本
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摘
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0909翻译：孤独之旅（曹文轩）
Translation: A Lonesome Journey (Cao Wenxuan)
(translated by: alexcwlin; edited by: Adam Lam)
油麻地家底最厚实的一户人家，就是杜小康家，
The richest household in You Ma Di was Du Xiaokang’s family.
但它竟在一天早上，忽然一落千丈，跌落到了另一番境地里，
But its fortune plummeted in one morning to a completely different state.
杜家的独生子杜小康失学了，只好跟着父亲去放鸭。
Du family’s lone son had to quit school and accompany his father to herd ducks.
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小木船赶着鸭子，不知行驶了多久，
The *** all wooden boat was herding the ducks, and it had travelled for such a long distance that nobody knew how far.
当杜小康回头一看，已经不见油麻地时，他居然对父亲说：我不去放鸭了，
When Du Xiaokang looked back and couldn’t see You Ma Di, he unexpectedly said to his father: “I don’t want to herd ducks anymore.
我要上岸回家……
All I want is to get back on shore and go home.”
他站在船上，向后眺望，
He stood on the boat and tried to look back as far as he could.
除了朦朦胧胧的树烟，就什么也没有了。
But other than hazy mist over tree tops, there was nothing else.
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杜雍和沉着脸，绝不回头去看一眼。
Du Yonghuo’s face sank but wouldn’t look back once.
他对杜小康带了哭腔的请求，置之不理，只是不停地撑着船，将鸭子一个劲赶向前方。
He brushed off Du Xiaokang’s teary request and kept sculling the boat to drive the ducks forward doggedly.
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鸭群在船前形成一个倒置的扇面形，奋力向前推进，
The flock of ducks was in a reverse fan-shape formation in front of the boat and strived to push forward.
同时，造成了一个扇面形水流。
The formation also set off a stream of fan-shape water current.
每只鸭子本身，又有着自己用身体分开的小扇面形水流。
Each individual duck triggered a *** all fan-shape water current with its own body.
它们在大扇面形水流之中，织成了似乎很有规律性的花纹。
Within the grand fan-shape water current formation, these *** all water currents together had weaved a systematic pattern.
无论是小扇面形水流，还是大扇面形水流，都很急促有力。
These flows of water currents, big or *** all, were quick-tempo and impetuous.
船首是一片均匀的、永恒的水声。
The front of the boat was filled with steady, perpetuating sounds of splashing water.
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杜雍和现在只是要求它们向前游去，不停顿地游去，不肯给他们一点觅食或嬉闹的机会。
All Du Yonghuo wanted at that moment was for the ducks to keep swimming forward uninterruptedly without an opportunity to break for food or play.
仿佛只要稍微慢下一点来，他也会像他的儿子一样突然地对前方感到茫然和恐惧，从而也会打消离开油麻地的主意。
It seemed any slow-down would cast doubt and fear on him respecting what was ahead just like his son, and that could cause him to give up on the idea of leaving You Ma Di.
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前行是纯粹的。
Going forward was the only option.
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熟悉的树木、村庄、桥梁……都在不停地后退，成为杜小康眼的的遥远之物。
All those familiar trees, villages, bridges, etc. continued to back off and turn into distant objects under the eyes of Du Xiaokang.
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终于已经不可能再有回头的念头了。
Finally the last bit of desire to turn back had dissipated.
杜雍和这才将船慢慢停下。
Then Du Yonghuo slowly stopped the boat.
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已经是陌生的天空和陌生的水面。
Over at that location, both the sky and water were unfamiliar sights.
偶然行过去一只船，那船上的人已是杜雍和杜小康从未见过的面孔了。
Intermittently a boat would pass by, but the face on the boat was unacquainted to both Du Yonghuo and Du Xiaokang.
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鸭们不管，它们只要有水就行。
The ducks did not care less so long as there was water.
水就是它们永远的故乡。
Water was their eternal home.
它们开始觅食。
They started to look for food.
觅食之后，忽然有了兴致，就朝着这片天空叫上几声。
After feeding, they would quack toward the sky when they were in the mood.
没有其他声音，
There were no other sounds.
天地又如此空旷，因此，这叫声既显得寂寞，又使人感到振奋。
The space between sky and earth was so vast that the quacking sounded forlorn yet uplifting.
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杜小康已不可能再去想他的油麻地。
There was no way Du Xiaokang would still be thinking about his You Ma Di.
现在，占据他心灵的全部是前方：还要走多远？
At that moment, all that occupied his mind was what was ahead, particularly how much further they had to go?
前方是什么样子？
What was it like ahead of them on the way?
