锯蜂塞西德·西德·多米：昆虫的故事

Cecid Cido Domy may not have been a witch,though she had a name that sounded as if she might have been one;and if she did not bewitch that willow branch,just what did she do to it?For,to begin with,the branch was just like any of the others on the willow;and by the time Cecid Cido Domy got through with it,it changed into a cone,shaped much like those that grow on Christmas trees.

也许塞西德·西德·多米不是女巫，不过她的名字听上去却挺像女巫。如果她没给那条柳枝施魔法，那她到底对它做了什么？这根柳枝原本跟其他所有的柳枝一模一样；不过塞西德·西德·多米折腾了它一通后，它就变成了一个锥形小球，形状就和圣诞树上的那种球果差不多。

The strange house of Cecid Cido Domy.
塞西德·西德·多米奇怪的房子。

In fact,it changed before she got through with it,and there she was now right in the very middle of the very middle room.For the cone was a house with many rooms in it,though she herself never went outside the middle one—that is,she never did until she left Willow House for good.

其实，这根柳枝在塞西德·西德·多米还没折腾完之前就已经变成了小球果。此时此刻，她就躲在最中间那个屋子里的最中间。原来，这个球果是一所房子，里面有好多屋子，不过，塞西德·西德·多米从来没有离开过中间那个屋子，她会一直待在那里，直到永远离开这座柳舍。

There were strange doings in Willow House,too—much to interest anyone,with guests who came by day and by night and visitors who lived there just as if it was their house instead of Cecid Cido Domy's.

柳舍里有很多稀奇古怪的事情，多得大家已经见怪不怪了。客人不分白天黑夜地来串门，有的客人干脆住下来，就好像这房子是它们的，不是塞西德·西德·多米的。

One night a tiny creature came and found Willow House in the dark.She was dressed in soft gray,and when she was not flying,her wings folded down about her something like a long cape.The inner ones were gray as ashes,and the outer ones were darker gray,with bright brown upon them that was almost red;and they all had gray fringe that was softer and prettier than any other trimming could have been.She did not even knock,but she left an egg in one of the rooms,and her daughter,when she hatched out,lived right there,eating all the food she wanted and having a happy time in the shelter someone else had made ready,with no trouble at all to herself.

一天晚上，一个小东西飞到这里，发现了夜幕下的柳舍。这个小东西穿着柔和的灰色衣服，落下来不飞的时候，翅膀折叠起来搭在身上，像是披了一件长斗篷。小东西的翅膀里面那层是白灰色的，外面那层是深一些的灰色，上面点缀的褐色鲜艳得几乎成了红色。翅膀上镶着灰色的边，软软的，非常好看，比世界上所有的装饰边都软、都好看。这位不速之客连门都没敲就进来了，不过，她在一间屋子里留下了一枚卵。她的女儿出生后就住在这里，大吃特吃，开心极了。这可是别人造的房子呀！她根本没操过一点儿心，费过一点儿力。

Once another caller came in the day-time and left her egg in another room.She had no colors on her wings,and you could see right through them.The hind ones were fastened to the front ones by little hooks,so she looked as if she had only two wings when she really had four.She was a relative of a wasp,but she was not a wasp;and instead of a sting she carried a little saw.That is why people called her Sawfly.Her saw was a sort of tool she used when she was laying her egg,so that she could get it in far enough where it would be safe.Well,her daughter hatched out and made herself at home and ate all she wanted,just as the daughter of the gray moth had done.

