在苏格兰首府爱丁堡蜡像馆的一间虚幻文学厅里，陈列着四只可爱的小动物塑像──鼹鼠、河鼠、蟾蜍和獾。他们是童话《柳林风声》(The Wind in the Willows)的四位主人公。与《爱丽丝奇境漫游记》相仿，《柳林风声》最初也是一个大人为一个孩子在游戏中编造的故事，一部无心插柳的杰作。其作者肯尼思·格雷厄姆(Kenneth Grahame，1859～1932)出生于苏格兰首府爱丁堡，五岁丧母，父亲酗酒成性，他不得不远离家乡，随祖父母迁居于英国泰晤士河畔。然而，正是这位有着不幸童年的父亲，在讲给儿子的童话故事里，营造了一个温暖而又美好的天地。那里有着最美丽的风景、最真挚的友情，还有最动听的天籁之音。故事里承载着的，是一位父亲对儿子的拳拳情谊，对大自然的深沉之爱以及对美好生活的无限憧憬。
下文选自《柳林风声》第一章开篇。
The mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash1); till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes2) of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms. Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating3) even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing. It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung4) down his brush on the floor, said "Bother!" and "O blow!" and also "Hang spring-cleaning!" and bolted5) out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him imperiously6), and he made for7) the steep8) little tunnel which answered in his case to9) the gravelled10) carriage-drive owned by animals whose residences11) are nearer to the sun and air. So he scraped12) and scratched13) and scrabbled14) and scrooged15) and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, "Up we go! Up we go!" till at last, pop! His snout16) came out into the sunlight, and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.
整个上午，鼹鼠都在勤奋地干活，为他小小的家进行春季大扫除。他先用扫帚扫，再用掸子掸，然后登上梯子、椅子什么的，拿着刷子，提着灰浆桶刷墙，直干到灰尘呛了嗓子，迷了眼睛，全身乌黑的毛皮溅满了白灰浆，腰也酸了，臂也痛了。春天的气息在他头上的空气里吹拂，在他脚下的泥土里游动，在他四周飘荡。春天那奇妙的追求、渴望的精神，甚至钻进了他那阴暗低矮的小屋。怪不得他猛地把刷子往地下一扔，嚷道：“烦死人了！”“去它的！”“什么春季大扫除，见它的鬼去吧！”然后连大衣也没顾上穿，就冲出家门了。上面有种力量在急切地召唤他，于是他向着陡峭的地道奔去。这地道，直通地面上的碎石子大车道——这车道属于那些住在通风向阳的居室里的动物们。鼹鼠又掏又挠又爬又挤，又挤又爬又挠又掏(译者注：此处连用四个s开头的单词，不仅表现了鼹鼠急切的心情，也生动地模拟了鼹鼠挖洞时“嘶嘶”的声音)，小爪子忙个不停，嘴里还不住地念念叨叨，“咱们上去喽！咱们上去喽！”末了，噗的一声，他的鼻尖钻出了地面，伸到了阳光里，跟着，身子就在一块大草坪暖暖的软草里打起滚来。
"This is fine!" he said to himself. "This is better than whitewashing!" The sunshine struck hot on his fur, soft breezes caressed17) his heated brow, and after the seclusion18) of the cellarage19) he had lived in so long the carol20) of happy birds fell on his dulled hearing almost like a shout. Jumping off all his four legs at once, in the joy of living and the delight of spring without its cleaning, he pursued his way across the meadow till he reached the hedge21) on the further side.
“太棒了！”他自言自语说，“这可比刷墙有意思！”太阳晒在他的毛皮上，暖烘烘的，微风轻抚着他发热的额头。在洞穴里蛰居了那么久，听觉都变得迟钝了，连小鸟儿欢快的鸣唱，听起来都跟大声喊叫一样。生活的欢乐，春天的愉悦，又加上免了大扫除的麻烦，他乐得纵身一跳，腾起四脚向前飞跑，横穿草坪，一直跑到草坪尽头的篱笆前。
"Hold up!" said an elderly rabbit at the gap. "Sixpence for the privilege22) of passing by the private road!" He was bowled over23) in an instant by the impatient and contemptuous24) Mole, who trotted25) along the side of the hedge chaffing26) the other rabbits as they peeped hurriedly from their holes to see what the row27) was about. "Onion28)-sauce! Onion-sauce!" he remarked jeeringly29), and was gone before they could think of a thoroughly satisfactory reply. Then they all started grumbling30) at each other. "How stupid you are! Why didn't you tell him—" "Well, why didn't you say—" "You might have reminded him—" and so on, in the usual way; but, of course, it was then much too late, as is always the case.
