[美国]马克·吐温/Mark Twain

　　马克·吐温（1835-1910），美国杰出的小说家，美国文学史上最重要的作家之一，也是美国文学史上第一个用口语进行写作的作家，开创了一代文风，被福克纳称为“美国文学之父”。马克·吐温幼年家境贫寒，被迫放弃学业外出谋生。丰富的生活经历对他后期的创作影响很大。19世纪70年代到90年代是他创作的鼎盛时期，其代表作有《哈克贝里·费恩历险记》和它的姊妹篇《汤姆·素亚历险记》等。

　　When the landlord learned that I and my agents were artists, our party rose perceptibly in his esteem;we rose still higher when he learned that we were making a pedestrian tour of Europe.

　　He told us all about the Heidelberg road, and which were the best places to avoid and which the best ones to tarry at;he charged me less than cost for the things I broke in the night;he put up a fine luncheon for us and added to it a quantity of great light-green plums, the pleasantest fruit in Germany;he was so anxious to do us honor that he would not allow us to walk out of Heilbronn, but called up Gotz von Berlichingen's horse and cab and made us ride.

　　I made a sketch of the turnout. It is not a Work, it is only what artists call a“study”-a thing to make a finished picture from. This sketch has several blemishes in it;for instance, the wagon is not traveling as fast as the horse is. This is wrong. Again, the person trying to get out of the way is too small, he is out of perspective, as we say. The two upper lines are not the horse's back, they are the reins;there seems to be a wheel missing-this would be corrected in a finished Work, of course. That thing flying out behind is not a flag, it is a curtain. That other thing up there is the sun, but I didn't get enough distance on it. I do not remember, now, what that thing is that is in front of the man who is running, but I think it is a haystack or a woman. This study was exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1879，but did not take any medal;they do not give medals for studies.

　　We discharged the carriage at the bridge. The river was full of logs-long, slender, barkless pine logs-and we leaned on the rails of the bridge, and watched the men put them together into rafts. These rafts were of a shape and construction to suit the crookedness and extreme narrowness of the Neckar. They were from fifty to one hundred yards long, and they gradually tapered from a nine-log breadth at their sterns, to a three-log breadth at their bow-ends. The main part of the steering is done at the bow, with a pole;the three-log breadth there furnishes room for only the steersman, for these little logs are not larger around that an average young lady's waist. The connections of the several sections of the raft are slack and pliant, so that the raft may be readily bent into any sort of curve required by the shape of the river.

　　The Neckar is in many places so narrow that a person can throw a dog across it, if he has one;when it is also sharply curved in such places, the raftsman has to do some pretty nice snug piloting to make the turns. The river is not always allowed to spread over its whole bed-which is as much as thirty, and sometimes forty yards wide-but is split into three equal bodies of water, by stone dikes which throw the main volume, depth, and current into the central one. In low water these neat narrow-edged dikes project four or five inches above the surface, like the comb of a submerged roof, but in high water they are overflowed. A hatful of rain makes high water in the Neckar, and a basketful produces an overflow.

　　There are dikes abreast the Schloss Hotel, and the current is violently swift at that point. I used to sit for hours in my glass cage, watching the long, narrow rafts slip along through the central channel, grazing the right-bank dike and aiming carefully for the middle arch of the stone bridge below;I watched them in this way, and lost all this time hoping to see one of them hit the bridge-pier and wreck itself sometime or other, but was always disappointed. One was smashed there one morning, but I had just stepped into my room a moment to light a pipe, so I lost it.

　　While I was looking down upon the rafts that morning in Heilbronn, the daredevil spirit of adventure came suddenly upon me, and I said to my comrades:

　　“I am going to Heidelberg on a raft. Will you venture with me?”

　　Their faces paled a little, but they assented with as good a grace as they could. Harris wanted to cable his mother-thought it his duty to do that, as he was all she had in this world-so, while he attended to this, I went down to the longest and finest raft and hailed the captain with a hearty“Ahoy, shipmate!”which put us upon pleasant terms at once, and we entered upon business. I said we were on a pedestrian tour to Heidelberg, and would like to take passage with him. I said this partly through young Z, who spoke German very well, and partly through Mr. X who spoke it peculiarly. I can understand German as well as the maniac that invented it, but I talk it best through an interpreter.

　　The captain hitched up his trousers, then shifted his quid thoughtfully. Presently he said just what I was expecting he would say-that he had no license to carry passengers, and therefore was afraid the law would be after him in case the matter got noised about or any accident happened. So I chartered the raft and the crew and took all the responsibilities on myself.

　　With a rattling song the starboard watch bent to their work and hove the cable short, then got the anchor home, and our bark moved off with a stately stride, and soon was bowling along at about two knots an hour.

　　Our party were grouped amidships. At first the talk was a little gloomy, and ran mainly upon the shortness of life, the uncertainty of it, the perils which beset it, and the need and wisdom of being always prepared for the worst;this shaded off into low-voiced references to the dangers of the deep, and kindred matters;but as the gray east began to redden and the mysterious solemnity and silence of the dawn to give place to the joy-songs of the birds, the talk took a cheerier tone, and our spirits began to rise steadily.

