在印度南部的群山之中,一个人类的婴儿躺在山洞里,又温暖又安全。他挤在小狼崽们中间,旁边卧着狼妈妈,可是他一点儿也不害怕。洞穴外,食人虎希尔汗正愤怒地咆哮着,想要杀死那个婴儿。“没门儿!”狼妈妈说道,“这个人崽儿是我的,他会活下去,和狼群一起奔跑,并且成为我的儿子。我要叫他莫格利。” 许多年过去了,那个人崽儿莫格利和小狼们一起成长起来。在他的老师老棕熊巴鲁和黑豹巴格拉的教导下,他懂得了“森林法则”。在森林中他屡入险境,可也交到了不少动物朋友。 当然他还有个敌人。食人虎希尔汗对他耿耿于怀。老虎在等待机会,期待着有一天能够抓住这个人崽儿,然后杀死他。 In the hills of Southern India a baby lies warm and safe in a cave. He lies among wolf-cubs, next to Mother Wolf’s side, and he is not afraid. Outside the cave Shere Khan, the man-eating tiger, roars angrily, wanting to kill. ’No!’ says Mother Wolf. ’The man’s cub belongs to me. He will live, to run with the other wolves, to be my son. And I will call him Mowgli.’ The years pass, and Mowgli the man’s cub grows up with the wolves. He learns the Law of the Jungle from his teachers, Baloo the old brown bear and Bagheera the black panther. He has many adventures, and many friends among the animals of the jungle. But he still has an enemy. Shere Khan the tiger has not forgotten. He waits for the day when he can catch the man’s cub — and kill him.
Mowgli always went to the meetings of the Wolf-Pack, and there he learnt something new one day. If he looked hard at any wolf, the wolf could not meet his eyes and looked away. Mowgli thought this was funny; he did not understand that he was different from the wolves.
All the Jungle-People were his friends — but not Shere Khan, of course. Mother Wolf told him that the tiger wanted to kill him. ’One day you must kill Shere Khan. If you don’t kill him, he will kill you.’ But Mowgli forgot. He was only a boy, not a wolf.
Shere Khan still came often to that part of the jungle. Akela was older now and not so strong, and Shere Khan made friends with some of the younger wolves. Akela could not stop them, and Shere Khan began to make trouble for Mowgli. ’I hear you can’t look into the man-cub’s eyes,’ he said, laughing, to the young wolves. And the young wolves began to get angry.
Bagheera, who had eyes and ears everywhere, knew something of this and told Mowgli. Mowgli laughed, but Bagheera went on, ’Open your eyes, Little Brother. Remember that Akela is old and he will not always be the leader of the Pack. Shere Khan has taught the younger wolves that a man-cub has no place with them. And soon you will be a man, not a man-cub.’
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“可是狼都是我的兄弟啊。为什么他们想要把我送走呢?”
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But the wolves are my brothers. Why will they want to send me away?’
Look at me,’ said Bagheera, and Mowgli looked at him hard between the eyes. The big black cat turned his head away quickly. ’That is why,’ he said. ’Not even I can look in your eyes. That is why they want to kill you. You are clever. You are a man.’
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“我以前都不知道这些事情。”莫格利轻声说道。
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I did not know these things,’ said Mowgli quietly.
Now listen. The day will soon come when Akela cannot kill his deer in the hunt. Then at the next meeting of the Pack the younger wolves will be against Akela and against you. When that time comes, go to the men’s houses in the village and take some of their Red Flower. That will be a stronger friend to you than I or Baloo.’
The Red Flower was fire. All animals are afraid of it and do not call it by its name. ’I will get some,’ said Mowgli. ’I will go and get it now, and keep it ready,’ and he ran through the jungle to the village.
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10
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途中他听到狼族正在围攻一头巨大的鹿。“让我们看看你有多强壮,阿克拉,”年轻的狼群喊道,“杀掉它!”
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On his way he heard the sounds of the Wolf-Pack hunting a big deer. ’Show us that you are strong, Akela,’ came the voices of the young wolves. ’Kill it!’
Mowgli stopped and listened, and he could hear that Akela did not kill the deer. ’So the time has come already,’ he thought, and hurried to the village. He watched and waited, and soon he saw a child who was carrying a fire-pot. Mowgli jumped up, took the pot from him, and quickly ran away, back to the jungle. All that day he kept his fire alive with leaves and pieces of wood.
In the evening Tabaqui came and told him that the wolves wanted him at the meeting. Mowgli laughed, and went. When he arrived, he saw that Akela was not in his special place, on top of the rock, but beside it. That meant that another wolf could try to take Akela’s place. Shere Khan was there, too, with all the younger wolves around him. Mowgli sat down, with the fire-pot between his legs. Bagheera lay beside him.
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希尔汗开始说话,莫格利跳了起来。
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Shere Khan began to speak and Mowgli jumped up.
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“自由的人们,希尔汗是你们的领袖吗?一只老虎应该在狼族里吗?”
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Free People, is Shere Khan your leader? Does a tiger belong in the Wolf-Pack?’
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“现在岩石上没有狼。”希尔汗开口道,但是其他狼则说道:“让阿克拉讲话。”
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There is no wolf on the rock,’ began Shere Khan, but the other wolves said, ’Let Akela speak.’
Akela looked up, old and tired. ’Free People, I have been your leader for many years. In all that time no wolf has died in the hunt. But this time I did not kill my deer. The Law of the Jungle says that you can kill me now, but the Law also says that you must come one by one.’
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没有人说话。阿克拉虽然老了,可还是没有人愿意和他单打独斗。
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No one spoke. Akela was old, but nobody wanted to fight Akela alone.
You have said many times that I am a man. I was your brother, but I will not call you my brothers again. I will decide on my life or my death, not you. I am a man, and to show you, I have brought the Red Flower with me.’
He dropped the fire-pot on the ground and some of the fire fell out. The wolves were very afraid and moved back. Mowgli held a long piece of wood in the fire and the end began to burn brightly.
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25
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“现在你是领袖了,”巴格拉温和地说道,“帮帮阿克拉。他永远是你的朋友。”
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You are the leader now,’ said Bagheera softly. ’Help Akela. He was always your friend.’
Good,’ said Mowgli. He looked at the frightened wolves. ’I go from you to my people — the world of men. But first...’ and Mowgli went to Shere Khan. ’This killer of cows wanted to kill me. This is what men do to killers of cows,’ and he hit Shere Khan on the head with the burning stick. The tiger was very frightened.
Go now,’ said Mowgli to Shere Khan. ’The next time I come to this rock, it will be with your dead body. I tell you this also, my brothers, you will not kill Akela — because I do not want that. Akela is free to live.’
And Mowgli jumped at the young wolves with his burning stick and they all ran away. In the end there were only Akela, Bagheera, and a few older wolves left. Then something began to hurt Mowgli inside him and, for the first time in his life, tears ran down his face.
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“这是什么东西?这是什么东西?我要死了吗,巴格拉?”
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What is it? What is it? Am I dying, Bagheera?’
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“不是的,小兄弟。你是一个人,这些是人类的眼泪。但是你必须走了——森林现在已经不属于你了。”
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No, Little Brother. You are a man, and these are men’s tears. But you must go — the jungle is closed to you now.’