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当前位置:首页 -> 11级英语阅读 - > 安徒生童话英文版:Aunty Toothache IV
安徒生童话英文版:Aunty Toothache IV
添加时间:2014-03-05 16:46:40 浏览次数: 作者:Andersen
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  • It was during wintertime, late at night, after theater hours; it was terrible weather; a snowstorm raged so that one could hardly move along.

    Aunty had gone to the theater, and I went there to take her home; it was difficult for one to get anywhere, to say nothing of helping1 another. All the hiring carriages were engaged. Aunty lived in a distant section of the town, while my dwelling2 was close to the theater. Had this not been the case, we would have had to take refuge in a sentry3 box for a while.

    We trudged4 along in the deep snow while the snowflakes whirled around us. I had to lift her, hold onto her, and push her along. Only twice did we fall, but we fell on the soft snow.

    We reached my gate, where we shook some of the snow from ourselves. On the stairs, too, we shook some off, and yet there was still enough almost to cover the floor of the anteroom.

    We took off our overcoats and boots and what other clothes might be removed. The landlady5 lent Aunty dry stockings and a nightcap; this she would need, said the landlady, and added that it would be impossible for my aunt to get home that night, which was true. Then she asked Aunty to make use of her parlor, where she would prepare a bed for her on the sofa, in front of the door that led into my room and that was always kept locked. And so she stayed.

    The fire burned in my stove, the tea urn7 was placed on the table, and the little room became cozy, if not as cozy8 as Aunty's own room, where in the wintertime there are heavy curtains before the door, heavy curtains before the windows, and double carpets on the floor, with three layers of thick paper underneath9. One sits there as if in a well-corked bottle, full of warm air; still, as I have said, it was also cozy at my place, while outside the wind was whistling.

    Aunty talked and reminisced; she recalled the days of her youth; the brewer10 came back; many old memories were revived.

    She could remember the time I got my first tooth, and the family's delight over it. My first tooth! The tooth of innocence, shining like a little drop of milk - the milk tooth!

    When one had come, several more came, a whole rank of them, side by side, appearing both above and below - the finest of children's teeth, though these were only the “vanguard,” not the real teeth, which have to last one's whole lifetime.

    Then those also appeared, and the wisdom teeth as well, the flank men of each rank, born in pain and great tribulation12.

    They disappear, too, sometimes every one of them; they disappear before their time of service is up, and when the very last one goes, that is far from a happy day; it is a day for mourning. And so then one considers himself old, even if he feels young.

    Such thoughts and talk are not pleasant. Yet we came to talk about all this; we went back to the days of my childhood and talked and talked. It was twelve o'clock before Aunty went to rest in the room near by.

    “Good night, my sweet child,” she called. “I shall now sleep as if I were in my own bed.”

    And she slept peacefully; but otherwise there was no peace either in the house or outside. The storm rattled13 the windows, struck the long, dangling14 iron hooks against the house, and rang the neighbor's back-yard bell. The lodger15 upstairs had come home. He was still taking his little nightly tour up and down the room; he then kicked off his boots and went to bed and to sleep; but he snores so that anyone with good ears can hear him through the ceiling.

    I found no rest, no peace. The weather did not rest, either; it was lively. The wind howled and sang in its own way; my teeth also began to be lively, and they hummed and sang in their way. An awful toothache was coming on.

    There was a draft from the window. The moon shone in upon the floor; the light came and went as the clouds came and went in the stormy weather. There was a restless change of light and shadow, but at last the shadow on the floor began to take shape. I stared at the moving form and felt an icy-cold wind against my face.

    On the floor sat a figure, thin and long, like something a child would draw with a pencil on a slate, something supposed to look like a person, a single thin line forming the body, another two lines the arms, each leg being but a single line, and the head having a polygonal17 shape.

    The figure soon became more distinct; it had a very thin, very fine sort of cloth draped around it, clearly showing that the figure was that of a female.

    I heard a buzzing sound. Was it she or the wind which was buzzing like a hornet through the crack in the pane?

    No, it was she, Madam Toothache herself! Her terrible highness, Satania Infernalis! God deliver and preserve us from her!

