钟渊
“Dingdong！ dingdong！” It sounds up from the “belldeep” in the OdenseAu. Every child in the old town of Odense， on the island of Funen， knows the Au， which washes the gardens round about the town， and flows on under the wooden bridges from the dam to the watermill. In the Au grow the yellow waterlilies and brown feathery reeds， the dark velvetyvelvety adj.像天鹅绒的， 柔软的 flag grows there， high and thick， old and decayed willows， slanting and tottering， hang far out over the stream beside the monks meadow and by the bleaching ground， but opposite there are gardens upon gardens， each different from the rest， some with pretty flowers and bowers like little dolls pleasure grounds， often displaying cabbage and other kitchen plants， and here and there the gardens cannot be seen at all， for the great elder trees that spread themselves out by the bank， and hang far out over the streaming waters， which are deeper here and there than an oar can fathom. Opposite the old nunnerynunnery n.女修道院， 尼姑庵 is the deepest place， which is called the “belldeep，” and there dwells the old water spirit， the “Aumann.” This spirit sleeps through the day while the sun shines down upon the water， but in starry and moonlit nights he shows himself. He is very old. Grandmother says that she has heard her own grandmother tell of him， he is said to lead a solitary life， and to have nobody with whom he can converse save the great old church Bell. Once the Bell hung in the church tower， but now there is no trace left of the tower or of the church， which was called St. Albans.
“叮当！叮当！”奥登斯钟渊那边传来了清脆的声音——是一条什么样的河？——奥登斯城的孩子们个个都知道，它绕着花园流过，从木桥下边，经过水闸流到水磨。河里生长着黄色的水浮莲，带棕色绒毛的芦苇，像绒一样的深褐色香蒲，又高又大；老朽绽裂的柳树，摇摇晃晃，歪歪扭扭，枝叶垂到水面修道院沼泽这边，垂到漂洗人的草地旁边。但是正对面却是一个挨着一个的花园，花园与花园又各不相同。有的有盛开的美丽花朵和供乘凉的亭子，整洁漂亮，就像玩具娃娃的小屋。有的园子里又全是白菜、青菜，或者根本就看不见园子，一大片接骨木丛的枝叶垂着盖住了流水，有些很深的河段，用桨都够不着底。老修女庵的外面最深，这地方叫做钟渊，河爷爷就住在那底下；白天太阳穿过水面射来的时候他睡大觉，到了月明星稀的夜里，他便出来了。他已经很老很老了。外祖母说，她从她的外祖母那儿就听说过他，他过着孤寂的生活，除了那口古老的大钟之外，连个和他说话的人都没有。那钟一度曾经挂在教堂顶上，现在，那座被叫做圣阿尔巴尼的教堂以及那钟塔，都已经不见踪影了。
“Dingdong！ dingdong！” sounded the Bell， when the tower still stood there， and one evening， while the sun was setting， and the Bell was swinging away bravely， it broke loose and came flying down through the air， the brilliant metal shining in the ruddyruddy adj.红的， 红润的v.(使)变红 beam.
“叮当！叮当！”钟塔还在的时候，钟就这样响。有一天傍晚，太阳落下去的时候，钟摇晃得厉害极了，挣断了索子，穿过天空飞了出去，那亮闪闪的铁在猩红的晚霞中十分耀眼。
“Dingdong！ dingdong！ Now Ill retire to rest！” sang the Bell， and flew down into the OdenseAu， where it is deepest， and that is why the place is called the “belldeep.”
“叮当！叮当！现在我要去睡觉了！”钟唱着，飞到了奥登斯河，落进了最深的河段，那块地方因此便被称做钟渊。
But the Bell got neither rest nor sleep. Down in the Aumanns haunt it sounds and rings， so that the tones sometimes piercepierce vt.刺穿， 刺破， 穿透， 突破， 深深感动 upward through the waters， and many people maintain that its strains forebode the death of some one， but that is not true， for the Bell is only talking with the Aumann， who is now no longer alone.
可是在那儿它并没有入睡，没有能得到休息。在河爷爷那里它仍在鸣响，这样，上面的许多人听到水下传来的钟声时，便说，这意思是有人要死掉了。可是，它鸣响并不是因为那个，不是的，是为了给河爷爷讲故事。河爷爷现在不再寂寞了。
And what is the Bell telling？ It is old， very old， as we have already observed， it was there long before grandmothers grandmother was born， and yet it is but a child in comparison with the Aumann， who is quite an old quiet personage， an oddity， with his hose of eelskin， and his scaly Jacket with the yellow lilies for buttons， and a wreath of reed in his hair and seaweed in his beard， but he looks very pretty for all that.
钟讲些什么呢？它老极了，老极了。有人说，外祖母的外祖母出生前许久许久就有它了。但是，按年龄，它在河爷爷面前还只不过是个孩子。河爷爷很老很老，安详、奇怪。他穿的是鳗鱼皮做的裤子，有鳞的鱼皮做的上衣。衣服上缀着黄色水浮莲的钮子，头发里有苇子，胡须上有浮萍，实在不好看。
What the Bell tells？ To repeat it all would require years and days， for year by year it is telling the old stories， sometimes short ones， sometimes long ones， according to its whim， it tells of old times， of the dark hard times， thus.
钟讲了些什么，要花整整一年才能重讲一遍。它总是滔滔不绝，常常在讲同一件事，一时长、一时短，全看它高兴。它讲古时候，讲艰难的世道，讲愚昧黑暗的时代。
“In the church of St. Alban， the monk had mounted up into the tower. He was young and handsome， but thoughtful exceedingly. He looked through the loopholeloophole n.枪眼， 望孔， 射弹孔 out upon the OdenseAu， when the bed of the water was yet broad， and the monks meadow was still a lake. He looked out over it， and over the rampart， and over the nuns hill opposite， where the convent lay， and the light gleamed forth from the nuns cell. He had known the nun right well， and he thought of her， and his heart beat quicker as he thought. Dingdong！ dingdong！”
“圣阿尔巴尼教堂那口钟悬在钟塔里，一位年轻英俊的修士爬上去了，他不像别人，他沉思着。他从钟楼空窗洞朝奥登斯河那边望去，那时河面很宽，沼泽还是湖，他朝那边望去，望着那绿色的护堤墙，望着那边的那‘修女坝子’，那儿有个修女庵，从庵里修女住的那间屋子的窗口透出了亮光。他先前对她很熟悉——他常常忆起往事，他的心因此便跳得特别厉害，——叮当！叮当！”
