景一
The summer of 1868 passed as an unremarkable1 season at Saranac Lake in New Yorks Adirondack Mountains. The weather was fine, the scenery delightful, and about 200 to 300 hunters and anglers2 came to hunt and fish as usual. The summers of 1869 and 1870, however, were an altogether different story. The weather was more or less the same, and the scenery continued to entrance3, but thousands of men and women came to enjoy Americas newest recreation4—camping.
1868年,在紐約的阿迪朗達克山脈的薩拉納克湖,一個不起眼的夏季過去了。天氣很好,風(fēng)景宜人,和往常一樣,約有200到300名獵人和垂釣者來此打獵和垂釣。然而,1869和1870的夏天則是另一番景象。天氣大致相同,景色依舊迷人,但有數(shù)以千計的人們前來體驗美國最新潮的娛樂方式——露營。
They had been inspired by what today we recognize as the watershed5 book in the history of American camping, Adventures in the Wilderness; or, Camp-Life in the Adirondacks, which had been written in 1869 by a minister6 named William Henry Harrison Murray (1840~1904). He became known as the father of the Outdoor Movement. The book is cited as changing common parlance7 to use “vacation” instead of the British “holiday” for people vacating their city homes.
這些人們?nèi)际鞘艿搅嗽诋?dāng)今被認(rèn)為是美國露營史上的分水嶺的一本書的影響,這本書就是牧師威廉·亨利·哈里森·穆里(1840—1904)在1869年所著的《野外探險:阿迪朗達克山脈的露營生活》。穆里被認(rèn)為是戶外運動之父。這本書被認(rèn)為改變了日常用語,用“假期(vacation)”一詞取代了英語中的“假日(holiday)”一詞,以描述人們離開城市家園去度假的行為。
Murray was born in Guilford, Connecticut in 1840. In his boyhood, he learned to shoot, hunt, and fish, even as he developed a reading habit and a taste for literature. Murray entered Yale College in 1858, and upon graduating immediately married Isadora Hull, who also loved the out of doors. Determined to become a minister, Murray entered the Congregationalist East Windsor Seminary near Hartford, Connecticut, where he finished his studies in 1864. He then served in a succession of churches in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
1840年,穆里出生于康涅狄格州的吉爾福德。在他小時候,他學(xué)會了射擊、打獵和捕魚,同樣養(yǎng)成了閱讀的習(xí)慣和對文學(xué)的品味。穆里在1858年進入耶魯大學(xué),畢業(yè)后即與同樣喜歡戶外活動的伊薩朵拉·赫爾結(jié)婚。因為決心成為一名牧師,穆里入讀了康涅狄格州哈特福德附近的公理會東溫莎神學(xué)院,1864年,他在那里完成了他的學(xué)業(yè)。隨后,他在康涅狄格州和馬薩諸塞州多個教堂任職。
Murray took his first camping vacation in the Adirondacks in the summer of 1864 and returned annually8 for many years. Sometimes, Murray brought parties with him, which could include not only his friends, but also his wife and his friends wives. Smitten9 by the Adirondacks beauty and the leisure time he enjoyed there, Murray started writing about his trips in a series of lively, often humorous “narrative exercises”. In Murrays case, the subjects included hunting, fishing, and the powerful beauty of nature.
1864年夏季,穆里在阿迪朗達克山脈度過了他的第一個野營假期,之后多年他每年都返回那里度假。有時,默里會在那里舉行聚會,不僅邀請他的朋友們,還有他的妻子和他朋友們的妻子們。陶醉于阿迪朗達克山脈的美以及在那里度過的閑暇時光,穆里開始了關(guān)于他的旅行的一系列活潑、幽默的“敘事練筆”。穆里筆下文字的主題包括狩獵、捕魚和大自然的強大魅力。
Murray never intended his “narrative exercises” for publication. But when a good friend encouraged him in 1869 to publish a book with a famous Boston publisher, Murray liked the idea. At first, publisher James T. Fields declined Murrays manuscript, but not wanting to embarrass the minister, he reluctantly10 agreed to read the submission. Two days later, he called Murray to his office with exciting news: He wanted to publish Murrays book that spring. “Your method of interpreting nature and your humor are unlike anything that we have ever seen,” Fields said. “This little book, I am confident, is destined11 to a great career.”
