CHAPTER IX The Water-Lily

 "Don't you think we shall be able to let the children out soon?" asked the reed-warbler.

 

"Certainly not!" said his wife. "There can be no question of the little dears standing¹ on their legs for quite a month yet."

 

"They can stand on their legs as it is," said he, "for they nearly trample² one another to death when I come along with a silly fly. I tell you, it's getting a bit difficult to provide food for everybody. There are such an awful lot of us after it now. There are children all over the neighbourhood and they are all crying out for food."

 

"Are you beginning to see the truth of what I said, madam?" asked the eel³, sticking his head out of the mud.

 

"Hold your tongue and mind your own business, you ugly fish," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler.

 

"Your husband has come round to my views long ago," said the eel. "I can see that plainly. He would give anything to be able to roam about as a free bird, instead of wearing himself out with a big family."

 

"You're quite mistaken, my good fellow," said the reed-warbler. "I certainly admit ..."

 

"You'd better mind what you're admitting!" screamed his wife and pecked at him.

 

"Wriggle⁴ and twist!" said the eel; and off he went.

 

That afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Reed-Warbler sat discussing the question again:

 

"If only we can hold out," said he. "Just now, I was fighting like mad with my old friend, the flycatcher, for a ridiculous little grub. I got it, but he will never forgive me. When poverty comes in at the door, love flies out at the window, as the human beings say. It will end in screaming and quarrelling all over the pond."

 

"It cannot be worse than it is," said she. "Do as I do and think of all the beautiful things the poets have sung about us. It always helps to keep one's spirits up."

 

"I wish I had a couple of nice little poets here to feed the children with," said he, grumpily.

 

They sat again for a while, plunged⁵ in gloomy thoughts. The young ones were having their mid-day nap. Then he said:

 

"Things are queerly divided in this world. The number of sorrows and cares that we have, we free birds, to whom the whole world is open! Look at the water-lily. She's bound to her place. She has to struggle up through the dark water for ever so many days before she reaches the surface. Then she's there and unfolds her white flower and is happy. She hasn't a care ... look at her, lying and rocking and dreaming. I wish we were water-lilies!"

 

"Yes," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler. "And her seeds ripen⁶ in her lap and then glide⁷ down in the water and take root and grow up and, next year, they blossom around her. Oh, how delightful⁸ it must be!"

 

"Yes, but think of the bladder-wort and how he took us in!" said he.

 

"Pooh!" she replied. "Of course, it was that horrid⁹ spider who lived with him that led him into evil courses. No one will make me believe that there is anything but peace and contentment in the water-lily's beautiful calyx."

 

"Hush¹⁰!" he said. "She's talking to that pretty little spear-wort beside her."

 

The two anxious birds bent¹¹ their heads and listened.

 

"You spiteful minx!" said the water-lily. "You enticed¹² two bumble-bees away from me to-day, though you haven't a farthing's-worth of honey in your withered¹³ calices."

 

"Scold away!" said the spear-wort. "All your fine clothes won't help you in the least. Things go by merit, you see. No respectable bumble-bee will look at a frivolous¹⁴ person like you. And you may be sure that I have more honey in one of my flowers than you in your whole body."

 

"Here I stand with all my pollen¹⁵ ripe," said the water-lily, "and can't get rid of it. How can any one care to look at a beggar like you? But I shall find a way of revenging myself. You annoyed me long ago, when we were growing up through the water. Your nasty thin stalks swarmed¹⁶ over me and would have choked me, if they could. You, with your pretence¹⁷! In the autumn, there won't be a particle of you left. It's too funny, that you should be allowed to stand in the way of respectable people."

 

"In the autumn, my seeds will be ripe and sown, Water-Lily dear," replied the spear-wort. "And, next spring, I shall grow up and tease you, just as I'm doing now. Trust me for that."

 

"Unless they come and clean out the pond first," said the water-lily. "For then they'll take you and leave me here because of my beauty."

 

The spear-wort could say nothing to this, for it was true.

 

"Did you hear?" whispered Mrs. Reed-Warbler.

 

"Hush," answered the reed-warbler. "Here comes a bumble-bee."

 

And a big, buzzing bumble-bee came and whirred upon her wings and hung for a while in the air, above the two flowers.

 

"This way, please, dear Bumble-Bee!" cried the water-lily and displayed her white petals¹⁸ to the best advantage. "I keep the freshest honey in the whole district. Pray come nearer. I have combs and combs full. And here is pollen in fancy wrappers. And I have laid out my broad green leaves on the water for you to rest on, if you are tired. See for yourself ... it is quite dry here ... pray ..."

