白杨礼赞（矛盾）
              Praise of White Poplar
汽车it    白杨树实在是不平凡的，我赞美白杨树！
    White poplar is remarkable, I salute it!
  汽车在望不到边际的高原上奔驰，扑入你的视野的，是黄绿错综的一条大毡子。When your trunk bowls along the pathway on the seemingly vast plateau, a yellow-green patchwork rug flashes into your view.黄的是土，未开垦的荒地，几十万年前由伟大的自然力堆积成功的黄土高原的外壳；绿的呢，是人类劳力战胜自然的成果，是麦田，和风吹送，翻起了一轮一轮的绿波，——这时你会真心佩服昔人所造的两个字“麦浪”，若不是妙手偶得，便确是经过锤炼的语言精华。The yellow is soil, virgin soil heaped up millions of years ago by natural force to form the very crust of this steppe; while the green is the result of human labor to conquer nature, wheat fields blown by breeze to surge in green waves——at this moment, you just cannot help thinking of two words “wheat wave.” If not coined by a genius, it demonstrates how meti
culously our language of art has been refined.黄与绿主宰着，无边无垠，坦荡如砥，这时如果不是宛若并肩的远山的连峰提醒了你（这些山峰凭你的肉眼来判断，就知道是在你脚底下的），你会忘记了汽车是在高原上行驶。The yellow and green take the reign here, stretching out toward the horizon as smooth and broad as a whetstone. If not for those mountain peaks in the distance ranging abreast with one another, which appear to the naked eye beneath your feet, you might forget that you are riding on a highland.这时你涌起来的感想也许是“雄壮”，也许是“伟大”，诸如此类的形容词；然而同时你的眼睛也许觉得有点倦怠，你对当前的“雄壮”或“伟大”闭了眼，而另一种的味儿在你心头潜滋暗长了——“单调”。可不是？单调，有一点儿吧？Such epithets as “magnificent” or “great” may rush swarming to your mind; however, your eyes get somehow tired to the scene. Closing your eyes then, you may find another sensation bubbling underneath——“monotony”. Isn’t it? Monotonous. A wee bit, right?
  然而刹那间，要是你猛抬眼看见了前面远远有一排——不，或者只是三五株，一株，傲然地耸立，像哨兵似的树木的话，那你的恹恹欲睡的情绪又将如何？我那时是惊奇地叫了一声的。In a trice, looking up, you catch the sight of a row——no, a few or a couple of trees sta
nding erectly with pride in front like sentries, what will become of your lethargic mood? I indeed exclaimed with astonishment at the moment.
  那就是白杨树，西北极普通的一种树，然而实在是不平凡的一种树。These are white poplar trees, a very common flora species in Northwest, but not at all mediocre.
  那是力争上游的一种树，笔直的干，笔直的枝。White poplars are aspiring trees, armed with straight trunk and branches.它的干通常是丈把高，像加过人工似的，一丈以内绝无旁枝。它所有的丫枝一律向上，而且紧紧靠拢，也像加过人工似的，成为一束，绝不旁逸斜出。The trunk, usually ten feet high, bears no lateral branches as if man-made while its main branches cluster closely as one bunch, also as if man-made.它的宽大的叶子也是片片向上，几乎没有斜生的，更不用说倒垂了。Its broad leaves all rise up skywards without any shooting sideways, let alone drooping down.它的皮光滑而有银的晕圈，微微泛出淡青。这是虽在北方风雪的压迫下却保持着倔强挺立的一种树。Its skin has a glossy silver halo, tinged with light green.哪怕只有碗那样粗细，它却努力向上发展，高到丈许，两丈，参天耸立，不折不挠，对抗着西北风。Even though only measured to the size of a bowl, it k
eeps striving upwards to the height of ten feet, double ten feet, standing towering to the sky and braving against the harsh northwest wind.
  这就是白杨树，西北极普通的一种树，然而决不是平凡的树。
    This is poplar tree, a very common flora species in Northwest, but not at all mediocre.
