🔊 Nevertheless, these young girls filled this grave house with charming souvenirs. At certain hours childhood sparkled in that cloister. The recreation hour struck. A door swung on its hinges. The birds said, "Good; here come the children!" An irruption of youth inundated that garden intersected with a cross like a shroud. Radiant faces, white foreheads, innocent eyes, full of merry light, all sorts of auroras, were scattered about amid these shadows. After the psalmodies, the bells, the peals and knells and offices, the sound of these little girls burst forth on a sudden more sweetly than the noise of bees. The hive of joy was opened, and each one brought her honey. They played, they called to each other, they formed into groups, they ran about; pretty little white teeth chattered in the corners; the veils superintended the laughs from a distance, shades kept watch of the sunbeams, but what mattered it? Still they beamed and laughed. Those four lugubrious walls had their moment of dazzling brilliancy. They looked on, vaguely blanched with the reflection of so much joy at this sweet swarming of the hives. It was like a shower of roses falling athwart this house of mourning. The young girls frolicked beneath the eyes of the nuns; the gaze of impeccability does not embarrass innocence. Thanks to these children, there was, among so many austere hours, one hour of ingenuousness. The little ones skipped about; the elder ones danced. In this cloister play was mingled with heaven. Nothing is so delightful and so august as all these fresh, expanding young souls. Homer would have come thither to laugh with Perrault; and there was in that black garden, youth, health, noise, cries, giddiness, pleasure, happiness enough to smooth out the wrinkles of all their ancestresses, those of the epic as well as those of the fairytale, those of the throne as well as those of the thatched cottage from Hecuba to la Mère-Grand.

尽管如此,这些年轻女孩却用迷人的魅力填满了这座阴沉的屋子。在某些时刻,童年之光闪耀在那座修道院里。游戏时间到了。一扇门在铰链上转动。鸟儿们说:“好了,孩子们来了！”一群青春少女涌入那座被十字架如裹尸布般分割的花园。容光焕发的面庞、白皙的额头、纯真的眼睛,充满欢乐的光芒,各种朝霞般的光彩散布在这些阴影之中。在圣歌、钟声、丧钟和礼拜之后,这些小女孩的声音突然迸发出来,比蜜蜂的嗡嗡声更甜美。快乐的蜂巢敞开了,每个人都带来了自己的蜜糖。她们玩耍、互相呼唤、三五成群、奔跑嬉戏；漂亮的小白牙在角落里咯咯作响；面纱在远处监督着笑声,阴影注视着阳光,但那又有什么关系呢？她们依然欢笑、闪耀。那四堵阴郁的墙壁也有过辉煌的时刻。它们在如此多快乐的映照下微微泛白,如同蜂巢甜蜜的涌动。这就像一场玫瑰雨洒落在这座哀悼之屋上。年轻女孩们在修女的目光下嬉戏；无瑕的目光不会让纯真感到尴尬。多亏了这些孩子,在这许多庄严的时刻中,有了一小时的天真。小一点的孩子跳跃着,大一点的孩子跳起舞来。在这座修道院里,游戏与天堂交融。没有什么比这些清新、绽放的年轻灵魂更令人愉悦和庄严的了。荷马会来这里与佩罗一起欢笑；在那座黑色的花园里,有足够的青春、健康、喧闹、叫喊、眩晕、快乐和幸福,足以抚平她们所有祖先的皱纹--无论是史诗中的还是童话中的,无论是王座上的还是茅屋里的,从赫卡柏到老祖母。

