17 THE SQUIRRELS THAT LIVE IN A HOUSE住在房子里的松鼠们

17 THE SQUIRRELS THAT LIVE IN A HOUSE住在房子里的松鼠们

1.Once upon a time a gentleman went out into a great forest,and cut away the trees,and built there a very nice little cottage.It was set very low on the ground,and had very large bow-windows,and so much of it was glass that one could look through it on every side and see what was going on in the forest.You could see the shadows of the fern-leaves,as they flickered and wavered over the ground,and the scarlet partridge-berry and wintergreen plums that matted round the roots of the trees,and the bright spots of sunshine that fell through their branches and went dancing about among the bushes and leaves at their roots.

2.You could see the little chipping sparrows and thrushes and robins and bluebirds building their nests here and there among the branches,and watch them from day to day as they laid their eggs and hatched their young.You could also see red squirrels,and gray squirrels,and little striped chip-squirrels,darting and springing about,here and there and every where,running races with each other from bough to bough,and chattering at each other in the gayest possible manner.

3.You may be sure that such a strange thing as a great mortal house for human beings to live in did not come into this wild wood without making quite a stir and excitement among the inhabitants that lived there before.All the time it was building,there was the greatest possible commotion in the breasts of all the older population;and there wasn’t even a black ant,or a cricket,that did not have his own opinion about it,and did not tell the other ants and crickets just what he thought the world was coming to in consequence.

4.Old Mrs.Rabbit declared that the hammering and pounding made her nervous,and gave her most melancholy forebodings of evil times.”Depend upon it,children,”she said to her long-eared family,”no good will come to us from this establishment.Where man is,there comes always trouble for us poor rabbits.”

5.The old chestnut-tree,that grew on the edge of the woodland ravine,drew a great sigh which shook all his leaves,and expressed it as his conviction that no good would ever come of it,—a conviction that at once struck to the heart of every chestnut-burr.The squirrels talked together of the dreadful state of things that would ensue.”Why,”said old Father Gray,”it’s evident that Nature made the nuts for us;but one of these great human creatures will carry off and gormandize upon what would keep a hundred poor families of squirrels in comfort.”

6.Old Ground-mole said it did not require very sharp eyes to see into the future,and it would just end in bringing down the price of real estate in the whole vicinity,so that every decent-minded and respectable quadruped would be obliged to move away;for his part,he was ready to sell out for any thing he could get.The bluebirds and bobolinks,it is true,took more cheerful views of matters;but then,as old Mrs.Ground-mole observed,they were a flighty set,—half their time careering and dissipating in the Southern States,—and could not be expected to have that patriotic attachment to their native soil that those had who had grubbed in it from their earliest days.

7.”This race of man,”said the old chestnut tree,”is never ceasing in its restless warfare on Nature.In our forest solitudes,hitherto,how peacefully,how quietly,how regularly,has every thing gone on!Not a flower has missed its appointed time of blossoming,or failed to perfect its fruit.No matter how hard has been the winter,how loud the winds have roared,and how high the snow-banks have been piled,all has come right again in spring.Not the least root has lost itself under the snows,so as not to be ready with its fresh leaves and blossoms when the sun returns to melt the frosty chains of winter.

8.”We have storms sometimes that threaten to shake everything to pieces,—the thunder roars,the lightning flashes,and the winds howl and beat;but,when all is past,every thing comes out better and brighter than before,—not a bird is killed,not the frailest flower destroyed.But man comes,and in one day he will make a desolation that centuries can not repair.Ignorant boor that he is,and all incapable of appreciating the glorious works of Nature,it seems to be his glory to be able to destroy in a few hours what it was the work of ages to produce.

9.”The noble oak,that has been cut away to build this contemptible human dwelling,had a life older and wiser than that of any man in this country.That tree has seen generations of men come and go.It was a fresh young tree when Shakespeare was born;it was hardly a middle-aged tree when he died;it was growing here when the first ship brought the white men to our shores,and hundreds and hundreds of those whom they call bravest,wisest,strongest,—warriors,statesmen,orators and poets,—have been born,have grown up,lived,and died,while yet it has outlived them all.It has seen more wisdom than the best of them;but two or three hours of brutal strength sufficed to lay it low.

10.”Which of these dolts could make a tree?I’d like to see them do any thing like it.How noisy and clumsy are all their movements,—chopping,pounding,rasping,hammering!And,after all,what do they build?In the forest we do every thing so quietly.A tree would be ashamed of it self that could not get its growth without making such a noise and dust and fuss.Our life is the perfection of good manners.For my part,I feel degraded at the mere presence of these human beings;but alas!I am old;—a hollow place at my heart warns me of the progress of decay,and probably it will be seized upon by these rapacious creatures as an excuse for laying me as low as my noble green brother.”

