🔊 During the last months of spring and the first months of summer in 1833, the rare passersby in the Marais, the petty shopkeepers, the loungers on thresholds, noticed an old man neatly clad in black, who emerged every day at the same hour, towards nightfall, from the Rue de l’Homme Armé, on the side of the Rue Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, passed in front of the Blancs Manteaux, gained the Rue Culture-Sainte-Catherine, and, on arriving at the Rue de l’Écharpe, turned to the left, and entered the Rue Saint-Louis.

在一八三三年暮春至初夏的几个月里,偶尔经过沼泽区的行人、小店主和门槛边的闲人,都注意到一位穿着整洁黑衣的老者。他每天在同一时辰,临近黄昏时分,从武装人街出发,沿圣十字布列塔尼街一侧,穿过白袍街,来到圣卡特琳文化街,走到肩带街时向左拐,进入圣路易街。

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rare /reər/

adj. 稀有的,罕见的➕

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passersby /ˈpɑːsəzˌbaɪ/

n. 过路人,行人➕

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petty /ˈpeti/

adj. 小的,琐碎的；小气的➕

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shopkeepers /ˈʃɒpkiːpəz/

n. 店主,商店老板➕

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loungers /ˈlaʊndʒəz/

n. 闲逛者,懒散的人➕

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thresholds /ˈθreʃhəʊldz/

n. 门槛,入口；起点➕

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clad /klæd/

adj. 穿……衣服的；被覆盖的➕

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emerged /ɪˈmɜːdʒd/

v. 出现,浮现；暴露➕

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nightfall /ˈnaɪtfɔːl/

n. 黄昏,夜幕降临➕

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gained /ɡeɪnd/

v. 获得；到达（经过努力）➕

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neatly /ˈniːtli/

adv. 整洁地,干净利落地➕

🔊 There he walked at a slow pace, with his head strained forward, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, his eye immovably fixed on a point which seemed to be a star to him, which never varied, and which was no other than the corner of the Rue des Filles-du-Calvaire. The nearer he approached the corner of the street the more his eye lighted up; a sort of joy illuminated his pupils like an inward aurora, he had a fascinated and much affected air, his lips indulged in obscure movements, as though he were talking to someone whom he did not see, he smiled vaguely and advanced as slowly as possible. One would have said that, while desirous of reaching his destination, he feared the moment when he should be close at hand. When only a few houses remained between him and that street which appeared to attract him his pace slackened, to such a degree that, at times, one might have thought that he was no longer advancing at all. The vacillation of his head and the fixity of his eyeballs suggested the thought of the magnetic needle seeking the pole. Whatever time he spent on arriving, he was obliged to arrive at last; he reached the Rue des Filles-du-Calvaire; then he halted, he trembled, he thrust his head with a sort of melancholy timidity round the corner of the last house, and gazed into that street, and there was in that tragic look something which resembled the dazzling light of the impossible, and the reflection from a paradise that was closed to him. Then a tear, which had slowly gathered in the corner of his lids, and had become large enough to fall, trickled down his cheek, and sometimes stopped at his mouth. The old man tasted its bitter flavor. Thus he remained for several minutes as though made of stone, then he returned by the same road and with the same step, and, in proportion as he retreated, his glance died out.

他缓步而行,脑袋前倾,什么也看不见,什么也听不见,目光死死地盯住一个点--那对他来说仿佛是一颗恒星,从不变动,那正是卡尔瓦略修女街的街角。离街角越近,他的眼睛就越亮,一种喜悦像内心的曙光似的照亮了瞳孔,他显得既痴迷又激动；嘴唇无声地翕动,仿佛在同某个看不见的人说话；他模糊地微笑着,尽可能慢地前进。你会觉得,他虽然渴望到达目的地,却又害怕自己近在咫尺的那一刻。当他与那条仿佛在吸引他的街道之间只剩下寥寥几座房子时,他的步伐便放慢下来,有时甚至会让人以为他完全停止了前进。他脑袋的摇摆和眼珠的凝滞,令人联想到寻找磁极的磁针。无论他在到达前花费多少时间,最终仍不得不抵达；他走到了卡尔瓦略修女街,然后停下脚步,浑身颤抖,带着一种忧郁的怯懦,把脑袋探出最后一栋房子的拐角,凝视那条街道。在那悲剧式的目光中,有一种类似不可能的炫目光芒,以及一座向他关闭的天堂的倒影。接着,一颗久久凝聚在眼角泪囊里的泪珠,大得足以滴落,顺着他的脸颊滑下,有时停在嘴边。老人品尝着它苦涩的滋味。他就这样像石像般一动不动地待上几分钟,然后沿原路以同样的步子返回,而随着他退开,他的目光也渐渐黯淡。

