The Elephant's Child

In the High and Far-Off Times the Elephant, O Best Beloved, had no trunk. He had only a blackish, bulgy nose, as big as a boot, that he could wriggle about from side to side; but he couldn’t pick up things with it. But there was one Elephant—a new Elephant—an Elephant’s Child—who was full of ‘satiable curtiosity, and that means he asked ever so many questions. And he lived in Africa, and he filled all Africa with his ‘satiable curtiosities.

在那高远的古时候，我的宝贝，大象是没有鼻子的。他只有一个黑乎乎、鼓鼓囊囊的鼻子，跟靴子差不多大，能左右晃来晃去，可就是不能用它捡东西。可是有一头象——一头新来的小象——一头象宝宝——他浑身上下都是"没完没了的好奇心"，也就是说，他老爱问这问那的问题。他住在非洲，把整个非洲都装满了他那"没完没了的好奇心"。

He asked his tall aunt, the Ostrich, why her tail-feathers grew just so, and his tall aunt the Ostrich spanked him with her hard, hard claw. He asked his tall uncle, the Giraffe, what made his skin spotty, and his tall uncle, the Giraffe, spanked him with his hard, hard hoof. And still he was full of ‘satiable curtiosity!

他问他那位高高的鸵鸟婶婶，她的尾羽为什么长成那个样子，他那位高高的鸵鸟婶婶就用她那硬邦邦、硬邦邦的爪子打了他一顿。他又问他那位高高的长颈鹿叔叔，他的皮为什么长满斑点，他那位高高的长颈鹿叔叔就用他那硬邦邦、硬邦邦的蹄子打了他一顿。可他还是浑身上下都是"没完没了的好奇心"！

He asked his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, why her eyes were red, and his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, spanked him with her broad, broad hoof; and he asked his hairy uncle, the Baboon, why melons tasted just so, and his hairy uncle, the Baboon, spanked him with his hairy, hairy paw. And still he was full of ‘satiable curtiosity!

他问他那位宽宽的河马婶婶，她的眼睛为什么是红的，他那位宽宽的河马婶婶就用她那宽宽、宽宽的蹄子打了他一顿；他又问他那位毛茸茸的狒狒叔叔，甜瓜为什么是那个味道，他那位毛茸茸的狒狒叔叔就用他那毛茸茸、毛茸茸的爪子打了他一顿。可他还是浑身上下都是"没完没了的好奇心"！

He asked questions about everything that he saw, or heard, or felt, or smelt, or touched, and all his uncles and his aunts spanked him. And still he was full of ‘satiable curtiosity!

他见到什么、听到什么、感觉到什么、闻到什么、摸到什么，都要问个究竟，于是他的叔叔婶婶们全都打了他。可他还是浑身上下都是"没完没了的好奇心"！

One fine morning in the middle of the Precession of the Equinoxes this ‘satiable Elephant’s Child asked a new fine question that he had never asked before. He asked, ‘What does the Crocodile have for dinner?’ Then everybody said, ‘Hush!’ in a loud and dretful tone, and they spanked him immediately and directly, without stopping, for a long time.

在春秋分岁差运行到一半的一个晴朗早晨，这个"好奇心没完没了"的象宝宝提出了一个他从没问过的崭新问题。他问道："鳄鱼晚饭都吃些什么？"这一下大家都用又响又吓人的声音说："嘘！"接着立刻不停地狠狠打了他好一阵子。

By and by, when that was finished, he came upon Kolokolo Bird sitting in the middle of a wait-a-bit thorn-bush, and he said, ‘My father has spanked me, and my mother has spanked me; all my aunts and uncles have spanked me for my ‘satiable curtiosity; and still I want to know what the Crocodile has for dinner!’

打完之后，过了不久，他碰见了坐在一丛"等一等"荆棘中间的克洛克洛鸟，他说："我爸爸打过我了，我妈妈也打过我了；我所有的叔叔婶婶都因为我'没完没了的好奇心'打过我了；可我还是想知道鳄鱼晚饭都吃些什么！"

Then Kolokolo Bird said, with a mournful cry, ‘Go to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, and find out.’

