🔊 I arrived at Tahiti in the early morning, and as soon as I had set foot on shore I began to inquire for Charles Strickland. I was surprised to find how many people knew him. The captain of the schooner on which I had come from Auckland had heard of him; he told me that Strickland had a plantation in the interior. The owner of the hotel at which I was staying had met him. It appeared that Strickland had become a figure of note in the island.

我在清晨抵达塔希提,一上岸就开始打听查尔斯·斯特里克兰的消息。让我惊讶的是,竟有如此多的人知道他。我从奥克兰乘来的纵帆船船长就听说过他；他告诉我斯特里克兰在内陆有个种植园。我下榻的旅馆老板也见过他。看来斯特里克兰在岛上已经成了个知名人物。

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inquire /ɪnˈkwaɪər/

v. 询问,打听➕

🔊

schooner /ˈskuːnər/

n. 纵帆船➕

🔊

plantation /plænˈteɪʃən/

n. 种植园,大农场➕

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interior /ɪnˈtɪəriər/

n. 内陆,内部➕

🔊

figure of note /ˈfɪɡər əv nəʊt/

n. phrase. 知名人物,重要人物➕

🔊 'You mean to say that you have never heard of him?' said the landlord, when I asked him if he knew Strickland. 'He was a great painter. He lived here for some years. Have you never heard of the English painter who lived in the mountains? He was a little mad, I think.'

“你是说你从没听说过他？”当我问旅馆老板是否认识斯特里克兰时,他说道。“他是个大画家。在这里住了些年头。你没听说过那个住在山里的英国画家吗？我觉得他有点儿疯。”

🔊

landlord /ˈlændlɔːrd/

n. 房东,地主➕

🔊 I told him that I had come to Tahiti because I had heard that Strickland had died there.

我告诉他,我来塔希提是因为听说斯特里克兰死在了这里。

🔊 'Oh, yes, he died here. It was a great tragedy. He was a leper.'

“哦,是的,他死在这儿。真是场大悲剧。他是个麻风病人。”

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tragedy /ˈtrædʒədi/

n. 悲剧,惨剧➕

🔊

leper /ˈlepər/

n. 麻风病人；被排斥的人➕

🔊 I was startled. I had not heard that.

我吃了一惊。我没听说过这事。

🔊

startled /ˈstɑːrtld/

adj. 震惊的,受惊吓的➕

🔊 'Yes, he died of leprosy. It is a horrible disease.'

“是的,他死于麻风病。那是一种可怕的疾病。”

🔊

leprosy /ˈleprəsi/

n. 麻风病➕

🔊 I asked him to tell me what he knew of Strickland.

我请他讲讲他所知道的斯特里克兰。

🔊 'It is a long story,' he said. 'Are you in a hurry?'

“说来话长,”他说。“你着急吗？”

🔊 'Not at all,' I answered.

“一点也不,”我答道。

🔊 'Well, come and have a drink with me. I will tell you about him.'

“好吧,来跟我喝一杯。我跟你讲讲他的事。”

🔊 We went into the bar of the hotel, and he ordered drinks.

我们走进旅馆的酒吧,他点了酒。

🔊 He was a man of about fifty, with a bald head and a jovial face. He had lived in Tahiti for twenty years, and he knew everyone on the island.

他约莫五十岁,秃顶,面容快活。他在塔希提住了二十年,岛上的人他都认识。

🔊

bald /bɔːld/

adj. 秃头的,光秃的➕

🔊

jovial /ˈdʒəʊviəl/

adj. 愉快的,快乐的➕

🔊 'Strickland came here about five years ago,' he began. 'He had no money, and he was in a bad way.'

“斯特里克兰大约五年前来到这里,”他开始讲述。“他身无分文,境况很糟。”

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in a bad way /ɪn ə bæd weɪ/

adj. phrase. 处境糟糕,情况不好➕

🔊 'He had been working his passage on a sailing ship from Marseilles, and he was half starved when he arrived.'

“他搭乘一艘从马赛来的帆船,靠干活抵船费,到达时已经饿得半死。”

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working his passage /ˈwɜːrkɪŋ hɪz ˈpæsɪdʒ/

v. phrase. 以工作抵偿船费➕

🔊

sailing ship /ˈseɪlɪŋ ʃɪp/

n. phrase. 帆船➕

🔊

half starved /hæf stɑːrvd/

adj. phrase. 半饥饿的,极度饥饿的➕

🔊 'He came to my hotel and asked for a room. I gave him one, and he stayed with me for a month.'

