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彩虹鸽|The Story of a Pigeon

第五章　追踪彩虹鸽|PART ONE Chapter Five On Gay-Neck’s Track

属类： 双语小说 【分类】儿童读物 -[作者: 丹-戈帕尔-慕克吉] 阅读：[4706]
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我们下山，进入下面峡谷的荒凉地带，突然发现自己到了一个越来越昏暗的世界，尽管几乎还不到下午三点钟。这是因为我们都在高高的山峰投下的长影中行走。我们加快步伐，寒气驱使我们向前。我们一下到一千英尺多，就变得相对温暖了些，但随着夜晚飞快降临，气温又降低了，促使我们希望到一家友好的喇嘛庙寻求庇护。我们到达了那个特殊的“客栈”，那里的喇嘛慷慨大方地款待了我们。他们只是在给我们上饭和陪我们去房间的时候才跟我们说话。他们晚上都在打坐中度过。

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As we descended into the bleak oblivion of the gorges below, we suddenly found ourselves in a world of deepening dark, though it was hardly three in the afternoon. It was due to the long shadows of the tall summits under which we moved. We hastened our pace, and the cold air goaded us on. As soon as we had descended about a thousand feet and more, it grew warmer by comparison, but as night came on apace the temperature dropped anew and drove us to seek shelter in a friendly lamasery. We reached that particular serai where the lamas, Buddhist monks, most generously offered us hospitality. They spoke to us only as they had occasion in serving us with supper and in escorting us to our rooms. They spend their evenings in meditation.

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我们住在山坡上开出的三间小石屋里，前面是一块草坪，外缘被栏杆隔开了。借着提灯的光亮，我们发现小石屋里只有草垫。然而，夜晚很快过去了，因为我们太累了，睡得像母亲怀抱里的孩子们一样。第二天凌晨四点钟左右，我听到了许多杂乱的脚步声，这使我从睡梦中完全惊醒。我钻出被窝，循声而去，很快看清了几盏明亮的灯。我走下石阶，然后又登上一段高高的石阶，来到了喇嘛庙的中央小圣堂——悬岩下面的一个巨大洞穴，三面敞开。我面前站着八位提灯的喇嘛，他们默默地放好灯，盘腿坐下，开始打坐。昏暗的灯光落在他们黄褐色的脸上和蓝色长袍上，他们脸上露出的只有安详和慈爱。

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We had three small cells cut out of the side of a hill, in front of which was a patch of grassy lawn railed off at the outer edges. By the light of the lanthorns we carried, we found that we had only straw mattresses in our stone cells. However, the night passed quickly, for we were so tired that we slept like children in their mothers’ arms. About four o’clock next morning I heard many footsteps that roused me completely from sleep. I got out of bed and went in their direction, and soon I discerned bright lights. By climbing down and then up a series of high steps, I reached the central chapel of the lamasery—a vast cave under an overhanging rock, and open on three sides. There before me stood eight lamas with lanthorns that they quietly put away as they then sat down to mediate, their legs crossed under them. The dim light fell on their tawny faces and blue robes, and revealed on their countenances only peace and love.

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过了一会儿，住持用印度斯坦语[1]对我说道：“为所有睡眠中的人祈祷，几百年来一直是我们的传统。在黑夜的这个时刻，即使患失眠症的人，也会神志不清；因为人们在睡眠时无法拥有意识思维，所以我们祈祷永恒的爱心可以净化他们，这样他们早晨醒来的时候，就会以纯洁、善良和勇敢的思想开始新的一天。你愿意跟我们一起打坐吗？”

[1]印度斯坦语，又称印地-乌尔都语，为语言学家用于描述印度次大陆印地语和乌尔都语两种官方语言，同时还包括几种非规范方言，这些语言语法基本相同，有共同的基本词汇。事实上，在印度成为英国殖民地以前，印度斯坦语和乌尔都语所指完全相同。
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Presently their leader said to me in Hindustani: "It has been our practise for centuries to pray for all who sleep. At this hour of the night even the insomnia-stricken person finds oblivion; and since men when they sleep cannot possess their conscious thoughts, we pray that Eternal Compassion may purify them, so that when they awake in the morning they will begin their day with thoughts that are pure, kind and brave. Will you mediate with us?"

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我欣然同意。我们坐下来，为整个人类祈祷。即使到今天，我早早醒来时，也会想起喜马拉雅山里的那些僧人，他们每天为净化所有还在睡眠中的人们的思想祈祷。

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I agreed readily. We sat praying for compassion for all mankind. Even to this day, when I awake early I think of those Buddhist monks in the Himalayas praying for the cleansing of the thoughts of all men and women still asleep.

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天很快就亮了。我发现自己正坐在一座山的裂缝中，我们脚边横着一道陡峭荒凉的悬崖。银铃的叮当声在阳光照射的空气中柔柔地响起；铃有的是银色的，有的是金色的，它们轻轻响起，空气中弥漫着甜美的音乐：这是喇嘛们在迎接黎明的曙光。太阳吹响了胜利的号角——光明战胜黑暗、生命战胜死亡的号角。

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The day broke soon enough. I found that we were sitting in a cleft of a mountain, and at our feet lay a precipice sheer and stark. The tinkling of silver bells rose softly in the sunlit air; bells upon bells, silver and golden, chimed gently and filled the air with their sweet music: it was the monks’ greeting to the harbinger of light. The sun rose as a clarion cry of triumph—of Light over Darkness, and of Life over Death.

