The Scarlet Letter — Page 7
在入口上方，悬停着一只巨大的美国鹰标本，双翼展开，胸前护着一面盾牌，如果我没记错的话，每只爪子里还握着一束交错的雷电与倒钩箭矢。
Over the entrance hovers an enormous specimen of the American eagle, with outspread wings, a shield before her breast, and, if I recollect aright, a bunch of intermingled thunderbolts and barbed arrows in each claw.
凭借这种不幸鸟类惯有的暴躁性情，她那凶狠的喙与眼神，以及整体姿态中透出的剑拔弩张，似乎在向这无辜的社区示威恐吓；尤其警告所有珍视自身安全的市民，切勿擅入她羽翼庇护下的地界。
With the customary infirmity of temper that characterizes this unhappy fowl, she appears, by the fierceness of her beak and eye, and the general truculency of her attitude, to threaten mischief to the inoffensive community; and especially to warn all citizens, careful of their safety, against intruding on the premises which she overshadows with her wings.
尽管如此，尽管她看起来如此凶悍，此刻仍有许多人急切地想要躲在这联邦雄鹰的羽翼之下；我猜他们以为，她的胸怀有如鸭绒枕头般柔软温暖。
Nevertheless, vixenly as she looks, many people are seeking, at this very moment, to shelter themselves under the wing of the federal eagle; imagining, I presume, that her bosom has all the softness and snugness of an eider-down pillow.
然而即便在她心情最好的时候，她也并无多少温柔之情，迟早——往往是早而非迟——她会用利爪一划、嘴喙一啄，或是那倒钩箭矢留下的刺痛伤口，将她巢中的雏鸟一把甩开。
But she has no great tenderness, even in her best of moods, and, sooner or later,—oftener soon than late,—is apt to fling off her nestlings, with a scratch of her claw, a dab of her beak, or a rankling wound from her barbed arrows.
上述建筑四周的石板路——我们不妨直接称其为这座港口的海关大楼——路面缝隙间已长出足够多的野草，足以表明近来此处并未因大量商业往来而被人踩踏磨损。
The pavement round about the above-described edifice—which we may as well name at once as the Custom-House of the port—has grass enough growing in its chinks to show that it has not, of late days, been worn by any multitudinous resort of business.
然而在一年中的某些月份，偶尔也会有那么一个上午，事务往来重新变得步履匆匆、生机勃勃。
In some months of the year, however, there often chances a forenoon when affairs move onward with a livelier tread.
Vocabulary
- over
- 在...上方或越过某物
- the
- 定冠词，用于特定的人或物
- entrance
- 入口或进入某个地方
- hovers
- 悬停或在空中盘旋
- an
- 不定冠词，用于元音开头的词
- enormous
- 非常大的或巨大的
- specimen
- 样本或代表性的例子
- of
- 表示所有格或关系的介词
- American
- 来自美国或与美国有关的
- eagle
- 鹰，一种大型掠食性鸟类
- with
- 表示伴随或具有某种特征的介词
- wings
- 鸟或飞行物的翅膀
- shield
- 盾牌或用来保护的东西
- before
- 在...之前或在...的前面
- her
- 她的或属于女性的代词
- breast
- 胸部或鸟的胸腔部位
- and
- 连接两个词或句子的连词
- if
- 表示条件的连词
- recollect
- 回忆或记得某件事
- bunch
- 一束或一群聚集在一起的东西
- arrows
- 箭或带有箭头的物体
- in
- 表示位置或时间的介词
- each
- 每一个或各个
- claw
- 动物的爪子或抓取工具
- With
- 表示伴随或具有某种特征的介词
- customary
- 通常的或习惯性的
- temper
- 脾气或情绪
- that
- 那个或用来引导从句的代词
- characterizes
- 表现出或具有某种特征
- this
- 这个或指代近处的东西
- unhappy
- 不快乐的或不满意的
- she
- 她或指代女性的代词
- appears
- 看起来或显得
- by
- 表示方式或代理人的介词
- beak
- 鸟的嘴或喙
- eye
- 眼睛或视力
- general
- 通常的或总体的
- attitude
- 态度或姿势
- to
- 表示目的或方向的介词
- threaten
- 威胁或表示可能伤害
- mischief
- 调皮或制造麻烦
- community
- 社区或共同生活的群体
- especially
- 尤其是或特别地
- warn
- 警告或提醒某人注意危险
- all
- 全部或所有的
- citizens
- 公民或某国的成员
- careful
- 小心的或谨慎的
- their
- 他们的或属于多人的代词
- safety
- 安全或不会受伤的状态
- against
- 反对或与...相对的
- intruding
- 闯入或不被邀请地进入
- on
- 表示位置或接触的介词
- premises
- 建筑物或其周围的地方
- which
- 哪一个或引导从句的代词
- Nevertheless
- 然而或尽管如此
- as
- 当...时或尽管...的连词
- looks
- 看或外观
- many
- 很多或大量的
- people
- 人或众人
- are
- 是或存在的动词
- seeking
- 寻求或试图得到
- at
- 表示位置或时间的介词
- very
- 非常或很
- moment
- 瞬间或短时间
- shelter
- 避难所或保护
- themselves
- 他们自己或强调代词
- under
- 在...下方或处于控制下
- wing
- 翅膀或建筑物的侧翼
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