轻松背单词新浪微博 轻松背单词腾讯微博
轻松背单词微信服务号
当前位置:首页 -> 11级英语阅读 - > 经典名著:月亮与六便士53
经典名著:月亮与六便士53
添加时间:2024-02-26 10:59:29 浏览次数: 作者:未知
Tip:点击数字可快速查看单词解释  
  • “Tenez, voilà le Capitaine Brunot,” said Tiaré, one day when I was fitting together what she could tell me of Strickland. “He knew Strickland well; he visited him at his house.”

    I saw a middle-aged1 Frenchman with a big black beard, streaked2 with gray, a sunburned face, and large, shining eyes. He was dressed in a neat suit of ducks. I had noticed him at luncheon3, and Ah Lin, the Chinese boy, told me he had come from the Paumotus on the boat that had that day arrived. Tiaré introduced me to him, and he handed me his card, a large card on which was printed René Brunot, and underneath4, Capitaine au Long Cours. We were sitting on a little verandah outside the kitchen, and Tiaré was cutting out a dress that she was making for one of the girls about the house. He sat down with us.

    “Yes; I knew Strickland well,” he said. “I am very fond of chess, and he was always glad of a game. I come to Tahiti three or four times a year for my business, and when he was at Papeete he would come here and we would play. When he married”—Captain Brunot smiled and shrugged5 his shoulders—“enfin, when he went to live with the girl that Tiaré gave him, he asked me to go and see him. I was one of the guests at the wedding feast.” He looked at Tiaré, and they both laughed. “He did not come much to Papeete after that, and about a year later it chanced that I had to go to that part of the island for I forgot what business, and when I had finished it I said to myself: ‘Voyons, why should I not go and see that poor Strickland?’ I asked one or two natives if they knew anything about him, and I discovered that he lived not more than five kilometres from where I was. So I went. I shall never forget the impression my visit made on me. I live on an atoll, a low island, it is a strip of land surrounding a lagoon6, and its beauty is the beauty of the sea and sky and the varied7 colour of the lagoon and the grace of the cocoa-nut trees; but the place where Strickland lived had the beauty of the Garden of Eden. Ah, I wish I could make you see the enchantment8 of that spot, a corner hidden away from all the world, with the blue sky overhead and the rich, luxuriant trees. It was a feast of colour. And it was fragrant9 and cool. Words cannot describe that paradise. And here he lived, unmindful of the world and by the world forgotten. I suppose to European eyes it would have seemed astonishingly sordid10. The house was dilapidated and none too clean. Three or four natives were lying on the verandah. You know how natives love to herd11 together. There was a young man lying full length, smoking a cigarette, and he wore nothing but a pareo.”

    The pareo is a long strip of trade cotton, red or blue, stamped with a white pattern. It is worn round the waist and hangs to the knees.

    “A girl of fifteen, perhaps, was plaiting pandanus-leaf to make a hat, and an old woman was sitting on her haunches smoking a pipe. Then I saw Ata. She was suckling a new-born child, and another child, stark12 naked, was playing at her feet. When she saw me she called out to Strickland, and he came to the door. He, too, wore nothing but a pareo. He was an extraordinary figure, with his red beard and matted hair, and his great hairy chest. His feet were horny and scarred, so that I knew he went always bare foot. He had gone native with a vengeance13. He seemed pleased to see me, and told Ata to kill a chicken for our dinner. He took me into the house to show me the picture he was at work on when I came in. In one corner of the room was the bed, and in the middle was an easel with the canvas upon it. Because I was sorry for him, I had bought a couple of his pictures for small sums, and I had sent others to friends of mine in France. And though I had bought them out of compassion14, after living with them I began to like them. Indeed, I found a strange beauty in them. Everyone thought I was mad, but it turns out that I was right. I was his first admirer in the islands.”

    He smiled maliciously15 at Tiaré, and with lamentations she told us again the story of how at the sale of Strickland’s effects she had neglected the pictures, but bought an American stove for twenty-seven francs.

    “Have you the pictures still?” I asked.

    “Yes; I am keeping them till my daughter is of marriageable age, and then I shall sell them. They will be her dot.” Then he went on with the account of his visit to Strickland.

    “I shall never forget the evening I spent with him. I had not intended to stay more than an hour, but he insisted that I should spend the night. I hesitated, for I confess I did not much like the look of the mats on which he proposed that I should sleep; but I shrugged my shoulders. When I was building my house in the Paumotus I had slept out for weeks on a harder bed than that, with nothing to shelter me but wild shrubs16; and as for vermin, my tough skin should be proof against their malice17.

