The History of Tom Thumb

In the days of the great Prince Arthur, there lived a mighty magician, called Merlin, the most learned and skilful enchanter the world has ever seen.

在伟大的亚瑟王在位的年代，有一位法力高强的魔法师，名叫梅林，是世上从未有过的最博学、最精通法术的巫师。

This famous magician, who could take any form he pleased, was travelling about as a poor beggar, and being very tired, he stopped at the cottage of a ploughman to rest himself, and asked for some food.

这位著名的魔法师能够随意变换任何形貌，他曾扮作一个穷苦的乞丐四处游历。有一次他走得十分疲乏，便在一个农夫的茅屋前停下歇脚，向主人讨些吃的。

The countryman bade him welcome, and his wife, who was a very good-hearted woman, soon brought him some milk in a wooden bowl, and some coarse brown bread on a platter.

农夫热情地欢迎了他，农夫的妻子是个心地十分善良的女人，很快就端来一木碗牛奶和一盘粗糙的黑面包给他。

Merlin was much pleased with the kindness of the ploughman and his wife; but he could not help noticing that though everything was neat and comfortable in the cottage, they seemed both to be very unhappy. He therefore asked them why they were so melancholy, and learned that they were miserable because they had no children.

梅林对这对农夫夫妇的好心十分感激；可是他也不禁注意到，尽管这间茅屋收拾得整整齐齐、舒舒适适，两口子看上去却都十分不快活。于是他问他们为何这样忧郁，得知他们是因为膝下无子而苦恼。

The poor woman said, with tears in her eyes: “I should be the happiest creature in the world if I had a son; although he was no bigger than my husband's thumb, I would be satisfied.”

那可怜的妇人含着泪说：“要是我能有个儿子，哪怕他只有我丈夫的大拇指那么大，我也心满意足，是世上最幸福的人了。”

Merlin was so much amused with the idea of a boy no bigger than a man's thumb, that he determined to grant the poor woman's wish. Accordingly, in a short time after, the ploughman's wife had a son, who, wonderful to relate! was not a bit bigger than his father's thumb.

梅林被这“只有拇指那么大的男孩”的念头逗乐了，便决定成全这可怜妇人的心愿。于是没过多久，农夫的妻子果然生了个儿子，说来也怪，这孩子竟然真的只有他父亲的大拇指那么大。

The queen of the fairies, wishing to see the little fellow, came in at the window while the mother was sitting up in the bed admiring him. The queen kissed the child, and, giving it the name of Tom Thumb, sent for some of the fairies, who dressed her little godson according to her orders:

仙女王后想来看看这个小家伙，便趁着母亲坐在床上端详孩子的时候，从窗口飞了进来。王后亲吻了这孩子，给他取名叫拇指汤姆，又叫来几位仙女，按照她的吩咐给这位小教子穿戴起来：

“An oak-leaf hat he had for his crown; His shirt of web by spiders spun; With jacket wove of thistle's down; His trowsers were of feathers done. His stockings, of apple-rind, they tie With eyelash from his mother's eye His shoes were made of mouse's skin, Tann'd with the downy hair within.”

他头戴一顶橡叶做的帽子为冠， 他身穿一件蜘蛛丝织的衬衫； 外套是用蓟花的绒毛编成， 裤子则是用羽毛缝制而成。 他的袜子是用苹果皮做的，用他母亲眼睫毛 系起来； 他的鞋子是用老鼠皮做的， 里面用绒毛鞣制而成。

Tom never grew any larger than his father's thumb, which was only of ordinary size; but as he got older he became very cunning and full of tricks. When he was old enough to play with the boys, and had lost all his own cherry-stones, he used to creep into the bags of his playfellows, fill his pockets, and, getting out without their noticing him, would again join in the game.

汤姆长大后个头始终没有超过他父亲那只普通大小的拇指；可是随着年岁渐长，他变得十分机灵，满肚子鬼点子。他到了能跟别的孩子一起玩的年纪，输光了自己的樱桃核后，就常常偷偷爬进玩伴们的口袋，装满自己的口袋，再趁人不备溜出来，重新加入游戏。

One day, however, as he was coming out of a bag of cherry-stones, where he had been stealing as usual, the boy to whom it belonged chanced to see him. “Ah, ah! my little Tommy,” said the boy, “so I have caught you stealing my cherry-stones at last, and you shall be rewarded for your thievish tricks.” On saying this, he drew the string tight round his neck, and gave the bag such a hearty shake, that poor little Tom's legs, thighs, and body were sadly bruised. He roared out with pain, and begged to be let out, promising never to steal again.

