The Magpie's Nest

Once upon a time when pigs spoke rhyme And monkeys chewed tobacco, And hens took snuff to make them tough, And ducks went quack, quack, quack, O!

从前，猪会说押韵的话， 猴子会嚼烟草， 母鸡吸鼻烟让自己变得强壮， 鸭子嘎嘎嘎地叫着，噢！

All the birds of the air came to the magpie and asked her to teach them how to build nests. For the magpie is the cleverest bird of all at building nests. So she put all the birds round her and began to show them how to do it. First of all she took some mud and made a sort of round cake with it.

天上所有的鸟儿都来找喜鹊，请她教它们怎样搭窝。因为喜鹊是所有鸟儿当中最会搭窝的。于是她把所有的鸟儿都叫到自己身边，开始给它们示范怎么做。她先取来一些泥巴，把它做成一个圆圆的饼状。

“Oh, that's how it's done,” said the thrush; and away it flew, and so that's how thrushes build their nests.

“哦，原来是这样做的啊。”画眉说完便飞走了；从那以后，画眉就是这样搭窝的。

Then the magpie took some twigs and arranged them round in the mud.

接着喜鹊拿来一些细枝，把它们摆放在泥巴周围。

“Now I know all about it,” says the blackbird, and off he flew; and that's how the blackbirds make their nests to this very day.

“现在我全都明白了。”乌鸫说完便飞走了；直到今天，乌鸫都是这样搭窝的。

Then the magpie put another layer of mud over the twigs.

接着喜鹊又在细枝上面糊了一层泥巴。

“Oh that's quite obvious,” said the wise owl, and away it flew; and owls have never made better nests since.

“哦，这再明白不过了。”聪明的猫头鹰说完便飞走了；从那以后，猫头鹰就再也没搭出过更好的窝了。

After this the magpie took some twigs and twined them round the outside.

这之后，喜鹊又拿来一些细枝，把它们缠绕在窝的外面。

“The very thing!” said the sparrow, and off he went; so sparrows make rather slovenly nests to this day.

“正是这样！”麻雀说完便飞走了；所以直到今天，麻雀搭的窝都相当马虎。

Well, then Madge Magpie took some feathers and stuff and lined the nest very comfortably with it.

后来，麦琪喜鹊拿来了羽毛之类的东西，把窝的内壁铺得舒舒服服的。

“That suits me,” cried the starling, and off it flew; and very comfortable nests have starlings.

“这正合我意。”椋鸟叫道，说完便飞走了；从此椋鸟的窝都非常舒适。

So it went on, every bird taking away some knowledge of how to build nests, but, none of them waiting to the end. Meanwhile Madge Magpie went on working and working without, looking up till the only bird that remained was the turtle-dove, and that hadn't paid any attention all along, but only kept on saying its silly cry “Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o.”

就这样，每只鸟儿都学到了一点搭窝的知识便飞走了，没有一只肯等到最后。这期间麦琪喜鹊一直埋头苦干，头也不抬，直到最后只剩下斑鸠还留在那儿，它一直都没有留心听讲，只顾一遍遍地念叨着它那句蠢话：“再拿两根，塔菲，再拿两根噢噢噢。”

At last the magpie heard this just as she was putting a twig across. So she said: “One's enough.”

终于，就在喜鹊正要横放一根细枝的时候，她听到了这句话。于是她说：“一根就够了。”

But the turtle-dove kept on saying: “Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o.”

可是斑鸠还是一个劲儿地说：“再拿两根，塔菲，再拿两根噢噢噢。”

Then the magpie got angry and said: “One's enough I tell you.”

于是喜鹊生气了，说：“我告诉你，一根就够了。”

Still the turtle-dove cried: “Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o.”

斑鸠仍旧叫着：“再拿两根，塔菲，再拿两根噢噢噢。”

At last, and at last, the magpie looked up and saw nobody near her but the silly turtle-dove, and then she got rare angry and flew away and refused to tell the birds how to build nests again. And that is why different birds build their nests differently.

终于，终于，喜鹊抬起头来，发现身边除了这只傻乎乎的斑鸠再没别的鸟儿了，她这下真是勃然大怒，飞走了，再也不肯教鸟儿们怎样搭窝了。这就是为什么不同的鸟儿会用不同的方式搭窝的缘故。