Sitting on a grassy grave, beneath one of the windows of the church, was a little girl.(1) With her head bent back(2) she was gazing up at the sky and singing, while one of her little hands was pointing to a tiny cloud that hovered like a golden feather above her head. The sun, which had suddenly become very bright, shining on her glossy hair, gave it a metallic luster, and it was difficult to say what was the color, dark bronze or black. So completely absorbed was she in watching the cloud to which her strange song or incantation seemed addr0ssed, that she did not observe me when I rose and went towards her.(3) Over her head, high up in the blue, a lark that was soaring towards' the same gauzy cloud was singing, as if in rivalry(4). As I slowly approached the child, I could see by her forehead, which, in the sunshine seemed like a globe of pearl, and especially by her complexion, that she was uncommonly lovely. Her eyes, which at one moment seemed blue-gray, at another violet(5), were shaded by long black lashes, curving backward in a most peculiar way, and these matched in hue her eyebrows, and the tress- es that were tossed about her tender throat and were quivering in the sunlight. All this I did not take in(6) at once; for at first I could see nothing but those quivering, glittering, changeful eyes turned up into my face. Gradually the other features, especially the sensitive full-lipped mouth, grew upon me as I stood silently gazing. Here seemed to me a more perfect beauty than had ever come to me in my loveliest dreams of beauty. Yet it was not her beauty so much as the look she gave me that fascinated me, melted me.(7)
小 女 孩
在教堂的一扇窗下長滿綠草的墳堆上,坐著個(gè)小女孩。她仰著頭,望著天空,唱著歌兒。她的小手指點(diǎn)著一朵飄浮在她頭頂?shù)慕鹕鹈愕男〔试啤M蝗婚g,陽光顯得格外燦爛,照在她光澤的頭發(fā)上,給它涂上一層金屬似的光彩,很難說出它突竟是什么顏色,是深褐色,還是黑色。她是那么全神貫注地望著彩云,她那奇妙的歌聲,或可說是喃喃自語,似乎是對著那彩云而發(fā)的。因而她沒有注意到我站起身來朝她走去。在她上空高高的藍(lán)天里,一只展翅飛向那朵輕盈透明的彩云的云雀也在歌唱,似乎在與她賽 e(。我慢步向小女孩走去,她那在陽光下如同珍珠一樣圓潤的前額,特別是她那膚色,使我感到她真是異??蓯邸O币诤诘拈L睫毛非常別致地朝后彎曲著,掩映著一雙一會(huì)兒象是藍(lán)灰色的,一會(huì)兒又象是紫羅蘭色的眼睛。她的長睫毛同她的眉毛和頭發(fā)色澤調(diào)和,披拂在她嬌嫩的脖子上的發(fā)綹,在陽光里輕輕飄動(dòng)。我并沒有馬上領(lǐng)略到這一切,因?yàn)槲乙婚_始只注意了那雙閃閃發(fā)光、富于表情、盯著我看的眼睛。我佇立在一邊默默地注視著她,才漸漸地看清了她容貌的其他部分,特別是那張靈敏而又豐滿的小嘴。呈現(xiàn)在我眼苧的這一美的形象似乎比我在最美好的夢境中所見過的更美。然而,與其說是她的美麗,不如說是她朝我看的那種眼神,更使我著迷,更使我陶醉.
西奧多·瓦茨·鄧頓
(1)Sitting on a grassy graveWas a little girl: 這是一句全倒裝句,
按正常語序可以寫成:A little girl was sitting on a grassy grave....
(2)with her head bent back: with+名詞或代詞賓格十分詞(或形容詞,介詞短語等)作狀語,表示伴隨情況。
(3)So completely absorbed was shethat...: 這是一個(gè) sothat結(jié)構(gòu)的主從復(fù)合句,其中主句采用全倒裝語序。addressto:對技說話。這里是指對著云彩歌唱或念念有詞。that 引導(dǎo)的是一個(gè)本身帶有時(shí)間狀語從句的結(jié)果狀語從句。
(4)in rivalry(with):與技比高低,爭雄,斗艷,等等。
(5)at another violet:=at another moment(seemed) violet:一會(huì)兒又象是紫羅蘭色的.
(6)take in:接受,領(lǐng)會(huì)。
(7) Yet it was not her beauty so much as the look...that fascinated me, melted me:not so much...a(chǎn)s 作"與其說技不如說技"解釋. It wasthat用作強(qiáng)調(diào)結(jié)構(gòu)。melted me: 融化了我,即;使我陶醉。