Chapter8 The Mermaids Lagoon美人鱼湖-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《彼得潘Peter Pan》

Chapter 8 The Mermaids'Lagoon If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one,you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colours suspended in the darkness;then if you squeeze your eyes tighter,the pool begins to take shape,and the colours become so vivid that with another squeeze they must go on fire.But just before they go on fire you see the lagoon.This is the nearest you ever get to it on the mainland,just one heavenly moment;if there could be two moments you might see the surf and hear the mermaids singing. The children often spent long summer days on this lagoon,swimming or floating most of the time,playing the mermaid games in the water and so forth. You must not think from this that the mermaids were on friendly terms with them;on the contrary,it was among Wendy's lasting regrets that all the time she was on the island she never had a civil word from one of them.When she stole softly to the edge of the lagoon she might see them by the score,especially on the Marooners'Rock②，where they loved to bask⑤，combing out their hair in a lazy way that quite irritated her;or she might even swim,on tiptoe as it were, to within a yard of them,but then they saw her and dived,probably splashing her with their tails,not by accident,but intentionally. They treated all the boys in the same way,except of course Peter,who chatted with them on Marooners"Rock by the hour,and sat on their tails when they got cheeky.He gave Wendy one of their combs. ·130· 第八章美人鱼渴湖 如果你闭上眼睛，运气够好的话，你也许会看见一 个池塘悬浮在黑暗之中，它没有形状，颜色淡淡的，十 分可爱。接下来，如果你把眼睛眯得紧一点儿，池塘的 形状就变得清晰起来，颜色也会变得更加鲜明：如果眯 得再紧一些，那颜色就像是要着火一般。就在火即将燃 烧之际，你会看到潟湖。这是你在陆地上最接近潟湖的 地方，是无比美妙的瞬间。要是有两个瞬间的时间，你 可能会看见浪花，并且听到美人鱼的歌声。 孩子们经常在潟湖度过漫长的夏日，他们多半时间 会在水里游泳或漂浮在水上，或者在水中和美人鱼玩游 戏等等。不过，你不要因此就以为美人鱼们容易相处； 恰好相反，温迪在岛上生活的那些日子里，她从来没有 听到美人鱼对她说过一句客气话，这是温迪一直以来的 ①by the score大量地 遗憾。当她偷偷地靠近湖畔，可能会看到成群的美人 ②the Marooner's Rock流 鱼，尤其是在流囚岩上，美人鱼很多。美人鱼特别喜欢 (放)囚（犯）岩 在流囚岩上晒太阳，梳理她们的长发，她们慵懒的神态 ③bask[ba:sk]晒太阳 撩拨着温迪的心；温迪还会踮着脚在水里走路，轻轻地 ④irritate[iriteit)]k使. 烦躁 靠近美人鱼，在距离不到一码远的地方停下，可每当此 时美人鱼就会发现她，迅速纷纷潜入水中，还故意用尾 巴拍起水花溅温迪一身。 美人鱼对待其他男孩也是这样，当然，彼得是例 ⑤cheeky[ti:k灯a.调皮的 外。只有彼得能和她们坐在流囚岩上长时间地聊天：和 她们嬉笑玩闹的时候，他还会骑到她们的尾巴上。他还 将一把美人鱼的梳子送给了温迪。 ·131· Chapter 8 The Mermaids'Lagoon The most haunting time at which to see them is at the turn of the moon, when they utter strange wailing cries;but the lagoon is dangerous for mortals then,and until the evening of which we have now to tell,Wendy had never seen the lagoon by moonlight,less from fear,for of course Peter would have accompanied her,than because she had strict rules about every one being in bed by seven.She was often at the lagoon,however,on sunny days