Which One to Keep?
留下哪只貓咪呢?
作者: Wanda Gág
And so he went back over the sunny hills and down through the cool valleys, to show all his pretty kittens to the very old woman.
他開始往回走,他又走過了陽光燦爛的山頂和寒冷的山谷,他要把所有這些漂亮的小貓給老奶奶看。
It was very funny to see those hundreds and thousands and millions and billions and trillions of cats following him.
無數的貓跟在他後面,十分有趣。
They came to a pond.
他們來到了一個池塘。
"Mew, mew! We are thirsty!" cried the
Hundreds of cats,
Thousands of cats,
Millions and billions and trillions of cats.
「喵,喵!我們渴了!」 上百隻、上千隻、百萬十億萬億隻小貓喊著。
"Well, here is a great deal of water," said the very old man.
「行啊,這有很多水呢,」 老爺爺說。
Each cat took a sip of water, and the pond was gone!
每隻貓只喝了一小口水,池塘就見底了!
"Mew, mew! Now we are hungry!" said the
Hundreds of cats,
Thousands of cats,
Millions and billions and trillions of cats.
「喵,喵!現在我們餓了!」 上百隻、上千隻、百萬十億萬億隻小貓喊著。
"There is much grass on the hills," said the very old man.
「山坡上有很多草可以吃,」 老爺爺說。
Each cat ate a mouthful of grass and not a blade was left!
每隻貓吃了一口草,山坡上就一點草也不剩了。
Pretty soon the very old woman saw them coming.
很快老奶奶就看到他們回來了。
"My dear!" she cried, "What are you doing? I asked for one little cat, and what do I see? —
「我的天!」 老奶奶叫道,「你在幹什麼呀?我只想要一隻小貓,可我現在看到了什麼啊?——
Cats here, cats there,
Cats and kittens everywhere,
Hundreds of cats,
Thousands of cats,
Millions and billions and trillions of cats."
這裡有貓,那裡有貓,
大貓小貓,到處都是貓。
成百上千隻貓,
成千上萬隻貓,
百萬十億萬億隻貓。」
"But we can never feed them all," said the very old woman, "They will eat us out of house and home."
「但是我們不可能養所有的貓,」 老奶奶說,「它們會把我們家吃垮的。」
"I never thought of that," said the very old man, "What shall we do?"
「我從沒想過這回事,」 老爺爺說,「我們該怎麼辦呢?」
The very old woman thought for a while and then she said, "I know! We will let the cats decide which one we should keep."
老奶奶想了一會兒後說:「我知道了!讓這些貓自己來決定我們該養哪只貓。」
"Oh yes," said the very old man, and he called to the cats, "Which one of you is the prettiest?"
「哦,好的,」 老爺爺說,然後他向那些貓喊道,「你們誰最漂亮?」
"I am!"
「我!」
"I am!"
「我!」
"No, I am!"
「不,是我!」
"No, I am the prettiest!" "I am!"
「不對,我才是最漂亮的!」 「我!」
"No, I am! I am! I am! "cried hundreds and thousands and millions and billions and trillions of voices, for each cat thought itself the prettiest.
「不,我才是最漂亮的!是我!是我!」 無數的貓此起彼伏的喊著,因為它們都覺得自己最漂亮。
And they began to quarrel.
它們開始爭吵了。
They bit and scratched and clawed each other and made such a great noise that the very old man and the very old woman ran into the house as fast as they could.
它們互相撕咬抓扯,吵得天翻地覆,老爺爺和老奶奶趕快躲進了屋子。