《跳高者》，1845 年
the Jumper, 1845
跳蚤、蚱蜢和跳鹅曾经想看看它们当中谁能跳得最高；它们邀请了全世界的人，以及其他任何愿意来的人，来观看这场壮观的场面。
the Flea, the Grasshopper, and the Skipjack once wanted to see which of them could jump highest; and they invited the whole world, and whoever else would e, to see the grand sight.
于是，这三位着名的跳跃选手在房间里相聚了。
And there the three famous jumpers were met together in the room.
“是的，我要把我的女儿嫁给跳得最高的那个，” 国王说，“因为让这些人白跳一场可就太不厚道了。”
“Yes, I’ll give my daughter to him who jumps highest,” said the King, “for it would be mean to let these time people jump for nothing.”
跳蚤第一个站了出来。
the Flea stepped out first.
他举止非常优雅，向四面八方鞠躬，因为他血管里流着年轻女士的血液，而且习惯只和人类交往；这可是相当重要的一点。
he had very pretty manners, and bowed in all directions, for he had young ladies’ blood in his veins, and was accustomed to consort only with human beings; and that was of great consequence.
接着蚱蜢出场了：他确实要重得多，但身材很不错，而且穿着与生俱来的绿色制服。
then came the Grasshopper: he was certainly much heavier, but he had a good figure, and wore the green uniform that was born with him.
此外，这个人还坚称自己来自埃及这片土地上一个非常古老的家族，而且在那里备受尊敬。
this person, moreover, maintained that he belonged to a very old family in the land of Egypt, and that he was highly esteemed there.
他说他刚从田野里来，还曾被放进一个三层楼高的纸牌屋，那屋子全是用把图案朝里的纸牌搭成的。
he had just e from the field, he said, and had been put into a card house three stories high, and all made of picture cards with the figures turned inwards.
房子上有门和窗户，是在红桃皇后的牌身上剪出来的。
there were doors and windows in the house, cut in the body of the queen of hearts.
“我唱歌可好听了，” 他说，“那十六只从小就鸣叫、却从未有过自己纸牌屋的本地蟋蟀，如果听到我唱歌，会嫉妒得比现在还瘦呢。”
“I sing so,” he said, “that sixteen native crickets who have chirped from their youth up, and have never yet had a card house of their own, would bee thinner than they are with envy if they were to hear me.”
跳蚤和蚱蜢这两位都特意声明了自己的身份，并且认为自己有资格娶一位公主。
both of them, the Flea and the Grasshopper, took care to announce who they were, and that they considered themselves entitled to marry a princess.
跳鹅什么也没说，但据说他心里想得更多；当看家狗刚闻了闻他，就立刻断定跳鹅出身名门，是由一只正宗的鹅的胸骨做成的。
the Skipjack said nothing, but it was said of him that he thought all the more; and directly the Yard dog had smelt at him he was ready to assert that the Skipjack was of good family, and formed from the breastbone of an undoubted goose.
那位因沉默寡言而获得过三枚奖章的老顾问宣称，跳鹅拥有预言的天赋；人们可以通过他的骨头判断出将会是一个严寒的冬天还是一个温和的冬天；而这可比人们总能从编写年历的人的胸骨上判断出来的还要准确呢。
the old councillor, who had received three medals for holding his tongue, declared that the Skipjack possessed the gift of prophecy; one could tell by his bones whether there would be a severe winter or a mild one; and that’s more than one can always tell from the breastbone of the man who writes the almanac.
“我不想再多说什么了。” 老国王说。
“I shall not say anything more,” said the old King.
“我只会静静地继续下去，并且总是往好的方面想。”
“I only go on quietly, and always think the best.”
现在他们要开始跳了。
Now they were to take their jump.
跳蚤跳得那么高，以至于没人能看见他；然后他们就断言他根本就没跳。
the Flea sprang so high that no one could see him; and then they asserted that he had not jumped at all.
这可太卑鄙了。
that was very mean.
蚱蜢只跳了跳蚤一半的高度，但他径直跳到了国王的脸上，国王宣称这太无礼了。
the Grasshopper only sprang half as high, but he sprang straight into the King’s face, and the King declared that was horribly rude.
跳鹅站在那儿考虑了很久；最后人们都以为他根本就不会跳了。
the Skipjack stood a long time considering; at last people thought that he could not jump at all.
“我只希望他没生病。” 看家狗说，然后又闻了闻他。
“I only hope he’s not bee unwell,” said the Yard dog, and then he smelt at him again.
“嗒！” 他微微一歪身跳了起来，正好跳进坐在一张矮矮的金凳子上的公主的怀里。
“tap!” he sprang with a little crooked jump just into the lap of the princess, who sat on a low golden stool.
然后国王说：“跳到我女儿身上的那个跳得最高；因为关键就在这儿；但这需要头脑才能做到，而跳鹅已经证明了他有头脑。”
then the King said, “the highest leap was taken by him who jumped up to my daughter; for therein lies the point; but it requires head to achieve that, and the Skipjack has shown that he has a head.”
于是他就娶到了公主。
And so he had the princess.
“毕竟还是我跳得最高呀。” 跳蚤说。
“I jumped highest, after all,” said the Flea.
“不过都一样啦。让她抱着那根粘着蜡块、插着小棍的鹅骨头吧。我跳得最高；但在这个世界上，要是想被人看见，还得有个实实在在的身体才行。”
“but it’s all the same. Let her have the goose-bone with its lump of wax and bit of stick. I jumped to the highest; but in this world a body is required if one wishes to be seen.”
于是跳蚤去了国外参军，据说他在那儿战死了。
And the Flea went into foreign military service, where it is said he was killed.
蚱蜢坐在沟渠外边，思考着世间万物是如何发生的。
the Grasshopper seated himself out in the ditch, and thought and considered how things happened in the world.
他也说道：“得有身体呀！得有身体呀！” 然后他唱起了自己那首忧郁的歌，而我们就是从这首歌里收集到了这个故事，虽说人们都说这个故事不是真的，但它已经印成文字了。
And he too said, “body is required! body is required!” And then he sang his own melancholy song, and from that we have gathered this story, which they say is not true, though it’s in print.