大象女王

For her friends, it’s difficult to know whether she’s in trouble
还是累得走不动
or just very tired.
但是雅典娜低吟”前进”时
But when Athena rumbles, “Move on,”
所有大象都得归队
everyone has to fall in line.
对于象宝宝来说 没有比落单
And for a baby elephant, there is nothing worse
更凄惨的未来
than the prospect of being left behind.
感觉到季节将要变化的不仅是雅典娜
It’s not just Athena who feels the approach of a time of change.
牛蛙的新家族几乎是一夜之间就长出了腿
Almost overnight, bullfrog’s new family have grown legs
现在它们必须离开水坑 开始陆地上的生活
and are now driven to leave the water to start a life on land.
幸运的是 它们新长出的骨骼还很柔软
Luckily for them, their new bones are still very soft.
不过它们最好不要在三吨♥重的
But they’d rather not push their luck
大象脚下碰运气
with three tons of elephant.
雅典娜还没有启程前往它们的旱季庇护所
Athena hasn’t set off for their dry-season refuge yet
因为米米还在挣扎
because Mimi is struggling.
它需要母亲的鼓励
She needs her mother’s encouragement.
旱季即将来临 已经无路可退
With the dry season setting in, there’s no going back.
不过偶尔 大自然也会露出微笑
But just occasionally, nature smiles
归还它曾夺走的东西
and gives back what she took away.
希望斯蒂芬独自度过的夜晚
Hopefully, Stephen’s night alone
让它明白了家族的重要性
has shown him just how much he needs his family.
最后一批小牛蛙也要上岸了
The last froglets are now ready to come ashore.
但是先上岸的牛蛙体型更大
But those that emerged first are bigger,
它们正等着呢
and they are waiting.
牛蛙若想赢在生命的起跑线上
For a bullfrog to get the best start in life,
嘴巴大 亲戚小 是很有帮助的
it helps to have a big mouth and small relatives.
在王国里 几周无雨的影响已经显现
In the kingdom, weeks without rain have taken their toll.
假使雅典娜曾经对即将到来的旱季有所怀疑
But if Athena was ever in doubt about what’s coming,
大批鸟类的来临也会打消它
the arrival of the great flocks confirms it.
随着附近的土地干涸 奎利亚雀被迫迁徙
As the lands around dry, quelea are forced to migrate.
它们旋风般的来临简直势不可挡
Their whirlwind arrival can be overwhelming.
它们一天就能喝掉雅典娜家族一周的饮水量
And they’ll drink in a day what Athena’s family drinks in a week.
等它们飞走 水坑已经被喝干
By the time they move on, they’ve drunk the water hole dry.
雅典雅家族会用泥巴来防晒
Athena’s family will use the mud as sunscreen.
而这对鳉鱼至关重要
And this is vital for the killifish,
因为它们把卵产在泥巴里
for they left their eggs hidden in the mud.
卵发育成小鱼 但并不孵化
They developed into tiny fish, but never hatched.
它们能在无水环境下生存数周
They can survive out of water for weeks.
当雅典娜家族出发时
So when Athena’s family move on,
它们将带着这些小乘客一起走
they will carry tiny passengers with them.
这样 鳉鱼宝宝就能乘着大象
In this way, the killifish babies get to move between water holes
在水坑之间往来
by riding on elephants.
雅典娜知道现在必须离开
Athena knows she should have left by now,
但是最近的稳定水源远在160千米之外
but the nearest permanent water is almost 100 miles away.
它为了让米米再强壮一点已经延迟了出发
And she delayed in the hope that Mimi would get stronger.
玛拉现在保护欲旺盛 连威威也不欢迎
Mala is now so protective that even Wewe is no longer welcome.
米米的姐姐米莉 能给它安慰
Mimi’s big sister, Milly, can give her comfort
却不能产出它迫切需求的乳汁
but not the milk she so desperately needs.
只有时间才能证明
Only time will tell whether
雅典娜的决定是否正确
Athena’s decision to delay was the right one.
它现在别无选择
She now has no choice.
王国中已经没有水了
The kingdom is without water,
它们前方的水坑也即将干涸
and ahead of them the pools are drying.
它们必须前往避难所
They must head for the refuge.
玛拉和米莉现在齐心协力
Mala and Milly now work together.
无论雅典娜心中有多么不忍♥
However much Athena might want to,
作为女族长
as matriarch, she cannot put
它不能把米米的需求置于整个家族之上
Mimi’s needs above those of the whole family.
玛拉和米米去喝水时
While Mala and Mimi head down to drink,
雅典娜会带其它大象去进食
Athena will take the others to feed,
因为它必须设法平衡全员的需求
for she must try to balance everyone’s needs.
米米对饮水的迫切
Mimi’s desperation to drink
只能说明玛拉的乳汁枯竭了
can only mean that Mala’s milk has dried up.
可是玛拉无法知晓这一点
But Mala can’t know that.
