柳林風聲

⊙ By Kenneth Grahame

翻譯：楊靜遠

柳林風聲

⊙ By Kenneth Grahame

翻譯：楊靜遠

本文的朗讀者是位很有經驗的老手，大家不妨多聽幾遍原聲，特別留意朗讀者是如何通過豐富多變的抑揚頓挫、輕重緩急來增強文字的生動感，進而調動起聽眾的情緒。

It all seemed too good to be true. Hither and thither[到處]through the meadows[草地]he rambled[漫步]busily, along the hedgerows[灌木籬墻], across the copses[小樹叢], finding everywhere birds building, flowers budding[含苞], leaves thrusting[擠]—everything happy, and progressive, and occupied. And instead of having an uneasy conscience[良心]pricking[刺]him and whispering“whitewash!” he somehow could only feel how jolly[快活的]it was to be the only idle[不忙的]dog among all those busy citizens. After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working.

He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before—this sleek[柔滑的], sinuous[蜿蜒的], full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling[輕笑], gripping things with a gurgle[咯咯聲]and leaving them with a laugh, to fling[擲]itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again. All was a-shake and a-shiver[顫抖]—glints[閃爍]and gleams[微光]and sparkles[閃耀], rustle[沙沙響]and swirl[漩渦], chatter[嘮叨]and bubble. The Mole[鼴鼠]was bewitched[使著迷], entranced[使出神], fascinated[使迷住]. By the side of the river he trotted[小跑]as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spell-bound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling[喋喋不休]procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable[不知足的]sea.

你知道嗎？《哈利·波特》系列小說當中的“獾院”赫奇帕奇學院，其靈感來源正是英國童話《柳林風聲》里的獾先生呢！

你還知道嗎？這本一百多年來傳誦不衰的經典作品，最初其實只是肯尼斯·格雷厄姆隨便編出來哄兒子入睡的bedtime story？

《柳林風聲》以鼴鼠、河鼠、蛤蟆與獾先生為主角——這四只性格各異的小動物交上了朋友，一起結伴出外冒險，最終榮歸故里，重振家園。其文筆之優美，語言之生動，哲理之深刻，加上在季節流轉中美不勝收的河畔風景，讓美國的羅斯福總統讀之手不釋卷，是J.K.羅琳最喜歡的文學作品。自1908年首版以來，《柳林風聲》一直深受世界人民的喜愛，多次入選各種“最受歡迎作品”“兒童必讀經典”“最具影響力圖書”榜單，伴隨著一代又一代的少年兒童長大成人。

本期節選出自小說第一章。厭倦了春季大掃除的鼴鼠跑到外面散心，只見一路上春光明媚，到處生機盎然……

As he sat on the grass and looked across the river, a dark hole in the bank opposite, just above the water’s edge, caught his eye, and dreamily he fell to considering what a nice snug[舒適的]dwelling-place[住所]it would make for an animal with few wants and fond of a bijou[小巧的]riverside residence[住處], above flood level and remote from noise and dust. As he gazed, something bright and small seemed to twinkle[閃爍]down in the heart of it, vanished[消失], then twinkled once more like a tiny star. But it could hardly be a star in such an unlikely situation; and it was too glittering[閃閃發光的]and small for a glow-worm[螢火蟲]. Then, as he looked, it winked[眨眼]at him, and so declared itself to be an eye; and a small face began gradually to grow up round it, like a frame round a picture.

A brown little face, with whiskers[腮須].

A grave[嚴肅的]round face, with the same twinkle in its eye that had first attracted his notice.

Small neat ears and thick silky hair.

It was the Water Rat!

Then the two animals stood and regarded each other cautiously.

“Hello, Mole!”

“Hello, Rat!”

Presently, the Rat enquired[詢問], “Would you like to come over?”

“Oh, it’s all very well to TALK,” said the Mole, rather pettishly[鬧情緒地], he being new to a river and riverside life and its ways.

The Rat said nothing, but stooped[彎腰]and unfastened a rope and hauled[拖]on it; then lightly stepped into a little boat which the Mole had not observed. It was painted blue outside and white within, and was just the size for two animals; and the Mole’s whole heart went out to it at once, even though he did not yet fully understand its uses.

The Rat sculled[蕩槳]smartly across and made fast[穩固的]. Then he held up his forepaw[前爪]as the Mole stepped gingerly[小心翼翼地]down. “Lean[倚靠]on that! Now then, step lively[輕快地]!” and the Mole to his surprise and rapture[興高采烈]found himself actually seated in the stern[船尾]of a real boat.

