介绍:
The Bremen Town-musicians
不莱梅市的乐师
A certain man had a donkey, which had carried the com-sacks to the mill indefatigably for many a long year; but his strength was going, and he was growing more and more unfit for work. Then his master began to consider how he might best save his keep; but the donkey, seeing that no good wind was blowing, ran away and set out on the road to Bremen. "There," he thought. "I can surely be town-musician." When he had walked some distance, he found a hound lying on the road, gasping like one who had run till he was tired. "What are you gasping so for, you big fellow?" asked the donkey.
从前，有一个人养了一头驴。这头驴多年来一直勤勤恳恳地把口袋驮到磨坊里。现在它衰老了，干活一天不如一天，越来越难以胜任以前的工作了。于是，它的主人想把它杀掉，也好省出一份饲料。可驴子感觉到情况不妙，就赶紧溜走了，踏上了去不莱梅的路。 “到了那里，我总可以去当一名市立乐团的乐师吧。”它想。走了一段路，它发现路边躺着一条猎狗，不停地喘着气，像是极度疲劳的样子。驴子上前问道“朋友，你怎么气喘成这个样子啊？”
"Ah," replied the hound, "as I am old, and daily grow weaker, and no longer can hunt, my master wanted to kill me, so I took to flight; but now how am I to earn my bread?"
狗回答道：“哎！因为我老了，一天比一天衰老，再也不能去打猎了，所以我的主人准备把我杀掉。我就跑了出来，可是现在我该拿什么挣钱吃饭啊?”
"I tell you what," said the donkey, "I am going to Bremen, and shall be town-musician there; go with me and engage yourself also as a musician. I will play the lute, and you shall beat the kettledrum."
“告诉你，”驴子说： “我正准备去不莱梅，去当市立乐团的音乐师。一块儿走吧，让乐团也收下你。我弹琉特琴，你敲铜鼓。”
The hound agreed, and on they went.
Before long they came to a cat, sitting on the path, with a face like three rainy days! "Now then. old shaver, what has gone askew with you?" asked the donkey.
狗同意了，于是它们就一起上了路。
没走多远，它们看见一只猫蹲在路中央，脸上阴沉得好像连着下了三天雷雨。“喂，猫老弟，什么事让你这么发愁啊？”驴子问。
"Who can be merry when his neck is in danger?" answered the cat. "Because I am now getting old, and my teeth are worn to stumps, and I prefer to sit by the fire and spin, rather than hunt about after mice, my mistress wanted to drown me, so I ran away. But now good advice is scarce. Where am I to go?"
“命都快保不住了，还能开心吗？”猫回答，“因为我老了，牙齿也钝了，只想躺在火炉旁边打盹儿，不想再去逮老鼠了，我的女主人就想把我淹死。眼下我虽说逃出来了，可谁能告诉我该上哪儿去啊？”
"Go with us to Bremen. You understand night-music, you can be a town-musician."
“跟我们一道去不莱梅吧，你可是演奏小夜曲的行家，同样可以成为市立乐团的乐师。”
The cat thought well of it, and went with them. After this the three fugitives came to a farm-yard, where the cock was sitting upon the gate, crowing with all his might. "Your crow goes through and through one," said the donkey. "What is the matter?"
猫觉得这个主意不错，也跟着去了。随后，三个逃亡者经过一个农庄，看见一只公鸡坐在门边，扯着嗓门叫喊着。“你的声音太有穿透力了，”驴子说，“发生了什么事啊？”
"I have been foretelling fine weather, because it is the day on which Our Lady washes the Christ-child&`&s little shirts, and wants to dry them," said the cock; "but guests are coming for Sunday, so the housewife has no pity, and has told the cook that she intends to eat me in the soup to-morrow. and this evening I am to have my head cut off. Now I am crowing at full pitch while I can."
“我在预报好天气，”公鸡说，“今天是我们亲爱的圣母为小耶su换洗晾晒衣服的日子。但是因为明天星期日要来很多客人，我的女主人狠心地告诉厨子要把我炖成鸡汤，今天晚上就要把我的脑袋给砍下了，所以我得赶紧使劲儿喊上几嗓子，不然就没机会喽。”
"Ah, but red-comb," said the donkey, "you had better come away with us. We are going to Bremen; you can find something better than death everywhere: you have a good voice, and if we make music together it must have some quality!"
“哎呀，你这个红脑袋，”驴子说，“跟我们走不是更好吗？咱们去不莱梅，到哪儿不比在这儿等死强l你有一副好嗓子，要是咱们一起演奏，效果准保不赖！”
The cock agreed to this plan, and all four went on together. They could not, however. reach the city of Bremen in one day, and in the evening they came to a forest where they meant to pass the night. The donkey and the hound laid themselves down under a large tree, the cat and the cock settled themselves in the branches; but the cock flew right to the top, where he was most safe. Before he went to sleep he looked round on all four sides, and thought he saw in the distance a little spark burning; so he called out to his companions that there must be a house not far off, for he sawa light. The donkey said, "If so, we had better get up and go on, for the shelter here is bad." The hound thought that a few bones with some meat on would do him good too!
公鸡接受了这个建议，它们四个就一起上了路。然而，不菜梅市不是一天能走到的，晚上它们来到了一片森林里，打算在森林里过夜。驴子和狗睡在了一棵大树下，猫和公鸡睡在了树枝上。公鸡认为越高的地方越安全，因此它飞到了树顶上。公鸡睡觉前又朝四周望了望，发现远处有亮光闪烁，马上对同伴们喊道：“不远的地方一定有一所房子，因为我看到了亮光。”驴子说：“如果真有房子，那我们最好赶紧赶过去，现在睡的地方太糟糕了。”狗也认为，要是能在那里能找到一些骨头和肉，倒也不错呢！”
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