论文部分内容阅读
相信大家都听说过不少民间传说,美国也有很多流传甚广的tall tale(荒诞不经的故事,无稽之谈)哦。
希腊神话中有关于大力神赫拉克勒斯的故事(详见CE:Teens 2010年9月号“探索区”),本期小编则为大家带来美国tall tale里的大力士——约翰·亨利。美国
南北战争之后,这名钢钻工因为奋力与蒸汽钻机竞赛,最后赢得了胜利却累死了自己。这个故事让他成为许多美国人,特别是铁路工人心目中的英雄。还真应了那一句话:不要迷恋哥,哥只是一个传说~
People still talk about the night John Henry was born. It was dark and cloudy. Then, lightening lit up the night sky. John Henry’s birth was a big event. His parents showed him to everyone they met. John Henry was the most powerful-looking baby people had ever seen. He had thick arms, wide shoulders and strong muscles. John Henry started growing when he was one day old. He continued growing until he was the
strongest man who ever lived.
John Henry grew up in a world that did not let children
stay children for long. One day, he was sitting on his
father’s knee. The boy picked up a small piece of steel and a workman’s tool – a hammer. He looked at the two objects, then said, “A hammer will be the death of me.”
Before John Henry was six years old, he was carrying stones for workers building a nearby railroad. By the age of ten, he worked from early in the morning until night. Often, he would stop and listen to the sound of a train far away. He told his family, “I am going to be a steel-driver some day.”
Steel-drivers helped create pathways for the railroad lines. These laborers had the job of
cutting holes in rock. They did this by hitting thick steel drills, or spikes[金属或木质尖状物].
By the time John Henry was a young man, he was one of the best steel-drivers in the country.
He could work for hours without missing a beat. People said he worked so fast that his
hammer moved like lightening.
John Henry was almost two meters tall. He weighed more than 90 kilograms. He had a
beautiful, deep voice and played an instrument called a banjo[班卓琴]. John Henry married another steel-driver, a woman named Polly Ann. They had a son.
John Henry went to work as a steel-driver for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, or C&O. The company asked him to lead workers on a
project to extend the railroad into the Allegheny
Mountains. The workers made good progress on the project until they started working near Big Bend Mountain in West Virginia.
The company’s owners said the mountain was too big to build a railroad around it. So the workers
were told they had to force their drills through it. This meant creating
a tunnel more than
one-and-one half
kilometers注 long.
The project required about one thousand laborers and lasted three years. Pay was low and the work was difficult. The
workers had to breathe thick black smoke and dust. Hundreds of men became sick. Many died.
John Henry was the strongest and fastest man involved in the project. He used a hammer that weighed more than six kilograms. Some people say he was able to cut a path of three to six meters a day.
That July was the hottest month ever in West Virginia. Many workers became tired and weak in the heat. John Henry was
concerned his friends might lose their jobs. So, he picked up their hammers and began doing their work.
One week, he did his own work and that of several other
steel-drivers. He worked day and night, rarely stopping to eat. The men thanked John Henry for his help. He just smiled and said, “A man ain’t nothing but a man. He has just got to do his best.”
The extreme heat continued for weeks. One day, a
salesman came to the work area with a new drilling machine
powered by steam. He said it could drill holes faster than 12 men working together. The railroad company planned to buy the
machine if it worked as well as the salesman said.
The supervisor of the workers dismissed[对……不屑一提] the
salesman’s claims. He said, “I have the best steel-driver in the country. His name is John Henry, and he can beat more than 20 men working together.” The salesman disputed[怀疑] the
statements. He said the company could have the machine without cost if John Henry was faster.
The supervisor called to John Henry. He said, “This man does not believe that you can drill faster. How about a race?”
John Henry looked at the machine and saw
images of the future. He saw machines taking the place of America’s best laborers. He saw himself and his friends unemployed and standing by a road, asking for food. He saw men losing their families and their rights as human beings.
John Henry told the supervisor he would never let the machine take his job. His friends all cheered. However, John Henry’s wife, Polly Ann, was not happy.
