The man looked at the tiny automobile in amazement.
那人惊奇地看着那辆微型汽车。
At the edge of the town he found a filling station and stopped to take on some gas.
在小镇的边上他找到了一个加油站，便把车停在那里准备加油。
“Five, please,” said Stuart to the attendant.
“请来五滴，”斯图亚特对负责加油的人说。
Stuart slept under the canoe that night. He awakened at four to find that the rain had stopped. The day would break clear. Already the birds were beginning to stir and make bright sounds in the branches overhead. Stuart never let a bird pass without looking to see if it was Margalo.
斯图亚特那天夜里睡在独木舟下。四点钟醒来时他发现雨停了。天已经晴了。鸟儿们已经在头顶的枝头上大声的唱歌了。斯图亚特每看到一只鸟都要仔细看看它是不是玛戈。
“Five what?” he asked.
“五滴什么？”他问。
“Five drops,” said Stuart. But the man shook his head and said that he couldn’t sell such a small amount of gas.
“五滴汽油，”斯图亚特说。可那个男人却摇摇头说他没法卖这么少的汽油。
The filling station man went inside and came back with a medicine dropper. Stuart unscrewed the cap of the tank and the man put in five drops of gasoline. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said.
这个男人回去找出了一根医用滴管。斯图亚特拧开油箱盖，那个人往里滴了五滴汽油。“我以前还从没干过这种事呢，”他说。
After everything had been checked and the money had been paid, Stuart climbed in, started the engine, and drove out onto the highway. The sky was growing brighter, and along the river the mists of morning hung in the early light. The village was still asleep. Stuart’s car purred along smoothly. Stuart felt refreshed and glad to be on the move again.
斯图亚特付了钱，爬进车里，发动引擎，向大道驶去。天空越来越亮，河边的晨雾还没有散尽。小镇仍在睡梦之中。斯图亚特的汽车稳稳地往前开着。再次走在路上的斯图亚特感到自己又有了充沛的精力和快乐的感觉。
“Better look at the oil, too,” said Stuart.
“你最好看着点儿汽油，”斯图亚特说。
“Why can’t you?” demanded Stuart. “You need the money and I need the gas. Why can’t we work something out between us?”
“为什么不能？”斯图亚特问。“你挣的是钱而我要的是汽油。我们之间为什么就不能做生意？”
“Yes, I see birds in great numbers,” replied the repairman.
“是的，我曾见过很多的鸟儿，”修理工回答。
“Yes,” agreed the repairman, “a fine day. I am looking forward to climbing my poles.”
“是的，”修理工表示同意，“一个很好的天。我要爬到我的电线杆上去工作了。”
“Good morning,” said Stuart in a friendly voice. The repairman raised one hand to his head in a salute. Stuart sat down in the ditch beside him and breathed deeply of the fresh, sweet air. “It’s going to be a fine day,” he observed.
“早上好，”斯图亚特友好的说。修理工把一只手举到头上向他致意。斯图亚特和他一起坐到小坡上，深深呼吸着甜美的新鲜空气。“今天会是个好天，”他观察着说。
“Well, if you ever run across a bird named Margalo,” said Stuart, “I’d appreciate it if you would drop me a line. Here’s my card.”
“哦，如果你遇到一只叫玛戈的小鸟，”斯图亚特说，“麻烦你写信给我。这是我的名片。”
Half a mile out of town the road forked. One road seemed to go off toward the west, the other road continued north. Stuart drew up to the side of the northbound road and got out to look the situation over. To his surprise he discovered that there was a man sitting in the ditch, leaning against a signpost. The man wore spurs on his legs. He also wore a heavy leather belt, and Stuart realized that he must be a repairman for the telephone company.
车开了半里后到了一个岔道上。一条路好像是往西去的，另一条仍然是朝北的。斯图亚特把车停到向北的那条路边，走出来打量着。他惊奇地发现有一个男人正坐在路边的小坡上，倚在一根电线杆旁。他的脚上穿着马靴，腰里扎着一个很重的皮带，斯图亚特猜他一定是电话公司的修理工。
“I wish you fair skies and a tight grip,” said Stuart. “By the way, do you ever see any birds at the tops of your poles?”
“我希望你能抓紧些，别滑下来摔着，”斯图亚特说。“顺便问一句，你曾经在你的电线杆顶上见过鸟儿吗？”
“North is nice,” said the repairman. “I’ve always enjoyed going north. Of course, south-west is a fine direction, too.”
“北边不错，”修理工说。“我总是喜欢往北走。当然了，西南方也不错。”
“And there’s east,” continued the repairman. “I once had an interesting experience on an easterly course. Do you want me to tell you about it?”
“还有东边，”修理工继续说。“我在东边曾经有过一次有趣的经历，你想听吗？”
“Know where she comes from?” asked the man.
“知道她是从哪里飞来的吗？”那个男人问。
“North,” said Stuart.
“向北，”斯图亚特说。
“Yes, I suppose it is,” said Stuart, thoughtfully.
