Two old Bachelors were living in one house;

One caught a Muffin, the other caught a Mouse.

Said he who caught the Muffin to him who caught the

Mouse,—

"This happens just in time! For we've nothing in the house,

Save a tiny slice of lemon and a teaspoonful of honey,

And what to do for dinner—since we haven't any money?

And what can we expect if we haven't any dinner,

But to lose our teeth and eyelashes and keep on growing thinner?"

一对老光棍儿在同一所房子里住；

一个搞了块松糕，一个抓了只老鼠。

搞到松糕的光棍对抓到老鼠的光棍讲：

“来得真巧，咱这几天正闹饥荒，

只能靠一小片柠檬和几茶匙蜂蜜来过活，

口袋也早已掏空——叫咱怎么揭得开锅？

瘦得人皮包骨头，牙齿、睫毛都掉落，

这饿肚皮的日子呀，可叫咱如何过？

Said he who caught the Mouse to him who caught the

Muffin,—

"We might cook this little Mouse, if we only had some Stuffin'!

If we had but Sage and Onion we could do extremely well;

But how to get that Stuffin' it is difficult to tell!"

抓到老鼠的光棍对搞到松糕的光棍讲：

“若有馅儿，就能把这老鼠做得喷香！

馅儿不需多，只需点儿洋葱和神仙肉；

可上哪儿去搞呢，这可真让人发愁！”

Those two old Bachelors ran quickly to the town

And asked for Sage and Onion as they wandered up and down;

They borrowed two large Onions, but no Sage was to be found

In the Shops, or in the Market, or in all the Gardens round.

这对老光棍儿急急忙忙跑去了镇上，

为找洋葱和神仙肉四处托人帮忙；

他们借了两棵大洋葱，可是神仙肉

找遍了商店、市场、公园，都没有。

But some one said, "A hill there is, a little to the north,

And to its purpledicular top a narrow way leads forth;

这时有人说：“有座神山坐落在北方，

顺着一条小路，一直攀到山顶上；

And there among the rugged rocks abides an ancient Sage,—

An earnest Man, who reads all day a most perplexing page.

Climb up, and seize him by the toes,—all studious as he sits,—

And pull him down, and chop him into endless little bits!

Then mix him with your Onion (cut up likewise into Scraps),—

When your Stuffin' will be ready, and very good—perhaps."

在错落的山岩上，住着位老神仙——

他不知疲倦，读着本天书一遍又一遍。

爬上前去——趁他不注意——

一把抓住他脚趾，把他拖下山剁成肉泥！

把肉泥拌进洋葱（用同样方法切碎）——

这样的馅儿要是做成，一定是道美味。”

Those two old Bachelors without loss of time

The nearly purpledicular crags at once began to climb;

And at the top, among the rocks, all seated in a nook,

They saw that Sage a-reading of a most enormous book.

这对老光棍儿听了这话迫不及待，

顺着崎岖陡峭的山岩攀登了起来；

他们在山顶岩石错落的幽暗处，

看见位老神仙正读着本巨大的书。

"You earnest Sage!" aloud they cried, "your book you've read enough in!

We wish to chop you into bits to mix you into Stuffin'!"

“读够了吧！”他们大叫：“你真用功！

我们要把你剁碎后拌入洋葱！”

But that old Sage looked calmly up, and with his awful book,

At those two Bachelors' bald heads a certain aim he took;

And over Crag and precipice they rolled promiscuous down,—

At once they rolled, and never stopped in lane or field or town;

And when they reached their house, they found (besides their want of Stuffin'),

The Mouse had fled—and, previously, had eaten up the Muffin.

但这位老神仙不慌不忙地抬起了头，

抡起天书，朝他俩的秃脑袋一丢；

俩老光棍儿噼里啪啦滚落悬崖——

滚过大街小巷田野村镇不停下。

他们一直滚回了家（馅儿最终没搞着），

而老鼠却跑了——跑前还吃了松糕。

They left their home in silence by the once convivial door;

And from that hour those Bachelors were never heard of more.

他们离开了昔日欢乐的家，无声无息；

从此，再也没有了这对老光棍儿的消息。