英語美文:Owl Moon

閱讀，不是為了得到什么，而是在被生活打擊的無路可退時最后的安身之所。靜靜等待，閱讀，一定會給予你獎勵。下面是英語美文:Owl Moon的資料，希望你會喜歡！

　　It was late one winter night, long past my bedtime, when Pa and I went owling. There was no wind. The trees stood still as giant statues. And the moon was so bright that the sky seemed to shine. Somewhere behind us a train whistle blew, long and low, like a sad, sad song. I could hear it through the woolen cap Pa had pulled down over my ears. A farm dog answered the train, and then a second dog joined in. They sang out, trains and dogs, for a real long time. And when their voices faded away it was as quiet as a dream.

　　那是一個冬天的深夜，早已過了我該睡覺的時間，爸爸和我去看貓頭鷹。外面沒有風(fēng)，一棵棵樹像一座座巨型雕塑靜靜佇立。月光皎潔，似乎照亮了整片天空。一陣火車的汽笛聲從我們身后的某個地方傳來，悠長而低沉，如一曲悲歌。爸爸已經(jīng)將我的毛線帽拉下來蓋住了我的耳朵，但我還是能聽到那汽笛聲。農(nóng)場里的一只狗應(yīng)著汽笛聲狂吠起來，接著，第二只狗也加入進(jìn)來。汽笛聲與狗吠聲此起彼伏， 著實(shí)持續(xù)了好一陣子。當(dāng)它們的聲音漸漸消退，四周一片靜謐，猶如夢境。

　　We walked on toward the woods, Pa and I. Our feet crunched over the crisp snow and little gray footprints followed us. Pa made a long shadow, but mine was short and round. I had to run after him every now and then to keep up, and my short, round shadow bumped after me. But I never called out. If you go owling you have to be quiet, that's what Pa always says. I have been waiting to go owling with Pa for a long, long time.

　　爸爸和我繼續(xù)朝樹林走去。我們踩在松脆的雪地上，發(fā)出嘎吱嘎吱的聲音，在身后留下灰色的小腳印。爸爸的影子長長的，而我的影子又短又圓。我得時不時地跑上幾步才能跟上爸爸，每當(dāng)這時，我那又短又圓的影子也跌跌撞撞地跟在我身后。但我從未喊過一聲。爸爸總是說，如果你去看貓頭鷹，就必須安靜。我一直等著和爸爸去看貓頭鷹，等了好久好久。

　　We reached the line of pine trees, black and pointy against the sky, and Pa held up his hand. I stopped where I was and waited. He looked up, as if searching the stars, as if reading a map up there. The moon made his face into a silver mask. Then he called out, "Whoo-whoo-who-who-whooo- whoo" the sound of a Great Horned Owl "Whoo-whoo-who-who-whooo- whoo". Again he called out. And then again. After each call he was silent and for a moment we both listened. But there was no answer.

　　我們到達(dá)了松樹林外圍，黑色的松樹，樹尖直入云霄。爸爸舉起一只手，我停在原地等著。他看向天空，仿佛在尋找星星，又像在研究天上的一張地圖。月光給他的臉龐罩上了一層銀色的面紗。接著他發(fā)出了“呼呼——呼呼呼——呼”的聲音，這是巨角貓頭鷹的叫聲。“呼呼——呼呼呼——呼！”他又叫了一遍，接著又叫了一遍。他每叫一遍之后都會安靜一會兒，然后我們倆聽一會兒。但我們沒聽到任何回應(yīng)。

　　Pa shrugged and I shrugged. I was not disappointed. My brothers all said sometimes there's an owl and sometimes there isn't.

　　爸爸聳聳肩膀，我也聳聳肩膀。我并不失望。我的哥哥們都說過，樹林里有的時候有貓頭鷹，有的時候沒有。

　　We walked on. I could feel the cold, as if someone's icy hand was palm-down on my back. And my nose and the tops of my cheeks felt cold and hot at the same time. But I never said a word. If you go owling you have to be quiet and make your own heat.

　　我們接著向前走。我能感覺到天氣的寒冷，就像有人把冰冷的手放在我的背上一樣。我的鼻子和雙頰凍得發(fā)燙，但我一聲也沒吭。如果你去看貓頭鷹，就必須安靜，還要自己抵御寒冷。

　　We went into the woods. The shadows were the blackest things I had ever seen. They stained the white snow. My mouth felt furry , for the scarf over it was wet and warm. I didn't ask what kinds of things hide behind black trees in the middle of the night. When you go owling you have to be brave.

