三百页的一本书啊，而且然大人说这个作者生造了许多词。果不其然！俺打算在线慢慢翻。欢迎各位随时指教。
THE THREE MULLA-MULGARS 这个故事很彪悍。我连题目都不认识。还好正文第一段解释了一下，是猴子。
WALTER DE LA MARE 作者： 沃尔特. 德拉梅尔 (囡妈说，德拉翻译的时候不能分开)
Illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop 插图： 多乐西.皮.拉丝罗普
第一章
ON the borders of the Forest of Munza-mulgar lived once an old grey fruit-monkey of the name of Mutt-matutta. She had three sons, the eldest Thumma, the next Thimbulla, and the youngest, who was a Nizza-neela, Ummanodda. And they called each other for short, Thumb, Thimble, and Nod. The rickety, tumble-down old wooden hut in which they lived had been built 319 Munza years before by a traveller, a Portugall or Portingal, lost in the forest 22,997 leagues from home. After he was dead, there came scrambling along on his fours one peaceful evening a Mulgar (or, as we say in English, a monkey) named Zebbah. At first sight of the hut he held his head on one side awhile, and stood quite still, listening, his broad-nosed face lit up in the blaze of the setting sun. He then hobbled a little nearer, and peeped into the hut. Whereupon he hobbled away a little, but soon came back and peeped again. At last he ventured near, and, pushing back the tangle of creepers and matted grasses, groped through the door and went in. And there, in a dark corner, lay the Portingal's little heap of bones.
在马骝森林的边上，曾经住着一位灰色的老水果猴，名叫玛特玛. 她有三个儿子，最大苏拇玛，老二顶拇布拉，老小是个魔尼尼，叫阿玛诺达。不过他们平时都叫对方的昵称，拇拇、顶顶，诺诺(1)。他们一家子住在一个摇摇晃晃、东倒西歪的陈年小木屋里。这个棚子是孟札纪年319年前，一个葡他牙(2) 旅人建的。这个旅人在离家十万八千里的森林里迷了路。他死之后，在一个平静的夜晚，一只名叫泽巴的马骝（或者，就像普通话里叫的那样，一只猴子）四肢着地，爬着来了。他刚看见小木屋的时候，歪着头一动不动地站了一会，仔细地听着周围的动静，在夕阳的余晖下，可以看见他仰起的阔鼻子脸。接着，他谨慎地走近一点点，朝小木屋里瞄了瞄，再后退一些，但很快又凑上前，继续往小木屋里窥视。最后，他壮起胆子走近，拨开纠结的藤蔓和杂乱的野草，摸索着穿过门，进到小木屋里面。在小木屋里一处黑暗的角落里，躺着葡他牙人的一小堆骨头。
（注：马骝是粤语猴子的意思，嘿嘿。nizza-neela不知道是什么意思，也许文章后面会有提示。tumble-down是倒塌的意思，但是不知道倒塌的草棚怎么住，所以翻成东倒西歪。Portingal的解释是：Of or pertaining to Portugal，Potugall没有这个单词，多了一个l，这个作者真有意思啊。）
（(1)：两小千金妈建议把猴子名字改的简单些方便读者记住。我觉得说的对，这个理念和然大人翻译“小六子”是相同的，事实证明，如远行提到过的，这样可爱的名字可以让小朋友看的有趣，记得容易。但是，道理容易懂，做到就很难。老水果猴的三个儿子，我觉得大名不需要改，因为他们本来就互相叫小名，如果把大名改的简短可爱，就现不出小名的必要性了。但是，小名叫什么呢，暂时只能这么叫了，苏苏、希希、达达，也许看到后面，了解每只猴子的性格，可以自己发挥取个小名？
(2) 幽默感十足的远行建议把葡萄牙人翻译成葡他牙，因为原文的portugall也不是正确的"Portugal"，这个建议很好很强大！）
The hut was dry as tinder. It had in it a broken firestone, a kind of chest or cupboard, a table, and a stool, both rough and insect-bitten, but still strong. Zebbah sniffed and grunted, and pushed and peered about. And he found all manner of strange and precious stuff half buried in the hut pots for Subbub ; pestles and basins forManaka-cake, etc.; three bags of great beads, clear, blue, and emerald; an old rusty musket; nine ephelantoes' tusks; a bag of Margarita stones; and many other things, besides cloth and spider-silk and dried-up fruits and fishes. He made his dwelling there, and died there. This Mulgar, Zebbah, was Mutta-matutta's great-great-great-grandfather. Dead and gone were all.
