【英文读物】The Tin Woodman of Oz.docx

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1、【英文读物】The Tin Woodman of OzTO MY READERS I know that some of you have been waiting for this story of the Tin Woodman, because many of my correspondents have asked me, time and again what ever became of the pretty Munchkin girl whom Nick Chopper was engaged to marry before the Wicked Witch enchanted

2、his axe and he traded his flesh for tin. I, too, have wondered what became of her, but until Woot the Wanderer interested himself in the matter the Tin Woodman knew no more than we did. However, he found her, after many thrilling adventures, as you will discover when you have read this story. I am d

3、elighted at the continued interest of both young and old in the Oz stories. A learned college professor recently wrote me to ask: For readers of what age are your books intended? It puzzled me to answer that properly, until I had looked over some of the letters I have received. One says: Im a little

4、 boy 5 years old, and I Just love your Oz stories. My sister, who is writing this for me, reads me the Oz books, but I wish I could read them myself. Another letter says: Im a great girl 13 years old, so youll be surprised when I tell you I am not too old yet for the Oz stories. Heres another letter

5、: Since I was a young girl Ive never missed getting a Baum book for Christmas. Im married, now, but am as eager to get and read the Oz stories as ever. And still another writes: My good wife and I, both more than 70 years of age, believe that we find more real enjoyment in your Oz books than in any

6、other books we read. Considering these statements, I wrote the college professor that my books are intended for all those whose hearts are young, no matter what their ages may be. I think I am justified in promising that there will be some astonishing revelations about The Magic of Oz in my book for

7、 1919. Always your loving and grateful friend, L. FRANK BAUM. Royal Historian of Oz. OZCOT at HOLLYWOOD in CALIFORNIA 1918.Chapter One Woot the Wanderer The Tin Woodman sat on his glittering tin throne in the handsome tin hall of his splendid tin castle in the Winkie Country of the Land of Oz. Besid

8、e him, in a chair of woven straw, sat his best friend, the Scarecrow of Oz. At times they spoke to one another of curious things they had seen and strange adventures they had known since first they two had met and become comrades. But at times they were silent, for these things had been talked over

9、many times between them, and they found themselves contented in merely being together, speaking now and then a brief sentence to prove they were wide awake and attentive. But then, these two quaint persons never slept. Why should they sleep, when they never tired? And now, as the brilliant sun sank

10、low over the Winkie Country of Oz, tinting the glistening tin towers and tin minarets of the tin castle with glorious sunset hues, there approached along a winding pathway Woot the Wanderer, who met at the castle entrance a Winkie servant. The servants of the Tin Woodman all wore tin helmets and tin

11、 breastplates and uniforms covered with tiny tin discs sewed closely together on silver cloth, so that their bodies sparkled as beautifully as did the tin castleand almost as beautifully as did the Tin Woodman himself. Woot the Wanderer looked at the man servantall bright and glitteringand at the ma

12、gnificent castleall bright and glitteringand as he looked his eyes grew big with wonder. For Woot was not very big and not very old and, wanderer though he was, this proved the most gorgeous sight that had ever met his boyish gaze. Who lives here? he asked. The Emperor of the Winkies, who is the fam

13、ous Tin Woodman of Oz, replied the servant, who had been trained to treat all strangers with courtesy. A Tin Woodman? How queer! exclaimed the little wanderer. Well, perhaps our Emperor is queer, admitted the servant; but he is a kind master and as honest and true as good tin can make him; so we, wh

14、o gladly serve him, are apt to forget that he is not like other people. May I see him? asked Woot the Wanderer, after a moments thought. If it please you to wait a moment, I will go and ask him, said the servant, and then he went into the hall where the Tin Woodman sat with his friend the Scarecrow.

