新生儿

张恒

The bush was alive with excitement. Mrs. Koala had a brand new baby， and the news spread like wildfire. The kookaburras in the highest gum-trees heard of it， and laughed and chuckled at the idea. In and out of their burrows the rabbits came scuttling1， their big brown eyes opening wide with wonder as they heard the news. Over the grass the message went where Mrs. Kangaroo was quietly hopping towards her home. She fairly leapt2 in the air with joy. “I must tell Mr. Kangaroo！” she cried and bounded away in great hops and leaps. Even Mrs. Snake， who was having a nap， awoke， gave a wriggle， and blinked her wicked little eyes.

灌木丛在兴奋的气氛里活跃起来。考拉太太刚生了一个孩子，这个消息像野火一样蔓延开来。住在那棵最高的桉树上的笑翠鸟一家听到这个消息后咯咯地大笑。兔子在洞里进进出出，听到这个消息，惊讶地睁大了两只棕色的大眼睛。在草地上，消息传到袋鼠夫人那儿时，她正悄悄地向家里跳去。她非常高兴地跳到空中，叫道：“我必须告诉袋鼠先生！”然后蹦蹦跳跳地走了。就连打盹的蛇太太也醒了，她扭动了一下身体，眨了眨那双邪恶的小眼睛。

The whole bushland was twittering3 with the news， for a baby bear was a great event. Mrs. Koala had a baby every two years， and as Mrs. Rabbit had very， very many during that time， you can just imagine how surprised everyone was. In the fork of a gum-tree， far above the ground， Mrs. Koala nursed her baby， peeping4 every now and then at the tiny creature in her pouch5. This little baby was the funniest little creature. He was only about an inch long and covered with soft baby fur， had two big ears， compared to the size of the rest of him， a tiny black nose， and two beady6 eyes. His mother and father always had a surprised look on their faces， but they looked more surprised than ever now as they gazed at their baby， Blinky Bill.

整个灌木丛都在窃窃私语，因为一只小考拉熊的出生是一件大事。考拉太太每两年生一个孩子，而兔子太太在这期间生了很多、很多个孩子，你可以想象大家是多么惊讶。在离地面很远的桉树树杈上，考拉夫人照料着她的孩子，不时窥视着她育儿袋里的小东西。这个小婴儿是世上最有趣的小动物。他只有一英寸长，身上长满柔软的幼崽皮毛，与他身体的其他部位相比，他的两个耳朵很大，黑色的鼻子很小，眼睛像两个水珠。他的父母总是满脸惊讶，但是当他们盯着自己的孩子“眨眼睛比尔”时，看起来比以往任何时候都更吃惊。

He peeped at them and blinked， as much as to say， “Arent you glad Im here？”

他偷看了他們一眼，眨了眨眼，好像在说：“你们不高兴我在这儿吗？”

Mr. Koala puffed7 out his cheeks with pride， and his wife hugged her baby tighter than ever.

考拉先生骄傲地鼓起双颊，他的妻子把孩子抱得比之前更紧了。

There had been quite a lot of quarrelling and jealousy8 among the bush folk as to who should be the babys nurse.

关于谁来当婴儿保姆的事导致灌木丛里的人们之间产生了很多争论和嫉恨。

Mrs. Kookaburra was the first to offer her services， and she came flying over to the tree where the Koalas lived. Knocking on the tree with her strong beak9 she asked if she might come in.

笑翠鸟夫人是第一个来提供服务的。她飞到考拉住的那棵树上，用坚硬的嘴敲了敲树，问她是否可以进来。

“Certainly，” said Mrs. Bear， “if you dont laugh and wake the baby up.”

“当然可以，”熊太太说，“如果你不大笑吵醒孩子的话。”

“Do you want a nurse for him？” Mrs. Kookaburra asked worriedly.

“你想给他找个保姆吗？”笑翠鸟夫人焦急地问。

“Yes， I do，” Mrs. Bear replied.

“是的，”熊太太回答。

“Will I do？” Mrs. Kookaburra asked.

“我能行吗？”笑翠鸟太太问。

“Oh， no！” said Mrs. Bear. “Your laugh is so loud and you chuckle so long that youd wake the baby up.”

“哦，不行！”熊太太说。“你笑得太大声了，而且笑得太久，会把孩子吵醒的。”

Poor Mrs. Kookaburra was very disappointed and flew off to tell Mrs. Magpie about it.

可怜的笑翠鸟太太很失望，飞去告诉喜鹊太太这个消息。

“Ill go over and see if I can be the nurse，” said Mrs. Magpie. “Mrs. Bear is very particular and Im sure I will suit.” She gave her feathers a fluff10 and sharpened her beak， then straight to the Koalas home she flew.

