许国璋,现代英语第一册 Lesson13

]Lesson Thirteen

A Modern Fairy Tale

By the time spring came around again, there was a baby sister for him.

"This time we'll plant an apple tree, my love ,"the princess decreed “Next to the orange t ree. And in the springtime we’ll call our daughter Anne. A for apple, A for Anne.”

The tree was duly planted at the correct distance from the orange tree which by now was very sturdy. Anne was a sweet contented baby, and Oscar was already on his chubby but rather uncertain legs.

Exactly a year later a third baby arrived. And if you're thinking that by now our princess will have lost some of her grace and beauty you'd be wrong. With each birth she grew more radiant. Her hair was just as-gold, her complexion like a nose petal, and her figure (though admittedly for only a brief time each year〉was as slim and supple as the day she married.

The baby was another boy. Blond like his mother and the other two children.

"A lemon tree this time,” the princess. “For his hair is the same pale gold as a lemon. And we'11 call him---”She pau sed, thinking of names beginning with L. "We’11 call him Leo."

The lemon tree was immediately planted. The prince judged that by now the trees reached half way down the avenue from the front door to the main gates ,leaving space for three more.

There was surely not a happier place in the country anywhere ! Filled with the sounds of happy children playing ,the latest baby crying, and always in the backyard a vista of snow-white napkins strung around the rotary hoist.(The princess didn't approve of clothes dryers.)

As for the prince , he t00,one way and another, was kept pretty busy. He engaged a young man to tend the lawns and the flower beds and the vegetab1e garden ,but he himself looked after the fruit trees. He afertilized and pruned at the appropriate times, and kept them free of pests. He didn't believe in noxious chemicals,and personally removed chewing ,gnawing and crawling insects by hand ,keeping a ladder expressly for the purpose. By the time evening came he was aLways tired----though not too tired , mind you.

Just as the orange and the apple and the len1on tree blossomed in the springtime ,so did our princess. Next spring if was twin boys ! The prince was particularly delighted because they lobked exactly like hin1,with olive skin ,glossy black curls and big dark eyes.

"Peter and Paul ,"the (temporarily) exhausted princess said dreamily. "A peach and, a plum tree, my love. Why, we're getting quite an orchard ,aren't we?"

"And it's very nearly reached the main gates," to be prince reminded her. "We're running out of space ,my love ,and soon we'll be running out of fruits too."l

"Nonsense-Why ,we don't have an apricot tree yet ,nor a cherry ,nor a----" But with a that the princess smiled at him sweetly , then promptly fell asleep ,a babe ozi each arm.

As a matter of fact they were running out of bedrooms too ,because by now the prince had moved into one of his own. He had to, because he needed his rest. The princess believed in feeding on demand ,and none of the babies had the remotest idea of time. The prince ,as you may remember ,was quite a lot older than the princess.(This always seems to be regarded as a good thing ,both in fairy tales and real life ,though why it should be so is a mystery. Because men tend to lose not only their hair and their figures first ,but their energy as well.) Anyway ,he managed to persuade the princess that there was a certain romantic charm about visiting, instead of always being on tap, so to speak. And to his credit ,he proved his point quite frequently.

Spring was early next year. Which meant that the cherries were too. And so was the princess. The unseasonably warm days ripened the small luscious fruit at the same time as she was delivered of a girl , slightly ahead of schedule. There was no question as to what tree would be planted ,or what to call this baby. With her vivid dark

coloring and her lively little face the name Cherry suited her to perfection.

The row of fruit trees was now complete, and from then on the prince seemed to flag a little. To be sure , he still visited his princess from time to time ,but his visits were not quite so---spontaneous ,shall we say. The princess knew almost to the hour when to expect him.

She herself ,though ,seemed to have perennial youth. She was insatiable. No. That is definitely not a nice word for a fairy tale. Let us say, rather, that she had an infinite capacity for love, including the love of chidren.

It's not Surprising, therefore ,that with the springtime she gave birth to yet another baby boy. The prince was pleased and proud. Somewhat surprised ,too. Who said he was getting old? Yet he was a little puzzled bythe ch ild’s titian coloring. His eyes were more green than blue, and his hair was the color of a burnished new-minted copper coin. Extraordinary !

"Not extraordinary at all ,my love ,"the princes-s hastened to explm. “in fact, it's strange that it hasn't happened before. The combined genes of a blonde and brunette often produce thisparticular coloring. Surely you're aware of that?"

No.The prince hadn't been aware of it·He smiled rather fatuously and stifled an exclamation of pain as he rose from the floor beside hiswife’s bed where he’d been kneeling.

