向晨

Two little boys were at play one day when a Fairy suddenly appeared before them and said， “I have been sent to give you New Year presents.” She handed to each child a package， and in an instant1 was gone. Carl and Philip opened the packages and found in them two beautiful books， with pages as pure and white as the snow when it first falls.

有一天，兩個小男孩正在玩耍，一位仙女突然出現(xiàn)在他們面前，對他們說：“有人派我來給你們送新年禮物。”她給了每個孩子一個包裹，然后就消失了。卡爾和菲利普打開包裹，發(fā)現(xiàn)里面有兩本漂亮的書，頁面純白，仿佛剛飄落的雪花。

Many months passed and the Fairy came again to the boys. “I have brought you each another book.” said she， “and will take the first ones back to Father Time who sent them to you.”

過了幾個月，那位仙女再次出現(xiàn)了。她對男孩們說：“我給你們帶來了另外兩本書，而我將拿走時間老人第一次送給你們的書?！?/p>

“May I keep mine a little longer？” asked Philip. “I have hardly thought about it lately. Id like to paint something on the last leaf that lies open.” “No，” said the Fairy， “I must take it just as it is.”

菲利普問道：“我可以把書保留長一點時間嗎？最近我都沒想到它，我想在最后一頁上畫點什么?！薄安恍校毕膳f：“我必須把書按原樣帶走。”

“I wish that I could look through mine just once，” said Carl， “I have only seen one page at a time， for when the leaf turns over it sticks fast， and I can never open the book at more than one place each day.”

“我希望能一次性通讀我的書，”卡爾說：“但是每次我都只能看一頁，因為書頁翻過去后，它就馬上粘在一起了，我每天都只能打開一次?！?/p>

“You shall look at your book，” said the Fairy， “and Philip， at his.” And she lit for them two little silver lamps2， by the light of which they saw the pages as she turned them.

“你來看看你的書，”仙女說：“菲利普，你也看看自己的?！彼秊槟泻凕c了兩盞小銀燈，在燈光下，他們看著她把書一頁頁的翻開。

The boys looked in wonder3. Could it be that these were the same fair books she had given them a year ago？ Where were the clean， white pages， as pure and beautiful as the snow when it first falls？ Here was a page with ugly， black spots and scratches4 upon it； while the very next page showed a lovely little picture. Some pages were decorated with gold and silver and gorgeous5 colors， others with beautiful flowers， and still others with a rainbow of softest， most delicate6 brightness. Yet even on the most beautiful of the pages there were ugly blots and scratches.

男孩們好奇地看著。這還是一年前仙女送給他們的那兩本書嗎？那些如初落的雪花般潔白美麗的書頁去哪了呢？這一頁上是些丑丑的黑點和歪扭的劃痕；緊接著的一頁，又是一副可愛的小圖畫。有些書頁上涂有金色、銀色等其它耀眼的顏色；有些書頁上畫著些美麗的花朵；還有些書頁上則畫了溫暖明亮的彩虹。不過，就算是最最美麗的書頁上，也還是有些丑陋的小黑點和劃痕。

Carl and Philip looked up at the Fairy at last. “Who did this？” they asked. “Every page was white and fair as we opened to it； yet now there is not a single blank place in the whole book！”

最后，卡爾和菲利普都抬起頭看著仙女。他們問道：“這是誰干的呢？我們以前翻開時，每一頁都是純白的，可現(xiàn)在整本書竟然沒有一處是空白的！”

“Shall I explain some of the pictures to you？” said the Fairy， smiling at the two little boys. “See， Philip， roses blossomed on this page when you let the baby have your play things； and this pretty bird， that looks as if it were singing with all its might， would never have been on this page if you had not tried to be kind and pleasant the other day， instead of quarreling.”

“讓我來給你們解釋一下其中的一些畫吧?！毕膳畬蓚€小男孩微笑著說。“看，菲利普，這一頁開出了玫瑰花，因為那會兒你把自己的玩具禮讓給了一個小孩；這只可愛的小鳥仿佛在竭盡全力唱歌呢，它出現(xiàn)在這一頁是因為那天你沒有與人爭吵，而是努力表現(xiàn)出友好和愉快?！?/p>

“But what makes this blot？” asked Philip.

“可是為什么會有黑點呢？”菲利普問。

“That，” said the Fairy sadly， “that came when you told a lie one day， and this when you did not mind mamma. All these blots and scratches that look so ugly， both in your book and in Carls， were made when you were naughty. Each pretty thing in your books came on its page when you were good.”

仙女傷心地說：“黑點呀……那個黑點是因為你那天說了謊，這個黑點是因為你把媽媽的話當(dāng)作了耳旁風(fēng)。當(dāng)你們淘氣的時候，所有這些丑丑的黑點和劃痕就會出現(xiàn)在你和卡爾的書里，而每一次你們表現(xiàn)良好的時候，書頁上就會出現(xiàn)美麗的東西?！?/p>

“Oh， if we could only have the books again！” said Carl and Philip.

“噢！如果我們能重新?lián)碛羞@兩本書就好了！”卡爾和菲利普說道。

“That cannot be，” said the Fairy. “See！ they are dated for this year， and they must now go back into Father Times bookcase， but I have brought you each a new one. Perhaps you can make these more beautiful than the others.” So saying， she vanished7， and the boys were left alone， but each held in his hand a new book open at the first page. And on the back of this book was written in letters of gold， “For the New Year.”

“這可不行，”仙女說：“它們的這一年已經(jīng)結(jié)束啦，現(xiàn)在它們得回到時間老人的書箱里去了。不過，我給你們每人帶了一本新書，你們可以讓這兩本書變得更漂亮一些?！?一說完，仙女就消失了，只留下男孩們手上已翻開第一頁的新書。而在書的背面，寫著幾個金色的大字：“致新的一年?！?/p>

[1] in an instant 瞬間；馬上 [2] lamp n. 燈 [3] in wonder 在驚奇中，驚訝地

[4] scratch n. 抓痕；亂寫 [5] gorgeous adj. 華麗的，燦爛的；極好的

[6] delicate adj. 微妙的；精美的，雅致的 [7] vanish vi. 消失；突然不見