Pinocchio, Chapter 12: The Fox and the Cat匹诺曹，第12章：狐狸和猫
第二天早晨，吃火人把匹诺曹叫到一旁，问他说：
The next day Fire Eater called Pinocchio aside and asked him:
“你父亲叫什么名字？”
“What is your father’s name?”
“叫杰佩托。”
“Geppetto.”
“他是干什么的，”
“And what is his trade?”
“他很穷。”
“He’s a wood carver.”
“他赚的钱多吗？”
“Does he earn much?”
“要问他赚的钱，从不见他口袋里有一个子儿。请想象一下吧，为了买一本识字课本给我上学，他得卖掉身上仅有的一件短上衣。这件短上衣完全是补丁，没一处好的。”
“He earns so much that he never has a penny in his pockets. Just think that, in order to buy me an A-B-C book for school, he had to sell the only coat he owned, a coat so full of darns and patches that it was a pity.”
“可怜的人！我很同情他。这里是五个金币。马上带回去给他，并且替我问他好。”
“Poor fellow! I feel sorry for him. Here, take these five gold pieces. Go, give them to him with my kindest regards.”
不用说，匹诺曹向木偶戏班班主千谢万谢，他把戏班里所有的木偶一个个拥抱过，包括两个守卫，然后欢天喜地回家去了。
Pinocchio, as may easily be imagined, thanked him a thousand times. He kissed each Marionette in turn, even the officers, and, beside himself with joy, set out on his homeward journey.
可还没有走上半公里路，他就在路上碰到一只瘸腿狐狸和一只瞎眼猫。它俩一路上相互搀扶，似是两个患难朋友。瘸腿狐狸靠在猫身上，瞎眼猫由狐狸领着路。
He had gone barely half a mile when he met a lame Fox and a blind Cat, walking together like two good friends. The lame Fox leaned on the Cat, and the blind Cat let the Fox lead him along.
“早上好，匹诺曹，”狐狸向他恭恭敬敬问好说。
“Good morning, Pinocchio,” said the Fox, greeting him courteously.
“你怎么知道我的名字？”木偶问它。
“How do you know my name?” asked the Marionette.
“我跟你爸爸挺熟。”
“I know your father well.”
“你在哪儿见过他？”
“Where have you seen him?”
“昨天在他家门口见过。”
“I saw him yesterday standing at the door of his house.”
“他在干什么？”
“And what was he doing?”
“他穿着一件衬衫，冷得直打哆嗦。”
“He was in his shirt sleeves trembling with cold.”
“可怜的爸爸！可是谢谢老天爷，从今往后，他就不用再打哆嗦了！……”
“Poor Father! But, after today, God willing, he will suffer no longer.”
“为什么？”
“Why?”
“因为我变成个体面先生啦。”
“Because I have become a rich man.”
“你是个体面先生？”狐狸说着，放肆地大笑，猫也跟着笑，可为了不让匹诺曹看见，用两个前爪子假装在理着胡子。
“You, a rich man?” said the Fox, and he began to laugh out loud. The Cat was laughing also, but tried to hide it by stroking his long whiskers.
“没什么可笑的，”匹诺曹生气地叫道，“我真不想叫你们流口水，可这儿，要是你们想知道的话，这儿有五个呱呱叫的金币。”
“There is nothing to laugh at,” cried Pinocchio angrily. “I am very sorry to make your mouth water, but these, as you know, are five new gold pieces.”
他说着掏出吃火人送他的钱。
And he pulled out the gold pieces which Fire Eater had given him.
一听到金币丁丁当当响，狐狸不由自主地伸出了它那只好像瘸了的爪子，猫也张大了它那两只眼睛。这两只眼睛绿幽幽的像两盏灯，不过它们马上又闭上了，匹诺曹当然一点没看见。
At the cheerful tinkle of the gold, the Fox unconsciously held out his paw that was supposed to be lame, and the Cat opened wide his two eyes till they looked like live coals, but he closed them again so quickly that Pinocchio did not notice.
