作者：美国迪斯尼公司
赏析：英语杂记君
本段英文选自美国迪斯尼公司的英文小说《奇幻森林》(The Jungle Book)。
这一段发生在美洲豹Bagheera护送人孩Mowgli回人类社会，路上遇到一直要吞食人孩而后快的老虎Shere Khan，两个大型动物展开一场厮杀。
虽然这段打斗场面只有150个单词，但描写非常精彩，值得逐字逐句分析鉴赏，对于提高英语翻译和写作水平，提升英语小说阅读鉴赏能力，大有裨益。
【原文】
As the snarling adversaries landed, Shere Khan rounded and launched another fierce attack, but Bagheera dodged, rebounded, and struck back. His talons tore across the tiger's flank, opening a large gash that would have given a lesser opponent reason to flee, but Shere Khan was not about to back down.
The menacing demon sprang forward, throwing his full weight at the smaller cat and knocking him off his feet to tumble across the ground, locked in a deadly embrace. They carved into the grass around them, kicking up mud and sapping reeds as they battled.
Bagheera fought valiantly against the much larger opponent, but Shere Khan was relentless, striking again and again until, finally, the tiger caught Bagheera with a sharp claw across the face and threw him down. Shere Khan turned and sprinted after his man-cub.
Bagheera lifted his head, trying to stand, but he was too weak and collapsed.
【赏析】
1.
As the snarling adversaries landed, Shere Khan rounded and launched another fierce attack, but Bagheera dodged, rebounded, and struck back. His talons tore across the tiger's flank, opening a large gash that would have given a lesser opponent reason to flee, but Shere Khan was not about to back down.
一开始，就用咆哮声音(snarling)交代交战双方(adversaries)，老虎绕了个圈(round)，然后发动猛烈的攻击(launched another fierce attack), 然后用一个but字来表明冲突，表示其攻击意图没有如其所愿，同时也顺理成章交代美洲豹的动作，连续三个动作躲避(dodge)、跳起(rebound)和反击(strike back)，干净利落。
接下来具体描写美洲豹的反击。美洲豹的爪子(talons)发出tear 动作，然后用across the tiger's flank作为地点状语，点明其攻击之处。此处提示注意积累关于动物身体部位英文术语。上述描写本来已经非常生动形象，但作者不满足于此，用了一个现在分词结构(opening a large gash)来描述这个反击造成的伤害。同时，也没有就此歇笔，而是再用了一个定语从句和虚拟语气来描述这个攻击的威力足以让一个稍弱的对手逃之夭夭( that would have given a lesser opponent reason to flee)。紧接着，用了一个转折词but，表明这个老虎也真的不是吃素的，和寻常阿猫阿狗还是有很大不同的，写出这只老虎不打算退让(back sown), 表现老虎的强悍, 从而写出美洲豹面临的是强大的对手。
重新回顾本段，可以看到交战双方的交替式动作：虎攻，豹躲，豹反击得手，虎不退让。
2.
The menacing demon sprang forward, throwing his full weight at the smaller cat and knocking him off his feet to tumble across the ground, locked in a deadly embrace. They carved into the grass around them, kicking up mud and sapping reeds as they battled.
这一段一开始用the menacing demon作为主语，一开始我们还不知道是谁，眼睛迅速扫过动作，看到承受动作的谓语是the smaller cat,我们才知道原来前面是指老虎。其实从其用魔鬼(demon)这样的词我们也可猜到是反面形象，也就是老虎。这也是写作技巧之一，用多元化的称呼避免重复主语或者代词。
老虎发出动作( Throwing his full weight at), 也就是冲撞的意思(比charge和crash等单独动词更加具体形象)，用his是因为整个故事都是拟人手法。
作者也不吝惜笔墨，继续写这个攻击动作的效果(knocking him off), 并用to tumble across ground和locked in a deadly embrace继续细化攻击效果。接下来读到carved into, 一开始还以为是再次交战前的蹬土，看到后面的as they battled才知道这是一场肉搏战，carved这个单词也用得很好，写出两只动物的蹄就像刀子一样切入土地中，可以想象出交战双方接触时他们的足蹄嵌入泥土中，然后踢起泥土(kicking up mud)和折断芦苇(sapping reeds)，这是融合环境因素（mud, reeds）的写法。
3.
Bagheera fought valiantly against the much larger opponent, but Shere Khan was relentless, striking again and again until, finally, the tiger caught Bagheera with a sharp claw across the face and threw him down. Shere Khan turned and sprinted after his man-cub.
因为要写美洲豹为了保护人孩，所以这里写美洲豹和体型更大的对手英勇(valiantly)地交战，再次用but写出对手老虎的表现，一个系表结构(be relentless)，也直截了当点出老虎不肯退让的性格,呼应前面的not about to back down呼应，然后再用现在分词结构写出老虎持续不断地攻击(striking again and again)。当然，本来还可以继续详细写下去，但这里作者没有继续写，而是用了一个until来交代这场大战接近尾声。其结果是老虎在用爪子抓住美洲豹的脸部(caught Bagheera with a sharp claw across the face)，并将其扔在地(threw him down)。接下来写老虎转身(turned)，跑向(sprinted, 比run更能写出其急促)他的目标。
4. Bagheera lifted his head, trying to stand, but he was too weak and collapsed.
接下来写美洲豹的反应，抬头(lifted his head)，想要站起来(trying to stand)，但是身体孱弱(be too weak)，跌倒在地(collapsed)。
这场战斗到此为止。 欢迎留言斧正上述赏析内容或者分享您的阅读感受。