第11章 小不点或拇指姑娘 Little Tiny or Thumbelina(5/7)

首发：~第11章 小不点或拇指姑娘 Little Tiny or Thumbelina

于是她下了床，用干草编织了一块又大又漂亮的毯子；

so she got out of bed and wove a large, beautiful carpet of hay;

然后她把毯子拿到死鸟那里，盖在他身上；

then she carried it to the dead bird, and spread it over him;

毯子上还加上了她在田鼠房间里找到的一些花朵上的绒毛。

with some down from the flowers which she had found in the field - mouse’s room

这些绒毛像羊毛一样柔软，她在鸟的两边都铺了一些，这样他在寒冷的地下就能暖和地躺着了。

it was as soft as wool, and she spread some of it on each side of the bird, so that he might lie warmly in the cold earth

“再见了，你这漂亮的小鸟，” 她说，“再见了；感谢你在夏天树木葱茏、温暖的阳光照耀着我们的时候唱出那么美妙的歌声。”

“farewell, you pretty little bird,” said she, “farewell; thank you for your delightful singing during the summer, when all the trees were green, and the warm sun shone upon us”

然后她把头靠在小鸟的胸脯上，但她马上惊恐起来，因为好像小鸟体内有什么东西在 “扑通，扑通” 地跳动。

then she laid her head on the bird’s breast, but she was alarmed immediately, for it seemed as if something inside the bird went “thump, thump”

那是小鸟的心脏；

it was the bird’s heart;

他并没有真的死去，只是冻僵了，温暖使他苏醒过来。

he was not really dead, only benumbed with the cold, and the warmth had restored him to life

秋天的时候，所有的燕子都飞到温暖的国度去，但如果有一只碰巧逗留，寒冷就会侵袭它，它就会被冻僵，然后像死了一样掉下来；

in autumn, all the swallows fly away into warm countries, but if one happens to linger, the cold seizes it, it bees frozen, and falls down as if dead;

它就留在掉落的地方，冰冷的雪覆盖着它。

it remains where it fell, and the cold snow covers it

拇指姑娘抖得很厉害；

tiny trembled very much;

她非常害怕，因为这只鸟很大，比她自己大得多 —— 她只有一英寸高。

she was quite frightened, for the bird was large, a great deal larger than herself, — she was only an inch high

但她鼓起勇气，把羊毛更厚地盖在可怜的燕子身上，然后拿了一片她自己当被子用的叶子，盖在这只可怜小鸟的头上。

but she took courage, laid the wool more thickly over the poor swallow, and then took a leaf which she had used for her own counterpane, and laid it over the head of the poor bird

第二天早晨，她又偷偷地出去看他。

the next morning she again stole out to see him

他还活着，但非常虚弱；

he was alive but very weak;

他只能睁开眼睛看了拇指姑娘一会儿，拇指姑娘站在旁边，手里拿着一块朽木，因为她没有别的灯笼。

he could only open his eyes for a moment to look at tiny, who stood by holding a piece of decayed wood in her hand, for she had no other lantern

“谢谢你，美丽的小姑娘，” 生病的燕子说；

“thank you, pretty little maiden,” said the sick swallow;

“我被照顾得很暖和，很快我就会恢复力气，又能在温暖的阳光下飞翔了。”

“i have been so nicely warmed, that i shall soon regain my strength, and be able to fly about again in the warm sunshine”

“哦，” 她说，“现在外面很冷；下雪又结冰。呆在你温暖的床上吧；我会照顾你的。”

“oh,” said she, “it is cold out of doors now; it snows and freezes stay in your warm bed; i will take care of you”

然后她用一片花瓣盛了些水给燕子，燕子喝完后告诉她，他在荆棘丛里弄伤了一只翅膀，不能像其他燕子飞得那么快，其他燕子很快就远远地朝着温暖的国度飞走了。

then she brought the swallow some water in a flower - leaf, and after he had drank, he told her that he had wounded one of his wings in a thorn - bush, and could not fly as fast as the others, who were soon far away on their journey to warm countries

最后他就掉到地上了，之后的事就不记得了，也不记得自己是怎么到她发现他的地方的。

then at last he had fallen to the earth, and could remember no more, nor how he came to be where she had found him

整个冬天燕子都呆在地下，拇指姑娘悉心地照料他。

the whole winter the swallow remained underground, and tiny nursed him with care and love

鼹鼠和田鼠对此一无所知，因为他们不喜欢燕子。

neither the mole nor the field - mouse knew anything about it, for they did not like swallows

很快春天就来了，太阳温暖着大地。

very soon the spring time came, and the sun warmed the earth

然后燕子向拇指姑娘告别，她打开了鼹鼠在天花板上挖的洞。

then the swallow bade farewell to tiny, and she opened the hole in the ceiling which the mole had made

阳光如此美丽地照在他们身上，燕子问她是否愿意和他一起走；他说她可以坐在他的背上，他会带着她飞到绿色的树林里去。

the sun shone in upon them so beautifully, that the swallow asked her if she would go with him; she could sit on his back, he said, and he would fly away with her into the green woods

但是拇指姑娘知道，如果她这样离开田鼠，会让田鼠非常伤心的，所以她说：“不，我不能。”

but tiny knew it would make the field - mouse very grieved if she left her in that manner, so she said, “no, i cannot”

“那么，再见了，再见了，你这个善良、美丽的小姑娘。” 燕子说；然后他飞到阳光里去了。

“farewell, then, farewell, you good, pretty little maiden,” said the swallow; and he flew out into the sunshine

拇指姑娘望着他的背影，眼里涌出了泪水。她非常喜欢这只可怜的燕子。

tiny looked after him, and the tears rose in her eyes she was very fond of the poor swallow