前方是未知的。
It was unknown what was in store further down the waterway.
未知的东西，似乎更能撩逗一个少年的心思。
The unknown was particularly thought-provoking for a youth.
他盘腿坐在船头上，望着一片茫茫的水。
He was sitting cross-legged at the bow of the boat and staring at the vast stretch of water.
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四周只是草滩或凹地，已无一户人家。
Only patches of grass and sunken ground were in the surrounding but no household was in sight.
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黄昏，船舱里的小泥炉，飘起第一缕炊烟，
At nightfall, the first wisp of *** oke came up from the mud cooking stove.
它是这里的惟一的炊烟。
It was the only cooking *** oke around.
它们在晚风中向水面飘去，然后又贴着水面，慢慢飘散。
Strands of *** oke, carried by evening breeze towards and close to water surface, scattered slowly in all directions.
当锅中的饭已经煮熟时，河水因晒了一天太阳而开始飘起炊烟一样的热气。此时，热气与炊烟，就再也无法分得清楚了。
When the rice in the pot was fully cooked, steam from the solar-heated river water commingled well with the cooking *** oke and it could no longer tell which was which.
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月亮从河的东头升上空中时，杜雍和父子俩已经开始吃饭。
When the moon rose to the sky from the east, Du Yonghuo and his son had started dinner.
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鸭们十分乖巧。
The ducks were well-behaved.
也正是在夜幕下的大水上，它们才忽然觉得自己已成了无家的漂游者了。
On the massive water under the night, suddenly they felt they had become homeless drifters.
它们将主人的船团团围住，唯恐自己与这只惟一的使它们感到还有依托的小船分开。
They circled around their masters’ boat for fear that they could be separated from the *** all boat—the one and only thing which they could depend on.
它们把嘴插在翅膀里，一副睡觉绝不让主人操心的样子。
They buried their beaks inside their wings looking like they were sleeping without burdening their masters with worries over their well-being.
有时，它们会将头从翅膀里拔出，看一眼船上的主人。
Sometimes they would take their heads out from the wings to peek at their masters on the boat.
知道一老一小都还在船上，才又将头重新插回翅膀里。
Upon knowing the old and young masters were still on the boat, they would then return their heads inside their wings.
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父子俩都不想很快地去睡觉。
Both father and son did not want to go to sleep right away.
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杜小康想听到声音，牛叫或者狗吠。然而，这不可能。
Du Xiaokang wanted to hear some noises, such as the mooing of cows or the barking of dogs, but that would be impossible.
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等杜小康终于有了倦意，躺到船舱里的席子上。
At last Du Xiaokang felt tired and lay down on the mat inside the boat cabin.
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以后的几天，都是这一天的重复。
That day’s routine was repeated in each of the following several days.
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这一天，他们终于到达了目的地。
One day they finally arrived at the destination.
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这才是真正的芦荡。是杜小康从未见过的芦荡。
That was a real reed marshland—a sea of reeds which Du Xiaokang had never seen before.
到达这里时，已是傍晚。
It was evening when they arrived.
当杜小康一眼望去，看到芦苇如绿色的浪潮直涌到天边时，他害怕了
When Du Xiaokang’s looked as far as he could, he was frightened by the reeds which were like series of green waves, surging to the edge of sky.
——这是他出门以来第一回真正感到害怕。
That was the first time he really felt terrified after he left home.
芦荡如万重大山围住了小船。杜小康有一种永远逃不走的感觉。
The reeds, seemed like tens of thousands of layers of mountains encircling the *** all boat, imposed on Du Xiaokang a sense of inescapability.
他望着父亲，眼中露出了一个孩子的胆怯。
In looking at his father, his timid side as a child was showing through his eyes.
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父亲显然也是有所慌张的。
It was apparent the father was taken aback as well.
但他在儿子面前，必须显得镇静。
But he had to stay calm in front of his son.
告诉杜小康，芦苇丛里有芦雁的窝，明天，他可以去捡芦雁的蛋；
He told Du Xiaokang there were nests of reed geese in the growth of reeds, and on the next day they could go there to search for their eggs.
有兔子，
There were rabbits as well.
这里的兔子，毛色与芦苇相似，即使它就在你眼前蹲着，你也未必能一眼发现它；……
The rabbits’ fur over there was much like the reeds in color, and even if a rabbit was crouching in front of you, you might not be able to detect it at a glance.
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吃完饭，杜小康才稍稍从恐慌中静定下来。
After supper, Du Xiaokang calmed down somewhat from his jumpiness.