As the Rat shoved off and took to the sculls again, said he, “This has been a wonderful day! Do you know, I’ve never been in a boat before in all my life.”

《柳林風聲》是一本以動物為主角的兒童小說，是寫給小孩子看的故事，但若是談到它所具備的文學性以及作者高超的文字功力，恐怕許多成人文學都未必能及。一本好的英語有聲書，可以從聽、說、讀、寫等方面提高讀者的英語綜合素養，《柳林風聲》就是這樣的典型。學有余力的同學可以利用本期節選進行一個進階訓練，結合詞典思考以下幾個問題：

l 作者如何運用擬人手法來表現大河奔流的景象？

l 河鼠第一次出現時，作者是如何描寫的呢？

l 文中出現了多少個表示“閃閃發光”的近義詞？你知道它們的區別嗎？你還能在文中發現其他的近義詞組嗎？

一切都那么美好，好得簡直不像是真的。他跑過一片又一片的草坪，沿著矮樹籬，穿過灌木叢，匆匆地游逛；處處都看到鳥兒做窩筑巢，花兒含苞待放，葉兒擠擠攘攘——萬物都顯得那么快樂、奮進、忙碌。他聽不到良心在耳邊嘀咕“刷墻！”，倒只覺得，在一大群忙忙碌碌的公民當中，唯獨他能當一個懶漢，這可真是愜意。看來，過休假日最舒心的事，還不是自己得到休憩，而是看到別人都在忙著干活。

他漫無目的地閑逛著，忽然來到一條水流豐盈的大河邊，真是快樂絕頂。他這輩子還從來沒有見過一條河哩。這只光光滑滑、蜿蜿蜒蜒、身軀龐大的動物，不停地追逐，輕輕地歡笑。它每抓住什么，就咯咯低笑，把它們扔掉時，又哈哈大笑，轉過來又撲向新的玩伴。它們掙扎著甩開了它，可到底還是被它逮住，牢抓在手。它渾身顫動，晶光閃閃，沸沸揚揚，吐著漩渦，冒著泡沫，喋喋不休地說個沒完。這景象簡直把鼴鼠看呆了，他心馳神迷，著了魔似的。他沿著河邊，邁著小碎步跑，像個小娃娃緊跟在大人身邊聽他講驚險故事，聽得入了迷似的。他終于跑累了，便在岸邊坐了下來。可那河還是一個勁兒地喋喋不休，它講的是世間最好聽的故事。這些故事發自地心深處，一路講下去，最終要向那聽個沒夠的大海傾訴。

他坐在草地上，朝著河那邊張望時，忽見對岸有個黑黑的洞口，恰好在水面上邊。他夢悠悠地想，要是一只動物要求不高，只想有一處小巧玲瓏的河邊住宅，漲潮時淹不著，又遠離塵囂，這個住所倒是滿舒適的。他正呆呆地凝望，那洞穴的中央有個亮晶晶的小東西一閃，忽隱忽現，像一顆小星星。不過，出現在那樣一個地方，不會是星星。要說是螢火蟲嘛，又顯得太亮太小。望著望著，那個亮東西竟沖他眨巴了一下，可見那是一只眼睛。接著，圍著那只眼睛，漸漸顯出一張小臉，恰像一幅畫，嵌在畫框里。

一張棕色的小臉，腮邊有兩撇胡須。

一張神情嚴肅的圓臉，眼睛里閃著光，就是一開始引起他注意的那種光。

一對精巧的小耳朵，一頭絲一般濃密的毛發。

那是河鼠！

隨后，兩只動物面對面站著，謹慎地互相打量。“嗨，鼴鼠！”“嗨，河鼠！”河鼠便問道：“你愿意過這邊來嗎？”

“噯，說說倒容易，”鼴鼠沒好氣地說，因為他是初次見識一條河，還不熟悉水上的生活習慣。

河鼠二話沒說，彎腰解開一條繩子，拽攏過來，然后輕輕地跨進鼴鼠原先沒有注意到的一只小船里。那小船外面漆成藍色，里面漆成白色，正好夠兩只動物乘坐；雖然鼴鼠還不大明白小船的用場，但他的心一下子就被它吸引住了。

河鼠干練地把船劃到對岸，停穩了。他伸出一只前爪，攙著鼴鼠小心翼翼地走下來。“扶好了！現在，輕輕地跨進來！”于是鼴鼠又驚又喜地發現，自己真的坐進了一只真正的小船的尾端。

河鼠把船撐離岸邊，拿起雙槳，鼴鼠于是說道：“今天真是太棒了！你知道嗎，我這輩子還從沒坐過船哩！”

（選自貴州人民出版社版本，有改動）