安徒生童話:The Farm Yard Cock and the Weather Cock家養公雞和風信公雞大綱

The Farm-Yard Cock and the Weather-Cock

by Hans Christian Andersen（1860）

theRE were two cocks—one on the dung-hill， the other on the roof. They were both arrogant， but which of the two rendered most service？ Tell us your opinion—we'll keep to ours just the same though.

the poultry yard was divided by some planks from another yard in which there was a dung-hill， and on the dung-hill lay and GREw a large cucumber which was conscious of being a hot-bed plant.

“One is born to that，” said the cucumber to itself. “Not all can be born cucumbers； there must be other things， too. The hens， the ducks， and all the animals in the next yard are creatures too. Now I have a GREat opinion of the yard cock on the plank； he is certainly of much more importance than the weather-cock who is placed so high and can't even creak， much less crow. The latter has neither hens nor chicks， and only thinks of himself and perspires verdigris. No， the yard cock is really a cock！ His step is a dance！ His crowing is music， and wherever he goes one knows what a trumpeter is like！ If he would only come in here！ Even if he ate me up stump， stalk， and all， and I had to dissolve in his body， it would be a happy death，” said the cucumber.

In the night there was a terrible storm. The hens， chicks， and even the cock sought shelter； the wind tore down the planks between the two yards with a crash； the tiles came tumbling down， but the weather-cock sat firm. He did not even turn round， for he could not； and yet he was young and freshly cast， but prudent and sedate. He had been born old， and did not at all resemble the birds flying in the air—the sparrows， and the swallows； no， he despised them， these mean little piping birds， these common whistlers. He admitted that the pigeons， large and white and shining like mother-o'-pearl， looked like a kind of weather-cock； but they were fat and stupid， and all their thoughts and endeavours were directed to filling themselves with food， and besides， they were tiresome things to converse with. The birds of passage had also paid the weather-cock a visit and told him of foreign countries， of airy caravans and robber stories that made one's hair stand on end. All this was new and interesting； that is， for the first time， but afterwards， as the weather-cock found out， they repeated themselves and always told the same stories， and that's very tedious， and there was no one with whom one could associate， for one and all were stale and small-minded.

“the world is no good！” he said. “Everything in it is so stupid.”

the weather-cock was puffed up， and that quality would have made him interesting in the eyes of the cucumber if it had known it， but it had eyes only for the yard cock， who was now in the yard with it.

the wind had blown the planks， but the storm was over.

“What do you think of that crowing？” said the yard cock to the hens and chickens. “It was a little rough—it wanted elegance.”

And the hens and chickens came up on the dung-hill， and the cock strutted about like a lord.

“Garden plant！” he said to the cucumber， and in that one word his deep learning showed itself， and it forgot that he was pecking at her and eating it up. “A happy death！”

the hens and the chickens came， for where one runs the others run too； they clucked， and chirped， and looked at the cock， and were proud that he was of their kind.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo！” he crowed， “the chickens will grow up into GREat hens at once， if I cry it out in the poultry-yard of the world！”

And hens and chicks clucked and chirped， and the cock announced a GREat piece of news.

“A cock can lay an egg！ And do you know what's in that egg？ A basilisk. No one can stand the sight of such a thing； people know that， and now you know it too—you know what is in me， and what a champion of all cocks I am！”

With that the yard cock flapped his wings， made his comb swell up， and crowed again； and they all shuddered， the hens and the little chicks—but they were very proud that one of their number was such a champion of all cocks. They clucked and chirped till the weather-cock heard； he heard it； but he did not stir.

“Everything is very stupid，” the weather-cock said to himself. “The yard cock lays no eggs， and I am too lazy to do so； if I liked， I could lay a wind-egg. But the world is not worth even a wind-egg. Everything is so stupid！ I don't want to sit here any longer.”

With that the weather-cock broke off； but he did not kill the yard cock， although the hens said that had been his intention. And what is the moral？ “Better to crow than to be puffed up and break off！”

