美国语文第四册 第58期:好奇的玛芝莉(2)

 　　Oh, what was there beneath the sea, and beyond the sea, so deep, so broad, and so dim, too, away off where the white ships, 哦，海的下面是什么，海的尽头是什么，那么深邃，那么宽广，又那么朦胧。远处白色的船舶，

　　that looked smaller than sea birds, were gliding¹ out and in? 看起来似乎比海鸟还渺小，是不是正在航行着？

　　But while Margery stood still for a moment on a dry rock, and wondered, 但是当玛芝莉在一块干燥的大石头上驻足片刻，发出感叹时，

　　there came a low, rippling² warble to her ear from a cedar³ tree on the cliff above her. 一阵低低的柔和的鸟鸣声如流水泛起涟漪般从悬崖边的雪松树上传到她的耳朵里。

　　It had been a long winter, and Margery had forgotten that there were birds, and that birds could sing. 这是一个漫长的冬天，玛芝莉已经忘记了树上还有鸟儿，鸟儿还会歌唱。

　　So she wondered again what the music was. 所以她又想知道那是什么音乐。

　　And when she saw the bird perched on a yellow-brown bough⁴, she wondered yet more. 当她看到鸟儿栖息在棕黄色的树枝上，她想了解得更多了。

　　It was only a bluebird, but then it was the first bluebird Margery had ever seen. 它仅仅是一只蓝色知更鸟，但却是玛芝莉见到的第一只蓝色知更鸟。

　　He fluttered among the prickly twigs⁵, and looked as if he had grown out of them, 它在长满刺的细枝上拍打翅膀，看起来像是从树上长出来的一样。

　　as the cedar berries had, which were dusty blue, the color of his coat. 因为雪松树表皮上的灰蓝色和鸟儿身上的颜色极为相近。

　　But how did the music get in his throat? 但是音乐是如何进到它喉咙里的呢？

　　And after it was in his throat, how could it untangle itself, and wind itself off so evenly? 进入它的喉咙里之后，又是怎么能自己解扣，然后匀速地释放出来呢？

　　And where had the bluebird flown from, across the snow banks down to the shore of the blue sea? 蓝色知更鸟是从哪里飞来的呢？飞过白雪覆盖的海岸，又飞到蔚蓝的大海边？

　　The waves sang a welcome to him, and he sang a welcome to the waves; 海浪歌唱着欢迎它，它对海浪唱出欢迎之歌；

　　they seemed to know each other well; and the ripple⁶ and the warble sounded so much alike, 它们似乎对彼此都非常了解，海浪泛起涟漪的声音和鸟儿歌唱的声音听起来是那么相似，

　　the bird and the wave must have both learned their music of the same teacher. 鸟儿和海浪一定师从同一个老师学习过音乐。

　　And Margery kept on wondering as she stepped between the song of the bluebird and the echo of the sea, 玛芝莉行走在蓝色知更鸟的歌声和海面的回声之间，还在不停地思考着。

　　and climbed a sloping bank, just turning faintly green in the spring sunshine. 她爬上了一段倾斜的海岸，这里在春天的阳光下刚刚显现出淡淡绿意。

1 gliding   

v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的

参考例句：

• Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
• The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。

2 rippling   

起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的

参考例句：

• I could see the dawn breeze rippling the shining water. 我能看见黎明的微风在波光粼粼的水面上吹出道道涟漪。
• The pool rippling was caused by the waving of the reeds. 池塘里的潺潺声是芦苇摇动时引起的。

3 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

4 bough   

n.大树枝，主枝

参考例句：

• I rested my fishing rod against a pine bough.我把钓鱼竿靠在一棵松树的大树枝上。
• Every bough was swinging in the wind.每条树枝都在风里摇摆。

5 twigs   

细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
• Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。

6 ripple   

n.涟波，涟漪，波纹，粗钢梳；vt.使...起涟漪，使起波纹； vi.呈波浪状，起伏前进

参考例句：

• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
• The small ripple split upon the beach.小小的涟漪卷来，碎在沙滩上。