Whale in a fishbowl 鱼缸里的鲸鱼

张宁

In the middle of a city sits a giant fishbowl， the only home a whale named Wednesday has ever known. Like the day of the week， Wednesday is always in the middle of everything， with busy people constantly circling her. Even the sun， moon and stars circle her every day as she watches the world go by.

But Wednesday discovers that if she leaps high enough out of the water， she can see a calm blue on the horizon1. Her heart leaped， too， when she saw it， though she didnt know why. Hoping to catch a glimpse of that marvelous blue once more， Wednesday jumps over and over again. The crowd thinks she is performing tricks， of course， and claps in merriment2.

In Whale in a Fishbowl， Troy Howells gentle metaphor3 about animal captivity4 is illustrated in a muted5 palette6 by Richard Jones. Wednesday begins to question her existence when a little girl named Piper tells the whale she doesnt belong in a fishbowl. But where would Wednesday go？ “You belong to the sea！” Piper declares. Although Wednesday is uncertain about what a sea might be， she leaps higher than ever before and causes the fishbowl to topple7 over. The whale swims out of the city. In a new home， now in the middle of the sea， Wednesday finds her song， and someone else just like her， for the first time. Even the youngest of readers will understand Wednesdays plight8 and heartrending9 need for freedom and companionship.

在城市的中心，有一個巨大的鱼缸，这是一头名叫“星期三”的鲸鱼所知道的唯一的家。像每周中的那一天一样，“星期三”总是在一切的中心，繁忙的人群不断地围着她转。在她看着世界时间流逝的同时，太阳、月亮和星星，每天也都在她周围旋转。

但是“星期三”发现，如果从水里跳起来足够高的话，她可以在地平线上看到一片平静的蓝色。当她看到那片蓝色时，不知道为什么，她的心也跳跃了起来。想要再次看到那奇妙的蓝色，因此“星期三”一次又一次地跳起来。当然，观众认为她是在耍花招，高兴得拍手叫好。

在《鱼缸里的鲸鱼》一书中，理查德·琼斯的插图的柔和色调描绘出了特洛伊·豪厄尔有关圈养动物的温和隐喻。当一个名叫派珀的小女孩告诉这条鲸鱼她不属于鱼缸时，“星期三”开始质疑她自己的存在。但是“星期三”要去哪里？“你属于大海！”派珀说。虽然“星期三”还不确定大海是什么样子的，但她跳得比以往任何时候都高，导致鱼缸翻倒。这条鲸鱼游出了城市。在大海中央的新家里，“星期三”第一次找到了她的歌，还有其他像她一样的存在。即使是最年幼的读者也会理解“星期三”的困境，以及对自由和陪伴的令人痛心的需要。