美國語文第三冊 第16期：鳥類的朋友
LESSON 16
第16課
wife
妻子
greet
問候
beard
胡子
worms
蠕蟲
prayers
祈禱
faith
信仰
grove
樹林
crusts
外殼
church
教堂
furnished
有家具的
BIRD FRIENDS
鳥類的朋友
I once knew a man who was rich in his love for birds,and in their love for him.
我曾經(jīng)認識一個朋友，他非常喜歡小鳥，甚至可以說是深愛著它們。
He lived in the midst of a grove full of all kinds of trees.
他住在一片茂密的小樹林里。
He had no wife or children in his home.
家中無妻無子，就他一人。
He was an old man with gray beard, blue and kind eyes, and a voice that the birds loved; and this was the way he made them his friends.
他是一位和藹善良的老人家，長著灰白的胡須、藍色的眼睛和所有小鳥都喜歡的聲音。正是因為這個原因，他才和小鳥成了朋友。
While he was at work with a rake on his nice walks in the grove, the birds came close to him to pick up the worms in the fresh earth he dug up.
當他在美麗的林中小路上用耙子工作時，小鳥都會飛來接近他，從剛挖掘出的新鮮泥土上揀拾蟲子吃。
At first, they kept a rod or two from him, but they soon found he was a kind man, and would not hurt them, but liked to have them near him.
起先，它們會和他保持距離，足有一兩根稈子那么遠，但是很快地，它們發(fā)現(xiàn)這是一個友好和藹的老人，不會傷害自己，而且還喜歡接近自己。
They knew this by his kind eyes and voice, which tell what is in the heart.
通過老人家慈祥的眼神和溫柔的聲音，它們了解了他的心聲。
So, day by day their faith in his love grew in them.
于是，一天天地，小鳥越來越相信老人家是自己的朋友，越來越相信他對自己的愛與日俱增。
They came close to the rake. They would hop on top of it to be first at the worm.
它們慢慢地開始靠近犁耙，并且跳上耙子頂端爭先恐后地靠近蟲子。
They would turn up their eyes into his when he spoke to them, as if they said,
當他和小鳥說話時，它們也會轉(zhuǎn)動著小眼睛看他，仿佛在說：
He is a kind man; he loves us; we need not fear him.
這是一個慈祥善良的人，他愛我們；我們沒必要害怕他。
All the birds of the grove were soon his fast friends.
很快，小樹林里所有的小鳥都成了他可靠的朋友。
They were on the watch for him, and would fly down from the green tree tops to greet him with their chirp.
它們站在枝頭觀察他，也會從枝繁葉茂的樹上飛下來，用唧唧喳喳的啁啾聲和他打招呼。
When he had no work on the walks to do with his rake or his hoe, he took crusts of bread with him, and dropped the crumbs on the ground.
當他不用犁耙和鋤頭在小路上工作時，就會將帶來的硬面包碾成碎屑，丟在地上。
Down they would dart on his head and feet to catch them as they fell from his hand.
就在面包屑從他手中滑掉落的剎那，小鳥們紛紛從天而降，由頭到腳地撲向他。
He showed me how they loved him.
他又用行動表明了小鳥是多么愛他。
He put a crust of bread in his mouth, with one end of it out of his lips.
他將一塊面包皮放入嘴中，讓另一端留在嘴唇外面。
Down they came like bees at a flower, and flew off with it crumb by crumb.
結(jié)果，小鳥們又再次像蜜蜂撲花一樣從天而降，一塊一塊地叼走了露在他嘴唇外面的面包渣。
When they thought he slept too long in the morning, they would fly in and sit on the bedpost, and call him up with their chirp.
清晨，當小鳥們認為他在睡懶覺時，會飛進屋里坐在床柱上，用唧唧喳喳的聲音叫醒他。
They went with him to church, and while he said his prayers and sang his hymns in it, they sat in the trees,
它們還和他一起去教堂，當他念誦祈禱詞、唱誦贊美詩時，它們就坐在樹上，
and sang their praises to the same good God who cares for the mas he does for us.
向如他一樣眷顧自己的上帝唱誦贊美詩。
Thus the love and trust of birds were a joy to him all his life long;
因此，對他來說，這種對小鳥的愛和信任就是一種終生的喜悅；
and such love and trust no boy or girl can fail to win with the same kind heart, voice, and eye that he had.
而且，這種愛和信任是任何一個男孩或女孩都無法以如他那樣慈善的心、聲音和眼神而贏得的。
(Elihu Burritt)
（伊萊休·伯里特）
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