鸟的故事：EveandPetro燕子伊娃和佩特罗

If swallows studied history,1920 would have been an important date for Eve and Petro.It was the one hundredth anniversary of the year when a man named Long visited cliff swallows among the Rocky Mountains.

如果燕子们也研究历史的话，那么1920年对伊娃和佩特罗来说就是一个重要的年代，因为，曾经有一位名叫朗的人探访过落基山脉的崖燕，而1920年距那次探访刚好一百周年。

The century between 1820 and 1920 had given what we call civilization a chance to make many changes in the wild world of birds.During that time lifeless hummingbirds had been made to perch upon the hats of fashionable women;herring gulls had been robbed of their eggs and killed for their feathers;shooting movements had been organized to kill crows with shotgun or rifle,in order that more gunpowder might be sold;the people of Alaska had been permitted to kill more than eight thousand eagles in the last great breeding-place left to our National Emblem;uncounted millions of Passenger Pigeons had been slaughtered,and these wonderful birds done away with forever;and the methods by which egrets had been murdered were too horrible to write about in books for children to read.

1820年到1920年的这一百年里，我们所谓的文明终于有机会得以多方改变鸟类赖以生存的野生世界。那个时期，失去生命的蜂鸟被安放栖息在时尚女士的帽子上；人们不仅攫取银鸥产下的蛋，还杀死他们拔走他们身上的羽毛；人们组织了一次又一次的打猎运动，用散弹枪和步枪射杀乌鸦，为的是卖掉更多的火药；鹰是美国的象征，可是，阿拉斯加的居民却获准在鹰的最后一块主要繁衍地上将其杀害，数量高达八千只以上；成百上千万的候鸽遭到屠杀，数也数不清，最终这种奇妙的鸟儿永远地绝迹了；人类谋杀白鹭的手段更加恐怖，不适合孩子们阅读，这里就不写了。

But however shamefully civilization had treated,and had brought up children to treat,these and many other of their fellow creatures of the world,who had a right to the life that had been given them as surely as it had been given to men,the years since 1820 had been happy ones for the ancestors of Eve and Petro.

这些鸟，以及生活在这个世界上的其他许许多多鸟类，他们都有享受生命的权力，就如同人类有享受生命的权力一样。尽管人类的文明世界如此无耻地对待他们，并让自己的后代也步其后尘，但是，1820年以后的那些年，对于燕子伊娃和燕子佩特罗的祖先来说还是幸福的。

Eve and Petro,themselves,were happy as any two swallows need be that spring of 1920,when they started forth to seek a cliff,just as their ancestors had done for the hundred years or so since man began to notice their habits,and no man knows for how many hundreds of years before that.

1920年的春天，当伊娃和佩特罗追随祖先们的习惯，动身去寻找悬崖峭壁的时候，他们和所有出双入对的燕子一样，开心极了。人类注意到燕子的这种习惯才有一个世纪左右，在这之前这个习惯已经沿袭了多少个世纪，却无人知晓。

Of course they found it as all cliff swallows must,for cliff-hunting is a part of their springtime work.It was very high and very straight.Its wall was of boards,and the gray shingled roof jutted out overhead just as if inviting Eve and Petro to its shelter.

当然了，和所有崖燕一样，伊娃和佩特罗找到了自己的峭壁，因为这是春忙的一部分。这个地方又高又陡，壁面是木板搭成的，盖着木瓦的灰色的屋顶向外探伸着，像是在邀请他们进去躲避风雨。

It was a good cliff,and mankind had been so busy building the same sort all across the country for the past hundred years that there was no lack of them anywhere,and swallows could now choose the ones that pleased them best.Yes,civilization had been kind to them and had made more cliffs than Nature had built for them;though perhaps it was Mother Nature,herself,who taught the birds that these structures men called barns and used inside for hay or cattle were,after all,only cliffs outside,and that people were harmless creatures who would not hurt the swallow kind.

这个“峭壁”还真不错，过去的一百年里，人类忙着到处建造这样的“峭壁”，所以，现在这样的“峭壁”随处可见，燕子们可以随心所欲精挑细选。的确，文明世界对燕子还不错，他们为燕子建造的“峭壁”，比大自然母亲为燕子提供的峭壁可多多了。不过话说回来，也许就是大自然母亲自己告诉燕子，说这些被人类叫作谷仓，里面用来存干草或者关牲畜的建筑，外面的墙其实就是“峭壁”，也许大自然母亲还告诉燕子，说人类这种动物对燕子没有恶意，不会伤害他们。

However all that may be,it is quite certain that Eve and Petro squeaked pleasantly for joy when they chose their building site,undisturbed by the ladder that was soon put near,and unafraid of the people who climbed up to watch them at their work.They were too happily busy to worry,and besides,there is a tradition that men folk and swallow folk are friendly,each to the other.