“是的，我想是，”斯图亚特想了想，说。
“Which direction are you headed?” he asked.
“你想往哪个方向走？”他问。
“Describe the bird,” said the repairman, taking out pad and pencil.
“形容一下那只鸟，”修理工说着，拿出拍纸簿和铅笔。
“Brown,” said Stuart. “Brown, with a streak of yellow on her bosom.”
“棕色，”斯图亚特说。“棕色，她的胸部还有黄色的条纹。”
The repairman wrote it all down briefly. “Fields — wheat — pastures, fern & thistle. Vales, meadowsweet. Enjoys whistling.” Then he put the pad back in his pocket, and tucked Stuart’s card away in his wallet. “I’ll keep my eyes open,” he promised.
修理工把这些都摘要记了下来。“田野——麦子——山谷，羊齿植物和大蓟。山谷，绣线菊。喜欢吹口哨。”然后他把拍纸簿装回兜里，把斯图亚特的名片塞进了他的钱包。“我会替你留意的，”他许诺。
“She comes from fields once tall with wheat, from pastures deep in fern and thistle; she comes from vales of meadowsweet, and she loves to whistle.”
“她来自从长着高高的麦子的田野，来自长满大蓟和羊齿植物的草场；她来自长满绣线菊的山谷，而且她还喜欢吹口哨。”
Stuart thanked him. They sat for a while in silence. Then the man spoke.
斯图亚特谢了他。他们又静静地坐了一会儿。然后那个男人说话了。
“That’s the way I look at it,” said Stuart. “I rather expect that from now on I shall be traveling north until the end of my days.”
“我也这么看，”斯图亚特说。“我希望从现在起一直向北走，直到生命的结束。”
The repairman seemed disappointed, but he kept right on talking. “There’s something about north,” he said, “something that sets it apart from all other directions. A person who is heading north is not making any mistake, in my opinion.”
修理工似乎有点儿失望，可他还是继续说下去。“北边有些值得留恋的东西，”他说，“这是它和别的方向都不同的原因。一个人要是一直朝北走就准不会出错，我个人认为。”
“No, thanks,” said Stuart.
“不，谢谢，”斯图亚特说。
“Worse things than that could happen to a person,” said the repairman.
“一个人在路上也可能遇到比死亡更可怕的事情。”修理工说。
“Yes, I know,” answered Stuart.
“是的，我知道，”斯图亚特回答。
“Following a broken telephone line north, I have come upon some wonderful places,” continued the repairman. “Swamps where cedars grow and turtles wait on logs but not for anything in particular; fields bordered by crooked fences broken by years of standing still; orchards so old they have forgotten where the farmhouse is. In the north I have eaten my lunch in pastures rank with ferns and junipers, all under fair skies with a wind blowing. My business has taken me into spruce woods on winter nights where the snow lay deep and soft, a perfect place for a carnival of rabbits. I have sat at peace on the freight platforms of railroad junctions in the north, in the warm hours and with the warm smells. I know fresh lakes in the north, undisturbed except by fish and hawk and, of course, by the Telephone Company, which has to follow its nose. I know all these places well. They are a long way from here — don’t forget that. And a person who is looking for something doesn’t travel very fast.”
“沿着北边的那根破电线杆的方向往北走时，我曾发现过一些精彩的地方，”修理工继续说。“沼泽那里有青葱的香柏还有在树干上若有所待的甲鱼此外就没什么别的了；被破篱笆圈起来的田地早已荒芜，多少年来就那么静静地站在那里；果园也已破敝不堪早就被人遗忘了。我在北边的草场上吃我的午饭时，身边是成排的羊齿植物和杜松，四周是呜呜作响的风。在冬夜里由于工作的需要我会来到覆盖着松软深厚的积雪的美丽森林，那里是野兔藏身的好地方。我也曾很多次静静地坐在朝北的货运站的月台旁，呼吸着温暖的空气，静度我安闲的时光。我知道在北边还一些罕有人迹的湖，那里只有鱼和天上的鹰，当然，电话公司的鼻子也伸到了那里。我对这些地方都非常的熟悉。不过它们都离这里很远——这你可别忘了。一个想在旅途中寻觅到什么的人，绝不能走得太快。”
Stuart rose from the ditch, climbed into his car, and started up the road that led toward the north. The sun was just coming up over the hills on his right. As he peered ahead into the great land that stretched before him, the way seemed long. But the sky was bright, and he somehow felt he was headed in the right direction.
斯图亚特站起身来，爬回汽车，往北方驶去。太阳刚刚爬到他身后的小山上。他凝视着在前面无限延伸着的大地，知道要走的路还会很长。但是天空是明亮的，他感觉自己也正走在正确的方向。
“Not at all,” said the repairman. “I hope you find that bird.”
“不客气，”修理工说。“我希望你能找到那只鸟。”
“That’s perfectly true,” said Stuart. “Well, I guess I’d better be going. Thank you for your friendly remarks.”
“的确如此，”斯图亚特说。“好了，我想我该走了。谢谢你好心的指点。”
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