小木屋干得像随时会着火似的。里面有一块碎了的打火石，一个像箱子或者橱柜的东西，一张桌子和一张凳子。桌凳都做的很粗糙，还都被虫子咬，居然还挺结实。泽达嗅了嗅，咕噜噜几声，探探身子，环视四周。除了一些衣服、蜘蛛网、干瘪的水果和鱼，他发现了许多好东西，有半埋在几只罐子里，献给Subbub的各式各样奇特又珍贵的东西；做曼拿卡饼之类的杵和臼；三大袋漂亮珠子，透明的、蓝色的、翠绿的；一杆生锈的步枪；九根野象牙；一包珍珠；还有许多其他东西。于是，他就在草棚子里住下了，最后也死在那里。这只叫泽巴的猴子，就是玛特玛的曾曾曾祖父。这一切都逝去久远了。
（注：Subbub、Manaka-cake, ephelantoes都是查不到的单词，manaka后面好歹还带个cake，ephelantoes长得和大象很像，Subbub就完全没概念了。Margarita stones也不知道是不是珍珠，因为网上看到的珠宝矿石词汇里，珍珠是margaritae。对于这个作者的造词能力，我只有膜拜的份儿）
Now, one day when Mutta-matutta was young, and her father had gone into the forest for Sudd-fruit, there came limping along a most singular Mulgar towards the house. He was bent and shrunken, shivering and coughing, but he walked as men walk, his nut-shaped head bending up out of a big red jacket. His shoulder and the top of his head were worn bare by the rubbing of the bundle he carried. And behind him came stumbling along another Mulgar, his servant, with a few rags tied round his body, who could not at first speak, his tongue was so much swollen from his having bitten in the dark a poison-spider in his nuts. The name of his master was Seelem; his own name was Glint. This Seelem fell very sick. Mutta-matutta nursed him night and day, with the sourest monkey-physic. He was pulled crooked with pain and the shivers, or rain-fever. The tips of the hairs on his head had in his wanderings turned snow-white. But he bore his pain and his sickness (and his physic) without one groan of complaint.
后来，在玛特玛年轻时，有一天她爸爸走进森林里面去找漂漂果吃，一只非常引人注目的猴子一瘸一拐地朝房子走了过来。他弯腰驼背，缩着身子，哆哆嗦嗦，还咳嗽个不停，但是他像人那样走路，形状跟坚果似的脑袋从一个宽松的红色夹克里钻出来。他肩膀和头顶上的毛，都被他背着的那捆东西磨光光了。他身后还跟着另一只猴子，那是他的仆人。这位仆人身上缠着几块破布，嘴巴说不出话，因为晚上吃坚果的时候被藏在里面的毒蜘蛛把舌头给咬了，现在舌头正肿得厉害呢。他叫格林特，主人叫希姆。希姆病得更加厉害了。玛特玛没日没夜地照顾他，给他服下最酸的猴药。他的身体因为疼痛、打冷颤或是发高烧而不停抽搐，连发梢儿也因为这些日子在病痛中的挣扎而变得雪白。可是，疼痛、疾病（还有那些酸不拉叽的药）他都忍下来了，连哼都没哼一声。
And Glint, who fetched water and gathered sticks and nuts, and helped Mutta-matutta, told her that his master, Seelem, was a Mulla-mulgar that is, a Mulgar of the Blood Royal and own brother to Assasimmon, Prince of the Valleys of Tishnar.
