THE TALE OF SQUIRREL NUTKIN（2）

THE TALE OF SQUIRREL NUTKIN
BY
BEATRIX POTTER
Author of“The Tale of Peter Rabbit”A STORY FOR NORAHThis is a Tale about a tail — a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin.
He had a brother called Twinkleberry, and a great many cousins: they lived in a wood at the edge of a lake.
In the middle of the lake there is an island covered with trees and nut bushes; and amongst those trees stands a hollow oak-tree, which is the house of an owl¹ who is called Old Brown.
One autumn when the nuts were ripe, and the leaves on the hazel bushes were golden and green — Nutkin and Twinkleberry and all the other little squirrels came out of the wood, and down to the edge of the lake.
They made little rafts out of twigs², and they paddled away over the water to Owl Island to gather nuts.
Each squirrel had a little sack and a large oar³, and spread out his tail for a sail.
They also took with them an offering of three fat mice as a present for Old Brown, and put them down upon his door-step.
Then Twinkleberry and the other little squirrels each made a low bow, and said politely —
“Old Mr. Brown, will you favour us with permission to gather nuts upon your island?”
But Nutkin was excessively impertinent in his manners. He bobbed up and down like a little red cherry, singing —
“Riddle⁴ me, riddle me, rot-tot-tote!A little wee man, in a red red coat!A staff in his hand, and a stone in his throat;If you’ll tell me this riddle, I’ll give you a groat.”
Now this riddle is as old as the hills; Mr. Brown paid no attention whatever to Nutkin.
He shut his eyes obstinately⁵ and went to sleep.
The squirrels filled their little sacks with nuts, and sailed away home in the evening.
But next morning they all came back again to Owl Island; and Twinkleberry and the others brought a fine fat mole⁶, and laid it on the stone in front of Old Brown’s doorway⁷, and said —
“Mr. Brown, will you favour us with your gracious permission to gather some more nuts?”
But Nutkin, who had no respect, began to dance up and down, tickling⁸ old Mr. Brown with a nettleand singing —
“Old Mr. B! Riddle-me-ree!Hitty Pitty within the wall,Hitty Pitty without the wall;If you touch Hitty Pitty,Hitty Pitty will bite you!”
Mr. Brown woke up suddenly and carried the mole into his house.
He shut the door in Nutkin’s face. Presently a little thread of blue smokefrom a wood fire came up from the top of the tree, and Nutkin peeped through the key-hole and sang —
“A house full, a hole full!And you cannot gather a bowl-full!”
The squirrels searched for nuts all over the island and filled their little sacks.
But Nutkin gathered oak-apples — yellow and scarlet⁹ — and sat upon a beech-stump playing marbles, and watching the door of old Mr. Brown.

这是一个关于尾巴的故事。这条尾巴的主人是一只红松鼠，他的名字叫坚果金。
坚果金有一个哥哥，叫闪光贝里。他还有好几个兄弟姐妹。他们都住在湖边的树林
里。
湖中央有一座小岛，岛上长满树木和坚果丛。树林当中高高地耸立着一棵中空的橡
树，这里是猫头鹰老布朗的家。
秋天来了，坚果成熟了，榛树叶子由绿色变成了金黄色。这时，坚果金、闪光贝里和
其他松鼠钻出树林，来到了湖边。
他们用树枝做成小木筏，乘着木筏划过水面，到猫头鹰岛去摘坚果。
他们一手拿着小口袋，一手划着大桨，还竖起尾巴当船帆。
他们带了三只肥鼠作为礼物，把它们放在老布朗门前的石阶上。
闪光贝里和其他松鼠都向老布朗深鞠了一躬，有礼貌地说：
“老布朗先生，您能允许我们在您的岛上摘坚果吗？”
可是，坚果金的举止却非常无礼。他像一颗小红樱桃一样上蹿下跳，边跳边唱道：
猜个谜，猜个谜！
一个小不点，身穿大红衣，
手里拿根棍，喉咙有石子。
你要猜得出，银币送给你！
这个谜语实在太古老了。老布朗根本没理会坚果金，一直在闭着眼睛睡觉。
傍晚时分，松鼠们把自己的小口袋里塞满坚果，划着船回家了。
第二天早上，松鼠们再次来到猫头鹰岛。这次，闪光贝里和其他松鼠带来一只美味的
肥鼹鼠，把它放在老布朗门前的石阶上，说：
“老布朗先生，您能允许我们再摘一些坚果吗？”
但是，坚果金对老布朗毫不尊重，又开始跳上跳下，还用一根荨麻搔老布朗的痒痒，
并且唱道：
猜个谜，老布朗！
什么植物爱爬墙，
墙外也能拼命长。
要是你敢碰一碰，
它会咬你不商量。
老布朗突然睁开了眼睛，叼着鼹鼠进了屋。
他“砰”的一声把坚果金关在了门外。不久，一缕蓝色的炊烟从树顶袅袅升起。坚果金
透过锁孔往里偷看，嘴里还唱道：
屋里能装满，
洞里能装满，
却装不满一个碗！
松鼠们在岛上四处搜寻坚果，忙着将摘到的坚果塞满自己的小口袋。但是，坚果金却
只采摘黄橡果和红橡果。之后，他就坐在山毛榉树的树桩上，边玩弹珠边盯着老布朗的门
口。