它只知道虚弱的小象很容易陷在泥中
She knows that a weak calf can easily become trapped in mud,
它的本能就是尽可能让米米远离水坑
and her instinct is to do everything she can to keep Mimi away.
米米还没有断奶
Mimi is not yet weaned.
所以一直喝不到奶
So if she’s not been getting milk,
就等于一直没有进食
she’s not been getting food.
有些时候母亲需要女儿的支持
There are times when a mother needs her daughter’s support.
这就是家族的意义
It’s what family is for.
第二天 气温升高
The next day, it is hotter,
雅典娜的困境也更加窘迫
and Athena’s predicament, even worse.
它不愿丢下米米
She doesn’t want to leave Mimi behind,
却也不能拿整个家族冒险
but neither can she put her entire family at risk.
雅典娜知道它们已经到达最后一个水坑
Athena knows that they’ve reached the last pool.
今天它也会干涸
And today it will dry.
一只水龟也察觉到这点
A terrapin senses it too
它抓紧时间把自己深埋进泥中
and will dig deep into the mud while he can.
它宁可冒着被踩的风险
He’d rather risk being stepped on
也不想在旱季中被暴晒
than caught out by the dry season.
玛拉绝不会放弃
Mala will never give up.
但最终 米米幼小的心脏还是撑不住了
But in the end, Mimi’s tiny heart can take her no further.
对于母亲来说 没有比这更痛心的
For a mother, there is nothing worse.
有时候 死亡虽然悲伤 却能带来解脱
Sometimes, however sad, there is release in death.
失去朋友对威威来说格外难以接受
But for Wewe, the loss of his friend is especially hard.
雅典娜知道它已经不能再耽搁了
Athena knows she cannot afford another delay.
抵达旱季的庇护所还要三天
It will take three days to reach the dry-season refuge.
它启程得太晚
And she has left it so late
路上已经没有可以喝水的地方
that there is nowhere they can drink on the way.
没有时间逗留安慰威威了
There is no time to stop and comfort Wewe.
在它们身后 曾经是个水坑的地方
Behind them, where there was a water hole,
现在成了蜣螂一直在寻找的松软土地
is now the soft ground that dung beetle’s been looking for.
鲣鱼已经不在了
The killifish are but a memory.
牛蛙会深埋自己
Bullfrog will dig down
在地下度过接下来的数月
to spend the next months deep below ground.
斯蒂芬破壳已有两个月了
It’s been two months since Stephen hatched.
雏雁们已经长大
And the young geese are now fully grown.
它们也要前往庇护所
They, too, will head for the refuge…
跟随大象所走的路径
following the same paths as the elephants.
每一天 雅典娜都会短暂地停下来让大家进食
Every day, Athena stops briefly so they can feed.
它们现在对威威友善多了
They are kinder to Wewe now.
就连公主都对它忍♥让有加
Even Princess is more tolerant.
米莉没有乳汁
Milly has no milk to give,
不过威威的吸吮能为它们双方带来慰藉
but Wewe’s suckling will comfort them both.
雅典娜走出王国的路线是记在心中的大象地图
Athena’s route out of the kingdom is a mind map of elephant paths
它的母亲教给它后就一直铭记于心
that she learned from her mother and has never forgotten.
它们要穿过崎岖荒地
There are badlands to cross.
但它们不是唯一的动物
But they don’t walk alone.
所有动物都在前往庇护所
All are heading for the refuge.
庇护所是一处由地下水形成的水坑
The refuge is a water hole fed from underground.
即使是旱季最干旱的时候 水也足够
Even at the height of the dry season, there is water for all.
和大象们一样 斯蒂芬一家也来避难
Along with the elephants, Stephen’s family will be refugees,
在这里等到下雨 它们就都能回家了
waiting here until the rains come and they can all go home.
雅典娜只在最干旱的年头来这里
Athena comes here only in the driest years.
只有在这种情况下 它会遇到地位对等的大象
It is the one occasion that her status as monarch is equaled.
这是萨涛 大象之王
This is Satao, king of them all.
一头有神话般体型的长牙象
A tusker of mythical proportions.
它是一头温和的巨象
He is a gentle giant…
所有大象都服从它
to whom all defer.
它一整年都待在荒野之中
He’s been out in the wilderness all year
趁此机会来看看有没有处于发♥情♥期的母象
and will use this occasion to see if any female is in season.
努苏是雅典娜家族中的一头年轻母象
Nusu is a young female from Athena’s family.
但它有孕在身
But she’s heavily pregnant.
米米死后威威第一次玩得这么开心
For the first time since Mimi died, Wewe enjoys himself.
这是它结识其它家族小象的机会
It’s a chance for him to meet calves from other families.
等它玩累了
And when he’s exhausted from playing,
总有家族成员来帮它
there’s always his family to help out.
随着旱季延续 庇护所的食物越来越少
As the dry season progresses, food at the refuge becomes scarce.
所以每天晚上
So each evening,
雅典娜家族必须到更远的地方进食
Athena’s family must travel further to feed.
每次出行觅食后 它们都必须回到水坑