5.WOOL AND WATER羊毛和水-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《爱丽丝镜中奇遇记》

5 WOOL AND WATER SHE caught the shawl as she spoke,and looked about for the owner:in another moment the White Queen came running wildly through the wood,with both arms stretched out wide,as if she were flying,and Alice very civilly went to meet her with the shawl. "I'm very glad I happened to be in the way,"Alice said,as she helped her to put on her shawl again. The White Queen only looked at her in a helpless frightened sort of way,and kept repeating something in a whisper to herself that sounded like "Bread-and-butter,bread-and-butter,"and Alice felt that if there was to be any conversation at all,she must manage it herself.So she began rather timidly:"Am I addressing the White Queen?" “Well,yes,if you call that a-dressing,”the Queen said.“It isn't my notion②of the thing,atal.” Alice thought it would never do to have an argument at the very beginning of their conversation,so she smiled and said "If your Majesty will only tell me the right way to begin,I'll do it as well as I can." “But I don't want it done at all!”groaned③the poor Queen.“T've ·110" 第五章 羊毛和水 她话音未落，已把方披巾抓住，并向四周张 望，寻找失主。这时，白王后伸开双臂，像在飞 一样穿过树林狂奔而至，艾丽丝拿着披巾非常有 ①civilly /sivilt/ad.谦恭地， 有礼貌地 礼貌地迎过去。 艾丽丝帮白王后披上披巾，并对她说：“我 非常高兴，刚才我一伸手就够着了。” 白王后不知所措，惊慌地看着她，嘴里喃喃 说着什么，听起来像是“黄油和面包，黄油和面 包”。艾丽丝感到，要想打破沉默，她自己必须 主动。一开始，她腼腆胆怯：“我有幸在与白王 后谈话吗？” “哼，是的，如果你把这叫做穿衣①的话，那 跟我的概念相差十万八千里。”王后回答。 ②notion /'naufon/n概念，观 艾丽丝想，一开始谈话就争论，无论如何是 念 不行的，因此她微笑着说：“如果陛下告诉我该 怎么开始才对，我会尽力做好的。” ③goan/grun/.呻吟，抱 8 ①英语“晤谈”与“穿衣”两词谐音。一译注 ·111· Throughthe Looking-Glass and What Alice FoundThere been a-dressing myself for the last two hours." It would have been all the better,as it seemed to Alice,if she had got some one else to dress her,she was so dreadfully untidy."Every single thing's crooked②，”Alice thought to herself,.“and she's all over pins!-May I put your shawl straight for you?"she added aloud. "I don't know what's the matter with it!"the Queen said,in a melancholy voice."It's out of temper,I think.I've pinned it here,and I've pinned it there,but there's no pleasing it!" "It can't go straight,you know,if you pin it all on one side, Alice said,as she gently put it right for her "and,dear me,what a state your hair is in!” “The brush has got entangled③init!”the Queen said with a sigh. “And I lost the comb④yesterday.” Alice carefully released the brush,and did her best to get the hair into order..“Come,you look rather better now！”she said,after altering most of the pins."But really you should have a lady's-maid!" “I'm sure I'll take you with pleasure！”the Queen said..“Two pence a week,and jam every other day." Alice couldn't help laughing as she said "I don't want you to hire me-and I don't care for jam." “It's very good jam,”said the Queen. “Wel,Idon't want any to-day,at any rate.” "You couldn't have it if you did want it,"the Queen said. "The rule is,jam to-morrow and jam yesterday-but never jam to- day.” ·112· 艾丽丝宽中奇遇记 “但是我根本不想让别人插手！”可怜的王后 痛苦地哼哼起来，“我刚才花了两个小时也没穿 ①dreadfully /dredful/ad可 好。” 怕地，糟透地 ②crooked /krukid/a.歪 在艾丽丝看来，假如王后找个人侍候她穿衣 的，扭曲的 就会好多了。她现在衣冠很不整齐。她想，“王后 身上皱皱巴巴，都是饰针…我可以帮你把披巾 整理一下吗？”最后这一句话她说出声来了。 “我也不知道是怎么回事！”王后忧郁地说， “大概披巾发脾气了。我在这儿别上一针，在那 儿别上一针，可是总没法让它高兴！” “你知道，饰针全别在一边，披巾是平不了 的，”艾丽丝一边轻巧地给她整理，一边说； ③entangle /in'taengl/.缠 绕 “哎哟，你的头发这样乱七八糟！” ④comb/kaum/n.梳子 “刷子缠在里面了，”王后叹了一口气，“我昨 天又把梳子弄丢了。” 艾丽丝细心地把刷子解下来，尽量给她把头 发梳平，然后又把大多数饰针重新别了别。 “嗨，你现在看起来好多了。但是，真的，你应 该有一个专管梳妆的贴身侍待女。” “我相信，你来做我的侍女，我会很高兴 的，”王后说，“每星期二便士，每隔一天有果 酱。” 艾丽丝忍不住笑了，她说：“我并不希望你 雇用我…我对果酱也不感兴趣。” 王后说：“是上等果酱。” “不管你怎么说，我今天不想吃果酱。” 王后说：“你就是想吃也吃不到，我们的规 矩是明天吃果酱，昨天吃果酱；从来也不今天吃 果酱。” ·113· Throughthe Looking-Glass and What Alice FoundThere “It must come sometimes to‘jam to-day',”Alice objected.. “No,it can't,”said the Queen..“It's jam every other day:to-day isn't any other day,you know." “Tdon't understand you,”said Alice.“It's dreadfully confusing！" “That's the effect of living backwards,”the Queen said kindly:“it always makes one a little giddy at first-" “Living backwards！”