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Beatrix Potter: More Than Just Rabbits 彼得兔外一章：波特小姐传奇

详细资料: 创建于 2009年3月24日; 最后更新于 2024年5月25日; 发布于 2012年3月06日; 作者：Mike Lee; 点击数：260

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繁體中文譯本

Among children’s authors, the name Beatrix Potter has stood out above all others for over a century. Her most famous creation, Peter Rabbit, is loved by children everywhere. Apart from her books, Potter’s own life makes for a fascinating story in itself.

逾百年来，在所有的童书作家中，碧雅翠丝．波特显得出类拔萃。她最著名的创作：彼得兔，深受各地孩童喜爱。除了她的书本创作外，波特小姐本身的人生也是精彩连连。

Brought up in a privileged family in Victorian England, Potter displayed a passion for animals from a young age. Among her various pets were rabbits, lizards, mice, and even a bat! She loved to sit for hours on end sketching her animal companions, considering them her best friends. Young Beatrix also developed a strong appreciation for the countryside, especially the Lake District in northern English, where her family frequently spent their holidays.

出身于维多利亚时代的英格兰权贵家庭，波特从小便展现对动物的热爱。兔子、蜥蜴、老鼠甚至蝙蝠，都曾经是她的宠物。她喜欢一连坐上好几个小时，描绘她视为最要好朋友的动物同伴。年少时的波特小姐也深爱乡间风景，尤其是北英格兰的湖区，她的家人经常到该区渡假。

Much to her parents’ frustration, Beatrix had a very independent streak, with little desire to marry, unlike most young women of her class at the time. Later on, she got engaged to her publisher Norman Warne in her early thirties. Tragically, however, their romance was cut short by his death from illness just a month after he had proposed. She spent the latter half of her life in the Lake District, married to a local solicitor, Willie Heelis, whom she had known since childhood. Although she never had children of her own, the joy that her books brought to children was a great comfort to her.

教父母亲感到万分沮丧的是，波特小姐的个性非常独立，而且不像当时他们所属同阶级多数女性的想法，她的结婚意愿极低。后来，波特小姐在30岁出头时，与自己的出版商诺曼．华恩订婚。但是，遗憾的是，华恩向波特求婚一个月之后因病过世，他们的爱情故事也因此戛然而止。波特小姐的后半生都住在湖区，她嫁给当地执业律师威利．希利斯，一个她从小便认识的人。虽然波特从来没有自己的孩子，对她而言，她的书本为孩童所带来的欢乐可算是一大安慰。

Vocabulary

单词发音

on end 连续地

sketch [skɛtʃ] v. 画素描，画速写

companion [kəmˋpænjən] n. 同伴；朋友

frustration [͵frʌsˋtreʃən] n. 挫折，失败，挫败

tragically [ˋtrædʒɪk!ɪ] adv. 悲惨地﹐不幸地

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单词发音

stand out 突出, 显着 to protrude from something

apart from 除...外 besides

make for 促进；导致 to help promote

bring up 养育; 抚养; 教养 to take care of and educate (a child); rear

privileged [ˋprɪvɪlɪdʒd] adj. 享有特权的

appreciation [ə͵priʃɪˋeʃən] n. 欣赏；鉴赏; 赏识

streak [strik] n. 倾向，气质

get engaged 订婚

cut short 打断; 缩短 to stop before the end

propose [prəˋpoz] v. 求（婚）

solicitor [səˋlɪsətɚ] n.【英】初级律师

课文朗读

课文讲解

In all, Beatrix Potter penned twenty-three delightful animal tales during her lifetime, of which “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” was the first. The enduring appeal of her books lies not just in the stories but in the detailed illustrations that accompany them. All of these creations were directly influenced by the countless animal sketches she had made as a child.

波特一生总共创作23本趣味十足的动物故事，当中，《彼得兔的故事》是第一本。她的故事长久以来吸引读者的，不单单是因为故事本身，同时也是因为伴随这些故事的精致插画。她全部的创作都深受童年时期无数动物素描的影响。

As well as being an exceptionally talented artist and author, Potter studied botany in her spare time, particularly concerned with the study of fungi. She even wrote scientific research papers on the subject, although she was prevented from presenting these publicly herself because she was a woman.

