本来事情到这里也就结束了,温尼在伦敦动物园继续它的生活,为成千上万参观动物园的孩子们带来欢乐。在这些孩子中有一个五岁的小男孩对温尼特别着迷,每个周末都要到动物园来看看温尼和温尼的好朋友,一只叫“噗”的天鹅。小男孩自己有一只绒毛玩具熊,于是他索性把这只玩具熊叫做Winnie;男孩的玩具收藏还包括一只老虎,一头小猪,一只驴,两个袋鼠,他给这些玩具起名Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga和Roo。这个男孩的名字是Christopher Robin Milne。
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Christopher Robin Milne的老爸,作家A.A.Milne在苏塞克斯郡的Ashdown Forest买了一座乡村度假屋。每年的春假和暑假,老Milne都要带着Christopher Robin Milne去那里度假。那里有一条潺潺的小河,有一个“五百亩林地(Five Hundred Acre Wood)”。老爸决定为儿子写一本儿童读物,于是我们的小熊温尼,Christopher Robin Milne的其他玩具,和Ashdown Forest的一草一木,都进入了A.A.Milne的书。书里的小男孩理所当然的名叫Christopher Robin, 温尼的大名现在成了"Winnie-the-pooh",这样把伦敦动物园的那只天鹅也算扯上了,五百亩林地在书里成了百亩林地(Hundred Acre Wood),除了这些小小的变动,所有的角色都是对号入座。
1961年,迪斯尼从施莱辛格的遗孀手里买下了温尼熊系列的电影发行权。沃尔特.迪斯尼本人制作了第一部温尼熊短片“Winnie-the-pooh and Honey Tree”。发行了三部短片之后,迪斯尼公司于1977年将三部短片合并,发行了动画经典“温尼熊历险记 (The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh)”。
Christopher Robin and I walked along
Under branches lit up by the moon
Posing our questions to Owl and Eeyore
As our days disappeared all too soon
But I've wandered much further today than I should
And I can't seem to find my way back to the Wood
So help me if you can
I've got to get back
To the House at Pooh Corner by one
You'd be surprised
There's so much to be done
Count all the bees in the hive
Chase all the clouds from the sky
Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh
Winnie the Pooh doesn't know what to do
Got a honey jar stuck on his nose
He came to me asking help and advice
From here no one knows where he goes
So I sent him to ask of the Owl if he's there
How to loosen a jar from the nose of a bear
Help me if you can
I've got to get back
To the House at Pooh Corner by one
You'd be surprised
There's so much to be done
Count all the bees in the hive
Chase all the clouds from the sky
Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh
It's hard to explain how a few precious things
Seem to follow throughout all our lives
After all's said and done I was watching my son
Sleeping there with my bear by his side
So I tucked him in, I kissed him and as I was going
I swear that the old bear whispered "Boy welcome home"
Believe me if you can
I've finally come back
To the House at Pooh Corner by one
What do you know
There's so much to be done
Count all the bees in the hive
Chase all the clouds from the sky
Back to the days of Christopher Robin
Back to the ways of Christopher Robin
Back to the days of Pooh
走到旧书店,看见一张杜普雷和伦敦交响的LP,可惜价格有些偏贵,心里一踌躇,转头便迈到了另外一个架子边。无意间低头瞧见一本The Wind in the Willows(柳林风声),便不自觉地随手抽出,哪料到,一看封面心中不免狂喜,原来是Shepard的插画版本。书是20年前发行的,插画是40多年前着色完成的,整本书却簇新,翻开来,副副插画都迷死人,而且标价才两英镑不到。立刻把这书紧紧攒着在手里,原因不免有些可笑,这已经是我买的第四本The Wind in the Willows了,却是第一次买到Shepard的版本。Shepard其实也是为Grahame的故事做插画的第四个插画家了,之前的插画版本中,包括有大名鼎鼎的插画家Rackham的作品,但Shepard却是唯一一个得到作者首肯的插画家。
说起Shepard,可能大部分中国人都不知其人其名。可如果说起维尼熊,Winne the Pooh,也是Shepard所画,大概大家就会恍然大悟了。小熊维尼的官方网站上,分别有关于Shepard和原诗文作者Milne长长的生平介绍。Milne这个人其实也是值得一说的,他毕业于偶们剑桥数学系,供职于报社,专擅幽默小文,后来为了给儿子讲故事,编出来这么一只小熊和朋友们。他的文笔甚佳,即便是不看Shepard的插画,Winne故事中的词句读来也是很有乐趣的。但如果不是加上Shepard的插画,图文结合让人忍不住不喜欢,Winne想必不会那么家喻户晓。官方网站上有一句话,和当年董桥从伦敦书商听到的感慨一样:作者和插画家两人终其一生,也只是普通的工作关系,并没有成为close friend。也难怪Shepard晚年提起Winne,总是悻悻然说,that silly old bear!