“现在，”狐狸问他，“你拿这些钱想干什么呢？”
“And may I ask,” inquired the Fox, “what you are going to do with all that money?”
“第一，”匹诺曹回答说，“我要给我爸爸买一件漂亮的新上衣，金丝银线织的，钮扣是宝石做的，第二、我要给自己买一本识字课本。”
“First of all,” answered the Marionette, “I want to buy a fine new coat for my father, a coat of gold and silver with diamond buttons; after that, I’ll buy an A-B-C book for myself.”
“给你自己？”
“For yourself?”
“还用说，我要去上学好好读书嘛。”
“For myself. I want to go to school and study hard.”
“你瞧瞧我吧，”狐狸说，“我就为了愚蠢得竟想去读书，结果把一条腿都弄瘸了。”
“Look at me,” said the Fox. “For the silly reason of wanting to study, I have lost a paw.”
“你瞧瞧我吧，”猫说了，“我就为了愚蠢得竟想去读书，把两只眼睛都搞瞎了。”
“Look at me,” said the Cat. “For the same foolish reason, I have lost the sight of both eyes.”
正在这时候，一只白椋鸟蹲在路边树丛上唱起它的老调，说：
At that moment, a Blackbird, perched on the fence along the road, called out sharp and clear:
“匹诺曹，别听坏朋友的话，要不，你要后悔的！”
“Pinocchio, do not listen to bad advice. If you do, you’ll be sorry!”
可怜的椋鸟没来得及把话说完！猫猛地一跳，跳得半天高，一把抓住椋鸟，林鸟连叫一声“唉哟”的工夫也没有，就已经连毛一起进入了猫的大嘴巴，
Poor little Blackbird! If he had only kept his words to himself! In the twinkling of an eyelid, the Cat leaped on him, and ate him, feathers and all.
猫吃掉椋鸟，擦过嘴巴，重新闭上两只眼睛，又照旧装瞎子。
After eating the bird, he cleaned his whiskers, closed his eyes, and became blind once more.
“可怜的椋鸟！”匹诺曹对猫说，“你为什么对它这么狠呢？”
“Poor Blackbird!” said Pinocchio to the Cat. “Why did you kill him?”
“我这样做是为了教训教训它，这样一来，下次它可就学乖，别人说话不会插嘴了。”
“I killed him to teach him a lesson. He talks too much. Next time he will keep his words to himself.”
他们走到半路，狐狸忽然停下，对木偶说：
By this time the three companions had walked a long distance. Suddenly, the Fox stopped in his tracks and, turning to the Marionette, said to him:
“你想让你的金币加个倍吗？”
“Do you want to double your gold pieces?”
“你这话什么意思？”
“What do you mean?”
“你只有那么五个金币，你想让它们变成一百个，一千个，两千个吗？”
“Do you want one hundred, a thousand, two thousand gold pieces for your miserable five?”
“那还用说！可怎么变呢？”
“Yes, but how?”
“简单极了。你先别回家，跟我们走。”
“The way is very easy. Instead of returning home, come with us.”
“你们带我上哪儿去？”
“And where will you take me?”
“到傻瓜城去。”
“To the City of Simple Simons.”
匹诺曹想了想，接着拿定主意说：
Pinocchio thought a while and then said firmly:
“不要，我不去，这会儿就到家了，我要回家，我爸爸在等着，可怜的老人家昨儿没见我回去，谁知道他有多么焦急呀！真倒霉，我是这么个坏孩子，还是会说话的蟋蟀说得对：‘不听话的孩子在这个世界上没有好结果。’我从自己的教训懂得了这一点，因为我遭了许多殃，昨儿晚上在吃火人那里，我差点儿连命都送掉了……Brrr！我一想起都要发抖！”
“No, I don’t want to go. Home is near, and I’m going where Father is waiting for me. How unhappy he must be that I have not yet returned! I have been a bad son, and the Talking Cricket was right when he said that a disobedient boy cannot be happy in this world. I have learned this at my own expense. Even last night in the theater, when Fire Eater. . . Brrrr!!!!! . . . The shivers run up and down my back at the mere thought of it.”
