Translation of "The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain

The translation is as follows:

One day, a stranger came and asked Smiley, "What is in your box?"

Smiley replied, "It's just a frog." The stranger held the box, looked at it carefully, turned it around in his hand, and said, "Well, it is indeed a frog. But this is a frog. What's good?"

"Well," said Smiley nonchalantly, "he can jump farther than any frog in Calaveras." The stranger picked it up again. box, looked at the frog carefully again, then handed the box back to Smiley and said, "I don't see how this frog is any better than the other frogs."

"Maybe You can't tell," Smiley said. "Maybe you know frogs well, or maybe you don't know them well. Anyway, I'll bet you $40 that this frog of mine is better than Calaveras. Any frog can jump far." The man thought for a moment, "I'm not a local, and I don't have a frog, but I'd be willing to bet you if I had a frog."

After hearing this, Smiley said, "It doesn't matter. Can you hold the box for me first, and I will help you find one." The man took the box, took out 40 dollars, and sat down to wait for Smiley. He was not idle while sitting, he kept thinking and thinking. Then he took the frog out of the box and stuffed the frog's mouth with bullets used to shoot birds. Then he put the frog on the ground.

With Smiley's command, "Three two one, jump!" Smiley and the man poked the frog at the same time. The newly caught frog jumped out immediately. Daniel just made bouncing movements, but couldn't move. It looks like a building with roots in the ground. Smiley was stunned and angry. But he had no idea what was wrong.

The man took the money, got up and left. When he was about to walk out the door, he turned around and said, "I really can't see any difference between that frog and other frogs." Smiley stared at his Daniel for a long time, and finally said to himself, "I want to know what's going on with this frog, if there's something wrong with it."

Then he picked up Daniel, turned it over, and saw a bunch of bullets jumping out of the frog's mouth. come out. Smiley was immediately furious. He put the frog on the ground and got up to chase the man who had deceived him, but in vain.

At this time Mr. Simon heard someone calling his name, so he got up to see what he wanted. He asked me to wait a moment, but I thought that if I listened any further I would get no clue about the Reverend Leonidas Smiley. So I stood up and prepared to leave.

When I walked to the door, I just saw Mr. Simon coming back. He started to talk again, "Where is Smiley? There is also a yellow cow. It has one eye and no tail..." But , but I no longer had the interest or time to continue listening to his story about the cow. I said goodbye directly.

Extended information:

The creative background of "The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County":

Although Mark Twain lived before and after the American Civil War, But he came to the West to make a living in his early years and was more affected by the "Gold Rush". Mark Twain mined, panned for gold, and worked as an editor on the western frontier of the United States. In California at that time, everything was decided by betting. Calaveras County is located in the state of California.

The "gold diggers" who came to the American West at that time were almost like the gambling-addicted Jim Smiley in "The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" who was willing to follow the dung beetles for a bet. Go to Mexico to find out. Groups of immigrants came to the western frontier of the United States, and the competition for survival was cruel. This real life is reflected in the story of "The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County".

Baidu Encyclopedia-Calaveras County’s famous jumping frog