LESSON 11 THE FISH I DID N’T CATCH 那條我沒釣到的魚

John Greenleaf Whittier was born near Haverhill, Mass., in 1807, and died at Hampton Falls, N.H., in 1892.His boyhood was passed on a farm, and he never received a classical education.In 1829 he edited a newspaper in Boston.In the following year he removed to Hartford, Conn., to assume a similar position.In 1836 he edited an antislavery paper in Philadelphia.In 1840 he removed to Amesbury, Mass.Mr.Whittier’s parents were Friends, and he always held to the same faith.He wrote extensively both in prose and verse.As a poet, he ranked among those most highly esteemed and honored by his countrymen.“Snow Bound” is one of the longest and best of his poems.

1.Our bachelor uncle who lived with us was a quiet, genial^[1] man, much given to hunting and fi shing; and it was one of the pleasures of our young life to accompany him on his expeditions to Great Hill, Brandy-brow Woods, the Pond, and, best of all, to the Country Brook.We were quite willing to work hard in the cornfield or the haying lot to finish the necessary day’s labor in season for an afternoon stroll through the woods and along the brookside.

2.I remember my first fishing excursion as if it were but yesterday.I have been happy many times in my life, but never more intensely so than when I received that fi rst fi shing pole from my uncle’s hand, and trudged off with him through the woods and meadows.It was a still, sweet day of early summer; the long afternoon shadows of the trees lay cool across our path; the leaves seemed greener, the fl owers brighter, the birds merrier, than ever before.

3.My uncle, who knew by long experience where were the best haunts^[2] of pickerel, considerately^[3] placed me at the most favorable point.I threw out my line as I had so often seen others, and waited anxiously for a bite, moving the bait in rapid jerks on the surface of the water in imitation of the leap of a frog.Nothing came of it.“Try again,” said my uncle.Suddenly the bait sank out of sight.“Now for it,” thought I; “here is a fi sh at last.”

4.I made a strong pull, and brought up a tangle of weeds.Again and again I cast out my line with aching arms, and drew it back empty.I looked at my uncle appealingly^[4].“Try once more,” he said; “we fi shermen must have patience.”

5.Suddenly something tugged at my line, and swept off with it into deep water.Jerking it up, I saw a fi ne pickerel wriggling in the sun.“Uncle!” I cried, looking back in uncontrollable excitement, “I’ve got a fi sh!” “Not yet,” said my uncle.As he spoke there was a plash in the water; I caught the arrowy gleam of a scared fi sh shooting into the middle of the stream, my hook hung empty from the line.I had lost my prize.

6.We are apt to speak of the sorrows of childhood as trifles in comparison with those of grown-up people; but we may depend upon it the young folks don’t agree with us.Our griefs, modified^[5] and restrained by reason, experience, and self-respect, keep the proprieties^[6], and, if possible, avoid a scene; but the sorrow of childhood, unreasoning and all-absorbing^[7], is a complete abandonment to the passion.The doll’s nose is broken, and the world breaks up with it; the marble rolls out of sight, and the solid globe rolls off with the marble.

7.So, overcome with my great and bitter disappointment, I sat down on the nearest hassock^[8], and for a time refused to be comforted, even by my uncle’s assurance that there were more fi sh in the brook.He refi tted my bait, and, putting the pole again in my hands, told me to try my luck once more.

8.“But remember, boy,” he said, with his shrewd smile, “never brag of catching a fi sh until he is on dry ground.I’ve seen older folks doing that in more ways than one, and so making fools of themselves.It’s no use to boast of anything until it’s done, nor then, either, for it speaks for itself.”

9.How often since I have been reminded of the fi sh that I did not catch.When I hear people boasting of a work as yet undone, and trying to anticipate^[9] the credit which belongs only to actual achievement^[10], I call to mind that scene by the brookside, and the wise caution of my uncle in that particular instance takes the form of a proverb of universal application: “NEVER BRAG OF YOUR FISH BEFORE YOU CATCH HIM.”

【中文閱讀】

1807年，約翰·格林利夫·惠蒂爾出生于美國馬薩諸塞州黑弗利爾市附近，1892年他在新罕布什爾州漢普頓大瀑布鎮(zhèn)去世。他的少年時(shí)期在農(nóng)場度過，從未接受過任何傳統(tǒng)教育。1829年，他在波士頓擔(dān)任一份報(bào)紙的編輯，翌年，他搬到康涅狄格州哈特福德市，仍舊從事編輯工作。1836年，他在費(fèi)城參與一份反奴隸制報(bào)紙的編輯工作。1840年，他又遷回馬薩諸塞州埃姆斯伯里市。惠蒂爾的父母是基督教公教會信徒，他也秉持同樣信念。他寫了大量的散文和詩歌，是美國最負(fù)聲望及受人愛戴的詩人之一，《大雪封門》是他篇幅最長、最受喜愛的一篇詩歌作品。

