儒勒·列那尔（Jules Renard，1864-1910），法国小说家、散文家、剧作家，龚古尔学院成员。他早年当过铁路职员和家庭教师，1889年与友人合办文学刊物《法兰西水星》，后又创办刊物《白皮杂志》。他最初热衷于诗歌创作，后来转向小说和散文，作品主要有《胡萝卜须》（1894）、《自然记事》（1896）、《愉快的分手》（1898）和《八天》（1906）等。尽管他作品众多，但由于他一生中多半生活在乡间，因此他最有名的作品都涉及自然，尤其是《自然记事》中写动植物的篇什，字里行间充满浓郁的诗意，在法国文坛上产生过不小的影响。
鸽 子
无论它们像屋顶上沉闷的鼓那样发出噪音;
还是从遮阴处出来，一个筋斗便骤然展翅飞进阳光，然后回到遮阴处;
还是它们前伸的脖子像蛋白石戒指那样生生死死;
还是它们在傍晚的森林中熟睡，如此紧密地群集在一起，以至于那棵橡树的最高枝条不堪负重这类着色的果实，有断裂的危险;
还是那边的那两只突然开始流露出疯狂的信号，开始抽搐;
还是其中之一流亡归来，携带着一窝雏鸟，犹如想到遥远的朋友而飞翔——要是我有鸽子的翅膀就好了……（啊！爱的誓言！）;
然而，尽管起初很有趣，到最后它们也厌倦了。
它们就是没法保持安静，它们在自己的旅程上从来不学任何东西。
它们相当愚蠢地度过整整一生。它们坚持认为，雏鸟是通过你的嘴喙而创造出来的。
归根到底，它们的喉咙有什么东西，又无法咽下去——它们对这种遗传的痴迷令人难以忍受。
PIGEONS
Whether theyre making a noise like a muffled drum on the roof;
or coming out of the shade， tumbling and bursting into the sun and then going back into the shade;
or their darting neck is living and dying like an opal ring;
or theyre falling asleep in the evening in the forest， so tightly packed that the highest branch of the oak tree is threatening to break under this load of painted fruit;
or those two over there suddenly start exchanging frantic signals and fall into convulsions;
or one of thems returning from exile carrying a litter， flying like the thought of a faraway friend—had I the wings of a dove...（Ah！ A pledge of love！）;
but， though amusing to begin with， in the end， theyre boring.
They just cant keep still and they never learn anything on their travels.
They spend their whole lives being rather silly. They persist in thinking babies are made through your beak.
And in the long run， this hereditary obsession of theirs that theyve got something in their throats that they cant swallow becomes unbearable.
蝙 蝠
夜晚侍候了這么久，因此它都破烂不堪了。
它的顶部没有磨破，比如群星，但在底部，如同拖曳在地面石头和树木之间的衣裙，在那下面不健康的隧洞和潮湿的地窖中。
一块夜的碎片爬进每个角落。蒺藜把它刺穿，寒意把它冻结起来，泥淖把它弄脏。每天早晨，当夜晚消散的时候，肮脏的破布就乱糟糟地掉落下来。
那就是蝙蝠诞生的方式。
因为它们那样诞生，它们就不能面对明亮的日光。
当太阳落下，我们享受凉爽空气的时候，蝙蝠就从它们倒挂身子的古老屋梁上松开自己。
它们笨拙的飞行方式打扰我们。它们没有羽毛、鲸须般的翅膀在我们四周摸索。它们更多是依靠耳朵，而不是那无用的、疼痛的眼睛来觅路。
我的朋友蒙住它的脸，我惊恐地转过身去，因为这种生物可能撞到我的身上。
人们说，它们会通过吮吸我们的血来杀死我们。
这是夸张的说法。
它们无害，它们绝不会碰你。
这些夜的女儿并不恨光芒。它们只是在寻找它们可以用沙沙作响的翅膀扇熄的蜡烛。
BATS
The night has been serving so long that its getting worn out.
Its not wearing out at the top， like the stars， but at the bottom， like a dress trailing on the ground between the stones and the trees， down there in unhealthy tunnels and damp cellars.
A shred of night creeps into every single corner. Thorns are piercing it， cold is freezing it， its being fouled by mud. And every morning， when night lifts， dirty rags fall off， haphazardly.
Thats how bats are born.
And because theyre born like that， they cant face bright daylight.
When the suns gone down and were enjoying the cool air， the bats unhitch themselves from the old beams where theyve been hooked.
Were disturbed by their awkward way of flying. Their featherless， whaleboned wings are feeling around us. They find their way more by their ears than by their useless， sore eyes.
My friend covers her face and I turn my head away， frightened because this nasty creature may knock into me.
People say that they would kill us by sucking our blood.
Its an exaggeration.
Theyre harmless， theyll never touch you.
These daughters of the night dont hate light. Theyre just looking for candles that they can blow out with their rustling wings.
乌 鸫
1 ▲ 松鸦：“你这悲惨的家伙，总是穿着一身黑衣！”
乌鸫：“很抱歉，牧师，这是我得到的唯一礼服。”
2 ▲ 那只乌鸫有着黄色的嘴喙……它肯定患了黄疸病。
THE BLACKBINRD
I ▲ The jay： “Always dressed in black， you miserable fellow！”
The blackbird： “Im sorry， minister， its the only suit Ive got.”
II▲That blackbird with his yellow beak …… he must have jaundice.
喜 鹊
它的身上始终留有一点去年的积雪。地面上，它双足并用向前跳动，然后漫不经心地起飞，径直飞向一棵树。
有时候，它错过了那棵树，便落到旁边的树上。
它如此常见，也如此受人轻视，以至于它似乎不朽，整天都穿着晚礼服（当然是尾巴），唠叨着离开。无疑，它聪明得让人难以忍受——
在我们所有的鸟儿中，它最具法兰西属性。
THE MAGPINE
Hes always got a little snow left on him from last winter. He hops along the ground with his feet together. Then he casually takes off， heading straight for a tree.
Sometimes he misses it and lands on the one next to it.
Hes so common and so despised that he seems immortal， wearing evening dress （tails， of course） all day long， nattering away. Hes certainly unbearably smart—
hes the most French of all our birds.
黃 鹂
我对它说：“马上把那颗樱桃还给我！”
“当然要还给你。”那只黄鹂回答。
它把那颗樱桃还给我，然而，那上面还有它每年都吞吃掉的三千条肮脏的昆虫孑孓。
The Golden Oriole
I said to him： “Give that cherry back to me immediately！”
“Certainly.”the oriole replied.
He gives me the cherry and， with it， the three hundred thousand larvae of nasty insects which he swallows every year.
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