“I cant catch a rabbit any more.” I sobbed. “Im of no further use in the world. I may as well be dead.”
“我连兔子都追不上了。”我抽噎着说。“我成了废物。还不如死了的好”
“Oh， what is it—what is it， Brother John？” I heard Amaryllis say.
“哟，怎么回事——怎么回事呀，约翰哥哥？”我听到阿马丽里斯说。
“Nerves a little unstrung.” said John， in his calm way. “Dont worry. Get up， you rabbitchaser， and come on to the house before the biscuits get cold.” It was about twilight， and the mountains came up nobly to Miss Murfrees descriptions of them.
“神经有点不对头。”约翰以他固有的镇静态度说。“别担心。起来吧，追兔子的人。接着往回走，不然烤好的软饼要凉了。”那时天快黑了，山岭在暮霜中的气势完全符合默弗里小姐的描写。
Soon after dinner I announced that I believed I could sleep for a year or two， including legal holidays. So I was shown to a room as big and cool as a flower garden， where there was a bed as broad as a lawn. Soon afterward the remainder of the household retired， and then there fell upon the land a silence.
晚饭后，我宣布说我相信我能睡上一两年，包括法定假日在内。他们领我到了一个客房，那地方像花园一般宽敞凉爽，里面有张像草坪那么大的床。不久，房子里的人都休息了，周围一片宁静。
I had not heard a silence before in years. It was absolute. I raised myself on my elbow and listened to it. Sleep！ I thought that if I only could hear a star twinkle or a blade of grass sharpen itself I could compose myself to rest. I thought once that I heard a sound like the sail of a catboat flapping as it veered about in a breeze， but I decided that it was probably only a tack in the carpet. Still I listened.
多年来，我没有体会到什么是宁静了。真是万籁俱寂。我用胳膊肘支起上身侧耳倾听。入睡！我觉得只要能听到星星闪烁或是小草抽长的声音，我就能安心入睡。有一次我认为自己听到了一艘独桅艇在微风中抢风行驶的声息，但我又想到那也许只是地毯钉隆起的动静。我仍旧倾听着。
Suddenly some belated little bird alightedalight vi.落下 adj.点着的， 发亮的 upon the windowsill， and， in what he no doubt considered sleepy tones， enunciatedenunciate v.阐明， 清晰发言 the noise generally translated as “cheep！”
突然，一只迟归的小鸟停栖在窗台上，以它那睡迷迷的音调发出了一般用“调嫩”两字来表示的声响。
I leaped into the air.
我猛地蹦了起来。
“Hey！ whats the matter down there？” called John from his room above mine.
“嘿！楼下怎么啦！”楼上房间里的约翰嚷道。
“Oh， nothing，” I answered， “except that I accidentally bumped my head against the ceiling.”
“哦，没事，”我回说，“我只是不小心，脑袋磕在天花板上了。”
The next morning I went out on the porch and looked at the mountains. There were fortyseven of them in sight. I shuddered， went into the big hall sitting room of the house， selected “Pancoasts Family Practice of Medicine” from a bookcase， and began to read. John came in， took the book away from me， and led me outside. He has a farm of three hundred acres furnished with the usual complementcomplement n.补足物， ［文法］补语， ［数］余角 vt.补助， 补足 of barns， mules， peasantry， and harrowsharrow n.耙(地)， 使精神痛苦 vt.耙掘， 伤害， 使苦恼 vi.被耙松 with three front teeth broken off. I had seen such things in my childhood， and my heart began to sink.
第二天早晨，我到游廊上，眺望山景。可以看到的山头一共有四十七座。我打了个寒战，回到房中大起坐室里，从书架上挑了一本《潘科斯特家庭医药大全》开始阅读。约翰也进了屋，从我手里拿掉书，拉我出去。他有一个占地三百英亩的农场，通常的配备一应俱全，有谷仓、骡子、雇工和缺了三个前齿的耙子。我童年时代就见过这种东西，心里开始凉了。
Then John spoke of alfalfaalfalfa n.［植］紫花苜蓿， and I brightened at once. “Oh， yes，” said I， “wasnt she in the chorus of—lets see—”
约翰谈起紫苜蓿，我的情绪立刻高涨起来。“对，对，”我说，“她不是歌舞团的吗——我想想看——”
“Green， you know，” said John， “and tender， and you plow it under after the first season.”
“你知道，”约翰说，“又绿又嫩，出了第一茬，就把它翻到地底下。”
“I know，” said I， “and the grass grows over her.”
