书城教材教辅新课标英语学习资源库-荷马墓上的一朵玫瑰
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第19章 OleLukOie, The DreamGod(5)

“We shall have no time this evening,” said he, spreading out his prettiest umbrella over the child. “Look at these Chinese,” and then the whole umbrella appeared like a large china bowl, with blue trees and pointed bridges, upon which stood little Chinamen nodding their heads. “We must make all the world beautiful for tomorrow morning,” said OleLukOie, “for it will be a holiday, it is Sunday. I must now go to the church steeple and see if the little sprites who live there have polished the bells, so that they may sound sweetly. Then I must go into the fields and see if the wind has blown the dust from the grass and the leaves, and the most difficult task of all which I have to do, is to take down all the stars and brighten them up. I have to number them first before I put them in my apronapron n.围裙, 外表或作用类似围裙的东西, and also to number the places from which I take them, so that they may go back into the right holes, or else they would not remain, and we should have a number of falling stars, for they would all tumbletumble vi.翻倒, 摔倒, 倒塌, 滚动, 翻筋斗vt.使摔倒, 使滚翻, 弄乱n.跌倒, 摔跤, 翻斤斗 down one after the other.”

奥列回答说:“今晚我们没时间讲故事了,”同时把他那把非常美丽的雨伞在这孩子的头上撑开。“现在请你看看这几个中国人!”整个的雨伞看起来如同一个中国的大碗:里面有些蓝色的树,拱起的桥,上面还有小巧的中国人在立着点头。“明天我们要把整个世界洗刷得焕然一新,”奥列说道,“因为明天是一个神圣的日子——礼拜日。我将到教堂的尖塔顶上去,告诉那些教堂的小精灵将钟擦得干干净净,好让它们能发出动听的声音来。我将走到田野里去,看风儿有没有把草和叶上的灰尘扫掉;另外,最巨大的一件工作是:我将要把天上的星星摘下来,把它们好好地擦一下。我要把它们兜在我的围裙里。但是我得先记下它们的号数,同时也得记下刻在它们的那些洞口的号数,好让它们将来能回到原来的地方去;否则它们就嵌不稳,结果流星就会太多了,因为它们会一个连着一个地掉下来。”

“Hark ye! Mr. LukOie,” said an old portrait which hung on the wall of Hjalmars bedroom. “Do you know me? I am Hjalmars greatgrandfather. I thank you for telling the boy stories, but you must not confuse his ideas. The stars cannot be taken down from the sky and polished. They are spheres like our earth, which is a good thing for them.”

一幅老画像说:“请听!您知道,路却埃先生,”它挂在哈尔马挨着睡的那堵墙上,“我是哈尔马的曾祖父。您对这孩子讲了许多故事,我很感激您;不过请您不要把他的头脑弄得糊里糊涂。星星是不能擦亮也不可以摘下来的!星星都是一些球体,像我们的地球一样。它们之所以美妙,正是为了这个缘故。”

“Thank you, old greatgrandfather,” said OleLukOie. “I thank you. You may be the head of the family, as no doubt you are, but I am older than you. I am an ancient heathen. The old Romans and Greeks named me the Dreamgod. I have visited the noblest houses, and continue to do so. Still I know how to conductconduct v.引导, 管理, 为人, 传导n.行为, 操行 myself both to high and low, and now you may tell the stories yourself.” and so OleLukOie walked off, taking his umbrellas with him.

“我感激您,老曾祖父,”奥列·路却埃说,“我感谢您!您是一家之长,毫无疑问您是。但是我比您还要老!我是一个年老的异教徒:罗马人与希腊人把我叫做梦神。我到过最富贵的家庭;我现在依然常常去!我知道怎样对待伟大的人和渺小的人。现在请您讲您的事吧!”——于是奥列·路却埃拿了他的伞走出去了。

“Well, well, one is never to give an opinion, I suppose,” grumbled the portrait. And it woke Hjalmar.

这幅老画像发起牢骚来说道:“嗯,嗯!这种年头,一个人连发表意见都不行!”于是哈尔马醒来了。Sunday星期日

“Good evening,” said OleLukOie. Hjalmar nodded, and then sprang out of bed, and turned his greatgrandfathers portraitportrait n.肖像, 人像 to the wall, so that it might not interrupt them as it had done yesterday. “Now,” said he, “you must tell me some stories about five green peas that lived in one pod; or of the chickseed that courted the chickweed; or of the darning needle, who acted so proudly because she fancied herself an embroidery needle.”

