《幸福的家庭》，1848 年

the happy Family, 1848

说真的，这个国家最大的绿叶是牛蒡叶；如果把它举在身前，就像一条完整的围裙；要是在下雨天把它举在头顶，几乎就和雨伞一样好用，因为它实在是太大了。

Really, the largest green leaf in this country is a dock-leaf; if one holds it before one, it is like a whole apron, and if one holds it over one’s head in rainy weather, it is almost as good as an umbrella, for it is so immensely large.

牛蒡从不单独生长，只要有一棵长出来，附近总会长出好几棵：这可真是一大乐事，而所有这些让人愉悦的牛蒡都是蜗牛的食物。

the burdock never grows alone, but where there grows one there always grow several: it is a great delight, and all this delightfulness is snails’ food.

过去有身份的人会把大白蜗牛做成烩肉来吃，还会边吃边说：“嗯，嗯！真好吃！” 因为他们觉得味道很鲜美 —— 这些蜗牛就以牛蒡叶为食，所以人们才会播种牛蒡籽。

the great white snails which persons of quality in former times made fricassees of, ate, and said, “hem, hem! how delicious!” for they thought it tasted so delicate — lived on dock leaves, and therefore burdock seeds were sown.

从前有一座古老的庄园，在那儿人们已经不再吃蜗牛了，蜗牛已经绝迹；但牛蒡并没有绝迹，它们在小径上、花坛里疯长；人们根本没法控制它们 —— 那简直就是一片牛蒡的森林。

Now, there was an old manor-house, where they no longer ate snails, they were quite extinct; but the burdocks were not extinct, they grew and grew all over the walks and all the beds; they could not get the mastery over them — it was a whole forest of burdocks.

这儿那儿还零星地立着几棵苹果树和李树，不然的话，谁也不会想到这曾经是个花园；到处都是牛蒡，而那两只最后剩下的、令人尊敬的老蜗牛就住在这儿。

here and there stood an apple and a plumb-tree, or else one never would have thought that it was a garden; all was burdocks, and there lived the two last venerable old snails.

它们自己都不知道自己有多大年纪了，但它们清楚地记得曾经有过很多同类；它们来自异国他乡的一个家族，这片整片森林都是为它们以及它们的同类而种的。

they themselves knew not how old they were, but they could remember very well that there had been many more; that they were of a family from foreign lands, and that for them and theirs the whole forest was planted.

它们从来没出过这片林子，但它们知道世界上还有别的东西，有一种叫庄园的地方，在那儿它们会被煮熟，然后变黑，接着被放在银盘子里；但再往后会发生什么它们就不知道了；或者说，实际上被煮熟然后放在银盘子里到底是怎么回事，它们根本想象不出来；但据说那是很美妙的，而且特别高雅。

they had never been outside it, but they knew that there was still something more in the world, which was called the manor-house, and that there they were boiled, and then they became black, and were then placed on a silver dish; but what happened further they knew not; or, in fact, what it was to be boiled, and to lie on a silver dish, they could not possibly imagine; but it was said to be delightful, and particularly genteel.

它们问过金龟子、蟾蜍和蚯蚓，可它们谁也没法给它们提供任何信息 —— 它们当中没有一个被煮过或者被放在银盘子里过。

Neither the chafers, the toads, nor the earth-worms, whom they asked about it could give them any information, — none of them had been boiled or laid on a silver dish.

这两只老白蜗牛觉得自己是世界上第一批有身份的家伙；这片森林是为它们种的，那个庄园存在也是为了能把它们煮熟然后放在银盘子里。

the old white snails were the first persons of distinction in the world, that they knew; the forest was planted for their sake, and the manor-house was there that they might be boiled and laid on a silver dish.

现在它们过着非常孤独却又幸福的生活；由于它们自己没有孩子，就收养了一只普通的小蜗牛，把它当作亲生的来抚养；但这只小蜗牛就是长不大，因为它出身普通家庭；不过那两只老蜗牛，尤其是蜗牛妈妈，觉得自己能看出它在长大，她还求蜗牛爸爸，如果他看不出来的话，至少去摸摸小蜗牛的壳；于是他就摸了摸，发现蜗牛妈妈说得没错。

Now they lived a very lonely and happy life; and as they had no children themselves, they had adopted a little mon snail, which they brought up as their own; but the little one would not grow, for he was of a yonmon family; but the old ones, especially dame mother Snail, thought they could observe how he increased in size, and she begged father, if he could not see it, that he would at least feel the little snail’s shell; and then he felt it, and found the good dame was right.

有一天，下了一场倾盆大雨。

one day there was a heavy storm of rain.

“听听这雨打在牛蒡叶上，像敲鼓一样！” 蜗牛爸爸说。

“hear how it beats like a drum on the dock leaves!” said Father Snail.

“还有雨滴呢！” 蜗牛妈妈说，“现在雨水正顺着茎杆往下淌呢！你会看到这儿要湿透了！想到我们有自己的好房子，小家伙也有他的房子，我就很高兴！确实，为我们做的比为其他所有动物做的都多；可你难道没看出来我们是世上有身份的人吗？

“there are also rain-drops!” said mother Snail; “and now the rain pours right down the stalk! You will see that it will be wet here! I am very happy to think that we have our good house, and the little one has his also! there is more done for us than for all other creatures, sure enough; but can you not see that we are folks of quality in the world?

我们从出生起就有房子住，牛蒡林也是为我们种的！我倒想知道它延伸到多远，外面又有什么！”

we are provided with a house from our birth, and the burdock forest is planted for our sakes! I should like to know how far it extends, and what there is outside!”

“什么都没有。” 蜗牛爸爸说，“没有哪个地方能比我们这儿更好，我没什么可奢求的了！”

“there is nothing at all,” said Father Snail. “No place can be better than ours, and I have nothing to wish for!”

“是啊。” 蜗牛妈妈说，“我倒很想去庄园，被煮熟，然后放在银盘子里；我们所有的先辈都是这么被对待的；里面肯定有什么特别的地方，你放心吧！”

“Yes,” said the dame. “I would willingly go to the manor-house, be boiled, and laid on a silver dish; all our forefathers have been treated so; there is something extraordinary in it, you may be sure!”

“庄园很可能已经破败不堪了！” 蜗牛爸爸说，“或者牛蒡已经在它上面长得密密麻麻的，以至于人们都出不来了。不过，这事也不用着急；可你总是那么急匆匆的，小家伙也开始这样了。他这三天不是一直在顺着那根茎往上爬吗？我抬头看他的时候头都疼！”

“the manor-house has most likely fallen to ruin!” said Father Snail. “or the burdocks have grown up over it, so that they cannot e out. there need not, however, be any haste about that; but you are always in such a tremendous hurry, and the little one is beginning to be the same. has he not been creeping up that stalk these three days? It gives me a headache when I look up to him!”