章节正文
myself, do not eat, being made in such manner that I
require no food to keep me alive. Neither does my
friend the Scarecrow. But all my Winkie people eat,
being formed of flesh, as you are, and so my tin
cupboard is never bare, and strangers are always
welcome to whatever it contains."
The boy ate in silence for a time, being really
hungry, but after his appetite was somewhat satisfied,
he said:
"How happened your Majesty to be made of tin, and
still be alive?"
"That," replied the tin man, "is a long story."
"The longer the better," said the boy. "Won't you
please tell me the story?"
"If you desire it," promised the Tin Woodman, leaning
back in his tin throne and crossing his tin legs. "I
haven't related my history in a long while, because
everyone here knows it nearly as well as I do. But you,
being a stranger, are no doubt curious to learn how I
became so beautiful and prosperous, so I will recite
for your benefit my strange adventures."
"Thank you," said Woot the Wanderer, still eating.
"I was not always made of tin," began the Emperor,
"for in the beginning I was a man of flesh and bone and
blood and lived in the Munchkin Country of Oz. There I
was, by trade, a woodchopper, and contributed my share
to the comfort of the Oz people by chopping up the
trees of the forest to make firewood, with which the
women would cook their meals while the children warmed
themselves about the fires. For my home I had a little
hut by the edge of the forest, and my life was one of
much content until I fell in love with a beautiful
Munchkin girl who lived not far away."
"What was the Munchkin girl's name?" asked Woot.
"Nimmie Amee. This girl, so fair that the sunsets
blushed when their rays fell upon her, lived with a
powerful witch who wore silver shoes and who had made
the poor child her slave. Nimmie Amee was obliged to
work from morning till night for the old Witch of the
East, scrubbing and sweeping her hut and cooking her
meals and washing her dishes. She had to cut firewood,
too, until I found her one day in the forest and fell
in love with her. After that, I always brought plenty
of firewood to Nimmie Amee and we became very friendly.
Finally I asked her to marry me, and she agreed to do
so, but the Witch happened to overhear our conversation
and it made her very angry, for she did not wish her
slave to be taken away from her. The Witch commanded me
never to come near Nimmie Amee again, but I told her I
was my own master and would do as I pleased, not
realizing that this was a careless way to speak to a
Witch.
"The next day, as I was cutting wood in the forest,
the cruel Witch enchanted my axe, so that it slipped
and cut off my right leg."
"How dreadful!" cried Woot the Wanderer.
"Yes, it was a seeming misfortune," agreed the Tin
Man, "for a one-legged woodchopper is of little use in
his trade. But I would not allow the Witch to conquer
me so easily. I knew a very skillfulmechanic at the
other side of the forest, who was my friend, so I
hopped on one leg to him and asked him to help me. He
soon made me a new leg out of tin and fastened it
cleverly to my meat body. It had joints at the knee and
at the ankle and was almost as comfortable as the leg I
had lost."
"Your friend must have been a wonderful workman!"
exclaimed Woot.
"He was, indeed," admitted the Emperor. "He was a
tinsmith by trade and could make anything out of tin.
When I returned to Nimmie Amee, the girl was delighted
and threw her arms around my neck and kissed me,
declaring she was proud of me. The Witch saw the kiss
and was more angry than before. When I went to work in
the forest, next day, my axe, being still enchanted,
slipped and cut off my other leg. Again I hopped -- on
my tin leg -- to my friend the tinsmith, who kindly
made me another tin leg and fastened it to my body. So
I returned joyfully to Nimmie Amee, who was much
pleased with my glittering legs and promised that when
we were wed she would always keep them oiled and
polished. But the Witch was more furious than ever, and
as soon as I raised my axe to chop, it twisted around
and cut off one of my arms. The tinsmith made me a tin
arm and I was not much worried, because Nimmie Amee
declared she still loved me."
Chapter Two
The Heart of the Tin Woodman
The Emperor of the Winkies paused in his story to
reach for an oil-can, with which he carefully oiled the
joints in his tin throat, for his voice had begun to
squeak a little. Woot the Wanderer, having satisfied
his hunger, watched this oiling process with much
curiosity, but begged the Tin Man to go on with his
tale.
