The Song of the River🔥提示：本文是一篇写景抒情的散文。作者毛姆是当代英国著名小说家。他于20年代末曾到中国，并有机会沿长江溯流而上进入四川，本文后半部所写可能就是山城重庆的景象。毛姆把他在中国旅行所见写成一本散文集，名为《在中国屏幕上》(On a Chinese Screen)，本文即选自该书。毛姆在文中写了江上听到的三种劳动人民的歌声，但着力写的是两种。虽然这已是许久以前旧中国的情况，但文章情景交融，读来仍然亲切感人。沿河上下都可以听见歌声。它响亮而有力，那是船夫，他们划着木船顺流而下，船尾翘得很高，桅杆系在船边。You hear the song all along the river. You hear it, loud and strong, from the rowers as they urge the junk with its high stern, the mast lashed alongside, down the swift running stream.🎈loud and strong可看作the song的补充语，对其特征进行解释说明。划着木船顺流而下urge the junk down the swift running stream。the mast (being) lashed alongside是独立主格结构。🎈“船首”用bow或stem表示，“船尾”用stern表示。补充一个俚语：从船首到船尾from stem to stern例如A South African television report said the ship was ablaze from stem to stern.南非一则电视新闻报道称，那艘船从头到尾都着了火。它也可能是比较急促的号子，那是纤夫，他们拉纤逆流而上，如果拉的是小木船，也许就只五六个人，如果拉的是扬着横帆的大船过急滩，那就要二百来人。You hear it from the trackers, a more breathless chant, as they pull desperately against the current, half a dozen of them perhaps if they are taking up a wupan, a couple of hundred if they are hauling a splendid junk, its square sail set, over a rapid.🎈a more breathless chant是it的同位语；as they pull…中的they指trackers（纤夫）。half a dozen of them perhaps if they are taking up a wupan可以理解成half a dozen of the trackers (will pull desperately against the current) if they are taking up a wupan，后文同理。wupan是按汉语“五板”和英语sampan （舢板）模式造出来的词，指中国的一种小木船。🎈square sail 是航海词汇，指“横帆”。if they are hauling a splendid junk, its square sail set, over a rapid意同if they are hauling a splendid junk over a rapid with its square sail set。其中，rapid作名词，指“急流、湍流”，set sail表示扬帆起航。船中央站着一个汉子不停地击鼓助威，引导他们加劲。于是他们使出全部力量，像着了魔似的，腰弯成两折，有时力量用到极限就全身趴在地上匍匐前进，像田里的牲口。On the junk, a man stands amidships beating a drum incessantly to guide their efforts, and they pull with all their strength, like men possessed, bent double; and sometimes in the extremity of their travail they crawl on the ground, on all fours, like the beasts of the field.🎈“引导他们加劲”译作to guide their efforts，“他们”指纤夫，“加劲”实则指“拉纤”，是纤夫们发起的动作，现用efforts一词指代。🎈“像着了魔似的（like men possessed）”，指纤夫拼命使劲不顾一切的样子。“腰弯成两折（bent double）”指人的身体弯成z字形，即头肩低-臀部高-膝盖低。固定搭配be bent double表示“直不起腰[美国英语中亦用 bent over double]”，例句：He left the courtroom on the first day bent double with stomach pain.（第一天他就因胃痛得直不起腰而离开了法庭）。又，double bend road又可以表示“之”字路，zigzag也可表示此意。🎈on all fours表示“四肢并用”，all fours可指“（动物的）四足”。beasts不可译“野兽”，这里指“牲口”。他们使劲，拼命使劲，对抗着水流无情的威力。They strain, strain fiercely, against the pitiless might of the stream.🎈might（名词）力量-mighty（形容词）强有力的🎈水流stream/current/flow/rivers领头的在纤绳前后跑来跑去，见到有人没有全力以赴，竹板就打在他光着的背上。The leader goes up and down the line and when he sees one who is not putting all his will into the task he brings down his split bamboo on the naked back.🎈来回，往复up and down/back and forth例句She was pacing up and down in front of her desk.