Notre-Dame de Paris — Page 10

English → Chinese Full Text Level 8/10

, there would have been no documents in the trial of Ravaillac deposited in the clerk's office of the Palais de Justice, no accomplices interested in causing the said documents to disappear; hence, no incendiaries obliged, for lack of better means, to burn the clerk's office in order to burn the documents, and to burn the Palais de Justice in order to burn the clerk's office; consequently, in short, no conflagration in 1618.

那么在司法宫书记室里就不会存有拉瓦亚克审判案的任何文件，也就不会有任何同谋对销毁上述文件感兴趣；因此，也就不会有任何纵火犯因无更好的手段而不得不烧毁书记室以焚毁文件，也不会烧毁司法宫以焚毁书记室；总之，也就不会发生1618年的那场大火。

The old Palais would be standing still, with its ancient grand hall; I should be able to say to the reader, "Go and look at it," and we should thus both escape the necessity,—I of making, and he of reading, a description of it, such as it is.

古老的宫殿将依然矗立，连同其古老的大厅；我便能对读者说："去亲眼看看吧"，我们也就都能免去这番麻烦——我无需撰写，他无需阅读对它现状的描述。

Which demonstrates a new truth: that great events have incalculable results.

这说明了一个新的真理：大事件会产生难以估量的后果。

It is true that it may be quite possible, in the first place, that Ravaillac had no accomplices; and in the second, that if he had any, they were in no way connected with the fire of 1618.

诚然，首先很有可能拉瓦亚克并无同谋；其次，即便他有同谋，那些人也与1618年的那场大火毫无关联。

Two other very plausible explanations exist: First, the great flaming star, a foot broad, and a cubit high, which fell from heaven, as every one knows, upon the law courts, after midnight on the seventh of March; second, Théophile's quatrain,—

另有两种颇为可信的解释：其一，众所周知，有一颗巨大的火星，宽约一尺，高约一肘，于三月七日午夜之后从天而降，落在法院之上；其二，泰奥菲尔的四行诗——

"Sure, 'twas but a sorry game / When at Paris, Dame Justice, / Through having eaten too much spice, / Set the palace all aflame.