有兩隻公雞，一隻在垃圾堆上，一隻在屋頂上，兩隻都很自高自大。可是誰更有能耐呢？請告訴我們你的意見……然而，我們保留着我們的意見。

雞場那邊有一道木柵欄，與另一個院子隔開。那個院子裏有一個垃圾堆，垃圾堆上長了一條很大的黃瓜。她自己很明白，她是發酵土裏長出來的東西。“這是生就的！”她內心這樣說着。“並不是甚麼東西都可以生成黃瓜的，世上也應該有別的有生命的物種！雞、鴨，還有鄰舍院子裏那一羣，也都是生靈。我這會兒看見木欄上有公雞，和高高在上連咯咯叫都不會更不用說喔喔啼的風信公雞比，他的確另有一番意義！那風信公雞既沒有母雞，也沒有小雞。他只想着自己，滿身銅綠！不行，家養的公雞，那纔算得上是公雞！瞧他邁步的那個樣子，那是跳舞！聽他打鳴，那是音樂！他所到之處，人們就明白甚麼是小號手！若是他跑到這裏來，若是他把我連葉帶桿一起吃掉，若是我進了他的身子裏，那真是幸福的死！”黃瓜這麼說道。

夜裏天氣壞得可怕極了，母雞、小雞，連帶公雞都找不到躲避的地方。兩個院子中間的那道木欄被吹倒了，發出很大的聲音。屋頂上的瓦也落下來，但是風信公雞卻穩穩地站在那裏，連轉都不轉一下。他不中用，然而他年輕，是不久前才鑄出來的。而且頭腦清醒，遇事不慌。他天生老成，不像那些在天上飛來飛去的諸如麻雀、燕子之類的小鳥，他瞧不起他們。“唧唧喳喳的鳥兒，小不點兒，普普通通。”鴿子倒挺大，閃閃發光，很像珍珠母雞，看去也頗像某種風信公雞。但是他們太胖了，笨頭笨腦，一門心思只想着啄點東西進肚皮裏去，風信公雞這麼說道，交往之中他們還總是令人厭煩。秋去春來的候鳥來拜訪過，談到過異國他鄉，談起過天空中鳥兒成羣結隊地飛行，談起過猛禽攔路行兇的可怕故事。頭一回聽，這都很新鮮有趣。可是到後來，風信公雞明白了，他們老在重複，總是講同樣的事兒，很是令人煩心！他們一切都叫人煩心。沒有可交往的，誰都是死板板的，毫無趣味。“這世界真不行！”他說道，“甚麼都無聊透頂！”風信公雞像人們所說的那樣，對甚麼都膩味了。黃瓜要是知道的話，她一定會覺得很有趣。但是她的眼中只有那家養的公雞，現在他已經到了她的院子裏來了。

木欄被吹倒了，可是雷電已經平息。“你們覺得那一陣子喔喔啼如何？”家養公雞對雞婆和雞仔說道。“有點粗聲粗氣，一點兒不雅緻。”

雞婆帶着一羣雞仔闖到垃圾堆上，公雞像騎士一般邁着大步來了。“菜園子里長出來的！”他對黃瓜說。從這麼簡簡單單的一句話裏，她體察到了他的高度涵養，卻忘了他正在啄她，正在吃她。“幸福地死啊！”

來了一羣母雞，來了一羣小雞。只要有一隻跑動，另一隻便會跟着跑起來。他們咯咯地叫，他們唧唧地叫，他們瞅着公雞，爲他感到驕傲，他是他們一族。“咯咯、勒咯！”他啼了起來，“我在世界的雞場裏這麼一叫，小雞馬上便長成了大母雞。”

雞婆和雞仔咯咯唧唧地跟着叫了起來。

公雞接着宣講了一個大大的新消息。“一隻公雞能生蛋！你們知道嗎，蛋裏是甚麼玩意兒？裏面是一隻爬蟲怪1！誰見了它都受不了！人類都知道這事，現在連你們都知道了。知道我身體裏懷着甚麼！知道了我是所有雞場裏一個甚麼樣的棒小夥子！”

接着家養公雞拍拍翅膀，挺起自己的冠子，又啼了起來。所有的雞婆，所有的雞仔都哆嗦了一下。但是，他們都爲自己同類中有一個所有雞場中最棒的小夥子而驕傲。他們咯咯地叫着，他們唧唧地叫着，好讓風信公雞聽見。他聽到了，不過並沒有因此而動上一動。“一派胡言亂語！”風信公雞內心這樣說道。“家養的公雞從來也沒有下過蛋。我沒有那個興致，要是我願意的話，我滿可以生一個風蛋！可是這個世界不值得有甚麼風蛋！全是胡說八道！——現在我連這麼立着都不高興了。”

於是風信雞折了。不過他沒有把家養的公雞砸死。“當然他是這麼打算的！”母雞說道。這篇故事所含的教益又是怎麼說呢。“與其活得膩味折掉，倒還是啼啼叫叫的好。”

1丹麥有這樣的迷信，說有個怪物，雞頭蛇身。它一眨眼便能嚇死人。