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 7
Accordingly after tea Mrs. Rachel set out; she had not far to go; the big, rambling, orchard-embowered house where the Cuthberts lived was a scant quarter of a mile up the road from Lynde’s Hollow. To be sure, the long lane made it a good deal further. Matthew Cuthbert’s father, as shy and silent as his son after him, had got as far away as he possibly could from his fellow men without actually retreating into the woods when he founded his homestead. Green Gables was built at the furthest edge of his cleared land and there it was to this day, barely visible from the main road along which all the other Avonlea houses were so sociably situated. Mrs. Rachel Lynde did not call living in such a place LIVING at all.
于是喝完下午茶，雷切尔太太就出发了。卡斯伯特家那栋大房子四周是果园，从林德家的山谷沿路走去还不足四分之一英里，但是那条窄长的山间小路却使路途变得遥远了许多。和他的儿子一样，马修的父亲也是一位腼腆内向、沉默寡言的老人。当年建造家宅时，他虽不算真正隐退到树林中，但却尽可能地远离了其他的住户。绿山墙建在他开出来的这块土地的最远边缘处，直到今天，从大路上也几乎望不见它，而沿安维利大路两旁的房屋却是鳞次栉比。雷切尔太太一直认为，住在这样僻静幽远的地方，根本算不上是生活。（ 崇文书局. Kindle Edition. ）
重点用词与点评：
rambling： adjective， large and spreading out in many different directions 向四处延伸的；蔓延到很大区域的；蔓生的 ；格局凌乱的
embower: verb, surround or shelter (a place or a person), especially with trees or climbing plants. 围住或遮蔽(地方或人)，尤指用树或攀缘植物
the big, rambling, orchard-embowered house 【 崇文书局 】版本翻译成： 那栋大房子四周是果园 。试译： 那栋向四处延伸的大房子隐藏在果园里
scant: adjective, barely or scarcely sufficient: specially : not quite coming up to a stated measure 少于…;几乎不够;没有达到规定的标准
from the main road along which all the other Avonlea houses were so sociably situated【 崇文书局 】版本翻译： 而沿安维利大路两旁的房屋却是鳞次栉比。 试译： 其他安维利村民都把房子建在村里大路两旁，邻里间相互照应。
段落 8
“It’s just STAYING, that’s what,” she said as she stepped along the deep-rutted, grassy lane bordered with wild rose bushes. “It’s no wonder Matthew and Marilla are both a little odd, living away back here by themselves. Trees aren’t much company, though dear knows if they were there’d be enough of them. I’d rather look at people. To be sure, they seem contented enough; but then, I suppose, they’re used to it. A body can get used to anything, even to being hanged, as the Irishman said.”
“一点也不错，住在这个地方能有什么好生活。”说这话时，她正沿着那杂草丛生，两边长满野玫瑰，路面留着深深车辙的小路走着。“两人远远地住在这个闭塞的地方，难怪马修和玛瑞拉都有些古怪。树做不了人的伙伴，天知道要是树能做伴的话，这里树倒不少。不过我可宁愿天天对着人。看上去他俩还挺满足，依我猜，他俩只是习惯了这样的生活吧。他们自己还觉得不错呢！人总是什么都能适应。” （ 崇文书局. Kindle Edition. ）
deep-rutted： 深深车辙痕迹 rutted ：having long deep tracks made by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles.
A body can get used to anything, even to being hanged, as the Irishman said. 试译：正如爱尔兰谚语说所的， 人总是什么都能适应，甚至是被绞死。（这里作者有点黑色幽默）。
段落 9
With this Mrs. Rachel stepped out of the lane into the backyard of Green Gables. Very green and neat and precise was that yard, set about on one side with great patriarchal willows and the other with prim Lombardies. Not a stray stick nor stone was to be seen, for Mrs. Rachel would have seen it if there had been. Privately she was of the opinion that Marilla Cuthbert swept that yard over as often as she swept her house. One could have eaten a meal off the ground without overbrimming the proverbial peck of dirt.
正想着，雷切尔太太已经从小路跨进了绿山墙的后院。院子里苍翠一片，收拾得干净而整齐，院子一边是古老的大柳树，另一边是整齐的白杨树。地上干净得看不见一根枯枝或一块碎石，要是有的话，无论如何也逃不过雷切尔太太那双敏锐的眼睛。她心里暗暗想，看来玛瑞拉常常打扫这个院子，就像她经常打扫她的房子一样，收拾起家务来倒是勤快仔细。 （ 崇文书局. Kindle Edition. ）
patriarchal /ˌpeɪ.triˈɑːr.kəl/ patriarch： 指族长， 族长是支配着所有其他人的，他是统治者——作者把大柳树比喻成族长， 在这个花园里“德高望重”。
prim：adjective ， neat, trim 整洁、整齐
Lombardies ： 指 Lombardy poplar 伦巴第白杨，也经常被称为黑杨树，幼树的灰绿色树皮会变黑并有皱纹。
overbrim：verb, to cause to flow over the brim 溢出边缘; 满到溢出
proverbial: 谚语的
peck of dirt： 字面意思：¹/₄蒲耳的土( 意为：一撮土。peck, a unit of capacity equal to ¹/₄ bushel, 蒲耳容量单位，等于¹/₄蒲耳.。 蒲式耳 是英制的容积或容量单位。peck of dirt 源自谚语：you have to eat a peck of dirt before you die (字面意思：你必须在死之前吃一撮土），引申：每个人一生中都必须忍受一些不愉快的事情。常用于安慰那些遇到不愉快的事情的人，或指那些不愉快的事情。
在这里作者想表达在正常情况下， 如果你在地面上吃饭，你会很快吃到超过 （ overbrim ） ¹/₄蒲耳的尘土。然而，在这里，地面是如此干净，你可以在上面吃东西而不吃到超过 ¹/₄蒲耳的土。
One could have eaten a meal off the ground without overbrimming the proverbial peck of dirt. 试译：这里在一尘不染的地面上吃一顿饭，不会像谚语说的那样每个人都必须吃一撮土。