可是有一天，他正从一个樱桃核口袋里钻出来，像往常一样在里面偷东西，恰巧被口袋的主人看见了。“哈，哈！我的小汤米，”那孩子说道，“这下我可当场逮住你偷我的樱桃核了，你这偷鸡摸狗的把戏该有报应了。”说着，他把口袋的绳子勒紧套在汤姆脖子上，狠狠地把口袋摇晃了一通，可怜的小汤姆的腿、大腿和身子都被摔得青一块紫一块。他疼得大声哭喊，求饶着说再也不敢偷东西了。

A short time afterwards his mother was making a batter-pudding, and Tom, being very anxious to see how it was made, climbed up to the edge of the bowl; but his foot slipped, and he plumped over head and ears into the batter, without his mother noticing him, who stirred him into the pudding-bag, and put him in the pot to boil.

不久之后，他母亲在做面糊布丁，汤姆十分想看看是怎么做的，便爬到了大碗的边沿；不料脚一滑，一头栽进了面糊里，母亲没有注意到他，就把他连同面糊一起搅进了布丁袋，放进锅里去煮。

The batter filled Tom's mouth, and prevented him from crying; but, on feeling the hot water, he kicked and struggled so much in the pot, that his mother thought that the pudding was bewitched, and, pulling it out of the pot, she threw it outside the door. A poor tinker, who was passing by, lifted up the pudding, and, putting it into his budget, he then walked off. As Tom had now got his mouth cleared of the batter, he then began to cry aloud, which so frightened the tinker that he flung down the pudding and ran away.

面糊塞满了汤姆的嘴，使他哭不出声来；可是他一感觉到热水，就在锅里拼命地踢腿挣扎，他母亲还以为这布丁中了邪，便把它从锅里捞出来，扔到了门外。一个可怜的补锅匠正巧路过，捡起这布丁放进自己的工具袋里，转身走开了。这时汤姆的嘴里已经没了面糊，便开始放声大哭，把那补锅匠吓得扔下布丁就跑了。

The pudding being broke to pieces by the fall, Tom crept out covered all over with the batter, and walked home. His mother, who was very sorry to see her darling in such a woeful state, put him into a teacup, and soon washed off the batter; after which she kissed him, and laid him in bed.

布丁摔到地上跌得七零八落，汤姆浑身裹着面糊爬了出来，走回家去。他母亲见宝贝儿子落得如此狼狈的模样，十分难过，把他放进一只茶杯里，很快就把面糊洗干净了；随后亲了亲他，把他放到床上睡觉。

Soon after the adventure of the pudding, Tom's mother went to milk her cow in the meadow, and she took him along with her. As the wind was very high, for fear of being blown away, she tied him to a thistle with a piece of fine thread. The cow soon observed Tom's oak-leaf hat, and liking the appearance of it, took poor Tom and the thistle at one mouthful. While the cow was chewing the thistle Tom was afraid of her great teeth, which threatened to crush him in pieces, and he roared out as loud as he could: “Mother, mother!”

布丁那场风波过后不久，汤姆的母亲到草地上去挤牛奶，把他也一并带去了。当时风很大，她怕把汤姆刮走，便用一根细线把他系在一株蓟草上。那头母牛很快就注意到了汤姆头上的橡叶帽，喜欢它的样子，便一口把可怜的汤姆连同那株蓟草一起吞了下去。牛嚼着蓟草的时候，汤姆害怕它那对威胁着要把自己嚼碎的大牙，便使出全身力气喊道：“妈妈，妈妈！”

“Where are you, Tommy, my dear Tommy?” said his mother.

“你在哪儿呀，汤米，我的宝贝汤米？”他母亲问道。

“Here, mother,” replied he, “in the red cow's mouth.”

“我在这儿，妈妈，”他答道，“在这头红牛的嘴里。”

His mother began to cry and wring her hands; but the cow, surprised at the odd noise in her throat, opened her mouth and let Tom drop out. Fortunately his mother caught him in her apron as he was falling to the ground, or he would have been dreadfully hurt. She then put Tom in her bosom and ran home with him.

他母亲开始哭了起来，绞着双手；可是那头母牛被喉咙里这古怪的声响吓了一跳，张开嘴巴，把汤姆放了出来。幸好他母亲用围裙接住了正往地上掉落的他，否则他非得摔得很惨不可。于是她把汤姆揣进怀里，飞快地跑回了家。

Tom's father made him a whip of a barley straw to drive the cattle with, and having one day gone into the fields, he slipped a foot and rolled into the furrow. A raven, which was flying over, picked him up, and flew with him over the sea, and there dropped him.

