诗翁彼豆故事集 第18期:兔子巴比蒂和她的呱呱树桩(2)

 　　One morning, as the charlatan¹ and the foolish King were twirling their twigs³, and hopping⁴ in circles, and chanting meaningless rhymes, a loud cackling reached the King's ears. 一天早晨，当江湖骗子和愚蠢的国王正在挥舞他们的树枝，绕着圈子蹦来蹦去，嘴里念着一些毫无意义的诗文时，一阵呱呱大笑传进了国王的耳朵。

　　Babbitty the washerwoman was watching the King and the charlatan from the window of her tiny cottage, and was laughing so hard she soon sank out of sight, too weak to stand. 洗衣妇巴比蒂正从小茅屋的窗口注视着国王和江湖骗子，她笑得太厉害了，由于站都站不住，很快就从窗口消失了。

　　“I must look most undignified, to make the old washerwoman laugh so!” said the King. “我肯定显得特别不庄重，才让洗衣服的老太婆笑成那副样子！”国王说。

　　He ceased his hopping and twig² twirling, and frowned. 他停止了蹦蹦跳跳和挥舞树枝，皱起了眉头。

　　“I grow weary of practice! When shall I be ready to perform real spells in front of my subjects, Sorcerer?” “我已经厌倦了练习！我什么时候才能在我的臣民面前表演真正的咒语呢，魔法师？”

　　The charlatan tried to soothe⁵ his pupil, assuring him that he would soon be capable of astonishing feats⁶ of magic, but Babbitty's cackling had stung the foolish King more than the charlatan knew. 江湖骗子试图安慰他的学生，保证说他很快就能做出惊人的魔法技艺，可是江湖骗子不知道，巴比蒂的呱呱笑声已经深深刺痛了愚蠢的国王。

　　“Tomorrow,” said the King, “we shall invite our court to watch their King perform magic!” “明天，”国王说，“我们将邀请所有的朝臣来观看国王表演魔法！

　　The charlatan saw that the time had come to take his treasure and flee. 江湖骗子知道卷款逃跑的时候到了。

　　“Alas, Your Majesty⁷, it is impossible! I had forgotten to tell Your Majesty that I must set out on a long journey tomorrow –” “哎呀，陛下，这是不可能的！我忘记告诉陛下我明天必须出趟远门——”

　　“If you leave this palace without my permission, Sorcerer, my Brigade of Witch-Hunters will hunt you down with their hounds! “如果你不经我的允许擅自离开宫殿，魔法师，我的女巫追捕小分队就会用他们的猎狗追踪你！

　　Tomorrow morning you will assist me to perform magic for the benefit of my lords and ladies, and if anybody laughs at me, I shall have you beheaded!” 明天早晨你必须协助我为我的王公贵族们表演魔法；如果有人嘲笑我，我就砍掉你的头！”

　　The King stormed back to the palace, leaving the charlatan alone and afraid. 国王气冲冲地回宫殿去了，留下了惊慌失措的江湖骗子独自一人。

　　Not all his cunning could save him now, for he could not run away, nor could he help the King with magic that neither of them knew. 现在他所有的奸诈狡猾都救不了他了，他没法逃跑，也没法帮助国王表演他们俩都不会的魔法。

　　Seeking a vent⁸ for his fear and his anger, the charlatan approached the window of Babbitty the washerwoman. 为了发泄他的恐惧和愤怒，江湖骗子走到了洗衣妇巴比蒂的窗口。

　　Peering inside, he saw the little old lady sitting at her table, polishing a wand. 他往里面窥视着，看见小老太婆正坐在桌边擦拭一根魔杖。

　　In a corner behind her, the King's sheets were washing themselves in a wooden tub. 在她身后的角落里，国王的床单正在一个木桶里自动清洗着。

　　The charlatan understood at once that Babbitty was a true witch, and that she who had given him his awful problem could also solve it. 江湖骗子立刻明白了巴比蒂是一个真正的女巫，她给他带来了可怕的麻烦，但同时也能使他化险为夷。

　　“Crone!” roared the charlatan. “Your cackling has cost me dear! “干瘪的老太婆！”江湖骗子咆哮着说，“你的呱呱大笑让我吃了大亏！

　　If you fail to help me, I shall denounce you as a witch, and it will be you who is torn apart by the King's hounds!” 如果你不能帮助我，我就揭发你是一个女巫，到时候被国王的猎狗撕成碎片的就是你了！”

　　Old Babbitty smiled at the charlatan and assured him that she would do everything in her power to help. 老巴比蒂笑眯眯地看着江湖骗子，向他保证自己会尽全力帮助他。

　　The charlatan instructed her to conceal⁹ herself inside a bush while the King gave his magical display, and to perform the King's spells for him, without his knowledge. 江湖骗子吩咐她在国王表演魔法时藏在灌木丛里，替国王完成所有的咒语，但不能让国王知道。

　　Babbitty agreed to the plan but asked one question. 巴比蒂同意了这个计划，但是问了一个问题。

　　“What, sir, if the King attempts a spell Babbitty cannot perform?” “先生，如果国王想施一个我不会的魔法怎么办呢？”

　　The charlatan scoffed¹⁰. “Your magic is more than equal to that fool's imagination,” he assured her, and he retired¹¹ to the castle, well pleased with his own cleverness. 江湖骗子嗤之以鼻。“你的魔法完全对付得了那个傻瓜的想象力。”他向她保证后便回城堡了，并为自己的聪明沾沾自喜。

1 charlatan   

n.骗子；江湖医生；假内行

参考例句：

• The charlatan boasted that he could charm off any disease.这个江湖骗子吹牛说他能用符咒治好各种疾病。
• He was sure that he was dealing with a charlatan.他真以为自己遇上了江湖骗子。

2 twig   

n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解

参考例句：

• He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
• The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。

3 twigs   

细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
• Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。

4 hopping   

n. 跳跃 动词hop的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The clubs in town are really hopping. 城里的俱乐部真够热闹的。
• I'm hopping over to Paris for the weekend. 我要去巴黎度周末。

5 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。

6 feats   

功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
• His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。

7 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

8 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

9 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

10 scoffed   

嘲笑，嘲弄( scoff的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He scoffed at our amateurish attempts. 他对我们不在行的尝试嗤之以鼻。
• A hundred years ago people scoffed at the idea. 一百年前人们曾嘲笑过这种想法。

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。