史蒂芬·弗莱 | 朗读童话故事《丑小鸭》

Once upon a time in a summer long ago, the wheat fields were golden, the oats were green, and the hay was stacked high in the meadows. A magnificent old manor house stood surrounded by woods and ponds. The reeds had grown so high that summer they nearly hid the water from view.

很久以前的一个夏天，田里的小麦一片金黄而燕麦依然青绿，草地里的干草堆得高高的。一栋老旧的大宅邸被树林和池塘包围着，到了夏天，池塘里的芦苇长得很高，几乎连水面都看不见。

Hidden in the reeds, a mother duck had made her nest, safe from weasels and the wily fox. She sat on her eggs, getting rather bored, for they took their time to hatch. Finally she felt a “Tap! Tap! Tap! ” and cracks started to appear in the smooth shells. With a “Pop!” and a “Peep! Peep!”, a bunch of golden ducklings appeared.

鸭妈妈把窝搭在隐蔽的芦苇丛里，以免被黄鼠狼和狡猾的狐狸发现。她趴在她的蛋上，感到十分无聊，因为孵蛋是一个漫长的过程。终于，她听到“嗒-嗒-嗒”的声响，光滑的蛋壳上开始出现裂纹，伴着蛋壳碎裂声和小鸭子“叽-叽”的叫声，一群金黄色的小鸭子破壳而出。

Their mother gave a delighted “Quack!” as she counted each fluffy gold head. But wait! The largest egg in the nest, her secret pride, was still there. Never before could she remember laying such a huge and splendid egg. How much longer would it take?

鸭妈妈一边数着毛绒绒金黄色的小鸭子，一边高兴地“嘎-嘎”叫。等等，那个最大的、让她暗暗自豪的蛋依旧还在那儿。她都差点忘了她下过一个如此大的蛋。这个蛋还要孵多久呢？

Suddenly there was a “Tap!” and a crack and a “Pop!”. The ducklings and their mother excitedly awaited the arrival of their final sibling. But they quacked with horror at the baby bird who emerged. For he was big and grey and ugly. He had huge feet and a broad beak, and looked nothing like his brothers and sisters.

突然又传来“嗒-嗒”声，蛋壳上出现了一条裂缝，然后“啪”的一声，蛋壳破了。小鸭子和他们的母亲兴奋地等待着他们最后一位家人的到来。但是他们被这个新生的小鸭子吓得大叫，因为他体型庞大，全身灰暗，非常难看。他的脚大嘴宽，看上去和他的兄弟姐妹们完全不一样。

The next day the weather was perfectly splendid and the ducklings went for their first swim. One by one they plunged into the water, bobbing along in a golden line. Even the big grey duckling could swim. Despite his ungainly size, he held himself upright in a graceful style.

第二天，天气好极了，小鸭子们开始第一次游泳。他们一个接一个地跳入水中，像一条金黄的线向前摆动。尽管丑小鸭的身体笨拙，他依然可以游泳，但他还是优雅地挺直了身子。

Mother Duck quacked with delight. “See how nicely he uses those big feet? He is my very own son after all! Now follow me closely, and watch out for the cat.” The duck family waddled on their way into the yard. The sight of the big grey duckling caused an immediate commotion.

鸭妈妈高兴地“嘎-嘎”叫。“快看，他的大脚多好使呀！毕竟他也是我的亲儿子！现在，你们都要跟紧我了，当心那只猫。”鸭子一家一摇一摆地回到他们的窝里。丑小鸭刚才的表现让他们立马躁动起来。

“How strange he is!” the other ducks said. “Look at his huge feet and his dull grey feathers. We won’t stand for such an ugly fellow in our yard.” And a handsome drake flew over and nipped him in the neck.

“他也太奇怪了吧！”小鸭子们说，“大家看看他那大脚和灰暗的羽毛，我们决不能让一个这样的丑八怪继续待在我们家。”随后一只英俊的小鸭子还向他扑了过来，啄他的脖子。

“Leave him alone! He’s not doing any harm!” quacked Mother Duck. “He’s too big and strange,” the handsome drake replied. “And therefore he needs a good whacking.”   

“别去打扰他！他不会伤害你们的！”鸭妈妈说。“但他体型太庞大、太怪异了。”这只英俊的小鸭子说，“因此要好好修理他一番。”

An elderly mallard peered down her beak at Mother Duck’s brood. “Your other children are very pretty,” she said. “But not that one. He’s the wrong shape. It’s a pity you can’t hatch him again.” Mother Duck was sad. She knew he was big and grey and ugly, but he was still her little duckling.

一只年长一点的鸭子在鸭妈妈的怀里盯着着她的喙说：“你其他的孩子都很漂亮，除了体型怪异的那个。很遗憾你又不能把他重新孵一次。”鸭妈妈很伤心，她知道他又大又灰又丑，可他仍然是她的孩子呀。

Alas! Life only got worse for the poor ugly duckling. Every day he was pecked and pushed and jeered and joshed by the ducks and even the chickens. “He’s too big! He’s too ugly!” they clucked.

唉! 可怜的丑小鸭！他的生活一天比一天更糟。他每天都被其他的鸭子啄，被他们排挤、讥讽、嘲笑，甚至在鸡群中也是这样。“他实在臃肿了！太丑了！”他们都这样嘲笑他。

Gobbler the Turkey was the worst. He puffed up like a ship under full sail, and gobbled and gobbled at him until he was red in the face.

那只土耳其雄火鸡是最过分的。他把自己吹得像鼓满了风的帆船，冲着丑小鸭咯咯叫，直到他的脸涨得通红。

One day the poor ugly duckling could take it no more. He ran far away from home, until he ended up at a swamp where only wild ducks lived.