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我在下面碰见了正在吃早饭的刚德和拉迪亚。这时，一个为我们上饭的喇嘛说：“昨天，你们的鸽子来过这里躲避。”他描述了彩虹鸽的外貌，甚至准确到鼻头的特征、大小和颜色。

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Below, I met Radja and Ghond at breakfast. It was then that a monk who served us said, "Your pigeon came here for shelter yesterday." He gave a description of Gay-Neck, accurate even to the nature of his nose-wattle, its size and colour.

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刚德问：“你怎么知道我们在寻找鸽子？”

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Ghond asked, "How do you know we seek a pigeon?"

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平脸喇嘛连眼睫毛都没有动，就用平淡的语气说：“我能读懂你们的想法。”

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The flat-faced lama, without even turning an eye-lash, said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I can read your thoughts."

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拉迪亚用急切的语气问道：“你怎么能读懂我们的想法呢？”

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Radja questioned with eagerness: "How can you read our thoughts?"

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喇嘛回答说：“要是你每天四个小时为所有生灵的快乐向大慈大悲的观音菩萨祈祷，十二年后，他就会赐给你读懂一些人思想的能力，尤其是那些来到这里的人的思想……你的鸽子来我们这里躲避时，我们给他喂食，治好了他的恐惧症。”

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The monk answered: "If you pray to Eternal Compassion for four hours a day for the happiness of all that live, in the course of a dozen years, He gives you the power to read some people’s thoughts, especially the thoughts of those who come here.… Your pigeon we fed and healed of his fear when he took shelter with us."

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“治好了恐惧症，我的天哪！”我高声叫道。

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Healed of fear, my Lord! I exclaimed.

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喇嘛言简意赅而肯定地说：“是的，他深受惊吓。于是，我把他捧在手里，抚摸他的头，告诉他不要害怕。后来，也就是昨天早晨，我放走了他。他再也不会受到伤害了。”

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The lama affirmed most simply: "Yes, he was deeply frightened. So I took him in my hands and stroked his head and told him not to be afraid; then yestermorn I let him go. No harm will come to him."

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“长老，你这样说能给出理由吗？”刚德礼貌地问道。

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Can you give your reason for saying so, my Lord? asked Ghond politely.

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这位圣者这样回答他：“噢，猎人中的宝石，你一定知道，无论是动物还是人，只要不被敌人吓得魂不附体，就不会受到攻击，也不会送命。我亲眼见过，兔子摆脱恐惧的时候，甚至可以逃脱猎狗和狐狸的追踪。恐惧会蒙蔽人的机智，麻痹人的神经。把自己交给恐惧的人会死在自己手里。”

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The man of God replied to him thus: "You must know, O Jewel amongst hunters, that no animal, nor any man, is attacked and killed by an enemy until the latter succeeds in frightening him. I have seen even rabbits escape hounds and foxes when they kept themselves free of fear. Fear clouds one’s wits and paralyses one’s nerve. He who allows himself to be frightened lets himself be killed."

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“可是，长老，你是怎么治愈一只鸟的恐惧症的呢？”

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But how do you heal a bird of fear, my Lord?

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对于拉迪亚的这个问题，圣者回答说：“要是你没有恐惧，你不仅可以保持思想纯净，而且你的睡眠连续几个月都不受任何噩梦的玷污，那么，无论你接触什么东西都会变得无所畏惧。你的鸽子现在没有恐惧症，因为我曾把他捧在手里，将近二十年来，我在思想、行动和梦中都不曾害怕过。目前，你的爱鸟安然无恙，再也没有什么会伤害他了。”

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To that question of Radja’s the holy one answered: "If you are without fear, and you keep not only your thoughts pure but also your sleep untainted of any fear-laden dreams for months, then whatever you touch will become utterly fearless. Your pigeon now is without fear, for I who held him in my hand have not been afraid in thought, deed and dream for nearly twenty years. At present your pet bird is safe: no harm will come to him."

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他说话时平静而笃定，没有加强语气，我感到彩虹鸽的确安然无恙。为了不再浪费时间，我告别了佛陀的信徒们，向南出发。要是让我说的话，那就是我坚信喇嘛们是对的。要是你每天早晨为别人祈祷，你就能使他们以纯洁、勇敢和爱开始新的一天。

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By the calm conviction in his words, spoken without emphasis, I felt that in truth Gay-Neck was safe; and in order to lose no more time, I said farewell to the devotees of Buddha and started south. Let me say that I firmly believe that the lamas were right. If You pray for other people every morning, you can enable them to begin their day with thoughts of purity, courage and love.

