英语散文生快乐歌的起源.doc

英语散文：生日快乐歌的起源 Happy Birthday to You Where did that song come from? 　　The story of how the song Happy Birthday to You came to be, began as a sweet one, that later soured. Two sisters, Mildred Hill, a teacher at the Louisville, Kentucky Experimental Kindergarten, and Dr. Patty Hill, the principal of the same school, together wrote a song for the children, entitled Good Morning to All. When Mildred combined her musical talents, as the resident expert on spiritual songs, and as the organist for her church, with her sisters expertise in the area of Kindergarten Education, Good Morning to All was sure to be a success. 　　关于祝你生日快乐一歌是如何产生的故事，一开始是件令人愉快的事，到后来就变了味，令人很扫兴。事情是这样 的：有姐妹俩，一个叫玛德里德·希尔，路易思维尔市肯德基实验幼儿园教师，一个叫柏蒂·希尔，该校的校长。姐妹 俩一道为儿童们谱写了一首歌，歌名为大家早上好。玛德里德是当地赞美歌的专家，再加上她的音乐天分，又是当 地教堂的风琴师，而且她姐姐在幼儿教育方面也很有经验，大家早上好一歌无疑是个巨大的成功。 　　The sisters published the song in a collection entitled Song Stories of the Kindergarten in 1893. Thirty-one years later, after Dr. Patty Hill became the head of the Department of Kindergarten Education at Columbia Universitys Teacher College, a gentleman by the name of Robert H. Coleman published the song, without the sisters permission. To add insult to injury, he added a second verse, the familiar Happy Birthday to You. 　　1893年，两姐妹发表了一部歌曲集，题名为幼儿园的故事。三十一年以后，在柏蒂·希尔出任哥伦比亚大学师范学院幼儿教育系系主任之后，一个名叫罗伯特·H·科尔曼的男士未经姐妹俩的允许，私自出版了这首歌，在这首歌后又加上了一段，即大家熟悉的祝你生日快乐，这就构成了对姐妹俩的伤害和侮辱。科尔曼先生增加的第二段歌词使这首歌很快就十分流行。 　　Mr. Colemans addition of the second verse popularized the song and, eventually, the sisters original first verse disappeared. Happy Birthday to You, the one and only birthday song, had altogether replaced the sisters original title, Good Morning to All. 　　最终，姐妹俩的第一段歌词消失了。祝你生日快乐，这首唯一的生日歌完全取代了姐妹俩原来的歌曲大家早上好！。 　　After Mildred died in 1916, Patty, together with a third sister named Jessica, sprang into action and took Mr. Coleman to court. In court, they proved that they, indeed, owned the melody. Because the family legally owns the song, it is entitled to royalties from it,