“我去看看能不能当上保姆。”喜鹊太太说，“熊太太很挑剔，我相信我会适合的。”她抖了抖羽毛，磨利了嘴，然后直接飞到了考拉的家。

“Come in，” called Mrs. Bear on hearing the peck at the tree.

“进来吧，”熊太太听到啄树的声音，叫道。

“Good morning， Mrs. Koala. I hear you are wanting a nurse for the baby. Im sure I could keep the baby in order as Ive had a few dozen myself.”

“早上好，考拉太太。我聽说你想给孩子找个保姆。我相信我能把孩子教得规规矩矩，因为我自己已经养了几十个。”

“Thank you， Mrs. Magpie，” said Mrs. Bear very politely， “but I dont like the look of your beak. You could give a very nasty11 peck with it.”

“谢谢你，喜鹊太太。”熊太太很客气地说，“但是我不喜欢你的嘴。你会用它狠狠地啄人。”

“They all want a peck sometimes，” said Mrs. Magpie in a very cross tone. At this the baby bear popped his head right out of his mothers pouch and blinked very hard.

喜鹊太太用一种非常生气的语气说道：“他们有时都挺欠啄的。”这时，小熊突然从妈妈的育儿袋里探出头来，使劲眨了眨眼。

“They all want a peck sometimes，” said Mrs. Magpie.

“他们有时都挺欠啄的。”喜鹊太太说。

“If you are so particular， Ill send along a friend of mine who will suit you very well.” And saying this Mrs. Magpie gave the tree a hard peck and flew off. Imagine Mrs. Koalas surprise when she peeped down the tree later on and saw Mrs. Snake slowl

y wriggling her way upwards. Oh， she was frightened！

“如果你这么挑剔，那我就找一个非常符合你要求的朋友来。”喜鹊太太说，她狠狠啄了一下那棵树，然后飞走了。想象一下，考拉太太后来从树上看到下面蛇太太慢慢向上爬的时候，她会感到多惊讶。哦，她吓坏了！

“Go away， Mrs. Snake！” she called in a loud voice.

“走开，蛇太太！”她大声喊道。

“Ive come to nurse the baby; Mrs. Magpie sent me.” And Mrs. Snake wriggled higher up the tree. Right on to the branch where Mrs. Koala sat she came， and coiled herself round the fork

“我是来照顾孩子的，喜鹊太太让我来的。”蛇太太爬上树，就盘绕在考拉太太坐的树枝上。

“I dont want a nurse.” And poor frightened Mrs. Bear tried to push the babys head back in the pouch. But he would peep out.

“我不要保姆。”可怜受到惊吓的熊太太试图把孩子的头推回育儿袋里，但他还是偷看。

“Hes a nice little fellow， and like his daddy，” said Mrs. Snake slyly. “I can take him along on my back for such lovely rides up and down trees and in and out big black holes.”

“他是个不错的小家伙，和他爸爸一样，”蛇太太狡猾地说。“我可以把他背在背上，让他开心地骑着在树林里上上下下，在大黑洞里进进出出地玩。”

Hearing this Mrs. Bear nearly fell off the tree with fright， and began to cry.

听到这话，熊太太吓得差点从树上掉下来，然后哭了起来。

Now Mr. Koala had been listening to Mrs. Snake as he sat on a branch just round the corner. Slowly he climbed over to Mrs. Snake and caught her in his claws. Before anyone had time to see what was happening he pushed her off the branch and she went tumbling12 to the ground below. Two very frightened bears peeped down from the tree， and there they saw Mrs. Snake slowly crawling away in the grass.

此时考拉先生坐在拐角处的一根树枝上，一直在听蛇太太说话。他慢慢爬到蛇太太跟前，用爪子抓住她。还没来得及看清发生了什么事，他就把她推下了树枝，让她跌跌撞撞地摔在地上。两只非常害怕的熊从树上往下看，看见蛇太太从草地上慢慢地爬走了。

They were just beginning to recover from this fright when a thump， thump， thump， was heard on the ground at the foot of the tree.

他們刚从这场惊吓中恢复过来，就听到从树底下的地面传来砰、砰、砰的声音。

“Whos there？” called Mrs. Bear in a very frightened voice.

“谁在那儿？”熊太太喊道，声音里满是惊恐。

“Its just me！” came the reply.

“是我！”那人回答。

“Whos ‘me？” cried Mr. Bear.

“谁是‘我？”熊先生吼道。

“Angelina Wallaby，” called a very soft voice.

“袋鼠安吉丽娜，”一个非常柔和的声音喊道。

“Come up， come up，” Mrs. Bear replied.

“上来，上来。”熊太太回答。

“I cant climb; my tail is all wrong，” said Angelina.