“Competing against the machine will be the death of you,” she said. “You have a wife and a child. If anything happens to you, we will not ever smile again.”
John Henry lifted his son into the air. He told his wife, “A man ain’t nothing but a man. But, a man always has to do his best. Tomorrow, I will take my hammer and drive that steel faster than any machine.”
On the day of the big event, many people came to Big Bend Mountain to watch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early in the day, the sun was burning hot.
The competition began. John Henry kissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-
powered drill worked two times faster than he did. Then, he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. In the mountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have had trouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came from inside the mountain.
The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountain breaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work.
Polly Ann and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel. It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out. But he kept
working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the
darkness, hitting the steel so hard that his body began
to fail him. He became weak, and his heart burst.
John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Ann did not move because she knew what happened. John Henry’s blood spilled over the ground. But he still held one of the hammers.
“I beat them,” he said. His wife cried out, “Don’t go, John Henry.” “Bring me a cool drink of water,” he said. Then he took his last breath.
Friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near the house where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about John
Henry’s death.
Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced the steel-drivers. Many laborers left their families,
looking for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry -
John Henry told his captain, “Man ain’t nothing but a man. And before I let the steel drill beat me down, I’m gonna die with this hammer in my hand, lord, lord, I’m gonna die with this hammer in my hand…
时至今日,人们仍对约翰·亨利出生那晚的事情津津乐道。当时昏黑无光,阴云密布,一道闪电点亮了夜空。约翰·亨利的降生是件大事。每遇见一个人,他的父母都炫耀炫耀小约翰——他是人们所见过长得最强壮的婴儿。他拥有粗壮的手臂、宽厚的肩膀和强健的肌肉。从出生的第一天起,
约翰·亨利已经开始成长。他不断茁壮成长,成了世界上最强壮的男人。
在约翰·亨利成长的世界里,孩子的儿童时代很快结束。一天,他坐在父亲的膝盖上,拿起了一小块钢铁和一把工匠用的锤子。他看着这两样东西说:“我将会因为锤子而死去。”
还不到六岁,约翰·亨利已经开始帮助工人们搬运石头,用以建造附近的铁路。到了
十岁,他一大早便开始工作,直到晚上。他常常会停下手中的活儿,倾听远处火车的声音。他对家人说:“终有一天,我会成为一名钢钻工。”
钢钻工为铁路轨道开山辟路。这些劳工靠一次又一次地挥动钢铁钻头等尖状物,在岩石上凿出石洞。
到了青年时期,约翰·亨利已经是全美最优秀的钢钻工之一。他可以一刻不停地工作上好几个小时。人们说他干活的速度快极了,手中的锤子舞动起来像闪电一般。
约翰·亨利将近两米高,体重超过
90公斤。他有一口动听的男低音,会演奏一种叫做班卓琴的乐器。他和一位名叫波莉·安的女钢钻工结成夫妻并育有一子。
约翰·亨利在(美国弗吉尼亚州)切萨皮克和俄亥俄州铁路公司(C&O)工作。公司派他带领工人进行一项工程,开拓至阿勒格尼山的铁路延长线。一直到工人们开始靠近西弗吉尼亚州大弯山的的挖掘之前,工程都进展得非常
顺利。
公司的所有者认为这座山太大了,无法绕着山体兴建铁路。因此,公司要求工人们强行穿山开凿,这意味着要挖出一条一公里半长的穿山隧道。
这项工程需要一千名劳工,工期长达三年,而且报酬低,工作难度大。工人们不得不在浓厚的黑烟和粉尘中呼吸。数百名工人因此生病,许多人病死了。
在参与这项工程的工人当中,约翰·亨利最强壮,干活也最麻利。他使用的锤子超过六公斤重。有人说他一天就能挖出三到六米长的通道。
那年的七月是西弗吉尼亚州有史以来最炎热的一个月。许多工人在酷暑下越发疲倦虚弱。约翰·亨利非常担心朋友们会失去饭碗,于是他拿起他们的锤子,开始帮他们干活。
一周以来,他不仅做好自己的份内活儿,还帮其他几个钢钻工完成工作。他日以继夜地开凿,几乎没有停下来进食。工人们非常感激约翰·
亨利的帮助。他只是笑着说:“硬汉虽说只是人,但他应该竭尽全力,做到最好。”
极度炎热的天气持续了数周。一天,一名销售员带着一台由蒸汽驱动的新型钻机来到施工地。他说这台机器钻起洞来比十二个工人同时工作还要快。如果这台机器真的拥有销售员所说的高工作效率的话,铁路公司打算买下它。
工头对销售员的说辞不屑一顾。他说:“我手下有这个国家最优秀的钢钻工,他的名字叫约翰·亨利,他干起活来比20个人同时工作还要快。”销售员对这一说法充满怀疑,提出假若约翰·亨利的工作效率比机器高的话,铁路公司可以无偿获得这台机器。
工头把约翰·亨利叫了过来,说:“这位先生不相信你打洞的速度比机器快。来场比赛如何?”