她在办公桌前踱来踱去。🎈全力以赴 put all his will into…（把所有精力都投入到）🎈竹板就打在他光着的背上→用竹板鞭打他光着的背，译作whip his naked back with a split bamboo是可以的，但参考译文中的bring sth down的表达值得我们学习，比如“仰起头”可以说bring one’s head up。每个人都必须竭尽全力，否则就要全功尽弃。Each one must do his utmost or the labour of all is vain.🎈竭尽全力do one’s utmost to…🎈有时“每一……”也用every single noun表达，比如：每一天every single day。🎈vain是形容词，作表语；in vain是副词词性，作状语。就这样他们还是唱着激昂而热切的号子，那汹涌澎湃的河水号子。And still they sing a vehement, eager chant, the chant of the turbulent waters.🎈a vehement, eager chant：两个形容词修饰同一名词时，之间用逗号连接的情况非常常见。我不知道词语怎样能描写出其中所包含的拼搏，它表现的是绷紧的心弦，几乎要断裂的筋肉，同时也表现了人类克服无情的自然力的顽强精神。I do not know how words can describe what there is in it of effort. It serves to express the straining heart, the breaking muscles, and at the same time the indomitable spirit of man which overcomes the pitiless force of nature.🎈how words can describe…中的describe不可替换成depict，describe指文字描述，depict则侧重于带图画的描绘。…describe what there is in it of effort中what引导宾语从句，相当于相当于“the thing that…”，in it of effort理解成in /the song of effort，表示纤夫鼓足劲拉纤绳唱的（奋力拼搏的）号子。serve to这样的过渡结构在不同情境下相当于“是”、“为了…”、“旨在…”等等。虽然绳子可能扯断，大船可能倒退，但最终险滩必将通过，在筋疲力尽的一天结束时可以痛快地吃上一顿饱饭……Though the rope may part and the great junk swing back, in the end the rapid will be passed; and at the close of the weary day there is the hearty meal…🎈the great junk swing back相当于the great junk may swing back，省略了and前已经出现过的may。译文句尾的hearty与meal连用时意为large，即只指“量”而不指“质。然而最令人难受的却是苦力的歌，他们背负着船上卸下的大包，沿着陡坡爬上城墙。But the most agonising song is the song of the coolies who bring the great bales from the junk up the steep steps to the town wall.🎈coolies（cooly或coolie），音同其中文含义“苦力”。bring the great bales from the junk (up the steep steps) to the town wall简化后即为bring sth. from A to B, “up the steep steps”介词短语作状语。他们不停地上上下下，随着无尽的劳动响起有节奏的喊声：嗨，哟——嘀，嗨。Up and down they go, endlessly, and endless as their toil rises their rhythmic cry. He, aw-ah, oh.🎈endless as their toil rises their rhythmic cry 是个倒装句，旨在强调，而非出于语法强制，主语是cry。动词rises在这样的上下文里不是指“升起”或“提髙”而是“发出”。他们赤着脚，光着背，汗水不断地从脸上流下。他们的歌是痛苦的呻吟，失望的叹息，听来令人心碎，简直不像是人的声音。They are barefoot and naked to the waist. The sweat pours down their faces and their song is a groan of pain. It is a sigh of despair. It is heart-rending. It is hardly human.🎈上身赤裸be naked to the waist令人心碎的heart-rending/heartbroken🎈“汗水不断地从脸上流下”中的“流”译作pours，表示汗流浃背，更能体现出劳动的强度。It is hardly human按It is hardly human voices理解，human此时是形容词。它是灵魂在无尽悲戚中的呼喊，只不过有着音乐的节奏而已。那终了的一声简直就是人性泯灭的低泣。It is the cry of souls in infinite distress, only just musical, and that last note is the ultimate sob of humanity.🎈注意infinite和finite的发音，虽然二者只差了一个前缀in-，但发音大不相同：/’ɪnfɪnɪt/、/’faɪnaɪt/。musical不可译成“音乐的”，这里主要指其有节奏。“简直就是人性泯灭的低泣”译作the ultimate sob of humanity，很多人会有疑问：为什么“泯灭”未译出，大家可以类比一个耳熟能详的表达the last word（遗言），the ultimate即暗含“泯灭”之意。