美国语文第六册 第46期:耐儿之死(3)

 　　Think what earth is, compared with the world to which her young spirit has winged its early flight, 倘若拿尘世和她那年轻的灵魂振翅飞上去的那个世界比较的话，尘世又算得了什么呢。

　　and say, if one deliberate wish, expressed in solemn tones above this bed, could call her back to life, which of us would utter it?" 不妨说，倘若在这张床榻上而用严肃的语气表达一种愿望，真诚期盼唤回她的生命，我们当中有谁能讲出这番话呢？”

　　She had been dead two days. 她已经死了两天了。

　　They were all about her at the time, knowing that the end was drawing on. 当时，他们全都围在她身旁，知道她就要断气了。

　　She died soon after daybreak. 天刚放亮她就咽气了。

　　They had read and talked to her in the earlier portion of the night; but, as the hours crept on, she sank to sleep. 前半夜时，他们给她念书听，和她说着什么，可是随着时间流逝，她又沉睡过去了。

　　They could tell by what she faintly uttered in her dreams, that they were of her journeyings with the old man; 从她在梦中隐约的梦呓，他们分辨出她说的是和那位老者旅行的事情；

　　they were of no painful scenes, but of people who had helped them, and used them kindly¹; for she often said "God bless you!" with great fervor². 其中没有令人痛苦心酸的场面，涉及帮助过他们和对他们很和善的一些人，因为她总是非常真诚热切地说：“上帝保佑你们！”

　　Waking, she never wandered in her mind but once, and that was at beautiful music, which, she said, was in the air. 醒着的时候，她神志一直很清醒，只有一次她说空中飘过动听的音乐。

　　God knows. It may have been. Opening her eyes, at last, from a very quiet sleep, she begged that they would kiss her once again. 只有上帝知道是不是这样。也许是真的。最后，她从非常安详的睡眠中睁开眼睛，请求他们再吻她一遍。

　　That done, she turned to the old man, with a lovely smile upon her face, 吻过之后，她转过头对着老者，脸上浮出惹人怜爱的笑容——这笑容是那般妩媚动人，

　　such, they said, as they had never seen, and could never forget, and clung, with both her arms, about his neck. 他们说，他们从未见过，永远无法忘怀。她伸手紧紧拦住他的脖子。

　　She had never murmured or complained; but, with a quiet mind, and manner quite unaltered, 她从来没有发过牢骚，也没有抱怨过，最后她带着平静的心情和丝毫没有改变的态度，

　　save that she every day became more earnest and more grateful to them, faded like the light upon the summer's evening. 只不过她每天对它们更加虔敬和感恩了，最后她像一道光线在一个夏日的黄昏中慢慢隐去了。

1 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

2 fervor   

n.热诚；热心；炽热

参考例句：

• They were concerned only with their own religious fervor.他们只关心自己的宗教热诚。
• The speech aroused nationalist fervor.这个演讲喚起了民族主义热情。