"The Witch with the Silver Shoes hated me for having
defied her," resumed the Emperor, his voice now
sounding clear as a bell, "and she insisted that Nimmie
Amee should never marry me. Therefore she made the
enchanted axe cut off my other arm, and the tinsmith
also replaced that member with tin, including these
finely-jointed hands that you see me using. But, alas!
after that, the axe, still enchanted by the cruel
Witch, cut my body in two, so that I fell to the
ground. Then the Witch, who was watching from a near-by
bush, rushed up and seized the axe and chopped my body
into several small pieces, after which, thinking that
at last she had destroyed me, she ran away laughing in
wicked glee.
"But Nimmie Amee found me. She picked up my arms and
legs and head, and made a bundle of them and carried
them to the tinsmith, who set to work and made me a
fine body of pure tin. When he had joined the arms and
legs to the body, and set my head in the tin collar, I
was a much better man than ever, for my body could not
ache or pain me, and I was so beautiful and bright that
I had no need of clothing. Clothing is always a
nuisance, because it soils and tears and has to be
replaced; but my tin body only needs to be oiled and
polished.
"Nimmie Amee still declared she would marry me, as
she still loved me in spite of the Witch's evil deeds.
The girl declared I would make the brightest husband in
all the world, which was quite true. However, the
Wicked Witch was not yet defeated. When I returned to
my work the axe slipped and cut off my head, which was
the only meat part of me then remaining. Moreover, the
old woman grabbed up my severed head and carried it
away with her and hid it. But Nimmie Amee came into the
forest and found me wandering around helplessly,
because I could not see where to go, and she led me to
my friend the tinsmith. The faithful fellow at once set
to work to make me a tin head, and he had just
completed it when Nimmie Amee came running up with my
old head, which she had stolen from the Witch. But, on
reflection, I considered the tin head far superior to
the meat one -- I am wearing it yet, so you can see its
beauty and grace of outline -- and the girl agreed with
me that a man all made of tin was far more perfect than
one formed of different materials. The tinsmith was as
proud of his workmanship as I was, and for three whole
days, all admired me and praised my beauty. "Being now
completely formed of tin, I had no more fear of the
Wicked Witch, for she was powerless to injure me.
Nimmie Amee said we must be married at once, for then
she could come to my cottage and live with me and keep
me bright and sparkling.
"'I am sure, my dear Nick,' said the brave and
beautiful girl -- my name was then Nick Chopper, you
should be told -- 'that you will make the best husband
any girl could have. I shall not be obliged to cook for
you, for now you do not eat; I shall not have to make
your bed, for tin does not tire or require sleep; when
we go to a dance, you will not get weary before the
music stops and say you want to go home. All day long,
while you are chopping wood in the forest, I shall be
able to amuse myself in my own way -- a privilege few
wives enjoy. There is no temper in your new head, so
you will not get angry with me. Finally, I shall take
pride in being the wife of the only live Tin Woodman in
all the world!' Which shows that Nimmie Amee was as
wise as she was brave and beautiful."
"I think she was a very nice girl," said Woot the
Wanderer. "But, tell me, please, why were you not
killed when you were chopped to pieces?"
"In the Land of Oz," replied the Emperor, "no one can
ever be killed. A man with a wooden leg or a tin leg is
still the same man; and, as I lost parts of my meat
body by degrees, I always remained the same person as
in the beginning, even though in the end I was all tin
and no meat."
"I see," said the boy, thoughtfully. "And did you
marry Nimmie Amee?"
"No," answered the Tin Woodman, "I did not. She said
she still loved me, but I found that I no longer loved
her. My tin body contained no heart, and without a
heart no one can love. So the Wicked Witch conquered in
the end, and when I left the Munchkin Country of Oz,
the poor girl was still the slave of the Witch and had
to do her bidding day and night."
"Where did you go?" asked Woot.
"Well, I first started out to find a heart, so I
could love Nimmie Amee again; but hearts are more
scarce than one would think. One day, in a big forest
that was strange to me, my joints suddenly became
rusted, because I had forgotten to oil them. There I
stood, unable to move hand or foot. And there I
continued to stand -- while days came and went -- until
Dorothy and the Scarecrow came along and rescued me.
