英語經(jīng)典晨讀美文5篇

保持晨讀的良好習慣，是提高英語閱讀水平的方法，下面小編就和大家分享英語經(jīng)典晨讀美文，希望能夠幫助到大家，來欣賞一下吧。

英語散文篇一

The Song of the River

河之歌

W.S Maugham

毛姆

You hear it all along the river. You hear it, loud and strong, from the rowers as they urge the junk with its high stern, the mast lashed alongside, down the swift running stream. You hear it from the trackers, a more breathless chant, as they pull desperately against the current, half a dozen of them perhaps if they are taking up wupan, a couple of hundred if they are hauling a splendid junk, its square sail set, over a rapid.

沿河上下都可以聽見那歌聲。它響亮而有力，那是船夫，他們劃著木船順流向下，船尾翹得很高，桅桿系在船邊。它也可能是比較急促的號子，那是纖夫，他們拉纖逆流而上。如果拉的是小木船，也許就只五六個人;如果拉的是揚著橫帆的大船過急灘，那就要200來人。

On the junk, a man stands amidships beating a drum incessantly to guide their efforts, and they pull with all their strength, like men possessed, bent double; and sometimes in the extremity of their travail they craw on the ground, on all fours, like the beasts of the field. They strain, strain fiercely, against the pitiless might of the stream.

船中央站著一個漢子不停地擊鼓助威，引導他們加勁。于是他們使出全部力量，像著了魔似的，腰彎成兩折，有時力量用到極限就全身趴在地上匍匐前進，像田里的牲口。

The leader goes up and down the line and when he sees one who is not putting all his will into the task he brings down his split bamboo on the naked back. Each one must do his utmost or the labour of all is vain. And still they sing a vehement, eager chant, the chant of the turbulent waters.

領(lǐng)頭的在纖繩前后跑來跑去，見到有人沒有全力以赴，竹板就打在他光著的背上。每個人都必須竭盡全力，否則就要前功盡棄。就這樣他們還是唱著激昂而熱切的號子，那洶涌澎湃的河水號子。

I do not know words can describe what there is in it of effort. It serves to express the straining heart, the breaking muscles, and at the same time the indomitable spirit of man which overcomes the pitiless force of nature. Though the rope may part and the great junk swing back, in the end the rapid will be passed; and at the close of the weary day there is the hearty meal...

我不知道詞語怎樣能描寫出其中所包括的拼搏，它表現(xiàn)的是繃緊的心弦，幾乎要斷裂的筋肉，同時也表現(xiàn)了人類克服無情的自然力的頑強精神。他們使勁，拼命使勁，對抗著水流無情的威力。雖然繩子可能扯斷，大船可能倒退，但最終險灘必將通過，在筋疲力盡的一天結(jié)束時可以痛快地吃上一頓飽飯…..

But the most agonizing song is the song of the coolies who bring the great bales from the junk up the steep steps to the town wall. Up and down they go, endlessly, and endless as their toil rises their rhythmic cry. He, aw --ah, oh. They are barefoot and naked to the waist. The sweat pours down their faces and their song is a groan of pain.

然而最令人難受的卻是苦力的歌，他們背負著船上卸下的大包，沿著陡坡爬上城墻。他們不停地上上下下，隨著無盡的勞動響起有節(jié)奏的喊聲：嗨，呦——嗬，嗨。他們赤著腳，光著背，汗水不斷地從臉上流下。

It is a sigh of despair. It is heart-rending. It is hardly human. It is the cry of souls in infinite distress, only just musical, and that last note is the ultimate sob of humanity. Life is too hard, too cruel, and this is the final despairing protest. That is the song of the river.

他們的歌是痛苦的失望的嘆息，聽來令人心碎，簡直不像是人的聲音。它是靈魂在無盡悲戚中的呼喊，只不過有著音樂的節(jié)奏而已。那終了的一聲簡直就是人性泯滅的低泣。生活太艱難、太殘酷，這喊聲正是最后絕望的這就是河之歌。

英語散文篇二

The Living Seas

The ocean covers three quarters of the earth's surface, produces 90 percentof allits life-supporting oxygen, and is the driving force behind the entireweather system. There are over 450 million cubic miles of sea water on theearth; and each cubic mile contains over 150 million tons of minerals.

So vast and so pervasive is the sea that if the earth's crust were made level,ocean water would form a blanket over 8,000 feet deep.

The oceans contribute immeasurably to the earth's life support system aswell as provide an untapped storehouse of food, minerals, energy, and ar-chaeological treasureAdvanced atmospheric diving suits permit researchers to descend to depthsof l,500 feet. Yet the ocean's average depth is greater than 12,000 feet. It is atthese depths that remarkable discoveries are being made, discoveries whichonly a short time ago would have been impossible.