反正不管是怎么回事，有一点可以肯定，那就是伊娃和佩特罗选定筑巢地点后，开心地叽叽喳喳叫了起来。没过多久，就有一个梯子架到了跟前，可是，他们一点儿也不在意，接着，有人爬上梯子来看他们筑巢，他们也一点儿都不害怕。太忙了，太高兴了，已经顾不上担心了；再说了，人类和燕子还有相互友爱的传统呢。

How old this tradition is,we do not know;but we do know that swallows of one kind and another were welcomed in the Old World in the old days to heathen temples before there were Christian churches,and that today in the New World they play in and out of the dark arches in the great churches of far Brazil and flash across the gilding of the very tabernacle,reminding us of the passage in the Psalms where it is written that the swallow hath found a nest for herself,where she may lay her young—even thine altars,O Lord of Hosts!

这个传统的历史有多悠久，我们不得而知；不过我们知道，在昔日的旧大陆（注：指在哥伦布发现新大陆之前，欧洲认识的世界，包括欧洲、亚洲和非洲），还没有基督教教堂的时候，无论是哪种燕子只要飞进庙宇里，都会受到欢迎；我们还知道，如今在新大陆（注：美洲大陆及邻近的群岛），在遥远的巴西，在那些宏伟的教堂里，燕子们在昏暗的拱廊上进进出出、嬉戏玩耍，在镀金的神龛上轻盈飞过，这情形让我们不由地想起《圣经》里的诗句：万军之耶和华，在你的祭坛里，燕子为自己找到了抱雏之窝。

So it is not strange that far and wide over the world people have the idea that swallows bring luck to the house.I think so myself,don't you?—that it is very good fortune,indeed,to have these birds of friendly and confiding ways beneath our shelter.

所以，全世界所有地方的人都认为燕子的到来会带来好运，这就不足为怪了。我也这样认为，你呢？这些对我们充满了友爱和信任的鸟儿能住在我们的屋檐下，的确是我们的好运气呀！

Of course the ancestors of cliff swallows had not known the walls and roofs of man so long as other kinds of swallows;but the associations of one short century had been pleasant enough to call forth many cheerful squeakings of joy,just like those of Eve and Petro that pleasant day in June when they started their nest under the roof near the top of the ladder.

当然了，和其他燕子相比，崖燕的祖先们认识人类的墙壁和屋顶的时间并不长；但是，短短一个世纪的接触非常愉快，所以，一看见这些墙壁和屋顶，他们就禁不住叽叽喳喳地欢叫起来。伊娃和佩特罗就是这样，六月的那一天，当他们准备在那个梯子附近的屋顶上筑巢的时候，就不由地发出了叽叽喳喳的欢叫。

To be sure,they made no use of that ladder,even though they were masons and had their hods of plaster to carry way up near the top of their cliff.No,they needed no firmer ladder than the air,and their long wings were strong enough to climb it with.

虽然他们是泥瓦匠，需要把一桶一桶的泥浆搬到高高的壁顶上去，但是，可以肯定，他们根本就没用那个梯子。是的，他们不需要那个梯子，因为对他们来说没有比高空更结实的梯子了；而且，他们长长的翅膀很发达，爬这个梯子没问题。

They lost little time in beginning,each coming with his first hod of plaster.How?Balanced on their heads as some people carry burdens?No.On their backs,then?No.In their claws?Oh,no,their feet were far too feeble for bearing loads.Do you remember what Corbie used for a berry-pail when he went out to pick fruit?Why,of course!the hod of the swallow mason is none other than his mouth,and it holds as much as half a thimbleful.

来的时候，他们俩各带着自己的第一桶泥浆，所以，一点儿工夫都没耽误，就开始动工了。怎么带的呢？像有些人那样顶在脑袋上？不是的。那就是背在背上？也不是。抓在爪子里？噢，更不是了，他们的爪子太小了，根本就没劲拿东西。你还记得乌鸦考比去摘果子的时候用什么当果桶的吗？没错，当然了！燕子的泥浆桶不是别的，就是他的嘴巴，他的嘴巴能盛比一丁点儿还少一半的泥浆呢。

First,Eve had to mark the place where the curved edge of the nest would be;and how could she mark it without any chalk,and how could she make a curve without any compasses?Well,she clung to the straight wall with her little feet,which she kept nearly in one place,and,swinging her body about,hitch by hitch,she struck out her curve with her beak and marked it with little dabs of plaster.Then she and Petro could tell where to build and,taking turns,first one and then the other,they began to lay the wall of their home.

首先，伊娃得标出巢口弧形外沿的位置。可是，没有粉笔，怎么标位置呢？没有圆规，又怎么画曲线呢？嗨，没关系，伊娃双脚紧紧地钩住笔直的墙面，固定住，然后一点一点移动身体，用嘴巴啄出需要的曲线，再涂上泥点标出来，这样她和佩特罗就知道该在哪里筑巢了。接下来，他们就开始轮流为自己的家砌墙了，你砌完，我再砌。

It was slow work,for it must be thick and strong,and the place where they gathered the plaster was not handy by,and it took a great great many trips,their hods being so small.