after rain,when the mermaids come up in extraordinary numbers to play with their bubbles. The bubbles of many colours made in rainbow water they treat as balls,hitting them gaily from one to another with their tails,and trying to keep them in the rainbow till they burst.The goals are at each end of the rainbow,and the keepers only are allowed to use their hands.Sometimes hundreds of mermaids will be playing in the lagoon at a time,and it is quite a pretty sight. But the moment the children tried to join in they had to play by themselves, for the mermaids immediately disappeared.Nevertheless we have proof that they secretly watched the interlopers,and were not above taking an idea from them;for John introduced a new way of hitting the bubble,with the head instead of the hand,and the mermaid goal-keepers adopted it.This is the one mark that John has left on the Neverland. It must also have been rather pretty to see the children resting on a rock for half an hour after their midday meal.Wendy insisted on their doing this, and it had to be a real rest even though the meal was make-believe.So they lay there in the sun,and their bodies glistened in it,while she sat beside them and looked important. It was one such day,and they were all on Marooners"Rock.The rock was not much larger than their great bed,but of course they all knew how not to take up much room,and they were dozing,or at least lying with their eyes shut, and pinching occasionally when they thought Wendy was not looking.She was very busy,stitching. While she stitched a change came to the lagoon.Little shivers ran over it,and the sun went away and shadows stole across the water,turning it cold. Wendy could no longer see to thread her needle,and when they looked up,the lagoon that had always hitherto been such a laughing place seemed formidable and unfriendly. ·132· 第八章 美人鱼潟湖 月亮刚刚升起的时候，是观看美人鱼的最佳时机， ①mortal[mp:tal]m.人类 这时她们会发出奇异的叫声。不过，这个时候的瀉湖危 机四伏。在我们要讲到那个夜晚之前，温迪从来没见过 月光下的潟湖。这倒不是因为她害怕（她知道彼得会陪 着她)，而是因为她有严格的规定，孩子们必须在七点 钟上床睡觉。不过，她经常在雨过天晴后来到潟湖边， 这时她能看到好多美人鱼游到水面，玩儿拍泡泡游戏。 ②bubble[babl]n.泡泡 映着彩虹的水泡五彩斑澜，美人鱼把这些泡泡当球玩 儿，用尾巴欢快地拍来拍去。她们还把彩虹当作球门， 把水泡拍进球门里去，直到泡泡爆裂才肯罢休。球门在 彩虹的两端，只有守门员才可以用手接球。有时候，潟 湖里同时有几百条美人鱼在玩泡泡游戏，那场面真是美 极了。 不过，每当孩子们刚想要加入她们的游戏时，美人 鱼就立刻不见了，于是孩子们只得自己玩了。不过，我 3 interloper ['intoloupo]n. 们知道她们一直在暗中观察着这群不速之客，并且还从 闯入者 他们那儿学到一种新玩儿法。约翰发明了一种新的打泡 泡方法，不是用手拍球，而是用头顶球。美人鱼守门员 goal-keeper ['goulki:po]n. 守门员 也学会了这玩法，这是约翰留在永无岛的标记。 午饭后，孩子们会躺在岩石上休息半小时，这画 面很是惬意。温迪规定他们要午休，即便吃午饭是假装 的，也必须真午休。于是他们全体躺在阳光下，身体被 太阳光晒得闪闪发亮。温迪坐在他们旁边，显得很有领 ③glisten['glinston]g闪耀 袖的范儿。 那一天，他们就这样全体躺在流囚岩上午休。岩石 比他们的大床大不了多少，不过他们都懂得怎样节省空 间。他们打着盹：或者闭上眼睛眯一会儿，趁温迪不注 ⑥doze[douz]v.打吨 意，他们偶尔掐对方一下。温迪正忙着做针线活呢。 当温迪缝缝补补的时候，潟湖突然起了变化。水面 在微微地颤动，接着太阳消失了，整个湖面悄悄地被阴 影遮住了，湖水凉了下来。温迪都看不见针线了。这时 她才拾起头，发现一直让人心情愉悦的潟湖，这时变得 非常可怕、充满敌意了。 ⑦thread[Ored"将线穿 过… formidable ['fo:midabl]a. 可怕的 ·133· Chapter 8 The Mermaids'Lagoon It was not,she knew,that night had come,but something as dark as night had come.No,worse than that.It had not come,but it had sent that shiver through the sea to say that it was coming.What was it? There crowded upon her all the stories she had been told of Marooners" Rock,so called because evil captains put sailors on it and leave them there to drown They drown when the tide rises,for then it is submerged Of course she should have roused the children at once;not merely because of the unknown that was stalking toward them,but because it was no longer good for them to sleep on a rock grown chilly.But she was a young mother and she did not know this;she thought you simply must stick to your rule about half an hour after the midday meal.So,though fear was upon her,and she longed to hear male voices,she would not waken them.Even when she heard the sound of muffled oars,though her heart was in her mouth,she did not waken them.She stood over them to let them have their sleep out.Was it not brave of Wendy? It was well for those boys then that there was one among them who could sniff danger even in his sleep.Peter sprang erect,as wide awake at once as a dog,and with one warning cry he roused the others. He stood motionless,one hand to his ear. "Pirates!"he cried.The others came closer to him.A strange smile was playing about his face,and Wendy saw it and shuddered.While that smile was on his face no one dared address him;all they could do was to stand ready to obey.The order came sharp and incisive "Dive!" There was a gleam of legs,and instantly the lagoon seemed deserted. Marooners"Rock stood alone in the forbidding waters,as if it were itself marooned. The boat drew nearer.It was the pirate dinghy,with three figures in her, Smee and Starkey,and the third a captive,no other than Tiger Lily.Her hands and ankles were tied,and she knew what was to be her fate.She was to be left on the rock to perish,an end to one of her race more terrible than death by fire ·134· 第八章 美人鱼潟湖 温迪知道，不是黑夜来临，而是某种如夜一般黑暗 的东西已经到来。不，比这更糟糕。这种东西还没到就 已经通过海面传来了颤动，发出它即将到来的信号。它 究竟是什么呢？ 她一股脑儿想起了所有与这块流囚岩相关的故事。 之所以叫它流囚岩，是因为邪恶的船长把水手扔在岩石 ①drown[draun淹死 submerge [sab'ma:d3]v. 上，当海水涨潮时，岩石会被海水淹没，水手就被淹死 沧没 了。 ③stalk[sto:lkv偷偷接近 此时，她本应该立刻叫醒孩子们，不仅因为未知的 危险正朝他们逼近，而且因为岩石变得很冷，继续睡在 上面对身体不好。可是，她是一个年幼的母亲，不懂得 这个道理；她只知道必须严格遵守午饭后睡半小时的规 定。所以，她尽管很害怕，渴望听到男性的声音，可她 ④muf印cd['mAfld]a.低沉 不愿意叫醒孩子们。甚至于当她听到了低沉的划桨声， 的 心都跳到嗓子眼的时候，她还是没有叫醒他们。她守在 他们身边，想让他们睡个够。温迪够勇敢吧！ 幸好男孩当中有一个即便是在睡梦中也能用鼻子 ⑤snif[sni的y嗅 嗅出危险的人，他就是彼得。彼得像狗一样一下子跳起 来，立刻清醒了，他发出一声警报，叫醒了别的孩子。 他一动不动地站着，一只手放在耳朵上仔细聆听着 周围的动静。 “海盗！”他喊道。别的孩子立即围拢到他的身 边。彼得的脸上浮现一丝奇怪的笑意，温迪看到了，不 ⑥incisive [in'saisiv】a.直接 禁打了个寒战。