11.In spite of all this disquiet about it,the little cottage grew and was finished.The wall were covered with pretty paper,the floors carpeted with pretty carpets;and,in fact,when it was all arranged,and the garden walks laid out,and beds of flowers planted around,it began to be confessed,even among the most critical,that it was not after all so bad a thing as was to have been feared.

12.A black ant went in one day and made a tour of exploration up and down,over chairs and tables,up the ceilings and down again,and,coming out,wrote an article for the Crickets’Gazette,in which he described the new abode as a veritable palace.Several butterflies fluttered in and sailed about and were wonderfully delighted,and then a bumble-bee and two or three honey-bees,who expressed themselves well pleased with the house,but more especially enchanted with the garden.

13.In fact,when it was found that the proprietors were very fond of the rural solitudes of Nature,and had come out there for the purpose of enjoying them undisturbed,—that they watched and spared the anemones and the violets,and bloodroots,and dog-tooth violets,and little woolly rolls of fern that began to grow up under the trees in spring,—that they never allowed a gun to be fired to scare the birds,and watched the building of their nests with the greatest interest,—then an opinion in favor of human beings began to gain ground,and every cricket and bird and beast was loud in their praise.14.”Mamma,”said young Tit-bit,a frisky young squirrel,to his mother one day,”why won’t you let Frisky and me go into that pretty new cottage to play?”

“My dear,”said his mother,who was a very wary and careful old squirrel,”how can you think of it?Men are full of devices for traps and pitfalls,and who could say what might happen,if you put yourself in their power?If you had wings like the butterflies and bees,you might fly in and out again,and so gratify your curiosity;but,as matters stand,it’s best for you to keep well out of their way.”

15.”But,mother,there is such a nice,good lady lives there!I believe she is a good fairy,and she seems to love us all so;she sits in the bow-window and watches us for hours,and she scatters corn all round at the roots of the tree for us to eat.”

“She is nice enough,” said the old mother-squirrel,”if’you keep far enough off,but I tell you,you can’t be too careful.”

(HARRIET B.STOWE)

【中文阅读】

1.从前，有位绅士来到一片大森林里，砍倒几棵树，建起了一所秀丽的小屋。这栋小屋很矮，有几扇大大的凸肚窗，窗上装着大块大块的玻璃。透过窗子，你就可以看到森林每个角落里的情景。你可以看到蕨叶在地上摇曳生姿，看到鲜红的曼虎刺浆果和鹿蹄草纸树根下纠缠，看到斑驳的阳光穿过树枝在丛林间、枝叶上跳舞。

2.你可以看到叽叽喳喳的麻雀、画眉、知更鸟和蓝知更鸟在树枝间筑巢，你可以日复一日地观看它们产蛋、孵化小鸟。你还可以看到红松鼠、灰松鼠和一身条纹的小松鼠，它们跳来跳去，从这根树枝跃上那根树枝，跟小伙伴儿们赛跑，唧唧吱吱地又吵又闹，快乐得不得了。

3.你肯定会觉得，一栋人类的高大居所突然出目前野外的森林里不可能不引起那些原住民的轰动和骚动，毕竟这种事情太怪异了。房子一直在建造，所有的老居民心中都产生了巨大的不安。这样下去，世界将会变成什么样？关于这点，它们每个居民都有自己的见解，就连黑蚂蚁和蟋蟀也不例外，都争着向其他的蚂蚁和蟋蟀们发表自己的见解。

4.老兔子太太宣称，乒乒乓乓的敲打声让她神经紧张，让她情绪低落，由于她觉得这是邪恶时代即将到来的前兆。她对她的长耳朵家族说：“毫无疑问，孩子们，这栋建筑不会给我们带来好处。对我们可怜的兔子们来说，哪里有人类，哪里有就麻烦。”

5.长在森林边缘的老栗树深深叹了口气，震得叶子都簌簌作响。它是在表达自己也认为绝不会有什么好处——这种认同马上触动了每个树节和树瘤的心。松鼠们聚集在一起，谈论着后来将要发生的不幸和可怕的境况。“为什么会这样，”格雷老爸说，“显然，坚果是大自然为我们创造的，可是这些伟大的人类中竟然有人要把这些拿去胡吃海塞，要知道，这些坚果够我们一百家可怜的松鼠过得丰衣足食呢。”

6.老鼹鼠说，你不需要有多犀利的目光就能看得出来，将来，这里整个地区的房价都会下跌，每个正派、可敬的四足动物都会被迫离去。就拿它来说吧，它准备把所有的东西都贱卖掉。蓝知更鸟和食米鸟对事态的确 持较为乐观的见解，不过，老鼹鼠太太说，它们都是飞禽，一半的时间都在南方诸州消遣，自然不能跟这些从小就挖洞住在这片土地上的居民比，你不能指望它们对自己的故土有多深的眷恋和热爱。

