英语听书《白鲸记》第234期

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by its long angle with the floor, seriously contract the already small area of the chapel¹, the architect, it seemed,  如果搭上一个普通的踏级,跟地板形成很大的一个角度,势必大大缩小这个本来面积就很小的教堂的地位,

had acted upon the hint of Father Mapple, and finished the pulpit without a stairs, substituting a perpendicular² side ladder,  因此,那个建筑师似乎按照梅普尔神甫的示意,而造了一只没有踏级的讲坛,只在旁边加上一只垂直的靠梯,

like those used in mounting a ship from a boat at sea.  跟在海上从小艇攀上大船时所用的软梯一样。

The wife of a whaling captain had provided the chapel with a handsome pair of red worsted man-ropes for this ladder,  一个捕鲸船长的太太给这个小教堂送来了一副相当漂亮的用坏了的红色舷门索做梯子,

which, being itself nicely headed, and stained with a mahogany color, the whole contrivance, considering what manner of chapel it was, seemed by no means in bad taste.  那副绳索,因为索头本来就编结得很好看,而且染着一种赤褐色,所以整个装置,配上小教堂原来那种格调,倒也毫无不当之处。

Halting for an instant at the foot of the ladder, and with both hands grasping the ornamental³ knobs of the man-ropes,  梅普尔神甫在梯脚停了一会后,双手抓住舷门索上的装饰品似的结头,

Father Mapple cast a look upwards⁴, and then with a truly sailor-like but still reverential dexterity⁵,  先把眼睛往上一望,再以一种真正的水手式却又不失牧师身份的灵巧身段,

hand over hand, mounted the steps as if ascending⁶ the main-top of his vessel⁷. 手换着手,登上梯级,仿佛登上他的船只的大桅楼。

The perpendicular parts of this side ladder, as is usually the case with swinging ones, were of cloth-covered rope, only the rounds were of wood,  这张靠梯的两边,象通常那种摇摇摆摆的软梯一样,是用包布的绳索做成的,不过,因为踏级是用木棍做成的,

so that at every step there was a joint⁸.  所以每一级都有一个接节。

At my first glimpse of the pulpit, it had not escaped me that however convenient for a ship, these joints⁹ in the present instance seemed unnecessary.  当我初眼瞥到这个讲坛时,立刻就看出这只靠梯尽管用在一般船只上很方便,可是用在这里,这些接节似乎都是多余的。

For I was not prepared to see Father Mapple after gaining the height, slowly turn round,  因为我料不到会看到梅普尔神甫在爬到了上边后,又慢慢转过身来,蹲在讲坛边,慢条斯理地把这只靠梯一级一级地拉上去,

and stooping over the pulpit, deliberately¹⁰ drag up the ladder step by step, till the whole was deposited within, leaving him impregnable in his little Quebec. 直把整只梯子都拉上去,放在讲坛里边,让他自己高处在他那难以攻陷的小魁北克中。

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