RaftgDowntheNeckar
马克·吐温/MarkTwa
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·索亚历险记》等。
AcetheHole
Uandthesenewwordsbeforeyoureadthisarticle.
1.raft[rɑ:ft,r?ft]n.筏
2.sash[s??]v.粉碎
3.feverish[fi:v?ri?]adj.发热的；极度兴奋的
4.splendor[splend?]n.光彩；壮丽
WhenthendlordlearhatIandyagentswereartists,ourpartyroseperceptiblyhisestee;werosestillhigherwhenhelearhatwewereakgapedestriantourofEurope.
HetoldallabouttheHeidelbergroad,andwhichwerethebestpcestoavoidandwhichthebestootarryat;hechargedlessthanstforthethgsIbrokethenight;heputupafenforandaddedtoitaquantityofgreatlight-greenps,thepleasafruitGerany;hewassoanxiotodohonorthathewouldnotallowtowalkoutofHeilbronn,butcalledupGotzvonBerlishorseandcabandaderide.
Iadeasketchoftheturnout.ItisnotaWork,itisonlywhatartistscalla“study”—athgtoakeafishedpicturefro.Thissketchhasseveralbleishesit;forstahewagonisnottravelgasfastasthehorseis.Thisiswrong.Aga,theperstogetoutofthewayistoosall,heisoutofperspective,aswesay.Theoupperlesarenotthehorse’sback,theyaretheres;thereseestobeawheelissg—thiswouldberrectedafishedWork,ofurse.Thatthgflygoutbehdisnotafg,itisacurta.Thatupthereisthesun,butIdidn’tgetenoughdistanit.Idonotreber,now,whatthatthgisthatisfrontoftheanwhoisrunng,butIthkitisahaystackorawoan.ThisstudywasexhibitedtheParisSalonof1879,butdidnottakeanydal;theydonotgivedalsforstudies.
Wedischargedthecarriageatthebridge.Theriverwasfulloflogs—long,slender,barklesspelogs—andweleanedontherailsofthebridge,andwatchedthenputthetogethertorafts.TheseraftswereofashapeandnstrutosuitthecrookednessarenarrownessoftheNeckar.Theywerefrofiftytoonehundredyardslong,andtheygraduallytaperedfroane-logbreadthattheirsterns,toathree-logbreadthattheirbow-ends.Theapartofthesteergisdothebow,withapole;thethree-logbreadththerefurnishesrooforonlythesteersan,fortheselittlelogsareneraroundthatanaverageyoungdy’swaist.Theionsoftheseveralsesoftheraftaresdpliant,sothattheraftaybereadilybenttoanysortofcurverequiredbytheshapeoftheriver.
TheNeckarisanypcessonarrowthatapersonthrowadogacrossit,ifhehasone;whenitisalsosharplycurvedsuchpces,theraftsanhastodosoprettyniugpilotgtoaketheturns.Theriverisnotalwaysallowedtospreadoveritswholebed—whichisasuchasthirty,andsotisfortyyardswide—butissplittothreeequalbodiesofwater,bystonedikeswhichthrowtheavo,depth,andcurrenttothetralone.Inlowwaterthesenarrow-edgeddikesprojectfourorfivechesabovethesurface,likethebofasubrgedroof,buthighwatertheyareoverflowed.AhatfulofraakeshighwatertheNeckar,andabasketfulproducesanoverflow.
TherearedikesabreasttheSchlossHotel,andthecurrentisviolentlyswiftatthatpot.Iedtositforhoursygsscage,watchgthelong,narrowraftsslipalongthroughthetralel,grazgtheright-bankdikeandaigcarefullyfortheiddlearchofthestonebridgebelow;Iwatchedthethisway,andlostallthistihopgtoseeoneofthehitthebridge-pierandwreckitselfsotiorother,butwasalwaysdisappoted.Onewassashedthereone,butIhadjtsteppedtoyrooaonttolightapipe,soIlostit.
WhileIwaslookgdownupontheraftsthatHeilbronn,thedaredevilspiritofadventurecasuddenlyupon,andIsaidtoyrades:
“IagogtoHeidelbergonaraft.Willyouveh?”
Theirfacespaledalittle,buttheyassentedwithasgoodagraceastheyuld.Harriswaocablehisother—thoughtithisdutytodothat,ashewasallshehadthisworld—so,whileheatteothis,Iwentdowntotheloaraftandhailedthecaptawithahearty“Ahoy,shipate!”whichputuponpleasanttersatonce,aereduponbess.IsaidwewereonapedestriantourtoHeidelberg,andwouldliketotakepassagewithhi.IsaidthispartlythroughyoungZ,whospokeGeranverywell,andpartlythroughMr.Xwhospokeitpeculiarly.IuandGeranaswellastheaniacthatve,butItalkitbestthroughanterpreter.
Thecaptahitarrypassengers,andthereforewasafraidthewwouldbeafterhicasetheattergotnoisedaboutoranyaidenthappened.SoIcharteredtheraftandthecrewandtookalltheresponsibilitiesonyself.
Witharattlgsongthestarboardwatchbenttotheirworkandhovethecableshort,thengottheanchorho,andourbarkovedoffwithastatelystride,andsoonwasbowlgalongataboutoknotsanhour.
Ourpartyweregroupedaidships.Atfirstthetalkwasalittleglooy,andranalyupontheshortnessoflife,theuyofit,theperilswhichbesetit,andtheneedandwisdoofbegalreparedfortheworst;thisshadedofftolow-voicedrefereothedangersofthedeep,andkdredatters;butasthegrayeastbegantoreddenandtheysteriosolenityandsilenceofthedawntogivepcetothejoy-songsofthebirds,thetalktookacheeriertone,andourspiritsbegantorisesteadily.
Gerany,thesur,istheperfeofthebeautiful,butnobodyhasuood,andrealized,andeheutostpossibilitiesofthissoftandpeacefulbeautyunlesshehasvoyageddowntheNeckaronaraft.Theotionofaraftistheneedfulotion;itisgentle,andglidg,andsooth,andnoiseless;itcalsdownallfeverishastasy.Howitntrastswithhotandperspirgpedestrianis,anddtyanddeafengrailroadrh,andtediojoltgbehdtiredhorsesoverbldgwhiteroads!
Wewentslippgsilentlyalong,beeenthegreenandfragrantbanks,withasenseofpleasureandthatgrew,andgrew,alltheti.Sotisthebankswerewiththickassesofwillowsthatwhollyhidthegroundbehd;sotiswehadnoblehillsononehand,clotheddenselywithfoliagetotheirs,andoherhandopenlevelsbzgwithpoppies,orclothedtherichbeofthern-flower;sotiswedriftedtheshadowofforests,andsotisalongtheargoflongstretchesofvelvetygrass,freshandgreenandbright,atirelesschartotheeye.Andthebirds!—theywereeverywhere;theysweptbadforthacrosstherivernstantly,andtheirjubticwasilled.
Itwasadeepandsatisfygpleasuretoseethesuethenew,andgradually,patiently,lovgly,clotheitonwithsplendoraftersplendor,andgloryafterglory,tilltheiraclelete.Howdifferentisthisarvelobservedfroaraft,frowhatitiswhenoneobservesitthroughthedgydowsofarailway-stationsowretchedvilgewhileheunchesapetrifiedsandwidwaitsforthetra.
参考译文
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。