What a funny sight it is to see a brood of ducklings with a hen!
多么有意思的一幕啊,一窝小鸭子竟然围着一只母鸡转!
—Listen to the story of Jemima Puddle-duck, who was annoyed because the farmer's wife would not let her hatch her own eggs.
——我来讲一讲水坑鸭杰迈玛的故事吧。农场主的妻子不让她自己孵蛋,她为此正烦着呢!
Her sister-in-law, Mrs. Rebeccah Puddle-duck, was perfectly willing to leave the hatching to some one else— "I have not the patience to sit on a nest for twenty-eight days; and no more have you, Jemima. You would let them go cold; you know you would!"
她的嫂子,水坑鸭丽贝卡太太,总是非常乐意让别人来替她孵蛋——“我可没有耐心在窝里一坐就是二十八天。你也不会有耐心的,杰迈玛。你会让蛋受凉的,你自己心里清楚!”
"I wish to hatch my own eggs; I will hatch them all by myself," quacked Jemima Puddle-duck.
“我希望能自己孵蛋,我要亲自把它们孵出来。”水坑鸭杰迈玛嘎嘎叫道。
She tried to hide her eggs; but they were always found and carried off.
她试了各种办法把自己的蛋藏起来,但它们总被找到,然后被拿走。
Jemima Puddle-duck became quite desperate. She determined to make a nest right away from the farm.
水坑鸭杰迈玛终于受不了了,她决定在远离农场的地方搭一个窝!
She set off on a fine spring afternoon along the cart-road that leads over the hill.
一个春光明媚的午后,杰迈玛出发了。她沿着通往山那一边的马车道向前走。
She was wearing a shawl and a poke bonnet.
她穿着披肩,戴着一顶宽檐帽。
When she reached the top of the hill, she saw a wood in the distance.
她爬到山顶上,看到远处有一片树林。
She thought that it looked a safe quiet spot.
她心想,那里看起来应该是个既安全又安静的地方。
Jemima Puddle-duck was not much in the habit of flying. She ran downhill a few yards flapping her shawl, and then she jumped off into the air.
水坑鸭杰迈玛平时不怎么飞。她扇动披肩,沿着山坡向下跑了几步,然后一跃而起跳向空中。
She flew beautifully when she had got a good start.
她顺利地起飞了,姿势还挺优美。
She skimmed along over the tree-tops until she saw an open place in the middle of the wood, where the trees and brushwood had been cleared.
她飞掠过树梢,直到看见树林中间有一片开阔的空地,那里的树和灌木都被砍掉了。