美国语文第五册 第91期:香水月季(4)

 　　Well, after all, how odd!  好了，不管怎么说，你真够搞怪！

　　When one gives to poor people, one wants to give them something useful—a bushel of potatoes, a ham, and such things. 如果想送穷人东西，送点实用的东西总是不错，比如，一麻袋土豆，或一条火腿什么的。

　　Why, certainly, potatoes and ham must be supplied; but, having ministered to the first and most craving¹ wants, 天呀！确实，土豆或火腿都是不可少的，那是穷人生存的首选或最渴望得到的东西，

　　why not add any other little pleasures or gratifications we may have it in our power to bestow²? 可是，我们为什么就不能给穷人精神上的微薄快乐，使她们内心获得少许喜悦，而这些，对我们来说不过举手之劳？

　　I know there are many of the poor who have fine feeling and a keen sense of the beautiful, 我知道，许多穷人情感丰富，对美好事物相当敏锐，

　　which rusts³ out and dies because they are too hard pressed to procure⁴ it any gratification. 可他们活得实在艰难，也就自然钝化或磨灭了内在美好。

　　Poor Mrs. Stephens, for example; I know she would enjoy birds, and flowers, and music as much as I do. 否则，就鸟类花草或音乐欣赏能力而言，史蒂芬夫人，虽穷，亦绝不比我少。

　　I have seen her eye light up as she looked upon these things in our drawing room and yet not one beautiful thing can she command. 我留意到，那次斯蒂芬夫人来到我们家，仔细打量客厅里那些艺术摆件，尽管没说一句话，可她的眼睛很亮。

　　From necessity, her room, her clothing,—all she has, must be coarse and plain. 你看看她家的陋屋、那些衣物还有居家必需品，当然杂乱不堪。

　　You should have seen the almost rapture⁵ she and Mary felt when I offered them my rose. 你也该看到，当我想说把香水月季送给她们，她和女儿玛丽几乎欣喜若狂。

　　Dear me! all this may be true, but I never thought of it before. 天呀！这些或许不假，不过，我以前从未想到这些，

　　I never thought that these hard-working people had any ideas of taste! 这些每天苦力劳作的穷人能有什么欣赏品位。

1 craving   

n.渴望,热望

参考例句：

• a craving for chocolate 非常想吃巧克力
• She skipped normal meals to satisfy her craving for chocolate and crisps. 她不吃正餐，以便满足自己吃巧克力和炸薯片的渴望。

2 bestow   

v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费

参考例句：

• He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
• What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我？

3 rusts   

n.铁锈( rust的名词复数 )；（植物的）锈病，锈菌v.（使）生锈( rust的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Copper nails are better than iron nails because the iron rusts. 铜钉比铁钉好，因为铁会生锈。 来自辞典例句
• The axenic culture of rusts has been achieved on various defined media. 在各种规定的培养基上可得到锈菌的单体纯净培养物。 来自辞典例句

4 procure   

vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条

参考例句：

• Can you procure some specimens for me?你能替我弄到一些标本吗？
• I'll try my best to procure you that original French novel.我将尽全力给你搞到那本原版法国小说。

5 rapture   

n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜

参考例句：

• His speech was received with rapture by his supporters.他的演说受到支持者们的热烈欢迎。
• In the midst of his rapture,he was interrupted by his father.他正欢天喜地，被他父亲打断了。