LESSON 9

MEDDLESOME MATTY

爱捣乱的玛蒂

1. Oh, how one ugly trick has spoiled

The sweetest and the best!

Matilda, though a pleasant child,

One grievous fault possessed,

Which, like a cloud before the skies,

Hid all her better qualities .

2. Sometimes, she’d lift the teapot lid

To peep at what was in it;

Or tilt, the kettle, if you did

But turn your back a minute.

In vain you told her not to touch,

Her trick of meddling grew so much.

3. Her grandmamma went out one day,

And, by mistake, she laid

Her spectacles and snuffbox gay,

Too near the little maid;

“Ah! well,” thought she, “I’ll try them on,

As soon as grandmamma is gone.”

4. Forthwith , she placed upon her nose

The glasses large and wide;

And looking round, as I suppose,

The snuffbox, too, she spied .

“Oh, what a pretty box is this!

I’ll open it,” said little miss.

5. “I know that grandmamma would say, ‘Don’t meddle with it, dear;’

But then she’s far enough away,

And no one else is near;

Beside, what can there be amiss

In opening such a box as this?”

6. So, thumb and finger went to work

To move the stubborn lid;

And, presently, a mighty jerk The mighty mischief did;

For all at once, ah! woeful case!

The snuff came puffing in her face.

7. Poor eyes, and nose, and mouth, and chin A dismal sight presented;

And as the snuff got further in,

Sincerely she repented.

In vain she ran about for ease,

She could do nothing else but sneeze. 8. She dashed the spectacles away,

To wipe her tingling eyes;

And, as in twenty bits they lay,

Her grandmamma she spies.

“Heyday! and what’s the matter now?”

Cried grandmamma, with angry brow. 9. Matilda, smarting with the pain, And tingling still, and sore,

Made many a promise to refrain From meddling evermore;

And ’t is a fact, as I have heard, She ever since has kept her word.

EXERCISES.—What did Matilda do? How was she punished?What effect did it have on her?

【中文阅读】

1. 哦，一个丑陋的把戏是如何毁掉了

最甜美、最好的一切啊！

虽说玛蒂达是个讨人喜欢的孩子，

但她有一个严重的毛病，

就像是天空中的乌云，

遮挡住了她所有的优秀品质。

2. 有时候，她会拿起茶壶盖，

偷看里面是什么，

或者将水壶斜过来，如果你

转过身一分钟时间，

尽管你告诉她不要碰，但无济于事，

她爱捣乱的毛病有增无减。

3. 一天她祖母外出，

不小心把

她的老花镜和颜色鲜艳的鼻烟盒

放得离小女孩太近了，

“啊，好！”她想，“等祖母一出门，

我来试试它们。”

4. 随即，她把又大又宽的眼镜

架在了鼻梁上；

环顾四周，我猜

她也偷偷地看了鼻烟盒。

“噢，这个盒子多漂亮啊！我来把它打开，”小女子说。

5. “我知道祖母肯定会说，

别碰它，亲爱的，”

但是她现在出门走远了，

这里又没有其他人，

再说，打开盒子看一下

又能出什么差错呢？

6. 这样一想，拇指和食指开始一起工作

来扭动紧紧的盖子；

现在，一次小聪明造成

猛烈的一抖；

忽然间，啊！糟了！

鼻烟都吹到她脸上了。

7. 可怜的眼睛、鼻子、嘴巴和下巴，

全都是一片狼藉；

当鼻烟飞到鼻子里，

她打心眼儿里感到懊悔，

她想跑一跑能舒服些，不料却无济于事，

她除了打喷嚏啥也干不了。

8. 她把眼镜扔到一边，

来擦擦刺痛的眼睛；

她发现祖母回来了。

“嗨！发生什么事了？”

祖母横眉怒目地叫起来。

9. 玛蒂达，因为眼睛刺痛而痛苦万分，嗓子又疼又痒，

她向大家保证以后再也

不捣乱了；

这是一个事实，我听说的，

她从此以后说到做到。