“We haven’t had a new set of fairy tales in a long time —and our time needs one.”

—Catherynne M. Valente

「我們已經太久太久都沒有新的童話故事，而我們的時代就需要童話故事的滋潤。」

——凱瑟琳．M．瓦倫特

閱讀英文原文是增強英文能力的最好途徑之一，在這個附加單元中，我們節錄廣受歡迎的奇幻小說《黑眼圈》系列，以原文呈現，搭配英文編輯真人發音朗讀，讓您在享受奇幻氛圍之外加強英文閱讀力及英語聽力。另效法歐美教學重視獨立思考的精神，看完本文後別錯過 Discussion Corner 的討論機會，練習用英語表達您的意見及想法，就有機會獲得馥林文化提供的本書中譯一套。

TheOrphan’s Tales

《黑眼圈》

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挑戰原文書 ■ 聽英文、讀英文 生活部落

Once there was a child whose face was like the new moon shining on cypress1 trees and the feathers of waterbirds. She was a strange child, full of secrets. She would sit alone in the great Palace Garden on winter nights, pressing her hands into the snow and watching it melt under her heat. She wore a crown of garlic greens and wisteria;2 she drank from the silver fountains studded3 with lapis;4 she ate cold pears under a canopy5 of pines on rainy afternoons.

Now this child had a strange and wonderful birthmark,6 in that her eyelids7 and the flesh around her eyes was stained8 a deep indigo9-black, like ink pooled in china pots. It gave her the mysterious, taciturn10 look of an owl on ivory rafters,11 or a raccoon12 drinking from the swift-flowing river. It colored her eyes such that when she was grown she would never have to smoke her eyelashes with kohl.13

For this mark she was feared, and from her earliest days, the girl was abandoned to wander the Garden around the many-towered Palace. Her parents regarded her with trepidation14 and terror, wondering if her deformity15 reflected poorly on their virtue. The other nobles firmly believed she was a demon,16 sent to destroy the glittering17 court. Their children, who often roamed18 the Garden like a flock of wild geese, kept away from her, lest19 she curse them with her terrible powers.

The Sultan20 could not decide—after all, if she were a demon, it would not do to offend her infernal21 kin22 by doing away with her like so much cut grass. In the end, all preferred that she simply remain silent and far away, so that none would have to confront23 the dilemma.24

And so it went like this for many years, while thirteen summers like fat orange roses sprang and withered.25

But one day another child came near to her, though not too near, hesitant26 as a deer about to bolt27 into the shadows. His face was like a winter sun, his form like a river-reed.28 He stood before the girl in her tattered29 silk dress and shabby30 cloak31 which had once been white, and touched her eyelids with his sweet-scented32 forefinger.33 She found, to her surprise, that she endured his touch, for she was lonely and ever full of sorrow.

“Are you really a spirit? A very wicked spirit? Why are your eyes dark like that, like the lake before the dawn?” The pretty boy-child cocked his head to one side, an ibis34 in midstream. The girl said nothing.

“I am not afraid of you!” The boy stood his ground but his voice broke hoarsely.35 The girl continued to stare at him while the willow trees wavered36 in the east wind. When she spoke her voice was the low hum of cicadas37 in the far misted hills.

課文朗讀》正常 CD/MP3 - 21

《黑眼圈》（The Orphan’s Tales）系列的作者凱瑟琳．M．瓦倫特（Catherynne M. Valente）生於西雅圖，在大學時研讀古希臘語言學。歷經長期的希臘神話（Greek mythology）薰陶，使得她筆下的故事情節充滿古典詩意，但又能從舊有的典型

中自成一格、演變出引人入勝的連環發展。

以下讓我們話說從頭，從系列開端的「荒原之書」（Book of the Steppe）序章（prelude）開始細細欣賞作者的文字魅力吧！

《黑眼圈》系列得獎紀錄

2006年 詹姆斯．提普奇獎（James Tiptree, Jr. Award）

2006年 科克斯書評年度十大奇幻小說

2007年 紐約圖書館青少年選書

2008年 創神文學獎（Mythopoeic Award）

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挑戰原文書 ■ 聽英文、讀英文

“Why not?”

“I am very brave. One day I will be a great General and wear a scarlet38 cloak.” At this there was almost a smile on the girl's pale lips.

“And you have come to slay39 the great girl-demon who haunts40 the Garden?” she whispered.

“Oh, no, I . . .” The boy spread his hands, feeling suddenly that he had shown very bad form somewhere along the way.

“No one has spoken so many words to me since I saw the winter snows through a warm window draped41 in furs.” The girl stared again, impossibly still. All at once, a tiny light stole through her dusky42 eyes and she seemed to make a decision within herself. “Shall I tell you the truth, then? Tell you my secret? You of all the children who wear ruby43 rings and smell of olive44 soap?” Her voice had gone so quiet it was almost without breath.

*中文翻譯請參閱第 72頁

字彙　Vocabulary

1. cypress [`sa6pr4s] n. 柏樹

2. wisteria [w6s`t6r64] n. 紫藤

3. stud [st9d] v. 密佈於；覆蓋

4. lapis [`l1p6s] n. 寶石

5. canopy [`k1n4p6] n. 頂篷；篷狀遮蔽物

6. birthmark [`b-q%m3rk] n. 胎記

7. eyelid [`a6%l6d] n. 眼皮（eyelash [`a6%l1]] 指「眼睫毛」）

8. stain [sten] v. 給⋯⋯染色；沾污

9. indigo [`6n%d6go] n. 靛青（indigo-black指「青黑色的」）

10. taciturn [`t1s4%t-n] adj. 沈默寡言的

11. rafter [`r1ft0] n. 椽

12. raccoon [r1`kun] n. 浣熊

13. kohl [kol] n. 化妝墨

14. trepidation [%tr5p4`de]4n] n. 驚恐不安

15. deformity [d6`f7rm4t6] n. 畸形；殘缺

16. demon [`d6m4n] n. 惡魔

17. glitter [`gl6t0] v. 閃閃發光（glittering [`gl6t4r6;]當形容詞指「閃耀的；發光的」）

18. roam [rom] v. 漫遊

19. lest [l5st] conj. 唯恐

20. Sultan [`s9ltx] n. 蘇丹（某些回教國家統治者的稱號）

21. infernal [6n`f-ny] adj. 地獄的

22. kin [k6n] n. 親族；同類

23. confront [k4n`fr9nt] v. 勇敢面對；正視

24. dilemma [d4`l5m4] n. 困境；兩難局面

25. wither [`w6\0] v. 枯萎；凋謝

26. hesitant [`h5z4t4nt] adj. 遲疑的

27. bolt [bolt] v. 狂奔；急逃

28. river-reed [`r6v0%rid] n. 蘆葦

29. tattered [`t1t0d] adj. 破爛的；衣衫襤褸的

30. shabby [`]1b6] adj. 破爛的；骯髒的

31. cloak [klok] n. 披風；斗篷

32. scent [s5nt] v. 發出氣味（形容詞 sweet-scented指「有甜

蜜氣味的」）

33. forefinger [`for%f6;g0] n. 食指

34. ibis [`a6b6s] n. 朱鷺

35. hoarsely [`horsl6] adv. 嘶啞地

36. waver [`wev0] v. 搖曳

37. cicada [s6`ked4] n. 蟬

38. scarlet [`sk3rl6t] adj. 深紅色的

39. slay [sle] v. 殺死

40. haunt [h7nt] v. 糾纏；騷擾

41. drape [drep] v. 用布覆蓋；裝飾

42. dusky [`d9sk6] adj. 黯淡的；陰沉的

43. ruby [`rub6] n. 紅寶石

44. olive [`3l6v] n. 橄欖

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The Orphan’s Tales • Book Excerpt

關鍵解析　Language Notes

1. in that 因為；由於in that為文言正式用法，後面接一個表原因的子句，類似 because。

• The game rules have changed, in that you no longer need to wait for your turn to sell land. 遊戲規則改變了，因為你不再需要等輪到你的回合才能賣土地。

2. such 的用法such在此表示「以這樣的方式」，可代換成 in such a way。常用句型為：

S. + V. + such + that S. + V.

• Carol sat forward such that no one else could see what she was writing. 卡蘿往前坐的方式使得沒有其他人能看到她在寫什麼。 = Carol sat forward in such a way that no one else could see what she was writing.

3. do 的用法a 句型 it would not do to V.指「做某事是不可行、不適當的」。do 在此表示「行得通；適當」。

• It would not do to show up at work wearing a shirt with a hole in it. 穿著有洞的衣服去上班是不適當的。

b 片語 do away with N.指「擺脫某人事物；除去某人事物」。

• Our company has decided to do away with the old system of filing. 我們公司決定廢除舊的歸檔制度。

Discussion Corner

•Doyouthinkreadingfairytalesishelpfulforchildren?Whyorwhynot?

任選其中一題，用英文寫下你的回答，就有機會參加抽獎，得到《黑眼圈》小說一套喔！詳細資訊快上golive.liveabc.com

英文原文、中文翻譯、圖片、贈書提供：馥林文化

•Whatdoyouthinkaboutthebehaviorofthegirl’sparents?Whatwouldyoudoifyouwereintheirshoes?

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挑戰原文書 ■ 聽英文、讀英文