21 The City Comes to Me

In Which The City Comes to Me The warblers arrived, the trees turned summer green, and June burst over the mountain. It smelled good, tasted good, and was gentle to the eyes. I was stretched out on the big rock in the meadow one morning. Frightful was jabbing at some insect in the grass below me when suddenly a flash bulb exploded and a man appeared. "Wild boy!" he said and took another picture. "What are you doing, eating nuts?" I sat up. My heart was heavy. It was so heavy that I posed for him holding Frightful on my fist. I refused to take him to my tree, however, and he finally left. Two other photographers came, and a reporter. I talked

本章：城市来找我。鸣莺飞来了，树木晕开盛夏翠绿，六月漫过了整座山头。 这里气息好闻，滋味清甜，入眼满是惬意。 一天清晨，我正舒展身体躺在草甸的大岩石上。 我的福莱特正啄着我脚边草里的虫子，突然闪光灯一亮，一个男人冒了出来。 "野孩子!" 他说着又给我拍了一张。 "你在做什么呀，在吃坚果吗?" 我坐直了身子。 我的心情很沉重。 沉重到我任由他拍照，让福莱特站在我的拳头上。 不过我拒绝带他去我的树屋，最后他离开了。 后来又来了两个摄影师，还有一名记者。 我和他们聊了聊

a little, When they left, I rolled over on my stomach and wondered if I could get in touch with the Department of Interior and find out more about the public lands in the West. My next thought was the baseball game in the flooded school yard. Four days passed, and I talked to many reporters and photographers. At noon of the fifth day a voice called from the glen: "I know you are there!" We all burnt and dug out another hemlock. I worked with them, wondering what was happening to me. Why didn't I cry "No"? What made me happily build a city in the forest–because that is what we were doing. "Dad!" I shouted, and once again burst down the mountainside to see my father. As I ran towards him, I heard sounds that stopped me. The sound of branches and twigs breaking, of the flowers being crushed.

只说了几句话。他们走后，我趴在草地上，琢磨着能不能联系内政部，多了解一些西部公共土地的信息。 我紧接着又想到了淹水校操场的那场棒球赛。 四天过去了，我和许多记者、摄影师都聊过了。 第五天中午，峡谷传来一声呼喊: "我知道你在那儿!" 我们一起清理出空地，又移栽了一棵铁杉。 我跟着他们一起干活，心里纳闷自己这是怎么了。 我为什么不大喊一声"不行"呢? 是什么让我开开心心在森林里建家园——毕竟我们就是在做这件事。 "爸爸!" 我大喊着，再一次冲下山坡去见爸爸。 我朝他跑去的时候，一阵声响让我停下了脚步。 那是树枝嫩条被折断、鲜花被踩碎的声音。

Hordes were coming. For a long moment I stood wondering whether to meet Dad or run forever. I was self-sufficient, I could travel the world over, never needing a penny, never asking anything of anyone. I could cross to Asia in a canoe via the Bering Strait. I could raft to an island. I could go around the world on the fruits of the land: I started to run. I got as far as the gorge and turned back. I wanted to see Dad. I walked down the mountain to greet him and to face the people he had brought from the city to photograph me, interview me, and bring me home. I walked slowly, knowing that it was all over. I could hear the voices of the other people. They filled my silent mountain. Then I jumped in the air and laughed for joy. I recognized my four-year-old brother's pleasure song. The family! Dad had brought the family Every one of them. I ran, twisting and turning through the trees like a Cooper's

一大群人正往这边走来。 我站在原地愣了好一会儿，纠结该去见爸爸还是永远跑走。 我能养活自己，我可以走遍全世界，一分钱都不用花，也不用求任何人。 我可以划独木舟经白令海峡去到亚洲。 我可以扎木筏漂去小岛居住。 我靠大地的物产就能环游世界: 我拔腿跑了起来。 我一直跑到峡谷边，又转了回来。 我想要见爸爸。 我走下山迎接他，面对他从城里带来的人们——他们要拍我、采访我，带我回家。 我走得很慢，知道原来的生活结束了。 我能听到其他人的说话声。 声音填满了我这座安静的大山。 接着我一跃而起，开心地笑出了声。 我听出那是我四岁弟弟的快乐小调。 是我的家人! 爸爸把全家人都带来了，一个都没落下。 我穿梭在树林里奔跑，像一只库氏鹰那样

hawk and occasionally riding a free fifty feet downhill on an aspen sapling. "Dad! Mom!" I shouted as I came upon them along the stream bed, carefully picking their way through raspberry bushes. Dad gave me a resounding slap and Mother hugged me until she cried. John jumped on me. Jim threw me into the rushes. Mary sat on me. Alice put leaves in my hair. Hank pulled Jim off. Joan pulled me to my feet, and Jake bit my ankle. That cute little baby sister toddled away from me and cried. "Wow! All of New York!" I said proudly. "This is a great day for the Katerskills." I led them proudly up the mountain, thinking about dinner and what I had that would go around. I knew how Mother felt when we brought in friends for dinner.