In that depth, where darkness is absolute and pressure exceeds eight tons persquare inch, robotic submersibles have discovered enormous gorges, fourtimes deeper than the Grand Canyon Here, too, are volcanoes that vastlyoutnumber those on land. Landslides the size of Rhode Island have beenrecorded, as well as raging undersea storms that go completely unnoticed oitthe surface while dramatically rearranging the underwater landscapes.

And under these seas the largest single geological feature on earth hasbeen found-a mountain range that dwarfs the Himalayas. It's a range thatcovers nearly one quarter of the earth's surface.

All these discoveries have come from the exploration ofless than one-tenthof this undersea mountain range.

The earth is the only planet we know that has an ocean. The ocean is tlielargest feature on earth. Yet it's the one feature we know the least about. Weknow more about the moon 240,000 miles away than we know about thethree-fourths of the earth covered with water. Man has set foot on the moon,but not on the most remote part of the earth, 35,000 feet under the sea.

Technology is changing all that. It's literally parting the waves for today'sundersea explorers. And it's bringing about the opportunity to transformvision, curiosity and wonder into practical knowledge.

Properly managed as a tool to serve society, technology is the best hopefor overcoming economic and social problems facing people everywhere. Italways has been. The earliest relics of human life are tools. And our ancientancestors used these tools to understand and change the world around themand make it better. The same is true today.

The deep sea is the last frontier left to explore.

富有生命的海洋

海洋占地球表面四分之三。地球上維持生命的氧氣，90%產(chǎn)生于海洋，整個天氣體系變化的動力也是海洋。地球上的海水超過4億5千萬立方英里，每立方英里含有的礦物超過1億5千萬噸。

海洋如此廣大浩翰，如此分布遼闊，地球表層如果使之平整起來，那么海水可以形成深8，000多英尺的覆蓋層。

海洋對地球上的維持生命系統(tǒng)做出了不可估量的貢獻，同時又是一座尚未打開的寶庫，儲有食物、礦物、能源和具有很大考古價值的東西。

先進的常壓潛水衣可以使研究人員下沉到1，500英尺的深度。但海洋的平均深度超過12，000英尺。現(xiàn)在正是在這個深度才發(fā)現(xiàn)了驚人的情況，這些發(fā)現(xiàn)在不久以前是不可能辦到的。

這個深度的海中完全是漆黑一片，每平方英寸的壓力超過8噸，潛水機器人在這里發(fā)現(xiàn)了巨大的峽谷，比美國科羅拉多大峽谷深3倍。這里火山之多，大大超過陸地上的火山，也曾有過規(guī)模大到和羅得島一樣的山崩，還有猛烈的海底風暴，這種風暴在海面上一點也覺察不到，卻劇烈地改變著水下的景觀。 ，就在這些海洋中發(fā)現(xiàn)了地球上惟一的地質(zhì)構(gòu)成——一條使喜馬拉雅相形見絀的大山脈，這條山脈覆蓋了地球表面幾乎四分之一。

上述那些發(fā)現(xiàn)都是來自探索這條水下山脈不到十分之一的地區(qū)所見到的。

地球是我們所知有海洋存在的行星。海洋是地球構(gòu)成的部分，而正是這部分我們知道得最少，這一覆蓋地球四分之三的水域我們所知的情況還不如我們對遠離地球24萬英里的月球所知道的多。

人類已涉足月球，但對海面以下3萬5千英尺地球最深邃的地方卻從未涉足過。

技術(shù)正在改變這一切，它正在劈波斬浪為今日的水下探索者開路。它正在創(chuàng)造機會使幻想、求知欲和高深莫測的事情轉(zhuǎn)化成實實在在的知識。

把技術(shù)當作服務于社會的工具適當?shù)丶右哉莆眨褪强朔鞯厝嗣袼媾R的經(jīng)濟與社會問題的希望所在。技術(shù)歷來都是如此。

人類生活的最早遺物就是工具。我們遠古的祖先使用那些工具來認識世界改造、世界使之日趨完善。今天的情況也還是如此。

深海是尚待探索的最后一個領(lǐng)域。

英語散文篇三

It happened in one of those picturesque Danish taverns that cater to tourists and where English is spoken. I was with my father on a business-and-pleasure trip, and in our leisure hours we were having a wonderful time.

“It’s a pity your mother couldn’t come,” said Father. “It would be wonderful to show her around.”

He had visited Denmark when he was a young man. I asked him, “How long is it since you were here?”

“Oh, about 30 years. I remember being in this very inn, by the way.” He looked around, remembering. “Those were gracious days—” He stopped suddenly, and I saw that his face was pale. I followed his eyes and looked across the room to a woman who was setting a tray of drinks before some customers. She might have been pretty once, but now she was stout and her hair was untidy. “Do you know her?” I asked..

“I did once,” he said.

The woman came to our table. “Drinks?” she inquired.

“We’ll have beer,” I said. She nodded and went away.

“How she has changed! Thank heaven she didn’t recognize me,” muttered Father mopping his face with a handkerchief. “I knew her before I ever met your mother, “he went on. “I was a student, on a tour. She was a lovely young thing, very graceful. I fell madly in live with her, and she with me.”

