一个自由译者的生命记录

中国寓言故事选译- -

                                      

井底之蛙 

• The Frog in the Shallow Well

    你难道没有听过井底之蛙吗？井底之蛙对东海的鳖说：“我真快乐！当我出门，我在井口边的栏杆上到处跳跃，当我回家，我在水井破墙的小洞里歇息。如果我跳进水里，水正好淹没到腋窝，托住我的脸颊；如果我踩到烂泥里，污泥正好盖住我的脚。我看看四周，蠕虫，蟹，蝌蚪，没有一个比得上我。

    而且，我是这水井的主人，在这浅水井里我高高在上。再也没有比这更幸福快乐的了。先生，你为什么不常来参观我生活的地方？

   Have you not heard of the frog that lived in a shallow well? It said to a turtle that lived in the East Sea, "I am so happy! When I go out, I jump about on the railing beside the mouth of the well. When I come home, I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. I jump in the water, it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks. If I walk in the mud, it covers up my feet. I look around at the wriggly worms, crabs and tadpoles, and none of them can compare with me.

Moreover, I am lord of this trough of water and I stand up tall in this shallow well. My happiness is full. My dear sir, why don't you come often and look around my place?"

    当东海的鳖还没有把他的左脚伸进井里，他的右膝盖已经被卡住了。他犹豫了一下，退了回来。鳖告诉青蛙关于东海的情况。 

Before the turtle from the East Sea could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck. It hesitated and retreated. The turtle told the frog about the East Sea.

    即使对你说东海有一千里宽，也不能完全描述它的宽度，即使对你说东海有一万仞深，也不能完全描述它的深度。在夏朝大禹的时候，十年有九年发大水，东海水位也不会升高；商朝国王汤的时侯，八年有七年大旱，东海水位也不会降低。大海不会随时间改变，水位高低也不会因下雨量的多少而升降，这是生活在东海的最大快乐。

     "Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea's width; even a height of a thousand ren cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of King Yu of the Xia dynasty, there were floods nine years out of ten, but the waters in the sea did not increase. In the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty there were droughts seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change along with the passage of the time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that fall. The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea."

     听了东海之鳖的这些话，浅井里的青蛙为他自己的渺小感到很震惊，为自己的安逸感到很不愉快。

    After listening to these words, the frog of the Shallow well was shocked into realization of his own insignificance and became very ill at ease.     

- 作者： 翰唐 访问统计：　2005年07月12日, 星期二 23:31 加入博采