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瑞普-凡-温克尔卡兹吉尔出脉位于纽约州哈得逊河西边，山峰高耸人云，俯瞰着四周的山村。
季节更替，阴晴转换，甚至旦夕间的时辰变幻，都会引来山容峰色午姿百态。
所以山区周围的村民只要观看卡兹吉尔山脉就能猜出天气的变化。
就在这些山脉下面，航行者可以看见缕缕青烟从一个古老的荷兰小山村袅袅升起。
瑞普-凡-温克尔就在这个村里。
许多年前，他就住在这里，那时这个国家还发球英国。
瑞普-凡-温克尔是一个朴素单纯，性格温和的家伙。
在荷兰决督统治时期，他的祖先曾英勇地与英国人战斗过。
然而，瑞普的血液里没有多少祖先的军人性格。
我已经说了，他是一个朴素单纯，性格温和的家伙。
此外他还是一个善良的邻居，也是一个在老婆面前唯唯诺诺的丈夫。
由于在家里被老婆管得太严所以他似乎养成了处处与人为善的习惯。
因此，除了他老婆外，大这都对他评价很高。
当然，他在村子里所有的良家妇女中很受欢迎。
每当她们知道了凡-温克尔家吵架，她们总是认定瑞普是对的，而凡-温克尔夫人是错的。
孩子们也一样，瑞普-凡-温克尔一来，他们总是欢叫起来。
他总是望着他们玩耍，为他们做玩具，教他们怎么玩各种游戏，还给他们讲最精彩的故事。
不管他去哪儿，他的四周常常围着一群孩子。
村子里没有哪条狗对他狂吠过。
瑞普-凡-温克尔有一个缺点：什么赚钱的活儿他都不喜欢，甚至是憎恨。
很难理解究竟是什么原因让他不爱劳动。
可他从不拒绝帮助邻居，哪怕是干最粗的活儿，比如帮人家砌石墙。
村里的妇女也常使唤他，让他传信，或做一些她们的丈夫不愿意做的小活计。
换言之，除了自各儿的事情外，别人家的事瑞普都乐意管。
至少家庭责任，收拾农场，他觉得这样的活儿绝对做不来。
事实上，他宣称在他农场上折腾毫无用处，因为那是整个那一带最差的小块地，一无是处。
结果由于他经营不善，失去不少土地，他的小农场比他周围的农场更差了。
他的孩子也到处游荡，他们的可怜样和他的农场一样。
他的儿子小瑞普，和他很像，整天四处晃荡。
他穿着一条他父亲的旧裤子，不得不用一只手提着，免得掉了下来。
译文Rip-Van-winkle瑞普-凡-温克尔卡兹吉尔出脉位于纽约州哈得逊河西边，山峰高耸人云，俯瞰着四周的山村。
季节更替，阴晴转换，甚至旦夕间的时辰变幻，都会引来山容峰色午姿百态。
所以山区周围的村民只要观看卡兹吉尔山脉就能猜出天气的变化。
就在这些山脉下面，航行者可以看见缕缕青烟从一个古老的荷兰小山村袅袅升起。
瑞普-凡-温克尔就在这个村里。
许多年前，他就住在这里，那时这个国家还发球英国。
瑞普-凡-温克尔是一个朴素单纯，性格温和的家伙。
在荷兰决督统治时期，他的祖先曾英勇地与英国人战斗过。
然而，瑞普的血液里没有多少祖先的军人性格。
我已经说了，他是一个朴素单纯，性格温和的家伙。
此外他还是一个善良的邻居，也是一个在老婆面前唯唯诺诺的丈夫。
由于在家里被老婆管得太严所以他似乎养成了处处与人为善的习惯。
因此，除了他老婆外，大这都对他评价很高。
当然，他在村子里所有的良家妇女中很受欢迎。
每当她们知道了凡-温克尔家吵架，她们总是认定瑞普是对的，而凡-温克尔夫人是错的。
孩子们也一样，瑞普-凡-温克尔一来，他们总是欢叫起来。
他总是望着他们玩耍，为他们做玩具，教他们怎么玩各种游戏，还给他们讲最精彩的故事。
不管他去哪儿，他的四周常常围着一群孩子。
村子里没有哪条狗对他狂吠过。
瑞普-凡-温克尔有一个缺点：什么赚钱的活儿他都不喜欢，甚至是憎恨。
很难理解究竟是什么原因让他不爱劳动。
可他从不拒绝帮助邻居，哪怕是干最粗的活儿，比如帮人家砌石墙。
村里的妇女也常使唤他，让他传信，或做一些她们的丈夫不愿意做的小活计。
换言之，除了自各儿的事情外，别人家的事瑞普都乐意管。
至少家庭责任，收拾农场，他觉得这样的活儿绝对做不来。
事实上，他宣称在他农场上折腾毫无用处，因为那是整个那一带最差的小块地，一无是处。
结果由于他经营不善，失去不少土地，他的小农场比他周围的农场更差了。
他的孩子也到处游荡，他们的可怜样和他的农场一样。
他的儿子小瑞普，和他很像，整天四处晃荡。
英语读书笔记范文Rip Van Winkle 瑞普•凡•温克尔By Washington Irving [美]欧文著Summary:There is a farmer named Rip Van Winkle. He doesn’t like working at all, but he likes to talk. One day, Rip goes to the mountains with his dog, Wolf. They meet an old man. He is strange, he has a big barrel on his back. He never talks! They walk and walk up the mountain. They come to a building, there, Rip meets a lot of strange man. Rip and the old man had a lot of drinks in the barrel. Then Rip fall in to sleep. He sleeps for 20 years! Rip wakes up and goes home. He meets his daughter and knows that many people died in the war between America and Britain. Later, ,rip tells his strange story to his new friends in his new town——The United States of America. Comment:After reading, I think that Rip Van Winkle is a very interesting person. He likes talking with other people. He is good at communicate. So he has finding that it’s fine to stay with others. We must learn this from Rip. Rip also has some bad manners. He doesn’t like working. We mustn’t do as Rip does.V ocabulary and Expressions:1.barra 桶2.strange 奇怪的3.believe 相信4.afraid 害怕5.wait for——My wife is waiting for me. (P3)6.look for——Rip looked for his friends. (P8)7.the war with——the war with Britain (P12)作文地带-有翻译的英语作文网Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea 海底两万里By Jules Verne [法]凡尔纳著Summary:Story started in 1866. Aronnax, a natural historian, was studying for a large monster under the sea. At that time, the monster’s massagers were traveling around the world. Af ter the investigation, he would return from aboard. And then he received an invitation from sea forces of America. So he was going to make the monster die out.Comment:What a great story it is! How exciting the trip under the sea was it! I also want to go with captain Nemo. But I’m afraid that I’m not so lucky as Aronnax. The life under the sea must be nice. There are many coral, water plants, fish, mineral products in stead of worried and strife. I like that kind of world!The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 汤姆•索亚历险记By Mark Twain [美]马克•吐温著Summary：Tom Sawyer loves adventures. He has adventures at home, at school, and other mysterious places with his friends. One day, Tom has an adventure in the graveyard. And they sea Injun Joe kills the doctor. He wants to kill the boys. Some days passed, Tom and Becky have an adventure inthe cave. They hear Injun Joe! They run out of the cave as soon as possible. Later, Tom and his friends go to the cave again. They find that Injun Joe was died, and they the precious treasure. They go out of the cave with the box of money!Comment：Tom Sawyer is an active and pretty smart boy. He has a strong courage to go for an adventure. He is a brave boy, and he must be a reliable friend. He can always help you at the important time. Tom Sawyer is a good boy and his adventures are really interesting and be expecting!Brown Eyes 棕眼By Paul Stewart [英]斯图亚特著Summary：Peter and Susan arrived at their hotel in Lea-on-Sea. They always visit a beautiful island every year. But this time, they meet a man who pretends to be Peter. He has the same face as Peter by his mask. He is Stephen Griggs. He killed Susan and takes out his mask, and then gives Peter the gun! In this way, peter was caught by the police.当前位置: 英语作文>原创英语作文> 英语读书笔记读后感英文范文大全(2)时间:2010-01-30 05:23来源:英语作文网作者:英语作文投稿收藏:收藏本文Comment: Stephen is a bad guy. He cant bear that the woman he loves stay with other man! He killed her, and then frames other. From this passage, we can catch that love can make people to be an angle-Comment:Stephen is a bad guy. He can’t bea r that the woman he loves stay with other man! He killed her, and then frames other. From this passage, we can catch that love can make people to be an angle, or it can also make people a demon at all!Surfer! 冲浪好手By Paul Harvey [美] 哈维著Summary:Nick is a good surfer. He wants to go to Australia for three months. But his parents don’t like his plan. They want Nick to go to college. But Nick still tries his best to make his parents agree. Because he wants to join an important surfing competition there. Later Nick join another surfing competition, and he win the first price——a thousand pounds! Then his father agrees with Nick’s plan, and affords his plane ticket!Comment:Nick is really a good surfer. And I’m quite agree with Nick’s father’s words‘surfing is dangerous, but exciting.’Thinking over the story, it seems that we can get some lesson from it. We mustn’t use our subjective opinion to think about things. We are not always right. Sometimes we can get better when we think in others point of view.Alice in Wonderland 爱丽丝奇遇记Lewis Carroll [美] 卡罗尔著Summary:One hot summer day, Alice and her sister are sitting under the tree. Alice sees a white rabbit, and she run after it. The rabbit goes down a rabbit whole and Alice follows it, she is now in a strange wonderland. Alice eats some special things, and she changes her size! Everything is different and strange there. The animals there can speak! Alice meets many interesting things. At last, she wakes up. It’s just a dream!Comment:This story is really interesting, and attractive. Alice is a sincere gentle girl. She is ready to help others and is able to face to the dangerous things. In this way, Alice is also a brave and clever girl written by author.Five Famous Fairy Tales 著名童话五则By Jane Rollason [英]罗拉森改写Summary:This book tells five famous fairy tales. Today, I will mainly introduce the story, The White Birds, written by Hans Anderson.There is a king with ten sons and one daughter. Their mother died when the daughter, Elisa, was born. Then the king married with another woman. But she is a bad and jealous woman. She changes the boys in to ten white birds. Elisa makes the coats of gold flowers to help them. Finally she succeeds, her brothers change bake to people, and she married with a king.Comment:Anderson is worthy of the name “the father of the fairy tales”! His story always attrac ts people. The heroine of the story, Elisa, is a good girl. She is really kindhearted. The new queen is bad and jealous. But in the king’s eyes, she is always right! Corroding to the passage we can find that love can make people stupid.Gulliver’s Travels 格列佛游记By Jonathan Swift [英]斯威夫特著Summary:The story includes three parts. They are respectively talking about: Gulliver in Lilliput, in Brobdingnag, and in Houyhnms.Gulliver travels to the South Seas. On their way to the East Indies, a strong wind carried them to the wrong way. Most of the people died. Some days later, he comes to Lilliput, everything is small there. Three days later, he comes to Brobdingnag. This country is opposite from Lilliput, the thing are huge, very huge! Then he travels to a place called Houyhnms, which is also very interesting. Comment:This is an exciting and interesting book. It’s also kind of humorous. I enjoy the story very much. And after reading the book, I find that we must learn from Gulliver. Learn from his braver, intelligence and wisdom.Heidi 海蒂By Johanna Spyri [瑞士]施皮里著Summary:Heidi is a cute and kindhearted girl. She lives in the mountain of Switzerland, and has no mother or father. One sunny day, she goes to stay with her grandfather in his little wooden house, high up in the mountain. She soon has a friend——goat-Peter. She makes Alm-Opa no longer lonely. One day, Heidi’s aunt takes her to Miss Rohmer’s house to be a servant. Later she helps Clara to stand up from the wheel chair, and can even walk more!Comment:Heidi is a nice and kindhearted girl. She is helpful, and is kind to everyone. She will try her best to help others. She helps her grandfather goes out of lonely; she let the blind grandmother finds out the happiness; she also helps Clara to stand up from the wheel chair, and can even walk more! In a word, we must learn from Heidi a lot!The Mysterious Island 神秘岛By Jules Verne [法]凡尔纳著Summary:In America in 1865, there was a fighting between the north of the country and the south. There were four men, a boy, and a dog flew north in the balloon. But they meet a great wind. They arrived at an island. They lived in a cave. They found things to eat and made light. They subsisted there by their wisdom. When they got in to trouble, a mysterious helper always appears and helps them. That is captain Nemo. Later the people left the island on the ship ‘Surveyor’ by accident. They went back to the land again!Comment:This is an interesting and movable story. It gives me a profound impression. First, the five people who arrived at the island are brave, clever, and harmony. They help each other when they are in trouble. They expect freedom. Second, captain Nemo is kindhearted. He still remember the people on the island until he died. I admire the writer’s great story, and I also admire the people in the story by their high will! We must learn for their wisdom, their coverage, and their harmony! The Jungle Book 森林王子By Rudyard Kipling [英]吉普林著Summary:There is a family of wolf live in the jungle. They find a very young brown child, with big eyes and no clothes. The wolves take the little boy in to their home. The child learns and plays with the other cubs. And they named him Mowgli. Later he becomes a brave and clever teenager. At last, Mowgli hunts with his ‘brothers’ in the jungle!Comment:This is a good story for us. It tells us about the love between human beans and animals. We need nature. We must m ake a peaceful life with the animals. They’re our friends, our sincere friends. Help each other, and we mustn’t be supposed to afraid of to lie down our lives for others! So now I’m calling for ‘helping the animals, saving the nature.’ Come on everyone, the more we do, the better our world will be!Black Beauty 黑骏马By Anna Sewell [英]休厄尔著Summary:“Always be good, so people will love you. Always work hard and do your best.” These were the words of Black Beauty’s mother to him when he was young. At that time, they lived with farmer Grey. But when Black Beauty grown up, this was sometimes difficult. Not everybody was as kind as farmer Grey. Even someone heart him. Ata last, Mr. Thorouhgood helped him and took him on his farm. It was Black Be auty’ last home.Comment:There were many thousands of horses or other animals at work. Some of them work for kind people, but some do not. The animals have to pull heavy things, and have to works for hours and hours. So what may we do now? I’m calling for helping animals. Protecting them in our best. Then, we’ll have a piece and wonderful world!The V oyages of Sandbad the sailor 辛巴达航海记By Pauline Francis [英]弗朗西斯改写Summary:Sandbad the sailor has gone to the sea for seven times. And his voyages were always dangerous. He met giants——the giant men, snakes, birds… And also the Old Man of the sea! But Sindbad can get back safely every time by his courage and wisdom from his advantage voyages! Comment:I’m deeply attracted by the story. And als o, I learn something important from the hero of the story, Sandbad the sailor. When he was in danger, he is never nervous. He can escape from the trouble by his wisdom and courage. So we must be brave and clever when we are in danger, but never be afraid or give up living.Kidnapped 绑架By Louis Stevenson [英]史蒂文森著Summary：After his parents die, young David Balfour starts his journey to the strange House of Shaws. He is going to live with his uncle, Ebenezer Balfour. He is an old man, but he is dangerous. He kidnapped David on a ship to America. A difficult time begin. Some times later, he came on an island, he find Alan. Finally, their come back to their house.Comment: I enjoy the story a lot. The uncle in the story, Ebenezer, is a bad guy. He kidnapped David to have much more money from the bequest. And as same as other stories before, David and Alan are also very brave and smart. Any way, I love the story, and we should learn something from the story.Moonfleet 慕理小镇By J.K Falkner [英]福克纳著Summary:Young John Trenchard lives with his aunt in the village of Moonfleet. His life changes when he finds a secret passage under the church. There is a room at the end of the passage, and in it are the coffins of the dead Mohune family. Blackbeard is a bad man of them. He is finding his diamond. At last John got all Aldobrand’s money to help the people in the village.Comment:I was caught by this exciting story. Although Elzerir and Aldobrand are bad at first, they become good at last. Elzerir love John like his son. He is died because of helping John. Aldobrand take the diamonds from John. But after he died, he is ashamed and uneasy, he give the whole bequest to John.A person’s conscience can defeat the evil!Robinson Crusoe 鲁宾逊漂流记By Daniel Defoe [英]迪福著Summary：Robinson Crusoe is at the sea when there is a great storm. His ship goes down, and everybody dies. Crusoe is on the island along. He is not daunted by the difficulties. He has built a tent, a ‘castle’, made the appliances…At last, he has returned to his hometown London.Comment：This is an exciting story. Robinson is a great man. He lived on the island for about 30 years without food, tool, or habitation. He wasn’t afraid of hardsh ip. He was brave in adventure, and he was good at labor. I admire his courage very much. He is a real hero. He makes a great personal miracle on the one-man-island!In fact, we also need to have the sprite of being undefeated and indefatigable, just like Robinson. If we believe ourselves, and never give up, do as possible as we can, we must be successful!。
ipvanwinkle故事梗概中文
《瑞普·凡·温克尔》的故事梗概如下：
瑞普·凡·温克尔是一个心地善良、和蔼可亲的人，但他的妻子却总是对他唠叨不休，让他感到厌烦。
一天，为了躲避妻子的唠叨，瑞普带着他的狗到附近的林子里去打猎，结果在路上遇到了一个奇怪的人，那人请他喝了一种神奇的酒，瑞普喝了之后就昏倒在地。
当瑞普醒来时，他发现已经过去了二十年，他的狗已经死了，而他的家乡也发生了很大的变化。
他回到家后，发现他的妻子已经去世，他的女儿也已经嫁人并有了孩子。
瑞普对这些变化感到非常惊讶，但他也很快适应了新的生活，并成为了一个受人尊敬的老人。
最后，瑞普又遇到了那个请他喝酒的人，那人告诉他，他喝的是一种可以让人长眠二十年的酒。
瑞普听后感到非常惊讶，但他也明白了时间的珍贵，决定好好珍惜剩下的时光。
这个故事通过瑞普的经历，告诉人们要珍惜时间，不要浪费生命。
作者简介：华盛顿·欧文（Washington Irving）（1789-1895）, 美国浪漫主义作家，也是一个纯文学作家，他的写作态度是"writing for pleasure and to produce pleasure"。
欧文的代表作有《见闻札记》（Sketch Book），这是第一部伟大的青少年读物，也是美国本土作家第一部成功的小说。
由于欧文对美国文学的伟大贡献，他获得了“美国文学之父”的光荣称号。
这篇短篇小说，《瑞普·凡·温克尔》便是摘自《见闻札记》。
Rip Van Winkle A Posthumous Writing of Diedrich Knickerbocker By Washington Irving (THE FOLLOWING tale was found among the papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker, an old gentleman of New York, who was very curious in the Dutch history of the province, and the manners of the descendants from its primitive settlers. His historical researches, however, did not lie so much among books as among men; for the former are lamentably scanty on his favorite topics; whereas he found the old burghers, and still more their wives, rich in that legendary lore so invaluable to true history. Whenever, therefore, he happened upon a genuine Dutch family, snugly shut up in its low-roofed farmhouse, under a spreading sycamore, he looked upon it as a little clasped volume of black-letter, and studied it with the zeal of a bookworm.The result of all these researches was a history of the province during the reign of the Dutch governors, which he published some years since. There have been various opinions as to the literary character of his work, and, to tell the truth, it is not a whit better than it should be. Its chief merit is its scrupulous accuracy, which indeed was a little questioned on its first appearance, but has since been completely established; and it is how admitted into all historical collections as a book of unquestionable authority.The old gentleman died shortly after the publication of his work, and now that he is dead and gone it cannot do much harm to his memory to say that his time might have been much better employed in weightier labors. He, however, was apt to ride his hobby in his own way; and though it did now and then kick up the dust a little inthe eyes of his neighbors and grieve the spirit of some friends, for whom he felt the truest deference and affection, yet his errors and follies are remembered “more in sorrow than in anger”; and it begins to be suspected that he never intended to injure or offend. But however his memory may be appreciated by critics, it is still held dear among many folk whose good opinion is well worth having; particularly by certain biscuit bakers, who have gone so far as to imprint his likeness on their New Year cakes, and have thus given him a chance for immortality almost equal to the being stamped on a Waterloo medal or a Queen Anne’s farthing.)By Woden, God of Saxons,From whence comes Wensday, that is Wodensday,Truth is a thing that ever I will keepUnto thylke day in which I creep intoMy sepulchre—C ARTWRIGHT.Whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the Catskill Mountains. They are a dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family, and are seen away to the west of theriver, swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country. Every change of season, every change of weather, indeed, every hour of the day, produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains, and they are regarded by all the good wives, far and near, as perfect barometers. When the weather is fair and settled, they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky; but sometimes, when the rest of the landscape is cloudless, they will gather a hood of gray vapors about their summits, which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will glow and light up like a crown of glory.At the foot of these fairy mountains the voyager may have descried the light smoke curling up from a village whose shingle roofs gleam among the trees, just where the blue tints of the upland melt away into the fresh green of the nearer landscape. It is a little village of great antiquity, having been founded by some of theDutch colonists, in the early times of the province, just about the beginning of the government of the good Peter Stuyvesant (may he rest in peace!), and there were some of the houses of the original settlers standing within a few years, with lattice windows, gable fronts surmounted with weathercocks, and built of small yellow bricks brought from Holland.In that same village, and in one of these very houses (which, to tell the precise truth, was sadly time-worn and weather-beaten), there lived many years since, while the country was yet a province of Great Britain, a simple, good-natured fellow, of the name of Rip Van Winkle. He was a descendant of the Van Winkles who figured so gallantly in the chivalrous days of Peter Stuyvesant, and accompanied him to the siege of Fort Christina. He inherited, however, but little of the martial character of his ancestors. I have observed that he was a simple, good-natured man; he was, moreover, a kind neighbor and an obedient,henpecked husband. Indeed, to the latter circumstance might be owing that meekness of spirit which gained him such universal popularity; for those men are most apt to be obsequious and conciliating abroad who are under the discipline of shrews at home. Their tempers, doubtless, are rendered pliant and malleable in the fiery furnace of domestic tribulation, and a curtain lecture is worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and long-suffering. A termagant wife may, therefore, in some respects, be considered a tolerable blessing; and if so, Rip Van Winkle was thrice blessed.Certain it is that he was a great favorite among all the good wives of the village, who, as usual with the amiable sex, took his part in all family squabbles, and never failed, whenever they talked those matters over in their evening gossipings, to lay all the blame on Dame Van Winkle. The children of the village, too, would shout with joy whenever he approached. Heassisted at their sports, made their playthings, taught them to fly kites and shoot marbles, and told them long stories of ghosts, witches, and Indians. Whenever he went dodging about the village, he was surrounded by a troop of them, hanging on his skirts, clambering on his back, and playing a thousand tricks on him with impunity; and not a dog would bark at him throughout the neighborhood.The great error in Rip’s composition was an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor. It could not be from the want of assiduity or perseverance; for he would sit on a wet rock, with a rod as long and heavy as a Tartar’s lance, and fish all day without a murmur, even though he should not be encouraged by a single nibble. He would carry a fowling piece on his shoulder, for hours together, trudging through woods and swamps, and up hill and down dale, to shoot a few squirrels or wild pigeons. He would never even refuse to assist a neighbor in the roughest toil,and was a foremost man at all country frolics for husking Indian corn, or building stone fences. The women of the village, too, used to employ him to run their errands, and to do such little odd jobs as their less obliging husbands would not do for them; in a word, Rip was ready to attend to anybody’s b usiness but his own; but as to doing family duty, and keeping his farm in order, it was impossible.In fact, he declared it was of no use to work on his farm; it was the most pestilent little piece of ground in the whole country; everything about it went wrong, and would go wrong, in spite of him. His fences were continually falling to pieces; his cow would either go astray or get among the cabbages; weeds were sure to grow quicker in his fields than anywhere else; the rain always made a point of setting in just as he had some outdoor work to do; so that though his patrimonial estate had dwindled away under his management, acre by acre, until there was littlemore left than a mere patch of Indian corn and potatoes, yet it was the worst-conditioned farm in the neighborhood.His children, too, were as ragged and wild as if they belonged to nobody. His son Rip, an urchin begotten in his own likeness, promised to inherit the habits, with the old clothes of his father. He was generally seen trooping like a colt a t his mother’s heels, equipped in a pair of his father’s cast-off galligaskins, which he had much ado to hold up with one hand, as a fine lady does her train in bad weather.Rip Van Winkle, however, was one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy, eat white bread or brown, whichever can be got with least thought or trouble, and would rather starve on a penny than work for a pound. If left to himself, he would have whistled life away, in perfect contentment; but his wife kept continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and theruin he was bringing on his family. Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was incessantly going, and everything he said or did was sure to produce a torrent of household eloquence. Rip had but one way of replying to all lectures of the kind, and that, by frequent use, had grown into a habit. He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, cast up his eyes, but said nothing. This, however, always provoked a fresh volley from his wife, so that he was fain to draw off his forces, and take to the outside of the house—the only side which, in truth, belongs to a henpecked husband.Rip’s sole domestic adherent was his dog Wolf, who was as much henpecked as his master; for Dame Van Winkle regarded them as companions in idleness, and even looked upon Wolf with an evil eye, as the cause of his master’s so often going astray. True it is, in all points of spirit befitting an honorable dog, he was as courageous an animal as ever scoured the woods—but what courage can withstand the ever-during and all-besetting terrors of a woman’s tongue? The moment Wolf entered the house his crest fell, his tail drooped to the ground, or curled between his legs; he sneaked about with a gallows air, casting many a sidelong glance at Dame Van Winkle, and at the least flourish of a broomstick or ladle would fly to the door with yelping precipitation.Times grew worse and worse with Rip Van Winkle as years of matrimony rolled on; a tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener by constant use. For a long while he used to console himself, when driven from home, by frequenting a kind of perpetual club of the sages, philosophers, and other idle personages of the village, which held its sessions on a bench before a small inn, designated by a rubicund portrait of his majesty George the Third. Here they used to sit in the shade, of a long lazy summer’s day, talking listlessly over village gossip, or tellingendless sleepy stories about nothing. But it would have been worth any statesman’s money to have heard the profound discussions which sometimes took place, when by chance an old newspaper fell into their hands, from some passing traveler. How solemnly they would listen to the contents, as drawled out by Derrick Van Bummel, the schoolmaster, a dapper, learned little man, who was not to be daunted by the most gigantic word in the dictionary; and how sagely they would deliberate upon public events some months after they had taken place.The opinions of this junto were completely controlled by Nicholas Vedder, a patriarch of the village, and landlord of the inn, at the door of which he took his seat from morning till night, just moving sufficiently to avoid the sun, and keep in the shade of a large tree; so that the neighbors could tell the hour by his movements as accurately as by a sun-dial. It is true, he was rarely heard to speak, but smoked his pipeincessantly. His adherents, however (for every great man has his adherents), perfectly understood him, and knew how to gather his opinions. When anything that was read or related displeased him, he was observed to smoke his pipe vehemently, and send forth short, frequent, and angry puffs; but when pleased, he would inhale the smoke slowly and tranquilly, and emit it in light and placid clouds, and sometimes taking the pipe from his mouth, and letting the fragrant vapor curl about his nose, would gravely nod his head in token of perfect approbation.From even this stronghold the unlucky Rip was at length routed by his termagant wife, who would suddenly break in upon the tranquillity of the assemblage, and call the members all to nought; nor was that august personage, Nicholas Vedder himself, sacred from the daring tongue of this terrible virago, who charged him outright with encouraging her husband in habits of idleness.Poor Rip was at last reduced almost todespair; and his only alternative, to escape from the labor of the farm and clamor of his wife, was to take gun in hand and stroll away into the woods. Here he would sometimes seat himself at the foot of a tree, and share the contents of his wallet with Wolf, with whom he sympathized as a fellow-sufferer in persecution. “Poor Wolf,” he would say, “thy mistress leads thee a dog’s life of it; but never mind, my lad, while I live thou shalt never want a friend to stand by thee!” Wolf would wag his tail, look wistfully in his master’s face, and if dogs can feel pity, I verily believe he reciprocated the sentiment with all his heart.In a long ramble of the kind on a fine autumnal day, Rip had unconsciously scrambled to one of the highest parts of the Catskill Mountains. He was after his favorite sport of squirrel shooting, and the still solitudes had echoed and reëchoed with the reports of his gun. Panting and fatigued, he threw himself, late inthe afternoon, on a green knoll, covered with mountain herbage, that crowned the brow of a precipice. From an opening between the trees he could overlook all the lower country for many a mile of rich woodland. He saw at a distance the lordly Hudson, far, far below him, moving on its silent but majestic course, the reflection of a purple cloud, or the sail of a lagging bark, here and there sleeping on its glassy bosom, and at last losing itself in the blue highlands.On the other side he looked down into a deep mountain glen, wild, lonely, and shagged, the bottom filled with fragments from the impending cliffs, and scarcely lighted by the reflected rays of the setting sun. For some time Rip lay musing on this scene; evening was gradually advancing; the mountains began to throw their long blue shadows over the valleys; he saw that it would be dark long before he could reach the village, and he heaved a heavy sigh when he thought of encountering the terrors of Dame VanWinkle.As he was about to descend, he heard a voice from a distance, hallooing, “Rip Van Winkle! Rip Van Winkle!” He looked around, but could see nothing but a crow winging its solitary flight across the mountain. He thought his fancy must have deceived him, and turned again to descend, when he heard the same cry ring through the still evening air: “Rip Van Winkle! Rip Van Winkle!”—at the same time Wolf bristled up his back, and giving a low growl, skulked to his master’s side, loo king fearfully down into the glen. Rip now felt a vague apprehension stealing over him; he looked anxiously in the same direction, and perceived a strange figure slowly toiling up the rocks, and bending under the weight of something he carried on his back. He was surprised to see any human being in this lonely and unfrequented place, but supposing it to be some one of the neighborhood in need of assistance, he hastened down to yield it.On nearer approach, he was still more surprised at the singularity of t he stranger’s appearance. He was a short, square-built old fellow, with thick bushy hair, and a grizzled beard. His dress was of the antique Dutch fashion—a cloth jerkin strapped around the waist—several pair of breeches, the outer one of ample volume, decorated with rows of buttons down the sides, and bunches at the knees. He bore on his shoulders a stout keg, that seemed full of liquor, and made signs for Rip to approach and assist him with the load. Though rather shy and distrustful of this new acquaintance, Rip complied with his usual alacrity, and mutually relieving one another, they clambered up a narrow gully, apparently the dry bed of a mountain torrent. As they ascended, Rip every now and then heard long rolling peals, like distant thunder, that seemed to issue out of a deep ravine, or rather cleft between lofty rocks, toward which their rugged path conducted. He paused for aninstant, but supposing it to be the muttering of one of those transient thunder showers which often take place in mountain heights, he proceeded. Passing through the ravine, they came to a hollow, like a small amphitheater, surrounded by perpendicular precipices, over the brinks of which impending trees shot their branches, so that you only caught glimpses of the azure sky and the bright evening cloud. During the whole time, Rip and his companion had labored on in silence; for though the former marveled greatly what could be the object of carrying a keg of liquor up this wild mountain, yet there was something strange and incomprehensible about the unknown that inspired awe and checked familiarity.On entering the amphitheater, new objects of wonder presented themselves. On a level spot in the center was a company of odd-looking personages playing at ninepins. They were dressed in a quaint, outlandish fashion: some wore shortdoublets, others jerkins, with long knives in their belts, and most had enormous breeches, of similar style with that of the guide’s. Their visages, too, were peculiar: one had a large head, broad face, and small, piggish eyes; the face of another seemed to consist entirely of nose, and was surmounted by a white sugar-loaf hat set off with a little red cock’s tail. They all had beards, of various shapes and colors. There was one who seemed to be the commander. He was a stout old gentleman, with a weather-beaten countenance; he wore a laced doublet, broad belt and hanger, high-crowned hat and feather, red stockings, and high-heeled shoes, with roses in them. The whole group reminded Rip of the figures in an old Flemish painting, in the parlor of Dominie Van Schaick, the village parson, and which had been brought over from Holland at the time of the settlement.What seemed particularly odd to Rip, was that though these folks were evidently amusingthemselves, yet they maintained the gravest faces, the most mysterious silence, and were, withal, the most melancholy party of pleasure he had ever witnessed. Nothing interrupted the stillness of the scene but the noise of the balls, which, whenever they were rolled, echoed along the mountains like rumbling peals of thunder.As Rip and his companion approached them, they suddenly desisted from their play, and stared at him with such fixed statue-like gaze, and such strange, uncouth, lack-luster countenances, that his heart turned within him, and his knees smote together. His companion now emptied the contents of the keg into large flagons, and made signs to him to wait upon the company. He obeyed with fear and trembling; they quaffed the liquor in profound silence, and then returned to their game.By degrees, Rip’s awe and apprehension subsided. He even ventured, when no eye was fixed upon him, to taste the beverage, which he foundhad much of the flavor of excellent Hollands. He was naturally a thirsty soul, and was soon tempted to repeat the draught. One taste provoked another, and he reiterated his visits to the flagon so often, that at length his senses were overpowered, his eyes swam in his head, his head gradually declined, and he fell into a deep sleep.On awaking, he found himself on the green knoll from whence he had first seen the old man of the glen. He rubbed his eyes—it was a bright sunny morning. The birds