The Little Gingerbread Man

One day, the cook went into the kitchen to make some gingerbread. She took some flour and water, and treacle and ginger, and mixed them all well together, and she put in some more water to make it thin, and then some more flour to make it thick, and a little salt and some spice, and then she rolled it out into a beautiful, smooth, dark-yellow dough.

一天，厨娘走进厨房准备做姜饼。她拿来面粉、水、糖浆和姜粉，把这些都好好地搅拌在一起，又加了些水让面团稀一些，再加些面粉让它变稠，还放了一点盐和香料，然后把面团擀成了一块光滑、深黄色、十分漂亮的面饼。

Then she took the square tins and cut out some square cakes for the little boys, and with some round tins she cut out some round cakes for the little girls, and then she said, "I'm going to make a little gingerbread man for little Bobby." So she took a nice round lump of dough for his body, and a smaller lump for his head, which she pulled out a little for the neck. Two other lumps were stuck on beneath for the legs, and were pulled out into proper shape, with feet and toes all complete, and two still smaller pieces were made into arms, with dear little hands and fingers.

接着她拿出方形的模具，给小男孩们切出了一些方形的蛋糕，又用圆形的模具给小女孩们切出了一些圆形的蛋糕，然后她说：“我要给小鲍比做一个姜饼小人。”于是她取了一团圆圆的面团做身体，又取了一小团做头，把颈部的地方稍稍拉长。另外两团面被粘在下面做腿，拉成了合适的形状，连脚和脚趾都做得完完整整；还有两团更小的面做成了手臂，配上可爱的小手和手指。

But the nicest work was done on the head, for the top was frizzed up into a pretty sugary hat; on either side was made a dear little ear, and in front, after the nose had been carefully moulded, a beautiful mouth was made out of a big raisin, and two bright little eyes with burnt almonds and caraway seeds.

不过最精细的活儿都花在了头上，顶部被捏出了一顶漂亮的糖霜小帽子；两侧各做了一只可爱的小耳朵，前面先仔细捏出了鼻子，又用一颗大葡萄干做出了漂亮的嘴巴，再用烤杏仁和葛缕子籽做出了两只明亮的小眼睛。

Then the gingerbread man was finished ready for baking, and a very jolly little man he was. In fact, he looked so sly that the cook was afraid he was plotting some mischief, and when the batter was ready for the oven, she put in the square cakes and she put in the round cakes; and then she put in the little gingerbread man in a far back corner, where he couldn't get away in a hurry.

这样，姜饼小人就做好了，只等着入炉烘烤，他看起来是个非常快活的小家伙。事实上，他显得那么狡黠，厨娘都担心他在打什么鬼主意；等面糊都准备好可以入炉时，她先放进了方形蛋糕，又放进了圆形蛋糕，最后才把姜饼小人放进炉子最里面的角落，好让他一时半会儿逃不出来。

Then she went up to sweep the parlor, and she swept and she swept till the clock struck twelve, when she dropped her broom in a hurry, and exclaiming, "Lawks! the gingerbread will be all baked to a cinder," she ran down into the kitchen, and threw open the oven door.

然后她上楼去打扫客厅，一直扫啊扫，扫到钟敲响十二下，她才慌忙丢下扫帚，喊道：“哎呀！姜饼要烤糊了！”说着就跑下楼到厨房，猛地打开了炉门。

And the square cakes were all done, nice and hard and brown, and the round cakes were all done, nice and hard and brown, and the gingerbread man was all done too, nice and hard and brown; and he was standing up in his corner, with his little caraway-seed eyes sparkling, and his raisin mouth bubbling over with mischief, while he waited for the oven door to be opened.

方形蛋糕都烤好了，漂亮、酥脆、焦黄；圆形蛋糕也都烤好了，漂亮、酥脆、焦黄；姜饼小人也烤好了，同样漂亮、酥脆、焦黄；他就站在自己的角落里，那双葛缕子籽做的小眼睛闪闪发亮，葡萄干做的嘴巴带着满满的调皮劲儿，一边等着炉门被打开。

The instant the door was opened, with a hop, skip, and a jump, he went right over the square cakes and the round cakes, and over the cook's arm, and before she could say "Jack Robinson" he was running across the kitchen floor, as fast as his little legs would carry him, towards the back door, which was standing wide open, and through which he could see the garden path.

