“There can be nothing better than we have here，”said the fathersnail.“I wish for nothing more.”
“世界上不可能还有比我们这儿更好的地方。”蜗牛爸爸说，“我什么别的想头也没有。”
“Yes，but I do，”said the mother，“I should like to be taken to the palace，and boiled，and laid upon a silver dish，as was done to all our ancestors（ancestor n.祖先，祖宗），and you may be sure it must be something very uncommon.”
“对，但是我有，”妈妈说，“我非常想到公馆里去被烹调一下，然后放到银盘子里去。就像我们的祖先们一样。可以肯定，这是一种光荣！”
“The noblemans castle，perhaps，has fallen to decay，”said the snailfather，“or the burdock wood may have grown out.You need not be in a hurry，you are always so impatient，and the youngster is getting just the same.He has been three days creeping to the top of that stalk.I feel quite giddy when I look at him.”
“或许公馆已经塌了，”蜗牛爸爸说，“又或许牛蒡已经在它上面长成了树林，弄得人们连走都走不出来。你不需要急——你老是那样急，现在连那个小家伙也学起你来。你看他这三天来不总是往梗子上爬吗？在我抬头看他的时候，我的头都昏了。”
“You must not scold him，”said the mothersnail，“he creeps so very carefully.He will be the joy of our home，and we old folks have nothing else to live for.But have you ever thought where we are to get a wife for him？Do you think that farther out in the wood there may be others of our race？”
“请你千万不要骂他，”蜗牛妈妈说，“他爬得很认真。他带给我们生活的快乐。我们这对老夫妇还有什么别的东西值得活下去呢？不过，你想到过没有，我们在什么地方能给他找个太太呢？在这林子的远处，也许住着我们的族人，你想到过没有？”
“There may be black snails，no doubt，”said the old snail，“black snails without houses，but they are so vulgar(vulgar adj.粗俗的，庸俗的，普通的，通俗的，本土的)and conceited too.But we can give the ants a commission，they run here and there，as if they all had so much business to get through.They，most likely，will know of a wife for our youngster.”
“我想那里住着些黑蜗牛，”老头儿说，“没有房子的黑蜗牛！不过他们都是一帮粗俗的东西，并且还喜欢摆架子。不过我们能托蚂蚁办办这件事情，他们跑来跑去，好像很忙一样。他们一定能为我们的小少爷找个太太。”
“I certainly know a most beautiful bride，”said one of the ants，“but I fear it would not do，for she is a queen.”
“我认识一个最美丽的姑娘！”蚂蚁说，“不过恐怕不成，因为她是一个女王！”
“That does not matter，”said the old snail，“has she a house？”
“这没什么关系，”两位老蜗牛说。“她有房子吗？”
“She has a palace，”replied the ant，—“a most beautiful antpalace with seven hundred passages.”
“她有一所宫殿！”蚂蚁回答说。“一座最美丽的蚂蚁宫殿，里面建有７００条走廊。”
“Thank you，”said the mothersnail，“but our boy shall not go to live in an anthill.If you know of nothing better，we will give the commission to the white gnats，they fly about in rain and sunshine，they know the burdock wood from one end to the other.”
“谢谢你！”蜗牛妈妈说：“不过我们的孩子是不会钻蚂蚁窟的。如果你找不到更好的对象的话，我们会托白蚊蚋来办这件差事。他们天晴下雨都在外面飞，对牛蒡林的里里外外全清楚。”
“We have a wife for him，”said the gnats，“a hundred mansteps from here，there is a little snail with a house，sitting on a gooseberrybush，she is quite alone，and old enough to be married.It is only a hundred mansteps from here.”
“我们给他物色到了一个太太，”蚊蚋说。“在离这儿１００步远的地方，有一个小蜗牛住在醋栗丛上，她有房子而且已经够结婚年龄，她是非常寂寞的。她住的地方离此地只不过１００步远！”
“Then let her come to him，”said the old people.“He has the whole burdock forest，she has only a bush.”
“那么，叫她来找他吧，”这对老夫妇说。“我的儿子拥有整个的牛蒡林，而她只不过有一个小醋栗丛！”
So they brought the little ladysnail.She took eight days to perform the journey，but that was just as it ought to be，for it showed her to be one of the right breeding.And then they had a wedding.Six glowworms gave as much light as they could，but in other respects it was all very quiet，for the old snails could not bear festivities or a crowd.But a beautiful speech was made by the mothersnail.The father could not speak，he was too much overcome.Then they gave the whole burdock forest to the young snails as an inheritance(inheritance n.遗传，遗产)，and repeated what they had so often said，that it was the finest place in the world，and that if they led upright and honorable lives，and their family increased，they and their children might some day be taken to the noblemans palace，to be boiled black，and laid on a silver dish.And when they had finished speaking，the old couple crept into their houses，and came out no more，for they slept.
于是，它们便去请那位小蜗牛姑娘来。她足足过了八天才到，但这是一种很正常的现象，因为这足以说明她是一位很正经的女子。接着它们就举行了婚礼。六个萤火虫尽量发出光来照着。除此之外，一切是非常安静的，原因是这对老蜗牛夫妇受不了大吵大闹。不过蜗牛妈妈发表了一篇动人的演说。因为蜗牛爸爸受到了极大的感动，一句话也说不出来。于是它们把整座牛蒡林送给这对年轻夫妇，当作遗产，并且重复了一大套它们常常说的话，那就是——这地方是世界上最好的一个地方，假如它们要正直地、善良地生活和繁殖下去的话，它们和它们的孩子们将来就应该到那个公馆里去，以便被煮黑，放到银盘子上面。当这番演说结束以后，这对老夫妇就钻进它们的屋子里去，再也不出来。它们睡着了。
The young snail pair now ruled in the forest，and had a numerous progeny(progeny n.后裔).But as the young ones were never boiled or laid in silver dishes，they concluded that the castle had fallen into decay，and that all the people in the world were dead，and as nobody contradicted them，they thought they must be right.And the rain fell upon the burdockleaves，to play the drum for them，and the sun shone to paint colors on the burdock forest for them，and they were very happy，the whole family were entirely and perfectly happy.
这对年轻的蜗牛夫妇现在统治着整座的森林，后来生了一大堆孩子。不过因为它们从来没有被烹调过，也没有被放到银盘子里去过，因此它们就下了一个结论，认为那个公馆已经塌了，全世界的人类都已经死去了。没有谁反对它们这种看法，因此它们认为它们一定是对的。雨打在牛蒡叶上，为它们发出咚咚的音乐来。太阳为它们发出光，使这牛蒡林增添了很多光彩。于是，它们过得非常幸福——这整个家庭是幸福的，说不出地幸福！
