The Cherokee Little People

The Cherokee Little People

切罗基小精灵

There once lived a Cherokee man and a woman named Tooney and Polly. They lived in a little cabin in the mountains. Every spring they planted corn. In summer the corn grew and grew. In fall Polly and Tooney gathered the corn. In the long cold winter they made food from the corn.

从前，有一对切罗基夫妇，名叫图尼和波莉。 他们住在山里的一间小木屋里。 每年春天他们都会种玉米。 夏天的时候，玉米长呀长呀。 秋天到了，波莉和图尼就去收玉米。 在漫长寒冷的冬天，他们就用玉米做吃的。

One year the corn grew and grew and grew. There was so much corn that Toony and Polly couldn't gather it all. I will go into town and try to get help said Toony and off he went. Toony was gone for a long time. Polly waited and waited. She saw many crows in the sky. She began to worry. If Toony doesn't come back soon, the crows will eat all the corn said Polly. Polly began to cry.

有一年，玉米长啊长啊，长得特别旺。 玉米实在太多了，图尼和波莉根本收不完。 “我去镇上看看能不能找人帮忙。”图尼说完就出发了。 图尼走了好久好久都没回来。 波莉等啊等啊。 她看到天上飞来了好多乌鸦。 她开始着急起来。 波莉说：“要是图尼再不快点回来，乌鸦会把所有玉米都吃光的。” 波莉急得哭了起来。

Two Cherokee little people, Kamama and Kanunu, were playing in the big tree next to the little cabin. They heard Polly crying. Kamama and Kanunu peeped from the tree. They saw Polly crying. They saw all the corn. They saw the crows flying over the corn. At once Kamama and Kanunu knew what was wrong.

两个切罗基小精灵，卡玛玛和卡努努，正在小木屋旁边的大树上玩耍。 他们听到了波莉的哭声。 卡玛玛和卡努努从树上探出头往下看。 他们看到波莉在哭，看到了满田的玉米，还看到乌鸦在玉米田上空飞来飞去。 卡玛玛和卡努努立刻就明白发生什么事啦。

Kamama and Kanunu danced and sang a special song to make Polly go to sleep. Then Kamama and Kanunu and their friends gathered the corn. They put the corn next to the little cabin.

卡玛玛和卡努努跳起舞，还唱了一首特别的歌，哄波莉睡着了。 然后卡玛玛、卡努努和他们的朋友们一起去收玉米。 他们把收下来的玉米都堆在小木屋旁边。

The next morning, Toony came home. He hadn't found any helpers, because everyone was busy in their own fields. He looked at the empty cornfield. Who has gathered all the corn? he wondered. Wake up Polly! said Toony. Did you gather all the corn? No, I didn't gather all the corn! said Polly. I have been asleep. I had a dream. I dreamed that the Cherokee little people gathered the corn.

第二天早上，图尼回到了家。 他一个帮忙的人都没找到，因为大家都在自己的田里忙着呢。 他看向空荡荡的玉米田。 他纳闷极了：是谁把所有玉米都收完了呀？ “波莉，醒醒！”图尼喊道，“是你把所有玉米都收完的吗？” “不是呀，我没有收玉米呀！”波莉说。 我刚才一直在睡觉，还做了个梦呢。 我梦到切罗基小精灵们把玉米都收完啦。