【双语有声阅读】孩子们的志愿(2)

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After all these years I can picture that old time to myself now, just as it was then:

 

尽管这么多年过去了，可到今天，我还能在心中回想当日的情景，仿佛回到了过去。

My father was a justice of the peace, and I supposed he possessed¹ the power of life and death over all men and could hang anybody that offended him.

我父亲是镇上的治安官，在我看来，他掌管着每个人的生杀大权，任何一个得罪他的人都会被绞死。

This was distinction enough for me as a general thing; but the desire to be a steamboatman kept intruding², nevertheless.

总的来说，就这一点就足以让我风光无限了。然而，当水手的念头还是不时的在我脑海中闪现。

I first wanted to be a cabin-boy, so that I could come out with a white apron³ on and shake a tablecloth⁴ over the side, where all my old comrades could see me;

起初我想当个船上的小伙计，因为这样我就可以系上白围裙，站在船边摇一摇桌布，以便我儿时的小伙伴可以看见我。

later I thought I would rather be the deckhand who stood on the end of the stage-plank with the coil of rope in his hand, because he was particularly conspicuous⁵.

可是随后，我宁愿成为一名水手，手中握着一卷绳子站在踏板边缘，因为那样才会吸引众人的目光。

But these were only day-dreams,they were too heavenly to be contemplated⁶ as real possibilities.

不过这些想法仅仅是拜白日梦而已，这些简直是天方夜谭，根本不可能会实现。

By and by one of our boys went away.

没多久，我们这群伙伴中的一个男孩离开了小镇。

He was not heard of for a long time.

他销声匿迹了好长一段时间。

At last he turned up as apprentice⁷ engineer or 'striker' on a steamboat.

最后，他终于以一种特殊的身份出现，他成了一艘轮船上的见习机械师或是锤手。

This thing shook the bottom out of all my Sunday-school teachings.

我在主日学校所受的教诲也因为这件事而全部改变了。

That boy had been notoriously worldly, and I just the reverse; yet he was exalted⁸ to this eminence⁹, and I left in obscurity and misery¹⁰.

这个男孩曾是个臭名远扬的坏蛋，而我刚好与他不同。可是现在，他却得意洋洋，

There was nothing generous about this fellow in his greatness.

我却一文不值，苦恼不堪。

He would always manage to have a rusty¹¹ bolt to scrub while his boat tarried at our town, and he would sit on the inside guard and scrub it, where we could all see him and envy him and loathe¹² him.

这小子发达之后，变得没有一点气量。一旦他的船停泊在我们小镇上，他总是能设法找来一块生锈的铁栓擦，并且他一直刻意地坐在靠岸的这边栏杆上擦，一定让我们都看见，让我们对他羡慕嫉妒恨。

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