当彼得脸上露出这种微笑的时候，没有 的 人敢和他搭话，他们只能服从彼得的命令。这命令干 脆、利落： “潜水！” 大家的腿影儿闪过之后，潟湖边上顿时荒无一人 ⑦dinghy〔dini]]m.小艇 了。只有流囚岩孤零零地矗立在汹涌的海水中，像是被 流放在那里似的。 @captive[kaptiv]n.俘虏 一只小艇向这块岩石划过来。那是一只海盗的小 艇，船上有三个人：斯密，斯塔基，还有个俘虏，此人 正是印第安人的莉莉公主。她的手脚都被捆住了，她知 道自己的下场将会如何。她会被海盗扔在这块岩石上等 死。这种结局，在她的族人看来，是比被火烧死或酷刑 折磨死还要可怕的。大概是因为部落之书上写着，水路 ·135· Chapter 8 The Mermaids'Lagoon or torture,for is it not written in the book of the tribe that there is no path through water to the happy hunting-ground?Yet her face was impassive;she was the daughter of a chief,she must die as a chief's daughter,it is enough. They had caught her boarding the pirate ship with a knife in her mouth.No watch was kept on the ship,it being Hook's boast that the wind of his name guarded the ship for a mile around.Now her fate would help to guard it also. One more wail would go the round in that wind by night. In the gloom that they brought with them the two pirates did not see the rock till they crashed into it. “Luff⑤，you lubber,”cried an Irish voice that was Smee's;here'sthe rock.Now,then,what we have to do is to hoist the redskin on to it,and leave her there to drown.” It was the work of one brutal moment to land the beautiful girl on the rock; she was too proud to offer a vain resistance Quite near the rock,but out of sight,two heads were bobbing up and down, Peter's and Wendy's.Wendy was crying,for it was the first tragedy she had seen.Peter had seen many tragedies,but he had forgotten them all.He was less sorry than Wendy for Tiger Lily:it was two against one that angered him,and he meant to save her.An easy way would have been to wait until the pirates had gone,but he was never one to choose the easy way. There was almost nothing he could not do,and he now imitated the voice of Hook. "Ahoy there,you lubbers,"he called.It was a marvellous imitation. "The captain,"said the pirates,staring at each other in surprise. "He must be swimming out to us,"Starkey said,when they had looked for him in vain. "We are putting the redskin on the rock,"Smee called out. “Set her free,”came the astonishing answer. "Free!" “Yes,cut her bonds and let her go.”" ·136· 第八章 美人鱼潟湖 @torture['to:tfo]k拷问 无法到达幸福猎场吧。但是她的神情非常镇定，因为她 ②tribe[traib]n.部落 是酋长的女儿，就算是死，也要死得像个酋长女儿，这 ③impassive[im'pasiv]a.冷 漠的 就足够了。 莉莉公主是在登上海盗船的时候被抓的，当时她口 里还衔着一把刀。船上没有人看守，因为胡克吹嘘自己 ④boast[boust]v.自夸 的威名传遍方圆一英里，可以守卫他的船。现在，莉莉 公主被抓的厄运传播出去之后，也会帮他守卫自己的船 了。夜里的狂风会再一次将哀号传向四方。 他们趁着夜色而来，黑暗之中，两个海盗没有看见 前方的岩石，将船撞到了岩石上。 ⑤luff [IA)k抢风行驶 “盯着风向，你这笨蛋。”一个爱尔兰口音喊道， @lubber[laba]n.傻子 ⑦hoist [hoist]k抬起 那是斯密的声音，“就是这块儿石头。好了，赶快把这 印第安人拾起来，扔到石头上，把她淹死。” 把一位美丽的姑娘丢在岩石上，真是残酷至极。可 国resistance[ri'zistans]n.抵 是高傲的莉莉公主没有进行徒劳的抵抗。 抗 在距离岩石很近，但是海盗看不见的地方，有两 个脑袋在水里一起一伏，那是彼得和温迪。温迪在哭， 因为她是第一次看到这种惨状。而彼得见过许多次，但 是他全都忘记了。对于莉莉公主的境遇，他没有温迪那 么伤心，但是两个海盗对付一个姑娘让他感到气愤。于 是，他打定主意要救莉莉公主。