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这里的气味，倒是很好闻的。
The air over there *** elled good.
万顷芦苇，且又是在夏季青森森的一片时，空气里满是清香。
Tens of thousands of acres of dark green reeds in summertime filled the atmosphere with a refreshingly sweet scent.
芦苇丛中还有一种不知名的香草，一缕一缕地搀杂在芦叶的清香里，
In the bush of reeds was a type of no-name fragrant grass which wisps of aroma permeated the sweet *** ell of reeds.
使杜小康不时地去用劲嗅着。
Du Xiaokang couldn’t help but took deep sniffs at the mix of scents from time to time.
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水边的芦叶里，飞着无数萤火虫。
Countless fireflies were flying over the reed leaves at edge of the water.
有时，它们几十只几百只地聚集在一起时，居然能把水面照亮，使杜小康能看见一只水鸟正浮在水面上。
Sometimes when tens or hundreds of them congregated together, they could actually illuminated water surface so much so Du Xiaokang could see a water fowl floating on top.
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但，这一切无论如何也不能完全驱除杜小康的恐慌。
But all these could not drive away Du Xiaokang’s dread.
夜里睡觉时，他紧紧地挨着父亲，并且迟迟不能入睡。
During bedtime, he would snuggle right up to his father and could not fall asleep for a long time until very late into the night.
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第二天，父子俩登上了芦苇滩，找了一个合适的地方，
The next morning, both father and son went ashore the reed beach and found a suitable spot.
用镰刀割倒一大片芦苇，然后将它们扎成把，。
They used sickles to cut down lots of reeds and then tied them into bundles.
忙了整整一天，给鸭们围了一个鸭栏，也为他们自己搭了一个小窝棚。
After a whole day’s work, they had built an enclosed duck coop for the ducks and a shack for themselves.
从此，他们将以这里为家，在这一带芦荡放鸭，直到明年春天。
From then on, they would settle in there as their home and raise ducks in the reeds marshland until spring of the following year.
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日子一天一天地过去了，父子俩也一天一天地感觉到他们最大的敌人，也正在一步一步地向他们逼近：它就是孤独。
As days passed by, both father and son felt their greatest enemy, which closed in oppressively day by day, was loneliness.
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与这种孤独相比，杜小康退学后将自己关在红门里面产生的那点孤独，简直就算不得什么了。
In comparison, the type of loneliness experienced by Du Xiaokang from locking himself behind red door after quitting school was nothing compared to this.
他们一连十多天遇不到一个人。
For over ten days, they had not run into another soul.
杜小康只能与父亲说说话。
Du Xiaokang could only talk to his father.
奇怪的是，他和父亲之间的对话，变得越来越单调，越来越干巴巴的了。
Strangely dialogues between his father and him became increasingly simple and dry.
除了必要的对话，他们几乎不知道再说些什么，
Other than absolute necessity to converse, they didn’t know what else to say.
而且，原先看来是必要的对话，现在也可以通过眼神或者干脆连眼神都不必给予，双方就能明白一切。
Over time in lieu of those previously necessary conversations, they were able to get messages across through eye contacts, or simply mutual understanding.
言语被大量的省略了。
Words were much abbreviated.
这种省略，只能进一步强化似乎满世界都注满了的孤独。
This abbreviation, however, seemed to be reinforcing loneliness a step further which seemingly the entire world was plagued with similar loneliness.
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杜小康开始想家，并且日甚一日地变得迫切，
Du Xiaokang started to miss home and it was getting worse as days wore on.
直至夜里做梦看到母亲，
Until one night he dreamed about mother.
哇哇大哭起来，将父亲惊醒。
He started bawling out loud and woke up his father in surprise.
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“我要回家……”
He cried: “I want to go home.”
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杜雍和不再乱发脾气。
Du Yonghuo no longer blew up indiscriminately.
他觉得自己将这么小小年纪的一个孩子，就拉进他这样一个计划里，未免有点残酷了。
He felt it was a bit cruel for him to drag a child at such a young age into his plan.
他觉得对不住儿子。
He felt regretful towards his son.
但他现在除了用大手去抚慰儿子，也别无他法。
But then other than comforting his son by stroking him with his big hands, there was really nothing he could do.
他对杜小康说：“明年春天之前就回家，柳树还没有发芽时就回家……”
He said to Du Xiaokang: “Next year before spring and budding of willows, we will go home.”
他甚至向儿子保证，“我要让你读书，无忧无虑地读书……”
He even promised his son: “I will let you study without a worry in the world….”
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后来，父子俩都在心里清楚了这一点：他们已根本不可能回避孤独了。
Afterwards, both father and son had made peace with reality that they could not avoid loneliness.