“我知道，”我说，“她上面就长出了青草。”
“Right.” said John. “You know something about farming， after all.”
“不错。”约翰说。“你毕竟懂得一点儿庄稼活儿。”
“I know something of some farmers，” said I， “and a sure scythe will mow them down some day.”
“我还懂得一些农民的事情，”我说，“长柄大镰刀总有一天要把他们割掉。”
On the way back to the house a beautiful and inexplicable creature walked across our path. I stopped irresistibly fascinatedfascinate vt.使着迷， 使神魂颠倒 vi.入迷， 极度迷人的， gazing at it. John waited patiently， smoking his cigarette. He is a modern farmer. After ten minutes he said， “Are you going to stand there looking at that chicken all day？ Breakfast is nearly ready.”
进屋时，一个美丽而费解的生物在我们面前走过。我情不自禁地站住了，出神地瞅着。约翰抽着香烟，在耐心等待着。他是个新型农民，很懂礼貌。十分钟后，他说：“你打算整天站在那里瞅一只鸡吗？早餐快准备好了。”
“A chicken？” said I.
“一只鸡？”我说。
“A White Orpington hen， if you want to particularizeparticularize v.详细说明， 列举， 大书特书.”
“一只奥尔平顿白鸡，如果你想知道得具体些。”
“A White Orpington hen？” I repeated， with intense interest. The fowl walked slowly away with graceful dignity， and I followed like a child after the Pied Piper. Five minutes more were allowed me by John， and then he took me by the sleeve and conducted me to breakfast.
“一只奥尔平顿白鸡？”我极感兴趣地重复了一遍。那只家禽仪态万方地慢慢走过去，我像被彩农魔笛手迷住的小孩儿那样跟在后面。约翰给了我五分钟时间，然后拉着我的袖管，带我去吃早饭。
After I had been there a week I began to grow alarmed. I was sleeping and eating well and actually beginning to enjoy life. For a man in my desperate condition that would never do. So I sneaked down to the trolleycar station， took the car for Pineville， and went to see one of the best physicians in town. By this time I knew exactly what to do when I needed medical treatment. I hung my hat on the back of a chair， and said rapidly.
我住了一个星期，开始着慌了。我睡得香，吃得下，开始真正感到生活的欢乐。对我这种身患绝症的人来说，这是不可能的。于是我溜到空中吊车站，到派因维尔去找镇上一个最好的大夫。如今我需要治疗时，完全知道该怎么办。
“Doctor， I have cirrhosis of the heart， indurated arteries， neurasthenianeurasthenia n.神经衰弱症， neuritis， acute indigestion， and convalescence. I am going to live on a strict diet. I shall also take a tepid bath at night and a cold one in the morning. I shall endeavour to be cheerful， and fix my mind on pleasant subjects. In the way of drugs I intend to take a phosphorousphosphorous adj.磷的 pill three times a day， preferably after meals， and a tonic composed of the tinctures of gentian， cinchonacinchona n.［植物］（产于南美的）金鸡纳树， 金鸡纳皮， calisayacalisaya n.［植］黄金鸡纳树皮， and cardamom compound. Into each teaspoonful of this I shall mix tincture of nux vomica， beginning with one drop and increasing it a drop each day until the maximum dose is reached. I shall drop this with a medicinedropper， which can be procured at a trifling cost at any pharmacy. Good morning.”
“大夫，我害了心脏硬变、动脉硬结、神经衰弱、神经炎、急性消化不良以及康复病。我应该严格按照规定进食。我应该晚上洗个温水浴，早上洗个冷水浴。我应该心胸开朗，思想集中在愉快的事情上。至于药物，我打算吃磷质药丸，每日三次，最好饭后服用，还有一种从龙胆外棕金鸡纳皮配、黄金鸡纳皮配和豆配制的补剂。每一匙补剂里要加番木鳖配，第一天加一滴，以后每天增加一滴，直到最大容许剂量。我应该用药用滴管，这种滴管各个药房里都可以买到，花不了多少钱。再见。”
I took my hat and walked out. After I had closed the door I remembered something that I had forgotten to say. I opened it again. The doctor had not moved from where he had been sitting， but he gave a slightly nervous start when he saw me again.
我拿起帽子，走了出去。刚关上门，我想起还有件事忘了说。我再打开门。大夫坐在原来的位置上没有挪动，不过他再见到我时，微微震动了一下。
“I forgot to mention，” said I， “that I shall also take absolute rest and exercise.