鸟的故事：Corbie乌鸦考比

Corbie's great-great-grandfather ruled a large flock from his look-out throne on a tall pine stump,where he could see far and wide,and judge for his people where they should feed and when they should fly.

考比的爷爷的爷爷的爷爷是一国之主，统治着一大群乌鸦。他的御座就在一个高高的松树桩上，那也是他的瞭望台。他坐在那里高瞻远瞩、君临天下，为他的子民们寻找着觅食的地点和时机。

His great-grandfather was famous for his collections of old china and other rare treasures,having lived in the woods near the town dump,where he picked up many a bright trinket,chief among which was an old gold-plated watch-chain,which he kept hidden in a doll's red tea-cup when he was not using it.

考比的爷爷的爷爷赫赫有名。他曾经住在镇上垃圾场附近的树林里，所以，收藏了大量的旧瓷器和别的稀世珍宝，还捡了许多亮闪闪的小玩意儿。其中最珍贵的是一条旧表链，上面还镀着一层金。不戴的时候，他总是把它藏在一个洋娃娃的红茶杯里。

His grandfather was a handsome fellow,so glistening that he looked rather purple when he walked in the sunshine;and he had a voice so sweet and mellow that any minstrel might have been proud of it,though he seldom sang,and it is possible that no one but Corbie's grandmother heard it at its best.He was,moreover,a merry soul,fond of a joke,and always ready to dance a jig,with a chuckle,when anything very funny happened in crowdom.

他的爷爷是一个帅小伙儿。他浑身闪闪发亮，在阳光下漫步时，散发出紫色的光辉。他嗓音柔和悦耳，富有磁性，令每一位吟游歌手都为之倾倒。不过他很少歌唱，他那美妙的歌声恐怕只有考比的奶奶才有幸听到过。另外，他天性快乐，非常喜欢开玩笑；每当乌鸦王国里发生什么好笑的事情，他都要蹦上蹦下地跳上一曲吉格舞，一边舞还一边咯咯地笑个不停。

As for the wisdom and beauty of his grandmothers all the way back,there is so much to be said that,if I once began to tell about them,there would be no space left for the story of Corbie himself.

至于考比奶奶们的智慧和美貌，要是一代一代地往上倒腾，那要说的可就太多了，一旦打开话匣子，恐怕就没法再讲考比自己的故事了。

Of course,coming from a family like that,Corbie was sure to be remarkable;for there is no doubt at all that we inherit many traits of our ancestors.

当然，出生在这样一个家族，考比也一定非同凡响，因为毫无疑问，我们都会继承祖先的许多特征。

In this Mother Crow had laid her eggs.
乌鸦妈妈把自己的蛋产在了这里。

Corbie knew very little about his own father and mother,for he was adopted into a human family when he was ten days old,and a baby at that age does not remember much.

考比对自己的爸爸妈妈所知甚少，因为他出生刚刚十天，就被人类收养了，那么小的宝宝是记不了太多事情的。

Although he was too young to realize it,those first ten days after he had come out of his shell,and those before that,while he was growing inside his shell,were in some ways the most important of his life,for it was then that he needed the most tender and skillful care.Well,he had it;for the gentleness and skill of Father and Mother Crow left nothing to be desired.They had built the best possible nest for their needs by placing strong sticks criss-cross high up in an old pine tree.For a lining they had stripped soft stringy bark from a wild grapevine,and had finished off with a bit of still softer dried grass.

尽管当时他还太小，还意识不到这些，但是，出壳后的前十天，以及之前在蛋壳里生长发育的那些日子，在某种程度上是考比一生中最重要的日子了，因为那段日子正是考比最需要细心照料和精心呵护的时期。还好，这一切考比都得到了。乌鸦爸爸和乌鸦妈妈对他的呵护是那样的细致入微、温存体贴，简直让他别无所求。他们找来结实的小棍子，交叉着放在一棵高高的老松树上，为他们建造了一个最好的窝，一个最能满足他们需要的窝。他们又从野葡萄藤上剥来一缕一缕软软的藤皮，垫在窝里，最后又在上面铺了一些比藤条皮还软的干草。

In this Mother Crow had laid her five bluishgreen eggs marked with brown;and she and Father Crow had shared,turn and turn about,the long task of keeping their babies inside those beautiful shells warm enough so that they could grow.

乌鸦妈妈就在这里产下了五枚青绿色的蛋，蛋上还带着褐色的斑点，漂亮的蛋壳里面是他们的五个宝宝。为了他们的生长发育，她和乌鸦爸爸得轮流倒换着共同为他们保暖，这可是一项漫长而艰巨的任务呀。

And grow they did,into five as homely little objects as ever broke their way out of good-looking eggshells.There was not down on their bodies to make them fluffy and pretty,like Peter Piper's children.They were just sprawling little bits of crow-life,so helpless that it would have been quite pitiful if they had not had a good patient mother and a father who seemed never to get tired of hunting for food.

是呀，他们在生长、在发育，最后变成了五只并不漂亮的小东西，和所有啄破漂亮的蛋壳来到这个世界上的小东西一样，都不算漂亮。他们身上没有软软的细绒毛，所以看上去不像矶鹞彼得的孩子毛茸茸的很漂亮。他们只不过是几只刚会爬来爬去的小乌鸦，一副无助的样子，如果没有慈祥、耐心的妈妈和爸爸不知疲倦地为他们觅食，简直就是几只小可怜儿。

Now,it takes a very great deal of food for five young crows,because each one on some days will eat more than half his own weight and beg for more.Dear,dear!how they did beg!Every time either Father or Mother Crow came back to the nest,those five beaks would open so wide that the babies seemed to be yawning way down to the end of their red throats.Oh,the food that got stuffed into them!Good and nourishing,every bit of it;for a proper diet is as important to a bird baby as to a human one.Juicy caterpillars—a lot of them:enough to eat up a whole berry-patch if the crows hadn't found them;nutty-flavored grasshoppers—a lot of them,too;so many,in fact,that it looked very much as if crows were the reason the grasshoppers were so nearly wiped out that year that they didn't have a chance to trouble the farmers'crops;and now and then a dainty egg was served them in the most tempting crow-fashion,that is,right from the beak of the parent.

