儒琴英语文学词汇咀嚼《绿山墙的安妮》(Anne of Green Gables)一书的用词。 《绿山墙的安妮》是加拿大作家露西·莫德·蒙哥马利(L. M. Montgomery)1908年的一部小说。这本书适用于所有年龄段,自20世纪中期以来一直被认为是经典的儿童小说。
Chapter 1 — Mrs. Rachel Lynde is Surprised
第一章 林德夫人的疑惑
段落 3
She was sitting there one afternoon in early June. The sun was coming in at the window warm and bright; the orchard on the slope below the house was in a bridal flush of pinky-white bloom, hummed over by a myriad of bees. Thomas Lynde — a meek little man whom Avonlea people called “Rachel Lynde’s husband” — was sowing his late turnip seed on the hill field beyond the barn; and Matthew Cuthbert ought to have been sowing his on the big red brook field away over by Green Gables. Mrs. Rachel knew that he ought because she had heard him tell Peter Morrison the evening before in William J. Blair’s store over at Carmody that he meant to sow his turnip seed the next afternoon. Peter had asked him, of course, for Matthew Cuthbert had never been known to volunteer information about anything in his whole life.
六月初的一个下午,她像往常一样坐在那里。阳光照进窗内,温暖而明亮。房前斜坡上的果园里攒动着粉白色初放的花朵,宛如新娘脸颊上泛起的红晕,群群蜜蜂翩跹起舞。托马斯·林德——一个瘦小、温顺的小个头男人,安维利的人习惯把他称为“雷切尔·林德的丈夫”,正在谷仓那边的小丘上播种晚萝卜种子,而马修·卡斯伯特这会儿也应该在远处绿山墙边小河旁的那一大块红土地上播撒他的种子。雷切尔太太知道马修也应该在播晚萝卜种,那是因为前一天晚上她在威廉·布莱尔的店里听到他告诉彼特·莫里斯说,他打算第二天下午就去播种晚萝卜种。当然是彼特主动问他的,因为从未听人说过马修·卡斯伯特一生中曾主动和别人说过什么事情。( 崇文书局. Kindle Edition. )
bridal flush : 新娘脸颊上泛起的红晕 Flush: a tinge of red : blush
a myriad of: a countless or extremely great number 无数的或数量极大的;成群结队的
pinky-white bloom: 浅粉色的花朵
meek: deficient in spirit and courage : submissive 温顺的; 谦恭的
段落 4
And yet here was Matthew Cuthbert, at half-past three on the afternoon of a busy day, placidly driving over the hollow and up the hill; moreover, he wore a white collar and his best suit of clothes, which was plain proof that he was going out of Avonlea; and he had the buggy and the sorrel mare, which betokened that he was going a considerable distance. Now, where was Matthew Cuthbert going and why was he going there?
可是奇怪的事情却发生了。在一个繁忙日子的下午三点半钟,马修·卡斯伯特驾着马车正不慌不忙地穿过山谷上山坡。他戴着白衣领,穿着最好的西服,这清楚地证明他要离开安维利出远门;他驾着栗色马拉的两轮车,看样子要走很长一段路。那么,马修·卡斯伯特到底去哪儿呢?去干什么呢?( 崇文书局. Kindle Edition. )
placidly : serenely free of interruption or disturbance 平静地;不受干扰的;不慌不忙地
buggy : a light one-horse carriage made with two wheels or four wheels 马车
sorrel : /ˈsɔːr.əl/ 酸模; a sorrel-colored animal, a brownish orange to light brown 棕橙色到浅棕色; 栗色
mare: 母马
段落 5
Had it been any other man in Avonlea, Mrs. Rachel, deftly putting this and that together, might have given a pretty good guess as to both questions. But Matthew so rarely went from home that it must be something pressing and unusual which was taking him; he was the shyest man alive and hated to have to go among strangers or to any place where he might have to talk. Matthew, dressed up with a white collar and driving in a buggy, was something that didn’t happen often. Mrs. Rachel, ponder as she might, could make nothing of it and her afternoon’s enjoyment was spoiled.
如果换成是安维利的其他人,雷切尔太太只要把各种线索巧妙地联系在一起,就可以将真相猜出个八九不离十了。但是马修平时很难得出门,一定是发生了什么不寻常的紧急事情。马修生性内向,不喜欢和陌生人来往。可现在他却戴着白衣领,穿着整齐,驾着马车出远门,这可是不常有的事。任凭雷切尔太太怎么绞尽脑汁去猜,也毫无头绪,因此她整整一下午都闷闷不乐。 崇文书局. Kindle Edition. )
deftly: in a skillful or expert manner 巧妙地; ;熟练地;灵巧地;敏捷地
can make nothing of: to be unable to understand 毫无头绪; 无法理解
段落 6
“I’ll just step over to Green Gables after tea and find out from Marilla where he’s gone and why,” the worthy woman finally concluded. “He doesn’t generally go to town this time of year and he NEVER visits; if he’d run out of turnip seed he wouldn’t dress up and take the buggy to go for more; he wasn’t driving fast enough to be going for a doctor. Yet something must have happened since last night to start him off. I’m clean puzzled, that’s what, and I won’t know a minute’s peace of mind or conscience until I know what has taken Matthew Cuthbert out of Avonlea today.”
最后,这位了不起的主妇决定:“喝过下午茶,我就去绿山墙找玛瑞拉,打听一下马修去哪儿了,去干什么了。这个季节他一般不会进城。他从不探亲访友,就是晚萝卜种子用完了,他也用不着穿戴整齐、驾着马车去买呀。他驾车的速度并不快,因此也不像是去请医生。所以,一定发生了什么事才会让他动身的,我竟然一点都不知道。到底是什么事呢?不弄清楚,我心里一刻也不得安宁。” (崇文书局. Kindle Edition)
dress up : to attire in best or formal clothes 穿最好的或正式的衣服; 打扮隆重
clean: 副词,all the way : completely 完全地;彻底地