木偶奇遇记 第1期:从前有一段木头

 CHAPTER 1

第一章

Centuries ago there lived-- "A king!" my little readers will say immediately.

从前有…“有一个国王！”我的小读者马上要说。

No, children, you are mistaken. Once upon a time there was a piece of wood.

不对，小朋友，你们错了，从前有一段木头。

It was not an expensive piece of wood.

这段木头并不是什么贵重木头。

Far from it. Just a common block of firewood, one of those thick, solid logs that are put on the fire in winter to make cold rooms cozy¹ and warm.

恰恰相反。就是柴堆里的普通柴火块儿，那些粗壮、坚硬的，冬天用来生火，让房间变得温暖惬意的木头中的一根。

I do not know how this really happened, yet the fact remains² that one fine day this piece of wood found itself in the shop of an old carpenter.

我也不知道是怎么回事，总之有一天，这段木头碰巧到了一位老木匠的铺子里。

His real name was Mastro Antonio, but everyone called him Mastro Cherry, for the tip of his nose was so round and red and shiny that it looked like a ripe cherry.

这位老木匠名叫安东尼奥，大伙儿却管他叫樱桃师傅，叫他樱桃师傅，因为他的鼻尖红得发紫，再加上亮光光的，活像一个熟透了的樱桃。

As soon as he saw that piece of wood, Mastro Cherry was filled with joy.

樱桃师傅看见这段木头，高兴极了。

Rubbing his hands together happily, he mumbled³ half to himself:

他满意得一个劲儿搓着手，低声嘟嚷说：

"This has come in the nick of time. I shall use it to make the leg of a table."

“这段木头来得正好，我要拿它做条桌子腿。”

He grasped the hatchet⁴ quickly to peel off the bark and shape the wood.

说干就干，他马上拿起一把锋利的斧子，动手就要削掉树皮，先大致砍出条桌子腿的样子。

But as he was about to give it the first blow, he stood still with arm uplifted, for he had heard a wee, little voice say in a beseeching⁵ tone:

可他第一斧正要砍下去，手举在头顶上却一下子停住不动了，因为他听见一个很细很细的声音央求他说：

"Please be careful! Do not hit me so hard!"

“可别把我砍得太重了！”

What a look of surprise shone on Mastro Cherry's face! His funny face became still funnier.

樱桃师傅这位善良的老头儿该是多么惊讶啊！他那滑稽的脸变得更加滑稽了。

He turned frightened eyes about the room to find out where that wee, little voice had come from and he saw no one!

他一双眼睛吓傻了，满屋子骨碌碌转了一圈，要看看这个微弱的声音是打哪儿来的，可他一个人也没有看见！

He looked under the bench-no one! He peeped inside the closet-no one! He searched among the shavings-no one!

他往工作台底下看看，没有人；他打开一直关着的柜子看看，没有人；他往一篓刨花和碎木片里面看看，也没有人；

He opened the door to look up and down the street-and still no one!

他甚至打开铺子门往街上看看，还是没有人！那么...?

1 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 mumbled   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。
• George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。

4 hatchet   

n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀

参考例句：

• I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
• Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

5 beseeching   

adj.恳求似的v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She clung to her father, beseeching him for consent. 她紧紧挨着父亲，恳求他答应。 来自辞典例句
• He casts a beseeching glance at his son. 他用恳求的眼光望着儿子。 来自辞典例句