「诚然，这不过是一场可悲的闹剧，/当巴黎的司法女神，/因吃了太多辛辣之物，/将宫殿付之一炬。」

Vocabulary

那么: nàme — then; in that case; so
在: zài — at; in; located at a place
里: lǐ — inside; within a place or time
就: jiù — then; precisely; indicates consequence or emphasis
不会: bù huì — will not; cannot; unlikely to happen
存有: cún yǒu — to contain; to have stored or preserved
审判案: shěnpàn àn — trial case; judicial proceedings record
的: de — structural particle indicating possession or modification
任何: rènhé — any; whichever; no matter what
文件: wénjiàn — document; official paper or file
也: yě — also; too; as well
有: yǒu — to have; there is; to exist
同谋: tóngmóu — accomplice; co-conspirator in a crime
对: duì — toward; regarding; in relation to
销毁: xiāohuǐ — to destroy; to obliterate documents or evidence
上述: shàngshù — above-mentioned; previously stated matter
感兴趣: gǎn xìngqù — to be interested in something
因此: yīncǐ — therefore; as a result; consequently
纵火犯: zònghuǒ fàn — arsonist; person who deliberately sets fires
因: yīn — because; due to; on account of
无: wú — without; lacking; to not have
更好: gèng hǎo — better; even more suitable or effective
手段: shǒuduàn — means; method; way of achieving something
而: ér — and; yet; but; connecting clauses
不得不: bù dé bù — have no choice but to; must reluctantly
烧毁: shāohuǐ — to burn down; to destroy by fire
以: yǐ — in order to; by means of; using
焚毁: fénhuǐ — to incinerate; to destroy completely by burning
总之: zǒngzhī — in short; in summary; all in all
发生: fāshēng — to occur; to happen; to take place
年: nián — year; annual unit of time
那场: nà chǎng — that (fire/event); classifier for occurrences
大火: dàhuǒ — great fire; large destructive blaze
古老: gǔlǎo — ancient; very old; dating from long ago
宫殿: gōngdiàn — palace; grand royal or official building
将: jiāng — will; about to; future tense marker
依然: yīrán — still; as before; unchanged in condition
矗立: chùlì — to stand tall; to tower upright prominently
连同: liántóng — together with; along with; including
其: qí — its; their; that; third-person possessive pronoun
大厅: dàtīng — great hall; large interior room or lobby
我: wǒ — I; me; first-person singular pronoun
便: biàn — then; consequently; as a result
能: néng — can; able to; capable of doing
读者: dúzhě — reader; person who reads a text
说: shuō — to say; to speak; to tell
去: qù — to go; to proceed toward a place
亲眼: qīnyǎn — with one's own eyes; personally witnessed
看看: kànkan — to take a look; to have a glance
吧: ba — particle suggesting suggestion or mild command
我们: wǒmen — we; us; first-person plural pronoun
都: dōu — all; both; entirely; without exception
免去: miǎn qù — to spare; to be relieved of a burden
这番: zhè fān — this sort of; this kind of trouble or effort
麻烦: máfan — trouble; bother; inconvenience
无需: wú xū — no need to; it is unnecessary to
撰写: zhuànxiě — to write; to compose a text or article
他: tā — he; him; third-person masculine pronoun
阅读: yuèdú — to read; to peruse written material
它: tā — it; third-person pronoun for objects
现状: xiànzhuàng — current state; present situation or condition
描述: miáoshù — to describe; to depict in words
这: zhè — this; referring to something nearby or just mentioned
说明: shuōmíng — to illustrate; to demonstrate; explanation
了: le — particle indicating completion or new situation
一个: yī gè — one; a single (general classifier)
新: xīn — new; fresh; recently emerged
真理: zhēnlǐ — truth; fundamental principle or verity
大: dà — great; big; large in scale
事件: shìjiàn — event; incident; significant occurrence
会: huì — will; likely to; expressing probability
产生: chǎnshēng — to produce; to give rise to; to generate
难以估量: nán yǐ gūliàng — incalculable; impossible to measure or assess
后果: hòuguǒ — consequence; result; often of negative outcome
诚然: chéngrán — admittedly; it is true that; granted
首先: shǒuxiān — first of all; in the first place
很: hěn — very; quite; to a great degree
可能: kěnéng — possibly; maybe; perhaps; likelihood
并无: bìng wú — actually has none; does not have at all
其次: qícì — secondly; next; in the second place
即便: jíbiàn — even if; even though; regardless of whether
那些: nàxiē — those; referring to previously mentioned people or things
人: rén — person; people; human being
与: yǔ — with; and; together with
毫无: háo wú — completely without; to have none whatsoever
关联: guānlián — connection; relation; association between things
另有: lìng yǒu — there are also other; additionally there exist
两种: liǎng zhǒng — two kinds; two types or varieties
颇为: pōwéi — quite; rather; considerably; fairly
可信: kě xìn — credible; believable; worthy of trust
解释: jiěshì — explanation; to explain or interpret something
其一: qí yī — the first one; first of the mentioned items
众所周知: zhòng suǒ zhōu zhī — as everyone knows; it is common knowledge
一颗: yī kē — one (small round object); a single piece
巨大: jùdà — huge; enormous; immense in size
火星: huǒxīng — spark; ember; glowing fragment from fire
宽约: kuān yuē — approximately wide; roughly measuring in width
高约: gāo yuē — approximately tall; roughly measuring in height
于: yú — at; in; on; literary preposition of location
三月: sānyuè — March; the third month of the year
七日: qī rì — the seventh day; seventh of the month
午夜: wǔyè — midnight; twelve o'clock at night
之后: zhīhòu — after; following; subsequent to a time
从天而降: cóng tiān ér jiàng — to fall from the sky; descend from heaven
落在: luò zài — to land on; to fall upon a surface
法院: fǎyuàn — court; judicial institution; courthouse
之上: zhī shàng — above; on top of; upon something
其二: qí èr — the second one; second of the mentioned items
不过: búguò — however; but; merely; no more than
是: shì — to be; is; am; are
一场: yī chǎng — one episode of; classifier for events or performances
可悲: kěbēi — pitiful; lamentable; sad and deplorable
闹剧: nàojù — farce; absurd or comical drama or situation
当: dāng — when; at the time that; as
巴黎: Bālí — Paris; capital city of France
吃了: chī le — ate; consumed; past tense of to eat
太多: tài duō — too much; excessively large in amount
辛辣: xīnlà — spicy; pungent; sharp and biting in taste
付之一炬: fù zhī yī jù — to put to the torch; burn everything down

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