牛津书虫系列《神秘及幻想故事集》Chapter2 附中英双语文本

The Black Cat
黑 猫
I know you will not believe this story．Only a madman could hope that you would believe it-and I am not mad．But as I am going to die tomorrow，I would like to tell my story to the world today．Perhaps some day，somebody more calm and less excitale than me，will be able to explain it．
我知道你们是不会相信这个故事的。只有疯子才会指望让你们相信——而我并没有发疯。可是考虑到明天我就要死了，我还是想在今天把我的故事讲给这个世界。也许有一天，有一个比我更镇静、更不易激动的人，将能够解释这一切。
I have always loved animals．I loved them deeply，from the very first days of my life．When I was young，we always had many animals in our house，and so I used to spend most of my days playing with them and taking care of them．As the years passed，I grew into a quiet，gentle man，and my love for animals grew too．I found that they were more friendly，more honest than most men Animals were always my best friends．
我这人一向喜爱动物，从我生命最初的岁月起、便深深地眷恋它们。我小的时候，我们家里总是养着一大堆动物，于是我常常把大部分时间都花在陪它们玩、照料它们上面。随着光阴流逝，我成长为一个安静、文雅的男人，同时，我对动物的喜爱也有增无减。我发现它们比大多数人更友好，更诚实。动物们一直是我最好的朋友。
I got married when I was quite young．Luckily，my wife loved animals too，and she used to buy me many animals as presents．In fact，our house was always full of animals-we had birds，fish，a dog，chickens，and a cat．
我在相当年轻的时候就结了婚。还好，我妻子也热爱动物，她常常买回好些个宠物送给我作礼物。事实上，我们家里总是充满了动物——我们养了好多鸟，好多鱼，一只狗，几只鸡，还有一只猫。
This cat，whom we called Pluto，was a large black cat．He was a beautiful animal，and he was also very clever．I loved Pluto more than I loved all my other animals．I wanted to do everything for him myself，so I never let my wife take care of him．I used to play with him and give him his food，and he followed me everywhere I went．
这只猫被我们称作普路托，它是只大个儿的黑猫，长得非常漂亮，而且十分聪明。比起我的其他宠物来，我对普路托更是宠爱有加。我情愿亲自为它做一切事情，所以从不让我妻子照料它。我经常陪它玩，喂它食吃；我走到哪儿，它也跟到哪儿。
For several years Pluto and I were the best of friends，but during this time my life slowly changed．I became a heavy drinker，and my need for alcohol soon grew into a terrible disease．I was often angry and violent．I began to shout at my wife，and I even started to hit her．My animals，too，felt the change in me．I stopped taking care of them and sometimes I was even cruel to them．But I was never cruel to Pluto．As time passed，my disease grew worse，and soon even Pluto was not safe from my violence．
普路托和我就这样做了好几年最亲密的朋友，可是在此期间，我的生活慢慢地发生了一些变化。我成了一个严重酗酒的家伙，我的嗜酒如命很快发展成可怕的顽症。我经常发脾气，态度很粗暴。我开始对我妻子大喊大叫，甚至开始动手打她。我的动物们也感觉到了我的变化。我不再精心照料它们，有时候甚至虐待它们。但我从不对普路托施暴。天长日久，我的病情逐渐加重了，很快地，就连普路托也难以幸免于我的暴虐凶残了。
One night I arrived home late．I was very，very drunk．When Pluto saw me，he tried to run away from me，and this made me angry．I caught him by his neck and shook him．He，in his fright，bit me on the hand．At once，a wild，terrible anger filled me，and I could feel nothing except burning hate．Slowly I took a knife from my pocket，opened it，and then carefully cut out one of Pluto's eyes from its socket．I shake today as I write these words down．Every time I remember that day，I still feel sadness and pain．
一天夜里，我很晚才回到家中，我已经喝得酩酊大醉了。普路托一看见我，就想寻路逃开，这可让我心头火起。我一把抓住它的脖子，摇晃它。它吓坏了，就在我手上咬了一口。顿时，一股疯狂、骇人的怒火充盈了我的胸膛，除了燃烧着的仇恨我什么也感觉不到了。我慢慢地从口袋里掏出一把刀子，打开它，然后很仔细地把普路托的一只眼睛从眼眶里剜了出来。今天，当我写下这些词句时，我不禁浑身瑟瑟发抖。我每一次记起那一天，都依然感到悲伤和痛苦。
When I woke up the next morning，I felt ashamed of what I had done．But this feeling was not strong enough to make me change my life．I continued to drink because it was too difficult for me to stop．Soon，I had forgotten what I had done．