矶鹞带来欢乐 Sandpipers to Bring Us Joy |
文章来源： 文章作者： 发布时间：2006-12-22 06:12 字体： [ 大 中 小] 进入论坛 |
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
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| Sandpipers to Bring Us Joy |
| 矶鹞带来欢乐 |
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She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live. I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world begins to close in on me. She was building a sandcastle or something and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea.
“Hello,” she said. I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child. “I’m building,” she said.
“I see that. What is it?” I asked, not really caring.
“Oh, I don’t know, I just like the feel of sand.”
That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes. A sandpiper glided1 by. “That’s a joy,” the child said.
“It’s a what?” I asked.
“It’s a joy. My mama says sandpipers come to bring us joy.” The bird went gliding2 down the beach.
“Good-bye joy,” I muttered to myself, “hello pain,” and turned to walk on. I was depressed3; my life seemed completely out of balance.
“What’s your name?” She wouldn’t give up.
“Robert,” I answered. “I’m Robert Peterson.”
“Mine’s Wendy... I’m six.”
“Hi, Windy.” She giggled5. “You’re funny,” she said. In spite of my gloom I laughed too and walked on. Her musical giggle4 followed me.
“Come again, Mr. P,” she called. “We’ll have another happy day.”
The days and weeks that followed belonged to others: a group of unruly Boy Scouts6, PTA meetings, and an ailing7 mother.
The sun was shining one morning as I took my hands out of the dishwater. “I need a sandpiper,” I said to myself, gathering8 up my coat.
The ever-changing balm of the seashore awaited me. The breeze was chilly9, but I strode along, trying to recapture the serenity10 I needed. I had forgotten the child and was startled when she appeared.
“Hello, Mr. P,” she said. “Do you want to play?”
“What did you have in mind?” I asked, with a twinge of annoyance11.
“I don’t know, you say.”
“How about charades12?” I asked sarcastically13.
The tinkling14 laughter burst forth15 again. “I don’t know what that is.”
“Then let’s just walk.” Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her face. “Where do you live?” I asked.
“Over there.” She pointed16 toward a row of summer cottages. Strange, I thought, in winter.
“Where do you go to school?”
“I don’t go to school. Mommy says we’re on vacation.” She chattered17 little girl talk as we strolled up the beach, but my mind was on other things. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a happy day. Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed.
Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I was in no mood to even greet Wendy. I thought I saw her mother on the porch and felt like demanding she keep her child at home.
“Look, if you don’t mind,” I said crossly when Wendy caught up with me, “I’d rather be alone today.” She seemed unusually pale and out of breath.
“Why?” she asked.
I turned to her and shouted, “Because my mother died!” and thought, “My God, why was I saying this to a little child?”
“Oh,” she said quietly, “then this is a bad day.”
“Yes,” I said, “and yesterday and the day before and — oh, go away!”
“Did it hurt? “ she inquired.
“Did what hurt?” I was exasperated18 with her, with myself.
“When she died?”
“Of course it hurt!” I snapped, misunderstanding, wrapped up in myself. I strode off.
A month or so after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn’t there. Feeling guilty, ashamed and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up to the cottage after my walk and knocked at the door. A drawn19 looking young woman with honey-colored hair opened the door.
“Hello,” I said. “I’m Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today and wondered where she was.”
“Oh yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in. Wendy spoke20 of you so much. I’m afraid I allowed her to bother you. If she was a nuisance, please, accept my apologies.”
“Not at all — she’s a delightful21 child,” I said, suddenly realizing that I meant what I had just said. “Where is she?”
“Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukemia. Maybe she didn’t tell you.” Struck dumb, I groped for a chair. I had to catch my breath.
“She loved this beach; so when she asked to come, we couldn’t say no. She seemed so much better here and had a lot of what she called happy days. But the last few weeks, she declined rapidly...” Her voice faltered22.
“She left something for you ... if only I could find it. Could you wait a moment while I look?”
I nodded stupidly, my mind racing23 for something, to say to this lovely young woman. She handed me a smeared24 envelope, with “MR. P” printed in bold childish letters. Inside was a drawing in bright crayon hues25 — a yellow beach, a blue sea, and a brown bird. Underneath26 was carefully printed:
A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY
Tears welled up in my eyes and a heart that had almost forgotten to love opened wide. I took Wendy’s mother in my arms. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” I muttered over and over, and we wept together.
The precious little picture is framed now and hangs in my study. Six words — one for each year of her life — that speak to me of harmony, courage, and undemanding love. A gift from a child with sea-blue eyes and hair the color of sand — who taught me the gift of love.
