是太聰明了，有時候我連我自己講的話也不懂。”

“Then you should certainly lecture on Philosophy,” said the Dragon- fly; and he spread a pair of lovely gauze wings and soared away into the sky.

“那么你真應該去講授哲學，”晴蜓說，說完他展開自己一對可愛的紗翼朝空中飛去了。

“How very silly of him not to stay here!” said the Rocket. “I am sure that he has not often got such a chance of improving his mind. However, I don’t care a bit. Genius like mine is sure to be appreciated some day”; and he sank down a little deeper into the mud.

“他不留在這兒可算是傻極了!”火箭說，“我敢說他并不是經(jīng)常有這樣的機會來提高智力的。然而，我一點也不介意。像我這樣的天才肯定有一天會得人賞識的。”他往稀泥中陷得更深了。

After some time a large White Duck swam up to him. She had yellow legs, and webbed feet, and was considered a great beauty on account of her waddle.

過了一會兒一只白色的大鴨子向他游了過來。她有一對黃色的腿和一雙蹼足，而且由于她走起路來一搖一擺的，便被視為是個大美人。

“Quack, quack, quack,” she said. “What a curious shape you are! May I ask were you born like that, or is it the result of an accident?”

“嘎，嘎，嘎，”她叫著說，“你的樣子多么古怪啊!我可以問問你是怎么生得如此模樣的嗎?或者是由于一次事故造成的?”

“It is quite evident that you have always lived in the country,” answered the Rocket, “otherwise you would know who I am. However, I excuse your ignorance. It would be unfair to expect other people to be as remarkable as oneself. You will no doubt be surprised to hear that I can fly up into the sky, and come down in a shower of golden rain.”

“很顯然，你一直都住在鄉(xiāng)下，”火箭回答說，“不然你會知道我是誰的。不過，我會原諒你的無知。期望別人跟自己一樣了不起是不公平的。等你聽說我能夠飛上天空并撒下一陣金色的雨點后，你一定會感到驚訝的。”

“I don’t think much of that,” said the Duck, “as I cannot see what use it is to any one. Now, if you could plough the fields like the ox, or draw a cart like the horse, or look after the sheep like the collie-dog, that would be something.”

“我倒不看重那個，”鴨子說，“因為我看不出它對別人會有什么好處。眼下，要是你能像牛一樣地去犁地，像馬一樣地去拉車，或像牧羊犬那樣地照看羊群，那還算是個人物。”

“My good creature,” cried the Rocket in a very haughty tone of voice, “I see that you belong to the lower orders. A person of my position is never useful. We have certain accomplishments, and that is more than sufficient. I have no sympathy myself with industry of any kind, least of all with such industries as you seem to recommend. Indeed, I have always been of opinion that hard work is simply the refuge of people who have nothing whatever to do.”

“我的好人啊，”火箭用十分高傲的語言大聲說道，“可見你是屬于下等階層的。我這樣身份的人是永遠不會有用的。我們已經(jīng)有了一定的成就，那就足夠了。我本人對各種所謂的勤勞并沒有好感，尤其對像你贊賞的那些勤勞更是一點好感也沒有。說實話，我一貫認為做艱苦的工作僅僅是那些無事可干的人們的一種逃避方式。”

“Well, well,” said the Duck, who was of a very peaceable disposition, and never quarrelled with any one, “everybody has different tastes. I hope, at any rate, that you are going to take up your residence here.”

“好吧，好吧，”鴨子說，她是個處事平穩(wěn)的人，也從未跟任何人爭吵過，“各人有各人的愛好。我想，無論如何，你要在這兒安家落戶了吧。”

“Oh! dear no,” cried the Rocket. “I am merely a visitor, a distinguished visitor. The fact is that I find this place rather tedious. There is neither society here, nor solitude. In fact, it is essentially suburban. I shall probably go back to Court, for I know that I am destined to make a sensation in the world.”

“啊!當然不會了，”火箭嚷道，“我只是個過路人，一位有名望的客人。事實是我覺得這地方好無聊。這兒既不寧靜，又沒有社交生活。說實在的，這兒根本就是郊外。我可能要回到宮里去，因為我注定了要在世界上做一番成就的。”

“I had thoughts of entering public life once myself,” remarked the Duck; “there are so many things that need reforming. Indeed, I took the chair at a meeting some time ago, and we passed resolutions condemning everything that we did not like. However, they did not seem to have much effect. Now I go in for domesticity, and look after my family.”

“我也曾想過要投身于公眾事業(yè)中去，”鴨子說，“世上有那么多需要革新的事物。老實說，我前些時干過一陣會議的主席工作，我們通過決議譴責一切我們不喜歡的東西。然而，它們好像并沒有多大效果。現(xiàn)在我一心從事家務，照看我的家庭。”

“I am made for public life,” said the Rocket, “and so are all my relations, even the humblest of them. Whenever we appear we excite great attention. I have not actually appeared myself, but when I do so it will be a magnificent sight. As for domesticity, it ages one rapidly, and distracts one’s mind from higher things.”

