雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第四章 Part 4

Walter was going to speak, but his Uncle held up his hand.

沃爾特想要講話，但是他的舅舅舉起了手。

'Therefore, Wally therefore it is that I am anxious you should be early in the busy world, and on the world's track. I am only the ghost of this business its substance vanished long ago; and when I die, its ghost will be laid. As it is clearly no inheritance for you then, I have thought it best to use for your advantage, almost the only fragment of the old connexion that stands by me, through long habit. Some people suppose me to be wealthy. I wish for your sake they were right. But whatever I leave behind me, or whatever I can give you, you in such a House as Dombey's are in the road to use well and make the most of. Be diligent, try to like it, my dear boy, work for a steady independence, and be happy!'

“因此，沃利——因此，我渴望讓你儘早到這個忙忙碌碌的世界裏去，儘早走上這個世界的道路。我只是這個商店的一個幽靈——它的實體很久以前就已消亡了。當我死了的時候，它的幽靈就被埋葬了。很明顯，那時候我將沒有什麼遺產留給你，因此我想，爲了你的利益，最好利用我通過長期的習慣所保留下來的幾乎唯一還存在的一丁點兒老關係。有些人認爲我是富有的。爲了你的緣故，我但願他們是對的。可是不論我在死後會留下什麼，也不論我能給你什麼，你在董貝這樣的公司裏工作，就有可能好好地使用它，充分地利用它。我親愛的孩子，做一個勤勉的人，設法喜愛你的事業吧，爲了過長久的獨立的生活而工作，併成爲一個幸福的人吧！”

'I'll do everything I can, Uncle, to deserve your affection. Indeed I will,' said the boy, earnestly.

“我將盡量去做我所能做的一切，不辜負你對我的深情厚意，舅舅。我確實將會這樣去做的，”孩子懇切地說道。

'I know it,' said Solomon. 'I am sure of it,' and he applied himself to a second glass of the old Madeira, with increased relish. 'As to the Sea,' he pursued, 'that's well enough in fiction, Wally, but it won't do in fact: it won't do at all. It's natural enough that you should think about it, associating it with all these familiar things; but it won't do, it won't do.'

“我知道這一點，”所羅門說道，“我相信這一點，”他更加津津有味地喝着第二杯馬德拉陳酒。“至於海洋，”他繼續說道，“它在想象中是很好的，沃利，但實際上卻並不是那樣，根本不是那樣的。你想到海洋，把它跟所有這些熟悉的東西聯繫起來，這是很自然的；但實際上它並不是那樣的，它並不是那樣的。”

註釋：advantage n. 優勢；利益；有利條件 vi. 獲利 vt. 有利於；使處於優勢
例句：
1. We support the open trading system which is to the ultimate advantage of all.
我們支持開放的貿易制度，因爲它最終對各方都是有益的。
2. It will be to our mutual advantage to work closely.
密切合作將爲我們業務的順利開展提供保證。

Solomon Gills rubbed his hands with an air of stealthy enjoyment, as he talked of the sea, though; and looked on the seafaring objects about him with inexpressible complacency.

可是所羅門·吉爾斯在談到海洋的時候，卻露出內心暗暗欣喜的神態，搓着手，並且懷着難以形容的躊躇滿志的心情看着周圍的航海物品。

'Think of this wine for instance,' said old Sol, 'which has been to the East Indies and back, I'm not able to say how often, and has been once round the world. Think of the pitch-dark nights, the roaring winds, and rolling seas:'

'The thunder, lightning, rain, hail, storm of all kinds,' said the boy.

“例如，想一想這葡萄酒吧，”老所爾說道，“我不知道它有多少次被運到東印度羣島，然後又運回來，有一次還周遊了全世界。想一想那漆黑的夜，那怒吼的風和那滾滾的波濤吧！”

“想一想那雷，那閃電，那雨，那冰雹和那狂風暴雨吧！”孩子說道。

'To be sure,' said Solomon, 'that this wine has passed through. Think what a straining and creaking of timbers and masts: what a whistling and howling of the gale through ropes and rigging:'

“毫無疑問，”所羅門說道，“這葡萄酒曾經經歷了這一切。想一想那船板和桅杆彎曲變形，發出了吱吱嘎嘎的響聲吧，想一想那大風穿過纜繩和索具發出的長嘯和怒號吧！”

'What a clambering aloft of men, vying with each other who shall lie out first upon the yards to furl the icy sails, while the ship rolls and pitches, like mad!' cried his nephew.

