Way out at the end of a tiny little town was an old overgrown garden, and in the garden was an old house, and in the house lived Pippi Longstocking. She was nine years old, and she lived there all alone. She had no mother and no father, and that was of course very nice because there was no one to tell her to go to bed just when she was having the most fun, and no one who could make her take cod liver oil when she much preferred caramel candy.
在一座小鎮(zhèn)的盡頭有一座古老的花園,花園里有一座老房子,房子里住著長襪子皮皮。她九歲,獨自一個人住在那里。她沒有媽媽,也沒有爸爸.這當(dāng)然很好,因為在她玩得最高興的時候,不會有人來叫她睡覺,當(dāng)她更喜歡奶油糖果時,沒有人會讓她吃魚肝油。
Once upon a time Pippi had had a father of whom she was extremely fond. Naturally she had had a mother too, but that was so long ago that Pippi didn't remember her at all. Her mother had died when Pippi was just a tiny baby and lay in a cradle and howled so that nobody could go anywhere near her. Pippi was sure that her mother was now up in Heaven, watching her little girl through apeephole in the sky, and Pippi often waved up at her and called, "Don't you worry about me. I'1l always come out on top."
很久以前,皮皮有過爸爸,她極其喜歡自己的爸爸。當(dāng)然她也有過媽媽,但是這是許久以前了,皮皮一點也不記得了。當(dāng)皮皮還是一個小嬰兒躺在搖藍(lán)里的時候,她的媽媽就去世了。她號啕大哭,誰都不敢靠近她。皮皮相信她的媽媽正在天堂里,通過天上的一個小孔看著她的小女兒,皮皮經(jīng)常對她揮揮手,呼喊著:“不用擔(dān)心我,我會過得很好。”
Pippi had not forgotten her father. He was a sea captain who sailed on the great ocean,and Pippi had sailed with him in his ship until one day her father was blown overboard in a storm and disappeared. But Pippi was absolutely certain that he would come back.She would never believe that he had drowned; she was sure he had floated until he landed on an island inhabited by cannibals. And she thought he had become the king of all the cannibals and went around with a golden crown on his head all day along.
皮皮沒有忘記她的爸爸。他是一個海上的船長,航行在無邊無際的大海上,皮皮曾經(jīng)和他一起在他的船上航行,直到有一天爸爸在一場風(fēng)暴中被刮下了船,消失了。但是,皮皮完全相信他會回來的。她絕不相信他會溺水而死,她相信他在海上漂流,漂到一個黑人居住的島嶼上。她想他當(dāng)上了黑人國王,頭上戴著一頂金冠整日四處走動。
"My papa is a cannibal king; it certainly isn't every child who has such a stylish papa," Pippi used to say with satisfaction. "And as soon as my papa has built himself a boat he will come and get me, and I'll be a cannibal princess. Heigh-ho, won't that be exciting?"
“我的爸爸是黑人國王,當(dāng)然,并不是每個孩子都能有這樣與眾不同的爸爸。”皮皮’常常滿意地自言自語。“我爸爸一建好小船,他就會來接我,我將成為黑人公主。哎呀,那難道不是很讓人興奮的事嗎?”
Her father had bought the old house in the garden many years ago. He thought he would live there with Pippi when he grew old and couldn't sail the seas any longer. And then this annoying thing had to happen, that he was blown into the ocean, and while Pippi was waiting for him to come back she went straight home to Villa Villekulla. That was the name of the house. It stood there ready and waiting for her. One lovely summer evening she had said good-by to all the sailors on her father's boat. They were all fond of Pippi, and she of them.
許多年前,她的爸爸就買下了花園里的房子。他想等他老了,再也不能出海了,就和皮皮住在這里。之后這件討厭的事情發(fā)生了,他被刮進(jìn)了大海。而皮皮要等著爸爸回來,她直接住進(jìn)了維拉維洛古拉的家。維拉維洛古拉,這就是房子的名字,它坐落在那里,準(zhǔn)備就緒,等待著她。一個令人愉快的夏夜,她告別了爸爸船上所有的水手,他們?nèi)枷矚g皮皮,皮皮也喜歡他們。
"So long, boys," she said and kissed each one on the forehead. "Don't you worry about me. I'll always come out on top."
“再見了,小伙子們。”她說,吻了每一個水手的額頭,“不要擔(dān)心我,我會一直過得很好。”
Two things she took with her from the ship: a little monkey whose name was Mr. Nilsson--he was a present from her father-and a big suitcase full of gold pieces. The sailors stood upon the deck and watched as long as they could see her. She walked straight ahead without looking back at all, with Mr. Nilsson on her shoulder and her suitcase in her hand.
她從船上帶走了兩樣?xùn)|西:一只小猴子,他叫尼爾森先生—這是爸爸送給她的禮物,以及一個裝滿金幣的大箱子。水手們站在甲板上看著,直到看不到她為止。她頭也不回地徑直向前走著,肩上站著尼爾森先生,手里提著大箱子。
"A remarkable child," said one of the sailors as Pippi disappeared in the distance.
“多了不起的孩子呀!”一個水手說,這時皮皮已經(jīng)消失在遠(yuǎn)方。
He was right. Pippi was indeed a remarkable child. The most remarkable thing about her was that she was so strong. She was so very strong that in the whole wide world there was not a single police officer as strong as she. Why, she could lift a whole horse if she wanted to! And she had bought with one of her many gold pieces the day she came home to Villa Villekulla. She had always longed for a horse, anct now here he was, living on the porch. When Pippi wanted to drink her afternoon coffee there, she simply lifted him down into the garden.
他是對的。皮皮確實是一個了不起的孩子。她最非同尋常的地方是她力大無窮。她力氣大極了,恐怕世界上沒有一個警察能和她一樣。為什么呢,如果她想的話,她能舉起一整匹馬!當(dāng)她來到維拉維洛古拉這個家的時候,用一塊金幣買了一匹馬。她一直渴望能有一匹馬,現(xiàn)在他就住在門廊里。當(dāng)皮皮想在門廊上喝下午的咖啡時,她只要把馬舉到花園里去。