本书**出版于1937年,书名出自苏格兰诗人罗伯特·彭斯诗作《致小鼠》:“人与鼠Z如意的规划与梦想,常常变成一枕黄粱。”美国大萧条期间,两位加利福尼亚州的农民乔治和伦尼离开家乡,寻找工作机会,希望能赚得一笔钱后回到家乡定居生活。乔治聪明机灵,但没有受过太多教育;伦尼浑身都是力气,体壮如牛但智力低下。二人相依为命,乔治虽然嫌弃伦尼,却充当着伦尼的保护者。他们来到一家农场打工,伦尼起初因自己的力气得到赏识,可由于智力低下,不断闯祸,*终闹出人命。绝望的乔治挣扎着亲手杀死了伦尼,也杀死了他们的梦想。

A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in① close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped② twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees—willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures③ the debris④ of the winter’s fl ooding; and sycamores⑤ with mottled⑥, white, recumbent⑦ limbs⑧ and branches that arch⑨ over the pool. On the sandy bank under the trees the leaves lie deep and so crisp⑩ that a lizard makes a great skittering? if he runs among them. Rabbits come out of the brush? to sit on the sand in the evening, and the damp? flats? are covered with the night tracks of ’coons?, and with the spread? pads? of dogs from the ranches?, and with the split-wedge? tracks of deer that come to drink in the dark. ① in [in] ad. 朝里,向(或至)某地,向某一方向 ② slip [slip] v. 滑行 ③ juncture ['d???(k)t??] n. 接合点,交接处 ④ debris ['deibri:] n. 碎片,残骸 ⑤ sycamore ['sik?m?:] n. 【植】悬铃木(指树或其木材) ⑥ mottled ['m?tld] a. 杂色的,斑驳的 ⑦ recumbent [ri'k?mb(?)nt] a. 【 植】横卧的,平卧的 ⑧ limb [lim] n.��� 植】大枝,主枝 ⑨ arch [ɑ:t?] v. 拱起,成弓形 ⑩ crisp [krisp] a. 脆的,易碎的 ? skittering ['skit?ri?] n. 轻捷跳动声,嗖嗖声 ? brush [br??] n.〈 〉居民**的丛林地带 ? damp [dæmp] a. 潮湿的 ? fl at [fl æt] n. 浅滩 ? ’coon [ku:n] n.【动】浣熊(racoon 的缩略) ? spread [spred] a. 展开的 ? pad [pæd] n(. 动物的)脚印 ? ranch [rɑ:n(t)?] n. 大牧场,农场 ? split-wedge( 中间)裂开的楔形(的) 索莱达以南数英里处,萨利纳斯河紧靠着山边的河岸缓慢流淌,形成一湾幽深的碧水。河水还很温暖,因为先前流淌之处阳光照耀,波光粼粼的河光流过黄沙,然后才注入这湾狭窄的静水中。河流的一侧,金黄色的山丘坡地逶迤着向上延伸,直达巍峨多岩的加比兰山脉。但在河流谷地一侧,水边生长着树木——有杨柳树,每逢春天,杨柳便抽芽吐翠,低端的枝丫上挂满了冬季洪水泛滥时留下的残枝败叶;有悬铃木树,树的枝丫表皮斑驳,呈白色,低斜着,呈弧形伸向水面。树下沙质土的河岸表面,落叶积了厚厚一层,干燥易碎,假如一条蜥蜴在其中穿梭爬行,定会发出嗖嗖的声响。傍晚时分,野兔会从灌木丛中蹿出来,蹲坐在沙地上。潮湿的浅滩上会布满浣熊夜间行走的足迹,来自农场成群的狗留下爪印,还有趁黑前来饮水的野鹿留下的裂口楔形蹄印。