This is a tale about a tail—a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin. He had a brother called Twinkleberry, and a great many cousins; they lived in a wood at the edge of a lake.
In the middle of the lake there is an island covered with trees and nut bushes; and amongst those trees stands a hollow oak-tree, which is the house of an owl who is called Old Brown.
One autumn when the nuts were ripe, and the leaves on the hazel bushes were golden and green—Nutkin and Twinkleberry and all the other little squirrels came out of the wood, and down to the edge of the lake.
They made little rafts out of twigs, and they paddled away over the water to Owl Island to gather nuts. Each squirrel had a little sack and a large oar, and spread out his tail for a sail. They also took with them an offering of three fat mice as a present for Old Brown, and put them down upon his door-step.
Then Twinkleberry and the other little squirrels each made a low bow, and said politely—
“Old Mr. Brown, will you favour us with permission to gather nuts upon your island?”
But Nutkin was excessively impertinent in his manners. He bobbed up and down like a little red cherry, singing—
“Riddle me, riddle me, rot-tot-tote!
A little wee man in a red red coat!
A staff in his hand, and a stone in his throat;
If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a groat.”
Now this riddle is as old as the hills; Mr. Brown paid no attention whatever to Nutkin. He shut his eyes obstinately and went to sleep.
The squirrels fill their little sacks with nuts, and sailed away home in the evening.
But next morning they all came back again to Owl Island; and Twinkleberry and the others brought a fine fat mole, and laid it on the stone in front of Old Brown's doorway, and said—
“Mr. Brown, will you favor us with your gracious permission to gather some more nuts?”
But Nutkin, who had no respect, began to dance up and down, tickling old Mr. Brown with a nettle and singing—
“Old Mr. B! Riddle-me-ree!
Hitty Pitty within the wall,
Hitty Pitty without the wall;
If you touch Hitty Pitty,
Hitty Pitty will bite you!”
Mr. Brown woke up suddenly and carried the mole into his house. He shut the door in Nutkin's face. Presently a little thread of blue smoke from a wood fire came up from the top of the tree, and Nutkin peeped through the key-hole and sang—
“A house full, a hole full!
And you cannot gather a bowl-full!”
The squirrels searched for nuts all over the island and filled their little sacks. But Nutkin gathered oak-apples—yellow and scarlet—and sat upon a beech-stump playing marbles, and watching the door of old Mr. Brown.
On the third day the squirrels got up very early and went fishing; they caught seven fat minnows as a present for Old Brown. They paddled over the lake and landed under a crooked chestnut tree on Owl Island.
Twinkleberry and six other little squirrels each carried a fat minnow; but Nutkin, who had no nice manners, brought no present at all. He ran in front, singing—
“The man in the wilderness said to me,
‘How many strawberries grow in the sea?’
I answered him as I thought good—
‘As many red herrings as grow in the wood.’”
But old Mr. Brown took no interest in riddles—not even when the answer was provided for him.
On the fourth day the squirrels brought a present of six fat beetles, which were as good as plums in plum-pudding for Old Brown. Each beetle was wrapped up carefully in a dock-leaf, fastened with a pine-needle pin.
But Nutkin sang as Rudely as ever—
“Old Mr. B.! Riddle-me-ree!
Flour of England, fruit of Spain,
Met together in a shower of rain;
Put in a bag tied round with a string,
If you'll tell me this riddle I'll give you a ring!”
Which was ridiculous of Nutkin, because he had not got any ring to give to Old Brown.
The other squirrels hunted up and down the nut bushes; but Nutkin gathered robin's pin-cushions off a briar bush, and stuck them full of pine-needle pins.
On the fifth day the squirrels brought a present of wild honey; it was so sweet and sticky that they licked their fingers as they put it down upon the stone. They had stolen it out of a bumble bees' nest on the tippitty top of the hill.
But Nutkin skipped up and down, singing—
“Hum-a-bum! buzz! buzz! Hum-a-bum buzz!
As I went over Tipple-tine
I met a flock of bonny swine;
Some yellow-nacked, some yellow backed!
They were the very bonniest swine
That e'er went over Tipple-tine.”
Old Mr. Brown turned up his eyes in disgust at the impertinence of Nutkin. But he ate up the honey!
The squirrels filled their little sacks with nuts.
But Nutkin sat upon a big flat rock, and played ninepins with a crab apple and green fir-cones.
On the sixth day, which was Saturday, the squirrels came again for the last time; they brought a new-laid egg in a little rush basket as a last parting present for Old Brown.