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此刻，我们飞快地向丹坦走去。我们一路通过了那些变得越来越炎热、越来越熟悉的地方。我们再也看不见杜鹃花了。更远的山上，把树叶染成深红色、金黄色、樱桃色和青铜色的秋天，还没有来到这里。樱桃树上还挂着果实，树上长出了厚厚的苔藓，风已经吹掉了苔藓上落的兰花花粉，兰花像你的手掌那样大，盛开着紫色和深红色的花朵。在太阳的蒸汽热中，许多白曼陀罗渗出了露滴。树木开始显得更加高大、更加可怕。竹子像一座座刺破天空的尖塔一样向上飙升。匍匐植物粗如蟒蛇般盘绕着，挡在我们前行的路上。蝉鸣声持续不断，让人难以忍受，松鸦在树林中叽叽喳喳叫个不停。偶尔会有一群绿鹦鹉扇动着翠绿色的翅膀面对太阳飞过，随后就不见了踪影。昆虫大量繁殖。巨大的天鹅绒般的黑蝴蝶蜂拥着从一朵花飞到另一朵花，数不清的小鸟捕食着无数嗡嗡叫的苍蝇。我们受到了虫子最厉害的叮咬，偶尔不得不停下来，等着让横穿而来的毒蛇过去。要不是刚德有一双训练有素的眼睛，知道动物们来往于哪一条道路，我们已经被蛇咬死或被水牛顶死十几回了。有时，刚德会把耳朵贴在地上倾听。几分钟后，他会说：“我们前面，有一群水牛过来了。我们先让他们过去吧。”很快，我们就听到刺耳的牛蹄声带着凶险的噪音从下层丛林传来，就像一把巨大的镰刀不停地砍着我们脚下的土地。然而，停下来半小时，吃过午餐之后，我们还是继续向前行进。最后，我们到达了锡金的边界，那里的小山谷闪闪发亮，挂满了正在成熟的红粟、绿色的橘子和金黄色的香蕉，山坡上金光闪闪，缀满了金盏花，金盏花上面紫罗兰闪耀着柔和的光。

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Now we dropped rapidly towards Dentam. Our journey lay through places that grew hotter and more familiar. No more did we see the rhododendrons. The autumn that farther up had touched the leaves of trees with crimson, gold, cerise and copper was not so advanced here. The cherry trees still bore their fruits; the moss had grown on trees thickly, and the wind had blown on them the pollen of orchids, large as the palm of your hand, blossoming in purple and scarlet. Many white daturas perspired with dewdrops in the steaming heat of the sun. The trees began to appear taller and more terrible. Bamboos soared upwards like sky-piercing minarets. Creepers as thick as pythons beset our path. The buzzing of the cicada grew insistent and unbearable, and jays jabbered in the woods. Now and then a flock of green parrots flung their emerald glory in the face of the sun, then vanished. Insects multiplied. Mammoth butterflies, velvety black, swarmed from blossom to blossom, and innumerable small birds preyed on numberless buzzing flies. We were stung with the sharpest stings of worms, and now and then we had to wait to let pass a serpent that crossed our path. Were it not for the practised eyes of Ghond, who knew which way the animals came and went, we would have been killed ten times over by a snake or a buffalo. Sometimes Ghond would put his ear to the ground, and listen. After several minutes he would say: "Ahead of us, buffalos are coming. Let us wait till they pass." And soon enough we would hear their sharp hoofs moving through the undergrowth with a sinister noise as if a vast scythe were cutting, cutting, cutting the very ground from under our feet. Yet we pressed on, stopping for half an hour for lunch. At last we reached the borders of Sikkim, whose small valley glimmered with ripening red millet, green oranges and golden bananas, set against hillsides glittering with marigolds above which softly shone the violets.

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正在这时，我们看到了永远难忘的一幕。我们的脚下，狭窄的马帮路上，热浪滚滚，呈现出彩虹色：热浪太大，随着色彩簌簌振动。我们刚走了几码远，突然一大群喜马拉雅野雉霹雳般飞起，随后飞进了丛林，他们的翅膀像孔雀羽毛似的在暖烘烘的空气中燃烧。我们继续向前移动。又过了几分钟，另一群鸟飞了起来，但这些鸟是土黄色的。我困惑地请刚德说明原因。

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Just then we came to a sight that I shall never forget. At our feet on the narrow caravan road the air burned in iridescence: the heat was so great that it vibrated with colours. Hardly had we gone a few yards when like a thunderclap rose a vast flock of Himalayan pheasants; then they flew into the jungle, their wings burning like peacocks’ plumes in the warm air. We kept on moving. In another couple of minutes flew up another flock but these were mud coloured birds. In my perplexity I asked Ghond for an explanation.

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他说：“幸福的孩子啊，你看到经过这里的大篷车装满了小米吗？其中一只麻袋破了洞。在麻袋缝好之前，几把小米漏在了路上。随后，这些鸟就来啄食。我们突然碰到他们，就把他们吓得飞走了。”

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He said: "Do you not see, O Beloved of Felicity, the caravan that passed here was loaded with millet? One of their sacks had a hole in it. A few handfuls of millet leaked out on the road before the sack was sewn up. Later on arrived these birds, and fed themselves here. We came upon them suddenly and frightened them to flight."

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“可是，智慧王冠啊，”我问，“为什么雄雉看上去那样色彩鲜艳，雌雉却是土褐色？造物主总是偏爱雄性吗？”

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But, O Diadem of Wisdom, I asked, "why do the males look so gorgeous and why are the females mud-coloured? Is nature always partial to the male?"

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刚德做了如下说明：“据说，大自然给了所有的鸟儿躲避敌人的颜色。可是，难道你不明白为什么那些野鸡如此光彩照人，即使瞎子也能看见他们，把他们杀死吗？”

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Ghond made the following explanation: "It is said that Mother Nature has given all birds the colours that hide them from their enemies. But do you not see that those pheasants are so full of splendour that they can be sighted and killed even by a blind man?"

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拉迪亚惊叫道：“瞎子能看见？”

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Radja exclaimed, "Can they?"

