Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17 6:30 A.M. Paul had to find somewhere to hide. But where? Off to the side he saw a big hedgerow, behind a pile of rocks. The rocks might just protect him from the blasts. The hedgerow could keep him hidden from the Nazis. Paul rushed over. The tall, prickly bush looked as solid as a wall. But of course Paul knew better.

第十七章早上6:30保罗必须找个地方躲起来。 但是在哪里?他看到那边一堆石头后面有一大片树篱。 岩石也许能保护他不受爆炸的伤害。 树篱可以使他躲过纳粹的追捕。 保罗冲了过来。那高高的、多刺的灌木看起来像一堵墙一样坚固。 但保罗当然更清楚。

He quickly found an opening, a place where the branches grew apart. His heart was racing. But he closed his eyes and imagined that Gerard was sitting next to him. It had suddenly grown very quiet. The Allied guns had stopped firing. Paul opened his eyes, and stared ahead at the sea with wonder. The fog had disappeared. And so, it seemed, had the English Channel. All Paul could see now were ships—thousands and thousands of them. There were ships and boats of all sizes and shapes. Above them, in the sky, floated hundreds of huge silver balloons. Paul wasn't sure, but he thought maybe those were meant to keep enemy planes from swooping down to attack the ships. The boats stretched out as far as Paul could see, in every direction. Mr. Leon's voice rang through Paul's mind.

他很快找到了一个开口，一个树枝分开的地方。 他的心狂跳。但他闭上眼睛，想象着杰拉德就坐在他旁边。 突然间变得非常安静。 盟军的大炮停止了射击。 保罗睁开眼睛，惊奇地望着前方的大海。 雾已经消失了。英吉利海峡似乎也是如此。 保罗现在能看到的只有船——成千上万的船。 那里有各种大小和形状的船只。 在他们头顶的天空中，漂浮着数百个巨大的银色气球。 保罗不确定，但他想也许这些是为了防止敌机俯冲攻击船只。 这些船一直延伸到保罗所能看到的各个方向。 莱昂先生的声音在保罗的脑海里回荡。

The largest invasion by sea in the history of the world. And unlike the legend of the dragon, these words were true. Paul saw it all with his own eyes. If only Gerard were here to see it with him. The ships sped forward. Why weren't the Nazis attacking back? Where were the cannons and machine guns that lined the cliffs? Paul's heart rose. Had those Allied battleships destroyed all the cannons and machine guns? Were the Nazis slinking away or huddled in their bunkers? The first of the ships were just a few hundred yards from the shore now. Paul pulled the branches open a little more so he could see better. He fixed his gaze on one of the smaller boats. It was still very far away. But Paul could see that it was packed with soldiers, rows of men in green. The boat rose up and down as it plowed forward through the rough waves. Paul imagined how

这是世界历史上最大规模的海上入侵。 与龙的传说不同，这些话是真的。 保罗亲眼看到了这一切。 要是杰拉德能和他一起看就好了。 船只疾驰向前。纳粹为什么不反击？ 悬崖边上的大炮和机枪在哪里？ 保罗的心一跳。盟军的战列舰摧毁了所有的大炮和机枪吗？ 纳粹分子是在潜逃还是躲在地堡里？ 第一艘船现在离海岸只有几百码了。 保罗把树枝再拉开一点，以便看得更清楚。 他凝视着其中一艘小船。 它仍然很遥远。 但是保罗看到里面挤满了士兵，一排排穿绿衣服的人。 船在汹涌的波涛中颠簸前进。 保罗设想

water must be spraying into the boat, soaking the men. They must be freezing. And scared. The boat stopped when it was still maybe two hundred yards away from shore. That was the closest the boats could come, Paul realized. The Germans had lined the beach with giant metal and wooden stakes. There were also underground bombs—mines—buried under the sand, Paul had heard. Paul leaned forward so his face was out of the hedge. He watched as the front of that boat was lowered, and men slid into the water that rose to their chests. They were quickly joined by other men, from other boats. They pushed their way forward, through the choppy sea. "Come on! Come on!" Paul wanted to shout. And that's when the German guns came to life. Cannons blasted from the cliffs. Kaboom!

水一定是溅进了船里，把人浸湿了。 他们一定很冷。和害怕。 船在离海岸大约两百码的地方停了下来。 保罗意识到，这是船能到达的最近距离了。 德国人在海滩上布置了巨大的金属和木桩。 还有地下炸弹——地雷——埋在沙子下面，保罗听说过。 保罗身体前倾，脸露出树篱。 他看着船头放下来，人们滑入齐胸深的水里。 很快，其他船上的人也加入了他们。 他们在波涛汹涌的海面上奋力前进。 “来吧!来吧!”保罗想大叫。 就在那时，德国人的枪炮发挥了作用。 悬崖上轰鸣着大炮。 大爆炸!

Machine guns roared. Brrrrrrrrrrttttt! Brrrrrrrrrrrrtttt! Paul froze in horror as men were mowed down by the dozens. By the hundreds. There was so much smoke that the ships seemed to disappear. But he heard the explosions as the ships were hit. He saw the flames. And the men. More and more of them were in the water now, making their way toward the beach. They pushed through the spray of machine gun fire. Some fell back and sank into the bloody water. But others made it to the beach. And then? There was no place for them to hide from the nonstop spray of machine gun fire. Soon the beach was covered with bodies. Men cried out for help. Red, foaming waves crashed onto the shore. Something inside Paul's mind seemed to snap.

机枪轰鸣。Brrrrrrrrrrttttt !Brrrrrrrrrrrrtttt !看到几十个人被砍倒，保罗吓呆了。 数以百计。烟雾太大了，船似乎都不见了。 但他听到了船只被击中时的爆炸声。 他看到了火焰。还有男人。 现在越来越多的人在水里，朝海滩游去。 他们冲破机关枪的扫射。 一些人向后倒，沉入了血腥的水中。 但也有人成功到达了海滩。 然后呢?在不停的机枪扫射下，他们无处可躲。 很快，海滩上就满是尸体。 人们大声呼救。红色的、冒着泡沫的海浪拍打着海岸。 保罗的脑子里似乎有什么东西崩溃了。

His eyes stopped seeing. His ears stopped hearing. He leaned back and the branches seemed to wrap themselves around his body. The leaves seemed to put gentle fingers over his face. The hedgerow seemed to grow and grow, surrounding Paul like the walls of a castle. Paul sat there, praying for this nightmare to end. "Son? Son?" Paul's eyes snapped open. He was looking into the face of a man with very dark skin. A soldier, wearing a helmet. He gently grabbed hold of Paul, like he was a wounded baby deer. And he pulled him out of the hedgerow. Paul saw the American flag patch on the arm of his uniform. The soldier helped Paul to his feet and waited a minute.

他的眼睛看不见了。他的耳朵听不见了。 他向后一靠，树枝似乎把他的身体团团围住了。 树叶似乎把温柔的手指放在他的脸上。 树篱似乎越长越大，像城堡的围墙一样包围着保罗。 保罗坐在那里，祈祷这场噩梦快点结束。 “儿子?儿子吗?”保罗的眼睛猛地睁开。 他注视着一个皮肤很黑的人的脸。 一个戴着头盔的士兵。 他轻轻地抓住保罗，就像他是一只受伤的小鹿。 他把他从树篱里拉了出来。 保罗看到他制服手臂上的美国国旗徽章。 士兵扶保罗站起来，等了一会儿。