The Names of the Trees

时间：2016-05-17 06:45:08

（单词翻译:单击）

The Names of the Trees
Laura Kasischke
 
 
I passed this place once long ago 
 when a man lived here with his four 
 daughters, peacefully, it seemed. Those 
 
daughters took turns washing 
 dishes, doing laundry. Frothy pearls1 and 
 feathers in a sink. Soft 
 
socks, warm towels, folded, clean, in 
 closets, drawers, and baskets, and 
 on shelves. To me 
 
this was astonishing. The laundry 
 done by daughters! No 
 mother in the house at all. A weeping 
 
willow2 grew in their back- 
 yard, but it was not a symbol then. 
 It could not have been 
 
because this was the only tree 
 I knew the name of yet -- unless it was a tree 
 that bore familiar fruit. Like 
 
an apple tree, a mulberry. This 
 willow's branches did not seem to be 
 branches at all to me, but 
 
ribbons dangling3 loosely, tangling 
 girlishly. If there was any weeping, it 
 was inaudible to me. (Was 
 
I supposed to see it?) One 
 of the daughters was only 
 a year ahead of me, and she 
 
invited me (once) inside because 
 she wanted to play house with me. When 
 I confessed4 I wasn't sure what playing 
 
house might mean, this girl 
 said she would teach me. 
 She was Mother for this reason. 
 
I was the family dog. She 
 told me to eat Froot Loops 
 from a bowl on the kitchen floor 
 
while on my hands and knees. We 
 laughed when I couldn't do it. But when 
 I was Mother, she 
 
couldn't do it either. 
 That there was laughter! 
 A blue tablecloth5. 
 
Salt and pepper shakers shaped 
 like hands, which, put 
 together, appeared to pray. When 
 
I was thirsty, another daughter poured 
 a cup of water for me, pouring 
 water with such confidence it 
 
seemed to me that she 
 might have poured the first water 
 from the first tap. When, out 
 
of curiosity6, I went 
 into their bathroom and pretended to pee 
 I witnessed toilet paper printed with 
 
forget-me-nots, along with a little dish 
 that held a piece of pink soap in it. 
 And, when, after this, I couldn't sleep 
 
for three nights in a row, my 
 mother finally gave up 
 trying to comfort me.

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1 pearls 993533c4de223361ee7cd3be7404e68b     
n.珍珠( pearl的名词复数 )；珍品；人造珍珠；珠状物
参考例句：
  • a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
  • a string of pearls 一挂珍珠
2 willow bMFz6     
n.柳树
参考例句：
  • The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
  • The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。
3 dangling 4930128e58930768b1c1c75026ebc649     
悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口
参考例句：
  • The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果，那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
  • The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上，摇晃着他们的双腿。
4 confessed confessed     
adj. 众所周知的，公认的 动词confess的过去式和过去分词形式
参考例句：
  • She confessed to the murder. 她供认犯了谋杀罪。
  • He confessed to a priest that he had sinned. 他向神父忏悔他犯了罪。
5 tablecloth lqSwh     
n.桌布，台布
参考例句：
  • He sat there ruminating and picking at the tablecloth.他坐在那儿沉思，轻轻地抚弄着桌布。
  • She smoothed down a wrinkled tablecloth.她把起皱的桌布熨平了。
6 curiosity ByGxj     
n.好奇心，新奇的事物，珍品
参考例句：
  • He gave in to curiosity and opened my letter.他抑制不住好奇心，拆开了我的信。
  • The children are dying of curiosity to see what's in the parcel.孩子们出于好奇，迫不及待地想看看包裹中是什么东西。

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