they really truly said, It rests on the backs of four elephants.  他们非常真诚地说：它放在四只大象的背上。

But when the inquisitive child asked, And what do the elephants stand on?  当这个好奇的孩子又问道：大象站在什么上呢？

they really truly said, On a big turtle.  他们非常真诚地说：一个大海龟身上。

Then when the inquisitive child asked, What does the turtle stand on?  当这个好奇的孩子又继续问道：大海龟站在什么上呢？

no one could say—for no one could even guess farther than that—so the turtle was left standing—on nothing.  没人能回答，因为没人能想那么远，因此就让大海龟这么站着—悬空站着。

That's the old story that parents long ago used to tell their children as to what the World was like.  那就是父母们很久以前常告诉孩子们的关于世界是什么样子的老一套说法。

But just suppose you could go way, way off above the clouds;  但是想象一下你可以到云层之上很高很高的地方，在天空中老远老远的地方，

way, way off in the sky, sit on a corner of nothing at all dangle your feet over the edge and look down at the World far, far below.  坐在一个什么都没有的角落，把脚放在边上垂下来，向下看着这个远在下方的世界，

What do you suppose it would really look like?  你认为它实际上会是什么样子的呢？

I know—and yet I have never been there. 我知道是什么样子，不过我从没去过那里。 

The World from way off in the sky and through a spy-glass would look just like a full moon—round and white;  在天空深处透过小望远镜看到的世界就像一轮满月—又圆又白；

not round like a plate, but round like a huge snowball.  它并不是像盘子那样的圆，而是像个大雪球那样的圆。

Not exactly white, either, but bright—for the sun shines on this big ball the World,  也并不是真正的白，而是明亮，因为太阳光照在世界这个大球上，

and makes it light just as the headlight on an automobile shines on the road at night and makes the road light.  使它发光，就像汽车的前灯在夜晚照在路上使路变亮。

Of course, the sun can shine on only one side of this big ball at a time;  当然太阳一次只能照在世界的一面上；

the other side of the World is dark, but the World keeps turning round and round in the sunlight.  世界的另一面就是黑暗的，但它不停地在阳光中转啊转啊。

If you looked at the World through a telescope—you know what a telescope is:  如果你用望远镜看世界的话（你知道望远镜是什么吧？就是一种长的小望远镜，

one of those long spy-glasses that make things seem closer and bigger—as men look at the moon,  可以使东西看起来更近更大），就像人们观察月亮那样，

you would see on one side of the World two big patches that look like queerly shaped shadows  你会发现在世界的一面有两块大斑块，看起来就像形状奇怪的阴影，

and on the other side of the World twice as many big patches,four queerly shaped shadows.  而在世界的另一面会有这面两倍大的斑块，四个形状奇怪的阴影。