The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were—

从前有四只小兔子，它们的名字是——

Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter.

弗洛普西、莫普西、棉尾巴，还有彼得。

They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree.

它们跟妈妈住在一棵大枞树根下的沙坑里。

'Now my dears,' said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, 'you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.'

“好了，孩子们，”一天早上老兔子太太说道，“你们可以去田野里玩，也可以去小路上玩，可千万别进麦格雷戈先生的菜园：你们的爸爸就是在那儿出的事，被麦格雷戈太太做成了一个馅饼。”

'Now run along, and don't get into mischief. I am going out.'

“快去玩吧，别调皮捣蛋。我要出门了。”

Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went through the wood to the baker's. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.

于是老兔子太太拿起篮子和雨伞，穿过树林去面包店。她买了一条黑面包和五个葡萄干小圆面包。

Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries:

弗洛普西、莫普西和棉尾巴都是乖巧的小兔子，它们沿着小路去采黑莓：

But Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor's garden, and squeezed under the gate!

可是彼得却十分调皮，径直跑去了麦格雷戈先生的菜园，从大门底下钻了进去！

First he ate some lettuces and some French beans; and then he ate some radishes;

他先吃了些莴苣和四季豆，接着又吃了些小萝卜；

And then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley.

吃完之后觉得有点不舒服，他便去找些欧芹来吃。

But round the end of a cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor!

可是绕过一个黄瓜架的一角，他偏偏就撞见了麦格雷戈先生！

Mr. McGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages, but he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and calling out, 'Stop thief!'

麦格雷戈先生正跪在地上栽种小卷心菜苗，一见彼得便跳起来追赶，一边挥舞着耙子，一边喊道：“抓贼啊！”

Peter was most dreadfully frightened; he rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate.

彼得吓得魂飞魄散，他在菜园里横冲直撞，因为他已经忘了回大门的路。

He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes.

他的一只鞋子丢在了卷心菜地里，另一只鞋子丢在了土豆地里。

After losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster, so that I think he might have got away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net, and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new.

丢了鞋子以后，他改用四条腿跑，速度快了许多，我想他本该能彻底逃脱的，只可惜不幸一头撞进了醋栗网里，外套上的大纽扣被网眼挂住了。那是一件蓝色的外套，上面缀着铜纽扣，还是新的呢。

Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears; but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself.

彼得以为自己完了，伤心地大哭起来；可是他的哭声被几只友好的麻雀听见了，它们激动万分地飞到他跟前，恳求他一定要挣脱出来。

Mr. McGregor came up with a sieve, which he intended to pop upon the top of Peter; but Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his jacket behind him.

麦格雷戈先生拿着一个筛子走过来，想要一下子把彼得扣在里面；可是彼得及时挣脱了出来，只留下了那件外套。

And rushed into the tool-shed, and jumped into a can. It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in, if it had not had so much water in it.

他冲进了工具棚，跳进了一个洒水壶里。要不是壶里装了那么多水，这原本会是个绝妙的藏身之处。

Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool-shed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower-pot. He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each.

麦格雷戈先生十分肯定彼得就藏在工具棚的某个地方，也许是躲在一个花盆底下。他便开始一一小心地把花盆翻过来查看。

Presently Peter sneezed—'Kertyschoo!' Mr. McGregor was after him in no time.

这时彼得打了个喷嚏——“阿嚏！”麦格雷戈先生立刻朝他追了过来。

And tried to put his foot upon Peter, who jumped out of a window, upsetting three plants. The window was too small for Mr. McGregor, and he was tired of running after Peter. He went back to his work.

麦格雷戈先生想用脚踩住彼得，彼得却从窗口跳了出去，撞翻了三盆植物。那扇窗户对麦格雷戈先生来说太小了，他也追得累了，便回去干活了。

Peter sat down to rest; he was out of breath and trembling with fright, and he had not the least idea which way to go. Also he was very damp with sitting in that can.