“Does Mother know about her?” I blurted out, resentfully.

“Of course,” Father said gently. He looked at me a little anxiously. I felt embarrassed for him.

I said, “Dad, you don’t have to-“

“Oh, yes, I want to tell you. I don’t want you wondering about this. Her father objected to our romance. I was a foreigner. I had no prospects, and was dependent on my father. When I wrote Father that I wanted to get married he cut off my allowance. And I had to go home. But I met the girl once more, and told her I would return to America, borrow enough money to get married on, and come back for her in a few months.”

“We know,” he continued, “that her father might intercept a letter, so we agreed that I would simply mail her a slip of paper with a date on it, the time she was to meet me at a certain place; then we’d married. Well, I went home, got the loan and sent her the date. She received the note. She wrote me:” I’ll be there.” But she wasn’t. Then I found that she had been married about two weeks before, to a local innkeeper. She hadn’t waited.”

Then my father said,” Thank God she didn’t. I went home, met your mother, and we’ve been completely happy. We often joke about that youthful love romance.”

The woman appeared with our beer.

“You are from America?” she asked me.

“Yes,” I said.

She beamed. “A wonderful country, America.”

“Yes, a lot of your countrymen have gone there. Did you ever think of it?”

“Not me. Not now,” she said. “I think so one time, a ling time ago. But I stay here. It much better here.”

We drank our beer and left. Outside I said,” Father, just how did you write that date on which she was to meet you?”

He stopped, took out an envelope and wrote on it. “Like this,” he said. “12/11/73, which was, of course, December 11, 1973.”

“No!” I exclaimed. “It isn’t in Denmark or any European country. Over here they write the day first, then the month. So that date wouldn’t be December 11 but the 12th of November!”

Father passed his hand over his face. “So she was there!” he exclaimed. “And it was because I didn’t show up that she got married.” He was silent a while. “Well,” he said., “I hope she’s happy. She seems be.”

As we resumed walking I blurted out, “It is a lucky thing it happened that way. You wouldn’t have met Mother.”

He put his arm around my shoulders, looked at me with a heart-warming smile, and said, “I was doubly lucky, young fellow, for otherwise I wouldn’t have met you, either!”

【參考譯文】

事情發(fā)生在丹麥的一個富有畫意的客棧里。這種客棧專逢迎游客，通用英語。我和父親這次旅行也是辦事，也游樂，空閑的時候，玩得很痛快。

父親說：“可惜你 媽不能來。如果能帶她來逛逛，多好。”

父親年輕時到過丹麥。我問他，“從你上次來，有多久了?”

“哦，差不多三十年了。我記得那時就住在這家小客棧里。”

父親四下望望，回憶道：“那些日子真美……”他忽然住口不言，臉色轉(zhuǎn)白。我順著他的眼光看去，只見房間那邊有個女人正端著托盤在客人面前上酒。她從前可能很美，但是現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)發(fā)胖，頭發(fā)也很亂。我問父親：“你認識她嗎?”

他說：“從前認識。”

女人走到我們的桌前。問道“要酒嗎?”

我說：“我們要啤酒。”她點點頭，去了。

父親掏出手巾擦額，低聲說道：“她真變了!謝天謝地，幸而她沒認出我來。我認識她在你的媽媽之前，那時候我是學生，假期旅行到這里。她年輕漂亮，非常可愛。我愛她到了極點，她也愛我。”

我很不高興地沖口問道：“媽曉得她的事嗎?”

“當然知道。”父親略感不安地望著我。我都替他難為情。

我說：“爸爸，你用不著……”

“哦，我要告訴你，我不要你亂猜。她的父親反對我們相愛。我是外國人，又沒有好前途，還要依靠父親。我寫信給父親說要結(jié)婚，父親就不寄錢來。我只好回家。但是我又和她見了一次面，告訴她我要回美國去借結(jié)婚的錢，過幾個月就來找她。”

“我們知道，”他接著說，“她父親可能會拆看我們的信件，所以商量好我只寄給她一張紙，上面寫個日期，那是要她在某處和我見面的時間，然后我們就結(jié)婚。后來我回家去，借到錢把日期寄給她。”

“她收到了信，回信道，‘我準來。’但是她沒來。后來我才知道她已在兩個星期前嫁給一位當?shù)乜蜅５睦习辶恕Ｋ龥]有等我。”

父親又說：“感謝上帝，她沒有等我，我回家去，遇見了你 媽媽，我們始終極為快樂。常把這一段年輕時的戀愛作為笑談。”

那個女人把啤酒送到我們面前。

她問我：“你們從美國來的嗎?”

我說：“是的。”

她笑道：“美國是好地方。”

“是的。那邊有許多你們的同胞。你有沒有想過要去?”

