Chapter 9 第九章-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《动物农场Animal Farm》

ChapterIX Boxer's split hoof was a long time in healing. They had started the rebuilding of the windmill the day after the victory celebrations were ended. Boxer refusec to take even a day off work, and made it a point of honour not to let it be seer that he was in pain. In the evenings he would admit privately to Clover that the hoof troubled him a great deal. Clover treated the hoof with poultices^{①} of herbs which she prepared by chewing them, and both she and Benjamin urged Boxe to work less hard. "A horse's lungs do not last for ever."she said to him. Bu Boxer would not listen. He had. he said, only one real ambition left-to see the windmill well under way before he reached the age for retirement At the beginning, when the laws of Animal Farm were first formulated. the retiring age had been fixed for horses and pigs at twelve, for cows at fourteen. for dogs at nine, for sheep at seven, and for hens and geese at five. Liberal^② old-age pensions had been agreed upon. As yet no animal had actually retired on pension, but of late the subject had been discussed more and more. Now that the small field beyond the orchard had been set aside for barley, it was rumoured that a corner of the large pasture was to be fenced off and turned into a grazing- ground for superannuated{③} animals. For a horse, it was said, the pension would be five pounds of corn a day and, in winter, fifteen pounds of hay, with a carrot or possibly an apple on public holidays. Boxer's twelfth birthday was due in the .140. 第九章 拳击手那只开裂的蹄子很长时间都没有愈合。庆祝 活动结束后的那一天,动物们便开始重建风车了。拳击 手坚守劳动岗位,连一天都拒绝离开。他下定决心,绝 对不让其他动物看出来,自已是忍着痛苦劳动的。到了 晚上,他这才私下里对首覆说,蹄子疼得厉害。首藉把 ① poultice fpoultisln. 湿威 药物 事先嚼烂的草药敷在他的蹄子上。她和本杰明都劝拳击 手不要那么卖力干活儿。“马的肺部不可能永远经受得 起折腾的。”她对他说。但是,拳击手就是不听。他说 他现在只有一个抱负一一看到风车很好地运转,然后自 己便退休。 刚开始,动物农场制定法律时,规定马和猪的退休 年龄是十二岁,奶牛十五岁,狗九岁,绵羊七岁,母鸡 ② liberal ['libaral]a. 充裕的 和鹅五岁。已经做出了规定,要给退休动物发放足量的 养老津贴。目前还没有任何动物领取养老津贴,但近来 大家对这个问题的讨论越来越多起来。果园那边那片小 牧场既然准备用来种植大麦,便有传言说,大牧场的一 角准备围起来,用作年老动物的草场。据说,一匹马的 养老津贴是一天五磅谷物,冬季里每天十五磅干草,节 ③ superannuated 日期间还可以另加一根胡萝下或者一个苹果。到了下一 Lsju:par'aenjueitid] a. 退休 的 年的夏天,拳击手就十二岁了。 ·141· Chapter IX late summer of the following year. Meanwhile life was hard. The winter was as cold as the last one had been. and food was even shorter. Once again all rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs. A too rigid equality in rations, Sauealer explained would have been contrary to the principles of Animalism. In any case he had no difficulty in proving to the other animals that they were not in reality shor of food, whatever the appearances might be. For the time being, certainly, it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations (Squealer always spoke of it as a"readjustment," never as a "reduction"), but in comparison with the days of Jones, the improvement was enormous. Reading out the figures in a shrill, rapid voice, he proved to them in detail that they had more oats, more