The Scarlet Letter — Page 8
这样的场合也许会让年迈的市民想起上一次英美战争之前的那段岁月，那时的塞勒姆还是一座独立的港口城市；
Such occasions might remind the elderly citizen of that period before the last war with England, when Salem was a port by itself;
如今她已被自己的商人和船主所轻视，他们任由她的码头日渐坍塌、化为废墟，
not scorned, as she is now, by her own merchants and ship-owners, who permit her wharves to crumble to ruin,
而他们自己的商业冒险却徒然地、悄无声息地汇入纽约或波士顿那滚滚的商业洪流之中。
while their ventures go to swell, needlessly and imperceptibly, the mighty flood of commerce at New York or Boston.
在某个这样的清晨，三四艘船恰巧同时抵港——通常来自非洲或南美洲——或是正处于扬帆启程的前夕，
On some such morning, when three or four vessels happen to have arrived at once,—usually from Africa or South America,—or to be on the verge of their departure thitherward,
花岗岩台阶上便传来频繁的脚步声，人们匆匆地上上下下。
there is a sound of frequent feet, passing briskly up and down the granite steps.
在这里，还未等自己的妻子迎上前去，你便可以迎接那位刚刚入港、面色被海风吹得红润的船长，
Here, before his own wife has greeted him, you may greet the sea-flushed shipmaster, just in port,
他腋下夹着一只锈迹斑斑的锡盒，里面装着船只的文件。
with his vessel's papers under his arm, in a tarnished tin box.
这里也会来他的船主，或喜悦或忧郁，或和颜悦色或愁眉苦脸，
Here, too, comes his owner, cheerful or sombre, gracious or in the sulks,
这全取决于这趟刚刚完成的航行，所换回的货物是否能轻易变现为黄金，
accordingly as his scheme of the now accomplished voyage has been realized in merchandise that will readily be turned to gold,
还是令他深陷于一堆无人愿意替他脱手的滞销货物之中。
or has buried him under a bulk of incommodities, such as nobody will care to rid him of.
同样也在这里，我们见到了那个精明干练的年轻职员——日后那皱眉深思、胡须花白、饱经忧患的老商人的雏形，
Here, likewise,—the germ of the wrinkle-browed, grizzly-bearded, care-worn merchant,—we have the smart young clerk,
他对商业买卖的渴望，就如同幼狼初尝血腥，已然难以自拔，
who gets the taste of traffic as a wolf-cub does of blood,
此时他在主人的船上便已参与商业冒险，而其实这年纪本该在磨坊的池塘上玩着小船嬉戏才是。
and already sends adventures in his master's ships, when he had better be sailing mimic-boats upon a mill-pond.
Vocabulary
- Such
- 这样的；如此的；这类的
- occasions
- 场合；时刻；引起；导致
- might
- 可能；力量；权力
- remind
- 提醒；使想起；回忆
- the
- 定冠词；用于特指名词
- elderly
- 年长的；上了年纪的；老年的
- citizen
- 公民；市民；居民
- of
- 的；属于；来自
- that
- 那个；那；那样的
- period
- 时期；时代；周期；句号
- before
- 在...之前；从前；以前
- last
- 最后的；持续；上一个的
- war
- 战争；冲突；战斗
- with
- 与；用；伴随；和...一起
- England
- 英格兰；英国的一部分
- when
- 当...时；何时；在...期间
- was
- 是；曾经是
- port
- 港口；海港；左舷
- by
- 被；由；靠近；到...为止
- itself
- 它自己；本身；独立地
- not
- 不；否定；非
- scorned
- 被轻蔑的；被嘲笑的；被鄙视的
- as
- 当...时；如同；因为；作为
- she
- 她；（指代城市或国家）她
- is
- 是；存在
- now
- 现在；如今；此刻
- her
- 她的；她
- own
- 自己的；拥有；承认
- merchants
- 商人；贸易商；零售商
- and
- 和；与；加；并
- ship-owners
- 船主；船舶所有人；航运企业主
- who
- 谁；那个人；那些人
- permit
- 许可；允许；证件；执照
- wharves
- 码头；船坞；泊位
- to
- 到；向；对于；用来
- crumble
- 崩溃；破碎；衰退；分解
- ruin
- 废墟；毁灭；破坏；损毁
- while
- 当...时；虽然；一段时间
- their
- 他们的；其的
- ventures
- 冒险；事业；商业活动
- go
- 去；走；前进；变得
- swell
- 肿胀；膨胀；增长；增加
- needlessly
- 不必要地；毫无必要地；徒然地
- imperceptibly
- 难以察觉地；无形中；渐渐地
- mighty
- 强大的；有力的；巨大的
- flood
- 洪水；泛滥；大量涌入
- commerce
- 商业；贸易；商务往来
- at
- 在；于；向；处于
- New
- 新的；新
- York
- 纽约；美国城市名
- or
- 或；或者；否则
- Boston
- 波士顿；美国城市名
- On
- 在...上；在...时
- some
- 一些；某个；大约
- morning
- 早晨；上午；早上
- three
- 三；第三的
- four
- 四；第四的
- vessels
- 船只；容器；血管；导管
- happen
- 发生；碰巧；恰好
- have
- 有；得有；拥有
- arrived
- 到达；抵达；到来
- once
- 一次；曾经；从前
- usually
- 通常；一般地；往往
- from
- 来自；从；由于；自
- Africa
- 非洲；大陆名
- South
- 南；南方；南部的
- America
- 美洲；美国；北美或南美
- be
- 是；存在；有
- on
- 在...上；在；关于
- verge
- 边缘；边界；寸步之遥
- departure
- 出发；离开；航行出港
- there
- 那里；在那儿；那个地方
- sound
- 声音；健全的；合理的
- frequent
- 频繁的；经常的；常见的
- feet
- 脚；足；英尺
- passing
- 经过；通过；及格；消逝
- briskly
- 敏捷地；迅速地；精神十足地
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →