经典名著：《小妇人（连载18）》

导读

 

《小妇人》（Little Women）是由美国女作家露易莎·梅·奥尔科特创作的长篇小说，首次出版于1868年。该作是一部以美国南北战争为背景，以19世纪美国新英格兰地区的一个普通家庭四个姐妹之间的生活琐事为蓝本的带有自传色彩的家庭伦理小说。小说受到当时的大思想家爱默生的影响，强调了个人尊严与自立自律的观念；内容平实却细腻，结构单纯而寓意深远，富有强烈的感染力。

 

 

 

 

 

Another bang of the street door sent the basket under the sofa, and the girls to the table, eager for breakfast.

临街的大门又响了一下，篮子再次藏到沙发下面，姑娘们围坐在桌子边，等着吃早餐。

 

“Merry Christmas, Marmee! Many of them! Thank you for our books. We read some, and mean to every day,” they all cried in chorus.

“圣诞快乐，妈咪！谢谢你送给我们的书。我们读了一点，以后每天都要读，“姐妹们齐声喊道。

 

“Merry Christmas, little daughters! I'm glad you began at once, and hope you will keep on. But I want to say one word before we sit down. Not far away from here lies a poor woman with a little newborn baby. Six children are huddled into one bed to keep from freezing, for they have no fire. There is nothing to eat over there, and the oldest boy came to tell me they were suffering hunger and cold. My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?”

“圣诞快乐，小姑娘们！真高兴你们马上就开始学习，可要坚持下去埃不过坐下之前我想说几句话。离这儿不远的地方，躺着一个可怜的妇人和一个刚生下来的婴儿。六个孩子为了不被冻僵挤在一张床上，因为他们没有火取暖。那里没有吃的，最大的孩子来告诉我他们又冷又饿。姑娘们，你们愿意把早餐送给他们做圣诞礼物吗？”

 

They were all unusually hungry, having waited nearly an hour, and for a minute no one spoke, only a minute, for Jo exclaimed impetuously, “I’m so glad you came before we began!”

她们刚才等了差不多一个小时，现在正饿得慌，有一阵子大家都默不作声--就那么一阵子，只听乔冲口而出道：“我真高兴，早餐还没开始呢！”

 

“May I go and help carry the things to the poor little children?” asked Beth eagerly.

“我帮着把东西拿给那些可怜的孩子好吗？”贝思热切地问道。

 

“I shall take the cream and the muffings,” added Amy, heroically giving up the article she most liked.

“我来拿奶油和松饼，”艾美接着说，英雄似地放弃了自己最喜欢吃的东西。

 

Meg was already covering the buckwheats, and piling the bread into one big plate.

梅格已动手把荞麦盖上，把面包堆放到一个大盘子里。

 

“I thought you’d do it,” said Mrs. March, smiling as if satisfied. “You shall all go and help me, and when we come back we will have bread and milk for breakfast, and make it up at dinnertime.”

“我早料到你们会这样做，”马奇太太舒心地微笑道，”你们都去帮我，回来后早餐吃点牛奶面包，到正餐的时候再补回来。”

 

They were soon ready, and the procession set out. Fortunately it was early, and they went through back streets, so few people saw them, and no one laughed at the queer party.

大家很快准备妥当，队伍出发了。幸亏时候尚早，她们又打后街穿过，没几个人看到她们，也没人取笑这支奇怪的队伍。