汤姆的父亲用一根大麦秆给他做了根鞭子，好让他赶牛用，有一天他到田里去，一脚踩滑，滚进了田垄里。一只飞过的乌鸦把他叼了起来，带着他飞过大海，把他丢在了那里。

A large fish swallowed Tom the moment he fell into the sea, which was soon after caught, and bought for the table of King Arthur. When they opened the fish in order to cook it, every one was astonished at finding such a little boy, and Tom was quite delighted at being free again. They carried him to the king, who made Tom his dwarf, and he soon grew a great favourite at court; for by his tricks and gambols he not only amused the king and queen, but also all the Knights of the Round Table.

汤姆一落进海里，就被一条大鱼吞进了肚子里，不久这条鱼就被捕获，卖给了亚瑟王的御厨。当厨子们剖开鱼准备烹煮时，人人都惊讶地发现里面竟有这样一个小男孩，汤姆重获自由，也是欣喜万分。他们把他带去见国王，国王把汤姆封为自己的侍从小矮人，他很快就成了宫中人人喜爱的宠儿；因为他的种种把戏和滑稽表演，不仅逗乐了国王和王后，也逗乐了圆桌骑士们。

It is said that when the king rode out on horseback, he often took Tom along with him, and if a shower came on, he used to creep into his majesty's waistcoat-pocket, where he slept till the rain was over.

据说国王骑马出行时，常常带着汤姆同去，要是碰上下雨，汤姆就会爬进陛下的背心口袋里，一直睡到雨停。

King Arthur one day asked Tom about his parents, wishing to know if they were as small as he was, and whether they were well off. Tom told the king that his father and mother were as tall as anybody about the court, but in rather poor circumstances. On hearing this, the king carried Tom to his treasury, the place where he kept all his money, and told him to take as much money as he could carry home to his parents, which made the poor little fellow caper with joy. Tom went immediately to procure a purse, which was made of a water-bubble, and then returned to the treasury, where he received a silver threepenny-piece to put into it.

有一天亚瑟王问起汤姆的父母，想知道他们是不是也像他这样矮小，家境是否宽裕。汤姆告诉国王，他的父母跟宫里任何人一样高，只是家境相当贫寒。国王听了这话，便带汤姆到自己的金库去，那是他存放全部钱财的地方，让他尽量多拿些钱回去给父母，这可把这个可怜的小家伙乐坏了，蹦蹦跳跳地欢喜不已。汤姆立刻去找了个用水泡做的钱袋，然后回到金库，领了一枚银质三便士的硬币放进袋子里。

Our little hero had some difficulty in lifting the burden upon his back; but he at last succeeded in getting it placed to his mind, and set forward on his journey. However, without meeting with any accident, and after resting himself more than a hundred times by the way, in two days and two nights he reached his father's house in safety.

我们的这位小英雄要把这份重担扛到背上，颇费了一番力气；可是最终还是把它放稳当了，便动身踏上了旅程。一路上倒也没出什么意外，歇了一百多次脚之后，走了两天两夜，终于平安到达了父亲家中。

Tom had travelled forty-eight hours with a huge silver-piece on his back, and was almost tired to death, when his mother ran out to meet him, and carried him into the house. But he soon returned to Court.

汤姆背着一大块银币，足足走了四十八个钟头，累得几乎要命，这时他母亲跑出来迎接他，把他抱进了屋里。不过他不久便又返回了宫中。

As Tom's clothes had suffered much in the batter-pudding, and the inside of the fish, his majesty ordered him a new suit of clothes, and to be mounted as a knight on a mouse.

由于汤姆的衣服在面糊布丁事件和鱼肚子里都受了不少损伤，国王便下令给他做了一套新衣，还让他骑上一只老鼠，封为骑士。

Of Butterfly's wings his shirt was made, His boots of chicken's hide; And by a nimble fairy blade, Well learned in the tailoring trade, His clothing was supplied. A needle dangled by his side; A dapper mouse he used to ride, Thus strutted Tom in stately pride!

他的衬衫是用蝴蝶的翅膀做成， 他的靴子是用小鸡的皮革制成； 由一位手艺灵巧的仙女裁缝， 精通裁衣这门手艺， 为他缝制了这身行头。 一根针挂在他的腰间； 他常骑着一只神气的老鼠， 汤姆就这样趾高气扬地招摇过市！

It was certainly very diverting to see Tom in this dress and mounted on the mouse, as he rode out a-hunting with the king and nobility, who were all ready to expire with laughter at Tom and his fine prancing charger.

