🔊 The visit took place. It was a formidable campaign; a nocturnal battle against pestilence and suffocation. It was, at the same time, a voyage of discovery. One of the survivors of this expedition, an intelligent workingman, who was very young at the time, related curious details with regard to it, several years ago, which Bruneseau thought himself obliged to omit in his report to the prefect of police, as unworthy of official style. The processes of disinfection were, at that epoch, extremely rudimentary. Hardly had Bruneseau crossed the first articulations of that subterranean network, when eight laborers out of the twenty refused to go any further. The operation was complicated; the visit entailed the necessity of cleaning; hence it was necessary to cleanse and at the same time, to proceed; to note the entrances of water, to count the gratings and the vents, to lay out in detail the branches, to indicate the currents at the point where they parted, to define the respective bounds of the divers basins, to sound the small sewers grafted on the principal sewer, to measure the height under the keystone of each drain, and the width, at the spring of the vaults as well as at the bottom, in order to determine the arrangements with regard to the level of each water-entrance, either of the bottom of the arch, or on the soil of the street. They advanced with toil. The lanterns pined away in the foul atmosphere. From time to time, a fainting sewerman was carried out. At certain points, there were precipices. The soil had given away, the pavement had crumbled, the sewer had changed into a bottomless well; they found nothing solid; a man disappeared suddenly; they had great difficulty in getting him out again. On the advice of Fourcroy, they lighted large cages filled with tow steeped in resin, from time to time, in spots which had been sufficiently disinfected. In some places, the wall was covered with misshapen fungi--one would have said tumors; the very stone seemed diseased within this unbreathable atmosphere.

视察如期进行。这是一场可怕的战役；一场对抗瘟疫和窒息的夜战。同时,这也是一次发现之旅。此次探险的幸存者中,有位当时还很年轻的聪明工人,数年后讲述了其中离奇的细节,而布鲁内索认为这些细节不配写入给警察局长的官方报告,便省略了。在那个时代,消毒方法极为原始。布鲁内索刚踏入地下水网的第一道拱弯,二十名工人中就有八名拒绝继续前进。行动十分复杂:视察必然伴随着清理；因此必须一边清理,一边前进；记录进水口,清点格栅和通风口,详细标注支管,标明分流处的流向,界定各个蓄水池的范围,探测主下水道上的小支管,测量每个排水渠拱顶的高度,以及拱基和底部的宽度,以确定每个进水口的高度安排--无论是拱底还是街面。他们艰难地前进。灯笼在污浊的空气中黯淡下去。不时有昏迷的下水道工人被抬出去。在某些地方,出现了深渊。地面塌陷,路面崩裂,下水道变成了无底洞；他们找不到任何坚实之处；一个人突然消失,费了很大力气才把他重新救出。根据富克鲁瓦的建议,他们不时在充分消毒过的地方点燃装满浸透树脂麻屑的大笼子。有些地方的墙壁覆盖着畸形的真菌--仿佛肿瘤；就连石头在这难以呼吸的环境中似乎也生了病。

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formidable /ˈfɔːrmɪdəbəl/

adj. 令人畏惧的；强大的；难以克服的➕

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nocturnal /nɒkˈtɜːrnəl/

adj. 夜间发生的；夜间的➕

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pestilence /ˈpɛstɪləns/

n. 瘟疫；恶性传染病➕

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suffocation /ˌsʌfəˈkeɪʃən/

n. 窒息；闷死➕

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expedition /ˌɛkspɪˈdɪʃən/

n. 探险；远征；考察➕

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rudimentary /ˌruːdɪˈmɛntəri/

adj. 基本的；初步的；未发展的➕

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subterranean /ˌsʌbtəˈreɪniən/

adj. 地下的；隐秘的➕

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articulations /ɑːrˌtɪkjuˈleɪʃənz/

n. 连接处；关节；清晰的发音➕

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precipices /ˈprɛsɪpɪsɪz/

n. 悬崖；绝壁；危险境地➕

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unbreathable /ʌnˈbriːðəbəl/

adj. 无法呼吸的；不宜呼吸的➕

🔊 Bruneseau, in his exploration, proceeded down hill. At the point of separation of the two water-conduits of the Grand-Hurleur, he deciphered upon a projecting stone the date of 1550; this stone indicated the limits where Philibert Delorme, charged by Henri II with visiting the subterranean drains of Paris, had halted. This stone was the mark of the sixteenth century on the sewer; Bruneseau found the handiwork of the seventeenth century once more in the Ponceau drain of the old Rue Vieille-du-Temple, vaulted between 1600 and 1650; and the handiwork of the eighteenth in the western section of the collecting canal, walled and vaulted in 1740. These two vaults, especially the less ancient, that of 1740, were more cracked and decrepit than the masonry of the belt sewer, which dated from 1412, an epoch when the brook of fresh water of Ménilmontant was elevated to the dignity of the Grand Sewer of Paris, an advancement analogous to that of a peasant who should become first valet de chambre to the King; something like Gros-Jean transformed into Lebel.