炉门刚一打开，他就一蹦一跳地冲了出去，越过方形蛋糕和圆形蛋糕，又越过厨娘的手臂，还没等她说出“杰克·鲁滨逊”这几个字，他已经飞快地跑过了厨房地板，朝着敞开着的后门跑去，他从那门里能望见花园的小路。

The old cook turned round as fast as she could, which wasn't very fast, for she was rather a heavy woman and she had been quite taken by surprise, and she saw lying right across the door-way, fast asleep in the sun, old Mouser, the cat.

老厨娘尽快转过身来——虽然她转得并不算快，因为她本就是个体态丰满的女人，而且这一下着实吓了她一跳——她看见门口正躺着一只晒着太阳、睡得香甜的老猫，毛瑟。

"Mouser, Mouser," she cried, "stop the gingerbread man! I want him for little Bobby." When the cook first called, Mouser thought it was only some one calling in her dreams, and simply rolled over lazily; and the cook called again, "Mouser, Mouser!" The old cat sprang up with a jump, but just as she turned round to ask the cook what all the noise was about, the little gingerbread man cleverly jumped under her tail, and in an instant was trotting down the garden walk.

“毛瑟，毛瑟，”她喊道，“快拦住那个姜饼小人！我要留着他给小鲍比呢。”厨娘第一次喊的时候，毛瑟还以为只是梦里有人在叫她，便懒洋洋地翻了个身；厨娘又喊了一声：“毛瑟，毛瑟！”老猫这才一跃而起，可她刚转过身想问问厨娘吵吵嚷嚷是为了什么，那姜饼小人已经机灵地从她尾巴底下钻了过去，转眼间就已经小跑着奔向花园小路了。

Mouser turned in a hurry and ran after, although she was still rather too sleepy to know what it was she was trying to catch, and after the cat came the cook, lumbering along rather heavily, but also making pretty good speed.

毛瑟急忙转身追了上去，虽然她还睡眼惺忪，搞不清自己到底要追的是什么；猫的后面跟着厨娘，她走得虽笨重，速度倒也不慢。

Now at the bottom of the walk, lying fast asleep in the sun against the warm stones of the garden wall, was Towser, the dog.

这时候，在小路的尽头，靠着花园围墙那温暖的石头，正躺着晒太阳、睡得香甜的狗，陶瑟。

And the cook called out: "Towser, Towser, stop the gingerbread man! I want him for little Bobby."

厨娘喊道：“陶瑟，陶瑟，快拦住那个姜饼小人！我要留着他给小鲍比呢。”

And when Towser first heard her calling he thought it was some one speaking in his dreams, and he only turned over on his side, with another snore, and then the cook called again, "Towser, Towser, stop him, stop him!"

陶瑟起初听见她的喊声，还以为是梦里有人在说话，只是翻了个身，又打起了呼噜；厨娘又喊道：“陶瑟，陶瑟，拦住他，拦住他！”

Then the dog woke up in good earnest, and jumped up on his feet to see what it was that he should stop. But just as the dog jumped up, the little gingerbread man, who had been watching for the chance, quietly slipped between his legs, and climbed up on the top of the stone wall, so that Towser saw nothing but the cat running towards him down the walk, and behind the cat the cook, now quite out of breath.

这一下狗才真正醒了过来，跳起身来想看看该拦住什么。可就在狗跳起来的一瞬间，一直在等待机会的姜饼小人悄悄地从他两腿之间溜了过去，爬上了石墙的顶端，于是陶瑟看到的只是那只猫朝他跑来，猫的后面跟着的是已经上气不接下气的厨娘。

He thought at once that the cat must have stolen something, and that it was the cat the cook wanted him to stop. Now, if there was anything that Towser liked, it was going after the cat, and he jumped up the walk so fiercely that the poor cat did not have time to stop herself or to get out of his way, and they came together with a great fizzing, and barking, and meowing, and howling, and scratching, and biting, as if a couple of Catherine-wheels had gone off in the wrong way and had got mixed up with one another.