安吉丽娜说：“我爬不上去，我的尾巴有问题。”

“Well， Ill come down， if Mrs. Snake is nowhere about，” said Mrs. Bear. And she slowly started to climb down the tree. Very carefully she went， always grasping the tree with her strong claws， her back showing all the time， while she cleverly looked over her shoulder now and then to see that all was safe below. It took her quite a time to reach the ground and she felt very nervous.

“好吧，如果蛇太太不在的话，我就下来，”熊太太说。然后她慢慢地爬下树，每爬一步都非常小心，一直用她有力的爪子抓着那棵树，她的后背一直暴露着，同时她机智地不时回头往下看，审视下面是否一切安全。她爬到地上花了很长时间，真的非常紧张。

Angelina Wallaby hopped over to her and looked in surprise at the baby.

袋鼠安吉丽娜跳到她跟前，惊讶地看着婴儿。

“What a dear little fellow！” she said， her great brown eyes rounding with excitement. At the same time she put out her paws to touch him.

“多么可爱的小家伙！”她说，那双棕色的大眼睛兴奋得溜溜转，同时还伸出爪子去碰他。

“Oh， dont！” cried Mrs. Bear. “He is so small and your nails might hurt him.”

“哦，别这样！”熊太太喊道。“他太小了，你的指甲可能会伤到他。”

“Ive been all the morning blunting13 them on a stone so that I could pat him，” said Angelina in a disappointed voice.

安吉丽娜失望地说：“我整个早上都在石头上磨钝它们，这样我就可以拍拍他了。”

“Oh， Im sorry，” said Mrs. Bear. “I did not mean to be rude， but Mrs. Snake gave me such a fright.”

“哦，对不起，”熊太太说。“我无意无礼，但蛇太太吓了我一跳。”

“Ill be ever so gentle，” said Angelina， “if you let me pat him just this once.”

安吉丽娜说：“如果你让我拍拍他，即使一次也好，我会非常温柔的。”

“Very well，” smiled Mrs. Bear as she opened her pouch.

“那好吧，”熊太太打开袋子微笑着说。

Angelina Wallaby patted him twice， then sniffed him all over with her soft nose. Now her eyelashes caught in his little toes， but Angelina did not mind， as she had had babies herself and knew just what to do.

袋鼠安吉丽娜拍了他两下，然后用她柔软的鼻子嗅了嗅他。这样一来她的睫毛就卡在了他的小脚趾上，但安吉丽娜并不介意，因为她自己也生了孩子，知道该怎么做。

“I wish I could mind him for you sometimes， Mrs. Bear. Id be so gentle with him.”

“熊太太，我真希望有时能替你照顾他。我会对他很温柔的。”

“Im sure you would be the very kindest nurse，” replied Mrs. Bear. “But what could you do for him？”

“我相信你会是最善良的保姆，”熊太太回答。“但是你能带他做什么呢？”

“I would come along in the evenings， and take him out for a walk. Ive got a pouch just like yours， and Id put him in it and hop along very gently， so he wouldnt feel the bumps.”

“我会晚上来带他出去散步。我有一个和你一样的育儿袋，我把他塞进袋子里轻轻地跳着走，这样他就不会感到颠簸了。”

“I think that is a good idea，” said Mrs. Bear.

“我觉得这是个好主意，”熊太太说。

So it was arranged that Mrs. Bear should climb down the tree every evening and meet Angelina Wallaby who would take the baby for a walk in the bush.

于是就這样说好了，熊太太每天晚上从树上爬下来去见袋鼠安吉丽娜。然后她会带着孩子在灌木丛中散步。

Imagine how proud Angelina felt！She hopped home very quickly that evening to tell her friends the news.

想象一下安吉丽娜有多自豪！那天晚上，她很快就回到家里，把这个消息告诉了她的朋友们。

Next day， just as the sun was setting， she came to the foot of the gum-tree and thumped three times on the ground with her tail. Mrs. Bear peeped around the corner of her home and， seeing Angelina at the foot of the tree， called out：

第二天，太阳刚落山的时候她就到了桉树下，用尾巴在地上敲了三下。熊太太在她家的拐角处偷看，一看见安吉丽娜站在树下就大声叫道：

“Im coming down with the baby， so watch for Mrs. Snake.” Then she carefully and slowly climbed to the bottom of the tree.

“我要和孩子一起下来了，小心提防蛇太太。”然后她小心翼翼地慢慢爬到树下。

“Is the coast clear？” she anxiously asked.

“海边安全吗？“她焦急地问。

“Yes， Mrs. Bear. I passed Mrs. Snake on the road a mile away.”

“安全，熊太太。我刚才在一英里外的路上遇到了蛇太太。”

“Well， do be careful， Angelina; and bring him back before the day breaks. Is your pouch warm？” And Mrs. Bear checked Angelinas pouch.

