【张培基译】
An old crab grew restless. Finding himself stiff all over, he knew it was time for him to moult his shell.
He dashed here and there in search of a cave to hide. He was going to block up the mouth of the cave so that he could moult in secret. He knew it would be very dangerous to shed his shell in the open because, with his new shell still being soft, he might be eaten up by other crabs. This fear was not groundless for he himself had really seen it happen to other moulting crabs.
The old crab kept moving about in a hurry.
A nearby crab asked, “Hey, brother, what’s the rush?”
“I am going to moult,” answered the old crab.
“Wouldn’t it be all tight to moult tight here? I could help you out with it.”
“How horrible that would be!”
“ You mean while you’re not scared of other things in the cave you are sacred of your own kind?”
“No, I’m not scared of my own king.”“Then what are you scared of?”
“Noting but being eaten up by you.”
【注释】
① “觉得全身太硬了”译为Finding himself stiff all over，其中all over 意即“全身”或“浑身”，作状语短语用。如逐字译为Finding his whole body stiff 并无不可，但是语言稍欠地道。
② “脱壳”译为to moult his shell，其中to moult为专用语，意同to case off.
③ “外面脱壳”中的“外面”意即“在露天”，故译为 (to moult)in the open, 以代替to moult outside the cave.
④ “身子还软”意即“脱去旧壳后新壳还软”，故译为with his new shell still being soft. 如按字面直译为with his body still being soft 则欠确切，因“身子”在此指“新壳”，不泛指“躯体”。
⑤ “旁边的螃蟹”译为a nearby crab, 比a crab beside him 灵活。
⑥ “就怕你吃掉我”译为Nothing but being eaten up by you, 乃I’m scared of nothing but being eaten up by you 之略。
