快乐的狮子

　　The Happy Lion
　　快乐的狮子

　　There was once a very happy lion His home was not the hot and dangerous plains of Africa where hunters lie in wait with their guns It was a lovely French town with brown tiled roofs and grey shutters The happy lion had a house in the town zoo all for himself with a large rock garden surrounded by a moat in the middle of a park with flower beds and a bandstand
　　Early every morning Francois, the keeper's son, stopped on his way to school to say, "Bon Jour happy lion!" In the afternoons Mousieer Dupont, the school master, stopped on his way home to say, "Bon Jour happy lion" In the evening, Madame Passont, who knitted all day on the bench by the bandstand never left without saying, "Aure voir happy lion" On summer Sundays the town band filed into the bandstand to play waltzes and polkas and the happy lion closed his eyes to listen He loved music Everyone was his friend and came to say, "Bon Jour," and offer meat and other titbits He was a happy lion
　　One morning the happy lion found that his keeper had forgotten to close the door of his house "Hmmm" He said "I don't like that Anyone may walk in Oh well, " he added on second thought "Maybe I will walk out myself and see my friends in town It will be nice to return their visits"
　　So the happy lion walked out into the park and said, "Bon Jour my friends," to the busy sparrows "Bon jour happy lion," answered the busy sparrows And he said, "Bon jour my friend," to the quick red squirrel who sat on his tail and bit into a walnut "Bon Jour happy lion," said the red squirrel, hardly looking up
　　Then the happy lion went into the cobblestone street where he met Mousieer Dupont just around the corner "Bon Jour," he said nodding in his polite lion way "Ohhhhhahhhhh!" answered Mousieer Dupont, and fainted onto the pavement
　　"What a silly way to say 'Bon Jour'," said the happy lion and he patted along on his big soft paws "Bon Jour Madame," the happy lion said farther down the street when he saw three ladies he had known at the zoo "Ohhhhhhahhhhh!" cried the three ladies and ran away as if an ogre were after them "I can't think," said the happy lion, "what makes them do that They're always so polite at the zoo"
　　"Bon Jour Madame," the happy lion nodded again when he caught up with Madame Passons near the green grocers "Ohh la la!" cried Madame Passons And threw her shopping bag full of vegetables into the lion's face "Ahhhhchooo," sneezed the lion "Oh people in this town are foolish as I begin to see"
　　Now the lion began to hear the joyous sounds of a military march He turned around the next corner and there was the town band marching down the street between two lines of people "Ratatattum ratatata Ratatattum ratatata Boom Boom" Before the lion could even nod and say, "Bon jour," the music became screams and yells What a hubbub! Musicians and spectators tumbled into one another in their flight towards doorways and pavement cafes Soon the street was empty and silent The lion sat down and meditated "I suppose," he said "This must be the way people behave when they are not at the zoo"
　　Then he got up and went on with his stroll in search of a friend who would not faint or scream or run away But the only people he saw were pointing at him excitedly from the highest windows and balconies Now what was this new noise the lion heard "Oood ooood Toooot Toooot TooTooooot," went that noise "Hooot, tooooot tooooooooooooot" And it grew more and more noisy "Ooo, must be the wind," said the lion "Unless it's the monkeys from the zoo All of them taking a stroll"
　　All of a sudden a big, red fire engine burst out of a side street and came to a stop not too too, far from the lion Then a big van came backing up on the other side of him with its back door wide open The lion just sat down very quietly For he did not want to miss what was going to happen The firemen got off the fire engine and advanced very, very slowly toward the lion pulling their big fire hose along Very slowly they came closer and closer And the fire hose crawled on like a long snake longer and longer
　　Suddenly behind the lion a little voice cried, "Bon Jour happy lion" It was Francois, the keeper's son on his way home from school He had seen the lion and had come running to him The happy lion was so very happy to meet a friend who did not run and who said, "Bon Jour" that he forgot all about the firemen and he never found out what they were going to do because Francois put his hand on the lion's great mane and said, "Let's walk back to the park together" "Yes let's," purred the happy lion
　　So Francois and the happy lion walked back to the zoo The firemen followed behind in the fire engine and the people on the balconies and in the high windows shouted at last, "Bon Jour happy lion"
　　From then on the happy lion got the best titbits the town saved for him But if you opened his door he would not wish to go out visiting again He was happier to sit in his rock garden while on the other side of the moat Moussier Dupont, Madame Passons and all his old friends came again like polite and sensible people to say, "Bon Jour happy lion" But he was happiest when he saw Francois walk through the park every afternoon on his way home from school Then he swished his tail for joy for Francois remained always his dearest friend

　　从前，有一只非常快乐的狮子。他的家不在炎热、危险的非洲草原上，那儿时刻有端着枪的猎人出没，虎视眈眈地等待着猎物。他的家在一个美丽的法国小镇上，那儿的房子有着灰色的百页窗，屋顶上砌着棕色的瓦片。狮子在镇上的动物园里有一间单独的房子，房前有一个岩石堆成的花园，房子和花园四周环绕着一条壕沟，狮子的家坐落在有着花床和室外音乐台的公园中央。
　　每天一大早，动物园饲养员的儿子弗朗索瓦在去上学的路上都要停下来，和狮子说一声：“你好，快乐的狮子！”每天下午，小学校长杜邦先生会在回家的路上停下来对狮子说一声：“你好，快乐的狮子！”每到晚上，在公园音乐台旁的凳子上织了一整天毛衣的潘桑女士，一定要说一句：“再见，快乐的狮子！”之后，才回家。在夏日的星期天，镇上的乐队排成纵队进入音乐台，演奏华尔兹，波尔卡，快乐的狮子就闭上眼睛，悠闲地欣赏音乐。他非常喜欢音乐。每个人都是他的朋友，都会走过来说：“你好”，然后给他吃肉和其它美味。他真是只快乐的狮子。
　　一天早上，快乐的狮子发现饲养员忘了关房门。“嗯，我可不喜欢这样， 会有人闯进来的。”他又想了想，“也许，我还是自己走出去，到镇上去看看我的朋友们。总是他们来看我，现在我去回访一下也不错。”
　　就这样，快乐的狮子走出房间，来到了公园里，对着一群忙碌的麻雀说：“你好，我的朋友们。”
　　“你好，快乐的狮子，”忙碌的麻雀们回答道。
　　他又对动作敏捷，正坐在尾巴上啃核桃的红松鼠说：“你好，我的朋友。”
　　“你好，快乐的狮子，”红松鼠答道，几乎头也没抬。
　　快乐的狮子接着走到了鹅卵石铺成的街上，在拐角那里碰到了杜邦先生。“你好，”他一边说着，一边用他那礼貌的狮子的方式向杜邦先生点头致意。“啊－！”杜邦先生答道，然后就晕倒在人行道上。
　　“这种问候的方式多傻呀，”快乐的狮子轻声嘀咕着，然后沿街道往前走，又大又软的爪子轻轻拍打在鹅卵石路面上。走了一段距离后，在街道的那边，快乐的狮子看到了三位他在动物园里认识的女士。“女士们，你们好，”快乐的狮子说道。“嗷－！”三位女士叫喊着夺路而逃，好像背后有吃人妖魔在追她们。“我真想不明白，”快乐的狮子说，“她们怎么会这样。在动物园里，她们总是那么彬彬有礼。”
　　在蔬菜店附近，快乐的狮子见到潘桑女士，又朝她点头致意：“你好，女士。”潘桑女士吓得尖叫起来: “嗷－啦啦！”然后把装满蔬菜的购物袋扔到了狮子的脸上。“啊－嘁，”狮子打了个喷嚏，“啊，我开始觉得这个镇上的人有点傻气。”
　　现在，狮子开始听到军队进行曲的欢快乐曲声了。在下一个拐角，他转了弯，看到镇上的乐队正夹在两列队伍中沿着大街前进，“嘀嗒嗒嗵，嘀嗒嗒嗒，嘀嗒嗒嗵，嘀嗒嗒嗒，嘭，嘭。”狮子甚至还没来得及向他们点头说“你好”，音乐声就变成了尖声叫喊，场面一片混乱。乐手们和观众们都一窝蜂向出口和路旁的咖啡店狂奔而去，跌跌撞撞地碰在一起。街道瞬间变得空无一人，一片寂静。狮子坐下来，沉思着。“我想，这可能是人们不在动物园时的行为方式吧。”
　　然后，他站起来，继续他的悠闲漫步，想找一个见到他不会晕倒，或尖叫，或逃跑的朋友。可是，他见到的只是站在高高的窗台上和阳台上，激动地向他指指点点的人们。咦，狮子现在听到的这是什么声音啊？“呜－呜－嘟－嘟嘟－。”“呼－嘟－嘟－－－。”这声音变得越来越嘈杂。“啊，这一定是风声了。要不如果这不是动物园里的猴子，”狮子说，“难道他们也来散步吗？”
　　突然，一辆红色的大消防车从一条小路冲了出来，在离狮子不太远的地方停了下来。接着，一辆大的客货两用车倒退着从另一边接近狮子，车的后门大敞着。狮子就这样静静地端坐着，因为他不想错过接下来发生的事。消防员们下了消防车，拉着长长的消防水喉悄悄地，悄悄地接近狮子。慢慢地，慢慢地，他们越来越靠近狮子，消防水喉像一条长蛇在地上蠕动，越拉越长。
　　忽然，狮子身后响起一个小小的声音：“你好，快乐的狮子。”原来是动物园饲养员的儿子弗朗索瓦正好放学回家，他看到了狮子就跑了过来。快乐的狮子遇到这样一个看到他没有说吓得逃跑，而且还对他说：“你好”的朋友，实在是高兴坏了，他把消防员完全抛在了脑后，最后也不知道他们到底要干什么，因为弗朗索瓦把他的手放在狮子的鬣毛上，说：“我们一起走回公园去吧。”狮子呼噜道：“好的，走吧。”
　　就这样，弗朗索瓦和快乐的狮子一起走回了动物园。消防员们坐在消防车里跟着他们，站在阳台上和高高的窗台上的人们终于大声喊起来：“你好，快乐的狮子。”
　　打那以后，镇上的人们总是把最好吃的食品留给快乐的狮子吃。不过，就算你把狮子的房门打开，他也不想再出去闲逛了，他更乐意坐在自己的石头花园里。而在壕沟对面，杜邦先生，潘桑女士以及狮子的其他一些老朋友，恢复了知书达礼的模样，又像往常一样来看他说：“你好，快乐的狮子。”不过，他最高兴见到的是每天放学回家路过公园的弗朗索瓦，一到那个时候，狮子就会快乐地舞动他的尾巴，因为弗朗索瓦一直以来就是他最亲密的朋友。

　　Plain: n 平原，草原
　　Tile: n 瓦片，瓷砖
　　Shutter: n 百叶窗
　　Moat: n 护城河，城壕
　　Bandstand: n (室外)音乐台，(舞厅)演奏台
　　Keeper: n 监护人，管理人，看守人，保管人
　　Bon jour: (法语)早安，日安；你好
　　Master: n 男教师；校长
　　Madame: n (法语)太太，夫人
　　Knit: v 编织
　　Au revoir: (法语)再见
　　Bench: n 长椅子
　　File: vi 列队行进
　　Waltz: n 华尔兹舞，华尔兹舞曲
　　Polka: n 波尔卡舞
　　Titbit: n 量少味美的食品，珍品，珍闻
　　Second thought: n 重新考虑
　　Quick: adj 快的，迅速的，敏捷的，活泼的
　　Walnut: n 胡桃，胡桃木
　　Cobblestone: n 圆石，鹅卵石
　　Nod: v 点头
　　Faint: vi 昏晕，昏倒，变得微弱，变得没气力
　　Pavement: n 人行道，公路
　　Silly: adj 愚蠢的，无聊的
　　Pat: v 轻拍
　　Paw: n 手掌，手爪
　　Ogre: n (民间传说中的)食人魔鬼，怪物，像鬼的人
　　Grocer: n 食品商，杂货店
　　Vegetable: n 蔬菜，植物
　　Sneeze: vi 打喷嚏