    “We went down to the stream to bathe while Ata was preparing the dinner, and after we had eaten it we sat on the verandah. We smoked and chatted. The young man had a concertina, and he played the tunes18 popular on the music-halls a dozen years before. They sounded strangely in the tropical night thousands of miles from civilisation19. I asked Strickland if it did not irk him to live in that promiscuity20. No, he said; he liked to have his models under his hand. Presently, after loud yawning, the natives went away to sleep, and Strickland and I were left alone. I cannot describe to you the intense silence of the night. On my island in the Paumotus there is never at night the complete stillness that there was here. There is the rustle21 of the myriad22 animals on the beach, all the little shelled things that crawl about ceaselessly, and there is the noisy scurrying23 of the land-crabs. Now and then in the lagoon you hear the leaping of a fish, and sometimes a hurried noisy splashing as a brown shark sends all the other fish scampering24 for their lives. And above all, ceaseless like time, is the dull roar of the breakers on the reef. But here there was not a sound, and the air was scented25 with the white flowers of the night. It was a night so beautiful that your soul seemed hardly able to bear the prison of the body. You felt that it was ready to be wafted26 away on the immaterial air, and death bore all the aspect of a beloved friend.”

    Tiaré sighed.

    “Ah, I wish I were fifteen again.”

    Then she caught sight of a cat trying to get at a dish of prawns27 on the kitchen table, and with a dexterous28 gesture and a lively volley of abuse flung a book at its scampering tail.

    “I asked him if he was happy with Ata.

    “‘She leaves me alone,’ he said. ‘She cooks my food and looks after her babies. She does what I tell her. She gives me what I want from a woman.’

    “‘And do you never regret Europe? Do you not yearn29 sometimes for the light of the streets in Paris or London, the companionship of your friends, and equals, que sais-je? for theatres and newspapers, and the rumble30 of omnibuses on the cobbled pavements?’

    “For a long time he was silent. Then he said:

    “‘I shall stay here till I die.’

    “‘But are you never bored or lonely?’ I asked.

    “He chuckled31.

    “‘Mon pauvre ami,’ he said. ‘It is evident that you do not know what it is to be an artist.’”

    Capitaine Brunot turned to me with a gentle smile, and there was a wonderful look in his dark, kind eyes.

    “He did me an injustice32, for I too know what it is to have dreams. I have my visions too. In my way I also am an artist.”

    We were all silent for a while, and Tiaré fished out of her capacious pocket a handful of cigarettes. She handed one to each of us, and we all three smoked. At last she said:

    “Since ce monsieur is interested in Strickland, why do you not take him to see Dr. Coutras? He can tell him something about his illness and death.”

    “Volontiers,” said the Captain, looking at me.

    I thanked him, and he looked at his watch.

    “It is past six o’clock. We should find him at home if you care to come now.”

    I got up without further ado, and we walked along the road that led to the doctor’s house. He lived out of the town, but the Hôtel de la Fleur was on the edge of it, and we were quickly in the country. The broad road was shaded by pepper-trees, and on each side were the plantations33, cocoa-nut and vanilla34. The pirate birds were screeching35 among the leaves of the palms. We came to a stone bridge over a shallow river, and we stopped for a few minutes to see the native boys bathing. They chased one another with shrill36 cries and laughter, and their bodies, brown and wet, gleamed in the sunlight.