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刚德回答说：“噢，你这小小的年龄挺机警的，瞎子看不见！真正的原因是野雉都生活在树上，在地面很热之前，他们不飞下来。在我们这个炎热的印度，地面以上两英寸的空气火烧火燎的，随着上千种颜色颤动；野雉羽毛的颜色与此非常相似。当我们看着他们的时候，我们看到的不是鸟，而是多种色彩的空气，这种颜色完全把他们伪装了起来。几分钟前，我们就差点儿踩到他们身上，以为他们不过是我们脚下的道路。”

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Ghond answered: "O, wary beyond thy years, no! The real reason is that they live on trees, and do not come down before the earth is very hot. In this hot India of ours the air two inches above the ground is so burning that it quivers with a thousand colours; and the plumage of the pheasant is similar. When we look at them we do not see birds, but the many-coloured air that camouflages them completely. We almost walked on them a few moments ago, thinking them but a part of the road at our feet."

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“我明白了。”拉迪亚又虔诚地说道。“可是，为什么雌雉看上去是土褐色的？他们为什么不跟雄雉一起飞呢？”

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That I comprehend, resumed Radja reverently. "But why did the female look mud-coloured and why did they not fly away with the male?"

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刚德毫不犹豫地回答说：“当敌人走近，对他们进行突然袭击的时候，尽管雄雉没有想到行侠仗义，但他们会飞起来抵挡敌人的子弹。雌雉的翅膀不是那么好。此外，雌雉是土地那样的颜色，所以他们会张开翅膀，掩护自己的孩子，然后趴在地上，完全把自己的身体融入那种色彩当中。当敌人离开去寻找已被杀死的雄雉的尸体的时候，雌雉就会带着孩子们逃进距离最近的灌木丛……即使她们的宝宝已经长大不跟她们在一起，母鸟还是会单独匍匐在地，趴在那里，做出保护孩子的姿势。牺牲自我已经成为她们的一个习惯，无论有没有孩子，雌雉都会习惯性地张开翅膀。我们遇到她们的时候，她们就是这样做的；后来，她们才突然意识到自己没有孩子需要保护。当我们仍然继续向她们逼近的时候，她们就逃走了，尽管她们是可怜的飞行者。”

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Ghond answered without hesitation: "When the enemy approaches and takes them by surprise, the male flies up to face the enemy’s bullets, though without thought of chivalry. The females’ wings are not so good. Besides, she, being of the colour of the earth, opens her wings to shelter her babies under them, then lies flat on the ground, completely melting away her identity into that colour scheme. After the enemy goes away in quest of the corpses of their already slaughtered husbands, the females run away with their babies into the nearest thicket.… And if it is not too late in the year, and if their grown-up babies are not with them, the mother birds singly flop to the ground and lie there, making the gesture of protecting their young. Self-sacrifice becomes a habit with them, and habitually they put forth their wings whether they have any young ones with them or not. That is what they were doing when we came upon them; then suddenly they realized that they were without anyone to protect, and as we still kept on coming down upon them they took to flight, poor fliers though they are."

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随着黄昏降临，我们安歇在锡金一个贵族的家里。他的儿子是我们的一个朋友。在那里，我们又进一步发现了彩虹鸽的种种痕迹。彩虹鸽先前曾经到过他们家好多次；他最近一次来到这个熟悉的地方之后，吃了一些小米粒、喝了水、洗了澡。此外，他还梳理了自己的翅膀，留下了两根小小的天蓝色羽毛，那羽毛颜色很漂亮，我的朋友就保存了下来。我看到那两根羽毛，心里乐得直跳。那天夜里，我睡得非常平静和满足。我睡得好还有一个原因，就是刚德吩咐我们要好好休息，明天出发之后，我们要在丛林中过夜。

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With the approach of dusk we took shelter in the house of a Sikkimese nobleman whose son was a friend of ours. There we found further traces of Gay-Neck, who had been to their house many times before, and so when he reached the familiar place on his latest visit he had eaten millet seeds, drunk water and taken his bath. Also, he had preened his wings and left two small azure feathers that my friend had preserved for the sake of their colouring. When I saw them my heart leaped in joy, and that night I slept in utter peace and contentment. There was another reason for sleeping well, for Ghond had told us to rest deeply, as after the following day’s march we were to spend the night in the jungle.

28
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第二天夜里，我们坐在丛林深处的树顶上。我常常想起我的那位锡金朋友的家和那个家里的舒适。

28
-

The next night, when we sat on that tree-top in the deep jungle, often did I think of the home of my Sikkimese friend and its comforts.

29
-

你自己想象一下，行进了整整一天，然后在危机四伏的森林中心地带一棵非常高大的菩提树上过夜是什么情景！我们花了半个多小时才找到那棵树，因为菩提树常常不长在高海拔地区，而且出于同样的原因，我们选择了那棵菩提树，我们要寻找一棵非常高大的菩提树——要是它过于细长，那对我们来说不起任何作用，因为一头大象后退撞在上面就会撞倒它。这种厚皮动物就是这样破坏一些非常粗壮的大树的。我们寻找的是一些非常粗壮的高大树木，大象的鼻子够不到上面的树枝，即使两头大象一起推撞也撞不断。

29
-

Imagine yourself marching all day, then spending the night on a vast banyan tree in the very heart of a dangerous forest! It took us a little over half an hour to find that tree, for banyans do not often grow in high altitudes, and also the same reason that made us choose the banyan made us look for a very large one of its kind—it would be of no use to us if it were slender enough for an elephant to break down by walking backwards against it! That is how the pachyderm destroys some very stout trees. We looked for something tall, and so stout that no elephant could reach its upper branches with his trunk and not even two tuskers could break it by pushing against it with their double weight.

