雙語(yǔ) ● A Mad Tea-party　發(fā)瘋的茶會(huì)

A Mad Tea-party　發(fā)瘋的茶會(huì)

◎ Lewis Carroll

There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. “Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,” thought Alice; “only, as it’s asleep, I suppose it doesn’t mind.”

屋前的大樹下擺放著一張桌子。三月兔和帽匠正在桌旁喝茶。一只睡鼠在他們中間酣睡著?？赡莾蓚€(gè)家伙卻把睡鼠當(dāng)成墊子，把胳膊支在它身上，而且就在它的頭上聊天。“睡鼠應(yīng)該很不舒服吧！”愛麗絲想，“可它睡著了，也就不在乎了吧！”

The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it. “No room! No room!” they cried out when they saw Alice coming.

桌子很大，可他們?nèi)齻€(gè)都擠在桌子的一角?！皼]地方啦！沒地方啦！”他們看見愛麗絲走過來就開始大聲嚷嚷。

“There’s plenty of room!” said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

“這兒有的是地方呀！”愛麗絲生氣地說道。接著她就在桌子一端的大扶手椅上坐了下來。

“Have some wine,” the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

“想喝酒嗎？”三月兔熱情地問道。

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. “I don’t see any wine,” she remarked.

愛麗絲掃視了一下桌面，發(fā)現(xiàn)除了茶什么也沒有?！拔覜]看見酒！”愛麗絲回答。

“There isn’t any,” said the March Hare.

“這兒根本沒有酒?！比峦谜f。

“Then it wasn’t very civil of you to offer it,” said Alice angrily.

“那你邀請(qǐng)我喝酒也太不禮貌了?！睈埯惤z生氣地說道。

“It wasn’t very civil of you to sit down without being invited,” said the March Hare.

“那你沒有受到邀請(qǐng)就坐下來也是不太禮貌的。”三月兔說。

“I didn’t know it was your table,” said Alice; “it’s laid for a great many more than three.”

“我不知道這是你的桌子，”愛麗絲說，“這張桌子可以坐下好多人呢！遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不止三個(gè)。”

“Your hair wants cutting,” said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.

“你的頭發(fā)該剪了?！泵苯痴f。他十分好奇地看了愛麗絲一會(huì)兒。這是他第一次開口說話。

“You should learn not to make personal remarks,” Alice said with some severity; “it’s very rude.”

“你必須懂得不要隨便評(píng)論別人，”愛麗絲一臉嚴(yán)肅地說道，“這是很不禮貌的?！?

The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, “Why is a raven like a writing-desk?”

聽到這句話，帽匠的眼睛睜得大大的。最后他說：“一只烏鴉為什么像一張寫字臺(tái)呢？”

“Come, we shall have some fun now!” thought Alice. “I’m glad they’ve begun asking riddles. —I believe I can guess that,” she added aloud.

“來吧！現(xiàn)在我們有好玩的事了！”愛麗絲想，“我很高興他們開始猜謎語(yǔ)了?！薄拔矣X得我能猜出來?！彼又舐曊f道。

“Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?” said the March Hare.

“你的意思是你找到這個(gè)謎語(yǔ)的答案了？”三月兔說。

“Exactly so,” said Alice.

“沒錯(cuò)?！睈埯惤z說。

“Then you should say what you mean,” the March Hare went on.

“那你說說你的想法吧！”三月兔接著說。

“I do,” Alice hastily replied; “at least—at least I mean what I say—that’s the same thing, you know.”

“我就是這樣的，”愛麗絲急忙回答，“至少……至少凡是我說的就是我想的，你也知道這是一回事?！?

“Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter. “You might just as well say that ‘I see what I eat’ is the same thing as ‘I eat what I see’!”

“根本不是一回事！”帽匠說，“那么你說‘凡是我吃的東西我都能看見’跟‘凡是我看見的東西我都能吃’是一樣的？”

“You might just as well say,” added the March Hare, “that ‘I like what I get’ is the same thing as ‘I get what I like’!”