克洛克洛鸟便用哀伤的叫声说："到那灰绿色、油腻腻的大林波波河岸边去，那儿到处长着热病树，自己去弄明白吧。"

That very next morning, when there was nothing left of the Equinoxes, because the Precession had preceded according to precedent, this ‘satiable Elephant’s Child took a hundred pounds of bananas (the little short red kind), and a hundred pounds of sugar-cane (the long purple kind), and seventeen melons (the greeny-crackly kind), and said to all his dear families, ‘Goodbye. I am going to the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, to find out what the Crocodile has for dinner.’ And they all spanked him once more for luck, though he asked them most politely to stop.

到了第二天早晨，岁差已经按照惯例运行完毕，再没有分点可言了，这个"好奇心没完没了"的象宝宝便带上一百磅香蕉（矮矮的红皮那种）、一百磅甘蔗（长长的紫皮那种），还有十七个甜瓜（青绿脆皮那种），对他所有亲爱的家人说："再见啦。我要到那灰绿色、油腻腻、到处长着热病树的大林波波河去，弄清楚鳄鱼晚饭都吃些什么。"于是大家又为图个吉利打了他一顿，虽然他客客气气地求他们别打了。

Then he went away, a little warm, but not at all astonished, eating melons, and throwing the rind about, because he could not pick it up.

于是他便走了，身上有点热乎乎的，但一点也不觉得惊讶，一路吃着甜瓜，把瓜皮到处乱扔，因为他没法把它们捡起来。

He went from Graham’s Town to Kimberley, and from Kimberley to Khama’s Country, and from Khama’s Country he went east by north, eating melons all the time, till at last he came to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, precisely as Kolokolo Bird had said.

他从格雷厄姆镇走到金伯利，又从金伯利走到卡马领地，从卡马领地他一路往东偏北走，一边走一边不停地吃甜瓜，终于来到了那灰绿色、油腻腻、到处长着热病树的大林波波河岸边，跟克洛克洛鸟说的一模一样。

Now you must know and understand, O Best Beloved, that till that very week, and day, and hour, and minute, this ‘satiable Elephant’s Child had never seen a Crocodile, and did not know what one was like. It was all his ‘satiable curtiosity.

我的宝贝，你必须知道并且明白，直到那一个星期、那一天、那一个钟头、那一分钟为止，这个"好奇心没完没了"的象宝宝从来没见过鳄鱼，也不知道鳄鱼长什么样。这全都是他那"没完没了的好奇心"闹的。

The first thing that he found was a Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake curled round a rock.

他碰见的第一样东西，是一条盘在石头上的双色蟒蛇。

‘’Scuse me,’ said the Elephant’s Child most politely, ‘but have you seen such a thing as a Crocodile in these promiscuous parts?’

"对不起，"象宝宝很有礼貌地说，"请问您在这一带杂七杂八的地方，有没有见过一种叫鳄鱼的东西？"

‘Have I seen a Crocodile?’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, in a voice of dretful scorn. ‘What will you ask me next?’

"我见过鳄鱼吗？"双色蟒蛇用一种十分轻蔑的语气说道。"你接下来还要问我什么？"

‘’Scuse me,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘but could you kindly tell me what he has for dinner?’

"对不起，"象宝宝说，"那能不能请您好心告诉我，他晚饭都吃些什么？"

Then the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake uncoiled himself very quickly from the rock, and spanked the Elephant’s Child with his scalesome, flailsome tail.

于是双色蟒蛇从石头上飞快地松开身子，用他那鳞光闪闪、甩来甩去的尾巴狠狠打了象宝宝一下。

‘That is odd,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘because my father and my mother, and my uncle and my aunt, not to mention my other aunt, the Hippopotamus, and my other uncle, the Baboon, have all spanked me for my ‘satiable curtiosity—and I suppose this is the same thing.