布鲁内索在探险中一路向下。在格兰·于勒两条水道的分岔处,他辨认出一块凸起的石头上刻有1550年的日期；这块石头标志着菲利贝尔·德洛姆受亨利二世委托视察巴黎地下排水渠时停步的界限。这块石头是十六世纪在下水道留下的印记；布鲁内索又在旧老圣殿街的蓬索沟渠中发现了十七世纪的痕迹,该渠建于1600至1650年间；并在十八世纪的集水渠西段（1740年砌筑并加盖拱顶）发现了十八世纪的痕迹。这两个拱顶,尤其是较晚的那个（1740年）,比环绕式下水道的砌体（建于1412年）更显开裂破败--那时梅尼蒙唐的淡水溪流被提升为巴黎的大阴沟,犹如农夫擢升为国王的贴身内侍,好比格罗-让变成了勒贝尔。

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deciphered /dɪˈsaɪfərd/

v. 破译；辨认（模糊的字迹或密码）➕

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handiwork /ˈhændiˌwɜːrk/

n. 手工制品；所作所为➕

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decrepit /dɪˈkrɛpɪt/

adj. 破旧的；衰老的；摇摇欲坠的➕

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masonry /ˈmeɪsənri/

n. 石工；砖石建筑；砌体➕

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analogous /əˈnæləɡəs/

adj. 相似的；类比的➕

🔊 Here and there, particularly beneath the Courthouse, they thought they recognized the hollows of ancient dungeons, excavated in the very sewer itself. Hideous in-pace. An iron neck-collar was hanging in one of these cells. They walled them all up. Some of their finds were singular; among others, the skeleton of an orangutan, who had disappeared from the Jardin des Plantes in 1800, a disappearance probably connected with the famous and indisputable apparition of the devil in the Rue des Bernardins, in the last year of the eighteenth century. The poor devil had ended by drowning himself in the sewer.

四处可见,尤其是在法院大楼下方,他们以为认出了古老地牢的凹陷,就开凿在下水道本身之中。可怖的永囚室。其中一个囚室里挂着一副铁颈圈。他们把所有这些都封死了。有些发现颇为奇特:其中包括一只猩猩的骨架,这只猩猩于1800年从植物园失踪--这次失踪很可能与18世纪最后一年贝尔纳丹街上著名的、无可置疑的魔鬼显灵事件有关。那可怜的魔鬼最终投下水道自尽了。

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hollows /ˈhɒloʊz/

n. 洞穴；凹陷处；空洞➕

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indisputable /ˌɪndɪˈspjuːtəbəl/

adj. 无可争辩的；毋庸置疑的➕

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apparition /ˌæpəˈrɪʃən/

n. 幽灵；鬼魂；突然出现的事物➕

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skeleton /ˈskɛlɪtən/

n. 骨骼；骷髅；骨架➕

🔊 Beneath this long, arched drain which terminated at the Arche-Marion, a perfectly preserved ragpicker's basket excited the admiration of all connoisseurs. Everywhere, the mire, which the sewermen came to handle with intrepidity, abounded in precious objects, jewels of gold and silver, precious stones, coins. If a giant had filtered this cesspool, he would have had the riches of centuries in his lair. At the point where the two branches of the Rue du Temple and of the Rue Sainte-Avoye separate, they picked up a singular Huguenot medal in copper, bearing on one side the pig hooded with a cardinal's hat, and on the other, a wolf with a tiara on his head.

