名著精读:《小妇人》第四章:负担 第1节

"Oh, dear, how hard it does seem to take up our packs and go on," sighed Meg the morning after the party, for now the holidays were over, the week of merrymaking did not fit her for going on easily with the task she never liked.

“唉！又得背起担子往前走了，生活真是一种磨难，”晚会的第二天早上梅格这样叹息道。过节玩了一周，现在又要从事不喜欢的工作，她心里相当不情愿。

"I wish it was Christmas or New Year's all the time. Wouldn't it be fun?" answered Jo, yawning dismally.

“我但愿每天都过圣诞节或者过新年，那就好玩了，”乔说着懒洋洋地打了个呵欠。

"We shouldn't enjoy ourselves half so much as we do now. But it does seem so nice to have little suppers and bouquets, and go to parties, and drive home, and read and rest, and not work. It's like other people, you know, and I always envy girls who do such things, I'm so fond of luxury," said Meg, trying to decide which of two shabby gowns was the least shabby.

“我们能过上现在这种日子已经是三生有幸。但是如果能参加一些宴会舞会，有鲜花马车，每天读书休息，不用工作，那该有多么惬意。你知道有些人就有这样的福气，我总是羡慕这些女孩子，我这人就是向往奢华，”梅格说。她正在比较两条破旧不堪的长裙，看哪一条稍好一点。

"Well, we can't have it, so don't let us grumble but shoulder our bundles and trudge along as cheerfully as Marmee does. I'm sure Aunt March is a regular Old Man of the Sea to me, but I suppose when I've learned to carry her without complaining, she will tumble off, or get so light that I shan't mind her."

“毕竟我们没有这个福气，还是别发牢骚，挑起担子，像妈妈一样乐观地向前走吧。我肯定马奇婶婶就是我的冤家对头，但我想只要我学会忍受，不去埋怨，她就会被丢到脑后，或者变得微不足道。”

This idea tickled Jo's fancy and put her in good spirits, but Meg didn't brighten, for her burden, consisting of four spoiled children, seemed heavier than ever. She had not heart enough even to make herself pretty as usual by putting on a blue neck ribbon and dressing her hair in the most becoming way.

这主意让乔觉得挺好玩，心情也愉快起来，但梅格却不是很高兴，因为她的担子--四个宠坏了的孩子--现在显得异常沉重。她甚至没有心情像往常一样在领口打上蓝丝，也没有心绪对镜理妆。

"Where's the use of looking nice, when no one sees me but those cross midgets, and no one cares whether I'm pretty or not?" she muttered, shutting her drawer with a jerk. "I shall have to toil and moil all my days, with only little bits of fun now and then, and get old and ugly and sour, because I'm poor and can't enjoy my life as other girls do. It's a shame!"

“一天到晚都对着几个小捣蛋鬼，我打扮得这么漂亮有谁来看？又有谁来理会我漂亮不漂亮？”她咕哝道，把抽屉猛地一推关上，”我将终生劳碌，只能偶尔得到一点乐趣，逐渐变老变丑，变得尖酸刻薄，就因为我穷，不能像其他女孩子一样享受生活。这是个耻辱！”

So Meg went down, wearing an injured look, and wasn't at all agreeable at breakfast time. Everyone seemed rather out of sorts and inclined to croak.
　　
梅格说完走下去，脸上带着一种受伤的表情，吃早餐时也全无心绪。

ymaking n. 尽情欢乐，寻欢作乐

Come and join in the merrymaking.
来参加我们的狂欢。

ally adv. 阴暗地，沉闷地，忧郁地

by adj. 破旧的(低劣的)

She is none the less beautiful for her shabby clothing.
即使她衣衫褴褛，却仍然美丽。

ble v. 发牢骚，抱怨，轰鸣 n. 怨言，牢骚，轰隆声

They will grumble about having to do the work.
他们将为不得不干那项工作而抱怨。

ge n. 沉重的步伐 v. 沉重地走，蹒跚地走

He trudge three hour in the snow to get back home.
他在雪中跋涉三个钟点才回到家。

et n. 侏儒，极小者 adj. 极小的

v. 猛拉，猛推，急动 n. 猛拉，急动，颠簸 n. <俚> 蠢人，笨蛋

The knife was stuck but she pulled it out with a jerk.
那把刀子被卡住了，她猛地一拔，把它拔了出来。

【难句解析】shoulder bundle意思是“负起担子”；old man of the sea是“无法摆脱的纠缠不休的人”；

【句子翻译】毕竟我们没有这个福气，还是别发牢骚，挑起担子，像妈妈一样乐观地向前走吧。我肯定马奇婶婶就是我的冤家对头...