鄕間客棧的一個隂雨星期天

Awet Sunday in a country inn！ Whoever has had the luck to experience one can alone judge of my situation. The rain pattered against the casements； the bells tolled for church with a melancholy sound. I went to the windows in quest of something to amuse the eye； but is seemed as if I had been placed completely out of the reach of all amusement. The windows of my bed-room looked out among tiled roofs and stacks of chimneys， while those of my sitting-room commanded a full view of the stable yard. I know of nothing more calculated to make a man sick of this world than a stable yard on a rainy day. The place was littered with wet straw had been kicked about by travelers and stable-boys. In one corner was a stagnant pool of water， surrounding an island of muck； there were several half-drowned fowls crowded together under cart， among which a miserable，crest-fallencock，drenchedoutofalllifeaandspirit；hisdroopingtailwasmatted， as it were， into a single feather， along which the water trickled from his back； near the cart was a half dozing cow， chewing her cud， and standing patiently to be rained on， with wreaths of vapour rising from her reeking hide； a wall-eyed horse， tired of the loneliness of a stable， was poking his spectral head out of a window， with the rain dripping on it from the eaves； an unhappy cur， chained to a dog-house hard by， uttered something every now and then between a bark and yelp； a drab of a kitchen wench tramped backwards and forwards through the yard in patterns， looking as sulky as the weather itself； everything， in short， was comfortless and forlorn， excepting a crew of hardened ducks， assembled like boon companions round a puddle and making a riotous noise over their liquor.

　　（by Washington Irving） Desert Plants

　　patter 發出嗒嗒聲

　　casement 窗扉

　　toll 鳴鍾，敲鍾

　　muck 糞堆

　　crest-fallen 垂頭喪氣的

　　drench 淋透，溼透

　　cud 反芻的食物

　　wreath 螺鏇形，渦狀物

　　reek 冒水蒸氣

　　wall-eyed 眼白特別大的，兩眼珠曏外斜眡的

　　poke 探， 伸

　　cur 襍種狗

　　yelp 犬吠

　　wench 女傭

　　pattern 木底鞋

　　sulky 鬱鬱不樂的，隂沉的

　　riotous 喧閙的，吵嚷的

　　liquor 烈酒