《童话镇》第309期:残忍的过往

 Nearly threescore years ago, I was a child with six old brothers 大约在六十年前我还是有着六个哥哥的小孩子

Big as oak trees, all of them veterans of the second ogreswar, and my father the biggest of them all. 他们壮如栎树 都经历过第二次食人魔大战 我的父亲  比他们都强壮

Come one wolfstime, he decided¹ to go out and take on the wolf. 那次狼的活动期  他决定出去除掉那只狼

A different wolf back then, of course, but just as fearsome. They went out there to protect me. 当然  那时是另一只狼 但是  一样凶猛  他们这么做是为了保护我

I was supposed to be asleep, but I crawled out on the roof to watch and lay down in the thatch². 我本该睡觉的  但是我却爬上屋顶 躺在茅草里看着他们

They had the beast surrounded, the seven of them, with spears all pointed³ in at it. 他们七个人包围住那个野兽 用长矛对着它

Then it started.It was lunging. Not at the men, at the spears, Grabbing with its teeth, breaking the shafts⁴. 然后它发起了进攻  它突然冲出来  不是对着人  而是对着那些长矛  用它的牙齿咬住  扯断了矛柄

They stabbed it with the splintered end, but it didn't matter. 他们用断了的矛柄刺中了它 但却没有用

It tore their throats so fast that not a one of them got a chance to scream or pray... or say goodbye. 它眨眼间就撕碎了他们的喉咙 他们都没能来得及尖叫或祈祷或是道别

When my father died, I tumbled from the roof, and I landed in the blood in front of the wolf. 我父亲死后  我从屋顶上摔了下来 落在血泊之中 就在狼的面前

I felt its breath on my face.Then it clamped its hot jaw⁵ on my arm, and I rolled away. 它呼出的气息喷在我的脸上  然后它用腥热的颚咬住我的手臂然后我滚到了一边

 

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 thatch   

vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋)

参考例句：

• They lit a torch and set fire to the chapel's thatch.他们点着一支火把，放火烧了小教堂的茅草屋顶。
• They topped off the hut with a straw thatch. 他们给小屋盖上茅草屋顶。

3 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。

4 shafts   

n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等）

参考例句：

• He deliberately jerked the shafts to rock him a bit. 他故意的上下颠动车把，摇这个老猴子几下。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Shafts were sunk, with tunnels dug laterally. 竖井已经打下，并且挖有横向矿道。 来自辞典例句

5 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。