《起来闩上门》是幽默民谣的典范。它以幽默的口吻讲述了一个轻快的故事,展现了老百姓简单的生活和单纯的玩笑。
    快到圣马丁节①了,然后就是一段快乐的时光,这个时候我们的主妇开始做布丁,她在平锅里煮啊煮。
    南风北风吹得这么冷,吹进了屋里来;我们的户主对主妇说:“出去闩上门。”
    “我手里忙着活呢,丈夫,你也看到了;如果这门一个世纪没人闩,也不该我来闩。”
    他们俩之间做起了约定,这个约定严格可靠,那就是谁先说话,谁就起来闩门。
    然后来了两个男人,在午夜12点,他们没看到房屋也没看到庄园,没看到煤块也没看到烛光。
    “喂,这座房子是有钱人的呢,还是穷人的?”但是夫妻俩因为闩门的缘故,谁也没说一个字。
    那两个人就吃起布丁来,先是白的,然后是黑的;尽管主妇在心里想了很多,然而她没说一个字。
    接着其中一个男人对另一个说:“喂,伙计,你拿我的刀,把这老头的胡子剃了;我要去吻他的妻子。”
    “但是这里没有水,我们怎么剃呀?”“你为什么不拿布丁汤当剃胡子的水,汤就在平锅里煮着呢?”
    哦,这时候我们的户主跳起来了,怒不可遏:“是你们要在我眼前吻我的妻子,还要用布丁汤来烫我吗?”
    这时我们的主妇也跳起来,在地上蹦了三下:“丈夫,你先说话了,起来闩上门。”
注释:
①圣马丁节在11月11日。
原诗
Get Up and Bar the Door
              It fell about the Martinmas time, 
                And a gay time it was then, 
              When our goodwife got puddings to make, 
                And she's boild them in the pan. 
              The wind sae① cauld② blew south and north, 
                And blew into the floor; 
              Quoth our goodman to our goodwife, 
                "Gae③ out and bar the door." 
              "My hand is in my hussyfskap④, 
                Goodman, as ye may see; 
              An it shoud nae be barrd this hundred year, 
                It's no be barrd for me." 
              They made a paction⑤ tween them twa, 
                They made it firm and sure, 
              That the first word whaeer⑥ shoud speak, 
                Shoud rise and bar the door. 
 
              Then by there came two gentlemen, 
                At twelve O clock at night, 
              And they could neither see house nor hall, 
                Nor coal nor candle-light. 
              "Now whether is this a rich man's house, 
                Or whether is it a poor?" 
              But neer a word wad⑦ ane o them⑧ speak, 
                For barring of the door. 
              And first they ate the white puddings, 
                And then they ate the black; 
              Tho muckle⑨ thought the goodwife to hersel, 
                Yet neer a word she spake. 
              Then said the one unto the other, 
                "Here, man, tak ye my knife; 
              Do ye tak aff the auld man's beard, 
                And I'll kiss the goodwife." 
              "But there's nae water in the house, 
                And what shall we do than?" 
              "What ails ye at the pudding-broo⑩, 
                That boils into the pan?" 
              O up then started our goodman, 
                An angry man was he: 
              "Will ye kiss my wife before my een, 
                And scad⑾ me wi pudding-bree?" 
              Then up and started our goodwife, 
                Gied⑿ three skips on the floor: 
              "Goodman, you've spoken the foremost word, 
                Get up and bar the door." 
Notes 
①sae: so.
②cauld: cold.
③Gae: go.
④hussyfskap: housewifery.
⑤paction: pact.
⑥whaeer: whoever.
⑦wad: would.
⑧ane o them: one of them.
⑨muckle: much.
⑩What ails ye at the pudding-broo: "why don't you use the pudding-broth?"
⑾scad: scald.
⑿Gied: gave.
译者的话:原作是诗,我的译文则不是,这原于我有限的能力。希望大家把我翻译的东西只当作一个好玩的故事来看。 
								
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