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 Beaver.

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 slate, 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 savannas where alligators dozed in the swamp water and Turkey Buzzards soared 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, serene 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 trumpet.

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。