Peter Pan — Page 10

或者，我们可以讲述那些与彼得为友的鸟儿的故事，尤其是那只在礁湖边的树上筑巢的永不鸟——它的巢掉进了水里，可它仍然趴在蛋上孵着，彼得下令不许任何人打扰它。

Or suppose we tell of the birds that were Peter's friends, particularly of the Never bird that built in a tree overhanging the lagoon, and how the nest fell into the water, and still the bird sat on her eggs, and Peter gave orders that she was not to be disturbed.

这是一个美丽的故事，结局展现了一只鸟能有多么感恩；但如果我们要讲这个故事，就必须把礁湖的整段冒险都讲出来，那自然就是讲两段冒险而不是一段了。

That is a pretty story, and the end shows how grateful a bird can be; but if we tell it we must also tell the whole adventure of the lagoon, which would of course be telling two adventures rather than just one.

还有一段更短、却同样刺激的冒险——叮叮铃在几个街头仙子的帮助下，试图把熟睡中的温迪放在一片巨大的漂浮树叶上，送回大陆。

A shorter adventure, and quite as exciting, was Tinker Bell's attempt, with the help of some street fairies, to have the sleeping Wendy conveyed on a great floating leaf to the mainland.

幸好那片树叶撑不住了，温迪醒来，以为到了洗澡时间，便游了回去。

Fortunately the leaf gave way and Wendy woke, thinking it was bath-time, and swam back.

又或者，我们可以选择彼得藐视狮群的那段故事——他用箭在地上围着自己画了一个圆圈，向狮子们挑衅，敢不敢越过这条线；尽管他等了好几个小时，其他男孩和温迪都屏息凝神地在树上旁观，却没有一头狮子敢接受他的挑战。

Or again, we might choose Peter's defiance of the lions, when he drew a circle round him on the ground with an arrow and dared them to cross it; and though he waited for hours, with the other boys and Wendy looking on breathlessly from trees, not one of them dared to accept his challenge.

这些冒险，我们该选哪一段呢？最好的办法是用抛硬币来决定。

Which of these adventures shall we choose? The best way will be to toss for it.

我已经抛过了，礁湖赢了。这几乎让人希望当初赢的是峡谷、蛋糕，或者叮叮铃的树叶。

I have tossed, and the lagoon has won. This almost makes one wish that the gulch or the cake or Tink's leaf had won.