Life on the Mississippi
《密西西比河上的生活》是美国作家马克·吐温
的代表之作。在这篇小说中，作者描述了他在美国
南北战争前在密西西比河上的轮船上面当水手和领
航员的经历。这篇小说真实而生动地描写了密西西
比河上的生活。
[ 美] 马克·吐温 （ Mark Twain）
密西西比河上的生活
The Boys’Ambition
When I was a boy，there was but one permanent ambition
among my comrades in our village on the west bank of the
Mississippi River. That was，to be a steamboatman. We had
transient ambitions of other sorts，but they were only transient.
When a circus came and went，it left us all burning to
become clowns ；the first Negro minstrel show that came to our
section left us all suffering to try that kind of life ；now and then
we had a hope that if we lived and were good，God would permit
us to be pirates. These ambitions faded out，each in its turn ；but
the ambition to be a steamboatman always remained.
Once a day a cheap，gaudy packet arrived upward from St.
Louis，and another downward from Keokuk. Before these events，
the day was glorious with expectancy ；after them，the day was a
dead and empty thing. Not only the boys，but the whole village，
felt this. After all these years I can picture that old time to myself
now，just as it was then： the white town drowsing in the sunshine
of a summer’s morning ；the streets empty，or pretty nearly so ；
one or two clerks sitting in front of the Water Street stores，with
their splintbottomed chairs tilted back against the wall，chins on
breasts，hats slouched over their faces，asleep — with shingle
shavings enough around to show what broke them down ；a
sow and a litter of pigs loafing along the sidewalk，doing a good
business in watermelon rinds and seeds ；two or three lonely little
freight piles scattered about the levee ；a pile of skids on the slope
of the stonepaved wharf，and the fragrant town drunkard asleep
in the shadow of them ；two or three wood flats at the head of
the wharf，but nobody to listen to the peaceful lapping of the
wavelets against them ；the great Mississippi，the majestic，the
magnificent Mississippi，rolling its mile-wide tide along，shining in
the sun ；the dense forest away on the other side ；the point above
the town，and the point below，bounding the river-glimpse and
turning it into a sort of sea. and withal a very still and brilliant and
lonely one. Presently a film of dark smoke appears above one of
those remote points ；instantly a Negro drayman，famous for his
quick eye and prodigious voice，lifts up the cry“S-t-e-a-m-boat
acomin！”and the scene changes！ The town drunkard stirs，the
clerks wake up，a furious clatter of drays follows ，every house
and store pours out a human contribution，and all in a twinkling
the dead town is alive and moving. Drays，carts，men，boys，all go
hurrying from many quarters to a common center，the wharf.
Assembled there，the people fasten their eyes upon the coming
boat as upon a wonder they are seeing for the first time. And the
boat is rather a handsome sight，too. She is long and sharp and
trim and pretty ；she has two tall，fancy-topped chimneys，with
a gilded device of some kind swung between them ；a fanciful
pilothouse，all glass and gingerbread，perched on top of the texas
deck behind them ；the paddleboxes are gorgeous with a picture
or with gilded rays above the boat’s name ；the boiler deck，the
hurricane deck，and the texas deck are fenced and ornamented
with clean white railings ；there is a flag gallantly flying from the
jackstaff ；the furnace doors are open and the fires glaring bravely ；
the upper decks are black with passengers ；the captain stands by
the big bell，calm，imposing，the envy of all ；great volumes of the
blackest smoke are rolling and tumbling out of the chimneys —
a husbanded grandeur created with a bit of pitch pine just before
arriving at a town ；the crew are grouped on the forecastle ；
the broad stage is run far out over the port bow，and an envied
deckhand stands picturesquely on the end of it with a coil of
rope in his hand ；the pent steam is screaming through the gauge
cocks ；the captain lifts his hand，a bell rings，the wheels stop ；
then they turn back，churning the water to foam，and the steamer
is at rest. Then such a scramble there is to get aboard，and to get
ashore，and to take in freight and to discharge freight，all at one
and the same time ；and such a yelling and cursing as the mates
facilitate it all with！ Ten minutes later the steamer is under way
again，with no flag on the jack staff and no black smoke issuing