 

"Don't mind that humbug¹⁹," said the spear-wort. "This is the real old shop for honey. I scorn to advertise in that silly way, with big white petals and all that pretence. I put all I know into my honey and my pollen. I only have a little white flower for you to know me by."

 

"You must on no account be seen going into that common shop," screamed the water-lily. "Your honoured children will simply be poisoned by the stuff she keeps. If indeed she has any, for there were two big bumble-bees with her this morning and they looked very dissatisfied when they flew away."

 

"Don't you believe her," cried the spear-wort. "It's sheer jealousy²⁰ makes her talk like that. The bumble-bees were exceedingly pleased and they have produced a quantity of honey. Mother Water-Lily's is yesterday's. No one will have anything to say to it; I swear it's all spoilt."

 

"Buzz ... buzz ...!" said the bee and flew away.

 

"You humbug!" said the water-lily.

 

"You idiot!" said the spear-wort.

 

"That's the worst of keeping bad company," said the water-lily.

 

"It comes of your mountebank²¹ ways, of course," said the spear-wort. "They're enough to drive respectable people from the pond."

 

They could think of nothing more to say and lay on the water and looked angrily at each other.

 

"Oh dear!" said little Mrs. Reed-Warbler. "Where on earth is one to go to find poetry?"

 

"Where can one find a fly?" said her husband.

 

"We must take life as it is," said the mussel, "and meddle²² with it as little as possible. That's what I do; and there's nothing to prevent my remaining here and growing to be a hundred."

 

A boy stood on the edge of the pond. He had a big stone in his hand. Suddenly, he flung it into the water with all his might. Then he went on and thought no more about it.

 

But the stone had hit the mussel and smashed him to pieces.

 

"There!" he said. "That's the end of me. Both shells smashed ... there's nothing to be done. Good-bye and thank you for your pleasant company."

 

One by one all the eyes on his mantle²³ grew dim; and then he was dead.

 

"Goodness knows who will be the next!" said the reed-warbler.

 

But Goody Cray-Fish came slowly crawling and took the dead mussel in her claws:

 

"Now I shall get my leg back with interest," said she.

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 trample   

vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯

参考例句：

• Don't trample on the grass. 勿踏草地。
• Don't trample on the flowers when you play in the garden. 在花园里玩耍时,不要踩坏花。

3 eel   

n.鳗鲡

参考例句：

• He used an eel spear to catch an eel.他用一只捕鳗叉捕鳗鱼。
• In Suzhou,there was a restaurant that specialized in eel noodles.苏州有一家饭馆，他们那里的招牌菜是鳗鱼面。

4 wriggle   

v./n.蠕动，扭动；蜿蜒

参考例句：

• I've got an appointment I can't wriggle out of.我有个推脱不掉的约会。
• Children wriggle themselves when they are bored.小孩子感到厌烦时就会扭动他们的身体。

5 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

6 ripen   

vt.使成熟；vi.成熟

参考例句：

• I'm waiting for the apples to ripen.我正在等待苹果成熟。
• You can ripen the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill.把西红柿放在有阳光的窗台上可以让它们成熟。

7 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

8 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

9 horrid   

adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的

参考例句：

• I'm not going to the horrid dinner party.我不打算去参加这次讨厌的宴会。
• The medicine is horrid and she couldn't get it down.这种药很难吃，她咽不下去。

10 hush   

int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静

参考例句：

• A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
• Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

11 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

12 enticed   

诱惑，怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He enticed his former employer into another dice game. 他挑逗他原来的老板再赌一次掷骰子。
• Consumers are courted, enticed, and implored by sellers of goods and services. 消费者受到商品和劳务出售者奉承，劝诱和央求。

13 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

14 frivolous   

adj.轻薄的；轻率的

参考例句：

• This is a frivolous way of attacking the problem.这是一种轻率敷衍的处理问题的方式。
• He spent a lot of his money on frivolous things.他在一些无聊的事上花了好多钱。

15 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

16 swarmed   

密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。
• When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

17 pretence   

n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰

参考例句：

• The government abandoned any pretence of reform. 政府不再装模作样地进行改革。
• He made a pretence of being happy at the party.晚会上他假装很高兴。

18 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

19 humbug   

n.花招，谎话，欺骗

参考例句：

• I know my words can seem to him nothing but utter humbug.我知道，我说的话在他看来不过是彻头彻尾的慌言。
• All their fine words are nothing but humbug.他们的一切花言巧语都是骗人的。

20 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。

21 mountebank   

n.江湖郎中；骗子

参考例句：

• The nation was led astray by a mountebank.这个国家被一个夸夸其谈的骗子引入歧途。
• The mountebank was stormed with questions.江湖骗子受到了猛烈的质问。

22 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

23 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。