穆里從未打算出版他的“敘事練筆”。但在1869年,當(dāng)他的一位好朋友鼓勵他找一個有名的波士頓出版商出版書時,他很喜歡這個主意。一開始,出版商詹姆斯·托馬斯·菲爾茨拒絕了穆里的手稿,但又不想讓這位牧師難堪,于是他勉強同意閱讀這份手稿。兩天后,他把穆里叫到了辦公室,帶來了令人興奮的消息——當(dāng)年春天,他想出版穆里的書?!澳阍忈屪匀坏姆绞揭约澳愕挠哪c眾不同,”菲爾茨說?!斑@本小小的書,我相信,一定會紅。”
The book was immediately popular with the public and a tremendous12 commercial success, making Murray both famous and wealthy by June. We do not know exactly how many copies were sold. Years later, Murray recalled that for a long time the book had sold at a rate of about 500 per week.
這本書立即受到了公眾的歡迎,并取得了巨大的商業(yè)成功,使穆里不到六月就變得既有名又富有。我們不知道到底這本書售出了多少冊。幾年后,穆里回憶說,有很長一段時間,這本書都在以每周約500冊的速度售出。
Within months of the books release, the sleepy Adirondack region was transformed, as an unprecedented13 horde14 of campers, hunters, and anglers arrived from New York, Boston, Hartford, Philadelphia, and other cities. According to a reporter on the 1870 scene, “Mr. Murrays book drew a throng of pleasure-seekers into this region. The book seemed to be everywhere...hawked15 through the cars; for sale in the most unlooked-for places; by every carpet-bag...”
在這本書開始發(fā)行的數(shù)月里,隨著來自紐約、波士頓、哈特福德、費城及其他城市的史無前例規(guī)模的露營者、獵人和垂釣者們的到來,沉寂的阿迪朗達克地區(qū)大變樣了。據(jù)1870年現(xiàn)場的一位記者的敘述,“穆里先生的書吸引了大批找樂子的人進入這個地區(qū)。這本書好像到處都是……在車流間兜售;在一些最意想不到的地方出售;出現(xiàn)在每一個旅行袋旁……”
The stampede16 of visitors, which continued unabated17 through the summers of 1869 and 1870, came to be called “Murrays Rush” and its author gained a nickname: “Adirondack” Murray. By July 1869, demand for this book was so great that the publishers began to produce a knock-off “Tourists Edition” with twelve pages of railroad timetables and a map in the back pocket. Railroads began to offer a free copy with each round-trip ticket to the Adirondacks to generate more riders. Soon, it seemed that everyone traveling to the Adirondacks owned “a copy of Murray.”
游客的蜂擁而入,從1869到1870的夏天一直持續(xù)未見衰減,這被稱為“穆里熱”,而其始作俑者則獲得了一個綽號——“阿迪朗達克”的穆里。到1869年7月,對這本書的需求如此之大,于是出版商開始推出書后口袋里附有十二頁火車時刻表和一張地圖的“旅游版”。為了吸引更多乘客,鐵路公司開始為每一張前往阿迪朗達克地區(qū)的往返票提供一份免費的書。很快,前往阿迪朗達克地區(qū)的人幾乎人手一份“穆里的書”。
So many people arrived after the book was published that there werent enough accommodations, guides, etc.; hence these crowds were called “Murrays Fools”. Later, these “Murrays Fools” built hundreds of “Great Camps”, hotels, vacation homes and clubs in the Adirondacks.
在這本書出版后,太多人來到這里,因此沒有足夠的住處、向?qū)У龋虼诉@些人群被稱為“穆里的傻瓜”。后來,這些“穆里的傻瓜”在阿迪朗達克地區(qū)修建了成百上千的“大營地”、酒店、度假別墅和會所。
Adventures in the Wilderness; or, Camp-Life in the Adirondacks produced its remarkable effect for several reasons. The Adirondacks were more accessible18 than ever, as railroads and a telegraph line reached the regions margin19 in 1868. The post-Civil War economy was booming, which increased middle class wealth and made it possible for more people to buy Murrays book and act on his advice. Finally, Murrays book offered a great deal of practical advice. Murray explained how to get to the Adirondacks, how to avoid insects, where to buy equipment, which qualities to value in a guide, a few names of local guides, and what accommodations20 were available. He told new campers what to bring, and what to leave at home.
《野外探險:阿迪朗達克山脈的露營生活》這本書的影響深遠(yuǎn)有以下幾個原因。阿迪朗達克山脈比以往任何時候都更容易接近,因為在1868年鐵路和電報線路已修到了該區(qū)域的邊緣。南北戰(zhàn)爭后經(jīng)濟蓬勃發(fā)展,中產(chǎn)階級的財富增加,更多的人可以購買穆里的書并按照他的建議行事。最后一點,穆里的書里提供了大量實用的建議。穆里說明了如何前往阿迪朗達克山脈,如何防蟲,在哪里買裝備,向?qū)?yīng)具備哪些素質(zhì),一些當(dāng)?shù)叵驅(qū)У拿郑睦锟梢宰∷?。他告訴新手露營者們要帶哪些東西,要把哪些東西留在家里。
Furthermore, the book produced its dramatic popular response because Murray was the first writer to present camping as pilgrimage21. In its simplest form, a pilgrim22 is someone who leaves home, journeys to a sacred place, and returns home changed. Personal motivations vary, but pilgrims typically seek escape from the routine and restrictions23 of ordinary life in order to find spiritual satisfaction and comfort.