他立刻以为一定是猫偷了什么东西，厨娘是要他去拦住那只猫。要说陶瑟最喜欢做的事，那就是追猫了，他猛地一下扑上小路，凶猛极了，那只可怜的猫都没来得及刹住脚步或躲开，两个就“嘶嘶”地撞在了一起，又是狂吠，又是喵叫，又是嚎叫，又是抓又是咬，活像两个转错了方向的烟花轮子搅在了一处。

But the old cook had been running so hard that she was not able to stop herself any better than the cat had done, and she fell right on top of the mixed up dog and cat, so that all three rolled over on the walk in a heap together.

可老厨娘跑得太急，也没能比猫更早刹住脚步，她一下子摔倒在纠缠成一团的狗和猫身上，于是三个便在小路上滚成了一团。

And the cat scratched whichever came nearest, whether it was a piece of the dog or of the cook, and the dog bit at whatever came nearest, whether it was a piece of the cat or of the cook, so that the poor cook was badly pummelled on both sides.

猫抓向离她最近的一切，不管是狗的一块还是厨娘的一块；狗也咬向离它最近的一切，不管是猫的一块还是厨娘的一块；可怜的厨娘于是两边都被打得够呛。

Meanwhile, the gingerbread man had climbed up on the garden wall, and stood on the top with his hands in his pockets, looking at the scrimmage, and laughing till the tears ran down from his little caraway-seed eyes and his raisin mouth was bubbling all over with fun.

与此同时，姜饼小人已经爬上了花园的围墙，站在墙头，双手插在口袋里，看着这场混战，笑得眼泪都从他那葛缕子籽做的小眼睛里流了出来，他那葡萄干做的嘴巴也乐得直冒泡。

After a little while, the cat managed to pull herself out from under the cook and the dog, and a very cast-down and crumpled-up-looking cat she was. She had had enough of hunting gingerbread men, and she crept back to the kitchen to repair damages.

过了一会儿，那猫总算从厨娘和狗底下挣脱出来，模样十分狼狈、皱巴巴的。她已经受够了追姜饼小人这种事，便悄悄溜回厨房去疗伤了。

The dog, who was very cross because his face had been badly scratched, let go of the cook, and at last, catching sight of the gingerbread man, made a bolt for the garden wall. The cook picked herself up, and although her face was also badly scratched and her dress was torn, she was determined to see the end of the chase, and she followed after the dog, though this time more slowly.

那狗呢，因为脸被抓得很惨，气得不轻，便松开了厨娘，后来终于瞥见了姜饼小人，拔腿就朝花园围墙冲去。厨娘从地上爬起来，虽然脸上也被抓得不轻，裙子也破了，她还是决心要看看这场追逐的结局，于是跟在狗后面追去，不过这一次慢了许多。

When the gingerbread man saw the dog coming, he jumped down on the farther side of the wall, and began running across the field. Now in the middle of the field was a tree, and at the foot of the tree was lying Jocko, the monkey. He wasn't asleep—monkeys never are—and when he saw the little man running across the field and heard the cook calling, "Jocko, Jocko, stop the gingerbread man," he at once gave one big jump.

姜饼小人看见狗追来，便跳到了墙的另一边，朝着田野跑去。田野中央有一棵树，树底下正躺着猴子乔克。他并没有睡着——猴子从来不睡觉——他看见小人跑过田野，又听见厨娘喊“乔克，乔克，快拦住那个姜饼小人”，便立刻一个大跳蹦了过去。

But he jumped so fast and so far that he went right over the gingerbread man, and as luck would have it, he came down on the back of Towser, the dog, who had just scrambled over the wall, and whom he had not before noticed. Towser was naturally taken by surprise, but he turned his head around and promptly bit off the end of the monkey's tail, and Jocko quickly jumped off again, chattering his indignation.

可他跳得又快又远，竟然一下子越过了姜饼小人，巧的是，他正好落在了刚翻过墙来、他之前没注意到的狗陶瑟的背上。陶瑟自然是吃了一惊，但他转过头，立刻一口咬掉了猴子尾巴的一截，乔克赶紧又跳开，一边气愤地叽叽喳喳叫个不停。

Meanwhile, the gingerbread man had got to the bottom of the tree, and was saying to himself: "Now, I know the dog can't climb a tree, and I don't believe the old cook can climb a tree; and as for the monkey I'm not sure, for I've never seen a monkey before, but I am going up."

