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Catalpa

文章来源：未知文章作者：enread 发布时间：2014-02-13 03:27 字体： [大中小]　进入论坛

(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Catalpa

Paul Mariani

In the patch-bright shadow of the flowering catalpa（梓树）,

limbs loam-streaked from struggling with the narrow

plank & cranky barrow I kept emptying into the maws

of cedar¹（雪松） boxes Mark was building, and stunned² too

with the heat & the black flies' stinging, I found myself

once more shouting, this time at John, my youngest,

over the all-important inconsequential, when Mark,

leaning on his ten-pound sledge,

decreed there'd be no fighting in his garden.

His quip caught me by surprise. No fighting

in the garden. Off limits to all squabbles（争吵）.

Fair enough. I tossed the keys to John & told him

to be careful, then turned to work again with Mark,

who knew more than me about how to build a garden

& could use the old man for his gofer.

I was willing. After all, we both wanted

garden boxes for his mother: boxes spilling over

with all those flowers a city boy can taste & see

even if he doesn't have their names by heart:

sunburst day's eye, blue bachelor button,

foxglove, pansy, pinkpurple phlox, petunia,

gladioli, iris³, closebudded copper⁴ mums and roses,

stippled lilies like the yellow-orange day & magenta⁵ tiger,

indian brush aflame with brilliant tongues of fire,

gentle lamb's ear & the giant blowfish spiny⁶ purple thistle,

as well as all those whose names I never knew

or have forgotten (though somewhere they are

written down & somewhere they exist).

Sure, it was all bare black soil now. Mere⁷ promise only.

On the gentle rolling slope old moss⁸ & thorny⁹ hedges,

then the clearing of the field with one tenth hope & nine tenths

back-break toil¹⁰. But she'd wanted flowers & we would

give her flowers, in handfuls flowers, from her husband

& her sons as in the mind's deep eye one could see

they would make her smile & smile & smile yet again.

At least in time. But here was Adam with a touch

of tendonitis（肌腱炎） flaring¹¹ in his elbow from the lifting,

& a son about his business in the unformed garden

dreaming flowers, dreaming green thoughts

in a graygreen place he might recover with his father.

He seemed to understand that if the old man

would only stand still long enough to listen

there might be flowers for his mother everywhere.

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收听单词发音

1 cedar
n.雪松，香柏(木)
参考例句：
The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。 She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

2 stunned
adj. 震惊的，惊讶的动词stun的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。 The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

3 iris
n.虹膜，彩虹
参考例句：
The opening of the iris is called the pupil.虹膜的开口处叫做瞳孔。 This incredible human eye,complete with retina and iris,can be found in the Maldives.又是在马尔代夫，有这样一只难以置信的眼睛，连视网膜和虹膜都刻画齐全了。

4 copper
n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的
参考例句：
The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。 Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

5 magenta
n..紫红色（的染料）；adj.紫红色的
参考例句：
In the one photo in which she appeared, Hillary Clinton wore a magenta gown.在其中一张照片中，希拉里身着一件紫红色礼服。 For the same reason air information is printed in magenta.出于同样的原因，航空资料采用品红色印刷。

6 spiny
adj.多刺的，刺状的；n.多刺的东西
参考例句：
This is the Asiatic ornamental shrub with spiny branches and pink blossoms.这就是亚洲的一种观赏灌木，具有多刺的枝和粉红色的花。 Stay away from a spiny cactus.远离多刺仙人掌。

7 mere
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。 It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

8 moss
n.苔，藓，地衣
参考例句：
Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。 He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

9 thorny
adj.多刺的，棘手的
参考例句：
The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。 The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。

10 toil
vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事
参考例句：
The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。 Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

11 flaring
a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的
参考例句：
A vulgar flaring paper adorned the walls. 墙壁上装饰着廉价的花纸。 Goebbels was flaring up at me. 戈塔尔当时已对我面呈愠色。

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