有一天，这只可怜的丑小鸭实在受不了了。他离家出走了，跑的远远的，最后来到野鸭生活的一片沼泽地里。

“You are an ugly fellow,” the wild ducks told him. “But you can stay here, so long as you don’t marry any of us.” But the poor ugly duckling wasn’t thinking of marriage. He just wanted to hide away in the reeds where no one could see him and mock him.

“你可真是个丑家伙！”野鸭说，“但是只要你不与我们当中的任何人结婚，你留下来也行。”可怜的丑小鸭压根没有想过结婚，他只想躲在这里的芦苇丛中，因为在这儿没有人能看到他，也没有人会嘲笑他。

One day a pair of travelling geese stopped by. “Hello， friend!” they honked. “You are so ugly that we rather like you. Why don’t you become travelling birds like us?” They told him of a wonderful marsh nearby, full of charming lady geese. “They’ll adore you,” the kind geese promised.

一天，两只正在迁徙的鹅在他旁边停了下来。“朋友，你好！”他们说。“你简直丑得我们都忍不住要喜欢你了。要不你跟我们一样当迁徙的鸟一起飞走吧？”他们告诉丑小鸭附近有一块很好的沼泽，那里到处都是迷人的雌天鹅。“那些天鹅会喜欢你的。”他们善意地向丑小鸭保证。

But just as the three birds took flight, there was a terrible “Bang! Bang!” of gunshots ringing in the air. The duckling’s new friends dropped down, dead into the rushes, and the water ran red with their blood.

但就在他们三个刚飞起来的时候，空中响起了一阵恐怖的枪声：“砰！砰！”。丑小鸭的新朋友掉进沼泽里，死了，他们的血把水染得鲜红。

Immediately, hunters and gun dogs came splashing through the swamp. The poor ugly duckling was terrified, but there was no time to hide in the reeds. One dog bared sharp fangs right at him and opened his wide jaws. But just as he was about to bite the duckling, he suddenly turned and ran off.

这时猎人和猎狗穿过沼泽冲了过来，沼泽的泥水四处飞溅。可怜的丑小鸭被吓惨了，她已经来不及躲进芦苇丛里。一只猎狗对着他露出锋利的牙齿，张大了嘴巴，但就在他要咬丑小鸭的时候，突然转身跑掉了。

“I’m so ugly that even a dog won’t eat me!” the poor duckling thought. He didn’t know whether to be glad or sad. Winter arrived, bitterly cold. The water froze, and one night the duckling got stuck in the ice.

“我太丑了，丑到连狗都不想吃我！”可怜的丑小鸭心想。他不知道自己是该高兴还是难过。冬天来了，天气非常寒冷，水都结成冰了。有一天晚上，丑小鸭被困在了冰里。

He sat there until morning when a farmer caught sight of him. He broke the ice with his wooden shoe, and carried the duckling home to warm him by the fireside. But the duckling was terrified. He fluttered into the milk pail, splashing it all over the room, and landed in the butter tub.

他就一直在那卡着，直到早晨被一个农民发现。农民用他的木鞋把冰砸破，把丑小鸭带回家，并把他放在炉子旁边取暖。这下丑小鸭却吓坏了，扑通一声掉进了牛奶桶里，把牛奶溅得房间里到处都是，然后他又掉进了黄油桶里。

The farmer’s wife was furious and chased him out into the cold. Back in the swamp the spent a long and lonely winter, struggling to survive.

农夫的妻子非常生气，把丑小鸭赶出去了。回到沼泽地后，丑小鸭度过了一个漫长而寂寞的冬天，艰难地活了下来。

At last the snows melted away and the larks began to sing. It was spring, and the duckling unfolded his wings. They were bigger and stronger than before, and carried him high into the air.

终于春天到了，冰雪消融，百灵鸟开始歌唱，丑小鸭张开了翅膀。他的翅膀比以前更大、更强壮了，他可以在空中振翅高飞了。

Before long he found himself by a lovely lake, surrounded by lilacs and apple blossom. Three magnificent swans, white and graceful, swam there.

不久，他发现自己来到了美丽的湖畔，周围是紫丁香和苹果花，还有三只高贵、洁白、优雅的天鹅在那儿游泳。

Their beauty filled the ugly duckling with despair. “I am so drab and grey. They will peck me to death,” he thought. “Though perhaps it’s better to be killed by these majestic birds than scorned and starved.”

他们的美使丑小鸭心灰意冷。“我这么土，羽毛这么灰暗，他们会啄死我的。”他想，“但是被这些漂亮的鸟杀死也比被嘲讽和饿死好得多。”  

He bowed his head in misery. But as he did so he suddenly saw his reflection in the water and got a shock. His ugly feathers were now snowy white. His neck was curved and slender. He had grown into a swan!

他痛苦地低下头，但就在这时，他突然看到他水中的倒影。他的倒影让他大吃一惊，他那昔日丑陋的羽毛现在竟然变得雪白。他的脖子线条优美、纤细修长，他已经变成天鹅了！

The other swans glided over to him. Instead of biting him, they stroked him with their beaks. Nearby children shouted with joy at the sight of him. “There’s a new swan!” they cried, and threw him some crumbs.

一群天鹅向他游过来，他们没有啄他，而是用他们的喙轻抚他。看到他，附近的孩子们高兴地大叫：“有一只新来的天鹅！”他们还扔给他一些面包屑。

“Once I was an ugly duckling,” he said. “And now I am the most beautiful of birds.” But because he knew what it was like to be shunned and bullied, he was never cruel to another creature, and became the noblest of swans that ever lived.

“曾经我是一只丑小鸭。”他说，“但我现在是最美的天鹅了。”因为他明白被冷落和欺凌的感受，所以他从来不会残忍地对待其他生物，他成为了世上最尊贵的天鹅。