《四季隨筆》節(jié)選 - 夏 24

《四季隨筆》是吉辛的散文代表作。其中對(duì)隱士賴克羅夫特醉心于書籍、自然景色與回憶過(guò)去生活的描述，其實(shí)是吉辛的自述，作者以此來(lái)抒發(fā)自己的情感，因而本書是一部富有自傳色彩的小品文集。

吉辛窮困的一生，對(duì)文學(xué)名著的愛好與追求，以及對(duì)大自然恬靜生活的向往，在書中均有充分的反映。本書分為春、夏、秋、冬四個(gè)部分，文筆優(yōu)美，行文流暢，是英國(guó)文學(xué)中小品文的珍品之一。

以下是由網(wǎng)友分享的《四季隨筆》節(jié)選 - 夏 24的內(nèi)容，讓我們一起來(lái)感受吉辛的四季吧!

The honest fellow who comes to dig in my garden is puzzled to account for my peculiarities; I often catch a look of wondering speculation in his eye when it turns upon me. It is all because I will not let him lay out flower-beds in the usual way, and make the bit of ground in front of the house really neat and ornamental. At first he put it down to meanness, but he knows by now that that cannot be the explanation. That I really prefer a garden so poor and plain that every cottager would be ashamed of it, he cannot bring himself to believe, and of course I have long since given up trying to explain myself. The good man probably concludes that too many books and the habit of solitude have somewhat affected what he would call my "reasons."

為我打理花園的那個(gè)老實(shí)人對(duì)我的某些怪癖很是大惑不解，他看我的眼光里經(jīng)常有一絲疑惑和猜測(cè)。這都是因?yàn)槲也蛔屗匆话惴绞讲贾没ㄆ裕膊蛔屗逊孔忧懊娴囊粔K地弄得非常平整漂亮。起初他以為我是圖省錢，現(xiàn)在他知道不會(huì)是這個(gè)原因。難不成我就是喜歡花園寒磣普通，足以令任何屋主蒙羞，這一點(diǎn)他無(wú)法說(shuō)服自己相信；當(dāng)然，我早就放棄為自己辯護(hù)了。那位老實(shí)人可能得出結(jié)論，飽讀詩(shī)書和離群索居的習(xí)慣也許在某種程度上影響了我的“理智”（他可能會(huì)用這個(gè)詞）。

The only garden f lowers I care for are the quite old-fashioned roses, sunflowers, hollyhocks, lilies and so on, and these I like to see growing as much as possible as if they were wild. Trim and symmetrical beds are my abhorrence, and most of the flowers which are put into them—hybrids with some grotesque name—Jonesia, Snooksia—hurt my eyes. On the other hand, a garden is a garden, and I would not try to introduce into it the flowers which are my solace in lanes and fields. Foxgloves, for instance—it would pain me to see them thus transplanted.

我喜歡在花園里種一些很老派的花，如玫瑰、向日葵、蜀葵、百合等，我喜歡看它們野花一樣樣地肆意蔓生。整齊對(duì)稱的花圃是我憎惡的，這種花圃里有的大多是些名字古怪的雜交品種，比如喬尼西亞和斯諾克西亞，看到它們我眼睛都會(huì)痛。另外，花園就是花園，我不會(huì)把小路和田間給我安慰的花草移植到花園中來(lái)。比如，毛地黃—如果看到它移進(jìn)花園，我會(huì)感覺難受。

I think of foxgloves, for it is the moment of their glory. Yesterday I went to the lane which I visit every year at this time, the deep, rutty carttrack, descending between banks covered with giant fronds of the polypodium, and overhung with wych-elm and hazel, to that cool, grassy nook where the noble flowers hang on stems all but of my own height. Nowhere have I seen finer foxgloves. I suppose they rejoice me so because of early memories—to a child it is the most impressive of wild flowers; I would walk miles any day to see a fine cluster, as I would to see the shining of purple loosestrife by the water edge, or white lilies floating upon the still depth.

提起毛地黃是因?yàn)榇藭r(shí)正是它的絢爛時(shí)節(jié)。昨天，我去了那條小路，每年這時(shí)候我都要到那兒走一走，路上有深深的車轍印，兩旁長(zhǎng)著葉子寬大的水龍骨，高處低垂著山榆和榛樹的枝葉，順路向下會(huì)走到一塊清涼的芳草地，在那里，綻放的花朵墜滿和我一樣高的枝頭。我從沒(méi)在別處見過(guò)這么漂亮的毛地黃。我之所以如此喜歡它，想來(lái)是因?yàn)閮簳r(shí)的記憶—在孩子的眼中，它是野花里最引人注目的。不管在哪天，為了看到一叢漂亮的毛地黃，我都不惜走上幾英里的路，就像為了一睹水邊紫色黃連花的絢爛豐姿，或浮動(dòng)在幽靜池塘上的白色睡蓮一樣。

But the gardener and I understand each other as soon as we go to the back of the house, and get among the vegetables. On that ground he finds me perfectly sane. And indeed I am not sure that the kitchen garden does not give me more pleasure than the domain of f lowers. Every morning I step round before breakfast to see how things are "coming on." It is happiness to note the swelling of pods, the healthy vigour of potato plants, aye, even the shooting up of radishes and cress. This year I have a grove of Jerusalem artichokes; they are seven or eight feet high, and I seem to get vigour as I look at the stems which are all but trunks, at the great beautiful leaves. Delightful, too, are the scarlet runners, which have to be propped again and again, or they would break down under the abundance of their yield. It is a treat to me to go among them with a basket, gathering; I feel as though Nature herself showed kindness to me, in giving me such abundant food. How fresh and wholesome are the odours—especially if a shower has fallen not long ago!

不過(guò)，當(dāng)園丁跟我來(lái)到屋后的菜園時(shí)，我們就能互相理解了。在菜園的安排上，他覺得我很理智、很正常。而菜園給我的愉悅是否超過(guò)花園，我其實(shí)自己也不能肯定。每天早晨，我在早飯前都會(huì)走到菜園，四處視察一下蔬菜的長(zhǎng)勢(shì)?？吹脚蛎浀亩骨v，健壯精神的土豆秧子，甚至蘿卜和水芹在抽芽，我都會(huì)開懷不已。今年，我還種了一叢菊芋，有七八英尺高，看著它粗壯的干莖和美麗寬大的葉子，我的體內(nèi)似乎注滿了活力。還有紅花菜豆，也讓我心情愉快，我們得一次又一次地用東西支撐它，否則它就會(huì)不堪果實(shí)的重壓而倒塌在地。對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)，挎著籃子在園子里采摘蔬果真是其樂(lè)無(wú)窮；自然賜予了我如此豐盛的食物，讓我覺得似乎得到了它的厚愛。菜園里的氣息多么清新健康啊—尤其在驟雨初歇的時(shí)候！

I have some magnificent carrots this year—straight, clean, tapering, the colour a joy to look upon.

今年，我收獲了一些很誘人的胡蘿卜—筆直干凈，頭尖肚圓，顏色悅目可愛。