[翻译大赛No 2]懒人杰克

LAZY JACK
懒人杰克
选自老橡树丛书
作者：Clifton Johnson
ONCE upon a time there was a boy whose name was Jack, and he lived with his mother in a little house on the borders of a village.

从前，有个名叫杰克的男孩，同他母亲一道，住在村子边上的一个小房子里。

They were very poor and the woman kept busy day in and day out at her spinning-wheel; but Jack did no work at all. He would lie in the sunshine when the weather was warm, and when the weather was cold he would sit beside the fire.

他们很穷，母亲夜以继日地在纺车上辛勤劳作，可杰克却什么都不干。天暖和的时候，他在太阳底下睡大觉；天冷了，就窝在火炉边烤火。

Time passed along and Jack grew to be a young man, but still his mother could not get him to do anything for her, and finally, just after breakfast one Monday morning, when she was beginning her spinning and Jack had settled himself comfortably in the chimney-corner, she said to him, "Jack unless you begin to work I shall turn you out of the house for good and all, and you will have to get your living as best you may."

日子一天天过去，杰克长成了一个年轻小伙儿，可他妈妈还是没法让他帮忙干活。最后，在一个星期一的早晨，他们刚刚吃过早餐，母亲开始纺线了，杰克却舒舒服服地坐到壁炉一角的时候，她对儿子说：“杰克，你再不干活，我就要永远把你从这座房子里赶出去，那样你就要自己讨生活了。”

Lazy Jack did not care to run the risk of losing his home. "The only safe thing for me to do, thought he, "is to find a job at once," and he got up and went to a neighboring woodcutter and hired himself for the day. When evening came the wood cutter gave the lad a penny for his services, and Jack set off for home well satisfied; but he had never had money before and he handled it so carelessly that in crossing a narrow foot-bridge over a brook he dropped the penny into the water. The brook was deep, yet he could see the penny lying on the bottom and he poked about with a stick hoping to get it out. That only stirred up the mud, and soon the penny was hopelessly lost. Then Jack went on home and told his mother what had happened.

懒人杰克可不愿冒无家可归的风险。他想：“我唯一可以做的保全自己的事，就是马上去找份差事。”于是他站起身来，到邻近的樵夫那里干了一天的活。傍晚来临，樵夫给了杰克一便士，作为工作的酬劳，小伙子便心满意足地启程回家了。可因为以前从没得到过钱，杰克随随便便地拿着这一便士，在经过一条小河上面窄窄的小桥时，不小心把它掉到了水里。小河的水有点深，但杰克可以看到钱币躺在河底，他找了根树枝去拨，希望能把它捞上来。可这样做只能搅起河里的泥，不久那一便士就消失得无影无踪。于是，他回到家，告诉母亲所发生的一切。

"You stupid boy!" said she, "you should have put it in your pocket."

“你这个傻孩子！”她说：“你应该把那一便士放在口袋里带回来。”

"I'll do so next time," said Jack.

杰克说：“下次我就这么干。”

On Tuesday morning Jack went and hired himself to a dairyman. When evening came the dairyman gave him a quart pail full of milk for his services. Now," said Jack, ((I must not lose this milk as I did my penny. Mother told me I should have put what I got in my pocket, and I will this time. My jacket pockets are large and deep, and I think the pail will go in very well."

星期二早上，杰克去为一名乳牛场主干活。傍晚时分，乳牛场主给了他满满一夸脱桶装牛奶作为酬劳。“现在，”杰克说：“我可不能像弄丢一便士那样，再失去这些牛奶。妈妈告诉我应当把得来的东西放到口袋里，这回我就这么干。我的上衣口袋又大又深，这个桶刚好可以放进去。”

So he put the pail of milk into one of his jacket pockets and walked off home; and by the time he got there the milk was all spilled.

于是，他把这桶牛奶放进了自己的一个上衣口袋里便出发了。等他回到家的时候，牛奶全洒光了。

"Dear me!" said his mother, "you should have carried it on your head."

“老天！”他母亲说：“你应当把这桶牛奶顶在头上带回来。”

"I'll do so next time," said Jack.

“我下回就这么干，”杰克说。

On Wednesday morning Jack went and hired himself to a farmer. When evening came the farmer gave him a cream cheese for his services. "Now," said Jack, "I must not lose this cheese as I did the milk yesterday. Mother told me I should have carried what I got on my head, and I will this time."

星期三早上，杰克去给一个农夫干活。傍晚来临，农夫送他一块奶油干酪作为酬劳。“现在，”杰克说：“我可不能像昨天弄洒牛奶那样，再失去这块奶油干酪了。妈妈说我应当把得来的东西顶在头上，这回我就这么干。”

So he took the cheese and put it on his head; but the day was warm, and the cheese melted, and some of it dropped off along the way and the rest was matted in his hair.

于是，他拿起那块干酪，放到头上。可是因为天气暖和，干酪全都融化了，一部分沿途滴到路上，其余的滴到他头上，缠住了他的头发。

"You foolish fellow," said his mother, "you should have carried it in your hands."

