Reference Translation of Exercise 7 -- Translating Prose (Fiction)

Where the Sun Spilled Gold
那片灑滿金光的仙境
(錦心繡手) (有志竟成) (那片山巔的花鳥仙境) (桃花源記) (世外桃源)
Written by Jaroldeen Edwards

It was a bleak, rainy day, and I had no desire to drive up the winding mountain road to my daughter Carolyn’s house. But she had insisted that I come see something at the mountain. So here I was, reluctantly making the two-hour journey through fog that hung like veils.
那是個下著雨又冷颼颼的日子〈下著淒雨的日子〉，我完全提不起興趣開車爬上蜿蜒的山道，去女兒卡珞琳家。但她苦苦相邀，一定要我去山頂看些東西。
雖然老大的不願意，但我還是踏上了兩小時的旅途，這一路上白霧茫茫，如紗如帳。

By the time I saw how thick it was near the summit I’d gone too far to turn back. Nothing could be worth this, I thought as I inched along the perilous highway.
到達山頂看到霧有多濃的時候，要折回已經晚了。「無論有什麼好看的東西，都不值得我走這遭」，我一面想，一面在險惡的公路上磨蹭著前進。

“I’ll stay for lunch but I’m heading back down as soon as the fog lifts “ I announced when I arrived.
一到女兒家門，就對她說：「我在這吃午飯，但是霧一散，我就要下山回去。」

But I need you to drive me to the garage to pick up my car, Carolyn said. “Could we at least do that?”
卡珞琳說：「但是，你至少得先載我到保養場取車，這個總沒問題吧?」

“How far is it?” I asked.
“About three minutes, “ she said. “I’ll drive – I’m used to it.”
After ten minutes on the mountain road I looked at her anxiously. I thought you said three minutes.
She grinned. “This is a detour.”
「有多遠?」，我問。
「大約三分鐘車程」，她說，「我來開車吧，我習慣在霧裡行車了。」
汽車在山道(路)上走了十分鐘，我有點擔心了，望著女兒說：「剛才你說三分鐘的。」她
咧嘴笑道：「我兜了個圈子，想讓妳看點東西嘛！」

Turning down a narrow track we parked the car and got out. We walked along a path that was thick with old pine needles. Huge black-green evergreens towered over us. Gradually the peace and silence of the place began to fill my mind.
我們轉入一條狹路停了下來，下了車，沿著一條鋪滿了乾枯松針的小徑走著，抬頭望去，滿眼是綠森森高聳的巨松。那寧靜又安祥的氣氛，開始沁入我的心靈。

And I stopped and gasped in amazement.
突然間，我猛然停步，失聲驚歎。

From the top of the mountain, sloping for several acres across folds and valleys, were rivers of daffodils in radiant bloom. A profusion of color -- from the palest ivory to the deepest lemon to the most vivid salmon -- blazed like a carpet before us. It looked as though the sun had tipped over and spilled gold down the mountainside.
由山頂向下綿延好幾英畝，溝壑山谷之間處處都是盛放的黃水仙，搖曳在風中，宛若一條條金黃的小河；那奪目的繽紛五彩，有淡得無可再淡的象牙白，有深得無可再深的檸檬黃，更有鮮艷的鮭魚紅，變化多端，燦爛如錦繡；這一切，恍似一缸弄灑了的太陽金光，把整片山坡染得金黃奪目。

At the center cascaded a waterfall of purple hyacinths. Here and there were coral-colored tulips. And a
s if this bonanza were not enough, western bluebirds frolicked over the heads of the daffodils, their magenta breasts and sapphire wings like a flutter of jewels.
在這片錦繡的中央，一大叢風信子隨風起伏，宛若一匹紫色的瀑布；此外，還有珊瑚色的鬱金香錯落其間。這半山錦花繡草似乎還唯恐不夠醉人，喚來了一群西〈部〉知更鳥，在水仙花上翩然戲耍，紅的胸，藍的翅，活像一群跳動的寶石。

Riot of questions filled my mind. Who created such beauty? Why? How?
一連串問題在我心裡勃然而生：這滿目琳琅，是誰創造的?為的是什麼?如何造的?

As we approached the home that stood in the center of the property, we saw a sign: ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS I KNOW YOU ARE ASKING.
當我們走近這片土地屮央的那戶人家，我們看見了一個牌子，上面寫著：「我們知道你好奇，以下是你心中問題的答案」。
.
The first answer was: ONE WOMAN – TWO HANDS, TWO FEET AND VERY LITTLE BRAIN. The second was: ONE AT A TIME. The third: STARTED IN 1958.
第一個答案是：一個女人，兩隻手，兩條腿，一個簡單的頭腦；第二個答案是：一次植一顆；第三個答案是：始於一九五八年。

As we drove home I was so moved by what we had seen I could scarcely speak. “She changed the world,“ I finally said,“ one bulb at a time. She started almost 40 years ago, probably just the beginning of an idea, but she kept at it.
在歸途上，我感動得幾乎說不出話來。「就那樣一次植一顆球莖，她把世界改造了！」我良久才說，「她是在將近四十年前開始種的，那時，大概只有一個想法，還沒有完整計劃，但是她持之以恆。」

The wonder of it would not let me go. “Imagine,” I said“ if l had had a vision and worked at it, just a little bit every day, what might I have accomplished?”
這片奇景讓我久久不能自已(忘懷)，「想想看，」我說，「如果我也有一個願景，然後每天朝這願景做一點，最後，我可能做成些甚麼？」

Carolyn looked at me sideways, smiling. “Start tomorrow,” she said.
“Better yet, start today.”
卡洛琳斜眼笑著對我說：「那就從明天起開始做，」「不過，最好就從今天開始。」