偶尔还会抱着一棵小白杨往下滑五十英尺。 "爸爸! 妈妈!" 我大喊着，跑到溪边，他们正小心翼翼地穿过覆盆子丛。 爸爸重重拍了我一下，妈妈抱着我，抱到哭了出来。 约翰扑到我身上。 吉姆把我推去了芦苇丛里。 玛丽坐在我身上。 爱丽丝把叶子插在我头发里。 汉克拉走了吉姆。 琼把我拉起来，杰克咬了我的脚踝一口。 那个可爱的小婴儿妹妹，刚会走路，她从我身边走开哭了起来。 "哇哦!" "全都是从纽约来的!" 我骄傲地说。 "今天可是卡茨基尔山的大日子。" 我骄傲地带他们往山上走，心里盘算着晚饭，想想我这儿有多少吃的够分。 我终于懂了妈妈带朋友回家吃饭时是什么心情了。

As we approached the hemlock grove, I noticed that Dad was carrying a pack. He explained it as food for the first few days. or until I could teach John, Jim, Hank, and Jake how to live off the land. I winked at him. "But Dad, a Gribley is not for the land." "What do you mean?" he shouted. "The Gribleys have had land for three generations. We pioneer, we open the land." He was almost singing. "And then we go to sea," I said. "Things have changed. Child labour laws; you can't take children to sea." I should have glowed over such a confession from Dad had I not been making furious plans as we climbed; food, beds, chores. Dad, however, had had since Christmas to outplan me. He strung up hammocks for everyone all through the forest, and you

我们走近铁杉林的时候，我注意到爸爸背着一个背包。 他说这是头几天吃的食物。 够吃到我教会约翰、吉姆、汉克和杰克怎么靠野外土地生活。 我冲他眨了眨眼。 "可是爸爸，格里贝利家不属于陆地呀。" "你这话是什么意思?"他大声问道。 "格里贝利家拥有土地已经三代了。" 我们是拓荒者，我们开辟土地。 他说这话的时候几乎要唱起歌来了。 "然后我们就出海去了"我说。 "世道变了。 有童工法，你不能带孩子出海了。" 要不是我爬山的时候正飞快盘算着食物、床铺和活儿要怎么安排，我早就为爸爸这番话开心坏了。 不过爸爸从圣诞节就开始筹划，早就想得比我周到了。 他在林子里给每个人都挂好了吊床，你

never heard a happier hunch of kids. The singing and shouting and giggling sent the birds and wildlife deeper into the shadows. Even little Nina had a hammock, and though she was only a toddler, she cooed and giggled all by herself as she rocked between two aspens near the meadow. We ate Mother's fried chicken. Chicken is good, it tastes like chicken. I shall never forget that evening. And I shall never forget what Dad said, "Son, when I told your mother where you were, she said, "Well, if he doesn't want to come home, then we will bring home to him." And that's why we are all here." I was stunned. I was beginning to realize that this was not an overnight camping trip, but a permanent arrangement. Mother saw my expression and said, "When you are of age, you can go wherever you please. Until then, I still have to take care of you, according to all

从没听过哪群孩子像这样开心得闹个不停。 歌声、喊声和笑声把鸟儿和野物都赶到了林子更深处。 就连小尼娜都有一张吊床，她虽然刚会走路，却躺在草甸边两棵白杨树之间的吊床里，独自咿咿呀呀笑个不停。 我们吃了妈妈做的炸鸡。 炸鸡可太好吃了，就是炸鸡独有的香气。 我永远都忘不了那个晚上。 我也永远忘不了爸爸说的话: "儿子，当我告诉你妈妈你在这儿的时候，她说，既然他不想回家，那我们就把家搬到他这儿来。" 所以我们全家人都来这儿了。" 我惊呆了。 我慢慢反应过来，这不是一晚的露营，而是要长久定居在这里了。 妈妈看出我的神情，说: "当你成年了，你想去哪儿都可以。 在那之前，我都得好好照顾你，根据所有