仙女的新年禮物

向晨

Two little boys were at play one day when a Fairy suddenly appeared before them and said， “I have been sent to give you New Year presents.” She handed to each child a package， and in an instant1 was gone. Carl and Philip opened the packages and found in them two beautiful books， with pages as pure and white as the snow when it first falls.

有一天，兩個(gè)小男孩正在玩耍，一位仙女突然出現(xiàn)在他們面前，對(duì)他們說(shuō)：“有人派我來(lái)給你們送新年禮物?！彼o了每個(gè)孩子一個(gè)包裹，然后就消失了?？柡头评沾蜷_(kāi)包裹，發(fā)現(xiàn)里面有兩本漂亮的書(shū)，頁(yè)面純白，仿佛剛飄落的雪花。

Many months passed and the Fairy came again to the boys. “I have brought you each another book.” said she， “and will take the first ones back to Father Time who sent them to you.”

過(guò)了幾個(gè)月，那位仙女再次出現(xiàn)了。她對(duì)男孩們說(shuō)：“我給你們帶來(lái)了另外兩本書(shū)，而我將拿走時(shí)間老人第一次送給你們的書(shū)?！?/p>

“May I keep mine a little longer？” asked Philip. “I have hardly thought about it lately. Id like to paint something on the last leaf that lies open.” “No，” said the Fairy， “I must take it just as it is.”

菲利普問(wèn)道：“我可以把書(shū)保留長(zhǎng)一點(diǎn)時(shí)間嗎？最近我都沒(méi)想到它，我想在最后一頁(yè)上畫(huà)點(diǎn)什么?！薄安恍?，”仙女說(shuō)：“我必須把書(shū)按原樣帶走?！?/p>

“I wish that I could look through mine just once，” said Carl， “I have only seen one page at a time， for when the leaf turns over it sticks fast， and I can never open the book at more than one place each day.”

“我希望能一次性通讀我的書(shū)，”卡爾說(shuō)：“但是每次我都只能看一頁(yè)，因?yàn)闀?shū)頁(yè)翻過(guò)去后，它就馬上粘在一起了，我每天都只能打開(kāi)一次。”

“You shall look at your book，” said the Fairy， “and Philip， at his.” And she lit for them two little silver lamps2， by the light of which they saw the pages as she turned them.

“你來(lái)看看你的書(shū)，”仙女說(shuō)：“菲利普，你也看看自己的?！彼秊槟泻凕c(diǎn)了兩盞小銀燈，在燈光下，他們看著她把書(shū)一頁(yè)頁(yè)的翻開(kāi)。

The boys looked in wonder3. Could it be that these were the same fair books she had given them a year ago？ Where were the clean， white pages， as pure and beautiful as the snow when it first falls？ Here was a page with ugly， black spots and scratches4 upon it； while the very next page showed a lovely little picture. Some pages were decorated with gold and silver and gorgeous5 colors， others with beautiful flowers， and still others with a rainbow of softest， most delicate6 brightness. Yet even on the most beautiful of the pages there were ugly blots and scratches.

男孩們好奇地看著。這還是一年前仙女送給他們的那兩本書(shū)嗎？那些如初落的雪花般潔白美麗的書(shū)頁(yè)去哪了呢？這一頁(yè)上是些丑丑的黑點(diǎn)和歪扭的劃痕；緊接著的一頁(yè)，又是一副可愛(ài)的小圖畫(huà)。有些書(shū)頁(yè)上涂有金色、銀色等其它耀眼的顏色；有些書(shū)頁(yè)上畫(huà)著些美麗的花朵；還有些書(shū)頁(yè)上則畫(huà)了溫暖明亮的彩虹。不過(guò)，就算是最最美麗的書(shū)頁(yè)上，也還是有些丑陋的小黑點(diǎn)和劃痕。

Carl and Philip looked up at the Fairy at last. “Who did this？” they asked. “Every page was white and fair as we opened to it； yet now there is not a single blank place in the whole book！”

最后，卡爾和菲利普都抬起頭看著仙女。他們問(wèn)道：“這是誰(shuí)干的呢？我們以前翻開(kāi)時(shí)，每一頁(yè)都是純白的，可現(xiàn)在整本書(shū)竟然沒(méi)有一處是空白的！”

“Shall I explain some of the pictures to you？” said the Fairy， smiling at the two little boys. “See， Philip， roses blossomed on this page when you let the baby have your play things； and this pretty bird， that looks as if it were singing with all its might， would never have been on this page if you had not tried to be kind and pleasant the other day， instead of quarreling.”

“讓我來(lái)給你們解釋一下其中的一些畫(huà)吧?！毕膳畬?duì)兩個(gè)小男孩微笑著說(shuō)?！翱矗评?，這一頁(yè)開(kāi)出了玫瑰花，因?yàn)槟菚?huì)兒你把自己的玩具禮讓給了一個(gè)小孩；這只可愛(ài)的小鳥(niǎo)仿佛在竭盡全力唱歌呢，它出現(xiàn)在這一頁(yè)是因?yàn)槟翘炷銢](méi)有與人爭(zhēng)吵，而是努力表現(xiàn)出友好和愉快?！?/p>

“But what makes this blot？” asked Philip.

“可是為什么會(huì)有黑點(diǎn)呢？”菲利普問(wèn)。

“That，” said the Fairy sadly， “that came when you told a lie one day， and this when you did not mind mamma. All these blots and scratches that look so ugly， both in your book and in Carls， were made when you were naughty. Each pretty thing in your books came on its page when you were good.”

仙女傷心地說(shuō)：“黑點(diǎn)呀……那個(gè)黑點(diǎn)是因?yàn)槟隳翘煺f(shuō)了謊，這個(gè)黑點(diǎn)是因?yàn)槟惆褘寢尩脑?huà)當(dāng)作了耳旁風(fēng)。當(dāng)你們淘氣的時(shí)候，所有這些丑丑的黑點(diǎn)和劃痕就會(huì)出現(xiàn)在你和卡爾的書(shū)里，而每一次你們表現(xiàn)良好的時(shí)候，書(shū)頁(yè)上就會(huì)出現(xiàn)美麗的東西?！?/p>

“Oh， if we could only have the books again！” said Carl and Philip.

“噢！如果我們能重新?lián)碛羞@兩本書(shū)就好了！”卡爾和菲利普說(shuō)道。

“That cannot be，” said the Fairy. “See！ they are dated for this year， and they must now go back into Father Times bookcase， but I have brought you each a new one. Perhaps you can make these more beautiful than the others.” So saying， she vanished7， and the boys were left alone， but each held in his hand a new book open at the first page. And on the back of this book was written in letters of gold， “For the New Year.”

“這可不行，”仙女說(shuō)：“它們的這一年已經(jīng)結(jié)束啦，現(xiàn)在它們得回到時(shí)間老人的書(shū)箱里去了。不過(guò)，我給你們每人帶了一本新書(shū)，你們可以讓這兩本書(shū)變得更漂亮一些?！?一說(shuō)完，仙女就消失了，只留下男孩們手上已翻開(kāi)第一頁(yè)的新書(shū)。而在書(shū)的背面，寫(xiě)著幾個(gè)金色的大字：“致新的一年?！?/p>

[1] in an instant 瞬間；馬上 [2] lamp n. 燈 [3] in wonder 在驚奇中，驚訝地

[4] scratch n. 抓痕；亂寫(xiě) [5] gorgeous adj. 華麗的，燦爛的；極好的

[6] delicate adj. 微妙的；精美的，雅致的 [7] vanish vi. 消失；突然不見(jiàn)