动物们挤在克拉弗周围默默不语。

　　The knoll where they were lying gave them a wide prospect across the countryside.

　　从他们躺着的地方，可以俯视整个村庄。

　　Most of Animal Farm was within their view--the long pasture stretching down to the main road, the hayfield, the spinney, the drinking pool,

　　在那里，动物庄园的绝大部分都尽收眼底。他们看到：狭长的牧场伸向那条大路，耕种过的地里长着茁壮而碧绿的麦苗，还有草滩、树林、饮水池塘，

　　the ploughed fields where the young wheat was thick and green, and the red roofs of the farm buildings with the smoke curling from the chimneys.

　　以及庄园里的红色屋顶和那烟囱里冒出的袅袅青烟。

　　It was a clear spring evening.

　　这是一个晴朗的春天的傍晚。

　　The grass and the bursting hedges were gilded by the level rays of the sun.

　　夕阳的光辉洒在草地和茂盛的丛林上，荡漾着片片金辉。

　　Never had the farm--and with a kind of surprise they remembered that it was their own farm, every inch of it their own property--appeared to the animals so desirable a place.

　　他们此刻忽然想到，这是他们自己的庄园，每一吋土地都归他们自己所有，这是他们感到十分惊讶，因为在此之前，他们从未发现这里竟是如此令他们心驰神往。

　　As Clover looked down the hillside her eyes filled with tears.

　　克拉弗看着下面的山坡，热泪不禁涌上眼眶。

　　If she could have spoken her thoughts, it would have been to say that this was not what they had aimed at when they had set themselves years ago to work for the overthrow of the human race.

　　如果她有办法说出此时的想法的话，她肯定就会这样说，现在的情形可不是几年前他们为推翻人类而努力奋斗的目标。

　　These scenes of terror and slaughter were not what they had looked forward to on that night when old Major first stirred them to rebellion.

　　这些可怕的情形以及这种杀戮并不是他们在老麦哲第一次鼓动起义的那天晚上所向往的。

　　If she herself had had any picture of the future, it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip, all equal,

　　对于未来，如果说她还曾有过什么构想，那就一定是构想了这样一个社会：在那里，没有饥饿和鞭子的折磨，一律平等，

　　each working according to his capacity, the strong protecting the weak, as she had protected the lost brood of ducklings with her foreleg on the night of Major's speech.

　　各尽其能，强者保护弱者，就象是在麦哲讲演的那天晚上，她曾经用前腿保护着那是最后才到的一群小鸭子一样。

　　Instead--she did not know why--they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce,

　　但现在她不明白，为什么他们现在竟处在一个不敢讲真话的世界里，

　　growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes.

　　那些气势汹汹的狗到处咆哮，眼看着自己的同志在坦白了可怕的罪行后被撕成碎片而无可奈何。

　　There was no thought of rebellion or disobedience in her mind.

　　就是这些时候，她的心里没有反叛或者违命的念头。

　　She knew that, even as things were, they were far better off than they had been in the days of Jones.

　　她知道，尽管如此，他们现在也比琼斯在的时候强多了。

　　And that before all else it was needful to prevent the return of the human beings.

　　再说，他们的当务之急还是要防备人类卷土重来。

　　Whatever happened she would remain faithful, work hard, carry out the orders that were given to her, and accept the leadership of Napoleon.

　　不管出了什么事，她都要依然忠心耿耿，辛勤劳动，服从拿破仑的领导，完成交给自己的任务。

　　But still, it was not for this that she and all the other animals had hoped and toiled.

　　然而，她仍相信，她和其他的动物曾期望并为之操劳的，并不是今天这般情景。

　　It was not for this that they had built the windmill and faced the bullets of Jones's gun.

　　他们建造风车，勇敢地冒着琼斯的枪林弹雨冲锋陷阵也不是为着这些。