评论
打印
He was very much afraid of her, but perhaps he had a heart like the sparrow and it told him that she was not a thing which pounced.
它固然很怕她，但也许它有一颗像麻雀那样的心，告诉它萨拉不是一个会猛扑过来的东西。
He was very hungry. He had a wife and a large family in the wall, and they had had frightfully bad luck for several days.
它很饿。它在墙壁中有妻子和一大帮家人，几天来它们的运气实在太坏。
He had left the children crying bitterly, and felt he would risk a good deal for a few crumbs,
它离开了痛哭流涕的孩子们，觉得无论如何也要冒挺大的风险去找到一些面包屑，
so he cautiously dropped upon his feet.
于是它小心翼翼地放下了前足。
"Come on," said Sara; "I'm not a trap. You can have them, poor thing! Prisoners in the Bastille used to make friends with rats.
“来吧，”萨拉说，“我不是老鼠夹子。你可以吃这，些东西，可怜的东西！巴士底监狱的囚犯常常和老鼠交朋友。
Suppose I make friends with you."
我和你交朋友好不好。”
How it is that animals understand things I do not know, but it is certain that they do understand.
我不知道动物是怎样理解事物的，但它们肯定是理解的。
Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it.
或许有一种不是由词语构成的语言，世上万物都理解它。
Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul.
或许万物中都隐藏着一个灵魂，即使不发出声音来，也能对另一个灵魂说话。
But whatsoever was the reason, the rat knew from that moment that he was safe—even though he was a rat.
但是，不管是什么道理，反正那老鼠从这一刻起就知道自己是安全的——就算它是只老鼠也罢。
He knew that this young human being sitting on the red footstool would not jump up and terrify him with wild, sharp noises
它知道这位坐在红脚凳上的年轻人不会跳起身来用发狂似的尖叫来吓唬它，
or throw heavy objects at him which, if they did not fall and crush him, would send him limping in his scurry back to his hole.
或者向它扔重东西，那样，即使没有掉下来把它砸烂，也会使它瘸着腿儿仓皇地逃回洞去。
He was really a very nice rat, and did not mean the least harm.
它真是只很好的老鼠，一点儿也无危害之意。
When he had stood on his hind legs and sniffed the air, with his bright eyes fixed on Sara,
当它用后腿站着嗅空气、一双亮眼睛凝视着萨拉时，
he had hoped that she would understand this, and would not begin by hating him as an enemy.
它希望她会理解这情况，而不会开始把它当敌人一样痛恨。
When the mysterious thing which speaks without saying any words told him that she would not,
那不用任何词语说话的神秘语言告诉它萨拉不会恨它，
he went softly toward the crumbs and began to eat them. As he did it he glanced every now and then at Sara,
它便悄悄地趋近面包屑，开始吃起来。它边吃边不时望望萨拉，
just as the sparrows had done, and his expression was so very apologetic that it touched her heart.
和那些麻雀一个样，而它那深深负疚的表情触动了萨拉的心。
She sat and watched him without making any movement. One crumb was very much larger than the others—
她一动不动地坐着看它。有块面包屑特別大——
in fact, it could scarcely be called a crumb.
实际上已经不能称为屑了。