此外,這本書也引起了戲劇性的反響,因為穆里是第一位將野營比作朝圣的作家。朝圣的最簡單的形式是朝圣的人離開家,前往一個神圣的地方,回到家時已發(fā)生改變。雖然個人動機各不相同,但朝圣者們通常是為了逃避日常的生活和限制,去追尋精神上的滿足和安慰。
American pilgrims frequently headed out of cities to rural and wildland areas for family reunions, and even before Murrays book appeared. Murrays book, unlike other books before, placed camping within this American pilgrimage pattern. American life had changed rapidly after the Civil War. Growing cities offered more and more employment choices, but smoke, noise, and crowding, class, ethnic, and other social relations, and other rapid changes left many people in cities confused.
在穆里的書面世之前,美國的朝圣者們就經(jīng)常走出城市,到鄉(xiāng)村和野外地區(qū)去進行家庭聚會。不同于之前的其他書,穆里的書把露營引入到了美國的朝圣模式中。南北戰(zhàn)爭后,美國的生活迅速發(fā)生了變化。不斷變多的城市提供了更多的就業(yè)機會,但煙霧、噪音、擁擠、階級、種族等社會關(guān)系以及其他快速的變化使許多城市居民困惑不已。
Yearning for a sense of belonging, they heard Murrays call to the wild. The minister blamed urban life for his readers yearnings and aches, and described camping as cure. The book, he declared, was written for those who put up in narrow offices and narrower studies, weary24 of the citys din25, long for a breath of mountain air and the free life by field. These lost ideals, he assured his readers, could be found on a camping trip.
渴望歸屬感的人們聽到了穆里前往荒野的號召。這位牧師指責(zé)城市生活給他的讀者帶來了向往和痛苦,把露營描述成了一種治愈手段。他說,這本書是為那些受困于狹窄的辦公室里和更狹窄的書房中,厭倦了城市的喧囂,渴望呼吸山間的空氣和享受自由的野外生活的人而寫的。他向讀者保證,這些失落的理想可以在野營旅行中找回。
Murray broke the gender barrier by insisting that camping was “delightful to ladies”. Of all who go into the woods, none enjoy the experiences more than ladies, and certain it is that none are more benefited by it.
穆里打破了性別歧視,堅持認(rèn)為露營對女士來說是“愉快的”。所有的人走進森林,沒有誰能比女士們有更多的體驗,也沒有誰能比女士們受益更多。
Murrays belief was that to be a full person one must combine the knowledge of nature with a civilized education. He believed in protecting the Adirondacks, and often spoke about the “ownership of the Adirondacks”. He believed no one state or individual owned the wilderness.
穆里的信念是:要成為一個完整的人,就必須把自然的知識與文明教育結(jié)合起來。他認(rèn)為要保護阿迪朗達克山脈,并經(jīng)常談到的阿迪朗達克山脈的“所有權(quán)”問題。他認(rèn)為,不應(yīng)由某一個州或個人獨享這片曠野。
1. unremarkable adj. 平凡的;不值得注意的
2. angler n. 釣魚者
3. entrance vt. 使出神,使入迷
4. recreation n. 娛樂;消遣;休養(yǎng)
5. watershed adj. 標(biāo)志轉(zhuǎn)折點的
6. minister n. 牧師
7. parlance n. 說法;用語
8. annually adv. 每年;一年一次
9. smite vt. 使神魂顛倒
10. reluctantly adv. 不情愿地;嫌惡地
11. destine vt. 注定;命定
12. tremendous adj. 極大的;驚人的
13. unprecedented adj. 空前的;無前例的
14. horde n. 一大群,群
15. hawk vt. 兜售,沿街叫賣
16. stampede n. 人群的蜂擁
17. unabated adj. 不減弱的,不衰退的
18. accessible adj. 易接近的
19. margin n. 邊緣
20. accommodation n. 住處,膳宿
21. pilgrimage n. 漫游;朝圣之行
22. pilgrim n. 朝圣者
23. restriction n. 限制;約束
24. weary adj. 疲倦的;厭煩的
25. din n. 喧囂