親愛的朋友，你究竟在哪裡
Chapter 5 Charlotte II
About half an hour before dawn, Wilbur woke and listened.
大約在天亮前的半小時，威伯醒了，開始傾聽。
The barn was still dark. The sheep lay motionless. Even the goose was quiet.
穀倉里還是很黑。綿羊睡得很沉。甚至那隻母鵝也很安靜。
Overhead, on the main floor, nothing stirred: the cows were resting, the horses dozed.
頭上的主樓那裡也沒什麼動靜：牛正在休息，馬在打盹兒。
Templeton had quit work and gone off somewhere on an errand.
坦普爾曼也不見了，可能到別處工作去了吧。
The only sound was a slight scraping noise from the rooftop, where the weather-vane swung back and forth.
只有穀倉頂上才有些輕微的響動，那是風信雞在風裡晃來晃去。
Wilbur loved the barn when it was like this--calm and quiet, waiting for light.
威伯很喜歡這時的穀倉——一切都那麼靜謐，安詳，只等曙光的來臨。
"Day is almost here," he thought.
「白天就要來了。」他想。
Through a small window, a faint gleam appeared.
一縷微光從小窗子里透了進來。
One by one the stars went out. Wilbur could see the goose a few feet away. She sat with head tucked under a wing.
星星們一個接一個的熄滅了。威伯現在能看清幾步遠的母鵝了。她的頭藏到了翅膀的下面。
Then he could see the sheep and the lambs. The sky lightened.
接著，他也能看清綿羊和羊羔了。天亮了。
"Oh, beautiful day, it is here at last! Today I shall find my friend."
「哦，美麗的白天，它終於來了！今天我會找到朋友了。」
Wilbur looked everywhere. He searched his pen thoroughly. He examined the window ledge, stared up at the ceiling.
威伯四處搜尋著。他把家裡查了個遍。他檢查了窗檯，又望了望天花板。
But he saw nothing new.
但卻什麼新變化都沒發現。
Finally he decided he would have to speak up.
最後他只好決定喊話了。
He hated to break the lovely stillness of dawn by using his voice, but he couldn"t think of any other way to locate the mysterious new friend who was nowhere to be seen.
儘管他不願用自己的聲音來打破這可愛的黎明時分的寂靜，但他想不出還有什麼別的辦法可以找出那位無處可見的，神秘的新朋友。
So Wilbur cleared his throat.
因此威伯清了清嗓子。
"Attention, please!" he said in a loud, firm voice.
「請注意！」他用特別洪亮的嗓門說，
"Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly make himself or herself known by giving an appropriate sign or signal!"
「請在昨晚就寢時友好的和我談話的那位先生或女士給我打一個手勢，或者發個信號！」
Wilbur paused and listened.
威伯停下來，聽了聽。
All the other animals lifted their heads and stared at him. Wilbur blushed.
別的動物都抬起頭瞪向他。威伯臉紅了。
But he was determined to get in touch with his unknown friend.
但他還是決心找出這個陌生的朋友。
"Attention, please!" he said.
「請注意！」他說。
"I will repeat the message. Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly speak up.
「我再重複一遍。請昨夜睡前和我親切談話的朋友出來說話。
Please tell me where you are, if you are my friend!"
請告訴我你在哪裡，如果你是我的朋友的話！」
The sheep looked at each other in disgust.
綿羊們互相交流著厭惡的表情。
"Stop your nonsense, Wilbur!" said the oldest sheep.
「別說胡話了，威伯！」最老的綿羊說。
"If you have a new friend here, you are probably disturbing his rest;
「如果你在這裡有一個新朋友，你就是在妨害他的休息；
and the quickest way to spoil a friendship is to wake somebody up in the morning before he is ready.
而且在他早晨準備起床前把他吵醒，也是打破友誼的最快方法。
How can you be sure your friend is an early riser?"
你能確定你的朋友喜歡早起嗎？」
"I beg everyone"s pardon," whispered Wilbur. "I didn"t mean to be objectionable."
「各位，請原諒，」威伯的聲音低了下來。「我並不想打擾別人。」
He lay down meekly in the manure, facing the door. He did not know it, but his friend was very near.
他臉朝門委屈地躺了下來。他沒想到會打擾別人，但如果他的朋友就在不遠，早就該聽到了。
And the old sheep was right--the friend was still asleep.
可能老羊說得對——這個朋友還沒睡醒呢。
朗讀：迪新
來源：英文小說網
背景音樂：Yann Tiersen - Porz Goret
TAG:有道看天下 |