另类女孩长袜子皮皮

2009-06-29ＢｙＡｓｔｒｉｄＬｉｎｄｇｒｅｎ

新东方英语·中学版 2009年3期

Ｂｙ　Ａｓｔｒｉｄ　Ｌｉｎｄｇｒｅｎ

阿斯特丽德·林格伦(Astrid Lindgren，1907~2002)是瑞典著名的儿童文学大师。她创作的儿童文学作品深受世界各地人们的喜爱，她因此被誉为“童话外婆”。她善用讲故事的笔法、通俗的风格和丰富的想象，使作品充满童心童趣和真善美，在儿童文学界独树一帜。

林格伦一生著作超过30本，包括《长袜子皮皮》(Pippi Longstocking)、《淘气包埃米尔》(Emil of Lonneberga)和《小飞人卡尔松》(Karlsson-on-the-Roof)等，获得过各种荣誉和奖励。在瑞典，政府为她树立了雕像，有学校以她的名字命名，有两所大学还设立了林格伦荣誉博士学位。瑞典甚至还设立了林格伦文学奖，该奖项每年评选一次，奖金500万瑞典克朗(相当于人民币450万元)，是全球奖金额最高的奖项。

《长袜子皮皮》是林格伦的童话代表作之一，现已被译为45种语言出版，是瑞典有史以来最畅销的儿童文学作品。

“皮皮”这个形象来源于林格伦给自己女儿讲的故事。最初，皮皮的名字是她的女儿想出来的，叫做：皮皮露达·维多利亚·鲁尔加迪娅·克鲁斯蒙达·埃弗拉依姆·长袜子。因为这个名字又长又难记，于是，林格伦将其简化成“长袜子皮皮”之后开始创作，继而产生了这部流传至今的儿童经典名作。

故事中，皮皮的母亲在皮皮还是个婴儿时就去世了，身为船长的爸爸也在一次暴风雨中被卷进大海失踪了。因此，年仅九岁的她一个人带着爸爸留下的一袋金币、一匹马和一只名叫尼尔松先生(Mr. Nilsson)的猴子生活在维拉·维洛古拉(Villa Villekulla)的破旧房子里。在那里，皮皮结识了小伙伴杜米和阿尼卡，与他们建立了深厚的友谊，在小镇上愉快地生活着。

本文节选自书的第八章《皮皮接待小偷拜访》(Pippi Entertains Two Burglars)。

精彩片段

这天傍晚，皮皮正在家清点金币，途经维拉·维洛古拉的两名流浪汉，布鲁姆(Bloom)和丹德尔-卡尔松(Thunder-Karlsson)，借乞讨食物之名敲响了皮皮家的门。

"Walk in or stay out, whichever you choose!" shouted Pippi. "I never force anyone against his will."

The door opened and the two tramps1) came in. You can imagine that they opened their eyes when they saw a little red-headed girl sitting all alone on the floor, counting money.

"Are you all alone at home?" they asked craftily2).

"Of course not," said Pippi. "Mr. Nilsson is at home too."

The thieves couldn't very well know that Mr. Nilsson was a monkey sleeping in a little green bed with a doll's quilt3) around his stomach. They thought the man of the house must be named Mr. Nilsson and they winked at each other. "They can come back a little later" is what they meant, but to Pippi they said, "We just came in to ask what your clock is."

"Great, strong men who don't know what a clock is!" said Pippi. "Where in the world were you brought up? The clock is a little round thingamajig4) that says 'tick tack, tick tack,' and that goes and goes but never gets to the door. Do you know any more riddles? Out with them if you do," said Pippi encouragingly.

The tramps thought Pippi was too little to tell time, so without another word they went out again.

"I don't demand that you say 'tack' " [thanks in Swedish], shouted Pippi after them, "but you could at least make an effort and say 'tick.' You haven't even as much sense as a clock has. But by all means go in peace." And Pippi went back to her counting.

见到金币的布鲁姆和丹德尔-卡尔松顿生入室盗窃的邪念，于是趁夜深人静之时，再次潜回到皮皮家门前。

"Well, some people are smart!" he whispered to his companion. "The door is open!"

