双语译林:柳林风声 （买中文版送英文版）

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　　买中文版送英文版





 

    《柳林风声》是英国著名儿童文学家肯尼斯·格雷厄姆写于20世纪初的经典儿童文学作品。这本是作者写给儿子的睡前故事，书中以细腻典雅的笔调描绘了大自然风光的诗意变化，被誉为“英文散文体作品的典范”。鼹鼠丢下家里的大扫除，钻出地洞，兴高采烈地扑向外面清新的空气。不久，他就和他的几位朋友——懒散自在的河鼠、行为粗鲁却为人和善的獾，以及自鸣得意且不负责任的癞蛤蟆。在河岸柳林中生活的这几个好朋友，享受着温情的友谊，展开了各种惊奇的历险。这个趣味性十足的童话故事自问世之日起就一直深受读者们的喜爱，与此同时，它也是英国历*受欢迎的儿童文学作品之一。

肯尼斯·格雷厄姆（Kenneth Grahame，1859-1932），英国儿童文学作家，年少时便酷爱文学，喜爱自然，这也为他以小动物为题材的创作奠定了基础。他于1895年出版童书《黄金时代》，此书的巨大成功奠定了他在儿童文学史上的地位。而1908年出版的《柳林风声》则为格林厄姆获得了更高的赞誉，被誉为英国儿童文学黄金时代的压轴之作。

　　这是一本少年之书，所以因此或者专是给少年看，以及心里还有少年精神活着的人们看的。这是生命、日光、流水、树林、尘土飞扬的路，和冬天的炉边之书。
　　——周作人
　　这本书我读了一遍又一遍，把里面的角色都当成了自己的老朋友。
　　——西奥多·罗斯福

两个好朋友把船拴在一棵柳树上，上了岸。他们来到这寂静的银色王国，耐心地搜索着树篱、中空的树、一条条小河与河沿上的一个个小涵洞，还有壕沟和干涸的河道。然后他们又上船，划向大河对岸。他们就这样来来回回往上游一路找下去。那一轮宁静安详的月亮悬在无云的空中，虽然离得那么远，也在尽力帮他们搜寻。最后，她的时间到了，只好很不情愿地沉向地平线下方，离开了他们。于是，神秘氛围再一次笼罩住了田野和大河。

然后，一种变化开始慢慢地显露。地平线变得更清晰了，田野和树木变得越来越分明，而且不知为什么变了模样。笼罩它们的神秘气氛开始退去。忽然，一只小鸟尖叫了一声，又寂静无声了；蓦地起了一阵微风，吹得芦苇和香蒲草沙沙作响。莫尔在划桨，待在船尾的兰特突然坐直了身子，聚精会神地倾听着。莫尔一边很轻地划着，只让船不停下来，一边仔细扫视着岸上。这时，他不由得好奇地看着莫尔。

“听不见了！”水鼠兰特叹息道，重新陷进了座位里。“多么美，多么新奇哟。消失得那么快，还不如没让我听见呢。那声音在我心里唤起了一种痛苦的渴望：只要能再听一回，一直永远地听下去，别的什么都好像无所谓了。不！又来了！”他喊道，再一次凝神倾听起来。他听得入了迷，着了魔，很长时间默默不语。

“它在往前移，我快听不见了，”没多会儿，他就说，“莫尔啊！太美了！那么愉快，沸腾着喜悦，那遥远的笛声的呼唤呢，纤细、清晰、快乐！做梦也想不到有这样的音乐，想不到笛声会有那么甜美，更想不到笛声里的召唤有那么强烈！划呀，莫尔，快划！那音乐和召唤一定是为我们而来的。”

鼹鼠莫尔非常非常纳闷，但他服从了。“我什么也没听见，”他说，“只听见风从芦苇、灯芯草和柳树枝条中间吹过的声音。”

水鼠兰特就算听到了他的话，也没有回答。他全神贯注、情不自禁、浑身颤抖，全身心都被这新的神圣事物占有了。它抓住了他不由自主的灵魂，晃悠着、颠动着，像一只强有力的手托着一个无力但幸福的婴儿。

