評論
打印
"You've said that once already," said his wife. "You're repeating yourself.
“這話你已經說過一次了，”他的妻子說，“你正在重復自己說過的話。
Louis must be tired after his trip, no matter where he's been or what he's been up to."
經過了這么久的旅行，路易斯一定累了，不管他都去了哪里又都做了些什么。”
"Very true," said the cob.
“太對了，”雄天鵝說，
"But I must prolong my welcoming remarks a bit longer,
“可我還是要把歡迎辭再拖長一點兒，
for my curiosity is aroused by that odd little object Louis is wearing around his neck
因為我的好奇心被那個掛在路易斯脖子上的古怪小東西
and by the strange symbols he has placed upon it by rubbing that white thing up and down and leaving those strange white tracings."
和他用那個白東西上上下下地涂在那上面的由那些奇怪的白道道組成的奇異符號勾起來了。”
"Well," said Louis's mother, "we're all interested in it, naturally.
“哦，”路易斯的媽媽說，“我們都對此感興趣，真的。
But Louis can't explain it because he is defective and can't talk.
可是路易斯卻不能對這一切作解釋，因為他有缺陷，不能說話。
So we'll just have to forget our curiosity for the moment and let Louis take a bath and have dinner."
因此我們只好暫時放下我們的好奇心，讓路易斯去洗澡吃午飯吧。”
Everyone agreed this was a good idea.
每個人都認為這是個好主意。
Louis swam to the shore, placed his slate and his chalk pencil under a bush, and took a bath.
路易斯游向岸邊，把他的石板和粉筆放到一叢灌木下，洗了個澡。
When he was through, he dipped the end of one wing in the water and sorrowfully rubbed out the words "Hi, there!"
洗完澡，他把一只翅膀尖蘸上水，難過的用它擦去“嗨，你們好”這幾個詞，
Then he hung the slate around his neck again.
然后才把那塊石板掛回到脖子上。
It felt good to be home with his family.
回來和全家在一起的感覺真好。
And his family had increased during the months he had spent with Sam Beaver at school. There were now six new cygnets.
在他和薩姆比弗一起上學的這幾個月里，他的家庭成員增加了。現在這里多了六只新生的小天鵝。
Louis's father and mother had spent the summer on a trip to Canada,
路易斯的父母已經完成了在加拿大的夏天旅行，
and while there, they had nested and hatched six little cygnets,
在那里造了窩并孵出了六只小天鵝，
and in the fall they had all joined up again at the Red Rock Lakes in Montana.
到秋天他們又回到了蒙大拿的紅石湖。
One day, soon after Louis's return, the grain man stopped by with a sack of grain.
路易斯回家后不久，有一天，那個喂食者帶著一袋谷粒站到了湖岸邊。
Louis saw him and swam over.
路易斯一看見他就游了過去。
When the man spread the grain on the ground to feed the birds, Louis took off his slate and wrote, "Thank you very much!"
這個男人把谷粒撒到地上喂鳥的時候，路易斯摘下他的石板寫道：“非常感謝！”
He held the slate up to the man, who appeared surprised.
然后他舉起石板給那個男人看，他顯得很吃驚。
"Say!" said the man. "You're quite a bird! Where did you learn to write?"
“哇！”這個男人說，“你真是只不一般的鳥兒！你在那兒學的寫字？”
Louis erased the slate and wrote, "At school."
路易斯在石板上擦了又寫：“在學校。”
"School?" said the grain man. "What school?"
“學校？”這個喂食人說，“什么學校？”
"Public school," wrote Louis. "Mrs. Hammerbotham taught me."
“公立學校，”路易斯寫，“哈默博瑟姆太太教的我。”
"Never heard of her," said the grain man. "But she must be a darned good teacher."
“從沒聽說過，”喂食人說，“不過她肯定是個好得要死的老師。”
"She is," wrote Louis. He was overjoyed to be carrying on a conversation with a stranger.
“是的。”路易斯寫。能和陌生人交談使他欣喜萬分。
He realized that even though the slate was no help with other birds, it was going to be a help with people, because people could read.
他意識到雖然石板對別的鳥類來說沒有用處，但對人來說卻大有用處，因為人懂得閱讀。
This made him feel a whole lot better.
這讓他感覺好了很多。
Sam Beaver had given Louis the slate as a good-bye present when he left the ranch.
當他離開牧場時，薩姆比弗把這塊石板做為贈別禮物送給了他。
Sam had bought the slate and the chalk pencil with money he had saved.
薩姆是用自己攢的錢買的這塊石板和石筆。
Louis decided he would always carry them with him, no matter where he went in the world.
路易斯決定要永遠帶著這塊石板和石筆，無論自己在世上的任何地方。
The grain man wondered whether he had been dreaming or whether he had really seen a swan write words on a slate.
喂食人不知道他剛才是做了一個夢還是真的看到了一只天鵝在石板上寫字。
He decided to say nothing about it to anyone, for fear people might think he was crazy in the head.
他決定不對任何人說起這件事，因為他怕別人以為他發瘋了。