在这条通向阿尔克-马里翁的长拱形排水渠下,一只保存完好的拾荒者篮子赢得了所有行家的赞叹。到处是泥浆,下水道工人勇敢地翻动着它们,其中充满了贵重物品--金银珠宝、宝石、钱币。若有一个巨人过滤这个污水池,他将在巢穴中聚敛数个世纪的财富。在坦普尔街和圣阿瓦耶街两条分支汇合处,他们捡到一枚奇特的铜制胡格诺派奖章,一面是戴着红衣主教帽的猪,另一面是头戴三重冠的狼。

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connoisseurs /ˌkɒnəˈsɜːrz/

n. 鉴赏家；行家；内行➕

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intrepidity /ˌɪntrɪˈpɪdɪti/

n. 无畏；勇敢；刚毅➕

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cesspool /ˈsɛspuːl/

n. 污水池；化粪池；污秽之地➕

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Huguenot /ˈhjuːɡənɒt/

n. 胡格诺派（16-17世纪法国新教徒）➕

🔊 The most surprising rencounter was at the entrance to the Grand Sewer. This entrance had formerly been closed by a grating of which nothing but the hinges remained. From one of these hinges hung a dirty and shapeless rag which, arrested there in its passage, no doubt, had floated there in the darkness and finished its process of being torn apart. Bruneseau held his lantern close to this rag and examined it. It was of very fine batiste, and in one of the corners, less frayed than the rest, they made out a heraldic coronet and embroidered above these seven letters: LAVBESP. The crown was the coronet of a Marquis, and the seven letters signified "Laubespine." They recognized the fact, that what they had before their eyes was a morsel of the shroud of Marat. Marat in his youth had had amorous intrigues. This was when he was a member of the household of the Comte d'Artois, in the capacity of physician to the Stables. From these love affairs, historically proved, with a great lady, he had retained this sheet. As a waif or a souvenir. At his death, as this was the only linen of any fineness which he had in his house, they buried him in it. Some old women had shrouded him for the tomb in that swaddling-band in which the tragic Friend of the people had enjoyed voluptuousness. Bruneseau passed on. They left that rag where it hung; they did not put the finishing touch to it. Did this arise from scorn or from respect? Marat deserved both. And then, destiny was there sufficiently stamped to make them hesitate to touch it. Besides, the things of the sepulchre must be left in the spot which they select. In short, the relic was a strange one. A Marquise had slept in it; Marat had rotted in it; it had traversed the Pantheon to end with the rats of the sewer. This chamber rag, of which Watteau would formerly have joyfully sketched every fold, had ended in becoming worthy of the fixed gaze of Dante.

最惊人的遭遇是在大阴沟的入口处。这个入口原先由一道格栅封闭,如今只剩下铰链。其中一个铰链上挂着一块肮脏不成形的破布,想必是在经过此处时被勾住,在黑暗中漂浮并最终撕碎。布鲁内索将灯笼凑近这块破布,仔细察看。那是极细的亚麻细布,在一个磨损较轻的角上,他们辨认出一个纹章冠饰绣在这些字母的上方,字母为LAVBESP。那冠饰是侯爵冠,这七个字母代表“Laubespine”。他们意识到,眼前之物正是马拉裹尸布的一角。马拉年轻时有过风流韵事。那是他担任阿图瓦伯爵府邸马厩医生的时候。这些与一位贵妇人的恋情（历史上已有证实）使他保留了这张床单--作为纪念或遗物。他去世时,因家中只有这件精细的亚麻衣物,便用它裹尸下葬。几个老妇人就用这条人民之友曾沉湎于欢愉的襁褓将他包裹入土。布鲁内索继续前行。他们任由那块破布挂在原处,没有把它拿下。这是出于蔑视还是尊敬？马拉两者都配得上。而且,命运在那里刻下了如此明显的印记,使他们不敢触碰。此外,属于坟墓的东西必须留在它们自行选择的地点。总之,这件遗物十分奇特:一位侯爵夫人曾睡在上面,马拉曾在里面腐烂,它穿过先贤祠,最终与下水道的老鼠为伴。这块闺房破布,昔日华托会欣然描摹其每一道褶皱,如今却终成但丁凝神注视的对象。