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strained /streɪnd/

adj. 紧张的；用力的；不自然的➕

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immovably /ɪˈmuːvəbli/

adv. 不动地；坚定地➕

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fixed /fɪkst/

adj. 固定的；确定的➕

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illuminated /ɪˈluːmɪneɪtɪd/

adj. 被照亮的；启蒙的➕

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pupils /ˈpjuːpəlz/

n. 瞳孔；学生（复数）➕

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inward /ˈɪnwəd/

adj. 内部的；向内的➕

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aurora /ɔːˈrɔːrə/

n. 极光➕

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fascinated /ˈfæsɪneɪtɪd/

adj. 入迷的,极感兴趣的➕

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affected /əˈfektɪd/

adj. 受影响的；做作的➕

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indulged /ɪnˈdʌldʒd/

v. 放纵；沉溺➕

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obscure /əbˈskjʊər/

adj. 模糊的；晦涩的；不著名的➕

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vaguely /ˈveɪɡli/

adv. 模糊地；含糊地➕

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desirous /dɪˈzaɪərəs/

adj. 渴望的,想要的➕

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destination /ˌdestɪˈneɪʃn/

n. 目的地,终点➕

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slackened /ˈslækənd/

v. 减慢；放松➕

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vacillation /ˌvæsɪˈleɪʃn/

n. 犹豫不决,摇摆不定➕

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fixity /ˈfɪksəti/

n. 固定性,稳定性➕

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eyeballs /ˈaɪbɔːlz/

n. 眼球➕

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magnetic /mæɡˈnetɪk/

adj. 磁性的；有吸引力的➕

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pole /pəʊl/

n. 极（如北极或南极）；极点➕

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obliged /əˈblaɪdʒd/

adj. 被迫的；感激的➕

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halted /hɔːltɪd/

v. 停止,暂停➕

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trembled /ˈtrembld/

v. 颤抖,哆嗦➕

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thrust /θrʌst/

v. 猛推；刺➕

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melancholy /ˈmelənkəli/

n. 忧郁,悲伤➕

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timidity /tɪˈmɪdəti/

n. 胆怯,羞怯➕

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tragic /ˈtrædʒɪk/

adj. 悲剧的；悲惨的➕

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resembled /rɪˈzembld/

v. 类似于,像➕

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dazzling /ˈdæzlɪŋ/

adj. 耀眼的,令人眼花缭乱的➕

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impossible /ɪmˈpɒsəbl/

adj. 不可能的；难以忍受的➕

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reflection /rɪˈflekʃn/

n. 反射；映象；思考➕

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paradise /ˈpærədaɪs/

n. 天堂,乐园➕

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lids /lɪdz/

n. 眼睑；盖子➕

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trickled /ˈtrɪkld/

v. 滴下,细细地流➕

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bitter /ˈbɪtər/

adj. 苦的；痛苦的；激烈的➕

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flavor /ˈfleɪvər/

n. 味道,风味➕

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proportion /prəˈpɔːʃn/

n. 比例；部分；均衡➕

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retreated /rɪˈtriːtɪd/

v. 撤退,后退➕

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died out /daɪd aʊt/

phr. v. 灭绝；逐渐消失➕

🔊 Little by little, this old man ceased to go as far as the corner of the Rue des Filles-du-Calvaire; he halted half way in the Rue Saint-Louis; sometimes a little further off, sometimes a little nearer.

渐渐地,这位老人不再一直走到卡尔瓦略修女街街角了；他停在圣路易街的半路上；有时稍远些,有时稍近些。

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ceased /siːst/

v. 停止,终止➕

🔊 One day he stopped at the corner of the Rue Culture-Sainte-Catherine and looked at the Rue des Filles-du-Calvaire from a distance. Then he shook his head slowly from right to left, as though refusing himself something, and retraced his steps.