“傻蛋，”他妈妈说：“你应当把它拿在手上带回来。”

"I'll do so next time," said Jack.

“下次我就这么做，”杰克说。

On Thursday morning Jack went and hired himself to a baker. When evening came the baker gave him a large tom-cat for his services. "Now," said Jack, "I must not lose this tom-cat as I did the cream cheese yesterday. Mother told me I should have carried what I got in my hands, and I will this time."

星期四早上，杰克去给一位面包师干活。傍晚来临，面包师送他一只公猫作为酬劳。“现在，” 杰克说，“我可不能像昨天的奶油干酪那样，再把公猫给弄丢了。妈妈说应当把我得到的东西拿在手上，这回我就这么干。”

So he took up the cat and carried it along in his hands; but pussy began to scratch, and the tighter he gripped it the worse it clawed, until he had to let it go. As soon as he reached home Jack told his mother how the cat got away, and she said, "You silly lad, you should have tied it with a string and dragged it along after you."

于是，他拿起那只猫，抱在手上往前走。可是， 猫开始抓他，抱得越紧，抓得越凶，直到他不得不放手。杰克一回到家，就把小猫挣脱的事告诉了妈妈。她说：“傻小子，你应当拿根绳把它拴住，然后牵着它回来。”

"I'll do so next time," said Jack.

“我下次就这么干，”杰克说。

On Friday morning Jack went and hired himself to a butcher. When evening came the butcher gave him a nice leg of mutton for his services. "Now," said Jack, "I must not lose this mutton as I did the tom-cat yesterday. Mother told me I should have tied a string to what I got and dragged it along after me, and I will this time."

星期五早上，杰克去给一位肉贩干活。傍晚时分，肉贩送他一只很好的羊腿作为酬劳。“现在，”杰克说：“我可不能像昨天弄丢公猫那样，再失去这只羊腿。妈妈说应当把得到的东西拿根绳子栓起来拖着走，我就这么办。”

So he tied a string to the leg of mutton and dragged it along after him in the dirt, and when he got home he found the mutton was spoiled. His mother was more out of patience with him than ever. "You ninny-hammer," said she, "you should have carried it on your shoulder."

于是，他在羊腿上栓了根绳子，把它拖在身后。当他到家的时候，发现羊肉都拖坏了。他妈妈对他比以往任何时候都不耐烦。“你这个大笨蛋，”她说：“你应该把它放在肩膀上扛回来啊！”

"I'll do so next time," said Jack. On Saturday morning Jack went and hired himself to a cattle-keeper. When evening came the cattle-keeper rewarded him for his services with a little donkey that was too old to be of any more use on the farm. "Now," said Jack, "I must not lose this donkey as I did that leg of mutton yesterday. Mother told me I should have carried what I got on my shoulder, and I will this time."

“我下次就这样做，”杰克说。星期六上午，杰克去给一位饲养牲畜的农场主干活。傍晚来临的时候，农场主送给他一头老得派不上任何用场的小个毛驴作为酬劳。“现在，”杰克说：“我可不能再像昨天拖坏羊腿那样，把毛驴再给糟蹋了。妈妈说应当把我得到的东西扛在肩膀上，这回我就这么办。”

Jack was a stout fellow, and after considerable trouble he succeeded in hoisting the donkey to his shoulders and started for home. As it happened, he had to pass the mansion of a rich man whose only daughter was deaf and dumb.She had never laughed in her life, and the doctors said unless she was made to laugh she could not hope to have either speech or hearing to the end of her days. So everything was done that could be thought of to make her laugh, but nothing was accomplished. At last the father proclaimed that the first man who succeeded in making his daughter laugh should have her for his wife.

杰克是个壮实的家伙，在经过你想像得到的麻烦之后，成功地把毛驴扛在肩上，向家中走去。 路上，他必须经过一幢富人的豪宅，这个富人的女儿既聋又哑，在她的生命中从来没有笑过。 医生说，除非有人能够把她逗笑，否则她将永远失去恢复听觉和开口说话的希望。于是，为了逗她笑，所有能够想到的办法都试过了，可一样都没有成功。最后，富人宣布，第一个成功逗笑他女儿的人，将可以娶她为妻。

When Jack came along with the donkey on his shoulders the young lady was looking out of the window, and the sight was so strange and comical that she began to laugh very heartily, and immediately she could speak and hear. Her father was overjoyed, and he sent for Jack and told him how things were, and Jack married the daughter and was thus made a rich gentleman. He and his wife had a beautiful home, and Jack's mother lived with them in great happiness for the rest of her days.

当杰克肩上扛着毛驴走过的时候，这位富人家的小姐正往窗外看，眼瞅着如此奇怪、滑稽的场面，她开始开怀大笑，并且立即恢复了听觉，也能够开口说话了。她的父亲喜出望外，派人请来杰克，把事情原委告诉了他。于是，杰克娶了富人的女儿，成为一名富有的绅士。他和他的妻子住在美丽的房子里，杰克的母亲呢，在生命中剩下的日子里，和他们一起过上了无比幸福的生活。