她是一个淳朴的农村妇 女。
She was an honest country woman.
最初大约是一个生活在农村里的年轻的孤孀，死掉了丈夫和丧失 了土地之后，就从农村来到城里谋生。
At first she must have been a young widow in the countryside, who went to town to seek a living for herself after her husband died and she lost her land.
她的姓名，当时是没有人知道 的，鲁迅的祖母叫她"阿长"，因此人们也就跟着叫她"阿长"，但孩 子们却叫她"长妈妈"。
Nobody knew what her name Was.
她懂得许多莫名其妙的道理，还有许多规矩， 这一切都是孩子们所不理解的。
As Lu Xun's grandmother called her "Achang", other people also called her by the same name.
譬如说，人死了，不说死掉，而说"老掉了"；死了人或生了孩子的屋里，是不应该走进去的：饭粒子落在 地上，必须捡起来，最好是吃下去；晒裤子用的竹竿底下，是万不可 钻过去的，等等。
But the children usually called her "Mama Chang".
平时她不许孩子们乱走动"，拔一株草，翻一块石 头，就说是顽皮，要去告诉母亲去。
She was so full of mysterious lore and had SO many rules of behaviour that the children sometimes found her quite puzzling.
起初，孩子们并不怎么喜欢她。
For instance, i someone died, you should not say he was dead but "he has passed away".
尤其是当她不留心踩死了鲁迅所心爱的隐鼠，这更使鲁迅十分生气。
You should not enter a room where someone had died or a child had been bomn.
但是，有一件事，出乎意料之外，使鲁迅对她发生了敬意，因为，她 对孩子们能够讲述一些"长毛"(关于太平天国）)的故事，又一件事，更 使鲁迅对她发生了很大的敬意，那就是，她不知从什么地方替鲁迅找 到了一部为他日夜所渴望的绘图《山海经》。
If a grain of rice fell to the ground, you should pick it up, and the best thing was to eat it.
鲁迅对于绘图《山海经》的渴望己不止一天了。
On no account must you walk under the bamboo pole on which trousers or pants were hanging out to dry.
这事是由和他家 同住在这个台门里的远房叔祖玉田老人惹起来的。
She would not let the children get up to mischief.
他是一个胖胖的 和蔼的老人，爱种一点珠兰、茉莉之类的花木。
If they pulled up a weed or tured over a stone, she would say they were naughty and threaten to tell their mother.
他在家里无人可以攀 谈，所以就很喜欢和孩子们来往，有时简直称呼他们为"小友"。
In the beginning, the children did not think much of her.
他 的藏书很丰富，其中有一本叫《花镜》，上面印着许多好看的花草和 树木，是一部孩子们最心爱的书。
Lu Xun was especially angry with her when she inadvertently stepped on and killed his favourite little mouse.
但老人却说还有一部更好看的哩， 那是绘图的《山海经》。
However, one thing which unexpectedly made Lu Xun feel respect for her was that she often told the children stories of the "Long Hairs"(the Taiping Rebellion).
人面的兽，九头的蛇，三脚的鸟，生着翅膀 的人，没有头的拿两乳当作眼睛的怪物，这本书上都有。
Another thing which inspired Lu Xun with a still greater respect for her was that she was able to produce from nobody knew where an illustrated edition of the Book of Hills and Seas\*. which Lu Xun had been longing for day and night.
可惜， 老人一时找不到，不知被放到哪里去了。
Lu Xun had been longing for an illustrated copy of the Book of Hills and Seas for sometime.
孩子们怀着十分迫切的心 情，都急于想看这本充满着奇异图画的书，但又不好意思通着老人去 寻找。
The whole business started with a distant great-uncle named Yutian, who was living in the same compound.
问别人呢，很少有人知道。
A fat and kindly old man, he liked to grow flowers such as chloranthus and jasmine.
想买吧，不知到哪里去买，大街离 得很远，只有正月间才能够去玩一趟，那时书铺的门却又是关着的。
The old man a was a lonely soul with no one to talk to, so he liked the children's company and often even called them his "young friends\*.
玩得热闹的时候倒也不觉得有什么，一到静下来，可就想起了那绘图 的《山海经》。
He owned a big collection of books, one of which was called The Mirror of Flowers\* with many beautiful ilustrations of flowers and trees.
也许是鲁迅过于念念不忘这本书吧，连长妈妈也知道 了o，来问是怎么一回事，鲁迅就把这事对她说了。
The children found this book most attractive.
过了十多天，也许是一个月吧，长妈妈在她请假回家转来的时 候，一见面，就将一包书递给了鲁迅。
But the old man told them that the illustrated edition of the Book of Hills and Seas was even more attractive, with pictures of man-faced beasts, nine- headed snakes, three-footed birds, winged men and headless monsters who used their teats as eyes Unfortunately, he happened to have mislaid it.
她高兴地说道："哥儿"，有画 的《三哼经》，我给你找来了！"这是一个怎样出人意外的消息啊，它 比逢年过节还使鲁迅兴奋。
Eager as they were to look at the book with such strange pictures, the children did not like to press him to find it.