4-b-1

At the foot of these fairy mountains, the voyager may have descried the light smoke curling up from a village, whose shingle-roofs gleam among the trees, just where the blue tints of upland melt away into the fresh green of the nearer landscape.It is a little village of great antiquity, having been founded by some of the Dutch colonist, in the early time of the province, just about the beginning of the government of the good Peter Stuyvesant, (may he rest in peace!) and there were some of the houses of the original settlers standing within a few years, with lattice windows, gable fronts surmounted with weather-cocks, and built of small yellow brinks brought from Holland.He was a descendant of the Van Winkles who figured so gallantly in the chivalrous days of Peter Stuyvesant, and accompanied him to the siege of Fort Christina. He inherited, however, but little of the martial character of his ancestors.

shingle 木瓦       
tint 色彩；浅色
antiquity 高龄；古物          
gable  山形墙；三角形饰物
surmount 越过；战胜
gallantly 勇敢地    
chivalrous 侠义的；骑士的

在这些仙山的山脚下，航行家可能看到从村庄升起的袅袅轻烟，村庄里的木瓦屋顶在树林中闪闪发亮，而村庄所在的浅蓝色高地融入近处新绿色的田野之中。这是一个非常古老的小村庄，是荷兰殖民者建造的，建在善良的彼得•史蒂文森做总督的初期(愿他安息!)。中有些房子是原始殖民者最近几年才建起的，房子装有格子窗、山形门架，顶端立着风标。砌墙用的黄色小砖还是从荷兰运来的。他是凡·温克尔家族的后裔：这一家族在彼得·斯图维桑特的骑士时代表现神勇，曾经一起围攻克莉斯汀娜堡。然而，他几乎没有继承祖先的尚武精神。

4-b-2

He was a descendant of the Van Winkles who figured so gallantly in the chivalrous days of Peter Stuyvesant, and accompanied him to the siege of Fort Christina. He inherited, however, but little of the martial character of his ancestors. I have observed that he was a simple, good-natured man; he was, moreover, a kind neighbor and an obedient, henpecked husband. Indeed, to the latter circumstance might be owing that meekness of spirit which gained him such universal popularity; for those men are most apt to be obsequious and conciliating abroad who are under the discipline of shrews at home. Their tempers, doubtless, are rendered pliant and malleable in the fiery furnace of domestic tribulation, and a curtain lecture is worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and long-suffering. A termagant wife may, therefore, in some respects, be considered a tolerable blessing; and if so, Rip Van Winkle was thrice blessed.

（1）gallantly：[ˈɡæləntlɪ] ①adj、 英勇的；勇敢的；②adj、（对女子）殷勤的，彬彬有礼的 。
If a man is gallant, he is kind, polite, and considerate towards women.
（2）chivalrous：[ˈʃɪvəlrəs] ①adj、(男子)有骑士风度的；②adj、(尤指对女子)彬彬有礼的，殷勤的 。
A chivalrous man is polite, kind, and unselfish, especially towards women.
（3）obedient：[oˈbidiənt] adj、服从的；顺从的；温驯的。
（4）meekness：[mi:knəs]  n、温顺，柔和。
（5）obsequious：[əbˈsi:kwiəs] adj、奉承的；巴结的；谄媚的。
（6）conciliate：[kənˈsɪliˌet] v 、和解；调解；安抚 。
If you conciliate someone, you try to end a disagreement with them.
（7）shrew： [ʃru]  n、泼妇，悍妇。
（8）pliant：[ˈplaɪənt] adj、(of a person or their body 人或人体) 绵软顺从的；柔顺的 。
（9）malleable： [ˈmæliəbəl] ①adj、（人）温顺的，易受影响的，顺从的。
②adj、（材料）柔软的，可锻的，可塑的，有延展性的 。
A substance that is malleable is soft and can easily be made into different shapes.
（10）furnace：[ˈfɜ:rnɪs] n、熔炉。
（11）curtain：[ˈkɜ:rtn] n、窗帘。
（12）termagant：[ˈtɜ:rməgənt] n、泼妇，好吵架的女人。

他是凡·温克尔家族的后裔：这一家族在彼得·斯图维桑特的骑士时代表现英勇，曾围攻过克莉斯汀娜堡。然而，他几乎没有继承祖先军人的特质。我说过他是一个单纯、和善的的人；此外，他是一个和蔼可亲的邻居，一个听话的、怕老婆的丈夫。事实上，由于后一种情况，他那温顺的性格使他获得普遍的欢迎；这些人在外更倾向于奉承和和解，全因为在家里受到了悍妇的管教。毫无疑问，在家庭苦难的熔炉中他们变得 绵软顺从，枕边一通训话胜过全世界讲的耐心和忍耐的说道。因此，从某些方面来说，有个泼辣的妻子，也可以看作是可以忍受的福气，那么瑞普·凡·温克尔是极其有福的。

4-b-3

The great error in Rip’s composition was an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor. It could not be from the want of assiduity or perseverance; for he would sit on a wet rock, with a rod as long and heavy as a Tartar’s lance, and fish all day without a murmur, even though he should not be encouraged by a single nibble. He would carry a fowling piece on his shoulder, for hours together, trudging through woods and swamps, and up hill and down dale, to shoot a few squirrels or wild pigeons. He would never even refuse to assist a neighbor in the roughest toil, and was a foremost man at all country frolics for husking Indian corn, or building stone fences. The women of the village, too, used to employ him to run their errands, and to do such little odd jobs as their less obliging husbands would not do for them; in a word, Rip was ready to attend to anybody’s business but his own; but as to doing family duty, and keeping his farm in order, it was impossible.