仆人格林特负责去取水，拾柴火和坚果，给玛特玛打下手。他告诉玛特玛，他的主人希姆是一只穆拉马骝，也就是说，是一只有着皇家血统的猴子，而且是提什那峡谷王子亚瑟西门的兄弟。
（其实这样翻感觉挺有意思的，有些不明白的地方，会随着情节的推进慢慢变得清晰。翻到这里就知道了，MULLA是表示某一类猴群，这群猴子是皇家血统哩。）
He told her, also, that his master had wearied of Assasimmon's valley-palace, his fine food and dishes, his music of shells and strings, his countless Mulgar-slaves, beasts, and groves and gardens; and that, having chosen three servants, Jacca, Glutt, and himself, he had left his brother's valleys, to discover what lay beyond the Arakkaboa Mountains. But Jacca had perished of frost-bite on the southern slopes of the Peak of Tishnar, and Glutt had been eaten by the Minimuls.
格林特还告诉她，他的主人厌倦了亚瑟西门的峡谷宫殿、美味佳肴、贝壳叮当的宫廷音乐、数不清的猴仆、野兽、以及小园林和花园；因此，他挑选了三个仆人，杰卡、格拉还有格林特自己，一起离开了他兄弟的峡谷，打算翻越阿拉卡宝山脉，看看那里有什么。可是，杰卡在走到提什那山峰的南麓时，生了严重的冻疮，不治身亡，而格拉也被迷迷兽吃掉了。
He was very silent and gloomy, this Mulla-mulgar, Seelem, but glad to rest his bruised and weary bones in the hut. And when Mutta-matutta's father died from sleeping in the moon-mist at Sudd-ripening, Seelem untied his travelling bundle and made his home in the hut. Mutta-matutta was a lonely and rather sad Mulgar, so at this she rejoiced, for she had grown from fearing to love the royal old wanderer. And she -helped him to put away all that was in his bundles into the Portingal's chest three shirts of cotton; two red jackets, like his own, with metal hooks ; a sheep's-coat, with ivory buttons and pocketflaps; three skin shoes (for one had been lost out of his bundle in the forest) ; a cap of Mamasul skin (very precious) ; besides knives, fire-strikers, a hollow cup of ivory, magic physic-powder, two combs of Impaleena-horn, a green serpent-skin for sweetening water, etc., and, beyond and above all, the milk-white onderstone of Tishnar.
这只穆拉猴希姆非常的安静、阴郁，不过却很乐意在小木屋里调养他那伤痕累累、疲惫不堪的身子骨。后来，在漂漂果成熟节，玛特玛的爸爸睡在了月雾里，结果丢了老命，希姆于是打开行囊，把家安在了小木屋里。玛特玛是一只寂寞且忧伤的猴子。希姆能留下来，她非常高兴，因为她已经渐渐地不再畏惧这个有着皇家血统的流浪猴，甚至还爱上了他。她帮希姆把行囊里的东西都放进葡他牙人的箱子里，包括三件棉衬衫；两件带金属钩子的红夹克，就跟他身上穿的那件一样；一件羊皮袄，上面缝着象牙钮扣和带盖儿的口袋；三只皮鞋（有一只在森林里就已经掉了）；一顶麻麻兽皮（十分珍贵）做成的帽子；还有几把刀、打火器，一只空象牙杯，神奇药粉、两把Impaleena角梳、一张用来把水弄甜的绿蛇皮等等，除了这些，最重要的一样东西是，提什那王国乳白色的onderstone。
Here they lived, Seelem and Mutta (as he called her), in the Portingal's old hut, for thirteen years. And Mutta was happy with Seelem and her three sons, Thumb, Thimble, and Nod. They had a water-spring, honey-boxes or baskets for the bees in the Ollaconda-trees, a shed or huddle of green branches, for Glint, and a big patch of Ummuz-cane. Nod slept in a kind of hole or burrow in the roof, with a tiny peeping-hole, from which he used to scare the birds from his father's Ummuz.
