老螃蟹觉得不安了，觉得全身太硬了。自己知道要蜕壳了。One day, an old crab was restless. Feeling stiff and tight all over his body, he realized that time had come for him to shed his old shell.他跑来跑去的寻。他想寻一个窟穴，躲了身子，将石子堵了穴口，隐隐的蜕壳。他知道外面蜕壳是危险的。身子还软，要被别的螃蟹吃去的。这并非空害怕，他实在亲眼见过。他慌慌张张的走。He dashed around, trying to find a hole to hide himself, so that he could block the entrance with rocks and change his shell while in hiding. He knew the perils of changing his shell in the open. His new shell would be soft, and he could fall prey to[2] other crabs. This fear was real. He saw tragedies like that unfold right before his eyes. Panicked, he continued his desperate search[3].旁边的螃蟹问他说：“老兄，你何以这般慌？”“Hey, dude, why are you freaking out like that?” asked a crab who happened to stand nearby.他说：“我要蜕壳了。”“I’m going to shed my shell,” answered the old crab.“就在这里蜕不很好么？我还要帮你呢。”“But this is a great place to do your job. Besides, I can help you.”“那可太怕人了。”“That’s too scary.”“你不怕窟穴里的别的东西，却怕我们同种么？”“Why aren’t you afraid of other creatures lurking in a hole? We’re all crabs. We’re brothers[4]. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”“我不是怕同种。”“I’m not scared because you’re also a crab.”[5]“那还怕什么呢？”“Then what are you scared of?”“就怕你要吃掉我。”“I’m scared because you want to eat me.”
【注释】
1. 鲁迅的《螃蟹》运用象征的手段反映现实，讲述即将蜕壳而新生的老螃蟹怎样提防在自己“身子还软”时“被同种吃掉”，揭露了声言要“帮”自己的“同种”而实则想趁机吃“同种”的险恶居心。文章给人的启迪是：蜕变而获新生之事物，在幼弱阶段时，往往面临被旧事物扼杀的风险。2. fall prey to 的意思是be hunted and killed by，也就是“要被……吃去的”。3. 虽然原文是“他慌慌张张的走”，但所指的仍然是在“慌慌张张”寻找（一个洞），上文已经提到他在寻找，故此处用he continued his desperate search。4. 所谓“同种”，也就是说都是螃蟹，既然都是螃蟹，也就是兄弟。在这样的语境里，如此表达似乎更加直接、更加达意，也更加适合语域的需要。5. 与注4所述情况一样。（选自《英语世界》2021 年第 9 期）