她說：“我不想，現(xiàn)在不想。我想過一次，那是很久以前的事了，但是我留在了此地。此地好得多。”

我們喝完啤酒就出來。一出客棧，我就問父親：“爸，你叫她等你的日期到底是怎樣寫的?”

他停下來，拿出一個信封，在上面寫了幾個字。他說：“這樣寫的，12/11/13，這當然是1913年12月11日。”

我叫道：“不對!在丹麥和歐洲任何國家都不是這樣寫的!他們先寫日子，后寫月份。所以那個日期不是12月11日，而是11月12日!”

父親抬起手摸了摸臉，叫道“那么她是去過了!因為我沒有到，所以她嫁了別人!”他沉默了一會兒，說道：“也好。我希望她快樂，她似乎很快樂。”

我們再往前走時，我又沖口說：“幸而如此，不然你不會遇見媽媽。”

父親伸手摟著我的肩膀，很溫暖地向我笑道：“小伙子，我是錦上添花，要不然我也不會有你了。”

英語散文篇四

The Blanket

By Floyd Dell

Petey hadn’t really believed that Dad would be doing It — sending Granddad away. “Away” was what they were calling it.Not until now could he believe it of his father.

But here was the blanket that Dad had bought for Granddad, and in the morning he’d be going away. This was the last evening they’d be having together. Dad was off seeing that girl he was to marry. He would not be back till late, so Petey and Granddad could sit up and talk.

It was a fine September night, with a silver moon riding high. They washed up the supper dishes and then took their chairs out onto the porch. “I’ll get my fiddle,” said the old man, “and play you some of the old tunes.”

But instead of the fiddle he brought out the blanket. It was a big double blanket, red with black stripes.

“Now, isn’t that a fine blanket!” said the old man, smoothing it over his knees. “And isn’t your father a kind man to be giving the old fellow a blanket like that to go away with? It cost something, it did—look at the wool of it! There’ll be few blankets there the equal of this one!”

It was like Granddad to be saying that. He was trying to make it easier. He had pretended all along that he wanted to go away to the great brick building—the government place. There he’d be with so many other old fellows, having the best of everything. . . . But Petey hadn’t believed Dad would really do it, not until this night when he brought home the blanket.

“Oh, yes, it’s a fine blanket,” said Petey. He got up and went into the house. He wasn’t the kind to cry and, besides, he was too old for that. He’d just gone in to fetch Granddad’s fiddle.

The blanket slid to the floor as the old man took the fiddle and stood up. He tuned up for a minute, and then said, “This is one you’ll like to remember.”

Petey sat and looked out over the gully. Dad would marry that girl. Yes, that girl who had kissed Petey and fussed over him, saying she’d try to be a good mother to him, and all. . . .

The tune stopped suddenly. Granddad said, “It’s a fine girl your father’s going to marry. He’ll be feeling young again with a pretty wife like that. And what would an old fellow like me be doing around their house, getting in the way? An old nuisance, what with my talks of aches and pains. It’s best that I go away, like I’m doing. One more tune or two, and then we’ll be going to sleep. I’ll pack up my blanket in the morning.”

They didn’t hear the two people coming down the path. Dad had one arm around the girl, whose bright face was like a doll’s. But they heard her when she laughed, right close by the porch. Dad didn’t say anything, but the girl came forward and spoke to Granddad prettily: “I won’t be here when you leave in the morning, so I came over to say good-bye.”

“It’s kind of you,” said Granddad, with his eyes cast down. Then, seeing the blanket at his feet, he stooped to pick it up. “And will you look at this,” he said. “The fine blanket my son has given me to go away with.”

“Yes,” she said. “It’s a fine blanket.” She felt the wool and repeated in surprise, “A fine blanket—I’ll say it is!” She turned to Dad and said to him coldly, “That blanket really cost something.”

Dad cleared his throat and said, “I wanted him to have the best. . . .”

“It’s double, too,” she said, as if accusing Dad.

“Yes,” said Granddad, “it’s double—a fine blanket for an old fellow to be going away with.”

17 The boy went suddenly into the house. He was looking for something. He could hear that girl scolding Dad. She realized how much of Dad’s money—her money, really—had gone for the blanket. Dad became angry in his slow way. And now she was suddenly going away in a huff. . . .

As Petey came out, she turned and called back, “All the same, he doesn’t need a double blanket!” And she ran off up the path.

Dad was looking after her as if he wasn’t sure what he ought to do.

“Oh, she’s right,” Petey said. “Here, Dad”—and he held out a pair of scissors. “Cut the blanket in two.”

Both of them stared at the boy, startled. “Cut it in two, I tell you, Dad!” he cried out. “And keep the other half.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Granddad gently. “I don’t need so much of a blanket.”

“Yes,” the boy said harshly, “a single blanket’s enough for an old man when he’s sent away. We’ll save the other half, Dad. It’ll come in handy later.”

“Now what do you mean by that?” asked Dad.

“I mean,” said the boy slowly, “that I’ll give it to you, Dad— when you’re old and I’m sending you—away.”