15、 Both were glad to learn that a stranger had arrived at the castle, for this would give them something new to talk about, so the servant was asked to admit the boy at once. By the time Woot the Wanderer had passed through the grand corridorsall lined with ornamental tinand under stately tin archways

16、 and through the many tin rooms all set with beautiful tin furniture, his eyes had grown bigger than ever and his whole little body thrilled with amazement. But, astonished though he was, he was able to make a polite bow before the throne and to say in a respectful voice: I salute your Illustrious M

17、ajesty and offer you my humble services. Very good! answered the Tin Woodman in his accustomed cheerful manner. Tell me who you are, and whence you come. I am known as Woot the Wanderer, answered the boy, and I have come, through many travels and by roundabout ways, from my former home in a far corn

18、er of the Gillikin Country of Oz. To wander from ones home, remarked the Scarecrow, is to encounter dangers and hardships, especially if one is made of meat and bone. Had you no friends in that corner of the Gillikin Country? Was it not homelike and comfortable? To hear a man stuffed with straw spea

19、k, and speak so well, quite startled Woot, and perhaps he stared a bit rudely at the Scarecrow. But after a moment he replied: I had home and friends, your Honorable Strawness, but they were so quiet and happy and comfortable that I found them dismally stupid. Nothing in that corner of Oz interested

20、 me, but I believed that in other parts of the country I would find strange people and see new sights, and so I set out upon my wandering journey. I have been a wanderer for nearly a full year, and now my wanderings have brought me to this splendid castle. I suppose, said the Tin Woodman, that in th

21、is year you have seen so much that you have become very wise. No, replied Woot, thoughtfully, I am not at all wise, I beg to assure your Majesty. The more I wander the less I find that I know, for in the Land of Oz much wisdom and many things may be learned. To learn is simple. Dont you ask question

22、s? inquired the Scarecrow. Yes; I ask as many questions as I dare; but some people refuse to answer questions. That is not kind of them, declared the Tin Woodman. If one does not ask for information he seldom receives it; so I, for my part, make it a rule to answer any civil question that is asked m

23、e. So do I, added the Scarecrow, nodding. I am glad to hear this, said the Wanderer, for it makes me bold to ask for something to eat. Bless the boy! cried the Emperor of the Winkies; how careless of me not to remember that wanderers are usually hungry. I will have food brought you at once. Saying t

24、his he blew upon a tin whistle that was suspended from his tin neck, and at the summons a servant appeared and bowed low. The Tin Woodman ordered food for the stranger, and in a few minutes the servant brought in a tin tray heaped with a choice array of good things to eat, all neatly displayed on ti

25、n dishes that were polished till they shone like mirrors. The tray was set upon a tin table drawn before the throne, and the servant placed a tin chair before the table for the boy to seat himself. Eat, friend Wanderer, said the Emperor cordially, and I trust the feast will be to your liking. I, mys

26、elf, do not eat, being made in such manner that I require no food to keep me alive. Neither does my friend the Scarecrow. But all my Winkie people eat, being formed of flesh, as you are, and so my tin cupboard is never bare, and strangers are always welcome to whatever it contains. The boy ate in si

27、lence for a time, being really hungry, but after his appetite was somewhat satisfied, he said: How happened your Majesty to be made of tin, and still be alive? That, replied the tin man, is a long story. The longer the better, said the boy. Wont you please tell me the story? If you desire it, promis

28、ed the Tin Woodman, leaning back in his tin throne and crossing his tin legs. I havent related my history in a long while, because everyone here knows it nearly as well as I do. But you, being a stranger, are no doubt curious to learn how I became so beautiful and prosperous, so I will recite for yo

29、ur benefit my strange adventures. Thank you, said Woot the Wanderer, still eating. I was not always made of tin, began the Emperor, for in the beginning I was a man of flesh and bone and blood and lived in the Munchkin Country of Oz. There I was, by trade, a woodchopper, and contributed my share to

30、the comfort of the Oz people by chopping up the trees of the forest to make firewood, with which the women would cook their meals while the children warmed themselves about the fires. For my home I had a little hut by the edge of the forest, and my life was one of much content until I fell in love w

31、ith a beautiful Munchkin girl who lived not far away. What was the Munchkin girls name? asked Woot. Nimmie Amee. This girl, so fair that the sunsets blushed when their rays fell upon her, lived with a powerful witch who wore silver shoes and who had made the poor child her slave. Nimmie Amee was obl

32、iged to work from morning till night for the old Witch of the East, scrubbing and sweeping her hut and cooking her meals and washing her dishes. She had to cut firewood, too, until I found her one day in the forest and fell in love with her. After that, I always brought plenty of firewood to Nimmie

