The Travelling Musicians

An honest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful servant to him a great many years, but was now growing old and every day more and more unfit for work. His master therefore was tired of keeping him and began to think of putting an end to him; but the ass, who saw that some mischief was in the wind, took himself slyly off, and began his journey towards the great city, ‘For there,’ thought he, ‘I may turn musician.’

从前有个老实的农夫，养着一头驴子，多年来一直忠心耿耿地为他效力，可如今这驴子渐渐老了，一天比一天干不动活了。主人因此厌烦了养它，开始盘算着要把它了结掉。可这驴子察觉到风声不对，便悄悄溜走了，动身前往那座大城市，心想：“到了那儿，我或许能当个乐师呢。”

After he had travelled a little way, he spied a dog lying by the roadside and panting as if he were tired. ‘What makes you pant so, my friend?’ said the ass. ‘Alas!’ said the dog, ‘my master was going to knock me on the head, because I am old and weak, and can no longer make myself useful to him in hunting; so I ran away; but what can I do to earn my livelihood?’ ‘Hark ye!’ said the ass, ‘I am going to the great city to turn musician: suppose you go with me, and try what you can do in the same way?’ The dog said he was willing, and they jogged on together.

走了一段路后，它看见一条狗躺在路边，气喘吁吁的，像是累坏了似的。“朋友，你怎么喘得这么厉害？”驴子问道。“唉！”狗说，“我主人见我又老又弱，打猎时派不上用场了，正要把我一棍子打死呢，所以我就逃出来了。可我这该怎么谋生呢？”“听我说！”驴子说，“我正要去那座大城市当乐师呢，你不如跟我一块儿去，试试你能干点什么？”狗说它愿意，于是两个就一同上路了。

They had not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of the road and making a most rueful face. ‘Pray, my good lady,’ said the ass, ‘what’s the matter with you? You look quite out of spirits!’ ‘Ah, me!’ said the cat, ‘how can one be in good spirits when one’s life is in danger? Because I am beginning to grow old, and had rather lie at my ease by the fire than run about the house after the mice, my mistress laid hold of me, and was going to drown me; and though I have been lucky enough to get away from her, I do not know what I am to live upon.’

它们没走多远，就看见一只猫蹲坐在路当中，一脸愁苦的样子。“好心的太太，请问，”驴子说，“您这是怎么了？看您垂头丧气的！”“唉，我呀！”猫说，“性命都堪忧了，哪还有心情高兴？我年纪渐渐大了，宁愿舒舒服服地躺在炉火边，也不愿再满屋子追耗子了，我女主人便一把抓住我，要把我淹死。虽说我侥幸从她手里逃了出来，可往后该靠什么过活呢，我心里也没个数。”

‘Oh,’ said the ass, ‘by all means go with us to the great city; you are a good night singer, and may make your fortune as a musician.’ The cat was pleased with the thought, and joined the party.

“哦，”驴子说，“那你就跟我们一块儿去那座大城市吧。你唱起夜曲来可是一把好手，说不定还能靠当乐师发财呢。”猫听了这话很高兴，便加入了这伙伴。

Soon afterwards, as they were passing by a farmyard, they saw a cock perched upon a gate, and screaming out with all his might and main. ‘Bravo!’ said the ass; ‘upon my word, you make a famous noise; pray what is all this about?’ ‘Why,’ said the cock, ‘I was just now saying that we should have fine weather for our washing-day, and yet my mistress and the cook don’t thank me for my pains, but threaten to cut off my head tomorrow, and make broth of me for the guests that are coming on Sunday!’

不久之后，它们经过一个农家院子，看见一只公鸡蹲在栅栏上，正扯着嗓子拼命地叫。“好啊！”驴子说，“说真的，你这动静闹得可真响，请问这是为了什么呀？”“唉，”公鸡说，“我方才正说着，洗衣日这天该是个好天气呢，可我女主人和厨娘却一点也不领我的情，反倒威胁说明天就要砍了我的头，做成汤给礼拜天要来的客人吃！”

‘Heaven forbid!’ said the ass, ‘come with us Master Chanticleer; it will be better, at any rate, than staying here to have your head cut off! Besides, who knows? If we care to sing in tune, we may get up some kind of a concert; so come along with us.’ ‘With all my heart,’ said the cock: so they all four went on jollily together.

