The First Day of School始業日

E. D. Amicis

本文選自意大利作家埃迪蒙托·德·亞米契斯創作的長篇日記體小說《愛的教育》。這篇日記里記錄了主人公安利柯剛開學時的心情，你還記得你開學時的心情與狀態嗎？

Today is the first day of school. These three months of vacationin the country have passed like a dream. This morning my motherconducted me to the Baretti schoolhouse to have me enter forthe third elementary course： I was thinking of the countryand went unwillingly. All the streets were swarming withboys： the two bookshops were 1）thronged with fathersand mothers who were purchasing bags， 2）portfolios，and copybooks， and in front of the school so manypeople had collected， that the beadle andthe policeman found it difficult to keep theentrance 3）disencumbered. Near the door， I feltmyself touched on the shoulder： it was my masterof the second class， cheerful， as usual， and withhis red hair ruffled， and he said to me—“So we are separated forever， Enrico？”

I knew it perfectly well， yet these words pained me.We made our way in with difficulty. Ladies， gentlemen， women of thepeople， workmen， officials， nuns， servants， all leading boys with onehand， and holding the promotion books in the other， filled the anteroom?and the stairs， making such a buzzing， that it seemed as though onewere entering a theatre. I beheld again with pleasure that large roomon the ground floor， with the doors leading to the seven classes， whereI had passed nearly every day for three years. There was a throng; theteachers were going and coming. My schoolmistress of the first upperclass greeted me from the door of the classroom， and said—

“Enrico， you are going to the floor above this year. I shallnever see you pass by any more！”

And she gazed sadly at me. The director wassurrounded by women in distress because there was noroom for their sons， and it struck me that his beard was alittle whiter than it had been last year. I found the boys hadgrown taller and 4）stouter. On the ground floor， wherethe divisions had already been made， there were littlechildren of the first and lowest section， who did notwant to enter the classrooms， and who resisted likedonkeys： it was necessary to drag them in by force， andsome escaped from the benches; others， when they saw theirparents depart， began to cry， and the parents had to go backand comfort and reprimand them， and the teachers were in despair.

My little brother was placed in the class of Mistress Delcati： I wasput with Master Perboni， up stairs on the first floor. At ten o’clock wewere all in our classes： fifty-four of us; only fifteen or sixteen of mycompanions of the second class， among them， Derossi， the one whoalways gets the first prize. The school seemed to me so small andgloomy when I thought of the woods and the mountains where I hadpassed the summer！ I thought again， too， of my master in the secondclass， who was so good， and who always smiled at us， and was so?small that he seemed to be one of us， and I grieved that I should nolonger see him there， with his tumbled red hair. Our teacher is tall; hehas no beard; his hair is gray and long; and he has a 5）perpendicularwrinkle on his forehead： he has a big voice， and he looks at us fixedly，one after the other， as though he were reading our inmost thoughts; andhe never smiles. I said to myself—

“This is my first day. There are nine months more. What toil， whatmonthly examinations， what fatigue！”

I really needed to see my mother when I came out， and I ran to kissher hand. She said to me—

“Courage， Enrico！ We will study together.”

And I returned home content. But I no longer have my master， withhis kind， merry smile， and school does not seem pleasant to me as it didbefore.

1） throng v. 群集；擁塞

2） portfolio n. 文件夾

3） disencumber v. 擺脫障礙

4） stout adj. 肥胖的；粗壯結實的

5） perpendicular adj. 垂直的

今天開學了，鄉間的三個月，夢也似的過去，又回到了這丘陵的學校里來了。早晨母親送我到學校里去的時候，心還一味想著在鄉間的情形哩，不論哪一條街道，都充滿著學校的學生們；書店的門口呢，學生的父兄們都擁擠著在那里購買筆記簿、書袋等類的東西；校役和警察都拼命似的想把路排開。到了校門口，覺得有人觸動我的肩膀，原來這就是我三年級時候的先生，是一位頭發赤而卷攏、面貌快活的先生。先生看著我的臉孔說：

“我們不再在一處了！安利柯！”

這原是我早已知道的事，今天被先生這么一說，不覺重新難過起來了。我們好不容易地到了里面，許多夫人、紳士、普通婦人、職工、官吏、女僧侶、男用人、女用人，都一手拉了小兒，一手抱了成績簿，擠滿在接待所樓梯旁，嘈雜得如同戲館里一樣。我重新看這大大的休息室的房子，非常歡喜，因為我這三年來，每日到教室去都穿過這室。我的二年級時候的女先生見了我：“安利柯！你現在要到樓上去了！要不走過我的教室了！”

說著，戀戀地看我。校長先生被婦人們圍繞著，頭發好像比以前白了。學生們也比夏天的時候長大強壯了許多。才來入一年級的小孩們不愿到教室里去，像驢馬似的倔強，勉強拉了進去，有的仍舊逃出，有的因為找不著父母，哭了起來。做父母的回了進去，有的誘騙，有的叱罵，先生們也弄得沒有法子了。

我的弟弟被編入在名叫代爾卡諦的女先生所教的一組里。午前十時，大家進了教室，我們的一級共五十五人。從三年級一同升上來的只不過十五六人，慣得一等獎的代洛西也在里面。一想起暑假中跑來跑去游過的山林，覺得學校里暗悶得討厭。又憶起三年級時候的先生來：那是常常對著我們笑的好先生，是和我們差不多大的先生。那個先生的紅而卷攏的頭發已不能看見了，一想到此，就有點難過。這次的先生，身材高長，沒有胡須，長長地留著花白的頭發，額上皺著直織，說話大聲，他瞪著眼一個一個地看我們的時候，眼光竟像要透到我們心里似的。而且還是一位沒有笑容的先生。我想：

“唉！一天總算過去了，還有九個月呢！什么用功，什么月試，多討厭！”

一出教室，恨不得就看見母親，飛跑到母親面前去吻她的手。母親說：

“安利柯啊！要用心啰！我也和你們用功呢！”

我高高興興地回家了。可是因為那位親愛快活的先生已不在，學校也不如以前的有趣味了。