这可是个慢功夫活，因为巢壁必须又厚又结实；而且，采集泥浆的地方不在跟前，一点儿都不方便，再说，他俩的“泥浆桶”那么小，得一趟又一趟地出去衔泥。

At first,while the nest was shallow,only one could work at a time;and if Petro came back with his plaster before Eve had patted the last of hers into place,she would squeak at him in a fidgety though not fretful voice,as if saying,"Now,don't get in my way and bother me,dear."So he would have to fly about while he waited for her to go.The minute she was ready to be off,he would be slipping into her place;and this time she would give him a cosy little squeak of welcome,and he would reply,with his mouth full of plaster,in a quick and friendly way,as if he meant,"I'll build while you fetch more plaster,and we'd both better hurry,don't you think?"

刚开始巢浅的时候，一次只能有一只燕子砌墙；要是伊娃还没有把她的泥浆抹利索，佩特罗就带着泥浆回来了，她就会冲他叽叽喳喳地叫，听上去并不烦躁，但却有几分不安，似乎在说“喂，亲爱的，别来碍我的事，别来烦我”。于是，佩特罗就只好在附近飞来飞去，等着她完工。伊娃刚要离开，佩特罗就会溜进去把她挤到一边。这次，她也冲着他低低地叽喳了一声，不过是在表示欢迎，听上去温和多了。虽然佩特罗的嘴巴里衔满了泥，但是，他也会立刻亲切地回应，好像在说：“你去取泥的时候，我会砌墙的。咱俩最好都快点，你说呢？”

After worrying a bit about the best place to dump his hodful,he went to work.He opened his beak and,in the most matter-of-fact way,pushed out his lump of plaster with his tongue,on top of the nest wall.Then he braced his body firmly in the nest and began to use his trowel,which was his upper beak,pushing the fresh lump all smooth on the inside of the nest.

佩特罗略微踌躇了一下，才找到了一个最佳位置把自己的那“桶”泥浆倒了出来。只见他张开嘴，泰然自若地伸出舌头，把嘴里的泥团吐在了巢壁的最上面。接着，他在巢里面稳稳地撑住身子，用他的小铲子——也就是他的上喙——把刚吐上去的泥团平展展地抹在了巢的内壁上。

Have you ever seen a dog poke with the top of his nose,until he got the dirt heaped over a bone which he had buried?Well,that's much the way Petro bunted his plaster smooth—rooted it into place with the top of his closed beak.He got his face dirty doing it,too,even the pretty pale feather crescent moon on his forehead.But that didn't matter.Trowels,if they do useful work,have to get dirty doing it,and Petro didn't stop because of that.If he had,his nest would have been as rough on the inside as it was outside,where a humpy little lump showed for each mouthful of plaster.

你见过狗为了藏骨头用鼻头拱土的情形吗？他拱呀拱，一直拱出一个土堆才罢休。其实，佩特罗抹泥用的就是这种方法：他闭起嘴巴，把泥拱起来抹到墙上。抹泥的时候，他也会把脸弄脏，就连额头上那块漂亮的新月形灰白色羽毛也被弄得脏乎乎的。不过，这无所谓，因为，要让“小铲子”有所作为，那儿就干净不了，佩特罗才不会因为这个停工呢。否则，巢的内壁早就和外壁一样，一口泥一个小疙瘩，别提多粗糙了。

Although Eve and Petro did not fly off to the plaster pit together,they did not go alone,for there was a whole colony of swallows building under the eaves of that same barn;and while some of them stayed and plastered,the rest flew forth for a fresh supply.

虽然伊娃和佩特罗没有一同飞往泥坑，但是，他们并不孤单，因为在那个谷仓的仓檐下，还有一大群燕子也在筑巢；一些燕子留下来抹泥的时候，另一些燕子就飞去衔新泥。

They knew the place,every one of them;and swiftly over the meadow and over the marsh they flew,until they came to a pasture.There,near a spring where the cows had trampled the ground until it was oozy and the water stood in tiny pools in their hoof prints,the swallows stopped.They put down their beaks into the mud and gathered it in their mouths;and all the time they held their wings quivering up over their beautiful blue backs,like a flock of butterflies just alighting with their wings atremble.

他们知道那个地方，大家都知道；他们翩翩而飞，越过草地，越过沼泽，来到一片牧草地上，落在一眼泉水旁。这里的地已经被母牛踩得软乎乎、湿答答的，牛蹄印里积满了水，变成了一摊摊的小水洼。他们把嘴巴伸进泥浆，衔一些到嘴里；这期间，他们的翅膀一直高高地举在漂亮的蓝色脊背上抖个不停，像一群飘然而落的蝴蝶，不停地忽闪着翅膀。

So their plaster pit was just a mud-puddle.Yes,that is all;only it had to be a particularly sticky kind of mud,which is called clay;for the walls of their homes were a sort of brick something like that the people made in Egypt years and years ago.And do you remember how the story goes that the folk in Pharaoh's day gathered straws to mix with the clay,so that their bricks would be stronger?Well,Eve and Petro didn't know that story,but they gathered fibres of slender roots and dead grass stems with their clay,which doubtless did their brick plaster no harm.