“想一想當船在瘋狂似地左右搖晃、前後顛簸的時候，船員們卻往桅杆高處攀登，相互競爭誰先爬到帆桁上去卷收結冰的船帆吧！”他的外甥喊道。

'Exactly so,' said Solomon: 'has gone on, over the old cask that held this wine. Why, when the Charming Sally went down in the '

'In the Baltic Sea, in the dead of night; five-and-twenty minutes past twelve when the captain's watch stopped in his pocket; he lying dead against the main mast on the fourteenth of February, seventeen forty-nine!' cried Walter, with great animation.

“一點不錯，”所羅門說道，“裝着這酒的舊桶經受了這一切。唉！當‘嫵媚的薩利’號沉沒在——”
“波羅的海①，在深更半夜的時候，12點25分鐘，這時船長衣袋裏的錶停止走了；他躺在大桅杆附近旁死去了，那是在1749年2月24日！”沃爾特十分興奮地喊道。

註釋：complacency n. 自滿；滿足；自鳴得意
例句：
1. He had an air of complacency.
他臉上顯出得意的神氣。
2. The company has had a good year but we must guard against complacency.
公司獲得了一個好年頭，我們務必防止沾沾自喜。

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①波羅的海（BaltieSea）：歐洲北部的內海。

'Ay, to be sure!' cried old Sol, 'quite right! Then, there were five hundred casks of such wine aboard; and all hands (except the first mate, first lieutenant, two seamen, and a lady, in a leaky boat) going to work to stave the casks, got drunk and died drunk, singing "Rule Britannia", when she settled and went down, and ending with one awful scream in chorus.'

“完全正確！那時候船上有五百桶這樣的葡萄酒；當船開始往下沉沒的時候，除了一位大副、一位海軍上尉、兩名船員和一位女士乘着一條漏水的小船離開了以外，船上所有其他的船員都去把酒桶敲破，喝得酩酊大醉，並在醉中死去，一邊還唱着英國的愛國國歌，最後同聲發出了可怕的一聲尖叫。”

'But when the George the Second drove ashore, Uncle, on the coast of Cornwall, in a dismal gale, two hours before daybreak, on the fourth of March, 'seventy-one, she had near two hundred horses aboard; and the horses breaking loose down below, early in the gale, and tearing to and fro, and trampling each other to death, made such noises, and set up such human cries, that the crew believing the ship to be full of devils, some of the best men, losing heart and head, went overboard in despair, and only two were left alive, at last, to tell the tale.'

“但是舅勇，當‘喬治第二’號在1971年3月4日黎明前兩小時在可怕的大風中向康沃爾①岸急駛的時候，船上有近二百匹馬；在大風開始刮起來的時候，這些馬在下面的底艙中掙脫了繮繩，來回狂奔，相互踩死；它們發出了十分嘈雜的聲音，併發出了像人一樣的叫聲，船員們都以爲船上充滿了鬼怪，甚至那些最勇敢的人也六神無主，張惶失措，絕望地從船上跳入水中，最後只剩下兩個人還活下來，向人們敘說這段經歷。”

'And when,' said old Sol, 'when the Polyphemus '

'Private West India Trader, burden three hundred and fifty tons, Captain, John Brown of Deptford. Owners, Wiggs and Co.,' cried Walter.

'The same,' said Sol; 'when she took fire, four days' sail with a fair wind out of Jamaica Harbour, in the night '

“而當，”老所爾說道，“當‘波利菲默斯’號——”

“這艘私人的西印度商船，載重量三百五十噸，船長是德普特福德人約翰·布朗。船主是威格斯公司，”沃爾特喊道。

“就是這艘船，”所爾說道，“當它乘着順風，從牙買加②港開出四天以後，在夜間着火了……”

'There were two brothers on board,' interposed his nephew, speaking very fast and loud, 'and there not being room for both of them in the only boat that wasn't swamped, neither of them would consent to go, until the elder took the younger by the waist, and flung him in. And then the younger, rising in the boat, cried out, "Dear Edward, think of your promised wife at home. I'm only a boy. No one waits at home for me. Leap down into my place!" and flung himself in the sea!'