“我生來就是為了這個社會的，”火箭說，“我所有的親戚也都是如此，甚至包括他們中最卑微的。只要我們一出場，隨時都會引起廣泛的關注。其實還沒輪到我出場呢，不過只要我一出現(xiàn)，準會是壯觀的場面。說到家務事，它會使人早早地衰老，并無心追求更高的目標。”

“Ah! the higher things of life, how fine they are!” said the Duck; “and that reminds me how hungry I feel”: and she swam away down the stream, saying, “Quack, quack, quack.”

“啊!更高的生活目標，它們該有多好呀!”鴨子說，“可它倒使我覺得好饑餓。”說完她就朝下游泅水而去，同時還“嘎，嘎，嘎”地叫著。

“Come back! come back!” screamed the Rocket, “I have a great deal to say to you”; but the Duck paid no attention to him. “I am glad that she has gone,” he said to himself, “she has a decidedly middle-class mind”; and he sank a little deeper still into the mud, and began to think about the loneliness of genius, when suddenly two little boys in white smocks came running down the bank, with a kettle and some faggots.

“回來，快回來!”火箭尖聲明著，“我有好多話要對你說。”但是鴨子沒理會他。“我很高興她離去了，”他對自己說，“她的思想的確只算得上一般。”他往稀泥中陷得更深了，這時才開始想起天才的寂寞來。忽然有兩個小男孩身穿白色的粗布衫，手拿一只水壺，懷里抱著好些柴火，朝岸邊跑了過來。

“This must be the deputation,” said the Rocket, and he tried to look very dignified.

“這一定是那個代表團了，”火箭說著，又努力表現(xiàn)出非常莊重的樣子。

“Hallo!” cried one of the boys, “look at this old stick! I wonder how it came here”; and he picked the rocket out of the ditch.

“嘿!”其中的一個孩子叫道，“快看這根舊木棍!我不知道它怎么會在這兒。”他把火箭從陰溝里拾起。

“OLD Stick!” said the Rocket, “impossible! GOLD Stick, that is what he said. Gold Stick is very complimentary. In fact, he mistakes me for one of the Court dignitaries!”

“舊木棍!”火箭說，“不可能!金木棍，這才是他說的。金木棍才是很中聽的話。實際上，他把我錯當成宮中的某位顯貴了。”

“Let us put it into the fire!” said the other boy, “it will help to boil the kettle.”

“我們把它放到火里去吧!”另一個孩子說，“它會幫著把水燒開。”

So they piled the faggots together, and put the Rocket on top, and lit the fire.

于是他倆把柴火堆在一起，把火箭放在最上面，并點燃了火。

“This is magnificent,” cried the Rocket, “they are going to let me off in broad day-light, so that every one can see me.”

“這下可太棒了，”火箭大聲叫道，“他們要在大白天里把我給燃放了，這樣人人都會看見我了。”

“We will go to sleep now,” they said, “and when we wake up the kettle will be boiled”; and they lay down on the grass, and shut their eyes.

“我們現(xiàn)在去睡覺吧，”他倆說，“睡醒時水壺的水就會燒開了。”說完他們便在草地上躺下身，閉上了眼睛。

The Rocket was very damp, so he took a long time to burn. At last, however, the fire caught him.

火箭渾身都濕透了，所以花了好長時間才把他烤干。不過，到最后火苗還是把他點燃了。

“Now I am going off!” he cried, and he made himself very stiff and straight. “I know I shall go much higher than the stars, much higher than the moon, much higher than the sun. In fact, I shall go so high that–”

“現(xiàn)在我就要升空了!”他大叫起來，同時把身體挺得筆直筆直的。“我知道我要飛得比星星更高，比月亮更高，比太陽更高。其實，我會飛得高到——”

Fizz! Fizz! Fizz! and he went straight up into the air.

嘶嘶!嘶嘶!嘶嘶!他垂直朝天空中飛去。

“Delightful!” he cried, “I shall go on like this for ever. What a success I am!”

“太棒了!”他叫了起來，“我要這樣一直飛下去，我是多么的成功啊!”

But nobody saw him.

不過，沒有人看見他。

Then he began to feel a curious tingling sensation all over him.

這時他開始感到有一股奇怪的刺痛襲遍全身。

“Now I am going to explode,” he cried. “I shall set the whole world on fire, and make such a noise that nobody will talk about anything else for a whole year.” And he certainly did explode. Bang! Bang! Bang! went the gunpowder. There was no doubt about it.

“現(xiàn)在我就要爆炸了，”他大聲喊道，“我要點燃整個世界，我要聲威大震，讓所有的人在這一年里都不再談論別的事情。”的確他真的爆炸了。呼!呼：呼!火藥爆炸了。這是千真萬確的。

But nobody heard him, not even the two little boys, for they were sound asleep.

可是沒有人聽見他，就連那兩個小孩也沒有聽見，因為他倆睡得可熟了。

Then all that was left of him was the stick, and this fell down on the back of a Goose who was taking a walk by the side of the ditch.

接著他所剩下的只有木棍了，木棍掉下去，正好落在一只在陰溝邊散步的鵝的背上。

“Good heavens!” cried the Goose. “It is going to rain sticks”; and she rushed into the water.

“天呀!”鵝叫了起來，“怎么下起棍子來了。”說完就跳進河里去了。

“I knew I should create a great sensation,” gasped the Rocket, and he went out.

“我知道我會創(chuàng)造奇跡的，”火箭喘息著說，然后他就熄滅了。