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heraldic /hɛˈrældɪk/

adj. 纹章学的；纹章的➕

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coronet /ˈkɔːrənɪt/

n. （贵族戴的）小冠冕；冠状头饰➕

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embroidered /ɪmˈbrɔɪdərd/

adj. 绣花的；刺绣的➕

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sepulchre /ˈsɛpəlkər/

n. 坟墓；墓穴➕

🔊 The whole visit to the subterranean stream of filth of Paris lasted seven years, from 1805 to 1812. As he proceeded, Bruneseau drew, directed, and completed considerable works; in 1808 he lowered the arch of the Ponceau, and, everywhere creating new lines, he pushed the sewer, in 1809, under the Rue Saint-Denis as far as the fountain of the Innocents; in 1810, under the Rue Froidmanteau and under the Salpêtrière; in 1811 under the Rue Neuve-des-Petits-Pères, under the Rue du Mail, under the Rue de l'Écharpe, under the Place Royale; in 1812, under the Rue de la Paix, and under the Chaussée d'Antin. At the same time, he had the whole network disinfected and rendered healthful. In the second year of his work, Bruneseau engaged the assistance of his son-in-law Nargaud. It was thus that, at the beginning of the century, ancient society cleansed its double bottom, and performed the toilet of its sewer. There was that much clean, at all events.

对巴黎地下秽流的整个视察持续了七年,从1805年到1812年。在推进过程中,布鲁内索规划、指导并完成了大量工程；1808年他降低了蓬索沟渠的拱顶,并到处开辟新线路；1809年他将下水道延伸到圣但尼街至无辜者喷泉；1810年延伸到弗鲁瓦芒托街和萨尔佩特里埃医院下方；1811年延伸到小神父新街、邮袋街、绶带街和皇家广场下方；1812年延伸到和平街和昂坦堤道下方。同时,他对整个网络进行了消毒和卫生化处理。工作的第二年,布鲁内索请来了女婿纳尔戈协助。就这样,在本世纪初,古老的社会清理了它的双重底层,为它的下水道做了清洁。至少这一点是干净的。

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filth /fɪlθ/

n. 污秽；肮脏；脏物➕

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considerable /kənˈsɪdərəbəl/

adj. 相当大的；重要的；可观的➕

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rendered /ˈrɛndərd/

v. 使成为；给予；表达➕

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healthful /ˈhɛlθfəl/

adj. 有益于健康的；健康的➕

🔊 Tortuous, cracked, unpaved, full of fissures, intersected by gullies, jolted by eccentric elbows, mounting and descending illogically, fetid, wild, fierce, submerged in obscurity, with cicatrices on its pavements and scars on its walls, terrible--such was, retrospectively viewed, the antique sewer of Paris. Ramifications in every direction, crossings, of trenches, branches, goose-feet, stars, as in military mines, coecum, blind alleys, vaults lined with saltpetre, pestiferous pools, scabby sweats, on the walls, drops dripping from the ceilings, darkness; nothing could equal the horror of this old, waste crypt, the digestive apparatus of Babylon, a cavern, ditch, gulf pierced with streets, a titanic mole-burrow, where the mind seems to behold that enormous blind mole, the past, prowling through the shadows, in the filth which has been splendor. This, we repeat, was the sewer of the past.

蜿蜒曲折、龟裂、未铺砌、布满裂缝、被沟壑切割、被古怪的拐角颠簸、不合逻辑地起伏、恶臭、野蛮、凶险、沉没在黑暗中,路面有瘢痕,墙壁有伤疤--令人恐怖--这就是回顾中的巴黎古老下水道。各个方向的岔道、交叉、沟渠、支管、鹅掌形、星形（如同军事坑道）、盲肠、死胡同、结着硝石的拱顶、瘟疫般的泥潭、墙壁上渗出痂皮、天花板上滴下水珠、黑暗--没有什么能与这古老废弃的地穴之恐怖相比,这是巴比伦的消化器官,一个洞穴、深沟、布满街道的深渊,一座巨大的鼹鼠洞,令人仿佛看到那只巨大的盲鼹鼠--过去--在阴影中潜行,在曾是辉煌的污秽中游荡。这,我们再说一遍,就是过去的下水道。

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Tortuous /ˈtɔːrtʃuəs/

adj. 弯曲的；蜿蜒的；复杂的➕

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fissures /ˈfɪʃərz/

n. 裂缝；裂痕；分歧➕

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eccentric /ɪkˈsɛntrɪk/

adj. 古怪的；异乎寻常的；偏心的➕

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obscurity /əbˈskjʊrɪti/

n. 昏暗；模糊；默默无闻➕

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Ramifications /ˌræmɪfɪˈkeɪʃənz/

n. 分支；分支系统；衍生结果➕

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pestiferous /pɛˈstɪfərəs/

adj. 传播疾病的；有害的；讨厌的➕

Book II. The Intestine of the Leviathan – Chapter four (第四章)

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