这样反而好了。
Things had gone better this way.
时间一久，再面对天空一片浮云，再面对这浩浩荡荡的芦苇，再面对这一缕炊烟，就不再忽然地恐慌起来。
As time lingered on, they were no longer apprehensive about facing nothing but drifting clouds in the sky, massive reeds in marshland, and wisps of cooking- *** oke in the shack.
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鸭子在这里长得飞快。很快就有了成年鸭子的样子。
Ducks grew with amazing speed, and before long they looked fully grown.
当它们全部浮在水面上时，居然已经是一大片了。
They covered a large area when they were floating on water surface.
杜小康注定了要在这里接受磨难。而磨难他的，正是这些由他和父亲精心照料而长得如此肥硕的鸭子。
Du Xiaokang was destined to be toughened up there, and what had been toughening him up were those big and fat ducks which his father had taken so much care into looking after.
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那天，是他们离家以来所遇到的一个最恶劣的天气。
One day the weather was the worst since they left home.
一早上，天就阴沉下来。天黑，河水也黑，芦苇成了一片黑海。杜小康甚至觉得风也是黑的。
Early in the morning the sky was overcast and everything turned dark—the sky, the river, the reeds, and even the wind felt by Du Xiaokang.
临近中午时，雷声已如万辆战车从天边滚动过来，
When midday approached, rumbling thunder, like tens of thousands of charging war chariots, rolled towards their direction from edge of the sky.
过不一会，暴风雨就歇斯底里地开始了，
Before long, torrential storm started hysterically.
顿时，天昏地暗，仿佛世界已到了末日。
Suddenly the sky and earth turned pitch dark as if the end of the world had descended.
四下里，一片呼呼的风声和千万支芦苇被风撅断的咔嚓声。
All around, the air was filled with sounds of screeching wind and snapping reeds.
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鸭栏忽然被风吹开了，
All of a sudden, the duck coop was blown open by the wind.
等父子俩一起扑上去，企图修复它时，一阵旋风，几乎将鸭栏卷到了天上。
When father and son rushed up in an attempt to repair it, a whirlwind almost took the duck coop up the sky in a spiral.
杜雍和大叫了一声“我的鸭子”，几乎晕倒在地上。
Du Yonghuo screamed out loud: “Oh my ducks,” and almost fainted.
因为他看到，鸭群被分成了无数股，一下子就在他眼前消失了。
In front of his very eyes he saw the ducks were separated into many groups by the wind and disappeared in a flash.
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杜小康忘记了父亲，朝一股鸭子追去。
Du Xiaokang ignored his father and chased after a group of ducks.
这股鸭子大概有六七十只。它们在轰隆隆的雷声中，仓皇逃窜着。
There were sixty to seventy fowls in the group and they were scrambling around to escape amid booming thunder sounds.
他紧紧地跟随着它们。他不停地用手拨着眼前的芦苇。
He followed them closely while brushing aside the reeds as he went.
即使这样，脸还是一次又一次地被芦苇叶割破了。
Even so, his face was cut by reed-blades time and time again.
他感到脚钻心地疼痛。他顾不得去察看一下。
At a sole, he felt a sharp pain but he didn’t bother to check.
他知道，这是头年的芦苇旧茬儿戳破了他的脚。
He knew it was an old wound to his foot impaled by reeds last year.
他一边追，一边呼唤着他的鸭子。
He was calling for his ducks while he was chasing.
然而这群平时很温顺的小东西，今天却都疯了一样，只顾没头没脑的乱窜。
But on this day, these normally tame little things were running around like crazy as if they were chickens without their heads.
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到暴风雨将歇时，还有十几只鸭没被找回来。
Shortly before the storm blew over, there were still over ten ducks missing.
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杜雍和望着儿子一脸的伤痕和乌得发紫的双唇，说：“你进窝棚里歇一会，
Du Yonghuo, at seeing his son’s scratched-up face and purple lips, said: “You go inside the shack to take a rest.
我去找。”
Let me go and find them.”
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杜小康摇摇头：“还是分头去找吧。”
Du Xiaokang shook his head and said: “Let’s break up to look for them.”
说完，就又走了。
Then he took off.
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天黑了。空手回到窝棚的杜雍和没有见到杜小康，
When night fell, Du Yonghuo came back to the shack empty-handed but couldn’t find Du Xiaokang.
他就大声叫起来。
He shouted for his son.
但除了雨后的寂静之外，没有任何回应。
Other than silence after rain, there was no response.