唉，五只小乌鸦需要的食物还真不少呢。有一段时间，一只小乌鸦就会吃掉比自己体重的一半还重的食物，这还不够，还要张嘴要呢。天哪，天哪！瞧他们那讨吃的样子！每次无论是乌鸦爸爸还是乌鸦妈妈一回到家，那五只嘴巴就张得大大的，就好像是五个宝宝在使劲儿地打哈欠，一直打到露出了他们那红红的嗓子眼儿。噢，瞧那些填进他们肚子里的食物！每一丁点儿都营养丰富、有益健康！合理的膳食对人类的宝宝很重要，对鸟宝宝来说也同样重要。美味多汁的毛毛虫，很多很多。如果不是被乌鸦捉来吃掉，这么多的毛毛虫足以啃掉一大片浆果林；还有味道像坚果的蚱蜢，也很多很多，实际上，太多了，结果那年好像就是因为乌鸦，蚱蜢几乎都被消灭干净了，让他们没机会去祸害农民的庄稼；时不时地，还会有一颗美味的蛋被送到小乌鸦的嘴里，而且是以最有诱惑力的方式送过来的，对了，是从爸爸和妈妈的嘴巴里直接送到他们的嘴里。

For,as you no doubt have heard,a crow thinks no more of helping himself to an egg of a wild bird than we do of visiting the nests of tame birds,such as hens and geese and turkeys,and taking the eggs they lay.Of course,it would not occur to a crow that he didn't have a perfect right to take such food for himself and his young as he could find in his day's hunting.Indeed,it is not unlikely that,if a crow did any real thinking about the matter,he might decide that robins and meadowlarks were his chickens anyway.So what the other birds would better do about it is to hide their nests as well as ever they can,and be quiet when they come and go.

你肯定听说过吧，乌鸦会毫不客气地拿走野鸟的蛋，而且一点儿也不脸红，就像我们人类到鸡舍、鹅舍和火鸡舍等禽舍里拿走鸡蛋、鹅蛋和火鸡蛋时一样理所当然、毫无顾忌。当然啦，白天觅食的时候，乌鸦会发现野鸟蛋，可是，他却不会想到自己完全没有权利把这些野鸟蛋据为己有，并且带回家给自己的孩子们吃。的确，也不是没有这种可能，一只乌鸦确实好好想过这件事情，他最后还是觉得知更鸟和野云雀就是给自己下蛋的鸡。所以，其他的鸟儿所能做的，就是尽可能地把自己的巢藏起来，而且进出的时候要静悄悄的，不出一点儿声息。

That is the way Father and Mother Crow did,themselves,when they built their home where the pine boughs hid it from climbers below and from fliers above.And,though you might hardly believe it of a crow,they were still as mice whenever they came near it,alighting first on trees close by,and slipping up carefully between the branches,to be sure no enemy was following their movements.Then they would greet their babies with a comforting low"Caw,"which seemed to mean,"Never fear,little ones,we've brought you a very good treat."Yes,they were shy,those old crows,when they were near their home,and very quiet they kept their affairs until their young got into the habit of yelling,"Kah,kah,kah,"at the top of their voices whenever they were hungry,and of mumbling loudly,"Gubble-gubble-gubble,"whenever they were eating.

乌鸦爸爸和乌鸦妈妈自己就是这样，他们把巢藏在了松树枝之间，无论是谁，不管是从树下爬上来的，还是从上空飞来的，都看不见。而且，也许你不相信，快到家门口时，乌鸦也会像老鼠那样蹑手蹑脚，没有一点儿声息，他们先落到附近的树上，小心翼翼地在树枝间穿梭，溜到上面，看看有没有尾随而来的敌人。确信没有之后，才会“呱”的一声向孩子们打招呼，声音低低的、非常亲切，好像在说：“别怕，小家伙们，爸爸妈妈给你们带好吃的来了。”的确，快到家的时候，老乌鸦们都在担惊受怕，他们非常安静，一举一动都轻手轻脚的。这种情况直到后来才有所改变，因为，后来小乌鸦们养成了一个坏习惯，他们一饿就扯着嗓子大喊“嘎，嘎，嘎”，一吃饭就大声嘟囔：“嘎饱，嘎饱，嘎饱。”

After that time comes,there is very little quiet within the home of a crow;and all the world about may guess,without being a bit clever,where the nest is.A good thing it is for the noisy youngsters that by that time they are so large that it does not matter quite so much.

那时，乌鸦的家里就别想再有一刻的安宁了；周围无论是谁，哪怕是傻瓜，都知道他们的巢在哪儿。好在到了那个时候，这些整天大喊大叫的小乌鸦已经长大了，就算知道也无所谓。

But it was before the"kah-and-gubble"habit had much more than begun that Corbie was adopted;and the nestlings were really as still as could be when the father of the Brown-eyed Boy and the Blue-eyed Girl climbed way,way,way up that big tree and looked into the round little room up there.There was no furniture—none at all.Just one bare nursery,in which five babies were staying day and night.Yet it was a tidy room,fresh and sweet enough for anybody to live in;for a crow,young or old,is a clean sort of person.

可是，考比刚刚养成“嘎——饱”叫的习惯还没几天，就被收养了。那天，几只小乌鸦拼命地屏住呼吸，一动也不敢动，那个“棕眼睛男孩”和那个“蓝眼睛女孩”的爸爸顺着那棵大树爬上来了，他爬得很高、很高，探头朝圆圆的小屋里张望。里面没有家具，一件也没有，只有一个光秃秃的育儿室，五个小宝宝白天黑夜都待在里面，不过，小屋很整洁，也没有味，住起来还算舒适，因为无论是小乌鸦还是老乌鸦，都爱干净。

The father of the Brown-eyed Boy and the Blueeyed Girl looked over the five homely,floundering little birds,and,choosing Corbie,put him into his hat and climbed down with him.He was a nimble sort of father,or he never could have done it,so tall a tree it was,with no branches near the ground.