🔊

souvenirs /ˌsuː.vəˈnɪrz/

n. 纪念品,回忆➕

🔊

sparkled /ˈspɑːr.kəld/

v. 闪烁,闪耀➕

🔊

cloister /ˈklɔɪ.stər/

n. 回廊,修道院➕

🔊

recreation /ˌrek.riˈeɪ.ʃən/

n. 娱乐,消遣➕

🔊

struck /strʌk/

v. 敲击,撞击➕

🔊

swung /swʌŋ/

v. 摆动,旋转➕

🔊

irruption /ɪˈrʌp.ʃən/

n. 突然涌入,(动物) 暴增➕

🔊

inundated /ˈɪn.ʌn.deɪ.tɪd/

v. 淹没,充满➕

🔊

intersected /ˌɪn.tərˈsek.tɪd/

v. 交叉,横切➕

🔊

shroud /ʃraʊd/

n. 裹尸布,遮蔽物➕

🔊

radiant /ˈreɪ.di.ənt/

adj. 容光焕发的,光芒四射的➕

🔊

auroras /ɔːˈrɔː.rəz/

n. 极光➕

🔊

psalmodies /ˈsɑːl.mə.diz/

n. 赞美诗歌唱➕

🔊

peals /piːlz/

n. 响亮的钟声,隆隆声➕

🔊

knells /nelz/

n. 丧钟➕

🔊

offices /ˈɒf.ɪ.sɪz/

n. 宗教仪式,祈祷➕

🔊

hive /haɪv/

n. 蜂巢,蜂群➕

🔊

chattered /ˈtʃæt.ərd/

v. 喋喋不休,发出咯咯声➕

🔊

veils /veɪlz/

n. 面纱,遮蔽物➕

🔊

superintended /ˌsuː.pər.ɪnˈten.dɪd/

v. 监督,管理➕

🔊

lugubrious /luːˈɡuː.bri.əs/

adj. 悲哀的,阴郁的➕

🔊

dazzling /ˈdæz.lɪŋ/

adj. 耀眼的,令人惊叹的➕

🔊

brilliancy /ˈbrɪl.jən.si/

n. 光辉,卓越➕

🔊

blanched /blɑːn.tʃt/

v. 变白,漂白➕

🔊

swarming /ˈswɔːr.mɪŋ/

n. 蜂拥,成群移动➕

🔊

athwart /əˈθwɔːrt/

prep. & adv. 横跨,与……相反➕

🔊

frolicked /ˈfrɒl.ɪkt/

v. 嬉戏,玩耍➕

🔊

nuns /nʌnz/

n. 修女➕

🔊

impeccability /ɪmˌpek.əˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/

n. 完美无缺,无可挑剔➕

🔊

austere /ɔːˈstɪr/

adj. 朴素的,严峻的➕

🔊

ingenuousness /ɪnˈdʒen.ju.əs.nəs/

n. 天真,单纯➕

🔊

august /ɔːˈɡʌst/

adj. 庄严的,令人敬畏的➕

🔊

thither /ˈðɪð.ər/

adv. 到那里,向那里➕

🔊

giddiness /ˈɡɪd.i.nɪs/

n. 眩晕,轻率➕

🔊

ancestresses /ˈæn.ses.trɪs.ɪz/

n. 女祖先➕

🔊

epic /ˈep.ɪk/

n. 史诗,叙事诗➕

🔊

thatched /θætʃt/

adj. 茅草盖的➕

🔊

la Mère-Grand /la mɛʁ ɡʁɑ̃/

n. （法语）祖母,老婆婆➕

🔊 In that house more than anywhere else, perhaps, arise those children's sayings which are so graceful and which evoke a smile that is full of thoughtfulness. It was between those four gloomy walls that a child of five years old exclaimed one day: "Mother! one of the big girls has just told me that I have only nine years and ten months longer to remain here. What happiness!"

在这座房子里,也许比其他任何地方都更能听到那些优雅的、引人深思的童言稚语。正是在那四堵阴郁的墙壁之间,一个五岁的孩子有一天喊道:“母亲！一位大姐姐刚刚告诉我,我只需要在这里再待九年十个月。多么幸福啊！”

🔊

arise /əˈraɪz/

v. 产生,出现➕

🔊

graceful /ˈɡreɪs.fəl/

adj. 优雅的,优美的➕

🔊

evoke /ɪˈvoʊk/

v. 唤起,引起➕

🔊

thoughtfulness /ˈθɔːt.fəl.nɪs/

n. 深思,体贴➕

🔊

gloomy /ˈɡluː.mi/

adj. 阴沉的,忧郁的➕

🔊

exclaimed /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

v. 大声喊叫,惊呼➕

🔊 It was here, too, that this memorable dialogue took place:-- A Mother. "Why are you weeping, my child?" The child (aged six). "I told Alix that I knew my French history. She says that I do not know it, but I do." Alix (aged nine). "No; she does not know it." The Mother. "How is that, my child?" Alix. "She told me to open the book at random and to ask her any question in the book, and she would answer it." "Well?" "She did not answer it." "Let us see about it. What did you ask her?" "I opened the book at random, as she proposed, and I put the first question that I came across." "And what was the question?" "It was, 'What happened after that?'"

也正是在这里,发生了这段令人难忘的对话:--一位母亲:“你为什么哭,我的孩子？”孩子（六岁）:“我告诉阿莉克丝我懂法国历史。她说我不懂,可我懂。”阿莉克丝（九岁）:“不,她不懂。”母亲:“怎么回事,我的孩子？”阿莉克丝:“她让我随便翻开书,向她提问书中的任何问题,她都能回答。”“然后呢？”“她没有回答。”“让我们看看。你问了她什么？”“我按她说的随便翻开书,问了第一个碰到的问题。”“什么问题？”“‘那之后发生了什么？’”

🔊

memorable /ˈmem.ər.ə.bəl/

adj. 值得纪念的,难忘的➕

🔊

dialogue /ˈdaɪ.ə.lɒɡ/

n. 对话➕

🔊

weeping /ˈwiː.pɪŋ/

v. 哭泣➕

🔊

random /ˈræn.dəm/

adj. 随机的,任意的➕

🔊

proposed /prəˈpoʊzd/

v. 提议,建议➕

🔊

came across /keɪm əˈkrɒs/

phr.v. 偶然遇到,发现➕

🔊 It was there that that profound remark was made anent a rather greedy parakeet which belonged to a lady boarder:-- "How well bred! it eats the top of the slice of bread and butter just like a person!"

也正是在那里,有人针对一位女寄宿生养的一只颇为贪吃的鹦鹉,说出了那句深刻的评论:“多么有教养！它吃黄油面包片的顶端,就像一个人一样！”

🔊

profound /prəˈfaʊnd/

adj. 深刻的,意义深远的➕

🔊

remark /rɪˈmɑːrk/

n. 评论,话语➕

🔊

anent /əˈnent/

prep. 关于,涉及➕

🔊

greedy /ˈɡriː.di/

adj. 贪婪的➕

🔊

parakeet /ˈpær.ə.kiːt/

n. 长尾小鹦鹉➕

🔊

boarder /ˈbɔːr.dər/

n. 寄宿生,寄宿者➕

🔊

well bred /wɛl bred/

adj. phr. 有教养的,出身好的➕

🔊 It was on one of the flagstones of this cloister that there was once picked up a confession which had been written out in advance, in order that she might not forget it, by a sinner of seven years:-- "Father, I accuse myself of having been avaricious. "Father, I accuse myself of having been an adulteress. "Father, I accuse myself of having raised my eyes to the gentlemen."

正是在这座修道院的一块石板上,有人捡到了一份事先写好的忏悔书,是一个七岁的罪人为了不忘记而写的:--“神父,我忏悔我犯了贪婪之罪。神父,我忏悔我犯了通奸之罪。神父,我忏悔我曾抬眼看向先生们。”

🔊

flagstones /ˈflæɡ.stoʊnz/

n. 石板➕

🔊

confession /kənˈfeʃ.ən/

n. 忏悔,坦白➕

🔊

sinner /ˈsɪn.ər/

n. 罪人➕

🔊

avaricious /ˌæv.əˈrɪʃ.əs/

adj. 贪婪的,贪财的➕

🔊

adulteress /əˈdʌl.tər.es/

n. 通奸者（女性）➕

🔊

in advance /ɪn ədˈvæns/

phr. 提前,事先➕

🔊 It was on one of the turf benches of this garden that a rosy mouth six years of age improvised the following tale, which was listened to by blue eyes aged four and five years:-- "There were three little cocks who owned a country where there were a great many flowers. They plucked the flowers and put them in their pockets. After that they plucked the leaves and put them in their playthings. There was a wolf in that country; there was a great deal of forest; and the wolf was in the forest; and he ate the little cocks."

正是在这座花园的一张草皮长椅上,一个六岁的粉红小嘴即兴创作了下面这个故事,听众是四岁和五岁的蓝眼睛:--“有三只小公鸡,他们拥有一片有很多花的土地。他们摘下花放进自己的口袋里。然后他们摘下叶子放进玩具里。那片土地上有一只狼；森林很大；狼就在森林里；它吃掉了小公鸡。”

🔊

turf /tɜːrf/

n. 草皮,草地➕

🔊

benches /ben.tʃɪz/

n. 长椅➕

🔊

improvised /ˈɪm.prə.vaɪzd/

v. 即兴创作,临时准备➕

🔊

tale /teɪl/

n. 故事,传说➕

🔊

plucked /plʌkt/

v. 采摘,拔➕

🔊 And this other poem:-- There came a blow with a stick. It was Punchinello who bestowed it on the cat. It was not good for her; it hurt her.

还有另一首诗:--棍棒一击打来。是小丑打在了猫身上。这对它不好；让它很疼。

🔊

poem /ˈpoʊ.ɪm/

n. 诗➕

🔊

blow /bloʊ/

n. 打击,击打➕

🔊

stick /stɪk/

n. 棍棒,手杖➕

🔊

bestowed /bɪˈstoʊd/

v. 给予,授予➕

🔊

Punchinello /ˌpʌn.tʃɪˈne.loʊ/

n. 潘奇内洛（木偶角色）➕

🔊 Then a lady put Punchinello in prison.

