我的生活海伦凯勒摘抄 海伦·凯勒自传《我的生活》第24期

海伦·凯勒自传《我的生活》第24期  

Later in the morning we made preparations for a barbecue. A fire was kindled at the bottom of a deep hole in the ground
big sticks were laid crosswise at the top
and meat was hung from them and turned on spits. Around the fire squatted negroes
driving away the flies with long branches. The savoury odour of the meat made me hungry long before the tables were set.
When the bustle and excitement of preparation was at its height
the hunting party made its appearance
struggling in by os and threes
the men hot and weary
the horses covered with foam
and the jaded hounds panting and dejected--and not a single kill! Every man declared that he had seen at least one deer
and that the animal had e very close; but however hotly the dogs might pursue the game
however well the guns might be aimed
at the snap of the trigger there was not a deer in sight. They had been as fortunate as the little boy who said he came very near seeing a rabbit—he saw his tracks. The party soon fot its disappointment
however
and we sat down
not to venison
but to a tamer feast of veal and roast pig.
One summer I had my pony at Fern Quarry. I called him Black Beauty
as I had just read the book
and he resembled his namesake in every way
from his glossy black coat to the white star on his forehead. I spent many of my happiest hours on his back. Occasionally
when it was quite safe
my teacher would let go the leading-rein
and the pony sauntered on or stopped at his sweet will to eat grass or nibble the leaves of the trees that grew beside the narrow trail.
那年夏天，我把我的小马驹也带到了弗恩采石场。我管它叫“黑美人”，这是我刚刚读过的一本书的名字。我的小马“人如其名”，从他油光闪亮的黑色“外套”，到他额头的白色星形，无不俊朗非凡。我在他背上度过了最快乐的时光。有时候，在保证安全的前提下，我的老师也会松开缰绳，于是我的小马驹就会悠闲地在林中漫步，兴之所至，他还会停下来吃草，或者是啃食路边小树的叶子。
On mornings when I did not care for the ride
my teacher and I would start after breakfast for a ramble in the woods
and allow ourselves to get lost amid the trees and vines
with no road to follow except the paths made by cows and horses. Frequently we came upon impassable thickets which forced us to take a roundabout way. We always returned to the cottage with armfuls of laurel
goldenrod
ferns and geous swamp-flowers such as grow only in the South.
Sometimes I would go with Mildred and my little cousins to gather persimmons. I did not eat them; but I loved their fragrance and enjoyed hunting for them in the leaves and grass. We also went nutting
and I helped them open the chestnut burrs and break the shells of hickory-nuts and walnuts--the big
sweet walnuts!
At the foot of the mountain there was a railroad
and the children watched the trains whiz by. Sometimes a terrific whistle brought us to the steps
and Mildred told me in great excitement that a cow or a horse had strayed on the track. About a mile distant there was a trestle spanning a deep ge. It was very difficult to walk over
the ties were wide apart and so narrow that one felt as if one were walking on knives. I had never crossed it until one day Mildred
Miss Sullivan and I were lost in the woods
and wandered for hours without finding a path.
Suddenly Mildred pointed with her little hand and exclaimed
"There's the trestle!" We would have taken any way rather than this; but it was late and growing dark
and the trestle was a short cut home. I had to feel for the rails with my toe; but I was not afraid
and got on very well
until all at once there came a faint "puff
puff" from the distance.
"I see the train!" cried Mildred
and in another minute it would have been upon us had we not climbed down on the crossbraces while it rushed over our heads. I felt the hot breath from the engine on my face
and the smoke and ashes almost choked us. As the train rumbled by
the trestle shook and swayed until I thought we should be dashed to the chasm below. With the utmost difficulty we regained the track. Long after dark we reached home and found the cottage empty; the family were all out hunting for us.