But Nutkin ran in front laughing, and shouting—
“Humpty Dumpty lies in the beck,
With a white counterpane round his neck,
Forty doctors and forty wrights,
Cannot put Humpty Dumpty to rights!”
Now old Mr. Brown took an interest in eggs; he opened one eye and shut it again. But still he did not speak.
Nutkin became more and more impertinent—
“Old Mr. B! Old Mr. B!
Hickamore, Hackamore, on the King's kitchen door;
All the King's horses, and all the King's men,
Couldn't drive Hickamore, Hackamore,
Off the King's kitchen door!”
Nutkin danced up and down like a sunbeam, but still Old Brown said nothing at all.
Nutkin began again—
“Arthur O'Bower has broken his band,
He comes roaring up the land!
The King of Scots with all his power,
Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!”
Nutkin made a whirring noise to sound like the wind, and he took a running jump right onto the head of Old Brown! ... Then all at once there was a flutterment and a scufflement and a loud “Squeak!”
The other squirrels scuttered away into the bushes. When they came back very cautiously, peeping round the tree—there was Old Brown sitting on his door-step, quite still, with his eyes closed, as if nothing had happened. But Nutkin was in his waist-coat pocket!
This looks like the end of the story; but it isn't.
Old Brown carried Nutkin into his house, and held him up by the tail, intending to skin him; but Nutkin pulled so very hard that his tail broke in two, and he dashed up the staircase, and escaped out of the attic window.
And to this day, if you meet Nutkin up a tree and ask him a riddle, he will throw sticks at you, and stamp his feet and scold, and shout—
“Cuck-cuck-cuck-cur-r-r cuck-k-k!”
THE END
這是一個關(guān)于一條尾巴的故事——這條尾巴屬于一只紅色的小松鼠,他的名字叫作堅果金。他有一個兄弟,名字叫閃閃莓,另外他還有許多堂兄弟和表兄弟。他們都住在湖邊的一個樹林里。
在湖的中央,有一個小島,島上長滿了樹和結(jié)堅果的灌木,在那些樹中,有一棵空心的橡樹,那是一只名叫老灰灰的貓頭鷹的家。
有一年秋天,堅果都成熟了,榛樹的葉子有的金燦燦的,有的綠油油的——堅果金和閃閃莓以及其他所有小松鼠都走出樹林,來到湖邊。
他們用小樹枝做成木筏子,劃向貓頭鷹島去采堅果。每只小松鼠都帶了一個小口袋,手握一根大槳,將尾巴撐起并展開作為船帆。他們還帶了三只肥肥的老鼠,作為送給老灰灰的禮物,他們將老鼠放在了老灰灰家門前的臺階上。
閃閃莓和其他的小松鼠都深深地鞠躬,很有禮貌地說:
“灰灰老先生,您能慷慨地允許我們在您的島上采堅果嗎?”
但是堅果金卻格外魯莽無禮。他上躥下跳,像顆小紅櫻桃一樣,同時還唱著:
猜謎啦,猜謎啦,啰噠喲!
一個小小人,穿著紅紅襖!
手里拿權(quán)杖,喉嚨卡石頭;
要是你猜到,給你四便士。
這個謎語像山一樣古老,而灰先生卻根本沒有理會堅果金。他只是自顧自地閉著眼睛,睡他的覺。
松鼠們在他們的小口袋里面裝滿了堅果,傍晚時劃著筏子回家了。
第二天一早,他們又都來到了貓頭鷹島,閃閃莓和其他松鼠帶來了一只肥美的鼴鼠,將它放在老灰灰家門口的石頭上,說:
“灰先生,您能好心允許我們再采些堅果嗎?”
但是堅果金沒有表現(xiàn)出一點兒敬意,他開始手舞足蹈,上下亂跳,他手里握著一根蕁麻逗弄灰灰老先生,同時唱道:
灰老先生啊!來猜謎呀!
墻里長著尖尖刺,
墻外長著尖尖刺,
要是你敢碰碰刺,
尖尖刺兒咬死你!
灰先生突然間醒了過來,將鼴鼠帶到了自己的房子里。他當(dāng)著堅果金的面關(guān)上了門,很快,柴火點燃了,從樹頂上冒出了一縷青煙。堅果金透過鑰匙孔向內(nèi)窺探,他又唱道:
屋也滿,洞也滿!
你卻收不齊一碗!