30
-

我们终于找到了一棵合我们心的树。拉迪亚站在刚德的肩膀上，我站在拉迪亚的肩膀上，直至我们探到像人的躯干一样粗的树枝。我爬上去，坐在一根树枝上，把绳梯从上面放下来。在丛林里，我们总是随身带着现在这种绳梯，以应付紧急情况。拉迪亚爬上来，在我身边坐下；随后，刚德爬上了树枝，坐在我们俩之间。现在，我们看到我们下面刚德刚才站过的地方不仅像煤矿的中心地带一样黑，而且还有两盏相互离得很近的绿灯闪耀。我们非常清楚那是什么。刚德愉快地大声嚷道：“要是我在下面再耽搁两分钟，那个有斑纹的家伙就会咬死我。”

30
-

At last we found a tree to our liking. Radja stood on Ghond’s shoulder, and I on Radja’s, until we reached branches as thick as a man’s torso. I climbed and sat on one of them and from it let down our rope ladder that we always carried in the jungle for emergencies such as the present one. Radja climbed up and sat near me; then Ghond ascended the branch and sat between us. Now we saw that below us where Ghond had stood it had not only grown dark as the heart of a coal-mine, but there glowed two green lights set very close to each other. We knew too well whose they were. Ghond exclaimed jovially, "Had I been delayed down there two extra minutes, the striped fellow would have killed me."

31
-

看到猎物从身边逃脱，老虎发出了雷鸣般的吼叫，像诅咒一样鞭打着空气。一片紧张的寂静马上降临，覆盖了所有昆虫和小动物的声音。吼叫声变得低沉，渐渐远去，最后渗入了地下，似乎抓住了树根一般。

31
-

Seeing that his prey had escaped him, the tiger gave a thunderous yell, scourging the air like a curse. At once a tense silence fell, and smothered all the noise of insects and little beasts, and it descended further and deeper until it sank into the earth and seemed to grip the very roots of the trees.

32
-

我们稳当地坐在了树枝上，刚德把极其柔韧的绳梯拴在自己的腰上，然后又拴在我和拉迪亚的腰上，接着把剩下的部分紧紧地绑在树的主干上。我们一次让它承受一个人的重量，检验绳梯是不是牢固。这个预防措施是为了防止我们的组员睡着时滑下来掉到丛林的地上，毕竟，在睡眠中，身体放松下来，会像石头一样落下。最后，在睡意来临的时候，刚德伸出手臂给我们当枕头。

32
-

We made ourselves secure on our perch, and Ghond passed the extremely flexible rope ladder around his waist, then Radja’s, then mine, fastening the rest of it around the main trunk of the tree. We tested it by letting it bear the weight of one of us at a time. This precaution was taken for the purpose of preventing a sleep-stricken member of our group from slipping down to the floor of the jungle, for after all, in sleep the body relaxes so that it falls like a stone. Finally, Ghond arranged his arms for pillows for our heads when slumber came.

33
-

我们已经做好了一切必要的防范措施，所以就聚精会神地观察下面发生的事情。老虎已经从我们的树下消失了。昆虫们重又欢唱起来。当一些巨大的身影从远处的树上轻轻落下的时候，这些欢唱一次又一次地静止几秒钟。那些是花豹和黑豹，他们整个白天都在树上睡觉，夜晚来临的时候纵身跳下来捕食。

33
-

Now that we had taken all the necessary precautions, we concentrated our attention on what was happening below. The tiger had vanished from under our tree. The insects had resumed their song, which was again and again stilled for a few seconds as huge shapes fell from far-off trees with soft thuds. Those were leopards and panthers who had slept on the trees all day and were now leaping down to hunt at night.

34
-

豹子走后，青蛙呱呱叫，昆虫不停嗡嗡，猫头鹰也枭叫起来。各种喧响声像钻石一样打开了百万个晶面。各种声音跃入了各人的耳朵，就像阳光投射进无遮无拦的眼睛一样。一头野猪路过，折断了他面前的一切。很快，青蛙停止了呱呱叫；在丛林里的地上，我们听到高草和灌木丛像一个干草堆一样升起，然后随着一声叹息回落。那种柔和阴险、犹如浪花卷起的叹息声越来越近，随后……它慢慢地经过我们藏身的大树。噢，真是如释重负！原来是一条大蟒要去水坑。我们像树皮一样静静地待在树上——刚德害怕我们的呼吸声可能会把我们的位置暴露给大蟒。

34
-

When they had gone the frogs croaked, insects buzzed continually and owls hooted. Noise, like a diamond, opened its million facets. Sounds leaped at one’s hearing like the dart of sunlight into unprotected eyes. A boar passed, cracking and breaking all before him. Soon the frogs stopped croaking, and way down on the floor of the jungle we heard the tall grass and other undergrowth rise like a haycock, then with a sigh fall back. That soft sinister sigh like the curling up of spindrift drew nearer and nearer, then … it slowly passed our tree. Oh, what a relief! It was a constrictor going to the water-hole. We stayed on our tree-top as still as its bark— Ghond was afraid that our breathing might betray our position to the terrible python.

