美国语文第五册 第79期:不满意的钟摆(2)

 　　"Very good!" replied the pendulum¹; “太妙了！”钟摆反讥道，

　　it is vastly easy for you, Mistress Dial, who have always, as everybody knows, set yourself up above me,  对你来说，说说总是再容易不过，表盘夫人，大家看得都很清楚，究竟谁总是凌驾在我的头上？

　　it is vastly easy for you, I say, to accuse other people of laziness! 我要说的是，你总是指责别人懒惰！这点对你来说，简直太过容易。

　　you who have had nothing to do all your life but to stare people in the face, and to amuse yourself with watching all that goes on in the kitchen. 你一生无所事事，除了瞪眼看着别人的脸，厨房里发生的大小事情你只会袖手旁观，围观为乐。

　　Think, I beseech² you, how you would like to be shut up for life in this dark closet, and to wag backward and forward year after year, as I do. 我请你想想，如果年复一年地像我这样不停地左摇右摆，你是否乐意被关在这黑暗笼子里度过一生？

　　"As to that," said the dial, "is there not a window in your house on purpose for you to look through?" “说到这一点，”表盘说，“难道不是特意为你安了个窗口，让你可以看到外面？”

　　"For all that," resumed the pendulum, “那就索性说清楚吧，” 钟摆接着说，

　　it is very dark here; and, although there is a window, I dare not stop even for an instant to look out at it. 虽然开了个窗口，这里可太黑了，我甚至不敢停顿片刻向外张望，

　　Besides, I am really tired of my way of life; 再说，我实在厌倦了这种生活方式；

　　and, if you wish, I'll tell you how I took this disgust at my employment. 如果你不计较的话，那我不妨说说，我对这份工作实在过于厌恶。

　　I happened, this morning, to be calculating how many times I should have to tick in the course of only the next twenty-four hours; 今天早晨，我碰巧算了一下，接下来一天24小时内，我需要滴答多少次呀，

　　perhaps some one of you above there can give me the exact sum. 你们上面诸位或许能给我报个准确数字。

1 pendulum   

n.摆，钟摆

参考例句：

• The pendulum swung slowly to and fro.钟摆在慢慢地来回摆动。
• He accidentally found that the desk clock did not swing its pendulum.他无意中发现座钟不摇摆了。

2 beseech   

v.祈求，恳求

参考例句：

• I beseech you to do this before it is too late.我恳求你做做这件事吧，趁现在还来得及。
• I beseech your favor.我恳求您帮忙。