Wolstencroft the Bear

Written by Karen Lewis
Illustrated by Michael S. Weber

作者：Karen Lewis
插畫：Michael S. Weber

Wolstencroft the Bear 1

Not long ago and not far away there was a beautiful, big teddy bear who sat on a shelf in a drug store waiting for someone to buy him and give him a home.
不是很久之前，也不是很遠(yuǎn)的地方，在一個(gè)雜貨店的貨架上，有一只美麗的大號(hào)泰迪熊。他在等著有人買下它，給他一個(gè)家。

His name was Wolstencroft. And he was no ordinary bear.
他的名字是Wolstencroft， 它是一只不同尋常的熊。

His fur was a lovely shade of light grey, and he had honey colored ears, nose and feet. His eyes were warm and kind and he had a wonderfully wise look on his face.
他有著淺灰色的毛發(fā)，蜜色的耳朵、鼻子和四肢。他的眼睛透射出他的溫暖和善良。從他的表情，你可以看出他很機(jī)靈。

Wolstencroft looked very smart in a brown plaid waistcoat with a gold satin bow tie at his neck.
他穿著一件棕色的格子呢西裝背心，配上脖子上的一個(gè)金色緞帶領(lǐng)結(jié)，這讓他看起來特別聰明。

Attached to the tie was a tag with his name written in bold, black letters: Wolstencroft.
在它的領(lǐng)結(jié)上，貼著一張吊牌，上面用很粗的黑色字體寫著它的名字：Wolstencroft。

Wolstencroft the Bear 2

He had arrived in the store just before Christmas when there had been a lovely big tree in the window, all decorated with fairy lights. Yards and yards of sparkling tinsel had been draped over everything, and holiday music had been playing all the time. Wolstencroft was especially fond of Jingle Bells. He liked its light, tinkling sounds. It always made him feel merry.
他是在上個(gè)圣誕節(jié)前夕才搬到店里來的，那時(shí)候，窗外還有一棵巨大而美麗的圣誕樹，它的枝椏上掛滿了彩色的小燈，四周的一切都閃閃的亮著光，整天播放著節(jié)日歌曲。Wolstencroft特別喜歡《鈴兒響叮當(dāng)》，他喜歡那輕快而有節(jié)奏的聲音，一切都讓他覺得很美好。

At that time there had been lots of other bears to keep him company. In fact, there had been so many teddy bears crowded onto that one narrow shelf that he had scarcely had room to move.
那時(shí)候，還有很多泰迪熊和他做伴。很多熊擠在一個(gè)狹窄的貨架上，他甚至沒有辦法移動(dòng)。

But, one by one they had all gone.Gleefully waving goodbye as they were carried off to their new homes. Until finally, he was the only teddy bear left in the entire store.
然而，漸漸的，他們一個(gè)個(gè)都被帶走了。當(dāng)被帶去新家的時(shí)候，他們歡快的招手告別。到最后，整個(gè)商店就剩下他一只熊。

He had hoped that Santa Claus would drop by on Christmas Eve and deliver him to a good home. But he hadn't. Santa had been too busy that year, delivering even more presents than usual.
圣誕前夕，他曾希望圣誕老人能夠路過把他帶去新家。但是他的愿望沒能實(shí)現(xiàn)。那年圣誕老人實(shí)在太忙了，他比以前送出了更多的禮物。

Wolstencroft felt sad and lonely sitting there all by himself on the shelf that was high above the Christmas cards. He longed to have a child take him home and love him and play with him. But, most of all, to hug him. For no hug is ever too big for a teddy bear.
在滿是圣誕卡片的貨架的上方，Wolstencroft獨(dú)自坐著，他感到沮喪和孤獨(dú)。他多么渴望有一個(gè)小孩來帶他回家，愛他，和他玩耍。最重要的是，擁抱他。對(duì)泰迪熊來說，任何過分的擁抱都不算過分。

He was trying hard not to cry because he knew that tears would make his eyes all puffy and red and then he would have even less chance of finding a home.
他努力著，不讓眼淚流下來，他知道，哭泣會(huì)讓眼睛變得紅腫，如果那樣的話，他就再?zèng)]有機(jī)會(huì)找到一個(gè)家了。

But why oh why didn't someone choose him?
可是為什么沒有人選擇他？

Why, he wondered, was he passed over so many times for other less beautiful bears?
為什么呢？他在想，沒我好看的熊也都找到家了。

