16.表里的生物（1846）

16.表里的生物

1. 我小时候住在一座小城里，城里没有工厂，所以也没有机器的声音。

2. 我那时以为凡能发出声音的，都是活的生物，早晨有鸟叫得很好听，夜里有狗吠得很怕人，夏天蝉在绿树上叫，秋晚有各种的虫在草丛中唱不同的歌曲；钟楼上的钟不是活的，有时却洪亮地响起来，那是有一个老人在敲，街心有时响着三弦的声音，那是一个盲人在弹。

3. 哪里有死的东西会自己走动，并且能自动地发出和谐的声音呢？

4. 可是父亲怀里的表有时放在桌子上，不但它的秒针会自己动转，并且它坚硬的表盖里会发出清脆的声音：滴答，滴答……没有一刻的休息，这声音比蝉鸣要柔和些，比虫的歌曲要单调些。

5. 一天，我对父亲说：

6. “我爱听这表的声音。”

7. 我一边说一边向着表伸出手去。

8. 父亲立刻把我的手拦住了，他说：

9. “只许听，不许动。”

10. 停了一会儿，他又添上一句：“小孩儿不许动表。”

11. 他这么说，就更增加了表的神秘。

12. “不许动”，里边该是什么东西在响呢？

13. 我对于它的好奇心也一天比一天增加。

14. 树上的蝉，草里的虫，都不轻易被人看见，我想：这里边一定也有一个蝉或虫一类的生物吧。

15. 这生物被父亲关在表里，不许小孩子动。

16. 越不许我动，我越想动，但是我又不敢，因此很痛苦。

17. 这样过了许多天。

18. 父亲一把表放在桌子上，我的眼睛就再也离不开它。有一次，父亲也许看我的样子太可怜了，也许自己有什么高兴的事，他对我笑着说：“你来，我给你看看表里是什么在响，可是只许看，不许动。”

19. 没有请求，父亲就主动给我看，我高兴极了，同时我的心也加速跳动。

20. 父亲取出一把小刀，把表盖拨开，在我的面前立即呈现出一个美丽的世界：蓝色的、红色的小宝石，钉住几个金黄色的齿轮，里边还有一个小尾巴似的东西不住地摆来摆去。

21. 这小世界不但被表盖保护着，还被一层玻璃蒙着。我看得入神，唯恐父亲再把这美丽的世界盖上。

22. 可是过了一会儿，父亲还是把表盖上了。父亲的表里边真是好看。

23. 此后我就常常请求父亲把他的表打开给我看，有时父亲答应我，有时却拒绝我，这要看他高兴不高兴。

24. 有一回，父亲又把表打开了，我问：

25. “为什么还蒙着一层玻璃呢？”

26. “这就是叫你只许看，不许动。”父亲回答。

27. “为什么呢？”我又问。

28. “这摆来摆去的是一个小蝎子的尾巴，一动就要螫你。”

29. 我吓了一跳，蝎子是多么丑恶而恐怖的东西，为什么把它放在这样一个美丽的世界里呢？

30. 但是我也感到愉快，证实我的猜测没有错：表里边有一个活的生物。

31. 我继续问“为什么把那样可怕的东西放在这么好的表里？”

32. 父亲没有回答。

33. 我只想，大半因为它有好听的声音吧。

34. 但是一般的蝎子都没有这么好的声音，也许这里边的蝎子与一般的不同。

35. 后来我见人就说：“我有蟋蟀在钵子里，蝈蝈儿在葫芦里，鸟儿在笼子里；父亲却有一个小蝎子在表里。”

36. 这样的话我不知说了多久，也不知道到什么时候才不说了。

Creatures in the Watch

1. When I was young, I lived in a small town where there were no factories, so there was no sound of machines.

2. At that time, I thought anything that made noise was alive. In the morning, birds sang beautifully, at night, dogs barked fearfully, in the summer, cicadas called from green trees, and in the late autumn, various insects sang different songs in the grass. The clock on the clock tower wasn’t alive, but it rang loudly sometimes because an old man was striking it. In the middle of the street, sometimes there was the sound of a three-stringed instrument, played by a blind man.

3. How could dead things move by themselves and make harmonious sounds?

4. But my father's watch sometimes lay on the table, and not only did its second hand move by itself, but from its hard cover came a crisp sound: tick-tock, tick-tock... without a moment's rest. The sound was gentler than the cicadas’ calls, but more monotonous than the songs of insects.

5. One day, I said to my father:

6. "I love listening to the sound of this watch."

7. As I spoke, I reached out my hand towards the watch.

8. My father immediately stopped my hand and said:

9. "You can only listen, not touch."

10. After a pause, he added, "Children are not allowed to touch the watch."

11. This made the watch even more mysterious.

12. "Not allowed to touch," what could be making the sound inside?

13. My curiosity about it grew day by day.

14. The cicadas in the trees and the insects in the grass were not easily seen. I thought, there must be a cicada or an insect-like creature inside.

15. This creature was kept in the watch by my father, and children were not allowed to touch it.

16. The more I wasn’t allowed to touch it, the more I wanted to, but I didn’t dare, so it was very frustrating.

17. Many days passed like this.

18. When my father put the watch on the table, my eyes couldn't leave it. Once, my father might have seen how pitiful I looked or maybe he was in a good mood himself, he smiled and said to me, "Come, I'll show you what's making the sound inside the watch, but you can only look, not touch."

19. Without me asking, my father took the initiative to show me. I was extremely happy, and my heart beat faster.

20. My father took out a small knife and pried open the watch cover. A beautiful world immediately appeared in front of me: blue and red tiny gems held down several golden gears, and inside there was a tail-like thing moving back and forth continuously.

21. This small world was not only protected by the watch cover but also covered by a layer of glass. I watched intently, afraid my father would close this beautiful world again.

22. But after a while, my father did close the watch. The inside of my father’s watch was truly beautiful.

23. After that, I often asked my father to open his watch and show me. Sometimes he agreed, sometimes he refused, depending on his mood.

24. Once, my father opened the watch again, and I asked:

25. "Why is there still a layer of glass?"

26. "That's to let you only look, not touch," my father replied.

27. "Why?" I asked again.

28. "The thing moving back and forth is the tail of a small scorpion. If you touch it, it will sting you."

29. I was startled. How ugly and terrifying scorpions are, why put one in such a beautiful world?

30. But I was also pleased, confirming my guess: there was a living creature inside the watch.

31. I continued to ask, "Why put such a scary thing in such a good watch?"

32. My father didn’t answer.

33. I just thought, probably because it made a pleasant sound.

34. But ordinary scorpions don’t make such nice sounds, maybe the scorpion inside was different.

35. Later, I told everyone, "I have crickets in a pot, katydids in a gourd, and birds in a cage; my father has a little scorpion in his watch."

36.I don't know how long I said this or when I stopped saying it.