“老天保佑！”驴子说，“跟我们一块儿走吧，公鸡老爷，无论如何也比留在这儿掉脑袋强！再说了，谁知道呢？要是咱们唱起歌来合拍，说不定还能凑成一场音乐会呢，一块儿来吧。”“我求之不得，”公鸡说，于是它们四个便快快活活地一同上路了。

They could not, however, reach the great city the first day; so when night came on, they went into a wood to sleep. The ass and the dog laid themselves down under a great tree, and the cat climbed up into the branches; while the cock, thinking that the higher he sat the safer he should be, flew up to the very top of the tree, and then, according to his custom, before he went to sleep, looked out on all sides of him to see that everything was well.

不过它们那天没能赶到那座大城市，天黑下来时，便进了一片树林去过夜。驴子和狗在一棵大树下躺了下来，猫爬到了树枝上，公鸡则寻思着坐得越高就越安全，便一直飞到了树梢顶端；随后依着它的老习惯，睡前先朝四面八方望上一望，看看是否一切平安。

In doing this, he saw afar off something bright and shining and calling to his companions said, ‘There must be a house no great way off, for I see a light.’ ‘If that be the case,’ said the ass, ‘we had better change our quarters, for our lodging is not the best in the world!’ ‘Besides,’ added the dog, ‘I should not be the worse for a bone or two, or a bit of meat.’ So they walked off together towards the spot where Chanticleer had seen the light, and as they drew near it became larger and brighter, till they at last came close to a house in which a gang of robbers lived.

这么一望，它望见远处有个亮闪闪、发着光的东西，便叫来同伴们说道：“附近想必有座房子，因为我瞧见了灯光。”“既然如此，”驴子说，“咱们最好换个住处，这儿的住宿可算不上是世上顶好的！”“再说，”狗补充道，“要是能弄到一两根骨头，或是一点肉吃，我也不会嫌弃。”于是它们便一同朝公鸡瞧见灯光的方向走去，越走近，那光便越发又大又亮，最后它们来到了一座房子跟前，那里头住着一伙强盗。

The ass, being the tallest of the company, marched up to the window and peeped in. ‘Well, Donkey,’ said Chanticleer, ‘what do you see?’ ‘What do I see?’ replied the ass. ‘Why, I see a table spread with all kinds of good things, and robbers sitting round it making merry.’ ‘That would be a noble lodging for us,’ said the cock. ‘Yes,’ said the ass, ‘if we could only get in’; so they consulted together how they should contrive to get the robbers out; and at last they hit upon a plan.

驴子是这伙伴里个头最高的，便走到窗前探头往里瞧。“喂，驴老弟，”公鸡说，“你瞧见什么了？”“我瞧见什么了？”驴子答道。“哎呀，我瞧见一张桌子上摆满了各式美味佳肴，一群强盗正围坐在旁边尽情作乐呢。”“那对咱们来说可真是个上好的住处，”公鸡说。“是啊，”驴子说，“只要咱们能混进去就好了。”于是它们便一同商量该怎样才能把那些强盗赶出去，最后终于想出了一个法子。

The ass placed himself upright on his hind legs, with his forefeet resting against the window; the dog got upon his back; the cat scrambled up to the dog’s shoulders, and the cock flew up and sat upon the cat’s head. When all was ready a signal was given, and they began their music. The ass brayed, the dog barked, the cat mewed, and the cock screamed; and then they all broke through the window at once, and came tumbling into the room, amongst the broken glass, with a most hideous clatter!