“棕眼睛男孩”和“蓝眼睛女孩”的爸爸仔细看了看那五只不知所措，也不算漂亮的鸟儿，最后选定了考比。他把考比放到自己的帽子里，带着它爬到了树下。他是个身手敏捷的爸爸，要不然他永远也无法爬到树上拿走小考比，因为那棵树太高了，靠近地面的地方连一根树枝都没有。

Corbie,even at ten days old,was not like the spry children of Peter Piper,who could run about at one day old,all ready for picnics and teetering along the shore.No,indeed!He was almost as helpless and quite as floppy as a human baby,and he needed as good care,too.He needed warmth enough and food enough and a clean nest to live in;and he needed to be kept safe from such prowling animals as will eat young birds,and from other enemies.All these things his father and mother had looked out for.

虽然考比已经出生十天了，可是一点儿都不活泼，不像矶鹞彼得那些孩子，刚出壳一天就能到处乱跑了，还时刻准备着去野餐和摇来晃去地在岸边漫步。可不是吗，一点儿都不像！他和人类的小婴儿一样，几乎没有自理能力，而且也是一副软塌塌的样子，也需要悉心呵护。他需要温暖，需要食物，需要干净的巢，他还需要保护，保护他不受那些四处潜行偷吃小鸟的动物和天敌的伤害，这可都是考比的爸爸妈妈一直以来严加防范的事情呀。

Now the little Corbie was kidnaped—taken away from his home and the loving and patient care of his parents.

现在小考比被绑架了——被人从家里带走，再也没有爸爸妈妈那无微不至的悉心呵护了。

But you need not be sorry for Corbie—not very.For the Brown-eyed Boy and the Blue-eyed Girl adopted the little chap,and gave him food enough and warmth enough and a chance to keep his new nest clean;and they did it all with love and patience,too.

不过你不必为考比难过，不必太难过，因为那个“棕眼睛男孩”和“蓝眼睛女孩”收养了这个小家伙，给他喂食，为他保暖，还给他机会把自己的新巢弄干净，做这一切时，他们也是那么充满爱怜、那么细致入微。

Corbie kept them busy,for they were quick to learn that,when he opened his beak and said,"Kah,"it was meal-time,even if he had had luncheon only ten minutes before.His throat was very red and very hollow,and seemed ready to swallow no end of fresh raw egg and bits of raw beef and earthworms and bread soaked in milk.Not that he had to have much at a time,but he needed so very many meals a day.It was fun to feed the little fellow,because he grew so fast and because he was so comical when he called,"Kah".

考比可把两个孩子忙活坏了，他们很快就知道，只要他张开嘴巴叫“嘎”，就是要吃饭啦，哪怕十分钟前他刚刚才加过一顿餐。它的喉咙红红的，很深，好像随时都能吞下去无数个鲜生蛋、无数块生牛肉、无数条蚯蚓，还有无数片浸过牛奶的面包似的。倒不是他一次就得吃很多，而是他一天要吃好多次，太多次了。给这个小家伙喂食很好玩，因为他长得飞快，而且他张嘴叫“嘎”的时候，模样滑稽极了。

It was not long before his body looked as if he had a crop of paint-brushes growing all over it;for a feather,when it first comes,is protected by a little case,and the end of the feather,which sticks out of the tip of the case,does look very much like the soft hairs at the end of a paint-brush,the kind that has a hollow quill stem,you know.After they were once started,dear me,how those feathers grew!It seemed no time at all before they covered up the ear-holes in the side of his head,and no time at all before a little bristle fringe grew down over the nose-holes in his long horny beak.

过不了过久，他全身上下就好像长了一层密密麻麻的油彩笔，因为羽毛刚长出来的时候，上面套着一个小护套，羽毛尖从护套尖那里戳出来，看上去的确很像油彩笔尖上那软软的毛，你知道的，就是那种空心杆的油彩笔。这些羽毛一旦开长，噢，我的天哪，长得太快了！好像眨眼之间就把他脑袋两侧的耳朵眼儿给盖起来了；好像眨眼之间，他那长长的角质喙上的鼻孔就被一小圈硬刷刷的短毛给遮住了。

He was nearly twenty days old before he could stand up on his toes like a grown-up crow.Before that,when he stood up in his nest and"kahed"for food,he stood on his whole foot way back to the heel,which looks like a knee,only it bends the wrong way.When he was about three weeks old,however,he began standing way up on his toes,and stretching his leg till his heels came up straight.Then he would flap his wings and exercise them,too.

出生快二十天后，他才能像一只大乌鸦那样用脚趾站立起来。这之前，在窝里“嘎，嘎”地叫着讨食吃的时候，他双脚从前面一直到脚后跟全部着地才能站起来，他的脚看起来好像是人类的膝盖，只不过他的“膝盖”弯错方向了。不过，出生大约三个星期后，他就能脚趾着地站得直直的了，这时，他的双腿拉得长长的，连脚后跟都绷直了。接下来，他会拍拍翅膀，开始练习飞翔的动作。

Of course,you can guess what that meant.It meant—yes,it meant that Corbie was getting ready to leave his nest;and before the Brown-eyed Boy and the Blue-eyed Girl really knew what was happening,Corbie went for his first ramble.He stepped out of his nest-box,which had been placed on top of a flat,low shed,and strolled up the steep roof of the woodshed,which was within reach.There he stood on the ridgepole,the little tike,and yelled,"Caw,"in almost a grown-up way,as if he felt proud and happy.Perhaps he did for a while.It really was a trip to be proud of for one's very first walk in the world.

当然，你知道这意味着什么了。这意味着——是的，意味着考比要离巢了。那个“棕眼睛男孩”和“蓝眼睛女孩”还没弄明白是怎么回事呢，考比就已经出发了，开始了他的第一次漫游。他迈出巢箱，那个巢箱一直放在一个平坦、低矮的棚顶上，然后，不慌不忙跨到咫尺之遥的那个柴火棚的棚顶上，信步登上了陡峭的棚顶。他站在棚脊的横梁上，这个小淘气，像大乌鸦一样煞有介事地大叫了一声：“嘎”，好像有说不出的自豪和幸福似的。也许那一刻他真的很自豪，也很幸福。毕竟，这是他第一次来到外面的世界，当然值得骄傲，值得高兴了。

But the exercise made him hungry,and he soon yelled,"Kah!"in a tone that meant,"Bring me my luncheon this minute or I'll beg till you do."