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我第一次和她在那个海滩上相遇时，她整六岁。这个海滩离我的住处约有三、四英里。每当我心情压抑，感到烦恼时，就驱车上那儿去。当时她正在用沙子堆积一个城堡似的东西。看到我来，她抬起头来望着我，那双眼睛像大海般深邃、湛蓝。
“您好!”她说。我点了点头作为回答，说实在的，我没有心思跟一个小女孩费神。“我在盖房子呢！”她又说。
“我看见了。这盖的是什么房子呢？”我心不在焉地问道。
“噢，我不知道，我就是喜欢摸沙子的感觉。”
这倒有意思，我边想边脱掉鞋子。蓦地，一只矶鹞从一旁滑翔而过。孩子见了说：“那是欢乐。”
“是什么？”
“是欢乐，矶鹞能给人们带来欢乐，妈妈说的。” 那只矶鹞顺着海滨飞走了。
“再见了，快乐，”我自言自语道，“痛苦来临了。”并转身走开。我很沮丧，因为我现在的生活一团糟。
“您叫什么名字啊？”她还不罢休。
“罗伯特，”我回答，“我叫罗伯特·彼得森。”
“我叫温迪，”──听上去却像Windy（风的意思）。“我六岁了。”
“你好，大风，”我叫道。“您真逗!”她咯咯地笑了。尽管心绪不佳，我也不由得笑了起来，一边往前走着。她那清脆悦耳的笑声依然追随着我。
“您下次再来，彼先生。咱们再快乐地玩一天！”她喊着。
那以后的好几个星期，我忙得不可开交，没有一点闲暇：负责一群调皮捣蛋的童子军，参加家长教师联谊会；还要照顾生病的母亲。
一个阳光明媚的上午，我洗完碗碟，心想：“我需要一只矶鹞。”于是穿上外套向海滩走去。
海岸不断变化的芳香依然在等着我。微风有点刺骨，但是我依然大步走着，我多么渴望能重新处于安静宁谧之中啊！我早已忘掉了那个孩子，所以当她出现在我面前时，不免吃了一惊。
“您好，彼先生!”她说。“你想玩吗？”
“你想玩什么？”带着一丝厌烦，我反问她。
“我不知道，您说吧。”
“猜字谜怎么样？”我挖苦地问。
“我不知道那是什么，”她说着，又发出一阵银铃般的笑声。
“那么，咱们一块儿走走吧。”我望着她，看到了娇嫩而皙白的脸色。“你住在哪儿？”我问她。
“那边！”她用小手指着远处一排夏季避暑的小别墅。我感到纳闷。现在是冬天啊。
“你在哪儿上学呢？”
“我不上学，妈妈说我们在度假。”我们漫步走上海滩，她一路上叽叽喳喳地说着小姑娘们的话。 可是，我却心事重重。当我要回家时，温迪说这是快乐的一天。奇怪的是，我的心情也感到舒坦多了。于是，我同意的报以一笑。
三星期后的一天，我神思恍惚，几乎是疯狂似地冲向我的海滩。我根本不想理睬温迪。 |
点击  收听单词发音
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glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 |
参考例句： |
- The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
- They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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gliding
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| 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。
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 |
参考例句： |
- When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
- His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
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giggle
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| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 |
参考例句： |
- Both girls began to giggle.两个女孩都咯咯地笑了起来。
- All that giggle and whisper is too much for me.我受不了那些咯咯的笑声和交头接耳的样子。
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giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
- The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 |
参考例句： |
- to join the Scouts 参加童子军
- The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。
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ailing
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| v.生病 |
参考例句： |
- They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
- She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 |
参考例句： |
- He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
- He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
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chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 |
参考例句： |
- I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
- I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。
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serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 |
参考例句： |
- Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。
- She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 |
参考例句： |
- Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
- I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。
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charades
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| n.伪装( charade的名词复数 )；猜字游戏 |
参考例句： |
- She and her three brothers played charades. 她和3个兄弟玩看手势猜字谜游戏。 来自辞典例句
- A group of children were dressed to play charades. 一群孩子穿着夜礼服在玩字迷游戏。 来自辞典例句
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sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 |
参考例句： |
- 'What a surprise!' Caroline murmured sarcastically.“太神奇了!”卡罗琳轻声挖苦道。
- Pierce mocked her and bowed sarcastically. 皮尔斯嘲笑她，讽刺地鞠了一躬。
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tinkling
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| n.丁当作响声 |
参考例句： |
- I could hear bells tinkling in the distance. 我能听到远处叮当铃响。
- To talk to him was like listening to the tinkling of a worn-out musical-box. 跟他说话，犹如听一架老掉牙的八音盒子丁冬响。 来自英汉文学
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 |
参考例句： |
- The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
- He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
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pointed
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| 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。
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chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 |
参考例句： |
- They chattered away happily for a while. 他们高兴地闲扯了一会儿。
- We chattered like two teenagers. 我们聊着天，像两个十多岁的孩子。
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 |
参考例句： |
- We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。
- Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 |
参考例句： |
- All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
- Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 |
参考例句： |
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 |
参考例句： |
- We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
- Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
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faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 |
参考例句： |
- He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
- "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”
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racing
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| 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。
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smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 |
参考例句： |
- The children had smeared mud on the walls. 那几个孩子往墙上抹了泥巴。
- A few words were smeared. 有写字被涂模糊了。
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hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 |
参考例句： |
- When the sun rose a hundred prismatic hues were reflected from it. 太阳一出，更把它映得千变万化、异彩缤纷。
- Where maple trees grow, the leaves are often several brilliant hues of red. 在枫树生长的地方，枫叶常常呈现出数种光彩夺目的红色。
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 |
参考例句： |
- Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
- She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。
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