莫尔默默地、平稳地划着，不久，他们来到大河的分流处，一条长长的回水河汊在这里向一侧岔开。兰特早丢下舵索了，这时就轻轻地歪了歪脑袋，示意划桨手让船走回水河汊。曙光之潮悄无声息，不断地推进着，现在他们已经能看清像宝石一样镶嵌在水边的花儿的颜色。

“越来越近，越来越清晰了，”水鼠兰特快乐地嚷道，“现在你肯定听见了吧！啊──终于──看得出来你听见了！”

那欢畅的笛声的清流，向鼹鼠莫尔奔涌过来，像浪涛一样拍打着他，一下子把他卷住，完全占有了他。他透不过气来，呆若木鸡，停止了划桨。他看见了同伴脸颊上的泪水，他低下头来，理解了。

好一会儿，他们待在那里一动不动，任凭那流苏一样缀饰着河岸的紫色千屈菜拂弄着。接着，伴随着那醉人的旋律，清晰而不容违逆的召唤来临了。它把自己的意志强加给莫尔，使他又弯下腰，机械地划起桨来。光不断变得更明亮，但是黎明临近时本该唱起来的小鸟一个也不出声，除了那天籁，万物都静得出奇。

他们继续向前划行。那个早晨，两岸丰美的河边草甸，清新翠绿得无与伦比。他们从来不曾发现玫瑰有这样鲜艳，柳兰有这般绚烂缤纷，绣线菊会弥漫出如此沁人的芬芳。这时，正在逼近的拦河坝发出的嗡鸣声渐渐占领上空，他们感觉到自己正在接近终点──

无论它是什么，肯定在那里等待着他们结束这次远足。

那巨大的拦河坝，用泡沫和闪光做成一个宽阔的半圆形臂弯；用碧水形成的闪亮的双肩，从左岸到右岸，封住了回水河汊，在平静的水面上搅起一个个飞旋的漩涡，一串串漂浮的泡沫；用它那庄严而抚慰人心的轰鸣，盖住了所有别的声音。在拦河坝波光粼粼的臂抱里，在水流的中央，停泊着一座小岛，岛的边缘密密地缀着一圈柳树、白桦树和桤树。它有些矜持，有点害羞，但蕴含丰富；它把它所拥有的一切都藏在一层面纱后面，等待既定时间的来临。时间到了，才向应召而来的被选中者坦承。

在一种庄严的期待中，两只动物缓慢但毫不迟疑地划过动荡起伏的水面，把船停靠在小岛那鲜花盛开的岸边。他们默默地上了岸，穿过花丛、芳香的草丛和灌木丛，来到平地上，在一片小草坪上面停住了脚。这是一片绿得神奇的草坪，环绕着它的是大自然自己的果园──沙果树、野樱桃树和黑刺李树。

“这是我的梦中曲之乡，是那音乐演奏给我听的地方，”水鼠兰特悄声说道，仿佛在催眠状态中，“如果世上有一个地方我们肯定会找到他，那就是这块圣地！”

鼹鼠莫尔突然感觉到一种非凡的敬畏感袭来，摁下他的头，把他浑身的肌肉变成了水，使他的脚在地上生了根。那不是恐慌──其实他感到出奇的平静和快乐──那是一种把他摄住、攫紧的敬畏感。不用看他就知道，那只能意味着一个令人敬畏的神灵近在咫尺。他艰难地转过身去找他的朋友，看见兰特就在他身边，诚惶诚恐，剧烈地颤抖着。四周栖满小鸟的树枝上依然悄无声息，天光仍然在变得越来越明亮。