奥列·路却埃说:“晚安!”哈尔马点点头,于是他就跑过去,把曾祖父的画像翻过来面对着墙,好让他不再像昨天那样,又来插嘴。“现在你得讲几个故事给我听:讲那些有关生活在一个豆荚里的五颗青豌豆的故事;关于一只公鸡的脚对母鸡的脚求爱的故事;关于一根装模作样的缝补针自以为是缝衣针的故事。”

“You may have too much of a good thing,” said OleLukOie. “You know that I like best to show you something, so I will show you my brother. He is also called OleLukOie but he never visits any one but once, and when he does come, he takes him away on his horse, and tells him stories as they ride along. He knows only two stories. One of these is so wonderfully beautiful, that no one in the world can imagine anything at all like it. But the other is just as ugly and frightful, so that it would be impossible to describe it.” Then OleLukOie lifted Hjalmar up to the window. “There now, you can see my brother, the other OleLukOie. He is also called Death. You perceive he is not so bad as they represent him in picture books. There he is a skeleton, but now his coat is embroidered with silver, and he wears the splendid uniform of a hussarhussar n.轻骑兵, and a mantlemantle n.斗蓬, 覆盖物, 壁炉架v.披风, 覆盖 of black velvet flies behind him, over the horse. Look, how he gallops along.” Hjalmar saw that as this OleLukOie rode on, he lifted up old and young, and carried them away on his horse. Some he seated in front of him, and some behind, but always inquired first, “How stands the markbook?”

奥列·路却埃说:“好东西享受太过也会生厌的!您知道,我倒很想给你一样东西看看。我把我的弟弟介绍给你。他也叫做奥列·路却埃;不过他拜访任何人,从来不超过一次以上。当他到来时,老是把他所遇到的人抱在马上,讲故事给他听。他只知道两个故事。一个是极端的美丽,世上任何人都想像不到;另一个非常丑恶和可怕,——我无法形容出来。”于是奥列·路却埃把小哈尔马抱到窗前,说:“现在你可以看见我的弟弟——另一位叫做奥列·路却埃的人了。也有人把他叫做‘死神’!你要知道,他并不像人们在画册中把他画成一架骸骨那么可怕。不,那骸骨不过是他上衣上用银丝绣的一个图案罢了。这上衣是一件很漂亮的骑兵制服。在他后面,在马背上,飘着一件黑天鹅绒做的斗篷。请看看他奔驰的样子吧!”哈尔马看到这位奥列·路却埃怎样骑着马飞驰过去,如何把年轻人与年老的人抱到自己的马上。有些他放在自己的前面坐着,有些放在自己的后面坐着。不过他总是先问:“你们的通知簿上是怎么写的?”

“Good,” they all answered.

“很好,”他们齐声回答说。

“Yes, but let me see for myself,” he replied, and they were obliged to give him the books. Then all those who had “Very good,” or “Exceedingly good,” came in front of the horse, and heard the beautiful story. While those who had “Middling,” or “Tolerably good,” in their books, were obliged to sit behind, and listen to the frightful tale. They trembled and cried, and wanted to jump down from the horse, but they could not get free, for they seemed fastened to the seat.

他说:“好吧,让我亲自来看看吧。”于是每人不得不把自己的通知簿交出来。那些簿子上写着“很好”和“非常好”等字样的人坐在他的前边,听一个非常美丽的故事;那些簿子上写着“勉强”“尚可”等字样的人只得坐在他的后边,听一个非常可怕的故事。后者发着抖,大声哭泣。他们想要跳下马来,但是这点他们做不到,因为他们马上就紧紧地生在马背上了。

“Why, Death is a most splendid LukOie,” said Hjalmar. “I am not in the least afraid of him.”

“不过‘死神’,是一位最可爱的奥列·路却埃啦,我并不怕他!”哈尔马说。

“You need have no fear of him,” said OleLukOie, “if you take care and keep a good conduct book.”

“你也不需要怕他,”奥列·路却埃说,“你只要时时注意,使你的通知簿上写上好的评语就行了!”

“Now I call that very instructive,” murmured the greatgrandfathers portrait. “It is useful sometimes to express an opinion.” so he was quite satisfied.

“是的,这倒很有教育意义!”曾祖父的画像叽咕地说。“提提意见到底还是有用的啦。”现在他总算是很满意了。

These are some of the doings and sayings of OleLukOie. I hope he may visit you himself this evening, and relate some more.

你看,这就是奥列·路却埃的故事。他自己今晚还可以对你多讲一点!