There was a silence. Then Dad went over to Granddad and stood before him, not speaking. But Granddad understood. He put out a hand and laid it on Dad’s shoulder. And he heard Granddad whisper, “It’s all right, son. I knew you didn’t mean it. . . .” And then Petey cried.

But it didn’t matter—because they were all crying together.

【中文譯文】：

一床雙人毛毯

(美) 弗羅伊德?戴爾

晴朗的九月的夜晚，銀色的月光灑落在溪谷上。此時，十一歲的彼得沒有觀賞月亮，也沒感覺到微微的涼風吹進廚房。他的思緒全在廚房桌上那條紅黑相間的毛毯上。那是爸爸送給爺爺?shù)碾x別禮物。他們說爺爺要走。他們是這么說的。

彼得不相信爸爸真會把爺爺送走。可是現(xiàn)在離別禮物都買好了。爸爸今天晚上買的。今晚是他和爺爺在一起的最后一個晚上了。

吃完晚飯，爺孫倆一塊洗碗碟，爸爸走了，和那個就要與他成親的女人一起走的，不會馬上回來。洗完碗碟，爺孫走出屋子，坐在月光下。

“我去拿口琴來給你吹幾支老曲子。”爺爺說。一會兒，爺爺從屋里出來了，拿來的不是口琴，而是那床毛毯。

那是條大大的雙人毛毯。“這毛毯多好!”老人輕撫著膝頭的毛毯說，“你爸真孝，給我這老家伙帶這么床高級毛毯走。你看這毛，一定很貴的。以后冬天晚上不會冷了。那里不會有這么好的毛毯的。”

爺爺總這么說，為了避免難堪，他一直裝著很想去政府辦的養(yǎng)老院的樣子，想象著，離開溫暖的家和朋友，去哪個地方與許多其他老人一起共度晚年。可彼得從沒想到爸爸真會把爺爺送走，直到今晚看到爸爸帶回這床毛毯。

“是床好毛毯，”彼得搭訕著走進小屋。他不是個好哭的孩子，況且，他已早過了好哭鼻子的年齡了。他是進屋給爺爺拿口琴的。

爺爺接琴時毛毯滑落到地上。最后一個晚上了，爺孫倆誰也沒說話。爺爺吹了一會兒，然后說，“你會記住這支曲子。”

月兒高高掛在天邊，微風輕輕地吹過溪谷。最后一次了，彼得想，以后再也聽不到爺爺吹口琴了，爸爸也要從這搬走，住進新居了。若把爺爺一個人撇下，美好的夜晚自己獨坐廊下，還有什么意思!

音樂停了，有那么一會兒工夫，爺孫倆誰也沒說話。過了一會兒，爺爺說，“這只曲子歡快點。彼得坐在那怔怔地望著遠方。爸爸要娶那個姑娘了。是的，那個姑娘親過他了，還發(fā)誓要對他好，做個好媽媽。

爺爺突然停下來，“這曲子不好，跳舞還湊合。“怔了一會兒，又說，”你爸要娶的姑娘不錯。有個這么漂亮的妻子他會變年輕的。我又何必在這礙事，我一會兒這 病一會兒那疼，招人嫌呢。況且他們還會有孩子。我可不想整夜聽孩子哭鬧。不，不!還是走為上策呀!好，再吹兩支曲子我們就覺，睡到明天早晨，帶上毛 毯走人。你看這支怎么樣?調(diào)子有些悲，倒很合適這樣的夜晚呢。“

他們沒有聽到爸爸和那個瓷美人正沿溪谷的小道走來，直到走近門廊，爺孫倆才聽到她的笑聲，琴聲嘎然而止。爸爸一聲沒吭，姑娘走到爺爺跟前恭敬地說：“明天早晨不能來送您，我現(xiàn)在來跟您告別的。“

“謝謝了，“爺爺說。低頭看著腳邊的毛毯，爺爺彎腰拾起來，“你看，”爺爺局促地說，“這是兒子送我的離別禮物。多好的毛毯!”

“是不錯。”她摸了一下毛毯，“好高級呀!”她轉(zhuǎn)向爸爸，冷冷地說，“一定花了不少錢吧。”

爸爸支吾著說，“我想給他一床的毛毯。”“哼，還是雙人的呢。”姑娘沒完地糾纏毛毯的事。

“是的，”老人說，“是床雙人毛毯。一床一個老家伙即將帶走的毛毯。”彼得轉(zhuǎn)身跑進屋。他聽到那姑娘還在嘮叨毛毯的昂貴，爸爸開始慢慢動怒。姑娘走了，彼得出屋時她正回頭沖爸爸喊“甭解釋，他根本用不著雙人毛毯。”爸爸看著她，臉上有種奇怪的表情。

“她說得對，爸爸，”彼得說，“爺爺用不著雙人毛毯。爸爸，給!”彼得遞給爸爸一把剪刀，“把毛毯剪成兩塊。”