"这可真奇怪，"象宝宝说，"因为我爸爸、我妈妈，还有我叔叔、我婶婶，更不用说我另一位婶婶——河马，还有我另一位叔叔——狒狒，全都因为我'没完没了的好奇心'打过我了——我想这大概是同一回事吧。"

So he said good-bye very politely to the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, and helped to coil him up on the rock again, and went on, a little warm, but not at all astonished, eating melons, and throwing the rind about, because he could not pick it up, till he trod on what he thought was a log of wood at the very edge of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees.

于是他很有礼貌地向双色蟒蛇道了别，还帮着把他重新盘回到石头上，然后继续往前走，身上有点热乎乎的，可一点也不觉得惊讶，一路吃着甜瓜，把瓜皮到处乱扔，因为他没法把它们捡起来，一直走到他一脚踩上了他以为是一截木头的东西，那正好在那灰绿色、油腻腻、到处长着热病树的大林波波河边缘。

But it was really the Crocodile, O Best Beloved, and the Crocodile winked one eye—like this!

可那其实是鳄鱼，我的宝贝，鳄鱼眨了眨一只眼睛——就像这样！

‘’Scuse me,’ said the Elephant’s Child most politely, ‘but do you happen to have seen a Crocodile in these promiscuous parts?’

"对不起，"象宝宝很有礼貌地说，"请问您在这一带杂七杂八的地方，可曾见过一种叫鳄鱼的东西？"

Then the Crocodile winked the other eye, and lifted half his tail out of the mud; and the Elephant’s Child stepped back most politely, because he did not wish to be spanked again.

于是鳄鱼又眨了眨另一只眼睛，把半截尾巴从泥里抬了起来；象宝宝赶紧很有礼貌地往后退，因为他不想再挨一顿打。

‘Come hither, Little One,’ said the Crocodile. ‘Why do you ask such things?’

"到这儿来，小家伙，"鳄鱼说，"你为什么问这些事？"

‘’Scuse me,’ said the Elephant’s Child most politely, ‘but my father has spanked me, my mother has spanked me, not to mention my tall aunt, the Ostrich, and my tall uncle, the Giraffe, who can kick ever so hard, as well as my broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, and my hairy uncle, the Baboon, and including the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, with the scalesome, flailsome tail, just up the bank, who spanks harder than any of them; and so, if it’s quite all the same to you, I don’t want to be spanked any more.’

"对不起，"象宝宝很有礼貌地说，"我爸爸打过我，我妈妈打过我，更不用说我那位高高的鸵鸟婶婶，还有我那位能踢得很厉害的高高的长颈鹿叔叔，还有我那位宽宽的河马婶婶，我那位毛茸茸的狒狒叔叔，再加上刚才在岸上那条鳞光闪闪、甩来甩去尾巴的双色蟒蛇，他打得比谁都狠；所以，要是您不介意的话，我实在不想再挨打了。"

‘Come hither, Little One,’ said the Crocodile, ‘for I am the Crocodile,’ and he wept crocodile-tears to show it was quite true.

"到这儿来，小家伙，"鳄鱼说，"因为我就是那条鳄鱼，"他还流下了鳄鱼的眼泪，来证明这句话千真万确。

Then the Elephant’s Child grew all breathless, and panted, and kneeled down on the bank and said, ‘You are the very person I have been looking for all these long days. Will you please tell me what you have for dinner?’

于是象宝宝顿时喘不过气来，气喘吁吁地在岸边跪了下来，说："您正是我这些日子以来一直在寻找的人。请您告诉我，您晚饭都吃些什么，好吗？"

‘Come hither, Little One,’ said the Crocodile, ‘and I’ll whisper.’