然后一位女士把小丑关进了监狱。

🔊

prison /ˈprɪz.ən/

n. 监狱➕

🔊 It was there that a little abandoned child, a foundling whom the convent was bringing up out of charity, uttered this sweet and heartbreaking saying. She heard the others talking of their mothers, and she murmured in her corner:-- "As for me, my mother was not there when I was born!"

也正是在那里,一个被遗弃的小女孩,一个由修道院出于慈善抚养长大的弃婴,说出了这句甜蜜而令人心碎的话。她听到别人谈论自己的母亲,便在自己的角落里低语:“至于我,我出生时母亲不在场！”

🔊

abandoned /əˈbæn.dənd/

adj. 被抛弃的,废弃的➕

🔊

foundling /ˈfaʊnd.lɪŋ/

n. 弃婴➕

🔊

convent /ˈkɒn.vənt/

n. 女修道院➕

🔊

charity /ˈtʃær.ɪ.ti/

n. 慈善,施舍➕

🔊

uttered /ˈʌt.ərd/

v. 说出,发出声音➕

🔊

heartbreaking /ˈhɑːrt.breɪ.kɪŋ/

adj. 令人心碎的➕

🔊

murmured /ˈmɜːr.mərd/

v. 低语,喃喃地说➕

🔊 There was a stout portress who could always be seen hurrying through the corridors with her bunch of keys, and whose name was Sister Agatha. The "big big girls"--those over ten years of age--called her Agathocles.

有一位健壮的看门修女,总是拿着钥匙串匆匆穿过走廊,她的名字叫阿加特修女。“大女孩们”--十岁以上的那些--叫她阿加托克利斯。

🔊

stout /staʊt/

adj. 结实的,肥胖的➕

🔊

portress /ˈpɔːr.trəs/

n. 女门房,女门卫➕

🔊

hurrying /ˈhɜːr.i.ɪŋ/

v. 匆忙行进➕

🔊

corridors /ˈkɔː.rɪ.dɔːrz/

n. 走廊➕

🔊 The refectory, a large apartment of an oblong square form, which received no light except through a vaulted cloister on a level with the garden, was dark and damp, and, as the children say, full of beasts. All the places round about furnished their contingent of insects.

餐厅是一个长方形的巨大房间,只有通过一个与花园齐平的拱形修道院才能获得光线,昏暗潮湿,并且,如孩子们所说,充满了虫子。周围所有的地方都提供了各种昆虫。

🔊

refectory /rɪˈfek.tər.i/

n. （修道院、学校等的）餐厅➕

🔊

apartment /əˈpɑːrt.mənt/

n. 房间,公寓➕

🔊

oblong /ˈɒb.lɒŋ/

adj. 长方形的➕

🔊

square /skweər/

adj. 正方形的➕

🔊

vaulted /ˈvɔːl.tɪd/

adj. 拱形的,穹顶的➕

🔊

damp /dæmp/

adj. 潮湿的➕

🔊

beasts /biːsts/

n. 野兽,牲畜➕

🔊

contingent /kənˈtɪn.dʒənt/

n. 分遣队,一批➕

🔊

insects /ˈɪn.sekts/

n. 昆虫➕

🔊 Each of its four corners had received, in the language of the pupils, a special and expressive name. There was Spider corner, Caterpillar corner, Woodlouse corner, and Cricket corner. Cricket corner was near the kitchen and was highly esteemed. It was not so cold there as elsewhere. From the refectory the names had passed to the boarding-school, and there served as in the old College Mazarin to distinguish four nations. Every pupil belonged to one of these four nations according to the corner of the refectory in which she sat at meals. One day Monseigneur the Archbishop while making his pastoral visit saw a pretty little rosy girl with beautiful golden hair enter the classroom through which he was passing.

它的四个角落,根据学生的语言,都有各自特殊而富有表现力的名字。有蜘蛛角、毛毛虫角、潮虫角和蟋蟀角。蟋蟀角靠近厨房,备受推崇。那里不像其他地方那么冷。这些名字从餐厅传到了寄宿学校,就像在旧马扎然学院一样,用来区分四个族群。每个学生根据自己在餐厅用餐时所在的角落,属于这四个族群之一。一天,大主教阁下在进行教牧访问时,看到一个漂亮的金发粉红小女孩走进他正经过的教室。

