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Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse by Anna Sewell, Chapter 9. Merrylegs

Chapter 9. Merrylegs

Mr. Blomefield, the vicar, had a large family of boys and girls; sometimes they used to come and play with Miss Jessie and Flora. One of the girls was as old as Miss Jessie; two of the boys were older, and there were several little ones. When they came there was plenty of work for Merrylegs, for nothing pleased them so much as getting on him by turns and riding him all about the orchard and the home paddock, and this they would do by the hour together.

One afternoon he had been out with them a long time, and when James brought him in and put on his halter he said:

"There, you rogue, mind how you behave yourself, or we shall get into trouble." "What have you been doing, Merrylegs?" I asked.

"Oh!" said he, tossing his little head, "I have only been giving those young people a lesson; they did not know when they had had enough, nor when I had had enough, so I just pitched them off backward; that was the only thing they could understand." "What!" said I, "you threw the children off? I thought you did know better than that! Did you throw Miss Jessie or Miss Flora?" He looked very much offended, and said:

"Of course not; I would not do such a thing for the best oats that ever came into the stable; why, I am as careful of our young ladies as the master could be, and as for the little ones it is I who teach them to ride. When they seem frightened or a little unsteady on my back I go as smooth and as quiet as old pussy when she is after a bird; and when they are all right I go on again faster, you see, just to use them to it; so don't you trouble yourself preaching to me; I am the best friend and the best riding-master those children have. It is not them, it is the boys; boys," said he, shaking his mane, "are quite different; they must be broken in as we were broken in when we were colts, and just be taught what's what. The other children had ridden me about for nearly two hours, and then the boys thought it was their turn, and so it was, and I was quite agreeable. They rode me by turns, and I galloped them about, up and down the fields and all about the orchard, for a good hour. They had each cut a great hazel stick for a riding-whip, and laid it on a little too hard; but I took it in good part, till at last I thought we had had enough, so I stopped two or three times by way of a hint. Boys, you see, think a horse or pony is like a steam-engine or a thrashing-machine, and can go on as long and as fast as they please; they never think that a pony can get tired, or have any feelings; so as the one who was whipping me could not understand I just rose up on my hind legs and let him slip off behind--that was all. He mounted me again, and I did the same. Then the other boy got up, and as soon as he began to use his stick I laid him on the grass, and so on, till they were able to understand--that was all. They are not bad boys; they don't wish to be cruel. I like them very well; but you see I had to give them a lesson. When they brought me to James and told him I think he was very angry to see such big sticks. He said they were only fit for drovers or gypsies, and not for young gentlemen." "If I had been you," said Ginger, "I would have given those boys a good kick, and that would have given them a lesson." "No doubt you would," said Merrylegs; "but then I am not quite such a fool (begging your pardon) as to anger our master or make James ashamed of me. Besides, those children are under my charge when they are riding; I tell you they are intrusted to me. Why, only the other day I heard our master say to Mrs. Blomefield, 'My dear madam, you need not be anxious about the children; my old Merrylegs will take as much care of them as you or I could; I assure you I would not sell that pony for any money, he is so perfectly good-tempered and trustworthy;' and do you think I am such an ungrateful brute as to forget all the kind treatment I have had here for five years, and all the trust they place in me, and turn vicious because a couple of ignorant boys used me badly? No, no! you never had a good place where they were kind to you, and so you don't know, and I'm sorry for you; but I can tell you good places make good horses. I wouldn't vex our people for anything; I love them, I do," said Merrylegs, and he gave a low "ho, ho, ho!" through his nose, as he used to do in the morning when he heard James' footstep at the door. "Besides," he went on, "if I took to kicking where should I be? Why, sold off in a jiffy, and no character, and I might find myself slaved about under a butcher's boy, or worked to death at some seaside place where no one cared for me, except to find out how fast I could go, or be flogged along in some cart with three or four great men in it going out for a Sunday spree, as I have often seen in the place I lived in before I came here; no," said he, shaking his head, "I hope I shall never come to that."


Chapter 9. Merrylegs 第 9 章梅里尔格

Mr. Blomefield, the vicar, had a large family of boys and girls; sometimes they used to come and play with Miss Jessie and Flora. Pan farář Blomefield měl velkou rodinu chlapců a děvčat, kteří si občas chodili hrát se slečnou Jessie a Florou. 牧师布洛梅菲尔德先生有很多男孩和女孩。有时他们曾经来和杰西小姐和弗洛拉一起玩。 One of the girls was as old as Miss Jessie; two of the boys were older, and there were several little ones. Jedna z dívek byla stejně stará jako slečna Jessie, dva chlapci byli starší a bylo tu i několik malých dětí. Una de las niñas tenía la misma edad que la señorita Jessie; dos de los niños eran mayores, y había varios pequeños. 其中一个女孩和杰西小姐一样大。其中两个男孩年龄较大,还有几个小男孩。 When they came there was plenty of work for Merrylegs, for nothing pleased them so much as getting on him by turns and riding him all about the orchard and the home paddock, and this they would do by the hour together. Když přišli, měli s Merrylegsem spoustu práce, protože nic je nebavilo tolik, jako na něm střídavě sedět a jezdit na něm po celém sadu a domácím výběhu, a to dělali společně každou hodinu. Cuando llegaron, Patas Alegres tenía mucho trabajo, pues nada les agradaba tanto como subirse a él por turnos y montarlo por todo el huerto y el potrero de la casa, y esto lo hacían juntos por horas.

