第一册第11篇：露天世界的夜晚

11 Night in the open world 露天世界的夜晚
Robert Louis Stevenson 罗伯特·路易斯·斯蒂文森

Night is a dead and monotonous¹ period under a roof(1); but in the open world(2) it passes lightly, with its stars and dews and perfumes, and the hours are marked by changes in the face of Nature. What seems a kind of temporal death to people choked between walls and curtains(3) is only a light and living slumber² to the man who sleeps afield. All night long he can hear Nature breathing deeply and freely; even as she(4) takes her rest she turns and smiles; and there is one stirring hour, unknown to those who dwell in houses, when a wakeful influence goes abroad over the sleeping hemisphere, and all the outdoor world are on their feet(5). It is then that the cock first crows, not this time to announce tile dawn, but like a cheerful watchman speeding the course of night. Cat- fie awake on the meadows; sheep break their fast(6) on dewy hill-sides, and change to a new lair³ among the ferns; and houseless men, who have lain down with the fowls⁴, open their dim eyes and behold⁵ the beauty of the night.

中文译文：
在室内，夜是死气沉沉，单调乏味的时刻。但是在露天世界里，有星星，有露珠，还有芬芳的香气，黑夜轻快地流逝，而大自然的面貌却在夜里时刻变化着。禁锢在室内和帘后的人们觉得夜似乎是短暂的死亡，而露宿野外的人却觉得夜只是一场充满生机的微睡。他整夜能听见大自然深沉的、自由自在的呼吸。大自然即使在休息时也在转动和微笑。当沉睡着的半球出现韪醒迹象的时候，室外的万物都起来丁，那种忙碌的时刻是居住在室内的人所不知道的。雄鸡最先啼鸣，这时不是报晓，而是象欢乐的更夫在催黑夜快走。草地上牛群醒来露珠晶莹的山坡上羊群在进早餐，并且在羊齿植物丛中改换新的羊窝；与禽鸟共眠的无家可归的人们睁开了惺松的双眼，观赏美丽的夜色。

英文注释：
(1) under a roof： 在屋顶下，指在室内。
(2) in the open world： 在露天世界，指在室外(野外)。
(3) What seems…walls and curtains： 主语从句，其中 choked between…为分词短语，修饰the people。
(4) she： 指Nature。
(5) all the outdoor world are on their feet： all the outdoor world指室外的万物，所以动词用are，代词用their；(be) on one's feet：站起来。
(6) break their fast：开斋，吃早饭。

1 monotonous   

adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的

参考例句：

• She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
• His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

2 slumber   

n.睡眠，沉睡状态

参考例句：

• All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
• Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

3 lair   

n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处

参考例句：

• How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair?不入虎穴，焉得虎子？
• I retired to my lair,and wrote some letters.我回到自己的躲藏处，写了几封信。

4 fowls   

鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马

参考例句：

• A great number of water fowls dwell on the island. 许多水鸟在岛上栖息。
• We keep a few fowls and some goats. 我们养了几只鸡和一些山羊。

5 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。