散文汉译英佳作：老舍《小麻雀》(4)

　　小鸟几乎是蹲着，胸离地很近，像人害肚痛蹲在地上那样。它身上并没血。身子可似乎是拳在一块，非常的短。头低着，小嘴指着地。那两个黑眼珠!非常的黑，非常的大，不看什么，就那么顶黑顶大的愣着。

　　It was virtually crouching, with its chest close to the floor, like a man suffering from a stomachache. There was no stain of blood on its body, but it seemed to be shrinking up into itself. Its head dropped low, its small beak pointing to the floor. Its two black eyes, unseeing, were very black and large, looking last.

　　它只有那么一点活气，都在眼里，像是等着猫再扑它，它没力量反抗或逃避；又像是等肴猫赦免了它，或是来个救星。生与死都在这俩眼里，而并不是清醒的。它是胡涂了，昏迷了：不然为什么由铁筒中出来呢可是，虽然昏迷，到底有那么一点说不清的，生命根源的，希望。

　　The little life left in it was all in the eyes. It seemed to be expecting the cat to charge again, with no strength to resist or run; or wishing that the cat would be kind enough to pardon it or that some savior would come along to its rescue. Life and death coexisted in its eyes. I thought the bin must be confused or stunned, or else why should it have come out from the pipe? Stunned as it was, it still cherished some hope which, though hard to define, was the source of life.

　　这个希望使它注视着地上，等着，等着生或死。它怕得非常的忠诚气完全把自己交给了一线的希望，一点也不动。像把生命要从两眼中流出，它不叫也不动。

　　With that hope it gazed at the floor, expecting either to survive or die. I was so really scared that it became completely motionless, leaving itself all to the precarious hope. It kept quiet and still as if waiting for its life to flow out of its eyes.

　　小猫没再扑它，只试着用小脚碰它。它随着击碰倾侧，头不动，眼不动，还呆呆地注视着地上。但求它能活着，它就决不反抗。