“站住！”篱笆豁口处，一只老兔子喝道，“通过私人道路，得交六便士！”鼹鼠很不耐烦，态度傲慢，根本没把老兔子放在眼里，一时倒把老兔子弄得不知如何是好。鼹鼠顺着篱笆一溜儿小跑，一边还逗弄着别的兔子。他们一个个急急忙忙地从洞口探头窥看，想知道外面到底吵些什么。“蠢货！蠢货！”他嘲笑说，不等他们想出一句解气的话来回敬他，就一溜烟跑得没影儿了。这一来，兔子们七嘴八舌互相埋怨起来，“瞧你多蠢，干吗不对他说——”“哼，那你干吗不说——”“你该警告他——”诸如此类，照例总是这一套。当然喽，照例——总是太晚啦。
It all seemed too good to be true. Hither and thither31) through the meadows he rambled32) busily, along the hedgerows, across the copses33), finding everywhere birds building, flowers budding, leaves thrusting34)—everything happy, and progressive35), and occupied36). And instead of having an uneasy conscience pricking37) him and whispering "Whitewash!" he somehow could only feel how jolly it was to be the only idle dog among all these busy citizens. After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working.
一切都那么美好，好得简直不像是真的。他跑过一片又一片的草坪，沿着矮树篱，穿过灌木丛，匆匆地游逛。处处都看到鸟儿做窝筑巢，花儿含苞待放，叶儿挤挤攘攘——万物都显得快乐、奋进、忙碌。他听不到良心在耳边嘀咕“刷墙！”，只觉得在一大群忙忙碌碌的公民当中，做唯一的懒“人”是多么惬意。看来，休假最舒心的地方，还不是自己得到休憩，而是看到别人都在忙着干活。
He thought his happiness was complete when, as he meandered38) aimlessly along, suddenly he stood by the edge of a full-fed river. Never in his life had he seen a river before—this sleek39), sinuous40), full-bodied animal, chasing and chuckling, gripping things with a gurgle41) and leaving them with a laugh, to fling itself on fresh playmates that shook themselves free, and were caught and held again. All was a-shake and a-shiver—glints42) and gleams43) and sparkles, rustle44) and swirl45), chatter and bubble. The Mole was bewitched46), entranced47), fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spell-bound48) by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling49) procession50) of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable51) sea.
