It was a bitter winter. The stormy weather was followed by sleet and snow, and then by a hard frost which did not break till well into February. —
这是一个寒冬。暴风雨天气之后是冻雨和雪，然后是严寒，一直延续到二月初才解除。 —

The animals carried on as best they could with the rebuilding of the windmill, well knowing that the outside world was watching them and that the envious human beings would rejoice and triumph if the mill were not finished on time.
动物们尽力重建风车，深知外界正在观望，如果风车不能按时完成，嫉妒的人类会沾沾自喜。

Out of spite, the human beings pretended not to believe that it was Snowball who had destroyer the windmill: —
出于恶意，人类假装不相信风车是被斯诺鲍尔摧毁的。 —

they said that it had fallen down because the walls were too thin. —
他们说风车倒塌是因为墙太薄。 —

The animals knew that this was not the case. —
动物们知道这不是真相。 —

Still, it had been decided to build the walls three feet thick this time instead of eighteen inches as before, which meant collecting much larger quantities of stone. —
尽管如此，这次决定把墙厚建为三英尺，而不是之前的十八英寸，这意味着需要收集更多的石头。 —

For a long time the quarry was full of snowdrifts and nothing could be done. —
很长一段时间里，采石场都被积雪覆盖，什么都无法进行。 —

Some progress was made in the dry frosty weather that followed, but it was cruel work, and the animals could not feel so hopeful about it as they had felt before. —
在寒冷干燥的天气中取得了一些进展，但这是一项残酷的工作，动物们对此并不像之前那样有希望的感觉。 —

They were always cold, and usually hungry as well. —
他们总是感到寒冷，通常还饥饿。 —

Only Boxer and Clover never lost heart. —
只有拳击手和克洛弗从未失去信心。 —

Squealer made excellent speeches on the joy of service and the dignity of labour, but the other animals found more inspiration in Boxer’s strength and his never-failing cry of “I will work harder!”
斯奎勒在服务的喜悦和劳动的尊严方面做了出色的演讲，但其他动物们更多地从拳击手的力量和他永不疲倦的呼喊“我会更加努力！”中找到了灵感。

In January food fell short. —
一月份食物不够了。 —

The corn ration was drastically reduced, and it was announced that an extra potato ration would be issued to make up for it. —
玉米配给量大幅减少，宣布额外发放土豆配给以弥补不足。 —

Then it was discovered that the greater part of the potato crop had been frosted in the clamps, which had not been covered thickly enough. —
然后发现绝大部分土豆被冷冻在没有覆盖足够厚的土坛中。 —

The potatoes had become soft and discoloured, and only a few were edible. —
土豆变软并且变色，只有几个是可以食用的。 —

For days at a time the animals had nothing to eat but chaff and mangels. —
有时动物们连续几天只能吃秸秆和红甜菜。 —

Starvation seemed to stare them in the face.
饥饿似乎正冲着他们的脸庞。

It was vitally necessary to conceal this fact from the outside world. —
把这个事实对外界隐藏起来是非常必要的。 —

Emboldened by the collapse of the windmill, the human beings were inventing fresh lies about Animal Farm. Once again it was being put about that all the animals were dying of famine and disease, and that they were continually fighting among themselves and had resorted to cannibalism and infanticide. —
在风车倒塌的情况下，人类正编造有关“动物庄园”的新谎言。它们再一次传播着关于所有动物都在饥荒和疾病中死去，它们之间不断地互相争斗并且采取了食人和杀婴的行为的消息。 —

Napoleon was well aware of the bad results that might follow if the real facts of the food situation were known, and he decided to make use of Mr. Whymper to spread a contrary impression. —
拿破仑非常清楚如果食物实际情况被人们了解到可能会导致的坏结果，并决定利用惠默先生传播相反的印象。 —

Hitherto the animals had had little or no contact with Whymper on his weekly visits: —
迄今为止，动物们几乎没有与惠默见面的机会。 —

now, however, a few selected animals, mostly sheep, were instructed to remark casually in his hearing that rations had been increased. —
然而，现在一些特选的动物，主要是绵羊，被指示在他能听到的时候随口说一下口粮已经增加了。 —

In addition, Napoleon ordered the almost empty bins in the store-shed to be filled nearly to the brim with sand, which was then covered up with what remained of the grain and meal. —
此外，拿破仑下令将仓库里几乎空空如也的粮仓装满沙子，然后用剩下的粮食把它们盖住。 —

On some suitable pretext Whymper was led through the store-shed and allowed to catch a glimpse of the bins. —
在某个合适的借口下，Whymper被带进了储藏棚，并被允许瞥见了粮仓。 —

He was deceived, and continued to report to the outside world that there was no food shortage on Animal Farm.
他被欺骗了，并继续向外界报道说动物农场没有食物短缺。

Nevertheless, towards the end of January it became obvious that it would be necessary to procure some more grain from somewhere. —
然而，到了一月底，显然有必要从其他地方采购一些谷物。 —

In these days Napoleon rarely appeared in public, but spent all his time in the farmhouse, which was guarded at each door by fierce-looking dogs. —
在这些日子里，拿破仑很少公开露面，但他把所有时间都花在了农舍里，农舍的每个门口都有凶猛的狗看守着。 —

When he did emerge, it was in a ceremonial manner, with an escort of six dogs who closely surrounded him and growled if anyone came too near. —
当他出现时，总是带着仪式感，由六只狗护卫着，如果有人靠得太近，它们就会咆哮起来。 —

Frequently he did not even appear on Sunday mornings, but issued his orders through one of the other pigs, usually Squealer.
他经常连周日早晨都不露面，而是通过其他的猪之一，通常是Squealer，发布他的命令。

One Sunday morning Squealer announced that the hens, who had just come in to lay again, must surrender their eggs. —
一个周日早晨，Squealer宣布鸡刚进来下蛋，必须交出他们的蛋。 —

Napoleon had accepted, through Whymper, a contract for four hundred eggs a week. —
拿破仑已经通过Whymper接受了每周四百个蛋的合同。 —

The price of these would pay for enough grain and meal to keep the farm going till summer came on and conditions were easier.
这些价格足够支付足够的谷物和饲料，以维持农场运转直到夏天到来，环境变得更容易。

When the hens heard this, they raised a terrible outcry. —
当母鸡听到这个消息时，她们发出了可怕的哀号。 —

They had been warned earlier that this sacrifice might be necessary, but had not believed that it would really happen. —
她们早些时候已经被警告可能需要做出这样的牺牲，但她们并没有相信这将真的发生。 —

They were just getting their clutches ready for the spring sitting, and they protested that to take the eggs away now was murder. —
它们正为春季筑巢做准备，它们抗议说现在夺走它们的蛋就是谋杀。 —

For the first time since the expulsion of Jones, there was something resembling a rebellion. —
自琼斯被驱逐以来，这是第一次出现类似的反抗。 —

Led by three young Black Minorca pullets, the hens made a determined effort to thwart Napoleon’s wishes. —
在三只年轻的黑色小闪电母鸡的带领下，母鸡们做出了决然努力，试图阻挠拿破仑的意愿。 —

Their method was to fly up to the rafters and there lay their eggs, which smashed to pieces on the floor. —
它们的方法是飞上梁上，将蛋下在那里，结果在地板上摔碎。 —

Napoleon acted swiftly and ruthlessly. —
拿破仑迅速而无情地采取行动。 —

He ordered the hens’ rations to be stopped, and decreed that any animal giving so much as a grain of corn to a hen should be punished by death. —
他下令停止母鸡的口粮，并规定任何给母鸡一粒谷物的动物都将受到死刑的惩罚。 —

The dogs saw to it that these orders were carried out. —
狗们确保这些命令得到执行。五天后， —

For five days the hens held out, then they capitulated and went back to their nesting boxes. —
母鸡们坚持不下去，最终投降，回到了它们的窝里。 —

Nine hens had died in the meantime. —
其间有九只母鸡死去。 —

Their bodies were buried in the orchard, and it was given out that they had died of coccidiosis. —
它们的尸体被埋在果园里，声称是死于球虫病。 —

Whymper heard nothing of this affair, and the eggs were duly delivered, a grocer’s van driving up to the farm once a week to take them away.
威姆珀并未听到这件事情，蛋依然按时送达，每周都有一辆杂货商的货车来收走。

All this while no more had been seen of Snowball. —
这段时间再也没见到过雪球的踪影。 —

He was rumoured to be hiding on one of the neighbouring farms, either Foxwood or Pinchfield. —
有传言说他躲在附近的农场之一，可能是福克斯伍德农场或者平奇菲尔德农场。 —

Napoleon was by this time on slightly better terms with the other farmers than before. —
拿破仑与其他农民的关系比以前好了一些。 —

It happened that there was in the yard a pile of timber which had been stacked there ten years earlier when a beech spinney was cleared. —
院子里堆放着一堆木材，十年前在一片山毛榉树林被清理时堆放在那里。 —

It was well seasoned, and Whymper had advised Napoleon to sell it; —
木材已经风干，威姆珀建议拿破仑卖掉它； —

both Mr. Pilkington and Mr. Frederick were anxious to buy it. —
皮金顿先生和弗雷德里克先生都很愿意买下它。 —

Napoleon was hesitating between the two, unable to make up his mind. —
拿破仑在两者之间犹豫不决，无法做出决定。 —

It was noticed that whenever he seemed on the point of coming to an agreement with Frederick, Snowball was declared to be in hiding at Foxwood, while, when he inclined toward Pilkington, Snowball was said to be at Pinchfield.
人们注意到，每当他似乎即将与弗雷德里克达成一致时，就会宣布雪球藏在福克斯伍德，而当他倾向皮尔金顿时，就会说雪球在平奇菲尔德。

Suddenly, early in the spring, an alarming thing was discovered. —
突然，在春天初期，发现了一个令人担忧的事情。 —

Snowball was secretly frequenting the farm by night! —
雪球夜间秘密频繁光顾农场！ —

The animals were so disturbed that they could hardly sleep in their stalls. —
动物们如此不安，以至于他们几乎无法在畜栏里睡觉。 —

Every night, it was said, he came creeping in under cover of darkness and performed all kinds of mischief. —
据说他每天夜里在黑暗中悄悄地进来，并进行各种破坏。 —

He stole the corn, he upset the milk-pails, he broke the eggs, he trampled the seedbeds, he gnawed the bark off the fruit trees. —
他偷食玉米，打翻奶桶，打破鸡蛋，踩踏种子床，咬掉果树的树皮。 —

Whenever anything went wrong it became usual to attribute it to Snowball. —
无论发生什么事情，人们往往将其归咎于雪球。 —

If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up, someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it, and when the key of the store-shed was lost, the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. —
如果窗户被打破或者下水道被堵塞，总会有人说是雪球在夜里干的。当仓库的钥匙丢失时，整个农场都相信是雪球把它丢进了井里。 —

Curiously enough, they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of meal. —
有意思的是，即使随后找到了藏在一袋面粉下的遗失钥匙，他们仍然相信雪球干的。 —

The cows declared unanimously that Snowball crept into their stalls and milked them in their sleep. —
牛们一致声明说雪球在他们的牛舍里悄悄溜进来在他们睡觉时挤奶。 —

The rats, which had been troublesome that winter, were also said to be in league with Snowball.
那个冬天搅扰着他们的老鼠也被说成是和雪球勾结的。

Napoleon decreed that there should be a full investigation into Snowball’s activities. —
拿破仑下令对雪球的活动进行全面调查。 —

With his dogs in attendance he set out and made a careful tour of inspection of the farm buildings, the other animals following at a respectful distance. —
带着他的狗，他出发并仔细检查了农舍，其他动物都保持着尊敬的距离跟在后面。 —

At every few steps Napoleon stopped and snuffed the ground for traces of Snowball’s footsteps, which, he said, he could detect by the smell. —
每隔几步拿破仑就会停下来嗅一下地面，寻找雪球的足迹，他说他可以通过气味嗅出来。 —

He snuffed in every corner, in the barn, in the cow-shed, in the henhouses, in the vegetable garden, and found traces of Snowball almost everywhere. —
他在每个角落都闻了闻，在谷仓、牛棚、鸡舍、菜园里都闻到了Snowball的踪迹。 —

He would put his snout to the ground, give several deep sniffs, ad exclaim in a terrible voice, “Snowball! He has been here! —
他把鼻子贴在地上，深深地嗅了几下，然后用恐怖的声音喊道：“Snowball！他在这儿过！ —

I can smell him distinctly!” and at the word “Snowball” all the dogs let out blood-curdling growls and showed their side teeth.
我能清楚地闻到他的味道！” 说到“Snowball”这个词，所有的狗都发出了令人毛骨悚然的咆哮声，并露出了牙齿。

The animals were thoroughly frightened. —
动物们非常害怕。 —

It seemed to them as though Snowball were some kind of invisible influence, pervading the air about them and menacing them with all kinds of dangers. —
他们觉得Snowball就像一种看不见的影响力，弥漫在他们周围的空气中，并威胁着他们各种各样的危险。 —

In the evening Squealer called them together, and with an alarmed expression on his face told them that he had some serious news to report.
晚上，斯奎勒把它们召集在一起，脸上带着一种惊恐的表情告诉它们他有一些重要的消息要报告。

“Comrades!” cried Squealer, making little nervous skips, “a most terrible thing has been discovered. —
“同志们！”斯奎勒尖叫着小小地跳着，“发现了一件非常可怕的事情。 —

Snowball has sold himself to Frederick of Pinchfield Farm, who is even now plotting to attack us and take our farm away from us! —
Snowball把自己卖给了Pinchfield农场的Frederick，他正在密谋袭击我们，夺走我们的农场！ —

Snowball is to act as his guide when the attack begins. —
当袭击开始时，雪球将作为他的导游。 —

But there is worse than that. —
但那不是最糟糕的。 —

We had thought that Snowball’s rebellion was caused simply by his vanity and ambition. —
我们曾认为雪球的反抗仅仅是由于他的虚荣和野心。 —

But we were wrong, comrades. —
但我们错了，同志们。 —

Do you know what the real reason was? —
你知道真正的原因是什么吗？ —

Snowball was in league with Jones from the very start! —
雪球从一开始就与琼斯勾结了！ —

He was Jones’s secret agent all the time. —
他一直是琼斯的秘密特工。 —

It has all been proved by documents which he left behind him and which we have only just discovered. —
这一切都被他留下的文件所证明，而我们刚刚发现了这些文件。在我看来， —

To my mind this explains a great deal, comrades. —
这解释了很多事情，同志们。 —

Did we not see for ourselves how he attempted–fortunately without success–to get us defeated and destroyed at the Battle of the Cowshed?”
难道我们自己没有见过他如何试图在奶牛棚之战中使我们失败和毁灭，幸运的是没有成功吗？

The animals were stupefied. —
动物们都愣住了。 —

This was a wickedness far outdoing Snowball’s destruction of the windmill. —
这是一种邪恶，远远超过雪球破坏风车的行为。 —

But it was some minutes before they could fully take it in. —
但是几分钟过去了，他们才能完全接受这个事实。 —

They all remembered, or thought they remembered, how they had seen Snowball charging ahead of them at the Battle of the Cowshed, how he had rallied and encouraged them at every turn, and how he had not paused for an instant even when the pellets from Jones’s gun had wounded his back. —
他们都记得，或者认为自己记得，在牛棚战斗中他们如何看到雪球冲在他们前面，他如何在每个转折点鼓舞和鼓励他们，以及当琼斯的枪弹击中他的背部时，他甚至没有停顿。 —

At first it was a little difficult to see how this fitted in with his being on Jones’s side. —
起初很难看出这与他站在琼斯一边有什么关系。 —

Even Boxer, who seldom asked questions, was puzzled. —
甚至是很少提问的拳击手也感到困惑。 —

He lay down, tucked his fore hoofs beneath him, shut his eyes, and with a hard effort managed to formulate his thoughts.
他躺下，前蹄藏在他身下，闭上眼睛，费劲地思考。

“I do not believe that,” he said. —
“我不相信那个。”他说， —

“Snowball fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed. —
“雪球在牛棚战斗中勇敢地战斗。 —

I saw him myself. —
我亲眼看到过。 —

Did we not give him ‘Animal Hero, first Class,’ immediately afterwards?”
我们不是立刻给了他‘一等动物英雄’的称号吗？”

“That was our mistake, comrade. —
“那是我们的错误，同志。 —

For we know now–it is all written down in the secret documents that we have found–that in reality he was trying to lure us to our doom.”
因为我们现在知道——在我们找到的秘密文件里都有记录——实际上他是在试图引诱我们走向毁灭。”

“But he was wounded,” said Boxer. “We all saw him running with blood.”
“但是他受伤了，” Boxer说道。”我们都看到他带着鲜血在奔跑。”

“That was part of the arrangement!” cried Squealer. “Jones’s shot only grazed him. —
“那是事先约定的一部分，” Squealer大声说道。”琼斯的枪只是擦伤了他。” —

I could show you this in his own writing, if you were able to read it. —
“如果你能读得懂，我可以给你看他亲自写的这段话。” —

The plot was for Snowball, at the critical moment, to give the signal for flight and leave the field to the enemy. —
这个计划是让Snowball在关键时刻发出逃跑的信号，将战场留给敌人。 —

And he very nearly succeeded – I will even say, comrades, he WOULD have succeeded if it had not been for our heroic Leader, Comrade Napoleon. —
他几乎成功了，我甚至要说，同志们，如果不是因为我们英勇的领袖，拿破仑同志，他本来就能成功。 —

Do you not remember how, just at the moment when Jones and his men had got inside the yard, Snowball suddenly turned and fled, and many animals followed him? —
你不记得吗？就在琼斯和他的手下刚刚闯进农庄的时候，Snowball突然转身逃跑，很多动物也跟着他走了。 —

And do you not remember, too, that it was just at that moment, when panic was spreading and all seemed lost, that Comrade Napoleon sprang forward with a cry of ‘Death to Humanity!’ and sank his teeth in Jones’s leg? —
而且你不记得吗？正是在那一刻，恐慌开始蔓延，情势看起来危险万分的时候，拿破仑同志带领前冲，高喊着”死给人类！” 他咬住了琼斯的腿， —

Surely you remember THAT, comrades?” exclaimed Squealer, frisking from side to side.
你们肯定还记得，同志们？ Squealer高兴地一边蹦跶一边喊道。

Now when Squealer described the scene so graphically, it seemed to the animals that they did remember it. —
现在当斯奎勒生动地描述了那个场景，对动物们来说，他们似乎确实记得了。 —

At any rate, they remembered that at the critical moment of the battle Snowball had turned to flee. —
无论如何，他们记得在关键时刻，斯诺伯尔转身逃跑。 —

But Boxer was still a little uneasy.
但拳击手仍然有点不安。

“I do not believe that Snowball was a traitor at the beginning,” he said finally. —
“我不相信斯诺伯尔一开始就是叛徒，”他最后说道。 —

“What he has done since is different. —
“他之后做的事情是不同的。 —

But I believe that at the Battle of the Cowshed he was a good comrade.”
但我相信在牛棚战斗中，他是一个好的战友。”

“Our Leader, Comrade Napoleon,” announced Squealer, speaking very slowly and firmly, “has stated categorically–categorically, comrade–that Snowball was Jones’s agent from the very beginning–yes, and from long before the Rebellion was ever thought of.”
“我们的领袖，拿破仑同志，”斯奎勒庄重地慢慢说道，“明确地说过，从一开始，是斯诺伯尔是琼斯的间谍，是的，甚至在起义被想到之前很久。”

“Ah, that is different!” said Boxer. “If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right.”
“啊，那就不一样了！”拳击手说道。“如果拿破仑同志这么说，那肯定是对的。”

“That is the true spirit, comrade!” cried Squealer, but it was noticed he cast a very ugly look at Boxer with his little twinkling eyes. —
“这才是真正的精神，同志！”斯奎勒喊道，但大家注意到他用他那闪烁的小眼睛狠狠地瞪了拳击手一眼。 —

He turned to go, then paused and added impressively: —
他转身要走，然后停下来，并以令人印象深刻的语气补充道： —

“I warn every animal on this farm to keep his eyes very wide open. —
“我警告农场里的每一只动物，要睁大眼睛。 —

For we have reason to think that some of Snowball’s secret agents are lurking among us at this moment!”
我们有理由相信，斯诺鲍尔的一些秘密特工此刻就潜伏在我们中间！”

Four days later, in the late afternoon, Napoleon ordered all the animals to assemble in the yard. —
四天后，在傍晚时分，拿破仑命令所有的动物在院子里集合。 —

When they were all gathered together, Napoleon emerged from the farmhouse, wearing both his medals (for he had recently awarded himself “Animal Hero, First Class”, and “Animal Hero, Second Class”), with his nine huge dogs frisking round him and uttering growls that sent shivers down all the animals’ spines. —
当他们都聚集在一起时，拿破仑从农舍走出来，身上佩戴着他的两枚奖章（因为他最近自己授予了“动物英雄一等奖”和“动物英雄二等奖”），九只巨大的狗围绕着他玩闹，并发出让所有动物背脊发寒的低吼声。 —

They all cowered silently in their places, seeming to know in advance that some terrible thing was about to happen.
他们都默默地蜷缩在原地，似乎提前知道即将发生可怕的事情。

Napoleon stood sternly surveying his audience; —
拿破仑严肃地观察着他的听众， —

then he uttered a high-pitched whimper. —
然后发出了一声尖厉的哀鸣。 —

Immediately the dogs bounded forward, seized four of the pigs by the ear and dragged them, squealing with pain and terror, to Napoleon’s feet. —
狗立刻跃前，抓住四只猪的耳朵，把它们嗷嗷叫着、痛苦、恐惧地拖到拿破仑的脚边。 —

The pigs’ ears were bleeding, the dogs had tasted blood, and for a few moments they appeared to go quite mad. —
猪的耳朵在流血，狗嗅到了血腥味，一时间它们都陷入了疯狂的状态。 —

To the amazement of everybody, three of them flung themselves upon Boxer. Boxer saw them coming and put out his great hoof, caught a dog in mid-air, and pinned him to the ground. —
让所有人惊奇的是，它们中有三只向拳击手扑去。拳击手看到它们冲过来，用自己的大蹄子将一只狗从空中抓住，并将其按在地上。 —

The dog shrieked for mercy and the other two fled with their tails between their legs. —
狗发出了惨叫声，其他两只狗带着尾巴夹着腿逃跑了。 —

Boxer looked at Napoleon to know whether he should crush the dog to death or let it go. —
拳击手看着拿破仑，想知道是否应该将这只狗活活压死，还是放它离开。 —

Napoleon appeared to change countenance, and sharply ordered Boxer to let the dog go, whereat Boxer lifted his hoof, and the dog slunk away, bruised and howling.
拿破仑似乎面露神色变化，尖声命令拳击手放开那只狗，于是拳击手抬起蹄子，那只狗带着伤痕和嚎叫声匆匆离开了。

Presently the tumult died down. The four pigs waited, trembling, with guilt written on every line of their countenances. —
不久后骚动平息了下来。四只猪颤抖着等着，每张脸上都写满了罪恶。 —

Napoleon now called upon them to confess their crimes. —
拿破仑现在要求他们承认自己的罪行。 —

They were the same four pigs as had protested when Napoleon abolished the Sunday Meetings. —
他们正是四只猪，当拿破仑废除星期日聚会时，它们发表过抗议。 —

Without any further prompting they confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since his expulsion, that they had collaborated with him in destroying the windmill, and that they had entered into an agreement with him to hand over Animal Farm to Mr. Frederick. —
在没有进一步的提问下，他们坦白承认自从Snowball被驱逐以来，他们一直秘密保持联系，并与他合作摧毁了风车，还与他达成协议将动物农场交给了弗雷德里克先生。 —

They added that Snowball had privately admitted to them that he had been Jones’s secret agent for years past. —
他们补充说，Snowball私下承认多年来一直是琼斯的秘密特工。 —

When they had finished their confession, the dogs promptly tore their throats out, and in a terrible voice Napoleon demanded whether any other animal had anything to confess.
当他们完成自己的供词后，狗立即撕碎了他们的喉咙，拿破仑用可怕的声音要求是否还有其他动物有什么可供认的。

The three hens who had been the ringleaders in the attempted rebellion over the eggs now came forward and stated that Snowball had appeared to them in a dream and incited them to disobey Napoleon’s orders. —
曾经在蛋争夺中策划叛乱的三只母鸡走上前来，称Snowball在梦中出现并煽动他们违抗拿破仑的命令。 —

They, too, were slaughtered. —
这群鹅也被屠杀了。 —

Then a goose came forward and confessed to having secreted six ears of corn during the last year’s harvest and eaten them in the night. —
接着一只鹅走上前承认去年收获期间曾隐藏六个玉米，并在夜间吃掉它们。 —

Then a sheep confessed to having urinated in the drinking pool–urged to do this, so she said, by Snowball–and two other sheep confessed to having murdered an old ram, an especially devoted follower of Napoleon, by chasing him round and round a bonfire when he was suffering from a cough. —
然后一只羊承认曾经在饮水池里撒尿了，她说这是受到了雪球的怂恿。还有两只羊承认曾经追赶一只患咳嗽的老羊围着篝火跑，这只羊特别忠诚于拿破仑。 —

They were all slain on the spot. —
它们当场被杀。于是， —

And so the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon’s feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones.
认罪和处决的故事不断进行，直到纳瓦尔的脚下堆满了尸体，空气中充满了自琼斯被驱逐以来消失的血腥味道。

When it was all over, the remaining animals, except for the pigs and dogs, crept away in a body. They were shaken and miserable. —
所有剩下的动物，除了猪和狗之外，一起悄悄地爬行着离开了。它们受到了极大的震撼和痛苦。 —

They did not know which was more shocking–the treachery of the animals who had leagued themselves with Snowball, or the cruel retribution they had just witnessed. —
它们不知道哪一点更令人震惊——是那些和雪球勾结的动物的背叛，还是他们刚刚目睹的残忍报复。 —

In the old days there had often been scenes of bloodshed equally terrible, but it seemed to all of them that it was far worse now that it was happening among themselves. —
从前常常有同样可怕的流血场面，但对于他们而言，现在在自己人之间发生的却似乎更糟糕。 —

Since Jones had left the farm, until today, no animal had killed another animal. —
从琼斯离开农场起，直到今天，没有一只动物杀过另一只动物。 —

Not even a rat had been killed. —
甚至一只老鼠都没有被杀过。 —

They had made their way on to the little knoll where the half-finished windmill stood, and with one accord they all lay down as though huddling together for warmth–Clover, Muriel, Benjamin, the cows, the sheep, and a whole flock of geese and hens–everyone, indeed, except the cat, who had suddenly disappeared just before Napoleon ordered the animals to assemble. —
他们来到了那座尚未完工的小风车所在的小山头上，所有的动物一致地躺下，仿佛为了取暖而挤在一起——克洛弗、穆里尔、本杰明、牛羊以及一大群鹅和母鸡——确实是每个动物，除了在拿破仑命令动物们集合之前突然消失的那只猫。 —

For some time nobody spoke. —
有一段时间没有人说话了。 —

Only Boxer remained on his feet. —
只有拳师还站着。 —

He fidgeted to and fro, swishing his long black tail against his sides and occasionally uttering a little whinny of surprise. —
他来回不停地蹦跳，用他的长黑尾巴扫过身体两侧，偶尔发出一声小小的吼叫。最后， —

Finally he said:
他说道：

“I do not understand it. I would not have believed that such things could happen on our farm. —
“我不明白这是怎么回事。我真不敢相信这样的事情会发生在我们农场上。 —

It must be due to some fault in ourselves. —
肯定是我们自己出了什么问题。” —

The solution, as I see it, is to work harder. —
“解决办法，我认为，就是更加努力地工作。 —

From now onwards I shall get up a full hour earlier in the mornings.”
从现在开始，我每天早上都要提前一个小时起床。”

And he moved off at his lumbering trot and made for the quarry. —
然后他笨拙地小跑着朝采石场走去。 —

Having got there, he collected two successive loads of stone and dragged them down to the windmill before retiring for the night.
到了那里，他收集了两车石头，拖回了风车旁，然后就去休息了。

The animals huddled about Clover, not speaking. —
动物们聚集在克洛弗周围，没有说话。 —

The knoll where they were lying gave them a wide prospect across the countryside. —
他们所躺的小山头让他们可以俯瞰整片乡间风景。 —

Most of Animal Farm was within their view–the long pasture stretching down to the main road, the hayfield, the spinney, the drinking pool, the ploughed fields
动物农场的大部分地方都在他们的视野范围内——长长的牧场一直延伸到主路，干草地、小树林、喝水池，还有被耕种的田地。

where the young wheat was thick and green, and the red roofs of the farm buildings with the smoke curling from the chimneys. —
那里种植着翠绿的年轻麦苗，农场建筑物的红色屋顶上冒着炊烟。 —

It was a clear spring evening. —
这是一个晴朗的春天傍晚。 —

The grass and the bursting hedges were gilded by the level rays of the sun. —
高起的草地和破土而出的篱笆被太阳斜射的金色光芒照亮。 —

Never had the farm–and with a kind of surprise they remembered that it was their own farm, every inch of it their own property–appeared to the animals so desirable a place. —
从未拥有过这片农场，而且他们突然意识到这是他们自己的农场，每一寸土地都是他们的财产。对动物们来说，这个地方似乎如此令人向往。 —

As Clover looked down the hillside her eyes filled with tears. —
当克洛弗望着山坡时，眼里充满了泪水。 —

If she could have spoken her thoughts, it would have been to say that this was not what they had aimed at when they had set themselves years ago to work for the overthrow of the human race. —
如果她能够说出她的想法，她会说这不是多年前他们开始为推翻人类而努力工作时所希望的结果。 —

These scenes of terror and slaughter were not what they had looked forward to on that night when old Major first stirred them to rebellion. —
这些恐怖和屠杀的场景并不是他们在那个夜晚当老马吆喝起义时期待的。 —

If she herself had had any picture of the future, it had been of a society of animals set free from hunger and the whip, all equal, each working according to his capacity, the strong protecting the weak, as she had protected the lost brood of ducklings with her foreleg on the night of Major’s speech. —
如果她自己对未来有任何的幻想，那就是一个没有饥饿和鞭笞的动物社会，每个人都平等，根据自己的能力工作，强者保护弱者，就像她曾在那个夜晚用前腿保护迷失的小鸭子一样。 —

Instead–she did not know why–they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to pieces after confessing to shocking crimes. —
而是–她不知道为什么–他们来到了一个无人敢言的时代，到处都是凶猛的，咆哮的狗，你必须目睹你的同伴在承认了令人震惊的罪行后被撕成碎片。 —

There was no thought of rebellion or disobedience in her mind. —
她的心中没有反抗或不服从的想法。 —

She knew that, even as things were, they were far better off than they had been in the days of Jones, and that before all else it was needful to prevent the return of the human beings. —
她知道，尽管事情如此虽然，但与琼斯时代相比，他们的境况要好得多，最重要的是要防止人类的回归。 —

Whatever happened she would remain faithful, work hard, carry out the orders that were given to her, and accept the leadership of Napoleon. —
无论发生什么，她会保持忠诚，努力工作，执行给予她的命令，并接受拿破仑的领导。 —

But still, it was not for this that she and all the other animals had hoped and toiled. —
但是，她和所有其他动物所希望和努力的，并不是为了这个。 —

It was not for this that they had built the windmill and faced the bullets of Jones’s gun. —
他们建造风车，面对琼斯枪下的子弹，并不是为了这个。 —

Such were her thoughts, though she lacked the words to express them.
这是她的想法，尽管她没有用语言表达出来的词汇。

At last, feeling this to be in some way a substitute for the words she was unable to find, she began to sing ‘Beasts of England’. —
最后，她感到这样做是对她无法找到的词语的一种替代，她开始唱”兽中之王”。 —

The other animals sitting round her took it up, and they sang it three times over–very tunefully, but slowly and mournfully, in a way they had never sung it before.
其他的动物们都跟着唱了起来，他们把它唱了三遍–非常悦耳，但缓慢而忧伤，以一种他们以前从未唱过的方式。

They had just finished singing it for the third time when Squealer, attended by two dogs, approached them with the air of having something important to say. —
当斯奎勒带着两只狗走过来时，他们刚刚第三次唱完这首歌。他带着一种重要的说话气氛。 —

He announced that, by a special decree of Comrade Napoleon, ‘Beasts of England’ had been abolished. —
他宣布，根据拿破仑同志的特别法令，”兽中之王”已被废除。 —

From now onwards it was forbidden to sing it.
从现在开始，禁止唱这首歌。

The animals were taken aback.
动物们吃了一惊。

“Why?” cried Muriel.
“为什么？”穆瑞尔喊道。

“It’s no longer needed, comrade,” said Squealer stiffly. —
“同志，不再需要了，”斯奎勒生硬地说道。” —

”‘Beasts of England’ was the song of the Rebellion. —
“兽中之王”是革命时的歌曲。 —

But the Rebellion is now completed. —
但革命现在已经完成。 —

The execution of the traitors this afternoon was the final act. —
今天下午对叛徒们的处决是最后一幕。 —

The enemy both external and internal has been defeated. —
敌人无论是外部的还是内部的，都已经被击败。 —

In ‘Beasts of England’ we expressed our longing for a better society in days to come. —
“在《英格兰野兽之歌》中，我们表达了对未来更美好社会的渴望。” —

But that society has now been established. —
“但那个社会现在已经建立起来了。 —

Clearly this song has no longer any purpose.”
显然，这首歌已经没有任何意义了。”

Frightened though they were, some of the animals might possibly have protested, but at this moment the sheep set up their usual bleating of “Four legs good, two legs bad,” which went on for several minutes and put an end to the discussion.
“虽然害怕，但有些动物可能会提出抗议。然而，就在这时，羊群发出了它们一贯的“四腿好，两腿坏”的咩咩声，持续了几分钟，结束了讨论。”

So ‘Beasts of England’ was heard no more. —
“因此，《英格兰野兽之歌》再也没有被听到。 —

In its place Minimus, the poet, had composed another song which began:
取而代之的是诗人明尼姆斯创作的另一首歌，开头是这样的：

Animal Farm, Animal Farm,
“动物农场，动物农场，

Never through me shalt thou come to harm!
永远不会因我而受伤！

and this was sung every Sunday morning after the hoisting of the flag. —
“每个星期日早上升旗仪式后唱这首歌。” —

But somehow neither the words nor the tune ever seemed to the animals to come up to ‘Beasts of England’.
“但不知怎么的，无论是歌词还是曲调，似乎都不如《英格兰野兽之歌》深入动物们心灵。”