约翰·亨利看着那台机器,仿佛看到了未来:他看到机器取代了美国最棒的劳工,看到自己和朋友们找不到工作,站在路边乞讨食物。他看到人们失去家人以及作为人类的权利。
约翰·亨利对工头说,他绝对不会让机器夺走他的工作。他的朋友们欢呼雀跃,然而约翰·亨利的妻子波莉·安并不高兴。
“和机器竞赛,你肯定会累死的,”她说。“你还有妻儿,如果你出了什么事,我们从此就失去欢乐了。”
约翰·亨利把儿子高高举起,对妻子说:“硬汉虽说只是人,但他总该竭尽全力,做到最好。明天,我会带着我的锤子,把它挥舞得比任何机器都要快。”
这件大事发生的那天,很多人来到大弯山观看比赛。约翰·亨利和销售员并排而立。尽管天色尚早,太阳早已炙烤着
大地。
比赛开始了。约翰·亨利吻了吻他的锤子,开始工作。一开始,蒸汽钻机工作起来比他快两倍。接着,他两手各拿起一把锤子挥动起来,越挖越快。山里头的热量和粉尘太可怕了,大多数人都感觉呼吸困难。看着粉尘像云雾般从山里涌出来,众人纷纷叫嚷起来。
销售员听到类似山体崩塌的声响,开始担心起来——然而,这只是约翰·亨利工作的声音。
看到机器被拖出隧道时,波莉·安和儿子欢呼起来。机器坏掉了。波莉·安催促约翰·亨利快点出来,但是他仍在继续挖掘,越挖越快。他在黑暗中不断深挖,因为过于使劲挥舞铁锤,他的身体开始受不了了。他变得越来越虚弱,心脏破裂了。
约翰·亨利倒在地上。四周寂静得可怕。波莉·安一动不动,因为她知道发生了什么事情。约翰·亨利的血流了出来,染红了地面。但是他手里依然紧紧握住其中一把锤子。
“我赢了,”他说。他的妻子大哭起来:“别走,约翰·亨利。”“给我倒杯凉开水吧,”他说,咽下最后一口气。
朋友们将他的尸体搬出山体隧道,把他葬在他出生的房子附近。听说了约翰·亨利的死讯后,人们蜂拥而至。
不久之后,蒸汽钻机和其他机器取代了钢钻工。许多劳工离乡别井,寻找工作机会,找到什么工作就做什么。在他们工作之余,一些人以歌谣纪念约翰·亨利——
约翰·亨利告诉他队长,硬汉虽说只是人,若要气钻胜过我,除非我死把锤抛,队长啊队长,除非我死把锤抛……
注:老式英语的表达方式,相当于“one and a half kilometers”。
希腊神话中有关于大力神赫拉克勒斯的故事(详见CE:Teens 2010年9月号“探索区”),本期小编则为大家带来美国tall tale里的大力士——约翰·亨利。美国
南北战争之后,这名钢钻工因为奋力与蒸汽钻机竞赛,最后赢得了胜利却累死了自己。这个故事让他成为许多美国人,特别是铁路工人心目中的英雄。还真应了那一句话:不要迷恋哥,哥只是一个传说~
People still talk about the night John Henry was born. It was dark and cloudy. Then, lightening lit up the night sky. John Henry’s birth was a big event. His parents showed him to everyone they met. John Henry was the most powerful-looking baby people had ever seen. He had thick arms, wide shoulders and strong muscles. John Henry started growing when he was one day old. He continued growing until he was the
strongest man who ever lived.
