吹小号的天鹅 第109期:绿色的春天(3)

 From Boston, Louis would lead his family to the Philadelphia Zoo and show them Bird Lake.

离开波士顿后，路易斯会领着全家飞到费城动物园，让他们看看鸟湖。

Here, he would be greeted warmly by the Head Man in Charge of Birds.

在这里，他会受到鸟类管理处的那个负责人的热情欢迎。

If the Zoo needed a young Trumpeter Swan to add to its collection of waterfowl,

如果动物园需要一只小号手天鹅来增加它的水鸟收藏的话，

Louis would donate one of his cygnets, just as he had promised.

路易斯就会捐出他的一只小天鹅来，就像他曾经答应过的那样。

In later years, Philadelphia was also the place where they would see Sam Beaver².

近年来，费城也是可以常常见到萨姆·比弗的地方。

Sam took a job with the Zoo just as soon as he was old enough to go to work.

萨姆一到大得可以出来工作时就在这动物园找了一个活儿。

He and Louis always had a great time when they got together.

他和路易斯在一起时总是感到格外的开心。

Louis would get out his slate³, and they would have a long talk about old times.

路易斯会拿出他的石板，他们会久久地谈起过去的时光。

吹小号的天鹅

After visiting Philadelphia, Louis would fly south with his wife and children

访问完费城后，路易斯会和他的妻小们往南飞，

so they could see the great savannas⁴ where alligators⁵ dozed⁶ in the swamp⁷ water and Turkey Buzzards soared⁸ in the sky.

这样他们就可以看到稀树大草原了，那里有在沼泽中打盹的美洲鳄，还有在天空里翱翔的美洲鹫。

And then they would return home to spend the winter in the Red Rock Lakes of Montana,

接着他们会回到蒙大拿的红石湖的家，

in the lovely, serene⁹ Centennial Valley, where all Trumpeter Swans feel safe and unafraid.

在那个可爱的，宁静的百年峡谷，那个所有号手天鹅都感到无忧无虑的地方过冬。

The life of a swan must be a very pleasant and interesting life.

天鹅的生活肯定是很快乐很有意思的。

And of course Louis's life was particularly pleasant because he was a musician.

当然啦，路易斯的生活会更快乐，因为他可是一个音乐家呀。

Louis took good care of his trumpet¹.

路易斯对他的小号保养得非常好。

He kept it clean and spent hours polishing it with the tips of his wing feathers.

他为了保持它的清洁，常常一连花好几个钟头的工夫用他的翅膀尖来擦它。

As long as he lived, he felt grateful to his father,

只要他还活着，就会对他的父亲，

the brave cob who had risked his life in order to give him the trumpet he needed so badly.

对那只为了给他弄到他急需的小号而甘冒生命危险的勇敢雄天鹅充满感激之情。

Every time Louis looked at Serena,

每当路易斯看到塞蕾娜时，

he remembered that the sound of the trumpet was what had made her willing to become his mate.

他都会记起正是靠着这小号声他才使她愿意做他的终身伴侣的。

Swans often live to be very old.

天鹅的寿命一般都很长。

Year after year, Louis and Serena returned in spring to the same small pond in Canada to raise their family.

年复一年地，路易斯和塞蕾娜每年春天都到那个加拿大的小池塘生儿育女。

The days were peaceful.

日子在平静中过去。

Always, just at the edge of dark, when the young cygnets were getting sleepy,

每逢天快黑下来，小天鹅们想要睡觉之际，

Louis would raise his horn and play taps, just as he used to do at camp long ago.

路易斯总会举起他的小号吹熄灯号，就像他很久以前在夏令营里所做的那样。

The notes were sad and beautiful as they floated across the still water and up into the night sky.

这旋律是忧伤的，甜美的，它从寂寂的水面荡过，一直漾进夜空里。

1 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。

2 beaver   

n.海狸，河狸

参考例句：

• The hat is made of beaver.这顶帽子是海狸毛皮制的。
• A beaver is an animals with big front teeth.海狸是一种长着大门牙的动物。

3 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

4 savannas   

n.（美国东南部的）无树平原( savanna的名词复数 )；（亚）热带的稀树大草原

参考例句：

• Therefore the jungles and the savannas know of no juvenile delinquency! 因此，丛林和荒原里没有“少年犯罪。” 来自辞典例句
• My soul flits away into the virgin forests and to the savannas. 我的灵魂飞向森林中的处女地和广漠的平原。 来自互联网

5 alligators   

n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two alligators rest their snouts on the water's surface. 两只鳄鱼的大嘴栖息在水面上。 来自辞典例句
• In the movement of logs by water the lumber industry was greatly helped by alligators. 木材工业过去在水上运输木料时所十分倚重的就是鳄鱼。 来自辞典例句

6 dozed   

v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄，昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐，便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 swamp   

n.沼泽，湿地；v.淹没，陷于沼泽

参考例句：

• The swamp teems with mosquitoes.这片沼泽地蚊子多极了。
• The water in the swamp is foul.沼泽中的水很臭。

8 soared   

v.高飞( soar的过去式和过去分词 )；猛增；（音乐）升高；高耸

参考例句：

• The bird soared high, with outspread wings. 鸟儿展翅高飞。
• The rocket soared skywards. 火箭呼啸着朝天上飞去。

9 serene   

adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的

参考例句：

• He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。
• He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多，只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。