散文：A Drop Fell on the Apple Tree

A Drop Fell on the Apple Tree - 

Another - on the Roof - 

A Half a Dozen kissed the Eaves - 

And made the Gables laugh - 

 

A few went out to help the Brook¹ 

That went to help the Sea - 

Myself Conjectured² were they Pearls - 

What Necklace could be - 

 

The Dust replaced, in Hoisted³ Roads - 

The Birds jocoser sung - 

The Sunshine threw his Hat away - 

The Bushes - spangles flung - 

 

The Breezes brought dejected Lutes - 

And bathed them in the Glee - 

Then Orient showed a single Flag, 

And signed the Fete away - 

 

A drop of rain fell on the apple tree, and this is a very ordinary thing. However, in her eyes, it actually turned into a dynamic poem full of joy. Peruse⁵ the verbs in this poem at your leisure, and enjoy the fresh and jubilant rain! 

 

At first, it starts with a tiny raindrop felling on an apple tree, followed with another drop on the roof. Several drops of rain water drip from the roof, the gables responding with cheerful sound. The rainfall is also essential to every day cycles. Emily explains this quite nicely in the second stanza⁶: a few raindrops make an adventure to the brook and put water back into the sea. And she fascinates a beautiful necklace made of raindrops as if they were pearls. 

 

The rain also takes away all the dust on the roads, accompanied by the singing of birds. Fruits in the orchard⁷ are swaying gently and shiny in the wind. Finally, the genteel sunshine met his lovely acquaintances - raindrops; with the hat off, he bowed politely. 

 

Lute⁴ is a plucked string instrument, whose sound is feeble. Emily compares the voice of wind to Lute's sound, which is like the weeping and complaining from a sad person. However, raindrops are such happy little angels. They invites the wind to play an ensemble⁸ of felicity movement. In addition to the meaning of joy, glee stands for duet a cappella. A clever fancy the pattering of the rain landing on the ground as a duet a cappella. It must have been raining for the whole day and night. 

1 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

2 conjectured   

推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The old peasant conjectured that it would be an unusually cold winter. 那老汉推测冬天将会异常地寒冷。
• The general conjectured that the enemy only had about five days' supply of food left. 将军推测敌人只剩下五天的粮食给养。

3 hoisted   

把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He hoisted himself onto a high stool. 他抬身坐上了一张高凳子。
• The sailors hoisted the cargo onto the deck. 水手们把货物吊到甲板上。

4 lute   

n.琵琶，鲁特琴

参考例句：

• He idly plucked the strings of the lute.他漫不经心地拨弄着鲁特琴的琴弦。
• He knows how to play the Chinese lute.他会弹琵琶。

5 peruse   

v.细读，精读

参考例句：

• We perused the company's financial statements for the past five years.我们翻阅了公司过去5年来的财务报表。
• Please peruse this report at your leisure.请在空暇时细读这篇报道。

6 stanza   

n.（诗）节，段

参考例句：

• We omitted to sing the second stanza.我们漏唱了第二节。
• One young reporter wrote a review with a stanza that contained some offensive content.一个年轻的记者就歌词中包含有攻击性内容的一节写了评论。

7 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

8 ensemble   

n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果

参考例句：

• We should consider the buildings as an ensemble.我们应把那些建筑物视作一个整体。
• It is ensemble music for up to about ten players,with one player to a part.它是最多十人演奏的合奏音乐，每人担任一部分。