除了身为一名才华洋溢的艺术家及作家外，波特在闲暇时也研读植物学，尤其是有关菌类的研究。她甚至针对这个主题撰写科学性研究报告，不过因为女性的身份受到禁令约束，波特无法自己公开发表这些研究成果。

The achievements of this dynamic lady didn’t stop here. She was an active farmer in her later life, breeding prize-winning sheep. What’s more, inspired by her love for the Lake District’s stunning landscape, she fought tirelessly against developers who were determined to build there. Besides her main residence of Hill Top Farm, she purchased thousands of acres of land in the area to ensure its lasting protection. The fact that the Lake District remains such an unspoiled area of natural beauty to this day is due, in large part, to Beatrix Potter’s noble conservation efforts.

这位多才多艺女士的成就不仅止于此。晚年时，她也是名活跃的农夫，培育获奖羊只。更甚者，因为深爱湖区的绝美景致，波特与那些执意开发湖区的建商对抗不懈。除了Hill Top农场的主要住所之外，波特购入湖区数千亩的土地，以确保它们永远受到保护。湖区到今日依旧能够保持如此完整、未受破坏的景观，其中一大部份的原因都是因为波特令人敬佩的保育行动。

Vocabulary

单词发音

enduring [ɪnˋdjʊrɪŋ] adj. 持久的; 持续的

accompany [əˋkʌmpənɪ] v. 伴随; 附加

prevent [prɪˋvɛnt] v. 阻止；制止[（+from）]

purchase [ˋpɝtʃəs] v. 购买

conservation [͵kɑnsɚˋveʃən] n.（对自然资源的）保护

More Information

单词发音

in all 总共 considering everything; all together

pen [pɛn] v. 写；写作

illustration [ɪ͵lʌsˋtreʃən] n. 插图; 插画

exceptionally [ɪkˋsɛpʃənəlɪ] adv. 特别; 非常

botany [ˋbɑtənɪ] n. 植物学

fungus [ˋfʌŋgəs] n. 真菌

dynamic [daɪˋnæmɪk] adj. 有活力的

breed [brid] v. 使繁殖，饲养

unspoiled [ʌnˋspɔɪld] adj. 未受破坏的

课文朗读

课文讲解

Nowadays, Beatrix Potter’s books are just one element of the huge Peter Rabbit commercial empire. Toys, stationery, and household ornaments bearing the image of the famous bunny and his animal friends are all in great demand. If she were around today, there’s no doubt that Potter would approve, as she was the one who actually got the ball rolling in terms of promoting merchandise. A range of toys, puzzles, and games based on the Peter Rabbit characters were originally created by Potter herself, to capitalize on her books’ success. Eventually, she had a shrewd business mind as well as an artistic one.

今日，波特小姐的书籍不过是庞大彼得兔商业帝国的一部份。有这只著名彼得兔以及他的朋友的玩具、文具及家饰品非常畅销、供不应求。如果波特还在世的话，毫无疑问地她会乐于见到这种情况，毕竟一开始便是由她开始营销这些商品。大肆利用书籍的成功，波特自己原创出各式各样根据彼得兔故事中角色所创造的玩具、拼图以及游戏。显然地，波特除了艺术才华外，也有精明的商业头脑。

If you ever get the chance to visit the Lake District, the Beatrix Potter Museum, located within the perfectly preserved Hill Top cottage, is certainly worth a look. It houses many of her original manuscripts and illustrations, as well as some of those early toys and games. One of the most interesting exhibits is Potter’s private journal, which she kept until she was thirty. It was actually written in her own secret code, which wasn’t deciphered until fifteen years after her death.

如果你真有机会造访湖区，那么位于Hill Top屋舍内保存完善的波特博物馆绝对值得一游。博物馆里收藏许多原本的手稿、插画，以及一些早期的玩具和游戏。最有趣的一项展示品是波特小姐的私人日记。30岁之前，波特小姐一直都有写日记的习惯。那本日记其实是波特用自己的密码写的，一直到她过世15年之后，日记的密码才被破解。

Potter’s life story was also depicted on screen in the 2006 movie “Miss Potter,” starring Renée Zellweger. It’s just the latest chapter in a long legacy which will hopefully continue to charm young and old alike for generations to come.

波特的一生也因2006年的《波特小姐》一片跃上大屏幕，该片由芮妮．齐维格主演。那部电影不过是整个波特传承当中的最新一章，希望日后不分老少，也都能继续喜爱波特小姐所留下的文化遗产。

−by David Vickers

Vocabulary

单词发音