他漫无目的地闲逛，忽然来到一条水流丰盈的大河边，他觉得真是快乐透顶了。他这辈子还从来没有见过一条河咧。这只光光滑滑、蜿蜿蜒蜒、身躯庞大的动物，不停地追逐，轻轻地欢笑。它每抓住什么，就咯咯地笑，把它们扔掉时，又哈哈大笑，转过来又扑向新的玩伴。它们挣扎着甩开了它，可到底还是被它逮住抓牢了。它浑身颤动，晶光闪闪，沸沸扬扬，沙沙作响，吐着旋涡，冒着泡沫，喋喋不休地唠叨个没完。这景象，简直把鼹鼠看呆了。他心驰神迷，像着了魔似的。他沿着河边，迈着小碎步跑，像个小娃娃紧跟在大人身边，听他讲惊险故事，听得如痴如醉。他终于跑累了，在岸边坐了下来。可那河还是一个劲儿向他娓娓而谈，它讲的是世间最好听的故事。这些故事发自地心深处，一路讲下去，最终要向那听个没够的大海倾诉。
1. whitewash [5hwaItwCF] n. 石灰水；白涂料
2. splash [splAF] n. 溅起的水(或泥浆等)
3. penetrate [5penItreIt] vt. 透入，渗入，漫入
4. fling [flIN] vt. (用力地)扔、掷、抛、丢
5. bolt [bEult] vi. 卷出去；射；窜
6. imperiously [Im5pIErIEslI] adv. 迫切地，紧急地
7. make for: (急匆匆地)走向
8. steep [sti:p] adj. 陡的，陡峭的
9. answer to: 适应，符合
10. gravel [5^rAvEl] vt. 用砂砾铺(路等)
11. residence [5rezIdEns] n. 住处，居所
12. scrape [skreIp] vi. 刮，擦
13. scratch [skrAtF] vi. 抓；扒寻
14. scrabble [5skrAbl] vi. (用爪)扒找；乱扒
15. scrooge [skru:dV] vi. (= scrouge)挤，推
16. snout [snaut] n. (动物的)口鼻部
17. caress [kE5res] vt. 抚摸
18. seclusion [sI5klu:VEn] n. 隔绝；隐退，隐居
19. cellarage [5selErIdV] n. (连接的)一组地窖；这里指小鼹鼠的地下居所。
20. carol [5kArEl] n. 欢乐的歌
21. hedge [hedV] n. (矮树)树篱
22. privilege [5prIvIlIdV] n. 特权
23. bowl over: 使困惑，把……弄糊涂；使为难
24. contemptuous [kEn5temptjuEs] adj. 表示轻蔑的；鄙视的
25. trot [trCt] vi. (马等)小跑
26. chaff [tFB:f] vt. 取笑，逗弄
27. row [rau] n. 吵嚷；吵闹
28. onion [5QnjEn] n. <美俚> 笨蛋
29. jeeringly [dVIErINlI] adv. 嘲弄地，嘲笑地
30. grumble [5^rQmbl] vi. 抱怨，发牢骚(at, about, over)
31. hither and thither: 这儿和那儿，四处
32. ramble [5rAmbl] vi. 闲逛，漫游；漫步
33. copse [kCps] n. (林业用语)矮林，萌生林
34. thrust [WrQst] vi. 挤
35. progressive [prE5^resIv] adj. 向前进的；前进中的，发展中的
36.occupy [5CkjupaI] vt. 使忙碌(这里用其过去分词形式作形容词)
37. prick [prIk] vt. 刺痛；刺伤，使内心极度痛苦
38. meander [mI5AndE(r)] vi. 漫步，闲逛
39. sleek [sli:k] adj. 光滑的，光洁的
40. sinuous [5sInjuEs] adj. 弯曲的；蜿蜒的
41. gurgle [5^\:^l] n. 汩汩声；咯咯声(这里语用双关)
42. glint [^lInt] vi. 闪闪发亮；闪闪发光
43. gleam [^li:m] vi. 闪烁；发微光
44. rustle [5rQsl] vi. 沙沙作响着移动
45. swirl [sw\:l] vi. 打旋，旋动，涡动
46. bewitch [bI5wItF] vt. 使着迷；使陶醉
47. entrance [In5trB:ns, -5trAns] vt. 使狂喜；使着迷
48. spell-bound [5spelbaJnd] adj. 入迷的；出神的