于是，希姆和玛特就在这里过起了日子，他俩在葡他牙人的老木屋里住了13年。玛特和希姆以及她的三个儿子拇拇、顶顶、诺诺在一起，日子过得幸福快乐。他们有一口喷泉，在多康树树林用几只箱子和篮子养着蜜蜂，搭间小棚子或者堆起绿树枝让格林特住，还拥有一大片的萼摩竹。诺诺睡在屋顶上的一个洞或者说一个豁子里。屋顶上还有一个小小的瞄瞄洞，诺诺经常从瞄瞄洞里把飞进父亲萼摩竹里的小鸟儿吓跑。
Mutta wished only that Seelem was not quite so grim and broody; that the Munza-mulgars (forest-monkeys) would not come stealing her Subbub and honey; and that the Portingal's hut stood quite out of the silvery moonmist that rose from the swamp; for she suffered (as do most fruit-monkeys) from the bones-ache. Seelem was gentle and easy in his own moody way with Mutta and his three sons, but, most of all, he cheered his heart with tiny Nod, the Nizza-neela. Sometimes all day long this old travel-worn Mulla-mulgar never uttered a sound, save at evening, when he sang or droned his evening hymn toTishnar. He kept a thick stick, which he called his Guzza, to punish his three sons when they were idle and sullen, or gluttonous, or with Munza tricks pestered their mother. And he never favoured Nod beyond the others more than all good fathers favour the youngest, the littlest, and the gaysomest of their children.
玛特有几个愿望，希望希姆别总是这么阴阴沉沉、闷闷不乐；希望MUNZA马骝（丛林猴子）别来偷她的SUBBUB和蜂蜜；希望葡他牙人的小木屋能离沼泽里飘出的月雾远远的，因为她有骨头疼的毛病（大部分水果猴都这样）。希姆就在自己阴郁的情绪中，温柔而随和地与玛特及三个儿子相处。不过，很多时候，他都会被小诺诺——这只魔尼尼——逗得高兴起来。有时候，这只疲惫的老旅猴能一整天都不说一句话，除了傍晚的时候，他会为提什那吟唱或低沉地哼唱赞美歌。他有一根结实的棍子，他叫它“股砸”。如果儿子们游手好闲、懒懒散散、吃个没完或者用丛林猴的那一套来骚扰他们的妈妈，它就会用股砸来收拾他们。所有的好爸爸都会偏袒最幼、最小、最好玩的那个儿子，他也一样，在三个儿子里偏爱着诺诺。 （这句话的意思不是很肯定，请大家指点）
One of the first things that Nod remembered was Glint's tumbling from the great Ukka-tree, which he had climbed at ripening-time, bough up to bough from the bottom, cracking shells and eating all the way, until, forgetting how heavy he had become, he swung his fat body on to a slender and withered branch, and fell all a-topple from top to bottom on to the back of his thick skull. Beneath this same dark-leaved tree Seelem buried his servant, together with a pot of subbub, seven loaves or cakes, and a long stick of Ummuz-cane. But Mutta-matutta after his death would never touch an Ukka-nut again.
在诺诺最初的那些记忆里，有这么一件事，格林特从高大的阿卡树上摔了下来。那是在果实成熟的时候，格林特从阿卡树底开始向上爬，攀上一根又一根的树枝，咬开果壳，吞掉果肉，就这么美美地一路吃了上去，直到他无视自己的体重，把肥墩墩的身子晃到一根又细又枯的树枝上，结果从树顶倒栽下来，他那厚实的脑袋瓜结结实实地砸在了地上。如今，在这棵一样有着茂密树叶的树下，希姆把他的仆人安葬于此，一起下葬的还有一壶subbub、七条面包和蛋糕、一根长长的萼摩竹。不过，格林特死后，玛特玛再也不碰阿卡果了。
Seelem taught his sons how to make fire, what nuts and roots and fruits and grasses were wholesome for eating; what herbs and bark and pith for physic; what reeds and barks for cloth. He taught them how to take honey without being stung; how to count; how to find their way by the chief and brightest among the stars ; to cut cudgels, to build leaf-huts and huddles against heat or rain. He taught them, too, the common tongue of the Forestmonkeys that is the language of nearly all the Mulgars that live in the forests of Munza Jacquet-mulgars, Mullabruks, purple-faced and saffron-headed Mulgars, Skeetoes, tuft-waving Manquabees, Fly-catchers and Squirreltails, and many more than I can mention. Seelem taught them also a little of the languages of the dreaded Gungamulgars, of the Collobs, and the Babbaboomas. But the Minimul-mulgars' and the Oomgars' or man-monkeys' languages (white, black, or yellow) he could not teach, because he did not know them. When, however, they were alone together they spoke the secret language of the Mulla-mulgars dwelling north of the Arakkaboas that is, Mulgar-royal. This language in some ways resembles that of the Portugalls, in some that of the Oggewibbies, and, here and there but in very little Garniereze. Seelem, of course, taught his sons, and especially Thumb, many other things besides more, certainly, than would contain itself in a little book like this. But, above all, he taught them to walk upright, never to taste blood, and never, unless in danger or despair, to climb trees or to grow a tail.