were hopping and twittering among the bushes, and the eagle was wheeling aloft and breasting the pure mountain breeze. “Surely,” thought Rip, “I have not slept here all night.” He recalled the occurrences before he fell asleep. The strange man with a keg of liquor—the mountain ravine—the wild retreat among the rocks—the woe-begone party at ninepins—the flagon—“Oh! that flagon! that wicked flagon!” thought Rip—“what excuse shall I make to Dame Van Winkle?”He looked round for his gun, but in place of the clean, well-oiled fowling piece, he found an old firelock lying by him, the barrel incrusted with rust, the lock falling off, and the stock worm-eaten. He now suspected that the grave roysters of the mountain had put a trick upon him, and having dosed him with liquor, had robbed him of his gun. Wolf, too, had disappeared, but he might have strayed away after a squirrel or partridge. He whistled after him, shouted his name, but all in vain; the echoes repeated his whistle and shout, but no dog was to be seen.He determined to revisit the scene of the last evening’s gambol, and if he met with any of the party, to demand his dog and gun. As he rose to walk, he found himself stiff in the joints, and wanting in his usual activity. “These mountain beds do not agree with me,” thought Rip, “and if this frolic should lay me up with a fit of the rheumatism, I shall have a blessed time with Dame Van Winkle.” With some difficulty hegot down into the glen; he found the gully up which he and his companion had ascended the preceding evening; but to his astonishment a mountain stream was now foaming down it, leaping from rock to rock, and filling the glen with babbling murmurs. He, however, made shift to scramble up its sides, working his toilsome way through thickets of birch, sassafras, and witch-hazel, and sometimes tripped up or entangled by the wild grape vines that twisted their coils and tendrils from tree to tree, and spread a kind of network in his path.At length he reached to where the ravine had opened through the cliffs to the amphitheater; but no traces of such opening remained. The rocks presented a high, impenetrable wall, over which the torrent came tumbling in a sheet of feathery foam, and fell into a broad, deep basin, black from the shadows of the surrounding forest. Here, then, poor Rip was brought to a stand. He again called and whistled after his dog; he was onlyanswered by the cawing of a flock of idle crows, sporting high in air about a dry tree that overhung a sunny precipice; and who, secure in their elevation, seemed to look down and scoff at the poor man’s perplexities. What was to be done? the morning was passing away, and Rip felt famished for want of his breakfast. He grieved to give up his dog and gun; he dreaded to meet his wife; but it would not do to starve among the mountains. He shook his head, shouldered the rusty firelock, and, with a heart full of trouble and anxiety, turned his steps homeward.As he approached the village, he met a number of people, but none whom he knew, which somewhat surprised him, for he had thought himself acquainted with every one in the country round. Their dress, too, was of a different fashion from that to which he was accustomed. They all stared at him with equal marks of surprise, and whenever they cast their eyes upon him, invariably stroked their chins. The constant recurrence of thisgesture induced Rip, involuntarily, to do the same, when, to his astonishment, he found his beard had grown a foot long!He had now entered the skirts of the village.A troop of strange children ran at his heels, hooting after him, and pointing at his gray beard. The dogs, too, none of which he recognized for his old acquaintances, barked at him as he passed. The very village was altered: it was larger and more populous. There were rows of houses which he had never seen before, and those which had been his familiar haunts had disappeared. Strange names were over the doors—strange faces at the windows—everything was strange. His mind now began to misgive him; he doubted whether both he and the world around him were not bewitched. Surely this was his native village, which he had left but the day before. There stood the Catskill Mountains—there ran the silver Hudson at a distance—there was every hill and dale precisely as it had always been—Rip was sorely perplexed—“That flagon last night,” thought he, “has addled my poor head sadly!”It was with some difficulty he found the way to his own house, which he approached with silent awe, expecting every moment to hear the shrill voice of Dame Van Winkle. He found the house gone to decay—the roof fallen in, the windows shattered, and the doors off the hinges. A half-starved dog, that looked like Wolf, was skulking about it. Rip called him by name, but the cur snarled, showed his teeth, and passed on. This was an unkind cut indeed—“My very dog,” sighed poor Rip, “has forgotten me!”He entered the house, which, to tell the truth, Dame Van Winkle had always kept in neat order. It was empty, forlorn, and apparently abandoned. This desolateness overcame all his connubial fears—he called loudly for his wife and children—the lonely chambers rung for a moment with his voice, and then all again was silence.He now hurried forth, and hastened to his old resort, the little village inn—but it too was gone. A large rickety wooden building stood in its place, with great gaping windows, some of them broken, and mended with old hats and petticoats, and over the door was painted, “The Union Hotel, by Jonathan Doolittle.” Instead of the great tree which used to shelter the quiet little Dutch inn of yore, there now was reared a tall naked pole, with something on the top that looked like a red nightcap, and from it was fluttering a flag, on which was a singular assemblage of stars and stripes—all this was strange and incomprehensible. He recognized on the sign, however, the ruby face of King George, under which he had smoked so many a peaceful pipe, but even this was singularly metamorphosed. The red coat was changed for one of blue and buff, a sword was stuck in the hand instead of a scepter, the head was decorated with a cocked hat, and underneath was painted in large characters,GENERAL WASHINGTON.There was, as usual, a crowd of folk about the door, but none whom Rip recollected. The very character of the people seemed changed. There was a busy, bustling, disputatious tone about it, instead of the accustomed phlegm and drowsy tranquillity. He looked in vain for the sage Nicholas Vedder, with his broad face, double chin, and fair long pipe, uttering clouds of tobacco smoke instead of idle speeches; or Van Bummel, the schoolmaster, doling forth the contents of an ancient newspaper. In place of these, a lean, bilious-looking fellow, with his pockets full of handbills, was haranguing vehemently about rights of citizens—election—members of Congress—liberty—Bunker’s Hill—heroes of ’76—and other words, that were a perfect Babylonish jargon to the bewildered Van Winkle.The appearance of Rip, with his long grizzled beard, his rusty fowling piece, his uncouth dress, and the army of women and children that hadgathered at his heels, soon attracted the attention of the tavern politicians. They crowded around him, eying him from head to foot, with great curiosity. The orator bustled up to him, and drawing him partly aside, inquired “on which side he voted?” Rip stared in vacant stupidity. Another short but busy little fellow pulled him by the arm, and raising on tiptoe, inquired in his ear, “whether he was Federal or Democrat.” Rip was equally at a loss to comprehend the question; when a knowing, self-important old gentleman, in a sharp cocked hat, made his way through the crowd, putting them to the right and left with his elbows as he passed, and planting himself before Van Winkle, with one arm akimbo, the other resting on his cane, his keen eyes and sharp hat penetrating, as it were, into his very soul, demanded, in an austere tone, “what brought him to the election with a gun on his shoulder, and a mob at his heels, and whether he meant to breed a riot in the village?” “Alas!。
作者简介：华盛顿·欧文（Washington Irving）（1789-1895）, 美国浪漫主义作家，也是一个纯文学作家，他的写作态度是"writing for pleasure and to produce pleasure"。
欧文的代表作有《见闻札记》（Sketch Book），这是第一部伟大的青少年读物，也是美国本土作家第一部成功的小说。
由于欧文对美国文学的伟大贡献，他获得了“美国文学之父”的光荣称号。
这篇短篇小说，《瑞普·凡·温克尔》便是摘自《见闻札记》。
Rip Van WinkleA Posthumous Writing of Diedrich KnickerbockerBy Washington Irving(T HE FOLLOWING tale was found among the papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker, an old gentleman of New York, who was very curious in the Dutch history of the province, and the manners of the descendants from its primitive settlers. His historical researches, however, did not lie so much among books as among men; for the former are lamentably scanty on his favorite topics; whereas he found the old burghers, and still more their wives, rich in that legendary lore so invaluable to true history. Whenever, therefore, he happened upon a genuine Dutch family, snugly shut up in its low-roofed farmhouse, under a spreading sycamore, he looked upon it as a little clasped volume of black-letter, and studied it with the zeal of a bookworm.The result of all these researches was a history of the province duringthe reign of the Dutch governors, which he published some years since. There have been various opinions as to the literary character of his work, and, to tell the truth, it is not a whit better than it should be. Its chief merit is its scrupulous accuracy, which indeed was a little questioned on its first appearance, but has since been completely established; and it is how admitted into all historical collections as a book of unquestionable authority.The old gentleman died shortly after the publication of his work, and now that he is dead and gone it cannot do much harm to his memory to say that his time might have been much better employed in weightier labors. He, however, was apt to ride his hobby in his own way; and though it did now and then kick up the dust a little in the eyes of his neighbors and grieve the spirit of some friends, for whom he felt the truest deference and affection, yet his errors and follies are remembered “more in sorrow than in anger”; and it begins to be suspected that he never intended to injure or offend. But however his memory may be appreciated by critics, it is still held dear among many folk whose good opinion is well worth having; particularly by certain biscuit bakers, who have gone so far as to imprint his likeness on their New Year cakes, and have thus given him a chance for immortality almost equal to the being stamped on a Waterloo medal or a Queen Anne’s farthing.)By Woden, God of Saxons,From whence comes Wensday, that isWodensday,Truth is a thing that ever I will keepUnto thylke day in which I creep intoMy sepulchre—C ARTWRIGHT.Whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the Catskill Mountains. They are a dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family, and are seen away to the west of the river, swelling up to a noble height, and lording it over the surrounding country. Every change of season, every change of weather, indeed, every hour of the day, produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains, and they are regarded by all the good wives, far and near, as perfect barometers. When the weather is fair and settled, they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky; but sometimes, when the rest of the landscape is cloudless, they will gather a hood of gray vapors about their summits, which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will glow and light up like a crown of glory.At the foot of these fairy