吹小号的天鹅 第44期:金钱的烦恼(2)

 　　Flying was not as easy as it once had been.

　　这一次的飞行不像以前那么容易了，

　　If you've ever tried to fly with a trumpet¹ dangling² from your neck

　　如果你试过和一把在你的脖子上晃来晃去的小号，

　　and a slate³ flapping in the wind and a chalk pencil bouncing around at the end of its string,

　　还有一块在风中劈啪作响的石板，再加上一只在它的绳头上乱蹦乱跳的石笔一起飞的话，

　　you know how hard it can be.

　　你就知道飞行会有多么困难了。

　　Louis realized that there were advantages in traveling light

　　路易斯这才知道轻装旅行，

　　and not having too many possessions clinging to you.

　　不带那么多的东西一起飞要容易得多。

　　Nevertheless, he was a strong flier,

　　不过，他是一位坚强的飞行家，

　　and the slate and the chalk pencil and the trumpet were important to him.

　　而且石板石笔和小号对他来说也都是至关重要的东西。

　　When he reached the ranch⁴ where Sam lived, he circled once,

　　当他来到萨姆居住的那个牧场时，他兜了个圈儿，

　　then glided⁵ down and walked into the barn.

　　然后才滑翔下来走进谷仓。

　　He found Sam grooming⁶ his pony⁷.

　　他看见萨姆正在刷洗他的小马。

　　"Well, look who's here!" exclaimed Sam.

　　“哈，看谁来了！”萨姆叫，

　　"You look like a traveling salesman with all that stuff around your neck.I'm glad to see you."

　　“你脖子上挂着那么多东西的样子活像个旅行推销员。很高兴见到你。”

　　Louis propped⁸ the slate up against the pony's stall.

　　路易斯把石板抵到小马的马栏上。

　　"I'm in trouble," he wrote.

　　“我有麻烦了。”他写。

　　"What's the matter?" asked Sam. "And where did you get the trumpet?"

　　“怎么了？”萨姆问，“你从哪儿弄的这把小号？”

　　"That's the trouble," wrote Louis.

　　“那就是麻烦所在，”路易斯写，

　　"My father stole it.

　　“我父亲偷了它。

　　He gave it to me because I have no voice.

　　因为我没有嗓子，所以他才把它给了我。

　　The trumpet hasn't been paid for."

　　这把小号还没付钱呢。”

　　Sam whistled through his teeth.

　　萨姆吹了个口哨。

　　Then he led the pony into his stall, tied him, came out, and sat down on a bale of hay.

　　然后他把小马领到马厩，栓好，走出来，坐在一捆干草上。”

　　For a while he just stared at the bird.

　　有那么一会儿，他只是盯着这只鸟看。

　　Finally he said, "You've got a money problem.

　　最后他开腔了：“你有一个和钱有关的问题。

　　But that's not unusual. Almost everybody has a money problem.

　　不过这没什么大不了的。差不多所有人都有和钱有关的问题。

　　What you need is a job.

　　你需要的只是一件工作。

　　Then you can save your earnings⁹,

　　然后你可以把你挣的钱存起来，

　　and when you get enough money saved up, your father can pay back the man he stole the trumpet from.

　　到存够的时候，你爸爸就可以把钱还给被他偷去小号的那个人了。

　　Can you actually play that thing?"

　　你真的能吹奏那东西吗？

　　Louis nodded. He raised the trumpet to his beak¹⁰.

　　路易斯点点头。他把小号举到他的嘴上。

　　"Ko!" said the trumpet.

　　“吭！”小号说开了。

　　The pony jumped.

　　小马跳了起来。

　　"Hey!" said Sam. "That's pretty good.

　　“嘿！”萨姆说，“非常不错。

　　Do you know any other notes?" Louis shook his head.

　　你还会吹别的音吗？” 路易斯摇摇头。

　　"I've got an idea," said Sam.

　　“我有主意了，”萨姆说，

　　"I have a job this summer as a junior counselor¹¹ at a boys' camp in Ontario.

　　“今年夏天我有个在安大略省的一个儿童夏令营当少年辅导员的工作。

　　That's in Canada.

　　那是在加拿大。

　　I'll bet I can get you a job as camp bugler¹³ if you can learn a few more notes.

　　我敢打赌，如果你能再学会几个音的话我准能给你找个在夏令营当号手的工作。

　　The camp wants somebody that can blow a horn.

　　夏令营想要一个能吹喇叭的人。

　　The idea is, you blow a lot of loud fast notes in the early morning to wake the boys up.

　　这个主意就是，你在每天早晨用一连串很响很快的乐音，把男孩子们吹醒。

　　That's called reveille.

　　这叫起床号。

　　Then you blow some other notes to call the campers to their meals.

　　然后你再吹一些别的音，招呼营员们吃饭。

　　That's called the mess call.

　　那叫就餐号。

　　Then at night when everybody is in bed

　　等晚上每个人都上床了

　　and the light has faded from the sky

　　辉光从天空里消褪了

　　and the lake is calm and the mosquitoes are busy in the tents, biting the boys,

　　湖水平静了蚊子们也都在帐篷里忙活着，叮着那些男孩子的时候，

　　and the boys are getting sleepy in their beds,

　　男孩子们已经在床上躺得很困了，

　　you blow some other notes,

　　这时你就要再吹些别的音，

　　very soft and sweet and sad. That's called taps.

　　很轻柔很甜美很伤感的那种。那叫熄灯号。

　　Do you want to go to camp with me and try it?"

　　你想和我一起去夏令营试试吗？”

　　"I'll try anything," wrote Louis. "I am desperate for money."

　　“我愿意去做任何事，”路易斯写，“我急着要钱。”

　　Sam chuckled¹⁴. "Ok.," he said.

　　萨姆轻声笑起来。“OK，”他说，

　　"Camp opens in about three weeks.

　　“夏令营大约三周后才开放呢。

　　That'll give you time to learn the bugle¹² calls.

　　这样你就有时间来学会吹这几种号了。

　　I'll buy you a music book that tells what the notes are."

　　我要给你买一本告诉你怎么吹的音乐书。”

1 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

2 dangling   

悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果，那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
• The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上，摇晃着他们的双腿。

3 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

4 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

5 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 grooming   

n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发

参考例句：

• You should always pay attention to personal grooming. 你应随时注意个人仪容。
• We watched two apes grooming each other. 我们看两只猩猩在互相理毛。

7 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

8 propped   

支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sat propped up in the bed by pillows. 他靠着枕头坐在床上。
• This fence should be propped up. 这栅栏该用东西支一支。

9 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

10 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

11 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

12 bugle   

n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集

参考例句：

• When he heard the bugle call, he caught up his gun and dashed out.他一听到军号声就抓起枪冲了出去。
• As the bugle sounded we ran to the sports ground and fell in.军号一响，我们就跑到运动场集合站队。

13 bugler   

喇叭手； 号兵； 吹鼓手； 司号员

参考例句：

• The general ordered the bugler to sound the retreat. 将军命令号手吹号收兵。
• There was nothing faded about the bugler under the cap. 帽子下面那个号手可一点也不是褪色的。

14 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。