hay, more turnips^{①} than they had had in Jones's day, that they worked shorter hours, that their drinking water was of better quality, that they lived longer, tha a larger proportion of their young ones survived infancy, and that they had more straw in their stalls and suffered less from fleas②}. The animals believed every word of it. Truth to tell, Jones and all he stood for had almost faded out of their memories, They knew that life nowadays was harsh and bare, that they were often hungry and often cold, and that they were usually working when they were not asleep. But doubtless it had been worse in the old days. They were glad to believe so. Besides, in those days they had been slaves and now they were free and that made all the difference, as Squealer did not fail to point out There were many more mouths to feed now. In the autumn the four sows had all littered about simultaneously, producing thirty-one young pigs between them. The young pigs were piebald{③}, and as Napoleon was the only boar on the farm, it was possible to guess at their parentage{④. It was announced that later, when bricks and timber had been purchased, a schoolroom would be built in the farmhouse garden. For the time being, the young pigs were given their instruction by Napoleon himself in the farmhouse kitchen. They took their exercise in the garden, and were discouraged from playing with the other young animals. About this time, too, it was laid down as a rule that when a pig and any .142. 第九章 期间,动物们的生活很艰苦。冬天像头一年的冬 天一样寒冷,而词料更加匮乏。动物们的词料配额再 次削减,但猪和狗的配额除外。尖嗓子解释说,词料 配额上的绝对平等有悖“动物思想”的诸原则。任何 情况下,尖嗓子都可轻而易举地向动物们证明,不管 表面现象如何,他们实际上并不缺乏创料。当然啦, 就目前的情形而言,调整词料配额是必要的(尖嗓子 说到这件事情时总是用“调整”,而从来不用“削减”) 但是,同琼斯统治的时期比较起来,生活有了巨大的 改善。他声音尖细,语速很快,大声念出了那些数字 详实地向动物们证明了,与琼斯统治的时期相比,他 ① turnipI'taxnipln. 萝} 们拥有更多燕麦,更多干草料,更多胡萝卜。劳动的 时间缩短了,饮用水质量更高了,他们的寿命延长了, 幼息的成活率提高了,窝棚里的干草更多了,侵扰他 ② flea [fli:]n. 跳 们的跳圣更少了。动物们对尖嗓子所说的每一句都深 信不疑。实话实说,琼斯和他所代表的一切几乎都从 他们的记忆中淡出了。他们知道,眼下的生活很艰苦 词料短缺。他们常常忍饥受冻。除了睡觉时间,他们 一般都在干活儿。但是,毫无疑问,昔日里,情况更 加糟糕。他们乐意相信这一点。此外,那些日子里, 他们身为奴隶,但现在是自由的,这可是巨大的差别。 尖嗓子会不失时机地指出这一点。 现在,动物农场需要供养的动物数目更多了。秋 天里,四头母猪同时都下了幼息,总共有三十一头小 ③ piebaldI'paibo:ldla. 斑驳 猪。小猪全是杂色的,由于拿破仑是农场上唯一的公 ④ parentage 'pearantid3] n. 的 猪,他们的身世便不言而喻了。已经宣布,以后,等 出身 买来了砖头和木料,拟在农场主住宅边的花园里盖一 间教室。眼下,小猪们由拿破仑亲自施教,暂时安排 在住宅的厨房里。他们在花园里做运动,不允许同别 的小动物一块儿玩耍。大概也就在这段时间里,农场 上已经定下了规矩,某一头猪若是在小路上同别的动 ·143· Chapter IX other animal met on the path, the other animal must stand aside: and also that al pigs, of whatever degree, were to have the privilege of wearing green ribbons on their tails on Sundays The farm had had a fairly successful year, but was still short of money. There were the bricks, sand, and lime for the schoolroom to be purchased. and it would also be necessary to begin saving up again for the machinery for the windmill Then there were lamp oil and candles for the house, sugar for Napoleon's own table (he forbade this to the other pigs, on the ground that it made them fat), and all the usual replacements such as tools, nails, string, coal, wire, scrap-iron, and