(原版)澳大利亚语文第二册 LESSON 51
LESSON 51 A STRANGE SHOWER
A STRANGE SHOWER
dai-ry tem-pered laughed
plagued hap-pened ex-claimed
fright-en luck-i-ly sin-cere-ly
di-rect-ly un-der-stood cloak
1. There lived once in a dairy
A maid called Miss Clary,
Whose blunders 〔1〕 were laughed at by many
Though she all the while
Wore a good-tempered smile,
And often laughed louder than any.
2. She was plagued 〔2〕 so with mice,
Eating everything nice—
Her cheese and her butter and creams—
That to drive them away
Was her thought all the day,
And by night came again in her dreams.
3. She happened one day
To hear someone say
They thought it would rain cats and dogs:
Now, she wanted a cat,
So she ran for her hat,
And put on her cloak and her clogs 〔3〕 .
4. It rained, it is true,
Yet no cat could she view,
But she saw a nice dog in the street;
"Oh, that," she exclaimed 〔4〕 ,
"Shall be mine when 'tis tamed,
And I surely can tame it with meat.
5. "I never remarked 〔5〕 ,
But I think, if he barked,
It would frighten the mice and the rats.
I'll take what's in my power,
And perhaps the next shower
May luckily bring us some cats."
6. She held the dog fast
Till a person came past,
And begged her to let Rover loose.
"It rains dogs," said Miss Clary.
"Rains dogs for a dairy!
Whoever beheld such a goose?"
7. But the kind-hearted man
Directly 〔6〕 began
The silly old words to explain.
She thanked him sincerely,
And understood clearly
It meant nothing more than hard rain.
注释
〔1〕 blunders: Foolish mistakes.
〔2〕 plagued: Worried; annoyed.
〔3〕 clogs: Wooden shoes.
〔4〕 exclaimed: Cried out.
〔5〕 remarked: Noticed.
〔6〕 directly: At once.