不过，这一趟下来，考比饿了。不一会儿，他就“嘎！嘎！”地叫了起来，听口气好像是在说：“快把饭拿来，要不我就一直叫！不拿来我就不停！”

The Brown-eyed Boy took a dish of bread and milk to the edge of the low roof,where the nest-box had been placed,and the Blue-eyed Girl called,"Come and get it,Corbie."

“棕眼睛男孩”端了一份面包和牛奶放到低低的屋檐上，巢箱曾经就放在那里，“蓝眼睛女孩”喊着：“过来吃吧，考比！”

Not Corbie!He had always had his meals brought to him.He liked service,that crow.And besides,maybe he couldn't walk down the roof it had been so easy to run up.Anyway,his voice began to sound as if he were scared as well as hungry,and later as if he were more scared than hungry.

让考比过来？那可不行！以前都是别人把饭送到他面前的。他喜欢被人伺候，唉，这乌鸦！再说了，上这个斜顶很容易，可是下去就不一定了。总之，考比的声音听上去好像不光是饿了，还有点害怕的意思，再到后来，听上去与其说是他饿了，还不如说是他害怕了。

Now it stood to reason that Corbie's meals could not be served him every fifteen minutes on the ridgepole of a steep roof.So the long ladder had to be brought out,and the crow carried to the ground and advised to keep within easy reach until he could use his wings.

这下什么都不用说了，棚顶那么陡，横梁又那么高，根本没有办法每隔十五分钟就伺候考比吃一次饭，所以，不得不请出那架长长的梯子，把考比拿回到地面上，然后警告他在没有学会用翅膀之前，最好还是老老实实地待在大家够得着“伺候”他的地方。

It was only a few days until Corbie could fly down from anything he could climb up;and from that hour he never lacked for amusement.Of course,the greedy little month-old baby found most of his fun for a while in being fed."Kah!Kah!Kah!"he called from sun-up to sun-down,keeping the Brown-eyed Boy and the Blue-eyed Girl busy digging earthworms and cutworms and white grubs,and soaking bread in milk for him."Gubble-gubble-gubble,"he said as he swallowed it—it was all so very good.

不过，过不了几天，考比就能随心所欲地飞了，爬到什么东西上都不怕了。从那一刻起，他就永远告别了寂寞和无聊，整天乐趣无穷。当然了，有一段时间，这只贪吃的、只有一个月大的小家伙最大的乐趣还是别人给他喂食吃。“嘎！嘎！嘎！”他从日出叫到日落，那个“棕眼睛男孩”和那个“蓝眼睛女孩”忙不迭地为他挖蚯蚓、挖切根虫、挖蛴螬，还要把面包放在牛奶里泡给他吃。“嘎饱——嘎饱——嘎饱，”考比一边吞，一边大声叫着，哇！简直太惬意了！

The joke of it was that Corbie,even then,had a secret—his first one.He had many later on.But the very first one seems the most wonderful,somehow.Yes,he could feed himself long before he let his foster brother and sister know it;and I think,had he been a wild crow instead of a tame one,he would have fooled his own father and mother the same way—the little rascal.

"Kah！Kah！Kah！"he called from sun-up to sun-down.
“嘎！嘎！嘎！”它从日出叫到日落。

可笑的是，早在那个时候考比就有了自己的秘密，他的第一个秘密。以后，他还会有很多秘密，不过，这第一个秘密似乎最奇妙。是呀，他早就能自己吃饭了，可是收养他的那对兄妹很久以后才知道这个秘密。我想，如果他不是家养乌鸦，而是一只野乌鸦的话，他一定也会把自己的爸爸妈妈骗得团团转的，真是个小淘气鬼！

No one would think,to see him with beak up and open,and with fluttering wings held out from his sides,that the little chap begging"Kah!kah!kah!"was old enough to do more than"gubble"the food that was poked into his big throat.But for all that,when the Brown-eyed Boy forgot the dish of earthworms and ran off to play,Corbie would listen until he could hear no one near,and then cock his bright eye down over the wriggling worms.Then,very slyly,he would pick one up with a jerk and catch it back into his mouth.One by one he would eat the worms,until he wanted no more;and then he would hide the rest by poking them into cracks or covering them with chips,crooning the while over his secret joke."Therethere-tuck-it-there,"was what his croon sounded like;but if the Brown-eyed Boy or the Blue-eyed Girl came near,he would flutter out his wings at his sides and lift his open beak,his teasing"Kah"seeming to say,"Honest,I haven't had a bite to eat since you fed me last."

看着考比嘴巴冲上大张着，扑棱着身体两侧的翅膀，一个劲儿地“嘎，嘎，嘎”地讨食吃，谁也不会想到这个小家伙已经长大了，除了能把送到大喉咙里的食物大口大口地吞下去之外，他还有别的本事呢。可虽然如此，当那个“棕眼男孩”丢下那盘蚯蚓，跑到一边去玩的时候，考比还是会侧耳细听，直到确信附近没有人的时候，才会垂下亮晶晶的眼睛去看那些蠕动的虫子。然后，他才会鬼鬼祟祟地伸出嘴巴，猛地一下啄住一条，吃进嘴里。他吃了一条又一条，直到再也吃不下为止。然后，考比会把剩下的蚯蚓塞到缝隙里藏起来，或者用小木片把他们盖住，整个过程中，他都在为自己的秘密把戏而得意扬扬地哼着小曲儿。他的小曲儿听起来就像是：“那儿，那儿，把他藏在那儿。”不过，一旦那个“棕眼男孩”和那个“蓝眼女孩”来到跟前，他就立即扑棱起两侧的翅膀、抬起张得大大的嘴巴，“嘎，嘎”地纠缠不休，似乎在说：“天地良心！自你上次喂完我之后，我可是连一口都没吃呀！”

When his body was grown so big with his stuffing that he was almost a full-sized crow,he stopped his constant begging for food.The days of his greed were only the days of his growth needs,and the world was too full of adventures to spend all his time just eating.(www.xing528.com)

塞进那么一大堆东西，把肚子撑得鼓鼓的，他看起来几乎就是个大乌鸦了，此时的考比不再喋喋不休地讨食吃了。那段日子他之所以那么贪吃只是因为他需要长身体。这个世界充满了刺激，他要去冒险，可不能把时间都用在吃饭上。

It was now time for him to take pleasure in his sense of sight,and for a few weeks he went nearly crazy with joy over yellow playthings.He strewed the vegetable garden with torn and tattered squash-blossoms—gorgeous bits of color that it was such fun to find hidden under the big green leaves!He strutted to the flower-garden,and pulled off all the yellow pansies,piling them in a heap.He jumped for the golden buttercups,nipping them from their stems.He danced for joy among the torn dandelion blooms he threw about the lawn.For Corbie was like a human baby in many ways.He must handle what he loved,and spoil it with his playing.