mountains the voyager may have descried the light smoke curling up from a village whose shingle roofs gleamamong the trees, just where the blue tints of the upland melt away into the fresh green of the nearer landscape. It is a little village of great antiquity, having been founded by some of the Dutch colonists, in the early times of the province, just about the beginning of the government of the good Peter Stuyvesant (may he rest in peace!), and there were some of the houses of the original settlers standing within a few years, with lattice windows, gable fronts surmounted with weathercocks, and built of small yellow bricks brought from Holland.In that same village, and in one of these very houses (which, to tell the precise truth, was sadly time-worn and weather-beaten), there lived many years since, while the country was yet a province of Great Britain, a simple, good-natured fellow, of the name of Rip Van Winkle. He was a descendant of the Van Winkles who figured so gallantly in the chivalrous days of Peter Stuyvesant, and accompanied him to the siege of Fort Christina. He inherited, however, but little of the martial character of his ancestors. I have observed that he was a simple, good-natured man; he was, moreover, a kind neighbor and an obedient, henpecked husband. Indeed, to the latter circumstance might be owing that meekness of spirit which gained him such universal popularity; for those men are most apt to be obsequious and conciliating abroad who are under the discipline of shrews at home. Their tempers, doubtless, are rendered pliant and malleable in the fiery furnace of domestic tribulation, and acurtain lecture is worth all the sermons in the world for teaching the virtues of patience and long-suffering. A termagant wife may, therefore, in some respects, be considered a tolerable blessing; and if so, Rip Van Winkle was thrice blessed.Certain it is that he was a great favorite among all the good wives of the village, who, as usual with the amiable sex, took his part in all family squabbles, and never failed, whenever they talked those matters over in their evening gossipings, to lay all the blame on Dame Van Winkle. The children of the village, too, would shout with joy whenever he approached. He assisted at their sports, made their playthings, taught them to fly kites and shoot marbles, and told them long stories of ghosts, witches, and Indians. Whenever he went dodging about the village, he was surrounded by a troop of them, hanging on his skirts, clambering on his back, and playing a thousand tricks on him with impunity; and not a dog would bark at him throughout the neighborhood.The great error in Rip’s composition was an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor. It could not be from the want of assiduity or perseverance; for he would sit on a wet rock, with a rod as long and heavy as a Tartar’s lance, and fish all day without a murmur, even though he should not be encouraged by a single nibble. He would carry a fowling piece on his shoulder, for hours together, trudging through woods and swamps, and up hill and down dale, to shoot a few squirrelsor wild pigeons. He would never even refuse to assist a neighbor in the roughest toil, and was a foremost man at all country frolics for husking Indian corn, or building stone fences. The women of the village, too, used to employ him to run their errands, and to do such little odd jobs as their less obliging husbands would not do for them; in a word, Rip was ready to attend to anybody’s business but his own; but as to doing family duty, and keeping his farm in order, it was impossible.In fact, he declared it was of no use to work on his farm; it was the most pestilent little piece of ground in the whole country; everything about it went wrong, and would go wrong, in spite of him. His fences were continually falling to pieces; his cow would either go astray or get among the cabbages; weeds were sure to grow quicker in his fields than anywhere else; the rain always made a point of setting in just as he had some outdoor work to do; so that though his patrimonial estate had dwindled away under his management, acre by acre, until there was little more left than a mere patch of Indian corn and potatoes, yet it was the worst-conditioned farm in the neighborhood.His children, too, were as ragged and wild as if they belonged to nobody. His son Rip, an urchin begotten in his own likeness, promised to inherit the habits, with the old clothes of his father. He was generally seen trooping like a colt at his mother’s heels, equipped in a pair of his father’s cast-off galligaskins, which he had much ado to hold up withone hand, as a fine lady does her train in bad weather.Rip Van Winkle, however, was one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy, eat white bread or brown, whichever can be got with least thought or trouble, and would rather starve on a penny than work for a pound. If left to himself, he would have whistled life away, in perfect contentment; but his wife kept continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he was bringing on his family. Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was incessantly going, and everything he said or did was sure to produce a torrent of household eloquence. Rip had but one way of replying to all lectures of the kind, and that, by frequent use, had grown into a habit. He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, cast up his eyes, but said nothing. This, however, always provoked a fresh volley from his wife, so that he was fain to draw off his forces, and take to the outside of the house—the only side which, in truth, belongs to a henpecked husband.Rip’s sole domestic adherent was his dog Wolf, who was as much henpecked as his master; for Dame Van Winkle regarded them as companions in idleness, and even looked upon Wolf with an evil eye, as the cause of his master’s so often going astray. True it is, in all points of spirit befitting an honorable dog, he was as courageous an animal as ever scoured the woods—but what courage can withstand theever-during and all-besetting terrors of a woman’s tongue? The moment Wolf entered the house his crest fell, his tail drooped to the ground, or curled between his legs; he sneaked about with a gallows air, casting many a sidelong glance at Dame Van Winkle, and at the least flourish of a broomstick or ladle would fly to the door with yelping precipitation.Times grew worse and worse with Rip Van Winkle as years of matrimony rolled on; a tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener by constant use. For a long while he used to console himself, when driven from home, by frequenting a kind of perpetual club of the sages, philosophers, and other idle personages of the village, which held its sessions on a bench before a small inn, designated by a rubicund portrait of his majesty George the Third. Here they used to sit in the shade, of a long lazy summer’s day, talking listlessly over village gossip, or telling endless sleepy stories about nothing. But it would have been worth any statesman’s money to have heard the profound discussions which sometimes took place, when by chance an old newspaper fell into their hands, from some passing traveler. How solemnly they would listen to the contents, as drawled out by Derrick Van Bummel, the schoolmaster, a dapper, learned little man, who was not to be daunted by the most gigantic word in the dictionary; and how sagely they would deliberateupon public events some months after they had taken place.The opinions of this junto were completely controlled by Nicholas Vedder, a patriarch of the village, and landlord of the inn, at the door of which he took his seat from morning till night, just moving sufficiently to avoid the sun, and keep in the shade of a large tree; so that the neighbors could tell the hour by his movements as accurately as by a sun-dial. It is true, he was rarely heard to speak, but smoked his pipe incessantly. His adherents, however (for every great man has his adherents), perfectly understood him, and knew how to gather his opinions. When anything that was read or related displeased him, he was observed to smoke his pipe vehemently, and send forth short, frequent, and angry puffs; but when pleased, he would inhale the smoke slowly and tranquilly, and emit it in light and placid clouds, and sometimes taking the pipe from his mouth, and letting the fragrant vapor curl about his nose, would gravely nod his head in token of perfect approbation.From even this stronghold the unlucky Rip was at length routed by his termagant wife, who would suddenly break in upon the tranquillity of the assemblage, and call the members all to nought; nor was that august personage, Nicholas Vedder himself, sacred from the daring tongue of this terrible virago, who charged him outright with encouraging her husband in habits of idleness.Poor Rip was at last reduced almost to despair; and his onlyalternative, to escape from the labor of the farm and clamor of his wife, was to take gun in hand and stroll away into the woods. Here he would sometimes seat himself at the foot of a tree, and share the contents of his wallet with Wolf, with whom he sympathized as a fellow-sufferer in persecution. “Poor Wolf,”he would say, “thy mistress leads thee a dog’s life of it; but never mind, my lad, while I live thou shalt never want a friend to stand by thee!”Wolf would wag his tail, look wistfully in his master’s face, and if dogs can feel pity, I verily believe he reciprocated the sentiment with all his heart.In a long ramble of the kind on a fine autumnal day, Rip had unconsciously scrambled to one of the highest parts of the Catskill Mountains. He was after his favorite sport of squirrel shooting, and the still solitudes had echoed and reëchoed with the reports of his gun. Panting and fatigued, he threw himself, late in the afternoon, on a green knoll, covered with mountain herbage, that crowned the brow of a precipice. From an opening between the trees he could overlook all the lower country for many a mile of rich woodland. He saw at a distance the lordly Hudson, far, far below him, moving on its silent but majestic course, the reflection of a purple cloud, or the sail of a lagging bark, here and there sleeping on its glassy bosom, and at last losing itself in the blue highlands.On the other side he looked down into a deep mountain glen, wild,lonely, and shagged, the bottom filled with fragments from the impending cliffs, and scarcely lighted by the reflected rays of the setting sun. For some time Rip lay musing on this scene; evening was gradually advancing; the mountains began to throw their long blue shadows over the valleys; he saw that it would be dark long before he could reach the village, and he heaved a heavy sigh when he thought of encountering the terrors of Dame Van Winkle.As he was about to descend, he heard a voice from a distance, hallooing, “Rip Van Winkle! Rip Van Winkle!”He looked around, but could see nothing but a crow winging its solitary flight across the mountain. He thought his fancy must have deceived him, and turned again to descend, when he heard the same cry ring through the still evening air: “Rip Van Winkle! Rip Van Winkle!”