书城外语双语学习丛书-岁月之海
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第1章 Spring芳菲四月

In the serene certainty of spring recurring, who can fear the distant fall?

Spring

Springs are not always the same. In some years, April bursts upon Virginia hills in one prodigiousprodigious adj.巨大的 leap—and all the stage is filled at once, whole choruseschorus n.合唱, 合唱队, 齐声 of tulips, arabesques of forsythia, cadenzascadenza n.[音乐]装饰乐段,华彩乐段 of flowering plum. The trees grow leaves overnight.

当我们发现,春天已确确实实地回来了,在恬静中,谁还会惧怕遥远的秋天呢?

芳菲四月

春天不总是一成不变的。有时四月健步如飞地就跨上了弗吉尼亚的山头。整个舞台立即活跃开来:郁金香引颈高歌,连翘花翩翩起舞,洋李开始了独奏演出。一夜间树木们也都穿上了绿衣。

In other years, spring tiptoestiptoe n.脚尖, 趾尖vi.用脚尖走 in. It pauses, overcome by shyness, like my grandchild at the door, peeping in, ducking out of sight, gigglinggiggle v.哈哈地笑n.傻笑 in the hallway. “I know youre out there,” I cry. “Come in!” And April slips into our arms.

The dogwood bud, pale green, is inlaidinlaid adj.镶嵌的, 嵌入的, 镶饰的 with russet markings. Within the perfect cup a score of clusteredcluster n.串, 丛vi.丛生, 成群 seeds are nestled. One examines the bud in awe: Where were those seeds a month ago? The apples display their milliners scraps of ivoryivory n.象牙 silk, rosetinged. All the sleeping things wake up—primrose, baby iris, blue phloxphlox n.[植] 草夹竹桃属植物 . The earth warms—you can smell it, feel it, crumblecrumble v.弄碎, 粉碎, 崩溃n.面包屑 April in your hands.

另一些年头,春又悄无声息地来临。它欲前却止,腼腆害羞,就像我的小孙女倚在门前,偷窥门内,又马上跑开了,不见踪影,从门厅外传出她的咯咯笑声。我大喊一声:“我知道你在门外,快进来!”于是四月便倏地飞进了我的怀抱。

山茱蓃花绿油油的,嵌着赤褐色的花边。在那完美的花萼中,十几颗种子紧紧地簇拥在一起。我们忍不住要惊问:一个月前的那些种子在哪儿呢?苹果树像一个卖帽子的人,向人们展示着他帽子上那一片片带点儿玫瑰红的乳白色丝缎。所有熟睡的花儿都苏醒了——报春花、小蝴蝶花、蓝夹竹桃,大地也变得温暖了——你可以闻到它的气息,感觉到它的芬芳,把四月捧在手中把玩。

Look to the rue rue n. [植]芸香 anemone anemone n. 银莲花 , if you will, or the pea patch, or to the stubborn stubborn adj.顽固的, 固执的, 坚定的, 坚决的, 难应付的, 难处理的 weed that thrusts thrust vt.力推, 冲, 插入, 挤进, 刺, 戳, 强加, 延伸 n.插, 戳, 刺, 推力, 猛推, 口头攻击 vi.插入, 刺, 戳, 延伸, 强行推进 its shoulders through a city street.

This is how it was, is now, and ever shall be, the world without end. In the serene serene adj.平静的 certainty of spring recurring recur v. 复发,重现 , who can fear the distant fall?

如果愿意,你可以去看看白头翁花,或者去看看豌豆畦,或者是那些倔强地把手臂伸到城市街道里的野花。

它们从前这样,现在这样,将来还这样,这个世界永不止息。当我们发现,春已确确实实地回来了,在恬静中,谁还会惧怕遥远的秋天呢?

“草树知春不久归,百般红紫斗芳菲。”春天是一个充满想像而令人无限向往的季节,这篇英语美文为我们描绘了一幅美丽的春天画卷,言简意深,字里行间流露出对春天的无比热爱。细细品味,读者就会不由自主地陶醉其中,被作者那优美的文笔所感染。