有一次，另一位客人白天造访，在另外一间屋子里产了卵。她的翅膀没有颜色，是透明的。后翅膀和前翅膀用小钩子紧紧地钩在一起，所以，尽管她有四个翅膀，但看起来却像是只有两个。她是黄蜂的亲戚，但她不是黄蜂，因为，她随身携带的不是毒刺，而是一个小锯子。所以，人们又叫她“锯蜂”。她的小锯子是产卵时候用的，小锯子可以把产下来的卵送到最靠里面的安全地带。好了，她的女儿出生了，和灰蛾的女儿一样，她把这里当成了自己的家，想吃什么就吃什么。

Neither of these was any relation to Cecid,but the next guest was a sort of cousin.She made herself very much at home indeed,and left more than one egg at Willow House.She wasn't half as big as a mosquito,so of course her eggs were not large enough to take up much room.Her children,when they hatched,looked like Cecid,only they were even tinier;but they never went into the middle room,and as she did not go out,these cousins grew up in the same house without ever meeting each other.

这两位客人和塞西德扯不上任何关系，不过下一位客人却是她的一个什么表亲。她真的是一点儿也不客气，在柳舍里产了不止一颗卵。好在她的身子还没有半只蚊子大，所以，她的卵也不大，占不了多少地方。她的孩子们出生后，样子像塞西德，就是比她还要小。他们从来不进中间的那个屋子，而塞西德也从来不出那个屋子，所以，虽然在同一个屋檐下长大，但是，这些表亲们却从来没有见过面。

There were other guests,too,though none of them were invited to come.But it was all the same to Cecid Cido Domy.Guests might come and guests might stay or go!So long as they did not enter her middle room,or eat the food she needed for herself,or tear the house down too much,she was neither sorry nor glad.Indeed,she did not even know what went on in this wonderful house of hers.

还有其他客人，都是不请自来的。不过，对塞西德·西德·多米来说都一样。客人们想来就来，想住就住，想走就走！只要他们不进她中间的那个屋子，不吃她的那份食物，不把房子折腾得太厉害，她都无所谓，既不高兴，也不生气。真的，她甚至对她这奇妙的房子里所发生的一切一无所知。

How Cecid's house would look if it were cut in two.
如果把塞西德的房子一切两开就是这个样子的。

And her house was pretty,too,as well as wonderful.It was shaped,as you know,very much like the cones that grow on Christmas trees;but the color was different.The shingles were soft and fuzzy and curved up about it like the petals of a rosebud,so that they were up-and-down and not the way houses are usually shingled.But you must remember that this was the house of Cecid Cido Domy,and not be surprised at anything about it.Or perhaps everything about it will surprise you,for it was all so queer and different from other houses.

她的房子不光奇妙，还很漂亮。你知道的，她的房子形状像圣诞树上结的球果，就是颜色不一样。房子的墙板软软的、毛茸茸的，像蔷薇花蕾的花瓣一样朝上曲伸箍在房子周围，所以，房子的墙面高低不平，一般房子的墙板可不是这样铺的。不过，别忘了这可是塞西德·西德·多米的房子，所以，别觉得奇怪。也许，这个房子的一切都会让你觉得奇怪，因为它真的太奇特，太与众不同了。

It may have looked as much like a rosebud as it did like a cone;for the shingles were stained creamy white at the small end,and were touched with pink across the middle,while the wide-curved outside end was silvery green.There never were prettier shingles made;and to think that,if it had not been for Cecid Cido Domy,each of them would have been just a green willow leaf!

她的房子看起来像个球果，可是也像是朵蔷薇花蕾，因为，窄窄的墙板顶端呈乳白色，中间是一丝粉红，而宽宽的弧形边沿则是银绿色的。没有比这个更好看的墙板了。想想吧，如果不是塞西德·西德·多米，用来当墙板的就只有柳树叶了。

The way she changed green leaves into fuzzy shingles is a secret.Some people think that she poured out a juice on the tip of the twig in the spring,when the leaf-buds were ready to grow very fast,and that this juice had power to change the way they grew.All we really know about it for sure is that,whenever Cecid Cido Domy lives on a willow branch,a wonderful house grows up around her,and that the house is made of what started to be just green willow leaves.

