What great bites they took! One ate my ears, another my nose, a third my neck and my mane.
它们是怎样大口大口地咬我啊!一个吃我的耳朵,另一个吃我的鼻子,第三个吃我的脖子和我的鬃毛。
Some went at my legs and some at my back, and among the others,
有的扑向我的腿,有的扑向我的背,
there was one tiny fish so gentle and polite that he did me the great favor of eating even my tail."
在另外一群里有一条小鱼很有礼貌地帮了我个大忙,竟然吃了我的尾巴。”
"From now on," said the man, horrified, "I swear I shall never again taste fish.
“从今以后,”这个男的害怕地说,“我发誓再也不吃鱼了。
How I should enjoy opening a mullet or a whitefish just to find there the tail of a dead donkey!"
剖开一条鲻鱼或者一条白鲑鱼,结果在肚子里发现了条死驴尾巴,让我如何享用?”
"I think as you do," answered the Marionette, laughing.
“我的想法跟您一样,”木偶笑着回答。
"Still, you must know that when the fish finished eating my donkey coat, which covered me from head to foot,
“尽管如此,你必须知道等到这些鱼吃光我身上从头到脚的驴外套,
they naturally came to the bones—or rather, in my case, to the wood, for as you know, I am made of very hard wood.
自然就吃到我的骨头—或者是对我来说,吃到我的木头,因为您知道,我是很硬很硬的木头做的。
After the first few bites, those greedy fish found out that the wood was not good for their teeth, and, afraid of indigestion,
咬了几口,这些馋嘴鱼发觉木头对他们牙齿不好,还害怕不消化,
they turned and ran here and there without saying good-by or even as much as thank you to me.
它们连一句谢谢和再见也没跟我说,就各走各的了。
Here, dear Master, you have my story.
到此,亲爱的主人,您听完了我的故事。
You know now why you found a Marionette and not a dead donkey when you pulled me out of the water."
您现在知道了为什么您把我从水里拉上来发现是个活木偶而不是一头死驴了吧。”