John Henry grew up in a world that did not let children
stay children for long. One day, he was sitting on his
father’s knee. The boy picked up a small piece of steel and a workman’s tool – a hammer. He looked at the two objects, then said, “A hammer will be the death of me.”
Before John Henry was six years old, he was carrying stones for workers building a nearby railroad. By the age of ten, he worked from early in the morning until night. Often, he would stop and listen to the sound of a train far away. He told his family, “I am going to be a steel-driver some day.”
Steel-drivers helped create pathways for the railroad lines. These laborers had the job of
cutting holes in rock. They did this by hitting thick steel drills, or spikes[金属或木质尖状物].
By the time John Henry was a young man, he was one of the best steel-drivers in the country.
He could work for hours without missing a beat. People said he worked so fast that his
hammer moved like lightening.
John Henry was almost two meters tall. He weighed more than 90 kilograms. He had a
beautiful, deep voice and played an instrument called a banjo[班卓琴]. John Henry married another steel-driver, a woman named Polly Ann. They had a son.
John Henry went to work as a steel-driver for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, or C&O. The company asked him to lead workers on a
project to extend the railroad into the Allegheny
Mountains. The workers made good progress on the project until they started working near Big Bend Mountain in West Virginia.
The company’s owners said the mountain was too big to build a railroad around it. So the workers
were told they had to force their drills through it. This meant creating
a tunnel more than
one-and-one half
kilometers注 long.
The project required about one thousand laborers and lasted three years. Pay was low and the work was difficult. The
workers had to breathe thick black smoke and dust. Hundreds of men became sick. Many died.
John Henry was the strongest and fastest man involved in the project. He used a hammer that weighed more than six kilograms. Some people say he was able to cut a path of three to six meters a day.
That July was the hottest month ever in West Virginia. Many workers became tired and weak in the heat. John Henry was
concerned his friends might lose their jobs. So, he picked up their hammers and began doing their work.
One week, he did his own work and that of several other
steel-drivers. He worked day and night, rarely stopping to eat. The men thanked John Henry for his help. He just smiled and said, “A man ain’t nothing but a man. He has just got to do his best.”
The extreme heat continued for weeks. One day, a
salesman came to the work area with a new drilling machine
powered by steam. He said it could drill holes faster than 12 men working together. The railroad company planned to buy the
machine if it worked as well as the salesman said.
The supervisor of the workers dismissed[对……不屑一提] the
salesman’s claims. He said, “I have the best steel-driver in the country. His name is John Henry, and he can beat more than 20 men working together.” The salesman disputed[怀疑] the
statements. He said the company could have the machine without cost if John Henry was faster.
The supervisor called to John Henry. He said, “This man does not believe that you can drill faster. How about a race?”
John Henry looked at the machine and saw
images of the future. He saw machines taking the place of America’s best laborers. He saw himself and his friends unemployed and standing by a road, asking for food. He saw men losing their families and their rights as human beings.
John Henry told the supervisor he would never let the machine take his job. His friends all cheered. However, John Henry’s wife, Polly Ann, was not happy.
“Competing against the machine will be the death of you,” she said. “You have a wife and a child. If anything happens to you, we will not ever smile again.”
John Henry lifted his son into the air. He told his wife, “A man ain’t nothing but a man. But, a man always has to do his best. Tomorrow, I will take my hammer and drive that steel faster than any machine.”