"Now ,about the baby's name ,"he said. "And the fruit tree. Where are we going to plant this one ?"

“A nectarine," the princess replied promptly. “And piaf1t it right under my bedroom window."

The prince looked dubious. “How about another citrus tree?” he suggested. “Or a mulberry? I don't think a nectarine is a true fruit, my own. I seem to remember reading that it's a cross strain. Between a peach, I think it was, and something else."

"That's as may be,” the p rincess said firmly. “But cross strain or not.I happen to be very fond of them. And the rich green leaves and rosy fruit will look beautiful against the white wall."

The prince walked stiffly over to the window and leaned over the sill. Yes ,no doubt about it, it was a fine spot for a tree. Then he noticed that the downpipe was broken. He took out his little pocket book and n1ade a note to have it repaired. He sighed. There was a1ways something to repair these days. Like himself, the beautiful place in the country was beginning to show signs of wear and-tear. Funny about the downpipe, though. Why, it was less than a year since this new one had been firmly attached to the wall with metal brackets. It looked as though something heavy bad been swinging on it. A possum, maybe?

"And the baby’s name ,my sweet?" he asked ,without turning around. "What shall we call him?"

The princess was thoughtful. She gazed beyond her husband’s back at the vista of flower beds and velvety lawns , where she could see the strong lusty figure of the hired man Norman, wielding the mower. The late afternoon sun glinted on his hair , the color of a burnished new-minted copper coin.

"How about-Norman?" she asked tentatively. "Do you like that?"

"Norman wi11be fine," the prince answered absently, his thoughts on the new tree.

The princess sighed with deep contentment. Her eyes dwelt on the stooped back of her husband with great tenderness. There was no doubt in her n1ind that like in all fairy ta1es, she and her prince would live happily after.

As she gently stroked the soft silky head of the new baby a small smile played about her lips. She thought of what a wonderful husband and lover and father her prince was ,and of how much she loved him. She thought about the fruit trees, the symbols of their love. And she thought about the new nectarine tree, wondering how long it would take to grow as tall as hey window sill. She thought about----oh, all kinds of things.

.

第十三课现代神话(第二部分)

第二年春天到来时,奥斯卡有了个小妹妹。

王妃说,"亲爱的,这次我们种棵苹果树,就种在桔子树旁边。春天到来时,我们从窗子里就可看到鲜花盛开。我们给女儿取名安妮。A的代表apple 〈苹果〉,又代表Anne (安妮)."

苹果树及时按适当距离种在桔子树旁,格子树现在已经很粗壮了。安妮是个温和而知足的娃娃,奥斯卡已经长得胖乎乎的,但走起路来还是不稳.

刚刚一年过后,第三个婴儿降生了。这时你如果认为我们的王妃已失去了往日的风韵和美丽,那就错了。每生一个孩子,她更加容光焕发。她的头发依然金黄,面色政瑰般红润,身段同结婚时一样苗条柔嫩〈应当说只是从孩子降生到怀孕时的短暂期间内。〉

这次生的是个男孩,金黄的头发和他妈妈及其他两个孩子的一样。

"这次种棵拧橡树,"玉妃决定说,"因为孩子的头发象拧橡般呈浅黄色。我们叫他一一”她停下来考虑以"L"开头的名字,接着说,"我们叫他利奥吧。"

又立即种了棵拧橡树.玉予估计,到现在为止,树已从前门口种到大门口一半距离的地方了,余下的空地还能种三棵树。

世上不会有比这儿更加快乐的地方了!这儿充满了孩子们玩耍时的欢笑声,新生儿的哭叫声,后院旋转晒衣架上凉了一长串雪白的尿布。(王妃不同意用干燥机弄干衣服。)

至于王子,是忙来忙去忙得不亦乐乎。他雇了一个年轻人来护理草坪、花床以及菜园,而他自己则护理果树。他适时地施肥、剪校,除虫害。他可不相信那些有毒的化学杀虫剂,亲自动手消灭那些爬行的、晴、嚼果树的害虫。旁边还特意准备了梯子,以备不时之需。到了晚上他就累了,但你要知道,还没有过分疲惫。

桔子树、苹果树和拧橡树在春天开花的时候,我们的王妃又快生孩子了。次年春天,王妃生了一对双胞胎男孩!王子特别高兴,因为这两个男孩长得特象他一一橄榄色的皮肤,发亮的黑卷发,黑黑的大眼睛。

(一时)精疲力竭的王妃作梦般地说,"取名彼得和保罗,种下桃树和李树,亲爱的;啊,我们要有一大片果园,对吗?"