35
-

过了一会儿，我们听到一两声小树枝断裂的声音，简直就像一个人打响指一样微弱。原来是一只公鹿的角被一些藤蔓缠住了。公鹿正在折断藤蔓，好让自己挣脱。公鹿刚过去，丛林就像预期的那样突然变得紧张起来。各种声音渐渐地消失了。我们同时听到的十几种不同的响声，现在只剩下了三种：昆虫的鸣叫、公鹿短促的哀号——毫无疑问，大蟒正在水坑附近扼杀他——还有头顶的风声。现在，一群大象来了，大约有五十头，他们来我们树下的地上玩耍。雌象的长声尖叫、雄象的呼噜声和小象们的奔跑声弥漫在空中。

35
-

A few minutes later we heard one or two snappings of small twigs almost as faint as a man cracking his fingers. It was a stag whose antlers had got caught in some vines, and he was snapping them to get himself freed. Hardly had he passed when the jungle grew very tense with expectation. Sounds began to die down. Out of the ten or a dozen different noises that we had heard all at once, there now remained only three: the insects’ tick tack tock, the short wail of the stag—no doubt the constrictor was strangling him near the water-hole—and the wind overhead. Now the elephants were coming. Hatis (elephants), about fifty in a herd, came and played around the place below us. The squeal of the females, the grunt of the males, and the run run run of the babies filled the air.

36
-

接下来发生的事情我记不得了，因为我已经处在半睡半醒当中。在那种状态当中，我听到自己对彩虹鸽说起了鸽语，正经历着睡眠和梦境的深深的困惑。有人摇醒了我，让我万分惊讶的是，刚德轻声说道：“我再也撑不住你了。快醒醒吧！麻烦来了。一头疯狂的大象被落在了后面。这头掉队的大象一心想害人。我们没有高到他的鼻子完全够不到的地方，他要是举起鼻子再够远点，就会嗅到我们。野象既恨人又怕人，一旦嗅到我们的气味，他说不定就会整天守在这里，以便找出我们在哪里。小伙子，提高警惕。在敌人攻击之前，你要拔出警惕的剑。”

36
-

I do not remember what happened next, for I had dozed off into a sort of waking sleep, and in that condition I heard myself talking pigeon-language to Gay-Neck. I was experiencing a deep confusion of sleep and dream. Someone shook and roused me. To my utter amazement Ghond whispered: "I cannot hold you any more. Wake up! Mischief is abroad. A mad elephant has been left behind. The straggler is bent on harm. We are not high enough to be altogether out of the reach of his trunk, and if he raises it far enough he will scent our presence. Wild elephants hate and fear man, and once he gets our odour he may stay about here all day in order to find out where we are. Rouse thy vigilance, lad. Draw the blade of alertness before the enemy strikes."

37
-

关于那头象的情况，刚德说得完全没错。在拂晓的淡光中，我可以看清一个小山似的黑影在我们的树下来回走动。他从一棵树走到另一棵树，嘎巴折断一些秋天还没有枯萎的多汁细枝。他似乎非常贪婪，一心一意吃着那些美食，一年中这个时候是很少见的。大约过了半个小时，他玩起了一种奇怪的游戏，就是把前爪搭在一棵粗树的树干上摆动他的鼻子。这使他看上去像一头远远伸展身体的猛犸。他那样长长地伸展，几乎触到了那棵树的顶端，拽掉了大树枝上面最美味的分枝。拽光了鲜嫩树枝之后，他来到紧挨着我们那棵树的一棵树边，如此这般故技重演。现在，他发现了一棵他用鼻子拽倒的细长树木，把前蹄搭在那棵可怜巴巴的弯树上，用自身的重量嘎巴一声把它踩断。他尽可能吃光了那棵树。在他这样吃早饭的时候，他的横冲直撞吓坏了鸟儿和猴子，鸟儿纷纷飞到了空中，猴子惊恐地从一棵树跑到另一棵树，嘴里含糊急速地叫着。随后，大象用脚踩在断树桩上，鼻子一直伸到了我们坐的树枝上。他刚伸过来，就发出了一声长长的尖叫，飞快地缩回了鼻子，因为所有的动物都害怕人的气味。大象独自嘟嘟囔囔，之后又把鼻子伸到了刚德的脸边。正在这时，刚德几乎对着大象的鼻子打了一个喷嚏。这吓得大象惊慌失措，他以为自己遭到了人类的围攻。他像一个受惊的恶魔一样，嗥叫着，尖叫着，飞快地穿过丛林，折断踩碎了他面前的一切。那些厚得像绿帆一样的鹦鹉飞入了天空。猴子尖叫着飞跑过一棵又一棵树。野猪和公鹿在丛林的地上惊跑起来。一时间，喧嚣声和骚动声响成了一片，乱成了一团。我们必须得等待一段时间，才敢从我们坐的地方下来，继续我们的归途。

