第59章 织补针 The Darning－Needle（2 / 2）

“You are, no doubt, a diaond?”

“是的，差不多是那样的东西。”

“Yes, sothg of that sort.”

于是它们彼此都认为对方是非常珍贵的东西，它们一起谈论起这个世界，以及它是多么傲慢。

And so each thought the other sothg very precio, and they talked together of the world, and of how haughty it is.

“我曾和一位小姐在一起，在一个小盒子里，” 织补针说，“这位小姐是厨娘；她每只手上有五根手指。在我一生中，我从没见过像这些手指这么自以为是的东西！然而它们只是在那儿把我从盒子里拿出来，再把我放回去而已！”

“I was with a certa iss, a little box,” said the darng-needle, “and this iss was ok; and on each hand she had five fgers. In y whole life I have never seen anythg so ceited as these fgers! Ahey were only there to take out of the box and to put bato it aga!”

“那么，它们出身高贵吗？” 碎玻璃瓶问道。

“were they, then, of noble birth?” asked the broken bottle.

“高贵！” 织补针说；“不，但是自命不凡！有五个兄弟，都是‘手指’家族的后代。它们总是在一起，尽管它们长短不一。最外面的那根，小拇指，又短又粗；他走在边上，稍稍在队伍前面一点：他的背部也只有一个关节，所以他只能鞠一个躬；但他说，如果有人把他砍掉，这样的人就不再适合服兵役了。食指，也就是贪吃指，会去探究甜的东西，也会探究酸的东西，会指向太阳和月亮，而且写字的时候也是他用力。”

“Noble!” said the darng-needle; “no, but high-ihere were five brothers, all desdants of the ‘Fger’ faily. they always kept together, although they were of differehs. the outerost one, little thub, was short and stout; he went at the side, a little front of the ranks: he had, too, but o his back, so that he uld only ake one bow; but he said, if a ao cut hi off, such a one were no longer fit for ilitary service. Sweet-tooth, the sed fger, pryed to what was sweet, as well as to what was sour, poio the sun and oon, a was that gave stress when they wrote.

中指，也就是高个子老三，轻蔑地扭头看着其他手指。无名指，也就是金腰带老四，身上围着一条金腰带呢！而小不点儿整天玩耍指什么都不做，他还为此非常得意。净是吹牛，吹牛，除了吹牛还是吹牛，于是我就离开了。

Longan, the third brother, looked at the others ptuoly over his shoulder. Goldri, the fourth, wore a golden girdle round his body! and the little peter pyallday did nothg at all, of which he was very proud. ’as boastg, and boastg, and nothg but boastg, and so away I went.”

“而现在我们就坐在这儿闪闪发光。” 碎玻璃瓶说。

“And now we sit here and glitter,” said the broken gss bottle.

就在这时，更多的水顺着排水沟流过来；水从水槽边溢出来，把那块玻璃瓶片也一起冲走了。

At the sa ont ore water ca along the gutter; it stread over the sides and carried the bit of bottle away with it.

“嗯，那倒是一种提升呢。” 织补针说，“我还留在原地：我太精致了；但这正是我的骄傲之处，就该受到尊重。” 于是它就那么骄傲地坐在那儿，心里冒出许多了不起的想法。

“well, that’s an adva,” said the darng-needle. “I rea where I a: I a too fe; but that is jt y pride, and as such is to be respected.” And there it sat so proudly, and had any grand thoughts.

“我几乎都要认为自己是由一束阳光孕育而生的了，我是如此精致！在我看来，好像阳光也一直在水底寻找我呢。啊！我太精致了，以至于我妈妈都找不到我了！要是我那只坏掉的旧眼睛还在，我真觉得自己都能哭出来了；但我不会 —— 哭！不，哭是不文雅的！”

“I should alost thk that I was born of a sunbea, so fe a I! It sees to , too, as if the sunbeas were always seekg beh the surface of the water. Ah! I a so fihat y other is uo fd ! had I y old eye that broke, I verily thk I uld weep; but I would not — weep! no, it’s not geo weep!”

一天，两个男孩在水槽里翻找东西，他们在那儿找到了旧钉子、便士硬币之类的东西。这活儿挺脏的；不过，他们却从中得到了乐趣。

one day o boys ca ruagg about the sk, where they found old nails, farthgs, and such sort of thgs. It was dirty work; however, they took pleasure it.

“哎哟！” 一个被针刺痛的男孩叫道，“这儿有个家伙。”

“oh!” cried one who had pricked hiself with the needle, “there’s a fellow for you.”

“我不是家伙，我是位女士！” 织补针说；但没人听到它的话。

“I a no fellow, I a a dy!” said the darng-needle; but no one heard it.

封蜡已经脱落了，它变得漆黑；但黑色会让人看起来更苗条，针觉得自己看起来比以往任何时候都更娇弱了。

the sealg-wax had worn off, and it had bee quite bck; but bck akes one look ore slender, and the needle fa looked ore delicate than ever.

“这儿有个蛋壳漂过来啦！” 男孩们说；然后他们把针竖直插在了蛋壳里。

“here es an egg-shell sailg along!” said the boys; and theuck the needle upright the egg-shell.

“墙是白色的，而我是黑色的，” 针说，“这样很相称！现在人们能看到我了！但愿我不会晕船，不然我会折断的。”

“the walls white and yself bck,” said the needle. “that is beg! people see now! If only I do not get seasick, for then I shall snap.”

但它没有晕船，也没有折断。

but it was not sea-sick, and did not snap.

“有个钢铁般的胃对防治晕船很有好处，而且别忘了自己可比普通人强多了！现在我的晕船症状已经过去了。人越娇贵，就越能忍耐！”

“It is good for sea-siess to have a stoach of steel, and not tet that one is sothg ore than a huan beg! Now y sea-siess is over. the fer one is, the ore one endure!”

“咔嚓！” 蛋壳碎了：一个轮子从上面碾了过去。

“crack!” said the egg-shell: a wheel went over it.

“天哪！压得多沉呀！” 针说，“现在我要晕船了！我要折断了！” 但尽管轮子从它身上碾了过去，它却没有折断。

“Good heavens! how heavy that presses!” said the needle. “Now I shall be sea-sick! I snap!” but it did not snap, although a wheel went over it.

它平躺在那儿，而且可能还会一直躺在那儿呢。

It y there at full length, and there it ay lie still.