那条构成我们农场东部边界的河流，一直在我们的生活中扮演着重要的角色。
The river which forms the eastern boundary of our farm has always played an important part in our lives.
没有它，我们就无法维持生计。
Without it we could not make a living.
泉水只够供应住宅所需，因此我们不得不从河里抽水用于农场。
There is only enough spring water to supply the needs of the house so we have to pump from the river for farm use.
我们把所有的秘密都告诉这条河。
We tell the river all our secrets.
我们本能地知道，正如养蜂人与他们的蜜蜂之间的关系一样，如果我们生活中的重要事件不与这条河分享，厄运便可能降临。
We know instinctively, just as beekeepers with their bees, that misfortune might overtake us if the important events of our lives were not related to it.
夏天，我们会在河边举办特别的生日聚会。
We have special river birthday parties in the summer.
有时我们溯流而上，去一处我们喜爱的水湾，有时我们在船屋里举行聚会——那船屋是我们的一位前辈在牧草地上建造的，紧挨着最适合游泳和跳水的最深水潭。
Sometimes we go upstream to a favourite backwater, sometimes we have our party at the boathouse, which a predecessor of ours at the farm built in the meadow hard by the deepest pool for swimming and diving.
遇上酷暑，我们就选择在午夜举行生日聚会，那是所有聚会中最令人兴奋的。
In a heat wave we choose a midnight birthday party and that is the most exciting of all.
我们在河边迎接四季的更迭：春天，为最年幼的女孩戴上花冠；夏天，在仲夏节前夕举行节日庆典；秋天，为丰收致谢；冬天，则将一只冬青花环投入流水。
We welcome the seasons by the riverside, crowning the youngest girl with flowers in the spring, holding a summer festival on Midsummer Eve, giving thanks for the harvest in the autumn, and throwing a holly wreath into the current in the winter.
经过长时间降雨，河流可能会溢出河岸（泛滥）。
After a long period of rain the river may overflow its banks.
这种情况很少发生，因为我们这里的气候很少走向极端。
This is a rare occurrence as our climate seldom goes to extremes.
我们是幸运的，受洪灾影响的只是低洼地带，那只占我们农场极小的一部分；而其他农场的地势就没那么优越了，洪水有时会给那些农场主带来灾难。
We are lucky in that only the lower fields, which make up a very small proportion of our farm, are affected by flooding, but other farms are less favourably sited, and flooding can sometimes spell disaster for their owners.
有一个糟糕的冬天，我们眼看着河水慢慢漫上低洼的草地。
One bad winter we watched the river creep up the lower meadows.
所有的牲畜都已被赶进了畜栏，我们几乎不会有什么损失。
All the cattle had been moved into stalls and we stood to lose little.
然而，我们担心的是我们最近的邻居——他们的农场地势低洼，而且是这一带的新来者。
We were, however, worried about our nearest neighbours, whose farm was low lying and who were newcomers to the district.
由于洪水已使电话中断，我们无法得知他们如何应付。
As the floods had put the telephone out of order, we could not find out how they were managing.
从阁楼的窗户，我们能俯瞰到他们的土地与我们的土地相接处的那段河流的开阔景象；在最关键的时刻，我们轮流守望着那个位置。
From an attic window we could get a sweeping view of the river where their land joined ours, and at the most critical juncture we took turns in watching that point.
灾难的第一个征兆，是一只死羊顺水漂来。
The first sign of disaster was a dead sheep floating down.
接着是一匹马，勇敢地奋力游着，但我们担心水流的力量会使它在精疲力竭之前无法在任何地方登岸。
Next came a horse, swimming bravely, but we were afraid that the strength of the current would prevent its landing anywhere before it became exhausted.
突然，一只木筏出现了，活像诺亚方舟，载着全家人、几只母鸡、狗、一只猫，还有一只关在笼子里的鸟。
Suddenly a raft appeared, looking rather like Noah's ark, carrying the whole family, a few hens, the dogs, a cat, and a bird in a cage.
我们意识到，他们一定是被上涨的洪水过度惊吓了，因为他们的房子地基坚固，即使几乎被淹，也完全可以屹立不倒。
We realized that they must have become unduly frightened by the rising flood, for their house, which had sound foundations, would have stood stoutly even if it had been almost submerged.
我们家的男人们手持船钩，蹚水走过被洪水淹没的草地，希望能够钩住木筏的一角，将它拉离水流，拽向我们这一侧的河岸。
The men of our family waded down through our flooded meadows with boat hooks, in the hope of being able to grapple a corner of the raft and pull it out of the current towards our bank.
我们至今仍觉得，他们能做到这一点简直是个奇迹。
We still think it a miracle that they were able to do so.