经典名著：《小妇人（连载19）》

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。

 

 

 

 

A poor, bare, miserable room it was, with broken windows, no fire, ragged bedclothes, a sick mother, wailing baby, and a group of pale, hungry children cuddled under one old quilt, trying to keep warm.

这是一个满目凄凉的贫贱之家，四壁萧然，门窗破败，屋里没有炉火，床上被褥褴褛，病弱的母亲抱着啼哭的婴儿，一群面黄肌瘦、饥肠辘辘的孩子披着一张破被缩成一团。

 

How the big eyes stared and the blue lips smiled as the girls went in.

看见姑娘们走进来，他们惊喜得瞪大眼睛，咧开冻得发紫的嘴唇笑了起来！

 

“Ach, mein Gott! It is good angels come to us!” said the poor woman, crying for joy.

“哎呀，老天爷，善良的天使看我们来了！”那个可怜的女人欢喜得叫起来。

 

“Funny angels in hoods and mittens,” said Jo, and set them to laughing.

“是戴帽子手套的趣怪天使，”乔说道，逗得他们都笑起来。

 

In a few minutes it really did seem as if kind spirits had been at work there. Hannah, who had carried wood, made a fire, and stopped up the broken panes with old hats and her own cloak. Mrs. March gave the mother tea and gruel, and comforted her with promises of help, while she dressed the little baby as tenderly as if it had been her own. The girls meantime spread the table, set the children round the fire, and fed them like so many hungry birds, laughing, talking, and trying to understand the funny broken English.

这情景真让人以为是好心的神灵在显圣呢。罕娜用带来的木柴生起炉火，又用一些旧帽子和自己的斗篷挡住破烂的玻璃窗。马奇太太一边为做母亲的端茶递粥，一边安慰她，让她宽心，又像对待自己的亲生骨肉一样轻柔地为小宝宝穿上衣服。姑娘们摆好桌子，把孩子们安顿到火炉边，像喂一群饥饿的小鸟一样喂他们，并跟他们说笑，尽力想听明白他们有趣而又蹩脚的英语。

 

“Das ist gut!” “Die Engel-kinder!” cried the poor things as they ate and warmed their purple hands at the comfortable blaze. The girls had never been called angel children before, and thought it very agreeable, especially Jo, who had been considered a ‘Sancho’ ever since she was born. That was a very happy breakfast, though they didn’t get any of it. And when they went away, leaving comfort behind, I think there were not in all the city four merrier people than the hungry little girls who gave away their breakfasts and contented themselves with bread and milk on Christmas morning.

“真系（是）好！”“这些天使好心人！”这班可怜的孩子边吃边把发紫的小手伸到温暖的火炉边暖和着。 姑娘们还是第一次被人称作小天使，觉得非常惬意，尤其是乔，她自打娘胎生下来就被大家当作"桑丘"，因此更加得意。虽然她们没有吃上一口早餐，心里却感到无比的舒畅。当这四个饥肠辘辘的小姑娘把温暖留给别人，走在回家的路上时，我想合城里再没人能比她们更幸福了。她们在圣诞节早上把最好的早餐送给穷人，自己却宁愿吃面包和牛奶。