E02 马克·吐温：回忆母亲（二）

E02 马克·吐温：回忆母亲（二）

课程导读

上节课我们了解到，马克·吐温的妈妈胸怀宽广，几乎容得下所有人和动物的悲喜；甚至对于魔鬼，她都能找到宽恕的理由。那除了这些，在他的记忆中，“妈妈”还有哪些可贵的品质呢？一起进入今天的文章内容。

英文原文

She never used large words, yet when her pity or indignation was stired she was the most eloquent person I have ever heard.

她从不咬文嚼字，高谈阔论，然而一旦怜悯或者义愤被激起，就变得口若悬河，成了我见过的最伶牙俐齿的人。

「知识点」
威廉·福克纳曾评价马克吐温：“第一位真正的美国作家，我们，都是继承他而来。”

We had a little slave boy whom we had hired from someone there in Hannibal. He had been taken from his family in Maryland, brought halfway across the continent, and sold.

我家有个小男仆，是我们在汉尼拔居住时从当地人那儿雇来的。他家乡在马里兰州，横跨二分之一大陆，被卖到汉尼拔。

All day long he was singing, whistling, yelling, laughing.

小家伙一天到晚唱歌，吹口哨，大喊大叫，哈哈大笑。

The noise was maddening, and one day I lost my temper, went raging to my mother and said Sandy had been singing for an hour straight, and I couldn't stand it. Wouldn't she please shut him up?

聒噪之声简直让我发疯。有一天，我终于发脾气了，怒气冲冲跑到母亲面前，说桑迪已经唱了整整一个小时，我实在受不了了，能不能让他闭上嘴巴？

The tears came into her eyes and she said:"Poor thing, when he sings it shows me that he is not remembering, and that comforts me, but when he is still I am afraid he is thinking.

妈妈听了，泪水在眼窝里打转，说道：“可怜的孩子，在我看来，能唱歌说明他没把伤心事放在心里，我听了舒服。他要是不吱声，我就担心他是在想家。

He will never see his mother again; if he can sing, I must be thankful for it. If you were older you would understand, and that friendless child's noise would make you glad."

他再也见不到妈妈了，如果还能唱歌，我真要谢天谢地了。等你年纪再大一点就会明白，那个无亲无故的孩子的喧闹声会让你高兴。”

All dumb animals had a friend in her.

她是所有不会说话的小动物的朋友。

Hunted and disreputable cats recognized her at a glance as their refuge and champion. We once had 19 cats at one time. They were a vast burden, but they were out of luck, and that was enough.

那些被人撵得丧魂落魄、四处奔逃的流浪猫一眼就能看出她能给它们“庇护所”，会是它们的“守护神”。有一回，我们家同时收留了十九只流浪猫。这个负担可不轻。但是一想到它们的不幸，就没人计较了。

She generally had a cat in her lap when she sat down, but she denied indignantly that she liked cats better than children; though there was one advantage to a cat, she'd say. You could always put it down when you were tired of holding it.

通常，她坐着的时候，膝盖上总是卧着一只猫。尽管她忿忿不平地矢口否认自己比喜欢孩子还喜欢猫，但也说，猫有个好处，如果你懒得抱它，随时可以把它放下。

I was as much of a nuisance as any small boy and a neighbor asked her once, "Do you ever believe anything that boy says?"

小时候，我和别的小男孩一样不招人待见。有一次，一位邻居问母亲：“那孩子说的话你都信吗？”

"He is the wellspring of truth," my mother replied, "but you can't bring up the whole well with one bucket. I know his average, so he never deceives me. I discount him 90 percent for embroidery and what is left is perfect and priceless truth, without a flaw."

“他可是取之不尽用之不竭的真话的源泉，”母亲回答道，“不过，你不可能用一个桶就把井里的水全打上来。我知道，他说的一般都是真话，从来不会骗我。只不过是用百分之九十的花言巧语修饰剩下的那百分之十罢了。那百分之十可是精而贵、贵而宝的真话，绝无瑕疵。”