圣誕夜的蟋蟀Christmas Cricket

文·圖/[美]伊芙·邦婷 譯/姚人杰

圣誕夜的蟋蟀Christmas Cricket

文·圖/[美]伊芙·邦婷 譯/姚人杰

It was cold in the garden. Cricket felt small and worthless in the bigness of night.

He hopped up steps, under a door, and into a kitchen.

下著雨的庭院冷颼颼。在茫茫的黑夜中，小蟋蟀感覺自己好渺小，毫無用處。

它艱難地一級級跳上了臺階, 從房門底下的一條縫里鉆了進去, 進入了一戶人類家庭的廚房。

He jump-jumped across something, cold as frozen snow, skid-skidded across somewhere, slippery as pond ice, and onto a place soft and fresh as grass.

它跳啊跳，穿過冷得像冰雪的白地磚，溜過像池塘冰面一樣光滑的地板，來到了一片像草一樣柔軟的地方，人類把它稱為地毯。

Cricket hop-hopped around and into and out of things and over to a tall tree with stars clinging to it.

He jumped onto a low branch, hid himself, and began a song.

小蟋蟀跳來跳去，跳出跳進，好奇地打量著四周，最終跳到房間里一棵高高的樹上。這是一棵圣誕樹，上面掛著閃亮的星星。

小蟋蟀跳到低處的一根樹枝上，把自己藏好后，開始唱歌。

“Dad, I thought I heard the angel sing,” a small voice said, so close that it scared Cricket into silence.

What should he do? He must not be found. Should he jump? Should he try to get away? Should he stay hidden?

“爸爸，我覺得我聽到了天使的歌聲?！币粋€稚嫩的嗓音說道，聲音離得如此之近，嚇得小蟋蟀立刻安靜下來。

怎么辦呢？小蟋蟀可不能被人發現。它應該跳下去嗎？它應該嘗試逃跑嗎？它應該躲在藏身處嗎？

“I thought I heard singing, too.” This was a bigger voice.

A fnger gently swung his branch.

What was happening? Cricket felt dizzy. He held on tight. Around him everything swayed and jangled and chimed.

“我覺得我也聽見了歌聲?！闭f話的是一個更為響亮的嗓音。

一根手指輕輕地搖動起小蟋蟀藏身的樹枝。

出了什么事？小蟋蟀覺得頭暈眼花，可是它緊緊抱住樹枝。它周圍的一切都在搖擺，圣誕樹上的星星掛件被碰響后，還發出了叮叮當當的聲音。

The swinging stopped.

“Did you know that angels sing in the songs of birds, and frogs and people and crickets?” the big voice asked, a voice so gentle that it calmed Cricket’s pounding heart.

“I didn’t know that,” the little voice said.

樹枝突然不再搖動。

“你知道天使是用鳥兒的鳴聲、青蛙的叫聲、人類的歌聲和蟋蟀的鳴叫來歌唱的嗎？”那個更響亮的嗓音問道，嗓音聽起來如此溫柔，讓小蟋蟀撲通撲通跳個不停的心臟平靜下來。

“我不知道?！敝赡鄣纳ひ粽f道。

Angels sing in the voices of crickets? Cricket didn’t know that, either. He was small, then. But not worthless. What a great discovery!

“Shall we sing with the angel?” the big voice asked.

“Yes, please.”

天使會用蟋蟀的聲音來歌唱嗎？小蟋蟀也不知道。它仍然很渺小，但并非全無用處。天使會用我的聲音來歌唱，這是多么大的發現！

“我們要不要和天使一起歌唱？”那個更響亮的嗓音問道。

“好呀，爸爸?！?/p>

Together the two sang “Joy to the World”. And in his hiding place, Cricket rubbed his wings, one against the other, for his own joy, and sang, and sang, and sang.

這對父子唱起了圣誕頌歌《普世歡騰》。小蟋蟀躲在藏身之處，也摩擦起兩片翅膀，鳴叫起來，享受起自己的那份愉悅, 在圣誕樹上唱啊唱，度過了圣誕之夜。