33、Amee and we became very friendly. Finally I asked her to marry me, and she agreed to do so, but the Witch happened to overhear our conversation and it made her very angry, for she did not wish her slave to be taken away from her. The Witch commanded me never to come near Nimmie Amee again, but I tol

34、d her I was my own master and would do as I pleased, not realizing that this was a careless way to speak to a Witch. The next day, as I was cutting wood in the forest, the cruel Witch enchanted my axe, so that it slipped and cut off my right leg. How dreadful! cried Woot the Wanderer. Yes, it was a

35、seeming misfortune, agreed the Tin Man, for a one-legged woodchopper is of little use in his trade. But I would not allow the Witch to conquer me so easily. I knew a very skillful mechanic at the other side of the forest, who was my friend, so I hopped on one leg to him and asked him to help me. He

36、soon made me a new leg out of tin and fastened it cleverly to my meat body. It had joints at the knee and at the ankle and was almost as comfortable as the leg I had lost. Your friend must have been a wonderful workman! exclaimed Woot. He was, indeed, admitted the Emperor. He was a tinsmith by trade

37、 and could make anything out of tin. When I returned to Nimmie Amee, the girl was delighted and threw her arms around my neck and kissed me, declaring she was proud of me. The Witch saw the kiss and was more angry than before. When I went to work in the forest, next day, my axe, being still enchante

38、d, slipped and cut off my other leg. Again I hoppedon my tin legto my friend the tinsmith, who kindly made me another tin leg and fastened it to my body. So I returned joyfully to Nimmie Amee, who was much pleased with my glittering legs and promised that when we were wed she would always keep them

39、oiled and polished. But the Witch was more furious than ever, and as soon as I raised my axe to chop, it twisted around and cut off one of my arms. The tinsmith made me a tin arm and I was not much worried, because Nimmie Amee declared she still loved me.Chapter Two The Heart of the Tin Woodman The

40、Emperor of the Winkies paused in his story to reach for an oil-can, with which he carefully oiled the joints in his tin throat, for his voice had begun to squeak a little. Woot the Wanderer, having satisfied his hunger, watched this oiling process with much curiosity, but begged the Tin Man to go on

41、 with his tale. The Witch with the Silver Shoes hated me for having defied her, resumed the Emperor, his voice now sounding clear as a bell, and she insisted that Nimmie Amee should never marry me. Therefore she made the enchanted axe cut off my other arm, and the tinsmith also replaced that member

42、with tin, including these finely-jointed hands that you see me using. But, alas! after that, the axe, still enchanted by the cruel Witch, cut my body in two, so that I fell to the ground. Then the Witch, who was watching from a near-by bush, rushed up and seized the axe and chopped my body into seve

43、ral small pieces, after which, thinking that at last she had destroyed me, she ran away laughing in wicked glee. But Nimmie Amee found me. She picked up my arms and legs and head, and made a bundle of them and carried them to the tinsmith, who set to work and made me a fine body of pure tin. When he

44、 had joined the arms and legs to the body, and set my head in the tin collar, I was a much better man than ever, for my body could not ache or pain me, and I was so beautiful and bright that I had no need of clothing. Clothing is always a nuisance, because it soils and tears and has to be replaced;

45、but my tin body only needs to be oiled and polished. Nimmie Amee still declared she would marry me, as she still loved me in spite of the Witchs evil deeds. The girl declared I would make the brightest husband in all the world, which was quite true. However, the Wicked Witch was not yet defeated. Wh

46、en I returned to my work the axe slipped and cut off my head, which was the only meat part of me then remaining. Moreover, the old woman grabbed up my severed head and carried it away with her and hid it. But Nimmie Amee came into the forest and found me wandering around helplessly, because I could

47、not see where to go, and she led me to my friend the tinsmith. The faithful fellow at once set to work to make me a tin head, and he had just completed it when Nimmie Amee came running up with my old head, which she had stolen from the Witch. But, on reflection, I considered the tin head far superio

48、r to the meat oneI am wearing it yet, so you can see its beauty and grace of outlineand the girl agreed with me that a man all made of tin was far more perfect than one formed of different materials. The tinsmith was as proud of his workmanship as I was, and for three whole days, all admired me and praised my beauty. Being now completely formed of tin, I had no more fear of the Wicked Witch, for she was powerless to injure me. Nimmie Amee said we must be married at once, for then she could come to my cottage and liv