  它没有婆娑的姿态，没有屈曲盘旋的虬枝。也许你要说它不美。如果美是专指“婆娑”或“旁逸斜出”之类而言，那么，白杨树算不得树中的好女子。Yet it has got no attractive frontage or twisted or entangled braches. You may call it unattractive, if your definition means the graceful carriage and disposition of a dancer.但是它伟岸，正直，朴质，严肃，也不缺乏温和，更不用提它的坚强不屈与挺拔，它是树中的伟丈夫。Nevertheless, it is generous, upright, solemn and unaffected and gentile as well, not to mention its tenacity and perseverance当你在积雪初融的高原上走过，看见平坦的大地上傲然挺立这么一株或一排白杨树，难道你就只觉得它只是树？When you pass through the highland in the season of thawing snow and behold a row or only one of them, will you still look on them as mere trees?难道你就不想到它的朴质，严肃，坚强不屈，至少也象征了北
方的农民？Can’t you just see that their various decent qualities are symbols of the farmers there?难道你竟一点也不联想到，在敌后的广大土地上，到处有坚强不屈，就像这白杨树一样傲然挺立的守卫他们家乡的哨兵？Can’t you just see that there are soldiers everywhere keeping guard over our homeland just like the poplar trees standing erectly with pride?难道你又不更远一点想到，这样枝枝叶叶靠紧团结，力求上进的白杨树，宛然象征了今天在华北平原纵横决荡，用血写出新中国历史的那种精神和意志？Can’t you see further that these closely united branches and leaves and aspiring trees represent the fearless, undeterred spirit displayed by our Chinese people in the struggle against the evil forces on the north plains?白杨树是不平凡的树，它在西北极普遍，不被人重视，就跟北方的农民相似；它有极强的生命力，磨折不了，压迫不倒，也跟北方的农民相似。Common and not catchy like farmers in the north, the poplar trees are remarkable for their unparalleled life strength and will power.我赞美白杨树，就因为它不但象征了北方的农民，尤其象征了今天我们民族解放斗争中所不可缺的朴质、坚强，力求上进的精神。I sing praises of white poplar, just because they symbolize the character of the north farmers, and embody the spirit of perseverance and aspiration of the people in the fight for National Liberation.
  让那些看不起民众、贱视民众、顽固的倒退的人们去赞美那贵族化的楠木（那也是直挺秀颀的），去鄙视这极常见、极易生长的白杨树吧，我要高声赞美白杨树！Just let those obstinate and ignorant people who despise the masses of people eulogize the graceful and slim Machiles nanmu , I will always warble out my ode to the white poplar trees!（初译于2011.11.12）
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〔白杨礼赞〕选自《见闻杂记》。本文写于1941年。当时国民党反动派消极抗日，积极反共，使日本帝国主义能够集中兵力向我抗日根据地疯狂“扫荡”。广大人民众在中国共产党的领导下，团结一致，顽强战斗，多次粉碎敌伪的 “扫荡”，巩固并发展了敌后的抗日民主根据地。作者从根据地人民身上看到中华民族远大的前途，因此写了这篇文章热烈的歌颂他们。
〔视野〕视力所及的范围。
〔妙手偶得〕文学素养深的人偶然间所得到的。语出陆游诗“文章本天成，妙手偶得之。”
〔锤炼〕这里是反复推敲加以提炼的意思。
〔主宰〕支配。
〔垠（yín）〕地域的界限。
〔坦荡如砥（dǐ）〕平坦得像磨刀石。
〔潜滋暗长〕暗暗的生长。滋，生长。
〔恹恹（yān　yān）〕精神不好，困倦的样子。
〔旁逸斜出〕意思是，（树枝）从树干的旁边斜伸出来。逸，原有“超过”的意思。
〔晕（yùn）〕光影、泽四周模糊的部分。
〔参天〕耸入高空。
〔虬（qiú）枝〕像龙一样盘曲的枝条。虬，传说中的一种龙。
〔伟岸〕魁伟，高直。
〔纵横决荡〕纵横驰骋，冲杀突击。
〔楠（nán）木〕常绿乔木，木质坚实，是贵重的木材。