The Town Musicians (Bremen Town Musicians)

A donkey had grown so old and feeble that he was of no more use to his master.

一头驴子已经老得体弱不堪，对主人再也没什么用处了。

One night he heard his master and mistress talking together. “I wonder you still keep that donkey,” said the woman; “he is of no use to you, and you only waste your money buying food for him.”

一天夜里，它听见主人和女主人在说话。“我真奇怪你怎么还留着那头驴子，”那女人说道，“它对你已经没什么用了，你还白白花钱买草料喂它。”

“That is true,” answered the man. “I would do well to get rid of him. I might sell his hide to the tanner.”

“说得没错，”男人答道。“我该把它处理掉才对。我可以把它的皮卖给硝皮匠。”

When the donkey heard this he knew it was time for him to be going, if he wished to keep his skin for his own use. He pushed the stable-door open with his nose, and made off down the road without saying good-by to anyone. “I may be too weak to work,” said he, “but my voice is still strong. I will go to the big city and become a musician.”

驴子听见这话，便明白自己是时候该走了，要是它还想保住自己这张皮的话。它用鼻子把马厩的门顶开，头也不回地沿着大路溜走了，谁也没告诉。“我或许没力气干活了，”它说道，“可我的嗓门还挺响亮。我要去大城市当个音乐家。”

He had not gone far when he saw an old hound lying beside the road and whining. “Well, old Bellmouth,” said the donkey, “what ails you? You seem to be in trouble.”

它没走多远，就看见一只老猎犬躺在路边呜咽着。“喂，老铃嘴，”驴子说道，“你怎么了？看你这样子好像遇到什么麻烦了。”

“Trouble indeed,” answered the hound. “I have grown so old and stiff that I am no longer able to run with the pack, so my master had no more use for me. He drove me away and threw stones after me. What is to become of me now I do not know. If my master would not keep me I am sure no one else will.”

“真是麻烦大了，”猎犬答道。“我已经老得浑身僵硬，再也没法跟着猎队奔跑了，我主人便觉得我没什么用了。他把我赶了出来，还朝我扔石头。我现在也不知道自己该怎么办了。要是连我主人都不肯留我，我想别人就更不会留我了。”

“Do not trouble yourself over that,” said the donkey. “I am going to the city to be a musician, and if you like you shall come along and sing with me. I know you have a fine voice, and we two together may make our fortunes.”

“这个你不用发愁，”驴子说道。“我正要去城里当音乐家，你要是愿意，就跟我一起来唱歌吧。我知道你的嗓子很不错，咱们俩联手，说不定能闯出一番名堂来。”

The hound was pleased with this idea. He got to his feet, and he and the donkey went on together in company.

猎犬听了这个主意很高兴。它站起身来，便和驴子一起结伴上路了。

A little while after they came to where a cat sat in the grass by the roadside, looking as sad and doleful as a rainy day in fall.

没过多久，他们来到一处地方，见一只猫坐在路边的草丛里，看上去愁眉苦脸的，就像秋天里一个下雨天那样阴沉。

“What is the matter with you, Whiskers?” asked the donkey. “You look as though all the cream were sour and all the rats were dead.”

“你怎么了，胡须先生？”驴子问道。“你这模样，就像所有的奶油都酸了，所有的老鼠都死光了似的。”

“There is no cream for me nowadays,” said the cat, “and though there are plenty of rats I am too old to catch them. I am no longer quick and active, and I would rather sit by the fire and purr. For this reason my mistress has driven me out of the house with a broom, and I have no place to go. What would you advise me to do in such a case?”

“我如今可没什么奶油可享用了，”猫说道，“老鼠倒是不缺，可我年纪太大，捉不动了。我如今不再敏捷灵活，倒宁愿坐在炉火边打呼噜。就因为这个，我女主人拿着扫帚把我赶出了家门，我现在也没地方可去。这种情况下，你说我该怎么办才好？”

“Come with us,” said the donkey. “Brother Bellmouth and I are going to the city to be musicians, and if you choose to come along and join your voice with ours we shall be glad to have you.”

“跟我们一起走吧，”驴子说道。“铃嘴兄弟和我正要去城里当音乐家，你要是愿意一起来，把你的嗓音也加进我们当中，我们会很乐意有你同行的。”

The cat was delighted, and leaping out into the road it trotted along beside the others.

猫听了十分高兴，便一跃跳到路上，跟在他们旁边小跑起来。

Presently they came to a farmyard, and a cock had flown up on the gate post. It stretched its neck and crowed, and crowed again.