三月兔補(bǔ)了一句：“那樣的話，‘我得到的東西我都喜歡’跟‘我喜歡的東西我都能得到’也是一樣的咯？”

“You might just as well say,” added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, “that ‘I breathe when I sleep’ is the same thing as ‘I sleep when I breathe’!”

睡鼠也說了一句，就像說夢(mèng)話那樣：“也就是說‘我睡覺時(shí)要呼吸’跟‘我呼吸時(shí)要睡覺’也是一樣的啦！”

“It is the same thing with you,” said the Hatter, and here the conversation dropped, and the party sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn’t much.

“這對(duì)你來說還真是一樣?！泵苯辰又蟮脑捳f道。談話告一段落，大家沉默了一會(huì)兒。這時(shí)，愛麗絲費(fèi)勁腦汁想著有關(guān)烏鴉和寫字臺(tái)的事，可她知道的實(shí)在不多。

The Hatter was the first to break the silence. “What day of the month is it?” he said, turning to Alice: he had taken his watch out of his pocket, and was looking at it uneasily, shaking it every now and then, and holding it to his ear.

帽匠最先打破沉默，“今天是幾號(hào)呀？”他一面問愛麗絲，一面從口袋里掏出一只懷表，不安地看著，還不停地?fù)u晃，拿到耳朵旁聽聽。

Alice considered a little, and then said “The fourth.”

愛麗絲想了想說：“四號(hào)?！?

“Two days wrong!” sighed the Hatter. “I told you butter wouldn’t suit the works!” he added looking angrily at the March Hare.

“錯(cuò)了兩天！”帽匠嘆了一口氣，“我跟你說過不該加黃油的！”他生氣地瞪著三月兔說。

“It was the best butter,” the March Hare meekly replied.

“這是最好的黃油了。”三月兔弱弱地解釋。

“Yes, but some crumbs must have got in as well,” the Hatter grumbled, “you shouldn’t have put it in with the bread-knife.”

“沒錯(cuò)?？梢恍┟姘家驳暨M(jìn)去了，”帽匠抱怨著，“你不該把黃油和切面包的刀放在一起。”

The March Hare took the watch and looked at it gloomily; then he dipped it into his cup of tea, and looked at it again; but he could think of nothing better to say than his first remark, “It was the best butter, you know.”

三月兔從帽匠手里接過手表看了看，他懊惱極了。接著他把表泡在自己的茶杯里，過了一會(huì)又拿起來看了看。但是，除了剛開始說的那句“這是最好的黃油”之外，他再也無話可說了。

Alice had been looking over his shoulder with some curiosity. “What a funny watch!” she remarked. “It tells the day of the month, and doesn’t tell what o’clock it is!”

愛麗絲好奇地透過他的肩膀看了看。“好奇怪的表！”她說，“它能告訴我們幾月幾號(hào)，卻不能告訴我們幾點(diǎn)！”

“Why should it?” muttered the Hatter. “Does your watch tell you what year it is?”

“為什么要告訴時(shí)間？”帽匠嘀咕著，“你的手表能告訴你今年是哪一年嗎？”

“Of course not,” Alice replied very readily, “but that’s because it stays the same year for such a long time together.”

“當(dāng)然不能啦！”愛麗絲胸有成竹地答道，“那是因?yàn)槟攴菰诤荛L(zhǎng)時(shí)間內(nèi)都是不變的?！?

“Which is just the case with mine,” said the Hatter.

“這也是我的表無法說明時(shí)間的原因?！泵苯痴f。

Alice felt dreadfully puzzled. The Hatter’s remark seemed to have no sort of meaning in it, and yet it was certainly English. “I don’t quite understand you,” she said, as politely as she could.