One afternoon he had been out with them a long time, and when James brought him in and put on his halter he said: Jednou odpoledne s nimi byl dlouho venku, a když ho Jakub přivedl a nasadil mu ohlávku, řekl: Una tarde había estado fuera con ellos mucho tiempo, y cuando James lo trajo y le puso el cabestro, dijo: 一天下午,他和他们一起出去了很长时间,当詹姆斯带他进来并系上吊带时,他说:

"There, you rogue, mind how you behave yourself, or we shall get into trouble." "Tak, ty darebáku, dávej pozor, jak se chováš, nebo se dostaneme do potíží." "Ahí, pícaro, cuida cómo te comportas, o nos meteremos en problemas". “喂,你这个流氓,注意你自己的举止,否则我们会惹上麻烦的。” "What have you been doing, Merrylegs?" "Co jsi dělal, Merrylegsi?" I asked.

"Oh!" said he, tossing his little head, "I have only been giving those young people a lesson; they did not know when they had had enough, nor when I had had enough, so I just pitched them off backward; that was the only thing they could understand." "Jen jsem těm mladým dával lekci; nevěděli, kdy mají dost, ani kdy mám dost já, a tak jsem je prostě odstrčil dozadu; to bylo to jediné, čemu rozuměli." dijo, sacudiendo su cabecita, "Solo les he estado dando una lección a esos jóvenes; no sabían cuándo habían tenido suficiente, ni cuándo yo había tenido suficiente, así que simplemente los lancé hacia atrás; eso fue lo único". podrían entender". 他说,甩着他的小脑袋,“我只是在给那些年轻人一个教训;他们不知道他们什么时候受够了,也不知道我什么时候受够了,所以我就把他们往后推了;这是唯一的事情他们能理解。” "What!" said I, "you threw the children off? řekl jsem: "Vyhodil jsi děti? I thought you did know better than that! Myslel jsem, že to víš lépe! ¡Pensé que sabías mejor que eso! Did you throw Miss Jessie or Miss Flora?" Hodil jsi slečnu Jessie nebo slečnu Floru?" He looked very much offended, and said: Tvářil se velmi uraženě a řekl:

"Of course not; I would not do such a thing for the best oats that ever came into the stable; why, I am as careful of our young ladies as the master could be, and as for the little ones it is I who teach them to ride. "Jistěže ne, nic takového bych neudělal ani za nejlepší oves, jaký kdy do stáje přišel, vždyť já se o naše mladé dámy starám tak, jak jen pán může, a co se týče těch nejmenších, jsem to já, kdo je učí jezdit na koni. "Claro que no; yo no haría tal cosa por la mejor avena que jamás haya llegado al establo; bueno, soy tan cuidadoso con nuestras señoritas como podría serlo el amo, y en cuanto a los pequeños soy yo quien enseña. ellos para montar. “当然不是;为了马厩里最好的燕麦,我不会做这样的事;为什么,我像主人一样小心翼翼地照顾我们的小姐,至于小孩子,是我教的他们骑。 When they seem frightened or a little unsteady on my back I go as smooth and as quiet as old pussy when she is after a bird; and when they are all right I go on again faster, you see, just to use them to it; so don't you trouble yourself preaching to me; I am the best friend and the best riding-master those children have. Když se mi zdají vyděšené nebo trochu nejisté na hřbetě, jedu hladce a tiše jako stará kočička, když jde po ptáčkovi; a když jsou v pořádku, jedu zase rychleji, víte, jen abych je k tomu přiměla; takže se neobtěžujte mi kázat; jsem nejlepší kamarádka a nejlepší jezdecký učitel, kterého ty děti mají. Cuando parecen asustados o un poco inestables sobre mi espalda, voy tan suave y silencioso como un viejo gatito cuando persigue un pájaro; y cuando están bien sigo de nuevo más rápido, ¿sabes?, sólo para usarlos; así que no te molestes en sermonearme; Soy el mejor amigo y el mejor maestro de equitación que tienen esos niños. It is not them, it is the boys; boys," said he, shaking his mane, "are quite different; they must be broken in as we were broken in when we were colts, and just be taught what's what. Nejde o ně, ale o kluky; kluci," řekl a potřásl hřívou, "jsou úplně jiní; musí se naučit, jak jsme se učili my, když jsme byli hříbata, a prostě se musí naučit, co a jak. 不是他们,是孩子们;男孩子们,”他摇着自己的鬃毛说,“完全不同;他们必须像我们小时候被闯入一样被闯入,并且只是被教导什么是什么。 The other children had ridden me about for nearly two hours, and then the boys thought it was their turn, and so it was, and I was quite agreeable. Ostatní děti na mně jezdily skoro dvě hodiny a pak si kluci mysleli, že je řada na nich, a taky že jo, a já jsem byl docela příjemný. Los otros niños me habían montado durante casi dos horas, y luego los niños pensaron que era su turno, y así fue, y yo era muy agradable. They rode me by turns, and I galloped them about, up and down the fields and all about the orchard, for a good hour. Jezdili na mně střídavě a já jsem je dobrou hodinu proháněl po poli a po celém sadu. They had each cut a great hazel stick for a riding-whip, and laid it on a little too hard; but I took it in good part, till at last I thought we had had enough, so I stopped two or three times by way of a hint. Každý z nich si uřízl velkou lískovou hůl na bičík a přiložil ji na sebe trochu moc tvrdě, ale já jsem to snášel dobře, až jsem si nakonec řekl, že už toho máme dost, a tak jsem dvakrát nebo třikrát zastavil, abych jim naznačil. Cada uno de ellos había cortado un gran palo de avellano para un látigo de montar y lo habían puesto un poco demasiado duro; pero me lo tomé bien, hasta que por fin pensé que ya habíamos tenido bastante, así que me detuve dos o tres veces a modo de insinuación. 彼らはそれぞれ、乗馬鞭用の素晴らしいヘーゼルスティックを切り、少し硬くしました。でも、結局それで十分だと思ったので、ヒントとして2、3回止めました。 他们每人砍下一根大榛子做马鞭,把它放得太硬了一点。但我大部分都接受了,直到最后我认为我们已经受够了,所以我停了两三次以示暗示。 Boys, you see, think a horse or pony is like a steam-engine or a thrashing-machine, and can go on as long and as fast as they please; they never think that a pony can get tired, or have any feelings; so as the one who was whipping me could not understand I just rose up on my hind legs and let him slip off behind--that was all. Chlapci si myslí, že kůň nebo poník je jako parní stroj nebo mlátička, a mohou jet tak dlouho a tak rychle, jak se jim zlíbí; nikdy je nenapadne, že se poník může unavit nebo že může mít nějaké city; takže když to ten, kdo mě bičoval, nechápal, prostě jsem se zvedl na zadní nohy a nechal ho, aby se za mnou sunul - to bylo všechno. Los muchachos, ya ven, piensan que un caballo o un poni es como una máquina de vapor o una máquina de trillar, y que pueden avanzar tanto tiempo y tan rápido como les plazca; nunca piensan que un pony puede cansarse o tener sentimientos; así que como el que me estaba azotando no podía entender, me levanté sobre mis patas traseras y lo dejé deslizarse por detrás, eso fue todo. 男孩子们,你看,认为马或小马就像一台蒸汽机或一台打谷机,可以想走多久就走多久,想走多久就走多久;他们从不认为小马会累,或有任何感觉;为了让鞭打我的人不明白,我只是用后腿站起来,让他从后面溜走——仅此而已。 