　　Germany, in the summer, is the perfection of the beautiful, but nobody has understood, and realized, and enjoyed the utmost possibilities of this soft and peaceful beauty unless he has voyaged down the Neckar on a raft. The motion of a raft is the needful motion;it is gentle, and gliding, and smooth, and noiseless;it calms down all feverish activities, it soothes to sleep all nervous hurry and impatience;under its restful influence all the troubles and vexations and sorrows that harass the mind vanish away, and existence becomes a dream, a charm, a deep and tranquil ecstasy. How it contrasts with hot and perspiring pedestrianism, and dusty and deafening railroad rush, and tedious jolting behind tired horses over blinding white roads!

　　We went slipping silently along, between the green and fragrant banks, with a sense of pleasure and contentment that grew, and grew, all the time. Sometimes the banks were overhung with thick masses of willows that wholly hid the ground behind;sometimes we had noble hills on one hand, clothed densely with foliage to their tops, and on the other hand open levels blazing with poppies, or clothed in the rich blue of the corn-flower;sometimes we drifted in the shadow of forests, and sometimes along the margin of long stretches of velvety grass, fresh and green and bright, a tireless charm to the eye. And the birds!-they were everywhere;they swept back and forth across the river constantly, and their jubilant music was never stilled.

　　It was a deep and satisfying pleasure to see the sun create the new morning, and gradually, patiently, lovingly, clothe it on with splendor after splendor, and glory after glory, till the miracle was complete. How different is this marvel observed from a raft, from what it is when one observes it through the dingy windows of a railway-station in some wretched village while he munches a petrified sandwich and waits for the train.

　　当旅店老板得知我和我的代理人是艺术家时，我们在他心中的地位就提升了一大截，得知我们正在欧洲徒步旅行后，我们的地位就更高了。

　　他向我们介绍了海德堡的路线情况，告诉我们最好绕过哪些地方，最好在哪些地方多逗留些时日；对那晚我所使用的物品，他只收取了低于成本的费用；还为我们准备了一桌丰盛的午餐，并送了很多德国人最喜爱的绿李子。因为我们赏光，他坚决不答应我们步行离开海尔布隆，于是，叫了葛兹·封·贝利欣根的马车来载我们离开。

　　我用素描的形式把马车画了下来。它算不上是件作品，只是画家所谓的“习作”——能够完整作画的素材。这幅素描有几处败笔，如：马车的速度与马的步伐不一致，这是不对的。而且，给马车让路的人实在太小了，就是我所说的不符合透视画法。最上边的两条线不是马背的曲线，而是缰绳；似乎还丢了一只车轮——当然在完成的画中，这些败笔都会被纠正。马车后面飞舞的不是旗帜，而是车上的篷帘。画中还有太阳，不过，我没有空出足够的空间。现在，我记不清奔跑的那个人前面是什么了，不过我想那可能是堆干草，或者是个女人。1879年的巴黎画廊上，这幅习作被展览出来，但是并没有获得任何奖项，因为展览不为习作设奖。

　　车到桥头的时候，我们付了钱打发马车回去了。河面上漂满了圆木——细长的、没有树皮的松树圆木——我们倚靠在桥栏上，看着人们把这些木头捆成木筏。这些木筏的形状和结构都适用于内卡河道弯曲和极狭窄的地方。木筏长50码至100码不等，尾部有九根圆木那么宽，前部的宽度相当于三根圆木。舵的主要部分是一根撑篙，安装在木筏的前部。三根圆木的宽度只能容纳一个舵手，因为这些小木材的粗细也不过相当于一名普通妇女的腰围大小。木筏几部分的连接是松散的，灵活性也较强，以便随时变向来适应河流任何水流形式的需要。

　　内卡河的很多地方都非常狭窄，你足可以把一只小狗扔到对面。当一些地方水流陡变时，撑筏者就不得不使出几招绝技，引航变向。河流并不总是淹没整个河床——河床的宽度达到30码，有时甚至达到40码——但是石堤把注入其中的水流分隔成三等份，并把主要的水量汇集到中心水道中去。在浅水期，这些整齐的、狭窄的石堤会露出水面四五英寸，就像被淹没的房屋的屋顶。但在深水期，它们就都会被河水淹没。在内卡河，一帽子的雨水就能使水位上涨，一满筐的雨水就会使河决堤！

　　舒劳斯旅馆与几条堤坝走向相同，与它并排的那一段，水流湍急。我时常坐在自己的房间，透过玻璃看那长而狭窄的木筏沿着中心水道顺流而下，擦过堤岸的右侧边缘，小心地对准下游石桥的中孔滑下。我就这样望着它们，在对什么时候能看到它们撞在桥墩，成为残骸的憧憬中迷失了自我。然而，我总是失望。一天早晨，有一条木筏粉碎在那里，不过是在我刚刚踏进房间去点烟时撞击的，因此我还是错过了。

　　在海尔布隆的那个早晨，当我俯瞰着木筏时，蛮勇的冒险精神突然产生，我对我的同伴们说：“我准备乘木筏去海德堡。你们和我一起去冒险吗？”

