读《The Trumpet Of The Swan》(6)

 

读《The Trumpet Of The Swan》(6) 

当夏令营结束后，男孩们都离开了。只有天鹅露易斯仍然留在营地里，因为他要等到身上的羽毛长丰满之后，才能按照萨姆的建议去波士顿找工作。

露易斯飞到了波士顿的公园，在波士顿的水上公园里，有一些天鹅小船用来为游人们乘船娱乐。起初天鹅船的船工不想雇用天鹅，当看到露易斯不但会写字，而且还会吹喇叭，就提出先经过测试后，才能洽谈报酬的事情。船工要求露易斯在天鹅船的前面引路以及吹喇叭。开始的时候，路易斯吹着天鹅般的小号声，声音响亮且清脆。到了后来，路易斯索性吹起了男孩夏令营的歌曲。船上的游客们听到后都非常的兴奋，尤其是那些乘船娱乐的孩子们。让人们惊叹的是，眼前的天鹅能用小号角吹出各种不同的曲调。经过商议后，船工决定给露易斯的薪水是一周一百元钱。船工好奇的问道：“露易斯，你是一只天鹅，为什么要挣钱呢？”露易斯回答：“因为还债。”

九月的秋叶五彩斑斓，不久湖面会结冰，游船也会停运。恰在这时，报纸上报导有关吹小号天的消息传遍了各地。这一天，露易斯接到了一封电报，上面的内容令露易斯感到高兴。原来是一份在费城动物园里的工作，薪水待遇更高，每周￥500元。露易斯决定接受这份工作，这样就能用挣到的钱去还清债务，而偷来的喇叭就会名正言顺的归于自己；另外还会洗清父亲的名声。

露易斯勤奋的工作着，这一期间中，从广播里，又学会了不少的曲子。更令他欢喜的是，在一次暴风雨中，被大风吹得身不由己的几只天鹅掉落在湖边，其中的一只竟然是塞雷娜；她就是露易斯所喜欢的雌天鹅。露易斯看到了塞雷娜，心中立刻就充满了欢喜。他用小号吹奏着动听的乐曲，用来表达自己对塞雷娜的爱意。终于，塞雷娜接受了露易斯的表白；两只天鹅真诚的相爱了。他们一起飞回到了蒙他拿红岩湖和家庭团聚在一起。当雄天鹅接过儿子露易斯挣的钱后，就把钱袋和还钱的小石板都挂在了脖子上，然后就飞向比林斯城的乐器商店。雄天鹅找到了商店后，当他准备降落还钱的时候，没想到店主人误认为天鹅想再次袭击商店，就举枪打伤了天鹅。当天鹅受伤倒在地面上的时候，人们才发现了小石板上写着还钱的字样以及口袋里的钱。本来警察想要逮捕射杀天鹅的店主人，后来法官在分析了整个的案情之后，认为大家都是无罪的。幸好雄天鹅的伤势不重，他乘人们不注意的时候，就从病房的窗户飞了出去，飞向红岩湖飞禽的住地。

虽然这是一本儿童读物，可是，书中故事的情节曲折动人，内容描写详细，不仅为人们展示了天鹅的生活习性以及所在的场所环境。而且还讲述了一个道理：崇尚自由，有情有义，用挣来的钱去补偿给商店带来的损失。 

故事写出了人与飞禽之间能够建立起联系，那是来自彼此的了解和信任。

萨姆喜欢飞禽和动物，热爱大自然，他还积累了丰富的鸟类知识等。

Summer passed all too quickly. Louis received one hundred dollars. Louis went to Sam Beaver's tent and found Sam packing his things. Louis took off his slate and pencil.

夏天过得太快了。露易斯挣到了一百元钱。露易斯来到萨姆的帐篷，发现萨姆正在收拾东西。露易斯拿下小石板在上面写道：“我需要另外一份工作，”“我现在该去哪里？”

"I need another job," he wrote. "Where shoud I go?"

Sam sat down on his bed and thought for a while.Then he said,"Go to Boston. Maybe you can get a job with the Swan Boat."

萨姆坐起身来想了一会儿，然后他对露易斯说：“你去波士顿吧，也许你可以去天鹅船那里找到事做。”

Louis liked Boston the minute he saw it from the sky.Far beneath him was a river. Near the river was a park. In the park was a lake. In the lake was an island.On the shore was a dock. Tied to the dock was a boat shaped like a swan.

露易斯在空中俯瞰波士顿的那一刻，便喜欢上了这座城市。因为在他脚下，有一条河流；河边有一座公园；公园里有一片湖泊；湖中有一座小岛；岸边有一个码头；码头上系着一只天鹅形状的船。

Louis circled twice, then glided down and splashed to a stop in the lake. Several ducks swam up to look him over.The park was called the Public Garden.Everybody in Boston knows about it and goes there to sit on benches in the sun, to stroll about, to feed the pigeons and the squirrels, and to ride the Swan Boat. A ride costs twenty-five cents for grown-ups, fifteen cents for children.  

露易斯转了两圈，他滑翔而下，落入湖中，激起水花后停了下来。几只鸭子游过来打量着他。这座公园名叫“公共花园”（Public Garden）。波士顿人都知道这个地方，常去那里坐在长椅上晒太阳，漫步，喂鸽子和松鼠，或者乘坐天鹅船，成人票价二十五美分，儿童十五美分。

The man who was taking tickets for the Swan Boat ride seemed surprised to see an enormous white swan wearing so many things around his neck."Hello!" said the Boatman.

负责天鹅船检票的船夫看到一只巨大的白天鹅脖子上挂着那么多东西，显得颇为惊讶。“你好！”船夫问道。

“Louis wrote on his slate: "Have trumpet. Need work."

露易斯在小石板上写道：“我会吹喇叭，需要一份工作。”

"O.K" said the Boatman. "You've got yourself a job. A boat leaves here in five minutes for a trip around the lake. Your job will be to swim in front of the boat, leading the way and blowing your horn."

你被雇了。五分钟后，有一艘船要出发环湖游览。你的工作就是游在船头前面，负责引路并吹响号角。

"What salary do I get?" asked Louis on his slate.

“我的薪水是多少？”露易斯把字写在小石板上。

"We'll settle that later, when we see how you make out," said the Boatman.

“这件事我们稍后再定，先看看你的表现如何。”船夫说道。

as the young man pedaled , the Swan Boat slowly moved out into the lake. Louis led the way, swimming with his left foot,holding his trumpet with his right foot.

天鹅船缓缓驶入湖中。露易斯在前面领路。他用左脚划水，右脚勾着小号。

"Ko-hoh"，The wild sound rang loud and clear and stirred everyone's blood.Then , realizing that he should play somthing appropriate, Louis played a song he had heard the boy's sing at camp.

“"Ko-hoh"，那豪放的小号声响亮而清楚，唤起了人们的热情。露易斯意识到自己应该演奏一些缓和的曲子，于是他演奏了一首在夏令营男孩们唱的歌。

The swan Boat passengers were beside themselves with joy and excitement. A real live swan, playing a trumpet life was a dream, all right. What a lark! What fun! What pleasure!

天鹅船上的乘客们欣喜若狂，兴奋不已。一只真天鹅，竟然会吹小号，简直像在梦境。真的是妙趣无穷，多么的令人愉悦。

Everyone wanted to ride the Swan Boats behind a real live swan playing a trumpet. It was the biggest happening in Boston in a long time. People like strange events and queer happenings , and the Swan Boat, with Louis out front leading the way, suddenly became the most popular attraction in Boston.

人人都想乘坐天鹅船， 前面由一只吹小号的活天鹅领航，这在波士顿很久未见的一大盛事。人们向来喜欢新奇的事物，于是，由露易斯在前方引路的天鹅船，一下子成了波士顿最热门的景点。

"You're hired," said the Boatman, "A hundred dollars a week." 

“你被雇了。”船夫对露易斯说道。“一周一百元。”

Louis nodded his head.

露易斯点了点头。

"What do you need money for?" the Boat man asked him.

“你需要钱做什么？”船夫问露易斯。

Louis wrote the words: "I'm in debt."

露易斯回答道：“我欠钱。”

All day along, the Swan Boats circled lake,carrying their load of happy people, many of them children. Louis played his trumpet as he had never played it before. He liked the job. He loved to entertain people. And he loved music. The Boatman was just as pleased as he could be.

