- 听,是柴斯特在演奏!
(rkevin
·2005年09月
)
立秋刚过,院子里就响起了蟋蟀的鸣叫声.儿子说:"听,是柴斯特在演奏!"我们一起静静的聆听. "妈妈.柴斯特是不是住在美国呀?" "对,它住在辽阔的康涅狄格洲草原上." "那我们院子里的蟋蟀肯定是柴斯特的弟弟吧?" "可能吧!" "蟋蟀是用翅膀演奏,如果我的身上也长着乐器 就好了!" "为什么呢?" "身上有乐器,天生就会演奏,我就不用学琴了,再说 琴长在身上,省得背来背去." "柴斯特演奏是为了玛里奥一家渡过难关而演奏的,我们让你学琴是为了你有个爱好,以后你长大了遇到 不顺心的事情,总要有个发泄情绪的办法,演奏音乐 就是最好的宣泄情感的方式." "妈妈,是不是等我长大了,就得离开你们呢?" "小孩总有长大独立生活的一天,你长大了也一样." "妈妈,我能不能象柴斯特一样,在外面想家了,就回 大草原呢?" "当然可以了!草原不会搬家的,什么时候你想我了,我永远在那里等你好吗?" "好!我们来一个LONG LONG KISS!" 儿子搂着我的脖子我们来了一个长长的吻.
书评人打分:
★★★★★
- 就是那一只蟋蟀
(raingong
·2005年05月
)
今天过得很happy,因为在读一本书,The Cricket in Times Square,中译本也有了,《时代广场的蟋蟀》,(傅湘雯译,新蕾出版社2003年09月版),新浪读书频道还有连载(http://book.sina.com.cn/nzt/1095759350_xishuai/index.shtml),但我瞅了一眼后,并不想推荐给大家。but I leallly want to shale the happiless of leading that book with you!哦,这是书里面的中国老头Sai Fong说话的口音,抗来我们chilese讲英文是这种调调,r一律发成l,抱歉我还加了点狼京口音在里面。 故事大致是酱子的。 一只蛐蛐Chester不小心从康涅狄格州(Connecticut)的乡下来到了纽约时代广场的地铁站(顺便说一句,我正在搜集一个quarter的硬币,正好这两个州的都有,Connecticut上面的图像是the charter oak,1999年发行;纽约州的当然是自由女神像,gateway to freedom,2001年发行),怎么来的呢?自己去抗吧。于是他遇上了老鼠Tucker,猫咪Harry,以及小男孩Mario,当然还有Mario的岜爸嘛嘛,还有唐人街的老头Sai Fong,点点点点,反正好多好多人了啦。哎呀,我最怕复述故事了,而且复述故事会破坏别人的阅读乐趣,还是算了吧。 书里的第一句话是:A mouse was looking at Mario。我发现,写给小孩子们看的书里面,老鼠都是蛮可爱的。像《夏洛的网》里面的templeton,《精灵鼠小弟》Stuart,《杨柳风》里的田鼠,当然,还有这本书里的Tucker。哎,我都快喜欢上老鼠了...Tucker拥有一切老鼠的美好品德:好吃、贪财、搜集一切无用的东西,但Tucker真的是一只好老鼠,富有同情心,喜欢朋友,对待朋友嘛,也是不一般的大方。令人惊奇的是,他居然能和猫咪Harry成为巨要好的朋友,我都怀疑后来Tom和Jerry是不是他俩的翻版?虽然那是一对死对头。鹅且,Tucker对音乐还具有无比的鉴赏力。 多多少少,Tucker还是一只多愁善感的小老鼠。比如你看这一段: And when he wasn't collecting, "scrounging" as he called it, or sleeping, he liked to sit at the opening of the drain pipe and watch the world go by—at least as much of the world as hurried through the Times Square subway station. 我前些日子无聊的时候也经常watch the world go by,以前喜欢的roxxette有支歌spending my time里也唱这个。 写Tucker的地方还很有趣。Mario从chinatown的Sai Fong那里弄来一个古董笼子给Chester住,Tucker看了非常眼馋,他要求在里面睡上一晚。用什么当床单和被子呢?还有枕头?于是就想到了收银机里的钞票。新的一块钱当床单,旧的一块钱当被子,嘛嘛的耳环当枕头。Tucker躺在笼子里,非常满意地说:I'm sleeping on money inside a palace, It's a dream come true。于是第二天一大早嘛嘛进来的时候发现了他,就用Fortune Magazine打到了他,真是随了他的心愿! 猫咪Harry是另外一种性格:Harry followed him, ambling silently along, as always。但Harry也有激情四射的时候。某一天晚上他们开了个party,他们听着音乐。Chester让Harry唱上一段,Tucker都已经在提醒了:You don't know what you're letting yourself in for,但Harry正沉浸在party mode里,所以他就唱开了: When I'm calling youuuuuuuu Oooo-oooo-oooo Oooo-oooo-oooo-- Will you answer truuuuuu Oooo-oooo-oooo Oooo-oooo-oooo? 想来不是一般的耳朵能够接受得了的。