    “It is good to be here!” she buzzed. “These are nice quarters - mossy ground, fenny19 ground! Gnats20 have been buzzing around here, with poison in their stings; and now I am here with such a sting. It must be sharpened on human teeth. Those belonging to the fellow in bed here shine so brightly. They have defied sweet and sour things, heat and cold, nutshells and plum stones; but I shall shake them, make them quake, feed their roots with drafty winds, and give them cold feet!”

    That was a frightening speech! She was a terrible visitor!

    “So you are a poet!” she said. “Well, I'll make you well versed22 in all the poetry of toothache! I'll thrust iron and steel into your body! I'll seize all the fibers23 of your nerves!”

    I then felt as if a red-hot awl24 were being driven into my jawbone; I writhed25 and twisted.

    “A splendid set of teeth,” she said, “just like an organ to play upon! We shall have a grand concert, with jew's-harps, kettledrums, and trumpets, piccolo-flute, and a trombone in the wisdom tooth! Grand poet, grand music!”

    And then she started to play; she looked terrible, even if one did not see more of her than her hand, the shadowy, gray, icecold hand, with the long, thin, pointed27 fingers; each of them was an instrument of torture; the thumb and the forefinger28 were the pincers and wrench; the middle finger ended in a pointed awl; the ring finger was a drill, and the little finger squirted gnat's poison.

    “I am going to teach you meter!” she said. “A great poet must have a great toothache, a little poet a little toothache!”

    “Oh, let me be a little poet!” I begged. “Let me be nothing at all! And I am not a poet; I have only fits of poetry, like fits of toothache. Go away, go away!”

    “Will you acknowledge, then, that I am mightier30 than poetry, philosophy, mathematics, and all the music?” she said. “Mightier than all those notions that are painted on canvas or carved in marble? I am older than every one of them. I was born close to the garden of paradise, just outside, where the wind blew and the wet toadstools grew. It was I who made Eve wear clothes in the cold weather, and Adam also. Believe me, there was power in the first toothache!”

    “I believe it all,” I said. “But go away, go away!”

    “Yes, if you will give up being a poet, never put verse on paper, slate, or any sort of writing material, then I will let you off; but I'll come again if you write poetry!”

    “I swear!” I said; “only let me never see or feel you any more!”

    “See me you shall, but in a more substantial shape, in a shape more dear to you than I am now. You shall see me as Aunty Mille, and I shall say, 'Write poetry, my sweet boy! You are a great poet, perhaps the greatest we have!' But if you believe me, and begin to write poetry, then I will set music to your verses, and play them on your mouth harp21. You sweet child! Remember me when you see Aunty Mille!”

    Then she disappeared.

    At our parting I received a thrust through my jawbone like that of a red-hot awl; but it soon subsided, and then I felt as if I were gliding32 along the smooth water; I saw the white water lilies, with their large green leaves, bending and sinking down under me; they withered33 and dissolved, and I sank, too, and dissolved into peace and rest.

    “To die, and melt away like snow!” resounded34 in the water; “to evaporate into air, to drift away like the clouds!”

    Great, glowing names and inscriptions35 on waving banners of victory, the letters patent of immortality, written on the wing of an ephemera, shone down to me through the water.

    The sleep was deep, a sleep now without dreams. I did not hear the whistling wind, the banging gate, the ringing of the neighbor's gate bell, or the lodger's strenuous37 gymnastics.

    What happiness!

    Then came a gust38 of wind so strong that the locked door to Aunty's room burst open. Aunty jumped up, put on her shoes, got dressed, and came into my room. I was sleeping like one of God's angels, she said, and she had not the heart to awaken39 me.

    I later awoke by myself and opened my eyes. I had completely forgotten that Aunty was in the house, but I soon remembered it and then remembered my toothache vision. Dream and reality were blended.

    “I suppose you did not write anything last night after we said good night?” she said. “I wish you had; you are my poet and shall always be!”

    It seemed to me that she smiled rather slyly. I did not know if it was the kindly40 Aunty Mille, who loved me, or the terrible one to whom I had made the promise the night before.