They oiled my joints and set me free, and I've taken
good care never to rust again."
"Who was this Dorothy?" questioned the Wanderer.
"A little girl who happened to be in a house when it
was carried by a cyclone all the way from Kansas to the
Land of Oz. When the house fell, in the Munchkin
Country, it fortunately landed on the Wicked Witch and
smashed her flat. It was a big house, and I think the
Witch is under it yet."
"No," said the Scarecrow, correcting him, "Dorothy
says the Witch turned to dust, and the wind scattered
the dust in every direction."
require no food to keep me alive. Neither does my
friend the Scarecrow. But all my Winkie people eat,
being formed of flesh, as you are, and so my tin
cupboard is never bare, and strangers are always
welcome to whatever it contains."
The boy ate in silence for a time, being really
hungry, but after his appetite was somewhat satisfied,
he said:
"How happened your Majesty to be made of tin, and
still be alive?"
"That," replied the tin man, "is a long story."
"The longer the better," said the boy. "Won't you
please tell me the story?"
"If you desire it," promised the Tin Woodman, leaning
back in his tin throne and crossing his tin legs. "I
haven't related my history in a long while, because
everyone here knows it nearly as well as I do. But you,
being a stranger, are no doubt curious to learn how I
became so beautiful and prosperous, so I will recite
for your benefit my strange adventures."
"Thank you," said Woot the Wanderer, still eating.
"I was not always made of tin," began the Emperor,
"for in the beginning I was a man of flesh and bone and
blood and lived in the Munchkin Country of Oz. There I
was, by trade, a woodchopper, and contributed my share
to the comfort of the Oz people by chopping up the
trees of the forest to make firewood, with which the
women would cook their meals while the children warmed
themselves about the fires. For my home I had a little
hut by the edge of the forest, and my life was one of
much content until I fell in love with a beautiful
Munchkin girl who lived not far away."
"What was the Munchkin girl's name?" asked Woot.
"Nimmie Amee. This girl, so fair that the sunsets
blushed when their rays fell upon her, lived with a
powerful witch who wore silver shoes and who had made
the poor child her slave. Nimmie Amee was obliged to
work from morning till night for the old Witch of the
East, scrubbing and sweeping her hut and cooking her
meals and washing her dishes. She had to cut firewood,
too, until I found her one day in the forest and fell
in love with her. After that, I always brought plenty
of firewood to Nimmie Amee and we became very friendly.
Finally I asked her to marry me, and she agreed to do
so, but the Witch happened to overhear our conversation
and it made her very angry, for she did not wish her
slave to be taken away from her. The Witch commanded me
never to come near Nimmie Amee again, but I told her I
was my own master and would do as I pleased, not
realizing that this was a careless way to speak to a
Witch.
"The next day, as I was cutting wood in the forest,
the cruel Witch enchanted my axe, so that it slipped
and cut off my right leg."
"How dreadful!" cried Woot the Wanderer.
"Yes, it was a seeming misfortune," agreed the Tin
Man, "for a one-legged woodchopper is of little use in
his trade. But I would not allow the Witch to conquer
me so easily. I knew a very skillfulmechanic at the
other side of the forest, who was my friend, so I
hopped on one leg to him and asked him to help me. He
soon made me a new leg out of tin and fastened it
cleverly to my meat body. It had joints at the knee and
at the ankle and was almost as comfortable as the leg I
had lost."
"Your friend must have been a wonderful workman!"
exclaimed Woot.
"He was, indeed," admitted the Emperor. "He was a
tinsmith by trade and could make anything out of tin.
When I returned to Nimmie Amee, the girl was delighted
and threw her arms around my neck and kissed me,
declaring she was proud of me. The Witch saw the kiss
and was more angry than before. When I went to work in
the forest, next day, my axe, being still enchanted,
slipped and cut off my other leg. Again I hopped -- on
my tin leg -- to my friend the tinsmith, who kindly
made me another tin leg and fastened it to my body. So
I returned joyfully to Nimmie Amee, who was much
pleased with my glittering legs and promised that when
we were wed she would always keep them oiled and
polished. But the Witch was more furious than ever, and
as soon as I raised my axe to chop, it twisted around
and cut off one of my arms. The tinsmith made me a tin
arm and I was not much worried, because Nimmie Amee
declared she still loved me."
