The Worst Sea This Year
今年最恶劣的海况
Grace saw them first.
格蕾丝最先发现了他们。
Her mother was cooking breakfast in the kitchen, and her father was turning off the lantern.
她的母亲正在厨房做早餐，父亲则刚关掉灯塔的灯。
Grace was still looking out of her window through the telescope.
格蕾丝仍在透过窗户用望远镜向外眺望。
For a second she saw a man on top of the rock, then she could not see him behind the waves.
有一瞬间她看到岩石顶上站着一个人，但随即他就被海浪吞没了。
But a minute later she saw him again — and there were two men this time.
但一分钟后她又看到了他——这次是两个人。
They stood together and waved wildly.
他们站在一起拼命挥手。
Then the rain came, and she could see nothing.
接着大雨倾盆而下，她什么也看不见了。
But perhaps there were four, or five?
但也许有四个人，或者五个？
She put down the telescope and called her father.
她放下望远镜，大声呼唤父亲。
‘Father, come quick! There are men on the rock! They are still alive!’
“爸爸，快来！岩石上有人！他们还活着！”
William Darling ran into the room.
威廉·达林跑进房间。
He saw them.
他看到了那些人。
He put down the telescope and looked at his daughter.
他放下望远镜，看着女儿。
‘We must go, lass,’ he said quietly. ‘You and I. We must take the boat and save them. Will you come?’
“我们必须去，孩子，”他平静地说，“你和我。我们得划船去救他们。你愿意一起去吗？”
‘Of course, father,’ she said. ‘If we don’t save them, who will?’
“当然愿意，爸爸，”她说，“如果我们不去救他们，还有谁会去呢？”
‘That’s right, lass.’ William Darling looked out of the window, unhappily. ‘I’ve not seen a worse sea this year. No boat could come from the mainland in this wind.’
“说得对，孩子。”威廉·达林忧心忡忡地望着窗外，“这是我今年见过的最糟糕的海况了。这种风浪下，大陆那边不可能有船能过来。”
Grace’s mother came into the room, and heard him.
格蕾丝的母亲走进房间，听到了他的话。
‘You can’t go, William!’ she said. ‘Grace is only a girl. Look at that sea! You’ll both drown!’
“你不能去，威廉！”她说，“格蕾丝只是个女孩子。看看那海浪！你们俩都会淹死的！”
‘We have to try, mother!’ said Grace angrily. ‘Think of those poor people, alone on that rock. We live on a lighthouse — it’s our job!’
“我们必须试一试，妈妈！”格蕾丝激动地说，“想想那些可怜的人，孤零零地困在岩石上。我们住在灯塔里——这是我们的职责！”
‘It’s a job for your father and brothers, Grace, not you! You’ll drown! How will that help those men?’
“那是你父亲和兄弟们的事，格蕾丝，不是你的事！你会淹死的！那样对那些遇险者有什么帮助？”
‘How will it help them if we do nothing?’
“如果我们什么都不做，对他们又有什么帮助？”
Thomasin Darling looked out of the window again, at the wild, angry sea.
托马辛·达林再次望向窗外，看着那狂暴愤怒的大海。
She shook her head. ‘Perhaps you’ll get to the rock, Grace,’ she said. ‘With God’s help and the wind behind you. But you’ll never get back against the wind. Not one man and a girl in a storm like this. Never.’
她摇了摇头。“也许你们能到达那块岩石，格蕾丝，”她说，“靠着上帝的保佑和顺风的助力。但你们绝不可能顶着风浪回来。在这样的风暴中，一个男人和一个女孩是不可能做到的。绝无可能。”
William Darling took his wife’s hands in his. ‘Listen to me, Thomasin,’ he said. ‘There are three or four seamen on that rock. Strong men. They’ll help row us back, if we save them.’
威廉·达林握住妻子的手。“听我说，托马辛，”他说，“岩石上有三四个水手，都是强壮的男人。如果我们救了他们，他们可以帮我们划船回来。”
‘If you save them,’ said Thomasin. ‘And if you don’t… ?’
“前提是你们能救到他们，”托马辛说，“可如果救不到呢……？”
At first William Darling did not answer. He looked into his wife’s eyes.
起初威廉·达林没有回答。他凝视着妻子的双眼。
‘We’re going, Thomasin,’ he said quietly. ‘We have to go. Come down now and help us with the boat.’
“我们要去了，托马辛，”他轻声说道，“我们必须去。现在下楼来帮我们准备船吧。”
Outside, in the terrible wind and the rain, it took them fifteen minutes to get the boat ready.
在外面狂风暴雨中，他们花了十五分钟才把船准备好。
Three times the waves nearly broke the boat on the rock.
巨浪三次差点将小船撞碎在岩石上。
William got in first, and sat at the front.
威廉先上了船，坐在船头。
Grace and her mother held the boat away from the rocks.
格蕾丝和她母亲用力将船推离岩石。
William got two oars ready, and waited for the next wave.
威廉备好两支桨，等待着下一个浪头。
‘All right, Grace! Get in now!’ he shouted.
“好了，格蕾丝！快上船！”他大喊道。
Grace jumped into the boat, and William pulled hard with the oars.
格蕾丝跳上船，威廉奋力划桨。
One… two… three pulls, and then a wave lifted the boat and the oars were pulling at air.
一下……两下……三下，紧接着一个浪头将船托起，桨划到了空中。
But they were away from the rocks.
但他们已经离开了礁石区。
The boat came down between two waves, and Grace quickly got her oars out.
小船落在两个浪谷之间，格蕾丝迅速伸出桨。
They both pulled hard together, but carefully too.
两人一起奋力划桨，但也十分小心。
They did not want to lose an oar in the wild water.
他们不想在这汹涌的水流中丢失船桨。
Grace was cold and her dress and hat were wet.
格蕾丝感到寒冷，裙子和帽子都湿透了。
She was afraid, but happy and excited too.
她虽然害怕，但也感到快乐和兴奋。
‘This is what God wants me to do,’ she thought.
“这就是上帝希望我做的事，”她想。
At the top of a wave she could easily see across the Longstone rock to the other side.
在浪尖上时，她能轻易越过朗斯通岩看到另一边。
Then the boat went down between the waves and she could see only mountains of wild water everywhere.
而当船落入浪谷时，她眼前只有如山般汹涌的波涛。
‘Pull left! Left!’ William shouted. ‘We must keep the rocks between us and the worst waves!’
“向左划！向左！”威廉大喊，“我们必须让岩石挡在我们和最猛烈的海浪之间！”
Grace pulled hard at her oars, and watched the waves.
格蕾丝用力划桨，同时注视着海浪。
‘God will help us save them!’ she thought happily. ‘I know He will.’
“上帝会帮助我们救出他们的！”她满怀喜悦地想，“我知道他一定会的。”
Outside the lighthouse, Thomasin Darling watched the little boat.
在灯塔外，托马辛·达林注视着那艘小船。
She saw it for a second, then it went behind a wave, and came up again.
她看见它出现了一瞬，随即被海浪吞没，然后又浮了出来。
‘It’s not possible,’ she thought. ‘No boat can live in a sea like that! Oh God, please — save my husband and daughter!’
“这简直不可能，”她想，“没有任何船能在这样的海面上幸存！哦，上帝啊，求求您——救救我的丈夫和女儿吧！”
She watched and prayed, and the little boat got smaller and smaller on the wild, grey sea.
她一边守望一边祈祷，而那艘小船在灰暗狂暴的大海上变得越来越小。
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