不一会儿，他们来到一处农家的院子，一只公鸡正飞落在大门柱子上。它伸长脖子，打了个鸣，又打了一个鸣。

“Enough! Enough!” cried the donkey. “Do you want to split our ears with your crowing?”

“够了！够了！”驴子喊道。“你打鸣打得这么响，是想把我们的耳朵震裂吗？”

“I must crow while I can,” said the cock, “for that is my business. Every morning I crow to wake the men, and I also crow to tell what weather we will have. But I heard the mistress say that company was coming to-morrow and that she must make me into soup, so my crowing days are almost over.”

“我能打鸣的时候就得打鸣，”公鸡说道，“这是我的本分。每天早晨我都要打鸣叫醒大家，还得打鸣预报天气如何。可我听见女主人说，明天有客人要来，她打算把我炖了做汤，所以我打鸣的日子也快到头了。”

“That is a bad business,” said the donkey. “You had better come with us. We are going to the city to become musicians, and such a voice as yours would be a great help.”

“这可真是件糟糕的事，”驴子说道。“你还是跟我们一起走吧。我们正要去城里当音乐家，像你这样的好嗓子，一定能帮上大忙。”

The cock did not wait to be asked twice. He flew down from the gatepost and flapped along beside them, but this was tiresome, so the donkey bade the cock fly up on to his back, and after that Master Red-head rode along in comfort.

公鸡用不着人家问第二遍。它从门柱上飞了下来，扑扇着翅膀跟在他们旁边走，可这样走起来太费劲了，于是驴子便叫公鸡飞到自己的背上，从那以后，红头先生便舒舒服服地骑在驴背上赶路了。

Presently it began to grow dark, and still the musicians had not come within sight of the big city. Instead they came to a deep wood, and after wandering about in it for some time they grew so weary that they decided to go no farther that night. The donkey and the hound lay down under a large tree, the cat climbed up to a crotch of the branches, while the cock was not content to roost anywhere but at the top of the tree.

不一会儿，天色渐渐暗了下来，这几位音乐家却还没望见那座大城市的踪影。相反，他们来到了一片幽深的树林，在里面转悠了好一阵子，都累得不行了，便决定当晚不再往前走了。驴子和猎犬躺在一棵大树底下，猫爬到树杈上，公鸡却不肯栖息在别处，非要栖到树梢顶上不可。

He had not been sitting there long when he said, “Brothers, I see a light not far off. There must be a house there.”

它才刚在上面坐下没多久，便说道：“兄弟们，我看见不远处有一处灯光。那里一定有座房子。”

“That is good news,” said the donkey. “I for one have no liking for sleeping on the bare ground. Perhaps if we go there and sing they may give us a night’s lodging.”

“这可是个好消息，”驴子说道。“我可不喜欢睡在光秃秃的地上。也许我们过去唱唱歌，他们会愿意留我们借宿一晚呢。”

This plan suited the others. The cat and the cock came down from the tree, and the four musicians set out together in the direction of the light.

大家都赞同这个主意。猫和公鸡从树上下来，四位音乐家便一同朝那灯光的方向走去。

It was not long before they came to a house and the light the cock had seen shone through a lower window. The donkey, being the largest, was chosen to look in through the window and tell the others what he saw.

没走多久，他们便来到一座房子跟前，公鸡看见的那点灯光正从楼下的一扇窗户里透出来。驴子个头最大，便被推举去朝窗里看看，把看到的情形告诉大家。

The donkey looked so long and so silently that the others grew impatient. “Well, Brother Greycoat, what do you see?” asked the hound.

驴子看了好久好久，一声不吭，弄得大家都不耐烦了。“怎么样，灰袄兄弟，你看见什么了？”猎犬问道。

“Brothers,” said the donkey in a low voice, “I can easily see that this house belongs to a band of robbers. They have a quantity of treasure piled up in one corner of the room, and they are sitting around the table eating and drinking.”

“兄弟们，”驴子低声说道，“我一眼就看出，这座房子是一伙强盗的老巢。他们在屋子的一个角落里堆着一大堆财宝，眼下正围坐在桌边吃吃喝喝呢。”

“Oh, if we could only scare them away and take the treasure for ourselves! Robbers are always cowards,” said the dog.

“哦，要是我们能把他们吓跑，把这些财宝据为己有该多好！强盗都是些胆小鬼，”狗说道。

The four companions consulted together and laid out a plan for frightening the robbers away. The donkey put his front feet up on the windowsill, the dog mounted on his back, the cat mounted on the dog’s back, and the cock flew up on to the cat. Then at a certain signal they all began to sing together. The donkey brayed, the dog howled, the cat miaued, and the cock crowed. The noise they made was terrible. The robbers jumped up in a fright, and as soon as the animals saw they were frightened they smashed the glass and sprang into the room.