    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 middle-aged ['mɪdl eɪdʒd] UopzSS   第8级
    adj.中年的
    参考例句:
    • I noticed two middle-aged passengers. 我注意到两个中年乘客。
    • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women. 这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
    2 streaked [stri:kt] d67e6c987d5339547c7938f1950b8295   第7级
    adj.有条斑纹的,不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 );使布满条纹
    参考例句:
    • The children streaked off as fast as they could. 孩子们拔脚飞跑 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    • His face was pale and streaked with dirt. 他脸色苍白,脸上有一道道的污痕。 来自辞典例句
    3 luncheon [ˈlʌntʃən] V8az4   第8级
    n.午宴,午餐,便宴
    参考例句:
    • We have luncheon at twelve o'clock. 我们十二点钟用午餐。
    • I have a luncheon engagement. 我午饭有约。
    4 underneath [ˌʌndəˈni:θ] VKRz2   第7级
    adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
    参考例句:
    • Working underneath the car is always a messy job. 在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
    • She wore a coat with a dress underneath. 她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
    5 shrugged [ʃ'rʌɡd] 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce   第7级
    vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
    参考例句:
    • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
    • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    6 lagoon [ləˈgu:n] b3Uyb   第10级
    n.泻湖,咸水湖
    参考例句:
    • The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish. 那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
    • This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment. 将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。
    7 varied [ˈveərid] giIw9   第8级
    adj.多样的,多变化的
    参考例句:
    • The forms of art are many and varied. 艺术的形式是多种多样的。
    • The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment. 宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。
    8 enchantment [ɪnˈtʃɑ:ntmənt] dmryQ   第11级
    n.迷惑,妖术,魅力
    参考例句:
    • The beauty of the scene filled us with enchantment. 风景的秀丽令我们陶醉。
    • The countryside lay as under some dread enchantment. 乡村好像躺在某种可怖的魔法之下。
    9 fragrant [ˈfreɪgrənt] z6Yym   第7级
    adj.芬香的,馥郁的,愉快的
    参考例句:
    • The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn. 深秋的香山格外美丽。
    • The air was fragrant with lavender. 空气中弥漫薰衣草香。
    10 sordid [ˈsɔ:dɪd] PrLy9   第10级
    adj.肮脏的,不干净的,卑鄙的,暗淡的
    参考例句:
    • He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。
    • They lived in a sordid apartment. 他们住在肮脏的公寓房子里。
    11 herd [hɜ:d] Pd8zb   第7级
    n.兽群,牧群;vt.使集中,把…赶在一起
    参考例句:
    • She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness. 她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
    • He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd. 他从无主见,只是人云亦云。
    12 stark [stɑ:k] lGszd   第10级
    adj.荒凉的;严酷的;完全的;adv.完全地
    参考例句:
    • The young man is faced with a stark choice. 这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
    • He gave a stark denial to the rumor. 他对谣言加以完全的否认。
    13 vengeance [ˈvendʒəns] wL6zs   第7级
    n.报复,报仇,复仇
    参考例句:
    • He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father. 他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。
    • For years he brooded vengeance. 多年来他一直在盘算报仇。
    14 compassion [kəmˈpæʃn] 3q2zZ   第8级
    n.同情,怜悯
    参考例句:
    • He could not help having compassion for the poor creature. 他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
    • Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children. 她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。
    15 maliciously [mə'lɪʃəslɪ] maliciously   第9级
    adv.有敌意地
    参考例句:
    • He was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm. 他被控蓄意严重伤害他人身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • His enemies maliciously conspired to ruin him. 他的敌人恶毒地密谋搞垮他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    16 shrubs [ʃrʌbz] b480276f8eea44e011d42320b17c3619   第7级
    灌木( shrub的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
    • These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。
    17 malice [ˈmælɪs] P8LzW   第9级
    n.恶意,怨恨,蓄意;[律]预谋
    参考例句:
    • I detected a suggestion of malice in his remarks. 我觉察出他说的话略带恶意。
    • There was a strong current of malice in many of his portraits. 他的许多肖像画中都透着一股强烈的怨恨。
    18 tunes [tju:nz] 175b0afea09410c65d28e4b62c406c21   第7级
    n.曲调,曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 );调整;(给收音机、电视等)调谐;使协调
    参考例句:
    • a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
    • When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时,她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    19 civilisation [sɪvɪlaɪ'zeɪʃən] civilisation   第8级
    n.文明,文化,开化,教化
    参考例句:
    • Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation. 能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
    • This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation. 这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。
    20 promiscuity [ˌprɒmɪs'kju:ətɪ] nRtxp   第11级