On the day of the big event, many people came to Big Bend Mountain to watch. John Henry and the salesman stood side by side. Even early in the day, the sun was burning hot.
The competition began. John Henry kissed his hammer and started working. At first, the steam-
powered drill worked two times faster than he did. Then, he started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. In the mountain, the heat and dust were so thick that most men would have had trouble breathing. The crowd shouted as clouds of dust came from inside the mountain.
The salesman was afraid when he heard what sounded like the mountain breaking. However, it was only the sound of John Henry at work.
Polly Ann and her son cheered when the machine was pulled from the tunnel. It had broken down. Polly Ann urged John Henry to come out. But he kept
working, faster and faster. He dug deep into the
darkness, hitting the steel so hard that his body began
to fail him. He became weak, and his heart burst.
John Henry fell to the ground. There was a terrible silence. Polly Ann did not move because she knew what happened. John Henry’s blood spilled over the ground. But he still held one of the hammers.
“I beat them,” he said. His wife cried out, “Don’t go, John Henry.” “Bring me a cool drink of water,” he said. Then he took his last breath.
Friends carried his body from the mountain. They buried him near the house where he was born. Crowds went there after they heard about John
Henry’s death.
Soon, the steam drill and other machines replaced the steel-drivers. Many laborers left their families,
looking for work. They took the only jobs they could find. As they worked, some sang about John Henry -
John Henry told his captain, “Man ain’t nothing but a man. And before I let the steel drill beat me down, I’m gonna die with this hammer in my hand, lord, lord, I’m gonna die with this hammer in my hand…
时至今日,人们仍对约翰·亨利出生那晚的事情津津乐道。当时昏黑无光,阴云密布,一道闪电点亮了夜空。约翰·亨利的降生是件大事。每遇见一个人,他的父母都炫耀炫耀小约翰——他是人们所见过长得最强壮的婴儿。他拥有粗壮的手臂、宽厚的肩膀和强健的肌肉。从出生的第一天起,
