195
0The Story About Ping
小鸭子平平的故事
By Marjori Flack and Kurt Wiese
作者：马乔里・弗莱克、库尔特・魏斯
1983 Published by Viking PressIncorporated
1983 年由维京出版社出版
Narrated by Timothy Lee
讲述者：蒂莫西・李
Once upon a time there was abeautiful young duck named Ping.
从前，有一只漂亮的小鸭子，名叫平平。
Ping lived with his mother and hisfather and two sisters and three brothers and eleven aunts and seven uncles andforty-two cousins.
平平和爸爸妈妈、两个姐姐、三个哥哥、十一个阿姨、七个叔叔，还有四十二个表兄弟姐妹生活在一起。
Their home was a boat with two wiseeyes on the Yangtze river.
他们的家是长江上一艘有着两只 “智慧眼睛” 的船。
Each morning as the sun rose fromthe east, Ping and his mother and his father and sisters and brothers and auntsand uncles and his forty-two cousins all marched, one by one, down a littlebridge to the shore of the Yangtze river.
每天清晨，太阳从东方升起时，平平就会和爸爸妈妈、兄弟姐妹、叔叔阿姨还有四十二个表兄弟姐妹一起，一只接一只地沿着一座小桥，走到长江岸边。
All day they would hunt for snailsand little fishes and other pleasant things to eat. But in the evening as thesun set in the west, "La-la-la-la-lei!" would call the Master of theboat.
他们一整天都在水里找蜗牛、小鱼，还有其他好吃的东西。可到了傍晚，太阳往西边落下时，船上的主人就会喊：“啦—— 啦 —— 啦 —— 啦 —— 嘞！”
Quickly Ping and all his many familywould come scurrying, quickly they would march, one by one, up over the littlebridge and on to the wise-eyed boat which was their home on the Yangtze river.
平平和一大群家人就会赶紧跑过来，又一只接一只地快步走上小桥，回到那艘有着 “智慧眼睛” 的船上 —— 那是他们在长江上的家。
Ping was always careful, very verycareful not to be last, because the last duck to cross over the bridge alwaysgot a spank on the back.
平平总是特别小心，非常非常小心，绝不当最后一个，因为最后一只过小桥的鸭子，总会被人在背上打一下。
But one afternoon as the shadowsgrew long, Ping did not hear the call because at that moment Ping was wrongside up trying to catch a little fish.
可一天下午，天色渐渐暗下来的时候，平平没听到呼喊声，因为那会儿他正倒栽着身子，努力去抓一条小鱼呢。
By the time Ping was right side uphis mother and his father and his aunts were already marching, one by one, upover the bridge. By the time Ping neared the shore, his uncles and his cousinswere marching over, and by the time Ping reached the shore the last of hisforty-two cousins had crossed the bridge!
等平平把身子正过来时，爸爸妈妈和阿姨们已经一只接一只地走上小桥了。等平平快到岸边时，叔叔们和表兄弟姐妹也在过桥了。等平平好不容易赶到岸边，他那四十二个表兄弟姐妹中最后一只也已经过了桥！
Ping knew he would be last, the verylast duck if he crossed the bridge. Ping did not want to be spanked. So he hid.
平平知道，要是自己现在过桥，肯定会是最后一只，绝对是最后一只。平平可不想被打，于是他就躲了起来。
Ping hid behind the grasses, and asthe dark came and the pale moon shone in the sky Ping watched the wise-eyedboat slowly sail away down the Yangtze river.
平平藏在草丛后面，天色越来越暗，天上挂着淡淡的月亮，他眼睁睁看着那艘有着 “智慧眼睛” 的船慢慢顺着长江开走了。
All night long Ping slept near thegrasses on the bank of the river with his head tucked under his wing, and whenthe sun rose up from the east Ping found he was all alone on the Yangtze river.
整整一夜，平平都睡在江边的草丛旁，脑袋埋在翅膀下面。等第二天太阳从东方升起，平平发现自己独自一人留在了长江边。
There was no father or mother, nosisters or brothers, no aunts or uncles and no forty-two cousins to go fishingwith Ping, so Ping started out to find them, swimming down the yellow waters ofthe Yangtze river.
没有爸爸，没有妈妈，没有兄弟姐妹，没有叔叔阿姨，也没有四十二个表兄弟姐妹陪他一起钓鱼了。于是平平出发去找他们，顺着长江浑浊的江水游去。
As the sun rose higher in the sky,boats came, Big boats and little boats, fishing boats and beggars' boats, houseboats and raft boats, and all these boats had eyes to see with, but nowherecould Ping see the wise-eyed boat which was his home.
太阳越升越高，江面上开来了各种各样的船：大船、小船，渔船、乞丐船，住家船、筏子船。这些船都有 “眼睛”，可平平哪儿也找不到那艘有着 “智慧眼睛” 的船 —— 他的家。
Then came a boat full of strangedark fishing birds. Ping saw them diving for fish for their Master. As eachbird brought a fish to his Master he would give it a little piece of fish forpay.
后来，开来了一艘船，船上满是样子奇怪的深色鱼鹰。平平看见它们扎进水里，为船主捕鱼。每只鱼鹰给船主叼来一条鱼，船主就会赏给它一小块鱼当报酬。
Close and closer swooped the fishingbirds near Ping. Now Ping could see shining rings around their necks, rings ofmetal made so tight the birds could never swallow the big fish they werecatching.
鱼鹰们一圈圈地飞着，离平平越来越近。这会儿平平看清了，它们脖子上都套着闪闪的圆环，是金属做的，套得紧紧的，这样鱼鹰就没法吞下捕到的大鱼了。
Swoop, splash, splash, the ringedbirds were dashing here and there all about Ping, so down he ducked and swamunder the yellow water of the Yangtze river.
鱼鹰们 “嗖” 地一下扎进水里，“扑通”“扑通” 地在平平周围到处乱窜。平平赶紧把头扎进水里，顺着长江浑浊的江水游开了。
When Ping came up to the top of thewater far away from the fishing birds, he found little crumbs floating, tenderlittle rice cake crumbs which made a path to a house boat.
等平平游到离鱼鹰很远的地方，探出头来，发现水面上漂着些小碎屑 —— 是嫩嫩的米糕碎，这些碎屑形成一条小路，通向一艘住家船。
As Ping ate these crumbs, he camenearer and nearer to the house boat, then----
平平一边吃着碎屑，一边一点点靠近那艘住家船，可就在这时 ——
SPLASH!
“扑通！”
There in the water was a Boy! Alittle boy with barrel on his back which was tied to a rope from the boat justas all boat boys on the Yangtze river are tied to their boats. In the Boy's handwas a rice cake.
水里突然冒出个小男孩！他背上背着个木桶，木桶用绳子系在船上，就像长江上所有船上的孩子一样，都用绳子拴在船上。小男孩手里拿着一块米糕。
"Oh-owoo!" cried thelittle Boy, and up dashed Ping and snatched at the rice cake.
“哦 —— 呜！” 小男孩叫了一声，平平一下子冲过去，叼住了米糕。
Quickly the Boy grabbed Ping andheld him tight.
小男孩赶紧抓住平平，抓得紧紧的。
