第6章 迷人的小溪

The Enchantment of Creeks

佚名 / Anonymous

Nearly everybody has a creek in his past， a conf？iding waterway that rose in the spring of youth. A park ranger’s voice softens as he talks of a boyhood creek in Louisiana where he swam and f？ished. A conservationist’s eyes sparkle as he recalls building dams on Strawberry Creek in California of his youth. An Ohio woman feels suddenly at home again as she remembers catching crayf？ish in the creek behind her parents’ house.

My creek would between Grandfather’s apricot orchard and a neighbor’s hillside pasture. Its banks were shaded by cottonwoods and redwood trees and a thick tangle of blackberries and wild grapevines. On hot summer days the quiet water f？lowed clear and cold over gravel bars where I f？ished for trout.

Nothing historic ever happens in these recollected creeks. But their persistence in memory suggests that creeks are bigger than they seem， more a part of our hearts and minds than mighty rivers.

Creek time is measured in the lives of strange creatures in sand-f？lecked caddis worms under the rocks， sudden gossamer clouds of mayf？lies in the afternoon， or minnows darting like slivers of inspiration into the dimness of creek fate. Mysteries f？loat in creeks under the roots of trees.

While rivers are heavy with sophistication and sediment， creeks are clear， innocent， boisterous， full of dream and promise. A child can wade across them without a parent’s cautions. You can go it alone， jig for crayf？ish， swing from ropes along the bank. Creeks belong to childhood， drawing you into the wider world， teaching you the curve of the earth.

Above all， a creek offers the mind a chance to penetrate the alien universe of water， of tadpoles and trout. What drifts in creek water is the possibility of other worlds inside and above our own. Poet Robert Frost wrote： “It f？lows between us， over us， and with us. And it is time， strength， tone， light， life， and love.”

几乎每个人的过去都有一条小溪，一条源于青春之泉、倾诉往事的小溪。公园护林员谈起自己小时候在路易斯安那的一条小溪上游泳、钓鱼时，声音变得柔和了；环保员回想起他在加利福尼亚的斯特罗伯利溪流上筑水坝的年轻岁月时，眼睛发出光芒；当一位俄亥俄州妇女想起自己在父母屋后的小溪里捉小虾时，顿感重返故里。

我的小溪在祖父家的杏树园与临近的山边草地之间蜿蜒流淌。小溪两岸覆盖着三角叶杨和红杉，浓密的黑莓和野葡萄藤交织在一起；酷暑时节，我坐在砾石滩上钓鳟鱼，清澈凉爽的溪流就从上面静静流过。

虽然，从来不曾有历史性的巨变发生这些平静的小溪上，但它们却在我们的记忆中永葆青春，预示着它们似乎比我们看到的更为宽广；在我们心目中的分量也比任何气势宏伟的江川更大。

小溪的时光是用溪流中奇妙的生灵——隐藏在岩石下的沙斑石蚕来计量的；午后出现的蜉蝣薄如云翼；鲤科小鱼如同闪闪灵光飞快地游向小溪深处。神秘之物漂浮在树根下的小溪上。

河流因其浑浊和沉积而显得沉重，但小溪却清澈见底、洁净无瑕、喧嚣吵闹，充满梦想和期待。孩子可以涉水而过，父母们完全可以放心。你也可以独自前往，欢快地捉虾米，在岸边挂起绳索荡秋千。小溪属于童年，引领你进入更宽广的世界，教你大地的蜿蜒。

最为重要的是，小溪能给心灵一个机会，去看看水中的另一个世界，走近蝌蚪和鳟鱼。溪水中的漂流之物可能是内部的另一个世界，超越了我们的世界。诗人罗伯特·弗罗斯特曾写道：“它在我们之间流淌，超越我们，与我们同在。它是时间、力量、乐章、光芒、生命和爱。”

记忆填空

1. My creek would Grandfather’s apricot orchard and a neighbor’s hillside pasture. Its banks were shaded cottonwoods and redwood trees and a thick tangle of blackberries and wild grapevines. On summer days the quiet water f？lowed clear and over gravel bars where I f？ished for trout.

2. A child can wade across them a parent’s cautions. You can go it ， jig for crayf？ish， swing from ropes along the bank. Creeks belong childhood， drawing you into the wider world， teaching you the curve of the .

佳句翻译

1. 几乎每个人的过去都有一条小溪，一条源于青春之泉、倾诉往事的小溪。

2. 酷暑时节，我坐在砾石滩上钓鳟鱼，清澈凉爽的溪流就从上面静静流过。

3. 河流因其浑浊和沉积而显得沉重，但小溪却清澈见底、洁净无瑕、喧嚣吵闹，充满梦想和期待。