没人知道她是怎样把绿树叶变成绒墙板的。有些人说，春天树叶刚刚发芽，正想快快长大的时候，她把一种果汁浇在了树梢上，果汁的魔力让它们变了模样。现在，我们唯一能肯定的是，只要塞西德·西德·多米驻扎到柳枝上，她周围就会长出一个奇妙的房子，而且，建这个房子用的是刚刚发芽的嫩柳叶。

The middle room had bare wooden walls,with the tiny brown boards going straight up and down.They met at the top in a point,but were not fastened together.That was the door to the room,and as Cecid stayed in and the other wee people in the house stayed out,this door was not used often.In fact,it was used but once,and that was the time Cecid Cido Domy went out never to come back again.

中间那个屋子的木墙光秃秃的，从上到下只有棕色的小木板。这些木板在屋顶聚拢在一起，但没有被钉死。所以，这个地方就成了屋门。塞西德总是待在屋里，而房子里的其他小客人们都待在屋外，所以，这个门并不常用。实际上，这个门只用一次，到时塞西德·西德·多米一出门，就再也不回来了。

But she had not yet left home,for the March winds were blowing and it was not warm enough.The pussies on the next willow bush had crept out of their little brown winter covers and looked as if they were sleeping in the sun.Some little birds with black caps on their heads were flying quickly here and there,and were so happy that they sang"Chick-dee-dee,deedee,"and then called"Fee-bee"sweetly,in a different tone,as if one song were not enough to show how joyous they were.

可她现在还没离家，因为三月还在刮风，天气还不够暖和。隔壁柳树丛里的银柳从褐色的小冬被里钻出来，好像是在闭着眼睛晒太阳。有些小鸟头戴黑色的帽子，疾速地飞来飞去，高兴得唱起了“吱—嘀—嘀，嘀—嘀”，然后换个调子，“啡—吡，啡—吡”地叫着，声音悦耳动听，似乎一支歌还不足以表达它们快乐的心情。

All this meant nothing at all to Cecid Cido Domy,who slept in her wooden room,as she had done ever since she went to sleep the fall before when cold weather came on.

所有这一切对塞西德·西德·多米来说毫无意义，因为她还在小木屋里沉睡。去年秋天寒气降临之前，她就进入梦乡了，一直到现在还没醒。

She was not much to look at when she went to sleep.
她睡觉时的样子没什么好看的。(https://www.xing528.com)

She was not much to look at when she went to sleep,only a little wiggly thing so short that it would have taken eight of her to be an inch long.She had no feet,and from her shape it was hard to tell which end her mouth was on.She had nothing that looked like a head,and one end seemed about as much like a tail as the other.The easiest way to tell which was which,was to see what end she stood on;for she stood on her tail and not on her head.Either she was yellow at one time and pink at another,or she was a color that looked different to different people;for some called her yellow and some called her pink.

她睡觉时的样子没什么好看的，只不过是个弯曲的小不点儿。特别短，八个加起来也才一英寸（2.54厘米）。她没有脚，而且，从她的形状上看不出她的嘴在哪一端。她身上没有像头的地方，身体两端看起来都像是尾巴。要区分她哪边是尾巴，哪边是头，最容易的方法就是看她靠哪一端站立，因为她是用尾巴站立的，不是用头。她的颜色要么就是有时候黄，有时候粉，要么就是因人而异，因为有些人说她黄，有些人又说她粉。

No,she was not much to look at,being so small and having so little shape.But you can't always tell,from just looks,how much any living thing can do;and Cecid Cido Domy was wonderful if she didn't look it—wonderful enough to get a home for herself and others,too,by making a willow-witch blossom into a rose.

的确，她这么小，也没什么体形，实在没什么好看的。不过，任何生物都不可貌相。塞西德·西德·多米的魔法让柳枝巫婆变成了玫瑰花，让自己和他人容身其中。如果这还算不上了不起的话，她还有别的了不起的本事呢！

She did another wonderful thing,too,before she went to sleep in the fall.That was after she had taken the last meal she was ever to have in Willow House,and after she had changed her dress a few times,and was as long as one eighth of an inch.She was old to be so tiny,for she had hatched out in the spring,and it had taken her until fall to grow even as big as that,though her house had grown up about her quite quickly.

