美国语文第五册 第220期:斯格威尔的手段(2)

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　　deformities with irons upon their limbs, boys of stunted³ growth,  脚上带着镣铐，瘦骨嶙峋甚而畸形变态；有些孩子矮小侏儒，

　　and others whose long, meager⁴ legs would hardly bear their stooping bodies, all crowded on the view together.  有些孩子胫骨极细，几乎无法撑住佝偻摇晃的躯体。一眼望去，孩子们拥挤成团，

　　There were little faces which should have been handsome, darkened with the scowl⁵ of sullen⁶, dogged suffering;  无法看到本该健康正常的面孔。那满脸愁容的晦暗脸色，顽强挣命的生存痛苦，

　　there was childhood with the light of its eye quenched⁷, its beauty gone, and its helplessness alone remaining. 属于孩童眼眸里的光亮早已淬息，没有天真纯净开朗美丽，只有无以言说的悲哀无助。

　　And yet this scene, painful as it was, had its grotesque⁸ features,  眼前痛苦扭曲的景象，却不乏荒诞无稽的悲戚，

　　which, in a less interested observer than Nicholas, might have provoked a smile.  孩子们神情看起来比尼克贝还要漠然，但时而还能浮现不经意的惨笑。

　　Mrs. Squeers stood at one of the desks, presiding over an immense basin of brimstone and treacle⁹,  此刻，斯格威尔夫人站在桌边，正在掌管分发硫黄粉与糖浆，

　　of which delicious compound she administered a large installment¹⁰ to each boy in succession,  配好的甜味混合物装在一个硕大面盆里，孩子们排列成行，每人嘴里被强行灌进一大勺。

　　using for the purpose a common wooden spoon, which might have been originally manufactured for some gigantic top,  斯格威尔夫人手上拿着一柄家常硕大木勺，或许当初特别出于剂量考虑，

　　and which widened every young gentleman's mouth considerably¹¹,  那把硕大木勺迫使男孩们竭力张大嘴巴，

　　they being all obliged, under heavy corporeal¹² penalties, to take in the whole bowl at a gasp¹³. 由于并非情愿，他们便逃不过残忍的肉体惩罚，喘息间，“啪”得入嘴一大坨。

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