血字的研究 58和先知的会谈(2)

At first this vague and terrible power was exercised only upon the recalcitrants who, having embraced the Mormon faith, wished afterwards to pervert¹ or to abandon it.Soon, however, it took a wider range.

最初，这种神秘莫测的可怕势力只是对付那些叛教之徒的。可是不久，它的范围就扩大了。

The supply of adult women was running short, and polygamy without a female population on which to draw was a barren doctrine² indeed.

这时，成年妇女的供应也已渐感不足。没有足够的妇女，一夫多妻制的教条就要形同虚设。

Strange rumours³ began to be bandied about –rumours of murdered immigrants and rifled camps in regions where Indians had never been seen.

于是各种奇怪的传闻到处传布：在印第安人从来没有到过的地方，移民中途被人谋杀，旅行人的帐篷也遭到抢劫。

Fresh women appeared in the harems of the Elders–women who pined and wept, and bore upon their faces the traces of an unextinguishable horror.

同时，摩门教长老的深屋内室里却出现了陌生的女人。她们面容憔悴，嘤嘤啜泣，脸上流露出难以磨灭的恐惧。

Belated wanderers upon the mountains spoke⁴ of gangs of armed men, masked, stealthy, and noiseless, who flitted by them in the darkness.

据山中迟暮未归的游民传说，在黄昏薄暮时刻，他们看见一队队戴着面具的武装匪徒骑着马，静悄悄地从他们身旁疾驰而过。

These tales and rumours took substance and shape, and were corroborated⁵ and recorroborated, until they resolved themselves into a definite name.

这些故事和传说最初不过是一鳞半爪，但是愈来愈有眉目，经过人们一再印证之后，也就知道这是某人的所作所为了。

To this day, in the lonely ranches⁶ of the West, the name of the Danite Band, or the Avenging⁷ Angels, is a sinister⁸ and an ill-omened one.

直到今天，在西部荒凉的大草原上，"丹奈特帮"和"复仇天使"仍然还是罪恶与不祥的名称。

Fuller knowledge of the organization which produced such terrible results served to increase rather than to lessen⁹ the horror which it inspired in the minds of men.

进一步了解这个罪恶渊薮的组织，只能使人们思想中已经引骑的那种恐怖加深，而不是减轻。

None knew who belonged to this ruthless society.

谁也不知道都是哪些人算在这个残暴的组织里。

The names of the participators in the deeds of blood and violence done under the name of religion were kept profoundly secret.

这些在宗教幌子下进行残酷、血腥行动分子的姓名是绝对保守秘密的。

The very friend to whom you communicated your misgivings¹⁰ as to the Prophet and his mission might be one of those who would come forth¹¹ at night with fire and sword to exact a terrible reparation.

你把你对于先知及其教会不满的言论讲给他听的那个朋友，可能就是夜晚明火执杖前来进行恐怖报复人们中的一个。

Hence every man feared his neighbour, and none spoke of the things which were nearest his heart.

因此，每个人对于他的左邻右舍都不免心怀疑惧，更没有一个人敢于说出他的内心话了。

1 pervert   

n.堕落者，反常者；vt.误用，滥用；使人堕落，使入邪路

参考例句：

• Reading such silly stories will pervert your taste for good books.读这种愚昧的故事会败坏你对好书的嗜好。
• Do not pervert the idea.别歪曲那想法。

2 doctrine   

n.教义；主义；学说

参考例句：

• He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
• The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。

3 rumours   

n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传

参考例句：

• The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。
• Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 corroborated   

v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的过去式 )

参考例句：

• The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses. 此证据由两名独立证人提供。
• Experiments have corroborated her predictions. 实验证实了她的预言。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 ranches   

大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They hauled feedlot manure from the ranches to fertilize their fields. 他们从牧场的饲养场拖走肥料去肥田。
• Many abandoned ranches are purchased or leased by other poultrymen. 许多被放弃的牧场会由其他家禽监主收买或租用。

7 avenging   

adj.报仇的，复仇的v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的现在分词 )；为…报复

参考例句：

• He has devoted the past five years to avenging his daughter's death. 他过去5年一心报丧女之仇。 来自辞典例句
• His disfigured face was like some avenging nemesis of gargoyle design. 他那张破了相的脸，活象面目狰狞的复仇之神。 来自辞典例句

8 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

9 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

10 misgivings   

n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧

参考例句：

• I had grave misgivings about making the trip. 对于这次旅行我有过极大的顾虑。
• Don't be overtaken by misgivings and fear. Just go full stream ahead! 不要瞻前顾后， 畏首畏尾。甩开膀子干吧！ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。