美國(guó)語(yǔ)文第五冊(cè) 第46期：我憐憫他們（01）

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A poor man once undertook to emigrate from Castine, Me., to Illinois.

從前，一位窮人率全家老小從緬因州卡斯廷準(zhǔn)備移居到伊利諾斯州。

When he was attempting to cross a river in New York, his horse broke through the rotten timbers of the bridge, and was drowned.

在紐約州過(guò)河時(shí)，他家里的馬撞斷橋上已經(jīng)朽爛的柵欄，不幸掉到河里淹死了。

He had but this one animal to convey all his property and his family to his new home.

那淹死的馬是全家唯一的運(yùn)輸工具，是馱運(yùn)他家所有家產(chǎn)搬遷到新家的所有指望。

His wife and children were almost miraculously saved from sharing the fate of the horse;

很難相信，這家窮人的妻小最終從丟失馬匹的絕望深淵中恢復(fù)過(guò)來(lái)，

but the loss of this poor animal was enough.

不過(guò)，馬的損失本身夠大。

By its aid the family, it may be said, had lived and moved;

或許可以這么說(shuō)，無(wú)論居住或者搬遷，馬對(duì)這個(gè)處于遷徙狀態(tài)中的家來(lái)說(shuō)，畢竟舉足輕重。

now they were left helpless in a land of strangers, without the ability to go on or return, without money or a single friend to whom to appeal.

如今，全家人在這塊舉目無(wú)親的土地上求告無(wú)門，缺少盤纏無(wú)人可以求助。他們甚至沒(méi)有辦法決定是否繼續(xù)前行，還是原路返回。

The case was a hard one.

當(dāng)時(shí)境況的確非常糟糕。

There were a great many who "passed by on the other side."

那時(shí)，還有大批移民逆向涌來(lái)，

Some even laughed at the predicament in which the man was placed;

甚至有人嘲笑這家窮人手足無(wú)措的窘困。

but by degrees a group of people began to collect, all of whom pitied him.

不過(guò)，慢慢地，有的人開始為這家人募捐，大家都很憐憫這不幸的一家人。