—at the same time Wolf bristled up his back, and giving a low growl, skulked to his master’s side, looking fearfully down into the glen. Rip now felt a vague apprehension stealing over him; he looked anxiously in the same direction, and perceived a strange figure slowly toiling up the rocks, and bending under the weight of something he carried on his back. He was surprised to see any human being in this lonely and unfrequented place, but supposing it to be some one of the neighborhood in need of assistance, he hastened down to yield it.On nearer approach, he was still more surprised at the singularity ofthe stranger’s appearance. He was a short, square-built old fellow, with thick bushy hair, and a grizzled beard. His dress was of the antique Dutch fashion—a cloth jerkin strapped around the waist—several pair of breeches, the outer one of ample volume, decorated with rows of buttons down the sides, and bunches at the knees. He bore on his shoulders a stout keg, that seemed full of liquor, and made signs for Rip to approach and assist him with the load. Though rather shy and distrustful of this new acquaintance, Rip complied with his usual alacrity, and mutually relieving one another, they clambered up a narrow gully, apparently the dry bed of a mountain torrent. As they ascended, Rip every now and then heard long rolling peals, like distant thunder, that seemed to issue out of a deep ravine, or rather cleft between lofty rocks, toward which their rugged path conducted. He paused for an instant, but supposing it to be the muttering of one of those transient thunder showers which often take place in mountain heights, he proceeded. Passing through the ravine, they came to a hollow, like a small amphitheater, surrounded by perpendicular precipices, over the brinks of which impending trees shot their branches, so that you only caught glimpses of the azure sky and the bright evening cloud. During the whole time, Rip and his companion had labored on in silence; for though the former marveled greatly what could be the object of carrying a keg of liquor up this wild mountain, yet there was something strange andincomprehensible about the unknown that inspired awe and checked familiarity.On entering the amphitheater, new objects of wonder presented themselves. On a level spot in the center was a company of odd-looking personages playing at ninepins. They were dressed in a quaint, outlandish fashion: some wore short doublets, others jerkins, with long knives in their belts, and most had enormous breeches, of similar style with that of the guide’s. Their visages, too, were peculiar: one had a large head, broad face, and small, piggish eyes; the face of another seemed to consist entirely of nose, and was surmounted by a white sugar-loaf hat set off with a little red cock’s tail. They all had beards, of various shapes and colors. There was one who seemed to be the commander. He was a stout old gentleman, with a weather-beaten countenance; he wore a laced doublet, broad belt and hanger, high-crowned hat and feather, red stockings, and high-heeled shoes, with roses in them. The whole group reminded Rip of the figures in an old Flemish painting, in the parlor of Dominie Van Schaick, the village parson, and which had been brought over from Holland at the time of the settlement.What seemed particularly odd to Rip, was that though these folks were evidently amusing themselves, yet they maintained the gravest faces, the most mysterious silence, and were, withal, the mostmelancholy party of pleasure he had ever witnessed. Nothing interrupted the stillness of the scene but the noise of the balls, which, whenever they were rolled, echoed along the mountains like rumbling peals of thunder.As Rip and his companion approached them, they suddenly desisted from their play, and stared at him with such fixed statue-like gaze, and such strange, uncouth, lack-luster countenances, that his heart turned within him, and his knees smote together. His companion now emptied the contents of the keg into large flagons, and made signs to him to wait upon the company. He obeyed with fear and trembling; they quaffed the liquor in profound silence, and then returned to their game.By degrees, Rip’s awe and apprehension subsided. He even ventured, when no eye was fixed upon him, to taste the beverage, which he found had much of the flavor of excellent Hollands. He was naturally a thirsty soul, and was soon tempted to repeat the draught. One taste provoked another, and he reiterated his visits to the flagon so often, that at length his senses were overpowered, his eyes swam in his head, his head gradually declined, and he fell into a deep sleep.On awaking, he found himself on the green knoll from whence he had first seen the old man of the glen. He rubbed his eyes—it was a bright sunny morning. The birds were hopping and twittering among the bushes, and the eagle was wheeling aloft and breasting the puremountain breeze. “Surely,”thought Rip, “I have not slept here all night.”He recalled the occurrences before he fell asleep. The strange man with a keg of liquor—the mountain ravine—the wild retreat among the rocks—the woe-begone party at ninepins—the flagon—“Oh! that flagon! that wicked flagon!”thought Rip—“what excuse shall I make to Dame Van Winkle?”He looked round for his gun, but in place of the clean, well-oiled fowling piece, he found an old firelock lying by him, the barrel incrusted with rust, the lock falling off, and the stock worm-eaten. He now suspected that the grave roysters of the mountain had put a trick upon him, and having dosed him with liquor, had robbed him of his gun. Wolf, too, had disappeared, but he might have strayed away after a squirrel or partridge. He whistled after him, shouted his name, but all in vain; the echoes repeated his whistle and shout, but no dog was to be seen.He determined to revisit the scene of the last evening’s gambol, and if he met with any of the party, to demand his dog and gun. As he rose to walk, he found himself stiff in the joints, and wanting in his usual activity. “These mountain beds do not agree with me,”thought Rip, “and if this frolic should lay me up with a fit of the rheumatism, I shall have a blessed time with Dame Van Winkle.”With some difficulty he got down into the glen; he found the gully up which he and his companion had ascended the preceding evening; but to his astonishment a mountain stream wasnow foaming down it, leaping from rock to rock, and filling the glen with babbling murmurs. He, however, made shift to scramble up its sides, working his toilsome way through thickets of birch, sassafras, and witch-hazel, and sometimes tripped up or entangled by the wild grape vines that twisted their coils and tendrils from tree to tree, and spread a kind of network in his path.At length he reached to where the ravine had opened through the cliffs to the amphitheater; but no traces of such opening remained. The rocks presented a high, impenetrable wall, over which the torrent came tumbling in a sheet of feathery foam, and fell into a broad, deep basin, black from the shadows of the surrounding forest. Here, then, poor Rip was brought to a stand. He again called and whistled after his dog; he was only answered by the cawing of a flock of idle crows, sporting high in air about a dry tree that overhung a sunny precipice; and who, secure in their elevation, seemed to look down and scoff at the poor man’s perplexities. What was to be done? the morning was passing away, and Rip felt famished for want of his breakfast. He grieved to give up his dog and gun; he dreaded to meet his wife; but it would not do to starve among the mountains. He shook his head, shouldered the rusty firelock, and, with a heart full of trouble and anxiety, turned his steps homeward.As he approached the village, he met a number of people, but none whom he knew, which somewhat surprised him, for he had thoughthimself acquainted with every one in the country round. Their dress, too, was of a different fashion from that to which he was accustomed. They all stared at him with equal marks of surprise, and whenever they cast their eyes upon him, invariably stroked their chins. The constant recurrence of this gesture induced Rip, involuntarily, to do the same, when, to his astonishment, he found his beard had grown a foot long!He had now entered the skirts of the village. A troop of strange children ran at his heels, hooting after him, and pointing at his gray beard. The dogs, too, none of which he recognized for his old acquaintances, barked at him as he passed. The very village was altered: it was larger and more populous. There were rows of houses which he had never seen before, and those which had been his familiar haunts had disappeared. Strange names were over the doors—strange faces at the windows—everything was strange. His mind now began to misgive him; he doubted whether both he and the world around him were not bewitched. Surely this was his native village, which he had left but the day before. There stood the Catskill Mountains—there ran the silver Hudson at a distance—there was every hill and dale precisely as it had always been—Rip was sorely perplexed—“That flagon last night,”thought he, “has addled my poor head sadly!”It was with some difficulty he found the way to his own house, which he approached with silent awe, expecting every moment to hear theshrill voice of Dame Van Winkle. He found the house gone to decay—the roof fallen in, the windows shattered, and the doors off the hinges. A half-starved dog, that looked like Wolf, was skulking about it. Rip called him by name, but the cur snarled, showed his teeth, and passed on. This was an unkind cut indeed—“My very dog,”sighed poor Rip, “has forgotten me!”He entered the house, which, to tell the truth, Dame Van Winkle had always kept in neat order. It was empty, forlorn, and apparently abandoned. This desolateness overcame all his connubial fears—he called loudly for his wife and children—the lonely chambers rung for a moment with his voice, and then all again was silence.He now hurried forth, and hastened to his old resort, the little village inn—but it too was gone. A large rickety wooden building stood in its place, with great gaping windows, some of them broken, and mended with old hats and petticoats, and over the door was painted, “The Union Hotel, by Jonathan Doolittle.”Instead of the great tree which used to shelter the quiet little Dutch inn of yore, there now was reared a tall naked pole, with something on the top that looked like a red nightcap, and from it was fluttering a flag, on which was a singular assemblage of stars and stripes—all this was strange and incomprehensible. He recognized on the sign, however, the ruby face of King George, under which he had smoked so many a peaceful pipe, but even this wassingularly metamorphosed. The red coat was changed for one of blue and buff, a sword was stuck in the hand instead of a scepter, the head was decorated with a cocked hat, and underneath was painted in large characters, G ENERAL W ASHINGTON.There was, as usual, a crowd of folk about the door, but none whom Rip recollected. The very character of the people seemed changed. There was a busy, bustling, disputatious tone about it, instead of the accustomed phlegm and drowsy tranquillity. He looked in vain for the sage Nicholas Vedder, with his broad face, double chin, and fair long pipe, uttering clouds of tobacco smoke instead of idle speeches; or Van Bummel, the schoolmaster, doling forth the contents of an ancient newspaper. In place of these, a lean, bilious-looking fellow, with his pockets full of handbills, was haranguing vehemently about rights of citizens—election—members of Congress—liberty—Bunker’s Hill—heroes of ’76—and other words, that were a perfect Babylonish jargon to the bewildered Van Winkle.The appearance of Rip, with his long grizzled beard, his rusty fowling piece, his uncouth dress, and the army of women and children that had gathered at his heels, soon attracted the attention of the tavern politicians. They crowded around him, eying him from head to foot, with great curiosity. The orator bustled up to him, and drawing him partly aside, inquired “on which side he voted?”Rip stared in vacant stupidity.Another short but busy little fellow pulled him by the arm, and raising on tiptoe, inquired in his ear, “whether he was Federal or Democrat.”Rip was equally at a loss to comprehend the question; when a knowing, self-important old gentleman, in a sharp cocked hat, made his way through the crowd, putting them to the right and left with his elbows as he passed, and planting himself before Van Winkle, with one arm akimbo, the other resting on his cane, his keen eyes and sharp hat penetrating, as it were, into his very soul, demanded, in an austere tone, “what brought him to the election with a gun on his shoulder, and a mob at his heels, and whether he meant to breed a riot in the village?”“Alas! gentlemen,”cried Rip, somewhat dismayed, “I am a poor quiet man, a native of the place, and a loyal subject of the king, God bless him!”Here a general shout burst from the bystanders—“A Tory! a Tory! a spy! a refugee! hustle him! away with him!”It was with great difficulty that the self-important man in the cocked hat restored order; and having assumed a tenfold austerity of brow, demanded again of the unknown culprit, what he came there for, and whom he was seeking. The poor man humbly assured him that he meant no harm; but merely came there in search of some of his neighbors, who used to keep about the tavern.“Well—who are they?—name them.”Rip bethought himself a moment, and then inquired, “Where’s Nicholas Vedder?”。