7.老栗树说：“人类这种种族，永远都不会停止对大自然的索取和征服。迄今为止，在我们偏远的地域，我们所有人都曾经过得多么安详，多么宁静，多么循规蹈矩！每一朵花会在指定的花期绽放，都会结出完美的果实。不管冬天多么严寒，不管狂风如何呼啸，不管雪堤堆了多高，到了春季，一切都会恢复原状。没有哪个根茎会在积雪下迷失自己，太阳重返大地，冰雪消融之时，它们都会长出鲜嫩的绿叶，绽放出迷人的花朵。”

8.“有时候，我们也会遇上狂妄的暴风雨，恐吓要把一切都撕成碎片——滚雷咆哮、闪电裂空、寒风肆虐，但是，等到风停雨歇后，大家比以前还更精神、更鲜活了。没有一只鸟儿在风雨中丧生，没有一朵哪怕最脆弱的花遭到摧残。但是，人类来了。总有一天，他会把一切都摧毁，经历几个世纪都恢复不了元气。人类是无知的莽夫，根本不懂得欣赏大自然辉煌的杰作，似乎几个小时就摧毁历经几个世纪才完成的杰作就是他的荣耀。”

9.“高贵的橡树被砍倒了，只为了建造这栋卑劣的人类居所。要知道，它比这个世纪的任何人都年长，都睿智。这棵大树见过数代的世事变迁。莎士比亚出生的时候，它还是棵鲜嫩的小树苗，莎士比亚死的时候，它还青春正年少；第一艘轮船把白人送上我们的海岸时，它还在生长。大树看着成千上万的人类出生、成长、生活、死亡，他们被称为最勇敢、最机智、最强壮的人，他们中间有勇士、政客、演说家和诗人。他们都死了，它还活着。要说它的见识和智慧，他们中间最好的人都无法望其项背。可惜，只要两三个小时的蛮干就可以把它放倒。”

10.“这些白痴们哪个能造棵大树出来？我倒想看看。他们的动作又嘈杂又笨拙——又是砍，又是捣，又是锉，又是捶！何况，他们到底要建个什么东西出来？在森林里，我们做什么事都静悄悄的。要是一棵树在生长的时候弄出许多噪音和烦扰来，那就羞得不得了了。我们的生活方式是完美的道德标杆。就我而言，单单看着这些人类，我就觉得有失身份。唉！我老了，心脏里面都被蛀空了，这提醒我自己被蛀得多严重了。也许，这也会被那些贪婪的家伙当成借口，把我放倒，就像把我那高贵的绿色兄弟放倒一样。”

11.小屋在大家的惶惶不安中一天天建起来了。小屋的墙壁上贴着美丽的墙纸，地板上铺着美丽的地毯。最后，全部竣工的时候，一条条花园小径延伸出来，周围种植了花床。这时，就连最苛刻的动物都开始承认这个小屋没那么糟，糟到要大家谈“屋”色变。

12.有一天，黑蚂蚁走了进去，上上下下打探了个究竟。它爬上椅子、桌子，爬上天花板，又爬下来，然后大摇大摆地走了出来。之后，它给蟋蟀的公报写了篇报道，称那个新宅是个名副实则的宫殿。几只蝴蝶飞了进去，在里面逛来逛去，高兴坏了。接着，一只黄蜂和两三只蜜蜂飞了进去，它们说那栋房子很合它们胃口，不过，花园更让它们着迷。

13.实际上，大家发现屋主很喜爱大自然郊外的僻静。他们来这里是为了享受不被人打扰的生活。在这里，他们赏花种草，观赏银莲花和紫罗兰、血根草、犬齿紫罗兰，看着蕨类的绒毛卷在春日的林间树下舒展。他们从来不让人开枪吓跑小鸟，只是兴致勃勃地看着鸟儿们筑巢。这时，人类的好评在大家中间盛传开来，每只蟋蟀、每只飞禽、每只走兽都对人类不吝赞誉。

14.一天，一只活泼的小松鼠小不点儿对它的妈妈说：“妈妈，您为什么不让我和小淘气去那个美丽的新房子里玩儿？”

它妈妈是个超级小心谨慎的老松鼠，只听她说：“亲爱的，你怎么会有这样的念头呢？人类有许多设圈套和挖陷阱的花招儿，如果你把自己置于他们的股掌之上，谁知道会发生什么事？如果你像蝴蝶或蜜蜂一样有翅膀，可以飞进飞出，那你尽管满足自己的好奇心好了。可是，照目前的情况，你们最好离他们远点儿。”

15.“可是，妈妈，里面住着一位超级和蔼、超级善良的女士！我猜她肯定是个善良的仙女。她好像喜爱我们所有人。她坐在凸肚窗下，成几个小时地看着我们。她把玉米撒在树底下给我们吃。”

“她的确 很和蔼，不过那是由于你离得远。”松鼠妈妈说，“可我还是告知你，小心驶得万年船。”

（哈里特·B·斯托）