美国语文第六册 第44期:耐儿之死(1)

 　　She was dead. No sleep so beautiful and calm, so free from trace of pain, so fair to look upon. 她死了。没有哪种睡眠能够如此美丽和平静，如此没有丝毫痛苦的迹象，看上去又那般端庄。

　　She seemed a creature fresh from the hand of God, and waiting for the breath of life; not one who had lived, and suffered death. 她仿佛上帝之手造出来的精灵，等待注入生命的呼吸，而不是一个曾经鲜活但被苦难夺走生命的人。

　　Her couch was dressed with here and there some winter berries and green leaves, gathered in a spot she had been used to favor. 她的床上到处洒满了冬青果和绿树叶，都是从她先前喜欢玩耍的地方摘来的。

　　"When I die, put near me something that has loved the light, and had the sky above it always." “在我死了以后，就把那些爱好光明、永远被云空遮蔽的东西放在我旁边，与我相伴。”

　　These were her words. 这些都是她在世时说过的话。

　　She was dead. Dear, gentle, patient, noble Nell was dead. 她死了。可爱、温柔、耐心、高贵的耐儿死了。

　　Her little bird, a poor, slight thing the pressure of a finger would have crushed, was stirring nimbly in its cage, 她那只小鸟，那只可怜、脆弱、一个手指头也可以把它捏碎的小东西，仍然在它的笼子里轻快地上下跳跃着，

　　and the strong heart of its child mistress was mute and motionless forever! 而它那小女主人本来强壮的心却沉默下去，永远静止不动了！

　　Where were the traces of her early cares, her sufferings, and fatigues¹? All gone. 她那早忧、她的痛苦还有疲劳的痕迹都到哪里去了？一切都不复存在了。

　　Sorrow was dead, indeed, in her; but peace and perfect happiness were born, imaged in her tranquil² beauty and profound repose³. 她的悲哀真的死了，但安宁和真正的幸福却诞生了——反映在她那平静的美丽和沉酣的睡眠上了。

　　And still her former self lay there, unaltered in this change.  但是从前的她依旧存在，没有因为这个变故而有所改变。

　　Yes! the old fireside had smiled upon that same sweet face; 一切故我！旧日的炉火在那个同样甜蜜的面容上映出微笑。

　　it had passed, like a dream, through haunts of misery⁴ and care; 萦绕于灾难和忧虑，它就像一个幻梦倏然而逝。

1 fatigues   

n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服

参考例句：

• The patient fatigues easily. 病人容易疲劳。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Instead of training the men were put on fatigues/fatigue duty. 那些士兵没有接受训练，而是派去做杂务。 来自辞典例句

2 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

3 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

4 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。