Wolstencroft the Bear 3

Then one day, shortly before Easter, three bunny rabbits were placed on the shelf beside him.
又過了一些時(shí)候，在復(fù)活節(jié)前不久的某天，三只兔子也被放上了貨架，在他的旁邊。

They all had very big ears and feet and long legs. All three were wearing woolen sweaters.
他們都有著大大的耳朵和腳掌，還有著長長的腿。三只兔子都穿著羊毛衫。

Rita Rabbit wore a pink sweater. Roger Rabbit a green one. And Ronnie wore blue.
兔子Rita穿了一件粉色的，Rogar穿的是綠色的，Ronnie則穿著件藍(lán)色的。

Roger and Ronnie were twins, and Rita was their sister.
Roger和Ronnie是一對(duì)雙胞胎，Rita是姐姐。

"My you are a handsome bear," Rita told Wolstencroft after the store had closed for the night. "I'm surprised that no one has bought you and taken you home."
“哦，你真是只好看的熊，”那天晚上商店關(guān)門后，Rita這么說；“很奇怪啊，為什么沒有人來買你把你帶回家呢？”

"So am I," replied Wolstencroft and, although he tried very hard to stop it, a tear rolled down hisfurry cheek.
“我也想知道，”Wolstencroft回答，雖然他很努力的控制，可是一滴淚珠還是滑過了他毛茸茸的臉頰。

Ronnie and Roger had jumped down off the shelf and were tag up and down the aisles.
Ronnie和Rogar從貨架上跳了下來，他們?cè)谧呃壤锿媾饦?biāo)簽來。

"Be careful and don't knock anything over," Rita called to them.
“小心點(diǎn)哦，不要把東西碰倒了。”Rita提醒他們。

Rita looked closely at Wolstencroft from every angle. She peered into his face and circled around him, her nose twitching. He had noticed that bunnies' noses twitch a lot. Then she sat down and remained deep in thought for a very long time.
Rita開始細(xì)細(xì)地從各個(gè)角度觀察Wolstencroft。她細(xì)細(xì)地看著他的臉，繞著他不停的走動(dòng)，不時(shí)抽動(dòng)兩下鼻子。Wolstencroft也注意到了這一點(diǎn)。Rita看了一會(huì)，坐下來，陷入了沉思之中。

"Well," he asked her, unable to stand the suspense any longer. "What do you think is wrong with me? Why doesn't anyone want to buy me?"
“好啦，”他受不了這種氣氛了，“你覺得我是哪里有問題啊，為什么沒有人愿意要我呢？”

"It must be your name," Rita answered.
“你的名字?！盧ita回答。

"My name!" exclaimed Wolstencroft. "Why, what's wrong with my name?"
“我的名字！”Wolstencroft叫出來了。“為什么，我名字有問題？”

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with your name," Rita replied. "Wolstencroft is a wonderful name, but it's too long for some people to say. Not everyone can pronounce it properly."
“噢，那倒不是你名字的問題，”Rita回答，“那是個(gè)好名字，只是念起來實(shí)在太長了，而且不是每個(gè)人都能夠準(zhǔn)確的讀出來。”

Now Wolstencroft had always been able to say his name correctly. But then, it was his very own name and everyone can say his or her own name. At least he thought that they could. Not when they are very little, of course. He couldn't say his name when he was a tiny baby bear. But after he had started going to school he knew it very well.
Wolstencroft現(xiàn)在能正確說出他的名字了，這是他自己的名字。每個(gè)人都應(yīng)當(dāng)有能力說出自己的名字。但是當(dāng)Wolstencroft很小時(shí)，他還不會(huì)這些。而當(dāng)他學(xué)會(huì)說自己名字時(shí)，就到了上學(xué)的年齡了。

"Wolstencroft," the teacher would call out. "Will you recite the alphabet for us today?"
“Wolstencroft”老師叫他，“你能給我們背誦一下字母表嗎？”

And he would name all the letters from A to Z. All 26 of them. He was a very smart bear.
他可以讀出從A到Z的所有字母。他是一只非常聰明的小熊。

Wolstencroft the Bear 4

On Easter Sunday, very early just after the store had opened, a Mommy and Daddy bought Roger and Ronnie for their twin boys.
復(fù)活節(jié)那天，商店剛開門沒多久，一對(duì)夫婦為他們的雙胞胎兒子買走了Rogar和Ronnie。

"They look nice," Rita said. She was happy that her brothers had found a good home but felt sad, too, because she was beginning to miss them already.
“他們看起來真棒！”Rita說。她很開心她的雙胞胎兄弟能夠找到一個(gè)很好的歸宿，然而，她又很想他們，不由有點(diǎn)傷心了。

