英文散文翻译示例——The Little Boat That Sailed through Time/悠悠岁月小船情
Arnold Berwick/阿诺德·贝里克
金微 译
I spent the tenth summer of my childhood, the most memorable months of my life, in western Norway at the mountain farm where my mother was born. What remain most vivid in my mind are the times I shared with my Grandfather Jorgen.
As an American, I always thought people simply bought whatever they needed. Whether Grandfather knew this, I don’t know. But it seems he wanted to teach me something, because one day he said, “Come. I have something for you.”
I followed him into the basement, where he led me to a workbench by a window. “You should have a toy boat. You can sail it at Storvassdal,” he said, referring to a small lake a few miles from the house.
我童年的第10个夏天是在挪威西部我妈妈出生的那个山区农场里度过的。那段时光我终生难忘，印象最深的是同外公乔根在一起的时候。
我是美国人，总认为人们需要什么去买就得了。外公是否知道我的这种看法，我不得而知。不过，看来他好像要教我点什么，因为有一天他对我说：“来，我有东西给你。”
我随外公进了地下室。他领我走到窗子旁的工作台前。“你该有条玩具船。你可以去斯托瓦斯代尔放船。”他说的是离家几英里远的一个小湖。
Swell, I thought, looking around for the boat. But there was none.
Grandfather picked up a block of wood, about 18 inches long. “The boat is in there,” he said. “You can bring it out.” Then he handed me a razor-sharp ax.
I wasn’t sure what to do, so Grandfather showed me how to handle the tool. I started to chop away to shape the bow. Later, after he taught me the proper use of hammer and chisel, I began to hollow out the hull.
Often Grandfather joined me in the basement, repairing homemade wooden rakes or sharpening tools. He answered my questions and made suggestions, but he saw to it I did all the work myself.
太好啦，我想，四处看船在哪里，可是什么也没有。
外公拾起一截木头，约18英寸长。“船就在这里，”他说，“你可以造出来。”接着他递给我一把像剃刀一般锋利的斧子。
我不知道该干什么，外公就教我如何使用斧头。我开始砍削木头，制成船首。后来，外公教我正确使用钉锤和凿子的方法，我又开始凿出船身。
外公常常来地下室陪我，他修理自制的木耙，磨磨工具。他回答我的问题，提出建议,但足一定要我自己干到底。
”It’ll be a fine boat, and you’ll be making it all with your own hands,” he said. “No one can give you what you do for yourself.”The words rang in my head as I worked.
Finally I finished the hull and made a mast and sail. The boat wasn’t much to look at, but I was proud of what I had built.
Then, with my creation, I headed for Storvassdal. Climbing the mountain slope, I entered the woods and followed a steep path. I crossed tiny streams, trod on spongy moss and ascended slippery stone steps – higher, higher until I was above the timberline. After four or five miles, I came at last to a small lake that had been carve out by a glacier. Its sloping sides were covered with stones of all shapes and sizes.
“这只船肯定不错，而且是你亲手造的，”外公说。“自己动手，比谁都强。”我干活的时候，这话就在我头脑中回响。
我终于凿完了船身，还做了一根桅杆挂起了帆。船并不怎么中看，可我对自己的作品感到自豪。
随后，我手捧着自己的作品，直奔斯托瓦司戴尔湖，我爬上山坡,进了树林，顺着一条陡峭的小径往上攀登。我越过小溪、踏着海绵般的苔藓，登上滑溜溜的石阶——我越爬越高，最后到了树木线以上的地方。爬了四五英里，我终于来到一个冰川凿出的小湖。倾斜的湖岸上尽是形状各异、大小不同的石头。
I launched my boat and daydreamed while a slight breeze carried the little craft to an opposite shore. The air was crisp and clean. There was no sound but the occasional warble of a bird.
I would return to the lake many times to sail my boat. One day dark clouds came in, burst open and poured sheets of rain. I pressed myself against a large boulder and felt its captured warmth. I thought of “Rock of Ages” (“… let me hide myself in thee”). Through the rain, I saw my little boat pushing its way over the ripples. I imagined a ship bravely fighting a turbulent sea. Then the sun came out, and all was well again.
A crisis developed when we were ready to return to America. “You cannot bring that boat home with you,” my mother said. We already had too much baggage I pleaded, but to no avail.
我把小船放进湖里。微风吹拂，将小船送到对岸，我不禁悠然神往。空气清新洁净。四周静悄悄的，偶尔有一两声鸟鸣。
我后来又多次去小湖放船。有一天乌云密布，突然间大雨滂沱。我紧贴在一块大圆石边上，感觉到些许余温。我想起了“万古磐石"这首诗(“....让我得到您的庇护”)。我在雨中看见我的小船正在破浪前进，我想象着一艘船正在汹涌澎湃的大海上英勇搏击。一会儿太阳出来了，一切又恢复正常。
我们准备回美国的时候，出现了危机。“你不能把那只船带回去，”妈妈说。我们的行李太多了。
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