"So much the better for us," answered his companion, a black-haired man called Thunder-Karlsson by those who knew him. Thunder-Karlsson turned on his pocket flashlight, and they crept into the kitchen. There was no one there. In the next room was Pippi's bed, and there also stood Mr. Nilsson's little doll bed.

Thunder-Karlsson opened the door and looked around carefully. Everything was quiet as he played his flashlight around the room. When the light touched Pippi's bed the two tramps were amazed to see nothing but a pair of feet on the pillow. Pippi, as usual, had her head under the covers at the foot of the bed.

"That must be the girl," whispered Thunder- Karlsson to Bloom. "And no doubt she sleeps soundly. But where in the world is Nilsson, do you suppose?"

"Mr. Nilsson, if you please," came Pippi's calm voice from under the covers. "Mr. Nilsson is in the little green doll bed."

The tramps were so startled5) that they almost rushed out at once, but then it suddenly dawned on6)them what Pippi had said. That Mr. Nilsson was lying in a dolls bed! And now in the light of the flashlight they could see the little bed and the tiny monkey lying in it.

Thunder-Karlsson couldn't help laughing. "Bloom," he said, "Mr. Nilsson is a monkey. Can you beat that?7)"

"Well, what did you think he was?" came Pippi's calm voice from under the covers again. "A lawn mower?"

"Aren't your mother and father at home?" asked Bloom.

"No," said Pippi. "They're gone. Completely gone."

Thunder-Karlsson and Bloom chuckled8) with delight.

"Listen, little girl," said Thunder-Karlsson, "come out so we can talk to you."

"No, I'm sleeping," said Pippi. "Is it more riddles you want? If so, answer this one. What is it that goes and goes and never gets to the door?"

Now Bloom went over and pulled the covers off Pippi.

"Can you dance the schottische9)?" asked Pippi, looking at him gravely in the eye. "I can."

"You ask too many questions," said Thunder-Karlsson. "Can we ask a few too? Where, for instance, is the money you had on the floor a little while ago?"

"In the suitcase on top of the wardrobe10)," answered Pippi truthfully.

Thunder-Karlsson and Bloom grinned11).

"I hope you don't have anything against our taking it, little friend," said Thunder-Karlsson.

"Certainly not," said Pippi. "Of course I don't."

Whereupon Bloom lifted down the suitcase.

"I hope you don't have anything against my taking it back, little friend," said Pippi, getting out of the bed and stepping over to Bloom.

Bloom had no idea how it all happened, but suddenly the suitcase was in Pippi's hand.

"Here, quit your fooling!" said Thunder-Karlsson angrily. "Hand over the suitcase." He took Pippi firmly by the hand and tried to snatch back the booty.

"Fooling, fooling, too much fooling," said Pippi and lifted Thunder-Karlsson up on the wardrobe. A moment later she had Bloom up there too. Then the tramps were frightened; they began to see that Pippi was no ordinary girl. However, the suitcase tempted12) them so much they forgot their fright.

"Come on now, both together," yelled Thunder-Karlsson, and they jumped down from the wardrobe and threw themselves on Pippi, who had the suitcase in her hand. Pippi gave each one a little poke13) with her finger, and they shrank away into a corner. Before they had a chance to get up again, Pippi had fetched a rope and quick as a flash had bound the arms and legs of both burglars. Now they sang a different tune.

"Please, please, miss," begged Thunder-Karlsson, "forgive us. We were only joking. Don't hurt us. We are just two tramps who came in to ask for food."

Bloom even began to cry a bit.

Pippi put the suitcase neatly back on the wardrobe. Then she turned to her prisoners. "Can either of you dance the schottische?"

"Why? Yes," said Thunda-Karlsson. "I guess we both can."

"Oh, what fun!" cried Pippi, clapping her hands."Can't we dance a little? I've just learned, you know."

"Well, certainly, by all means," said Thunder- Karlsson, a bit confused.

Pippi took some large scissors and cut the ropes that bound her guests.

"But we don't have any music," she said in a worried voice. Then she had an idea. "Can't you blow on a comb14)?" she said to Bloom. "And I'll dance with him." She pointed to Thunder-Karlsson.