原来，他们的泥浆坑只不过是一个泥洼呀。是的，如此而已；只不过那泥得特别黏，得是被称作黏土的那种泥才行；因为他们家的墙就是一种砖，有点像是许许多多年以前埃及人制作的那种砖。你记得故事里是怎么说的吗？为了让砖更结实，法老时期的人们搜集稻草掺在黏土里。当然了，伊娃和佩特罗可不知道这个故事，可是，他们却把细须根和枯草茎的纤维搜集起来，掺在黏土里。毫无疑问，这种做法不会破坏他们的砖泥。

Men brick-makers nowadays bake their bricks in ovens called kilns,which are heated with fire.Eve and Petro let their brick bake,too,and the fire they used was the same one the Egyptians used in the days of Pharaoh—a fire that had never in all that time gone out,but had glowed steadily century after century,baking many bricks for folk and birds.Of course you know what fire that is,for you see it yourself every day that the sun shines.

At Work in the Plaster Pit.
在泥浆坑里衔泥。

如今，人类的制砖人是用火给炉子加热来烧砖的，烧砖的火炉叫砖窑。伊娃和佩特罗的砖也要烧，他们用的火就是法老时期埃及人用的那个火——那个不仅从来没有熄灭过，而且在一个世纪又一个世纪的时间里，一直稳稳当当地发着光、发着热，为人们和鸟儿们烧制墙砖。当然了，你知道那是什么火，因为每天，只要阳光明媚，你都会看见它。

Every now and again Eve and Petro and all the rest of the swallow colony left off their brick-building and went on a hunting trip.They hunted high in the air and they hunted low over the meadow.They hunted afar off along the stream and they hunted near by in the barnyard.And all the game they caught they captured on the wing,and they ate it fresh at a gulp without pausing in their flight.As they sailed and swirled,they were good to watch,for a swallow's strong long wings bear him right gracefully.

时不时地，伊娃、佩特罗和整个燕子大军都会停下砌砖的活儿，踏上捕食之旅。他们在高高的空中捕食，也在低低的草地上捕食；他们沿着远处的小溪捕食，也在附近谷仓旁的空地上捕食。所有的猎物都是边飞边捕的，而且，一边飞着，一边就趁着新鲜一大口吞进了肚里。他们在空中飞翔盘旋的时候，非常好看，因为，燕子的翅膀长长的，很发达，飞起来十分优雅。

Why did they stop for the hunting flight?Perhaps they were hungry.Perhaps their mouths were tired of being hods for clay they could not eat.Perhaps the fresh plaster on the walls of their homes needed time to dry a bit before more was added.

他们为什么要停工飞去觅食呢？也许是他们饿了；也许是他们的嘴厌倦了，不想再衔那些不能吃的黏土了；也许是刚抹到他们家墙壁上的泥巴需要一段时间才能干，所以暂时不需要去衔泥。

Be that as it may,they made the minutes count even while they rested from their building work.For they used this time getting their meals;and whenever they were doing that,they were working for the owner of the barn,paying their rent for the house-lot on the wall by catching grass insects over the meadow,and mosquitoes and horseflies and house-flies by the hundreds,and many another pest,too.

总之，不管怎样，就算是停工休息的时候，他们也是分秒必争，因为他们总是利用这点儿时间去吃饭，而且，每次吃饭，他们都是在为谷仓的主人工作，因为他们会捕捉草地上的昆虫，还有成百成百的蚊子、马蝇、家蝇和许许多多其他害虫，以此来偿付筑巢占用墙壁的租金。

Ah,yes,there may be some reason for the belief that swallows bring good luck to men.I once heard of a farmer who said he didn't dare disturb these birds because of a superstition that,if he did,his cows wouldn't give so much milk.Well,maybe they wouldn't if all the flies a colony of swallows could catch were alive to pester his herd;for the happier and more comfortable these animals are,the healthier they are and the more milk they give.

啊，是的，认为燕子会给人类带来好运也许有点道理。有一次，我听说有一个农夫说他不敢打扰燕子，因为他很迷信，他认为如果他打扰了燕子，那么他家的奶牛就不会产那么多奶了。的确，如果燕群捕食的那些蝇虫都活着，不停骚扰他家的奶牛的话，它们也许真的就产不了那么多奶了，因为奶牛越快乐、越舒服，就越健康，产的牛奶也就越多。(www.xing528.com)

The Hunting Flight
捕食之旅

The hunting flights of Eve and Petro and their comrades lasted about fifteen minutes each time they took a recess from their building.

