I walked on the shore, peeped into the birds' nests, looked at the poor naked young ones, who were c rying, with their beaks wide open: I blew into their thousand little throats, and they learned to be quiet. The sea-horses, with their swine-like heads, and teeth an ell long, rolled like gigantic worms beneath the waters." "My son can relate his adventures very pleasantly," said the mother; "my mouth waters when I listen to him." "And now the fishery began; the harpoon was thrust in the breast of the sea-ho rse, and a stream of blood shot up like a fountain, and streamed over the ice. Then I remembered my part of the sport; I made my ships, the rock-like ice mountains, surround the boats. Oh! how all the crew whistled a nd shouted; but I whistled still louder. They were obliged to unload all the dead whales, and to throw them, with their trunks and cordage, out upon the ice. I shook snow-flakes over them, and drove them southwards t o taste salt water. They will never come again to Bear's Island!" "Then you have done mischief!" said the mother of the Winds. "What good I have done, others may relate," said he; "but here comes my brother of the West. I love him the best of all; he smells of the sea, and has a right healthycoldness about him." "Can that be the delicate Zephyr?" ask ed the Prince. "Yes, it is Zephyr certainly," said the old woman; "but delicate he is no longer. | 我走到海边去窥视鸟巢,看见许多羽毛未丰的小鸟正张着嘴啼叫,于是我朝着它们的喉咙吹了一口风,它们便安静下来了。 许多海马像一大群的虫在海水里翻腾,它们的长相仿佛是一头猪,还有四十五吋长的牙齿。」 「我儿子叙述他所见所闻非常的生动。」他的母亲说:「每一次我都听得垂涎不止。」 「然后人们就开始捕鱼,鱼叉刺进海马的胸膛,并立即有一道血流像喷泉似地向上喷洒,而水涌到冰上。 于是我想起了自己的游戏,建造自己的船,仿佛是岩石般坚硬的冰山,把那些船层层包围起来。 喔!那些水手是如何的全力咆哮和惊叫啊!不过,我咆哮得甚至比他们还要大声。 他们不得不把所有死了的鱼、箱子、绳索全都丢到冰面上。 我又吹一些雪花在他们头顶上,把他们赶到南方去尝尝海水的味道。 他们永不能再回到熊岛上去了。」 「那么你是做了一件伤天害理的事了!」风的母亲说道。 「我做了什么好事,就让别人去说吧!」北风说:「不过,现在我的西风哥哥回来了。 我最喜欢他了,他闻起来有海的味道,并且有一股合宜、健康的清凉感。」 「就是那个温柔的西风吗?」王子问。 「是的,当然是西风。」老妇人回答说:「但是他已经不温柔了。 |