034 农民的孙子

旁白 neutral

The last time I'd been at a horse sale, I'd stood out front with the strong, useful horses

上一次我在马匹拍卖会上时，还站在前面，和那些强壮、有用的马在一起。

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This time I found myself in the back among the old, broken-down, used-up creatures

这一次，我发现自己被放在了后面，混在一群老弱病残、精疲力竭的马中间。

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The people who came to look at us weren't much better

来看我们的人也强不到哪儿去。

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They were mostly poor and hopeless-looking themselves

他们大多自己也看起来穷困潦倒，毫无希望。

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Sometimes a shopper from the nicer part of the sale would wander past

偶尔，从拍卖会好一些的区域过来的买家会闲逛经过。

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One of these was a gentleman farmer with a kind, ruddy face. A boy was with him

其中有位绅士模样的农场主，面容和善，脸色红润，身边还带着一个男孩。

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The gentleman saw me and stopped. I pricked my ears and looked at him

那位绅士看到了我，停下了脚步。我竖起耳朵，望向了他。

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" Look, Willie," the man said to the boy

“看，威利，” 那人对男孩说。

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" Now there's a horse that's known better days."

“这匹马可曾经过过好日子的。”

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" Do you think he was ever a carriage horse, Grandpa?" the boy asked

“爷爷，你觉得它以前拉过马车吗？” 男孩问道。

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" I wouldn't be surprised," his grandfather replied

“一点儿也不奇怪，”爷爷回答说。

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" He might have been anything when he was young

“它年轻的时候可能是一匹很了不起的马。

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If you look beyond his poor condition, you can still see his fine breeding."

别看它现在样子差，你还能看出它的优良血统。”

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He gave me a pat on the neck

他拍了拍我的脖子。

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I stretched my nose toward him in response, and the boy stroked my face

我伸过鼻子回应他，小男孩摸了摸我的脸。

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" Look how sweet he is!" the boy said

“看它多温顺啊！”男孩说。

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" Can't you buy him and make him young again, like you did with Ladybird?"

“你不能像对瓢虫那样把它买下来，让它重新变年轻吗？”

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" I can't make all old horses young, Willie," the farmer said

“我可不能把所有的老马都变年轻，威利，”农夫说。

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" Besides, Ladybird wasn't that old. She was just run-down and treated badly."

“再说，瓢虫年纪也不算太大，它只是操劳过度，没得到好的照料。”

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" How do you know this one's any older, Grandpa?" Willie replied

“爷爷，你怎么知道这匹马就更老呢？”威利回答说。

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" He still has a nice-looking mane and tail, and his eyes aren't sunken in like some old horses

"它的鬃毛和尾巴仍然很好看，眼睛也不像有些老马那样凹陷。

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At least check his teeth to see his age."

至少看看它的牙齿来判断年龄。"

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The farmer laughed." You're as horsey as your old grandfather," he teased

农夫笑了。"你和你老爷爷一样喜欢马，"他逗趣地说。

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The man from Skinner's stable had been listening to all this

斯金纳马厩的人一直在听这些对话。

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" Your grandson is right, sir," he spoke up

"先生，您的孙子说得对，"他插话道。

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" This horse isn't terribly old, just tired out from cab work

"这匹马不算很老，只是拉出租马车累坏了。

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I heard the vet say he'd be good as new with six months' rest

我听兽医说，休息六个月它就会恢复如初。

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And you won't find a better-tempered animal anywhere."

而且你再也找不到性情比它更好的马了。"

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The farmer talked with him a little more, then felt my legs and looked into my mouth

农夫和他多聊了几句，然后摸了摸我的腿，看了看我的嘴巴。

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" Thirteen or fourteen, I'd guess," he said." Could you trot him for us?"

"我猜十三四岁吧，"他说。"能让他为我们小跑一下吗？"

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The other man jogged me in a circle

另一个人牵着我慢跑了一圈。

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I arched my thin neck and stretched out my stiff legs as best I could

我尽力拱起细瘦的脖子，伸展僵硬的腿。

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" What's the lowest you'll take for him?" the farmer asked

“你最低肯多少钱卖他？”农夫问道。

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" Five pounds, sir. That was the lowest price my boss set."

