最后一课TheLastClass

　　都德的《最后一课》相信大家都在课本上读过，故事借亚尔萨斯省一个小孩小弗朗士的自述，具体地描写一所小学所上的最后一堂法文课。作家回避了普法战争的正面战场，而把笔墨转向一幅极为平常的生活画面：小学生迟到，老师讲课、提问，习字，拼音练习，下课……描写极为冷静、客观、朴素，却极具感染力。我们就用这部名篇的英文译本来体会一下：

　　I WAS very late for school that morning， and I was terribly afraid of being scolded［责骂］， especially as Monsieur［法语：先生］ Hamel had told us that he should examine us on participles［分词］， and I did not know the first thing about them. For a moment I thought of staying away from school and wandering about the fields. It was such a warm， lovely day. I could hear the blackbirds whistling on the edge of the wood， and in the Rippert field， behind the sawmill［锯木厂］， the Prussians going through their drill. All that was much more tempting to me than the rules concerning participles； but I had the strength to resist， and I ran as fast as I could to school.

　　那天早晨，我去上学，去得非常晚，我好害怕被责骂，特别是，阿麦尔先生跟我们说过，他要考一考分词规则，而我连头一个字都不会。这时，在我的头脑里冒出了逃学、去田野跑一跑的念头。天气是那么暖和，那么晴朗！我听见乌鸦在小树林边鸣叫，普鲁士人正在锯木厂后面的里贝尔草地上操练。所有这一切都比分词规则更吸引我，但我还是顶住了诱惑，加快脚步向学校方向跑去。

　　As I passed the mayor’s office， I saw that there were people gathered about the little board on which notices were posted. For two years all our bad news had come from that board—battles lost， conscriptions［征兵］， orders from headquarters； and I thought without stopping：

　　“What can it be now？”

　　从村政府门前经过的时候，我看见许多人站在小布告栏前。这两年来，所有的坏消息，诸如吃败仗啦，征兵征物啦，还有普鲁士占领军司令部发布的命令啦，都是从那里来的。我边跑边想：“又有什么事吗？”

　　Then， as I ran across the square， Wachter the blacksmith， who stood there with his apprentice［学徒］， reading the placard［布告］， called out to me：

　　“Don’t hurry so， my boy； you’ll get to your school soon enough！”

　　I thought that he was making fun of me， and I ran into Monsieur Hamel’s little yard all out of breath.

　　当我跑着穿过广场的时候，正在布告栏前和徒弟一起看布告的瓦克特尔铁匠朝我高喊：“小家伙，不用赶得那么急；你去得再晚也不会迟到的！”我以为他在跟我开玩笑，便上气不接下气地跑进阿麦尔先生的小教室。

　　Usually， at the beginning of school， there was a great uproar［喧嚣］ which could be heard in the street， desks opening and closing， lessons repeated aloud in unison［一致］， with our ears stuffed in order to learn quicker， and the teacher’s stout ruler beating on the desk：

　　“A little more quiet！”