有一天,他在圣卡特琳文化街街角停下,远远地望着卡尔瓦略修女街。然后他缓缓地左右摇着头,仿佛拒绝了自己什么,便转身折返。

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refusing /rɪˈfjuːzɪŋ/

v. 拒绝➕

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retraced /rɪˈtreɪst/

v. 折返；追溯➕

🔊 Soon he no longer came as far as the Rue Saint-Louis. He got as far as the Rue Pavée, shook his head and turned back; then he went no further than the Rue des Trois-Pavillons; then he did not overstep the Blancs-Manteaux. One would have said that he was a pendulum which was no longer wound up, and whose oscillations were growing shorter before ceasing altogether.

不久,他连圣路易街也不到了。他走到铺石街,摇摇头,转身折返；接着他不再越过三亭街；后来连白袍街也不再跨过。你会觉得,他像一只没上发条的钟摆,在彻底停止前,摆动的幅度越来越小。

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overstep /ˌəʊvəˈstep/

v. 超越（界限）➕

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pendulum /ˈpendjʊləm/

n. 钟摆；摇摆不定的事物➕

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wound up /wuːnd ʌp/

phr. v. 上发条；结束（尤指某种状态）➕

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oscillations /ˌɒsɪˈleɪʃnz/

n. 摆动；振荡➕

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ceasing /ˈsiːsɪŋ/

v. 停止,终止➕

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altogether /ˌɔːltəˈɡeðər/

adv. 完全地；总共➕

🔊 Every day he emerged from his house at the same hour, he undertook the same trip, but he no longer completed it, and, perhaps without himself being aware of the fact, he constantly shortened it. His whole countenance expressed this single idea: What is the use?--His eye was dim; no more radiance. His tears were also exhausted; they no longer collected in the corner of his eyelid; that thoughtful eye was dry. The old man’s head was still craned forward; his chin moved at times; the folds in his gaunt neck were painful to behold.

他每天在同一时辰出门,走同一条路,却不再走完全程,而且,也许自己也未曾察觉,他不断地缩短行程。他整张脸只表达一个念头:有什么用呢？--眼睛黯淡无光,再也没有光彩。泪水也枯竭了；它们不再聚集在眼角；那双沉思的眼睛是干涩的。老人的头依然向前伸着；下巴不时地颤抖；瘦削脖子上松弛的皮肤令人看了心酸。

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undertook /ˌʌndəˈtʊk/

v. 承担；着手做➕

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completed /kəmˈpliːtɪd/

v. 完成,结束➕

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constantly /ˈkɒnstəntli/

adv. 不断地,持续地➕

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shortened /ˈʃɔːtnd/

v. 缩短,变短➕

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countenance /ˈkaʊntənəns/

n. 面容,表情；支持➕

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expressed /ɪkˈsprest/

v. 表达；表示➕

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radiance /ˈreɪdiəns/

n. 光辉,光芒；容光焕发➕

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exhausted /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪd/

adj. 筋疲力尽的；耗尽的➕

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thoughtful /ˈθɔːtfl/

adj. 深思的；体贴的➕

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craned /kreɪnd/

v. 伸长（脖子）➕

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gaunt /ɡɔːnt/

adj. 憔悴的,瘦削的➕

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painful /ˈpeɪnfl/

adj. 痛苦的；费力的➕

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behold /bɪˈhəʊld/

v. 看见,目睹➕

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eyelid /ˈaɪlɪd/

n. 眼睑➕

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dim /dɪm/

adj. 暗淡的,昏暗的；模糊的➕

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folds /fəʊldz/

n. 褶皱；折叠的部分➕

🔊 Sometimes, when the weather was bad, he had an umbrella under his arm, but he never opened it.

有时天气不好,他胳膊下夹着一把伞,却从没打开过。

🔊 The good women of the quarter said: "He is an innocent." The children followed him and laughed.

街坊的好心女人们说:“他是个傻子。”孩子们跟在他身后嘻笑。

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innocent /ˈɪnəsnt/

n. 天真的人；无辜者➕

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quarter /ˈkwɔːtər/

n. 地区,街区；四分之一➕

Book VIII. Fading Away of the Twilight – Chapter four: Attraction and Extinction (第四章:吸引与灭绝)

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