“五英镑，先生。那是老板定的最低价了。”

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" It's taking a chance," the farmer said with a sigh

“这可得冒点风险，”农夫叹了口气说。

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He pulled out some money and handed it to the man

他掏出一些钱，递给了那人。

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Young Willie could hardly contain his joy as they led me away

当他们牵着我离开时，小威利几乎抑制不住他的喜悦。

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When they got me home, the farmer told his workers to turn me out in a grassy field to rest

他们把我带回家后，农夫吩咐雇工把我放到青草地上休息。

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He also wanted me to have hay and grain every day

他还吩咐每天给我喂干草和谷物。

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" He'll be your special project, my boy," he told Willie

“他就是你的特别任务了，孩子，”他对威利说。

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" You're in charge of his care from now on."

“从现在起，由你来负责照顾它。”

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Willie was proud of his new job and took it very seriously

威利对这份新工作感到自豪，并且非常认真地对待。

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He came to see me every day, spending time with me and making sure I had enough to eat

他每天都来看我，花时间陪我，确保我有足够的食物。

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His name for me was Old Crony

他给我起的名字叫老伙计。

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I spent that winter with complete rest, plenty of food, kind people, and pleasant surroundings

那个冬天，我得到了彻底的休息，有充足的食物、善良的人们和宜人的环境。

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By spring I was feeling almost young again!

到了春天，我感觉自己几乎又年轻了！

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Finally the farmer decided it was time to try me in harness

最后，农夫决定是时候给我套上挽具试试了。

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He and Willie hooked me to a small carriage and drove me a few miles

他和威利把我套在一辆小马车上，赶着我走了几英里。

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By then my legs were no longer stiff, and I enjoyed the work

那时我的腿已经不僵硬了，而且我很享受这份工作。

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" He's growing young, Willie," the farmer said with a smile

“它变得越来越年轻了，威利，”农夫微笑着说。

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" We'll give him a little easy work to get him fit again

“我们会给它一点轻松的活儿干，让它恢复体能。

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By summer he'll be as good as Ladybird

到夏天，它就会和瓢虫一样好了。

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He's well-trained and has very good gaits."

它训练有素，步态也非常好。”

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" I'm so glad you bought him, Grandpa!" the boy said

“爷爷，你把它买回来，我太高兴了！”男孩说。

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" So am I," the farmer replied." But he has you to thank for it, my boy

“我也很高兴，”农夫答道，“不过这件事它得感谢你，我的孩子。

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Now all we need is to find him a good, safe home where he'll be lightly worked and highly valued."

现在我们只需要给它找一个安全的好人家，那里活儿不会重，它也会很受珍惜。”

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For a couple of months, the pair took me out with the carriage fairly often

在接下来的一两个月里，他们俩经常驾着马车带我出去。

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Soon I was back in shape and pulling them happily all around the neighborhood

很快我就恢复了体型，高兴地拉着他们在附近到处跑。

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One day the grooms spent extra time getting me ready

有一天，马夫们花了额外的时间来帮我准备。

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They made my black coat shine, trimmed the stray hairs off my legs, and polished my hooves

他们把我的黑色毛皮刷得发亮，修剪掉我腿上杂乱的毛发，还把我的蹄子擦得锃亮。

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Even the harness seemed extra clean

连挽具都显得格外干净。

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When Willie arrived, he seemed happy and anxious at the same time

威利来的时候，看起来既高兴又焦急。

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" Do you think they'll like him, Grandpa?" he asked the farmer

“爷爷，你觉得他们会喜欢它吗？”他问农夫。

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" I don't know, my boy. All we can do is give it a try."

“我不知道，我的孩子。我们能做的也只是试一试。”

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They got into the carriage and picked up the reins

他们坐上马车，拿起了缰绳。

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We headed out of the farm and down the road

我们出了农场，沿着大路走去。

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I wasn't sure where we were going, but I knew that something unusual was about to happen

我不确定我们要去哪里，但我知道，有不同寻常的事情要发生了。