How the Camel Got His Hump

Now this is the next tale, and it tells how the Camel got his big hump.

好啦，接下来这个故事，讲的是骆驼的大驼峰是怎么来的。

In the beginning of years, when the world was so new and all, and the Animals were just beginning to work for Man, there was a Camel, and he lived in the middle of a Howling Desert because he did not want to work; and besides, he was a Howler himself. So he ate sticks and thorns and tamarisks and milkweed and prickles, most ‘scruciating idle; and when anybody spoke to him he said ‘Humph!’ Just ‘Humph!’ and no more.

在世界还很年轻的远古年月，动物们才刚刚开始为人类干活，那时有一只骆驼，他住在一片呼啸大漠的正中央，因为他不想干活；再说他自己本来就是个爱嚎叫的家伙。他就靠吃树枝、荆棘、柽柳和乳草、还有刺儿过日子，懒散得要命；谁跟他说话，他都只回一句“哼！”就一句“哼！”，别的什么都不说。

Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning, with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.’

到了礼拜一早上，马儿走来找他，背上驮着鞍子，嘴里衔着嚼子，说道：“骆驼啊，骆驼，出来跟我们大伙儿一起小跑吧。”

‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.

“哼！”骆驼说道；马儿便走开去告诉了人类。

Presently the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.’

不一会儿，狗儿嘴里叼着根棍子走来，说道：“骆驼啊，骆驼，出来跟我们大伙儿一起衔东西送东西吧。”

‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.

“哼！”骆驼说道；狗儿便走开去告诉了人类。

Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.’

不一会儿，牛儿颈上套着轭走来，说道：“骆驼啊，骆驼，出来跟我们大伙儿一起耕地吧。”

‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.

“哼！”骆驼说道；牛儿便走开去告诉了人类。

At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, ‘Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new-and-all); but that Humph-thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double-time to make up for it.’

到了那天傍晚，人类把马儿、狗儿和牛儿都叫到一起，说道：“三位啊三位，我实在替你们感到抱歉（毕竟这世界还这么年轻），可是沙漠里那个只会‘哼’的家伙压根干不了活，不然他早该来了，所以我打算不管他了，你们几位就得加倍干活来补上他的份儿。”

That made the Three very angry (with the world so new-and-all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow-wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing on milkweed most ‘scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said ‘Humph!’ and went away again.

这话把三位（毕竟这世界还这么年轻）气得不轻，他们便在沙漠边上开了个会，商量啊、议论啊、争论啊、争吵啊；骆驼呢，正嚼着乳草，懒洋洋地走过来，还笑话他们。接着他说了句“哼！”，又走开了。

Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow-pow with the Three.

不久，掌管全天下沙漠的精灵滚滚而来，卷着一团尘土（精灵们向来都是这么赶路的，因为这是魔法），他停下来跟三位商量起来。

‘Djinn of All Deserts,’ said the Horse, ‘is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new-and-all?’

“掌管全沙漠的精灵啊，”马儿说道，“这世界这么年轻，大家都该干活，可有谁能光懒着不干活的道理吗？”

‘Certainly not,’ said the Djinn.

“当然不行，”精灵说道。

‘Well,’ said the Horse, ‘there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert (and he’s a Howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won’t trot.’

“这就是了，”马儿说道，“你那片呼啸大漠正中央（他自己也是个爱嚎叫的家伙）住着个家伙，长脖子，长腿，从礼拜一早上到现在，一点活儿都没干过。他也不肯小跑。”

‘Whew!’ said the Djinn, whistling, ‘that’s my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?’

“哟嗬！”精灵吹了声口哨，说道，“凭阿拉伯所有的金子起誓，那准是我的骆驼！他自己怎么说？”

‘He says “Humph!”’ said the Dog; ‘and he won’t fetch and carry.’

“他就说‘哼！’，”狗儿说道，“也不肯衔东西送东西。”

‘Does he say anything else?’

“他还说了别的什么吗？”

‘Only “Humph!”; and he won’t plough,’ said the Ox.

“就只说‘哼！’，也不肯耕地，”牛儿说道。

‘Very good,’ said the Djinn. ‘I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.’

“很好，”精灵说道。“你们稍等一下，我这就去让他哼个够。”

The Djinn rolled himself up in his dust-cloak, and took a bearing across the desert, and found the Camel most ‘scruciatingly idle, looking at his own reflection in a pool of water.

精灵把自己裹进尘土斗篷里，穿过沙漠找了个方向，果然找到了那只懒洋洋得要命的骆驼，正对着一汪水照自己的影子呢。

‘My long and bubbling friend,’ said the Djinn, ‘what’s this I hear of your doing no work, with the world so new-and-all?’

“我这位脖子长长、爱吐泡泡的朋友啊，”精灵说道，“这世界这么年轻，我听说你什么活都不干，这是怎么回事？”

‘Humph!’ said the Camel.

“哼！”骆驼说道。

The Djinn sat down, with his chin in his hand, and began to think a Great Magic, while the Camel looked at his own reflection in the pool of water.

