牛津书虫系列《格列佛游记》Chapter2 附中英双语文本

2 Life in Lilliput
2 在利力浦特的生活
I was careful to behave as well as possible，to persuade the King to give me my freedom．Lilliputians soon began to lose their fear of me．They called me the Man－Mountain．Sometimes I lay down and let them dance on my hand，and from time to time children came to play games in my hair． By now I was able to speak their language well．
为了说服国王给我自由，我特别小心，尽可能表现得好些。利力浦特人很快就消除了他们对我的畏惧心。他们称我为“人山”，有时我躺下，让他们在我手上跳舞，孩子们偶尔到我的头发里来做游戏。这时候，他们的话我已经能说得很好了。
One day the King invited me to watch the regular entertain－ments，which are greatly enjoyed by him，his family，and his lords and ladies．I was most interested in the rope－dancing． A very thin rope is fixed thirty centimetres above the ground．People who want to become the King's most important officials jump and dance on this rope，and whoever jumps highest with-out falling gets the best job．Sometimes the King orders his lords to dance on the rope，to show that they can still do it．This sport is，of course，rather dangerous，and there are occa－sional deaths as a result．It seems a strange way of choosing of－ficials．
有一天国王邀请我去看定期表演，这是他、他的家人、以及他的王公和贵妇们极为欣赏的。我对他们的绳舞特别感兴趣。一条极细的绳子固定在离地30厘米的位置，想成为国王的重臣的人在绳上跳来跳去、手舞足蹈，跳得最高又不摔下来的人就会获得最好的职位。有时国王也叫王公到绳子上去舞蹈，以表明他们仍然能做。这种运动当然是相当危险的，因此死亡时有发生，这似乎是一种古怪的选拔官员的法子。
There was another interesting entertainment．The King holds a stick in front of him，and sometimes moves it up and down．One by one， people come up to him and jump over the stick or crawl under it．They go on jumping and crawling as the King moves the stick．The winner is the one who jumps and crawls for the longest time，and he receives a blue ribbon to wear round his waist．The second best receives a red ribbon，and the third best gets a green one．Many of the Lil－liput lords wear their ribbons proudly at all times．I had cer－tainly never seen entertainment like this in any of the countries I had visited before．
还有一种有趣的娱乐节目。国王手中拿着根棍子，有时上下移动。人们一个接一个地来到他面前，或者从棍子上跳过去，或者从棍子下爬过去。爬和跳的时间最长的人是胜利者，他将得到一根蓝带子系在腰间。次好的获得一根红带子，第三名得到绿带子。利力浦特许多王公都自豪地系着他们的带子。在以前到过的任何国家我肯定是从来没有见到过这类表演。
Some days later a strange black thing was seen on the beach where I had first arrived in Lilliput．When the people realized it was not alive，they decided that it must belong to the Man- Mountain，and the King ordered them to bring it to me． I thought I knew what it was．When it arrived，it was rather dirty because it had been pulled along the ground by horses．But I was delighted to see that it was in fact my hat．I had lost it in the sea when swimming away from the ship．
一些日子之后，在我最初到达利力浦特的海岸上发现了一个奇怪的黑色东西。当人们发觉那不是活物，他们断定那是人山的，国王命他们给我送来。我想我知道那是什么。由于是用马匹在地面上拖着过来的，东西送到时已经相当脏了。看到那实际上是我的帽子，我很高兴。游离轮船时我把它掉在海里了。
I begged the King so often for my freedom that at last he and his lords agreed that I need not be a prisoner any longer．However，I had to promise certain things：
我经常向国王恳求还我自由，最后他和他的王公们同意我不需要再作囚徒。可是我不得不承诺一些事：
·to help the Lilliputians in war and peace
·在战争与和平中帮助利力浦特人；
·to give two hours’warning before a visit to their capital，so that people could stay indoors
·参观他们的都城要提前两小时通知，以便人们能呆在室内；
·to be careful not to step on any Lilliputians or their animals
·小心不要踩着利力浦特人和他们的牲畜；
·to carry important messages for the King if necessary
·必要时为国王传递重要消息；
·to help the King's workmen carry heavy stones
·帮助国王的工匠搬运重石头；
·to stay in Lilliput until the King allowed me to leave．