“好吧，一定要当心，安吉丽娜，天亮之前把他带回来。你的育儿袋暖和吗？”熊太太检查了一下安吉丽娜的育儿袋。

“Yes， Mrs. Bear. It may be a little large， so I padded it well with grass; but its very warm and not a bit draughty14.”

“暖和，熊太太。它可能有点大，所以我用草垫着，很暖和，也不会漏一点风。”

So the baby was carefully taken from his mothers pouch and gently placed in Angelinas.

于是婴儿被小心地从母亲的育儿袋中取出，轻轻地放在了安吉丽娜的育儿袋中。

Waving a paw to Mrs. Bear she took a hop and then peeped down at the baby to see what he thought of it. Taking several more hops she soon started away for the bush track and in no time came to Mrs. Rabbits home. Thumping her tail on the ground， she waited a moment. Mrs. Rabbit popped her head out of the burrow.

她向熊太太挥挥爪子，跳了跳，然后看了看孩子，看他觉得怎么样。她又跳了几下，很快就踏上了灌木小径，马上就来到了兔子太太的家。她用尾巴拍打地面，等了一会儿后，兔子太太从洞里探出头来。

“Good evening， Mrs. Rab. Ive brought the baby to show you.”

“晚上好，兔子太太。我把孩子带来给你瞧瞧。”

“Good gracious， how lovely！” said Mrs. Rabbit. Angelina gently drew the baby bear from her pouch. Several more bunnies came round to see the new arrival.

“太棒了，多可爱啊！”兔子太太说。安吉丽娜轻轻把小熊从她的育儿袋里取出来。又有几只小兔子来看新生儿。

“Just look at his ears！” cried Mrs. Rabbit. “Im sure Id never hear with those furry things. And， oh dear， no tail！—Well， well！Take care he does not catch cold. I really think he should have a tail to keep him warm. I have a spare one hanging on the wall of the burrow. Poor Mr. Rabbit was shot， and I found his skin near by; but I managed to bite off the tail and bring it home.” Here poor Mrs. Rabbit burst into tears.

“瞧瞧他的耳朵！”兔子太太叫道。“我肯定我從来没有听说过这种毛茸茸的东西。哦，天哪，没有尾巴！——好吧！小心别让他着凉。我真的认为他应该有个尾巴来保暖。我有一个备用的挂在洞壁上。可怜的兔子先生被射中了，我在附近发现了他的皮毛;但我设法咬掉他的尾巴带回了家。”说着，可怜的兔子太太哭了起来。

“Never mind， my dear，” said Angelina gentlely. “If it will please you， we will tie it on the baby.”

“没关系，亲爱的，”安吉丽娜温柔说道。“如果你愿意，我们会把它绑在婴儿身上。”

Mrs. Rabbit dried her eyes with her paw and went sniffling15 down into the burrow.

兔子太太用爪子擦干眼泪，抽噎着往洞里走去。

“I wont be a moment，” she called from somewhere down under the ground.

“我一会儿就好，”她从地下某处喊道。

Up she came in a very short time carrying the tail in her two front paws.

很快她就用两只前爪抓着尾巴上来了。

“What can we sew it on with？” inquired Angelina.

“我们用什么把它缝上去呢？”安吉丽娜问。

“Well tie it on with a piece of grass.” And Mrs. Rabbit hopped round until she found a nice long piece.

“我们用一根草把它绑起来。”兔子太太跳了一圈，找到一根很长的草。

“Heres just the thing！” she cried， and came hopping back with it in her teeth.

“就是这个！”她叫了一声，用牙咬着草跳了回来。

Angelina excitedly pulled the baby out of her pouch， and together they fastened the tail on. It did look funny， as it was almost as long as the baby; but it certainly would keep him warm.

安吉丽娜兴奋地把孩子从育儿袋里取出来，他们一起把尾巴给他系上。看起来确实很有趣，因为它几乎和婴儿一样长;但肯定很保暖。

Saying her friend good night she hopped on her way. The moon was now shining brightly and all the bush was silent， except for the sound of those little animals who are always busy at night-time. Angelina smelled the night air with delight and felt very happy as she thought of the baby in her pouch. Hopping along between the great grey gum-trees she was suddenly scared to see Mrs. Snake lying right across her pathway.

和朋友道過晚安后，安吉丽娜跳上了回去的路。月亮此时正明亮地照耀着，整个灌木丛都静了下来，除了那些总是在夜间忙碌的小动物的声音。安吉丽娜愉快地闻了闻夜晚的空气，一想到育儿袋里的孩子就非常高兴。她在巨大的灰色桉树之间跳来跳去，突然吓了一跳——她看见蛇太太正躺在自己要走的那条路的对面。