苹果树下(英中对照)

古德明《征服英语》之英语军事故事，古德明，香港英语教育作家，他开了一个《征服英语专栏》，在专栏中专门用英语写了世界近代史上的军事小故事，用英语讲述历史中那些惊心动魄的战争。

苹果树下
during world warⅡ, the popular andrews sisters song don't sit under the apple tree captured american servicemen's concern that their wives or girlfriends might be tempted into affairs in their absence:"don't sit under the apple tree/ with anyone else but me/ till i come marching home." the lyrics also caught women's fears that their menfolk might fool around with the girls on foreign shores:"don't hold anyone on your knee/ you'd better be true to me/ you're getting the third degree*/ when you come marching home."
on the home front, any women who got pregnant while her husband was overseas became a social outcast. and if a stranger went into a bar with the wife or girlfriend of a local servicemen, he was looking for trouble.

第二次世界大战期间,安德鲁斯姊妹的流行歌《勿坐苹果树下》唱出了美国军人的忧虑。他们忧虑自己征战在外,妻子或女朋友别抱琵琶:「苹树荫凉休偶坐,待郎万里战场回。」歌词还道出女人的心事。她们担心男伴到了异乡问柳寻花:「佳人膝上君休抱,记取忠贞不二情。万里沙场归国日,要将行止说分明。」
在后方,女人假如有丈夫海外服役,却怀了孕,社交上会被孤立。而陌生汉子上某地酒吧,假如带着当地征夫的妻子或女朋友,那就是自找麻烦。
备注：
*共济会会员( freemason)分等级,以第三级( third degree)为最高。要进身第三级,须经严格测试,所以, to give someone the third degree现在常解作「逼供」。