🔊

Spider /ˈspaɪ.dər/

n. 蜘蛛➕

🔊

Caterpillar /ˈkæt.ər.pɪl.ər/

n. 毛毛虫➕

🔊

Woodlouse /ˈwʊd.laʊs/

n. 潮虫,鼠妇➕

🔊

Cricket /ˈkrɪk.ɪt/

n. 蟋蟀➕

🔊

expressive /ɪkˈspres.ɪv/

adj. 有表现力的,富有意义的➕

🔊

esteemed /ɪˈstiːmd/

adj. 受尊敬的,珍视的➕

🔊

boarding-school /ˈbɔːr.dɪŋ ˌskuːl/

n. 寄宿学校➕

🔊

distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/

v. 区分,辨别➕

🔊

nations /ˈneɪ.ʃənz/

n. 民族,国家➕

🔊

Monseigneur /mɒn.seɪˈnjɜːr/

n. 大人（对主教等高级神职人员的尊称）➕

🔊

Archbishop /ˈɑːr.tʃɪ.bɪʃ.əp/

n. 大主教➕

🔊

pastoral /ˈpæs.tər.əl/

adj. 牧师的,教牧的；田园的➕

🔊 He inquired of another pupil, a charming brunette with rosy cheeks, who stood near him:-- "Who is that?" "She is a spider, Monseigneur." "Bah! And that one yonder?" "She is a cricket." "And that one?" "She is a caterpillar." "Really! and yourself?" "I am a woodlouse, Monseigneur."

他向旁边一位可爱的、脸颊红润的棕发女孩问道:“那是谁？”“她是一只蜘蛛,大人。”“啊！那边那个呢？”“她是一只蟋蟀。”“那个呢？”“她是一条毛毛虫。”“真的吗？那你呢？”“我是一只潮虫,大人。”

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inquired /ɪnˈkwaɪərd/

v. 询问,打听➕

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charming /ˈtʃɑːr.mɪŋ/

adj. 迷人的,可爱的➕

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brunette /bruːˈnet/

n. 浅黑肤色（深色头发）的女性➕

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cheeks /tʃiːks/

n. 脸颊➕

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yonder /ˈjɒn.dər/

adv. 那边,远处➕

🔊 Every house of this sort has its own peculiarities. At the beginning of this century Ecouen was one of those strict and graceful places where young girls pass their childhood in a shadow that is almost august. At Ecouen, in order to take rank in the procession of the Holy Sacrament, a distinction was made between virgins and florists. There were also the "dais" and the "censors,"--the first who held the cords of the dais, and the others who carried incense before the Holy Sacrament. The flowers belonged by right to the florists. Four "virgins" walked in advance. On the morning of that great day it was no rare thing to hear the question put in the dormitory, "Who is a virgin?"

这类修道院各有其特色。在本世纪初,埃库安就是这样一个既严格又优雅的地方,年轻女孩们在近乎庄严的阴影中度过了童年。在埃库安,为了在圣体的游行中排定次序,区分了“童贞女”和“花童”。还有“华盖”和“香炉”--前者负责拉住华盖的绳索,后者负责在圣体前捧香。鲜花理所当然属于花童。四位“童贞女”走在前面。在那个重要日子的早晨,常能在宿舍里听到这样的提问:“谁是童贞女？”

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peculiarities /pɪˌkjuː.liˈær.ɪ.tiz/

n. 特点,独特性➕

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strict /strɪkt/

adj. 严格的➕

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rank /ræŋk/

n. 等级,行列➕

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procession /prəˈseʃ.ən/

n. 行列,游行➕

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Holy /ˈhoʊ.li/

adj. 神圣的➕

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Sacrament /ˈsæk.rə.mənt/

n. 圣礼,圣事➕

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distinction /dɪˈstɪŋk.ʃən/

n. 区别,荣誉➕

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florists /ˈflɔː.rɪsts/

n. 花商,花匠➕

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dais /ˈdeɪ.ɪs/

n. 讲台,高台➕

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censors /ˈsen.sərz/

n. （宗教仪式中）摇香炉者；审查员➕

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incense /ˈɪn.sens/

n. 香,焚香➕

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dormitory /ˈdɔːr.mə.tɔːr.i/

n. 宿舍➕

🔊 Madame Campan used to quote this saying of a "little one" of seven years, to a "big girl" of sixteen, who took the head of the procession, while she, the little one, remained at the rear, "You are a virgin, but I am not."

康庞夫人曾引用一个七岁“小丫头”对一个十六岁“大姑娘”说的话--大姑娘走在队伍前列,而小丫头落在后面:“你是童贞女,而我不是。”

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quote /kwoʊt/

v. 引用,引述➕

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little one /ˈlɪt.əl wʌn/

n. phr. 小家伙（指小孩子）➕

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rear /rɪr/

n. 后部,后方➕

Book VI. Le Petit-Picpus – Chapter four: Gayeties (第四章:欢乐时光)

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