愛麗絲困惑極了。帽匠的話聽起來似乎沒有任何意義，但不可否認(rèn)他說的是標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的英語(yǔ)。“我不是很明白你說的話。”她盡可能禮貌地說道。

“The Dormouse is asleep again,” said the Hatter, and he poured a little hot tea upon its nose.

“睡鼠又睡著了?！泵苯痴f。然后他在睡鼠的鼻子上倒了一點(diǎn)熱茶。

The Dormouse shook its head impatiently, and said, without opening its eyes, “Of course, of course; just what I was going to remark myself.”

睡鼠急忙晃了晃頭，還沒睜開眼睛就說：“當(dāng)然，當(dāng)然，這正是我要說的?！?

“Have you guessed the riddle yet?” the Hatter said, turning to Alice again.

“你猜出這個(gè)謎語(yǔ)了嗎？”帽匠再一次問愛麗絲。

“No, I give it up,” Alice replied, “what’s the answer?”

“還沒呢！我猜不出來?！睈埯惤z回答，“謎底是什么？”

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” said the Hatter.

“我也不知道?！泵苯痴f。

“Nor I.” said the March Hare.

“我也不知道?！比峦谜f。

Alice sighed wearily. “I think you might do something better with the time,” she said, “than waste it in asking riddles that have no answers.”

愛麗絲輕輕地嘆了一口氣說：“我覺得你們可以做一些更有意義的事情，不應(yīng)該把時(shí)間浪費(fèi)在沒有謎底的謎語(yǔ)上?！?

“If you knew Time as well as I do,” said the Hatter, “you wouldn’t talk about wasting it. It’s him.”

“如果你也像我一樣熟悉時(shí)間，”帽匠說，“你就不會(huì)喊它‘寶貴的時(shí)間’而會(huì)是‘老朋友’了。”

“I don’t know what you mean,” said Alice.

“我不明白你說的是什么意思。”愛麗絲說。

“Of course you don’t!” the Hatter said, tossing his head contemptuously. “I dare say you never even spoke to Time!”

“你當(dāng)然不明白啦！”帽匠很得意地晃著頭說，“我敢說你從來沒有跟時(shí)間對(duì)話過。”

“Perhaps not,” Alice cautiously replied, “but I know I have to beat time when I learn music.”

“好像沒有?！睈埯惤z小心翼翼地回答，“可我在學(xué)唱歌的時(shí)候總是按著時(shí)間打拍子的?！?

“Ah! That accounts for it,” said the Hatter. “He won’t stand beating. Now, if you only kept on good terms with him, he’d do almost anything you liked with the clock. For instance, suppose it were nine o’clock in the morning, just time to begin lessons; you’d only have to whisper a hint to Time, and round goes the clock in a twinkling! Half-past one, time for dinner!”

“??！糟糕了。”帽匠說，“他最討厭人家打他了?，F(xiàn)在，如果你跟他保持友好關(guān)系，他會(huì)為你做任何事情，他能讓鐘表乖乖聽你的話。就比如說吧，假設(shè)現(xiàn)在是早上九點(diǎn)，是你上學(xué)的時(shí)間。這時(shí)你只要對(duì)時(shí)間說上一句悄悄話，鐘表上的時(shí)間就會(huì)馬上顯示為下午一點(diǎn)半，就變成吃飯的時(shí)間啦！”

“I only wish it was,” the March Hare said to itself in a whisper.

“我真希望這是真的。”三月兔輕聲地自言自語(yǔ)著。

“That would be grand, certainly,” said Alice thoughtfully, “but then—I shouldn’t be hungry for it, you know.”

“如果真是那樣就好了?！睈埯惤z若有所思地說，“可那時(shí)候我還不餓的話怎么辦？”

“Not at first, perhaps,” said the Hatter, “but you could keep it to half-past one as long as you liked.”

“剛開始的時(shí)候是不餓，”帽匠說，“但是只要你喜歡，你可以讓時(shí)鐘一直停留在一點(diǎn)半?！?

