美國語文第五冊(cè) 第46期：我憐憫他們（01）

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A poor man once undertook to emigrate from Castine, Me., to Illinois.

從前，一位窮人率全家老小從緬因州卡斯廷準(zhǔn)備移居到伊利諾斯州。

When he was attempting to cross a river in New York, his horse broke through the rotten timbers of the bridge, and was drowned.

在紐約州過河時(shí)，他家里的馬撞斷橋上已經(jīng)朽爛的柵欄，不幸掉到河里淹死了。

He had but this one animal to convey all his property and his family to his new home.

那淹死的馬是全家唯一的運(yùn)輸工具，是馱運(yùn)他家所有家產(chǎn)搬遷到新家的所有指望。

His wife and children were almost miraculously saved from sharing the fate of the horse;

很難相信，這家窮人的妻小最終從丟失馬匹的絕望深淵中恢復(fù)過來，

but the loss of this poor animal was enough.

不過，馬的損失本身夠大。

By its aid the family, it may be said, had lived and moved;

或許可以這么說，無論居住或者搬遷，馬對(duì)這個(gè)處于遷徙狀態(tài)中的家來說，畢竟舉足輕重。

now they were left helpless in a land of strangers, without the ability to go on or return, without money or a single friend to whom to appeal.

如今，全家人在這塊舉目無親的土地上求告無門，缺少盤纏無人可以求助。他們甚至沒有辦法決定是否繼續(xù)前行，還是原路返回。

The case was a hard one.

當(dāng)時(shí)境況的確非常糟糕。

There were a great many who "passed by on the other side."

那時(shí)，還有大批移民逆向涌來，

Some even laughed at the predicament in which the man was placed;

甚至有人嘲笑這家窮人手足無措的窘困。

but by degrees a group of people began to collect, all of whom pitied him.

不過，慢慢地，有的人開始為這家人募捐，大家都很憐憫這不幸的一家人。