On the Far Side of the Mountain (Excerpt VI)

By Jean Craighead George

It’s taken until today to get the waterwheel in place. Bando and Zella were too busy to come to the mountain during most of November, and Miss Turner’s mother was sick, so she couldn’t work. I did finish the sluice but stopped working on the wheel because Alice and I had to gather nut crop. The beechnuts are abundant this year, and so are the hickory and butter nuts, but the acorn crop is poor. Alice did find one productive tree, and we have enough to last until spring.

[2] Work was further delayed when Mrs. Strawberry came up to tell us that another deer had been killed on the country road and I went down to butcher that prize and haul it up here.

[3] Then the smoking of venison took more time. While I was working at that, Alice decided to make a smokehouse, and before I knew it, she had me tapping and stacking stones again.Although it delayed the mill, I’m glad we made it. The venison is much better

直到今天，我們才能把水車準備就緒。十一月份，班多和澤拉多數時間都很忙，不能到山里來。特納小姐的母親病了，她也不能工作。我做完了水閘，但不再做水車，因為艾麗斯和我必須去收堅果了。今年的山毛櫸果很多，山核桃果和灰胡桃果也大豐收，但橡樹果很少。艾麗斯找到了一棵結滿果實的橡樹，足夠我們吃到春天了。

[2]不過草莓夫人上山來告訴我們，說鄉道上又有一只被撞死的鹿，我又一次停下手中的活兒。我下山去，處理這只意外獲得的鹿，再拖上山來。

[3]然后熏鹿肉又花了更多時間。我熏鹿肉的時候，艾麗斯決定弄一間熏肉房。我還沒搞明白，她又讓我敲敲打打地堆石塊了。熏肉房雖然耽誤了水磨坊，但我很高興我們有了熏肉房。熏肉房里制作出的鹿肉好吃多了，因為那里能夠控制火候。

[4]所以直到昨天，班多和我，在草莓夫人、她家的馬兒斯拉茨、艾麗斯、澤拉以及特納小姐的幫助下，才把水車放好。

[5]我們把一根繩子扔過一個樹枝，一端系到水車上，另一端綁到斯拉茨身上。然后草莓夫人牽著斯拉茨離開大樹。水車被吊起到空中，直到我們能推動和把握的位置。大家一起用力，讓水車在磨坊里就位。我們小心翼翼地把滾軸穿過小溪旁的墻洞。墻洞是專為水車滾軸設計的。在磨坊里，我們把滾軸放到基座上。草莓夫人牽著斯拉茨后退，讓滾軸的外端下落到艾麗斯和特納小姐那邊的石墻上。如此這般，水車就位了。

[6]艾麗斯跑到水池邊，打開了水閘門。水沿著掏空了的樹干流下來，沖擊著水輪葉片——這個該死的大家伙就轉了起來。我們歡呼、鼓掌、載歌載舞。我們擁有了轉動的水車！

[7]感恩節那天，我們舉辦了盛大的宴會。特納小姐帶來了一只火雞，草莓夫人和澤when smoked in a building where the fire can be controlled.

[4] So it wasn’t until yesterday that Bando and I got the wheel in place with the help of Mrs. Strawberry, Slats, Alice, Zella, and Miss Turner.

[5] We threw a rope over a limb, tied one end to the wheel and the other to Slats. Then Mrs. Strawberry led him away from the tree. The wheel rose into the air until we could push and guide it. With everyone helping, we eased the wheel to the mill and carefully directed the shaft through the hole in the streamside wall made for this purpose. Inside we laid it to rest on the bearing. Mrs.Strawberry backed up Slats, lowering the outside end of the shaft on Alice and Miss Turner’s stone wall. With that, the waterwheel was in place.

[6] Alice ran to the pond and opened the sluice gate. The water rolled down the hollowed tree, hit the wheel blades—and the darn thing turned. We cheered and clapped and danced. We had a rolling waterwheel!

[7] We had a wonderful feast day on Thanksgiving. Miss Turner brought up a turkey, and Mrs. Strawberry and Zella made salad and pumpkin pie. Alice and I baked acorn bread in my stone oven.The day was warm, and we ate outside watching the waterwheel turn. We all felt great pride and satisfaction.拉做了沙拉和南瓜餅。艾麗斯和我用我的石爐烘焙了橡樹子面包。天氣很暖和，我們在戶外就餐，一邊看著那大水車旋轉不停。我們感覺無比自豪、心滿意足。

【背景知識】野外生存，也擋不住現代化的步伐。妹妹艾麗斯跟山姆一起生活，新點子不斷，總要弄出一些新鮮玩意兒。山姆不大愿意，但沒辦法，只好跟著妹妹大搞建設。這一段就寫他們建造水車磨坊和熏肉房等的過程。

【第一段】山里的事兒越來越多，建造水車磨坊的工程一拖再拖，因為總是有更緊急的事情要做。最后一句中的tree指一棵橡樹。橡樹果是他們的主食之一，因此特別強調橡樹的收成。班多是山姆的朋友，住在山下，澤拉是班多的妻子。特納小姐是當地的圖書館管理員。

【第二段】有幾點需要認真分析來確定詞義。首先是killed on the country road，指路上的車輛撞死了鹿，并非有意殺死；而butcher不是屠宰，而是稍作處理；詞語prize不是獎賞，而是意外的收獲，可以有鹿肉吃了。

【第三段】中間一句話富有深意，間接指出妹妹總是讓山姆做這做那，而山姆被動接受，有些無奈。最后一句中的定語從句when smoked in a building譯為中文句子里的定語，這樣更符合中文習慣，也更簡潔。

【第四段】這句話的謂語在譯文中后移至句末，否則譯文會有翻譯腔。要注意馬兒斯拉茨的譯法，不能當作人物來翻譯，需要添加“馬兒”來說明。

【第五段】這一段描寫的動作很復雜，需要聯想當時的情景，把水車、磨坊、滾軸、基座等物品和安裝場面想明白，再下筆翻譯。

【第六段】這里出現了一個不雅的詞語darn（該死的；天殺的；討厭的），反映出少年山姆的真實語言和心理。建造這個水車費了太多力氣，詛咒一下也是應該的。緊接著，大家歡呼雀躍，歡樂的氣氛躍然紙上。

【第七段】這一段的文字句式比較短，語言質樸，但描寫真實生動，譯文不宜太過渲染。

【小結】這一節文字以情景和程序描述為主，有些文字語義模糊，譯文需要明晰化才好。同時，有的英文句式在翻譯時不宜照搬，需要合理重組調換。總體而言，原文質樸無華，是模擬少年文筆，譯文也當簡樸生動為宜。 □