“这么说，”狐狸说道，“你真想回家？那你就回家吧、反正是你自己吃亏！”
“Well, then,” said the Fox, “if you really want to go home, go ahead, but you’ll be sorry.”
“是你自已吃亏！”猫跟着又说了一遍。
“You’ll be sorry,” repeated the Cat.
“你好好想想，匹诺曹，因为你有福不享。”
“Think well, Pinocchio, you are turning your back on Dame Fortune.”
“有福不享！”猫跟着又说了一遍。
“On Dame Fortune,” repeated the Cat.
“你的五个金币到明天要变成两千个了。”
“Tomorrow your five gold pieces will be two thousand!”
“两千个了！”猫跟着又说一遍。
“Two thousand!” repeated the Cat.
“可怎么会变那么多呢？”匹诺曹问道，惊奇得嘴都合不拢了。
“But how can they possibly become so many?” asked Pinocchio wonderingly.
“我这就告诉你，”狐狸说，“你要知道，傻瓜城有块福地，大家叫它‘奇迹宝地’。你在这块地上挖一个小窟窿，然后放进去，比方说吧，放进去一个金币。然后你在窟窿上撒点土，重新盖起来，浇上两锅泉水，再撒上一撮盐，晚上你安安稳稳上床睡大觉好了，一夜工夫，这个金币生长开花。第二天早晨你起床回到地里一看，你想你会看到什么呢，你会看到一棵漂亮的树，长满了金币，多得就像六月里一串丰满的麦穗上的麦粒。”
“I’ll explain,” said the Fox. “You must know that, just outside the City of Simple Simons, there is a blessed field called the Field of Wonders. In this field you dig a hole and in the hole you bury a gold piece. After covering up the hole with earth you water it well, sprinkle a bit of salt on it, and go to bed. During the night, the gold piece sprouts, grows, blossoms, and next morning you find a beautiful tree, that is loaded with gold pieces.”
“这么说，”匹诺曹完全入迷了，说道：“要是我把我那五个金币种在那块地上，第二天早晨我可以有多少个金币呢？”
“So that if I were to bury my five gold pieces,” cried Pinocchio with growing wonder, “next morning I should find–how many?”
“容易算极了，”狐狸回答说，“用指头尖一算就算得出来，比方说，每个金币长出五百个，五百乘五，第二天早晨你口袋里就可以有两千五百个闪闪发光、丁丁当当响的金币。”
“It is very simple to figure out,” answered the Fox. “Why, you can figure it on your fingers! Granted that each piece gives you five hundred, multiply five hundred by five. Next morning you will find twenty-five hundred new, sparkling gold pieces.”
“噢，那多美呀！”匹诺曹大叫，高兴得跳起来，“等我把这些金币都采下来，我拿两千，还有五百个我送给你们俩。”
“Fine! Fine!” cried Pinocchio, dancing about with joy. “And as soon as I have them, I shall keep two thousand for myself and the other five hundred I’ll give to you two.”
“送给我们？”狐狸像给得罪了，生气地叫道，“上帝免了你这份礼吧！”
“A gift for us?” cried the Fox, pretending to be insulted. “Why, of course not!”
“免了你这份礼！”猫跟着又说了一遍。
“Of course not!” repeated the Cat.
“我们这么起劲，可不是为了卑鄙的利益，”狐狸回答说，“我们起劲只是为了让别人发财致富。”
“We do not work for gain,” answered the Fox. “We work only to enrich others.”
“让别人发财致富。”猫跟着又说了一遍，
“To enrich others!” repeated the Cat.
“多好的人啊！”匹诺曹心里说，他一下子忘掉了他的爸爸，忘掉了新上衣，忘掉了识字课本，忘掉了一切好的打算，却对狐狸和猫说：
“What good people,” thought Pinocchio to himself. And forgetting his father, the new coat, the A-B-C book, and all his good resolutions, he said to the Fox and to the Cat:
“那咱们走吧。我跟你们去。”
“Let us go. I am with you.”