美國語文第四冊 第148期：彩虹之旅（04）
I knew that no Indian knew of the name, as it was a little family secret;
印第安人肯定不知道這個名字，因為這是一個家庭小秘密。
so I sprang up, and caught my brother about the ankles.
我于是跳了起來，抓住哥哥的腿。
I hardly think that an Indian could have given a louder yell than he gave then;
他發(fā)出一聲大叫，我想沒有任何印第安人叫得比他的聲音大，
and he jumped so that he fell off the log down by my side.
他從圓木上跳下來，正巧跌倒在我旁邊。
But nobody was hurt; and, after kissing me till he had kissed away all my tears,
我倆都沒傷著，他不斷親著我，把我的淚水都親沒了。
he hoisted me on to his shoulder, called my other brothers, who were hunting in different directions, and we all set out for home.
他把我舉到肩膀上，叫著分頭尋找我的其他哥哥的名字，一起出發(fā)往家走。
I had been gone nearly three hours, and had wandered a number of miles.
后來知道當我離家快三個小時，走了好幾英里的時候，
My brother Joseph's coming and asking for me, had first set them to inquiring and searching me out.
我的哥哥約瑟夫剛好來家里，知道我的情況后，立即開始讓人們分頭尋找。
When I went into the room where my brother Rufus sat,
當我走進魯弗斯房間的時候，
he said, Why, my poor little sister! I did not mean to send you off on such a wild-goose chase to the end of the rainbow.
他說：怎么了，可憐的小妹妹！我可沒想讓你沒頭沒腦地找什么彩虹的盡頭。
I thought you would know I was only quizzing you.
我以為你知道我在逗你玩呢。
Then my eldest brother took me on his knee, and told me what the rainbow really is:
然后大哥把我抱到膝蓋上，告訴我什么是彩虹：
that it is only painted air, and does not rest on the earth, so nobody could ever find the end;
彩虹只是帶有色彩的空氣，也不是立在地上的，因此不會找到彩虹的盡頭。
and that God has set it in the cloud to remind him and us of his promise never again to drown the world with a flood.
上帝在云里創(chuàng)造了彩虹，是為了提醒他和人們，他曾經發(fā)誓不再發(fā)洪水。
"Oh, I think God's Promise would be a beautiful name for the rainbow!" I said.
“噢，我想‘上帝的約定’這個名字更好！”我說。
"Yes," replied my mother, but it tells us something more than that he will not send great floods upon the earth,—it tells us of his beautiful love always bending over us from the skies.
“是的，”媽媽回答說，可是，彩虹告訴我們的比不再發(fā)洪水還要多。它告訴我們，他對人類美好的愛永遠來自天上。
And I trust that when my little girl sets forth on a pilgrimage to find God's love,
我相信當我的小女孩啟程尋找上帝之愛的時候，在上帝的彩虹的引導下，
she will be led by the rainbow of his promise through all the dark places of this world to "treasures laid up in heaven," better, far better, than silver or gold.
世界上任何黑暗的地方都擋不住，最終將找到“天上的財富”，這財富比任何金銀都珍貴。
