Chapter 1 Four sisters
第1章 四姐妹
Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents, said Jo crossly.
如果没有礼物,圣诞节就徒有其名,琼生气地说。
It's so awful to be poor! agreed Meg, looking at her old dress.
贫穷真是糟糕透了!麦格边看着她的旧衣裙边表示赞同。
It's not right for some girls to have pretty things, and others to have nothing at all,said little Amy.
有些女孩子有漂亮的东西,而其他人却什么都没有,这太不应该了,小艾米说。
We've got Father and Mother, and each other, said Beth gently.
我们有父亲和母亲,还拥有彼此,白丝温文尔雅地说道。
The four young faces round the fire cheered up as they thought of this, but then Jo said sadly, we haven't got Father, and we won't have him for a long time.
想起这些,围在火炉边的四张年轻的面孔变得快乐起来,可然后琼悲伤地说:我们没有父亲,我们要有很长时间都不会有他。
She didn't say perhaps never, but each silently thought it, remembering that he was away at the war in the South.
她并没有说出也许永远也不会有了这句话,但想起父亲去南方打仗了,每个人都默默地想到了它。
Then Meg said, Mother says we shouldn't spend money on presents when our men are fighting a war.
然后麦格说道:妈妈说过,当我们的男人在打仗的时候我们不应该把钱花在买礼物上。
We can't expect anything from Mother or each other, said Jo, but we only have a dollar each, and that won't help the army much.
我们不能期待会从母亲或彼此那里得到任何礼物,琼说,可我们每个人都有一块钱,这帮不了军队什么忙。
Let's each buy ourselves what we want, and have a little fun.
咱们每人给自己买些想要的东西高兴高兴吧。
We work hard to earn it.
这是咱们努力工作挣来的。
I do, teaching those awful children, said Meg.
是我挣的,我教那些糟糕的孩子,麦格道。
What about me? said Jo.
我又怎么样?琼说,
I'm shut up all day working for a terrible old lady, who gives me different orders every five seconds!
我一整天一句话都不说,给一个可怕的老太婆干活,她每五分钟就给我下一道不同的命令!
I think washing cups and plates and keeping things tidy is the worst work in the world, said Beth.
我觉得洗杯子盘子和整理东西是世界上最坏的工作,白丝说,
My hands get too tired to play my music.
我的双手累得都弹不了琴了。
I have to go to school with girls who laugh at my dresses and say cruel things because my father isn't rich, said Amy.
我不得不跟那些笑话我穿戴的女孩子一起去上学,她们常说些难听的话,因为我的父亲不是有钱人。艾米说。
I wish we had the money Father lost when we were little, Jo, said Meg.
真希望我们能有在我们小时候爸爸失掉的那些钱呀,琼,麦格道。
I wish I was a boy, said Jo. Then I could go and fight beside Father!
我希望我是个男孩,琼说,那样我就可以去和爸爸并肩作战了。
Meg was sixteen and very pretty, with large eyes and soft brown hair, and white hands.
麦格16岁了,长得很漂亮,大眼睛,拥有柔软的棕色头发,以及白皙的双手。
Fifteen-year-old Jo was very tall and thin.
15岁的琼又高又瘦。
Her long, dark-red hair was usually pushed up out of the way.
她常把深红色的长发梳得老高。
Beth was thirteen, a very shy girl who seemed to live in a happy world of her own.
白丝13岁,她是个很怕羞的女孩,看起来像是生活在她自己的快乐世界里。
Amy was the youngest, but thought herself to be the most important.
艾米最小,可她认为自己最重要。
She had blue eyes, and yellow hair which curled on to her shoulders.
她有一双蓝色的眼睛,还有卷到肩头的黄色头发。