“船上有兩兄弟，”他的外甥打斷他，說得很快，聲音很大，“只有一條沒有漏水的小船，但是裝不下他們兩人，兄弟兩人誰也不同意到小船裏去，後來哥哥抱着弟弟的腰，把他拋了進去。弟弟從小船中站起來喊道，‘親愛的愛德華，想一想你在家中的未婚妻吧。我只是個孩子，家裏沒有人在等待我。跳到我這裏來吧！’然後他自己就跳進海里去了！”

註釋：swamp n. 沼澤；溼地 vt. 使陷於沼澤；使沉沒；使陷入困境
vi. 下沉；陷入沼澤；陷入困境；不知所措
例句：
1. That ditch drains water from the swamp.
那條溝於沼澤中的水排出。
2. In the swamp we were beset by mosquitoes.
我們在沼澤地受到蚊子的圍攻。
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①康沃爾（Cornwall）：英國西南部的半島。
②牙買加（Jamaica）：位於加勒比海北部，鄰近古巴和海地，是加勒比海的第三大島。

The kindling eye and heightened colour of the boy, who had risen from his seat in the earnestness of what he said and felt, seemed to remind old Sol of something he had forgotten, or that his encircling mist had hitherto shut out. Instead of proceeding with any more anecdotes, as he had evidently intended but a moment before, he gave a short dry cough, and said, 'Well! suppose we change the subject.'

孩子對他們講的事情真誠地感到激動，已經從坐位上站起來；他那閃閃發光的眼睛和發紅的臉似乎在向老所爾提醒，他已經忘記了一些什麼事情，或者提醒他，他四周的迷霧到現在已經消散了。雖然片刻之前他顯然還打算講一些奇聞軼事，但現在他已不再繼續講它們了。他短短地乾咳了一聲，說，“唔，我們換個話題吧。”

The truth was, that the simple-minded Uncle in his secret attraction towards the marvellous and adventurous - of which he was, in some sort, a distant relation, by his trade - had greatly encouraged the same attraction in the nephew; and that everything that had ever been put before the boy to deter him from a life of adventure, had had the usual unaccountable effect of sharpening his taste for it. This is invariable. It would seem as if there never was a book written, or a story told, expressly with the object of keeping boys on shore, which did not lure and charm them to the ocean, as a matter of course.

事實是，由於這位心地純樸的舅舅本人暗中嚮往一切奇異和冒險的事蹟——就他的職業來說，他和這類事蹟也可說有幾分遠親的關係——，他已經在他外甥的心中大大激起了同樣嚮往的心情；一直來爲誘導孩子不要從事冒險生涯所說的一切，通常總是激勵了他對它的興趣，這樣的結果是無法解釋的。情況總是這樣，不會改變。爲了勸告孩子們留在陸地上而寫作的書本或講述的故事，照例總是誘惑和吸引他們到海洋上去。似乎從來沒有過相反的情形。

But an addition to the little party now made its appearance, in the shape of a gentleman in a wide suit of blue, with a hook instead of a hand attached to his right wrist; very bushy black eyebrows; and a thick stick in his left hand, covered all over (like his nose) with knobs. He wore a loose black silk handkerchief round his neck, and such a very large coarse shirt collar, that it looked like a small sail. He was evidently the person for whom the spare wine-glass was intended, and evidently knew it; for having taken off his rough outer coat, and hung up, on a particular peg behind the door, such a hard glazed hat as a sympathetic person's head might ache at the sight of, and which left a red rim round his own forehead as if he had been wearing a tight basin, he brought a chair to where the clean glass was, and sat himself down behind it. He was usually addressed as Captain, this visitor; and had been a pilot, or a skipper, or a privateersman, or all three perhaps; and was a very salt-looking man indeed.

可是這時候來了一位先生，使這小小的聚會增加了一個人。他穿着一件寬闊的藍外衣，在右腕下面有一個鉤子，而不是一隻手；他的眉毛又黑又濃，左手拿着一根粗大的手杖，手杖上有好多節，就像他鼻子上有好多疙瘩一樣。他的脖子上寬鬆地繫着一條黑色的綢圍巾；襯衫領子很大，質地粗劣，看上去就像一面小船帆一樣。顯然，他就是那隻空酒杯所等待的人。他也顯然知道這一點；因爲他脫去粗糙的外套，並把帽子掛在門後一個特別的木釘上以後，就把一張椅子移到那隻空杯子旁邊，面對着它坐下來。他的帽子是一頂上了光①的硬帽子，有憐憫心的人一看到它就會頭疼；它在他的前額上留下了一道紅圈，彷彿他一直戴着一個緊窄的盆子似的。他曾經是一位領港員，或一位小商船的船長，或一位私掠船船長，或這三種人都是。他那外貌確實像一位老海員。

註釋：glaze vt. 裝以玻璃；上釉於 vi. 變呆滯；變得光滑 n. 釉；光滑面
例句：
1. My eyes start to glaze over the moment he begins his long-winded speech．
他一開始長篇大論，我就覺得眼皮發沉。
2. A glaze of ice on the road is dangerous.
路上有一層薄冰是危險的。
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①指上了釉，擦亮了的。