（1）insuperable： [ɪnˈsupərəbəl] adj、不能克服的；无法逾越的。
A problem that is insuperable cannot be dealt with successfully.
（2）assiduity：[ˌæsɪ'dju:ətɪ] n、勤勉；刻苦。
（3）murmur：[ˈmɜ:rmə(r)]  n、低声说；悄声说；低语表达；嘟囔。
（4）nibble：[ˈnɪbəl] v、啃；一点一点地咬(或吃)。
If you nibble food, you eat it by biting very small pieces of it, for example because you are not very hungry.
（5）dale：[del] n、山谷。  an open river valley (in a hilly area)
（6）frolic：[ˈfrɑ:lɪk] v、 嬉戏；嬉闹
（7）errand：[ˈɛrənd] n、（短程的）差事；跑腿。
An errand is a short trip that you make in order to do a job for someone, for example when you go to a shop to buy something for them.
（8）odd jobs：n、零散的工作；杂活；零活儿 。

瑞普-凡-温克尔有一个最大的毛病：什么赚钱的活儿他都极其厌恶。这倒不是由于他缺乏刻苦耐劳或坚持不懈的精神。他会坐在一块潮湿的岩石上，拿着一根棍子，和鞑靼的矛一样长和重，一声不吭地钓一整天捕鱼，哪怕没有一点点的咬钓。他肩上会扛着一根鸟枪，一连几个小时在树林和沼泽中跋涉，上山、下山，射杀几只松鼠或鸽子。他从不拒绝帮助邻居，哪怕是干最粗的活儿；在做剥玉米或砌石墙之类乡间活动时，他总是跑在最前面。村里的妇女也常使唤他，让他传信，或做一些她们的丈夫不愿意做的零活儿。总之，瑞普乐于参和任何人的事，除了他自己家的事；要他承担家庭责任，并保持他的农场秩序，这是不可能的。

4-b-4

Rip Van Winkle, however, was one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy, eat white bread or brown, whichever can be got with least thought or trouble, and would rather starve on a penny than work for a pound. If left to himself, he would have whistled life away, in perfect contentment; but his wife kept continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he was bringing on his family. Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was incessantly going, and everything he said or did was sure to produce a torrent of household eloquence. Rip had but one way of replying to all lectures of the kind, and that, by frequent use, had grown into a habit. He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, cast up his eyes, but said nothing. This, however, always provoked a fresh volley from his wife, so that he was fain to draw off his forces, and take to the outside of the house—the only side which, in truth, belongs to a henpecked husband.

（1）mortal：[ˈmɔ:rtl] adj、终有一死的；致命的。n、凡人；普通人
（2）well-oiled： ['wel'ɔɪld] adj、(系统或机构)运转顺畅的，运行良好的。
Journalists sometimes refer to a system or organization that is operating very efficiently as a well-oiled machine.
（3）din：[dɪn] v、喧闹声；喋喋不休地说。
（4）eloquence：[ˈɛləkwəns] adj、（言辞、文字等）有说服力的；雄辩的；能言善辩的
（5）volley：[ˈvɑ:li] ①n/v、某些体育运动，如网球或足球截击空中球；凌空击球（或踢球） 
②n、（质问、评论、辱骂等的）接连发出。同义词：torrent
a lot of questions, comments, insults, etc. that are directed at sb quickly one after the other
（6）henpecked：[ˈhenpekt] adj、怕老婆的；惧内的。

然而，瑞普·凡·温克尔是那种有福分的人。他一副傻样，生性圆滑，对这个世界看得很开，他吃白面包或棕色面包，只要得来全不费工夫。他宁愿守着一便士挨饿，也不愿为了一英镑而去工作。如果放任他自己，他会吹着口哨、心满意足地度过一生。可是他老婆在他耳朵边不停地唠叨个不完，说他游手好闲、对家庭漠不关心、快把这个家给毁了。早晨，中午，晚上，她成天地喋喋不休，只要他说了一句话或做了一件事，就必定会招来一顿滔滔不绝的家教。瑞普应对这种说教倒是有个办法，而这个办法用多了，便成为一个习惯。每当妻子说他时，他耸肩摇头，两眼朝天翻，却一语不发。然而，这引来老婆又一一连串的辱骂。这么一来，他就只好全线撤退、走到屋子外面。怕老婆的人也只有这么一条出路。