去年秋天，她在入睡之前还做了另外一件了不起的事情。那时候，她已经吃完了在柳舍里的最后一顿饭，已经换了好几次衣服。那时候，她身长八分之一英寸。她这小身材，和她的年龄极不相符。要知道，她是在春天孵化的，一直到秋天才长那么大，连她住的房子长的都比她快。

The wonderful thing she did before she went to sleep for the winter was to spin a little box all about herself.It was not a warm one,for it was so thin it could be torn by the slightest touch.But there was nothing in the middle room to tear it except Cecid,and you may be sure she didn't,after working so busily to make it.

冬眠之前她做的那件了不起的事情就是织了一个小盒子，把自己围了起来。小盒子并不暖和，因为太薄了，轻轻一碰就会破。不过，除了塞西德之外，中间屋子里没别人，所以，你尽管放心，她不会碰破这个小盒子的，这可是她辛勤劳动的成果。

Although she did not have enough of a mouth to make her head look like a head,it was as much as she needed,and it had a hole opening into it,out of which she could spill a sort of silk glue—the thinnest,finest glue you can imagine.As soon as it touched the air it grew stiff so that it did not stick to her.In this way she made a little thin box all about her,somewhat as a caterpillar spins a silk cocoon.It was the color of water,so that she could be seen inside the box,as if it had been glass.

尽管她连一张像样的嘴巴都没有，头看上去也不像个头，但是她很知足。她头上有一个孔，从这个孔里她能吐出一种丝质胶，你能想象的最薄最好的胶。这种胶一接触空气就会变硬，所以不会粘在她身上。就是用这种方法，她做了一个小小的薄盒子，把自己围了起来，有点像毛毛虫吐丝做茧。这种胶无色透明，所以，从外面可以看到里面，就像是玻璃盒子一样。

There Cecid Cido Domy slept,standing on her tail,in her glassy silk box in the middle room of Willow House.

塞西德·西德·多米睡着了，在柳舍中间那间屋子里，在她那透明的、用丝织成的盒子里，尾巴着地站着睡着了。

While she slept a change came to her as strange as the change which came to the willow when the tip of one of its branches turned into a rosebud cone.She changed from a maggot,with both ends pointed and looking much alike,into a tiny pink pupa,with something on her sides that looked the way wings do when they begin to grow.

她睡觉的时候，身体发生了奇怪的变化，当初那个柳树梢变成蔷薇花蕾小圆锥时也是这么奇怪。她变了，从一个两端尖尖的、一模一样的蛆虫变成了一个粉红色的小蛹，身体两侧看上去好像是要长翅膀似的。

Then she changed from a pupa into a little midget that looked something like a small-sized mosquito.By this time she was awake,and had pushed her way out of her glassy box and up,up through the middle of the middle room to the doorway where,for the very first time in her life,she stood where it was light.She was no longer in the dark,and she was no longer blind.Eyes had come to her in her great change,and she now had a good little head to wear them on and two long feelers to wave out in front.She did not stand on her tail any more,and she had six slender legs to hold her up and walk on.But she did not need just to walk,for she had wings.There was something strange about them,though,for she had but two.

Then she changed into a little midget.
然后她变成了一只小型蚊子。

接着，她又变了。从一只小蛹变成了一个小不点儿，有点像一只小型的蚊子。这时，她已经醒了，已经从那个透明的盒子里挤了出来，挤过中间那个小屋来到屋门口，生平第一次站在了有亮光的地方。四周不再黑暗！不再什么都看不见！她的变化太大了。她有眼睛了，也有了一个像样的小脑袋，眼睛就安在小脑袋上。脑袋前面还伸着两根长长的触角。她不用再尾巴着地站着了，因为，她有六条细长的腿，可以支撑起她的身子，让她四处走动。不过她不一定非要走路，因为她有翅膀。不过奇怪的是，只有两只翅膀。

Now Van and Bumble and Jack and Carol all had four wings;and could Cecid Cido Domy get along with two?