“好主意，”爺爺溫和地說，“我用不著這么大的毛毯。”

“是的，”彼得說，“老人家送走時給床單人毛毯就不錯了。我們還能留下一半，以后遲早總有用處。”

“你這是什么意思?”爸爸問。

“我是說，”彼得慢騰騰地說，“等你老了，我送你走時給你這一半。”

大家都沉默了。好半天，爸爸走到爺爺面前呆呆地，沒有一句話。爺爺望著兒子喃喃地說：“沒關(guān)系，孩子，我知道你不是這么想的……我知道……”這時，彼得哭了。

但沒什么，因為爺爺，爸爸都哭了，哭成了一團……

英語散文篇五

Promise of Bluebirds

The Pennsylvania-landscape was in severe wintry garb as our car sped westover the interstate Ul The season was wrong, butI couldn't get bluebirds outof my head.

Only three weeks before, at Christmas, Dad had given me a nesting box he'dmade: He had a special feeling for the brilliant creatures, and each spring heeagerly awaited their return. Now I wondered, will he ever see one again?

It was a heart attack. Dad's third.

When I got to the hospital at 2 a.m., he was losing the fight. As the familyhovered at his bedside, he drifted in and out of consciousness.

Once he looked up at.Mom sitting beside the bed holding his hand. "Theywant me to let go," he said, ':but I can't. I don't want to."Mom patted his arm. "Just hold on to me," she murmured.

The next morning the cardiologist met us in the waiting room. "He's stillfighting,"the doaor said. "I've never seen such strengthMy youngest brother was only five when Ileft home 30 years ago. Relation-ships between my brothers- and sisters had become -frayed because of dis-tance and commitments to our own families. But Dad needed his childrennow, so we stayed at the hospital. During the long vigil, we reminisced aboutour years at home.

A miner, Dad had not had an easy life. He and Mom raised six kids at a timewhen coal miners eamed as little as 25 cents a ton, and he loaded nine tonsa day. Even now, I'm sure we don't know most of the sacrifices they madefor us.

I remembered Dad's hard hat, its carbide lamp showing a fine pall of coaldust. Dad's graygreen eyes seemed large and wise as an owl's in his black-ened face. They often sparkled with devilment when they met yours inconversation. .

Each evening he came home, eager to take up his crosscut saw or clawhammer. Dad could chock a piece of walnut on his lathe and deffly tum outa beautiful salad bowl for Mom. He could build a cherry fold-top desk withfine, dovetailed drawers as easily as he could fashion a fishing-line threaderout of an old ballpoint pen.

Dad bought our plain, two-story house from the coal company and immedi~ately began to remodel it. Our house was the first on the hill to have anindoor bathroom and hot water. He spent one summer digging out the clay-filled foundation to install a coal furnace. We children no longer shivered inour bed-rooms on cold winter mornings.

We loved to watch him work. When Dad needed something, we ran to getit. If we called it a "thingamabob he would say, "That's a nail set" (thetool for sinking the head of a nail below the surface of the wood). "It has aname. Use it."Dad carried a spirit of craftsmanship into every job and expeaed the samefrom all six children. Each job had its claim on your best efforts. And evertool had its name. Those were his principles, and we lived by them just aSDad did.

His playful spirit would set us to giggling-like the time he was buildingfireplace in the back yard. He sent us to look for the "stone-bender" he needeto make the comer stones fit more evenly. "Guess I'll have to bend theiamyself," he said when we retumed empty-handed. We saw the sparkle in.bijeyes, and knew we'd been had.

Sitting in the hospitalwaitting room, I thought back to an afteon in Dad'sworkshop several years ago..He was retired by then, but he kept busy building beautiful furniture, now for his children's homes. A volunteer naturalist,I was eager to tell him about the help bluebirds needed.

When the early settlers had cleared forests for farmland, I explained, blueLbirds flourished, nesting in fence-posts and orchard trees. But their habitatwas disappearing, and now the birds needed nesting boxesDad listened as-I spoke, his hands gently moving a finegrained sand-paperover a piece of oak. I asked him if he would like to build a box. He said hewould think about it.

Several weeks later he invited me into his workshop. There, on his workbench,sat three well-crafted bluebird nesting boxes. "Think the birds willlike themT'

he asked.

"As much as I do,"I replied, hugging him. Dad put up the boxes, and thenext spring bluebirds nested in his yard. He was hooked.

Dad became quite an expert on the species. Bluebirds, he would say, areharbingers of hope and triumph, renowned for family loyalty. A pair willhave two or three broods a year, the earlier young sometimes helping to feedthe later nestlings.

The presence of his children must have boosted Dad's spirits after his attackbecause he grew stronger and left the hospital on Valentine's Day WhenI visited my parents at the end of March, Dad was confined to the downstairs.

But I noticed that he paused longer and longer at the windows facing theback yard. I knew what he was hoping to see. And one day a bright flash ofcolor circled the nesting box closest to our house.

