月亮和六便士 第五十章(3)

 It was perhaps ten years later that one morning on board ship, 大约十年之后，有一次我乘船去亚历山大港（在埃及）。

about to land at Alexandria, I was bidden to line up with the other passengers for the doctor's examination. 即将登陆之前，一天早上，我被通知同其他旅客一起排好队，等待医生上船来检查身体。

The doctor was a stout¹ man in shabby clothes, and when he took off his hat I noticed that he was very bald. 来的医生是个衣履寒酸、身体肥硕的人。当他摘下帽子以后，我发现这人的头发已经完全秃了。

I had an idea that I had seen him before. Suddenly I remembered. 我觉得仿佛过去在什么地方见过他。忽然，我想起来了。

"Abraham," I said. “阿伯拉罕。”我喊道。

He turned to me with a puzzled look, and then, recognizing me, seized my hand. 他转过头来，脸上显出惊奇的神色。愣了一会儿，他也认出我来，立刻握住我的手。

After expressions of surprise on either side, hearing that I meant to spend the night in Alexandria, he asked me to dine with him at the English Club. 在我们两人各自惊叹了一番后，他听说我准备在亚历山大港过夜，便邀请我到英侨俱乐部去吃晚饭。

When we met again I declared my astonishment² at finding him there. 在我们会面以后，我再次表示在这个地方遇到他实在出乎我的意料之外。

It was a very modest position that he occupied, and there was about him an air of straitened circumstance. 他现在的职务相当低微，他给人的印象也很寒酸。

Then he told me his story. 这以后他给我讲了他的故事。

When he set out on his holiday in the Mediterranean³ he had every intention of returning to London and his appointment at St. Thomas's. 在他出发到地中海度假的时候，他一心想的是再回伦敦去，到圣·托玛斯医院去就职。

One morning the tramp docked at Alexandria, and from the deck he looked at the city, white in the sunlight, and the crowd on the wharf⁴; 一天早晨，他乘的那艘货轮在亚历山大港靠岸，他从甲板上看着这座阳光照耀下的白色城市，看着码头上的人群。

he saw the natives in their shabby gabardines, the blacks from the Soudan, 他看着穿着褴褛的轧别丁衣服的当地人，从苏丹来的黑人，

the noisy throng⁵ of Greeks and Italians, the grave Turks in tarbooshes, the sunshine and the blue sky; 希腊人和意大利人成群结队、吵吵嚷嚷，土耳其人戴着平顶无檐的土耳其小帽，他看着阳光和碧蓝的天空。

and something happened to him. 就在这个时候，他的心境忽然发生了奇异的变化，

He could not describe it. 他无法描述这是怎么一回事。

It was like a thunder-clap, he said, and then, dissatisfied with this, he said it was like a revelation. 事情来得非常突兀，据他说，好象晴天响起一声霹雳；但他觉得这个譬喻不够妥当，又改口说好象得到了什么启示。

Something seemed to twist his heart, and suddenly he felt an exultation⁶, a sense of wonderful freedom. 他的心好象被什么东西揪了一下。突然间，他感到一阵狂喜，有一种取得无限自由的感觉。

He felt himself at home, and he made up his mind there and then, in a minute, that he would live the rest of his life in Alexandria. 他觉得自己好象回到了老家，他当时当地就打定主意，今后的日子他都要在亚历山大度过了。

He had no great difficulty in leaving the ship, and in twenty-four hours, with all his belongings⁷, he was on shore. 离开货轮并没有什么困难；二十四小时以后，他已经带着自己的全部行李登岸了。

1 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

2 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

3 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

4 wharf   

n.码头，停泊处

参考例句：

• We fetch up at the wharf exactly on time.我们准时到达码头。
• We reached the wharf gasping for breath.我们气喘吁吁地抵达了码头。

5 throng   

n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集

参考例句：

• A patient throng was waiting in silence.一大群耐心的人在静静地等着。
• The crowds thronged into the mall.人群涌进大厅。

6 exultation   

n.狂喜，得意

参考例句：

• It made him catch his breath, it lit his face with exultation. 听了这个名字，他屏住呼吸，乐得脸上放光。
• He could get up no exultation that was really worthy the name. 他一点都激动不起来。

7 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。