整整一天，天鹅船载着满船欢快的游客，其中许多是孩子，在湖面上来回穿梭。露易斯吹奏着小号，发挥出了前所未有的水平。他喜欢这份工作，热爱为人们带来欢乐，同时他也深爱着音乐。 那位船夫对此感到非常满意。

One day, when Louis was waiting for the boat to take its passengers aboard, a Western Union messenger boy appeared on a bicycle.

这一天，当露易斯正等着船只接载乘客时，一名骑着自行车Western Union送信员出现了。

"I have a telegram for the swan," he said.

“我有一封电报是给天鹅的。”他说。

The Boatman seemed surprised, but he took the telegram and handed it to Louis, who opened it promptly. It was from a man in Philadephia. The message said:

船员似乎很惊奇，他接过了电报后给了露易斯。他随即打开了它。这封电报来自费城的一位男士。

Can offer you five hundred dollars a week for nightclub spot. Ten week engagement.Please reply.

          Lucas

            Hotel nemo

可以为您提供一个在夜总会演出的机会，每周的报酬是五百美元，为期十周。请回复。--路科斯       

Louis did some quick figuring. He took his slate and wrote:

Offer accepted. Arrive tomorrow. Meet me at bird lake in the zoo. Splashdown will be at four fifty-two p.m. Hope this will be a convenient time for you.

露易斯快速算了一下付给的报酬。他拿起小石板写到：

接受所提供的工作。明天抵达。请在动物园的“鸟湖”与我会合。降落时间定在下午4点52分。希望这个时间对您来说比较方便。

Louis showed the message to the Western Union boy, who copied it on a telegragh blank.

露易斯把那条信息给那个男孩看，男孩把它抄写在了一张电报用纸上。

Next day he flew to Philadelphia to keep his appointment with Mr.Lucas, the man who had sent the telegrph. Louis had no trouble finding Philadelphia. He circled, picked an open spot, and exactly at four fifty-two he splashed down.He saw a man leaning on the wide railing in front of the Bird House. The man was dressed in a purple suit and wore a Tyrolean hat. His face looked shrewd and wise.

第二天，他向费城飞去，约定会见发电报人-路科斯。露易斯没太费力就找到了费城。他在空中盘旋了一阵，选定了一处开阔地，随即在四点五十二分准时降落在水面上。他看见一个人正倚在鸟房前宽阔的栏杆上。那人身穿一套紫色西装，头戴一顶蒂罗尔帽，脸上透出着精明与睿智。

"That must be Lucus." Thought Louis. He swim quickly over.

他一定是路科斯先生。露易斯暗想。他快速的游了过去。

"Ko-hoh!" he said, through his trumpet.

"Ko-hoh!" 露易斯用吹出小号的声音表示问候。

"My pleasure," replied Mr.Lucus. "You are right on time. The splashdown was sensational. Welcome to the Philadelphia Zoo. " "How was your trip from Boston?"

路科斯高兴的说道；“很荣幸的见到你。”“你到的很及时。 刚才的溅落水上真是精彩。欢迎来到费城动物园。你从波士顿来的路程怎么样？”

"I made good time. What about my job?" wrote Louis on his slate.

"一路的飞行感觉很好，时间也安排的恰到好处。我的工作是什么角色？" 露易斯把字写在小石板上。

"You will be called upon to make appearances each evening except Sunday, and play your trumpet for the happy customers.Once in while you can join a jazz group:  ‘Louis the Swan on trumpet.'"

除了周日，你每晚都要登台亮相，为愉快的顾客吹奏小号。偶尔你也可以加入爵士乐队，吹奏小号表演‘天鹅露易斯。’

During the next ten weeks, Louis got rich. He went every evening except Sunday's to the night-club and played his trumpet for the customers.He did not like the job at all. The place was big and crowded and noisy, Everyone seemed to be talking too loudly, eating too much, and drinking too much.

在接下来的十周里，露易斯发了财。 除了星期天， 他每晚都去夜总会为顾客吹奏小号， 但他一点都不喜欢这份工作。 那里的地方很大，既拥挤又吵闹；似乎每个人都在大声说话，暴饮暴食。

Every Saturday night Louis collected his pay--five hundred dollars. Mr. Lucas was always on hand to receive his agent's fee of ten percent from Louis'salaries.