37
-

There was no mistake about that elephant. In the pale light of early dawn I could discern a sort of hillock darkly moving about under our tree. He was going from tree to tree and snapping off a few succulent twigs that autumn had not yet blighted. He seemed greedy and bent on gorging himself with those delicacies, rare for the time of the year. In about half an hour he performed a strange trick, putting his fore-feet on the bole of a thick tree, and swinging up his trunk. It gave him the appearance of a far-spreading mammoth; with that enormously long reach he almost touched the top of the tree, and twisted the most delectable branches off its boughs. After having denuded it of its good twigs, he came to a tree next to ours, and there did the same thing. Now he found a slender tree that he pulled down with his trunk, and placed his fore-feet on the poor bent thing and broke it with a crash under his own weight. He ate all that he could of that one. While he was breakfasting thus, his rampage frightened the birds and monkeys, who flew in the air or ran from tree to tree jabbering in terror. Then the elephant put his feet on the stump of the broken tree and reached up into ours until he touched the branch on which we sat. Hardly had he done so when he squealed, for the odour of man all beasts fear, and swiftly withdrew his trunk. After grunting and complaining to himself, he put up his trunk again very near Ghond’s face. Just then Ghond sneezed almost into the elephant’s nostrils. That struck panic into the latter’s heart; he felt beleaguered by men. Trumpeting and squealing like a frightened fiend, he dashed through the jungle, breaking and smashing everything before him. Again the parrots, thick as green sails, flew in the sky. Monkeys screamed and raced from tree to tree. Boars and stags stampeded on the floors of the jungle. For a while the din and tumult reigned unchecked. We had to wait some time before we dared to descend from our perch in order to resume our homeward journey.

38
-

那天晚些时候，我们幸运地遇到了一支沙漠商队，于是就骑着马回了家。尽管我们三个人累得要死，但我们看到待在丹坦我们家里鸽巢中的彩虹鸽就忘记了疲劳。噢，真开心！那天晚上睡觉前，我想起了那位喇嘛平静而自信地说：“你的鸟儿安然无恙。”

38
-

Late that day we reached home after being carried on horseback by a caravan that we were fortunate enough to meet. All three of us were dead tired, but we forgot our fatigue when we beheld Gay- Neck in his nest in our house at Dentam. Oh, what joy! That evening, before I went to sleep, I thought of the calm, quiet assurance of the lama who said, "Your bird is safe."

序号 英文/音标 中文解释 更多操作

deepen

[’diːpən]

vt. 使 ... 加深; 使 ... 强烈

hasten

[’heɪsn]

v.催促;赶快;加速

goad

[ɡəʊd]

v.刺激;激励;驱使

warmer

[’wɔːmə(r)]

n.取暖器;加热工人

monk

[mʌŋk]

n.僧侣;修道士

hospitality

[ˌhɒspɪ’tæləti]

n.款待;殷勤;好客;酒店管理

supper

[’sʌpə(r)]

n.晚饭

escort

[’eskɔːt]

n.护送者;护航舰;陪伴者;陪游;妓女

meditation

[ˌmedɪ’teɪʃn]

n.沉思;冥想

mattress

[’mætrəs]

n.床垫

footstep

[’fʊtstep]

n.脚步;脚步声;足迹

rousing

[’raʊzɪŋ]

adj.使奋起的;使感动的;使醒的,

discern

[dɪ’sɜːn]

v.辨别;看出;察觉

chapel

[’tʃæpl]

n.小礼拜堂;礼拜仪式;唱诗班;印刷厂工会;殡仪馆

overhang

[’əʊvəhæŋ]

v.悬于 ... 之上;悬垂;逼近

robe

[rəʊb]

n.长袍

countenance

[’kaʊntənəns]

n.面容;面部表情;支持

Eternal

[ɪ’tɜːnl]

adj.永久的;永恒的

mankind

[mæn’kaɪnd]

n.人类;男人

cleave

[kliːv]

v.裂开;分开(尤指沿天然纹理);使分开;穿过;依恋或忠实;粘着

chime

[tʃaɪm]

n.鸣;钟;和协

eagerness

[’iːgənɪs]

n.渴望;热心

affirm

[ə’fɜːm]

vt.证实;断言;肯定

utterly

[’ʌtəli:]

adv.完全;全然;绝对

fearless

[’fɪələs]

adj.无畏的;大胆的;勇敢的

felted

[’feltɪd]

v. 把 ... 制成毡(使 ... 粘结)

devotee

[ˌdevə’tiː]

n.爱好者;献身者;虔诚的宗教信徒

Buddha

[’bʊdə]

n.佛;佛像

rhododendron

[ˌrəʊdə’dendrən]

n.杜鹃花

autumn

[’ɔːtəm]

n.秋季

moss

[mɒs]

n.苔藓;泥沼

pollen

[’pɒlən]

n.花粉

orchid

[’ɔːkɪd]

n.兰花;淡紫色

datura

[də’tjʊərə]

n.蔓陀缴华属的植物

perspire

[pə’spaɪə(r)]

v.出汗;流汗;分泌

bamboo

[ˌbæm’buː]

n.竹子

creeper

[’kriːpə(r)]

n.爬行物;匍匐植物;汽车爬坡装置

python

[’paɪθən]

n.大蟒;巨蟒

besetting

[bɪ’setɪŋ]

adj.不断攻击的

buzz

[bʌz]

vi.发出嗡嗡声;充满;匆忙

parrot

[’pærət]

n.鹦鹉;盲目重复或模仿他人行为的人

fling

[flɪŋ]

vt. 投，抛，扔，掷;

multiply

[’mʌltɪplaɪ]

vt.乘;增加

swarm

[swɔːm]

n.群;蜂群

prey

[preɪ]

n.牺牲者;被掠食者，猎物

buffalo

[’bʌfələʊ]

n.水牛;野牛;水陆坦克

grind

[ɡraɪnd]

v.磨;压迫;碾碎;磨得吱吱响;逐渐停顿

hoof

[huːf]

n. 蹄; 人的脚

glimmer

[’ɡlɪmə(r)]

