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Spring followed winter; summer followed spring.
冬去春来；春残夏至。
A year went by, and it was springtime again. Still no sign of Louis.
一年过去了，又是一个春天了。还是没有路易斯的消息。
Then one morning when Louis's grown-up brothers were playing a game of water polo,
有一天早晨，当路易斯的那些长大了的哥哥们在玩水球游戏的时候，
one of them looked up and saw a swan approaching in the sky.
它们中的一个偶然抬起头，看到了一只从空中向这里飞来的天鹅。
"Ko-hoh!" cried the cygnet. He rushed to his father and mother. "Look! Look! Look!"
“吭—嗬！”这只小天鹅叫起来。他跑到了他的父母旁边。“看！看！看！”
All the waterfowl on the lake turned and gazed up at the approaching swan. The swan circled in the sky.
湖上的所有水禽都转过身来注视着这只正在飞近的天鹅。这只天鹅在空中盘旋着。
"It's Louis!" said the cob.
“那是路易斯！”雄天鹅说，
"But what is that peculiar little object hanging around his neck by a string? What is that?"
“不过那个用绳子栓在他脖子上的奇怪的小东西是什么？那到底是什么呀？”
"Wait and see," said his wife. "Maybe it's a gift."
“等会儿就能明白了，”他的妻子说，“可能那是一件礼物。”
Louis looked down from the sky and spotted what looked like his family.
路易斯在空中往下观望着，辨认着他的家庭成员。
When he was sure, he glided down and skidded to a stop.
当他看准了以后，便滑翔下来，刹住了脚。
His mother rushed up and embraced him.
他的妈妈冲上来拥抱他。
His father arched his neck gracefully and raised his wings in greeting.
他的父亲优雅地弯着他的脖子张开两只翅膀欢迎他。
Everyone shouted "Ko-hoh!" and "Welcome back, Louis!"
每个人都喊着“吭—嗬”和“欢迎回来，路易斯”！
His family was overjoyed. He had been gone for a year and a half--almost eighteen months.
他的全家都陷入了狂喜之中。他已经离家一年半了——差不多有十八月之久。
He looked older and handsomer. His feathers were pure white now, instead of a dirty gray.
他看起来更大更漂亮了。他的羽毛现在是纯白的，不再是暗灰色的了。
Hanging by a cord around his neck was a small slate.
用一根细绳绕到他脖子上的是一块小石板。
Attached to the slate by a piece of string was a white chalk pencil.
用一根绳子栓在石板上的是一枝白石笔。
When the family greetings were over, Louis seized the chalk in his bill and wrote "Hi, there!" on the slate.
当这一家人庆祝完毕后，路易斯用嘴叼起那枝石笔在石板上写出了“嗨，你们好！”
He held the slate out eagerly for all to see.
这几个字。他急切地把这小石板举给大家看。
The cob stared at it. The mother swan stared at it. The cygnets stared at it. They just stared and stared.
雄天鹅看见了。雌天鹅看见了。小天鹅们也看见了。他们光是看了又看而已。
Words on a slate meant nothing to them. They couldn't read.
石板上的字对它们来说毫无意义。他们根本不会读。
None of the members of his family had ever seen a slate before, or a piece of chalk.
他的家人中没有谁曾经见到过一块石板，或是一枝粉笔。
Louis's attempt to greet his family was a failure.
路易斯对全家问候的愿望落空了。
He felt as though he had wasted a year and a half by going to school and learning to write.
他感到自己在学校里的这一年半书写学习纯属浪费时间。他非常失望。
He felt keenly disappointed. And, of course, he was unable to speak.
当然了，这一切他都没法说出来。
The words on the slate were all he could offer by way of greeting.
写在那石板上的话是他所能表达问候的唯一方法了。
Finally his father, the cob, spoke up.
最后，他的父亲雄天鹅打破了沉默。
"Louis, my son," he began in his deep, resonant voice, "this is the day we have long awaited
“路易斯，我的儿子，”他用深沉浑厚的嗓音说，“这一天我们已经期盼很久了
the day of your return to our sanctuary in the Red Rock Lakes.
你回到我们的红石湖保护区的这一天。
No one can imagine the extent of our joy or the depth of our emotion at seeing you again,
没有谁能想象得到再见你时我们的欢喜程度或者说欢喜之情有多深，
you who have been absent from our midst for so long, in lands we know not of, in pursuits we can only guess at.
因为在我们所不知道的地方追求着我们只能想象的东西的你实在离开我们太久了。
How good it is to see your countenance again!
能再次目睹你的面容有多么好呀！
We hope you have enjoyed good health during your long absence, in lands we know not of, in pursuits we can only guess at..."
我们希望你离家在外时身体安康，因为在我们所不知道的地方追求着我们只能想象的……”