"到这儿来，小家伙，"鳄鱼说，"我悄悄告诉你。"

Then the Elephant’s Child put his head down close to the Crocodile’s musky, tusky mouth, and the Crocodile caught him by his little nose, which up to that very week, day, hour, and minute, had been no bigger than a boot, though much more useful.

于是象宝宝把脑袋凑近鳄鱼那带着麝香味、长着獠牙的大嘴，鳄鱼一口咬住了他那小小的鼻子，那鼻子直到那一个星期、那一天、那一个钟头、那一分钟为止，都不过跟一只靴子差不多大，虽说比靴子有用得多。

‘I think, said the Crocodile—and he said it between his teeth, like this—‘I think to-day I will begin with Elephant’s Child!’

"我想，"鳄鱼说——他是咬着牙这么说的，就像这样——"我想今天我就先从象宝宝开始吃起吧！"

At this, O Best Beloved, the Elephant’s Child was much annoyed, and he said, speaking through his nose, like this, ‘Led go! You are hurtig be!’

听到这话，我的宝贝，象宝宝十分恼火，他捏着鼻子说话，就像这样，说道："放松我！你弄疼我了！"

Then the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake scuffled down from the bank and said, ‘My young friend, if you do not now, immediately and instantly, pull as hard as ever you can, it is my opinion that your acquaintance in the large-pattern leather ulster’ (and by this he meant the Crocodile) ‘will jerk you into yonder limpid stream before you can say Jack Robinson.’

这时双色蟒蛇从岸上急急忙忙地爬了下来，说："我的小朋友，你要是现在不立刻、马上，用尽全身的力气拼命往后拉，依我看，你那位穿着大花纹皮外套的朋友"（他这是指鳄鱼）"会在你还来不及说一声'杰克·罗宾逊'之前，就把你猛地拽进那边清澈的河水里去。"

This is the way Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snakes always talk.

双色蟒蛇说话向来就是这个调调。

Then the Elephant’s Child sat back on his little haunches, and pulled, and pulled, and pulled, and his nose began to stretch. And the Crocodile floundered into the water, making it all creamy with great sweeps of his tail, and he pulled, and pulled, and pulled.

于是象宝宝一屁股坐回他那小小的后腿上，拼命拉呀，拉呀，拉呀，他的鼻子便开始拉长了。鳄鱼在水里扑腾起来，尾巴一阵阵猛扫，把水搅得一片乳白，他也拉呀，拉呀，拉呀。

And the Elephant’s Child’s nose kept on stretching; and the Elephant’s Child spread all his little four legs and pulled, and pulled, and pulled, and his nose kept on stretching; and the Crocodile threshed his tail like an oar, and he pulled, and pulled, and pulled, and at each pull the Elephant’s Child’s nose grew longer and longer—and it hurt him hijjus!

象宝宝的鼻子不停地在拉长；象宝宝把他那四条小短腿都叉开，拼命拉呀，拉呀，拉呀，他的鼻子还在不停地拉长；鳄鱼像划桨似的甩着尾巴，他也拉呀，拉呀，拉呀，每拉一下，象宝宝的鼻子就变得更长一些——疼得他要命！

Then the Elephant’s Child felt his legs slipping, and he said through his nose, which was now nearly five feet long, ‘This is too butch for be!’

这时象宝宝觉得自己的腿都在打滑了，他捏着鼻子说话，那鼻子如今已经差不多有五英尺长了，他说："这对偶来说太过份了！"

Then the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake came down from the bank, and knotted himself in a double-clove-hitch round the Elephant’s Child’s hind legs, and said, ‘Rash and inexperienced traveller, we will now seriously devote ourselves to a little high tension, because if we do not, it is my impression that yonder self-propelling man-of-war with the armour-plated upper deck’ (and by this, O Best Beloved, he meant the Crocodile), ‘will permanently vitiate your future career.