松鼠們在整個島上四處尋找堅果,填滿他們的小口袋。而堅果金卻收集了一些橡果——有黃色的,也有深紅色的——他坐在一個山毛櫸樹的樹樁上,將橡果當(dāng)作彈珠玩,一邊玩一邊盯著灰灰老先生的家門口。
第三天,松鼠們很早就起床了,然后就去釣魚,他們釣到了七條肥碩碩的米諾魚,作為送給老灰灰的禮物。他們劃著筏子過湖,在一棵長得彎曲的栗子樹下登上貓頭鷹島。
閃閃莓和另外六只小松鼠各拿著一只肥肥的米諾魚。而堅果金則表現(xiàn)得更沒有禮貌了,根本沒有帶禮物。他卻跑在最前面,邊跑邊唱:
荒野里的那人來問我:
“海里長了多少草莓果?”
我細(xì)細(xì)想過才開口說:
“和林里紅鯡魚一樣多。”
但是老灰灰先生對謎語不感興趣,即便把答案告訴他,他也不感興趣。
第四天,松鼠們給老灰灰?guī)Я肆环史实募紫x作為禮物,這對老灰灰來說,就像是李子布丁里面的李子一樣好。每只甲蟲都被包在一片闊葉草的草葉中,還用松針封了口。
而堅果金像以往一樣粗野地唱著:
老灰先生!來跟我猜個謎!
英格蘭的面粉,西班牙的水果,
在一場小雨中相遇成了一國;
把它們裝進(jìn)口袋里,再系上繩子,
你要是能告訴我謎底,我就給你一枚戒指。
堅果金這么說實在很可笑,因為他根本沒有什么戒指可以送給老灰灰。
其他的松鼠在堅果灌木中鉆來鉆去地采堅果,但是堅果金卻從石楠叢中找到了知更鳥的插針墊,在上面插滿了松針。
第五天,松鼠們帶了野蜂蜜作為禮物,那蜜又甜又黏,他們把蜜放下之后,都舔起了自己的手指。這蜜是他們從山頂上一個大黃蜂的蜂巢中偷來的。
而堅果金上躥下跳地唱著:
哼哼嘣!嗡嗡嗡!哼嘣嗡!
我翻過那三叉山,
遇到一群美麗的豬;
有的黃脖子,有的黃脊背,
他們是三叉山上面
最最美麗的小豬!
面對堅果金的粗魯無禮,老灰灰嫌棄地轉(zhuǎn)過臉不看他。不過他倒是把蜜吃光了。
松鼠們把他們的小口袋里裝滿了堅果。
而堅果金卻坐在一塊大而平的石頭上,用一顆沙果和一些青青的樅樹球果玩起了保齡球游戲。
第六天是一個星期六,松鼠們最后一次來到貓頭鷹島,他們用一個燈芯草籠子裝了一顆新下的雞蛋,作為送給老灰灰的最后的告別禮物。
但是堅果金跑在最前面,一邊大笑,一邊大叫:
矮胖子躺在河中央,
脖子上纏著白床罩,
四十個醫(yī)生和四十個工匠,
也沒法子把矮胖子扶起來!
老灰灰對雞蛋很感興趣,他睜開了一只眼睛,然后又閉上了。但他一直沒有說話。
堅果金卻越來越粗魯:
老灰先生!老灰先生!
馬籠頭,馬韁繩,
掛在國王廚房門上;
國王全部的馬,
國王全部的人,
也沒法子把馬籠頭和馬韁繩,
從國王廚房的門上取走!
堅果金像一束陽光一樣跳來跳去,但老灰灰還是什么都沒有說。
堅果金又開始唱道:
波爾的亞瑟掙斷了鏈,
一路咆哮著上了岸!
蘇格蘭國王用盡了力,
也沒法把亞瑟趕回去!
堅果金發(fā)出呼呼的叫聲,好像風(fēng)聲一樣,他助跑了一段,然后一躍而起,跳上了老灰灰的頭。立刻,傳來一陣翅膀的撲打聲,接著便是一場廝打,還傳來了一聲很大聲的“吱”!
其他松鼠全都四散奔逃,躲進(jìn)了灌木叢中。等他們躡手躡腳地回來時,從大樹后面偷看,只看到老灰灰坐在自家門前的臺階上,眼睛閉著,仿佛什么事都沒有發(fā)生過,而堅果金此時卻在老灰灰的馬甲口袋里。
這似乎就是故事的結(jié)局了,不過還不是。
老灰灰把堅果金帶到了自己的屋子里,提住他的尾巴,要把他的皮剝下來。但堅果金奮力掙扎,以致掙斷了尾巴,他猛地沖上樓梯,從閣樓的窗子跳出去逃跑了。
直到今天,你要是在樹上看到堅果金,請他猜個謎語,他準(zhǔn)會向你扔樹枝,并跺著腳大喊:
咯——咯——咯——咔——啦——啦——咯——咔——咔!
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