　　我們走進(jìn)樹林。樹影是我見過最黑的東西，它們將白雪染上了顏色。我感覺嘴里毛毛的，因?yàn)閲谧爝叺膰碛譂裼譄?。深更半夜，那些黑乎乎的大樹后面會躲著什么樣的東西呢？我沒有開口問。如果你去看貓頭鷹，就必須勇敢。

　　Then we came to a clearing in the dark woods. The moon was high above us. It seemed to fit exactly over the center of the clearing and the snow below it was whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl. I sighed and Pa held up his hand at the sound. I put my mittens over the scarf over my mouth and listened hard. And then Pa called, "Whoo-whoo-who-who-who- whooooooo. Whoo-whoo-who-who-who-whooooooo."

　　接著，我們來到這片漆黑樹林中的一片空地上。明月高懸于我們上方，似乎是對準(zhǔn)這片空地的中央嵌在空中，月光下的雪地顯得比盛在谷物碗(編注：一種可以將谷物和牛奶分開的碗)中的牛奶還要白。我嘆了一口氣，爸爸舉起一只手示意我不要出聲。于是我用手套捂在蒙著我嘴巴的圍巾上，仔細(xì)聆聽。然后，爸爸喊了起來：“呼呼——呼呼呼——呼！呼呼——呼呼呼——呼！”

　　I listened and looked so hard that my ears hurt and my eyes got cloudy with the cold. Pa raised his face to call out again, but before he could open his mouth an echo came threading its way through the trees. "Whoo-whoo- who-who-who-whooooooo." Pa almost smiled. Then he called back, "Whoo-whoo-who-who-who-whooooooo." Just as if he and the owl were talking about supper or about the woods or the moon or the cold. I took my mitten off the scarf off my mouth, and I almost smiled, too. The owl's call came closer, from high up in the trees on the edge of the meadow. Nothing in the meadow moved. All of a sudden an owl shadow, part of the big tree shadow, lifted off and flew right over us. We watched silently with heat in our mouths, the heat of all those words we had not spoken. The shadow hooted again. Pa turned on his big flashlight and caught the owl just as it was landing on a branch. For one minute, three minutes, maybe even a hundred minutes, we stared at one another. Then the owl pumped its great wings and lifted off the branch like a shadow without sound. It flew back into the forest.

　　我使勁聽，使勁看，我的耳朵凍得生疼，視線也變得模糊。爸爸仰起臉打算再喊一遍，但他還沒來得及張嘴，一只貓頭鷹的回應(yīng)聲就穿過樹林傳來。“呼呼——呼呼呼——呼！”爸爸臉上有了笑意。接著他回應(yīng)了一聲“呼呼——呼呼呼——呼！”就好像他在和那只貓頭鷹聊天，談?wù)撝聿汀淞?、月色或是寒冷的天氣。我把手套從嘴邊的圍巾上拿下來，臉上也有了笑意。從草地邊緣的樹的上方傳來了貓頭鷹的叫聲，而且越來越近。但草地上仍然一點(diǎn)兒動靜都沒有。突然，一只貓頭鷹的影子從剛才那棵樹的樹影中分離出來，徑直飛到我們上 方。我們靜靜地看著，心里那些激動的話語涌到嘴邊，卻都忍著沒有說出口。那個黑影再次發(fā)出了叫聲。爸爸打開他那支大手電筒，將亮光照在那只正要降落枝頭的貓頭鷹身上。一分鐘，三分鐘，甚至或許是一百分鐘，我倆就這么和那只貓頭鷹對視著。然后，那只貓頭鷹扇動起它那雙巨大的翅膀，如一道黑色的魅影，無聲無息地從它落腳的樹枝騰空而起，飛回了樹林深處。

　　Time to go home, Pa said to me. I knew then I could talk and I could even laugh out loud. But I was a shadow as we walked home. When you go owling you don't need words or warm or anything but hope. That's what Pa says. The kind of hope that flies on silent wings under a shining Owl Moon.

　　“該回家了。”爸爸對我說。我知道這下我可以說話了，甚至可以放聲大笑了。但是在我們走路回家的時候，我安靜得像一個影子。爸爸說，你去看貓頭鷹的時候，不需要言語或溫暖，或任何東西，只需要心懷希望。一種在明亮的月光下乘著貓頭鷹的翅膀靜靜飛翔的希望。