雙語小説連載:《董貝父子》第9章 Part 6

'I should recommend you looking up a friend or so,' said Mr Brogley, 'and talking it over.'
“我想建議您去找位朋友，”布羅格利先生説道，“跟他談談這件事情。”
'To be sure!' cried Walter, catching at anything. 'Certainly! Thankee. Captain Cuttle's the man, Uncle. Wait till I run to Captain Cuttle. Keep your eye upon my Uncle, will you, Mr Brogley, and make him as comfortable as you can while I am gone? Don't despair, Uncle Sol. Try and keep a good heart, there's a dear fellow!'
“完全正確！”沃爾特急忙抓住一切機會，喊道。“當然該這麼辦！謝謝您。卡特爾船長就是我們所需要的人，舅舅。等着我，等我跑去找卡特爾船長。布羅格利先生，當我不在家的時候，請您照看一下我的舅舅，儘量安慰安慰他，好嗎？不要灰心喪氣，所爾舅舅。努力振作起精神，這才是個男子漢！”
Saying this with great fervour, and disregarding the old man's broken remonstrances, Walter dashed out of the shop again as hard as he could go; and, having hurried round to the office to excuse himself on the plea of his Uncle's sudden illness, set off, full speed, for Captain Cuttle's residence.
沃爾特熱情洋溢地説完了這些話，不顧老人上句不接下句地勸阻，迅猛地又衝出了店鋪；他急忙跑到辦公室，藉口他舅舅突然病了，請求准假，然後火速地向卡特爾船長的住所進發。
Everything seemed altered as he ran along the streets. There were the usual entanglement and noise of carts, drays, omnibuses, waggons, and foot passengers, but the misfortune that had fallen on the wooden Midshipman made it strange and new. Houses and shops were different from what they used to be, and bore Mr Brogley's warrant on their fronts in large characters. The broker seemed to have got hold of the very churches; for their spires rose into the sky with an unwonted air. Even the sky itself was changed, and had an execution in it plainly.
當他沿着街道跑過去的時候，一切似乎都已改變了。像往常一樣，手推車、大車、公共汽車、運貨馬車和行人混雜在一起，熙熙攘攘，發出了各種鬧聲，可是落到木製海軍軍官候補生身上的不幸使它們變得古怪與新奇。房屋與店鋪跟它們平日的樣子不同，正面有很大的字母寫着布格羅利先生的付款通知單。這位經紀人似乎把教堂也掌握在手中了，因為它們的尖頂以一種不同尋常的氣概升入了天空；甚至天空本身也改變了，也明顯地參與了這件事情的執行。
Captain Cuttle lived on the brink of a little canal near the India Docks, where there was a swivel bridge which opened now and then to let some wandering monster of a ship come roamIng up the street like a stranded leviathan. The gradual change from land to water, on the approach to Captain Cuttle's lodgings, was curious. It began with the erection of flagstaffs, as appurtenances to public-houses; then came slop-sellers' shops, with Guernsey shirts, sou'wester hats, and canvas pantaloons, at once the tightest and the loosest of their order, hanging up outside. These were succeeded by anchor and chain-cable forges, where sledgehammers were dinging upon iron all day long. Then came rows of houses, with little vane-surmounted masts uprearing themselves from among the scarlet beans. Then, ditches. Then, pollard willows. Then, more ditches. Then, unaccountable patches of dirty water, hardly to be descried, for the ships that covered them. Then, the air was perfumed with chips; and all other trades were swallowed up in mast, oar, and block-making, and boatbuilding. Then, the ground grew marshy and unsettled. Then, there was nothing to be smelt but rum and sugar. Then, Captain Cuttle's lodgings - at once a first floor and a top storey, in Brig Place - were close before you.
卡特爾船長住在靠近印度造船廠的小運河的岸邊；那裏有一座旋橋，它不時旋開，讓一些如同漫遊巨怪般的船艦像擱淺了的海中怪獸一樣，沿着街道衝游過去。當走向卡特爾船長住所的時候，從陸地到水上的逐步變化是奇妙有趣的。開始時是一些作為客棧附屬物的旗杆高高聳立着；然後是現成服裝店，店外懸掛着耿濟島①的黑色厚毛線衫，海員用的防水帽以及最緊窄和最寬鬆的帆布褲子。接着是生產錨和錨鏈的鐵工廠，長柄的大鐵錘整天叮叮噹噹地掄打着鐵塊。再下去是一排排房屋，房屋附近種植的紅豆中間豎立着頂上有小風信標的桅杆。接下去是水溝，然後是截去樹梢的柳樹。再下去是更多的水溝。然後是一片片奇怪的髒水，由於上面有船，很難辨認出來。再下去，空氣中散發着刨花的氣味。所有其他行業都被製作桅、槳和滑車的行業和造船業排擠掉了。往下去，土地變得像沼澤一樣低濕、泥濘，很不牢固。再下去，除了朗姆酒和糖的氣味外，再也聞不到別的氣味了。再往下，卡特爾船長的住所就近在您的眼前了。他住在二層樓，那是布里格廣場上最高的一層。
The Captain was one of those timber-looking men, suits of oak as well as hearts, whom it is almost impossible for the liveliest imagination to separate from any part of their dress, however insignificant. Accordingly, when Walter knocked at the door, and the Captain instantly poked his head out of one of his little front windows, and hailed him, with the hard glared hat already on it, and the shirt-collar like a sail, and the wide suit of blue, all standing as usual, Walter was as fully persuaded that he was always in that state, as if the Captain had been a bird and those had been his feathers.
船長是那些看去像木材的人們當中的一位，他們的衣服和身體好像是從一株橡樹中一道砍削出來的，最活躍的想象力也幾乎不可能把他們衣服中的任何一部分從身上分開，哪怕那是無關重要的一部分；因此，當沃爾特敲了門，船長立刻從他前面的小窗子當中的一個伸出頭來招呼他的時候，他像平時一樣，頭上已經戴着那頂上了光的硬帽子，身上已經穿上那套藍色的寬闊的外衣，還露出那像船帆一樣的襯衫領子；沃爾特完全相信，他經常處於這種狀態，彷彿船長是一隻鳥，那些衣帽是他的羽毛似的。 -------- ①耿濟島（IsleofGuernsey）：英國海峽中的一個島。