美国语文第五册 第268期:家庭场景(2)

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　　to see a return to its stores of embroidery² and of story. 唯有置身在这熟悉的光影流泻里，才能恍然依稀回到昔日尘嚣。

　　Upon a little stand under the mirror, which catches now and then a flicker³ of the fire light, 一个矮小身影站着镜子下，眼光不时荒唐地追逐镜面里亮光闪烁，那团映射到天花板上的摇曳火苗，

　　and makes it play, as if in wanton, upon the ceiling, lies that big book, reverenced⁴ of your New England parents—the Family Bible. 曾是你自寻其乐的玩耍；翻动家庭《圣经》，那本迁居新大陆后父母敬畏的经书。

　　It is a ponderous⁵, square volume, with heavy silver clasps, 那本圣经笨重，方形版面装帧，配有厚实的银色搭扣，

　　that you have often pressed open for a look at its quaint⁶, old pictures, for a study of those prettily⁷ bordered pages, 你经常将大书轻轻摊开，饶有兴致地翻阅书中趣闻，浏览那些古老泛黄的画面，好奇地琢磨镶有彩框的书页，

　　which lie between the Testaments⁸, and which hold the Family Record. 镶嵌在整套《新约全书》中的彩色插图，以及家族传承的相关记载。

　　There are the Births;—your father's and your mother's; it seems as if they were born a long time ago; 上面记录着家族成员的出生日期——包括你父母诞日，他们来到这个世界的日子仿佛那么久远，

　　and even your own date of birth appears an almost incredible distance back. 接着你又找到自己生辰，几乎难以相信的遥远昨天。

　　Then there are the Marriages;—only one as yet; 书中还记有家庭婚姻——不过仅仅一次，

　　and your mother's name looks oddly to you: it is hard to think of her as anyone else than your doting⁹ parent. 母亲名字在你眼里显得颇为古怪，除去那副极为慈爱的面孔，很难想象母亲的其他模样。

　　Last of all come the Deaths;—only one. Poor Charlie! 所有人最终都离开了这个世界，唯独一人属于非正常死亡，可怜的查理！

　　How it looks!—“ Died, 12 September, 18—, Charles Henry, aged¹⁰ four years.” 这究竟怎么回事？家庭圣经里记载：“查理·亨利卒于18xx年，9月12日，时年4岁。”

　　You know just how it looks. You have turned to it often; there you seem to be joined to him, though only by the turning of a leaf. 你只知道世事无常，当年还时常翻动那本《圣经》，不过轻轻将书翻动一页，似乎也随早殇的查理而去。

　　And over your thoughts, as you look at that page of the Record, there sometimes wanders a vague, shadowy fear, 翻阅浏览着家庭记载，你的思绪翻腾不安，模糊可怖的阴影不时无端闯入

　　which will come,—that your own name may soon be there. 很快，你的名字将会赫然出现在那本书上。

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