The dew was on the corn. My father walked behind with the posthole digger across his shoulder. I walked in front. The wind was blowing. It was a good morning wind to breathe and a wind that makes one feel like he can get under the edge of a hill and heave（用力举起） the whole hill upside down.
玉米苗上挂着露珠。我父亲肩扛挖掘器走在后面，我走在前面，天上刮着风。晨风让人呼吸起来感到舒畅，使人想走到山下，把整座山举起翻过来。
I walked out the corn row where we had come yesterday afternoon. I looked in front of me. I saw something. I saw it move. It was moving like a huge black rope winds around a windlass（卷扬机）. “Steady, ” I say to my father. “Here is the bull blacksnake.” He took one step up beside me and stood. His eyes grew wide apart.
我走到昨天下午到过的那排玉米那儿。眼瞧着前面。我看见有什么东西，它在动，就像一根大黑绳子正往卷扬机上缠绕。“别急!”我对父亲说，“这儿有条雄黑蛇。”父亲向前跨了一步站在我旁边，眼睛睁得大大的。
“What do you know about this,” he said.
“You have seen the bull blacksnake now,” I said. “Take a good look at him! He is lying beside his dead mate. He has come to her. He, perhaps, was on her trail yesterday. ”
“你怎么知道的”他说。
“你现在已经看到雄黑蛇了，”我说。“好好看看他。他正躺在死去的配偶身旁。他早已来到她的身边，或许他昨天就在后边跟着她呢”。
The male snake had trailed her to her doom. He had come in the night, under the roof of stars, as the moon shed rays of light on the quivering clouds of green.” He had found his lover dead. He was coiled（盘绕） beside her, and she was dead.
雄蛇是一直在追踪她直到她死去。他是在满天星斗的夜晚，月光撒满片片婆娑的青葱草木上时来的。他发现爱偶死了，便盘绕在她身边，而她已经死了。
The bull blacksnake lifted his head and followed us as we walked around the dead snake. He would have fought us to his death. He would have fought Bob to his death. “Take a stick,” said my father, “and throw him over the hill so Bob won't find him. Did you ever see anything to beat that? I've heard they'd do that. But this is my first time to see it.”I took a stick and threw him over the bank（埂） into the dewy sprouts on the cliff.
当我们绕着死蛇看时，雄蛇举起头在后边跟着我们。他本可以同我们战斗到底，同鲍勃决一死战的。“拿根棍子，”父亲说，“把他扔下山，这样鲍勃就找不到他了。你见到过比此事更让你吃惊的事情吗? 我曾听说过蛇会那样做，但这是我第一次见到”。我拿根棍子把他挑过田埂，扔进了山崖上挂满露珠的嫩枝里。