When Toad found himself immured in a dank and noisome dungeon, and knew that all the grim darkness of a medieval fortress lay between him and the outer world of sunshine and well-metalled high roads where he had lately been so happy, disporting himself as if he had bought up every road in England, he flung himself at full length on the floor, and shed bitter tears, and abandoned himself to dark despair. “This is the end of everything” (he said), “at least it is the end of the career of Toad, which is the same thing; the popular and handsome Toad, the rich and hospitable Toad, the Toad so free and careless and debonair! How can I hope to be ever set at large again” (he said), “who have been imprisoned so justly for stealing so handsome a motor-car in such an audacious manner, and for such lurid and imaginative cheek, bestowed upon such a number of fat, red-faced policemen!” (Here his sobs choked him.) “Stupid animal that I was” (he said), “now I must languish in this dungeon, till people who were proud to say they knew me, have forgotten the very name of Toad! O wise old Badger!” (he said), “O clever, intelligent Rat and sensible Mole! What sound judgments, what a knowledge of men and matters you possess! O unhappy and forsaken Toad!” With lamentations such as these he passed his days and nights for several weeks, refusing his meals or intermediate light refreshments, though the grim and ancient gaoler, knowing that Toad’s pockets were well lined, frequently pointed out that many comforts, and indeed luxuries, could by arrangement be sent in—at a price—from outside.

Now the gaoler had a daughter, a pleasant wench and good-hearted, who assisted her father in the lighter duties of his post. She was particularly fond of animals, and, besides her canary, whose cage hung on a nail in the massive wall of the keep by day, to the great annoyance of prisoners who relished an after-dinner nap, and was shrouded in an antimacassar on the parlour table at night, she kept several piebald mice and a restless revolving squirrel. This kind-hearted girl, pitying the misery of Toad, said to her father one day, “Father! I can’t bear to see that poor beast so unhappy, and getting so thin! You let me have the managing of him. You know how fond of animals I am. I’ll make him eat from my hand, and sit up, and do all sorts of things.”

Her father replied that she could do what she liked with him. He was tired of Toad, and his sulks and his airs and his meanness. So that day she went on her errand of mercy, and knocked at the door of Toad’s cell.

“Now, cheer up, Toad,” she said coaxingly, on entering, “and sit up and dry your eyes and be a sensible animal. And do try and eat a bit of dinner.

See, I’ve brought you some of mine, hot from the oven!” It was bubble-and-squeak, between two plates, and its fragrance filled the narrow cell. The penetrating smell of cabbage reached the nose of Toad as he lay prostrate in his misery on the floor, and gave him the idea for a moment that perhaps life was not such a blank and desperate thing as he had imagined. But still he wailed, and kicked with his legs, and refused to be comforted. So the wise girl retired for the time, but, of course, a good deal of the smell of hot cabbage remained behind, as it will do, and Toad, between his sobs, sniffed and reflected, and gradually began to think new and inspiring thoughts: of chivalry, and poetry, and deeds still to be done; of broad meadows, and cattle browsing in them, raked by sun and wind; of kitchen-gardens, and straight herb-borders, and warm snap-dragon beset by bees; and of the comforting clink of dishes set down on the table at Toad Hall, and the scrape of chair-legs on the floor as every one pulled himself close up to his work. The air of the narrow cell took a rosy tinge; he began to think of his friends, and how they would surely be able to do something; of lawyers, and how they would have enjoyed his case, and what an ass he had been not to get in a few; and lastly, he thought of his own great cleverness and resource, and all that he was capable of if he only gave his great mind to it; and the cure was almost complete.

When the girl returned, some hours later, she carried a tray, with a cup of fragrant tea steaming on it; and a plate piled up with very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in it in great golden drops, like honey from the honeycomb. The smell of that buttered toast simply talked to Toad, and with no uncertain voice; talked of warm kitchens, of breakfasts on bright frosty mornings, of cosy parlour firesides on winter evenings, when one’s ramble was over and slippered feet were propped on the fender; of the purring of contented cats, and the twitter of sleepy canaries. Toad sat up on end once more, dried his eyes, sipped his tea and munched his toast, and soon began talking freely about himself, and the house he lived in, and his doings there, and how important he was, and what a lot his friends thought of him.