汤姆穿着这身行头骑在老鼠上，随国王和贵族们一同出去打猎，那模样着实十分有趣，人人看着汤姆和他那匹神气活现的骏马坐骑，都笑得前仰后合。

The king was so charmed with his address that he ordered a little chair to be made, in order that Tom might sit upon his table, and also a palace of gold, a span high, with a door an inch wide, to live in. He also gave him a coach, drawn by six small mice.

国王被他的谈吐举止逗得十分开心，便下令做了一把小椅子，好让汤姆能坐在他的桌子上，又造了一座金子做的宫殿，只有一拃高，门只有一寸宽，供他居住。国王还赐给他一辆由六只小老鼠拉的马车。

The queen was so enraged at the honours conferred on Sir Thomas that she resolved to ruin him, and told the king that the little knight had been saucy to her.

王后见汤姆爵士得到这般殊荣，十分恼怒，便决意要除掉他，向国王进谗言，说这小骑士对她无礼冒犯。

The king sent for Tom in great haste, but being fully aware of the danger of royal anger, he crept into an empty snail-shell, where he lay for a long time until he was almost starved with hunger; but at last he ventured to peep out, and seeing a fine large butterfly on the ground, near the place of his concealment, he got close to it and jumping astride on it, was carried up into the air.

国王急忙派人去传唤汤姆，可汤姆深知触怒龙颜的危险，便钻进一只空蜗牛壳里，在里面躲了好长时间，饿得几乎要昏过去；不过最后他还是壮着胆子探出头来，看见躲藏之处附近地上有只漂亮的大蝴蝶，便凑近过去，一跃跨坐在蝴蝶背上，被带着飞上了天空。

The butterfly flew with him from tree to tree and from field to field, and at last returned to the court, where the king and nobility all strove to catch him; but at last poor Tom fell from his seat into a watering-pot, in which he was almost drowned.

那只蝴蝶带着他从这棵树飞到那棵树，从这片田野飞到那片田野，最后又飞回了宫中，国王和贵族们都争相想要捉住他；可是可怜的汤姆最终从座位上跌落，掉进了一只浇花的水壶里，差点被淹死。

When the queen saw him she was in a rage, and said he should be beheaded; and he was again put into a mouse trap until the time of his execution.

王后看见他，勃然大怒，说要把他斩首；于是他又被关进了老鼠夹里，等候行刑的时刻。

However a cat, observing something alive in the trap, patted it about till the wires broke, and set Thomas at liberty.

不料一只猫瞧见夹子里有个活物在动，便用爪子拍来拍去，直到把铁丝拍断，放了汤姆出来。

The king received Tom again into favour, which he did not live to enjoy, for a large spider one day attacked him; and although he drew his sword and fought well, yet the spider's poisonous breath at last overcame him.

国王又重新恩宠汤姆，可他没能长久享受这份恩宠，因为有一天一只大蜘蛛袭击了他；他虽拔剑奋力抵抗，最终还是敌不过蜘蛛那有毒的气息。

He fell dead on the ground where he stood, And the spider suck'd every drop of his blood.

他倒在原地，一命呜呼， 蜘蛛把他的血吸得一滴不剩。

King Arthur and his whole court were so sorry at the loss of their little favourite that they went into mourning and raised a fine white marble monument over his grave with the following epitaph:

亚瑟王和满朝文武都为失去这位深受喜爱的小宠臣而十分悲伤，于是全都披麻戴孝，在他的墓上立了一座精美的白色大理石纪念碑，碑上刻着如下的墓志铭：

Here lies Tom Thumb, King Arthur's knight, Who died by a spider's cruel bite. He was well known in Arthur's court, Where he afforded gallant sport; He rode at tilt and tournament, And on a mouse a-hunting went. Alive he filled the court with mirth; His death to sorrow soon gave birth. Wipe, wipe your eyes, and shake your head And cry,—Alas! Tom Thumb is dead!

这里长眠着拇指汤姆，亚瑟王的骑士， 死于蜘蛛残忍的一口毒噬。 他在亚瑟的宫廷中人人皆知， 曾为众人带来豪迈的欢愉； 他驰骋于比武大会与竞技场， 又曾骑着老鼠去把猎物追逐。 他生前使满朝欢声笑语不绝， 他的死讯却顿时化作满心悲戚。 擦干你的眼泪，摇摇你的头， 哭一声吧——唉！拇指汤姆已经离去！