Chapter Two
The Heart of the Tin Woodman
The Emperor of the Winkies paused in his story to
reach for an oil-can, with which he carefully oiled the
joints in his tin throat, for his voice had begun to
squeak a little. Woot the Wanderer, having satisfied
his hunger, watched this oiling process with much
curiosity, but begged the Tin Man to go on with his
tale.
"The Witch with the Silver Shoes hated me for having
defied her," resumed the Emperor, his voice now
sounding clear as a bell, "and she insisted that Nimmie
Amee should never marry me. Therefore she made the
enchanted axe cut off my other arm, and the tinsmith
also replaced that member with tin, including these
finely-jointed hands that you see me using. But, alas!
after that, the axe, still enchanted by the cruel
Witch, cut my body in two, so that I fell to the
ground. Then the Witch, who was watching from a near-by
bush, rushed up and seized the axe and chopped my body
into several small pieces, after which, thinking that
at last she had destroyed me, she ran away laughing in
wicked glee.
"But Nimmie Amee found me. She picked up my arms and
legs and head, and made a bundle of them and carried
them to the tinsmith, who set to work and made me a
fine body of pure tin. When he had joined the arms and
legs to the body, and set my head in the tin collar, I
was a much better man than ever, for my body could not
ache or pain me, and I was so beautiful and bright that
I had no need of clothing. Clothing is always a
nuisance, because it soils and tears and has to be
replaced; but my tin body only needs to be oiled and
polished.
"Nimmie Amee still declared she would marry me, as
she still loved me in spite of the Witch's evil deeds.
The girl declared I would make the brightest husband in
all the world, which was quite true. However, the
Wicked Witch was not yet defeated. When I returned to
my work the axe slipped and cut off my head, which was
the only meat part of me then remaining. Moreover, the
old woman grabbed up my severed head and carried it
away with her and hid it. But Nimmie Amee came into the
forest and found me wandering around helplessly,
because I could not see where to go, and she led me to
my friend the tinsmith. The faithful fellow at once set
to work to make me a tin head, and he had just
completed it when Nimmie Amee came running up with my
old head, which she had stolen from the Witch. But, on
reflection, I considered the tin head far superior to
the meat one -- I am wearing it yet, so you can see its
beauty and grace of outline -- and the girl agreed with
me that a man all made of tin was far more perfect than
one formed of different materials. The tinsmith was as
proud of his workmanship as I was, and for three whole
days, all admired me and praised my beauty. "Being now
completely formed of tin, I had no more fear of the
Wicked Witch, for she was powerless to injure me.
Nimmie Amee said we must be married at once, for then
she could come to my cottage and live with me and keep
me bright and sparkling.
"'I am sure, my dear Nick,' said the brave and
beautiful girl -- my name was then Nick Chopper, you
should be told -- 'that you will make the best husband
any girl could have. I shall not be obliged to cook for
you, for now you do not eat; I shall not have to make
your bed, for tin does not tire or require sleep; when
we go to a dance, you will not get weary before the
music stops and say you want to go home. All day long,
while you are chopping wood in the forest, I shall be
able to amuse myself in my own way -- a privilege few
wives enjoy. There is no temper in your new head, so
you will not get angry with me. Finally, I shall take
pride in being the wife of the only live Tin Woodman in
all the world!' Which shows that Nimmie Amee was as
wise as she was brave and beautiful."
"I think she was a very nice girl," said Woot the
Wanderer. "But, tell me, please, why were you not
killed when you were chopped to pieces?"
"In the Land of Oz," replied the Emperor, "no one can
ever be killed. A man with a wooden leg or a tin leg is
still the same man; and, as I lost parts of my meat
body by degrees, I always remained the same person as
in the beginning, even though in the end I was all tin
and no meat."
"I see," said the boy, thoughtfully. "And did you
marry Nimmie Amee?"