这时双色蟒蛇从岸上下来，在象宝宝的后腿上打了个双套结，说："鲁莽而缺乏经验的旅行者啊，我们现在得认认真真地使出全身的劲儿来，因为要是不这样做，依我看，那边那艘自带推进装置、上层甲板还包着铁甲的战舰"（我的宝贝，他这是指鳄鱼）"就会永远毁掉你的前程了。"

That is the way all Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snakes always talk.

双色蟒蛇说话向来都是这个调调。

So he pulled, and the Elephant’s Child pulled, and the Crocodile pulled; but the Elephant’s Child and the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake pulled hardest; and at last the Crocodile let go of the Elephant’s Child’s nose with a plop that you could hear all up and down the Limpopo.

于是他拉，象宝宝也拉，鳄鱼也拉；可是象宝宝和双色蟒蛇拉得最使劲；最后鳄鱼终于松开了象宝宝的鼻子，还发出"啪"的一声，整条林波波河上下都能听得见。

Then the Elephant’s Child sat down most hard and sudden; but first he was careful to say ‘Thank you’ to the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake; and next he was kind to his poor pulled nose, and wrapped it all up in cool banana leaves, and hung it in the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo to cool.

于是象宝宝一屁股重重地、猛地坐了下来；不过他先不忘对双色蟒蛇说一声"谢谢你"；然后他又体贴地照顾起自己那条被拉得可怜兮兮的鼻子，用凉爽的香蕉叶把它整个包起来，挂在那灰绿色、油腻腻的大林波波河里让它凉快凉快。

‘What are you doing that for?’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake.

"你这是在干什么？"双色蟒蛇问道。

‘’Scuse me,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘but my nose is badly out of shape, and I am waiting for it to shrink.

"对不起，"象宝宝说，"我的鼻子形状变得很难看，我在等它缩回去呢。"

‘Then you will have to wait a long time, said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake. ‘Some people do not know what is good for them.’

"那你可得等上好久了，"双色蟒蛇说道。"有些人就是不知道什么对自己有好处。"

The Elephant’s Child sat there for three days waiting for his nose to shrink. But it never grew any shorter, and, besides, it made him squint. For, O Best Beloved, you will see and understand that the Crocodile had pulled it out into a really truly trunk same as all Elephants have to-day.

象宝宝就那么坐了三天，等着他的鼻子缩回去。可它一点也没变短，反倒还让他有点斗鸡眼了。因为，我的宝贝，你瞧，鳄鱼已经把它拉成了一条真真正正的象鼻，跟今天所有大象长的一模一样。

At the end of the third day a fly came and stung him on the shoulder, and before he knew what he was doing he lifted up his trunk and hit that fly dead with the end of it.

到了第三天快结束的时候，一只苍蝇飞来叮了他的肩膀一口，他还没反应过来自己在做什么，就已经举起鼻子，一下子把那只苍蝇打死了。

‘’Vantage number one!’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake. ‘You couldn’t have done that with a mere-smear nose. Try and eat a little now.’

"第一个好处！"双色蟒蛇说道。"要是用你那软塌塌的鼻子，你可做不到这个。现在再试试吃点东西看看。"

Before he thought what he was doing the Elephant’s Child put out his trunk and plucked a large bundle of grass, dusted it clean against his fore-legs, and stuffed it into his own mouth.

象宝宝还没想明白自己在做什么，就已经伸出鼻子，扯下一大把青草，在前腿上拍打干净，塞进了自己嘴里。

‘Vantage number two!’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake. ‘You couldn’t have done that with a mere-smear nose. Don’t you think the sun is very hot here?’

"第二个好处！"双色蟒蛇说道。"要是用你那软塌塌的鼻子，你可做不到这个。你不觉得这里的太阳很晒吗？"

‘It is,’ said the Elephant’s Child, and before he thought what he was doing he schlooped up a schloop of mud from the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo, and slapped it on his head, where it made a cool schloopy-sloshy mud-cap all trickly behind his ears.