四个伙伴商量了一番，定下了一个把强盗们吓跑的计划。驴子把两只前蹄搭在窗台上，狗爬到它背上，猫又爬到狗背上，公鸡则飞到猫身上。随后，听到某个信号，他们便一齐唱了起来。驴子嘶鸣，狗狂吠，猫喵叫，公鸡打鸣。他们发出的声响可怕极了。强盗们吓得跳了起来，动物们一见他们受了惊吓，便打碎玻璃，一齐跳进了屋里。

The robbers fled out of the door pell-mell and into the woods without stopping to look behind them.

强盗们乱作一团，夺门而出，一头钻进树林，谁也顾不上回头看一眼。

“That was easily done,” said the donkey. The animals then sat down at the table and ate and drank to their hearts’ content. After that they put out the lights, and then they settled down for the night, each one in the most comfortable place it could find. The donkey lay down on a heap of straw outside, the dog curled up behind the door, the cat settled down on the warm ashes, and the cock flew up and perched on the rafters. Then they all went to sleep.

“这事办得倒挺轻松，”驴子说道。这几只动物便坐到桌边，尽情地吃喝起来。吃喝完毕，他们又熄了灯，各自找了个最舒服的地方安顿下来，准备过夜。驴子躺在屋外一堆干草上，狗蜷缩在门后，猫窝在还温热的炉灰里，公鸡则飞上房梁栖息着。随后他们便都睡着了。

Out in the forest the robbers wandered about for awhile, and then they all got together and talked things over.

那些强盗在树林里游荡了一阵子，随后聚在一起商量起来。

“We were very foolish to be so easily frightened,” said the captain. “I have been listening and watching, and everything is quiet around the house and the lights are out. Let us go back there and see if anyone is there.”

“我们被吓成这样，真是太傻了，”头目说道。“我一直在留神听着、看着，那房子周围一片安静，灯也都熄了。咱们回去看看那里还有没有人。”

To this the others agreed. They crept back to the house, and the captain sent one of the men inside to see what was doing.

其余的人都同意了这个主意。他们悄悄溜回房子，头目派了一个手下进去看看情况。

The man went in and looked about, and saw the cat’s eyes shining in the dark. He thought they were live coals, and as he needed a light he went up and stuck a stick toward them, meaning to light it.

这人走了进去，四下张望，看见猫的眼睛在黑暗中闪着光。他以为那是燃烧的炭火，因为他正需要点个火，便凑上前去，伸出一根木棍去点火。

At once the cat sprang up with a yowl and scratched his face. The man was terrified. He ran to the door and the dog sprang out and bit him. He tumbled out into the courtyard and the donkey kicked him. The noise wakened the cock and it stretched its neck and crowed “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

猫立刻嗷地一声跳起来，抓伤了他的脸。这人吓坏了。他跑向门口，狗猛地扑出来咬了他一口。他跌跌撞撞地滚到了院子里，驴子又踢了他一脚。这阵响动惊醒了公鸡，它伸长脖子叫了一声：“喔喔喔——喔！”

The robber ran back to his captain trembling. “Let us get away!” he cried. “A horrible witch sits by the hearth, and she flew at me screaming, and bit and scratched me. A man back of the door stuck a knife in my leg. Outside a hideous black thing hit me with a club, and on the roof sits a judge who cried, ‘Bring the rascal here!’”

这强盗吓得浑身发抖，跑回去找他的头目。“咱们快逃吧！”他喊道。“炉边坐着一个可怕的女巫，她朝我尖叫着扑了过来，又是咬又是抓的。门后有个人拿刀子朝我腿上就是一刀。外面有个丑陋的黑东西用棍子打了我一下，屋顶上还坐着个法官，喊着‘把这坏蛋给我抓来！’”

The robbers waited to hear no more; they took to their heels and ran away, and if they have not stopped they must be running still.

强盗们再也不等着往下听了；他们撒腿就跑，要是他们还没停下的话，此刻恐怕还在跑呢。

But the four comrades found it so comfortable in the robbers’ house that they stayed there and enjoyed the robbers’ treasure, and never went to the big city to become musicians after all.

可这四位伙伴发现待在强盗的屋子里实在太舒适了，便留了下来，尽情享用强盗留下的财宝，到头来始终也没去成那座大城市当音乐家。

Transcriber’s Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

Page vi, “Alladin” changed to “Aladdin” to reflect usage in text (Aladdin, or the Magic)