🔊 It was not till I had been some time in Papeete that I met Dr. Coutras. He was a Frenchman of great culture, and he had the sensibility which is common to men of his race. He was a keen botanist, and he had a fine collection of native plants. He was a man of wide reading, and he loved to talk of the books he had read. He had a sly humour and a pleasant wit. He was a very good fellow. One evening he asked me to dine with him at his house, and after dinner we sat in his garden, smoking and drinking absinthe. Presently, the conversation turned to Strickland.

我来到帕皮提一段时间后,才遇见库特拉斯医生。他是位极有教养的法国人,具有其民族常见的敏感气质。他热衷于植物学,收藏了许多本土植物标本。他博览群书,乐于谈论读过的书籍。他幽默狡黠,谈吐风趣。为人十分和善。一天晚上,他邀我去他家共进晚餐,餐后我们坐在花园里,抽着烟,喝着苦艾酒。不久,话题转向了斯特里克兰。

🔊

sensibility /ˌsensəˈbɪləti/

n. 敏感性；感受力➕

🔊

keen /kiːn/

adj. 敏锐的；热切的➕

🔊

botanist /ˈbɒtənɪst/

n. 植物学家➕

🔊

wide reading /waɪd ˈriːdɪŋ/

n. phrase. 广泛阅读➕

🔊

sly /slaɪ/

adj. 狡猾的；诡诈的➕

🔊

humour /ˈhjuːmə/

n. 幽默；心情➕

🔊

wit /wɪt/

n. 机智；才智➕

🔊

dine /daɪn/

v. 用餐；进餐➕

🔊

absinthe /ˈæbsɪnθ/

n. 苦艾酒➕

🔊

Presently /ˈprezntli/

adv. 不久；目前➕

🔊 "I have seen him, you know," said Dr. Coutras. "I attended him during his last illness."

“你知道,我见过他,”库特拉斯医生说。“他临终时,我曾照料过他。”

🔊

attended /əˈtendɪd/

v. 照料；参加➕

🔊

illness /ˈɪlnəs/

n. 疾病➕

🔊 "Did he die of leprosy?" I asked.

“他死于麻风病吗？”我问。

🔊

leprosy /ˈleprəsi/

n. 麻风病➕

🔊 "Yes."

“是的。”

🔊 I was silent for a moment. I thought of the poor painter, dying in that lonely hut, with no one to care for him but the natives.

我沉默了片刻。想到那位可怜的画家,孤独地死在那间小屋里,除了土著无人照料。

🔊

hut /hʌt/

n. 小屋；茅舍➕

🔊 "Would you like to hear about it?" asked the doctor.

“你想听听吗？”医生问道。

🔊 "Very much."

“非常想。”

🔊 "I was sent for by a native who came to me and said that there was a white man dying in a hut up in the hills. I went at once. When I arrived I found Strickland lying on a bed of mats. He was in a terrible state. He was emaciated, and his hands and feet were covered with sores. He was blind. He was in great pain, but he bore it with fortitude. He did not complain. The native woman who looked after him told me that he had been working on a painting on the walls of the hut. I looked, and I was amazed. The walls were covered with a strange and magnificent design. It was a vision of paradise, but a paradise such as I had never seen nor imagined. It was the work of a man who had seen things hidden from other men. I was overcome with emotion. I knew that I was in the presence of a masterpiece."

“一个土著来找我,说山里一间小屋里有个白人快死了,请我去看看。我立即动身。到达时,我发现斯特里克兰躺在草席床上。他状况凄惨,骨瘦如柴,手脚布满疮疡。他双目失明,剧痛缠身,却以坚韧的毅力默默承受,毫无怨言。照料他的土著妇人告诉我,他一直在小屋的墙壁上作画。我抬眼望去,惊愕不已。墙上覆盖着奇异而壮丽的图案,那是一片天堂的景象,却是我从未见过也未曾想象过的天堂。这是一个窥见了常人不可见之物的艺术家之作。我深受震撼,心知自己正面对着一件杰作。”

🔊

sent for /sent fɔː/

v. phrase. 派人去请；召唤➕

🔊

emaciated /ɪˈmeɪʃieɪtɪd/

adj. 消瘦的；憔悴的➕

🔊

sores /sɔːz/

n. 疮；溃疡➕

🔊

fortitude /ˈfɔːtɪtjuːd/

n. 坚忍；刚毅➕

🔊

looked after /lʊkt ˈɑːftə/

v. phrase. 照料；照顾➕

🔊

amazed /əˈmeɪzd/

adj. 惊讶的；惊奇的➕

🔊

magnificent /mæɡˈnɪfɪsənt/

adj. 壮丽的；宏伟的➕

🔊

design /dɪˈzaɪn/

n. 设计；图案➕

🔊

vision /ˈvɪʒn/

n. 愿景；景象➕

🔊

paradise /ˈpærədaɪs/

n. 天堂；乐园➕

🔊

hidden /ˈhɪdn/

adj. 隐藏的；隐秘的➕

🔊

overcome /ˌəʊvəˈkʌm/

v. 克服；被压倒➕

🔊

emotion /ɪˈməʊʃn/

n. 情感；情绪➕

🔊

presence /ˈprezns/

n. 在场；存在➕

🔊

masterpiece /ˈmɑːstəpiːs/

n. 杰作；代表作➕

🔊 "I stayed with him for some time, and did what I could to ease his suffering. But it was hopeless. He died a few days later. Before he died, he told the native woman to burn the hut after his death. She obeyed him. The hut and the painting were destroyed. Thus perished one of the greatest works of art that has ever been created."

“我陪了他一段时间,尽力减轻他的痛苦。但无济于事。几天后,他去世了。临终前,他嘱咐那位土著妇人,在他死后烧掉小屋。她照办了。小屋和画作一同焚毁。于是,一件有史以来最伟大的艺术作品就此湮灭。”

🔊

ease /iːz/

v. 缓解；减轻➕

🔊

suffering /ˈsʌfərɪŋ/

n. 痛苦；苦难➕

🔊

hopeless /ˈhəʊpləs/

adj. 无望的；绝望的➕

🔊

obeyed /əˈbeɪd/

v. 服从；遵守➕

🔊

destroyed /dɪˈstrɔɪd/

v. 摧毁；破坏➕

🔊

perished /ˈperɪʃt/

v. 毁灭；死亡➕

🔊

works of art /wɜːks əv ɑːt/

n. phrase. 艺术作品➕

🔊 Dr. Coutras was silent for a while. Then he said: "Strickland was a great man. It is a pity that the world will never know his greatness."

库特拉斯医生沉默片刻,然后说道:“斯特里克兰是位伟人。可惜世人永远无法知晓他的伟大。”

🔊

greatness /ˈɡreɪtnəs/

n. 伟大；卓越➕

Chapter fifty-six (第五十六章)

🔒 使用该功能需要授权码