希姆教孩子们如何生火，哪些坚果、根、水果和草是可以放心吃的，哪些草药、树皮和木髓可以当药，哪些芦苇和树皮可以做衣服。他教会他们如何取蜂蜜而不被蜂蛰，如何算数，如何在群星中依靠最显眼最明亮的那颗来辨别方向，如何砍伐树枝来搭建可以遮阳挡雨的树叶棚子和树枝堆(hunddle究竟怎么翻才好？)。 他还教儿子们说丛林猴子通用的猴语，几乎所有住在MUNZA丛林里的猴子都说这种猴语，Mullabruks, 紫脸黄额猴, Skeetoes, tuft-waving Manquabees, 捕蝇猴、松尾猴，还有许多我说不上来的猴子。 希姆有时候也教他们一点别的猴语，可怕的Gungamulgars的语言，Collobs 和babbaboomas的语言。但是迷迷猴、乌戈猴还有类人猴（白色、黑色或黄色）的语言他教不了，因为他不懂。不过，当只有他们在一起的时候，他们说起一种神秘的语言，那是居住在阿拉卡宝斯北部穆拉猴，也就是皇族穆拉猴的语言。这种语言混杂了一些葡他牙语，一些欧威比语言，还有多少一点点的伽尼尔语。当然了，希姆也教了儿子们，尤其是拇拇，不少其他的东西，多到这本小书不能一一列出。但是，最重要的，他教儿子们直立行走，绝不吃生肉，以及，除非万不得已，绝不爬树或者grow a tail （难道这尾巴长不长是自己说了算？网上查到俗语有拉屎的意思，可是感觉也对不上）.
But now, after all these thirteen years of absence from Assasimmon's palace in the beautiful Valleys of Tishnar, Seelem began to desire more and more to see again his home and his brother, with whom as a child he had walked in scarlet and Mamasul, and drunk his syrup from an ivory cup. He grew more gloomy and morose than ever, squatted alone, his eyes fixed mournfully in the air. And Mutta would whisper to Nod: "Sst, zun nizza-neela, tusweeta zan nuome."
不过现在，在阔别那座落于美丽的提什那峡谷中的亚瑟西门宫殿十三年后，希姆渴望再见到他的家乡和哥哥的念头越来越强烈。他还记得小时候和哥哥一起穿着红色的麻麻兽皮衣服，还有喝掉哥哥象牙杯子里糖浆的情景。他因此变得比以往任何时候都更加阴郁和孤僻，总是独自蹲着，双眼发呆，透着悲凉。玛特这时就会悄悄对诺诺说：“嘘，魔尼尼，※◎￥％※×” 。
The more cunning of the Forest-mulgars at first had come in troops to Seelem, laden with gifts of nuts and fruits, because they were afraid of him. But he would sit in his red jacket and merely stare at them as if they were no better than flies. And at last they began in revenge to do him as much mischief as their wits could contrive, until he grew utterly weary of their scuffling and quarrelling, their thumbs and colours, fleas and tails. At last he could bear himself no longer, and one morning, in the first haze of sunrise over the sleeping forest, he called Mutta and his three sons to where he sat in the shadow of Glint's great budding Ukka-tree. And he told them he was going on a long journey- "beyond and beyond, forest and river, forest swamp and river, the mountains of Arakkaboa, leagues, leagues away" to seek again the Valleys of Tishnar. "And I will come back," he said, leaning his hand upon the ground and blinking at Nod, "with slaves and scarlet and food-baskets and Zevveras, and bring you all there with me. But first I must go alone and find the way through dangers thick as flies, O Mulla-mulgars. Wait here and guard your old mother, Mutta-matutta, my sons, her Ummuz and ukkas. And grow strong, O tailless ones, till I return. Zu zoube seese muglareen, een suang no nouano zupbf !" And that was all he said.