但Haryy真是一只善解人意的好猫。当Chester决定要返回康涅狄格,Tucker千方百计地挽留他,而Harry却说:It's Chester's life and he should do what he wants。 Chester,我们的主角,是一位Orpheus。这一点是自然赋予他的天才,就不多赘述了。但他的心也一如艺术家般的敏感。Tucker和Harry带他去看纽约的夜景的那个晚上,在霓虹灯闪烁的夜空里,Chester看到了一颗星: He looked up. And way far above them, above New York, and above the whole world, he made out a star that he knew was a star he used to look at back in Connecticut. When they had gone down to the station and Chester was in the matchbox again, he thought about that star. It made him feel bettter to think that there was one familiar thing, twinkling above him, amidst so much that was new and strange. 他的这种性格呀,决定了他必然是要回到康涅狄格的乡下的。所以当Chester成名之后,每天按时上演两场音乐会,他就会感到厌倦,感到没有自由。秋天的叶子令他感到Septemberish,于是他决定在星期五retire,因为Tucker说Friday is an excellent day for retiring。所以,在星期五的傍晚,当Chester进行他的告别演出时,整个Times Square都安静下来了: And for those few minutes, while the song lasted, Times Square was as still as a meadow at evening, with the sun streaming in on the people there and the wind moving among them as if they were only tall blades of grass. 像怀特的书一样,这个故事的结尾也有那么一点点伤感——孩子有时候也需要体验一点点伤感——Tucker和Harry在Grand Central Station送别了Chester,谁也不知道朋友们能否再见,就像小学毕业时告别了同窗六年的同学。那一夜Tucker和Harry都无眠: Tucker Mouse changed his position. "Harry," he said. "Yes?" said Harry Cat. "Maybe next summber we could go to the country." "Maybe we can." "I mean--the country in Connecticut," said Tucker. "I know what you mean," said Harry Cat. (不妨比较一下Stuart Little的最后一段:Stuart rose from the ditch, climbed into his car, and started up the road that led toward the north. The sun was just coming up over the hills on his right. As he peered ahead into the great land that stretched before him, the way seemed long. But the sky was bright, and he somehow felt he was headed in the right direction.) 这本书得了1961年的纽伯瑞奖(Yearling Newberry),我手里这本是1970年印的,比我还年长,散发着一点点芳香的霉味。真是可惜啊,与我的童年失之交臂,一大把年纪了才与它相遇...就像很多很多其他的东西。 p.s.,画插图的又是Garth Williams,韦伯就是他画的,我实在是太喜欢他的插图了。 中文版封面 [limg]http://images.blogcn.com/2005/4/18/6/raingong,20050418115838.jpg[/limg] 英文版封面 [limg]http://images.blogcn.com/2005/4/18/7/raingong,2005041812712.jpg[/limg] Tucker在笼子里 [limg]http://images.blogcn.com/2005/4/18/6/raingong,20050418105832.jpg[/limg] Tucker在想问题 [limg]http://images.blogcn.com/2005/4/18/6/raingong,20050418104648.jpg[/limg] 小男孩Mario [limg]http://images.blogcn.com/2005/4/18/7/raingong,20050418123220.jpg[/limg]
书评人打分:
★★★★★
- 中
(戴苏妍
·2004年08月
)
书评人打分:
★★
|