现在他要充分享受视觉带来的快乐了。一连几个星期，他都在玩黄颜色的东西，几乎都玩疯了。他把黄灿灿的南瓜花啄碎，撒得菜园里到处都是，那颜色太漂亮了，这儿一点，那儿一块地藏在大大的绿叶子下面，找到它们可真是太好玩了！他大摇大摆地来到花园里，把所有三色紫罗兰上的黄色花瓣都扯下来，堆成一堆；他又蹦又跳地使劲够着毛茛花，把它们从茎秆上咬下来；他把蒲公英花瓣撒在草坪上，然后在这些碎花瓣中兴奋地手舞足蹈。哎，在很多方面考比就和人类不懂事的小孩子差不多，只要他喜欢的东西，都要拿过来玩一玩，直到把它玩坏。

Perhaps Corbie inherited his dancing from his grandfather.It may have come down to him with that old crow's merry spirit.Whether it was all his own or in part his grandfather's,it was a wonderful dance,so full of joy that the Brown-eyed Boy and the Blueeyed Girl would leave their play to watch him,and would call the Grown-Ups of the household,that they,too,might see Corbie's"Happy Dance".

或许考比跳的舞是从他爷爷那里继承来的，连同老爷子的快乐天性也一并继承了来。总之，不管全部是他自创的，还是他从爷爷那里继承了一部分，他的舞跳得还真不错，欢快极了，连“棕眼睛男孩”和“蓝眼睛女孩”都不玩了，过来看他跳舞，他们还把家里的大人叫过来，让他们也看看考比的“快乐舞”。

If he was pleased with his cleverness in hiding some pretty beetle in a crack and covering it with a chip,he danced.If he spied the shiny nails in the toolshed,he danced.If he found a gay ribbon to drag about the yard,he danced.But most and best he danced on a hot day when he was given a bright basin of water.Singing a lively chattering tune,he came to his bath.He cocked one bright eye and then the other over the ripples his beak made in the water.Plunging in,he splashed long,cooling flutters.Then he danced back and forth from the doorstep to his glistening pan,chattering his funny tune the while.

当他把漂亮的甲虫藏到缝隙里、用一块碎木片盖住，然后对自己的小聪明沾沾自喜的时候，他就会跳起舞来；当他发现那些在工具篷里闪闪发亮的蜗牛时，他就会跳起舞来；当他看到艳丽的知更鸟在院子里拖着尾巴走来走去的时候，他也会跳起舞来。可是，如果大热天给他一盆清凉的水，那他就跳得最多，跳得也最好。他会叽叽喳喳地唱着轻快的小曲儿，一头扎到自己的澡盆里。然后，他先瞪起一只亮晶晶的眼睛，又瞪起另一只亮晶晶的眼睛，看着水面被他的嘴巴弄出的涟漪。接着，他就跳进去，在里面扑腾好一会儿，水花四溅，啊，真凉爽呀！扑腾够了，他就跳起舞来，一会儿跳到门前的台阶上，一会儿又跳到那盆盈盈的澡盆跟前，一边跳，一边还叽叽喳喳地唱着他那好玩的小曲儿。

Have you heard of a Highland Fling or a Sailor's Hornpipe?Well,Corbie's Happy Dance was as gay as both together,when he jigged in the dooryard to the tune of his own merry chatter.The Brown-eyed Boy and the Blue-eyed Girl laughed to see him,and the Grown-Ups laughed.And even as they laughed,their hearts danced with the little black crow—he made them feel so very glad about the bath.For he had been too warm and was now comfortable.The summer sun on his feathered body had tired him,and the cooling water brought relief."Thanks be for the bath.O bird,be joyful for the bath!"he chattered in his own language,as he spread his wings and gave again and yet again his Happy Dance.

你听说过苏格兰高地舞，或者水手跳的号笛舞吗？嗯，这两种舞加起来也不如考比在门前院子里随着自己那叽叽喳喳的欢快曲子跳的“快乐舞”欢快呢。看着他那副样子，“棕眼睛男孩”和“蓝眼睛女孩”笑了，那些大人也笑了。大家笑的时候，甚至连心都随着这只黑黑的小乌鸦欢快地跳起来了，他们好高兴呀，看来这个澡洗得真不错！刚才太热了，现在总算舒服了。夏天的烈日照在他满身羽毛的身上，让他没精打采的，是凉爽的水让他立刻神清气爽起来。“谢谢，谢谢给我洗澡。噢，鸟儿啊，为这个凉爽的澡欢呼吧！雀跃吧！”他用自己的语言喋喋不休地道着谢，一边道谢，一边还张开翅膀，一遍又一遍地表演起了他的“快乐舞”。

But a basin,however bright,is not enough to keep a crow in the dooryard;for a crow is a bird of adventure.

可是，一个澡盆，无论里面的水有多清亮，也无法拴住乌鸦的心，让他一直待在院子里，因为乌鸦天性喜欢冒险。

So it was that on a certain day Corbie flew over the cornfield and over the tree-tops to the river;and so quiet were his wings,that the Brown-eyed Boy and the Blue-eyed Girl did not hear his coming,and they both jumped when he perched upon a tiny rock near by and screamed,"Caw,"quite suddenly,as one child says,"Boo,"to another,to surprise him.Then the bird sang his chatter tune,and found a shallow place near the bank,where he splashed and bathed.After that,the Blue-eyed Girl showed him a little water-snail.He turned it over in his beak and dropped it.It meant no more to him than a pebble."I think you'll like to eat it,Corbie,"said the Brown-eyed Boy,breaking the shell and giving it to him again;"even people eat snails,I've heard."