比较圆滑的丛林猴刚开始还一群群的来拜见希姆，搬来许多坚果和水果作为礼物，因为他们实在是怕他。可是，希姆穿着他那红夹克坐在那，只是看着他们，好像他们不比苍蝇强多少似的。于是，丛林猴转而开始报复他，想尽一切他们能想到的鬼点子来折磨他，直到他对他们的打打闹闹、骂骂咧咧、他们的指头、颜色、跳蚤还有尾巴都忍无可忍。终于他再也受不了了，一天早上，在清晨最早的薄雾笼罩着沉睡的森林时，他就坐在格林特的那棵巨大的发着芽的阿卡树的树荫下，把玛特玛和他的三个儿子叫了过来。他说他要出趟远门，“走啊走啊，穿过森林和河流，沼泽和河流，Arakkaboa山脉，到很远很远的地方，”去重新找到提什那峡谷。“我会回来的，”他说。他双手撑着地，对着诺德眨了眨眼，“带着仆人。红衣服还有满篮子的食物，还有Zeweras，然后把你们都带到那去。但是我必须自己先去一趟，克服多的跟苍蝇似的困难，找到去那儿的路，哦，穆拉猴们。在这等着，我的儿子们，保护好你们的老妈妈玛特玛，还有她的Ummuz 和 ukkas。还有，长结实点，你们这些没尾巴的小家伙，直到我回来。Zu zoube seese muglareen, een suang no nouano zupbf !“ 他就说了这么多。
（敢情他们家猴子果然没有尾巴，真牛，说不长就不长了。这个“O”说不来是表达什么情绪的感叹词。）
But Mutta-matutta, though she could not hide her grief at his going, helped him in every way she could to be quickly gone. He seemed beside himself, this white, old, crooked Mulla-mulgar. His eyes blazed; he went muttering; he'd throw up his hands and snuff and snuff, as if the very wind bore Tishnar on its wings. And even at night he'd rise up in the darkness and open the door and listen as if out of the immeasurable and solitudinous forests he heard voices calling him from far away. At length, in his last shirt (which had been carefully kept these thirteen years, with a dead kingfisher and a bag of civet, to keep off the cockroaches) ; in his finest red jacket and his cap of Mamasul-skin ; with a great bundle of Manaka-cake and Ummuz-cane, knife and fire-striker and physic, and the old Portingal's rusty musket on his shoulder, he was ready to be off. In the early morning he came stooping under the little hut-door. He looked at his hut and his water-spring, at his bees and canes; he looked at his three sons, and at old Mutta-matutta, with a great frown, and trembled. And Mutta could not bear to say good-bye; she lifted her crooked hands above her old head, the tears running down her cheeks, and she went and hid herself in the hut till he was gone. But his three sons went a little
way with him.
虽然玛特玛掩饰不住对于希姆要离开的悲伤，她还是尽心尽力地帮他，好让他能快点出发。希姆，这只毛发已白，年纪一把，弯腰驼背的穆拉猴，看起来整个人沉浸在自己的世界里。 他开始自言自语；他会挥起双手，闻啊闻啊，就好像风的翅膀上捎带着提什那的气息。就连在晚上，他也会在黑暗中起来，打开门倾听，就好像他听见在那宽广无垠、孤独静谧的大森林之外，有一个声音自远方呼唤着他。终于，他身穿着最后一件T恤（这件T恤在这十三年来一直被精心保存着，为了防止蟑螂，它和一只死翠鸟、一袋子香料存放在一起），罩着他那件精致的红夹克，头顶Mamasul皮帽，肩挑一捆Manaka-cake和Ummuz-cane，匕首、火石、药和老葡他牙人那把生锈的步枪，他就要出发了。凌晨时分，希姆弓着身子来到小草棚门檐下，看看他的棚屋，他的泉水，他的蜜蜂和拐杖；又看看他的三个儿子，老玛特玛，他眉头紧锁，全身颤抖。玛特玛做不到和他道别，她用歪曲的双手捂住脸，泪水从脸颊上淌过，她藏进了棚子里，直到他离开。他的三个儿子和他相跟着走了一小段路。
Thumb and Thimble hopped along with his heavy bundle on a stick between them to the branching of the Mulgar-track, which here runs nearly two paces wide into the gloom of Munza-mulgar ; while Nod sat on Seelem's shoulder, sucking a stick of Ummuz-cane, and clutching the long, cold, rusty barrel of his musket. The trees of the forest lifted their branches in a trembling haze of heat, hung with grey thorny ropes, and vines and trailing creepers of Cullum and Samarak, vivid with leaves, and with large cuplike waxen flowers, moon-white, amber, mauve, and scarlet. Butterflies like blots and splashes of flame, wee Tominiscoes, ruby and emerald and amethyst, shimmered and spangled and sipped and hovered. And a thin, twangling, immeasurable murmur like the strings of Noomanossi's harp rose from the tiny millions that made their nests and mounds and burrows in the forest.