    “Have you written any poetry, sweet child?”

    “No, no!” I shouted. “You are Aunty Mille, aren't you?”

    “Who else?” she said. And it was Aunty Mille.

    She kissed me, got into a carriage, and drove home.

    I wrote down what is written here. It is not in verse, and it will never be printed.

    Yes, here ended the manuscript.

    My young friend, the grocer's assistant, could not find the missing sheets; they had gone out into the world like the papers around the salted herring, the butter, and the green soap; they had fulfilled their destiny!

    The brewer is dead; Aunty is dead; the student is dead, he whose sparks of genius went into the basket. This is the end of the story - the story of Aunty Toothache.



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    1 helping [ˈhelpɪŋ] 2rGzDc   第7级
    n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
    参考例句:
    • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
    • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来,他们在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
    2 dwelling [ˈdwelɪŋ] auzzQk   第7级
    n.住宅,住所,寓所
    参考例句:
    • Those two men are dwelling with us. 那两个人跟我们住在一起。
    • He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street. 他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。
    3 sentry [ˈsentri] TDPzV   第10级
    n.哨兵,警卫
    参考例句:
    • They often stood sentry on snowy nights. 他们常常在雪夜放哨。
    • The sentry challenged anyone approaching the tent. 哨兵查问任一接近帐篷的人。
    4 trudged [] e830eb9ac9fd5a70bf67387e070a9616   第9级
    vt.& vi.跋涉,吃力地走(trudge的过去式与过去分词形式)
    参考例句:
    • He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
    • He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    5 landlady [ˈlændleɪdi] t2ZxE   第7级
    n.女房东,女地主,女店主
    参考例句:
    • I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door. 我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。
    • The landlady came over to serve me. 女店主过来接待我。
    6 parlor ['pɑ:lə] v4MzU   第9级
    n.店铺,营业室;会客室,客厅
    参考例句:
    • She was lying on a small settee in the parlor. 她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
    • Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood? 附近有没有比萨店?
    7 urn [ɜ:n] jHaya   第12级
    n.(有座脚的)瓮;坟墓;骨灰瓮
    参考例句:
    • The urn was unearthed entire. 这只瓮出土完整无缺。
    • She put the big hot coffee urn on the table and plugged it in. 她将大咖啡壶放在桌子上,接上电源。
    8 cozy ['kəʊzɪ] ozdx0   第8级
    adj.亲如手足的,密切的,暖和舒服的
    参考例句:
    • I like blankets because they are cozy. 我喜欢毛毯,因为他们是舒适的。
    • We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire. 我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
    9 underneath [ˌʌndəˈni:θ] VKRz2   第7级
    adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
    参考例句:
    • Working underneath the car is always a messy job. 在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
    • She wore a coat with a dress underneath. 她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
    10 brewer ['bru:ə(r)] brewer   第8级
    n. 啤酒制造者
    参考例句:
    • Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
    • I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职,做一名酿酒人。
    11 innocence [ˈɪnəsns] ZbizC   第9级
    n.无罪;天真;无害
    参考例句:
    • There was a touching air of innocence about the boy. 这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
    • The accused man proved his innocence of the crime. 被告人经证实无罪。
    12 tribulation [ˌtrɪbjuˈleɪʃn] Kmywb   第11级
    n.苦难,灾难
    参考例句:
    • Even in our awful tribulation we were quite optimistic. 即使在极端痛苦时,我们仍十分乐观。
    • I hate the tribulation, I commiserate the sorrow brought by tribulation. 我厌恶别人深重的苦难,怜悯苦难带来的悲哀。