dog biscuits. A stump of hay and part of the potato crop were sold off, and the contract for eggs was increased to six hundred a week, so that that year the hens barely hatched enough chicks to keep their numbers at the same level. Rations reduced in December, were reduced again in February, and lanterns in the stalls were forbidden to save Oil. But the pigs seemed comfortable enough, and in fac were putting on weight if anything. One afternoon in late February a warm, rich. appetising scent^{①}, such as the animals had never smelt before, wafted②} itself across the yard from the little brew-house, which had been disused in Jones's time, and which stood beyond the kitchen. Someone said it was the smell of cooking barley. The animals sniffed the air hungrily and wondered whether a warm mash was being prepared for their supper. But no warm mash appeared and on the following Sunday it was announced that from now onwards all barley would be reserved for the pigs. The field beyond the orchard had already been sown with barley. And the news soon leaked out that every pig was now receiving a ration of a pint of beer daily, with half a gallon for Napoleon himself which was always served to him in the Crown Derby soup tureen③. But if there were hardships to be borne, they were partly offset{ by the fac that life nowadays had a greater dignity than it had had before. There were more songs, more speeches, more processions{}. Napoleon had commanded that once a week there should be held something called a Spontaneous Demonstration, the object of which was to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of Animal Farm ·144· 第九章 物相遇,另外的动物必须要靠边站。还有,所有猪, 不管什么等级的,享有星期天在尾巴上系绿色饰带的 特权。 农场这一年还算一帆风顺,但仍然资金短缺。盖一 间教室需要购买砖头、沙子和石灰。为了购买将来风车 需要的机械设备,他们还必须积累资金。此外,还需要 室内照明用的煤油和蜡烛,以及拿破仑自已餐桌上所需 的糖(他禁止别的猪食用糖,因为食用糖会发胖)。还 需要不断添补各种易耗物品,诸如工具、钉子、绳索、 煤炭、铁丝、铁块,以及狗食用的饼干。他们卖掉了一 堆干草料和一部分收获的土豆。售蛋合同已经增加到了 每星期六百枚,所以当年母鸡孵出的小鸡的数量几乎都 难以维持原有的水平。十二月份已经削减的伺料配额到 了二月份再次削减了。为了节省煤油,动物的窝棚禁止 掌灯。但是,那些猪似乎过得够舒心惬意的。事实上, 不说别的,他们体重就增加了。二月下句的一天下午, scent [sentln. 味道 2 动物们闻到了一股从未闻过的香气,温暖浓郁,鲜美开 ② waft[woft]v 使飘荡 胃。香味是从院落一边的小酿酒房飘溢出来的。酿酒房 在琼斯时代已经弃用,坐落在厨房的后面。有动物说 这是蒸煮大麦的气味。动物们如饥似渴地吸着香气,心 里思付着,说不定他们晚餐可以吃上热乎乎的大麦糊 呢。但是,他们并没有见到大麦糊的影子。随后的那个 星期天,动物们接到通知,从今往后,全部大麦都将留 给猪食用。果园那边的那片田地已经种植了大麦。而很 快又有消息传出,每头猪每天可以得到一品脱鸣酒的配 额,拿破仑自己则享用半个加仑,碑酒是盛在王冠德比 ③ tureen [ta'ritn]n. 盖碳 的汤碗里给他享用的 ④ offset Lofset]v 抵消 虽说他们现在还要忍受种种艰难困苦,但是,他 们比过去生活得更加有尊严。这个事实在一定程度上 procession [prou'sefanln 消解了他们面临的困境。歌声更多、演讲更多、游行 队伍 更多。拿破仑已经下达了命令,每个星期都要举行名 为“自发式游行”的活动,旨在庆祝动物农场的斗争 ·145· Chapter IX At the appointed time the animals would leave their work and march round the precincts^{} of the farm in military formation, with the pigs leading, then the horses, then the cows, then the sheep, and then the poultry. The dogs flanked② the procession and at the head of all marched Napoleon's black cockerel. Boxer and Clover always carried between them a green banner marked with the hoof and the horn and the caption{③}, "Long live Comrade