“Is that the way you manage?” Alice asked.

“你就是這樣做的嗎？”愛麗絲問。

The Hatter shook his head mournfully. “Not I!” he replied. “We quarreled last March—just before he went mad, you know—” (pointing with his tea spoon at the March Hare), “—it was at the great concert given by the Queen of Hearts, and I had to sing:

帽匠傷心地?fù)u了搖頭回答：“我再也不能那樣做了。三月份的時(shí)候我和時(shí)間吵架了，就是在他發(fā)瘋前——”（他用自己的茶匙指著三月兔），“記得那是在紅心皇后舉辦的一次大型音樂會(huì)上，我演唱了：

‘Twinkle, twinkle, little bat! How I wonder what you’re at!’

‘一閃一閃的小蝙蝠！我多想知道你在哪兒！’”？

“You know the song, perhaps?”

“你聽過這首歌嗎？”

“I’ve heard something like it.” said Alice.

“我好像聽過類似的歌。”愛麗絲說。

“It goes on, you know,” the Hatter continued, “in this way—

“我接著唱，”帽匠繼續(xù)說道，“就像這樣——

‘Up above the world you fly, like a tea-tray in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle—’”

‘你飛翔于天際，就像一只盤旋在空中的茶盤。閃呀，閃呀……’”

Here the Dormouse shook itself, and began singing in its sleep “Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle—” and went on so long that they had to pinch it to make it stop.

這時(shí)睡鼠搖了搖身體，在睡夢(mèng)中唱了起來：“閃呀，閃呀，閃呀，閃呀……”睡鼠唱得太久了，直到他們捅了他一下才停下來。

“Well, I’d hardly finished the first verse,” said the Hatter, “when the Queen jumped up and bawled out, ‘He’s murdering the time! Off with his head!’”

“我還沒唱完第一段呢，”帽匠說，“皇后就大喊‘他簡(jiǎn)直是在糟蹋時(shí)間，把他的頭砍下來！’”

“How dreadfully savage!” exclaimed Alice.

“太殘忍了吧！”愛麗絲嚷道。

“And ever since that,” the Hatter went on in a mournful tone, “he won’t do a thing I ask! It’s always six o’clock now.”

“就是從那以后，”帽匠傷心地接著說，“時(shí)間再也不愿為我做任何事情了。它就一直停留在六點(diǎn)鐘?！?

A bright idea came into Alice’s head. “Is that the reason so many tea-things are put out here?” she asked.

愛麗絲的腦中突然閃現(xiàn)一個(gè)好主意：“這就是為什么這兒有這么多茶具嗎？”她問。

“Yes, that’s it,” said the Hatter with a sigh: “it’s always tea-time, and we’ve no time to wash the things between whiles.”

“對(duì)呀，就是這個(gè)緣故。”帽匠嘆了一口氣說，“我們只有喝茶的時(shí)間，卻沒有洗茶具的時(shí)間。”

“Then you keep moving round, I suppose?” said Alice.

“所以你們才圍著桌子轉(zhuǎn)？”愛麗絲說。

“Exactly so,” said the Hatter: “as the things get used up.”

“沒錯(cuò)?！泵苯痴f，“只要茶具臟了，我們就挪到下一個(gè)位置?！?

“But what happens when you come to the beginning again?” Alice ventured to ask.

“可是你們轉(zhuǎn)回到第一個(gè)位置時(shí)又該怎么辦呢？”愛麗絲進(jìn)一步問道。

“Suppose we change the subject,” the March Hare interrupted, yawning. “I’m getting tired of this. I vote the young lady tells us a story.”

“我們換個(gè)話題吧！”三月兔打了一個(gè)哈欠，打斷了他們的談話，“我都聽煩了。讓小姑娘講個(gè)故事吧！”

From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

摘自《愛麗絲漫游奇境記》

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