1.與我們?nèi)夜餐畹啮姺蚴迨宄聊蜒裕郧闇睾停鳙C或垂釣占據(jù)他生活中大多時(shí)光。跟隨他一起到處郊游遠(yuǎn)足，是我們年少時(shí)最大的樂趣之一，我們的足跡遍及格瑞特山、布蘭迪山坡樹林、大湖以及最讓我們?nèi)杠S歡呼的康瑞河。我們總是樂意在玉米田或干草垛邊努力干活，忙完這個(gè)季節(jié)里必要的當(dāng)天活計(jì)，就為了換來一個(gè)和他一起漫步樹林間或溪流旁的下午。

2.我清晰地記得我第一次釣魚遠(yuǎn)足的情形，恍若昨日發(fā)生的事情。在我一生中，曾有過許多幸福時(shí)光，但從沒有過比我第一次從叔叔手里接過釣魚竿時(shí)更強(qiáng)烈的喜悅。我將釣竿扛在背上，隨他穿過簇簇叢林，涉過翻飛草場，一路跋涉步履艱難。那時(shí)正值初夏，空氣中充滿了靜謐和芬芳，我們走在夏日午后漫長的樹蔭里，一路陰涼，葉子看起來比以往任何時(shí)候都更綠，野花更鮮艷，鳥兒也鳴啾得更為動聽。

3, 叔叔經(jīng)驗(yàn)豐富，深知梭魚出沒之地，他體貼地幫我選好上佳的垂釣地方。平日經(jīng)常觀看他人釣魚，我也學(xué)著別人模樣，甩出釣竿上的魚線， 然后焦急地等待著魚兒咬鉤，還不時(shí)模仿著青蛙蹦跳的姿勢，在水面上猛拽魚餌。許久，也沒見一條魚兒上鉤。“再試試。”叔叔對我叫道。突然，魚餌沉入水下。“有了，”我心頭一喜，“終于有魚兒咬鉤了！”

4.我猛然拉動魚竿，拽出的卻是纏成一團(tuán)的水草。我一次又一次將釣線甩入河中，手臂開始酸痛，卻仍然一無所獲。我用求救的眼神看了看叔叔。“再試一次，”他說，“釣魚的人需要格外有耐心。”

5.忽然，有東西拽住我的魚線，并扯著它往水里潛去。我猛地拉起魚竿，看見一條肥碩的梭魚在陽光下扭動著身子。“叔叔！”我高聲叫道，抑制不住滿心激動地扭頭看他。“我釣到了一條大魚！”“還沒這么早。”叔叔的話音未落，剎那間，水面濺起水花，我轉(zhuǎn)過頭，只見一道箭矢般的銀光劃過，這條驚慌的大魚筆直躍入水中。我手上的那柄釣竿上，只留下空空的餌鉤，我失去了我的戰(zhàn)利品。

6.成年以后，我們極易談及孩提時(shí)代的懊惱，與成年后的悲傷相比，盡管雞毛蒜皮，根本不值一提，但總會令人耿耿于懷。當(dāng)然，年輕人看來每每不以為然。成年后的悲痛，受到理性、經(jīng)驗(yàn)、自尊的修正和限制，要尊重社會的習(xí)俗傳統(tǒng)，如果可能的話，還要避免在別人面前出丑。然而，孩提時(shí)代缺乏理性，沉湎痛苦難以自拔，任由性情恣意崩潰和放縱。洋娃娃的鼻子破了，整個(gè)世界隨之破碎；石彈珠不知道滾到哪兒去了，整個(gè)天地也接著塌陷。

7.于是，我被強(qiáng)烈的苦澀失望所攫取，一屁股頹然癱坐在最近的草叢里。有那么一會兒，我根本不想聽到安慰，哪怕是我叔叔再三向我保證，河里還有很多魚。他重新裝好我的魚餌，把釣竿再次放在我的手里，囑咐我再試試手氣。

8.“但是，請記住，孩子，”他說著，臉上露出狡黠笑意，“直到魚兒躺在干燥的地面之前，都別吹噓你釣到了魚。我曾見過許多年紀(jì)比你大的人用各種方式吹噓自己還沒做到的事，結(jié)果只是當(dāng)眾出丑。記住，八字還沒有一撇的時(shí)候，吹噓是沒有意義的；哪怕事情成功以后，也沒必要吹噓，因?yàn)榈侥菚r(shí)，你所獲得的成就不言而喻。”

9.從那以后，我曾無數(shù)次想起這條我沒釣到的魚。當(dāng)我聽到人們吐沫四濺地夸口自己遙遙無期的奮斗目標(biāo)，幻想著成功唾手可得的時(shí)候，河邊釣魚的場景再度浮現(xiàn)。那時(shí)，叔叔曾用一句諺語，睿智地指點(diǎn)了我的人生：“在魚到手之前，絕不要吹噓自己釣到了魚。”

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【注釋】

[1] Genial, cheerful.

[2] Haunts, places frequently visited.

[3] Considerately, with due regard to others, kindly thoughtful.

[4] Appealingly, as though asking for aid.

[5] Modif ied, qualif ied, lessened.

[6] Proprieties, fixed customs or rules of conduct.

[7] Absorbing, engaging the attention entirely.

[8] Hassock, a raised mound of turf.

[9] Anticipate, to take before the proper time.

[10] Achievement, performance, deed.