TOOTH AND CLAW
SHORT STORIES
牙齒和爪子
短篇小說
In each of the following stories there is a wild or a dangerous animal. The animals can
hurt and kill. And yet all the stories take place in houses, gardens, a small wood – safe,
civilized places where we do not expect to meet wild and dangerous animals. So why
are they there? Why has Saki brought these fierce creatures into our homes?
在以下每個故事有野生或危險的動物。這些動物可以傷害和殺害。然而，所有的
故事發生在房屋，花園，小木頭 - 安全，文明的地方，我們並不指望能滿足野
外和危險的動物。那麼，為什麼他們在那裡？為什麼薩基帶來了這些強大的生物
進入我們的家園？
The answer is that we want them to be there. Of course, we do not want wolves in our
gardens all the time; that would be very inconvenient. But sometime – when we have
an unwelcome visitor, or when we have to be polite when we want to be rude –
sometimes a real wolf would be very useful indeed. Saki’s animals are sometimes
funny, and they are sometimes cruel. But they always bite though what we pretend,
and uncover the real emotions beneath.
答案是，我們希望他們在那裡。當然，我們不希望在我們的花園中所有的時間狼;
這將是非常不方便。但有時 - 當我們有一個不受歡迎的客人，或者當我們想成
為粗魯的時候，我們必須要有禮貌 - 有時一個真正的狼將是非常有益的確實。
薩基的動物，有時滑稽，並且他們有時殘酷。但他們總是咬，雖然我們假裝，並
發現背後還有一個真實的情感。
(餐旅二甲 4A2M0065 車筱雯)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
作者簡介
Saki’s real name was Hector Hugh Monro. He was born in Burma in 1870, but after
his mother died, he and his sister and brother went to live with his aunts in Devon, in
the south-west of England. His two aunts, Aunt Tom and Aunt Augusta, hated each
other and were not interested in children. So, like Conradin, Saki learned to dislike
aunts and to dream of a world where animals were stronger than people and could
punish them for being cruel and stupid.
薩基的真名是赫休·夢露。他出生於緬甸於 1870 年，但在他的母親去世了，他和
他的姐姐和弟弟去住他的德文阿姨，在英格蘭西南部的。他的兩個阿姨，阿姨湯
姆和阿姨奧古斯塔，互相憎恨和不感興趣的孩子。因此，像康拉丁，薩基學會了
不喜歡阿姨和一個世界的夢想，其中動物比人強，並可能懲罰他們是殘忍和愚
蠢。
In 1893 Saki joined the army in Burma, but became ill and returned to the UK to live
in London. From 1902 to 1908, he worked as a writer for a newspaper, The Moring
Post, and lived in Poland, Russia and Paris. He had published his first book in 1899 –
a history called The Rise of the Russian Empire – and in 1904 his frist book of short
stories appeared. This was when he took the name ‘Saki’; no one knows why he chose
it, but it is the name of a gentle South American monkey and perhaps he felt close to
this animal.
1893 年薩基參軍，緬甸，但病倒返回英國居住在倫敦。從 1902 年至 1908 年，
他曾作為一個作家的報紙，莫林後，住在波蘭，俄羅斯和巴黎。他已經出版了他
的第一本書在 1899 年 - 一個堪稱史上俄羅斯帝國的崛起 - 而在 1904 年的短篇
小說他弗里斯特的書出現。這是當他取了名字“咲”;沒有人知道他為什麼選擇了
它，但它是一個溫和的南美猴子的名字，也許他覺得接近這個動物。
People have continued to read and enjoy Saki’s clever stories for the past hundred
years, because they are often cruel and funny at the same time. He wrote only five
books of stories (some of them appeared after his death), and two novels. In 1914, at
the beginning of the First World War, he joined the army as an ordinary soldier and
was shot through the head and killed in 1916.
人們不斷閱讀和欣賞薩基的故事巧妙地在過去的百年，是因為他們往往是殘酷的，
風趣的同時。他只寫了五本書的故事（他們中的一些出現在他死後），以及兩本
小說。 1914 年，在第一次世界大戰開始時，他加入了軍隊作為一個普通的士兵，
通過頭部中彈身亡於 1916 年。
(餐旅二甲 4A2M0065 車筱雯)
It was a hot, airless afternoon. The train was slow and the next stop was nearly an
hour away. The people in the train were hot and tired. There were three small children
and their aunt, and a tall man, who was a bachelor. The bachelor did not know the
little family, and he did not want to know them.
在一個炎熱的午後，一個歡曼的列車將在一個小時後抵達下一站，車廂裡的人際
悶熱又疲倦，這裡有三個小孩子和他們的阿姨，和一個個頭高大的陌生人，那個
陌生人並不認識這格小家庭，而且他也不想認識這個小家庭。
(餐旅二甲 4a2m0101 古名翔)
The aunt and the children talked﹐but it was not a real conversation. It was more
like a battle with a small housefly which will not go away. When the aunt spoke to the
children﹐she always began with｀Don’t…＇When the children spoke to her﹐they
always began with｀Why…＇The bachelor said nothing aloud.
阿姨剛剛和孩子交談過，但是它並不是一個真正的交談。它更像是個蒼蠅的
戰鬥依樣不會消失，當阿姨在對孩子說話時，她總是用不行來開頭。而當孩子對
他說時，總是用為什麼作為開頭，單身漢說沒什麼好大聲的。
The small boy opened his mouth and closed it again. It made an interesting little
noise﹐so he did it again. Open.Close.Open.Close.
小男孩張開了嘴後又閉上了。這讓他發出了一些有趣的小噪音，所以他又做
了一次。開。合。開。合。
｀Don＇t do that﹐Cyril﹐＇said the aunt.｀Come and look out of the window.
He looked out at the green fields and trees.
阿姨說 Cyril 不要這麼做。快來看看窗戶外面，他看到了綠色的田野和樹
木。
｀Why is that man taking those sheep out of that field?＇he asked suddenly.
為什麼那個男人把那些羊帶出了田野?他突然這麼問
(餐旅二甲 4a2m0094 林家如)
“停止,Cyril，”阿姨這麼說。
“過來這邊看看窗戶外”那位男孩閉嘴後坐在窗戶旁邊。他看向戶外綠色草皮跟樹
木。
“為什麼那些羊群被趕出那一塊草地呢？」”那位男孩突然開口問。
(餐旅二甲 4A2M0040 黃詩文)
Perhaps he’s taking them to another field where there is more grass,’ said the aunt. It
was not a very good answer, and the boy knew it.
But there is lots of grass in that field, ‘he said. ‘The field is full of grass, Aunt. Why
doesn’t the man leave his sheep in that field?
I suppose the grass in the other field is better. ‘answered the aunt.
Why is better?’ asked Cyril at once.
‘Oh, look at those cows! Cries the aunt. There were cows in nearly all the fields along
the railway line. Cyril did not look at the cows. He wanted an answer to his question.
The smaller girl began to say some words from a song;
‘On the road to Mandalay, where the happy children play, ‘she began.
Then she stopped. She could not remember any more words, so she said the first
worlds again, And again. And again.
The bachelor looked angrily at the girl, and then at the aunt.
Come here and sit down quietly, ‘the aunt said quickly to the children, ‘I’m going to
tell you a story.
The children moved slowly towards the aunt’s seat. They already looked bored.
Clearly, the aunt was not a famous story-teller.
「我想牠們是被趕往有更多青草的地方，」那位阿姨回答。「但是那塊田地不是
滿地青草嗎？」那位小男孩抗議著；「除了青草，那兒並沒有任何別的東西。」
「也許別的地方有更嫩綠的青草，」阿姨無可奈何地回答。
「為什麼更嫩綠呢？」
接著就是不能避免的問題。「啊！看看那些牛群！」阿姨驚叫著。其實，幾乎每
一塊田地都有牛群或是小公牛，。「為什麼別地方的青草更鮮嫩呢？」塞兒堅持
地問。那位單身漢臉上面露不悅之色，眉頭也皺得更緊了。她完全想不出一個滿
意的答案可以告訴塞兒為什麼另一邊田地的青草更鮮嫩。那個幼小的女孩開始背
誦著曼德勒的詩句。她只知道那第一行的詩句堅決又可以聽得到的聲音不斷反覆
地背誦著這一行詩句。
「過來這邊，我來講個故事給你們聽，」阿姨說。這時候，
那單身漢瞪了她兩眼，總算鬆了一口氣。孩子們無精打采地移動到阿姨座位旁邊。
很容易看出來，在孩子們的評價中，她不會是一位擅長講故事的人。
(餐旅二甲 4a2m0101 古名翔)
The story was horribly uninteresting. It was about a little girl. She’ not a beautiful
child. But she was always very, ,very good. Everybody loved her because she was
good. Finally, she fell into a lake and her frends saved her because she was so good,
and they loved her so much.
‘’Did they only save her because she was good?’ asked the bigger girl. ‘Shouldn’t we
save bad people too, if they fall into a lake? The bachelor wanted to ask the same
question, but he said nothing.
Well, yes, we should. ‘said the aunt. ‘But I’m sure the little girl’s friends ran specially
fast because they loved her so much.’
‘That was thr stupidest story that I ‘ve ever heard,’ said the bigger girl.
I didn’t listen after the first few worlds, ‘said Cyril. ‘because it was so stupid.’
The smaller girl was already quietly repeating the words of her song for the twentieth
time.
You’re not very successful as a story-teller, ‘the bachelor said suddenly from his
corner.
The aunt looked at him in angry surprise. ‘It’s not easy to tell stories that children can
understand, ‘she answered coldly.
I don’t agree with you. ‘said the bachelor.
Perhaps you would like to tell them a story, ‘said the aunt. She gave him a cold little
smile.
這個故事是討厭而且無聊的，是有關一個小女孩的故事，他不是一個漂亮的女孩，
但是它有著一顆善良的內心，每個都很喜歡他，因為她很善良，有一天他不小心
掉進湖裡，然後他朋友把他救了起來，就因為她很善良。「如果她不是善良，品
行端莊，那他們就不會搶救她嗎？」小女孩這麼問。其實這個問題也正是那位單
身漢想問的。
「當然他們會救她，但如果他們不太喜愛她的話，他們就不會了。」
「這是我所聽過的故事中最乏味的了，」小女孩很認真地說。「我只聽了開頭一
小段，就完全沒有興趣了，」塞兒說。那幼小的女孩不作任何批評，但是她老早
已在口中喃喃自語地背誦著那一行詩句。「妳好像不是擅長講故事的人，」那位
單身漢突然間由他的角落裡冒出這麼一句話來阿姨即刻發怒起來，為這意外的攻
擊為自己辯護。「要講一個讓這些小孩子們能夠了解、又能引起他們的興趣的故
事並不簡單，」她倔強地說。
「我不同意你的說法，」單身漢說。
「也許你願意講
一個故事給他們聽聽，阿姨反駁地說。
(餐旅二甲 4a2m0101 古名翔)
｀Yes-tell us a story﹐＇said the bigger girl.
一位較大的女孩告訴我們一個故事
｀A long time ago﹐＇began the bachelor﹐｀there was a little girl called
Bertha﹐who was extraordinarily good. She always worked well at school . She always
obeyed her teachers and her parents. She was never late﹐never dirty﹐and always ate
all her vegetables.She was polite﹐she was tidy﹐and she never﹐never told lies.＇
學士開始說:在很久以前，有一個非常不錯的小女孩叫貝爾塔，他在學校
的成績一直都很好。她總是順從她的老師和她的父母，他從來不遲到，從來不會
弄髒，而且他總是將他的菜吃完。他有禮貌，他愛乾淨，而且他從來不說謊。
｀Oh﹐＇said the children. They were beginning to look bored already.
孩子們說喔，他們看起來已經開始無聊了。
｀Was she pretty?＇asked the smaller girl.
一個小女孩問說她漂亮嗎?
｀No﹐＇said the bachelor.｀She wasn＇t pretty. But she was horribly good.
＇
學士說:不!他不漂亮，但是她非常的好。
｀Horribly good.I like that!＇said Cyril. The children began to look more
interested. The words｀horrible＇and ｀good＇together was a new idea for them﹐
and it pleased them.
Cyril 說:我喜歡她好的很可怕，孩子們看起來開始有興趣了，非常的和
好的這兩個字一起對他們來說是一個新的想法，而且他們感到高興。
｀Bertha was always good﹐＇continued the bachelor.｀Because she was so
good﹐Berther had three medals. There was the “Never Late” medal. There was the
“Politeness” medal. And there was the medal for the“Best Child in the World”. They
were very large medals.Bertha always wore them on her dress﹐and they clinked as she
walked along. She was the only child in her town who had three medals. So
everybody knew that she must be an extra good child.＇
學士持續地說而 Berther 一直覺得不錯，因為他是這麼的好，Berther 有
三面獎牌。有不遲到的獎牌，還有禮貌獎牌，以及世界最佳兒童的獎牌。他們是
非常大的獎牌，Berther 總是把他們穿戴在地的裙子上，而當他在走路的時候他
就會碰撞。他是唯一在小鎮上獲得三面獎牌的小孩，所以每個人都知道，她是一
個特別的好孩子。
｀Horribly good﹐＇repeated Cyril happily.
Cyril 愉快地重複著非常的好。
｀Everybody talked about Bertha＇s goodness. The king of that country heard
about her﹐and he was very pleased.
每個人都談到了 Bertha 的善良，該國的國王聽到有關於他的事，覺得
很欣慰。
“Because Bertha is so good﹐”he said﹐“she may come and walk in my palace
gardens every Friday afternoon.”
他說:因為 Bertha 很好，他可能每個禮拜五下午都會在我的王宮花園出
現。
(餐旅二甲 4a2m0094 林家如)
The king＇s gardens were famous. They were large and very beautiful, and
children were usually forbidden to go in them.＇
國王的花園是非常有名的，他很大而且非常漂亮，而小孩通常是被禁止
進入的。
｀Were there any sheep in the palace gardens?＇asken Cyril.
Cyril 問有沒有任何一隻羊在皇宮花園裏面?
｀No,＇said the bachelor,｀there were no sheep.＇
學士說:沒有，那裡沒有羊。
｀Why weren＇t there any sheep?＇asked Cyril at once.
Cyril 又一次地問說:為什麼那裡沒有羊?
The aunt gave a little smile, and waited with interest for the bachelor＇s
answer.
阿姨給了一點點笑容，等待著學士有趣的答案。
｀There were no sheep in the king＇s gardens,＇explained the bachelor,｀
because the king＇s mother had once had a dream. In her dream a voice said to her,
“Your son will be killed by a sheep, or by a clock falling on him.＂That is why the
king never kept a sheep in his gardens or a clock in his palace.＇
學士解釋說:皇宮裡沒有羊，因為國王的母親曾經做了一個夢，在他的
夢裡有一個聲音告訴他，你的兒子會被羊被殺死，或者通過時鐘落在了他，這就
是為什麼皇宮裡沒有羊或只是鐘。
The aunt thought secretly that this was a very clever answer,but she stayed
silent.
阿姨偷偷的想:這是一個非常聰明的答案，但他還是保持安靜。
｀Was the king killed by a sheep, or by a clock?＇asked the bigger girl.
比較大的女孩問說:國王有被羊或是鐘殺掉嗎?
｀He is still alive,＇said the bachelor calmly,｀so we don＇t know if the
dream was true or not. But,although there were no sheep,there were lots of little pigs
running around everywhere.＇
學士冷靜地說:他還活著，所以我們不知道夢是真的還是假的，不過，
雖然沒有羊，但有許多小豬無處不在的亂跑。
｀What colour were the pigs?＇asked the smaller girl.
比較小的女孩問說:是什麼顏色的豬?
｀Black with white faces,white with black faces,all black,grey and white,
and some were all white.＇
黑色但是有白臉的豬，白色但是有黑臉的豬，全黑的，灰色和白色的，
還有全白的。
The bachelor stopped for a moment,while the children＇s imaginations took
in these wonderful pictures.Then he went on again,
學士停了片刻，孩子們的想像力把這些精彩的圖片。然後，他又再度登
場，
｀Bertha was sorry that there were no flowers in the palace
Bertha 很常在皇宮裡沒有花。
(餐旅二甲 4a2m0094 林家如)
她曾經含著眼淚答應她的阿姨，她絕對不摘採公園裡的任何一種花朵，而且她打
算一定謹守諾言，所以當她在公園裡看不到任何花朵時，不禁感到又失望又可笑。」
「為什麼沒有花呢？」
「因為那些小豬把花朵全部吃光了。」單身漢即刻回答。
「園丁們都告訴王子不能夠同時有小豬和花卉，所以他決定要小豬而不要花卉。」
這時有輕微的細語聲表示贊同王子的好決定；同樣也有許多人可能會選擇要花卉。
公園裡面還有很多好玩而又令人歡樂的東西。池塘裏有金魚，以及各種五彩繽紛
的魚類，樹幹上有一些會說靈巧話語的鸚鵡，會唱流行歌曲的蜂雀。菠莎到處走
來走去，享受著美好的時光，同時自己暗暗地想著：
「如果我的品行不是那麼特別優秀端莊的話，我就不可能來到這美麗的公園享受
這些美景了，」同時，當她走動時，那三枚獎章就發出叮噹聲，一再地讓她想起
自己是多麼乖巧善良的孩子。這時，一隻巨大的狼跑進公園，徘徊著想找一隻小
胖豬當晚餐。
「什麼顏色的狼呢？」孩子們很感興趣地問。
「渾身是泥土顏色，黑的舌頭和淺灰色的眼睛，隱約地閃現無法形容的兇光。牠
第一眼就看到菠莎；因為她的圍巾是那樣地潔白一塵不染，所以遠遠就可以看得
清清楚楚。」菠莎也見到那隻狼緩慢地向她的方向走過來。一個心願突然湧上心
頭，但願那位王子禁止她進入這個公園。她竭力地奔跑逃命，而那隻狼緊緊地追
在她後面，大步躍進。她總算跑到一堆蔓生的灌木叢林，她想辦法將自己藏匿在
矮樹之中。那隻野狼伸出黑色舌頭，帶著憤怒的眼神在樹幹之間不停地嗅來嗅去。
菠莎驚恐得直發抖，同時心裡想著：
「如果我不是那麼乖巧端莊的話，此刻我應該平安無事地住在城市裡面。」不過，
由於長春花強烈的花香，加上那一堆濃密的灌木叢林阻擋了牠的視線，那隻野狼
無法嗅出菠莎藏匿的所在，所以牠就想乾脆放棄菠莎而去捕捉一隻小豬吧。當野
狼在靠近菠莎的灌木叢林旁邊徘徊尋找她的時候，菠莎嚇得渾身發抖，因而引起
那一枚因順從乖巧所得的獎章和另外兩枚因品行端莊和守時所得的獎章互相磨
擦而叮噹作響。
(餐旅二甲 4A2M0040 黃詩文)
listen. The medals clinked again. The wolf’s yellow eyes shone, and he ran into the
myrtle bushes, pulled Bertha out, and ate her. He ate everything expect her shoes, a
few small pieces of her dress, and the three medals for goodness.’
獎牌再次碰。狼的黃色眼睛閃閃發光，他跑進草叢桃金娘，貝莎拉出來，吃了她。
他吃的一切期待她的鞋子，幾小塊她的衣服，和三個獎牌的善良。“
‘Were any of the little pigs killed?’ asked Cyril.
‘No, they all escape.’
‘The story began badly,’ said the smaller girl, ‘but it finished beautifully.’
‘It is the most beautiful story that I have ever heard,’ said the bigger girl.
‘It is the only beautiful story I have ever heard,’ said Cyril.
“被打死的任何小的豬？”問西里爾。
“不，他們都逃不掉。”
“故事開始得厲害，'之稱的小女孩，”但它漂亮地完成。“
“這是我聽過的最美麗的故事”之稱的大女孩。
“這是我聽過的只有美麗的故事，”西里爾說。
The aunt did not agree. ‘It was a most improper story!’ she said angrily. ‘You mustn’t
tell children stories like that! You have destroyed years of careful teaching.’
‘Well, ’ said the bachelor. He put on his coat and picked up his bags. ‘The children sat
still and were quiet for ten minutes while they listened to the story. And they didn’t do
that for you.’
姑姑不同意。 “這是一個最不恰當的故事！”她生氣地說。 “你不能告訴孩子這
樣的故事！你摧毀了多年精心的教學。“
“好吧，”說的光棍。他穿上外套，拿起自己的行李。 “孩子一動不動地坐著，並
很安靜了十分鐘，而他們聽的故事。他們沒有為你做的。“
‘I feel sorry for that woman,’ thought the bachelor as he stepped down from the train
at the next station. ‘What will people think when those children ask her for an
improper story!’
“我覺得對不起那個女人，”以為單身漢，因為他從火車在下一站下台。 “什麼
人會認為，當那些孩子問她出於不正當的故事！”
(餐旅二甲 4A2M0065 車筱雯)
單字：
1. field:形容詞，原野、野外的
Just before sunset the peasants quit laboring in the field.
農民們直到日落才結束在原野間的勞動。
2. bachelor:名詞，單身漢
He is a well-fixed bachelor.
他是一個生活寬裕的單身漢
3. pleased:形容詞，高興的
I’m very pleased to inform you that your application has been accepted.
我非常高興地通知你，你的申請已經被接受。
4. soldier:名詞，士兵
The soldier received a serious wound on the chest.
這名士兵胸部受了傷。
5. medal:名詞，獎章、勳章
The soldier earned a medal for bravery.
這名士兵因作戰勇敢而獲得了勳章。
6. goodness:名詞，優秀、美德
Goodness often charms more than mere beauty.
美德比徒具美貌更吸引人。
7. clink:可及物動詞，發出叮噹聲
They clinked their glasses together to toast the bride and groom.
他們碰杯向新郎新娘祝賀。
8. supper:名詞，晚餐
We had a buffet supper last evening.
昨天晚上我們吃了一次自助晚餐。
9. claw:名詞，爪子
A hen’s claws has three toes.
母雞的腳爪有三個腳趾。
10. extraordinarily:副詞，非常、非凡、格外地
She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.
他是個美麗非凡的女生。
(餐旅二甲 4A2M0040 黃詩文)
11. Perhaps 假定/猜想
As she’s been ill perhaps she’ll need some help.
12. Suppose 假定/期望
You are not suppose to stay home during the weekend.
13. horrible 令人毛骨悚然的
His heart sickened at the thought of that horrible scene.
14. uninteresting 無趣味的
He found her uninteresting as a person
15. airless 不通風的
I felt I was stifling in the airless room.
16. bachelor 單身漢
He became a bachelor of arts at the age of twenty.
17. toward 對於
There efforts toward the settlement of the border dispute are praiseworthy.
18. nearly 幾乎
He plays golf nearly every weekend.
19. Mamdalay 曼德拉
I live un Mandalay city.
20. suddenly 忽然地
Suddenly he began to shriek ioudly.
(餐旅二甲 4a2m0101 古名翔)
21. Bachelor:學士
She received a bachelor ' s degree in arts in 1974
22. Housefly:蒼蠅
A priliminary study on ethogram of housefly musca domestica
23. Extraordinarily:格外的
He was extraordinarily receptive and responsive .
24. Obeyed:服從
A soldier must obey his superior officers .
25. tidy:整潔的
The room is kept clean and tidy
26. horribly:非常地
I was horribly precocious .
27. medals:獎章
He got a medal for bravery .
28. forbidden:被禁止的
Photography is strictly forbidden in the cathedral .
29. imaginations:想像力
He has a wonderful reach of imagination .
30. secretly:偷偷地
Walden was secretly amused by the suffragette .
(餐旅二甲 4A2M0094 林家如)
31. Improper 不適和的
That is an mproper usage of the word.
32. Claw 爪
The owl swooped down and picked up the mouse in its claws.
33. Inconvenient 不方便的
It ' s a bit inconvenient for me to get to the centre of town . Canwe meet somewher
e else?
34. Fierce 兇猛的
My grandfather became fierce when he lost his temper.
35. Beneath 在下；向下
As we flew over the mountains we could see that there weresnowy peaks beneath.
36. Cruel 殘忍的；痛苦的
The death of their beloved son was a cruel blow.
37. ordinary 平凡的
The novel describes the way of life of the ordinary people there.
38. soldier 士兵
How long has your brother been a soldier?
39. punish 處罰
Motorists should be severely punished for speeding.
40. creature 生物；動物
Worms are very simple creatures.
(餐旅二甲 4a2m0065 車筱雯)