与此同时，姜饼小人已经跑到了树底下，自言自语道：“我知道狗爬不了树，我也不相信老厨娘能爬树；至于那只猴子，我说不准，因为我以前从没见过猴子——不过我还是爬上去吧。”

So he pulled himself up hand over hand until he had got to the topmost branch.

于是他一手接一手地往上爬，一直爬到了最顶端的树枝上。

But the monkey had jumped with one spring onto the lowest branch, and in an instant he also was at the top of the tree.

可那猴子只一跃就跳上了最低的树枝，转眼间也到了树顶。

The gingerbread man crawled out to the furthermost end of the branch, and hung by one hand, but the monkey swung himself under the branch, and stretching out his long arm, he pulled the gingerbread man in. Then he held him up and looked at him so hungrily that the little raisin mouth began to pucker down at the corners, and the caraway-seed eyes filled with tears.

姜饼小人爬到树枝最远的一端，用一只手吊在那里，可猴子从树枝底下荡了过去，伸出他的长臂，一把把姜饼小人拽了过来。接着他把小人举起来，那么饥饿地盯着他看，以致小人那葡萄干嘴巴的两个角开始向下皱起，葛缕子籽眼睛里也满是泪水。

And then what do you think happened? Why, little Bobby himself came running up. He had been taking his noon-day nap upstairs, and in his dreams it seemed as if he kept hearing people call "Little Bobby, little Bobby!" until finally he jumped up with a start, and was so sure that some one was calling him that he ran down-stairs, without even waiting to put on his shoes.

接下来发生了什么，你猜猜看？没错，小鲍比自己跑了过来。他本在楼上睡午觉，梦里似乎一直听见有人喊“小鲍比，小鲍比！”，直到他猛地惊醒坐起，确信是有人在喊他，便连鞋都没顾上穿就跑下楼来。

As he came down, he could see through the window in the field beyond the garden the cook, and the dog, and the monkey, and could even hear the barking of Towser and the chattering of Jocko. He scampered down the walk, with his little bare feet pattering against the warm gravel, climbed over the wall, and in a few seconds arrived under the tree, just as Jocko was holding up the poor little gingerbread man.

下楼的时候，他透过窗户看见花园那边的田野里有厨娘、狗和猴子，甚至能听见陶瑟的吠叫和乔克的叽叽喳喳。他光着小脚丫，啪嗒啪嗒地跑过温热的碎石小路，翻过围墙，没几秒钟就赶到了树下，正好赶上乔克举着那可怜的姜饼小人。

"Drop it, Jocko!" cried Bobby, and drop it Jocko did, for he always had to mind Bobby. He dropped it so straight that the gingerbread man fell right into Bobby's uplifted pinafore.

“放下他，乔克！”鲍比喊道，乔克果然放了手，因为他向来都得听鲍比的话。他放得那么准，姜饼小人正好掉进了鲍比撩起的围裙里。

Then Bobby held him up and looked at him, and the little raisin mouth puckered down lower than ever, and the tears ran right out of the caraway-seed eyes.

于是鲍比把他举起来看了看，那葡萄干嘴巴皱得比刚才更厉害了，葛缕子籽眼睛里的泪水也直往下淌。

But Bobby was too hungry to mind gingerbread tears, and he gave one big bite, and swallowed down both legs and a piece of the body.

可鲍比早已饿得顾不上姜饼小人的眼泪，他张嘴大大地咬了一口，把两条腿和一部分身体都吞了下去。

"OH!" said the gingerbread man, "I'M ONE-THIRD GONE!"

“哦！”姜饼小人说，“我已经没了三分之一！”

Bobby gave a second bite, and swallowed the rest of the body and the arms.

鲍比又咬了第二口，把身体剩下的部分和手臂都吞了下去。

"OH!" said the gingerbread man, "I'M TWO-THIRDS GONE!"

“哦！”姜饼小人说，“我已经没了三分之二！”

Bobby gave a third bite, and gulped down the head.

鲍比咬了第三口，把头也一口吞了下去。

"_Oh!_" said the gingerbread man, "_I'm all gone!_"

“哦！”姜饼小人说，“我全没了！”

And so he was—and that is the end of the story.

果然，他全没了——故事到这里就讲完了。