第39章 鸛鳥 The Storks(第4/10 頁)

nearly to the clouds. they are called pyramids, and are older than a stork could imagine; and in that country, there is a river that overflows its banks, and then goes back, leaving nothing but mire; there we can walk about, and eat frogs in abundance.”

“哦，哦 ——！” 小鸛鳥們叫道。

“oh, o — h!” cried the young storks.

“是的，那是個令人愉快的地方。在那兒整天除了吃什麼都不用做。而當我們在外面過得這麼舒服的時候，這個國家的樹上將一片綠葉都沒有，天氣會非常寒冷，雲彩都會凍住，像小白布條一樣飄落到地上。” 鸛鳥媽媽說的是雪，但她沒法用別的方式解釋。

“Yes, it is a delightful place; there is nothing to do all day long but eat, and while we are so well off out there, in this country there will not be a single green leaf on the trees, and the weather will be so cold that the clouds will freeze, and fall on the earth in little white rags.” the stork meant snow, but she could not explain it in any other way.

“那些調皮的男孩會凍僵然後碎成一塊一塊的嗎？” 小鸛鳥們問。

“will the naughty boys freeze and fall in pieces?” asked the young storks.

“不，他們不會凍僵然後碎成一塊一塊的。” 鸛鳥媽媽說，“但是他們會非常冷，不得不整天坐在黑暗、陰沉的房間裡。而我們將在有盛開的花朵和溫暖陽光的外國飛翔。”

“No, they will not freeze and fall into pieces,” said the mother, “but they will be very cold, and be obliged to sit all day in a dark, gloomy room, while we shall be flying about in foreign lands, where there are blooming flowers and warm sunshine.”

時間流逝，小鸛鳥們長得非常大了，他們可以在巢裡站直身子，環顧四周。

time passed on, and the young storks grew so large that they could stand upright in the nest and look about them.

爸爸每天給他們帶來漂亮的青蛙、小蛇和各種他能找到的鸛鳥美食。然後，看他為了逗他們開心而表演的把戲是多麼有趣啊。他