月亮和六便士 第二十一章(2)

 　　I received the impression of a life which was a bitter struggle against every sort of difficulty;  我的总印象是，这个人一直在同各式各样的困难艰苦斗争；

　　but I realised that much which would have seemed horrible to most people did not in the least affect him.  但是我发现对于大多数人说来似乎是根本无法忍受的事，他却丝毫不以为苦。

　　Strickland was distinguished¹ from most Englishmen by his perfect indifference² to comfort;  思特里克兰德与多数英国人不同的地方在于他完全不关心生活上的安乐舒适。

　　it did not irk him to live always in one shabby room; he had no need to be surrounded by beautiful things.  叫他一辈子住在一间破破烂烂的屋子里他也不会感到不舒服，他不需要身边有什么漂亮的陈设。

　　I do not suppose he had ever noticed how dingy³ was the paper on the wall of the room in which on my first visit I found him.  我猜想他从来没有注意到我第一次拜访他时屋子的糊墙纸是多么肮脏。

　　He did not want arm-chairs to sit in; he really felt more at his ease on a kitchen chair.  他不需要有一张安乐椅，坐在硬靠背椅上他倒觉得更舒服自在。

　　He ate with appetite, but was indifferent to what he ate; to him it was only food that he devoured⁴ to still the pangs⁵ of hunger;  他的胃口很好，但对于究竟吃什么却漠不关心。对他说来他吞咽下去的只是为了解饥果腹的食物，

　　and when no food was to be had he seemed capable of doing without.  有的时候断了顿儿，他好像还有挨饿的本领。

　　I learned that for six months he had lived on a loaf of bread and a bottle of milk a day.  从他的谈话中我知道他有六个月之久每天只靠一顿面包、一瓶牛奶过活。

　　He was a sensual man, and yet was indifferent to sensual things.  他是一个耽于饮食声色的人，但对这些事物又毫不在意。

　　He looked upon privation as no hardship.  他不把忍饥受冻当作什么苦难。

　　There was something impressive in the manner in which he lived a life wholly of the spirit. 他这样完完全全地过着一种精神生活，不由你不被感动。

　　When the small sum of money which he brought with him from London came to an end he suffered from no dismay.  当他把从伦敦带来的一点钱花完以后，他也没有沮丧气馁。

　　He sold no pictures; I think he made little attempt to sell any; he set about finding some way to make a bit of money.  他没有出卖自己的画作，我想他在这方面并没有怎么努力。他开始寻找一些挣钱的门径。

　　He told me with grim humour of the time he had spent acting⁶ as guide to Cockneys who wanted to see the night side of life in Paris;  他用自我解嘲的语气告诉我，有一段日子他曾经给那些想领略巴黎夜生活的伦敦人当向导。

　　it was an occupation that appealed to his sardonic⁷ temper and somehow or other he had acquired a wide acquaintance with the more disreputable quarters of the city.  由于他惯爱嘲讽挖苦，这倒是一个投合他脾气的职业。他对这座城市的那些不体面的地区逐渐都熟悉起来。

　　He told me of the long hours he spent walking about the Boulevard de la Madeleine on the look-out for Englishmen,  他告诉我他如何在马德莲大马路走来走去，希望遇到个想看看法律所不允许的事物的英国老乡，

　　preferably the worse for liquor, who desired to see things which the law forbade.  最好是个带有几分醉意的人。如果运气好他就能赚一笔钱。

　　When in luck he was able to make a tidy sum; but the shabbiness of his clothes at last frightened the sight-seers, and he could not find people adventurous⁸ enough to trust themselves to him.  但是后来他那身破烂衣服把想观光的人都吓跑了，他找不到敢于把自己交到他手里的冒险家了。

　　Then he happened on a job to translate the advertisements of patent medicines which were sent broadcast to the medical profession in England.  这时由于偶然的机会他找到了一个翻译专卖药广告的工作，这些药要在英国医药界推销，需要英语说明。

　　During a strike he had been employed as a house-painter. 有一次赶上罢工，他甚至还当过粉刷房屋的油漆匠。

1 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

2 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

3 dingy   

adj.昏暗的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• It was a street of dingy houses huddled together. 这是一条挤满了破旧房子的街巷。
• The dingy cottage was converted into a neat tasteful residence.那间脏黑的小屋已变成一个整洁雅致的住宅。

4 devoured   

吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
• The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。

5 pangs   

突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛

参考例句：

• She felt sudden pangs of regret. 她突然感到痛悔不已。
• With touching pathos he described the pangs of hunger. 他以极具感伤力的笔触描述了饥饿的痛苦。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 sardonic   

adj.嘲笑的，冷笑的，讥讽的

参考例句：

• She gave him a sardonic smile.她朝他讥讽地笑了一笑。
• There was a sardonic expression on her face.她脸上有一种嘲讽的表情。

8 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。