Well,she had as many as a mosquito has,and two are enough for a bird or a bat!Besides,she had two pegs which helped her fly.

你可能会问，蝴蝶帆儿，黄蜂老奔奔，角蝉杰克和蚱蜢欢欢都有四只翅膀，塞西德·西德·多米只有两只翅膀行吗？

其实，她的翅膀和蚊子的翅膀一样多。对鸟儿和蝙蝠来说，两只翅膀就够用了！再说，她还有两只能帮她飞的平衡棒呢。

It was a warm day in spring when she stood by the door of her home that was now old with the storms of winter.It was about the time that willowleaves begin to grow.So she could not stand there long,for she had an errand to do in the world.A very important errand it was,too.So important that,if she did not attend to it and at just the right time,there would be no willow houses for her children,and it would be a pity to have them hatch too late for that.

这个春日，她站在家门口，天气暖融融的。她的家经过寒冬风雪，已经破旧不堪。此时，正是柳叶生长的季节。她不能在那里站太长时间，因为，在这个世界上，她还有一件事情要处理，一件非常重要的事情。这件事情太重要了，如果她不能在恰当的时机把这件事情处理好，她的孩子们就没有柳舍可住了，为此而延误了孩子们的孵化，那就太可惜了。

Off she went—her two wings and two pegs were enough,and it would never,never do to be too late!And here and there,near the bank of a little river,Cecid Cido Domy might have been seen that spring,seeking the willow-tips and laying her eggs one by one so that her little blind,legless babies might hatch when each willow-witch was just ready to have its leaves turned into shingles,stained creamy white and pink and silvery green,and curved like the pretty petals of a rosebud about the middle room,which should hide within its bare wooden walls a secret all its own.

她出发了。两只翅膀和两个平衡棒就够用了，而且，绝对、绝对不能太晚！那个春天，人们也许可以看到塞西德·西德·多米在小河的岸边，四处寻找柳树梢，一个一个地产卵，这样，她那没眼睛也没腿的小宝宝们就可以赶在柳树女巫刚要把柳叶变成墙板的时候孵化。那些墙板上撒满了乳白色、粉红色和银绿色的小斑点，就像蔷薇花蕾那漂亮的花瓣一样，向上弯曲着把小屋拢在中间，把属于她的秘密都掩藏在这些光秃秃的木板墙里面。

And so,when the March wind blows the fur of the pussies sunning themselves on the willow-twig,and the happy bird with a black cap calls,"Chick-dee-dee,dee-dee"and,perhaps more sweetly still,"Fee-bee,"is it very strange that we pick some twigs that have no pussies on them,but,instead,a little sleeping insect in a glassy silk box in the heart of a fuzzy cone—hoping that we may see,when the days are warmer,the little creature come forth and shake her wings?For fairy or witch or what-not,Cecid Cido Domy is a wonder well worth seeing;and if she does not bewitch the willow-branch,just what does she do to it?

当三月的微风吹动着柳树枝上晒着太阳的毛茸茸的银柳花时，当戴着黑色帽子的小鸟欢快地喊着“吱—嘀—嘀，嘀—嘀”，或者比那还甜美的“啡—吡”时，我们摘下一些嫩柳枝，上面不是毛茸茸的银柳花，而是一个毛茸茸的锥形小球，小球的正中是一个透明的丝盒子，盒子里面有一只酣睡的小虫。我们憧憬着天气再暖和一些的时候，这个小东西从里面爬出来展翅飞翔！这种感觉是不是很奇妙呀？无论她是什么，仙女也好，女巫也罢，塞西德·西德·多米的确是个奇迹，值得一看。如果她没有给柳枝施魔法，那她到底对它做了什么呢？