Alice repeated in great astonishment②.“T never heard of such a thing！” "-but there's one great advantage in it,that one's memory works both ways.” “"T'm sure mine only works one way,”Alice remarked.“Ican't remember things before they happen." "It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,the ·114 艾丽丝境中奇遇记【 (图略) “总有什么时候必须说‘今天吃果酱’的 呀！”艾丽丝反驳说。 王后说：“不，不可以的。每隔一天吃一次 果酱，今天是今天，隔一天是隔一天，懂吗？” dreadfully /'dredfult/ad. 极其，可怕地 艾丽丝说：“我不懂你的话。你把我给搞糊 涂了。” 王后和气地解释：“这就是倒过来过日子的 ②astonishment h'stonIfm3ntn惊讶，令 结果。一开始谁也免不了有点晕乎…” 人惊讶的事物 “倒过来过日子！”她惊讶万分地重复，“我从 来没听说过这种事！” “.…那有一大好处，人的记忆变成双向的。” 艾丽丝说：“我敢肯定，我的记忆只是单向 的。还没有发生的事情，我是没有办法记住的。” 王后说：“只能记住过去的事情，那种记忆 ·115· Throughthe Looking-Glass and What Alice FoundThere Queen remarked. "What sort of things do you remember best?"Alice ventured to ask. "Oh,things that happened the week after next,"the Queen replied in a careless tone."For instance,now,"she went on,sticking a large piece of plaster on her finger as she spoke,"there's the King's Messenger.He's in prison now,being punished:and the trial doesn't even begin,till next Wednesday:and of course the crime comes last of al.” "Suppose he never commits the crime?"said Alice. "That would be all the better,wouldn't it?"the Queen said,as she bound the plaster round her finger with a bit of ribbon. Alice felt there was no denying that."Of course it would be all the better,"she said:"but it wouldn't be all the better his being punished." BB ·116· 艾丽丝境中奇遇记 力太差劲了。” ①venture'ventfa/u.敢于， “你记得最清楚的是些什么事情？”艾丽丝大 冒险 胆地问王后。 “哦，下下个星期已经发生过的事情，”王后 漫不经心地回答。她一面把一大块膏药贴在手指 ②plaster/pla:sta/n音药 上，一面接着说，“例如，现在有一个国王的使者 正坐牢服刑，可是审讯要等下星期三才开始。当 然，最后才是他犯罪。” 艾丽丝问：“假如他从来也不犯罪呢？” “那就更好了，是不是？”王后说，同时用一 小段缎带绕着手指头把膏药捆扎起来。 艾丽丝感到，这一点无可反驳。她说，“当然 那就更好了，但是他还得服刑，这可并不更好 些。” (图略) ·117· Throughthe Looking-Glass and What Alice FoundThere “You're wrong there,at any rate,”said the Queen.“Were you ever punished?” “Only for faults,.”said Alice. “And you were all the better for it,.I know！”the Queen said triumphantly. "Yes,but then I had done the things I was punished for,"said Alice:“that makes all the difference.” “But if you hadn't done them,”the Queen said,“that would have been better still;better,and better,and better!"Her voice went higher with each "better,"till it got quite to a squeak at last. Alice was just beginning to say "There's a mistake somewhere-," when the Queen began screaming,so loud that she had to leave the sentence unfinished."Oh,oh,oh!"shouted the Queen,shaking her hand about as if she wanted to shake it off."My finger's bleeding!Oh, oh,oh,oh!" Her screams were so exactly like the whistle of a steam-engine,that Alice had to hold both her hands over her ears. "What is the matter?"she said,as soon as there was a chance of making herself heard."Have you pricked your finger?" “I haven't pricked it yet,”the Queen said,“but I soon shall--oh, oh,oh!” "When do you expect to do it?"Alice asked,feeling very much inclined?to laugh. “When I fasten my shawl again,”the poor Queen groaned out:“the brooch③will come undone directly..Oh,oh！”As she said the words the brooch flew open,and the Queen clutched wildly at it,and tried to clasp it again. “Take care！”cried Alice.“You're holding it all crooked!”And she caught at the brooch;but it was too late:the pin had slipped,and ·118· 艾丽丝宽中奇遇记 “不管怎么说，你错了，”王后说，“你受过惩 罚吗？” 艾丽丝回答：“因为犯了错误才受罚。” “那就更活该了！”王后得意地说。 艾丽丝说：“是的，我做了错事才受罚的， 情况大不相同。” “但是，如果你没有做那些错事，那就更好。 那就更好，更好，更好！”她每说一个“更好”， 嗓门就升高一次，最后成了声嘶力竭的尖叫。 “总有什么地方不对头…”艾丽丝刚刚张 嘴说，王后又尖叫了，声音震耳欲聋，她不得不 半截儿停下来。“哎哟！哎哟！”王后喊着，还 直晃手，仿佛想把手甩掉。“我的手指流血了！ 哎哟！哎哟！” 她的喊叫多么像蒸汽机在鸣笛，艾丽丝不得 不用双手捂住耳朵。 刚刚安静一点，她就插嘴问：“出了什么事 了？你把手指头扎破了吗？” ①prick /prik/刺，扎，藏 王后说：“还没有扎破呢，但是快了…哎 哟！哎哟！” “你估计什么时候扎破手指？”艾丽丝禁不住 想笑。 ②incline/n'klain/.使倾 向于，使想要 可怜的王后呻吟着回答，“当我再系披巾的时 候，那枚饰针马上松开。哎哟！哎哟！”她正说 ③brooch /brautf/n.胸针 着，饰针果然松开了，王后发疯似的一把抓住， ④clutch /klAt∫/v企图抓住 想再把它别上。 艾丽丝喊道：“小心！你握住的那枚饰针全 张开着呢！”她上前帮忙，但是太迟了；饰针滑 了一下，王后的手指扎着了。 ·119·