约翰·亨利已经开始成长。他不断茁壮成长,成了世界上最强壮的男人。
在约翰·亨利成长的世界里,孩子的儿童时代很快结束。一天,他坐在父亲的膝盖上,拿起了一小块钢铁和一把工匠用的锤子。他看着这两样东西说:“我将会因为锤子而死去。”
还不到六岁,约翰·亨利已经开始帮助工人们搬运石头,用以建造附近的铁路。到了
十岁,他一大早便开始工作,直到晚上。他常常会停下手中的活儿,倾听远处火车的声音。他对家人说:“终有一天,我会成为一名钢钻工。”
钢钻工为铁路轨道开山辟路。这些劳工靠一次又一次地挥动钢铁钻头等尖状物,在岩石上凿出石洞。
到了青年时期,约翰·亨利已经是全美最优秀的钢钻工之一。他可以一刻不停地工作上好几个小时。人们说他干活的速度快极了,手中的锤子舞动起来像闪电一般。
约翰·亨利将近两米高,体重超过
90公斤。他有一口动听的男低音,会演奏一种叫做班卓琴的乐器。他和一位名叫波莉·安的女钢钻工结成夫妻并育有一子。
约翰·亨利在(美国弗吉尼亚州)切萨皮克和俄亥俄州铁路公司(C&O)工作。公司派他带领工人进行一项工程,开拓至阿勒格尼山的铁路延长线。一直到工人们开始靠近西弗吉尼亚州大弯山的的挖掘之前,工程都进展得非常
顺利。
公司的所有者认为这座山太大了,无法绕着山体兴建铁路。因此,公司要求工人们强行穿山开凿,这意味着要挖出一条一公里半长的穿山隧道。
这项工程需要一千名劳工,工期长达三年,而且报酬低,工作难度大。工人们不得不在浓厚的黑烟和粉尘中呼吸。数百名工人因此生病,许多人病死了。
在参与这项工程的工人当中,约翰·亨利最强壮,干活也最麻利。他使用的锤子超过六公斤重。有人说他一天就能挖出三到六米长的通道。
那年的七月是西弗吉尼亚州有史以来最炎热的一个月。许多工人在酷暑下越发疲倦虚弱。约翰·亨利非常担心朋友们会失去饭碗,于是他拿起他们的锤子,开始帮他们干活。
一周以来,他不仅做好自己的份内活儿,还帮其他几个钢钻工完成工作。他日以继夜地开凿,几乎没有停下来进食。工人们非常感激约翰·
亨利的帮助。他只是笑着说:“硬汉虽说只是人,但他应该竭尽全力,做到最好。”
极度炎热的天气持续了数周。一天,一名销售员带着一台由蒸汽驱动的新型钻机来到施工地。他说这台机器钻起洞来比十二个工人同时工作还要快。如果这台机器真的拥有销售员所说的高工作效率的话,铁路公司打算买下它。
工头对销售员的说辞不屑一顾。他说:“我手下有这个国家最优秀的钢钻工,他的名字叫约翰·亨利,他干起活来比20个人同时工作还要快。”销售员对这一说法充满怀疑,提出假若约翰·亨利的工作效率比机器高的话,铁路公司可以无偿获得这台机器。
工头把约翰·亨利叫了过来,说:“这位先生不相信你打洞的速度比机器快。来场比赛如何?”
约翰·亨利看着那台机器,仿佛看到了未来:他看到机器取代了美国最棒的劳工,看到自己和朋友们找不到工作,站在路边乞讨食物。他看到人们失去家人以及作为人类的权利。
约翰·亨利对工头说,他绝对不会让机器夺走他的工作。他的朋友们欢呼雀跃,然而约翰·亨利的妻子波莉·安并不高兴。
“和机器竞赛,你肯定会累死的,”她说。“你还有妻儿,如果你出了什么事,我们从此就失去欢乐了。”
约翰·亨利把儿子高高举起,对妻子说:“硬汉虽说只是人,但他总该竭尽全力,做到最好。明天,我会带着我的锤子,把它挥舞得比任何机器都要快。”
这件大事发生的那天,很多人来到大弯山观看比赛。约翰·亨利和销售员并排而立。尽管天色尚早,太阳早已炙烤着
大地。
比赛开始了。约翰·亨利吻了吻他的锤子,开始工作。一开始,蒸汽钻机工作起来比他快两倍。接着,他两手各拿起一把锤子挥动起来,越挖越快。山里头的热量和粉尘太可怕了,大多数人都感觉呼吸困难。看着粉尘像云雾般从山里涌出来,众人纷纷叫嚷起来。
销售员听到类似山体崩塌的声响,开始担心起来——然而,这只是约翰·亨利工作的声音。
看到机器被拖出隧道时,波莉·安和儿子欢呼起来。机器坏掉了。波莉·安催促约翰·亨利快点出来,但是他仍在继续挖掘,越挖越快。他在黑暗中不断深挖,因为过于使劲挥舞铁锤,他的身体开始受不了了。他变得越来越虚弱,心脏破裂了。
约翰·亨利倒在地上。四周寂静得可怕。波莉·安一动不动,因为她知道发生了什么事情。约翰·亨利的血流了出来,染红了地面。但是他手里依然紧紧握住其中一把锤子。
“我赢了,”他说。他的妻子大哭起来:“别走,约翰·亨利。”“给我倒杯凉开水吧,”他说,咽下最后一口气。
朋友们将他的尸体搬出山体隧道,把他葬在他出生的房子附近。听说了约翰·亨利的死讯后,人们蜂拥而至。
不久之后,蒸汽钻机和其他机器取代了钢钻工。许多劳工离乡别井,寻找工作机会,找到什么工作就做什么。在他们工作之余,一些人以歌谣纪念约翰·亨利——
约翰·亨利告诉他队长,硬汉虽说只是人,若要气钻胜过我,除非我死把锤抛,队长啊队长,除非我死把锤抛……
注:老式英语的表达方式,相当于“one and a half kilometers”。