The Old Sky Woman

When winter brought the cold north wind, and the snowflakes began to fall, the little North Cornwall children were always told that the Old Woman was up in the sky plucking¹ her Goose.

The children were very interested in the Old Sky Woman and her great White Goose, and they said, as they lifted their soft little faces to the grey of the cloud and watched the feathers of the big Sky Goose come whirling³ down, that she was a wonderful woman and her Goose a very big Goose.

‘I want to climb up to the sky to see the Old Woman plucking her Goose,’ cried a tiny boy; and he asked his mother to show him the great Sky Stairs. But his mother could not, for she did not know where the Sky Stairs were; so the poor little boy could not go up to see the Old Sky Woman plucking the beautiful feathers out of her big White Goose.

‘Where does the Old Woman keep her great White Goose?’ asked another child, with eyes and hair as dark as a raven’s wing, as he watched the snow-white feathers come dancing down.

‘In the beautiful Sky Meadows⁴ behind the clouds,’ his mother said. [128]

‘What is the Old Sky Woman going to do with her great big Goose when she has picked her bare?’ queried⁵ a little maid with sweet, anxious eyes.

‘Stuff it with onions and sage,’ her Granfer said.
‘The Old Sky Woman sweeping⁶ out the Sky Goose’s house.’

‘The Old Sky Woman sweeping out the Sky Goose’s house.’

‘What will she do then with her great big Goose?’ the little maid asked.

‘Hang it up on the great Sky Goose-jack and roast for her Christmas dinner,’ her Granfer said.

‘Poor old Goose!’ cried the little maid.

‘I don’t believe the Old Sky Woman would be so [129]unkind as to kill and pluck² her great big Goose,’ said a wise little maid with sunny hair and eyes as blue as the summer sea. ‘Winter-time is the Sky Goose’s moulting time, and the Old Sky Woman is sweeping out the Sky Goose’s house with her great Sky Broom, and the White Goose’s feathers are flying down to keep the dear little flowers nice and warm till the north wind has gone away from the Cornish Land.’

‘Perhaps that is so, dear little maid,’ her Granfer said.

1 plucking   

（水果，茶叶等）采摘

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar. 他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• The Country Mouse was sitting under a hazel thicket plucking nuts. 乡鼠正坐在榛树丛下摘硬果。

2 pluck   

v.摘，拔（毛）拨，弹奏，拉；n.勇气，决心

参考例句：

• He is full of pluck.他很有勇气。
• With a few pluck at the string of his banjo,everybody is singing along.他拨了拨班卓琴的琴弦，每个人就都跟著唱了起了。

3 whirling   

v.（使）飞快移动，使旋转( whirl的现在分词 )；扑朔迷离；涡流；婆娑

参考例句：

• He threw himself around the stage like a whirling dervish. 他在台上转圈，如同跳旋转舞蹈的托钵僧一样。
• They were caught up in a whirling vortex of emotion. 他们陷入了感情旋涡。

4 meadows   

草地，牧场， （河边的）低洼地( meadow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The trail wends its way through leafy woodland and sunny meadows. 这条小径穿过葱郁的林区和洒满阳光的草地。
• They have railed the meadows off from the new railway cutting. 他们已用栏杆把草地和新铁道的路堑隔离开来。

5 queried   

v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问

参考例句：

• She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

6 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？