動物農(nóng)場Animal Farm 第4章(2)

This was what came of rebelling against the laws of Nature, Frederick and Pilkington said.

弗雷德里克和皮爾金頓說，正是在這一點上，造反是悖于天理的。

However, these stories were never fully believed.

然而，誰也沒有完全聽信這些說法。

Rumors of a wonderful farm, where the human beings had been turned out and the animals managed their own affairs,

小道消息繼續(xù)以各種形式流傳，說有一座奇妙的莊園，

continued to circulate in vague and distorted forms.

在那兒人被攆走，動物們掌管自己的事務(wù)。

And throughout that year a wave of rebelliousness ran through the countryside.

整個那一年，在全國范圍內(nèi)造反之波此起彼伏。

Bulls which had always been tractable suddenly turned savage.

一向溫順的公牛突然變野了。

Sheep broke down hedges and devoured the clover.

羊毀壞了樹籬，糟踏了苜蓿。

Cows kicked the pail over.

母牛蹄翻了奶桶。

Hunters refused their fences and shot their riders on to the other side.

獵馬不肯越過圍欄而把背上的騎手甩到了另一邊。

Above all, the tune and even the words of 'Beasts of England' were known everywhere.

更有甚者，“英格蘭獸”的曲子甚至還有歌詞已經(jīng)無處不知。

It had spread with astonishing speed.

它以驚異的速度流傳著。

The human beings could not contain their rage when they heard this song, though they pretended to think it merely ridiculous.

盡管人們故意裝作不屑一顧，認為它滑稽可笑，但是，當(dāng)他們聽到了這支歌，便怒不可遏。

They could not understand, they said, how even animals could bring themselves to sing suchcontemptible rubbish.

他們說，他們簡直弄不明白，怎么就連畜牲們也竟能唱這樣無恥的下流小調(diào)。

Any animal caught singing it was given a flogging on the spot.

那些因為唱這支歌而被逮住的動物，當(dāng)場就會被責(zé)以鞭笞。

And yet the song was irrepressible.

可這支歌還是壓抑不住的。

The blackbirds whistled it in the hedges.

烏鴉在樹籬上囀鳴著唱它。

The pigeons cooed it in the elms.

鴿子在榆樹上咕咕著唱它。

It got into the din of the smithies and the tune of the church bells.

歌聲滲進鐵匠鋪的喧聲，滲進教堂的鐘聲。

And when the human beings listened to it, they secretly trembled, hearing in it a prophecy of their future doom.

它預(yù)示著人所面臨的厄運，因而，他們聽到這些便暗自發(fā)抖。

Early in October, when the corn was cut and stacked and some of it was already threshed,

十月初，玉米收割完畢并且堆放好了，其中有些已經(jīng)脫了粒。

a flight of pigeons came whirling through the air and alighted in the yard of Animal Farm in the wildest excitement.

有一天，一群鴿子從空中急速飛回，興高采烈地落在動物莊園的院子里。

Jones and all his men, with half a dozen others from Foxwood and Pinchfield,

原來瓊斯和他的所有伙計們，以及另外六個來自?？怂刮榈虑f園和平徹菲爾德莊園的人，

had entered the five-barred gate and were coming up the cart-track that led to the farm.

已經(jīng)進了五柵門，正沿著莊園的車道向這走來。

They were all carrying sticks, except Jones, who was marching ahead with a gun in his hands.

除了一馬當(dāng)先的瓊斯先生手里握著一支槍外，他們?nèi)紟е靼簟?/p>

Obviously they were going to attempt the recapture of the farm.

顯然，他們企圖奪回這座莊園。

This had long been expected, and all preparations had been made.

這是早就預(yù)料到了的，所有相應(yīng)的準備工作也已經(jīng)就緒。

Snowball, who had studied an old book of Julius Caesar's campaigns which he had found in thefarmhouse, was in charge of the defensive operations.

斯諾鮑負責(zé)這次防御戰(zhàn)，他曾在莊主院的屋子里找到一本談?wù)撊迓?凱撒征戰(zhàn)的舊書，并且鉆研過。

He gave his orders quickly, and in a couple of minutes every animal was at his post.

此時，他迅速下令，不出兩分鐘，動物們已經(jīng)各就各位。