4-b-5

Times grew worse and worse with Rip Van Winkle as years of matrimony rolled on; a tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener by constant use. For a long while he used to console himself, when driven from home, by frequenting a kind of perpetual club of the sages, philosophers, and other idle personages of the village; which held its sessions on a bench before a small inn, designated by a rubicund portrait of his majesty George the Third. Here they used to sit in the shade, of a long lazy summer’s day, talking listlessly over village gossip, or telling endless sleepy stories about nothing. But it would have been worth any statesman’s money to have heard the profound discussions which sometimes took place, when by chance an old newspaper fell into their hands, from some passing traveler. How solemnly they would listen to the contents, as drawled out by Derrick Van Bummel, the schoolmaster, a dapper, learned little man, who was not to be daunted by the most gigantic word in the dictionary; and how sagely they would deliberate upon public events some months after they had taken place.

tart   adj.尖刻的     
mellow adj.圆润的     
keener adj.锋利的     
console v.安慰     
frequenting v.光顾     
perpetual adj.永久的，不断的，无限期的  
rubicund adj.脸色红润的      
portrait  n.肖像，肖像画    
listlessly adv.无精打采地，冷淡地   
solemnly adv.庄严地;严肃地;正式地;神圣地    
dapper adj.（尤指男子）整洁漂亮的，动作敏捷的  
daunted v.使（某人）气馁，威吓     
gigantic adj.巨大的，庞大的;巨人似的;硕大无比    
sagely   adv.贤能地，贤明地

瑞普·万·温克尔婚后的日子越来越糟，尖酸刻薄的脾气永远不会随着年龄的增长而变得温柔，但锋利的舌头却是唯一一种越磨越锋利的工具。很长一段时间里当他被赶出家门时都靠光顾圣人、哲学家和其它闲人组成的永久性俱乐部来安慰自己。俱乐部总是在一间小客栈前的长椅上聚会，这家客栈用英王乔治三世的肖像画做招牌的。在漫长而懒散的夏天里，他们常常坐在树荫下没完没了的讲着村里的闲话，讲着让人打盹的无聊故事，但他们偶尔也会有一些很有见地的聊天很值得任何一个政治家花钱听一听——当过路的游客丢下的报纸碰巧被他们捡到时，他们会非常虔诚的听德瑞克·凡·巴美尔读给他们听报纸上的内容（巴美尔是学校校长，一个知识渊博的矮个子男人，即使是字典里最长的词也难不倒他）。接着大家就会故作高深的讨论着几个月前发生的新闻。

4-b-6

From even this stronghold the unlucky Rip was at length routed by his termagant wife, who would suddenly break in upon the tranquility of the assemblage and call the members all to naught; nor was that august personage, Nicholas Vedder himself, sacred from the daring tongue of this terrible virago, who charged him outright with encouraging her husband in habits of idleness.
Poor Rip was at last reduced almost to despair; and his only alternative, to escape from the labor of the farm and clamor of his wife, was to take gun in hand and stroll away into the woods. Here he would sometimes seat himself at the foot of a tree, and share the contents of his wallet with Wolf, with whom he sympathized as a fellow-sufferer in persecution. "Poor Wolf," he would say, "thy mistress leads thee a dog's life of it; but never mind, my lad, whilst I live thou shalt never want a friend to stand by thee!" Wolf would wag his tail, look wistfully in his master's face, and if dogs can feel pity, I verily believe he reciprocated the sentiment with all his heart.

stronghold n.要塞，堡垒，根据地    
termagant n.泼妇，好吵架的女人   
tranquility n.安宁;平静    
assemblage n.装配;聚集    
naught n.零;泡影;乌有    
virago n.泼妇   
alternative adj.替代的;另类的;备选的;其他的  
persecution n.迫害或受迫害，烦扰，困扰 
reciprocated v.报答，酬答   
sentiment n.情操;感情，情绪;意见，观点;感伤

即使在这样的堡垒里，倒霉的瑞普还是被彻底的击溃了，他凶悍的妻子突然闯了进来，打破了聚会的宁静，还把俱乐部的成员们骂的一文不值，甚至连令人尊敬的尼古拉斯·维达也难逃这个泼妇的一顿辱骂，她毫不客气的指责他煽动她的丈夫养成了游手好闲的习惯。
可怜的瑞普几乎被逼上了绝路，而他唯一的办法就是带上猎枪漫步于深山老林以逃避农场的辛劳和妻子的唠叨。在山林里，他有时坐在树下，与他忠实的狗沃尔夫一起分享袋子里的东西，他同情这条狗，把它视为一起受迫害的难友。“可怜的沃尔夫”他常这么对他说，“女主人让你过上了猪狗不如的日子，不过别担心，只要我还活着，我就永远站在你这一头。”沃尔夫听了总是摇着尾巴，充满期待的望着主人，如果狗也懂得怜悯，我真切的相信它会发自内心的报答瑞普的恩情。