每周六晚，露易斯都会领取500美元的薪水； 路科斯总会在场，以便从露易斯的薪水中收取10%的代理费。

Toward the end of the afternoon,Serena roused herself, looked at her surroundings, had a bite to eat,took a bath, then walked out of the water and stood for a long while preening her feathers. She felt distinctly better. And when her feathers were all smoothed out, she looked extremely beautiful-stately, serene, graceful, and very feminine.

下午就要过去了，塞雷娜振作精神，环顾四周，吃了一点东西，又洗了澡； 随后她从水中走出来，站在岸边，然后梳理身上的羽毛，顿时感觉好多了。当羽毛都被梳理之后，她显得格外的美丽，既庄重，宁静，优雅，又极具女性的柔美。

"This is my moment," thought Louis. "The time has come for me to waken my true love." 

“这一时刻是属于我的，”露易斯心想，“唤醒我真爱的时候到了。”

He placed himself directly in front of serena. Then he raised the trumpet to his mouth. He tilted his head: the horn pointed slightly upward toward the sky, where the first light was showing. He began his song. "Beautiful dreamer," he played, "wake unto me..."  

他径直走到塞雷娜面前，随即把小号凑到嘴边。他微微侧头，喇叭口斜指天空，那儿已透出第一缕晨光。他唱起了那首歌《美丽的梦中人》；他弹奏着：“醒来吧，来到我身边。”

The first three or four notes were played softly. Then as the song progressed, the sound increased; the light in the sky grew brighter.Each note was like a jewel held to the light. The sound of Louis's trumpet had never before been heard at this early dawn-hour in the Zoo, and the sound seemed to fill the whole world of buildings and naimals and trees and shrubs and paths and dens and cages. Sleepy bears,dozing in their grotto, pricked up their ears. Foxes, hiding in their dens, listened to the sweet and dreamy sound of the horn blown at the coming of light. In the Lion House, the great cats heard. In the Monkey House, the old baboon listened in wonder to the song.

最初的几个音符吹奏得轻柔舒缓，随着乐曲的增高，音量渐强； 天色也越发亮堂起来。每一个音符都宛如在光线下熠熠生辉的宝石； 在动物园清晨时分，人们从未听过露易斯演奏的小号， 那乐声彷佛充满了整个世界，建筑，动物，草木，小路，兽穴与兽笼，无一不被其声萦绕。在岩洞中昏昏欲睡的熊竖起了耳朵； 躲在巢穴里的狐狸，聆听着这伴随晨光而起的，甜美而梦幻的号声；狮舍里的大猫们也听到了这声音； 而在猴舍，年迈的狒狒正在惊叹地倾听这首乐曲。

Louis was not thinking about his large, unseen audience of animals and people. His mind was not on bears and buffaloes and cassowaries and lizards and hawks and owls and people in bedrooms. His mind was on Serena, the swan of his choice, the beautiful dreamer. he played for her and for her alone.

露易斯并没有去想那些看不见的庞大听众。无论是动物还是人类。他的心里不在熊，水牛，食火鸡，蜥蜴，鹰，猫头鹰或卧室里的人们身上，而把心思全放在了塞雷娜那只他心仪的天鹅。那位美丽的梦想家身上；他是为她，仅仅是为她而演奏。

Serena gazed straight at Louis. Held against his mouth was a strange instrument-something she had never seen before. And from this strange instrument came sounds that made her tremble with joy and with love. As the song went on, as the light grew stronger, she fell hopelessly in love with this bold trumpeter who had awakened her from dreams. The dreams of night were gone. New dreams of day were upon her.

塞雷娜凝视着露易斯，只见他唇边抵着一件奇特的乐器，那是她从未见过的东西。 那乐器奏出的旋律，令她因喜悦与爱意而战栗。 随着乐声流淌，光芒越发灿烂，她无可救药地爱上了这位将她从梦境中唤醒的勇敢号手。 黑夜的梦魇已经消逝，白昼的新梦正向她翩然而至。

Each felt drawn to the other by a mysterious bond of affection.

两人都感到被一种神秘的亲密纽带吸引，彼此心生爱慕。

Louis splashed a little water into the air. Serena splashed a little water into the air. They swam off together toward the other end of the lake.

露易斯向空中泼洒了少许水。 塞雷娜也向空中泼洒了少许水。随后，他们一同向湖的另一端游去。

On a bright clear day in January, Louis and Serena came home to the Red Rock Lakes. From among the thousands of waterfowl, they quickly found the members of their own families-their fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers. It was a noisy homecoming. Everybody wanted to say hello at once.

那是一月晴朗的一天，露易斯和塞雷娜回到了红岩湖。在成千上万只水禽之中，他们很快就找到了自己的家人。父母和兄弟姐妹。这次归来的场面是一片喧闹，大家都争先恐后的想要打招呼。

There was a great deal of gossip among the waterfowl about Louis's having persuaded Serena to be his wife.

水禽们议论纷纷，谈论着露易斯如何说服塞雷娜答应做他的妻子。

Louis took his father and mother to one side. Louis slipped the moneybag off his neck and, with a bow, handed it to the old cob. Four thousand four hundred and twenty dollars and seventy-eight cents.

露易斯把父母拉到一旁，从脖子上取下钱袋，向父亲躹了一躬。然后递给雄天鹅一袋钱，里面装着四千四百二十美元七十八美分。

Then Louis took his slate and wrote a note to the owner of the music store in Billings so his father would have something to show him when he got there. The note said :

To the storekeeper of Billings: Enclosed please find $4,420.78. It will pay you for the trumpet and the damage to the store. Sorry about the inconvenience this has caused you.

露易斯拿过小石板， 给比林斯那家琴行的老板写了一张便条，好让父亲到了那里能拿给对方看。便条上写道：

“致比林斯琴行店主：随信附上4，420，78元，用于支付小号的费用以及赔偿店内的损失。对于给您带来的不便，深表歉意。”

The old cob flew fast and far. When he spied the churches and factories and shops and homes of Billings, he circled once, then began his downward glide straight for the music store. The cob was low in the sky, gliding straight for the store.

年长的雄天鹅飞得又快又远。当他望见比林斯（ Billings ）的教堂，工厂，商店和居民时，便盘旋了一圈，随即开始向下滑翔，径直朝那家琴行飞去。 雄天鹅在低空飞行，正滑翔着直奔琴行而去

The storekeeper raised his gun. He fired both barrels in quick succession. The cob sank to the sidewalk, held out the moneybag and slate to the astonished storekeep,."What's this?" exclaimed the storekeeper, bending over the bird. And he quickly read the note on the slate. Then he tore open the moneybag and began pulling out hundred-dollar bills and fifty-dollar bills.

店主举起枪，接连扣动两次板机，那只雄天鹅瘫倒在人行道上。脖子上的小石板和钱袋使店主惊呆了。“这是什么？”店主惊讶道。他俯下身查看那只天鹅，迅速读完了石板上的留言，随即扯开了钱袋，掏出了里面的钱币。

"Call an ambulance!" screamed a lady in the crowd.

人群中一位女士尖叫道：“快叫救护车！”

Just then a siren started wailing-woooaw. An ambulance came screaming down the street. It stopped in front of the crowd . And carried a cob into the ambulance, and rushed to the hospital. The doctor said the wound was superficial. The old cob was beginning to feel very well again. A nurse came into the cob's room to open his window. The cob had jumped out of the window, spread his broad wings, and headed for home the cold night sky.

就在这时，警笛声响起，一辆救护车呼啸着驶来，在人群前停下。人们将雄天鹅抬上救护车，迅速送往医院。医生检查后说，伤势只是皮外伤；雄天鹅很快便感觉好多了。一个护士走进病房打开了窗户后离开了，雄天鹅乘机从窗口飞了出去，展开宽阔的双翼，飞向寒冷的夜空。

"The gun was fired in self-defense. Everyone is innocent, the swan is honest, the debt is paid, the storekeeper is rich, and the case is dismissed." The judge said.

“枪是出于自卫而开的。所有人都是无辜的。 天鹅是诚实的，债务已还清。 店主发了财， 案件被撤销。”法官说。                                                                    

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