关于本书
孤独的鼹鼠扔下春季大扫除，冒险来到地面上的世界，发现了迷人的河岸。在那里，他遇到了河鼠，河鼠带他领略划船的乐趣和当地动物之间的情谊。这部经典故事讲述了他们一段段温和的冒险：在河上往来，结识住在附近树林里的各种古怪角色。
开篇
I. THE RIVER BANK
一、河岸
The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home.
鼹鼠整个上午都在非常辛苦地干活，为他的小家做春季大扫除。
First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash;
先是用扫帚，然后用掸子；然后又站在梯子、台阶和椅子上，拿着刷子和一桶石灰水；
till he had dust in his throat and eyes,
直到他的喉咙和眼睛里都是灰尘，
and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms.
黑色的毛皮上溅满了石灰水，腰酸背痛，胳膊也累了。
Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him,
春天在他上方的空气中、在他下方和周围的土地里涌动着，
penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing.
甚至用它那神圣的不满和渴望的精神渗透进了他那阴暗低矮的小房子。
It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said “Bother!” and “O blow!”
那么，难怪他突然把刷子往地上一扔，说了声“讨厌！”和“哎，见鬼！”
and also “Hang spring-cleaning!” and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat.
还有“去他的春季大扫除！”，连外套都没等穿上就冲出了家门。
Something up above was calling him imperiously, and he made for the steep little tunnel
上面有什么东西在专横地召唤他，于是他朝那条陡峭的小隧道奔去，
which answered in his case to the gravelled carriage-drive owned by animals whose residences are nearer to the sun and air.
这条隧道对他来说，就相当于那些住处离阳光和空气更近的动物所拥有的铺着砾石的马车道。
So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged and then he scrooged again and scrabbled
于是他刮啊、抓啊、扒啊、挤啊，然后又挤啊、扒啊、
and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, “Up we go!
抓啊、刮啊，用他的小爪子忙碌地干着，一边自言自语地嘟囔：“往上走！
Up we go!” till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight,
往上走！”直到最后，噗！他的鼻子钻出来到了阳光下，
and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.
他发现自己正在一大片草地上温暖的草丛里打滚。
“This is fine!” he said to himself.
“这真好！”他自言自语地说。
“This is better than whitewashing!”
“这比刷石灰水好多了！”
The sunshine struck hot on his fur, soft breezes caressed his heated brow,
阳光热乎乎地照在他的毛皮上，柔和的微风抚摸着他发热的额头，
and after the seclusion of the cellarage he had lived in so long the carol of happy birds fell on his dulled hearing almost like a shout.
在他住了那么久的地窖般的隐居生活之后，快乐的鸟儿的欢歌传到他迟钝的耳朵里，几乎像是一声呼喊。
Jumping off all his four legs at once, in the joy of living and the delight of spring without its cleaning,
他四条腿一齐跳起来，沉浸在生活的欢乐和不用大扫除的春天的喜悦之中，