"是很晒，"象宝宝说，他还没想明白自己在做什么，就已经从那灰绿色、油腻腻的大林波波河岸边舀起一大团稀泥，"哗啦"一声拍在自己头上，做成了一顶凉爽的、稀里哗啦的泥帽子，泥水顺着耳后一直往下淌。

‘Vantage number three!’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake. ‘You couldn’t have done that with a mere-smear nose. Now how do you feel about being spanked again?’

"第三个好处！"双色蟒蛇说道。"要是用你那软塌塌的鼻子，你可做不到这个。现在你觉得再挨一顿打怎么样？"

‘’Scuse me,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘but I should not like it at all.’

"对不起，"象宝宝说，"我一点也不喜欢那样。"

‘How would you like to spank somebody?’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake.

"那你想不想打别人一顿呢？"双色蟒蛇问道。

‘I should like it very much indeed,’ said the Elephant’s Child.

"我非常非常想，"象宝宝说道。

‘Well,’ said the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake, ‘you will find that new nose of yours very useful to spank people with.’

"好吧，"双色蟒蛇说，"你会发现你这条新鼻子，用来打人可有用得很呢。"

‘Thank you,’ said the Elephant’s Child, ‘I’ll remember that; and now I think I’ll go home to all my dear families and try.’

"谢谢你，"象宝宝说，"我会记住的；现在我想我该回家去见我所有亲爱的家人，试试看了。"

So the Elephant’s Child went home across Africa frisking and whisking his trunk. When he wanted fruit to eat he pulled fruit down from a tree, instead of waiting for it to fall as he used to do. When he wanted grass he plucked grass up from the ground, instead of going on his knees as he used to do. When the flies bit him he broke off the branch of a tree and used it as fly-whisk; and he made himself a new, cool, slushy-squshy mud-cap whenever the sun was hot. When he felt lonely walking through Africa he sang to himself down his trunk, and the noise was louder than several brass bands.

于是象宝宝甩着摆着他的鼻子，一路蹦蹦跳跳地穿过非洲回家去了。他想吃水果的时候，就从树上把果子拉下来，不用再像从前那样等着果子自己掉下来。他想吃草的时候，就从地上把草拔起来，不用再像从前那样跪下身子去吃。苍蝇咬他的时候，他就折下一根树枝当拂尘用；每当太阳晒得厉害，他就给自己做一顶新的、凉爽的、稀里哗啦的泥帽子。他走过非洲觉得孤单的时候，就对着自己的鼻子唱起歌来，那声音比好几支铜管乐队加起来还要响。

He went especially out of his way to find a broad Hippopotamus (she was no relation of his), and he spanked her very hard, to make sure that the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake had spoken the truth about his new trunk. The rest of the time he picked up the melon rinds that he had dropped on his way to the Limpopo—for he was a Tidy Pachyderm.

他还特意绕道去找了一头宽宽的河马（跟他一点亲戚关系都没有），狠狠地打了她一顿，好确认双色蟒蛇关于他新鼻子的话是真是假。剩下的时间里，他就把自己去林波波河路上扔掉的甜瓜皮都捡了回来——因为他是一头爱干净的厚皮动物。

One dark evening he came back to all his dear families, and he coiled up his trunk and said, ‘How do you do?’ They were very glad to see him, and immediately said, ‘Come here and be spanked for your ‘satiable curtiosity.’

一天夜色深沉的时候，他回到了他所有亲爱的家人身边，把鼻子卷了起来，说："大家好啊。"大家见到他都非常高兴，立刻说："过来，因为你'没完没了的好奇心'挨顿打吧。"

‘Pooh,’ said the Elephant’s Child. ‘I don’t think you peoples know anything about spanking; but I do, and I’ll show you.’ Then he uncurled his trunk and knocked two of his dear brothers head over heels.

"呸，"象宝宝说。"我看你们这些家伙根本不懂什么叫打人；可我懂，我这就给你们瞧瞧。"于是他松开鼻子，把他两个亲爱的兄弟打了个人仰马翻。

‘O Bananas!’ said they, ‘where did you learn that trick, and what have you done to your nose?’