    13 rattled ['rætld] b4606e4247aadf3467575ffedf66305b   第7级
    慌乱的,恼火的
    参考例句:
    • The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
    • Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里,窗户都格格作响。
    14 dangling [ˈdæŋgəlɪŋ] 4930128e58930768b1c1c75026ebc649   第9级
    悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 ); 摆动不定; 用某事物诱惑…; 吊胃口
    参考例句:
    • The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果,那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
    • The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上,摇晃着他们的双腿。
    15 lodger [ˈlɒdʒə(r)] r8rzi   第12级
    n.寄宿人,房客
    参考例句:
    • My friend is a lodger in my uncle's house. 我朋友是我叔叔家的房客。
    • Jill and Sue are at variance over their lodger. 吉尔和休在对待房客的问题上意见不和。
    16 slate [sleɪt] uEfzI   第9级
    n.板岩,石板,石片,石板色,候选人名单;adj.暗蓝灰色的,含板岩的;vt.用石板覆盖,痛打,提名,预订
    参考例句:
    • The nominating committee laid its slate before the board. 提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
    • What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触变色木和石板呢?
    17 polygonal [pə'lɪɡənl] kOdxL   第12级
    adj.多角形的,多边形的
    参考例句:
    • The grains take on simple polygonal. 颗粒呈简单的多角形。 来自辞典例句
    • Use the necessary instrument Polygonal Lasso Tool to outline the mask contour. 使用多边形套索工具将面膜部分选中。 来自互联网
    18 pane [peɪn] OKKxJ   第8级
    n.窗格玻璃,长方块
    参考例句:
    • He broke this pane of glass. 他打破了这块窗玻璃。
    • Their breath bloomed the frosty pane. 他们呼出的水气,在冰冷的窗玻璃上形成一层雾。
    19 fenny ['fenɪ] 23b690524e78636b0a472dcb1d5c22eb   第11级
    adj.沼泽的;沼泽多的;长在沼泽地带的;住在沼泽地的
    参考例句:
    20 gnats [næts] e62a9272689055f936a8d55ef289d2fb   第12级
    n.叮人小虫( gnat的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • He decided that he might fire at all gnats. 他决定索性把鸡毛蒜皮都摊出来。 来自辞典例句
    • The air seemed to grow thick with fine white gnats. 空气似乎由于许多白色的小虫子而变得浑浊不堪。 来自辞典例句
    21 harp [hɑ:p] UlEyQ   第9级
    n.竖琴;天琴座
    参考例句:
    • She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp. 她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
    • He played an Irish melody on the harp. 他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。
    22 versed [vɜ:st] bffzYC   第11级
    adj. 精通,熟练
    参考例句:
    • He is well versed in history. 他精通历史。
    • He versed himself in European literature. 他精通欧洲文学。
    23 fibers [ˈfaibəz] 421d63991f1d1fc8826d6e71d5e15f53   第7级
    光纤( fiber的名词复数 ); (织物的)质地; 纤维,纤维物质
    参考例句:
    • Thesolution of collagen-PVA was wet spined with the sodium sulfate as coagulant and collagen-PVA composite fibers were prepared. 在此基础上,以硫酸钠为凝固剂,对胶原-PVA共混溶液进行湿法纺丝,制备了胶原-PVA复合纤维。
    • Sympathetic fibers are distributed to all regions of the heart. 交感神经纤维分布于心脏的所有部分。
    24 awl [ɔ:l] qPYyl   第11级
    n.尖钻
    参考例句:
    • Six awl make a shoemaker. 六个鞋砧,练出一个鞋匠。
    • It was fun to play with an awl. 玩钻子是件很有趣的事。
    25 writhed [raɪðd] 7985cffe92f87216940f2d01877abcf6   第10级
    (因极度痛苦而)扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • He writhed at the memory, revolted with himself for that temporary weakness. 他一想起来就痛悔不已,只恨自己当一时糊涂。
    • The insect, writhed, and lay prostrate again. 昆虫折腾了几下,重又直挺挺地倒了下去。
    26 trumpets [ˈtrʌmpits] 1d27569a4f995c4961694565bd144f85   第7级
    喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 ); 小号; 喇叭形物; (尤指)绽开的水仙花
    参考例句:
    • A wreath was laid on the monument to a fanfare of trumpets. 在响亮的号角声中花圈被献在纪念碑前。
    • A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。
    27 pointed [ˈpɔɪntɪd] Il8zB4   第7级
    adj.尖的,直截了当的
    参考例句:
    • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil. 他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
