介绍:
Walden [ˈwɔldən] (Issue 152)
12. Brute Neighbors (11)
[17continued] Yet he appeared to know his course as surely under water as on the surface, and swam[swæm] much faster there. Once or twice I saw a ripple where he approached the surface, just put his head out to reconnoitre[ˌrekə'nɔɪtə(r)], and instantly dived again. I found that it was as well for me to rest on my oars and wait his reappearing as to endeavor to calculate where he would rise; for again and again, when I was straining my eyes over the surface one way, I would suddenly be startled by his unearthly laugh behind me. But why, after displaying so much cunning, did he invariably betray himself the moment he came up by that loud laugh? Did not his white breast enough betray him? He was indeed a silly loon, I thought. I could commonly hear the splash of the water when he came up, and so also detected him. But after an hour he seemed as fresh as ever, dived as willingly, and swam yet farther than at first. It was surprising to see how serenely he sailed off with unruffled breast when he came to the surface, doing all the work with his webbed feet beneath. His usual note was this demoniac[dɪˈməʊnɪˌæk] laughter, yet somewhat like that of a water-fowl; but occasionally, when he had balked me most successfully and come up a long way off, he uttered a long-drawn unearthly howl[haʊl], probably more like that of a wolf than any bird; as when a beast puts his muzzle to the ground and deliberately howls. This was his looning - perhaps the wildest sound that is ever heard here, making the woods ring far and wide. I concluded that he laughed in derision[dɪˈrɪʒən] of my efforts, confident of his own resources[rɪˈzɔːsis]. Though the sky was by this time overcast, the pond was so smooth that I could see where he broke the surface when I did not hear him. His white breast, the stillness of the air, and the smoothness of the water were all against him. At length having come up fifty rods off, he uttered one of those prolonged[prəʊˈlɒŋd] howls, as if calling on the god of loons to aid him, and immediately there came a wind from the east and rippled the surface, and filled the whole air with misty rain, and I was impressed as if it were the prayer of the loon answered, and his god was angry with me; and so I left him disappearing far away on the tumultuous[tjuːˈmʌltʃʊəs] surface.
可是他看来明确知道自己的路径和在水面一样，而且在那里游得更快。有一两次我看到他接近水面的一堆水花，只是露个头来侦察，马上又潜下去了。我发现与其这样算他将在哪儿升起，还不如停下桨来歇歇等着他再次出现；因为一次又一次我眼巴巴地看水面一个方向，都被他那非人的大笑吓一跳竟在我背后。可是为什么玩了这么多花招，每当他跃上水面总是一成不变地凭着那一声长啸背叛自己？我想，他真是一头蠢潜鸟。我往往能听到他出来时候的溅水声，凭那，我也能探到他。可是过了一个小时他好像还和原来一样精神，还是一意地潜，游得还比先前远。看到他升上水面如何庄严地心胸平静地在水面航行真的太惊讶了，做着那一切用他水下那蹼状的脚。他通常的调子就是这魔鬼般的大笑，还是有点像一只鸭子；可是偶尔地，当他最成功地让我犯了错误，而且露面的地方远而又远，他会鼓足力气发出一声人间闻所未闻的长嗥，可能更像狼嗥而不是任何鸟；就像是一头野兽把鼻口对着地面意味深长的嗥叫一样。这就是他的疯狂——也许这一带能听到的最瘆人最野性的声音，让林子久久回荡，又广又远。我得出结论，他是在嘲笑我的努力，坚信自己的智谋。虽然这时的天空异常高远，湖面如此平滑当我听不到他动静，凭着他打破这湖面我也能看见他。他的白胸脯、空气的寂静还有光滑的湖水都在反对他。最后来了一个五十码露头，他发出了那其中的一声长嗥，仿佛是召唤潜水鸟神来助他，马上就从东面刮来一阵风掠过水面，给整个的空气灌注上雾雨，我的印象太深了，仿佛是他的祈祷应验了，他的神对我发怒了；我连忙离开他，远远消失在风生水起的湖面。
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