"Well, it's about time the rascals showed, don't you think?" Dad said.

Sporting a resplendent blue head, back, wings and tail, a male bluebird sanghis courtship song so passionately that we dubbed him "Caruso," after theItalian tenor. A female appeared, but rejected the nesting box. Caruso foundanother in the field below the yard. He circled the new box, singing feverishly.

She remained aloof on a distant perch.

Dad was walking more and more each day as the love story unfolded. Icould see strength coming back into his wiry frame.

One day Caruso battled a rival for the female's attentions. Then she foughtan even more vehement battle with another female. Afterward she resumedher haughty. stance while he fervently continued with his rapturous repertoire.

Suddenly one exquisite morning, when the sky mirrored Caruso's courtingraiment, she flew back to the box nearest the house and inspected itthoroughly. Caruso hovered nearby and sang blissfully as she finally acceptedhim.

Shortly thereafter she proceeded to lay one egg a day until there were six.

Caruso fluttered outside, defending the nest while she incubated.

Dad was now well enough to go outside, but he still couldn't reach the back-yard. He asked us to check inside the nesting box once a day. When we'dreturn, the questions came. "Is she on the nest?" he asked. "Have the eggshatched? Did you see that showboat what's-his-name?""Caruso, Dad," I replied. "He has a name, you know." Dad's sly grin re:

flected the devilment that had returned to his eyes.

When the eggs hatched, we marveled at the herculean efforts Caruso andhis mate expended to capture insects for their brood. Nestlings must be fedevery 20 minutes.

Near the end of May, the fledglings left the nest. By then Dad was able towalk to the fields beyond and see what other bluebird news there might be.

Mom and I would watch him from the kitchen window. "He gave some-thing to those bluebirds," she said quietly one day. "Now they've given itback."

藍知更鳥的希望

我們的汽車奔馳西行越過州界，賓夕法尼亞州一派嚴冬景象，時令不正常，可是我對藍知更鳥一直不能忘懷。

就在三周前圣誕節(jié)那天，爸爸把他自己制作的一個鳥巢箱給了我。他對這些色彩鮮艷的小生靈懷有特殊的感情，每年春天他都熱切地期待它們歸來。現(xiàn)在，我不知道他是否還能再見到一只。

心臟病發(fā)作，這是爸爸第三次犯病了。

凌晨兩點我到了醫(yī)院，他渾身癱軟無力，家人守候在床邊，他時而失去知覺，時而神志清醒。

有一次，他抬頭望著坐在床邊握著他手的媽媽說：“他們想要我松手，可是我不能松，我不想松。”

媽媽拍著他胳膊低聲說：“攥住我吧。”

第二天早晨，心病學專家?候診室遇見我們，這位大夫說：“他仍在搏斗，我從來沒有見過意志這樣堅強的。”

30年前我離開家的時候，最小的弟弟才五歲。后來因為我們居住相距甚遠，而且都忙于自己的小家庭，所以兄弟姊妹之間的關(guān)系不夠親近。但是如今爸爸需要他的孩子們，因此我們來到醫(yī)院，在長時間守夜期間，我們回憶起在家時的歲月。

爸爸，一名礦工，以前沒有過安逸的生活。他和媽媽養(yǎng)育六個小孩，而當時煤礦工人收入非常低，生產(chǎn)一噸煤炭只掙25美分，他一天要挖九噸。就是現(xiàn)在，我肯定我們也不知道他們?yōu)槲覀冏龀隽硕嗌贍奚?/p>

我記得爸爸質(zhì)地很硬的帽子，帽子上燃燒碳化物的照明燈上覆蓋著一層細細的煤炭粉末。在爸爸黝黑的面龐上，一雙灰綠的眼睛像貓頭鷹的眼睛一樣，顯得很大而充滿智慧。在交談時與你的目光相遇，他眼睛里經(jīng)常閃耀著惡作劇的神情。

每天傍晚他回到家，就饒有興致地拿起橫切鋸或爪形拔釘錘。他能在車床上卡上一塊胡桃木，熟練地給媽媽制作一個漂亮的盛色拉的碗。他能利用舊圓珠筆制作釣魚穿線用具，同樣能毫不費力地制作帶有精巧楔形榫抽屜的櫻桃木的、桌面可折疊書桌。

爸爸從煤炭公司買了一所簡易兩層樓住宅，然后立即進行改造。

我們這所住宅是小山上第一家設(shè)有室內(nèi)浴室和使用熱水的，他用了一個夏季的時間挖掘全都是粘土的地基，裝起了煤爐，冬天寒冷的早晨，我們孩子們在臥室里再也不凍得發(fā)抖了。

我們喜歡看著他干活，爸爸需要什么東西，我們跑著去取，如果我們把那件東西叫作“某東西”，他總說：“那是敲釘子的工具(把釘子楔進木頭里的工具)”，“它有個名字，叫它的名字。”

