绿野仙踪95 文本已添加

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As he spoke several of the beasts caught sight of him,and at once the great assemblage hushed as if by magic.  The biggest of the tigers came up to the Lionand bowed, saying:

正当它在说着时，有几只野兽看见了它，这个大集会马上好像中了魔法似的，寂静无声。老虎中最大的一只，跑向狮子这边来，鞠着躬说道：

"Welcome, OKing of Beasts!  You have come in goodtime to fight our enemy and bring peace to all the animals of the forest oncemore."

“欢迎，啊，万兽之王！你驾临得很好，快去战胜我们的仇敌，再把和平带给在这森林中的一切野兽们。”

"What is your trouble?" asked the Lionquietly.

狮子镇静地问道：“你们有什么灾难？”

"We are all threatened," answered the tiger,"by a fierce enemy which has lately come into this forest.  It is a most tremendous monster, like a greatspider, with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a treetrunk. 

　“我们都被新近来到这森林中的一只凶猛的仇敌威胁着，”老虎回答说，“它是一个极其可怕的怪物，像一个大蜘蛛，身体大得像大象，脚长得像一棵树干。

It has eight of these long legs, and as the monstercrawls through the forest he seizes an animal with a leg and drags it to hismouth, where he eats it as a spider does a fly.

　这样长的脚有八只，当这个怪物爬过这森林时，它用一只脚捉住一只野兽，塞到嘴里去，像一只蜘蛛吃着苍绳般地吃着。

 Not one of usis safe while this fierce creature is alive, and we had called a meeting todecide how to take care of ourselves when you came among us."

在这个凶猛的怪物活着时，我们中没有一个是安全的，所以当你来到这里时，我们在召开一个会议，决定怎样保卫我们自己。”

The Lion thought for a moment. "Are there anyother lions in this forest?" he asked.

狮子想了一会儿，它问道：“这个森林里，是不是再没有旁的狮子了？”

"No; there were some, but the monster has eatenthem all.  And, besides, they were noneof them nearly so large and brave as you."

“不，这里有过几只，但是这个怪物全把它们吃掉了。而且，它们中没有一个庞大和勇敢得像你那样的，”

"If I put an end to your enemy, will you bow downto me and obey me as King of the Forest?" inquired the Lion.

狮子问道：“如果我杀死了你们的仇敌，你们会不会佩服我，并且像对一个森林之王一般地听从我？”

"We will do that gladly," returned thetiger; and all the other beasts roared with a mighty roar: "We will!"

老虎回答说：“我们都乐意听从你。”空旷地上所有旁的野兽们响起一阵有力的吼声：“我们乐意！”

"Where is this great spider of yours now?"asked the Lion.

狮子问：“现在那个大蜘蛛在哪里！”

"Yonder, among the oak trees," said the tiger,pointing with his forefoot.

　　“在那边栎树林中，”老虎一边说，一边用它的前脚指点着。

"Take good care of these friends of mine,"said the Lion, "and I will go at once to fight the monster."

狮子说：“你好好地当心我的朋友们，我立刻去和那个怪物决斗。”

He bade his comrades good-bye and marched proudly awayto do battle with the enemy.

　它向同伴们说声再会，骄傲地向前走，去向那个怪物挑战了。

The great spiderwas lying asleep when the Lion found him, and it looked so ugly that its foeturned up his nose in disgust. Its legs were quite as long as the tiger hadsaid, and its body covered with coarse black hair.

当狮子寻到它时，这个大蜘妹正躺着熟睡，那样子是十分地丑恶，使得它的敌人因为厌恶而掩着自己的鼻子。它的一些脚，长得像老虎所说的，身上覆盖着粗糙的黑色的毛发。

It had a greatmouth, with a row of sharp teeth a foot long; but its head was joined to thepudgy body by a neck as slender as a wasp's waist. 

它有一张大嘴，有一排一尺长的尖利的牙齿；但是它的头，却由一条细弱的像一只黄蜂的腰似的颈项连接着。

This gave the Lion a hint of the best way to attackthe creature, and as he knew it was easier to fight it asleep than awake, hegave a great spring and landed directly upon the monster's back. 

这就把攻击这只畜生的一个好办法暗示给狮子，知道在它睡着时攻击它，比较它醒来时容易一些。于是狮子对准那个怪物的背，来了一大跳，就扑了上去。

Then, with one blow of his heavy paw, all armed withsharp claws, he knocked the spider's head from its body.  Jumping down, he watched it until the long legsstopped wiggling, when he knew it was quite dead.

随后，用沉重的脚掌—击，闪出了所有的利爪，打击着蜘蛛的头，使它身首异处。直等到它的一些长脚停止了摇动时，狮子知道它：已经死去了，才跳了下来。