He mounted me again, and I did the same. Znovu na mě nasedl a já udělala totéž. Then the other boy got up, and as soon as he began to use his stick I laid him on the grass, and so on, till they were able to understand--that was all. Pak vstal druhý chlapec, a jakmile začal používat hůl, položil jsem ho na trávu, a tak dále, dokud nebyli schopni porozumět - to bylo vše. They are not bad boys; they don't wish to be cruel. Nejsou to zlí chlapci, nechtějí být krutí. I like them very well; but you see I had to give them a lesson. Mám je moc rád, ale vidíte, že jsem jim musel dát lekci. When they brought me to James and told him I think he was very angry to see such big sticks. Když mě přivedli k Jamesovi a řekli mu to, myslím, že byl velmi rozzlobený, že vidí tak velké klacky. 当他们把我带到詹姆斯那里并告诉他时,我认为他看到这么大的棍子很生气。 He said they were only fit for drovers or gypsies, and not for young gentlemen." Říkal, že se hodí jen pro kočí nebo cikány, a ne pro mladé pány." 他说它们只适合放牧人或吉普赛人,不适合年轻绅士。” "If I had been you," said Ginger, "I would have given those boys a good kick, and that would have given them a lesson." "Kdybych byla na tvém místě," řekla Ginger, "dala bych těm klukům pořádný kopanec, a to by jim dalo lekci." "No doubt you would," said Merrylegs; "but then I am not quite such a fool (begging your pardon) as to anger our master or make James ashamed of me. "To bys nepochybně udělal," řekl Merrylegs, "ale já nejsem takový blázen, abych si rozhněval našeho pána nebo aby se za mě James styděl. 「間違いなくそうするだろう」とメリーレッグスは言った。 「しかし、私は私たちの主人を怒らせたり、ジェームズを私を恥ずかしく思ったりするほど馬鹿ではありません(ご容赦ください)。 Besides, those children are under my charge when they are riding; I tell you they are intrusted to me. Kromě toho mám ty děti na starosti, když jedou na koni; říkám vám, že jsou mi svěřeny. その上、彼らが乗っているとき、それらの子供たちは私の責任下にあります。彼らは私に委託されていると言います。 再说了,那些孩子骑车的时候是我管的;我告诉你,他们是托付给我的。 Why, only the other day I heard our master say to Mrs. Blomefield, 'My dear madam, you need not be anxious about the children; my old Merrylegs will take as much care of them as you or I could; I assure you I would not sell that pony for any money, he is so perfectly good-tempered and trustworthy;' and do you think I am such an ungrateful brute as to forget all the kind treatment I have had here for five years, and all the trust they place in me, and turn vicious because a couple of ignorant boys used me badly? Zrovna nedávno jsem slyšel našeho pána, jak říká paní Kláře. "Milá paní, nemusíte se o děti bát, můj starý Merrylegs se o ně postará tak dobře, jak byste se o ně postarala vy nebo já; ujišťuji vás, že bych toho poníka neprodal ani za nic, je tak dokonale temperamentní a spolehlivý." A vy si myslíte, že jsem tak nevděčné zvíře, abych zapomněl na všechno to laskavé zacházení, kterého se mi tu po pět let dostávalo, a na všechnu důvěru, kterou ve mně vkládají, a stal se zlý jen proto, že mě pár nevzdělaných chlapců špatně využilo? No, no! you never had a good place where they were kind to you, and so you don't know, and I'm sorry for you; but I can tell you good places make good horses. nikdy jsi neměl dobré místo, kde by na tebe byli hodní, a tak to nevíš a je mi tě líto, ale můžu ti říct, že dobrá místa dělají dobré koně. I wouldn't vex our people for anything; I love them, I do," said Merrylegs, and he gave a low "ho, ho, ho!" Naše lidi bych nezlobil ani za nic, mám je rád," řekl Merrylegs a tiše "ho, ho, ho!" through his nose, as he used to do in the morning when he heard James' footstep at the door. nosem, jak to dělával ráno, když slyšel Jamesovy kroky u dveří. "Besides," he went on, "if I took to kicking where should I be? "Kromě toho," pokračoval, "kdybych se dal na kopání, kde bych byl? -Además -prosiguió-, si me diera a patadas, ¿dónde debería estar? “此外,”他继续说,“如果我开始踢我应该在哪儿呢? Why, sold off in a jiffy, and no character, and I might find myself slaved about under a butcher's boy, or worked to death at some seaside place where no one cared for me, except to find out how fast I could go, or be flogged along in some cart with three or four great men in it going out for a Sunday spree, as I have often seen in the place I lived in before I came here; no," said he, shaking his head, "I hope I shall never come to that." Vždyť by mě v mžiku prodali, neměl bych žádný charakter a mohl bych se ocitnout v otroctví u řezníka nebo se upracovat k smrti někde u moře, kde by se o mě nikdo nestaral, jen aby zjistil, jak rychle umím jet, nebo by mě bičovali v nějakém voze se třemi nebo čtyřmi velkými muži, kteří by si vyjeli na nedělní zábavu, jak jsem to často viděl v místě, kde jsem žil, než jsem přišel sem; ne," zavrtěl hlavou, "doufám, že k tomu nikdy nedojdu." Bueno, vendido en un santiamén, y sin carácter, y podría encontrarme esclavizado bajo el mando de un carnicero, o trabajando hasta morir en algún lugar junto al mar donde nadie se preocupaba por mí, excepto para averiguar qué tan rápido podía ir, o ser azotado en algún carro con tres o cuatro grandes hombres que salen de juerga los domingos, como he visto a menudo en el lugar donde vivía antes de venir aquí; no, dijo, sacudiendo la cabeza, espero no llegar nunca a eso. 为什么,一下子就被卖掉了,毫无品格,我可能会发现自己在一个屠夫的手下被奴役,或者在一个没人关心我的海边工作到死,除了看看我能走多快,或者被拉着三四个伟人出去参加星期天的狂欢,就像我来这里之前在我住的地方经常看到的那样;不,”他摇着头说,“我希望我永远不会走到那一步。”