49. babble [5bAbl] vi. 喋喋不休；潺潺作声(这里语用双关)
50. procession [prE5seFEn, prEu-] n. 涌出，发出
51. insatiable [In5seIFEbl] adj. 无法满足的；贪得无厌的
赏析
在春天的召唤下，一只可爱的小鼹鼠扔下未完成的大扫除，急不可耐地冲出阴冷沉闷的小屋，一头扎进暖融融的阳光里，呼吸着春日清新的气息，在软绵绵的草地中欢乐地打起滚儿来。只见他越过大草坪，穿过篱笆墙，闯过兔子窝，纵情奔跑着。他的眼前处处呈现着花骨朵儿羞涩的笑靥，耳边时时萦绕着鸟儿“啾啾”的欢唱。在这蓬勃奋进的春日里，最美的莫过于那条河啦！你瞧，它光光滑滑、蜿蜿蜒蜒、晶晶亮亮、笑笑闹闹、唠唠叨叨，不停地讲述着“世间最好听的故事”。就在小鼹鼠伫立河边，幻想着舒适的河畔小宅时，身边的小洞里慢慢露出一张脸来。那是河鼠！谨慎的招呼和尴尬的邀请过后，两只鼠儿一起泛舟河上，开始了一生的友谊。
河上的生活简单而又快乐。小鼹鼠乐不思蜀，日日与河水嬉戏，与朋友闲话，尽享大自然的慷慨恩赐。他也曾心生好奇，携河鼠与蟾蜍踏上新鲜刺激的篷车之旅，却被弄得灰头土脸，败兴而归；他也曾勇敢探险，为结识獾先生独自涉足野林，却被暮色中幽森恐怖的野林吓得躲藏起来，幸得及时赶到的河鼠英勇相救，并于冰天雪地中寻到一处温暖安全的庇护所，也如愿以偿地见到了热情和蔼的獾先生；他也曾久未归家，为了外面新奇的生活忘乎所以，却于心底深深眷恋着自己那封闭安适的地下小巢，在闻到家的味道、感到家的召唤之时，忽然迫切难耐，泪流满面；他也曾热心助人，同河鼠一起帮水獭夫妇彻夜寻子，也因此得以窥见神明的圣洁之光，聆听黎明前的天籁笛声。
与单纯可爱的鼹鼠相比，机灵的河鼠天性乐观，喜欢吟诗作对，热爱河上生活。他曾凭智慧救鼹鼠于水火之中，曾因善良而被蟾蜍欺骗戏弄，也曾向往更为精彩的航海人生。他如兄长般宽厚，如姐姐般贴心，如战士般无畏。獾先生则像一位慈爱的父亲，他老成持重、聪明能干，虽不善言辞社交，却总是在人们陷入困境的时候及时伸出援助之手，对朋友们(尤其是捣蛋的蟾蜍)循循善诱、谆谆教导，让人不由心生信赖。而财大气粗、不知天高地厚的蟾蜍，却总是为新奇事物而着迷。有一次，他对锃亮的汽车如痴如狂，竟胆大包天地偷了一辆，结果被捕入狱，开始了惊心动魄的冒险越狱回程之旅。然而，祸不单行，历经重重惊险终于回归故里的蟾蜍却收到了自己的家已被野林动物占据的坏消息。面对老朋友善意的劝告和忠诚的守卫，他不禁心生悔意。现在，他们四个要如何从那些狡猾凶恶之辈手中夺回家园呢？
如同所有美好的童话故事一样，朋友间的友爱、互助、真诚与团结最终战胜了一切，四只小动物从此在大自然的怀抱里幸福快乐地生活着。只是，那如柳叶般清新、如风儿般纯洁的绝美自然和温暖情谊，却在不知不觉间早已轻轻缓缓地拂过心湖，荡起圈圈涟漪，久久不能散去。
合上书本，依旧无法忘却那条欢乐奔腾的河流，依稀还能听见风儿在芦苇中的絮絮低语。我们的世界里，也能看到那样动人心魄的景色：“……日出前依旧凛冽的清晨。那时，白蒙蒙的雾霭还没散去，紧紧地贴在水面。然后，灰色化成了金色，大地重又呈现出缤纷的色泽……”却无人能如河鼠那般，将自己生存的世界当做兄弟姐妹、姑姑姨姨或是亲密的伙伴。我们的生活里，也曾有过那样单纯美好的真情：“什么河岸，什么晚饭，见鬼去吧。我跟你说，我非去找你的家不可，即使在外面待一整夜也在所不惜……”然而，有多少人能像他们一样，在蟾蜍被捕入狱、在外流浪的那些日子里，依旧忠诚地为他守卫着家园，等他回家？我们的身边，也有挚友可爱如鼹鼠，宽容如河鼠，聪慧如老獾，捣蛋如蟾蜍，只是，随着时光飞逝，岁月流走，又有多少人能将那单纯的友谊永久留存，延至永生？当尘世的喧嚣在耳边呼啸，当欲望的潮流汹涌而至，当利益的纷争接踵而来，请保留一方心灵的净土，请让柳林般的童话进驻心间。只有如此，你才能看到自然之美，听到天籁之音，感受到人间真情；只有如此，你才能拂去世俗的尘埃，挣脱虚名的束缚，拥抱简单的快乐。今生今世，只愿身在柳林，行观落叶缤纷，卧听丛林密语。
微风拂过，隐约传来笑语声声：“坐船真那么美吗？”“你说美？这是世上独一无二的美事！请相信我，年轻的朋友，世界上再也没有——绝对没有——比乘船游逛更有意思的事啦。什么也不干，只是游逛，坐在船上，到处游逛，游逛……”
那声音，宛若天籁。你，听到了吗？