散文：A Bird came down the Walk

A Bird came down the Walk -

He did not know I saw -

He bit an Angleworm in halves

And ate the fellow, raw,

 

And then he drank a Dew

From a convenient Grass -

And then hopped¹ side wise to the Wall

To let a Beetle² pass -

 

He glanced with rapid eyes

That hurried all around -

They looked like frightened Beads³, I thought -

He stirred his Velvet⁴ Head

 

Like one in danger, Cautious,

I offered him a Crumb⁵

And he unrolled his feathers

And rowed him softer home -

 

Than Oars⁶ divide the Ocean,

Too silver for a seam -

Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon

Leap, plashless as they swim.

 

A typical exemplar for Dickinson's nature verse. This poem depicts⁷ the nature's superior self-sufficiency and man's continuous yen⁸ to get into the world of nature. At frist, the narrator encounters a bird and looks at it on the walk as a curious observer. Unaware⁹ of her existence, the bird eats a worm, drinks a dew from the grass, and steps aside politely to let a beetle pass as a gentleman. 

 

The bird then senses something is not right and looks around as if in fright. And she approaches the bird and offers it a crumb but it flies away. A magnificent sight of grace. The bird’s flight through the air is softer than that of a boat being rowed in a seamless ocean with oars; the oars’ action, like the bird’s wings, are so small and “silver” in the expanse of water and sky, that they do not even leave a “seam” behind to show they once moved through that space. In a final exquisitely¹⁰ lovely image, it is even smoother than the flight of butterflies that jump into the rivers of “Noon” swimming and splashing about. 

1 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

2 beetle   

n.甲虫，近视眼的人

参考例句：

• A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
• He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。

3 beads   

n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链

参考例句：

• a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
• Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。

4 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

5 crumb   

n.饼屑，面包屑，小量

参考例句：

• It was the only crumb of comfort he could salvage from the ordeal.这是他从这场磨难里能找到的唯一的少许安慰。
• Ruth nearly choked on the last crumb of her pastry.鲁斯几乎被糕点的最后一块碎屑所噎住。

6 oars   

n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
• The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

8 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

9 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

10 exquisitely   

adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地

参考例句：

• He found her exquisitely beautiful. 他觉得她异常美丽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He wore an exquisitely tailored gray silk and accessories to match. 他穿的是做工非常考究的灰色绸缎衣服，还有各种配得很协调的装饰。 来自教父部分