At the front of the store a table had been set up with chocolate Easter eggs. And as it was now Easter Sunday, they had been marked down to half price.
商店前面擺了一張桌子，上面放滿了復(fù)活節(jié)巧克力彩蛋。由于已經(jīng)是復(fù)活節(jié)了，它們都被標(biāo)注上了半價(jià)。

After everyone had gone home for the day, Wolstencroft picked the nicest egg he could find and gave it to Rita, to cheer her up.
那天，所有的人都回家了以后，Wolstencroft選了一只最漂亮的彩蛋給了Rita作為節(jié)日禮物。

They shared the egg, sucking on the sweet creamy chocolate and making sure it didn't get onto their clothes.
他們分享了那只蛋，慢慢吮吸著香甜的奶油巧克力，確保不會(huì)弄臟衣服。

Then they started to talk about the name Wolstencroft again.
然后他們又開始討論Wolstencroft這個(gè)名字了。

"I wouldn't want to change it," Wolstencroft declared. " I mean it's me. I've had it all my life.
“我不想換?！?span style="color: rgb(0, 100, 0);">Wolstencroft宣布。“它就是我，我這輩子都會(huì)用這個(gè)名字?！?/span>

"But if it's stopping you from getting a home," Rita insisted. "You may have to."
“但是這會(huì)妨礙你找到一個(gè)新家的?！盧ita堅(jiān)持說，“你得換了它?！?/span>

Shehopped over to the book department and returned with a book called What to Name Baby.
她跳到了圖書柜臺(tái)，回來的時(shí)候，手上多了一本書《如何幫孩子取名字》。

Wolstencroft the Bear 5

Then she began reading out the names she thought might suit Wolstencroft.
她開始讀她覺得適合Wolstencroft的名字。

"What about Adrian?" she suggested. "It's a lovely name, very dignified."
“Adrian怎么樣？這個(gè)名字很好聽很有氣質(zhì)的?！?/span>

But Wolstencroft shook his head.
Wolstencroft搖頭。

"Well, what do you think of Bernard? It actually means brave as a bear."
“好吧。那么Bernard怎么樣。它的意思剛好就是要像一只熊一樣勇敢?！?/span>

But Wolstencroft was not impressed.
Wolstencroft還是沒有興致。

So Rita left the B's and began flipping through the pages of the book, reading out a name for each letter of the alphabet starting with C.
Rita跳過了B開頭的名字，開始迅速往后面翻書，從C開始按字母順序開始念名字。

"Clive, David, Edwin, Francis, Graham, Howard, Ivan, Jeremy, Keith, Leonard, Miles, Nathan, Oliver, Percy, Quentin, Rodney, Selwyn, Timothy, Ulysses, Vincent, Winston."

And here she stopped because the names beginning with X, Y and Z: Xavier, Yves and Zachary, were too difficult to pronounce. There was no sense in taking a name that was even harder to say than the one he already had.
她停住了，剩下的這些用X,Y,Z開頭的名字，比如說，Xavier, Yves and Zachary，念起來都太難了。根本沒必要選一個(gè)比他現(xiàn)在名字還難發(fā)音的名字。

But Wolstencroft didn't like any of the names she suggested. At least not for himself.
Wolstencroft不喜歡她挑的這些名字。沒有一個(gè)能夠代表他。

"They're all fine names," he said, popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth then dabbing his mouth with a napkin. "But, they're just not me."
“這些都是好名字?！彼哉Z，掰開一塊巧克力放入嘴里，用一塊紙巾輕輕擦了擦嘴，“但是，這些名字都不屬于我?！?/span>

Rita stayed lost in thought for a very long time, tapping her cheek with her finger. And it wasn't until the big clock behind the pharmacy counter struck ten that she finally spoke.

