吹小号的天鹅 第62期:波士顿(2)

 　　Louis nodded. He arranged his things neatly¹ around his neck, entered the water quietly,路易斯点点头。他把脖子上挂着的那些东西整理好，悄悄地下了水，took up a position a few yards in front of the boat, and waited.

　　游到游艇前面几码远的地方，等待着。

　　He wondered what would make the boat go.

　　他想知道这船是怎么开的。

　　He couldn't see any outboard motor, and there were no oars².

　　他看不到任何舷外发动机，也看不到船桨。

　　In the forward part of the boat were benches for the passengers.

　　船的前部有许多供游客乘坐的长椅。

　　In the stern was a structure that was shaped like a swan. It was hollow.

　　船尾是一个天鹅形状的舱房。它是中空的。

　　Inside of it was a seat, like a bicycle seat.

　　里面有一个座位，就像自行车的座位一样。

　　And there were two pedals inside, like the pedals of a bicycle.

　　还有两个踏板，也和自行车的脚踏板一样。

　　When the passengers were all aboard, a young man appeared.

　　当乘客们上船后，一个年轻的男人出现了。

　　He climbed onto the stern of the boat and sat down on the seat inside the hollow swan-shaped structure他爬到船的尾部，坐到天鹅形状的空舱房里的座位上，and began to push the pedals with his feet, as though he were riding a bike.

　　开始用脚蹬那两个踏板，好像他正在骑自行车一样。

　　A paddle wheel began to turn.

　　一个脚踏轮开始转动了。

　　The Boatman cast the lines off, and as the young man pedaled, the Swan Boat slowly moved out into the lake.

　　游艇老板解开缆绳时，那个年轻人还在继续蹬着踏板，天鹅游艇则慢慢地驶入湖里。

　　Louis led the way, swimming with his left foot, holding his trumpet³ with his right foot.

　　路易斯领着路，用他的左脚游着水，用他的右脚握着小号。

　　"Ko-hoh!" said Louis's trumpet. The wild sound rang loud and clear and stirred everyone's blood.

　　“吭—嗬！”路易斯的小号说。这狂野的声音是那么的嘹亮清越，听得每个人都热血沸腾了。

　　Then, realizing that he should play something appropriate, Louis played a song he had heard the boys sing at camp.

　　接着，他觉得该吹奏点合适的曲子，于是便吹起了一首他在夏令营里听男孩子们唱过的歌：

　　Row, row, row your boat

　　划呀，划呀，划你的船

　　Gently down the stream;

　　轻轻地在河上荡漾

　　Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

　　快乐，快乐，快乐，快乐，

　　Life is but a dream.

　　生活不过是美梦一场。

　　The Swan Boat passengers were beside themselves with joy and excitement.

　　天鹅游艇上的乘客们都听得欣喜若狂，浑然忘掉了自我的存在。

　　A real live swan, playing a trumpet! Life was a dream, all right.

　　这可是一只活生生的天鹅呀，还在吹小号呢！生活是一场美梦，太对了。

　　What a lark⁴! What fun! What pleasure!

　　多有趣呀！多好玩呀！多享受呀！

　　"This is real groovy!" cried a boy in the front seat.

　　“这是真正的高水准表演！”前面座位上的一个男孩喊。

　　"That bird is as good as Louis Armstrong, the famous trumpet player. I'm going to call him Louis."“那只鸟儿和著名的小号吹奏家路易斯·阿姆斯特朗吹得一样好。我打算称他为路易斯。”

　　When Louis heard this, he swam alongside the boat,路易斯听到这里，便游向船边，

　　took his chalk pencil in his mouth, and wrote: "That's actually my name."把他的石笔叼在嘴里，写道：“其实那正是我的名字。”

　　"Hey, how about that?" yelled the boy.

　　“嘿，怎么回事？”这个男孩惊叫，

　　"This swan can write, too. Louis can write. Let's give him a cheer!"“这只天鹅还会写字。路易斯能写字。让我们给他一声欢呼吧！”

　　The passengers cheered loudly. Louis swam ahead again, leading the way.

　　乘客们大声欢呼起来。路易斯又游到前面，领路去了。

　　Slowly and gracefully⁵, the boat circled the island, while Louis played "Gentle on My Mind" on his trumpet.

　　游艇仍在缓缓地，优雅地环岛航行着，这时路易斯在他的小号上吹起了“温柔在我心”这首歌。

　　It was a lovely September morning, hazy⁶ and warm.

　　这是一个可爱的九月早晨，薄雾未散，空气温暖。

　　Trees were beginning to show their autumn colors. Louis played "Ol' Man River."树木正在呈现他们在秋天里的颜色。路易斯此时在吹“老人河”。

 

1 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

2 oars   

n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
• The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

4 lark   

n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏

参考例句：

• He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。
• She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。

5 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

6 hazy   

adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的

参考例句：

• We couldn't see far because it was so hazy.雾气蒙蒙妨碍了我们的视线。
• I have a hazy memory of those early years.对那些早先的岁月我有着朦胧的记忆。