此外，补充一个与动物相关的表达：swan song指“最后的作品（往往是使其成名的作品）”，这个短语源于一个传说：传说天鹅存活一世都是哑巴，从未开口，但是在临死前会唱出优美而悲壮的歌声。生活太艰难，太残酷，这喊声正是最后绝望的抗议。这就是河之歌。Life is too hard, too cruel, and this is the final despairing protest. That is the song of the river.🎈绝望的 despairing绝望地、失望地in despair陷入绝望fall into despair 令某人担心（或绝望）be the despair of sb🔥必背词汇rower n.划船者英义a person who rows a boat 例句The Romanian rowers pulled ahead with fast, powerful strokes.罗马尼亚划浆手以快速有力的划水占据了领先位置。junk cn.中国式平底帆船，舢板英义A junk is a Chinese sailing boat that has a flat bottom and square sails.stern cn.船尾，艉部英义The stern of a boat is the back part of it. mast cn.船桅，桅杆英义The masts of a boat are the tall upright poles that support its sails.lash v.绑紧，扎牢英义If you lash two or more things together, you tie one of them firmly to the other.例句Secure the anchor by lashing it to the rail.把锚系到栏杆上拴牢。amidships adv.在或靠近船体中部英义Amidships means halfway along the length of a ship.例句The ferry hit us amidships.渡船拦腰撞上了我们的船。🔥重点表达响亮而有力loud and strong船夫the rowers纤夫the trackers划着木船顺流而下urge the junk down the swift running stream船尾stern桅杆mast急促的号子a breathless chant横帆square sail过急滩over a rapid不停地击鼓助威beating a drum incessantly to guide their efforts像着了魔似的like men possessed腰弯成两折bent double田里的牲口the beasts of the field来回；往复up and down全力以赴 put all his will into…/ do one’s utmost to…否则就要全功尽弃or the labour of all is vain绷紧的心弦the straining heart 断裂的筋肉the breaking muscles人类克服无情的自然力的顽强精神the indomitable spirit of man which overcomes the pitiless force of nature最终in the end在筋疲力尽的一天结束时at the close of the weary day一顿饱饭the hearty meal（绳子）扯断、断裂part城墙the town wall赤着脚barefoot上身赤裸/光着背be naked to the waist令人心碎的heart-rending/heartbroken痛苦的呻吟a groan of pain终了的一声that last note人性泯灭的低泣the ultimate sob of humanity🔥复盘测试响亮而有力船夫纤夫划着木船顺流而下船尾桅杆急促的号子横帆过急滩不停地击鼓助威像着了魔似的腰弯成两折田里的牲口来回；往复全力以赴否则就要全功尽弃绷紧的心弦断裂的筋肉人类克服无情的自然力的顽强精神最终在筋疲力尽的一天结束时一顿饱饭（绳子）扯断、断裂城墙赤着脚上身赤裸/光着背令人心碎的痛苦的呻吟终了的一声人性泯灭的低泣🔥表达对比「冷酷的、无情的」有几种表达？cruel: 一般用词，指行动或态度的残忍。brutal: 指极端的残忍，强调无情或缺乏同情心，含不择手段的意味。 inhuman: 着重缺乏同情心、仁爱等人类特有的良好的品质。savage: 指缺乏文明人应有的教养，尤指在动怒或冲动时表现出的粗野蛮横，含野蛮意味。barbarous: 专指只有原始或未开化的人才会有的残忍行为。fierce: 指天性凶恶，令人害怕。ruthless: 与cruel同义。强调为达到目的，对别人的痛苦毫无怜悯之心。他们使劲，拼命使劲，对抗着水流（无情的）威力。They strain, strain fiercely, against the pitiless might of the stream.生活太艰难，太（残酷），这喊声正是最后绝望的抗议。这就是河之歌。Life is too hard, too cruel, and this is the final despairing protest. That is the song of the river.他对他工人的安全（毫不关心）。He is callous about the safety of his workers.在处理任何内部政治分歧的苗头时，总统都（毫不留情）。The President was ruthless in dealing with any hint of internal political dissent.对鲸的野蛮屠杀既不必要也（不人道）。The barbaric slaughter of whales is unnecessary and inhuman.
帕布莉卡
朗读这篇文章
毛姆《面纱》语录：管弦乐团里的每一个成员负
毛姆语录：小说之所以不真实正在这里
全套十本《耕堂劫后十种》读后感
爱是一颗心遇到另一颗心（出处+配图） 