精灵坐了下来，托着下巴，开始琢磨起一个大魔法来，骆驼呢，还在照着水里自己的影子。

‘You’ve given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning, all on account of your ‘scruciating idleness,’ said the Djinn; and he went on thinking Magics, with his chin in his hand.

“打从礼拜一早上起，你就一直因为自己懒得要命，害得三位多干了不少活，”精灵说道；他仍旧托着下巴，接着琢磨他的魔法。

‘Humph!’ said the Camel.

“哼！”骆驼说道。

‘I shouldn’t say that again if I were you,’ said the Djinn; you might say it once too often. Bubbles, I want you to work.’

“要是我是你呀，可不敢再这么说了，”精灵说道，“你说不定会说得太多次了。泡泡先生，我要你去干活。”

And the Camel said ‘Humph!’ again; but no sooner had he said it than he saw his back, that he was so proud of, puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping humph.

骆驼又说了句“哼！”；可这话刚一出口，他就看见自己那副原本引以为傲的背，正鼓起来、鼓起来，鼓成了一个又大又晃悠的驼峰。

‘Do you see that?’ said the Djinn. ‘That’s your very own humph that you’ve brought upon your very own self by not working. To-day is Thursday, and you’ve done no work since Monday, when the work began. Now you are going to work.’

“你瞧见了吗？”精灵说道。“那就是你自己的驼峰，是你自己不肯干活给自己招来的。今天是礼拜四，从礼拜一开工那天起你就没干过一点活。现在你该去干活了。”

‘How can I,’ said the Camel, ‘with this humph on my back?’

“背上顶着这个驼峰，我怎么干得了活呢？”骆驼说道。

‘That’s made a-purpose,’ said the Djinn, ‘all because you missed those three days. You will be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your humph; and don’t you ever say I never did anything for you. Come out of the Desert and go to the Three, and behave. Humph yourself!’

“这就是特意给你弄的，”精灵说道，“全是因为你旷了那三天工。如今你就算三天不吃东西也能干活了，因为你能靠这驼峰过日子；你可千万别说我没为你做过什么。快从沙漠里出来，去找那三位，学着规矩点。快去哼你的驼峰吧！”

And the Camel humphed himself, humph and all, and went away to join the Three. And from that day to this the Camel always wears a humph (we call it ‘hump’ now, not to hurt his feelings); but he has never yet caught up with the three days that he missed at the beginning of the world, and he has never yet learned how to behave.

于是骆驼驼起了自己的驼峰，连同一切，动身去找那三位了。从那天起一直到今天，骆驼都一直顶着这个驼峰（如今我们都叫它“驼峰”，免得伤了他的感情）；可他始终没能补上他在世界之初旷掉的那三天工，也始终没学会该怎么规矩做人。

The Camel’s hump is an ugly lump Which well you may see at the Zoo; But uglier yet is the hump we get From having too little to do.

骆驼的驼峰是个丑疙瘩， 去动物园你就能瞧个明白； 可更丑的疙瘩呀，是我们 没事可干时长出来的那个。

Kiddies and grown-ups too-oo-oo, If we haven’t enough to do-oo-oo, We get the hump— Cameelious hump— The hump that is black and blue!

小孩子也好，大人也罢， 要是没事可做， 我们也会长出驼峰—— 骆驼式的驼峰—— 那又青又紫的疙瘩！

We climb out of bed with a frouzly head And a snarly-yarly voice. We shiver and scowl and we grunt and we growl At our bath and our boots and our toys;

我们顶着乱蓬蓬的脑袋爬下床， 还带着嘟嘟囔囔的嗓音。 我们直哆嗦，皱着眉，又哼哼又嘟囔， 冲着洗澡水、靴子和玩具发脾气；

And there ought to be a corner for me (And I know there is one for you) When we get the hump— Cameelious hump— The hump that is black and blue!

这世上总该有个角落留给我， （我知道也有个角落留给你，） 每当我们长出这驼峰—— 骆驼式的驼峰—— 那又青又紫的疙瘩！

The cure for this ill is not to sit still, Or frowst with a book by the fire; But to take a large hoe and a shovel also, And dig till you gently perspire;

治这毛病的法子可不是干坐着， 也不是窝在炉火边捧本书发闷； 而是拿把大锄头，再拿把铁铲， 挖啊挖，挖到微微出汗为止；

And then you will find that the sun and the wind. And the Djinn of the Garden too, Have lifted the hump— The horrible hump— The hump that is black and blue!

到那时你就会发现，阳光和风， 还有花园里的精灵， 早已替你消掉了驼峰—— 那可怕的驼峰—— 那又青又紫的疙瘩！

I get it as well as you-oo-oo— If I haven’t enough to do-oo-oo— We all get hump— Cameelious hump— Kiddies and grown-ups too!

我跟你一样也会长出这毛病—— 要是我没事可做的话—— 我们都会长出驼峰—— 骆驼式的驼峰—— 小孩子也好，大人也罢！