美国故事 SENEWS-2007-0217-Feature

Now, the VOA Special English program American Stories. Our story today is called "The Mute¹ Singer". It was written by Stanislav Szukalski. Here is Shep O'Neal with our story.

Every year at this time, the peasants began their long religious pilgrimage to Geed-leh, to visit the church there, and to pray for God's help. They walked or rode in wagons². They crowded the roads leading to the holy town. Geed-leh was famous in Poland as a place where God did miracles. The cool days also brought many beggars to Geed-leh. The peasants gave away more of their money on such a religious holiday as this. Some of the beggars were blind; some had no feet or arms; some were very old and seemed like lost children looking for their mothers.

There was one among them who was called "The Mute Singer". He was given this name because he could not speak. There was a time when he was able to sing while playing his guitar, but he lost his voice. Now he played the guitar and sang, but no sounds came from his throat. His lips just moved with the music. The Mute Singer was a tall, strange-looking man. His face and hands were brown like the color of copper³. He had white hair and a white beard. He looked like one of the wise men you read about in the Bible.

Early one morning I saw the Mute Singer washing himself at the river. He smiled and touched the ground with his hand, meaning that I should sit down. Then, he pointed⁴ his finger straight up to tell me that he had a surprise for me. Suddenly, he put his hand into the water and rubbed two of his fingers together making a strange sound - exactly like the sound of a croaking⁵ frog. He did it many times. Then, he lightly hit the top of the water, sending little ripples⁶ of waves across the water to the other side. Suddenly, everything around us seemed to be moving. I could not believe it was real. Thousands of frogs came racing⁷ toward us, jumping and swimming under the water and on top of the water. I began to shake with excitement. The frogs crowded around us. I could see their heads and eyes showing above the top of the water. The Mute Singer found some snails⁸ and cut them into small pieces and began to feed the frogs. They came closer and closer. The Mute Singer started to play his guitar. As he did so, the frogs became quiet and listened. And then, they too started to sing. Young frogs, old frogs, every one of them began to sing. I never heard anything like it. Not a frog moved, they all just sat and sang.

No one ever saw the Mute Singer at night. Nobody even knew where he slept. But during the day he could be found at the same place, sitting near the church and playing his guitar while his lips moved silently with the music. Everybody liked the Mute Singer, the peasants as much as the beggars. People threw their pennies into the cups of the beggars sitting on the ground asking for help. But not so with the Mute Singer. Into his cup, they dropped their pennies gently. He used the shell of a turtle as a cup. He got much more money than the others, but this did not trouble any of the beggars.

At the end of the day, the beggars crowded around the Mute Singer in front of the church. He took a clean white handkerchief from the pocket of his old coat, and put it smoothly⁹ on the ground. He made it seem like a religious ceremony. Then, he put all his money on the clean white cloth. He made all the beggars do the same. Then, he gave all the beggars an equal share of the money but kept nothing for himself. Sadly, he looked around at the beggars covered with dirt and disease.

The sun was sinking fast and the peasants had all left the church area. The Mute Singer lowered his head and started to pray. The beggars were on their knees joining him in prayer. Then the Mute Singer began to play his guitar, moving his lips with the music. The beggars sat still and listened. The music cut deep into their hearts. It cut through their years of pain and suffering and loss of hope. It made them feel human again. Many of them cried, and with dried old hands wiped away their tears. I heard a beggar say the Mute Singer was not a human being, but God dressed as a beggar. "If that is true," another answered, "he would not come as a beggar, but as a priest¹⁰."

One day, hundreds of new peasants entered the city. They were welcomed at the church by its religious leaders who dropped water on their heads and blessed them. Singing and church bells filled the air, as did the cries of the beggars asking for help.

As the peasants came out of the church, the Mute Singer began to play. The peasants crowded around him and dropped pennies into his cup. Suddenly, his fingers hit the wrong strings¹¹. He threw his arms into the air, his guitar fell to the ground and broke. One of the beggars caught the Mute Singer as he fell and held his beautiful head on his knees.

We carried him into my mother's empty barn and put him down gently. I held his hand and he slept a little, then opened his eyes and smiled weakly. He looked like a lost child. The Mute Singer pointed to his chest and made the sign of the cross. A beggar said, "He wants me to give him the last rites¹² of the church. Can you get me a piece of bread?"
"But you are not a priest." I said.
"This is something any man would be glad to do for him, it is an emergency. But I am dirty, my clothes are dirty. Hurry, get some bread and a white shirt."

I ran out and got some bread. Next to my house was a synagogue. In the dark I saw the rabbi's finest white shirt hanging to be dried. I took the shirt and hurried to the side of the dying Mute Singer.
The beggar put on the white shirt and gave me a candle to hold. Then he got down close to the Mute Singer and said:
"Hear me, my brother! Open your eyes if you can, so that you may see the sign of the cross made over you. Here is your last communion, a beggar's communion of black bread."
The dying man looked at the beggar, smiled weakly and left us forever...

That night I had very strange dreams. In one dream, I saw something white moving slowly toward me. It was like a frog. But when it got very close it changed into the shape of a man. It was the Mute Singer still holding his guitar. Then, two angels floated out of the dark into my dream: they fell to their knees before the Mute Singer, kissing his hands while he gently touched their heads. It was like what I had often seen in old religious paintings.
I slept badly. I felt something heavy, and it was hurting me. I awoke and saw that I was holding too hard against my chest, the shell of a turtle. It was the turtle shell which the Mute Singer used as a beggar's cup for money. He gave it to me while he lay dying.

You have just heard the story called "The Mute Singer". It was written by Stanislav Szukalski and published by the Atlantic Monthly in July 1964. Shep O'Neal was the storyteller. The producer was Lawand Davis. Listen again next week at this time for another American Stories program in Special English on the Voice of American. This is Shirley Griffith.

1 mute   

n.哑子，默音字母，弱音器；adj.哑的，无声的，沉默的；vt.减音，减弱；vi.（鸟）排泄

参考例句：

• He is mute on the subject of social system.他对社会制度的问题保持沉默。
• Her daughter was mute after a serious illness.她的女儿在一场重病之后失去了说话能力。

2 wagons   

n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车

参考例句：

• The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
• They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。

3 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

5 croaking   

v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说

参考例句：

• the croaking of frogs 蛙鸣
• I could hear croaking of the frogs. 我能听到青蛙呱呱的叫声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 ripples   

逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moon danced on the ripples. 月亮在涟漪上舞动。
• The sea leaves ripples on the sand. 海水在沙滩上留下了波痕。

7 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

8 snails   

n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think I'll try the snails for lunch—I'm feeling adventurous today. 我想我午餐要尝一下蜗牛——我今天很想冒险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most snails have shells on their backs. 大多数蜗牛背上有壳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

10 priest   

n.神父，牧师，司铎，司祭，领导者，神甫；vt.使成为神职人员

参考例句：

• He confessed to a priest that he had sinned.他向神父忏悔他犯了罪。
• The priest visited all the old people in the parish.牧师探望了教区里的所有老人。

11 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

12 rites   

仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to administer the last rites to sb 给某人举行临终圣事
• He is interested in mystic rites and ceremonies. 他对神秘的仪式感兴趣。