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A short time before, the mole had dug a long passage under the earth, which led from the dwelling of the field-mouse to his own,
最近他从自己房子里挖了一条长长的地道，通到她们的这座房子里来。
and here she had permission to walk with Tiny whenever she liked.
他请田鼠和拇指姑娘到这条地道里来散步，而且只要她们愿意，随时都可以来。
But he warned them not to be alarmed at the sight of a dead bird which lay in the passage.
不过他忠告她们不要害怕一只躺在地道里的死鸟。
It was a perfect bird, with a beak and feathers, and could not have been dead long,
他是一只完整的鸟儿，有翅膀，也有嘴。没有疑问，他是不久以前、在冬天开始的时候死去的。
and was lying just where the mole had made his passage.
他现在被埋葬的这块地方，恰恰被鼹鼠打穿了成为地道。
The mole took a piece of phosphorescent wood in his mouth, and it glittered like fire in the dark;
鼹鼠嘴里衔着一根引火柴——它在黑暗中可以发出闪光。
then he went before them to light them through the long, dark passage.
他走在前面，为她们把这条又长又黑的地道照明。
When they came to the spot where lay the dead bird, the mole pushed his broad nose through the ceiling, the earth gave way,
当她们来到那只死鸟躺着的地方时，鼹鼠就用他的大鼻子顶着天花板，朝上面拱着土，拱出一个大洞来。
so that there was a large hole, and the daylight shone into the passage.
阳光就通过这洞口射进来。
In the middle of the floor lay a dead swallow, his beautiful wings pulled close to his sides,
在地上的正中央躺着一只死了的燕子，他的美丽的翅膀紧紧地贴着身体，
his feet and his head drawn up under his feathers; the poor bird had evidently died of the cold.
小腿和头缩到羽毛里面；这只可怜的鸟儿无疑是冻死了。
It made little Tiny very sad to see it, she did so love the little birds;
这使得拇指姑娘感到非常难过，因为她非常喜爱一切鸟儿。
all the summer they had sung and twittered for her so beautifully.
的确，他们整个夏天对她唱着美妙的歌，对她喃喃地讲着话。
But the mole pushed it aside with his crooked legs, and said,
不过鼹鼠用他的短腿子一推，说：
"He will sing no more now. How miserable it must be to be born a little bird!
“他现在再也不能唱什么了！生为一只小鸟该有多悲惨啊！
I am thankful that none of my children will ever be birds, for they can do nothing but cry, 'Tweet, tweet,'
谢天谢地，我的孩子们将不会这样。像这样的一只鸟儿，什么事也不能做，只会唧唧喳喳地叫，
and always die of hunger in the winter."
到了冬天就不得不饿死了！”
"Yes, you may well say that, as a clever man!" exclaimed the field-mouse, "
田鼠说：“是的，你是一个聪明人，说得有道理”。
"What is the use of his twittering, for when winter comes he must either starve or be frozen to death.
“冬天一到，这些‘唧唧喳喳’的歌声对于一只燕子有什么用呢？他只有挨饿和受冻的一条路。
Still birds are very high bred."
不过我想这就是大家所谓的了不起的事情吧!”
Tiny said nothing; but when the two others had turned their backs on the bird,
拇指姑娘一句话也不说。不过当他们两个人把背转向这只燕子的时候，
she stooped down and stroked aside the soft feathers which covered the head, and kissed the closed eyelids.
她就弯下腰来，把盖在他头上的那一簇羽毛温柔地向旁边拂了几下，同时在他闭着的双眼上轻轻地吻了一下。
"Perhaps this was the one who sang to me so sweetly in the summer," she said;
“在夏天对我唱出那么美丽的歌的鸟儿也许就是他了，”她想。
"and how much pleasure it gave me, you dear, pretty bird."
“他不知给了我多少快乐——他，这只亲爱的、美丽的鸟儿!”
