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(单词翻译)

And now, the VOA Special English program American Stories. Our story today is called Singing Woman. It was written by Ada Jack1 Carver in 1927. She won an O. Henry Award for the story. Singing Woman is about an old professional mourner in the southern state of Louisiana. She lives on Albertville, a community of French-speaking people of mixed race. They are part black, part white. Now, here is Mary Tillotson with the story.

Little by little, Albertville was changing and the old ways were disappearing. People did not even die as they used to in any brides with time to receive the sacrament and be pardoned for their sins. They died just anywhere, everywhere killed by trains or the growing number of automobiles2 that raced by on the big new roads. No wondered the buryings were often poor, hurried affairs without even a singing woman.

Oriate and her close friend, dead old Josie * were the only singing women left on Albertville. There was a time when a singing woman was as necessary as a priest3. No one who amounted to anything would be buried without a professional mourner. Nowadays, people seemed to have lost the fear, the dignity of death. They did not care how they died or were born. They just came into and went out of the world, any old way. All these troubled Oriate. She sat in her corner and mumbled4 and grumbled5 to God about it. "Look liking6 nothing in right," Numbly7 used to be. It had been nearly 10 years now since Oriate had wailed9 for a funeral. Her friend Josephine had had the last one. That was 6 years ago when Madam Mary died. That made 98 for Josephine and 99 for herself. She was one funeral ahead of her friend. How proud Oriate was of her record. She, Oriate, had sung for more buryings than any singing woman in the parish. Of course, old Josephine was a mighty10 close second.

Oriate kept a record of her own and Josephine's funerals in a little black book locked up in a safe place. On one page was her own name Oriate; and underneath11 it 99 crosses in neat little rows of five. On the opposite page, was Josephine's name and beneath it 98 crosses in neat little rows of five. Well, they had served death long and loyally, she and Josephine. There was a time when as a special treat, Oriate would take out her funeral book and named the crosses. This one was Maradio barred, and this one she * her daughter. Here was all way who died at time of Coloracam in 1860.

Sometimes, Oriate wondered sadly if she would ever wail8 again. There was, on Albertville, only one-person left who, if he died, would want a wailing12 woman. This was Tony Fildbear, the only show on Albertville, older than Oriate. Tony and Oriate and Josephine had been young folks together. Now, it became a sort of game between the two women who would get Tony when he died. "If I get Tony," Oriate would say, "me, I have two more crosses than you, I will have a hundred." And Josephine sitting back in her chair would laugh, "minority if I get him we'll be even at them, my friend." Tony himself and all old men were pleased with the fast they made over him, sometimes he would joke with them when he met them in a church.

"Well, well, old and *, I’m yet, Oriate love both you girls, just wait me, I'll show you." Sometimes, when the weather was fine and the sun not too hot or too bright, Oriate would take her stick and hobble down to Josephine's house to talk of old times. What grand living and dying they're used to be back in steamboat days.
It was like remembering a wedding festival or a muddy grave to look back to the yellow fever scare of 1890. "A funeral everyday and sometimes two."

She and Josephine had had their hands for shocks. The land was too healthy now what was training the swarm13 in such. The people would get into a pity out waiting death like that. Good thing after all that the automobiles bumped14 some of them off, Outstate would never quit the earth.

Sometimes, Oriate and Josephine would make wild little jokes, slapping at the flights with fear untiring fans. I've seen Tony last week at the church. He was looking weak, may know?" And both would laugh.

He aimed her too long, but old Tony who for almost 20 years has had one foot in the grave look like he meant to hang on to the earth for ever and ever, Amen. He has always been like that, a lover of life and living. Hey, Lord, what a lad old Tony used to be. What a way with the girls."

It was on a terribly hot August day, but Tony Fildbear had a stroke. Oriate's grandson came in and told her about it. Oriate was excited, "So, Tony was sick?" "Very low." She got down some coffee and got her stick and was off to Josphine's house. She was so heavy with news, she could hardly breathe. "Ah, well, poor old Tony was dying. Which one would he want to sing for him, herself or old Josephine?" A week went by and another, and it began to look as if old Tony did not mean to die after all. It was just like Tony to keep death waiting to play with death like that.

Every night, Oriate got out her funeral book, 99 crosses for herself, a record any singing woman might be proud of. If only she could get one more to complete her final five if only she could get Tony. How she would crow over Josephine then, "Me, I got one hundred crosses, one hundred funerals I've sung for."

Then, one night in late September, Tony died and his son came to ask Oriate to the funeral. "Papa, he told us to get you, the funeral is tomorrow at 10." In the morning, when Oriate awakened15, she found that something terrible had happened to her voice. It was gone. She could not speak too much excitement and she let herself get wet outside. Her grandchildren put warm things on her throat and gave her a Rome toddy. But it did no good. Her throat hurt when she opened mouth. She sounded like a frog. She had to stay in bed.

In the evening, the family returned from the burying, but they said nothing about the funeral and how nice Josphine's song and carried on. When Oriate thought no one was looking, she took out her funeral book from under her pillow and made a cross mark under Josephine's name. Now, they were even, each had 99 crosses. Her old hands shook, and one tear rolled out of her one eye.