"No," answered the Tin Woodman, "I did not. She said
she still loved me, but I found that I no longer loved
her. My tin body contained no heart, and without a
heart no one can love. So the Wicked Witch conquered in
the end, and when I left the Munchkin Country of Oz,
the poor girl was still the slave of the Witch and had
to do her bidding day and night."
"Where did you go?" asked Woot.
"Well, I first started out to find a heart, so I
could love Nimmie Amee again; but hearts are more
scarce than one would think. One day, in a big forest
that was strange to me, my joints suddenly became
rusted, because I had forgotten to oil them. There I
stood, unable to move hand or foot. And there I
continued to stand -- while days came and went -- until
Dorothy and the Scarecrow came along and rescued me.
They oiled my joints and set me free, and I've taken
good care never to rust again."
"Who was this Dorothy?" questioned the Wanderer.
"A little girl who happened to be in a house when it
was carried by a cyclone all the way from Kansas to the
Land of Oz. When the house fell, in the Munchkin
Country, it fortunately landed on the Wicked Witch and
smashed her flat. It was a big house, and I think the
Witch is under it yet."
"No," said the Scarecrow, correcting him, "Dorothy
says the Witch turned to dust, and the wind scattered
the dust in every direction."
- whatever [wɔt´evə]
pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词) - appetite [´æpitait] n.欲望；食欲 (初中英语单词)
- majesty [´mædʒisti] n.壮丽；崇高；尊严 (初中英语单词)
- prosperous [´prɔspərəs] a.繁荣的；顺利的 (初中英语单词)
- beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)
- careless [´keəlis] a.粗心的；草率的 (初中英语单词)
- mechanic [mi´kænik] n.技工 a.手工的 (初中英语单词)
- emperor [´empərə] n.皇帝 (初中英语单词)
- furious [´fjuəriəs] a.狂怒的；猛烈的 (初中英语单词)
- throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)
- hunger [´hʌŋgə] n.饥饿；渴望 (初中英语单词)
- therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
- bundle [´bʌndl] n.包，捆；包袱(裹) (初中英语单词)
- collar [´kɔlə] n.衣领；(狗等的)项圈 (初中英语单词)
- moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)
- faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)
- running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
- stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- outline [´autlain] n.外形 vt.画出...轮廓 (初中英语单词)
- injure [´indʒə] vt.伤害，损害，毁坏 (初中英语单词)
- cottage [´kɔtidʒ] n.村舍；小屋；小别墅 (初中英语单词)
- privilege [´privilidʒ] n.特权 vt.给....特权 (初中英语单词)
- temper [´tempə] n.韧度 v.锻炼；调和 (初中英语单词)
- wooden [´wudn] a.木制的；呆板的 (初中英语单词)
- wicked [´wikid] a.邪恶的；不道德的 (初中英语单词)
- unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)
- throne [θrəun] n.宝座；王位 (高中英语单词)
- related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)
- sweeping [´swi:piŋ] a.掠过的 n.扫除；清除 (高中英语单词)
- skillful [´skilfəl] a.有技巧的；熟练的 (高中英语单词)
- thoughtfully [´θɔ:tfuli] ad.深思地；体贴地 (高中英语单词)
- kansas [´kænzəs] n.堪萨斯(州) (高中英语单词)
- fortunately [´fɔ:tʃənətli] ad.幸运地 (高中英语单词)
- overhear [,əuvə´hiə] vt.偶然听到；偷听 (英语四级单词)
- seeming [´si:miŋ] a.表面上的 n.外观 (英语四级单词)
- joyfully [´dʒɔifuli] ad.高兴地，快乐地 (英语四级单词)
- workmanship [´wə:kmənʃip] n.手艺；工艺品；作品 (英语四级单词)
- woodman [´wudmən] n.伐木工 (英语六级单词)
- wanderer [´wɔndərə] n.流浪者 (英语六级单词)
- firewood [´faiəwud] n.柴，薪 (英语六级单词)
- powerless [´pauələs] a.软弱的；无资源的 (英语六级单词)
- cyclone [´saikləun] n.旋风，飓风 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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