第一段：Time was in my life?when the dawn happened to other people. I was definitely not a morning person; I associated the sunrise with long plane flights across many time zones?and?groggy strolls around strange cities waiting for my hotel room to become available. Then I had children, and the first light took on new meaning. Sometimes it was the sigh at the end of a fretful night up with a feverish baby; or the opposite, the joyous cry of an exuberant 3-year-old eager to get the day going. It was only later, when mornings were?taken over by the getting-to-school frenzy, that I discovered the serenity of the surprisingly fast transition from night to day. For the small price of 15 minutes of sleep I could by 15 minutes of solitary peace--with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. Given the tidbit of time at my disposal, I developed the habit of skimming the paper, which quickly came down to a surreptitious and almost superstitious ritual of checking out obituaries.
第一句：Time was in my life when the dawn happened to other people.
分析：總體來說，今天這篇長難句比較多，在理解上會出比較多的問題。第一句結(jié)構(gòu)就有些古怪，主語time，謂語was，賓語是一個由時間狀語修飾的介詞短語。
譯文：我的人生中從來沒有黎明。
參考譯文：我生命中有一段時間，黎明與我無緣。
第二句：I was definitely not a morning person; I associated the sunrise with long plane flights across many time zones and groggy strolls around strange cities waiting for my hotel room to become available.
分析：waiting for是動詞的現(xiàn)在分詞，有點類似伴隨狀語，表示“邊...邊...”。
譯文：我絕對不是早起的鳥，一般只有兩種情況才會見到夕陽，一是跨越不同時區(qū)的長途飛行中，一是為了等旅館有可用的房間，在陌生城市閑逛。
參考譯文：我那時根本不愿早起。一提到日出，就令我想起遠程飛行的經(jīng)歷，常常是在跨越幾個時區(qū)后，抵達了目的地，客房卻偏偏尚未騰出，于是只好拖著疲倦的步伐，在陌生的城市內(nèi)漫無目的地游逛。
第三句：Then I had children, and the first light took on new meaning.
分析：then是有實際含義還是只是過度詞？
譯文：如果我和孩子們在一起，第一縷陽光的意義就不同了。
參考譯文：后來，我有了孩子，第一道曙光便有了新的意義。
第四句：Sometimes it was the sigh at the end of a fretful night up with a feverish baby; or the opposite, the joyous cry of an exuberant 3-year-old eager to get the day going.
分析：這句話是evidence，說明第一縷陽光的意義有何不同。長句子如何組織？
譯文：伴隨著第一縷陽光出現(xiàn)的有時是一聲嘆氣，那是為發(fā)燒的嬰兒擔(dān)驚受怕了一夜；有時是喜悅的叫聲，因為一個三歲兒童正迫不及待地展開新的一天。
參考譯文：有時孩子生病，整夜不得安寧，于是黎明是在我的一聲嘆息中迎來的。有時恰恰相反，精力充沛地三歲孩子迫不及待地要開始一天地生活，黎明于是在孩子歡快地叫喊聲中到來。
第五句：It was only later, when mornings were taken over by the getting-to-school frenzy, that I discovered the serenity of the surprisingly fast transition from night to day.
分析：翻譯得比較意譯，沒有按字面翻，不過意思沒有錯就行。
譯文：只有晚些時候，孩子們都風(fēng)風(fēng)火火地上學(xué)去了，我才能在這短暫的清晨中享受片刻安寧。
參考譯文：后來，孩子上學(xué)了，于是清晨就是在送孩子上學(xué)地忙亂中度過的。正是在這忙亂地時刻，我突然發(fā)現(xiàn)從夜晚過渡到白晝竟何其短促，那一瞬間卻又無比寧靜。
第六句：For the small price of 15 minutes of sleep I could buy 15 minutes of solitary peace--with a cup of coffee and the newspaper.
分析：這句話用了倒裝，為了句子結(jié)構(gòu)，后半句更重要且長。
譯文：接下來寶貴的15分鐘，我寧愿犧牲休息時間，用來享受平靜的私人時光，喝杯咖啡，看看報紙。
參考譯文：那么，不妨少睡十五分鐘，就可以喝咖啡，看報紙，享受十五分鐘獨處的寧靜。
第七句：Given the tidbit of time at my disposal, I developed the habit of skimming the paper, which quickly came down to a surreptitious and almost superstitious ritual of checking out obituaries.