    n.混杂,混乱;(男女的)乱交
    参考例句:
    • Promiscuity went unpunished, divorce was permitted. 乱交挨不着惩罚,离婚办得成手续。 来自英汉文学
    • There is also no doubt that she falls into promiscuity at last. 同时无疑她最后也堕入性乱。 来自互联网
    21 rustle [ˈrʌsl] thPyl   第9级
    vt.沙沙作响;偷盗(牛、马等);vi.发出沙沙声;n.沙沙声声
    参考例句:
    • She heard a rustle in the bushes. 她听到灌木丛中一阵沙沙声。
    • He heard a rustle of leaves in the breeze. 他听到树叶在微风中发出的沙沙声。
    22 myriad [ˈmɪriəd] M67zU   第9级
    adj.无数的;n.无数,极大数量
    参考例句:
    • They offered no solution for all our myriad problems. 对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
    • I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements. 我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。
    23 scurrying [ˈskɜ:ri:ɪŋ] 294847ddc818208bf7d590895cd0b7c9   第10级
    v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 )
    参考例句:
    • We could hear the mice scurrying about in the walls. 我们能听见老鼠在墙里乱跑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    • We were scurrying about until the last minute before the party. 聚会开始前我们一直不停地忙忙碌碌。 来自辞典例句
    24 scampering [ˈskæmpərɪŋ] 5c15380619b12657635e8413f54db650   第11级
    v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑,惊惶奔跑( scamper的现在分词 )
    参考例句:
    • A cat miaowed, then was heard scampering away. 马上起了猫叫,接着又听见猫逃走的声音。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
    • A grey squirrel is scampering from limb to limb. 一只灰色的松鼠在树枝间跳来跳去。 来自辞典例句
    25 scented [ˈsentɪd] a9a354f474773c4ff42b74dd1903063d   第7级
    adj.有香味的;洒香水的;有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词)
    参考例句:
    • I let my lungs fill with the scented air. 我呼吸着芬芳的空气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The police dog scented about till he found the trail. 警犬嗅来嗅去,终于找到了踪迹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    26 wafted [wɑ:ftid] 67ba6873c287bf9bad4179385ab4d457   第11级
    v.吹送,飘送,(使)浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • The sound of their voices wafted across the lake. 他们的声音飘过湖面传到了另一边。
    • A delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted across the garden. 花园中飘过一股刚出炉面包的香味。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    27 prawns [prɔ:nz] d7f00321a6a1efe17e10d298c2afd4b0   第8级
    n.对虾,明虾( prawn的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • Mine was a picture of four translucent prawns, with two small fish swimming above them. 给我画的是四只虾,半透明的,上画有两条小鱼。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
    • Shall we get some shrimp and prawns? 我们要不要买些小虾和对虾? 来自无师自通 校园英语会话
    28 dexterous [ˈdekstrəs] Ulpzs   第10级
    adj.灵敏的;灵巧的
    参考例句:
    • As people grow older they generally become less dexterous. 随着年龄的增长,人通常会变得不再那么手巧。
    • The manager was dexterous in handling his staff. 那位经理善于运用他属下的职员。
    29 yearn [jɜ:n] nMjzN   第9级
    vi.想念;怀念;渴望
    参考例句:
    • We yearn to surrender our entire being. 我们渴望着放纵我们整个的生命。
    • Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life. 现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。
    30 rumble [ˈrʌmbl] PCXzd   第9级
    n.隆隆声;吵嚷;vt.&vi.隆隆响;低沉地说
    参考例句:
    • I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. 我听到远处雷声隆隆。
    • We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming. 我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定天要下雨了。
    31 chuckled [ˈtʃʌkld] 8ce1383c838073977a08258a1f3e30f8   第9级
    轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
    • She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情,她就轻轻地暗自发笑。
    32 injustice [ɪnˈdʒʌstɪs] O45yL   第8级
    n.非正义,不公正,不公平,侵犯(别人的)权利
    参考例句:
    • They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated. 他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
    • All his life he has been struggling against injustice. 他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。
    33 plantations [plæn'teɪʃnz] ee6ea2c72cc24bed200cd75cf6fbf861   第7级
    n.种植园,大农场( plantation的名词复数 )
    参考例句:
    • Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园,使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
    • Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后,那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句
    34 vanilla [vəˈnɪlə] EKNzT   第9级
    n.香子兰,香草
    参考例句:
    • He used to love milk flavoured with vanilla. 他过去常爱喝带香草味的牛奶。
    • I added a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to the pie. 我在馅饼里加了一块香草冰激凌。
    35 screeching [sk'ri:tʃɪŋ] 8bf34b298a2d512e9b6787a29dc6c5f0   第10级
    v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 );发出粗而刺耳的声音;高叫
    参考例句:
    • Monkeys were screeching in the trees. 猴子在树上吱吱地叫着。
    • the unedifying sight of the two party leaders screeching at each other 两党党魁狺狺对吠的讨厌情景
    36 shrill [ʃrɪl] EEize   第9级
    adj.尖声的;刺耳的;vt.&vi.尖叫
    参考例句:
    • Whistles began to shrill outside the barn. 哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
    • The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter. 刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

    文章评论 共有评论 0查看全部

      会员登陆
      热门单词标签
    我的单词印象
    我的理解: