LESSON 8 THE WHITE KITTEN 小白猫

1.My little white kitten’s asleep on my knee;

As white as the snow or the lilies is she;

She wakes up with a pur

When I stroke her soft fur:

Was there ever another white kitten like her?

2.My little white kitten now wants to go out

And frolic, with no one to watch her about;

“Little kitten,” I say,

“Just an hour you may stay,

And be careful in choosing your places to play.”

3.But night has come down, when I hear a loud “mew;”

I open the door, and my kitten comes through;

My white kitten! ah me!

Can it really be she—

This ill-looking, beggar-like cat that I see?

4.What ugly, gray streaks on her side and her back!

Her nose, once as pink as a rosebud, is black!

Oh, I very well know,

Though she does not say so,

She has been where white kittens ought never to go.

5.If little good children intend to do right,

If little white kittens would keep themselves white,

It is needful that they

Should this counsel obey,

And be careful in choosing their places to play.

【中文阅读】

1.小白猫在我膝盖上睡着了，

她身上的毛洁白如雪，

像百合花一样纯洁；

当我抚摸她柔软的毛时，

她呼噜一声醒来了。

还能有其他小猫像她这样吗？

2.我的小白猫想出去玩耍嬉戏，

但没有人跟着她；

“小猫咪呀，”我说：

“你只能玩一个小时，

好好选个玩耍的地方吧。”

3.夜晚降临，我听到了“喵喵”声，

开门一看，正是小猫咪。

我的小白猫！啊，天哪！

这真的是她吗？

一只相貌丑陋、乞丐一样的小猫？

4.背部和身上全是难看的灰色条痕！

玫瑰花蕾般的粉红鼻子也染成了黑色！

噢，我清楚得很，

尽管她并没有说，

她一定去了一个不应该去的地方！

5.如果孩子们想正确行事，

如果小白猫想保持雪白，

那他们就必须

遵守这个忠告：

好好选择玩耍的地方。