Lesson 96

The dead return 亡灵返乡

参考译文：

日本每年过一次“亡灵节”。这个节日是个欢乐的日子，因为在这一天，据说死去的人要回到他们的家里来，活着的人则对他们表示欢迎。因为预料到他们在经过长途旅行之后会感到饥饿，所以为他们摆放好了食品。

特制的灯笼挂在各家的门外，为的是帮助亡灵看清道路。整个夜晚人们载歌载舞。一大早，人们便把为死者摆放的食品扔进河中或海里，因为人们认为活着的人吃了这些东西是不吉利的。在靠海的城镇中，头天夜里挂在大街小巷的小灯笼在节后就放在了水里。成千上万只灯笼慢慢漂向大海，指引着亡灵返回另一个世界。这是一个感人的场面，人们成群地伫立在海岸上，注视着灯笼远去，直到再也看不见为止。

我的尝试：

Japanese celebrate a "Dead Festival" every year. It is a gay festival, when the dead came back home and are welcomed by the alive. Food is put in place for people expect these dead would feel hunger after a long trip.

In an effort to guide the way home for the dead, tailored lanterns are hung outside houses. For all night people sing and dance. The next morning those food would be thrown into rivers or seas, because people think eating them will bring in bad luck. In the coastal cities and villages, lanterns seen in the streets one night before all come to the water afterwards. They float on the seas, leading the dead the way back to the other world. It is indeed a touching scene where people stand on the seashore, watching the floating lanterns until they couldn't see anymore.

原文：

A Festival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan. This festival is a cheerful occasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are welcomed by the living. As they are expected to be hungry after their long journey, food is laid out for them. Specially-made lanterns are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way. All night long, people dance and sing. In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead is thrown into a river or into the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyone living to eat it.

In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which had been hung in the streets the night before, are placed into the water when the festival is over. Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding the dead on their return journey to the other world. This is a moving spectacle, for crowds of people stand on the shore watching the lanterns drifting away until they can be seen no more.

反思：

1. 每年过一次。once a year简化成了every year，有点过了。

2. gay，也是快乐，但是old-fashioned。

3. 据说。完全漏掉了。

4. 活人。这里用the alive颇有种幸存者的感觉，不妥是根本就错了没这个说法。参考百度知道别人的回答：living主要指在某个时候是活着的，而alive指本来有死的可能，但仍活着的。而且，作主语补足语或宾语补足语时，只能用alive；作比喻义（如“活像……”、“活生生的”等）解时，要用living。

5. would be其实用得过于随意了点，以至于用错了。一般现在时即可。

6. spectacle: [ sing. ] an unusual or surprising sight or situation that attracts a lot of attention