"I think I have the answer," she said. "You could have a name that's easy to say and keep your name at the same time."
Rita托腮思考了很長時(shí)間，直到藥房后面的大鐘敲響10點(diǎn)的鐘聲，她說：“我想我有辦法了。你可以保留這個(gè)名字，但同時(shí)別人也能方便的讀出來?！?/span>

Wolstencroft looked puzzled. "That doesn't make sense," he replied.
Wolstencroft 困惑了：“那應(yīng)該沒什么意思吧”

"Oh, but it does," Rita insisted. "You only have to shorten the name you have."
“確實(shí)。你只要縮短你的名字就好啦?！?/span>

Wolstencroft began to look interested. "You mean I would still be Wolstencroft, but I'd have a shorter, easier to pronounce name for those who preferred it."
Wolstencroft 開始有興趣了：“你是說，我依然可以用Wolstencroft 這個(gè)名字，但是，我可以縮短它的發(fā)音。”

"That's right," she cried excitedly. "And you have such a long name that there are several choices." And she began ticking them off on her fingers.
“對(duì)的?！盧ita激動(dòng)地說，“你看你名字這么長，你有很多種選擇呢?！彼_始扳著手指羅列這些名字。

"Woolly, Wolsten, Sten or Croft. Which one do you like best?"
“Woolly, Wolsten, Sten or Croft. 你喜歡哪個(gè)？”

Wolstencroft thought very carefully, mulling over each name in his mind.
Wolstencroft非常認(rèn)真的思考，仔細(xì)地琢磨了每個(gè)名字。

"I like Croft," he decided at last. It's very dignified.
“我喜歡Croft。”他最終決定了，這個(gè)名字非常帥氣。

Rita looked disappointed. "I like Woolly best," she said. "It's so cuddly and friendly. And you are woolly, you have a lovely thick coat."
Rita很失望。“我最喜歡Woolly，這個(gè)名字非常友好，讓人歡喜。而且你也毛茸茸的，還有一件非?？蓯鄣暮駣A克。”

Wolstencroft looked uncertain.
Wolstencroft有點(diǎn)難以決定了。

"You would still be Wolstencroft," Rita reminded him. "And that's a very dignified name indeed. Woolly would be a nice contrast."
Rita提醒它說“你仍舊是Wolstencroft。 Wolstencroft是個(gè)很帥氣的名字，Wolly則剛好相反.

They talked it over for well into the night as this was a very important decision. There are very few things as important as one's name.
他們談到了深夜，畢竟更改名字是件大事。再?zèng)]什么事情會(huì)比名字更加重要了。

Wolstencroft the Bear 6

But finally, just before the dawn rose in the eastern sky, Rita had convinced him that Woolly was the best choice.
最后，就在復(fù)活節(jié)的天空呈現(xiàn)出第一縷玫瑰色的陽光時(shí)，Rita讓他確信，Woolly就是最好的選擇。

"You're right," Wolstencroft said as he closed his eyes and prepared to sleep. "It's nice to be dignified, but not to be stuffy."
“你是對(duì)的，”Wolstencroft閉上眼睛，他準(zhǔn)備睡覺了，“這個(gè)名字很帥氣但又不呆板?！?/span>

And so it was that Wolstencroft became known as Woolly for short.
Wolstencroft開始以Wolly做簡稱了。

"I bet someone will come along and buy you tomorrow," Rita predicted as she fetched a black felt pen from the stationery department and underneath Wolstencroft, wrote Woolly for short.
“我打賭明天一定有人出現(xiàn)把你買走的?！盧ITA一邊從文具柜取出黑色的毛筆，一邊預(yù)言道。然后，她在Wolstencroft的下面，寫上了作為縮寫的Wooly.”

But Rita was wrong. It was she, and not Wolstencroft, who went to a new home the next day.
Rita錯(cuò)了。第二天，被買走帶去新家的是她，而不是Wolstencroft。

Nobody bought Wolstencroft that day. Or the next day. Or the day after that.
那天沒有人買Wolstencroft，那以后的一天，也沒有。一直也沒有。

In fact, all through that entire year, which felt very long indeed to Wolstencroft, nobody took him home to love and to hug him. And by this time he longed to be hugged so badly that sometimes he thought he just couldn't stand it any longer. Because, of course, no hug is too big for a teddy bear.
事實(shí)上，經(jīng)過這整整一年，Wolstencroft已經(jīng)深深的感覺到，沒有人會(huì)帶他回家，沒有人會(huì)愛他，也沒有人會(huì)來和他擁抱。即使有時(shí)候他真的不再相信了，可是心里還是會(huì)很強(qiáng)烈的想要有個(gè)擁抱。對(duì)泰迪熊來說，任何過分的擁抱都不算過分。

