Chapter2
I poondered deeply,then,over the adventure of the jungle.And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded making my first drawing.My drawing Number one.It looked like this:
I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups,and asked them wether the drawing frightened them.
But they answered:"Frighten?Why should anyone be frightened by a hat?"
My drawing was not a picture of a hat.It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant.But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it,I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor ,so that the grown-ups could see it clearly.They always need to have things exaplained.My drawing Number Two looked like this:
The grown-ups' response,this time,was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors.Whether from the inside or the outside,and devoted myself instead to geography ,history,arithmetic and grammar.That is why,at the age of six,I gave up what have been a magnificent career as a painter.I have been disheartened by failure of my drawing Number One and my drawing Number two.Grown-ups never understanding anything by themselves,and it is tiresome for chirldren to be always and forever explaining things to them.
I poondered*[pɔndə]v.仔细考虑；沉思* deeply,then,over the adventures*[ədventʃə]n.冒险；奇遇* of the jungle.And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded making my first drawing.My drawing Number one.It looked like this:
I showed my masterpiece*[ma:stəpi:s]n.杰作* to the grown-ups,and asked them wether the drawing frightened them.
But they answered:"Frighten?Why should anyone be frightened by a hat?"
My drawing was not a picture of a hat.It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting*[daidʒest]v.消化；吸收* an elephant.But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it,I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor ,so that the grown-ups could see it clearly.They always need to have things exaplained.My drawing Number Two looked like this:
The grows-ups' response,this time,was to advise me to lay aside*搁置* my drawings of boa constrictors.whether from the inside or the outside,and devoted*[divəut]v.致力于；奉献* myself instead to geography *[dʒiɔgrəfi]n.地理学*,history,arithmetic*[əriθmətik]n,算术；算法* and grammar.That is why,at the age of six,I gave up what have been a magnificent career as a painter.I have been disheartened *[dis'ha:tən]v.使沮丧；使泄气* by failure of my drawing Number One and my drawing Number two.Grown-ups never understanding anything by themselves,and it is tiresome*[taiəsəm]a.烦人的；使人厌倦的* for chirldren to be always and forever explaining things to them.
当时，我对丛林里的冒险奇遇想了很多，并且，我用了一支彩色铅笔画出了我的第一幅图画，即本人的“第一号绘画作品”。它看上去是这样的：
我把我的这幅杰作拿给大人看，还问他们这幅画是否让他们感到害怕。
但是他们回答道：“害怕？一顶帽子有什么好怕的？”
我画的不是一顶帽子，而是一条正在消化着一头大象的巨蟒。但是由于大人们看不懂，我又画了一张：我把巨蟒肚子里面的情况画了出来，这样大人就能看得清楚明白。他们总是需要对事情多加解释。本人的“第二号绘画作品”是这样的：
这一次，大人们的反应是劝我不要再画蟒蛇了——不管是画他的内里还是外观，而是要把精力投入到学习地理、历史、算术和语法中去。正因如此，我在六岁那年放弃了画家这一崇高的职业。我的第一号和第二号绘画作品的失败，让我心灰意冷。大人们自己什么也不懂，还总是让孩子们一直给他们做解释，这真烦人。