伊娃、佩特罗和伙伴们停工期间的捕食之旅，大约会持续十五分钟左右。

After two days the nest was big enough,so that there was room for both swallows to build at once;and after that,Petro didn't have to fly around with his mouth full of plaster waiting for Eve to go if he chanced to come before she was through.They always chatted a bit and then went on with their work,placing their plaster carefully and bunting it smooth on the inside,modeling with clay a house as well suited to their needs as is the concrete mansion a human architect makes suited to the needs of man.

燕巢越建越大，两天之后，两只燕子都可以容身其中一起施工了。从此，如果佩特罗回来的时候，碰上伊娃还没有完工，他再也不用衔着满嘴的泥，在周围飞来飞去等她离开了。他俩总是先聊几句，然后再接着干活。先小心翼翼地把嘴里的泥放到位，接着平平展展地抹在巢的内壁上，他们用黏土砌成的巢和人类用水泥建成的大厦一样功能齐全、适合居住。

And if you think it is a simple matter to make a nest of clay,just go to the wisest architect you know and ask him these questions.How many hodfuls of clay,each holding as much as half a thimble,would it take to build the wall of a room just the right shape for a swallow to sit in while she brooded her eggs?How large would it have to be inside,to hold four or five young swallows grown big enough for their first flight?How thick would the walls have to be to make it strong enough?What sort of curve would be best for its support against a perfectly straight wall?How much space would have to be allowed for lining the room,to make it warm and comfortable?How can the clay be handled so that the drying sun and wind will not crack the walls?What is the test for telling whether the clay is sticky enough to hold together?How much of the nest must be stuck to the cliff so that the weight of it will not make it fall?

如果你认为筑一个泥巢很容易的话，那就找你知道的最高明的建筑师问问吧，看看他能否回答这些问题：假如每只“泥浆桶”只能盛一丁点儿一半的泥，那么一共需要多少“桶”泥才能砌完一个形状正好适合燕子孵蛋卧的巢？巢的里面需要有多大空间才能容得下四五只小燕子发育成长？巢壁要多厚才能结实耐用？要支撑在完全笔直的墙上，巢壁的最佳弧度是多少？为了让巢又暖和又舒适，需要预留多少空间做铺垫？黏土需要怎样处理，砌成的墙壁才能经得起风吹日晒而不致裂缝？怎么才能测出泥的黏度达到了要求？巢与“峭壁”的粘连面积要达到多少才能挂住巢身，不让它掉下来？

If the architect can answer all those questions,ask him one more:ask him if he could make such a nest with the same materials the birds used,and with no more tools?

如果建筑师能回答所有这些问题，那就再问问他，看他能不能用燕子用的材料，不用别的工具，建造一个这样的鸟巢？

Well,Eve and Petro could and did.It was big enough and strong enough and shaped just right;and when it was nearly done and nearly ready for the soft warm lining,That Boy climbed the ladder and knocked it down with his hand.

伊娃和佩特罗就能，而且做到了。他们筑的巢够大、够结实，形状也恰到好处。可是，鸟巢即将竣工，眼看着就可以往里面铺松软暖和的垫子时，“那个男孩”爬上梯子，用手把它敲了下来。

There it lay,Eve and Petro's wonderfully modeled nest of clay,broken to bits on the ground and spoiled,oh,quite spoiled.There is a saying that it brings bad luck to do harm to a swallow.What bad luck,then,had the hand of That Boy brought to the world that day?

伊娃和佩特罗精心筑造的泥巢，就这样躺在了地上，摔成了碎片，完了，唉，全完了。俗话说伤害燕子会倒霉的。那么，那一天，“那个男孩”的手给这个世界带来的是什么倒霉的事情呢？

They always chatted a bit and then went on with their work，placing their plaster carefully.
他们总是先聊几句，然后接着干活，小心翼翼地把嘴里的泥放到位。

Bad luck it brought to Eve and Petro,who had toiled patiently and unafraid beside the ladder-top,with faith in those who climbed quietly to watch the little feathered masons at their work.But now the walls of their home were broken and crumbled,and their faith was broken and crumbled,too.In dismay they cried out when they saw what was happening,and in dismay their swallow comrades cried out with them.Fear and disappointment entered their quick hearts,which had been beating in confidence and hope.People who climbed ladders were not beings to trust,after all,but frightful and destroying creatures.This had the hand of That Boy brought to Eve and Petro,who looked at the empty place where their nest had been,and went away.