Oh, yes, Bloom could blow on a comb, all right. And blow he did, so that you could hear it all through the house. Mr. Nilsson sat up in bed, wide-awake, just in time to see Pippi whirling around with Thunder-Karlsson. She was dead15) serious and danced as if her life depended on it.

At last Bloom said he couldn't blow on the comb any longer because it tickled16) his mouth unmercifully. And Thunder-Karlsson, who had tramped the roads all day, began to feel tired.

"Oh, please, just a little longer," begged Pippi, dancing on, and Bloom and Thunder-Karlsson could do nothing but continue. At three in the morning Pippi said, "I could keep on dancing until Thursday, but maybe you're tired and hungry."

That was exactly what they were, though they hardly dared to say so. Pippi went to the pantry17) and took out bread and cheese and butter, ham and cold roast and milk; and they sat around the kitchen table—Bloom and Thunder-Karlsson and Pippi—and ate until they were almost four-cornered18).

Pippi poured a little milk into her ear. "That's good for earache," she said.

"Poor thing, have you got an earache?" asked Bloom.

"No," said Pippi, "but I might get one."

Finally the two tramps got up, thanked Pippi for the food, and begged to be allowed to say good-bye.

"It was awfully jolly that you came. Do you really have to go so soon?" said Pippi regretfully. "Never have I seen anyone who can dance the schottische the way you do, my sugar pig," she said to Thunder-Karlsson. And to Bloom, "If you keep on practicing on the comb, you won't notice the tickling."

As they were going out of the door Pippi came running after them and gave them each a gold piece. "These you have honestly earned," she said.

赏析

在这一章中，皮皮对待盗贼的方式让人心生敬佩。她不惧怕盗贼。虽然她拥有天生神力，但她并没有严整盗贼，也没有把他们送去警察局，而是用她自己认为合理的方式，帮助他们挣得“体面的收入”，同时也在无形中给他们上了宝贵的一课。

一如故事的其他章节，作者并没有使用过多的笔墨进行说教，而是通过生动活泼的语言，细致入微地勾勒出皮皮这样一个个性鲜明的人物形象，将她善良的品质和天然去雕饰的言行举止活灵活现地展现在读者面前，让我们从一个九岁小女孩的身上，领悟到宝贵的人生哲理。

当然，皮皮的英雄壮举还远不止于此。她用自己的金币买糖分给输了比赛无法赢得糖果的同学们；她降服了倔强的公牛和食人的大鲨鱼；她甚至为了追寻自己的梦想，两度扬帆远航……皮皮没有上过学，却在社会这个大学堂中自学成才，比其他人更懂得生存的法则和生活的哲学，怡然自得地生活在自己的世界中。皮皮独自生活，虽然缺少父母的关爱和亲人的关怀，却懂得用自己独特的方式去关心和爱护身边的人。在这个忙乱的世界中，皮皮的世界依然纯净无瑕，皮皮的双眼依然纯真无邪，无疑是难能可贵的。

在全书的结尾，皮皮透露了自己的梦想和志愿：永远不长大，做一个小孩子；同时，她想做一名海盗，四处漂流，去未知的世界探险。永远远离成人世界的纷纷扰扰，只拥有孩子单纯的眼神和灿烂的笑脸，拥有无限的自由，不断去寻找未知的快乐，这也许是所有人的心愿吧！

Vocabulary

1. tramp [trAmp] n. 流浪汉

2. craftily [5krB:ftIlI] adv. 狡猾地

3. quilt [kwIlt] n. 棉被

4. thingamajig

[5WINEmIdVI^] n. <口> (用以指某人或某事)某人，某件东西

5. startle [5stB:tl] vt. 使惊吓；使吓一跳；使惊奇

6. dawn on: 被理解；被领悟；被想到

7. Can you beat that (或it)?<俚> 竟有这种事？(或！)；那岂非咄咄怪事？(或！)

8. chuckle [5tFQkl] vi. 暗笑；咯咯地轻声笑

9. schottische [FC5ti:F] n. 肖蒂什轮舞(一种类似波尔卡的轮舞，但节奏较慢)