分析：given在這里是介詞“考慮到”，which引導(dǎo)的是什么從句？代的是the habit of skimming the paper嗎？Come down to怎么理解？
譯文：由于時間少得可憐，我看報通常都是一掃而過，后來形成看訃告的習(xí)慣，就像一種秘密的、近乎迷信的儀式。
參考譯文：由于可以支配的時間有限，我便養(yǎng)成了利用這片刻隨便翻閱報紙的習(xí)慣，這一習(xí)慣馬上又演變成一種查看訃告的儀式，每日總是定時偷偷地、近乎迷信般地查閱報上地訃告。
第二段：At first I attributed this new habit to advancing age--I had recently turned 40--and glumly concluded that I was becoming morbid. But why, then, was I finding my secret rite so uplifting. Finally, after many years of starting the day this way, I have figured out that I am doing it not toobsess benchmarks of life span without?passing judgment or making order out of the events. The high points are easy--Pulitzer Prize winners joke that as soon as they are named they know what the headline is going to be on their obituary--but I read most attentively for clues to the defeats and the flatline periods, the inexplicable changes of heart and the twists of fate, the gambles and the unexpected consequences, the loose ends.
第一句：At first I attributed this new habit to advancing age--I had recently turned 40--and glumly concluded that I was becoming morbid.
分析：conclude在這里表示“推斷”。
譯文：起初，我以為這樣做是因為年齡大了--我已經(jīng)四十了，變得郁郁寡歡，覺得自己瘋了。
參考譯文：起初，我以為這是因為年歲漸增的緣故（當(dāng)時我剛四十歲），于是我不無悲哀地認為這是一種病態(tài)心理。
第二句：But why, then, was I finding my secret rite so uplifting.
分析：將英文從疑問句變陳述句翻譯，也就是刪去表示疑問的詞語。
譯文：但另一方面，我又覺得這個秘密的儀式激動人心。
參考譯文：可令我不解的是，為什么我竟對這個秘密的儀式感到如此振奮？
第三句：Finally, after many years of starting the day this way, I have figured out that I am doing it not to obsess benchmarks of life span without passing judgment or making order out of the events.
分析：pass judgment是“下判決”，make order out of the events是“把事情安排好”，但這兩句到底想表達什么意思？這句雙重否定，換成肯定句翻譯，I am doing it to obsess benchmarks of life span with passing judgment or making order out of the events.
譯文：經(jīng)過長年累月地進行這一儀式，我終于明白了，我這樣做是為了在有生之年做好每一件事。
參考譯文：我就是以這種方式年復(fù)一年地度過清晨那片刻的時光，直到有一天我突然明白，我如此喜歡讀訃告并非迷戀死亡，而意在探索生命，真正的生命。
第四句：The high points are easy--Pulitzer Prize winners joke that as soon as they are named they know what the headline is going to be on their obituary--but I read most attentively for clues to the defeats and the flatline periods, the inexplicable changes of heart and the twists of fate, the gambles and the unexpected consequences, the loose ends.
分析：loose ends是“未知結(jié)局”。High points是“最佳狀態(tài)”。大致意思：作者不關(guān)心處在順境中的人和事，想從中讀到的是人生不順的狀態(tài)。
譯文：人生在“巔峰時刻”總是輕松的，就像普利策獎得主開的那個玩笑：獲獎名單一宣布，不用想就知道訃告的標題是什么了。而最吸引我的訃告標題是關(guān)于失敗和死亡的時刻，是心情的大起大落和命運的跌宕起伏，是人生中的賭博和未知的結(jié)果，還有生命最終怎樣落幕。
參考譯文：訃告捕捉一生中的重要時刻，卻不對事件進行評判。人生中突出的事件當(dāng)然容易在訃告中發(fā)現(xiàn)，普利策獎得主不無詼諧地說，一得獎他們就知道自己訃告的標題是什么。然而我讀訃告，卻專心在字里行間捕捉生命中的失敗，人生中百無聊賴的時刻，莫可名狀的心意改變和命運的曲折逆轉(zhuǎn)，人生里的賭博和事與愿違的結(jié)局，還有那未了的心愿。。。
第三段：The message that comes through over and over is that although there are times in any life when things seem to be proceeding step by logical step, the whole is mostly random and askew. Life, as every biography and obit I have ever read confirms, is what happens when you are making other plans.
第一句：The message that comes through over and over is that although there are times in any life when things seem to be proceeding step by logical step, the whole is mostly random and askew.
分析：message在這里是“啟示”。Askew：turned or twisted toward one side
譯文：我一次又一次地意識到，雖然每個人的一生看似都是按部就班地進行著，卻充滿可能性，常常會在中途朝另一個的方向發(fā)展。
參考譯文：反復(fù)閱讀訃告的感悟是，雖然有時人一生的發(fā)展一部步接一步符合邏輯，但總體來說，人生卻是曲折難料的。
第二句：Life, as every biography and obit I have ever read confirms, is what happens when you are making other plans.
分析：最后一句話意譯的空間比較大。
譯文：正如傳記和訃告中所揭示的，人生的主動權(quán)掌握在自己手中。
參考譯文：每一本傳記、沒每一則訃告都毫無例外地印證，人生就是在你制定計劃時意外發(fā)生的事情。