王子提醒她说:"果树快种到大门口了,我们快没有地方种了,亲爱的,而且我们也快没有果树可种了。"

"瞎说,怎么会呢?我们还没有杏树,也没有樱桃树,还没有……"王妃还没说完,便朝王子甜甜地笑了笑,一边搂着一个孩子睡着了。

事实上,他们供孩子住的房间也快不够了,因为这时王子又搬进自己的一个房间独住。他不得不这样做,因为他需要休息。王妃坚持根据孩子的需要随时喂奶,而任何一个孩子都根本没有时间观念。你也许记得,王子比王妃要大得多。(这通常被认为是好事,不管是在神话里,还是在现实生活中。为什么这样,依然是个谜,因为男人老后失去的不仅是头发和体形,而且还有精力。)但不管怎样,王子设法说服王妃:两处分居定时相聚比总是住在一起更富有浪漫情调。王子说话算话,经常"造访"。

次年春天来得早,.这就意味着樱桃树也得早种,王妃也要提前生产。不合时节的温暖天气催开了甜美的果核,王妃也提前分娩了。至于该种

什么树,该给孩子起什么名,是不言而喻的了。黝黑的肤色,可爱的小脸蛋,叫她樱桃再恰当不过了。

从前门到大门口的树已经种满了,从此王子似乎精力有点衰退。当然,他还是时常"造访"王妃,但这种"造访"似乎不那么自发了。王妃几乎可以猜到王子什么时刻来她的房间。

然而王妃本人似乎青春永驻,欲望无穷。不,在神话里这可不是个好字眼,我们该说她充满了爱,包括对孩子的爱。|

因此,并不奇怪,春天到时,她又生下一名男婴。王子满意而自豪,但也有点奇怪。谁说他变老了?但他对孩子橙红色的肤色有点迷惑不解。他的眼睛与其说蓝,不如说绿,他头发的颜色就象擦亮的新铸的铜币,真是与众不同!

王妃赶紧解释说:"这根本没什么与众不同,亲爱的。事实上,奇怪的是以前的孩子为什么不是这样。深棕色和金黄色两种颜色的结合就会产生这种特别的颜色。你当然也该意识到这点吧。"

不,王子并没有注意到这点,他傻乎乎地笑着。当他从妻子床边一直脆着的地板上站起时,抑制着痛苦大喊大叫。

"该给孩子取什么名呢?"他说,"还有果树,我们该种哪一种呢?"

"油桃树",王妃立即答道,"就把它种在卧室旁的窗下。"

王子显得有点迟疑。"再种一棵棺科树怎样?"他建议道,"或桑树什么的,油桃好像不是纯果树。我记得好像从哪儿见过,说油桃是个杂交品种,我好像觉得有人说过,它是桃树和其它的树种杂交而成的。"

"或许是那样,"王妃肯定地说,"不管是不是杂交,我正好非常喜欢油桃树。繁茂的枝叶,玫瑰色的果子,与白墙相映衬,肯定漂亮极了。"

王子僵直地走到窗边斜靠在窗台上。是的,没错,这是种树的好地方。这时他注意到楼下水管断裂开了。他拿出小笔记本记下水管该修理了。他叹息道,这些日子总是有该修理的地方。乡下这块美丽的地方已显出破损的迹象,他自己也象这块地方一样不比从前了。可这根管子断裂确实有点蹊跷。因为这根新管子用金属架牢固地安装在墙上还不到一年。看起来好像什么重物在上面压过,也许是只负鼠?

"亲爱的,这孩子叫啥呢?"他问道,但并没转过身去,"我们管他叫啥呢?"。

王妃在思索。她透过丈夫后背的上方向窗外远处的花床和绿茸茸的草坪望去。她看到体魄强健的雇工诺曼在除草,夕阳照在他的头发上,呈现出一种刚擦亮的新铸的铜币的颜色。

"叫诺曼怎样?"她试探地问道,"你喜欢这个名字吗?"

"诺曼这名字挺好的,"他漫不经心地答道。他的心思在那棵要种的新树上。王妃满意地松了口气。她非常柔情地望着丈夫的驼背。毋庸置疑,象所有神话故事一样,她心中想着和王子继续幸福地生活下去。

当她用手指温柔地抚摸孩子那毛茸茸的小脑袋时,唇边露出了一丝微笑。她想她的王子是一位多么好的丈夫,爱人和父亲啊,她是多么爱他啊。她又想起了果树,他们爱的象征。她自还想起了新种的油桃树,也不知道何时能长到窗台那么高一一哦,她在想各种各样的事情。