爸爸干什么活兒都講究技藝，而且希望所有六個孩子也同樣做。

每一件活兒都要求你盡努力，并且每件工具都有名稱。這些是他的原則，正如爸爸按照這些原則辦事一樣，我們也按照這些原則辦事。

他愛開玩笑的態(tài)度常使我們咯咯發(fā)笑。像那一次，他在后院修建壁爐，派我們?nèi)ふ宜枰乃^石頭折彎機，以便把邊角石塊砌得更平穩(wěn)。我們空手而回，他說：“看來我只得自己把石頭弄彎嘍。”我們看到他眼睛里閃耀的神色，于是知道我們受騙了。

我坐在醫(yī)院候診室里，回想起幾年前在爸爸車間里的一個下午，那時他已經(jīng)退休，但是還不斷地忙著制造漂亮家具，是給他幾個孩子家里制作的,作為一個自愿研究動物的人，我迫切地要把藍知更鳥需要的幫助告訴他.

我解釋道，早來的移民砍伐森林開墾農(nóng)田的時候，1藍知更鳥就成群結(jié)認地在籬笆樁和果園樹上筑巢，但是它們酣棲息衄越來越少，如今，藍知更鳥急切需我沈話時爸爸著，向手接住二張細粒沙紙在二塊櫟來上輕輕地摩擦，我問他是否愿意制作巢箱，他說他愿意考慮。

幾個星期后，他邀請我到車間去，在工作臺上放著三個制作精巧的藍知更鳥巢箱。“你認為鳥兒喜歡它們嗎?”他問道。 …“像我一樣，非常喜歡。”我緊緊擁抱著他回答說。爸爸支架起巢箱，于是第二年春天藍知更鳥便在他院里落了戶，而他也迷上了藍知更鳥。

爸爸成了這種鳥的行家里手，他常說藍知更鳥是希望和成功的預言者，它們家族成員的忠誠出了名，一對藍知更鳥一年下兩三窩蛋，早孵出的幼鳥有時幫助喂后來出殼的雛鳥。

爸爸犯病后他的孩子們都來了，這一定提高了他的情緒，所以他精力剛剛恢復就在情人節(jié)那天出院了。我于三月底去看望父母，爸爸被安置在樓下，可是我注意到，他在窗前向后院佇立的時間越來越長了。我知道他盼望看到什么。一天，有個色彩鮮明閃亮的東西，在緊靠我們房屋的巢箱周圍盤旋。

“喔，大概壞家伙們該露面了，你認為是不?”爸爸說。

一只雄藍知更鳥炫耀著華麗藍色的頭、背、翅膀和尾巴，唱著求愛的歌，他唱得那樣充滿感情，我們仿照意大利男高音歌手的名字給他起了綽號叫“卡魯索”。出來了一只雌鳥，但是她拒不進入巢箱。卡魯索發(fā)現(xiàn)另一只雌鳥在院子下方田地里，于是他圍繞著那個新巢箱狂熱地唱歌，可是她遠遠地停在棲木上。

隨著愛情故事的展開，爸爸一天天越來越能走路了，我看到他瘦長結(jié)實的身體逐漸強健起來。

有一天，卡魯索為了吸引雌鳥的注意和一個對手交戰(zhàn)。她卻同另一只雌鳥進行更加激烈的戰(zhàn)斗。后來，他使出渾身解數(shù)，繼續(xù)熱情地進行吸引對方的狂喜表演，她卻恢復了傲慢的姿態(tài)。

突然，一個氣候宜人的上午，天空中映出卡魯索求愛的衣飾，她飛回離房屋最近的巢箱，并且進行了徹底檢查。由于她終于接受了他的要求，卡魯索在附近翩翩飛舞，極其快樂地唱著歌。

此后不久，她開始一天下一個蛋，直到下了六個，她孵蛋時卡魯索在外邊振翅保護巢箱。

這時爸爸已經(jīng)恢復到能走出房門，但是還不能走到后院。他要求我們一天檢查一次巢箱，我們回來時他提出許多問題，他問道：“她在窩里嗎?”“蛋孵化了嗎?…‘你們看見那個叫什?名字的家伙表演了嗎?”

卡魯索，爸爸，”我回答說，“你知道，他有名字。”爸爸滿臉滑稽地咧著嘴笑，他的眼睛里又表現(xiàn)出愛開玩笑的神情。

小鳥出殼后，卡魯索和他的配偶付出極其巨大的努力為幼鳥捉蟲，我們對此感到驚奇，幼鳥每20分鐘必須喂一次。

將近五月底，剛會飛的小鳥離開巢箱，那時爸爸能夠走到田野里更遠的地方，去看看其他藍知更鳥可能有什么新聞了。我和媽媽常從廚房窗口望著他。“他給了那些藍知更鳥一些東西，”有一天她輕輕地說，“現(xiàn)在他們已經(jīng)回報。”

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