他就朝杜小康走去的方向，寻找过去。
He went toward the direction where Du Xiaokang was heading to look for him.
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杜小康找到了那十几只鸭，但在芦荡里迷路了。
Du Xiaokang found those ten and some odd ducks but couldn’t find his way out in the reed marshland.
一样的芦苇，一样重重叠叠无边无际。
All those reeds looked the same and the reach of layers and layers of them seemed boundless.
鸭们东钻西钻，不一会工夫就使他失去了方向。
The ducks were running all over the place and it didn’t take long for him to lose his direction.
眼见着天黑了。他停住了，大声地呼喊着父亲。
When the sky turned dark, he stopped and shouted out loud for his father.
就像父亲听不到他的回应一样，他也听到父亲的回应。
He couldn’t hear a response, just like his father couldn’t hear his response.
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杜小康突然感到他累极了，
Suddenly Du Xiaokang felt dead tired.
将一些芦苇踩倒，躺了下来。
He stomped some reeds flat and lay down.
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那十几只受了惊的鸭，居然寸步不离地挨着主人蹲了下来。
Those ten and some odd shaken-up ducks surprisingly crouched down and snuggled right up to their master.
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杜小康闻到了一股鸭身上的羽绒气味。
Du Xiaokang could *** ell scent of the duck’s down.
他把头歪过去，几乎把脸埋进了一只鸭的蓬松的羽毛里。
He turned his head aside and almost buried his face into the fluffed up feather of a duck.
他哭了起来，但并不是悲哀。他说不明白自己为什么想哭。
He cried, not from sadness, but for reasons which even he could not explain.
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雨后天青，天空比任何一个夜晚都要明亮。
The sky cleared up after the rain and it was brighter than any other nights.
杜小康长这么大，还从未见过蓝成这样的天空。而月亮又是那么明亮。
In all his years, Du Xiaokang had never seen such a blue sky and bright moon.
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杜小康顺手抠了几根 *** 的芦苇根，在嘴里嚼着，
He dug up a few strands of white, tender reed-roots right next to him and chewed them in his mouth.
望着谒乡的天空，心里不免又想起母亲，想起桑桑和许多油麻地的孩子。
In looking at the sky which reminded him of his hometown, he couldn’t help but thought about his mother, his friend Sangsang and many other kids in You Ma Di.
但他没有哭。
He did not cry.
他觉得自己突然地长大了，坚强了。
Suddenly he felt he had matured and toughened up.
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第二天早晨，杜雍和找到了杜小康。当时杜小康正在芦苇上静静地躺着。
The next morning Du Yonghuo found Du Xiaokang lying quietly on reeds.
不知是因为太困了，还是因为他又饿又累坚持不住了，杜雍和居然没有能够将他叫醒。
Whether the boy was overly exhausted, or had collapsed from hunger and fatigue, Du Yonghuo actually could not wake him up.
杜雍和背起了疲软的儿子，朝窝棚方向走去。
The father carried the limp body of his son on his back and headed towards the direction of the shack.
杜小康的一只脚板底，还在一滴一滴地流血，血滴在草上，滴在父亲的脚印里，也滴在跟在他们身后的那群鸭的羽毛上……
The bottom of a Du Xiaokang’s foot was still dripping blood—on the grass, on his father’s footprints, and on feather of the flock of ducks following them.
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鸭们也长大了，长成了真正的鸭。
The ducks had grown up and become honest-to-goodness ducks.
它们的羽毛开始变得鲜亮，并且变得稠密，一滴水也不能泼进了。
Their feathers were shiny and densely waterproof.
公鸭们变得更加漂亮，
The drakes looked increasingly handsome.
深浅不一样的蓝羽、紫羽，在阳光下犹如软缎一样闪闪发光。
Their blue and purple feathers of various shades glittered under the sun like satin.
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八月的一天早晨，杜小康打开鸭栏，让鸭们走到水中时，
One morning in August, Du Xiaokang opened the gate of the duck coop to let the ducks out into the water.
他突然在草里看到了一颗白色的东西，
Suddenly he saw a white object in the grass.
他惊喜地跑过去捡起，然后朝窝棚大叫：“蛋！爸！
In surprise he picked it up and shouted to the shack: “Egg, Dad.
鸭蛋！
It’s a duck’s egg.
鸭下蛋了！”
A duck has laid an egg.”
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杜雍和从儿子手中接过还有点温热的蛋，嘴里不住地说：“下蛋了，
Du Yonghuo took the slightly warm egg from his son’s hand and said repeatedly: “Egg’s been laid.
下蛋了……”
Egg’s been laid.”
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