于是，有一天，考比飞过玉米地，飞过树梢，来到了小河边。他的翅膀悄无声息，所以，他飞过来的时候，那个“棕眼睛男孩”和“蓝眼睛女孩”没有听见。当他落在附近的一块小岩石上，突然“呱”的一声大叫起来时，两个孩子都被吓了一跳，就好像一个孩子突然对另一个孩子“嗨”地大喊一声，想让他大吃一惊似的。接着，这只鸟儿唱起了叽叽喳喳的小曲儿，一边唱，一边在河岸附近找了一个浅水滩，在里面扑棱着翅膀洗起澡来。洗完澡，那个“蓝眼睛女孩”拿来一个小水螺递到他面前。他把小水螺衔在嘴里尝了尝，就丢到了地上。对他来说，这跟一颗鹅卵石差不多。“棕眼睛男孩”把小水螺的壳敲碎，又递到他面前，说：“考比，我想你会喜欢这个的。我听说，连人都吃水螺呢。”

Corbie took the morsel and swallowed it,and soon was cracking for himself all the snails his comrades gave him.But that was not enough,for their eyes were only the eyes of children and his bright bird eyes could find them twice as fast.So he waded in the river,playing"I spy"with his foster brother and sister,and beating them,too,at the game,though they had hunted snails as many summers as he had minutes.

考比啄起那一小口水螺肉，吞了下去。很快，两个小伙伴捡来的水螺都由他自己弄碎吃了。可是这哪够啊，两个孩子的眼睛毕竟只是孩子的眼睛，他自己那双明亮的眼睛找起水螺来，速度要比他们快两倍呢。于是考比在河里趟来趟去，和收养他的姐弟俩玩起了“视觉大发现”游戏，虽然，姐弟俩捉水螺已经捉了好几个夏天了，而考比只不过才捉了几分钟而已，但是比赛的时候，每次都是他赢，他俩输。

He enjoyed doing many of the same things the children did.It was that,and his sociable,merry ways,that made him such a good playfellow,and because he wanted them to be happy in his pleasure and to praise his clever tricks.Like other children,eating when he was hungry gave him joy,and at times he made a game of it that was fun for them all.Every now and then he would go off quietly by himself,and fill the hollow of his throat with berries from the bushes near the riverbank and,flying back to his friends,would spill out his fruit,uncrushed,in a little pile beside them while he crooned and chuckled about it.He seemed to have the same sort of good time picking berries in his throat cup and showing how many he had found that the children did in seeing which could first fill a tin cup before they sat down on the rocks to eat them.

考比喜欢做很多孩子们喜欢做的事情，再加上他喜欢热闹，而且总是一副欢欢喜喜的样子，所以，大家都喜欢和他玩，而他则想让大家分享自己的快乐，想让大家赞赏他那些聪明的小伎俩。和其他孩子一样，正饿的时候能有东西吃会让他乐不可支，有时候，他会把吃饭当成玩游戏，结果大家都很开心。时不时地，考比会自个儿悄悄溜出去，到河岸附近的灌木丛里塞满一喉咙浆果，然后飞回到朋友们跟前，把采到的浆果完好无损地吐出来，堆成一个小堆，与此同时，他还哼哼唧唧地低声唱着，咕咕咕地轻声笑着，忙得不亦乐乎。采摘浆果的孩子们，总是先要比比谁的锡杯先装满，然后才会找个石头坐下来吃，那会让他们很开心。考比和那些采摘浆果的孩子们一样，当他把摘来的浆果装到他的“喉杯”里拿给大家看时，他也很开心呀！

One day the Brown-eyed Boy and the Blue-eyed Girl were down by the river,hunting for pearls.A pearl-hunter had shown them how to open freshwater clamshells without killing the clams.Suddenly Corbie walked up and,taking one of these hard-shelled animals right out of their hands,he flew high overhead and dropped it down on the rocks near by.Of course that broke the shell and of course Corbie came down and ate the clam,without needing any vinegar or butter on it to make it taste good to him.How he learned to do this,the children never knew.Perhaps he found out by just happening to drop one he was carrying,or perhaps he saw the wild crows drop their clams to break the shells:for after nesting season they used often to come down from the mountainside to fish by the river for snails and clams and crayfish,when they were not helping the farmers by eating up insects in the fields.

一天，“棕眼睛男孩”和“蓝眼睛女孩”正沿河寻觅珍珠。一个采珠人曾经教过他俩怎样打开蚌壳而不伤害里面的蚌。突然，考比走了过来，直接从他们的手里叼走了其中一个带壳的蚌，他飞到他们头顶，飞得高高的，然后把那个硬壳动物丢到了附近的岩石堆上。不用说，蚌壳摔碎了；也不用说，考比飞下来吃掉了蚌肉，也不蘸点醋、抹点黄油弄得好吃一点儿。他是怎么学会这一手的，孩子们从来都不知道。也许偶尔有一次嘴里的蚌不小心掉下去摔碎了，他就发现了？也许那些野乌鸦把嘴里的蚌丢下来摔碎的时候他看到了？因为产卵季节过后，就不用再帮着农民消灭田里的昆虫了，所以，他们就会从山坡上飞到河边捕食蜗牛、河蚌和小龙虾。

Corbie liked the crayfish,too,as well as people like lobsters and crabs,and he had many an exciting hunt,poking under the stones for them and pulling them out with his strong beak.

