11 一个拜访者(5)
"Hello," said Sam in a low voice.
“你好。”萨姆轻声说。
"Ko-hoh, ko-hoh!" replied the cob.
“吭—嗬，吭—嗬!”雄天鹅回答。
"Ko-hoh!" said his wife.
“吭—嗬!”他的妻子说。
The pond rang with the trumpet sounds--sounds of triumph over the fox, sounds of victory and gladness.
池塘四周响满了吹号般的欢呼——战胜了狐狸的欢呼，胜利和喜悦的欢呼。
Sam was thrilled at the noise of swans, which some people say is like the sound of a French horn.
萨姆被天鹅们的叫一声陶醉了，有人说这声音听起来像法国号的声音。
He walked slowly around the shore to the little point of land near the island and sat down on his log.
他慢慢地沿着岸边绕到靠近岛子的那片小沙地尖角，在他那根木头上坐下。
The swans now realized, beyond any doubt, that the boy was their friend.
天鹅们现在明白了，毫无疑问，这个男孩是他们的朋友。
He had sa一ved the swan's life.
他救了雌天鹅的命。
He had been in the right place at the right time and with the right ammunition.
他在恰当的时候带着恰当的投掷物在恰当的地方出现了。
The swans felt grateful.
天鹅们很感激他。
The cob swam over toward Sam, climbed out of the pond, and stood close to the boy, looking at him in a friendly way and arching his neck gracefully.
雄天鹅朝萨姆游过来，爬出池塘，站到这个男孩的身边，优雅地弯起他的脖子，友好地看着他。
Once, he ran his neck far out, cautiously, and almost touched the boy.
有一次，他小心地把他的脖子伸得很远，几乎碰到了这个男孩。
Sam never moved a muscle.
萨姆纹丝未动。
His heart thumped from excitement and joy.
他的心因激动和喜悦而砰砰猛跳。
The female paddled back to her nest and returned to the job of warming the eggs.
雌天鹅摇摇摆摆地回到她的窝，继续做孵蛋的工作。
She felt lucky to be alive.
能大难不死，她真感到幸运。
That night before Sam crawled into his bunk at camp, he got out his notebook and found a pencil. This is what he wrote:
那天晚上，萨姆在爬进营帐里的床铺之前，拿出他的日记本，又找来一枝铅笔。他在日记里是这么写的：
I don't know of anything in the entire world more wonderful to look at than a nest with eggs in it.
我不知道在这个世界里还有什么能比一个有蛋的窝看起来更奇妙。
An egg, because it contains life, is the most perfect thing there is.
一个蛋，因为它蕴含一着生命，所以是最完美的东西。
It is beautiful and mysterious.
它是美丽而又神秘的。
An egg is a far finer thing than a tennis ball or a cake of soap.
一个蛋远比一个网球或一块肥皂要好。
A tennis ball will always be just a tennis ball.
一个网球永远都不过是个网球。
A cake of soap will always be just a cake of soap--until it gets so small nobody wants it and they throw it away.
一块肥皂也永远不过是块肥皂而已--等它变到小得没人想要了，就会被扔掉的。
But an egg will someday be a living creature.
可是一个蛋在某一天却会变成一个活生生的动物。
A swan's egg will open and out will come a little swan.
一个天鹅蛋最终会破壳，一只小天鹅会从里面钻出来。
A nest is almost as wonderful and mysterious as an egg.
一个窝差不多和一个蛋同样的奇妙与神秘。
How does a bird know how to make a nest?
鸟儿怎么知道怎样造窝呢?
Nobody ever taught her.
从没谁教过她。
How does a bird know how to build a nest?
鸟儿怎么知道如何造窝呢?
Sam closed his notebook, said good night to his father, blew out his lamp, and climbed into his bunk.
萨姆合上日记本，和父亲道过晚安，吹熄了灯，上了他的床。
He lay there wondering how a bird knows how to build a nest.
他躺在那里想着鸟儿怎么知道如何造窝。
Pretty soon his eyes closed, and he was asleep.
不久，他的眼睛闭上了，他睡着了。