中午时分 宋家人正饱餐以米和蔬菜为主的中饭
It's midday and the Song family are tucking into a lunch of rice and vegetables
老祖父宋古永置身于天伦之乐外 Oblivious to the domestic chitchat
寻思着重要的事情 granddad Guyong Song has serious maters on his mind
春季是稻禾生长的伊始时节 Spring is a start of the rice growing season
庄稼的长势决定了来年宋家人的生计
the success of the crop will determin how well the family will eat next year
因而选择合适的时机进行耕作是至关重要的 so planting at the right time is critical
时机的选择取决于当年的天气情况 The ideal date depends on what the weather will do this year
而这些却是永难估料的 never easy to predict
但是身边就存在着贴心小帮手 But there is some surprising help at hand
宋家厅堂房梁上的是一对刚从冬季迁徙中归来的金腰燕
On the cielling of the Song's living room a pair of red-rumpedswallow newly arrive from their winter migration
他们正在为装潢新一年度的宅邸而忙碌 is busy fixing up last year's nest
在中国 动物们被赋予独特的象征意义并被细心呵护
In China animals are valued does much for their symbolic meaning as for many good they may do
苗族人笃信成双燕终身相伴不离不弃
Miao people believe that swallow pairs remain faithful for life
因此他们的存在被视为 so their presence is a favor and a blessing
幸福生活与美满婚姻的象征 bringing happiness to a marriage and good luck to a home
如大多数苗人一样 宋家起居室的窗子可以眺望见成片的梯田
Like most Miao dwellings, the Song's living room windows look out over the paddy fields
从早春起 一扇窗子便为了方便燕子往返穿飞而敞开
From early spring, one of these windows is always left open to let the swallows come and go freely
古老爹知晓每年燕子归来的确切时间
Each year granddad Gu knows the exact day the swallows return
苗族人坚信这些鸟儿的归来预示着春季的来临
Miao people believe the birds arrival predicts the timing of a season ahead
然而今年 他们姗姗来迟 This year, they were late
因而古老爹和其他族中长老一致认为今年的插秧应当推迟
so Gu and the other community elders have agreed that rice planting should be delayed accordingly
当苗族人为了插秧而整备田地时 As the Miao prepare their fields for planting
燕子们或搜集修整巢穴用的泥巴 the swallows collect mud to repair their nests
或穿越新耕的稻田追逐昆虫 and chase after insects across the newly ploughed paddies
最终 经过了几周的准备 Finally, after weeks of preparation
这个预定种植的时刻来临了 the ordained time for planting has arrived
首先 秧苗必须从苗床上连根拔起 but first the seedlings must be uproot from the nursery beds
扎成捆移植到高处山地 and bundled up ready to be transported to their new paddy
那崭新的苗床上 higher up the hillside
宋家邻里乡亲全员出动帮助移植
All the Song's neighbors have turned out to help with the transplanting
这是一直来他们的集体协作方式 It's how the community has always worked
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