驴子用后腿直立起来，前蹄搭在窗台上；狗爬上了它的背；猫又爬到狗的肩上；公鸡便飞上去，落在了猫的头顶。一切准备妥当，一声令下，它们便开始了演奏。驴子嘶叫，狗狂吠，猫喵喵叫，公鸡尖声啼鸣；随即它们一齐撞破窗子，连人带碎玻璃一股脑儿滚进了屋里，发出一阵极其骇人的响动！

The robbers, who had been not a little frightened by the opening concert, had now no doubt that some frightful hobgoblin had broken in upon them, and scampered away as fast as they could.

那些强盗方才被这开场的“音乐会”吓得不轻，此刻更是深信有什么可怕的妖怪闯了进来，便撒腿没命地逃走了。

The coast once clear, our travellers soon sat down and dispatched what the robbers had left, with as much eagerness as if they had not expected to eat again for a month. As soon as they had satisfied themselves, they put out the lights, and each once more sought out a resting-place to his own liking. The donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw in the yard, the dog stretched himself upon a mat behind the door, the cat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes, and the cock perched upon a beam on the top of the house; and, as they were all rather tired with their journey, they soon fell asleep.

四下无人之后，我们这群旅伴便安然坐下，狼吞虎咽地吃起强盗们留下的饭菜来，那副急切劲儿，倒像是一个月都没指望能再吃上一顿似的。等它们各自吃饱喝足，便熄了灯，各自寻了个称心的地方去歇息。驴子在院子里的一堆稻草上躺下，狗趴在门后的一张垫子上，猫蜷缩在炉边温热的灰烬前，公鸡则栖在屋顶的一根横梁上；由于一路奔波都有些疲乏，它们不多时便都睡着了。

But about midnight, when the robbers saw from afar that the lights were out and that all seemed quiet, they began to think that they had been in too great a hurry to run away; and one of them, who was bolder than the rest, went to see what was going on. Finding everything still, he marched into the kitchen, and groped about till he found a match in order to light a candle; and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat, he mistook them for live coals, and held the match to them to light it.

可到了半夜光景，强盗们从远处望见灯已熄了，一切似乎都归于平静，便开始琢磨着，他们方才那样仓皇逃走未免太过操之过急了。其中一个胆子较大的，便前去查看究竟。见屋里一片寂静，他便径直走进厨房，摸索着找到一根火柴，想要点亮蜡烛；这时他瞥见猫那双闪着光的眼睛，误以为是余烬未熄的炭火，便拿火柴凑过去想借此点火。

But the cat, not understanding this joke, sprang at his face, and spat, and scratched at him. This frightened him dreadfully, and away he ran to the back door; but there the dog jumped up and bit him in the leg; and as he was crossing over the yard the ass kicked him; and the cock, who had been awakened by the noise, crowed with all his might.

可猫哪里领会得这玩笑的意思，猛地扑向他的脸，又是啐又是抓。这可把他吓坏了，慌忙朝后门跑去；可那儿狗一跃而起，咬住了他的腿；他穿过院子时，驴子又踢了他一脚；而公鸡被这阵吵闹惊醒，也扯开嗓子拼命啼叫起来。

At this the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades, and told the captain how a horrid witch had got into the house, and had spat at him and scratched his face with her long bony fingers; how a man with a knife in his hand had hidden himself behind the door, and stabbed him in the leg; how a black monster stood in the yard and struck him with a club, and how the devil had sat upon the top of the house and cried out, ‘Throw the rascal up here!’

强盗见状，没命地跑回同伙那里，向头目诉说，说有个可怕的女巫闯进了屋子，朝他啐唾沫，还用她那双细长的骨爪抓伤了他的脸；说有个手持刀子的人躲在门后，捅伤了他的腿；说院子里站着个黑乎乎的怪物，拿棍子打了他；还说屋顶上坐着个魔鬼，大喊道：“把那混账家伙扔上来！”

After this the robbers never dared to go back to the house; but the musicians were so pleased with their quarters that they took up their abode there; and there they are, I dare say, at this very day.

从那以后，强盗们再也不敢回那座房子了；可这几位乐师却对这住处十分满意，便在那里安了家；我敢说，直到今天，它们想必仍住在那儿呢。