On the Far Side of the Mountain (Excerpt VI)

By Jean Craighead George

It’s taken until today to get the waterwheel in place. Bando and Zella were too busy to come to the mountain during most of November, and Miss Turner’s mother was sick, so she couldn’t work. I did finish the sluice but stopped working on the wheel because Alice and I had to gather nut crop. The beechnuts are abundant this year, and so are the hickory and butter nuts, but the acorn crop is poor. Alice did find one productive tree, and we have enough to last until spring.

[2] Work was further delayed when Mrs. Strawberry came up to tell us that another deer had been killed on the country road and I went down to butcher that prize and haul it up here.

[3] Then the smoking of venison took more time. While I was working at that, Alice decided to make a smokehouse, and before I knew it, she had me tapping and stacking stones again.Although it delayed the mill, I’m glad we made it. The venison is much better

直到今天，我们才能把水车准备就绪。十一月份，班多和泽拉多数时间都很忙，不能到山里来。特纳小姐的母亲病了，她也不能工作。我做完了水闸，但不再做水车，因为艾丽斯和我必须去收坚果了。今年的山毛榉果很多，山核桃果和灰胡桃果也大丰收，但橡树果很少。艾丽斯找到了一棵结满果实的橡树，足够我们吃到春天了。

[2]不过草莓夫人上山来告诉我们，说乡道上又有一只被撞死的鹿，我又一次停下手中的活儿。我下山去，处理这只意外获得的鹿，再拖上山来。

[3]然后熏鹿肉又花了更多时间。我熏鹿肉的时候，艾丽斯决定弄一间熏肉房。我还没搞明白，她又让我敲敲打打地堆石块了。熏肉房虽然耽误了水磨坊，但我很高兴我们有了熏肉房。熏肉房里制作出的鹿肉好吃多了，因为那里能够控制火候。

[4]所以直到昨天，班多和我，在草莓夫人、她家的马儿斯拉茨、艾丽斯、泽拉以及特纳小姐的帮助下，才把水车放好。

[5]我们把一根绳子扔过一个树枝，一端系到水车上，另一端绑到斯拉茨身上。然后草莓夫人牵着斯拉茨离开大树。水车被吊起到空中，直到我们能推动和把握的位置。大家一起用力，让水车在磨坊里就位。我们小心翼翼地把滚轴穿过小溪旁的墙洞。墙洞是专为水车滚轴设计的。在磨坊里，我们把滚轴放到基座上。草莓夫人牵着斯拉茨后退，让滚轴的外端下落到艾丽斯和特纳小姐那边的石墙上。如此这般，水车就位了。

[6]艾丽斯跑到水池边，打开了水闸门。水沿着掏空了的树干流下来，冲击着水轮叶片——这个该死的大家伙就转了起来。我们欢呼、鼓掌、载歌载舞。我们拥有了转动的水车！

[7]感恩节那天，我们举办了盛大的宴会。特纳小姐带来了一只火鸡，草莓夫人和泽when smoked in a building where the fire can be controlled.

[4] So it wasn’t until yesterday that Bando and I got the wheel in place with the help of Mrs. Strawberry, Slats, Alice, Zella, and Miss Turner.

[5] We threw a rope over a limb, tied one end to the wheel and the other to Slats. Then Mrs. Strawberry led him away from the tree. The wheel rose into the air until we could push and guide it. With everyone helping, we eased the wheel to the mill and carefully directed the shaft through the hole in the streamside wall made for this purpose. Inside we laid it to rest on the bearing. Mrs.Strawberry backed up Slats, lowering the outside end of the shaft on Alice and Miss Turner’s stone wall. With that, the waterwheel was in place.

[6] Alice ran to the pond and opened the sluice gate. The water rolled down the hollowed tree, hit the wheel blades—and the darn thing turned. We cheered and clapped and danced. We had a rolling waterwheel!

[7] We had a wonderful feast day on Thanksgiving. Miss Turner brought up a turkey, and Mrs. Strawberry and Zella made salad and pumpkin pie. Alice and I baked acorn bread in my stone oven.The day was warm, and we ate outside watching the waterwheel turn. We all felt great pride and satisfaction.拉做了沙拉和南瓜饼。艾丽斯和我用我的石炉烘焙了橡树子面包。天气很暖和，我们在户外就餐，一边看着那大水车旋转不停。我们感觉无比自豪、心满意足。

【背景知识】野外生存，也挡不住现代化的步伐。妹妹艾丽斯跟山姆一起生活，新点子不断，总要弄出一些新鲜玩意儿。山姆不大愿意，但没办法，只好跟着妹妹大搞建设。这一段就写他们建造水车磨坊和熏肉房等的过程。

【第一段】山里的事儿越来越多，建造水车磨坊的工程一拖再拖，因为总是有更紧急的事情要做。最后一句中的tree指一棵橡树。橡树果是他们的主食之一，因此特别强调橡树的收成。班多是山姆的朋友，住在山下，泽拉是班多的妻子。特纳小姐是当地的图书馆管理员。

【第二段】有几点需要认真分析来确定词义。首先是killed on the country road，指路上的车辆撞死了鹿，并非有意杀死；而butcher不是屠宰，而是稍作处理；词语prize不是奖赏，而是意外的收获，可以有鹿肉吃了。

【第三段】中间一句话富有深意，间接指出妹妹总是让山姆做这做那，而山姆被动接受，有些无奈。最后一句中的定语从句when smoked in a building译为中文句子里的定语，这样更符合中文习惯，也更简洁。

【第四段】这句话的谓语在译文中后移至句末，否则译文会有翻译腔。要注意马儿斯拉茨的译法，不能当作人物来翻译，需要添加“马儿”来说明。

【第五段】这一段描写的动作很复杂，需要联想当时的情景，把水车、磨坊、滚轴、基座等物品和安装场面想明白，再下笔翻译。

【第六段】这里出现了一个不雅的词语darn（该死的；天杀的；讨厌的），反映出少年山姆的真实语言和心理。建造这个水车费了太多力气，诅咒一下也是应该的。紧接着，大家欢呼雀跃，欢乐的气氛跃然纸上。

【第七段】这一段的文字句式比较短，语言质朴，但描写真实生动，译文不宜太过渲染。

【小结】这一节文字以情景和程序描述为主，有些文字语义模糊，译文需要明晰化才好。同时，有的英文句式在翻译时不宜照搬，需要合理重组调换。总体而言，原文质朴无华，是模拟少年文笔，译文也当简朴生动为宜。 □