ripvanwinkle读后感中文(中英文版)After immersing myself in Washington Irving"s classic short story "Rip Van Winkle," I was deeply impressed by the timeless themes and thought-provoking messages it conveys.Set in the Catskill Mountains, the story follows the protagonist Rip Van Winkle, an amiable yet lazy man who escapes his domestic responsibilities by wandering into the mountains.There, he encounters a group of mysterious men and falls into a deep sleep for twenty years.The story"s portrayal of the passage of time and its impact on individuals is particularly striking.Rip"s long slumber serves as a metaphor for the rapid changes that occur in society.Upon awakening, he finds himself in a world that has moved on without him.This raises questions about the nature of time and the consequences of shirking responsibilities.It"s a reminder that life doesn"t pause for anyone, and the choices we make have lasting effects.Moreover, the story offers a critique of the American Dream.Rip Van Winkle, despite his good nature, is unable to provide for his family.His preference for leisure over work leads to his downfall and the loss of his wife"s respect.This challenges the traditional notion that hard work always leads to success and prosperity.The character of Rip Van Winkle himself is a fascinating study.Hischildlike innocence and trusting nature make him endearing, yet his laziness and avoidance of responsibility are frustrating.Irving uses Rip to explore the complexities of human nature and the struggle between idleness and productivity.In conclusion, "Rip Van Winkle" is a thought-provoking tale that delves into the consequences of avoiding responsibilities and the relentless march of time.It serves as a cautionary reminder that life is short, and we must seize the day, while also questioning societal norms and expectations.在深入阅读华盛顿·欧文的经典短篇小说《瑞普·凡·温克尔》之后，我对其中跨越时代的主题和发人深省的信息留下了深刻的印象。
rip van winkle译文
《瑞普·凡·温克尔》（Rip Van Winkle）是美国作家华盛顿·欧文（Washington Irving）创作的一篇短篇小说，以下是其中文译文：
瑞普·凡·温克尔是一个喜欢打猎的人，他有一个爱唠叨的妻子和一群喜欢捉弄他的孩子。
一天，他为了躲避妻子的唠叨，带着他的狗去了一个叫做卡茨基尔山的地方打猎。
他在山上遇到了一个奇怪的人，这个人请他喝了一些酒，然后他就睡着了。
当他醒来时，他发现自己已经睡了20年。
他回到了自己的村庄，发现一切都已经变了。
他的妻子已经死了，他的孩子们也都长大成人了。
他发现美国已经独立了，而他曾经认识的人都已经老了或者死了。
瑞普·凡·温克尔开始讲述他的故事，但是没有人相信他。
最后，他又回到了卡茨基尔山，再也没有人见过他。
这个故事是一个关于时间和变化的寓言，它告诉我们时间是不可逆转的，我们必须珍惜现在的时光。
瑞普-凡-温克尔卡兹吉尔出脉位于纽约州哈得逊河西边，山峰高耸人云，俯瞰着四周的山村。
季节更替，阴晴转换，甚至旦夕间的时辰变幻，都会引来山容峰色午姿百态。
所以山区周围的村民只要观看卡兹吉尔山脉就能猜出天气的变化。
就在这些山脉下面，航行者可以看见缕缕青烟从一个古老的荷兰小山村袅袅升起。
瑞普-凡-温克尔就在这个村里。
许多年前，他就住在这里，那时这个国家还发球英国。
瑞普-凡-温克尔是一个朴素单纯，性格温和的家伙。
在荷兰决督统治时期，他的祖先曾英勇地与英国人战斗过。
然而，瑞普的血液里没有多少祖先的军人性格。
我已经说了，他是一个朴素单纯，性格温和的家伙。
此外他还是一个善良的邻居，也是一个在老婆面前唯唯诺诺的丈夫。
由于在家里被老婆管得太严所以他似乎养成了处处与人为善的习惯。
因此，除了他老婆外，大这都对他评价很高。
当然，他在村子里所有的良家妇女中很受欢迎。
每当她们知道了凡-温克尔家吵架，她们总是认定瑞普是对的，而凡-温克尔夫人是错的。
孩子们也一样，瑞普-凡-温克尔一来，他们总是欢叫起来。
他总是望着他们玩耍，为他们做玩具，教他们怎么玩各种游戏，还给他们讲最精彩的故事。
不管他去哪儿，他的四周常常围着一群孩子。
村子里没有哪条狗对他狂吠过。
瑞普-凡-温克尔有一个缺点：什么赚钱的活儿他都不喜欢，甚至是憎恨。
很难理解究竟是什么原因让他不爱劳动。
可他从不拒绝帮助邻居，哪怕是干最粗的活儿，比如帮人家砌石墙。
村里的妇女也常使唤他，让他传信，或做一些她们的丈夫不愿意做的小活计。
换言之，除了自各儿的事情外，别人家的事瑞普都乐意管。
至少家庭责任，收拾农场，他觉得这样的活儿绝对做不来。
事实上，他宣称在他农场上折腾毫无用处，因为那是整个那一带最差的小块地，一无是处。
结果由于他经营不善，失去不少土地，他的小农场比他周围的农场更差了。
他的孩子也到处游荡，他们的可怜样和他的农场一样。
他的儿子小瑞普，和他很像，整天四处晃荡。
他穿着一条他父亲的旧裤子，不得不用一只手提着，免得掉了下来。
作者简介：华盛顿·欧文（Washington?Irving）（1789-1895）,?美国浪漫主义作家，也是一个纯文学作家，他的写作态度是"writing?for?pleasure?and?to?produce?pleasure"。
欧文的代表作有《见闻札记》（Sketch?Book），这是第一部伟大的青少年读物，也是美国本土作家第一部成功的小说。
由于欧文(Tofhiswork,and,totellthetruth,itisnotawhitbetterthanitshouldbe.Itschiefmeritisitsscrup ulousaccuracy,whichindeedwasalittlequestionedonitsfirstappearance,buthassincebeencomp letelyestablished;anditishowadmittedintoallhistoricalcollectionsasabookofunquestionab leauthority.Theoldgentlemandiedshortlyafterthepublicationofhiswork,andnowthatheisdeadandgoneitcan notdomuchharmtohismemorytosaythathistimemighthavebeenmuchbetteremployedinweightierlab ors.He,however,wasapttoridehishobbyinhisownway;andthoughitdidnowandthenkickupthedustaditbeginstobesuspectedthatheneverintendedtoinjureoroffend.Buthoweverhismemorymaybeapp reciatedbycritics,itisstillhelddearamongmanyfolkwhosegoodopinioniswellworthhaving;par ticularlybycertainbiscuitbakers,whohavegonesofarastoimprinthislikenessontheirNewYearc akes,andhavethusgivenhimachanceforimmortalityalmostequaltothebeingstampedonaWaterloom edaloraQueenAnne’sfarthing.)ByWoden,GodofSaxons,FromwhencecomesWensday,thatisWodensday,ginalsettlersstandingwithinafewyears,withlatticewindows,gablefrontssurmountedwithweat hercocks,andbuiltofsmallyellowbricksbroughtfromHolland.Inthatsamevillage,andinoneoftheseveryhouses(which,totelltheprecisetruth,wassadlytime-wornandweather-beaten),therelivedmanyyearssince,whilethecountrywasyetaprovinceofGreat Britain,asimple,good-naturedfellow,ofthenameofRipVanWinkle.HewasadescendantoftheVanWi nkleswhofiguredsogallantlyinthechivalrousdaysofPeterStuyvesant,andaccompaniedhimtothe siegeofFortChristina.Heinherited,however,butlittleofthemartialcharacterofhisancestors .Ihaveobservedthathewasasimple,good-naturedman;hewas,moreover,akindneighborandanobedigabroadwhoareunderthedisciplineofshrewsathome.Theirtempers,doubtless,arerenderedplian tandmalleableinthefieryfurnaceofdomestictribulation,andacurtainlectureisworthallthese rmonsintheworldforteachingthevirtuesofpatienceandlong-suffering.Atermagantwifemay,the refore,insomerespects,beconsideredatolerableblessing;andifso,RipVanWinklewasthriceble ssed.Certainitisthathewasagreatfavoriteamongallthegoodwivesofthevillage,who,asusualwiththe amiablesex,tookhispartinallfamilysquabbles,andneverfailed,whenevertheytalkedthosematt ersoverintheireveninggossipings,tolayalltheblameonDameVanWinkle.Thechildrenofthevilla ge,too,wouldshoutwithjoywheneverheapproached.Heassistedattheirsports,madetheirplaythiHischildren,too,wereasraggedandwildasiftheybelongedtonobody.HissonRip,anurchinbegotte ninhisownlikeness,promisedtoinheritthehabits,withtheoldclothesofhisfather.Hewasgenera llyseentroopinglikeacoltathismother’sheels,equippedinapairofhisfather’scast-offgall igaskins,whichhehadmuchadotoholdupwithonehand,asafineladydoeshertraininbadweather.RipVanWinkle,however,wasoneofthosehappymortals,offoolish,well-oileddispositions,who taketheworldeasy,eatwhitebreadorbrown,whichevercanbegotwithleastthoughtortrouble,andw ouldratherstarveonapennythanworkforapound.Iflefttohimself,hewouldhavewhistledlifeaway ,inperfectcontentment;buthiswifekeptcontinuallydinninginhisearsabouthisidleness,hiscasantlygoing,andeverythinghesaidordidwassuretoproduceatorrentofhouseholdeloquence.Riph adbutonewayofreplyingtoalllecturesofthekind,andthat,byfrequentuse,hadgrownintoahabit. Heshruggedhisshoulders,shookhishead,castuphiseyes,butsaidnothing.This,however,alwaysp rovokedafreshvolleyfromhiswife,sothathewasfaintodrawoffhisforces,andtaketotheoutsideo fthehouse—theonlysidewhich,intruth,belongstoahenpeckedhusband.Rip’ssoledomesticadherentwashisdogWolf,whowasasmuchhenpeckedashismaster;forDameVanWi nkleregardedthemascompanionsinidleness,andevenlookeduponWolfwithanevileye,asthecauseo fhismaster’ssooftengoingastray.Trueitis,inallpointsofspiritbefittinganhonorabledog,h ewasascourageousananimalaseverscouredthewoods—butwhatcouragecanwithstandtheever-duristoodhim,andknewhowtogatherhisopinions.Whenanythingthatwasreadorrelateddispleasedhim, hewasobservedtosmokehispipevehemently,andsendforthshort,frequent,andangrypuffs;butwhe npleased,hewouldinhalethesmokeslowlyandtranquilly,andemititinlightandplacidclouds,and sometimestakingthepipefromhismouth,andlettingthefragrantvaporcurlabouthisnose,wouldgr avelynodhisheadintokenofperfectapprobation.FromeventhisstrongholdtheunluckyRipwasatlengthroutedbyhistermagantwife,whowouldsudden lybreakinuponthetranquillityoftheassemblage,andcallthemembersalltonought;norwasthatau gustpersonage,NicholasVedderhimself,sacredfromthedaringtongueofthisterriblevirago,whoPoorRipwasatlastreducedalmosttodespair;andhisonlyalternative,toescapefromthelaborofth efarmandclamorofhiswife,wastotakeguninhandandstrollawayintothewoods.Herehewouldsometi messeathimselfatthefootofatree,andsharethecontentsofhiswalletwithWolf,withwhomhesympa thizedasafellow-suffererinpersecution.“PoorWolf,”hewouldsay,“thymistressleadstheea dog’slifeofit;butnevermind,mylad,whileIlivethoushaltneverwantafriendtostandbythee!”Wolfwouldwaghistail,lookwistfullyinhismaster’sface,andifdogscanfeelpity,Iverilybelie vehereciprocatedthesentimentwithallhisheart..hegldperceivedastrangefigureslowlytoilinguptherocks,andbendingundertheweightofsomethinghe carriedonhisback.Hewassurprisedtoseeanyhumanbeinginthislonelyandunfrequentedplace,but supposingittobesomeoneoftheneighborhoodinneedofassistance,hehasteneddowntoyieldit.Onnearerapproach,hewasstillmoresurprisedatthesingularityofthestranger’sappearance.He wasashort,square-builtoldfellow,withthickbushyhair,andagrizzledbeard.Hisdresswasofthe antiqueDutchfashion—aclothjerkinstrappedaroundthewaist—severalpairofbreeches,theout eroneofamplevolume,decoratedwithrowsofbuttonsdownthesides,andbunchesattheknees.Hebore onhisshouldersastoutkeg,thatseemedfullofliquor,andmadesignsforRiptoapproachandassisthualalacrity,andmutuallyrelievingoneanother,theyclamberedupanarrowgully,apparentlythed rybedofamountaintorrent.Astheyascended,Ripeverynowandthenheardlongrollingpeals,likedi stantthunder,thatseemedtoissueoutofadeepravine,orrathercleftbetweenloftyrocks,towardw hichtheirruggedpathconducted.Hepausedforaninstant,butsupposingittobethemutteringofone ofthosetransientthundershowerswhichoftentakeplaceinmountainheights,heproceeded.Passin gthroughtheravine,theycametoahollow,likeasmallamphitheater,surroundedbyperpendicularp recipices,overthebrinksofwhichimpendingtreesshottheirbranches,sothatyouonlycaughtglim psesoftheazureskyandthebrighteveningcloud.Duringthewholetime,Ripandhiscompanionhadlab oredoninsilence;forthoughtheformermarveledgreatlywhatcouldbetheobjectofcarryingakegof liquorupthiswildmountain,yettherewassomethingstrangeandincomprehensibleabouttheunknow nthatinspiredaweandcheckedfamiliarity.tolargeflagons,andmadesignstohimtowaituponthecompany.Heobeyedwithfearandtrembling;the yquaffedtheliquorinprofoundsilence,andthenreturnedtotheirgame.Bydegrees,Rip’saweandapprehensionsubsided.Heevenventured,whennoeyewasfixeduponhim, totastethebeverage,whichhefoundhadmuchoftheflavorofexcellentHollands.Hewasnaturallyat hirstysoul,andwassoontemptedtorepeatthedraught.Onetasteprovokedanother,andhereiterate dhisvisitstotheflagonsooften,thatatlengthhissenseswereoverpowered,hiseyesswaminhishea d,hisheadgraduallydeclined,andhefellintoadeepsleep.ubbedhiseyes—itwasabrightsunnymorning.Thebirdswerehoppingandtwitteringamongthebushes ,andtheeaglewaswheelingaloftandbreastingthepuremountainbreeze.