一起学英语：夜莺与玫瑰（三）

Give me a red rose, and I will sing you my sweetest song.”能给我一朵鲜红的玫瑰吗？我为你唱我最甜美的歌。

今天的更文算是一个过渡，明天和后天会写到精彩部分。可能看起来比前两天要长，但是没有什么特别难的单词，大多是简单的对话，比较日常。部分单词翻译和部分在文末。

Suddenly, she spread her brown wings for flight, and soared into the air. She passed through the grove like a shadow, and like a shadow she saile across the garden.

In the center of the grass-plot was standing a beautiful Rose-tree, and when she saw it she flew over to it, and lit upon a spray (树枝).

“Give me a red rose,” she cried, “and I will sing you my sweetest song.”

But the Tree shook its head.

“My rouses are white,” it answered, “as white as the foam of the sea, and whiter than the snow upon the mountain. But go to my brother who grows round the old sun-dial (日晷), and perhaps he will give you what you want.”

So the Nightingale flew over to the Rose-tree that was growing round the old sun-dial.

“Give me a red rose,” she cried, “and I will sing you my sweetest song.”

But the Tree shook its head.

“My roses are yellow,” it answered, “as yellow as the hair of the mermaiden (美人鱼) who sits upon an amber (琥珀) throne, and yellowed than the daffodil (黄水仙) that blooms in the meadow (草地) before the mower (除草的人) comes with his scythe. But go to my brother who grows beneath the Student’s window, and perhaps he will give you what you want.”

So the Nightingale flew over to the Rose-tree that was growing beneath the Student’s window.

“Give me a red rose,” she cried, “and I will sing you my sweetest song.”

But the tree shook its head.

“My roses are red,” it answered, “as red as the feet of the feet of the dove, and redder than the great fans of coral (珊瑚) that wave and wave in the ocean-cavern. But the winter has chilled my veins, and the frost has nipped my buds, and the storm has broken my branches, and I shall have no roses at all this year.”

Spread: v.传播; sail: v. 航行; shake: v. 摇动 (shook是过去式);

My rouses are white, as white as the foam of the sea, and whiter than the snow upon the mountain. 我的玫瑰是白色的，白如海涛的泡沫，白如山巅上的积雪。

My roses are yellow, as yellow as the hair of the mermaiden who sits upon an amber throne, and yellowed than the daffodil that blooms in the meadow before the mower comes with his scythe. 我的玫瑰是黄色的，黄如琥珀座上美人鱼的头发，黄如盛开在草地未被割除的水仙。

My roses are red, as red as the feet of the feet of the dove, and redder than the great fans of coral that wave and wave in the ocean-cavern. 我的玫瑰是红色的，红如白鸽的脚趾，红如海底岩石下蠕动的珊瑚。

sweetest song，在文中出现了三次，每一次的翻译其实都不一样：最婉转的歌，最醉人的歌，最甜美的歌。可能这就是中文的魅力所在。