Soon it was almost Christmas time again. And the tinsel and the holly were decorating the drug store. And the shoppers were all very merry and wearing gaily colored scarves and mittens. But still no one bought Wolstencroft, who was feeling extra sad and lonely sitting there all by himself high above the Christmas cards and wrapping paper.
又快到圣誕節(jié)了。雜貨店又被裝飾滿了冬青樹和閃閃的金片。所有來買東西的人都看起來喜氣洋洋，他們穿戴著各種披肩和手套，他們都非常的快樂。但是仍然沒有人來買Wolstencroft。在滿是圣誕卡和精美包裝紙的貨架上方，他仍然獨(dú)自坐在那里，他感到特別的悲傷和孤獨(dú)。

It's my name he decided sadly, as a tear rolled down his furry cheek. I hate it. And so does everyone else. I wish I were called anything but Wolstencroft. Even though it's now Woolly for short.
都怪我的名字。他傷心的想，淚水從茸茸的臉頰滑落。我討厭那個(gè)名字，隨便什么名字都好，除了Wolstencroft什么名字都可以。盡管現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有Woolly做縮寫了，可是又有什么用呢？

Wolstencroft the Bear 7

Then one frosty evening when the stars were sparkling in the night sky and snowflakes were dancing past the windows, a little boy and his daddy came into the store.
在一個(gè)寒冷的晚上，星星在夜空中一閃一閃，雪花也開始在窗外飄舞，有一個(gè)小男孩和他的爸爸來到了這個(gè)雜貨店。

"Hey look at this," said the daddy when he noticed Wolstencroft's name tag. "This teddy bear has the same name as you! Only you're called Sten for short and he's called Woolly."
“嘿，看這個(gè)。這只泰迪熊和你有一樣的名字呢。唯一的不同就是你用Sten做縮寫而他叫Woolly?！卑职肿⒁獾搅薟olstencroft的姓名牌。

"What?" The boy called out in surprise. "I didn't think anyone else in the whole great big world was called Wolstencroft."
“什么！”小男孩驚喜的叫了出來?！罢骐y相信這世界上還有人和我叫一樣的名字 Wolstencroft.”

And just like Wolstencroft the bear, he was beginning to hate his name.
和Wolstencroft一樣，他開始很討厭這個(gè)名字。

"Why don't you two get to know each other?" the daddy suggested as he lifted Wolstencroft down from the shelf.
“你們兩個(gè)為什么不互相認(rèn)識(shí)一下？”爸爸把Wolstencroft從貨架上拿下來，遞給小男孩。

And the little boy wrapped his arms around his namesake, which means someone who has the same name as yourself, and stroked his soft fur. And they both loved each other from that moment on.
小男孩伸出手臂緊緊的摟著小熊的脖子，他們有著同樣的名字，他輕輕的摸著他的毛發(fā)。從那一刻開始，他們倆就互相喜歡上對(duì)方了。

"I love him daddy, can I have him for Christmas?" he asked hopefully. And when his daddy said yes, danced around the store with Wolstencroft, almost colliding with other shoppers as he did so.
“爸爸，我愛他，我可以要他作為我的圣誕禮物么？”小男孩充滿渴望的問。當(dāng)他爸爸說了可以之后，他抱著小熊高興地在店里跳起舞來，差點(diǎn)撞到商店里的其他客人。

Wolstencroft really wasn't such a bad name after all they both decided as they whirled around the Christmas tree at the front of the store. In fact, it was starting to sound better all the time now that they had found each other in this wonderful way.
在商店前面，他們圍繞著圣誕樹快樂的轉(zhuǎn)著圈兒，這時(shí)候，他們?cè)僖膊徽J(rèn)為Wolstencroft是個(gè)很糟糕的名字了。他們以這樣的方式找到了彼此，現(xiàn)在，他們覺得這個(gè)名字比以前更好聽了。

Wolstencroft the bear had never remembered feeling this happy before. Indeed, he felt so chock-full of joy that he thought he just might burst. He was going to a new home at last. And he knew that this little boy, who was called Sten, would be his very best friend forever.
小熊Wolstencroft從沒有感到這樣快樂過。他覺得整個(gè)心里都充滿著歡樂，甚至這種快樂要把他的心都撐破了。他終于要去一個(gè)新家了。在這個(gè)新家里，他會(huì)和這個(gè)叫Sten的小男孩成為最好的朋友，永遠(yuǎn)的朋友。

Then Sten gave him a hug so big that his tummy was squished. But, of course, Wolstencroft didn't care. Because no hug is too big for a teddy bear.
Stan大大的擁抱了他，他抱的好緊，小熊覺得自己的肚子都快要被壓破了。但是，他根本不會(huì)介意的，因?yàn)?，?duì)于泰迪熊來說，任何過分的擁抱都不過分。