Once there was a peddler who sold caps. But he was not like an ordinary
peddler carrying his wares on his bag. He carried them on top of his head.
从前有一个卖帽子的小贩。他不像其他普通的小贩那样把他的帽子放在包里卖。他把帽子都戴在头上。
First, he had on his own checked cap, then a bunch of gray caps, then a bunch of brown caps, then a bunch of blue caps, and on the very top a bunch of red caps.
首先,他戴上了他自己的格子帽子,然后是好多灰色的帽子,接着是棕色的、蓝色的,戴在最上面的是一堆红色的帽子。
He walked up and down the streets holding himself very straight so as not to upset his caps.
他在大街上来来回回地转悠,直直地挺着腰杆,这样他的帽子就不会掉下来了。
As he went along he called, "Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!"
他一边走,一边吆喝,“帽子!卖帽子了!五十美分一顶帽子啦!”
One morning, he couldn't sell any caps. He walked up the street and he walked down the street calling, "Caps! Caps for sale. Fifty cents a cap!"
一天早上,他一顶帽子都没有卖出去。他在大街上来回走着,边走边吆喝:“帽子!卖帽子了!五十美分一顶帽子啦!”
But nobody wanted any caps that morning. Nobody wanted even a red cap.
但是那天早上没有人想买帽子。甚至没有人想买一顶红色的帽子。
He began to feel very hungry, but he had no money for lunch.
他觉得有点饿了,但是他没有钱吃午饭。
"I think, I'll go for a walk in the country. " said he.
“我想,我应该到城外去看看。”他自言自语道。
And he walked out of town slowly, slowly, so as not to upset his caps.
于是,他便往城外走去,他走得非常缓慢,这样他的帽子就不会掉下来了。
He walked for a long time until he came to a great big tree.
他走了好长时间,这时,他来到了一个大树底下。
That's a nice place for a rest, thought he.
这真是一个休息的好地方,他想。
And he sat down very slowly under the tree and leaned back little by little against the tree trunk, so as not to disturb the caps on his head.
他慢慢地坐在树底下,一点点地靠在树干上,这样就不会碰到他头上的帽子了。
Then he put up his hand to feel if they were straight, first his own checked cap, then the gray caps, then the brown caps, then the blue caps, then the red caps on the very top.
然后他抬起手摸了摸他的帽子,看它们是不是还笔直地戴在他的头上,首先是他的格子帽子,接着是灰色的,棕色的,还有蓝色的,最后最上面的是他的红帽子。
They were all there.
帽子都在。
So he went to sleep.
于是,他便睡觉了。
He slept for a long time.
他睡了好长时间。
When he woke up, he was refreshed and rested.
当他醒了的时候,他觉得自己活力充沛,精神焕发。
But before standing up he felt with his hand to make sure his caps were in the right place.
在他站起来之前,他又抬起手摸了摸,看他的帽子是不是安然无恙。
All he felt was his own checked cap!
但是,他只摸到了自己的格子帽子!
He looked to the right of him. No caps!
他看了看他的右边。没有帽子!
He looked to the left of him. No caps!
他看了看他的左边。没有帽子!
He looked in back of him. No caps!
他看看后面,没有帽子!
He looked behind the tree. No caps!
他又看了看树后,还是没有帽子!
Then he looked up into the tree.
然后,他抬起头,看着树顶。
And what do you think he saw?
你知道他看到了什么?
On every branch sat a monkey.
每一个树枝上都坐着一只猴子。
On every monkey was a gray, or a brown, or a blue, or a red cap!
每一个猴子头上,都戴着一顶灰色,或者棕色,或蓝色,或红色的帽子!
The peddler looked at the monkeys. The monkeys looked at the peddler. He didn't know what to do.
小贩看着那些猴子。猴子也看着他。他不知道要做什么。
Finally he spoke to them.
最后,他对猴子们说:
"You monkeys, you", he said, shaking a finger at them.
“你们这些猴子”,他喊着还用手指比划着。
"You give me back my caps. "
“快把我的帽子还给我!”
But monkeys only shook their finger back at him and said, Tsz,tsz,tsz.
可是猴子只是照着小贩的样子比划着,呲呲呲地叫着。
This made the peddler angry, so he shook both hands at them and said,
这让小贩非常生气,他气呼呼地挥着双手,又对猴子喊道:
"You monkeys, you! You give me back my caps. "
“你们这些猴子,快把帽子还给我。”
But monkeys only shook both hands back at him and said, Tsz,tsz,tsz.
可是猴子还只是照着小贩的样子挥着双手,呲呲呲地叫着。
Now he felt quite angry.
现在他真的非常生气。
He stamped his foot, and he said,
他跺着脚,对猴子们喊道:
"You monkeys, you! You better give me back my caps! "
“你们这些猴子,最好快点把帽子还给我!”
But monkeys only stamped their feet back at him and said, Tsz,tsz,tsz.
但是,猴子还只学着他跺脚,呲呲呲地叫着。
By this time the pedder was really very very angry.
但是这次,小贩真是火冒三丈了。
He stamped both his feet and shouted,
他生气地跺着脚,吼道:
"You monkeys, you! You must give me back my caps! "
“你们这些猴子!你们必须把我的帽子还给我!”
But the monkeys only stamped both their feet back athim and said, Tsz,tsz,tsz.
但是,猴子还是只是学他的样子跺脚,呲呲呲地叫。
At last, he became so angry that he pulled off his own cap, threw it on the ground, and began to walk away.
最后,他太生气了,他脱下自己的帽子,把帽子摔倒了地上,准备走了。
But then, each monkey pulled off his cap, and all the gray caps, and all the brown caps, and all the blue caps, and all the red caps came flying down out of the tree.
但是这次,所有的猴子都把帽子摘了下来,先是灰色的帽子,然后是棕色的,蓝色的,红色的。所有的帽子都从树上飞下来了。
So the peddler picked up his caps and put them back on his head.
小贩捡起他的帽子,重新戴回头上。
First his own checked cap, then the gray caps, then the brown caps, then the blue caps, then the red caps on the very top.
先是他的格子帽子,接着是灰色的帽子,棕色的帽子,蓝色的帽子,最后是最上面的红色帽子。
And slowly, slowly , he walked back to town calling, "Caps! Caps for sale. Fifty cents a cap!"
他慢慢地往城里走着,边走边吆喝着:“帽子!卖帽子!五十美分一顶帽子!”