2 The garden of live flowers
2. 会说话的花园
There was a small hill not far away and Alice decided to walk to it.
不远处有座小山丘,爱丽丝决定步行到那边去。
'I shall be able to see the garden better from the top of the hill,'she said.
她说:“站在山顶上,我可以把花园看得清楚些。”
She tried very hard to reach the hill, but it seemed impossible to get to it.
为了到那山去,她做了各种努力,但要到那儿,似乎是不可能的。
She went first this way, then that way, but every time she turned a corner, she found herself back at the house.
她先走这条路,然后走那条路,但每次一拐弯,她发现自己又回到出发前的那所房子。
'I'm not going in again yet,' she told the house crossly.
“我现在还不想进去,”她望着房子,生气地说。
'I'll have to go back through the looking-glass into the old room and that's the end of all my adventures then!'
“我得再次穿过镜子,回到那老房间去。那么,我的探险可就全完结了。”
She tried once more, and this time passed a large flowerbed, with a tree growing in the middle.
她又重试了一次。这次她经过了一个大花坛,中间长了一棵树。
'Oh Tiger-lily,' Alice said to one of the flowers, 'I wish you could talk!'
爱丽丝对其中一株花说:“原来是株卷丹,你能讲话该多好!”
'We can talk,' said the Tiger-lily, 'if there is anybody interesting enough to talk to.'
卷丹答道:“我们会讲话的,只要是同我们讲话的人要有趣味性。”
For a minute Alice was too surprised to speak.
爱丽丝顿时惊异得哑口无言。
Then she said, almost in a whisper, 'And can all the flowers talk?'
然后,她压低声音问:“这儿所有的花儿都会讲话吗?”
'As well as you can,' said the Tiger-lily. 'And a lot louder.'
卷丹答道:“不会讲得比你差,而且声音还要洪亮得多。”
'It isn't polite for us to begin, you know,' said the Rose, 'and I was really wondering when you would speak.'
玫瑰说:“我们先开口就失礼了,我很想知道你什么时候愿意讲话。”
'But why can you all talk?' Alice said, puzzled.
爱丽丝迷惑不解,问:“但你们怎么都会讲话的?
'I've been in many gardens before, and none of the flowers could talk.'
我到过不少花园,花儿都不会讲话。”
'Put your hand down and feel the ground,' said the Tiger-lily. 'Then you'll know why.'
卷丹答道:“把手放下来摸摸大地,你就会明白了。”
Alice did so. 'It's very hard,' she said, 'but how does that explain it?'
爱丽丝照办了,接着说:“地很坚硬,但这能说明什么问题呢?”
'In most gardens,' the Tiger-lily said, 'they make the flowerbeds too soft-so the flowers are always asleep.'
卷丹答道:“大多数花坛地太软,花儿总是昏昏欲睡。”
This sounded a very good reason to Alice. 'I never thought of that before!' she said.
爱丽丝觉得这倒很有道理,她说:“我从未想到这一点。”
'Do you ever think at all?' asked the Rose, unkindly.
玫瑰不留情面地问了句:“你曾经用脑筋想过?”
'I never saw anybody with a more stupid face,' said a Daisy suddenly.
雏菊也冲出了一句:“这脸蛋是我所看见过的最傻里傻气的。”
It was the first time it had spoken, and Alice jumped in surprise.
爱丽丝诧异得跳了起来,这是雏菊第一次讲话。
'Oh, be quiet!' cried the Tiger-lily. 'What do you Daisies know about the world?'
卷丹叫了声:“别胡说!你这雏菊对这世界了解多少?”
'Are there any other people in the garden?' Alice asked.
爱丽丝问:“园中还有其他人吗?”
'There's one other flower that can move around like you,' said the Rose.
玫瑰答道:“还有另外一种花,像你一样能自由走动。
'She's the same strange shape as you, but she's redder, with more leaves than you have.'
她的外形跟你一样奇特,但她更红,比你多些树叶。”
'She's coming now!' cried another Daisy. 'I can hear her feet-bang, bang, bang, on the ground.'
另一株雏菊喊了起来:“现在她来了!我听得见她踩在地面上的呯呯的脚步声。”
Alice looked round quickly, and saw that it was the Red Queen.
爱丽丝马上看了看周围,原来是红方王后。
'She's grown a lot,' Alice thought.
她想:“她长大了不少。”