Napoleon!"Afterwards there were recitations of poems composed in Napoleon's honour, and a speech by Sauealer giving particulars of the latest increases in the production of foodstuffs and on occasion a shot was fired from the gun. The sheep were the greatest devotees④ of the Spontaneous Demonstration, and if anyone complained (as a few animals sometimes did, when no pigs or dogs were near) that they wasted time and meant a lot of standing about in the cold, the sheep were sure to silence him with a tremendous bleating of "Four legs good, two legs bad!" But by and large the animals enjoved these celebrations. They found it comforting to be reminded that, after all, they were truly their own masters and that the work they did was for their own benefit. So that. what with the songs, the processions Squealer's lists of figures, the thunder of the gun, the crowing{} of the cockerel and the fluttering of the flag, they were able to forget that their bellies were empty, at least part of the time. In April, Animal Farm was proclaimed a Republic, and it became necessary to elect a President. There was only one candidate, Napoleon, who was elected unanimously. On the same day it was given out that fresh documents had been discovered which revealed further details about Snowball's complicity with Jones. It now appeared that Snowball had not, as the animals had previously imagined, merely attempted to lose the Battle of the Cowshed by means of a stratagem^{}, but had been openly fighting on Jones's side. In fact, it was he who had actually been the leader of the human forces, and had charged into battle with the words "Long live Humanity!"on his lips. The wounds on Snowball's back, which a few of the animals still remembered to have seen, had beer inflicted{}by Napoleon's teeth .146· 第九章 和胜利。到了规定的时间,动物们就会离开工作岗位, ① precinct f'pri:sinkt]n. 管辖 排着军旅的队伍在农场的地界内绕行,猪走在队伍前 区 ② flank [flaenk]v 位于.. 列,第二是马,紧接着是奶牛,随后是绵羊,最后是 的侧面 禽类。狗行进在队伍的两侧,而位于队伍之首的是拿 破仑那只黑色小公鸡。拳击手和首藉二位同时打着那 ③ caption['kaepfan]n. 说明 面绘着兽蹄和兽角的绿色旗帜,旗帜上还有“拿破仑 文字 同志万岁”的字样。游行过后,还要朗诵专门歌颂拿 破仑的诗歌。尖嗓子还要发表演说,报告最近粮食生 产增加的具体数据。有时候,还要鸣枪。绵羊是“自 发式游行”中最投入的。如果有哪个动物抱怨说(一 ④ devotee L.devs'ti:]n. 献身 者 旦附近没有猪或者狗,少数动物就会如此),他们这是 浪费时间,大家还要在寒冷的天气里长时间站立,绵 羊们肯定就会咩咩地念叨起“四条腿好,两条腿坏!” 令那只抱怨的动物闭嘴不说。但是,总体上来看,动 物们还是很喜欢这类庆祝活动的。他们发现,通过这 些活动,他们很欣慰地意识到,自己是真正的主人了 他们干活儿是为了自己的利益。因此,阵阵歌声,支 crowing krouinln. 啼叫 支游行队伍,尖嗓子列举的串串数据,枪声巨响,公 鸡鸣叫,旗帜招展,通过这一切,动物们能够忘却他 们正饥肠键键,至少部分时间里如此 四月里,动物农场宣布成立“共和国”,因此,有 必要选举总统。只有一位候选人,即拿破仑。他被大家 一致选为总统。同一天,据报道,动物农场发现了新的 文件,其中透露出雪球同琼斯勾结的更多细节。现在看 complicity [kom'plisoti]n 同谋关系 起来,情况并非如动物们先前想象的那样,雪球仅仅是 企图通过玩弄阴谋手段导致“牛棚之战”失败,而是公 开为琼斯而战。事实上,他亲临战场,指挥人类武力进 stratagem ['straetad3om]n 犯。他嘴里喊着“人类万岁”的口号,冲锋陷阵。