    • A safety pin has a metal covering over the pointed end. 安全别针在尖端有一个金属套。
    28 forefinger [ˈfɔ:fɪŋgə(r)] pihxt   第8级
    n.食指
    参考例句:
    • He pinched the leaf between his thumb and forefinger. 他将叶子捏在拇指和食指之间。
    • He held it between the tips of his thumb and forefinger. 他用他大拇指和食指尖拿着它。
    29 wrench [rentʃ] FMvzF   第7级
    vt.猛拧;挣脱;使扭伤;vi. 扭伤;猛扭;猛绞;n.扳手;痛苦,难受,扭伤
    参考例句:
    • He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down. 他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
    • It was a wrench to leave the old home. 离开这个老家非常痛苦。
    30 mightier [ˈmaɪti:ə] 76f7dc79cccb0a7cef821be61d0656df   第7级
    adj. 强有力的,强大的,巨大的 adv. 很,极其
    参考例句:
    • But it ever rises up again, stronger, firmer, mightier. 但是,这种组织总是重新产生,并且一次比一次更强大,更坚固,更有力。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
    • Do you believe that the pen is mightier than the sword? 你相信笔杆的威力大于武力吗?
    31 subsided [səbˈsaidid] 1bda21cef31764468020a8c83598cc0d   第9级
    v.(土地)下陷(因在地下采矿)( subside的过去式和过去分词 );减弱;下降至较低或正常水平;一下子坐在椅子等上
    参考例句:
    • After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后,部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚, 暴风雨已经过去,四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    32 gliding [ˈglaɪdɪŋ] gliding   第7级
    v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的
    参考例句:
    • Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
    • The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。
    33 withered [ˈwɪðəd] 342a99154d999c47f1fc69d900097df9   第7级
    adj. 枯萎的,干瘪的,(人身体的部分器官)因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式
    参考例句:
    • The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
    • The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。
    34 resounded [rɪˈzaʊndid] 063087faa0e6dc89fa87a51a1aafc1f9   第12级
    v.(指声音等)回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 );产生回响;(指某处)回荡着声音
    参考例句:
    • Laughter resounded through the house. 笑声在屋里回荡。
    • The echo resounded back to us. 回声传回到我们的耳中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    35 inscriptions [ɪnsk'rɪpʃnz] b8d4b5ef527bf3ba015eea52570c9325   第8级
    (作者)题词( inscription的名词复数 ); 献词; 碑文; 证劵持有人的登记
    参考例句:
    • Centuries of wind and rain had worn away the inscriptions on the gravestones. 几个世纪的风雨已磨损了墓碑上的碑文。
    • The inscriptions on the stone tablet have become blurred with the passage of time. 年代久了,石碑上的字迹已经模糊了。
    36 immortality [ˌimɔ:'tæliti] hkuys   第7级
    n.不死,不朽
    参考例句:
    • belief in the immortality of the soul 灵魂不灭的信念
    • It was like having immortality while you were still alive. 仿佛是当你仍然活着的时候就得到了永生。
    37 strenuous [ˈstrenjuəs] 8GvzN   第7级
    adj.奋发的,使劲的;紧张的;热烈的,狂热的
    参考例句:
    • He made strenuous efforts to improve his reading. 他奋发努力提高阅读能力。
    • You may run yourself down in this strenuous week. 你可能会在这紧张的一周透支掉自己。
    38 gust [gʌst] q5Zyu   第8级
    n.阵风,突然一阵(雨、烟等),(感情的)迸发
    参考例句:
    • A gust of wind blew the front door shut. 一阵大风吹来,把前门关上了。
    • A gust of happiness swept through her. 一股幸福的暖流流遍她的全身。
    39 awaken [əˈweɪkən] byMzdD   第8级
    vi.醒,觉醒;vt.唤醒,使觉醒,唤起,激起
    参考例句:
    • Old people awaken early in the morning. 老年人早晨醒得早。
    • Please awaken me at six. 请于六点叫醒我。
    40 kindly [ˈkaɪndli] tpUzhQ   第8级
    adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
    参考例句:
    • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable. 她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
    • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman. 一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

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