一个容易的办法是就等 海盗离开以后再去救她。可是，彼得做事从不选择容易 的方法。 因为没有他做不到的事情。于是，他开始模仿胡克 的声音： “哦嗬，你们这些笨蛋。”彼得喊道，模仿得简直 像极了。 “是船长的声音。”两个海盗说，惊讶得面面相 觑。 “他一定是游过来的。”斯塔基说，他们四处张望 却看不见胡克的人影儿。 “我们正要把这个印第安人扔到岩石上。”斯密喊 道。 “放了她。”这个回答让人有些吃惊。 “放了她？” “是的，给她松绑，放她走。” ·137· Chapter 8 The Mermaids'Lagoon “But,captain-” “At once,.d'ye hear,”cried Peter,“or I'll plunge my hook in you.” “This is queer,,”Smee gasped, "Better do what the captain orders,"said Starkey nervously. "Ay,ay,"Smee said,and he cut Tiger Lily's cords.At once like an eel she slid between Starkey's legs into the water. Of course Wendy was very elated over Peter's cleverness;but she knew that he would be elated also and very likely crow and thus betray himself,so at once her hand went out to cover his mouth.But it was stayed even in the act, for "Boat ahoy!"rang over the lagoon in Hook's voice,and this time it was not Peter who had spoken. Peter may have been about to crow,but his face puckered in a whistle of surprise instead. “Boat ahoy!”again came the cry. Now Wendy understood.The real Hook was also in the water. He was swimming to the boat,and as his men showed a light to guide him he had soon reached them.In the light of the lantern Wendy saw his hook grip the boat's side;she saw his evil swarthy face as he rose dripping from the water,and,quaking,she would have liked to swim away,but Peter would not budge.He was tingling with life and also top-heavy with conceit."Am I not a wonder,oh,I am a wonder!"he whispered to her;and though she thought so also,she was really glad for the sake of his reputation that no one heard him except herself. He signed to her to listen. The two pirates were very curious to know what had brought their captain to them,but he sat with his head on his hook in a position of profound melancholy. "Captain,is all well?"they asked timidly,but he answered with a hollow moan. He sighs,.”said Smee. “He sighs again,.”said Starkey “And yet a third time he sighs,”said Smee. ·138· 第八章 美人鱼潟湖 “可是，船长—” “立刻，听见没有！”彼得喊道，“不然我就把钩 子插进你的身体里！” “真是怪事。”斯密喘着粗气说。 ①cord [ko:dn.绳索 “最好按船长的吩咐去做吧。”斯塔基紧张地说 ②eel[iln,鳗鱼 道。 “是，是。”斯密说，于是他砍断了绑着莉莉公主 ③elated[ileitid]a.得意扬 扬的 的绳子。这时莉莉公主立刻像鳗鱼一样从斯塔基的两腿 中间溜入水中逃走了。 看到彼得这样聪明，温迪当然很高兴。不过她知 道，彼得自己一定也很高兴，很可能忍不住要欢呼几 声，但是这样他会暴露的，于是她立刻伸手去捂他的 ④pucker[pAka猴嘴 嘴。可就在这时，她的动作突然停住了，因为湖面传来 胡克的声音，“小艇，哦嗬！”这次说话的人不是彼 得。 彼得大概正准备要欢呼几声，但他没有这么做，他 只是蹶起嘴，吹了一声口哨。 “小艇，哦嗬！”又是胡克的声音。 温迪缓过神来，原来真正的胡克也在水中。 胡克朝小艇游去，他的属下点着灯笼为他引路， ⑤quake [kweik],发抖 于是他很快就游到了地方。灯光下，温迪看到他用铁钩 ⑥budge [bAd3)g让步 钩住了船舷；当他身上滴着水，从水中爬到小艇上的时 候，温迪看见了他那张凶恶的黑脸，她吓得发抖，想 要马上游走；可是彼得不肯退缩，他兴奋不已，扬扬得 意。“我难道不是个奇迹吗，噢，我就是个奇迹！”彼 得小声对温迪说。尽管温迪也这样认为，可是为了彼得 的名誉着想，她很庆幸除了她以外没有别人听到彼得刚 才说的话。 彼得示意温迪仔细听。 两个海盗很想知道船长为何到此，可是胡克只是坐 在那儿，用铁钩托着头，一副非常忧郁的样子。 “船长，一切都正常吧？”他们小心翼翼地问道。 可是，胡克只是报以一声空洞的呻吟。 “他叹气了。”斯密说。 “他又叹气了。”斯塔基说。 “这是他第三次叹气了。”斯密说。 ·139·