这只手给伊娃和佩特罗带来了厄运。这两个满身羽毛的小泥瓦匠一直不辞辛劳，耐心地在梯顶附近忙碌着，一点儿也不害怕那些悄悄地爬上来看他们筑巢的人，因为他们对那些人充满了信任。可是现在，他们的家被摔烂了，成了碎片，他们的信任也被摔烂了，成了碎片。看到发生的一切，他俩惊恐万状，不由地大叫起来，他们的伙伴们也惊恐万状，和他们一起大叫起来。恐惧和沮丧慑住了他们敏感的心，那曾经跳动着信任和希望的心。原来，那些爬上梯子的人是不可以信赖的，他们很可怕，会破坏一切。这就是那个男孩的手带给伊娃和佩特罗的厄运。看着巢去壁空的地方，他俩飞走了。

Bad luck it brought to an artist who drew pictures of birds;and when he knew what had happened,a sudden light flamed in his eyes.The name of this light is anger—the kind that comes when harm has been ruthlessly done to the weak and helpless.For the artist had climbed the ladder many a time,and had laid his quiet hand upon the lower curve of the nest while Eve and Petro went on with their building at the upper edge.And he had seen the colors of their feathers and the shape of the pale crescent on their foreheads—the mark a man named Say had noticed many years before,when he named this swallow in Latin,lunifrons,because luna means moon and frons means front.And he had hoped to climb the ladder many a time again,and when there should be young in the nest,to see how they looked and watch what they did,so that he could draw pictures of the children of Eve and Petro.

这只手给一位画鸟儿的画家带来了厄运。当他得知发生的一切时，双眼一下子燃起了熊熊的烈焰，这烈焰的名字就叫怒火——这是弱小无助者被无情伤害时就会燃烧的一种烈焰，因为这位画家也曾多次爬上梯子，轻轻用手触摸巢底的曲线，每次，伊娃和佩特罗都旁若无人地继续在巢的上沿忙碌着。他见过他俩身上羽毛的颜色，还有他俩前额上那浅浅的像新月一样的印记——这个印记是很多年以前一个叫赛的人给这种崖燕命名的时候注意到的，他用拉丁语给这种崖燕起了个名字，叫“lunifrons”，因为“luna”是月亮的意思，“frons”的意思是“前面”。他当初还希望他能再多爬上去几次，等到窝里孵出小燕子时，看看他们长得什么样，观察一下他们都干什么，这样他就能画伊娃和佩特罗的宝宝们了。

Bad luck it brought to a writer of bird stories;and when she knew what had happened,something like an ache in her throat seemed to choke her,something that is called anger—the kind that comes when harm is done to little folk we love.For she had climbed the ladder many a time,and had rested her head against the top while she watched Eve and Petro push the pellets of mud from their mouths with their tongues and bunt the wall of their clay nest smooth on the inside with the top of their closed beaks,not stopping even though they brushed their pretty chestnut-colored cheeks against the sticky mud,or got specks on the feathers of their dainty foreheads that bore a mark shaped like a pale new moon.And she had hoped to climb the ladder many a time again,and watch Eve and Petro feed their children when the nest was done and lined and the eggs were laid and hatched;for this nest could be looked into,as the top was left open because the barn roof sheltered it and it needed no other cover.

这只手给一位专门写鸟故事的作家带来了厄运。当她得知发生的一切时，一股气一下子冲上了喉头，几乎让她窒息。这股气的名字就叫愤怒——这是我们心爱的孩子受到伤害时就会冲出的一股气。因为女作家曾经多次爬到梯子上，下巴颏搭在梯子的顶端，看着伊娃和佩特罗伸出舌头，从嘴里吐出一颗颗泥粒，然后，闭上嘴巴，用嘴巴的上侧把泥巢的内壁推抹平整。他们一刻也不停地忙碌着，就算是漂亮的栗色脸蛋擦到了黏乎乎的泥巴上，或者就算是泥点溅到了印着浅浅的像新月一样印迹的精致的前额上，弄脏了那里的羽毛，他们也不停工。她当初还希望能再多爬上去几次，等他俩筑完巢铺好垫子、生出蛋孵出小燕子的时候，看着他们给小宝宝喂食呢！要知道，他们筑的这个巢上面敞开着，无遮无拦，谁都可以窥视，因为有谷仓顶为他们的巢遮风避雨，就不需要其他遮盖了。

Now Eve and Petro were gone,and no more sketches could be made near enough to show how little cliff swallows looked in their nest.And nothing more could be written about such affairs of these two birds as could only be learned close to them.Nor,indeed,was there any way to learn those things from the rest of the colony;for it so chanced that Eve and Petro were the only pair who had built where a ladder could be placed.So bad luck had come not only to Eve and Petro,but to the story of their lives.

现在伊娃和佩特罗飞走了，无法再画近距离的素描了，也就无法向人们展示泥巢里小崖燕的模样了；关于这两只燕子的有些事情也无法再写了，因为这些事情只有靠近他们才能了解，而且，这些事情也无法从其他的燕群那里知晓，因为，很不凑巧，只有伊娃和佩特罗这对崖燕把巢筑在了一个可以放梯子的地方。所以遭厄运的不仅是伊娃和佩特罗，还有他俩的故事。

But,most of all,the breaking of their nest brought bad luck to That Boy,himself.For as he stood at the top of the ladder,he might have curved the hollow of his hand gently upon the rounded outside of the nest and,waiting quietly,have watched the building birds.He might have seen Eve come flitting home with her tiny load of clay,poking it out of her mouth with her tongue and bunting it smooth in her own cunning way.He might have laid his head against the ladder and heard their cosy voices as they squeaked pleasantly together over the home-building.He might have looked at the colors of their feathers,and seen where they were glossy black with a greenish sheen,where rich purply chestnut,and where grayish white.He might have looked well at the pale feather moon on their foreheads,which the man named Say had noticed one hundred years before.He might,oh,he might have become one of the brotherhood of men,whom swallows of one kind or another have trusted since the faroff years of Bible times when they built at the altars of the Lord of Hosts.

