《鹳鸟》，1838 年
the Storks, 1838.
在一个小村庄的最后一所房子上，鹳鸟筑了一个巢，鹳鸟妈妈和她的四个孩子坐在巢里，孩子们伸长脖子，露出黑色的喙，它们的喙还没有像父母的那样变成红色。
on the last house in a little village the storks had built a nest, and the mother stork sat in it with her four young ones, who stretched out their necks and pointed their black beaks, which had not yet turned red like those of the parent birds.
不远处，在屋顶边缘，鹳鸟爸爸笔直而僵硬地站着；他不喜欢闲着，就把一条腿收起来，用另一条腿站着，一动不动，几乎就像木雕一样。
A little way off, on the edge of the roof, stood the father stork, quite upright and stiff; not liking to be quite idle, he drew up one leg, and stood on the other, so still that it seemed almost as if he were carved in wood.
“我妻子有个哨兵守卫着她的巢，这一定很壮观。他们不知道我是她的丈夫；他们会以为我是奉命站在这里的，这可真是贵族派头。” 于是他继续用一条腿站着。
“It must look very grand,” thought he, “for my wife to have a sentry guarding her nest. they do not know that I am her husband; they will think I have been manded to stand here, which is quite aristocratic;” and so he continued standing on one leg.
下面的街上有一群孩子在玩耍，当他们看到鹳鸟时，其中最大胆的一个男孩开始唱起关于鹳鸟的歌，很快其他孩子也跟着唱了起来。
In the street below were a number of children at play, and when they caught sight of the storks, one of the boldest amongst the boys began to sing a song about them, and very soon he was joined by the rest.
这是歌里的歌词，但每个孩子都只是按照自己的记忆用自己的方式唱着。
these are the words of the song, but each only sang what he could remember of them in his own way.
“鹳鸟，鹳鸟，飞走啦，别单腿站着啦，求你啦，
“Stork, stork, fly away, Stand not on one leg, I pray,
看你的妻子在巢里呀，和她的宝宝在休息呀。
See your wife is in her nest, with her little ones at rest.
他们会吊死一只，再油炸另一只；他们会射死第三只，再烤了他兄弟。”
they will hang one, And fry another; they will shoot a third, And roast his brother.”
“听听那些男孩在唱什么。” 小鹳鸟们说，“他们说我们会被吊死和烤了。”
“Just hear what those boys are singing,” said the young storks; “they say we shall be hanged and roasted.”
“别管他们说什么；你们不用听。” 妈妈说，“他们伤不了你们。”
“Never mind what they say; you need not listen,” said the mother. “they can do no harm.”
但是孩子们继续唱着歌，指着鹳鸟，嘲笑它们，只有一个叫彼得的男孩除外；他说拿动物取乐是可耻的，根本不愿和他们一起闹。
but the boys went on singing and pointing at the storks, and mocking at them, excepting one of the boys whose name was peter; he said it was a shame to make fun of animals, and would not join with them at all.
鹳鸟妈妈安慰着她的孩子们，告诉他们不要在意。“看，” 她说，“你们的爸爸单腿站着多安静啊。”
the mother stork forted her young ones, and told them not to mind. “See,” she said, “how quiet your father stands, although he is only on one leg.”
“但是我们非常害怕。” 小鹳鸟们说，然后把头缩回巢里。
“but we are very much frightened,” said the young storks, and they drew back their heads into the nests.
第二天，当孩子们一起玩耍，看到鹳鸟时，他们又唱起了那首歌 ——“他们会吊死一只，再烤了另一只。”
the next day when the children were playing together, and saw the storks, they sang the song again — “they will hang one, And roast another.”
“我们会被吊死然后烤了吗？” 小鹳鸟们问。
“Shall we be hanged and roasted?” asked the young storks.
“不，当然不会。” 妈妈说。“我会教你们飞，等你们学会了，我们就飞到草地上去，去拜访青蛙，它们会在水里向我们鞠躬，呱呱叫着，然后我们就把它们吃掉；那会很有趣。”
“No, certainly not,” said the mother. “I will teach you to fly, and when you have learnt, we will fly into the meadows, and pay a visit to the frogs, who will bow themselves to us in the water, and cry ‘croak, croak,’ and then we shall eat them up; that will be fun.”
“然后呢？” 小鹳鸟们问。
“And what next?” asked the young storks.
“然后，” 妈妈回答，“这个国家的所有鹳鸟都会聚集在一起，进行秋季演习，所以对每一只鹳鸟来说，知道如何正确飞行是非常重要的。如果它们不会飞，将军会用它的喙刺穿它们，然后杀死它们。所以你们必须努力学习，以便在训练开始的时候做好准备。”
“then,” replied the mother, “all the storks in the country will assemble together, and go through their autumn manoeuvres, so that it is very important for every one to know how to fly properly. If they do not, the general will thrust them through with his beak, and kill them. therefore you must take pains and learn, so as to be ready when the drilling begins.”
“那么我们最终可能还是会像那些男孩说的那样被杀死；听！他们又在唱歌了。”
“then we may be killed after all, as the boys say; and hark! they are singing again.”
“听我的，别听他们的。” 鹳鸟妈妈说。“大检阅结束后，我们就飞往离这儿很远的温暖国家，那里有高山和森林。去埃及，在那里我们会看到用石头建造的三角形房子，房顶尖尖的，几乎触到云端。它们被叫做金字塔，比一只鹳能想象到的还要古老。在那个国家，有一条河会泛滥，然后退去，只留下一片泥泞。在那里我们可以四处走走，尽情吃青蛙。”
“Listen to me, and not to them,” said the mother stork. “After the great review is over, we shall fly away to warm countries far from hence, where there are mountains and forests. to Egypt, where we shall see three-cornered houses built of stone, with pointed tops that reach nearly to the clouds. they are called pyramids, and are older than a stork could imagine; and in that country, there is a river that overflows its banks, and then goes back, leaving nothing but mire; there we can walk about, and eat frogs in abundance.”
“哦，哦 ——！” 小鹳鸟们叫道。
“oh, o — h!” cried the young storks.
“是的，那是个令人愉快的地方。在那儿整天除了吃什么都不用做。而当我们在外面过得这么舒服的时候，这个国家的树上将一片绿叶都没有，天气会非常寒冷，云彩都会冻住，像小白布条一样飘落到地上。” 鹳鸟妈妈说的是雪，但她没法用别的方式解释。
“Yes, it is a delightful place; there is nothing to do all day long but eat, and while we are so well off out there, in this country there will not be a single green leaf on the trees, and the weather will be so cold that the clouds will freeze, and fall on the earth in little white rags.” the stork meant snow, but she could not explain it in any other way.
“那些调皮的男孩会冻僵然后碎成一块一块的吗？” 小鹳鸟们问。
“will the naughty boys freeze and fall in pieces?” asked the young storks.
“不，他们不会冻僵然后碎成一块一块的。” 鹳鸟妈妈说，“但是他们会非常冷，不得不整天坐在黑暗、阴沉的房间里。而我们将在有盛开的花朵和温暖阳光的外国飞翔。”
“No, they will not freeze and fall into pieces,” said the mother, “but they will be very cold, and be obliged to sit all day in a dark, gloomy room, while we shall be flying about in foreign lands, where there are blooming flowers and warm sunshine.”