欧美文化博览 文森特·凡· 高传(22)

Something unsettling happened here in Amsterdam something I find disturbing.

一些不安发生在阿姆斯特丹，我觉得不安的一些事情。

If Vincent's studies weren't going well, he used to punish himself by picking up a cudgel and beating himself across the back until he bled.

如果文森特的研究不顺利,那他用来惩罚自己的方式是选一根棍棒鞭打自己的背,直到他流血为止。

And on particularly cold nights, he used to come home late deliberately¹, so that the door to this house would be locked, and he'd forced to spend the night outside, shivering.

而尤其在特别寒冷的夜晚,他过去常常故意回家太晚,这样房子将被锁上,他只能被迫在外面的刺骨寒风中瑟瑟发抖的过夜。

These were weird² habits, and perhaps there were habits he never lost.

这些都是奇怪的习惯,或许是他从未失去的习惯。

Vincent never made it on to the theology course.

文森特从未去读神学课程。

He dropped out.

他辍学了。

The only religious calling still open to someone as unqualified as him was to become a missionary³, the lowest of the low.

唯一的宗教召唤仍然对一些人开放,就像他这样最低等成为一名传教士都不合格的这类人。

A place called Laeken is Belgium had a training school for evangelists, which he failed to get into, of course.

比利时一个叫做拉肯的地方有一所传教士培训学校,他当然也未能进入。

But a kindly⁴ teacher at this school, the Reverent⁵ Peterson.

但在这所学校有一位和蔼的老师,他就是虔诚的彼得森。

1 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

2 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

3 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

4 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

5 reverent   

adj.恭敬的，虔诚的

参考例句：

• He gave reverent attention to the teacher.他恭敬地听老师讲课。
• She said the word artist with a gentle,understanding,reverent smile.她说作家一词时面带高雅，理解和虔诚的微笑。