“他来到我的旅馆要一间房。我给了他一个,他在我这儿住了一个月。”

🔊 'He was a quiet fellow, and he paid his bill regularly.'

“他是个安静的家伙,账单也付得及时。”

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fellow /ˈfɛloʊ/

n. 家伙,同伴➕

🔊

regularly /ˈrɛɡjələrli/

adv. 定期地,有规律地➕

🔊 'Then one day he told me he was going to live in the mountains.'

“后来有一天,他告诉我他要去山里住。”

🔊 'He had met a native woman who was willing to have him, and he was going to live with her.'

“他遇到了一个愿意接纳他的土著女人,打算和她一起生活。”

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native /ˈneɪtɪv/

adj. 本地的,土生土长的➕

🔊

willing /ˈwɪlɪŋ/

adj. 愿意的,乐意的➕

🔊 'I thought he was mad, but he was determined. So he went, and I did not see him again for a long time.'

“我觉得他疯了,但他决心已定。于是他就走了,我好长时间没再见到他。”

🔊

determined /dɪˈtɜːrmɪnd/

adj. 坚定的,决意的➕

🔊 'What was the woman like?' I asked.

“那女人什么样？”我问道。

🔊 'She was a young girl, Ata by name. She was a good girl, and she loved him.'

“她是个年轻姑娘,名叫阿塔。她是个好姑娘,而且爱他。”

🔊 'They lived in a hut in the valley, and Strickland painted all day.'

“他们住在山谷的一间小屋里,斯特里克兰整天画画。”

🔊

hut /hʌt/

n. 小屋,棚屋➕

🔊

valley /ˈvæli/

n. 山谷,溪谷➕

🔊 'After a while, people began to hear of him, and sometimes they would go to see him.'

“过了一阵子,人们开始听说他,有时会去看他。”

🔊 'He did not mind visitors, but he did not welcome them either. He just went on with his work.'

“他不介意访客,但也不欢迎他们。他只是继续工作。”

🔊 'Then he fell ill. At first it was just a fever, but it got worse, and Ata came to fetch me.'

“后来他病了。起初只是发烧,但越来越重,阿塔来找我。”

🔊

fetch /fɛtʃ/

v. 去取来,接来➕

🔊 'I went up to the hut, and I saw that he had leprosy. It was a terrible sight.'

“我去了小屋,看到他得了麻风病。那景象真可怕。”

🔊 'I wanted to take him to the hospital, but he refused to go. He said he would die where he was.'

“我想送他去医院,但他拒绝去。他说要死在原地。”

🔊

refused /rɪˈfjuːzd/

v. 拒绝➕

🔊 'So Ata nursed him, and she never left his side. He died about a year ago.'

“于是阿塔照料他,从未离开过他身边。他大约一年前去世了。”

🔊

nursed /nɜːrst/

v. 护理,照料➕

🔊 I listened to this story in silence. It was a sad end for a man who had sought freedom and beauty.

我默默听着这个故事。对于一个追求自由与美的人来说,这是个悲伤的结局。

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silence /ˈsaɪləns/

n. 沉默,寂静➕

🔊

sought /sɔːt/

v. 寻求,寻找（seek的过去式）➕

🔊

freedom /ˈfriːdəm/

n. 自由➕

🔊

beauty /ˈbjuːti/

n. 美丽,美貌➕

🔊 'Where is Ata now?' I asked.

“阿塔现在在哪儿？”我问道。

🔊 'She is still in the hut. She has a child by Strickland, a boy. She lives there alone, and she tends the grave.'

“她还在小屋里。她给斯特里克兰生了个孩子,是个男孩。她独自住在那儿,照看着坟墓。”

🔊

tends /tendz/

v. 照料；照顾➕

🔊

grave /ɡreɪv/

n. 坟墓➕

🔊 I thanked the landlord for his story, and I went out into the sunshine.

我谢过老板的讲述,走到阳光里。

🔊 I felt that I had come closer to understanding Strickland, but there was still much that was mysterious.

我感觉自己更接近理解斯特里克兰了,但仍有诸多谜团未解。

🔊

understanding /ˌʌndərˈstændɪŋ/

n. 理解；谅解➕

🔊

mysterious /mɪˈstɪriəs/

adj. 神秘的➕

Chapter thirty-six (第三十六章)

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