n.微光;少许

ripen

[’raɪpən]

v.(使)成熟

millet

[’mɪlɪt]

n.小米，黍

hillside

[’hɪlsaɪd]

n.山腰;山坡

glitter

[’ɡlɪtə(r)]

n.灿烂;闪烁;辉耀;亮片

vibrate

[vaɪ’breɪt]

vt.(使)振动;(使)摇摆

peacock

[’piːkɒk]

n.(雄)孔雀;爱炫耀的人

plume

[pluːm]

n.羽毛;羽饰;羽状物

Beloved

[bɪ’lʌvd]

adj.心爱的

leak

[liːk]

v.渗;漏;泄露

sew

[səʊ]

v.缝合;缝纫

gorgeous

[’ɡɔːdʒəs]

adj.华丽的;灿烂的;极好的

pheasant

[’feznt]

n.雉;野鸡

splendor

[’splendə]

n.光辉;壮丽;显赫;辉煌

quiver

[’kwɪvə(r)]

v.颤抖;振动

camouflage

[’kæməflɑːʒ]

n.伪装;掩饰;迷彩服

reverent

[’revərənt]

adj.恭敬的;虔诚的

corpse

[kɔːps]

n.尸体

slaughter

[’slɔːtə(r)]

n.残杀;屠杀;大量杀戮

flop

[flɒp]

v.啪嗒啪嗒地动;笨重地摔;猛落;失败

habitual

[hə’bɪtʃuəl]

adj.惯常的;习惯的

flier

[’flaɪə]

n.飞行员;飞行物;飞机上的乘客;传单;投机.

dusk

[dʌsk]

n.黄昏;薄暮;幽暗

latest

[’leɪtɪst]

adj.最近的;最新的

preen

[priːn]

v.整理羽毛;精心打扮;沾沾自喜

utter

[’ʌtə(r)]

adj.完全的;全然的;绝对的

marches

[mɑːtʃ]

1. n. (尤指英格兰与苏格兰或威尔士的)边界地区, 2.动词march的第三人称单数形式

banyan

[’bænjən]

n.榕树

altitude

[’æltɪtjuːd]

n.高度;海拔

ascend

[ə’send]

v.上升;攀登

jovial

[’dʒəʊviəl]

adj.快活的;高兴的;愉快的

scourge

[skɜːdʒ]

n.灾难;祸患;鞭子

curse

[kɜːs]

n.诅咒;咒骂;祸端

tense

[tens]

adj.紧张的;绷紧的;拉紧的

smother

[’smʌðə(r)]

v.窒息;闷死;用沙等闷住火;忍住;厚厚地或大面积地覆盖

fasten

[’fɑːsn]

vt.拴紧;使固定;系;强加于

thud

[θʌd]

n.重击声;砰的一声

leopard

[’lepəd]

n.豹，美洲豹;豹的毛皮;豹皮外衣;【纹章学】狮子侧身行走像

panther

[’pænθə(r)]

n.黑豹;美洲豹

dart

[dɑːt]

n.飞镖;投射;突进;缝褶

croak

[krəʊk]

v.嗄嗄叫;发牢骚;死

curling

[’kɜːlɪŋ]

n.苏格兰的冰上溜石游戏,

bark

[bɑːk]

v.(狗)吠;咆哮

twig

[twɪɡ]

n.小枝;嫩枝

antler

[’æntlə(r)]

n.鹿角;茸角

vine

[vaɪn]

n.藤;蔓;攀爬植物

tick

[tɪk]

n. 【口语】片刻；刹那间;

tack

[tæk]

n.大头钉;行动方针

herd

[hɜːd]

n. 【C】(牛、马、猪、象等)群;

doze

[dəʊz]

v.打瞌睡

Mischief

[’mɪstʃɪf]

n.淘气;恶作剧;捣蛋鬼;损害;伤害

odor

[’əʊdə]

n.气味;名声;气息

delicacy

[’delɪkəsi]

n.柔弱;精致;优雅;谨慎;佳肴

denude

[dɪ’njuːd]

vt.剥光;剥蚀

jabber

[’dʒæbə(r)]

v.快而不清楚地说话

stump

[stʌmp]

n.残株;烟蒂;讲演台

squeal

[skwiːl]

v.用长而尖的声音说;发出长声尖叫;告密

swift

[swɪft]

adj.快的;迅速的;敏捷的

grunt

[ɡrʌnt]

v.咕哝;(猪等)打呼噜

sneeze

[sniːz]

n.喷嚏

nostril

[’nɒstrəl]

n.鼻孔

trumpet

[’trʌmpɪt]

n.喇叭;喇叭声;喇叭手

smash

[smæʃ]

vt. 打碎，粉碎;

boar

[bɔː(r)]

n.野猪;公猪

stag

[stæɡ]

n. 【美口语】单身出外交际的男人;

stampede

[stæm’piːd]

n.(人群的)蜂拥;惊逃

homeward

[’həʊmwəd]

adj.回家的

fortunate

[’fɔːtʃənət]

adj.幸运的;侥幸的;带来幸运的

behold

[bɪ’həʊld]

vt.看到;注视;领悟

assurance

[ə’ʃʊərəns]

n.保证，担保;确信;自信;保险

horseback

[’hɔːsbæk]

n.马背

lama

[’lɑːmə]

abbr.本机信息自动计算(=Local Automatic Message Accounting)

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