拇拇和顶顶用一根棍子抬着希姆沉重的包袱，蹦蹦跳跳的来到了马骝森林的岔路前，这里距离阴暗的马骝森林只有大概两步远；诺诺则坐在希姆的肩膀上，舔着一根Ummuz-cane，抱着他那把又长又冷，枪管生锈的火枪。森林中的树在颤抖的热浪里高举着枝桠，上面挂着灰暗的荆条，爬着Cullum和Samarak的藤藤蔓蔓，长着生机勃勃的树叶，开着硕大的、形似杯子的蜡花，有月白色的，黄色的，紫色的，还有大红色的。许许多多的蝴蝶，象飞溅的火星子，wee Tominisoes,红绿紫相间，闪耀着光芒，时而吸吮花蜜，时而飞舞盘旋。那些成千上万的，在这森林里筑巢打洞的小东西们，发出微弱的，厚实的，不可估量的声音，就像Noomanossi的竖琴琴弦。
Seelem took his sons one by one by the shoulders, and looked into their eyes, and touched noses. And they lifted their hands in salutation, and watched him till he was gone from sight. But though his grey face was all wizened up with trouble and wet witli tears, he never so much as once looked behind him, lest his sons should cry after him, or he turn back. So, presently, after they all three lifted their hands once more, as if his Meermut l might still haunt near ; and then they went home to their mother.
希姆把儿子挨个举到肩上，和他们深深地对望，互相碰碰鼻子。儿子们举起手向父亲致敬，一直行注目礼，直至他离开视线。虽然希姆灰色的脸布满愁云，淌满泪水，他却始终没有回头看上一眼，以免儿子们在身后哭泣，或者自己会忍不住回去。就这样，过了一会，三个儿子再一次举起手，就好象父亲的影像仍然在附近萦绕；然后，他们转身往家走，回到母亲身边。
But the rains came; he did not return. The long days strode softly by, the chatter and screams of Munza at dawn, the long-drawn, moaning shout of Mullabruk to Mullabruk as darkness deepened. Nod would sometimes venture a little way into the forest, hoping to hear the gongs that his father had told him the close-shorn slaves of Assasimmon tie with leopard-thongs about their Zevveras' necks. He would sit in the gigantic shadows of
evening, watching the fireflies, and saying to himself: "Sst, Nod, see what they say to-morrow!" But the morrow never came that brought him back his father.
雨季来临的时候，他仍没有回来。在黎明时丛林猴的私语和嘶声叫中，在夜幕渐深时穆拉布克猴相互间悠长的悲啼声中，漫长的日子就这么飞逝而去。诺德有时会试着往森林深处走走，希望
Mutta-matutta cared and cooked for them. She made a great store of Manaka-cake, packed for coolness all neatly in plantain-leaves; Nano-cheese, and two or three big pots of Subbub. She kept them clean and combed; plastered and physicked them; taught them to cook, and
many things else, until, as one by one they grew up, they knew all that she could teach them, except the wisdom to use what they had learnt. She would often, too, in the first hush of night, tell them stories of their father, and of her own father, back even to Zebbah, and the Portingal dangling with his bunch of wild-cats' tails in the corner.
——本文为小书房典藏系列丛书之一，如欲转载，请与小书房站长联系