《爱丽丝镜中奇遇记》 第二章 会说话的花园（1）（在线收听）

2 The garden of live flowers

2. 会说话的花园

There was a small hill not far away and Alice decided to walk to it.

不远处有座小山丘，爱丽丝决定步行到那边去。

'I shall be able to see the garden better from the top of the hill,'she said.

她说：“站在山顶上，我可以把花园看得清楚些。”

She tried very hard to reach the hill, but it seemed impossible to get to it.

为了到那山去，她做了各种努力，但要到那儿，似乎是不可能的。

She went first this way, then that way, but every time she turned a corner, she found herself back at the house.

她先走这条路，然后走那条路，但每次一拐弯，她发现自己又回到出发前的那所房子。

'I'm not going in again yet,' she told the house crossly.

“我现在还不想进去，”她望着房子，生气地说。

'I'll have to go back through the looking-glass into the old room and that's the end of all my adventures then!'

“我得再次穿过镜子，回到那老房间去。那么，我的探险可就全完结了。”

She tried once more, and this time passed a large flowerbed, with a tree growing in the middle.

她又重试了一次。这次她经过了一个大花坛，中间长了一棵树。

'Oh Tiger-lily,' Alice said to one of the flowers, 'I wish you could talk!'

爱丽丝对其中一株花说：“原来是株卷丹，你能讲话该多好！”

'We can talk,' said the Tiger-lily, 'if there is anybody interesting enough to talk to.'

卷丹答道：“我们会讲话的，只要是同我们讲话的人要有趣味性。”

For a minute Alice was too surprised to speak.

爱丽丝顿时惊异得哑口无言。

Then she said, almost in a whisper, 'And can all the flowers talk?'

然后，她压低声音问：“这儿所有的花儿都会讲话吗？”

'As well as you can,' said the Tiger-lily. 'And a lot louder.'

卷丹答道：“不会讲得比你差，而且声音还要洪亮得多。”

'It isn't polite for us to begin, you know,' said the Rose, 'and I was really wondering when you would speak.'

玫瑰说：“我们先开口就失礼了，我很想知道你什么时候愿意讲话。”

'But why can you all talk?' Alice said, puzzled.

爱丽丝迷惑不解，问：“但你们怎么都会讲话的？

'I've been in many gardens before, and none of the flowers could talk.'

我到过不少花园，花儿都不会讲话。”

'Put your hand down and feel the ground,' said the Tiger-lily. 'Then you'll know why.'

卷丹答道：“把手放下来摸摸大地，你就会明白了。”

Alice did so. 'It's very hard,' she said, 'but how does that explain it?'

爱丽丝照办了，接着说：“地很坚硬，但这能说明什么问题呢？”

'In most gardens,' the Tiger-lily said, 'they make the flowerbeds too soft-so the flowers are always asleep.'

卷丹答道：“大多数花坛地太软，花儿总是昏昏欲睡。”

This sounded a very good reason to Alice. 'I never thought of that before!' she said.

爱丽丝觉得这倒很有道理，她说：“我从未想到这一点。”

'Do you ever think at all?' asked the Rose, unkindly.

玫瑰不留情面地问了句：“你曾经用脑筋想过？”

'I never saw anybody with a more stupid face,' said a Daisy suddenly.

雏菊也冲出了一句：“这脸蛋是我所看见过的最傻里傻气的。”

It was the first time it had spoken, and Alice jumped in surprise.

爱丽丝诧异得跳了起来，这是雏菊第一次讲话。

'Oh, be quiet!' cried the Tiger-lily. 'What do you Daisies know about the world?'

卷丹叫了声：“别胡说！你这雏菊对这世界了解多少？”

'Are there any other people in the garden?' Alice asked.

爱丽丝问：“园中还有其他人吗？”

'There's one other flower that can move around like you,' said the Rose.

玫瑰答道：“还有另外一种花，像你一样能自由走动。

'She's the same strange shape as you, but she's redder, with more leaves than you have.'

她的外形跟你一样奇特，但她更红，比你多些树叶。”

'She's coming now!' cried another Daisy. 'I can hear her feet-bang, bang, bang, on the ground.'

另一株雏菊喊了起来：“现在她来了！我听得见她踩在地面上的呯呯的脚步声。”

Alice looked round quickly, and saw that it was the Red Queen.

爱丽丝马上看了看周围，原来是红方王后。

'She's grown a lot,' Alice thought.

她想：“她长大了不少。”