彼得坐下来歇口气；他上气不接下气，吓得直哆嗦，完全不知道该往哪个方向走。再加上他刚才在洒水壶里坐过，浑身都湿透了。

After a time he began to wander about, going lippity—lippity—not very fast, and looking all round.

过了一会儿，他开始四处游荡，一瘸一拐地走着，走得不快，一边走一边东张西望。

He found a door in a wall; but it was locked, and there was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath.

他在一堵墙上发现了一扇门；可是门锁着，一只胖乎乎的小兔子根本没法从底下钻过去。

An old mouse was running in and out over the stone doorstep, carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood. Peter asked her the way to the gate, but she had such a large pea in her mouth that she could not answer. She only shook her head at him. Peter began to cry.

一只老鼠正忙着从石头门槛上进进出出，把豌豆和蚕豆运回树林里给她的家人。彼得向她打听去大门的路，可是她嘴里衔着一颗好大的豌豆，说不出话来，只朝他摇了摇头。彼得急得哭了起来。

Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became more and more puzzled. Presently, he came to a pond where Mr. McGregor filled his water-cans. A white cat was staring at some gold-fish, she sat very, very still, but now and then the tip of her tail twitched as if it were alive. Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to her; he had heard about cats from his cousin, little Benjamin Bunny.

于是他想径直穿过菜园找路，可是越走越糊涂。不一会儿，他来到一个池塘边，麦格雷戈先生就是在这儿给洒水壶灌水的。一只白猫正盯着几条金鱼看，她坐得纹丝不动，只是尾巴尖偶尔抽动一下，仿佛还活着似的。彼得觉得还是不跟她搭话为好，走开了事；他从表哥小本杰明兔那儿听说过猫的事。

He went back towards the tool-shed, but suddenly, quite close to him, he heard the noise of a hoe—scr-r-ritch, scratch, scratch, scritch. Peter scuttered underneath the bushes. But presently, as nothing happened, he came out, and climbed upon a wheelbarrow and peeped over. The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions. His back was turned towards Peter, and beyond him was the gate!

他往工具棚那边走回去，可是忽然，就在他附近，传来了一阵锄地的声音——嚓、嚓嚓、嚓嚓。彼得急忙钻进灌木丛底下躲了起来。可是过了一会儿，什么动静也没有，他便钻出来，爬上一辆手推车，探头张望。他第一眼看见的，就是麦格雷戈先生正在锄洋葱。他背对着彼得，而他身后正是那扇大门！

Peter got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow; and started running as fast as he could go, along a straight walk behind some black-currant bushes.

彼得悄悄地从手推车上下来，沿着一条笔直的小路，贴着几丛黑醋栗灌木，拔腿就跑，跑得飞快。

Mr. McGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not care. He slipped underneath the gate, and was safe at last in the wood outside the garden.

麦格雷戈先生在拐角处瞥见了他，可彼得已经顾不上那么多了。他从大门底下一钻，终于安全地跑到了菜园外的树林里。

Mr. McGregor hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a scare-crow to frighten the blackbirds.

麦格雷戈先生把那件小外套和那双鞋子挂了起来，做成稻草人，用来吓唬乌鸫。

Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the big fir-tree.

彼得一路跑个不停，也没敢回头看一眼，直到跑回了大枞树下的家。

He was so tired that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand on the floor of the rabbit-hole and shut his eyes. His mother was busy cooking; she wondered what he had done with his clothes. It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight!

他实在太累了，一下子扑倒在兔子洞地上柔软的沙地上，闭上了眼睛。妈妈正忙着做饭，心里纳闷他把衣服弄哪儿去了。这已经是彼得两个星期里丢的第二件小外套和第二双鞋子了！

I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening.

我很遗憾地说，彼得那天晚上很不舒服。

His mother put him to bed, and made some camomile tea; and she gave a dose of it to Peter!

妈妈把他送上床，煮了些甘菊茶，还给彼得灌了一剂！

'One table-spoonful to be taken at bed-time.'

“临睡前服一汤匙。”

But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.

不过弗洛普西、莫普西和棉尾巴晚饭吃的是面包、牛奶和黑莓。