乡间客栈的一个阴雨星期天

A wet Sunday in a country inn！ Whoever has had the luck to experience one can alone judge of my situation. The rain pattered against the casements； the bells tolled for church with a melancholy sound. I went to the windows in quest of something to amuse the eye； but is seemed as if I had been placed completely out of the reach of all amusement. The windows of my bed-room looked out among tiled roofs and stacks of chimneys， while those of my sitting-room commanded a full view of the stable yard. I know of nothing more calculated to make a man sick of this world than a stable yard on a rainy day. The place was littered with wet straw had been kicked about by travelers and stable-boys. In one corner was a stagnant pool of water， surrounding an island of muck； there were several half-drowned fowls crowded together under cart， among which a miserable，crest-fallencock，drenchedoutofalllifeaandspirit；hisdroopingtailwasmatted， as it were， into a single feather， along which the water trickled from his back； near the cart was a half dozing cow， chewing her cud， and standing patiently to be rained on， with wreaths of vapour rising from her reeking hide； a wall-eyed horse， tired of the loneliness of a stable， was poking his spectral head out of a window， with the rain dripping on it from the eaves； an unhappy cur， chained to a dog-house hard by， uttered something every now and then between a bark and yelp； a drab of a kitchen wench tramped backwards and forwards through the yard in patterns， looking as sulky as the weather itself； everything， in short， was comfortless and forlorn， excepting a crew of hardened ducks， assembled like boon companions round a puddle and making a riotous noise over their liquor.

　　（by Washington Irving） Desert Plants

　　patter 发出嗒嗒声

　　casement 窗扉

　　toll 鸣钟，敲钟

　　muck 粪堆

　　crest-fallen 垂头丧气的

　　drench 淋透，湿透

　　cud 反刍的食物

　　wreath 螺旋形，涡状物

　　reek 冒水蒸气

　　wall-eyed 眼白特别大的，两眼珠向外斜视的

　　poke 探， 伸

　　cur 杂种狗

　　yelp 犬吠

　　wench 女佣

　　pattern 木底鞋

　　sulky 郁郁不乐的，阴沉的

　　riotous 喧闹的，吵嚷的

　　liquor 烈酒