美国语文第六册 第24期:勇敢的老橡树

 　　A song to the oak, the brave old oak, 歌颂橡树，勇敢的老橡树

　　Who hath ruled in the greenwood long; 森林之主的老橡树；

　　Here's health and renown¹ to his broad green crown, 他那宽阔的绿王冠象征健康和名望，

　　And his fifty arms so strong. 五十条胳膊那么粗壮。

　　There's fear in his frown, when the sun goes down, 太阳从地平线升起时，蹙紧的眉头透着恐惧，

　　And the fire in the west fades out; 当火一样的太阳在西方沉下，

　　And he showeth his might on a wild midnight,  他的威严笼罩着狂暴的午夜

　　When the storms through his branches shout. 这时暴风雨在他的树枝间怒吼。

　　In the days of old, when the spring with cold Had brightened his branches gray, 老之将至，春风乍起他的枯枝焕发了生机，

　　Through the grass at his feet, crept maidens² sweet, To gather the dews of May. 脚下长出青草，就像甜美的少女伸手采集五月的露珠。

　　And on that day, to the rebec gay 五月节那天，三弦琴奏出欢快的乐声

　　They frolicked with lovesome swains; 她们同可爱的情郎嬉戏玩耍；

　　They are gone, they are dead, in the churchyard laid, 她们离开了，他们也魂归他乡，就埋在教堂墓地。

　　But the tree — it still remains³. 只有那株橡树——依旧巍然挺立。

　　He saw rare times when the Christmas chimes Were a merry sound to hear, 他很少见到圣坛钟声敲响，

　　When the Squire's wide hall and the cottage small Were filled with good English cheer. 当乡绅宽敞的厅堂和狭小的村舍欢呼鼎沸时，但愿听到的是快乐的乐声。

　　Now gold hath the sway we all obey, And a ruthless king is he; 现在，我们都遵循黄金易逝他是一位冷酷无情的国王；

　　But he never shall send our ancient friend To be tossed on the stormy sea. 但是他从未将我们古代的朋友派到下着暴风雨的大海上遭受颠簸。

　　Then here's to the oak, the brave old oak, Who stands in his pride alone; 这株橡树，勇敢的老橡树，傲然而立；

　　And still flourish he, a hale green tree, When a hundred years are gone. 百年过后他依旧枝繁叶茂，老当益壮的绿精灵。

1 renown   

n.声誉，名望

参考例句：

• His renown has spread throughout the country.他的名声已传遍全国。
• She used to be a singer of some renown.她曾是位小有名气的歌手。

2 maidens   

处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• Transplantation is not always successful in the matter of flowers or maidens. 花儿移栽往往并不成功，少女们换了环境也是如此。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。