少数 诡计,阴谋 动物仍然记得,他们看见雪球背上负伤了,而那些伤痕 实际上是拿破仑的牙齿咬破的 ⑧ inflict fin'fliktlv施予 ·147· Chapter IX In the middle of the summer Moses the raven suddenly reappeared on the farm, after an absence of several years. He was quite unchanged, still did no work, and talked in the same strain^{①} as ever about Sugarcandy Mountain. He would perch on a stump, flap②} his black wings, and talk by the hour to anyone who would listen. "Up there, comrades," he would say solemnly, pointing to the sky with his large beak-"up there, just on the other side of that dark cloud that you can see there it lies, Sugarcandy Mountain, that happy country where we poor animals shall rest for ever from our labours!" He even claimed to have been there on one of his higher flights, and to have seen the everlasting fields of clover and the linseed cake and lump sugar growing on the hedges. Many of the animals believed him. Their lives now, they reasoned, were hungry and laborious: was it not right and just that a better world should exist somewhere else? A thing that was difficult to determine was the attitude of the pigs towards Moses. They all declared contemptuously that his stories about Sugarcandy Mountain were lies, and yet they allowed him to remain on the farm, not working, with an allowance of a gill{} of beer a day After his hoof had healed up, Boxer worked harder than ever, Indeed. all the animals worked like slaves that year. Apart from the regular work of the farm and the rebuilding of the windmill, there was the schoolhouse for the young pigs, which was started in March. Sometimes the long hours on insufficient food were hard to bear, but Boxer never faltered④. In nothing that he said or did was there any sign that his strength was not what it had been. It was only his appearance that was a little altered: his hide was less shiny than it had used to be, and his great haunches^{} seemed to have shrunken. The others said, "Boxer will pick up when the spring grass comes on": but the spring came and Boxer grew no fatter. Sometimes on the slope leading to the top of the quarry, wher he braced^{} his muscles against the weight of some vast boulder, it seemed tha nothing kept him on his feet except the will to continue. At such times his lips were seen to form the words, "I will work harder": he had no voice left. Once again Clover and Benjamin warned him to take care of his health, but Boxer .148· 第九章 仲夏时分,渡鸦摩西失踪了几年之后突然出现在了 农场。他没有什么变化,还是什么活儿都不干。一如既 ① strain[strein]n. 口吻 往地唱着关于“糖果山”的老调儿。他会栖息在一个树 ② flap[flaeplv 拍打 桩上,拍打着自已黑色的翅膀,但凡有哪只动物愿意 听,他会说上一个小时。“在那儿啊,同志们,”他会说 语气郑重其事,一边用自己的大嘴指着天空-“在那 儿,就在你们看得见的那团乌云的另一边,糖果山就在 那儿呢。那是个幸福美满的国度,可怜的动物们不需要 劳动,便可以永远歇息!”他甚至声称,自己有一次飞 得很高,都已经飞到那儿了,看见了那儿四季常青的首 藉,树篱上结出了亚麻籽饼干和糖块。许多动物都相信 他的说法。他们分析着,自已现在的生活食不果腹,辛 苦劳累。现如今,有个更加理想的地方存在于世界的某 处,这难道不是很正常的事情吗?难以捉摸的是那些猪 对待摩西是什么态度。他们全都不屑一顾地声称,摩西 关于“糖果山”的故事完全子虚乌有。不过,他们还是 ③ gill[ailln.吉耳(液量单 允许他待在农场,不干活儿,每天可以享受七分之一升 位) 碑酒的津贴。 拳击手的蹄子愈合了之后,干活儿比过去更加卖力 了。确实,当年,所有动物都像奴隶一样干着活儿。农 场上的常规活儿要干,还要干风车重建的活儿,除此之 ④ falter['fxlta]v ,跟 外,还要替小猪们盖那间教室,工程从三月份就动工了。 路 有时候,长时间填不饱肚子,令动物们难以忍受。但是, 拳击手的脚步从来都不打颤。从他的言谈举止中,看不 hide[haid]n. 兽皮 出任何体力不如从前的迹象。他只是音容相貌上略微有 haunch ho:ntf]n. 膀部 点变化而已,皮毛不如过去有光泽,壮实敦厚的后膀似 乎萎缩松弛了一点儿。其他动物说“等到春天来了,牧 草嫩绿了,拳击手定会恢复先前的容貌”。但是,春天 brace [breis]v: 使细紧 来了,拳击手并没有长膘。有时,他细紧着肌肉,拖着 沉重的巨石,顺着采石场的斜坡向顶端拖行,这时候 支撑着他的脚步继续前行的除了意志力仿佛没有别的什 么了。每当这种时候,动物们便看到他嘴唇着,似 .149·