"哎哟我的天！"他们叫道，"你这招是从哪儿学来的，你的鼻子又是怎么回事？"

‘I got a new one from the Crocodile on the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River,’ said the Elephant’s Child. ‘I asked him what he had for dinner, and he gave me this to keep.’

"我是在大林波波河岸边，从鳄鱼那儿得来一条新的，"象宝宝说。"我问他晚饭吃些什么，他就把这个给了我，让我留着。"

‘It looks very ugly,’ said his hairy uncle, the Baboon.

"看着真丑，"他那位毛茸茸的狒狒叔叔说。

‘It does,’ said the Elephant’s Child. ‘But it’s very useful,’ and he picked up his hairy uncle, the Baboon, by one hairy leg, and hove him into a hornet’s nest.

"是挺丑的，"象宝宝说。"不过很有用，"说着他就一把抓住他那位毛茸茸的狒狒叔叔的一条毛茸茸的腿，把他甩进了一个马蜂窝里。

Then that bad Elephant’s Child spanked all his dear families for a long time, till they were very warm and greatly astonished. He pulled out his tall Ostrich aunt’s tail-feathers; and he caught his tall uncle, the Giraffe, by the hind-leg, and dragged him through a thorn-bush; and he shouted at his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, and blew bubbles into her ear when she was sleeping in the water after meals; but he never let any one touch Kolokolo Bird.

于是这个调皮的象宝宝把他所有亲爱的家人都打了个够，打得他们浑身发热，大吃一惊。他扯下了他那位高高的鸵鸟婶婶的尾羽；他还抓住他那位高高的长颈鹿叔叔的后腿，把他拖过一丛荆棘；他还朝他那位宽宽的河马婶婶大喊大叫，趁她吃完饭在水里睡觉的时候往她耳朵里吹泡泡；可他从来没让任何人碰过克洛克洛鸟一根羽毛。

At last things grew so exciting that his dear families went off one by one in a hurry to the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, to borrow new noses from the Crocodile. When they came back nobody spanked anybody any more; and ever since that day, O Best Beloved, all the Elephants you will ever see, besides all those that you won’t, have trunks precisely like the trunk of the ‘satiable Elephant’s Child.

到后来事情闹得实在太热闹了，他所有亲爱的家人一个接一个匆匆忙忙跑到那灰绿色、油腻腻、到处长着热病树的大林波波河岸边，去向鳄鱼借一条新鼻子。等他们回来之后，谁也不再打谁了；从那天起，我的宝贝，你所能见到的所有大象，还有你见不到的那些大象，鼻子都跟这个"好奇心没完没了"的象宝宝的鼻子一模一样。

I Keep six honest serving-men: (They taught me all I knew) Their names are What and Where and When And How and Why and Who. I send them over land and sea, I send them east and west; But after they have worked for me, I give them all a rest.

我养着六个忠心的仆人： （他们教会了我知道的一切） 他们的名字是什么、哪里、何时、 还有怎样、为何、是谁。 我派他们走遍天涯海角， 东南西北我都派遣他们； 可是等他们为我干完了活， 我便让他们全都歇息。

I let them rest from nine till five. For I am busy then, As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea, For they are hungry men: But different folk have different views: I know a person small— She keeps ten million serving-men, Who get no rest at all! She sends ‘em abroad on her own affairs, From the second she opens her eyes— One million Hows, two million Wheres, And seven million Whys!

我让他们从九点歇到五点。 因为那时候我正忙碌， 还有早饭、午饭和茶点， 因为他们个个都是饿汉： 可是不同的人有不同的看法： 我认识一个小小的人—— 她养着一千万个仆人， 个个都不得歇息！ 她一睁开眼睛， 就把他们派往四面八方去办事—— 一百万个怎样，两百万个哪里， 还有七百万个为何！