11 A “Wick” Garden

CHAPTER 11 A "Wick" Garden For several minutes, Dickon just looked around. Then he started walking about the gray trees and twisting vines, the over grown grass, and the stone seats and urns. "We used to wonder about this place," he said softly. "Just look at the tangle—this must be the safest nesting place in England! No one could bother the birds up there." "Will there be any roses?" Mary whispered. Dickon stepped over to the nearest tree.

第十一章“灯芯”花园狄肯只是四处张望了几分钟。 然后，他开始在灰色的树木、扭曲的藤蔓、长得太高的草、石凳和石瓮之间走来走去。 “我们过去常常对这个地方感到好奇，”他轻声说。 “看看这一团乱麻——这一定是英国最安全的筑巢地了！”没有人能打扰上面的鸟儿。” “会有玫瑰吗？”玛丽低声说。 狄肯走到最近的一棵树旁。

He took a knife from his pocket and cut into a branch. "There's lots of deadwood, but it's as wick as you and me," he told her. Grinning widely, he showed Mary a little brownish green shoot. "Wick?" she asked. "That's Yorkshire for 'alive,'" Dickon said. "Oh, I'm glad it's wick!" Mary exclaimed. Dickon put a finger up to his lips. Mary whispered happily, "I want everything here to be wick!" One shrub at a time, Dickon showed her how to cut away the deadwood to find the living wood. "When it looks greenish and juicy, it's wick. When it's dry and breaks off easy, you cut it away." Then he showed her how to dig around the roots to let the plants breathe. There was so much to do that Mary asked

他从口袋里掏出一把刀，砍了一根树枝。 “这里有很多枯木，但它就像你和我一样有活力。”他告诉她。 他咧着嘴笑，给玛丽看了一根棕绿色的小嫩芽。 “Wick?”她问。“那是约克郡‘活着’的意思。”狄肯说。 “哦，我很高兴它是灯芯！”玛丽喊道。 狄肯把一根手指放到嘴唇上。 玛丽高兴地低声说：“我希望这里的一切都是干净的！”狄肯一次一棵地向她展示如何砍掉枯木以找到活木。 “当它看起来又绿又多汁的时候，它就是灯芯。 当头发干了，容易折断的时候，你就把它剪掉。” 然后，他教她如何在根部周围挖洞，让植物呼吸。 有很多事情要做，玛丽要求做

if Dickon could come again and help. "I'll come every day if you want," he offered. "We'll wake up this garden. You'll get stronger, and I'll teach you to talk to the robin. We'll have loads of fun!" He looked around again and said, "But I don't think the garden should be too neat. It will look nicer with things running a bit wild." Mary agreed that it wouldn't seem like a secret garden if it was too tidy. "Hmm. It looks like someone did some pruning and digging not too long ago," he noted. "But the door was locked, and the key was buried. How could anyone get in?" Mary said. Dickon scratched his head. "Aye, how could it be?" he murmured. They kept working in the warm sunshine.

如果狄肯能再来帮忙的话。 “如果你愿意，我每天都来。” “我们要唤醒整个花园。 你会变得更强壮，我会教你和知更鸟说话。 我们会玩得很开心的！”他又看了看四周，说：“但我认为花园不应该太整洁。 如果有一点狂野，看起来会更好。” 玛丽也认为，如果花园太整洁，就不像秘密花园了。 “嗯。看起来好像不久前有人修剪和挖掘过。”他说。 但门是锁着的，钥匙也被埋了。 怎么会有人进来呢？”玛丽说。 狄肯挠了挠头。 “啊，怎么可能呢？”他喃喃地说。 他们在温暖的阳光下继续工作。

Mary was startled when the clock in the courtyard chimed twelve, time for lunch. Dickon had brought a sandwich to eat in the garden and work some more before going home. Mary hated to leave. She was afraid Dickon would disappear like a wood fairy. Walking to the door, she turned and said, "Whatever happens, you—you would never tell about the garden?" Dickon smiled. "If you were a thrush and you showed me your nest, do you think I'd tell? Not me. Your secret is safe."

院子里的钟敲了十二点，午饭时间到了，玛丽吃了一惊。 狄肯带了一个三明治到花园里吃，回家前又干了些活。 玛丽不愿离开。她担心狄肯会像森林仙女一样消失。 走到门口，她转过身说：“不管发生什么事，你——你永远不会告诉我花园的事吧？”迪康笑了。 “如果你是一只画眉，让我看你的窝，你认为我会说出去吗？” 不是我。你的秘密是安全的。”