不过，最糟糕的是，把他俩的泥巢弄碎让那个男孩自己也倒了霉。因为当他站在梯顶的时候，也许他本可以用手心轻轻地捧住圆乎乎的巢外壁，悄悄地待着，观看这对筑巢的鸟儿；也许他本可以看着伊娃衔着她的那一小份泥，轻快地飞回家，熟练地伸出舌头从嘴里吐出来，再把它抹平；也许他本可以把脑袋搭在梯子上，听他们一边筑巢，一边愉快地叽叽喳喳，那声音温馨极了。也许他本可以观察一下他们身上羽毛的颜色，看看哪里的羽毛黑油油的，还泛着绿光，看看哪里的羽毛是深栗色的，还带着一点浅浅的紫色，还可以看看哪里的羽毛是灰白色的。也许他本可以把一百年前那个叫赛的人发现的他们前额上的那块浅浅的形状像月亮一样的羽毛看个清清楚楚；也许他，哦，也许他本可以像其他情同手足的人类一样，得到燕子的信赖，因为从遥远的《圣经》时代开始，从燕子在万军之主耶和华的圣坛旁筑巢开始，人类就得到了所有燕类的信赖。

All this good luck he held,That Boy,in the hollow of his hand,and he threw it away when he struck the nest;and it fell,crumbled,with the broken bits of clay.

这么多的好运气都捧在那个男孩的手心，可是，就在他打破燕巢那一刻，他也就把这些好运给扔掉了；随着跌碎的黏土片，这些好运也掉到了地上，摔成了碎片。

Quaint Clay Pottery
模样古怪的土陶器似的燕巢

As for Eve and Petro,if fear and disappointment had driven trust from their hearts,they still had courage and patience and industry.They sought another and a different sort of cliff,and found one made of red brick and white stone.Near the very high top of this a large colony of swallows were building;and,because there was no closely protecting roof,these swallows were making the round part of their nest closed over at the top with a winding hallway to an outer doorway.They looked,indeed,like a row of quaint clay pottery,shaped like crook-necked gourds.For such were the nests these swallows built one hundred years ago on the wild rock cliffs,if they chose their house-lots where there was no overhanging shelter;and such are the nests they still build when there seems to be need of them.

至于伊娃和佩特罗，尽管恐惧和沮丧赶走了他们内心对人类的信赖，但是他们还有勇气、有耐心、有勤奋。他们又去寻找另一种不同的峭壁，而且找到了，那是一块红砖白石做成的峭壁，高高的壁顶附近，一大群崖燕正筑巢呢。因为巢的上方没有密实的屋顶做保护，所以这些燕子做的巢中间圆鼓鼓的，然后往上慢慢地收拢，最后收成了一个迂回曲折的通道，直通巢口，看上去就像是一排精致的泥质陶器。的确很像，它们的形状和歪脖子葫芦差不多。一百年前，这些燕子在荒郊野外的岩壁上筑巢时，如果选择筑巢的地方没有现成的“屋檐”，他们筑的就是这种巢。时至今日，如果需要，他们仍旧会筑这种巢。

They were too far from the pleasant pasture to dig their clay out of the footprints of cows;but there was a track where the automobiles slushed through sticky mud,and they swirled down there and filled their little hods when the road was clear.

他们离那个开心牧场太远了，没法从奶牛的蹄印里啄取黏土。不过附近有一条泥泞的小路，汽车驶过的时候就会泥水四溅，于是等到路面清静的时候，他们就会盘旋而下，把他们的“小桶”装满。

Eve and Petro found a nook even higher up than the others,where a crook-necked jug of a nest did not seem to fit.When they had built their wall as high as need be,they closed it over with a little rounded dome,and at the side they left two doorways open,one facing the southwest and one facing the southeast.And some days after this was done,had you gone to the foot of their cliff and used a pair of field-glasses,you might have seen Eve's head sticking out of one door and Petro's at the other.Ah,they had,then,some good luck left them.They had had each other in their days of trouble,and now they rested from their building labors and sat happily together in their second home,each with a doorway to enjoy.

