作者简介 肯尼斯·格雷厄姆(1859—1932)是英国著名儿童文学家,1859年3月8日出生于苏格兰爱丁堡。他幼年时父母相继去世,童年十分不幸。由于生计艰难,他只读到中学毕业就辍学了,20岁时开始进入银行工作。格雷厄姆喜爱大自然,酷爱文学,常常流连于山林旷野中,闲暇时潜心进行文学创作。1885年,他出版了《黄金时代》一书,真实再现了他不幸的童年生活。该书一出版就大获成功,奠定了他的文学地位。1898年他又推出《黄金时代》的续篇《梦幻时光》,该书也深受读者喜爱。这两本书的问世被誉为当时儿童文学的一场革命。 格雷厄姆结婚很晚,生有一子阿拉斯戴尔——绰号“小耗子”,小耗子有先天眼疾,格雷厄姆夫妇俩非常疼爱他,经常讲故事给他听。 在小耗子6岁时,格雷厄姆为了哄他睡觉,编了一个有关几个小动物的故事讲给他听,这让他深深地着了迷,为了听故事甚至不肯到外地度假。遇到父亲出差时,小耗子就让他用写信的方式接着讲。就这样,格雷厄姆的故事断断续续地讲了三年。后来,格雷厄姆把讲给小耗子的故事整理成一本名叫《柳林风声》的书,并于1908年出版,把这个故事献给了全世界的孩子们。
节选:
THE RIVER BANK
第一章:河岸
The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little Home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms. Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing. It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said ‘Bother!’ and ‘O blow!’ and also ‘Hang spring-cleaning!’ and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him imperiously, and he made for the steep little tunnel which answered in his case to the gravelled carriage-drive owned by animals whose residences are nearer to the sun and air. So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, ‘Up we go! Up we go!’ till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight, and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.
整个上午,鼹鼠都在勤奋地干活,为他小小的家屋作春季大扫除,先用扫帚扫,再用掸子掸,然后登上梯子、椅子什么的,拿着刷子,提着灰浆桶,刷墙,直干到灰尘呛了嗓子,迷了眼,全身乌黑的毛皮溅满了白灰浆,腰也酸了,臂也痛了。春天的气息,在他头上的天空里吹拂,在他脚下的泥土里游动,在他四周围飘荡。春天那奇妙的追求、渴望的精神,甚至钻进了他那阴暗低矮的小屋。怪不得他猛地把刷子往地下一扔,嚷道:“烦死人了!”“去它的!”“什么春季大扫除,见它的鬼去吧!”连大衣也没顾上穿,就冲出家门了。上面有种力量在急切地召唤他,于是他向着陡峭的地道奔去。这地道,直通地面上的碎石子大车道,而这车道是属于那些住在通风向阳的居室里的动物的。鼹鼠又掏又挠又爬又挤,又挤又爬又挠又掏,小爪子忙个不停,嘴里还不住地念念叨叨,“咱们上去啰!咱们上去啰!”末末了,噗的一声,他的鼻尖钻出了地面,伸到了阳光里,跟着,身子就在一块大草坪暖暖的软草里打起滚来。 本帖最后由 五月雨 于 2010-10-25 09:47 编辑