考比也喜欢吃小龙虾，喜爱的程度绝不亚于人类对大龙虾和螃蟹的喜爱。他已经有过很多次激动人心的捕虾经历了：先在石头下面戳一戳、捅一捅，然后用坚硬的嘴巴把找到的小龙虾拽出来。

There seemed to be no end of things Corbie could do with that beak of his.Sometimes it was a little crowbar for lifting stones or bits of wood when he wanted to see what was underneath;for as every outdoor child,either crow or human,knows,very,very interesting things live in such places.Sometimes it was a spade for digging in the dirt.Sometimes it was a pick for loosening up old wood in the hollow tree where he kept his best treasures.Sometimes it worked like a nutcracker,sometimes like a pair of forceps,and sometimes—oh,you can think of a dozen tools that beak of Corbie's was like.He was as well off as if he had a whole carpenter's chest with him all the time.But mostly it served like a child's thumb and forefinger,to pick berries,or to untie the bright hair-ribbons of the Blue-eyed Girl or the shoe-laces of the Brown-eyed Boy.And once in a long,long while,when some stupid child or Grown-Up,who did not know how to be civil to a crow,used him roughly,his beak became a weapon with which to pinch and to strike until his enemy was black and blue.For Corbie learned,as every sturdy person must,in some way or other,how to protect himself when there was need.

考比的嘴巴好像无所不能。有时候，他的嘴巴就是一根小撬棍，能让他撬开石头或者木块看看下面到底藏着什么，因为只要是喜欢户外活动的孩子，无论是乌鸦的孩子还是人类的孩子，谁不知道这种地方会住着特别、特别有趣的东西呢？有时候，他的嘴巴就是一把铁锹，他会用它在土里到处乱挖；有时候，他的嘴巴是一把小铁镐，可以把空心树上的老木头弄松，把他最好的珍宝放进去保存起来；有时他的嘴巴像核桃夹，有时像钳子，有时像……哦，他嘴巴像的工具太多了，你能想出一大堆来。总之，他的工具可齐全啦，好像他身上随时都带着木工箱似的。不过，大多数情况下他的嘴巴像是小孩子的拇指和食指，他用它采摘浆果，或者解开“蓝眼睛女孩”那漂亮的发带和“棕眼睛男孩”的鞋带。偶尔，当然这样的情况极其少见，如果哪个愚蠢的孩子或者大人不知如何善待乌鸦，胆敢对他动粗，那他的嘴巴就会变成武器，追着敌人连掐带拧、又咬又啄，直到敌人全身青一块、紫一块才罢休，因为像所有坚强不屈的人那样，考比不知怎么也学会了如何在必要的时候进行自我保护。

Yes,Corbie's beak was wonderful.Of course,lips are better on people in many ways than beaks would be;but we cannot do one tenth so many things with our mouths as Corbie could with his.To be sure,we do not need to,for we have hands to help us out.If our arms had grown into wings,though,as a bird's arms do,how should we ever get along in this world?

是呀，考比的嘴巴真是太奇妙了。当然了，在很多方面，人类的嘴唇比鸟喙要优越多了，可是，我们用嘴巴做的事情还不及考比的十分之一呢。的确，我们不需要用嘴巴做那么多事情，因为我们还有一双手呢。可是，假如当初我们的胳膊也像鸟的胳膊一样变成了翅膀，那我们该如何在这个世界上生存呢？

The weeks passed by.A happy time for Corbie,whether he played with the children or slipped off and amused himself,as he had a way of doing now and then,after he grew old enough to feel independent.The world for him was full of adventure and joy.He never once asked,"What can I do now to amuse me?"Never once.His brain was so active that he could fill every place and every hour full to the brim of interest.He had a merry way about him,and a gay chatter that seemed to mean,"Oh,life to a crow is joy!JOY!"And because of all this,it was not only the Browneyed Boy and the Blue-eyed Girl who loved him.He won the hearts of even the Grown-Ups,who had sometimes found it hard to be patient with him during the first noisy days,when he tired them with his frequent baby"kah-and-gubble,"before he could feed himself.

Corbie slipped off and amused himself.
考比偷偷溜出去自娱自乐了。

时间一个星期、一个星期地过去了。对考比来说，这是一段快乐的时光，无论和孩子们玩耍，还是偷偷溜出去自娱自乐都是如此，因为自从他长大自立之后，他就有办法时不时地偷偷溜出去自娱自乐了。对他来说，这个世界充满了冒险和欢乐。他从来也没有问过这样的问题：“现在我干点什么才能让自己开心呢？”一次也没有。他的大脑太活跃了，无论何时何地他都兴致勃勃、不知倦怠。他是个乐天派，总是喋喋不休、兴高采烈地欢叫着，似乎在说：“噢，对乌鸦来说，生活就是欢乐！是欢乐！”因为以上这些原因，他不仅得到了“棕眼睛男孩”和“蓝眼睛女孩”的青睐，甚至还赢得了大人们的心。不过，在最初那段闹哄哄的日子里，那些大人们有时候会觉得很难对他耐心，因为那个时候，他还不会自己吃饭，总是一个劲儿地叫着“嘎——饱——嘎——饱。”

But,however bold and dashing he was during the day,whatever the sunny hours had held of mirth and dancing,whichever path he had trod or flown,whomever he had chummed with—when it was the time of dusk,little Corbie sought the one he loved best of all,the one who had been most gentle with him,and snuggling close to the side of the Blue-eyed Girl,tucked his head into her sleeve or under the hem of her skirt,and crooned his sleepy song which seemed to mean:

可是，无论他白天多么大胆、多么活泼，无论阳光下他有过怎样的欢欣和雀跃，无论他踏上过或飞越过哪条小路，也无论他与谁交了朋友，只要黄昏来临，小考比就去找他最喜欢的那个人了，那个一直待他最温柔的人。考比依偎在“蓝眼睛女孩”的身边，把脑袋塞进她的衣袖里或者裙摆下，睡眼蒙眬地低声哼唱着，好像在说：

Oh!Soft and warm the crow in the nest

巢里的小乌鸦呀，温暖又舒适，

Finds the fluff of his mother's breast.

哦，那是妈妈怀里茸茸的毛。

Oh!Well he sleeps,for she folds him tight—

瞧，他睡得多香，因为有她紧紧的拥抱，

Safe from the owl that flies by night.

黑夜里猫头鹰飞来也不怕。

Oh!Far her wings have fluttered away,

哦，妈妈拍拍翅膀飞走了，

Nor does it matter in the day.

不过这在白天没关系。

But keep me,pray,till again’t is light,

可是求你晚上留下来，

Safe from the owl that flies by night.

