The kindling eye and heightened colour of the boy, who had risen from his seat in the earnestness of what he said and felt, seemed to remind old Sol of something he had forgotten, or that his encircling mist had hitherto shut out. Instead of proceeding with any more anecdotes, as he had evidently intended but a moment before, he gave a short dry cough, and said, 'Well! suppose we change the subject.'
孩子对他们讲的事情真诚地感到激动,已经从坐位上站起来;他那闪闪发光的眼睛和发红的脸似乎在向老所尔提醒,他已经忘记了一些什么事情,或者提醒他,他四周的迷雾到现在已经消散了。虽然片刻之前他显然还打算讲一些奇闻轶事,但现在他已不再继续讲它们了。他短短地干咳了一声,说,“唔,我们换个话题吧。”
The truth was, that the simple-minded Uncle in his secret attraction towards the marvellous and adventurous - of which he was, in some sort, a distant relation, by his trade - had greatly encouraged the same attraction in the nephew; and that everything that had ever been put before the boy to deter him from a life of adventure, had had the usual unaccountable effect of sharpening his taste for it. This is invariable. It would seem as if there never was a book written, or a story told, expressly with the object of keeping boys on shore, which did not lure and charm them to the ocean, as a matter of course.
事实是,由于这位心地纯朴的舅舅本人暗中向往一切奇异和冒险的事迹——就他的职业来说,他和这类事迹也可说有几分远亲的关系——,他已经在他外甥的心中大大激起了同样向往的心情;一直来为诱导孩子不要从事冒险生涯所说的一切,通常总是激励了他对它的兴趣,这样的结果是无法解释的。情况总是这样,不会改变。为了劝告孩子们留在陆地上而写作的书本或讲述的故事,照例总是诱惑和吸引他们到海洋上去。似乎从来没有过相反的情形。
But an addition to the little party now made its appearance, in the shape of a gentleman in a wide suit of blue, with a hook instead of a hand attached to his right wrist; very bushy black eyebrows; and a thick stick in his left hand, covered all over (like his nose) with knobs. He wore a loose black silk handkerchief round his neck, and such a very large coarse shirt collar, that it looked like a small sail. He was evidently the person for whom the spare wine-glass was intended, and evidently knew it; for having taken off his rough outer coat, and hung up, on a particular peg behind the door, such a hard glazed hat as a sympathetic person's head might ache at the sight of, and which left a red rim round his own forehead as if he had been wearing a tight basin, he brought a chair to where the clean glass was, and sat himself down behind it. He was usually addressed as Captain, this visitor; and had been a pilot, or a skipper, or a privateersman, or all three perhaps; and was a very salt-looking man indeed.
可是这时候来了一位先生,使这小小的聚会增加了一个人。他穿着一件宽阔的蓝外衣,在右腕下面有一个钩子,而不是一只手;他的眉毛又黑又浓,左手拿着一根粗大的手杖,手杖上有好多节,就像他鼻子上有好多疙瘩一样。他的脖子上宽松地系着一条黑色的绸围巾;衬衫领子很大,质地粗劣,看上去就像一面小船帆一样。显然,他就是那只空酒杯所等待的人。他也显然知道这一点;因为他脱去粗糙的外套,并把帽子挂在门后一个特别的木钉上以后,就把一张椅子移到那只空杯子旁边,面对着它坐下来。他的帽子是一顶上了光①的硬帽子,有怜悯心的人一看到它就会头疼;它在他的前额上留下了一道红圈,仿佛他一直戴着一个紧窄的盆子似的。他曾经是一位领港员,或一位小商船的船长,或一位私掠船船长,或这三种人都是。他那外貌确实像一位老海员。
注释:glaze vt. 装以玻璃;上釉于 vi. 变呆滞;变得光滑 n. 釉;光滑面
例句:
1. My eyes start to glaze over the moment he begins his long-winded speech.
他一开始长篇大论,我就觉得眼皮发沉。
2. A glaze of ice on the road is dangerous.
路上有一层薄冰是危险的。
--------
①指上了釉,擦亮了的。