　　他们的脸色吓得苍白，不过还是尽可能优雅地表示赞同。哈里斯想给他的母亲发封电报——他认为这是他的责任，因为他是母亲在这个世界上唯一的亲人——因此，他去发电报了。与此同时，我跑上那条最长、最好的木筏，热情地向舵手打招呼道：“嗨，你们好啊！”这一问候立刻使气氛活跃起来，接着我们便进入了正题。我说我们原本是要徒步到海德堡去的，但现在打算乘坐他的木筏去那里。我的这些话一部分是通过Z先生翻译的，他的德语说得很好；一部分则是通过X先生翻译的，他的德语说得尤其好。我能像发明德语的狂人一样听明白它，不过我要通过翻译才能把它说好。

　　木筏上的老大提提裤子，若有所思地动动嘴里嚼着的烟草块，说出了我预料中的话——他没有运送旅客的执照，担心万一这件事宣扬出去或者万一出了事故，法律会追究到他头上。于是，我租下了这条木筏，雇了他的舵手，一切责任由我承担。

　　伴着一阵激昂的号子声，右舷的舵手们弯腰开始了自己的活计，收起缆索，升起筏锚，我们的木筏便飞速地向前移去。很快，它的时速就达到了两海里。

　　我们一行人聚集在木筏的中央。起初，大家的交谈有些低沉，主要是围绕着生命短暂，难测，危机重重，时刻作好最坏的准备是必需和明智的。这种交谈渐渐变成低语，内容都是些海洋的危险之类的东西。然而，当灰色的东方出现红霞，黎明那神秘的庄严和静寂响起小鸟欢快的歌声时，大家的音调也欢快了许多，我们的情绪逐渐高昂起来。

　　夏日的德国是至善至美的。但是，如果不乘木筏从内卡河漂流而下，是没有人能够理解、感知、享受这种至高的温柔、平和的美妙的。木筏的漂流是不可或缺的运动，它柔美、顺滑、流畅、无声；它平息一切狂躁的行为；缓和所有不安的仓促和急躁情绪。在其宁静的影响下，一切影响情绪的烦恼、悲伤都销声匿迹，变成一个梦，一种魅力，一种深深的、宁静的喜悦。这与炎热、辛劳的徒步行走，与尘土飞扬、隆隆行驶的火车，还有在炫目的大道上单调颠簸的疲惫马车，形成了怎样的对比啊！

　　带着不断高涨的愉悦和满足感，我们在郁葱芳香的河岸间静静地滑行。有的地方，岸边倒垂下的浓密柳枝，覆盖了后面所有的土地；有的地方，河岸一侧是壮丽的山脉，上面植被丰盈，另一侧则是一望无际的平原，开放着鲜艳的罂粟花，或是靛蓝怡人的矢车菊。我们时而漂流在森林的阴影之下，时而沿着天鹅绒般柔软的草地边缘滑行。那映入眼帘的草地是那么碧绿清新，灼灼明亮，蕴涵着无限的魅力。还有那鸟儿——随处可见。它们频繁地穿梭于两岸之间，鸣起的欢歌不绝于耳。

　　看日出能让人百般回味且愉悦人心。太阳冉冉升起，耐心地、温柔地铺上一层又一层光彩，披上一片又一片壮丽，直到一个新的早晨完整地筑就起来。在木筏上观赏日出，与等候在火车站的候车室中，嚼着干巴巴的三明治，透过窗户眺望破落的小村庄的感觉，有着天壤之别。

　　心灵小语

　　巨轮能乘风破浪，却驶不进浅滩。人生没有过多的大风大浪，在众多的小溪流中前进，我们是否也能像小木筏一样，灵活地前进？

　　词汇笔记

　　esteem[is'ti:m]n.尊敬

　　He departed in a glow of public gratitude and esteem.

　　他在公众感激和尊敬的热烈气氛中离去了。

　　sketch[sket?]n.素描，草图，概要

　　At the meeting he give a sketch of recent happenings.

　　会上，他简述了最近发生的事件。

　　blemish['blemi?]n.污点，缺点

　　The slightest blemish can reduce market value.

　　只要有一点儿最小的损害，都会降低市场价值。

　　submerged[s?b'm?：d?d]adj.水下的

　　Our ship was able to haul up just before it hit the submerged reef.

　　我们的船在就要撞上暗礁的时候停住了。

　　小试身手

　　他们的脸色吓得苍白，不过还是尽可能优雅地表示赞同。

　　译______________________________

　　然而，当灰色的东方出现红霞，黎明那神秘的庄严和静寂响起小鸟欢快的歌声时，大家的音调也欢快了许多，我们的情绪逐渐高昂起来。

　　译______________________________

　　我们时而漂流在树林的阴影之下，时而沿着天鹅绒般柔软的草地边缘滑行。

　　译______________________________

　　短语家族

　　We rose still higher when he leamed that we were making a pedestrian tour of Europe.

　　make a tour of：去……旅游

　　造______________________________

　　I used to sit for hours in my glass cage.

　　used to：过去常常

　　造______________________________