美丽新世界Brave New World 第18章(6)

 　　He counted his money. The little that remained would be enough, he hoped, to tide him over the winter.

　　他数了数钱，他希望剩下的几个钱能够让他度过冬天。

　　By next spring, his garden would be producing enough to make him independent of the outside world.

　　到了明年春天地菜园里的产品就足够让他独立于外部世界了。

　　Meanwhile, there would always be game.

　　同时，猎物总是有的。

　　He had seen plenty of rabbits, and there were waterfowl on the ponds.

　　他看见过很多兔子，池塘里还有水鸟。

　　He set to work at once to make a bow and arrows.

　　他立即开始做起弓箭来。

　　There were ash trees near the lighthouse and, for arrow shafts¹, a whole copse full of beautifully straight hazel saplings.

　　灯塔旁边就有白杨树，还有一整林子的樟木，满是直得漂亮的枝条，是做箭杆的好材料。

　　He began by felling a young ash, cut out six feet of unbranched stem,

　　他从砍倒一株小白杨开始，砍出六尺没有分权的树干，

　　stripped off the bark and, paring by paring, shaved away the white wood, as old Mitsima had taught him,

　　削去树皮，然后照老米季马教他的样子，削掉树皮，一刀一刀削掉了白色的木质，削出了一根和他自己一样高的棍子。

　　until he had a stave of his own height, stiff at the thickened centre, lively and quick at the slender tips.

　　当中粗些是为了结实，两头细些是为了灵活方便。

　　The work gave him an intense pleasure.

　　工作给了他极大的乐趣。

　　After those weeks of idleness in London, with nothing to do, whenever he wanted anything, but to press a switch or turn a handle,

　　他在伦敦度过了几周游手好闲、无事可做的日子，需要什么只需按一下按钮或是拉一拉手柄。

　　it was pure delight to be doing something that demanded skill and patience.

　　现在做起需要技巧和耐心的工作来竟纯粹是一种享受了。

　　He had almost finished whittling² the stave into shape, when he realized with a start that he was singing-singing!

　　他差不多把根棍子削成了弓体，忽然意识到自己唱起歌来了，吃了一惊。唱歌！

　　It was as though, stumbling upon himself from the outside, he had suddenly caught himself out, taken himself flagrantly at fault.

　　他仿佛从外面回来，突然撞上自己在干着坏事而且现场拿获了，

　　Guiltily he blushed. After all, it was not to sing and enjoy himself that he had come here.

　　不禁惭恧得满脸通红。他到这儿来毕竟不是为了唱歌和享受，

　　It was to escape further contamination by the filth³ of civilized⁴ life;

　　而是为了不让文明生活的垃圾继续污染他的；

　　it was to be purified and made good; it was actively⁵ to make amends⁶.

　　是为了清洗污秽，弥补过失，积极进行弥补的。

1 shafts   

n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等）

参考例句：

• He deliberately jerked the shafts to rock him a bit. 他故意的上下颠动车把，摇这个老猴子几下。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Shafts were sunk, with tunnels dug laterally. 竖井已经打下，并且挖有横向矿道。 来自辞典例句

2 whittling   

v.切，削（木头），使逐渐变小( whittle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Inflation has been whittling away their savings. 通货膨胀使他们的积蓄不断减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is whittling down the branch with a knife to make a handle for his hoe. 他在用刀削树枝做一把锄头柄。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 filth   

n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥

参考例句：

• I don't know how you can read such filth.我不明白你怎么会去读这种淫秽下流的东西。
• The dialogue was all filth and innuendo.这段对话全是下流的言辞和影射。

4 civilized   

a.有教养的，文雅的

参考例句：

• Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
• rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为

5 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

6 amends   

n. 赔偿

参考例句：

• He made amends for his rudeness by giving her some flowers. 他送给她一些花，为他自己的鲁莽赔罪。
• This country refuses stubbornly to make amends for its past war crimes. 该国顽固地拒绝为其过去的战争罪行赔罪。