黑夜里猫头鹰飞来也不怕。

Thus,long after he would have been weaned,for his own good,from such care,had he remained wild,Corbie,the tame crow,claimed protection with cunning,cuddling ways that taught the Blue-eyed Girl and her brother and the Grown-Ups,too,something about crows that many people never even guess.For all their rollicking care-free ways,there is,hidden beneath their black feathers,an affection very tender and lasting;and when they are given the friendship of humans,they find touching ways of showing how deep their trust can be.

因此，假如当初考比一直待在野外，没有被收养，那他早就得不到这样悉心的呵护了，那对他是有好处的。可是，你瞧，现在这个家养的乌鸦，却还在黏黏糊糊、哼哼唧唧地闹着要别人的保护，这让“蓝眼睛女孩”和她的哥哥，还有那些大人们对乌鸦有了新的了解，而这种了解是许多人永远也无从知晓的。尽管他们嬉笑玩耍，总是一副无忧无虑的样子，可是在它们那黑色羽毛下面，却蕴藏着一颗非常敏感稚嫩的心，那颗心里洋溢着一种永久不变的爱。一旦得到了人类的友谊，它们就会以各种令人感动的方式向人类表达它们对人类的信赖有多深。

Before the summer was over,Corbie had as famous a collection as his great grandfather.The children knew where he kept it,and used sometimes to climb up to look at his playthings.They never disturbed them except to take out the knitting-needle,thimble,spoons,or things like that,which were needed in the house.The bright penny someone had given him,the shiny nails,the brass-headed tacks,the big white feather,the yellow marble,all the bits of colored glass,and an old watch,they left where he put them;for they thought that he loved his things,or he would not have hidden them together;and they thought,and so do I,that he had as much right to his treasures to look at and care for as the Brown-eyed Boy had to his collection of pretty stones and the Blue-eyed Girl to the flowers in her wild garden.

夏天还没结束，考比收藏的宝贝就已经和他爷爷的爷爷当初收藏的宝贝一样闻名遐迩了。孩子们都知道他把宝贝藏在哪里，有时他们会爬到树上去看考比的宝贝玩具。他们从不乱动乱拿，不过有时会把毛线针、顶针、汤匙，或者诸如此类的东西拿走，因为这些东西家里还等着用呢。别人给他的那枚亮晶晶的硬币，那些磨得光光的钉子和铜头大头针，还有那根大大的白羽毛，那颗黄灿灿的大理石，以及各式各样的彩色玻璃碎片和一块旧手表，这些东西他们都没动。他们想考比一定非常喜欢这些东西，要不他就不会把它们堆在一起藏起来。他们想，我也是这么想的，考比有权利拥有并观赏把玩他的这些宝贝，正如“棕眼睛男孩”有权收集那些漂亮的石头，“蓝眼睛女孩”有权拥有野生园里的那些花儿一样。

After his feathers were grown,in the spring,Corbie had been really good-looking in his black suit;but by the first of September he was homely again.His little side-feather moustache dropped out at the top of his beak,so that his nostrils were uncovered as they had been when he was very young.The back of his head was nearly bald,and his neck and breast were ragged and tattered.

春天，考比羽翼丰满，全身上下一身黑色的套装，看上去可真是漂亮呀！可是一到九月就又像以前那样不好看了。嘴巴上面像胡子一样的侧羽全掉光了，结果就像他小时候那样两个鼻孔全都露出来了。后脑勺几乎全秃了，脖颈和胸前的羽毛也破破烂烂、褴褛不堪。

Yes,Corbie was molting,and he had a very unfinished sort of look while the new crop of paintbrushes sprouted out all over him.But it was worth the discomforts of the molt to have the new feather coat,all shiny black;and Corbie was even handsomer than he had been during the summer,when cold days came,and he needed his warm thick suit.

是的，考比正在换羽，此时的他，全身上下冒出了一层像油彩笔那样的新羽毛，看上去很有点不修边幅的样子。不过，为了穿上一件乌黑闪亮的新羽衣，换羽的种种不适还是值得的。天气变冷的时候，换上新衣的考比甚至比夏天时还要漂亮，再说，那个时候他也需要一件又厚又暖和的新衣服。

At this time all the wild crows that had nested in that part of the country flew every night from far and wide to the famous crow-roost,not far from a big peach orchard.They came down from the mountain that showed like a long blue ridge against the sky.They flew across a road that looked,on account of the color of the dirt,like a pinkish-red ribbon stretching off and away.They left the river-edge and the fields.Every night they gathered together,a thousand or more of them.Corbie's father and mother were among them,and Corbie's two brothers and two sisters.But Corbie was not with those thousand crows.

就在考比换羽的时候，每天晚上，在那个地方筑巢的野乌鸦都纷纷从四面八方向著名的乌鸦栖息地飞去，那里不远处有一个大大的桃园。他们从一座山上飞下来，那山映着天空就像是一条长长的蓝色脊线；他们穿过一条大道，那条大道上铺满红红的泥土，就像是一条飘向远方的粉红丝带；他们离开了河滩、离开了田野。每天晚上他们都聚集在一起，一千只或者比这还多。考比的爸爸妈妈也在其中，还有考比的两个兄弟和两个姐妹，可是，这上千只乌鸦里面却没有考比的身影。

No cage held him,and no one prevented his flying whither he wished;but Corbie stayed with the folk who had adopted him.A thousand wild crows might come and go,calling in their flight,but Corbie,though free,chose for his comrades the Brown-eyed Boy and the Blue-eyed Girl.

没有笼子囚禁他，没人拦着他，他想飞到哪儿就飞到哪儿。可是，考比还是留在了收养他的人们身边。一千只野乌鸦飞来了，又飞走了，他们飞着，召唤着，可是，考比，尽管他是自由的，但是他还是选择了他亲密的伙伴——那个“棕眼睛男孩”和“蓝眼睛女孩”。

I thought all along it would be so if they were good to him;and that is why I said,the day he was kidnapped,that you need not be sorry for Corbie—not very.

我一直以为只要他们对考比好，事情的结果就会是这样的。这就是为什么，那天考比被绑架的时候，我说你不必为他难过——不必很难过。