The next day, Oriate awoke. She heard much excitement around the house. She sat up against her pillow. Her grandchildren crowded around her bed and told her that Josephine had gotten sick in the night, and passed away early this morning. "How do you feel, granny, if Josephine rolled away. Josephine asked for you in the night to come in singing for her funeral." "Well, Lord you, love you." All day, the children made preparations to take Oriate to Josephine's funeral. They said, "You stay in bed and rest many so your voice will be good tomorrow."

The next morning, they came in to help her when she was dressed and ready to go. They brought her the funeral book, "Now, let me look, mark it down one hundred funerals. You've sung for more burying than anyone in the parish." But Oriate brushed them away. "Don't interfere," she cackled, "you wait till I come home from Josephine's burial."

She was unsteady on her feet as they started it out. She was so little, so little and thin. In her mourning veil16, she looked like a little black bride. She hobbled painfully, slowly along the road. There was not much strength left than her. A loneliness passed over her, a loneliness and heartache. "Josie," she called, "Josie, I'm coming."

She reached the turn of the road where the willows17 grew and had to stop. She could go no further. She became dizzy, weaker, sick with fear. She turned her face toward Josephine's house and whispered, "Josie." Everything around her seemed less clear. A darkness took hold of her, "Josie, Josie. I believe my friend that after all. You and me will quit even."

You have heard the story called Singing Woman. It was written by Ada Jack Carver. It was edited18 and adapted for Special English by Herald19 Berman. Your narrator was Mary Tilloston. Listen again next week at the same time for another Special English program of American Stories. This is Shirley Griffith.

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
2 automobiles 760a1b7b6ea4a07c12e5f64cc766962b     
n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后,就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上,汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
3 priest D1JzH     
n.神父,牧师,司铎,司祭,领导者,神甫;vt.使成为神职人员
参考例句:
  • He confessed to a priest that he had sinned.他向神父忏悔他犯了罪。
  • The priest visited all the old people in the parish.牧师探望了教区里的所有老人。
4 mumbled 3855fd60b1f055fa928ebec8bcf3f539     
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话,可我没太听清楚。
  • George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
5 grumbled ed735a7f7af37489d7db1a9ef3b64f91     
抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 发牢骚; 咕哝; 发哼声
参考例句:
  • He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
  • The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏,水手们边干活边发着牢骚。
6 liking mpXzQ5     
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢
参考例句:
  • The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
  • I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
7 numbly b49ba5a0808446b5a01ffd94608ff753     
adv.失去知觉,麻木
参考例句:
  • Back at the rickshaw yard, he slept numbly for two days. 回到车厂,他懊睡了两天。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
  • He heard it numbly, a little amazed at his audacity. 他自己也听得一呆,对自己的莽撞劲儿有点吃惊。 来自辞典例句
8 wail XMhzs     
vt./vi.大声哀号,恸哭;呼啸,尖啸
参考例句:
  • Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里,一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
  • One of the small children began to wail with terror.小孩中的一个吓得大哭起来。
9 wailed e27902fd534535a9f82ffa06a5b6937a     
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句
10 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
11 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
12 wailing 25fbaeeefc437dc6816eab4c6298b423     
v.哭叫,哀号( wail的现在分词 );沱
参考例句:
  • A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
  • The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
13 swarm dqlyj     
n.(昆虫)等一大群;vi.成群飞舞;蜂拥而入
参考例句:
  • There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
  • A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。
14 bumped 18898e46b2206e762fa80608d68ebdd5     
凸起的,凸状的
参考例句:
  • In the dark I bumped into a chair. 我在黑暗中撞上了一把椅子。
  • I bumped against an old friend in town today. 我今天在城里偶然碰见了一个老朋友。
15 awakened de71059d0b3cd8a1de21151c9166f9f0     
v.(使)醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 );(使)觉醒;弄醒;(使)意识到
参考例句:
  • She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 veil VpWyC     
n.面纱,掩饰物,修女;vt.给...戴面纱或面罩;vi.带面纱或面罩
参考例句:
  • Please veil your face.请用面纱遮住脸。
  • There was a veil of mist over the mountains.山上覆盖着一层薄雾。
17 willows 79355ee67d20ddbc021d3e9cb3acd236     
n.柳树( willow的名词复数 );柳木
参考例句:
  • The willows along the river bank look very beautiful. 河岸边的柳树很美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Willows are planted on both sides of the streets. 街道两侧种着柳树。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
18 edited 683dc5278b1fbbd98a996cecc3ffd06a     
编辑( edit的过去式和过去分词 ); 剪辑(电影、录音磁带、无线电或电视节目、书等); 主编(报纸、杂志等)
参考例句:
  • I know that this draft text will need to be edited. 我知道这篇草稿需要校订。
  • All references to the scandal were edited out of the tape. 所有涉及这件丑闻的内容都从录音带中删去了。
19 herald qdCzd     
vt.预示...的来临,预告,宣布,欢迎
参考例句:
  • In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
  • Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

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