伊娃和佩特罗找了一个隐蔽的地方，比其他地方都高，似乎放不下一个歪脖子水罐模样的燕巢。不过，等巢壁砌到需要的高度时，他们就在上面盖了一个小圆顶，只在侧面留了两个口，一个口面向西南，一个口面向东南。这之后再过几天，如果你去他们的那块峭壁下用望远镜望望，也许会看见一个口里是伊娃探出的脑袋，而另一个口里则是佩特罗的脑袋。啊，这么说，他们还是剩有一些好运的。在遇到麻烦的那些日子里，他们相互拥有，不离不弃。现在，在他们的第二个家里，没有了筑巢之累，他们幸福地栖息在一起，享受着各自的出入口。

And later on they had more good luck still.For there came a day when they spent no more time sitting at ease within doors,but flew hither and yon,and then,returning to the nest,clung outside with their tiny feet and stuck their heads in at the open doorway for a brief moment before they were off again.Their nest was too far up for anyone to hear or see what went on within;but there must have been some hungry little mouths yawning all day long,to keep Eve and Petro both so busy hunting the air for insects.

以后，他们的好运还多着呢。因为突然有一天，他们不再悠闲自在地待在巢里了，而是这儿飞飞，那儿飞飞，然后，又回来，用小爪子钩住巢的外面，把脑袋伸进敞开着的门里待一小会儿，然后就又飞走了。它们的巢太高了，里面发生的事情谁也听不见，谁也看不见；不过，一定是几只饥肠辘辘的小燕子，整天张着嗷嗷待哺的小嘴，让伊娃和佩特罗不停地在空中为他们捉虫子。

Soon after this one of the doors was closed,sealed tight with clay.What had happened?Were the little ones inside crowding about too recklessly,so that there was danger of one falling out?Had Eve and Petro come upon an especially good mud-puddle and built a bit more just for the fun of it?

这之后不久，一个门关上了，用黏土给封了个严严实实。怎么回事？是不是里面的小家伙儿们挤来挤去的，太不安分，恐怕会有小燕子掉出去呢？是不是伊娃和佩特罗发现了一个特别好的泥潭，为了好玩，就多砌了一点泥呢？

It was not very many days after this that Eve and Petro and all their comrades ceased coming to the cliff where their curious nests were fastened.Their doorways knew them no more;but over the meadows from dawn till nearly dusk there flew beautiful old swallows bearing upon their foreheads the pale mark of a new moon,and with them were their young.

这之后过不了多少天，伊娃、佩特罗和他们的伙伴就彻底离开峭壁，再也不回他们那令人好奇的泥巢了，巢口再也看不到他们的身影了；不过草场上空，从黎明到黄昏，美丽的成燕们飞来飞去，他们的前额上印着像新月一样浅浅的印记，身边和他们在一起的是他们的孩子们。

At night they sought the marshes,where their little feet might cling to slender stems of bending reeds;and their numbers were very many.

夜晚，他们就找一处沼泽过夜，小爪子紧紧地抓住被压弯了腰的细芦秆；他们数量非常庞大。

But winter would be coming,and if it still was a long way off,so were the hunting grounds of South America,where they must be flitting away the days when the northern marshes would be frozen over.

可是，冬天即将来临，假如冬天还很远的话，那就说明南美洲的捕食地也很远，因为他们必须在那里度过北方沼泽地结冰的那段日子。

So off they went,Eve and Petro and their young,looking so much like others of the swallow flock that we could not tell who they were,now that they had stopped coming to their nest with one open and one closed doorway.

于是，他们出发了，伊娃、佩特罗和他们的孩子们！他们看上去太像别的燕群了，让我们无法分辨，因为他们现在已经不回那个一个门开着、一个门关着的家了。

They would have far to travel,even if they took the direct over-water route,which many sorts of birds do.But what is distance to Petro,whose strong wings carry him lightly?A mile or a hundred or a thousand even are nothing if the hunting be good.Might just as well be flying south,as back and forth over the same meadow the livelong day,with now and then a rest on the roadside wires,which fit his little feet nearly as well as the reeds of the marsh.Some people think it is for the sake of the hunting that the route of the swallows lies overland,for they fly by day and catch their game all along the way.

这一路路途遥远，即使他们像许多别的鸟那样沿着水上的那条直线飞，也要飞很远。但是对佩特罗来说，距离又算什么？他的翅膀发达有力，完全可以让他飞得轻松自如。如果捕食丰厚，一英里，或一百英里，甚至一千英里都不算什么。最好一路南飞，白天就在一块草地上流连忘返，偶尔落在路边的电线上稍事休息，这些电线和沼泽地里的芦苇一样，用小爪子抓着正合适。有些人认为燕子是为了捕食才选择陆路迁徙的，因为，他们白天飞行，一路都在捕食。

And as they journeyed,Eve and Petro and their flock,south and south and south,maybe the children,here and there,waved their hands to them and called,"Good hunting,little friends of the air,and good luck through all the winter till you come back to us again."

他们飞呀飞呀——伊娃、佩特罗和他们的燕群——向南，向南，再向南！也许，偶尔会有孩子们一边挥手一边冲他们喊：“捕食顺利，天空中的小朋友！祝你们冬天好运！明年见呀！”

A Famous Landmark
一个著名的地标