(单词翻译:单击)
Unfortunately the pleasure lasted but a moment.
可惜这一切不过是昙花一现而已。
Presently black night overshadowed our enthusiast, who had so entirely missed his part of copying-clerk at a police-office; some vast object seemed to be thrown over him.
他的四周马上又变成了漆黑的夜,现在他十分怀念在办公室作为录事的日子，他似乎觉得有一件巨大的物体落到头上来。
It was a large oil-skin cap, which a sailor-boy of the quay had thrown over the struggling bird;
这是水手住宅区的一个孩子向这只百灵鸟头上抛过来的一顶大帽子。
a coarse hand sought its way carefully in under the broad rim, and seized the clerk over the back and wings.
一只粗糙的手小心地在宽阔的边缘下摸索着，抓住了录事的后背和翅膀。
In the first moment of fear, he called, indeed, as loud as he could -- "You impudent little blackguard! I am a copying-clerk at the police-office; and you know you cannot insult any belonging to the constabulary force without a chastisement.
他感到一阵惊恐的时候，大声地叫道：“你这个无礼的混蛋！我是警察署的书记呀！任何人不得侮辱警队人员。
Besides, you good-for-nothing rascal, it is strictly forbidden to catch birds in the royal gardens of Fredericksburg; but your blue uniform betrays where you come from."
另外，你这个一无是处的无赖，在佛列得里克斯堡公园捕捉任何鸟类都是不允许的，我从你穿着的蓝色制服中看出了你的身份。”
This fine tirade sounded, however, to the ungodly sailor-boy like a mere "Pippi-pi."
可是这声音在孩子的耳中听来只不过是一阵“唧唧！喳喳！”罢了。
He gave the noisy bird a knock on his beak, and walked on.
他在鸟儿的嘴上敲了两下，带着他走了。
He was soon met by two schoolboys of the upper class --
他在一个小巷里小孩碰见另外两个孩子——
that is to say as individuals, for with regard to learning they were in the lowest class in the school;
这两个人，就出身说，是属于受过教养的那个阶级的；可是就能力讲，他们是属于学校中最劣的一等。
and they bought the stupid bird.
他们把这只小鸟买走了。
So the copying-clerk came to Copenhagen as guest, or rather as prisoner in a family living in Gother Street.
因此这位录事就被带回到哥本哈根，住进哥得街上的一个人家里去。
"'Tis well that I'm dreaming," said the clerk, "or I really should get angry. First I was a poet; now sold for a few pence as a lark;
“幸好我是在做梦，”录事说，“否则我就真要生气了。起先我是一个诗人，现在我却成了一只百灵鸟！
no doubt it was that accursed poetical nature which has metamorphosed me into such a poor harmless little creature.
是的，这一定是诗人的气质使我转变成为这只可怜无害的小生物的。
It is really pitiable, particularly when one gets into the hands of a little blackguard, perfect in all sorts of cruelty to animals:
这也真算是倒霉之至，特别是落在一个小孩手里时，他对动物的各种虐待可拿手了:
all I should like to know is, how the story will end."
我倒希望知道这会得到一个什么结果呢。”
The two schoolboys, the proprietors now of the transformed clerk, carried him into an elegant room.
两个孩子把他带到一个非常漂亮的房间里去。
A stout stately dame received them with a smile; but she expressed much dissatisfaction that a common field-bird, as she called the lark, should appear in such high society.
一个微笑着的胖太太向他们走来。她把这只百灵鸟叫做一只普通的田野小鸟，不过当她看到他们把它带来的时候，她并不感到太高兴。