“Surely,”thoughtRip,“Ihavenotslepthereallnight.”Hereca lledtheoccurrencesbeforehefellasleep.Thestrangema nwithakegofliquor—themountainravine—thewildretreatamongtherocks—thewoe-begoneparty atninepins—theflagon—“Oh!thatflagon!thatwickedflagon!”thoughtRip—“whatexcusesha llImaketoDameVanWinkle?”Helookedroundforhisgun,butinplaceoftheclean,well-oiledfowlingpiece,hefoundanoldfirelo cklyingbyhim,thebarrelincrustedwithrust,thelockfallingoff,andthestockworm-eaten.Henow suspectedthatthegraveroystersofthemountainhadputatrickuponhim,andhavingdosedhimwithlidotostarveamongthemountains.Heshookhishead,shoulderedtherustyfirelock,and,withaheartf ulloftroubleandanxiety,turnedhisstepshomeward.Asheapproachedthevillage,hemetanumberofpeople,butnonewhomheknew,whichsomewhatsurprise dhim,forhehadthoughthimselfacquaintedwitheveryoneinthecountryround.Theirdress,too,was ofadifferentfashionfromthattowhichhewasaccustomed.Theyallstaredathimwithequalmarksofs urprise,andwhenevertheycasttheireyesuponhim,invariablystrokedtheirchins.Theconstantre currenceofthisgestureinducedRip,involuntarily,todothesame,when,tohisastonishment,hefo undhisbeardhadgrownafootlong!Hehadnowenteredtheskirtsofthevillage.Atroopofstrangechildrenranathisheels,hootingafte rhim,andpointingathisgraybeard.Thedogs,too,noneofwhichherecognizedforhisoldacquaintan ces,barkedathimashepassed.Theveryvillagewasaltered:itwaslargerandmorepopulous.Therewe rerowsofhouseswhichhehadneverseenbefore,andthosewhichhadbeenhisfamiliarhauntshaddisap peared.Strangenameswereoverthedoors—strangefacesatthewindows—everythingwasstrange.H ismindnowbegantomisgivehim;hedoubtedwhetherbothheandtheworldaroundhimwerenotbewitched .Surelythiswashisnativevillage,whichhehadleftbutthedaybefore.TherestoodtheCatskillMou ntains—thereranthesilverHudsonatadistance—therewaseveryhillanddalepreciselyasithada lwaysbeen—Ripwassorelyperplexed—“Thatflagonlastnight,”thoughthe,“hasaddledmypoor headsadly!”—thero—hecalTherewas,asusual,acrowdoffolkaboutthedoor,butnonewhomRiprecollected.Theverycharactero fthepeopleseemedchanged.Therewasabusy,bustling,disputatioustoneaboutit,insteadoftheac customedphlegmanddrowsytranquillity.HelookedinvainforthesageNicholasVedder,withhisbro adface,doublechin,andfairlongpipe,utteringcloudsoftobaccosmokeinsteadofidlespeeches;o rVanBummel,theschoolmaster,dolingforththecontentsofanancientnewspaper.Inplaceofthese, alean,bilious-lookingfellow,withhispocketsfullofhandbills,washaranguingvehementlyabou trightsofcitizens—election—membersofCongress—liberty—Bunker’sHill—heroesof’76—andotherwords,thatwereaperfectBabylonishjargontothebewilderedVanWinkle.TheappearanceofRip,withhislonggrizzledbeard,hisrustyfowlingpiece,hisuncouthdress,andt hearmyofwomenandchildrenthathadgatheredathisheels,soonattractedtheattentionofthetaver npoliticians.Theycrowdedaroundhim,eyinghimfromheadtofoot,withgreatcuriosity.Theorator bustleduptohim,anddrawinghimpartlyaside,inquired“onwhichsidehevoted?”Ripstaredinvac antstupidity.Anothershortbutbusylittlefellowpulledhimbythearm,andraisingontiptoe,inqu iredinhisear,“whetherhewasFederalorDemocrat.”Ripwasequallyatalosstocomprehendtheque stion;whenaknowing,self-importantoldgentleman,inasharpcockedhat,madehiswaythroughthec rowd,puttingthemtotherightandleftwithhiselbowsashepassed,andplantinghimselfbeforeVanW inkle,withonearmakimbo,theotherrestingonhiscane,hiskeeneyesandsharphatpenetrating,asi twere,intohisverysoul,demanded,inanausteretone,“whatbroughthimtotheelectionwithagunontackagain.”“Where’sVanBummel,theschoolmaster?”“Hewentofftothewars,too,wasagreatmilitiageneral,andisnowinCongress.”Rip’sheartdiedaway,athearingofthesesadchangesinhishomeandfriends,andfindinghimselfth usaloneintheworld.Everyanswerpuzzledhim,too,bytreatingofsuchenormouslapsesoftime,ando fmatterswhichhecouldnotunderstand:war—Congress—StonyPoint!—hehadnocouragetoaskafte“Oh,RipVanWinkle!”exclaimedtwoorthree,“Oh,tobesure!that’sRipVanWinkleyonder,leani ngagainstthetr ee.”Riplooked,andbeheldaprecisecounterpartofhimself,ashewentupthemountain:apparentlyaslaz y,andcertainlyasragged.Thepoorfellowwasnowcompletelyconfounded.Hedoubtedhisownidentit y,andwhetherhewashimselforanotherman.Inthemidstofhisbewilderment,themaninthecockedhat demandedwhohewas,andwhatwashisname?onderRiphadbutonequestionmoretoask;butheputitwithafalteringvoice:—“Where’syourmother?”“Oh,shetoohaddiedbutashorttimesince;shebrokeabloodvesselinafitofpassionataNewEngl andpeddler.”Therewasadropofcomfort,atleast,inthisintelligence.Thehonestmancouldcontainhimselfn olonger.—Hecaughthisdaughterandherchildinhisarms.—“Iamyourfather!”criedhe—“Youn gRipVanWinkleonce—oldRipVanWinklenow!—DoesnobodyknowpoorRipVanWinkle!”Allstoodamazed,untilanoldwoman,totteringoutfromamongthecrowd,putherhandtoherbrow,a ndpeeringunderitinhisfaceforamoment,exclaimed,“Sureenough!itisRipV anWinkle—itishims elf.Welcomehomeagain,oldneighbor.—Why,wherehaveyoubeenthesetwentylongyears?”Rip’sstorywassoontold,forthewholetwentyyearshadbeentohimbutasonenight.Theneighbor sstaredwhentheyheardit;somewhereseentowinkateachother,andputtheirtonguesintheircheeks ;andtheself-importantmaninthecockedhat,who,whenthealarmwasover,hadreturnedtothefield, screweddownthecornersofhismouth,andshookhishead—uponwhichtherewasageneralshakingofth eheadthroughouttheassemblage.Itwasdetermined,however,totaketheopinionofoldPeterVanderdonk,whowasseenslowlyadvanity,hetookhisplaceoncemoreonthebench,attheinndoor,andwasreverencedasoneofthepatriarch softhevillage,andachronicleoftheoldtimes“beforethewar.”Itwassometimebeforehecouldge tintotheregulartrackofgossip,orcouldbemadetocomprehendthestrangeeventsthathadtakenpla ceduringhistorpor.Howthattherehadbeenarevolutionarywar—thatthecountryhadthrownoffthe yokeofoldEngland—andthat,insteadofbeingasubjectofhisMajesty,GeorgeIII.,hewasnowafree citizenoftheUnitedStates.Rip,infact,wasnopolitician;thechangesofstatesandempiresmadeb utlittleimpressiononhim;buttherewasonespeciesofdespotismunderwhichhehadlonggroaned,an dthatwas—petticoatgovernment;happily,thatwasatanend;hehadgothisneckoutoftheyokeofmat rimony,andcouldgoinandoutwheneverhepleased,withoutdreadingthetyrannyofDameVanWinkle.W heneverhernamewasmentioned,however,heshookhishead,shruggedhisshoulders,andcastuphisey es;whichmightpasseitherforanexpressionofresignationtohisfate,orjoyathisdeliverance.Heusedt otellhisstorytoeverystrangerthatarrivedatDr.Doolittle’shotel.Hewasobserved ,atfirst,tovaryonsomepointseverytimehetoldit,whichwas,doubtless,owingtohishavingsorec entlyawaked.ItatlastsettleddownpreciselytothetaleIhaverelated,andnotaman,woman,orchil dintheneighborhoodbutknewitbyheart.Somealwayspretendedtodoubttherealityofit,andinsist edthatRiphadbeenoutofhishead,andthiswasonepointonwhichhealwaysremainedflighty.TheoldD utchinhabitants,however,almostuniversallygaveitfullcredit.Eventothisdaytheyneverheara thunder-stormofasummerafternoon,abouttheCatskills,buttheysayHendrickHudsonandhiscrewa reattheirgameofninepins;anditisacommonwishofallhenpeckedhusbandsintheneighborhood,whe nlifehangsheavyontheirhands,thattheymighthaveaquietingdraughtoutofRipVanWinkle’sflag on.些她们的丈夫不愿意做的小活计。
作者简介：华盛顿·欧文(Washington Irving)（1789-1895）, 美国浪漫主义作家,也是一个纯文学作家，他的写作态度是”writing for pleasure and to produce pleasure"。
欧文的代表作有《见闻札记》（Sketch Book）,这是第一部伟大的青少年读物，也是美国本土作家第一部成功的小说。
由于欧文对美国文学的伟大贡献,他获得了“美国文学之父"的光荣称号。
这篇短篇小说，《瑞普·凡·温克尔》便是摘自《见闻札记》。
Rip Van WinkleA Posthumous Writing of Diedrich KnickerbockerBy Washington Irving（T HE FOLLOWING tale was found among the papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker，an old gentleman of New York，who was very curious in the Dutch history of the province，and the manners of the descendants from its primitive settlers. His historical researches, however，did not lie so much among books as among men；for the former are lamentably scanty on his favorite topics; whereas he found the old burghers, and still more their wives, rich in that legendary lore so invaluable to true history. Whenever，therefore, he happened upon a genuine Dutch family, snugly shut up in its low-roofed farmhouse，under a spreading sycamore, he looked upon it as a little clasped volume of black-letter，and studied it with the zeal of a bookworm。
The result of all these researches was a history of the province during the reign of the Dutch governors, which he published some years since。
There have been various opinions as to the literary character of his work, and，to tell the truth, it is not a whit better than it should be。
Its chief merit is its scrupulous accuracy, which indeed was a little questioned on its first appearance, but has since been completely established；and it is how admitted into all historical collections as a book of unquestionable authority。
The old gentleman died shortly after the publication of his work, and now that he is dead and gone it cannot do much harm to his memory to say that his time might have been much better employed in weightier labors。
He，however，was apt to ride his hobby in his own way；and though it did now and then kick up the dust a little in the eyes of his neighbors and grieve the spirit of some friends，for whom he felt the truest deference and affection, yet his errors and follies are remembered “more in sorrow than in anger”；and it begins to be suspected that he never intended to injure or offend。
But however his memory may be appreciated by critics, it is still held dear among many folk whose good opinion is well worth having; particularly by certain biscuit bakers，who have gone so far as to imprint his likeness on their New Year cakes，and have thus given him a chance for immortality almost equal to the being stamped on a Waterloo medal or a Queen Anne's farthing。
)By Woden，God of Saxons,From whence comes Wensday, that is Wodensday,Truth is a thing that ever I will keepUnto thylke day in which I creep intoMy sepulchre—C ARTWRIGHT。
Whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson must remember the Catskill Mountains. They are a dismembered branch of the great Appalachian family, and are seen away to the west of the river，swelling up to a noble height，and lording it over the surrounding country。
Every change of season，every change of weather，indeed，every hour of the day, produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains, and they are regarded by all the good wives, far and near，as perfect barometers。
When the weather is fair and settled，they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky; but sometimes, when the rest of the landscape is cloudless，they will gather a hood of gray vapors about their summits, which，in the last rays of the setting sun，will glow and light up like a crown of glory。
At the foot of these fairy mountains the voyager may have descried the light smoke curling up from a village whose shingle roofs gleam among the trees, just where the blue tints of the upland melt away into the fresh green of the nearer landscape. It is a little village of great antiquity, having been founded by some of the Dutch colonists, in the early times of the province，just about the beginning of the government of the good Peter Stuyvesant (may he rest in peace!), and there were some of the houses of the original settlers standing within a few years，with lattice windows，gable fronts surmounted with weathercocks，and built of small yellow bricks brought from Holland。
In that same village，and in one of these very houses （which，to tell the precise truth, was sadly time-worn and weather-beaten), there lived many years since，while the country was yet a province of Great Britain, a simple，good-natured fellow，of the name of Rip Van Winkle。
